Friday, March 29, 2013

High Five for Friday!

Happy Good Friday everyone! Clay and I are in Tennessee this weekend visiting my family and we are having an awesome time!

Today I'm linking up with Lauren @ from my grey desk for High Five for Friday!

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I know what you're thinking. Oink oink. It was just one of those weeks. Here's the skinny:

1. The kiddos were on spring break this week so for lunch on Monday we made individual (healthy) pizzas.

2. After a week and a half off, I finally went for a run with Liz! Yay!

3. So Zoe and I tried to make healthy mozzarella bites. They failed so we just ate the melted cheese out of the pan with a fork. Zoe proclaimed it was the best snack I've ever made.

4. Last Friday night. Melted peanut butter and chocolate chips. Cold milk. A good book. Yessss!

5. Fake Alfredo Sauce. Yum. Recipe here.

And here we go...the Clay edition of H54F!



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So I have a confession to make. When I was pregnant I was actually afraid I was going to have a child that wasn't funny. I know, it's a crazy fear but those pregnancy hormones are crazy! Anyway, I'm pretty sure I don't have to worry about Clay not being funny (see above photos).

Have a very joyful Easter!

Love,
Jess

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Sunday Surprise- Fake Alfredo Sauce

So, I love all things involving cheese. It could be (is) the reason why I haven't lost the last few pregnancy pounds.

I do not care for cauliflower. I'll eat it if it comes in a veggie mix; but never, in my 27 years of life, have I ever purchased this pasty broccoli wannabe.

Until now.

You see, last year I stumbled upon this wonderful website called Pinch of Yum. You might recall the Healthy Sweet Potato Skins I posted about last year from this site. Anyway, I basically stalk this blog and drool over the recipes and even pin a few (or like all of them) that I want to try. When Lindsay posted the recipe for this Creamy Cauliflower Sauce I was a little turned off...until I continued reading. She compared it to...Alfredo sauce. Gasp. So this is my adventure into Fake Alfredo Sauce land.

First step, gather ingredients and uninterested sous chef:



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Then, saute your garlic and butter:



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After that, cook your cauliflower:



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Next, toss ingredients in blender and purée:



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Then, guess what? You're done. Eat up!



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Here's the recipe:

Creamy Cauliflower Sauce
Author: Pinch of Yum
Serves: makes about 5 cups

Ingredients
8 large cloves garlic, minced I cheated and used canned minced garlic.
2 tablespoons butter
5-6 cups cauliflower florets
6-7 cups vegetable broth or water I used 4 cups of chicken broth (because the store I was at didn't have low sodium vegetable broth) and 2 cups of water.
1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
½ teaspoon pepper (more to taste)
½ cup milk (more to taste)

Instructions
Garlic: Saute the minced garlic with the butter in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Cook for several minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not browned (browned or burnt garlic will taste bitter). Remove from heat and set aside.
Cauliflower: Bring the water or vegetable broth to a boil in a large pot. Add the cauliflower and cook, covered, for 7-10 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender. Do not drain.
Puree: Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cauliflower pieces to the blender. Add 1 cup vegetable broth or cooking liquid, sauteed garlic/butter, salt, pepper, and milk. Blend or puree for several minutes until the sauce is very smooth, adding more broth or milk depending on how thick you want the sauce. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender. Serve hot! If the sauce starts to look dry, add a few drops of water, milk, or olive oil.

Lindsay's Notes
I like to add a little bit of olive oil for the flavor and to help keep the sauce really smooth. Several other readers have mentioned that they really liked the addition of Parmesan cheese as well.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and I hope that you'll visit Pinch of Yum for more tasty treats!

Love,
Jess

Friday, March 22, 2013

High Five for Friday



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IT'S FRIDAY!!!

Today I'm linking up with Lauren @ from my grey desk for High Five for Friday!

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1. Throwback photo of the cousin and me from Easter a million years ago.

2. New flats from Target. I'm obsessed.

3. New Essie polish. I think the color is called turquoise and caicos. Please don't judge if it's not :/ This is the first time I've ever used Essie and I LOVE IT.

4. So maybe I've become a little obsessed with tea. Not really a good obsession to have when you're already hooked on coffee and still breastfeeding and therefore have to limit caffeine intake :(

5. This is how much stuff I have to leave home with everyday. Plus Clay baby. Ridiculous.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: the Clay edition of H54F!

