Monday, February 28, 2011

I'm So Blessed

Today I have been thinking about how blessed I am. So many times I feel down and forget to be thankful, but today, I recognize how blessed I am and how awesome my life is.

My Blessings:

1) My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ

2) My incredible husband. He works so hard to take care of our family. And when I am tired and overworked, he washes dishes, does laundry, and vacuums. Now THAT is my kind of man. :)

3) My beautiful daughter, Madi. She is the light of our lives and brings us joy every day. There is nothing better than an unprompted I love you.

4) My awesome family and my incredible friends. Life wouldn't be nearly as full and joyful without them.

5) A fantastic church home and church family. It is a beautiful thing to know that I can fellowship with other believers every week.

6) A wonderful home to call our own. With our life the past couple of years, this has become such as special thing. I won't take it for granted ever.


There are so many more things I could list, but these are definitely my tops. I just wanted to take a few minutes and share how awesome my life is. Regardless of how little money we might have, how busy life gets, or how my husband/child may drive me crazy (haha), my life is so full and God is so good.

I hope you can say the same!
Much love,
bc

Sunday, February 20, 2011

{the baby} only 242 days to go!

We are still a little bit shocked to realize that we are actually going to have a baby in a few short months... but now all the fun stuff begins. We are guessing the sex of the baby, picking out our initial choices for names and deciding how to rearrange the house to turn one of the extra bedrooms into a nursery.

I am feeling great right now. The morning sickness hasn't hit hard yet, just a little nausea. I am extremely tired, but I am working full time right now, so that is understandable.

I am super excited about this little baby growing inside of me and saw some diapers on sale, so I decided why not go ahead and stock up! I also saw a cute maternity top at Target and went ahead and got that too! I know, somebody stop me, I am way ahead of myself... lol. But after waiting for almost a year for this baby, I am so thrilled God has blessed our family in this way. The hard part now is praying and trusting that He loves our baby even more than we do. So, I am trying not to give into the temptation to worry and fret about the baby's development and progress. After all, there is still a good 8 more months!

So, I am going to leave you with this funny cartoon.... this was definitely me. I actually only took the test 4 times this pregnancy... I think it was close to 6 last time.

Enjoy... I'm off to drink lots of water, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and exercise safely!

-bc

pregnancy cartoon

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Tasty Thursdays! Veggie Pizza

Now that I am eating for two, I am working extra hard to make sure what I eat is packed with nutrients. I saw this veggie pizza on Hungry Girl* and new it was just what I needed! And best of all, you can have a large serving for just 150 calories!



Here's what you need:

1 can refrigerated Pillsbury Classic Pizza Crust dough
3 oz. regular eggplant, thinly sliced and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced widthwise, ends removed
3/4 cup canned tomato sauce with Italian seasonings
3/4 cup shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup chopped red bell peppers
Optional toppings: reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping, red pepper flakes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Roll out pizza dough into a large rectangle about 12 inches by 16 inches. Transfer to a large baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray.

Spread tomato sauce over the dough, leaving about a half-inch border for the crust. Place the eggplant and zucchini slices evenly over the sauce, and then sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Evenly distribute the peppers over the pizza.

Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the crust is a nice shade of golden brown. Cut into 8 pieces. If you like, top your piece with some reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping and/or red pepper flakes. Now dig in!

(makes 8 servings)


Doesn't this sound divine!! Yum.
Enjoy this weeks recipe, I know I will.

bc


**Recipe credit and photo credit go to Hungrygirl.com

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Congestion.

Don't you hate when your child is sick and there is nothing you can do about it?

I've been dealing with that last night and all day today. Madi has a viral infection and there is no medicine to give her. :(
The doctor doesn't want her taking anything over the counter and her nose drops and honey didn't do a thing to ease her congestion or cough. She sounds terrible... all congested but she can't get it out. Poor thing couldn't even get a nap in today because she kept waking herself up coughing. So, I've rubbed her with Baby Vicks, got the cool mist humidifier on, squirted her nose up with saline drops, given her some honey, and said many prayers that tonight she will get some rest.

Feel free to join in on those prayers. And to anyone else with sick kiddos today, I'm right there with ya.

much love,
bc

Monday, February 14, 2011

Oh, Baby.

AHHH!! I am so excited.


Josh and I found out yesterday that we are expecting our second child around the middle of October! We couldn't be happier.


God has truly given us the desire of our heart. Madison can't wait to be a big sister and is already looking out for the baby. When she overheard me making my first doctor appointment, she had to make sure that he wasn't going to hurt the baby.


