Archives for February 2021

Dang Delicious Farmer’s Market Pizza

February 19, 2021 Leave a Comment

Pizza is a way of life around here. We seriously are obsessed! I am always looking for ways to switch things up a bit, and to add a little more veggie to our meals. This one just totally caught my eye and it is so dang delicious!! I’m posting the recipe below, and also linking some of my absolute favorite tools in the recipe notes to make the process easier!

If you have never tried Pampered Chef, you are seriously missing out! Message me or browse my site…I can hook a sister (or brother) up!

Farmer's Market Pizza

A delicious homemade pizza loaded with summer vegetables and tons of cheese!

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Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheese, Pizza, Vegetables

Servings:

Equipment

Pizza Stone
Basting Brush

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil divided
1 package regfridgerated pizza crust (13.8oz)
1 oz. fresh Parmesan Cheese
4 oz. mozzarella cheese
4 oz. cheddar cheese
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 small onion cut into quarters
2 cloves garlic peeled
1 medium zucchini cut into small pieces
4 oz fresh mushrooms
2 plum tomatoes

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Using a basting brush, spread 1/2 tbsp of olive oil onto the pizza stone.
Unroll the dough and spread to the edge, using the Baker's Roller.
Pour the remaining oil onto the dough and spread with the silicone basting brush, all the way to the edges.
Bake the crust for 7 minutes and then remove the stone from the oven.
While the pizza is baking, grate the cheeses. Place cheeses in the mixing bowl and add the italian seasoning. Toss well.
Process the onion and garlic in the Manual Food Processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a prep bowl and repeat with the zucchini.
On a small cutting mat, slice the tomatoes and mushrooms into thin slices.
Sprinkle half of the cheese mixture over the crust. Top with the veggies and then sprinkle the remaining cheese over.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, unti lthe cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and slice with the Pizza & Crust cutter!

Video

Notes

There are so many amazing tools that make this recipe fly! Check them out:

RockCrock Grill Stone

Chef's silicone basting brush

Baker's Roller

Quick Prep Food Grater

Classic Batter Bowl

Small Mix N Scraper

Manual Food Processor

Silicone Prep Bowl

Flexible Cutting Mat

Coated Utility Knife

Pizza & Crust Cutter

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Little god Complex

February 18, 2021 Leave a Comment

Let’s be friends! Connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!

While working my way through the first day of the Preaching the Gospel to Yourself study by the Daily Grace Co., I came across this quote. Well, I paraphrased it into my own words, but a truth very similar to this. Specifically in reference to Adam and Eve in this case. Their disobedience was more than just disobedience. It was an attempt to be god.

As I read those words though, it really hit home for me personally. Failure to trust in God’s goodness, provision and authority is sin- plain and simple. Putting more stock in my own ability to figure things out, make things right, dictate the way things should go- more than my faith that my Father has it worked out- is sin. When I play god in my own life, I am glorifying myself and showing that I don’t truly trust and believe in His goodness.

Total heart check on this icy, rainy morning. I may not have a carved idol sitting in my living room, but I have set up an idol in my own heart. We live in a go-getter culture. Any time spent browsing social media, we are flooded with self-empowerment quotes. Promises that we can do anything we set our minds to and we have all power and authority over the way our lives go. (Not that I don’t believe in the power of the human mind, setting goals, working hard, etc.), but this is such a dangerous culture. It sets us up for a “little god” complex. In all actuality, I cannot do it all. I have a need for Jesus. And this self-elevation is sin.

Sin condemns me. Because of His nature and goodness, sin puts me at odds with God. The beauty here though, lies in salvation. From the very moment that Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God promised a way out (Genesis 3:15). He promised Jesus. If we have accepted Him, we are freed from the guilt and shame of our sin.

After allowing my heart to marinate in that truth for a few minutes, I was overcome by a sense of peace. How freeing and beautiful that I don’t have to bear the weight of my life! I don’t have the power to totally screw it up if I make a mistake. The pressure to make sure everything is perfect is lifted. We do not have to carry the full weight, because Jesus is bearing it for us! I am not a god, and I don’t have to be. He is good at being God!

My challenge to myself- and you- this morning is to walk in a manner worthy of the grace that we have been given. If you see yourself living in a “fix it myself” culture vs a “do what I can and rely on God for the rest” culture, repent of this sin pattern and rest in grace. Allow Him to sanity you. Put your trust fully in God and allow Him to carry you throughout your circumstances. Let God be God! I know I sure needed this reminder.

And hey, if you haven’t, go check out Daily Grace HERE! The studies are fantastic and very affordable. I 10 out of 10 recommend!

Meal Plan Monday: Feb 15-21

February 15, 2021 Leave a Comment

Starting a FUN new thing over here! To help make your life so much easier, I am going to share our meal plans each week! Take some, take all…either way I hope it simplifies things for you!

You will notice that a ton of my meals come from eMeals! If you have not tried them yet, mama you NEED to! We have been using eMeals for a little over 2 months and it has changed my life! We got so sick of eating the same things over and over again. And as busy mom of two, I just don’t always have the time to scour Pinterest for new dishes and then make detailed grocery lists and go shopping.

