goodbye.

well friends. it's been fun. but i'm afraid i have to go. i started this blog to share my journey through life and motherhood. and it turned into something different. it wasn't a bad thing... but it's not what i intended. i wanted something i could share with max someday. i wanted a way to keep family and friends in the loop of our life. so that's what i'm going to do.   from now on i'll be blogging at alexander road if you want to follow along, but...   beware -- there won't be recipes.  there won't be diy.  and there won't be any fashion fridays, tuesday ten or anything else..    it's going to be purely for my little boy. 

rocked me.

i don't know about all of you, but i've had enough of this election talk. i hate politics, and i don't think any politician is going to make american what i want it to be. not for me, but for my son, and the future of this country. that's all i'm going to say about it, b/c i honestly don't like to talk politics, and i'm sure you've all had enough of it, just like i have!  so let's take a lighter route today.  let's go back a few decades shall we?     i wasn't born during this era. but i definitely wish i was. classic rockers have my heart. i'd totally have been their groupies. swooooooon.   tom petty   bob dylan   john lennon   the boss   jimi hendrix   the stones   lindsey buckingham   jim morrisson     i need a time machine.    

i won the lottery!

in my dreams i won the lottery. in real life i won nada. but i do dream about winning the lottery. quite a bit actually, but winning would require actually playing. and that i don't. but i'll still dream.   10 things you would do/buy if you won the lottery --   1.  buy a house in cape may, nj.  one of the old, amazing houses that are perched on tree lined streets.  oh how we love those houses.        2.  an old farm house as our main home.  i dream of these.     3.  a new car.  actually, a new suv.  i'm not a girl who wants a corvette, ferrari, or any of those kinds of things.  i'd gladly take this    or this   yes, i'd love a van.  and no, i have no clue why.   4.  a new wardrobe - again, nothin' fancy, just a shopping spree and be able to buy whatever i like!   5.  camera equipment and a class to learn how to use it all.   6.  a vacation somewhere amazing and tropical for me & my entire family.     7.  a european vacation for me, max & josh.  and i mean all over.  italy, greece, france, germany, wherever the wind takes us.   8.  donate - i'd donate a lot of it to animal, children's and cancer research charities.   9.  three horses, and a barn to keep them in.  one for max, one for my mom, and one for my mother in law.    10.  whatever else i feel like buying at the time.  new computer?  a pool?  a treadmill?  probably just some random stuff.       happy tuesday.  

oatmeal pancakes

miss me?! i know, i've been MIA for a whole entire week (maybe more..), but i was without camera and inspiration.  sorry about that. but i'm back and full of fun stuff for ya.  this post isn't even actually my idea, but it's a great one.  and her blog is even more great.  this pancake is seriously hearty and seriously delicious.  this post has been in my drafts for like a month, no clue why i waited so long.  without further ado --     i had a few very ripe bananas and they needed a use.  banana bread was going to happen after work.  until i got my daily email from the kath eats real food blog and saw this.  it was fate.  not only are they super healthy and nutrient packed, but they're good.  and easy.  i made them again and let them sit overnight so my "batter" would be ready in the a.m.    

go check out her amazing blog and then go make an oatmeal pancake.

 

oh yeah, and i haven't eaten any meat in a week, so be prepared for some totally delicious meat-free recipes in the near future!

   

weekend wrap up

there's not too much to wrap up. so i'll include thursday in the wrap up since it was trick or treat and all. got tons of candy, max had a blast, ran around like a crazy person. it was pretty fun!  

my little monster & his cousins, tinkerbell and lion.

friday night we went to hersheypark in the dark - fun times!

we ate way too much fried junk, rode some rides, then called it a night.

saturday we ran errands, which was fun b/c everyone in the area was out at the stores stocking up for the big storm.  i, on the other hand just had to do my normal weekly grocery shopping, which ended in chaos.  we hung out, then watched football at my parent's house.

today we pretty much just prepared for the storm - put all of our outside stuff in the shed, did all the laundry & cleaning, hoarded ice, flashlights, candles and batteries.  so we're all ready for hurricane sandy to show her ugly face.  the worst that will happen to us will most likely be power outages, but we've already received a call from our electricity provider stating that if the power goes out it could be out for up to a week or more.  ugh, not fun.  but we've got candles, water, food and wine.  we'll survive :)

 

whaaa?

i know today is normally fashion friday, but that had to wait. how on god's green earth did axl rose go from   this:     bad ass, rocker of the late 80's/early 90's.  i was crushin' on him hard core, especially when the november rain video (yes kids, as in a music video, MTV actually used to air these!) first came about.  i mean honestly, he was bad ass back then.  back then.  now let's fast forward to present day.  if anyone has a queasy stomach or just doesn't want to face the facts about their beloved kiddie crush - please do not read on.        axl rose now: ermergahrd.  what the flip happened in the past 25 years?!?!?!  i mean, i understand people age, and their looks change, but this?  now that my childhood dreams have been crushed, have a happy friday!  

things i love.

things i love thursday. it'ssssssss back! to be honest, there's not much i'm loving today. i have strep throat, i'm not feeling totally amazing. thankfully i compiled my list of things i loved before sickness set in!  

these things are delicious!  i got them for max, but i won't lie, i've found myself digging into the box for a late night snack.  they're super cheesy and made w/ all good stuff.

got this new kindle fire cover at target on clearance for under $9

as a cover

perfect set up for when i'm watching my shows in bed, yes i'm a loser!

mmmm, SO delicious.  had this stuff on some pretzels sticks and i was in heaven.  i love the slight cinnamon flavor and the raisin chunks.

i got these reusable zip ties from pampered chef a long time ago and never used them.  now i can't stop.  they're the perfect thing for containing all those crazy cords!