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I know, I know. He's adorable. In the last week we:
Started teething
Had yogurt & scrambled eggs with cheese for the first time
Started working with the sippy cup
Had shots :/
Said "mama" and "dada."

In other words it's been a big week so we're so glad it's Friday (see above photo).

Happy weekend!

Love,
Jess

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Weekly Chase

I meant to do this yesterday but a really good book and sleep prevailed...



Road Runner Girl


Let's recap last week:

The March challenge goal is TO MAKE IT HAPPEN! This month I am going to focus on finishing up decorating and organizing my apartment.

Home
challenge goal
Dressers
I finished one before I ran out of paint, but it was the larger one so I got tons of clothes put away!

Clay
Read him at least one book a day.
Erk... We did get some good snuggle time in though!

Me
Bubble bath :)
done!

Fitness
Run 3 times this week and stretch!
I ran, but no stretching :(

Work
Make the kids berry salsa.
This didn't happen but we did attempt healthy mozzarella sticks yesterday. I say attempt because it turns out that the bread crumbs had grown bugs (ewwwwwww) so Zoe decided she was going to make her own breadcrumbs... Haha. At least we had fun!

Food
Make at least three new foods for Clay and one new meal for me.
Done! Corn, raspberries, blackberries, and a taco bowl!

Others
Surprise someone with something this week! I'm not sure what yet but I'll know when the time comes!
Done! I left Mike a Guinness from Clay and me for St. Paddy's Day!


This week I will...

Food
...look up baby food meat meals and make a shopping list of ingredients and plan my meals through Easter break.

Clay
Work on his room and getting the apartment baby proofed. He's gonna be crawling soon! Yikes!

Me
Take a nap and work on my blog!

Fitness
Run three times (I've already missed one so I'm playing catch up) and do 4 planks.

Work
Complete all my projects on my to do list this week!

Others
Send love to someone EVERYDAY this week. Text, card, phone call, present, anything to show I love them!

Home
*CHALLENGE GOAL*
Finish getting my room organized and the last few frames hung.

I've got this, right???


Good luck to all of my fellow chasers!

Love,
Jess

Friday, March 15, 2013

High Five for Friday!!!

If you don't like pictures of insanely cute babies just go away now...

I completely slacked on taking photos of anything other than Clay this week so you're just gonna get a bunch of cuteness and be happy about it!

Today I'm linking up with Lauren @ from my grey desk for High Five for Friday!

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I might have one of the most expressive children ever.

I've started to attempt to edit my own photos of Clay (right bottom photo) this past week and I have NO idea what I'm doing. Does anybody have any good books/sites that you could recommend??

Anyway, in lieu of photos I'll just tell you about five awesome things:

1) I've actually been sticking to my running workouts and I must say I'm starting to enjoy running a wee bit! Bring on the half in November!

2) It's getting warmer! I was able to wear shorts on two runs this week and I'm starting to see a wee bit (apparently I'm obsessed with saying a "wee bit") of color on my legs!

3) Tickets have been purchased to see Gavin Degraw in July with Leah! Yayyyyyyyyy!

4) I got a super cute pair of green flats on Monday!

5) My friend Leah and I chat through messenger on our iPads. These chats consist almost solely of funny photos we've found on Pinterest. So I'm pretty much guaranteed to pee myself laughing at least once a day.


Have a great weekend!!

Love,
Jess

P.S. when I typed "love" my iPad wanted me to say "lovemaking." Awkward.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Weekly Chase



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Okay, you're Monday is better now, right?

There have definitely been moments of overwhelming frustration during this past week but I'm pretty happy with everything that I accomplished!



Road Runner Girl


Let's recap last week:

The March challenge goal is TO MAKE IT HAPPEN! This month I am going to focus on finishing up decorating and organizing my apartment.

Home
*challenge goal*
This week I'm going to focus on getting all of my frames hung and on getting at least one of my dressers painted.
I got several pictures hung and I'm halfway done with both dressers so that counts, right?



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Clay
Finish organizing Clay's closet and make sure I'm giving him plenty of cuddle time!
I didn't get around to his closet but we definitely cuddled lots!

Me
Make sure I'm getting rest! Sometimes I just need to learn to leave the mess and go to bed.
I did this, but then I felt guilty :/ But in other news, I bought myself pretty flowers!



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Fitness
Run 3 times this week.
Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! I did it! And as my reward I get to buy a song off ITunes :) I even ran 3.75 miles straight! Without stopping!