Enter eMeals! I did the free trial (deets on how to get that below!) and was instantly hooked! They have so many meal plans to choose from (Kid friendly, crockpot, 30 minute meals, quick and healthy, Keto, Vegetarian, Diabetic…you get the drill!) and you can switch between them! You just choose your meal plan for the week, spend about 5 mins picking through and adding to your menu with one simple click, and then it populates a shopping list for you!

If you are an in-store shopper (ew!) then it makes a handy check list. If you are a grocery pickup guru like me, then you will love eMeals even more! You can send your pre-made grocery list directly to your favorite pickup service!! They work with Walmart Grocery, Instacart, Amazon Fresh, Shipt, Kroger and more! You can edit to pick brands based on your budget or remove items that you already have. Then you simply pick it up and go! Like HelloFresh, without the heavy price tag. I do my entire meal planning and weekly shopping in about 15 minutes!

So, without further adieu, here is this week’s meal plan! If you want a recipe, just click the pink link!

Monday: Yummy Baked Nachos

I won’t lie…these look FANTASTIC! I am a sucker for Mexican food, so this recipe caught my eye immediately!

Cooking tip: Make this in an Enameled Cast Iron Baker (Shop them here) and go straight from stove-top to oven. AND this one is dishwasher safe to make clean up a breeze! One dish meals are my favorite!

Tuesday: Barbecue Chicken Flatbreads

This week is busy for us on Tuesday, so a quick and easy meal it is!

Cooking tip: A great pizza cutter makes a world of difference! I also love these pizza peels for getting your flatbreads off of the stove rack! Oven liners are also great to help avoid burnt on junk!

Wednesday: Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken

Really, anything with sun-dried tomatoes is a win for me!

Cooking tip: Use the Close N Cut (Grab it here) to halve the chicken breasts in less time, and you don’t have to handle them or risk slicing fingers!

Thursday: Smothered Steak with rice

I have a cake due on Thursday, so crock pot it is!

Cooking tip: I absolutely adore my RockCrocks! They are stove, oven and dishwasher safe for super functionality and super easy cleaning! The RockCrock slow cooker set makes it even better!

Friday: Cheesy Fajita Chicken with Mexican rice and beans

A kid-friendly meal plan pick! We love our Mexican food and this one sounds amazing!

Cooking tip: Use a cast iron skillet to reduce the dishes! Rather than transferring to a baking sheet, keep it all in one place and move from stove to oven easily! Plus, the Close N Cut comes in handy, again!)

Saturday: Balsamic-Mustard Flank Steak, Mashed Potatoes and Parmesan Asparagus

A slightly more “gourmet” meal for Saturday!

Cooking Tip: Invest in a good non-stick skillet! It makes meals like this so much easier! A good, sharp knife (love my Santoku!) will make for cleaner slices of beef.

Sunday: Ravioli with Mushrooms and Garlic Browned Butter

Rounding out the week with something easy and flavorful!

Cooking tip: Sneak some Enrichables in here to add more veg or protein! It doesn’t affect the taste but ups the healthy factor!

There you go! One full week of Dang delicious dinners!

Tip Tuesday: Dealing with that Nasty Range Top!

February 9, 2021 Leave a Comment

It just be like that sometimes. Come on mama, I know you can relate! In the hustle and bustle of cooking dinner, feeding the kids, eating your own cold food, cleaning up the dishes, and then trying to spend a few minutes with your kids before bedtime, the stove top just gets neglected a lot of the time. If yours never looks like this, then good for you! But I know I’m not alone. Just keeping it real over here!

A lot of the time I get so overwhelmed by it that I just ignore it.

A few months ago when placing a Grove order, I discovered this guy, and he has quickly become my best friend. Seriously if you haven’t tried Grove yet, you need to today! I set this up on auto ship and I never run out. You choose the frequency you want and then it’s one less thing you have to worry about when you’re doing your grocery shopping or pick up.

Scrubbing at the baked on junk has got to be the worst part of cleaning your stove top. But with the Heavy duty degreaser, you don’t have to! I literally just remove the grates (if you have a smooth top, obviously you skip this step), and douse that bad boy in cleaner. Let it sit for about five minutes, and then the funk literally wipes off with a rag! Very minimal scrubbing, if any at all!

While the stove top is soaking, I place the grates in my sink and douse those as well

A quick wipe, and they are good as new!

Ah… so refreshing!

I gave the stainless a quick wipe with the Method stainless steel cleaner and it’s so much better! Total time? About 8 minutes! I try to do this at least twice a week and it’s so much easier to deal with!

COVID-19 With A Baby: The (Hopefully) Final Update

February 7, 2021 2 Comments

As you can see, the steroids are doing their job! We are so incredibly thankful that our little love seems to be (hopefully) wrapping up her journey with this awful virus. It has been the longest two weeks of my life I feel like.

Just to remind you where we were just a few days ago:

And this was yesterday:

Seeing the two pictures side by side like that brings me to tears all over again. You can really see how swollen her sweet little face was. I am overcome with emotions thinking how badly this all could have turned out.

