FT4ME Relocates...

The good news is I am blogging again...

the annoying news it that I have moved my blog.

With the last couple year's of changes (i.e. deployment, pregnancy, baby) and my failed attempts to fall back into the groove of this one I've realized my blog has needed to change some too to reflect my evolution.  

What does this mean?  

Many of my posts will in fact be generated from my iPhone - The Blogspot/Blogger app costs $5 and has terrible recent reviews, while the WordPress one is free and has so far not been terrible to navigate.

My posts will continue to share food within our lives, but may also stray sometimes to reflect life moments I want to capture.

If you're still interested in food and bad writing, please by all means check it out!

http://langdonthomas.wordpress.com/

Happy Fourth of July - 2012!

Felt this looked Patriotic enough to post and wish you all a Happy 4th!!

Turkey Meatloaf

I've been told it gets easier as you develop a routine.  With that said I have been back to work full-time for 1 month now and I still don't feel like I have our routine down to envelope all the 'wants' and 'needs' it should.
  
As a planner I do need something, so for now I have tasks I aim to accomplish with some sense of regularity and they look something like this... 
  
I will strive for at least 1 blog post a week.
I will wash The Kiddo as needed, but at minimum 2 days a week.

I will make it a priority to workout 3 days a week.

I will make home cooked meals at least 4 days a week.

I will eat salad for lunch at work 5 days a week.

I will crawl out of bed at 4am to pump at least 6 days a week.
And for my favorite  - 

I will cuddle, snuggle and love The Kiddo 7 days a week :)

Everything is in the mouth these days!

Prior to The Kiddo, we had routine...along with flexibility and times that we reserved for absolute nothingness.  
It's not with much shock that I say our world (well my world entirely and Hubs' partially) has been taken over, flipped upside down and turned inside out since the arrival of our son.  
BUT I can honestly say, there is nothing better in this upside down, inside out world than having a little one of our own.

A Friday afternoon at the office

Our meals have slowly been evolving.  I've learned I no longer have an hour to prepare multi-step dinners that require constant attention.  Rather we now enjoy meals I can prep in 30 minutes or less and can be finished under the supervision of Hubs.

One such meal we love is Turkey Meatloaf.  So good in fact you'll never miss the beef!

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Turkey

1 diced Red Onion

2 tbls Minced Garlic

1 tbls Double Concentrate Tomato Paste

1 tbls Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp Thyme

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

Ketchup

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Begin by sauteing the Red Onion and Garlic in Olive Oil, season with Salt/Pepper and Thyme.

Once the Onions begin to soften add Tomato Paste and Worcestershire sauce, cook until combined and onions are completely softened.

Once the Onion mixture is cooled, combine in large mixing bowl with Ground Turkey.
  

Shape Turkey into a loaf shape on a baking sheet.

Cover the top with Ketchup and bake for 50 minutes or until done.

This recipe makes enough for dinner with leftovers for lunch.

Quick-n-Easy, Chicken & Kale Dinner

Adjusted from Food and Wine Recipe Online (based on what I already had at home) this dinner was just one pan and minimal effort for a new DELICIOUS OUTCOME.  

    

The Kiddo at 15 Weeks for this one  :)

Perfect for any busy Mommy 

  
Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Kale
Ingredients
1 bunch of kale, stems and inner ribs removed
1 large (or 2 smaller) Yukon Gold Potato
1 medium sweet onion
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Paprika
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Lemon wedges, for serving
  
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  
In large/deep roasting pan, toss kale, potatoes and onion with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Arrange in an even layer along the bottom of the pan.
  
Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper and paprika.  Set on top of kale mix in pan.
  

Cover pan with foil and roast for 20 minutes in the upper third of the oven.
  

Remove foil and roast for another 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
  

Plate chicken and vegetables, serve with lemon wedges to squeeze along top before eating.  Delicious, health, quick and a will do again!  
  
The potatoes softened, the kale was soft with scrumptious crisp edges, the onion was just the prefect flavor enhancer and the chicken was lovely.  
  
Note, the original recipe called for leg quarters, which you then separate to thigh and drumstick before cooking.  I know the bone-in and skin on would make this even that much more delicious...but for convenience sake the boneless, skinless chicken thighs worked just perfect for us!

Prengancy in a Nutshell

Hello all!  Any of you still here?!?  It's been a good LONG time since I've stopped by...but here I am.  I've been through the bump, now have a three and half month old, and am wearing my glorious lingering baby weight like the badge of honor it so honestly is haha!


Soo...pregnancy was a fantastic experience and perhaps one of the tops in my life.  I loved being pregnant, I loved my big (no wait HUGE) belly and I, to be quite honest, was sad to know that it was going to come to an end.
  









My taste for food did change quite a bit, my diet was mostly carbs and protein.  Oh and yes, lots of sweets!!  Turns out I had a boy, a large one at that :)

  
During pregnancy I refrained from eating soft cheese (pasteurized or not), shellfish, smoked meats, deli meat, yada yada yada...
  
I was good, I played by the rules and didn't even drink a drop of alcohol during my bout with the bump.
  
I did loose my taste for most chicken and vegetables by the end.  We literally for months ate just a menu of pork and beef, ground turkey & ground chicken.  Hubs was a great sport through it and almost always let me indulge in cravings.
  
I ate plenty of Ben and Jerry's, enough that we should have bought stock in the company at the start of the nine months.  We did try to be good and keep to the low fat frozen yogurt.  Which by the way they only sell in three flavors...!  Come on Ben and Jerry, don't you know your delicious pints are a mandatory addition to every pregnant woman's diet?!?!  Can you please show us mercy by increasing your low-fat offerings that so perfectly satisfy our cravings?  Especially so the guilt we feel afterwards is lessened...I mean come on, we have enough to worry about post birth than to sweat the extra ice cream pounds.
  
I loved cheese pizza.  Honestly I loved all pizza....but there was something about a single slice of New York Style Cheese that hit the spot.
  
I also loved bagels and bagel sandwiches.  By the end of the pregnancy my local bagel shop was used to seeing me at least a couple times a week on my way into the office.  Some days it was just a cream cheese, others it was my sausage egg and cheese with warmed jalapeno...yum!
  
Gummy worms.  I loved Black Forrest gummy worms.  I most often enjoyed these sweets while on the golf course, they were the perfect little snack :)
  
I was delighted by pancakes.  Actually once the baby 'dropped' I could eat a breakfast that would rival any lumberjack...2 gingerbread pancakes, 2 scrambled eggs with cheddar, home fries with creamy herb gravy from the best breakfast joint in town!
  
I craved spice....and heat was no match for me and my gigantic belly.  My go-to was a spicy ground chicken creation we began to enjoy almost weekly (I'll post this recipe at some point, because we still enjoy it!).  Banana peppers were my pickles by the end, I loved their briny spiciness on everything.
  
Another story to share would be my weeks long attempts to get things moving - El Gato, 5 pepper chili, more spicy chicken, yoga poses, big meals, massage oil...and just willing him out!
 

My 40 Week Lunch Out at El Gato Cantina...
we pulled out the big guns for this one ;)

I am sure I will reminisce at some point over those 9 months and 2 weeks of bumptastic fun, but for now that's my pregnancy in a nutshell and official return to the blog :)

To the blogging community/friends, here he is...my one...my only...The Kiddo!

The Kiddo:  Born at 42 Weeks, he was 10lbs 9oz and measured 23 inches long