Recipe: (sorta) Chicken Taco Bake

Today was one of those days that I just threw something together from what was around in the fridge, finishing up a few things in there....and the final review from hubby???

was....



wait for it....



Are you ready???


Ok - 'It was good.'


I'm not gonna lie, I'm not a good cook...so - that's a raving review in our household, upgraded from 'It was fine'.  Which is  90% of the time.

I call is a success!  But really, add taco seasoning to anything and it'll be good!   This was also semi-healthy too though so I was proud.

and ate it all without taking a picture.

sorry...my bad.


So use your imagination!

Layer of nacho chips
Layer of a this mixture:
1avocado, a little mayo and leftover ricotta cheese - add taco seasoning to taste
Layer of frozen veggies of your choice(we had carrots, peas and corn)
Layer of canned beans, drained.
Layer of chopped up chicken
Layer of salsa
Layer of shredded cheese of your choice.

Throw in the oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

Scoop it with chips or eat plain.

Enjoy!

This is not my version, nor did it look like this...but this post is boring without it, right? :)

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Holidays = Fail

Ok guys, next time I make a goal right before a holiday...just straight out call me crazy:)  As of Tuesday I was the same weight and had only done my squats one night!  
Epic Fail!

BUT on the bright side, I got my healthy on again as of Wednesday and decided to do a 3 - day raw food cleanse....well, by this morning my little nursing baby was slightly annoyed and a little gassy - sooo, this was a bit of a fail too.  I'm not going to continue with it for her sake and that it was gross drinking pureed veggies all day....but mostly the baby thing ;)

The bright side though? I lost 4 lbs just doing the cleanse for 1 day!  Good jump start to getting back on track and I've done my squats the last two night sin a row.  For now I'm sticking to veggies and fruit for a couple more days but I'll just eat them instead of pureeing them all together - now I just have to try and get to them before Carlee eats them all on me.

That's it here for my weight watch but check out my girlies at Easter this weekend:)

Family shot

Pleased with her loot from the egg hunt

Strange person in a huge bunny costume....Carlee runs and hugs.  Maybe its time for stranger danger talk! :S

Hope you all had a very happy Easter celebration.  Will update soon on how things are going on my squat challenge and weight loss goals!

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Squat Challenge!

Emma is now 4 months old and while I lost all my baby weight within a month of her being born - we then faced Christmas and with my hormones tending to be unbalanced causing weight gain....I've got some work to do.

Oh, so cute, right??

= 

NO! this is not really me....but a few more chocolate bars...

 
My fitness class is on break for a couple of weeks so I needed something to get me focussed and doing something productive in the evening other than snacking...so I've decided to do a squat challenge!

Given I can already do over 100 squats in a row easily but I definitely don't do it often enough so here I am, someone keep me accoutable...and maybe join me so I know I'm not alone in this!! :)

Here is the site: http://www.twohundredsquats.com/week6.html

I'm starting in week six but read through and start where works for you!  I'm following up my squats with a couple of 30 second planks that I'm trying to get back up to 1 minute...if only I could find those abdominal muscles that Emma stole on her way out ;) 

My challenge for myself is to do this 3-4 x a week minimum. 

To go along with this, I am making diet changes including starting the day with a green smoothie, changing my daily coffee to Dandy Blend, and drinking Apple Cider Vinegar in Green tea throughout the day and taking daily probiotics.

I like to weigh in 4x/day...but that doesn't seem to be working so well.  I think I'll cut back to 1/week instead.   So get your squat on and meet me back here in one week!

Go!

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Happy Birthday Carlee!

February 23 was Carlee's 2nd birthday!  How the years go so fast, I don't know!  We had a low key open house with friends and family the weekend of her birthday with some cake and a special tutu for her to wear:)  Unfortunately she napped right up til party time so she ruined her pretty hair and it never got fixed...  But hey, she didn't care and we all had a good time:)   Check out all the cousins/little friends chowing down on cake, haha! 

Happy 2nd birthday my little girl!  Mom & Dad love you so much!

