chicken taco quesadillas

So, we have a weekly "Taco Tuesday" in our house.  Pretty much it means that we have some sort of Mexican dish every Tuesday.  Usually, it's chicken tacos, but sometimes we try something different.  This week, I decided to try some quesadillas with some canned chicken I had in the pantry because my chicken supply in the freezer has dwindled.  For something that I just threw together for the first time, they actually turned out quite good.  My 2 year old wouldn't even taste them, so I don't know if they are toddler approved, but they are definitely hubby approved.  Here's what I did:

Chicken Taco Quesadillas

Ingredients:

One 10 oz can of shredded chicken

taco seasoning

cheese (I used cheddar because it's what we had.  You can use your cheese of choice.)

Tortillas

Steps:

Spray pan with cooking spray and preheat over medium heat.  

Open your can of shredded chicken and drain it.  

Put chicken into a medium sized mixing bowl. 

Mix in a fair amount of taco seasoning.  You can use a little or a lot depending on your family's preference.  I didn't measure, so I'm not exactly sure how much I put in.

Mix in 1-2 cups of cheese.  Again, I didn't measure, I just poured enough in to where I thought it looked like enough.

Spoon chicken mixture over half of tortilla.

Fold second half over first and place in pan.

Cook each side for about 2 minutes.  This may take more or less time depending on your pan and how well it heats.

Remove from heat, let cool for a few minutes, and enjoy.

Hidden veggies mom win

So, the other night I was making macaroni and cheese for the 2 year old and trying to figure out f it was worth it to try and make her some vegetables when I had a genius thought. I would add the vegetable right to the mac and cheese.  So, I added some sweet potato that I had made into baby food to it.  Not only did she eat it, she asked for more... twice. Many of us know the struggle that is getting a balanced diet into our children.  They don't touch the veggies on their plate and if they do, they may love them one day and suddenly the next it's a crime to even try them.  I call this a huge win... at least for today...

Here's what I did:

Cook the pasta according to directions.
Drain and put back in the pot.
Add 3oz  of ground sweet potatoes or baby food.
Add remaining ingredients according to the macaroni and cheese package.
Mix and serve.


*You can add more or less sweet potato depending on how you feel or what you think your child's preference will be.
* I made the sweet potato myself by steaming it and blending it in the ninja with some water.  Then I froze it in ice cube trays as baby food, but next time I think I am going to try actual baby food.
* I use Annie's brand macaroni and cheese, but you can use whatever you prefer.
* If you don't want to use sweet potato, you don't have to.  Make sure you use an orange vegetable, though.  You don't want to alter the appearance so your child doesn't even try it.

I tried it myself and it was actually quite good.  It made it a little thicker and more richer.  I think next time I may try it with one of the orange food pouches we have stored in the pantry and see how that turns out.

I hope this helps get an extra serving of vegetable into your child.  Enjoy.

Momlife is sometimes a craptastic adventure...

After spending 3 hours at the WIC office this morning, I wanted nothing more than to come home, eat lunch, put the girls down for a nap, and relax. Yeah, I know, what was I thinking? For the most part, I was able to do that, except the relax part. After cleaning up the baby’s room, (because she won’t go to sleep without me in there, teething is nasty business...) I remembered that there was a load of towels that I threw in the washer and never started, so I went down to start it and get the load of clothes out of the dryer. When I came back upstairs, I heard my toddler talking in her room. This is not unusual behavior during nap time because she doesn’t want to admit she is tired sometimes. So, I poked my head in there to tell her to settle down and got hit with the horrible poo smell. She hadn’t gone in 3 days so at first, I was happy. Then, I walked over to her crib. Her little fingers were smeared with poo and so was her bed. Somehow she managed to only get a tiny smudge on her white shirt, though... yes, I’m digging at straws to find something good in all this mess.  I stripped her down, threw her in the shower, washed her hands 4 times, scrubbed the rest of her body, then filled up the tub so she could play in the water and not wake her baby sister up while I tried to clean up her mess. Well, baby sister woke up while I was elbow deep in poo anyway. I washed my hands real quick and she is now watching “Coco” because “Moana” wasn’t consoling her for like the fort time ever...

I guess my “me” time for today is me writing this blog post and venting. Hubby wants dinner ready when he gets home...

The moral of the story is, turn the baby monitor on... Always...