We have had literally thousands of people praying for our sweet pea this week, and the prayers have been felt. If you are one of them, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

It’s a waiting game now. Before the hives broke out, we had been 4 days fever free. When all of that went down, it must have totally overwhelmed her little immune system, because it came back. Thankfully it has been low grade, not constant, and has responded to meds. However, we have to be fever free for 24 hours before we can end our isolation…and you guys. It is killing me. I am so done.

I talked to Addie through the window yesterday. It was the first time that I allowed myself to do so. I had been worried that somehow the virus would seep through the glass (I know it couldn’t. It just felt risky). I was worried that seeing me in person would make it harder on her and thus harder on Michael. So I just hadn’t done it.

But yesterday I did. And it was good for my soul, but it made me ache so bad. I came inside and cried for a good 30 minutes after. It was an emotional release that I needed. I had been holding it all in. But guys, mamas were not designed to go two whole weeks without seeing, hugging, kissing, touching or consoling their babies. It just isn’t natural, and it hit me like a freight train. I am so ready to be together again, even if it means dealing with toddler tantrums and meltdowns. I miss my child so badly.

So, hopefully this is it on the updates! I do plan to write a post later on about things that we found helpful as we went through it. I hope that maybe we can use this to help others!

As usual, if you’re just joining in, check out the whole story here!

COVID-19 With a Baby: Day 10

February 4, 2021 1 Comment

Oh, where to even start. Today has been rough, ya’ll. As I shared in my update last night, one of the doctors at our peds office diagnosed Lillie with hives….either due to her amoxicillin or due the COVID. He really didn’t seem very concerned and told me that I shouldn’t be either. I gave her the doses of Benadryl as instructed, but we had a rough night. Up every hour and very cranky.

Well guys, I woke up this morning to this.

Not only were there way more of the hives but they were angry. I sent these pictures to her pediatrician’s office and fed her some breakfast. As we were sitting there eating, I was watching more and more of them pop up before my eyes. To say that as a mama, I was upset, is an understatement. Her eyes were swelling and the Benadryl was not doing anything to stop it. I knew in my gut that something else was going on here.

Thankfully, another doctor at the office agreed to do a Telehealth appointment with us right away. After getting a good look at her, he told me that he felt certain that we were dealing with COVID hives. He said it was pretty much exact for what they are seeing with the COVID rashes (I didn’t even know this was a thing until my child got it) but was the first time he had seen it clinically presented in person.

Thankfully, he agreed that we should start a steroid right away. After some hiccups with the pharmacy taking forever, I finally got a dose into her after her morning nap. About an hour later, they looked a lot less puffy, but still pretty nasty..

He gave me the all clear to do a low dose of Benadryl if needed along side of the steroids, so we have done that at nap and now bedtime. After her second nap, things looked much better still, but I didn’t get a picture. I honestly was feeling really good about it until I noticed she felt super clammy. I checked and sure enough, her fever is back. Super discouraging because I have not had to treat her fever at all for a couple of days now. We had finally kicked that part. Again, so very thankful for the Owlet right now!

My biggest concern from searching around today has been the clinical implications that they are seeing in kids that get hives like this with COVID. Sometimes, it is simply the body’s reaction to the virus, as can happen with any virus. However, they are seeing more and more cases that are developing into what is called MIS-C, which is a life threatening inflammation of the blood vessels (and lots of other medical jargon that I don’t understand). If you want to read more about that, here’re two articles that I have found that explain it pretty well. Just something to research and learn the warning signs of if you have a child that develops these hives in connection to COVID or COVID exposure.

Syndrome resembling Kawasaki disease in COVID-19 asymptomatic children

COVID-19–Associated Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children

And here is another case (that if I am honest, really got my mama heart worked up because the baby’s rash looks so similar to what Lillie has going on).

Baby’s life-threatening reaction to Covid-19

Does Lillie have MIS-C? Probably not. I am praying not. I am trying not to worry about it and asking God not to let any of this progress to something that serious. But was this more than just normal hives? My mama gut truly believed so and I was right. I am SO glad that I stuck to my intuition and sought a second opinion. Who knows where we would be right now, had I not pushed for the steroids.

I am sharing all of this to bring awareness to other parents of what this is, since I did not know it was a thing, and what it could be. If you feel unsettled after a doctor gives you an answer, push for second and even third opinions. Doctors are human and this thing is so new and constantly changing. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes is all that it takes. I am hoping that maybe our story could save a life or keep a child from dangerous misdiagnosis.

Please say a little prayer that we are just dealing with a severe histamine reaction to the virus and not something more serious. Please say a prayer that this new fever goes away swiftly and that tomorrow is a much better day. As always, I will keep ya’ll updated!

Here is a progression of less than 24 hours. As you can see, it came on rapidly. I called the doctor over those two tiny bumps yesterday because I didn’t think they looked right. And now here we are. YOU are your child’s best advocate!

I finally made a landing page with all of our COVID updates in one spot. You can check that out here!

Side note- I did apply breastmilk topically to her rash. I couldn’t tell you if it played a part in the improvement because I did it at the same time as the steroid. But I was desperate and had heard that milk can help hives. I will say, she did not scratch at them and it did seem to bring her some much needed relief. Mamas are amazing!