"What I Ate" (Thursday)

Oops. Completely forgot to do “What I ate Wednesday," ...so, this is what I ate Thursday. Bear with me as I get back into posting regularly.

Breakfast: Chocolate Shakeology mixed with ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk and ½ a banana.

Snacks: (Forgot to take pictures)
I enjoyed one cutie. I usually have more of a morning snack, but I wasn’t hungry at all after my morning superfood packed shake.

Lunch:  I recreated dinner from a few nights ago.  I sauteed some veggies in EVO and placed them on top of mixed greens with salsa, avocado, and light sour cream.

I shared a handful (or two) of goldfish with Wills on the way to the farmer's market.  Somebody is feeling better and was excited to head outside!

Story time with his friend, Law, at the farmer's market.  They were born one day apart and are best buds. :)

Dinner:  We made home-made mushroom, pepper, onion, sausage and pepperoni pizza on home-made pizza crust (half whole wheat.) I will write more about this recipe next week. I could eat pizza every. single. day. I had two glasses of wine while our pizza cooked.

I went back for another piece. :)

I’m so happy to see Friday. Wills is finally feeling a little better, and the weekend forecast looks gorgeous! I have big plans for a nice family walk, a yoga practice in the sunshine, an outside evening fire, catching up on some reading, and spending a lot of time with my boys.  Enjoy your Friday!

Chicken Spaghetti

I love the Pioneer Woman. She’s so real, warm, and romantic. I love how she loves her Marlboro Man (especially in tight chaps), her beautiful children, and her not-so-normal ranch life. We could be best friends.

Two nights ago, I made her chicken spaghetti. Remember, William gave up red meat for lent. At first, I was looking for a recipe for traditional spaghetti that simply replaced the beef for chicken. Then I stumbled across this beauty. It’s far from traditional, super easy, and incredibly delicious. It’s the perfect meal to take to your best friend who has a new baby, across the street to share with your neighbor, or to serve to your supper club. Trust me, it’s that good.

Here’s what I used.

It was as simple as mixing it all together.  Yep, all of it.  (only 2 cups of the chicken broth and 2 cups of cheese.)

And then this happened. We ended up at the after-hours clinic with a sick little boy. Two hours later, we left with a double ear infection and our first antibiotic.

By the time we got home, we were starving. Neither William nor I wanted to wait an hour for chicken spaghetti to cook. We ended up sautéing a few veggies and chicken for a fajita salad, topped with avocado, salsa and greek yogurt, and called it a night.

That meant dinner was ready to go for last night. Score! I pulled it out of the fridge, baked it on 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Topped it with a little more cheese and baked another 10 minutes. 

  

It was delicious and so nice to come home and not have to prepare dinner. I felt like my best friend brought dinner over for me and my sick little family. Oh wait, she did, in a way. I knew the Pioneer Woman and I were best friends already. :)

I added a little sriracha to mine. Oh, and I used whole wheat noodles, and William couldn’t tell the difference. Now I’m going to snuggle my little boy and pray he feels better soon.

Yoga Rave

I had an opportunity to go to a rockin’ Yoga Rave Party Friday night. It was Dancing Dog Yoga’s 3rd Birthday, and my teacher and the studio owner, Shelley, put on the event. It was complete with an awesome DJ, glow sticks, face paint, neon yoga pants, colored lights, dancing, a yoga practice, and about 100 other yogis grooving and laughing the night away.

The party started at 8 pm and lasted until 10. I have to admit, after an early morning, day at work and driving to Beaufort, I was a little tired. But the other girls and I pulled it together, sang and danced (and may or may not have practiced a rolling Om) on the way there, and got really excited!

(This photo courtesy of Michael Gaster)

Needless to say we left the party full of vitality! We knew we had an early morning and a long weekend of teacher training, but sleep was nowhere in sight. After some chatting and a glass of wine, we retreated to our beds and tried to get some rest. The weekend ahead of us was nothing short of amazing, exhausting, and invigorating. I can’t wait to share more!

Easy Enchiladas

I love easy, delicious recipes. As I head out for Beaufort for the weekend, knowing my hubby will be surviving on frozen pizza and ham sandwiches, I am glad to be leaving him with some leftovers from our week’s meals. I’m sure the pizza and sandwiches will be gone when I get back, but at least he can also choose from spinach lasagna and these chicken enchiladas.

I made these exactly from eatliverun.com, one of my go-to websites for quick recipes that use simple ingredients I usually already have in my pantry.

Here’s what these called for. Plus chicken.

I boiled two large boneless chicken breasts, shredded the chicken and mixed it with ½ of a large can of enchilada sauce, 1 cup of a fiesta cheese blend, and green chilis.

I sauted one onion in garlic, and added it to the chicken mixture.

All together in a large bowl.

I filled flour tortillas with the mixture, placed them in a glass casserole dish, topped with the remaining enchilada sauce and another cup of cheese. They baked on 400 degrees for 10 minutes covered in tinfoil and for 10 minutes uncovered. 

I typically would have chosen whole wheat tortillas, but I knew William would enjoy these more and be much more likely to eat the leftovers, if I used flour tortillas. I was right.

I'm off to pack for another yoga weekend complete with a yoga rave party tonight!  I am so excited!  Get your glow sticks ready.
 

What I Ate (Wednesday)

I’ve been reading healthy living blogs for a few years now and most of the girls I follow participate in a link-up called “What I Ate” on Wednesdays. (I haven't figured out exactly how to "link up," but I will try to before next Wednesday).  Some of you, I’m sure, could care less what anyone is eating. But, for me, this is one of my favorite posts they write, because I get healthy new meal and snack ideas, and I also get to see that even the most health-conscious moms and wives order pizza and drink wine. It’s all about the balance, right?