Toddler busy time

Last night when hubby started making dinner, I had a plan. The toddler was content coloring and I was going to feed the baby so that I could actually eat my dinner hot without having to stop a dozen times for once. Then, I heard my hubby say “why is there so much water on the floor?” So, he starts pulling everything out of the cupboard and all over my kitchen floor. Meanwhile, I’m navigating the mine field he’s making to flip the bacon that he’s already put on the griddle. Turns out, it was the garbage disposal leaking and he had to make a trip to Lowe’s to replace it just then. So, I was left to make dinner and deal with the children on the one day I am supposed to have a bit of a break. Two minutes after he left, the baby started screaming, so I had to put her in her wrap and continued making dinner. Then, the toddler realizes that I’m making breakfast for dinner and she keeps saying “eat, eat” and fussing when I say she has to wait for daddy. So, I decided to try something. I had gotten some pipe cleaners and pony beads when I was at Michaels earlier in the day and they were still sitting on the kitchen counter. I opened both packages and put a few beads in a Tupperware and gave her that and a pipe cleaner.  I put one bead on the pipe cleaner to show her what to do and she got excited and started putting them on herself.  This kept her occupied for the next 15 minutes so I could finish making dinner. A word of warning, though, make sure you keep an eye on your child so that none of the beads end up in their mouth, or nose, or ears.  Also, be prepared to pick beads up off the floor.  It's inevitable. I kept hearing the ping, ping, ping the whole time I was cooking.  Although, there was another fun activity for her when she was done to go on a scavenger hunt to pick them all up after.

An easy toddler lunch- pizza rolls

If you are like me, you are always looking for new meals to feed the kiddos without breaking the bank.  I came across this recipe for Pepperoni pizza rolls that I just had to try.  When I went to try it, I didn't have the recipe in front of me, though, so I made it my own. 

For my recipe, here's what you need (store brand is fine, I generally get Kroger brand unless there's a sale)

     1- 8oz can of crescent dinner rolls
     3 cheese sticks- you can use shredded mozzarella if you prefer
     pepperoni slices
     Pasta sauce
     1-2 tbsp melted butter
     garlic salt

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

Prep your cookie sheet.  I usually use tin foil to line mine, but you don't have to.  It's quicker cleanup with tin foil and I'm a busy mom.

Cut your cheese sticks into 3 pieces.

Carefully open your crescent rolls and unroll them.  Beware the pop.  When I'm ready for it, I have to force it.  When I'm not, it scares me...  every time...

Spoon a little sauce inside the crescent roll.  This is optional.  Pillsbury's recipe doesn't do this.  They use the sauce for dipping, but I have a toddler that likes to dip foods and paint her arms with them, so I decided this wasn't the best idea for us.

Place your pepperoni on the crescent roll.  I only use 1 per roll, but you can use 3 and make a triangle with them.  My toddler isn't big on a lot of pepperoni, so less is better for her.  You know what your child will eat.

Add a piece of cheese stick- or shredded cheese should you choose that instead.

Roll your crescents up and place on cookie sheet. 
Spoon on your melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt.   This step is completely optional, but I found that it made them so much better than plain crescents.

Bake for 10-14 minutes depending on what your crescent roll package says.  I put mine in for 11 minutes, but I know it's going to take me 1-2 minutes to get back to the oven when the timer goes off because I use the time they are in the oven to get other things done.

Allow them to cool a bit and pair with whatever sides you want.  Enjoy. 

My toddler ate all of her pizza roll before even touching anything else on her plate, which is quite unusual for her.  Usually goldfish are eaten before she even looks at anything else.  I guess these pizza rolls are a hit. Hope you enjoy them.

5 pieces of advice for the expecting mom

Having a baby is a very rewarding experience.  Trust me, that first time your baby looks you in the eyes, you will melt. There are a few things you should do before that little bundle of joy comes, though.
     -Take some time for you.  It seems simple enough, but once that little one comes, you won't have much free time.  When you do, you don't always want to take it.  Trust me, I have tons of things that I would like to do, but when my husband tells me to go take some time to do them, I miss my kiddos and never actually go.
     -Stock up on things.  Diapers, wipes, shampoo, toilet paper, toothpaste, you name it.  Make sure you have enough of the things you will be needing for a while.  Between the sleepless nights and sheer exhaustion of becoming a new parent, you aren't going to want to be running emergency errands because you are on the last roll of toilet paper. 
     -Meal plan.  You aren't going to be in the mood for cooking once your little bundle arrives.  Whether you stock up on frozen dinners from the store or make and freeze some casseroles that you can just pop in the oven.  Plan for it.   There are also some great crock pot meals that you can freeze ahead and then dump in the crock pot in the morning.  I wish I had done this with my first.  My husband came home from work many nights asking "what's for dinner?" and I had no idea and no energy to figure it out.  I barely had the energy to make myself a PB&J sandwich for lunch some days.
     -Take naps.  Pregnancy is exhausting anyway, so not only will this benefit you now, but it will also get you used to sleeping for short periods of time.  Many people will tell you to "Sleep when the baby sleeps."  It's the most common piece of advice that I got.  The problem with that advice is that if you do that, then you wont have any time to shower or eat.  Yes, you will wind up taking many naps while the baby sleeps after the baby is born, but you won't sleep every time.  Besides, some days it seems like the baby is just never going to sleep...
     -Grab your keys, phone, wallet/purse and leave the house.  Do it now.  I'll wait...

