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

Tis the Season for Patios and Summertime Salads

What is Summer without patios and summertime salads?!?!

My inspiring recipe was Broccoli Salad from my good friend, Minne-sot-da, which she so kindly provided me at my bridal shower a couple of years ago  :)

Side Note:  This was such a GREAT idea, I have to share it!!  My sister in law, and later my bff/bridesmaid,  provided blank recipe cards to shower guests.  Each guest was asked to share a recipe with us, the soon to be Mr. and Mrs.  The initial contributors were sisters, grandmothers, aunts, cousins and good friends.


Among the generous wedding gifts, this was perhaps one of my favorite items at the end of the day...Hubs and I had the start of a wonderful family recipe box!  

Since then I have continued to add to this box, noting on cards where recipes first premiered or were received.  When I look through it now I have happy and fond memories of the person and/or event behind the recipe...and I know it will be a lasting memory and wonderful tradition for our children.  

Being the planner and daydreamer I am, each time I add a new recipe I take a moment to ponder what it will be like to share with my children the story behind each one  :)  

OK, now back to Broccoli Salad...YUM!

I had not had this salad in YEARS!!!

It's something about the combo that makes this such a satisfying summer salad...

Cool crunchy broccoli, sweetened mayo, dried cranberries, crisp/salty bacon and savory red onion.  

HOLY HEAVEN!

I also decided to try this Roasted Edamame Salad...I think the recipe came from foodnetwork.com

Pretty simple, but quite refreshing.

Roasted edamame and corn, tossed with fresh tomatoes, onion and basil...dressed with olive oil, vinegar and salt/pepper.

It's a keeper and will be made again...with the potential of being added to the family recipe box under the index of 'Salads' ;)

Rewinding to Mother's Day 2011

 Pregnancy is an interesting experience.

I spent the entire first trimester saying "it's early."

I think I was trying to prevent myself from connecting with the growing being inside of me...'just in case something happened.'

Still today I consider myself more a Mom-to-Be rather than Mother at this stage...after all making it through 9 months and the birthing process are the actual rite of passage into motherhood right? 

(This pic was our first doc appt to confirm there was in fact something there...you know, in case the 7 at home pregnancy tests I took were wrong haha!)

At just 6 weeks pregnant fell the 2011 Mother's Day. 

My Mother and Sister in Law are both excited about the coming addition and decided to share their day of glory with me, a wide-eyed soon to be.

Now if you have not picked up on it by now, my Sister in Law (aka Mama Sox) is one heck of a cook and party planner.  For this year's celebration we came together for brunch. 

My contribution was something new...

Boston Cream Cupcakes (recipe courtesy of Martha).

My cake was too dense and a bit dry.  The custard was over thickened.  However the chocolate ganache was great (and the same recipe I had used on the Mexican Chocolate Cake.)!

I am not sure I would say these suckers texturally tasted as great as they looked, but the recipe has got some potential and is worth another shot.

Not to mention Boston Cream Pie is my Sister in Law's favorite...so it was the thought that really counted on this Mother's Day :)

The rest of our meal was AMAZING!

Bagels, Smoked Salmon Spread (sadly I had to skip this stuff), Steamed Fiddleheads, Pasta Salad, Quiche, Salad, Soup and an Oatmeal Rhubarb Bread (from my Mother in Law).

Mini Sox was so appropriately decked out in his Stormtrooper costume from the previous Halloween...guess this is what happens when 5 year olds start dressing themselves haha!

 My plate was big and scrumptious! 

Note that delicious bagel was a fennel and salt bagel...first time I'd ever tried it and SO GOSH DARN DELICIOUS!!!

Oh and so was the Carrot Ginger Soup!!
 

Now bringing us back to the present...here is a side by side comparison of the last week. 

Not too much has changed in the bump area, but I am beginning to feel more pregnant and even catch myself touching my own belly from time to time :)

When You're In a Pickle for Pickles...

Let there be pickles!

No that's not the crazy pregnancy hormones talking...at least not when I made this batch of quick pickles.

Early on this summer we had dinner with the Sox Family on their Patio.

That morning at Mini Sox's tee ball game I asked him what I should bring for dinner that night.  His response (of course accompanied by a big smile) was pickles!

