Noah turned 1 year old!

On March 9th 2012 we celebrated our second child's 1st birthday! Noah Jaden Marshall is our little miracle baby. It took 2 1/2 years of trying and several unsuccessful pregnancies before God blessed us with this little gift!

Celebrating Noah's birthday brought back a flood of emotions revolving his pregnancy, the hormone therapy, preterm labor caused by a car wreck and then a few seconds away from a C-section deciding he finally was ready to drop down and come into the world!  This year has been full of so many firsts for him and its been wonderful to celebrate them as a family. His big sister, Nadine, enjoys him immensely. Their relationship is so special, I can't wait to watch them grow up together. It's funny how celebrating this amazing year also brings mixed emotions, I'm not ready for my baby to be a toddler and he's only a couple months away from no longer being a baby and now being a little toddler boy. I know I can't keep him from growing, and there are going to be some incredible milestones along the way but I sure am going to

miss the newborn smell, the wondrous look as he experiences the world for the first time, and being able to hold him in just one arm.

On the other hand I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for him to walk, loving all of the new words he's learning and can't wait for the weather to get better for us to head out to the park, go camping and walk through the zoo!
Anyway, Noah and his birthday buddies enjoyed all the bubbles, the bouncy balls and the cake. It was a wonderful time. We are truly blessed to have such incredible children, supportive friends and loving family.

Cheers to another beautiful year full of firsts with this gift from God, and his equally special big sister who will be turning six years old in June!

Start it and forget it Chili Verde (Dutch oven)

Do you ever go to the grocery store with a specific list and walk away with some bargain because it was a BARGAIN and then have to figure out how to use it? That was me ;) Below is one of 3 packs of boneless pork chops I found for an 80% discount and couldn't pass up! Problem? Umm.. my husband hates pork! haha.. My husband thinks that pork is chewy and doesn't have a great flavor, I was determined to prove him wrong so I made a slow cooked, lick the bowl, delicious and easy chili verde.

Really, who could pass this up for $6?

First and foremost make sure your boneless pork chops are thawed, you can use bone in but it takes more effort to take all the bones out before shredding.

Things you need:
olive oil
2 cans of whole green chiles (Fire roasted)
1 can Green Chili enchilada sauce (mild)
1 jar of salsa verde (mild)
3-4 lbs of Boneless pork chops

Seasoning:
pepper
cumin
onion powder
garlic powder
paprika

Are you ready for some easy slow cooking?

Spread a dash of olive oil into the bottom of your dutch oven and heat on the stove top to medium-high. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Dust the pork chops with the seasoning (DO NOT USE SALT) on both sides.

Sear both sides of each the chops and leave in the bottom of the Dutch and add all the remaining ingredients (whole green chilis, enchilada sauce and salsa verde). Stir in the sauce to pick up all the yummy browning off the bottom of the pan. Cover the Dutch oven and place in the oven for 4 hours.

4 hours may seem like a long time but I was able to watch a movie, do the dishes, put laundry away, build a snow man and play with the baby. You put dinner in and walk away until it is ready!

........4 hours later........

Remove your dutch oven from the oven to the stove top and lift the lid. The pork chops should so tender that all you have to do is pinch them with some tongs and they will fall apart, making "shredding" so easy

I use my chili verde in burritos, nachos, huevos racheros, and taco salad. It's so tasty!

Not your Grandma's pot pie! (super easy)

I get bored of eating the same thing over and over again don't you? I am not a fan of frozen dinners but have always been intrigued by chicken pot pie. When I was little my grandma made chicken pot pie one summer when we were visiting in Missouri. In true southern fashion it had tons of butter, and a crust made of half a box of bisquick lol. I have never tasted anything so delicious (although I suffered from the butter). I was determined to make a lighter, easier version in my semi-homemade way.

Things you need:
Left over whole chicken (I pick it clean for dinner and lunch then the next day use it in this recipe!)
1 roll of crescent rolls (the safeway brand is dairy free)
3 left over baked red potatoes from the previous night's chicken dinner
2 cups of mixed frozen veggies

Let's get started! Throw your chicken carcass in a medium sized soup pot with just enough water or low sodium chicken broth to barely cover the carcass. Put a lid on it and simmer on medium heat until the remaining chicken meat falls off the bone. (This can take between 30 minutes to an hour or longer depending on how big your chicken was and how much meat was left on the carcass).
*Note* If you don't have left over  baked potatoes then use this time to wrap your washed/salted&peppered red potatoes in the oven now so we can assemble the potpie quickly.

*Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Ok remove the carcass from the liquid (let the stock continue to simmer and reduce) and remove the chicken meat from the bones, if you've simmered long enough it should practically fall off or already be in the stock pot. Throw away the bones and inedible stuff like fatty clumps, gristle or chewy skin.

Add the chicken back to the stock, cube your potatoes and add the potatoes and veggies to the mix. Dump the mixture into a pie dish (if the stock has been reduced properly it will be thick like a hash)
Unroll your crescent rolls and layer over the filling.

I layer the crescent rolls from tip to tail

Keep an eye on your dish, Baking time should be about 13 minutes or until  it is evenly  golden brown across the  top.

Cool for about 3 min and serve! It's delicious and much lighter in calories since there isn't a gravy on the inside or double layer crust!

