Gassy, Gassy

Ha!  You probably thought this post had something to do with those black bean burgers, huh?  Well...no.  :)  Maddie has been so gassy tonight!  Thank God she didn't eat those burgers!  Every time she bends over she passes gas.  She has me rolling on the floor laughing so hard.  Every time she toots she says "excuse me" so at least she's got that down...

Today Maddie started saying "ayudame, ayudame".  Yes, she watches Dora and Diego on a daily basis.  Just a minute ago she was trying to climb into a clothes basket and was saying "help!  help!".  But since I was busy typing my blog I couldn't help her :)  When I didn't respond to "help" she started saying "ayudame".  She knows how to use it!  I'm amazed.  The funny thing is that she usually just tells me "help" but after she says "ayudame" she follows up with "help me".  Maybe I need to find cartoons on the spanish channel for her to watch every day!

Maddie's other newest phrase is "Momma, don't do that".  I don't know where she got it from but she's not saying it in a bossy way.  I've told her it's not nice to say that to Mommy and she repeats it in a higher pitched, super sweet voice.  She doesn't realize it could be disrespectful to say that to me.  I keep asking her where she heard it and she changes her answer every time.  She's told me tv, she's told me mommy and she's told me daddy.  I'm sure Eric and I have told Maddie "don't do that!" so I need to pay more attention to the things I say to her.

Well, I've been too busy cooking and taking pictures of our dinners to take pictures of Maddie :)  I'm planning to get some pictures in the bluebonnetts tomorrow so look for those.  Until then, here are some of her coloring Easter Eggs!

Mmmm....Black Bean Burgers

Tonight's dinner was delicious black bean burgers.  Yummy yummy!  If you like black beans and ground cumin, this is the recipe for you!  (I got the recipe from a girl in our playgroup who made these for lunch for us) I usually try to do a meatless meal every Monday night, just as a way to try to eat a little healthier. 

Black Bean Burgers

2 15 oz cans black beans
6 T Salsa
6 T finely diced green onion
3/4 C Red bell pepper
3 T cilantro
1 1/2 C breadcrumbs
1/4 C poblano peppers or 1 T jalapeno (I use jalapeno), diced
1 large, minced garlic clove
2 t chipotle sauce or 1/2 t hot sauce, or to taste
1 1/2 T lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Tortilla chip breading
1 1/2 C crushed tortilla chips
1 t cumin

Rinse beans in cold water and drain well for about 10 minutes. Add all ingredients except tortilla chip breading in large bowl and blend well, mashing some of the beans to make a thick mixture. Form into 6 patties (Although I find that there is enough to make more unless you make really big patties). Roll each patty in tortilla chip breading. At this point you can cover and refrigerate until you are ready to heat them. Heat skillet, saute in just enough oil to brown cakes and heat through.

I really enjoyed these burgers and I'm sure Maddie would to, but she had a late lunch and is refusing to eat anything...I'm filling her up with milk instead :) 
 
So, I've been so excited about cooking again lately that I've decided to start giving myself some challenges.  Next week I'm going to do all my dinners on the grill.  The meat and vegetables will be grilled and the pasta or rice will be done in the house...unless someone knows how to grill pasta :)  Here's the plan:
 
Sunday:  grilled Ham steaks
Monday:  grilled Portobello Mushrooms
Tuesday:  grilled Chicken (haven't decided on a recipe)
Wednesday:  grilled Hamburgers (this is the night we're gone late so I needed something easier)
Thursday:  grilled Pork Chops (haven't decided on a recipe)
Friday:  grilled Shrimp
Saturday:  grilled Garlic Lime Chicken
 
I'll let you know how they work out!
 
Some other ideas I've had to challenge myself are a week of stovetop dinners (I like to use my oven a lot), crock pot dinners (I HATE my crock pot, so this will force me to find some new recipes) and a week of Rachael Ray's meals.  You know how every day on her show she has a "that's what's for dinner" segment.  At the beginning of the week her website lists the menu for the week and the recipes/ingredient lists so you can do your shopping and be ready!  That one could get pricey (since she uses a lot of ingredients I don't keep on hand) so I might hold off on that for a while.  I'm open to suggestions if you have any!
 
So, the cooking itself has been fun but the cleanup has been less than exciting.  I really liked that Mediterranean Lemon Chicken because that clean up was SO EASY!  Now it seems I'm making recipes that require more chopping and prep work.  Oh well, at least we're eating real meals again!
 
Here are some pictures from tonight's dinner...