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My Breastfeeding Story - Emma

As many of you know, when Carlee was born I fought fiercely to have the breastfeeding relationship that I had envisioned.   I spent many months feeling guilty, not enjoying whatever was left of that relationship and just simply like a failure.   I could not figure out how to fix this, nor did I know how to get help for this.  Until I found the local La Leche League, and a world of supportive moms full of knowledge to help guide me through examining what may have gone wrong with our first attempt as well as helping me prepare to try again with baby 2- Emma:)   They sat with me as I cried out my feelings and worked my way to a place of fight!  I would have a plan, and if at the end of that I still did not have a full supply then I would redefine what a successful breastfeeding relationship was and learn to enjoy what we had, whatever it looked like.

So, with Carlee I had a lot of pain latching which I later learned indicated a latch issue but I also had PCOS which is related to a lack of breast tissue growth in pregnancy for a small percentage.  It was impossible at this point to know whether one or both were responsible for my previous experience so I needed to prepare for both possibilities.

My plan:)
A variety of supplements and a network of women to help me address any latching issues that may arise, as well as the contact info for a well known breastfeeding guru - Jack Newman.   I knew this time around, at the end of the day I would have done all I could to give my daughter that relationship.

Then, Emma was born November 20th at 6:12 am in our guest bedroom with our wonderful midwives.  Big Sister Carlee got to be in the room as she woke up just before delivery having slept through everything up til then - and then went off to spend the day with a neighbour and give us some time to sleep and cuddle with Emma!   It was a beautiful start of just being in bed together nursing and sleeping the day away:)

Days passed and my mom took care of Carlee so I could just focus on letting Emma nurse as much as she wanted - all day and all night:)   We all held our breath as the day came that Carlee stopped gaining - I even called a friend and LLL leader to assure me that her latch looked good -  and we waited for the midwife to come assess how we were doing.

We watched impatiently as she took the sling and scale and put Emma in....and saw the numbers go up and up.....and it was confirmed!

Emma was gaining!  No, not just gaining - she was thriving:)

We were nursing like there was not even the possibility of a problem and no sign of any issues in sight. 

And that was it - no pumping, no herbs, no getting tongue ties cut or going on drugs...this time around I got to simply enjoy holding my baby and know that for whatever reason, this time my baby was surviving just off of me!

My beautiful girls:)

And here we are, three months in - loving it! 


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A Blessed Life

I don't do it each day, though I know I should - but today, I feel very very blessed :)  As anticipated, we welcomed baby girl #2 into our lives on November 20th - this time we had a home birth which was wonderful and made for a very relaxing transition to family of four.  Here is how our family looks with the newest little one!

                                                                                          Christmas 2012

This week my SIL welcomed her 2nd child and now we wait a few more weeks for my sister to welcome her 2nd child!!  I have visions of all these little cousins running around in a few years just like their older siblings are now!

Speaking of,  C turns 2 on Saturday...my little girl, the experiment;)  Now she is a fun loving, tantrum throwing, stubborn like her mama, beautiful, smart girl.  She is so no longer a baby which we are stunned by!  She loves to do puzzles, play dress up, serve tea with her new tea set, ring around the rosie, baths galore, and help mom in the kitchen whenever allowed.  She is learning that she can make decisions and test the boundaries which is all exciting and frustrating in one:)

Her 2nd birthday present? A trip to Florida!

Not really.

We were going anyways, but it was conveniently right before her birthday and since we met Oma & Opa there, she got to have a party at Chuck E Cheese! Spoiled little girl!  That and a week living in her bathing suit was heaven on earth in her eyes! Especially with two playmates to meet her there!  Wandering if Oma has recovered yet...

Anywho, we had a fantastic time!  Here's a glimpse:

Oma & Opa

Just like Oma

Chuck E Cheese!  

She only sits still so long...so she had a unique tan. 

E chillin' in the stroller, loving life.   Really!  She may look skeptical here, but she loved Florida. 

Daddy loved taking in the training grounds. 

E wasn't impressed. 

And now we are back shivering in the Ontario winter....spring's around the corner right? Brrr.

Moral of the story today? I got it good.  Real good;)

Debating coming back around here more often - will let ya know;)


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