I am just so happy to share this news with you.
And I will definitely keep you posted on things baby related!

Much love,
bc

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Tasty Thursdays! Chicken and Veggie Pasta

I love the Hungry Girl website! They give you healthy swaps for your favorite foods! Its awesome. One recipe I have found is for Chicken and Veggie Pasta. It replaces a dish from the Cheesecake Factory that packs almost 2000 calories. This version, however, only has around 274 calories for a serving.

So here's what you need:

1/2 box of healthy pasta (whole wheat or something like it)
2 boneless skinless lean chicken breasts
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt, divided, or more to taste
1/8 tsp. black pepper, or more to taste
20 asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and thinly sliced
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread
1 tbsp. reduced-fat grated cheese topping


Cook pasta and set aside.

Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Add chicken and season with Italian seasoning, 1/8 tsp. salt, and pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes per side, until fully cooked.

Remove chicken from the skillet. Once cool enough to handle, slice chicken and set aside.

Remove skillet from heat, re-spray, and return to medium-high heat. Add asparagus and 2 tbsp. water. Cover and cook for 4 minutes.

Remove cover and add tomatoes and garlic to the skillet. Stirring occasionally, cook until veggies are tender, about 4 minutes.

Add noodles to the skillet, stir, and cook just until any excess water has evaporated and noodles are hot, about 2 minutes.

Add butter, remaining 1/8 tsp. salt, and sliced chicken to the skillet. Cook and stir until ingredients are well mixed and butter has melted, about 1 minute.

Add grated cheese topping and mix well. If you like, season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

(makes 2 servings!)

I hope you enjoy!!!

Share your recipes...
Love,
bc

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Tasty Thursdays - Grilled Chicken Parmesan

I love the Biggest Loser Family cookbook and I prepare food from it often. One of my favorite recipes is Grilled Chicken Parmesan*. I love to eat Chicken Parmesan, but made the traditional way it can easily push 500+ calories just for the chicken. This recipe however only has 169 calories per serving!

What you'll need:
(This serves 4)

4 boneless chicken breasts
spray olive oil
salt (to taste)
ground pepper
1/2 C low-fat marinara sauce
6 TBSP shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
2 tsp grated low-fat parmesan cheese

What you do to prepare:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Preheat a grill to high.

Lightly spray both sides of the chicken with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken for about 3 to 5 minutes per side (turning once). Cook until juices run clear. Then transfer to a baking dish.

Heat the marinara on low in the microwave until warm. Top each chicken breast with 2 TBSP of marinara sauce, then 1 1/2 TBSP mozzarella, and 1/2 tsp Parmesan. Bake the chicken for 3-5 minutes (or as long as it takes to melt the cheese).

Serve with green beans or another vegetable. Then, enjoy!

Simple and delicious.
Share some of your recipes!
-bc


*Recipe courtesy of The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Be My Valentine

Valentine's day is a special holiday. I know it might seem like a marketing scheme that makes millions of dollars, but it is a great time to focus on LOVE. Yes, that should happen all of the time, but can you ever teach love too often? The month of February is a great time for me to teach Madison about the different kinds of love: the love God has for His children, how much I love Daddy, how much we love her, and how to show love to our neighbors.

I have been working on some more printables to share with you and have created some valentines for your kids to give to their friends. (Adult versions coming soon!) They are Madi-approved so I hope your kids will enjoy them. Just download and print, then have your kids decorate and sign their name! Easy, affordable, and fun.

Kid's Valentine's Day Card

I would love to hear what you think. Enjoy February and show a little love. Teach your children what it really means to love one another.

Blessings,
bc


"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:10

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

If you love to cook (or maybe do it begrudgingly)....

and want to stay healthy, help me out!!

I would like to start a recipe swap for busy families to find easy, healthy, and delicious recipes.

If you are interested I'd love your help. Every Thursday I will post a healthy recipe that my family eats and I would love for you to post a recipe from your home cook book. Now, you might ask, what do I mean by healthy? Recipes with under 500 calories that might include a reasonable portion of protein, some fruits or vegetables, and maybe some type of whole grain. The most important quality is that it be under 500 calories.

Then once you have posted your recipe in the "comments" section on Thursday, I will compile them and they will be a resource for you to find on my blog when you are in a pinch or just looking for a healthy treat.

I am really excited about this. I get tired of eating baked chicken and steamed vegetables every night. :)

Can't wait for your input! Let me know what you think,

-bc