Bella's first car trip

We had Isabella's first car trip this weekend. We drove down to Owensboro, KY where we celebrated Aunt Madonna's 50th and Grandpa Jacob's 80th birthdays. We also celebrated our cousin Laura's graduation from medical assistant school and cousin Michael turning 6 years old. It was very fun to see everyone that we don't get to see very often and Bella survived her first long car trip. She did pretty well, although we have concluded that she does NOT nap well in the car. Unlike both of her parents, she didn't want to sleep there and was awake nearly the entire 4.5 hour trip! Luckily, as long as Jerry was riding in the back with her, she was content enough and she was amazingly in a good mood when we got to Kentucky. She was the star of the family gathering, winning everyone's hearts!

We also took Bella to the park for the first time on Sunday evening to enjoy the beautiful warm weather we've had. Bella LOVES the swing! She kept grinning ear to ear. I just cannot believe how big she is getting. It goes so fast. And she is *very* close to crawling. I think it will be ANY day now!

Baked Shrimp with Feta

Baked Shrimp with Feta

4 servings
Ingredients

1 tbsp lemon juice
1.5 pounds shrimp, peeled and de-tailed
Cooking spray
1/2c pre-chopped onion (can use frozen)
garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp white wine
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes
1/2c (2oz) crumbled feta

Preheat oven to 450. Combine shrimp and lemon juice in bowl and toss well. Heat large skillet over medium heat with cooking spray. Saute onions and garlic. Add wine, oregano, pepper and tomatoes. Heat until hot-- then stir in shrimp and reduce heat to simmer. Place mixture in a 11X17 sprayed baking dish. Sprinkle cheese evenly over mixture and bake for 12 minutes. Serve immediately.

This can be served over some whole wheat pasta or orzo pasta for a yummy dinner!

Babysteals!

Attention Mommies! Have you guys heard of babysteals.com? If not you need to get on their daily email list. This site is awesome. Each day they offer a different product that is usually 40-70% off. Products include diaper bags, items for moms-to-be, baby clothes, shoes, accessories, toys and much more. I got some babylegs at a great price. They have incredibly fast delivery (like within a day or two) and no hassles. The only downside is that you have to get them quick because they do run out :) Each deal is posted at 9am everyday. I look forward each morning to seeing what the babysteal is! :)

Check it out for yourself: www.babysteals.com

Chili-Lime Tilapia

Yum yum dinner! This turned out really good and both Jer and I really liked it! Super easy and healthy too. I served this with the easy peasy Uncle Ben whole grain while rice (you literally put it in the micrwave for 90 seconds and its DONE) and broccoli. Totally healthy and delicious!

Chili-Lime Tilapia

4 frozen or fresh tilapia filets (I bought from Meijer for $4)
1/4c lime juice ($1.99 for the entire jar)
dash of paprika
dash of chili powder
tsp of Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Mix oil, juice and spices in baking dish. Add filets and fully cover with sauce. Bake in oven for 10 minutes then turn oven to broil and bake for another 5-7 minutes. While fish is broiling, steam broccoli (I bought steamfresh that I made in microwave... got for $1 at Meijer) and Uncle Ben's whole grain rice (again I got for BYGO at Walgreens last month).

Dinner was done and healthy in less than 20 minutes. :)

Hungry Girl

Many of you probably know of my love for Hungry Girl. I just had to post a little thing about it because she has a new cookbook coming out today. 200 recipes under 200 calories. I'm excited to check it out! All of her recipes are super quick and easy, and all are low cal. They aren't the "cleanest" meals ever, but when you are short on time and money, these recipes are better alternatives than many. Check out her website at www.hungrygirl.com to get on the free email list or check out the book. The new cookbook is now available at bookstores or online. I have the first cookbook and have used it very frequently!

Grocery Game Savings

Kroger Kroger... I went there today. If you like ham, now is the time and go get ham. its on sale big time ($1.47/lb) I hate ham, so I didn't get in on that sale, haha!