Dairy Free Rice Pudding

Tonight for dinner we had stir fry using my left over Terriyaki Sauce from last weeks post and I had a couple cups of rice left over. I knew tomorrow morning was going to be hectic and thought, "hmm it would be so easy if breakfast was all ready to go in the morning.." So I decided to wing it and recreate my mom's rice pudding she use to make when I was a kid. I love homemade rice pudding! But of course I can't have dairy and my husband and kiddos can't do cinnamon so this recipe is with a twist and is very delicious!

You have to love it when you wing it and it turns out to be a winner =D

Things you need:

1 cup Original coconut milk

2 eggs

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2- 2 cups cooked rice (brown or white are both good)

1/2 Tsp of nutmeg

Foil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

In a blender/magic bullet whip the coconut milk, eggs, brown sugar and nutmeg until evenly incorporated.  Scoop the cooked rice into a pie dish and level out (don't pack it down). Pour the egg mixture over the rice.

Cover with foil and bake for 35-45 minutes until the center is firm.

Once the rice pudding is out of the oven remove the foil and allow to cool for about 30 minutes, you can enjoy while still warm or put in the fridge and enjoy cool for breakfast or as an after dinner treat.

This is so delicious, with the nutmeg and sweetness from the coconut milk I don't even miss the cinnamon.

(Gluten free) Teriyaki Chicken and veggies made easy

• Teriyaki Marinade
• ¼ cup soy sauce (I prefer low sodium)
• 1 cup water
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 5 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 -2 tablespoon honey
• Slurry for thickening....
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ cup cold water

Directions for assembling your marinade:

Mix all but cornstarch and 1/4c water in a sauce pan and begin heating. Mix cornstarch and cold water in a cup and dissolve. Add to sauce in pan .Heat until sauce thickens to desired thickness. If you thicken the sauce too much add a little water to loosen it up.

Things you need for the stir-fry:

3 large chicken breast (thawed or fresh)

One bag of frozen stir-fry veggies or fresh veggies of choice

Wok or large saute pan

3 cups of rice (uncooked)

3 cups of water

Marinate your 3 chicken breasts in  1/2 of the cooled teriyaki sauce in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to an hour.

1. 

   Cut your chicken breast into 1/4 inch strips (I use meat scissors for ease) and  toss into a  preheated (high) wok or saute pan. It's important the pan is super hot to quickly sear the pieces, otherwise the moisture seeps out and steams the chicken instead of fry it.

   

   Throw in your veggies (thawed or fresh) once the chicken has a nice sear on it.
   
   

   

   Only add the remaining half of the teriyaki sauce after the veggies and chicken are completely cooked, then  tossed until heated through and serve over your rice.
   
   

   
   

   

    You can use the teriyaki sauce the chicken was marinaded in but you have to make sure it's heated to a boil so the raw chicken is completely cooked. Then you end up with extra sauce for next time. Or if you want to play it safe throw out the marinade in the freezer bag and use the half that was untouched =)
   
   
   

   Rice

   
   

   For convenience I use minute rice which is equal parts rice to water and microwave for 5 minutes covered. 

   You can use what ever works best for your dietary habits. I like it with out a starch too, and also yakisoba noodles.

Easiest Salmon dish that even non-seafood eaters will love

I am going to be honest with you...I'm not much of a seafood person. I should be put to shame for being a self proclaimed foodie that does not like seafood! On the other hand, my husband loves salmon. I had to create a salmon dish that I was willing to eat with Karl and that Nadine would eat too. After a couple tries I'm pretty sure this is the easiest and yummiest salmon dish I've ever had.

2 bonesless salmon steaks (about 4 oz each) preferebly fresh not frozen

4 tbs of orange marmalade

4 tbs of orange juice

1 bag of mixed veggies (either the "steam ready" or frozen)

season to taste: salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder

Take a large sheet of foil and line the inside of a cake pan or cookie sheet,

drizzle foil with a light amount of olive oil

place salmon steaks on foil (scale side down) with room to curl up the foil for making a packet

Season salmon steaks, top each steak with 2 tbs of orange marmalade

Pour the bag of veggies over the salmon and season lightly

add 4 tbs of OJ for moisture

roll up the sides of the packet (adding more foil if needed to cover the whole thing), seal tightly

place in the preheated oven 350 deg for 45 minutes

remove from oven and serve over rice or as is =) for super easy and yummy rice I get the the frozen jasmine rice it only takes 3 minutes to microwave!

Each serving has less then 300 calories!

I love Pinterest.com and I get inspired to try crafts, clothing styles, recipes and etc. Today I was inspired by all the braided hair styles being pinned. I went to work trying out hair styles on my mini me (Nadine). 

I separated Nadine's hair into three sections (crown, middle and bottom) I did a loose french braid on the bottom and middle sections going in a down angle. Then I combined the two sections into one braid in and upward motion...

I continued the french braid up the side of her head to the crown and back down until  all loose hair was in the french braid, with the last 4 inches of hair I did a standard braid and tucked it behind the braided crown of her head and fastened with bobby pins and hair spray.

I chose to do it in a beehive style bump but the same process could be done in a tighter braid to not have the beehive affect. The volume is very cute as is or with a headband.

I used 5 bobby pins, 3 squirts of hair spray and it took a total of 15 minutes =) I think this is a keeper hair style for our next family pictures!