Low-Calorie Parmesan Pesto Chicken

This entire recipe is only 350 calories per serving, 2 servings-- YUMMMMM

2 6oz Chicken Breasts (boneless, skinless)-165cal each
1/4 cup Buitonis Basil Pesto (all-natural, made with EVOO)-270calories
1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese (or shredded, whatever you have!)-100 calories

Coat the chicken breasts with the Basil Pesto Sauce:

Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 25-30minutes.  When chicken is done, remove foil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese---place back in oven for about 5 minutes for cheese to melt.  

Easy cheezy....ENJOY!!!!!

Resurrection Rolls

found this great idea here we'll definitely do this next year when Kenwood will understand a little bit better!

Resurrection Rolls: An Easy Easter Treat

March 8, 2010 By Homegrown Mom Filed Under: Creating Family Times, Homegrown Kids

Mine are always far more mishapen than these...

Ingredients:

One can of crescent roll dough

8 large marshmallows (or one for each roll you’ll be making)

Melted butter

Cinnamon sugar

Bible or Easter storybook

Assemble rolls and read the story:

1. Read John 19 while the oven is pre-heating according to the package directions. If you’re really on top of things, spend the week before reading John 12-18 with your kids.

2. Unroll the crescent rolls. Explain that this is like the cloth they wrapped Jesus in.

3. Give your child a marshmallow and explain that it represents Jesus… all white and pure because He was without sin.

4. Roll the marshmallows in the melted butter. This symbolizes the embalming oils.

5. Roll the marshmallows in the cinnamon sugar. This is like the spices used to prepare his body for burial.

6. Wrap the marshmallow in the crescent roll cloth, pinching the dough together securely. Don’t worry about the shape so much, they’ll taste the same no matter how you roll or bundle them. This represents how they would have wrapped Jesus’ body. I like to brush them with more melted butter, but it’s not necessary.

7. Put the rolls in the oven (symbolizing the tomb) and bake for the amount of time specified on the package.

8. While the rolls are baking, read John 20:1-18.

9. Open the tomb and remove the rolls. When they’re cool enough to handle, break one open and discover what happened to the marshmallow. Jesus is risen! At this point, I also read 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. Jesus is coming again!

Genius, I tell you....Genius.

I have a new obsession:  www.pinterest.com  It's glorious to say the least!! I'm still waiting on my invite so I can "pin" every.single.picture.  Anyways, this caught my eye today and I laughed out loud: http://pinterest.com/pin/5077425/

Post-Baby Weight

How long do you get to use the excuse "I just had a baby" when referring to your weight?  I think it should work for at least 2 years! haha  Unfortunately, that excuse (or any excuse for that matter) doesn't really make me feel better about my weight...at all.  I am lucky enough to have a husband that reminds me everyday that I'm beautiful and that he could care less about my weight...but at the same time I feel like he deserves a wife that takes care of herself and I know I'd feel better about myself if I could get back to "normal".

I have a very dear friend who started her weight loss journey and blogs about it to stay accountable.  So, I am taking her idea and telling you all that I am bound and determined to get this baby weight off!!! It's close to impossible to really cut my calories while I'm breastfeeding because I have to eat a MINIMUM of 1500 calories/day in order to keep my milk sufficient enough to feed my growing girl!  So, here is what I'm doing to keep me on track....My goal is to be down 40 more pounds by Mid-July.  That is roughly 2 pounds/week--which is do-able....(I hope!).  So far, this plan has helped me drop 10lbs in a little over a month (with plenty of "cheating").

1.  I've started to track my calories on the MyFitnessPal Iphone App which is helping me really be aware of what is going in my body.

2.  I have also started the Couch 2 5k running program.  I didn't realize how OUT OF SHAPE I really was until I got my fat ass into the gym.  I just finished week 5 day 1 today and it was definitely hard but I am so impressed at how much my indurance has increased in just over a month.  It's really rewarding.

3.  I aim to do the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred on the days that I don't do the Couch 2 5k--the program suggests you only run ever other day.