Now I could have taken the easy way out and bought a jar of those delicious, crisp, mouthwatering, briny pieces of heaven from Claussen...ok, ok, now that might be the pregnancy hormones talking now haha!

But instead I decided to make some pickles myself...

I sliced up some small cucumbers and cherry peppers, then packed them into a jar with lots of dill. 

Over medium heat, I simmered some white vinegar, sugar, salt and water, then poured it over the contents of the packed jar.

I allowed the jar to sit in the sun for an hour or so, shaking from time to time.

As a predinner snack, these pickles were awesome! 

Fresh, crisp, briny, slightly spicy, and quick.

The Little Ms. Homemaker Part of Things

When I first began this blog I was on a quest...

This was my journey to learn, as a 20-something, how to make delicious food and try new things. 

My motivation?   Practice makes perfect. 

In my mind, if I practiced recipes and cooking techniques now, I would be able to produce delicious meals in a snap for my 'family' later

Now I present to you, The Cheese Sandwich.

Yup, it's as simple as it looks and sounds - 12 Grain Bread, VT Cheddar Cheese, Pickle, Lettuce, Tomato, Sweet Onion and Mayo.

I'd also like to share this beautiful fruit salad.

Which is representative of my recent fruit mania.

Why the flash back to my purpose?  And why the heck am I sharing of these two meals...or rather cravings??

That's right folks, we have a 'bun in the oven' and I am on verge of becoming a bona fide Little Ms. Homemaker!

We're 16 weeks along now, with 24 to go  :o)

Are you READY?!?! Return of Grilled Pizzas :)

Believe it or not, Hubs still had not tried Grilled Pizzas!

Hubs' April deployment last year meant he missed a number of things...

He missed the rainy mud season indicative of a New England Spring.  He missed the beautiful shades of green and blossoming flowers of June.  He missed the family BBQs and beach time with friends in July.  He missed the sunsets and s'mores of August.  He missed the VT fall, returning to cool November and making it home just in time for the snow.

Although he was in 100+ degree weather in the middle of a desert, those 7 months away from the beautiful changing seasons must have felt like hibernation.

With the official start of summer just around the corner, Hubs has already begun to take in and indulge in all that he missed last year while overseas.  He has taken back the duty of mowing our lawn, trimming our trees, working on the garden, etc...it's pretty great to have a man around the house again :)

Can you believe I've been so absent minded to forget Hubs had not experienced the ease, versatility and tastiness of the grilled pizza?!?!

Pizza 1:  Tomato, Basil, Olive Oil

 

Big Pizza 2:  Spinach and Garlic Chicken Sausage, Mushrooms, Bell Peppers and Red Onion

Pizza 3:  Leftovers from Pizza 1 and Big Pizza 2 with Turkey Pepperoni...'The Supreme'

(btw did you know Turkey Pepperoni has 70% less fat than the regular stuff and still tastes pretty darn good?!?!)

 

Fresh Mozzarella for all 3 Grilled Pizza Creations

Homemade pizza sauce for Big Pizza 2 and Pizza 3.

The sauce was a simmered combo of Canned Roma Tomatoes (2010 garden), tomato paste, fresh thyme (2011 garden), garlic, red pepper flake and salt/pepper. 

This sauce was super concentrated flavor with a spicy bite!

 

Over by the Naan in our grocery store, I noticed this new round Flatbread Pizza Crust, so thought we'd give it a whirl!

All the toppings were piled on and they hit the grill.

(In case you need a quick refresher...before piling on, I brush the bottoms of the crust with a bit of canola oil, and then the tops with some olive oil.  The goodies are piled on and the pizzas are grilled over indirect heat)

 

Big Pizza 2 on top of the new Flatbread Crust (which I will buy again).

 

Pizza 1 and Pizza 3 on Garlic Naan, yum!

Fresh Basil was added to finish off Pizza 1 and...

 

and Pizza 3

 

Big Pizza 2 all melty and done

After spending years in search of a good pizza joint for us, we thought we had found 'The One' just a couple months ago.  Let me tell you...these grilled beauties tasted so good, Hubs said they were the best pizzas we'd had in a long time...and better than pizza from 'The One'!

While it's nice to hear such positive remarks on the grilled pizza creations...'The One' is still going to be our go-to when even grilled pizzas are too much and I simply need a night off from the kitchen  ;)