The mixture ready to form into patties

Dipped in tortilla coating and cooking in the olive oil

100% pure yumminess :)

15 Minute Meal

Tonight's dinner was Saucy Chicken Marsala from my Weight Watchers "Comfort Classics" cookbook.  I didn't even realize it was a 15 minute recipe until I started to do my prep work earlier this afternoon.  (I like to do things like chop onions and such when Maddie's down for a nap).  The recipe turned out pretty good, but because it's a WW meal, it wasn't as good as what you might expect from a restaraunt...but it's good enough if you want a yummy meal for only 5 points!  I also cooked some whole wheat linguine to go with it so it was a pretty healthy meal all around.  Maddie's enjoying the pasta (just seasoned with salt and pepper) but isn't really into the chicken. 

I'm actually enjoying cooking again (for now).  I'm still giving myself some nights of "easy" dinner and I'm also going to break out the crock pot again this week.  We have a Wednesday afternoon playdate that we go to and don't get home until 5:00 or 5:30 so I usually end up driving through McDonald's or some other fast food place on the way home.  I'm trying to cut back on eating out because even just a quick stop at fast food for me and Maddie is close to $10.  It's just silly to do that when I'm capable of cooking at home.  I do enjoy burgers so I put burgers on the menu for two days this week.  Hey, I have to give in to those kinds of things or else I'll be right back at McD's!  Besides, I need to increase my iron intake for this baby I'm working on growing, right?  :)

This week should be a fun week for me and Maddie.  I'm going to try to drive up to Brenham one day this week to try to get some pictures of Maddie in the bluebonnetts.  She hasn't been a fan of the camera lately so I'm planning on taking a nice distraction so she will be occupied with that and I can just snap pictures.  Wish me luck!  Then we have a couple of playdates planned.  One at the library for story time, one at an indoor playground at a local church (although if it's really nice we'll probably cancel that and go to an outdoor park!) and then Thursday we're going to another park for another playgroup.  That one should be really fun because there's a nature center and sandy beaches!

This week is also my birthday!  Maddie wants to get Mommy a purple cake...I might stop at the grocery store bakery and pick up two cupcakes with purple icing :)  She also wants to have balloons so we might do that, it's been a while since we've had balloons in the house.  I'm going to see if I can get her to wear a party hat for pictures, too. 

Well, I'm being called to watch Gabba!

Baby Talk

I've been neglecting baby #2 lately...I don't remember the last time I posted about him/her (yes, we STILL don't know what we're having!).  Yesterday I celebrated 18 weeks pregnant and began week 19 of pregnancy.  It's amazing that in less than two weeks I can say I'm officially half way through my pregnancy!  Although our c-section is scheduled for September 2nd so I'll only go 39 weeks.  I had another prenatal appointment at the beginning of this week.  It was pretty insignificant.  I remember every time I had an appointment with Maddie I was so excited to share all the news with everyone and let them know things were going well and we heard baby's heartbeat.  With this pregnancy I'm still excited to hear the heartbeat but I'm just not as excited about the appointments.  They seem really insignificant compared to my first pregnancy experience.  I feel terrible when I say that because somehow it makes me feel like I'm being a bad mom by saying that.  Like somehow it means I won't love this baby as much as I love Maddie.  I know I will love him/her just as much, but I'm kind of over being pregnant and would just like to have the baby :)

We scheduled our ultrasound appointment for May 5th when Eric's home.  Even though I'll be 20 weeks on April 22nd I promised Eric I would wait til he was home so he could go with me.  I think I'm too good of a wife sometimes! :)  (Just kidding, sweetie!)  I really hope this baby isn't shy with his/her "business" so we can finally know what we're having.  It's been driving me C.R.A.Z.Y!

I still haven't really been feeling this baby move too much.  I was getting a little concerned because other women I know felt their second baby move a lot earlier than they felt their first.  I had felt this baby move before but not as regularly as I would like.  I talked to my OB about it and it's too early to worry about not feeling the baby move.  Some women don't feel the baby until 22 weeks so at least I have felt some movement.  I'm kind of hoping this is a good sign that I have a nice, calm, relaxed baby that isn't going to give me any trouble after it's born :)  (Wishful thinking, I know!)  I remember the first time I felt Maddie move was a pretty good kick so I guess I'm just not as sensitive to slight movements as some women are.

Well, I guess that's it for baby news.  My next appointment is May 5th for that ultrasound so unless anything major happens (like baby turns into an overnight soccer sensation) you'll probably hear more updates then!

More Maddie-isms

If Maddie doesn't want to wear something all I have to do is tell her that Daddy bought it for her.  Then she stops fighting me and lets me put it on her!  Then all day I hear her commenting "Daddy buy this dress".  Tonight I tried feeding her steak for the first time.  She didn't want anything to do with it because it looked "different.  Then I told her that steak is Daddy's favorite.  She started eating it!  She even went so far as to tell me "steak Maddie favorite".  What a brat!  I knew daughters rebelled against their mothers at some point in their lives, but I had NO IDEA it was going to start this young!