But here are the sales I did get in on:

*12 pack cans of pepsi products: 4 for $10 (this will last us an entire month)
Kroger shredded cheese for 0.99 cents
Charmin 12 big rolls (the best TP ever) only $6.99 (plus a coupon)
Bounty (best paper towels ever) 12 big rolls $6.99 (plus a coupon)
Kroger frozen veggies 10 for $10... I bought 10 of them. This will last us about 2 weeks since we eat veggies everyday and I also make them for Bella every few weeks.
Thomas english muffins -- BYGO- plus coupon
Kelloggs cereal ($2.18) plus coupon
Dannon yogurt 6 for $6 plus coupon
Pampers for $6.99 plus coupon
Cascade for $4.99 plus coupon
frozen fruit for 2/$6
2 bottles of wine for $5.99 each
Dole salad 2 for $5

I only went to Kroger today because when I checked out the Grocery Game, Meijer just didn't have as many deals this week for us on stuff we need/use as Kroger did. It was a good trip. I had so many groceries that someone had to help Bella and I out of the store. The total was worth $239.64 and I only spent $101.36 Sweeeettt... that was a 42% savings!

Pikkolo giveaway

I am really excited about this carrier. I have been searching for a baby carrier that work for awhile for us. The Bjorn works OK for Jerry but does not work well for me at all. I'm too petite and B is too heavy. The sling was great when she was a newborn, but again, now she's too heavy and its way uncomfortable!

So I did my research and it looks like the Pikkolo is a perfect fit for me. I found a giveaway today for one, so thought it wouldn't hurt to blog about it!

http://www.thriftyandchicmom.com/2009/04/pikkolo-baby-carrier-review-and.html?showComment=1239211500000#c4383978790896467342

Wish me luck!

Turkey Pot Pie

I made this for Megan & Max this week to take over to them and made one for Jer and I as well. It turned out very yummy and was super easy to make! Its not the 'cleanest" of my recipes... but low calorie, high in protein and super duper easy!! Its a variation of the Hungry Girl Chicken Pot Pie recipe.

1lb extra lean ground turkey
1 bag frozen mixed veggies (your choice)
1 can Healthy Request cream of mushroom soup
3 reduced fat Pillsbury crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 350. Brown turkey in skillet and add veggies and cook thouroughly. Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray. Add turkey and veggie mixture to dish. Mix in can of soup. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Top with crescent rolls and bake another 20 minutes until golden brown.

Welcome Anastasia!

My very dear friends, Megan and Max welcomed a baby girl, Anastasia on April 1st (right on her due date, I may add!). Bella and I went and visited her in the hospital. Baby & her parents are doing very well! 

Bella is doing wonderfully. She surprised us the other night by getting up on all fours all by herself! She did it again the next morning. I can't believe how fast she is growing up! She is going to be crawling before we know it.

I'm feeling reflective and thankful today...Being around all the newborns lately has brought back many memories and thoughts for us. Its amazing how much more comfortable I feel around a newborn now, almost like second nature. I have found myself realizing that I really do want more babies in the future. There is something so special about how tiny they are at that time. However, both Jer and I know that we aren't quite ready yet for another baby. We love Isabella so much, and when I think its impossible for me to love her even more, I see her big wide mouthed grin in the morning and I just melt! I also will say that she is the ONLY one that can get Jerry out of bed before 9am on a Saturday morning, haha! I also have realized that things don't always go according to plan for one reason or another. I really wanted to be successful with a med-free delivery and breastfeeding with Bella...neither of which ended up working out for one reason or another. I beat myself up about it for a long time, and being around all the newborns has brought back some of those feelings, but after having a good talk with my Mom and with Jerry, I feel like there is no right or wrong way to do these things. I *am* a good Mom, and the best Mom does what is best for her and her baby, which I did. And you know what? I bet the next baby, delivery and all won't go the same or even how I expect! I think this whole parenthood thing has humbled me. I have realized that as Type-A as I am, I really don't have control over everything and relaxing and just enjoying every day is exactly what life is about.

I love my girl so much! She amazes me. My husband amazes me, he's such a wonderful father. And I have the best family and friends anyone could ever ask for!

Thanks for reading my ramblings today :o)