4.  I am taking weekends OFF from working out.  I think working out 5 days a week deserves a break and it's extremely important to me to spend family time while my husband is home from work.

5.  I weigh myself EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.  I know so many people say to weigh once a week.  That doesn't do it for me.  I feel great even when I've lost .2 pounds and if I've gained .2 I feel like I need to work a little harder and watch what I'm eating a little more.

6.  I've given up Diet Cokes---except when we go out to eat, I treat myself.  Technically they are still 0 calories, right?! ;)

7.  I am not depriving myself.  If I need a treat, I'll have one--but that just means I won't have a treat again the next day.  If I deprive myself too much, this "diet" thing won't last.

Hello there strangers

Well, well, well.  Hello there blogging world.  It's been awhile! I have been super busy these last few weeks adjusting to two babies, working out (when I would normally be blogging), and working on cards and such out the wazoo!

Miss Livi Kate went to the doctor yesterday for her 2month check up.  The word he used was "PERFECT"...I just looked at him and smiled, thinking to myself, "Well, DUH."  She is perfectly healthy!!  Weighing in at 11 pounds and 6 ounces she is gaining weight like a little chunk which means she's apparently a VERY efficient eater considering I feed her for about a total of 10 minutes!  Thank the good Lord!

Kenwood is adjusting to his sister very well.  He LOVES to take her pacifier out to giver her a kiss, and he get's really concerned when "BABY CRY!!!!"  He is such a big boy, it kind of breaks my heart!  But, I am so proud of him and he is just the best big brother a little girl could ask for!  We are also in the process of introducing the potty.  He is almost 2 1/2 and I really didn't think he was READY since he didn't show any interest at all.  He still has yet to actually GO in the potty but we sit on it several times a day and he wears big boy underwear or gets to go naked on days when we're just at the house.  It is definitely going to be a process.  It seems like he has some sort of FEAR of his "business" actually going IN the potty and not a diaper.  So, lots of prayers for patience are appreciated!!

Card Holder

I think I forgot to post this awhile back, but this is one of my favorite things!  It drives me nuts to have stuff covering our refrigerator and I totally wish it didn't because I would proudly display all kinds of artwork and cards, etc.  Conveniently, our stainless steel fridge doesn't even hold magnets--odd I know.  So, I had to find a new way to display birth announcements, holiday cards, invitations, etc.  I saw in the Pottery Barn catalog around Christmastime what they called a "card holder" for all those family holiday cards we send and receive.  The PB one was $75 and way too SMALL to hold all our cards (no, we are not that popular--just lots of family!)...no thanks.   Soooo, I got this "Iron Wall Art" at Hobby Lobby and make-shifted it into a card holder!! I LOVE it!! It's right in the kitchen so we have all our cards and announcements on it.  I can even put up Kenwood's artwork from school...when I get it.  So, voila! Our card holder!!

Here it was at first....

Here it is covered with cards!!!  

Wifely/Motherly Duties

Well, my lovely friend Luci posted on her blog the other day about a chore chart that they started with their two year old and it got my brain wheels a spinnin'.  I, like her 2year old, needed a chore chart!  Only, I need one for myself!!! I need something to keep me on track with keeping the house tidy and the laundry done.  I am lucky enough to have a husband that is a HUGE help when it comes to laundry or unloading the dishwasher, but I feel like if I had a set schedule on when certain things should be accomplished, it would be a much tidier and organized house!!  Soooo after some snooping around on the internet, I decided to make my own chart!  Here it is!  I'm thinking I might laminate one copy and use a dry erase marker to mark in the extras and check off whats been done each day....if not, I'll just make a new copy each week--but hey, why not save some paper and ink!  Feel free to copy and paste this to use for yourself!   Hopefully it will be all I hope it will be :)  Maybe next I'll add a menu planner....except the fact that we are on a diet/workout kick and our dinners recently consist of something quick (ie. cereal, soup, lean cuisine) after our evening workouts!  Which, by the way, I am loving our new gym!