Maddie and I got to do a 35 minute video call with Eric yesterday.  It was SO NICE!  Maddie was a little goof ball and kept popping her head up in front of the computer and saying "hi Daddy".  She was so playful and just being silly.  The call dropped at one point and she immediately said "see Daddy again, SEE DADDY AGAIN!!!".  Thank God we were able to get the connection back.  I don't know what kind of meltdown I would've had to deal with.  When we got the call back I thought it was best if we went ahead and said goodbye just to avoid an abrupt ending.  She was fine with saying goodbye.  When we hung up the call I asked Maddie if I could have a kiss. She said "No, Daddy girl".  Again...what a brat!

Maddie has started having a much easier time around people.  This past weekend we went to a going away party at a house we'd never been to before.  Maddie did great!  She stayed outside collecting pine cones while I went inside to fix us a plate.  She played near me but didn't get clingy.  She smiled when people talked to her.  She even gave lots of high fives when we were leaving.  It was pretty amazing.  On Sunday we went to a friend's house for Easter dinner.  Maddie had never met 4 of the 7 adults that were at the dinner.  By the time we left she gave "grandma" 2 hugs!!  My friend and I just looked at each other in awe, neither of us could believe Maddie warmed up to her so fast.

Today as we were leaving playgroup, Maddie gave her first hug to one of her friends.  She's usually the one the kids try to hug and she pulls away screaming because they're "in her space" or something.  Today I told her to give Julian a hug and she did!  Of course, little Julian informed his mommy that at last week's playgroup he had so much fun because he was kissing Maddie.  Hmmm...neither mommy saw that!  I guess he has a little crush :)  It's sweet...but he better back off my baby girl!  :)

This one's kind of strange, but I have to share it anyway...every time I say "ouch" Maddie says "Mommy booty hurt?".  I don't know why she says that!!  We don't even call her butt her "booty" except when we say "shake your booty", which is very rare.  If I stub my toe, Maddie says "Mommy booty hurt?".  If I cut my finger she says it, if I bump something or anything...any reason that makes me say "ouch" she says the same thing.  It's so beyond me as to why she would say this!  It was kind of funny the first couple of times she said it but now it's becoming too much of a habit and I'm not sure I like it anymore...

I'll leave you with that one :)

Kid Tested, Mother Approved

Tonight's dinner was a success!  Maddie LOVED the chicken!  Of course, she pretty much loves anything that has garlic in it so I should've known she was going to like it.  She seemed to enjoy the couscous even more than the chicken!  It's a pretty healthy alternative to rice and such so I approve of that, the only thing I don't like is how non-child friendly it is.  I'll be cleaning up couscous for days...

Overall, I'm really happy with our dinner and will definitely be making it again since it was so simple!
Here's a link to the recipe in case I've inspired anyone:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mediterranean-Lemon-Chicken/Detail.aspx

I made a few changes.  I didn't have a lemon so I used that "Real Lemon Juice" from the fridge.  I also didn't have fresh garlic so I used the jarred minced garlic.  I mixed everything together as a marinade and put the chicken in a Ziploc bag for about 30 minutes before putting it in the oven. 

Let me know if you try it!

Cooking

It's been a while since I've actually felt like cooking.  I mean, cooking more than a grilled cheese sandwich or some scrambled eggs.  Tonight I'm trying Mediterranean Lemon Chicken and some Wild Mushroom & Herbs Couscous.  I'm super excited that I'll have 2 dishes to wash with dinner tonight...oh wait, 3 because I'll have a knife to wash after cutting up veggies for a salad.  Ha!  Actually I'll take that back down to 2 dishes...the baking dish will go in the dishwasher too :) 

This chicken smells so good and was so simple to put together!  The couscous comes in a little box mixture and takes only 5 minutes after the water comes to a boil.  Does life get any simpler than this?

Here's a picture of the extent of the ingredients:

Yup, that's it.  The recipe had some specific measurements, I just threw stuff in.  That's how I roll.  I don't like having measuring spoons to put away out of the dishwasher later!  So, the chicken is cooking now and the couscous will go on the stove in about 30 minutes.  I'm really looking forward to a nice dinner with Maddie tonight!  I'll report back and let you know how it is.

Another food related thing I wanted to share with you is this yummy pizza topping

Eric bought this to add to his pizza sauce to give it a little more flavor.  I found a new use for it...I add it to my salads!!!!!  Most genius idea I've had in a while, I know :)  Oh my goodness!  It's so delicious, I can't even describe it.  The next thing I want to get for my salads are those new mini pepperonis, I think they're by Hormel.  Then my salads will be complete :)

Well, it's time to turn and baste the chicken...