little man!

Can you see his face? eyes closed, little round nose, chubby cheeks, and big full lips?

i got to have an ultrasound yesterday to check on  baby's size and it REALLY got me excited to meet little man! it was fun to find out that the little poky thing i've been feeling sticking out is his little knee, and he's head down and ready to go (in the next few weeks, of course)... i even had an epiphany on names! now we're officially down to two names ( at least for today, haha) and we can take them to the hospital with us. the only problem is now i actually really like the two names we've picked and it's making me want another boy. sheesh!

Easy Crock pot meal

Here's an easy and tasty crock pot meal:

Zesty Chicken Marinara Recipe

Photo by: Taste of Home

• 4 Servings
• Prep: 15 min. Cook: 4 hours

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in chicken breast halves (12 to 14 ounces each), skin removed
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 pound uncooked angel hair pasta
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

Place chicken in a 4-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, 
combine the marinara sauce, tomato, Italian salad dressing, 
Italian seasoning and garlic; pour over chicken. Cover and 
cook on low for 4-5 hours or until chicken is tender.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions;
 drain. Serve chicken and sauce with pasta; sprinkle 
with cheese. Yield: 4 servings.


I actually only used 2 chicken breasts for our whole family and 
just cut them up for all of us. It was plenty!

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving equals 730 calories, 21 g fat
 (5 g saturated fat), 160 mg cholesterol, 929 mg sodium, 
61 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 69 g protein.

names

want to know what's fun? when you narrow your list down to three names, (goodbye jack and miles!) thinking you're making some progress, and you go to talk about what you should name your baby and you and your husband decide you're sick of all the names. this is going to kill me.


aaaand i just realized it's may now. and this baby is coming SOON. oh my.

the name game

so i'm about to do something i never thought i'd do, but here's the explanation:

when we were naming george we said we would pick names out of a hat and whatever we picked would be the name. well we drew a name and realized that wasn't actually the name we wanted so we put it back. then we drew another one and put it back, finally realizing that we liked george the best.....

we are having a hard time naming this baby. we have been sort of hush hush about what names we're thinking of, but we think it's time to put the names we're thinking of out in the open and put them up for a vote. the rationale is that if we see a certain name winning the poll and we wish another name was winning, it will help us see which one we like best. it may not make sense to you, but it makes sense to us :) 

so here we go... if you read my blog, please reply with which name you like best... come out of anonymity and be heard :)

Charles (to be called Charlie)

James

Miles

Andrew (he'll have a first cousin named Andrew, who is 11 years older)

Jack

with the middle name Leon. 

Now you know. Now VOTE!

I love road trips

if you know me, you know i loooooove road trips. i start to get a road trip itch if it's been too long between trips.  the feel of a road atlas in my hands gives me a thrill. we spent the last week on an impromptu road trip because dan's grandpa died. so here are my thoughts at the end of this road trip:

- road trips are way more fun when there's not a funeral in the middle of them.
- dan's family is amazingly large. (his grandparents have 13 children, 83 grandchildren, and 120 great-grandchildren, so far.... the funeral was almost entirely family and completely filled a chapel.)
- i was happy to find out that dan's work is not counting any of the days he missed as vacation.
- i have finally perfected the art of packing for a road trip. i am awesome.
- my condolences go to the bird who met its end in the front grille of our car.
- surprise tutorials on driving in snow are not my idea of a good time. yikes.
- mountain streams are a part of my soul.
- goblin valley is awesome. seeing my boys love goblin valley is even awesomer.
- southern utah may be the most beautiful place. ever... besides northern utah.
- i don't recommend having the ac go out in your car in the middle of your trip.
- i am, however, glad the beast took us 3700 miles safely.
- my boys are really, really good kids.
- i do not need a DVD player in my car. ever.
- i do not need a GPS. i am the navigator.
- my house always seems so big when i get home.
- i love road trips.

i am already planning the next one :)

Recipes

this recipe scared me when i was done making it because it was so tasteless. i had to fix it, then it ended up being a hit. i added my fixes here (extra salt and i added parmesan cheese). everyone liked it! it makes a lot, so be prepared for leftovers :)

Creamy Pesto Penne with Vegetable Ribbons

Ingredients

• 16 oz. bag uncooked penne pasta
• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
• 4 medium carrots
• 2 yellow summer squash
• 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons prepared pesto
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 
  

Directions

• In a large saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions, adding the edamame during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler or metal cheese slicer, cut carrots and squash into very thin lengthwise strips.
• In a large skillet, saute onion in 1 tablespoon butter until tender. Add the vegetable strips and garlic; saute 2-3 minutes longer or until crisp-tender. Stir in the cream, pesto, salt and remaining butter. Bring to a gentle boil; cook for 2-4 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened and vegetables are tender.
• Drain pasta and edamame; toss with vegetable mixture. Stir in parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with more cheese if desired.  

Mediterranean Steak Pitas

Ingredients

• 1 beef top sirloin steak (1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon Greek seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Canola Oil 
• 4 whole pita breads warmed
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
• 2/3 cup crumbled garlic and herb feta cheese

Directions

• Sprinkle beef with the Greek seasoning, salt and pepper. In a large skillet, saute beef in oil for 4-6 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
•  Spoon steak over pita breads; top with tomatoes, olives, cheese.

Enjoy.

Recipe!

Sooo i am really bad at posting recipes!! There are so many that i try that I think, "ooooh that was a good one i need to post it!" and then i never get around to it. But i LOVE hearing when people say they have tried the recipes i do post!! it makes me so happy!! so, happy cooking (and eating, of course)! here's a recipe from my sister-in-law anne, it was very tasty, and the whole family ate it up!


Pesto Ravioli with chicken


2 tsp olive oil
1 pkg chicken tenders (about a pound of chicken)
1 c. chicken broth
1 family size package refrigerated cheese filled ravioli
3 small zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 c refrigerated pesto
parmesan cheese, to serve, if desired


Heat oil in 12 in. skillet over med. heat. Cook chicken in oil, then remove from skillet. Add broth and ravioli, heat to boiling then reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 4 min. or until ravioli is tender. Stir in zucchini, bell pepper and chicken. Cover over med. heat about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until veggies are crisp-tender. "Toss with pesto and sprinkle with cheese (if desired).




We served it with fresh french bread, and it was a big hit! Thanks Anne!