I thought I would give it a try. Here’s my Wednesday food journal.

Breakfast – Coffee with half and half. ¼ cup Quaker Rolled Oats, ¼ cup of Wills’ 2% milk (I usually use skim or almond milk, but I ran out yesterday), ¼ cup water, half of a banana mashed in, 1 T natural peanut butter, strawberries, and a few walnut pieces 

Snack – Larabar and Cutie plus more coffee at New Moon Café with my friend, Bethany, before picking Wills up from school 

Lunch – Veggie Chips and a Boar's Head Turkey and Cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread 

Snack – I shared a few cheese and crackers with William and enjoyed a glass of wine while we cooked dinner. 

Dinner – Boneless grilled chicken, home-made sweet potato fries with olive oil and sea salt, and a spring mix salad with dried cranberries, a little cheddar, and light poppy seed dressing.

What I’m Loving Now...

I did a post like this back in November and really enjoyed being present to the gratitude that I have for simple things in my life.  Do I sound like a yogi? :)  Seriously, try it.  When you take the time to think about and reflect on the things you love, how can you not find joy in your day, your circumstances, or your life's storms?

So, without delay, here's what I'm loving these days...

A Farmer’s Market is coming to Evans! Woo hoo!

My sister’s yoga pants. I borrowed these two weekends ago for teacher training, because we needed THREE CHANGES of clothes a day, and let’s be honest, I wear the same beloved target yoga pants over and over.  I haven't returned this pair and have been wearing them all. the. time.  I hope you get these back, sissy. :)

I am having dreams about this coffee at City Java and News in Beaufort. It is called “City Addiction” for a reason. I can’t wait to get back to this quaint little shop over the weekend. 

My little boy’s new Sperry Top-Siders. He looks so handsome in them. Thanks, Gammy and Papa.  Y'all are the best.  Truly.

Fresh Market Women’s Vitality Mix. It’s a blend of dried cranberries and blueberries, almonds, pistachios, sunflower seeds, dark chocolate, and cashews.  Measured out into 1/4 cup servings and placed in baggies makes it the perfect grab and go snack.  

My daily morning devotion.  I am following the daily scripture from Shereadstruth.com and am really loving meeting God every morning and reading His word.  I am continuously in awe of His love for me.

Shakeology!!!  I can't say enough about this amazing product!  I love KNOWING that I am giving my body every nutrient, antioxidant, vegetable, vitamin, etc. that it needs when I drink one of these.  Plus, I don't ever need an afternoon nap; I am productive and energized.  I will definitely be writing more about these shakes in the coming days, but if you are interested in learning more, go to my website, myshakeology.com/evemooney, and try it for yourself.  You won't be sorry!

From Wills

Hi. It’s me, Wills. Mom is pretty busy today doing laundry, cooking dinner, and trying to memorize her sequences and postures for her second weekend of yoga teacher training. I thought I would take something off her plate and blog about what I’ve been up to lately.

Last weekend, I think I gave Mom, Dad, and Gammy a terrible stomach virus.  I didn’t feel too sick, other than going through A LOT of diapers and not having much of an appetite. Usually, I’m a pretty good eater. I don’t really like trying new things or new textures, but I will try to do better. Okay, mom? Don’t worry. Remember…you gave up worrying.

When I’m feeling well, I really like pancakes or oatmeal for breakfast, bananas, cuties, yogurt, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, goldfish, cheese, chicken nuggets, and macaroni and cheese. The only veggies mom can sneak in right now are in the squeeze pouch. I know I’m not a baby anymore, but I still really like these. If it’s in a pouch I will eat broccoli, peas, zucchini, sweet potatoes, corn, and spinach, and this makes my mom really happy.

Mom tries to give me dinners that look like this.  I usually try to give Finn my peas.  He really likes them.  Then I get in trouble.

  

I would rather have a cheese quesadilla, without a plate.  

Oh, and I love milk. I wake up every morning thinking about it and quickly go to the refrigerator door, point up, and tell Mom.

Being outside is still my favorite thing to do. Unfortunately, it’s been raining a lot here, so I just look out the window for birds or airplanes. Finn and I like to do that together. 

I’ve been golfing a lot lately. I’m learning so much by waving to all the golfers that go by and watching the golf channel with Dad (mom wishes we wouldn’t).

When it’s raining, she lets me practice in the mudroom.

I talk all the time. I think Mom and Dad are starting to understand me a little bit more. When they don’t, I just grab their hand and pull them along. Mom tries to get me to use my words, but sometimes I get frustrated.

Mom is trying to take more pictures of me, which is fine, because I have an awesome smile. She pulls out her phone or camera, and I give her a huge grin. And then she starts laughing. I don’t really know why. Do you?

Not that anyone cares, but Mom asked me to note these couple of things so she wouldn’t forget. I am a big boy at 17 months old. At my last doctor’s appointment I was 16 months old and weighed 29 lbs and was 34.5 inches long. I still wear size 5 diapers and 2 T clothes. I am in a size 7 shoe. I still take an afternoon nap, and Dad puts me to bed around 7 every night, after I tell Mom “night night,” of course. I wake up, calling for them, between 6:30 and 7 am. I’m a morning person, like my Mom. 

Last but not least, I really like my Papa. I talk about him all the time.

I guess I better go; Mom is calling for me to come clean up all of her measuring cups and spoons that I pulled out of the drawer.  She says she will see you soon.  Bye Bye.