Food
Make a meal plan.
Well, I decided to have some version of a taco bowl the week so I'll count it as a loose meal plan.

Others
Distribute brownies and mail cards.
Check! I took part of the brownies (recipe here!) to Clay's daycare teachers with thank you notes and part of them went to friends! I also got my cards mailed on Friday!

This week

I'm going to (hopefully) keep it pretty simple this week...

Home
challenge goal
Finish dressers and get my clothes put away! Finally!

Clay
Read him at least one book a day.

Me
Bubble bath :)

Fitness
Run 3 times this week and stretch!

Work
Make the kids berry salsa.

Food
Make at least three new foods for Clay and one new meal for me.

Others
Surprise someone with something this week! I'm not sure what yet but I'll know when the time comes!


Good luck to all of my fellow chasers!

Love,
Jess

Friday, March 8, 2013

High Five for Friday

This week has been cray-cray (don't judge) so this is a little late and some of the photos are horrible but bear with me...there are cute ones of Clay at the end!

Today I'm linking up with Lauren @ from my grey desk for High Five for Friday!

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1. Flowers. For me. From me. Purchased at Trader Joe's and residing in vases from Ikea. Win, win, win!
2. Finally got pictures framed and hung! My very talented friend Troy Lee took these!
3. This is a horrible picture but these are Salted Caramel Brownies. Drool. Recipe below!
4. Ikea trip!
5. Clay's newborn photos are finally hung. I LOVE them!

and the photos you've all been waiting for...



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Clay had a very busy week! He ate at Ikea for the first time (mashed potatoes and applesauce), got a new high chair, and mastered the art of sitting up by himself. Awwwwwww!

Have a great weekend!

Love,
Jess

What I Ate (devoured) Wednesday- Salted Caramel Brownies

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...sorry that What I Ate Wednesday is two days late. I was a little busy falling in love with Salted Caramel Brownies.

Before I even get into the recipe, I'm going to need for you to do a few of things: 1) decide where these brownies are going when they're done because if you keep them around you will eat ALL of them; 2) put on your fat pants. Even if they have a destination, you're gonna want to eat a few; 3) be patient. This isn't a quick recipe and it involves a lot of waiting. Maybe use the waiting time to get in some good cardio time so you don't feel bad later? Hahaha.

Okay, are you ready?

I would like to interject here to apologize for the lack of photos. I got so caught up in the baking and eating (and having a mild panic attack trying to figure out how to get rid of them) that I forgot to take any photos.

If your from Charlotte you've (I hope) heard of or been to Amelie's. If not, Amelie's is this cute French bakery that sells the most delicious pastries and chai tea lattes. My (and many people's) favorite is their Salted Caramel Brownie. Need proof? Google "Amelie's Salted Caramel Brownie." They even sell bumper stickers that say SCB on them. Yes, it's that good.

A few weeks ago I decided to brave making my own salted caramel brownies. I searched on Pinterest for the perfect recipe for HOURS. I eventually happened on the legit Amelie's recipe. (Note: had I used the brain God gave me, I would have googled "Amelie's Salted Caramel Brownie and been instantly taken to their website, where they share the recipe).

Anyway, I was immediately discouraged. The recipe called for GELATIN! The only gelatin I was familiar with was red and jiggled and went by the name Jello (j-e-l-l-o). Don't judge, you know you just sang the jingle too. At first I debated just skipping the gelatin all together after reading comments saying that it made their caramel too gummy. Finally I decided, "hey, if this is how Amelie's does it, then so will I!" The only thing I changed is that I used half the amount called for , and afterwards realized I should have used all of it so my caramel would set better.

Well, you've had enough of me blabbing so here's the recipe:

again, I'm so sorry for the lack of photos!

​Amélie's Signature Salted Caramel Brownies, Home Version

Yields 24 brownies

Ingredients
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup salted caramel glaze (see below)

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with butter or cooking spray.

In the top of a double boiler over medium heat, melt chocolate and butter, being sure the water in the bottom of the double boiler does not touch the top pan. Stir chocolate and butter until completely melted. Then stir in sugar. Blend well. Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, lightly whisk eggs. Stir eggs into chocolate mixture. Then add flour, stirring until completely blended. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes

Completely cool brownies in pan. Pour caramel glaze over brownies and cool until caramel sets. Slice into bars, about 2 inches square

Salted Caramel Glaze
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
2 tablespoons powdered gelatin, combined with 1/4 cup cold water

In a small saucepan over low heat, warm heavy cream until hot, but not boiling. In a separate tall saucepan, combine sugar and water. Place over medium-high heat. Do not stir as sugar dissolves and mixture reaches a dark amber stage. Add cream, butter, and salt. Stir gently until mixture is smooth and well combined. Remove from heat and add gelatin, stirring to combine. Use immediately.