 

these are my favorite as of yesterday -- i'm not really eating "real" chewable food lately b/c my throat is that sore.  i'm a big eating person, i typically never drink my meals, i like to chew.  but when there's no other choice these are quite tasty and super easy.

 

happy thursdayyyyy!

wiaw

it's wednesday. so that means what i ate wednesday. which i haven't done in a few weeks because i either forgot to photograph my meals, or i was just too lazy busy. i was feeling under the weather so i gave in to some of my junk food cravings, but hey, you have to once in a while.  it's all about moderation! sometimes i have zero moderation skills and will eat 10 pieces of fun sized candy in a sitting.  or half a gooey cake.  i mean "yolo", that's what the youngins say these days right?   breakfast

eggs over easy, toast with light butter, coffee with a splash of skim & stevia

mid morning

honey vanilla chai tea, cinnamon and honey in attempts to soothe my sore throat!

 lunch

leftover "easiest beef veggie soup ever" - recipe coming soon!

 

the junk food craving -- pb cups for "dessert"

mid afternoon

banana

salted skin on marcona almonds & roasted no salt pumpkin seeds

 dinner

creamy tomato soup (recipe here) with a sharp cheese & pepperoni grilled cheese

 

 

 

\ soup on soup on soup, you can tell what i crave when i'm feeling under the weather!!

 

creamy tomato soup w/ mozz balls

today is cold, dreary, and i'm not feeling 100%. sore throat, aches (which may or may not be due to the fact that i ran 13.1 miles two days ago), and a mind that feels like it's in the twilight zone.  so what would be more perfect than a warm, rich, comforting bowl of soup?  unfortunately i made this last week, but a girl can dream, right?! this recipe is inspired from this and also from a wedding i was recently at. it had the best tomato soup i've ever tasted.  creamy, sorta sweet, totally & utterly delish. so i had to recreate it, and add the baked mozz balls to it.  it's not exact, but it's close.  oh, and it's goooooood.     you need: soup -- 1 can diced tomato 1 large can crushed tomatoes 5 packets of stevia (or whatever sweetener you prefer, you do the math) 3 cloves garlic, pressed 1 tsp dried minced onion 1 small container light cream 1 tsp thyme s&p to taste   mozz balls -- mozzarella block o' cheese, cut into chunks egg whites panko bread crumbs  

place all of the soup ingredients(except the cream) in a large pot over medium heat and let them simmer & get to know one another.  while they're doing their thing, get your mozz balls ready.  place egg whites in a shallow bowl and bread crumbs in a separate shallow bowl.  place mozz in the egg whites and coat.  place the mozz in the bread crumbs and coat.  put mozz hunks onto a skewer and place on a baking sheet (i placed mine so they were not touching the pan, thanks to the skewer, if you have a wire rack this would work also), bake at 400 degrees until they start to get melty.  if you hit the link at the top though, she freezes hers and swears by it to keep them upheld during the baking process.  i was hungry and didn't have that kinda time, so i did it my way and it worked fine they just weren't perfect balls.  ok, so pop them in the oven and now back to the soup.  get your handy immersion blender (if you don't own one, go buy one, they're way too handy) and start blending away until most of the chunks are gone.  add your cream and mix well.  serve with your piping hot and slightly gooey mozz balls. 

italian sausage stir fry

i'm not sure what classifies a dish as a stir fry. i'm pretty sure this would not be classified as one. but i'm calling it one. why?  b/c it's my blog, that's why.  and b/c i stirred it in a frying pan and it contains veggies like stir fry would. that's reason enough for me!    

you need: 1 lb italian sausage, cut into 2 in pieces 1 onion, large chop 2 bell peppers, large chop 10 oz sliced mushrooms 2 c broccoli florets 15 oz diced tomatoes, drained 1/2 can tomato paste 2 garlic cloves, pressed 2 tsp italian seasoning 1/2 c water s&p to taste     in a large pan (i used my extra big electric skillet for this one) swirl a few swirls of olive oil over medium high heat.  add your onions & sausage and cover.  cook until sausage is almost done.  add the rest of your ingredients and cook until the veggies are crisp tender and juices simmer down a bit.  serve over rice, pasta, or solo.  i had mine with chunks of sharp cheese - YUM.   i had the leftovers the next day and they were just as good then.  this is definitely going into the rotation in our house!   happy monday!