...That was nice, wasn't it?  Remember that feeling.  Now that I've quit my job to stay home with the girls, my husband expects me to run the errands while he is at work.  He doesn't seem to understand how much work it is to leave the house.  I remember days with my first child where I had changed her clothes twice and my shirt three times before leaving the house only to have her spit up on me when I got to our destination.**  Not to mention the times she went poo the second I got her in the car.  My first was famous for doing that.  If you are just going on a short trip and think it can wait until you get to your destination, it can't.  Either the guilt of making your child sit in a nasty diaper the whole drive will get you, or the smell will.  I had to plan to leave 15 minutes before I actually needed to so I could be on time.  Now with a toddler and a baby I plan on 20-25 minutes before I need to for those last minute emergencies that are bound to happen.

**Bonus advice: pack an extra shirt for yourself in the diaper bag, either you will get spit up on, or, if you're breastfeeding, leak through at least one shirt if you are out for any significant period of time.  Trust me.  I've needed my extra shirt many times.  **

Being a mom is one of the most amazing, rewarding things I have ever done.  No matter how much my girls drive me crazy and how dirty my house is, I wouldn't change it for the world.  I'm a mommy, that's my superpower. 

Mom shaming

Let's be honest, we have all been guilty of mom shaming at one point or another. Some of us do it every day, some of us only once in a while, but we all do it.  I myself have been guilty of it.  It's just too easy to target another mom and criticize her to cover our own insecurities.  Look, we are all doing the best we can with the tools we have been given.

Maybe the mom whose child only seems to eat mac and cheese and hot dogs didn't have enough in the food budget for the week.  Or maybe her child refuses to eat anything else.

Maybe the mom whose child is always in ratty clothes doesn't have the budget to buy new clothes and has to rely on hand me downs to keep her child in clothes.

Maybe the mom whose child is making a scene in the store really needs those groceries so she can make a meal for her family before heading to work.

If we just assume, we will never know.  If you are a mom, you know how hard it is trying to take care of these unpredictable tiny humans without screwing them up too badly.  Each day is a new challenge and a new adventure.  If you are now or ever have been a working mom, you know how hard it is trying to keep your energy up to bring home the money to support your family and still manage not to let your time together suffer.  If you are a stay at home mom, you know the struggle to make ends meet on the budget and keep your household running smoothly.  No matter what, it's not easy being a mom.

Let's try to have some compassion for our mom friends.  Yes, they will make mistakes but I guarantee you will make just as many even if you don't admit it.  They will do things that you don't necessarily agree with, but not everyone shares the same parenting ideals.  The goal is to raise these tiny humans as best as we can.  So next time you see a mom that seems to be struggling, don't shame her, show her you support her.  The next time you see a mom with a screaming toddler in a public place, give her a smile, because let's face it, it's happened to you at least once.  Hold the door for the mom trying to push a stroller into a store.  Let the mom whose infant is screaming into the checkout line in front of you.  Rally together with your fellow moms. We are all doing the best we can with what we have.

Day 1

I finally was able to do it.  My last day at my job was yesterday. I am now officially a stay at home mom. I don't know how the finances are going to work out, but my girls need me here. I figured by now I would be ripping my hair out with my toddler, but she's being surprisingly easy on me today. I've been able to get a little bit of housework done and she even played by herself with no tv for a little over an hour. It was blissfully peaceful. 

Like many other moms I've spoken too, I'm guilty of using the tv as a crutch... Often. Maybe it's lazy parenting, but sometimes it's the only way I can get anything done.  My five month old sometimes won't calm down without watching "Moana".  I don't know what it is about that movie. Hopefully now that I'm home and won't be expending all my energy at work, I can limit tv time and get some creativity and learning going in my house. In fact, I'm about to hit pinterest and look up some activities now. 

Mama needs a sick day

The other day, I had the unfortunate luck to get a migraine.  It was pretty bad.  Of course, it was just me and the girls at the house, so even though I wanted to stay in bed and sleep it off, I couldn't.  Moms don’t have that luxury. When you’re a mom, you can’t call in sick no matter how much you want to. Even if your significant other is home, the kids still find you. My husbands response when I told him about my migraine was “I’m sorry honey.” Yes, he was at work at the time but he still didn’t really step up the extra little bit when he got home. Now, if he has a migraine, he spends the whole day in bed and doesn’t do anything. I bring him drinks and medicine. I have even left work early because he was throwing up. I almost threw up on both of my girls that day and all I got was an “I’m sorry.” One day, I really will take a sick day and he will have to figure it out. It will probably be when the girls are old enough to take care of themselves, though.

Not the mama

It really irks me when I am trying to get my toddler to do something (or stop doing something which is usually the case) and other adults have to chime in. You are not helping. I may make mistakes sometimes because I am, after all, only human, but I am fully capable of raising these tiny humans that I have given birth to. Please let me be. I do not need you to tell my child “listen to your mother” or to repeat the exact command that I have just said. I need you to keep quiet and let me be mama. You repeating what I just said thinking that it’s going to suddenly make her listen actually seems to confuse my child, making it more difficult. You are not the mama. Please keep quiet and let me parent.