Note: I covered these and put them in the fridge overnight to let the caramel set well before I cut them. If you don't, your caramel will be VERY hard to deal with.

Enjoy!

Love,
Jess

Monday, March 4, 2013

Weekly Chase

Another Monday... This past week was CRAZY! I took Clay to the doctor for a cough on Wednesday and found out he had RSV AND an ear infection (his first one). We had no clue...he wasn't tugging at his ear, no fever, no fussiness. All I can say is I have been blessed with a kid who is still happy even when he's sick.

My mom and aunt came to visit this past weekend so things were a bit hectic but they helped me get SO much done! Plus, I don't think I changed a single diaper on Saturday :)


Road Runner Girl


Let's recap last week:

Clay
Finish going through Clay's closet and spend more time cuddling.
Done! Thanks to my Aunt Doris and mom Clay's closet is 95% done. All I have to do is hang the clothes in my OCD manner and it will be done! And I got to spend some time cuddling with my baby although my mom and aunt pretty much monopolized him this weekend...

Me
Buy myself flowers.
Eek...this week.

Work
Make Z&Z a special snack.
So the planned snacks didn't happen but I did make Salted Caramel Brownies (look for the recipe on Wednesday) yesterday and bring them each one today :)

Home
Get closet/office usable
80% done! Again, thanks to my Aunt and mom! I'm so excited about this room now that I can actually use it!

Fitness
Register for the Thunder Road Half in November. And focus on getting up to running 5k without stopping.
Done and done! I registered on Wednesday for the Half (eeeeeeeeeeeeek) and accidentally ran 5k on Wednesday without stopping! Haha. Liz and I went for a run on Wednesday and she thought that the path we were taking looped around...well, it didn't so we turned around when we got to the dead end (which was at the top of a monster hill) and our run ended up being 3.1 miles! Woot!

Food
Make new foods for Clay
So...I didn't do this but it's on the agenda for tomorrow. Plus I bought 4 new foods!

Others
It's a secret :)
Done! I made my mom and aunt "Thanks for Visiting" bags (I think this may be a tradition for guests...). In a sweet Target canvas bag I put: favorite snacks, a framed picture of Clay, and a new water cup.

On to this week...

The March challenge goal is TO MAKE IT HAPPEN!

This month I am going to focus on finishing up decorating and organizing my apartment. We moved in at the beginning of December so it's WAY past time that this gets done.

Home
*challenge goal*
This week I'm going to focus on getting all of my frames hung and on getting at least one of my dressers painted.

Clay
Finish organizing Clay's closet and make sure I'm giving him plenty of cuddle time!

Me
Make sure I'm getting rest! Sometimes I just need to learn to leave the mess and go to bed.

Fitness
Run 3 times this week. I feel like things are always coming up and causing me to miss my run. So while this is a goal, I'm also not going to beat myself up if I don't do it. Babies get sick, weather is crappy sometimes, and work schedules change.

Food
Right now I have a ton of leftovers from my family's visit, but when they are gone I want to sit down and make a loose meal plan for the month that includes two new recipes.

Others
I know that the February challenge is over but I still want to try to continue to do something for others each week. This week I'm distributing the mouth watering Salted Caramel Brownies I made plus I have a couple of cards to mail!


Good luck to all of my fellow chasers!

Love,
Jess

Friday, March 1, 2013

High Five for Friday!

So I've been a major slacker this week with posting but bear with me! Fun recipes and training updates are coming your way soon!

Today I'm linking up with Lauren @ from my grey desk for High Five for Friday!

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So, I would like to apologize (but not really) for the fact that I'm turning this into High Fifteen for Friday but my kid is too cute!!!

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1. Tea. I've been obsessed lately.
2. I finally finished another scarf! Hopefully I can get my etsy store stocked!
3. Ezra. Pretty Little Liars binge. Don't judge.
4. I finally hung up my cute key holder from Kenya. Now I just have to remember to hang my keys on it...
5. Finding Christmas presents I forgot to give= awesome! Haha.

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Happy six month birthday, Clay Lucas!

Have a fabulous weekend!!!

Love,
Jess