All Posts By

Nadine

Weekend Shenanigans

Hey there friends! I am not even sure what is going on with my life right now. I feel like I am barely floating above water. Work takes up far too much of my days, and when I am home I am trying to spend as much time with Zoe as possible….and get shit done whenever I can spare an extra minute. I felt off all last week. Zoe woke up Monday with a fever, so off to the doctor we went. I guess she just had some sort of virus that hung around for a few days. Monday was supposed to be her first day of school for this year, and I hate that she missed it. I stayed home with her Tuesday as well….and we were back to reality on Wednesday. She was so cute for her “first day” picture.

I kicked off my weekend with a trip to Trader Joe’s to grab a few things, and stumbled upon this Smoked Salmon Poke Bowl. OMG!!! It was only $5.99 and it was so fresh and delicious! I cant wait to go back and get another one ASAP. I checked on Weight Watchers, and it is only 7 points for the entire bowl, so really not a bad way to spend lunch!

Saturday morning, my sister and her crew were over at our house bright and early to help us do a few things around the house. Words cannot describe the gratitude and appreciate I have for their time and hard work. My BIL spent several hours on a VERY tall ladder painting our foyer area mostly by himself. It looks SOOOOO good now that it is all done! I got a lot of boxes packed up (home decor and stuff from our guest room) while my sister and the boys hung out with Zoe. I feel like we really knocked a lot off our to-do list with them. And Zoe absolutely adores my sister and had so much fun playing with her and the boys. She cried every time my sister left the room and it was hard for her to wave good bye as they drove off in the late afternoon.

In order to get to the very top of the wall over our stairs, we had to use this handy little paint brush holder contraption. It was pretty cool watching my BIL do it so patiently and perfect!

To thank them for their time, I made sure we had lots of snacks available! I had gotten some dips and other fun things at Trader Joe’s, and Chris went out and got Landmark BBQ and brought it back for everyone. This Spinach Kale dip from TJ’s is low in calories and only 1 WW point per serving. It was seriously SO GOOD and everyone liked it better than the much higher in calorie sour cream spinach dip. Get you some!

Also not to be missed, is the caramelized onion and feta cheese pastry puffs. These things were divine! As Zoe said, mo peas!

Other weekend things included getting rid of a trash bag full of stuff from the master bathroom and two trash bags out of our bedroom. Why do we have so much shit??? All the cabinets in the kitchen were organized, cleaned and purged. The pantry was half way cleaned, I will get to the rest of it some time this week. The guest hall linen closet and laundry room were re-organized. Now we have the big stuff left…like tackling the garage and moving stuff to a storage unit. Fun times.

Zoe and I made a Target run Sunday morning and ran into two daycare friends there. Funny how we all end up at the same place at the same time. When we got home, Chris was laid out on the couch with a really high fever. 🙁 He was miserable all day yesterday and staying home from work today. I hate to see him down. And I also hope that whatever he has doesn’t spread to the rest of us! It doesn’t look like much fun. This week I am just going to focus on knocking out as much as I can a work during the day, and doing all the cleaning that didn’t happen this weekend a little at a time each night this week. I really hope to clear out the guest room and paint it next weekend. Right now that room is full of all the boxes I packed, and a bunch of other stuff!

I hope you all have a great week! Linking up with Biana.

August 13, 2018 by Nadine

recipe

Thai Peanut Cauliflower Fried Rice

That is a mouthful to say, right? But seriously. I hate cauliflower. I hate it so much. It is one of the only vegetables I won’t touch. So when I tell you I am suspicious of all these cauliflower replacement recipes, I mean it. Cauliflower mashed potatoes? Get that shit away from me. I was at Trader Joe’s awhile back and for whatever reason, when I am shopping in there…everything sounds good. Isn’t that weird? I picked up a bag of frozen riced cauliflower and then it sat in my fridge for a few months.

I was home with a sick Zoe Monday and Tuesday this week. Desperate times call for desperate measures. and I was hungry. I have been wanting thai food for awhile now, specifically something with peanut sauce. I thought…well I can try out the cauliflower rice since it is just for me. That way if it is gross, I didn’t try to pawn that shit off on Chris too. You know? I started whipping out some random stuff in the pantry to make a Weight Watchers friendly version of my peanut sauce. Normally I use coconut milk and it is DELICIOUS!!! But that adds a lot of calories so I replaced it with some chicken broth instead. This came together so quick and easy and was amazing!!!!

Now, I didn’t have any chicken on hand. I threw in some frozen peas and carrots. I think you can toss in some other veggies, or add some chicken and really make this your own. Also, I had some leftovers and took it for lunch the next day. Just as delicious as the first day!!! Maybe even better.

What You Need

riced cauliflower (I used one package from Trader Joes)

olive oil

frozen veggies – I used about half a bag of frozen peas and a half bag of frozen carrots

Peanut Sauce:

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

3-4 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 – 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on how much kick you want to it)

What You Do

–Cook the cauliflower rice in a skillet with some olive oil. While that is cooking, heat up some olive oil in a wok and also start cooking the carrots and peas.

–Combine all the ingredients for the peanut sauce in a bowl with a whisk. Heat in microwave for 1 minutes, or warm in sauce pan on the stove for several minutes.

–Combine cauliflower rice in the wok with the veggies, pour peanut sauce over and cook for about 2-3 minutes.

August 10, 2018 by Nadine

favorites

Recent Amazon Purchases

I meant to have this post up a few days ago, but life has been a little hectic this week! I love seeing everyone’s Amazon shopping lists. The site can be overwhelming if you are just browsing, I like to have some direction…you know?

Wet Brush – I have a smaller wet brush and a tangle teaser that I have used for a few years now. The thing is, I wanted a bigger brush because I find that I don’t ever reach for my regular ones anymore. This two pack is a crazy good deal!!! You can barely purchase one full size brush in stores for the price of two. And isn’t two always better than one?

PRIVE The Heroine Sunglasses – I love Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo and Kate Spade sunglasses. I normally purchase them from Nordstrom Rack to be friendly on my wallet. I am in the market for a few new pairs, as some of the ones I have had for many years need to go in retirement. And one pair were killed by a certain cute toddler, who shall remain nameless. Anyways, I had these in my Nordstrom cart…but they sold out and I was so sad. They are Prime for the same price, score!!!!! For the price, they are a surprisingly good quality and are dupes for some very high end brands. Celine…I am looking at you.

Pureology Hydrate Sheer Shampoo and Conditioner – I was in the market for some new shampoo after having a horrible reaction to one that I really wanted to like from Target. Why Kristin Ess WHYYYYY?!?!?! My scalp was broken out so bad and my hair was looking rough. This stuff has saved me!!! I know it is a little pricier, but it was so worth it! I got the Hydrate SHEER not just hydrate…as this one is made for people with thinner/finer hair. I love that it doesn’t weigh down my hair and the days I use it…it looks really good! The conditioner smells so delicious and has just a slight cooling/tingle feeling that I absolutely love.

Inflatable Baby Bath – When we travel, I never know what kind of bath situation we are going to be in. Even if the tub looks clean, it might have drainage issues or something. I always shower, never sit in a tub when I travel…and I get grossed out thinking about Zoe sitting in an unknown tub too. Enter inflatable tub! I purchased this before our beach trip and it worked perfectly! It folds up well, so it was easy to take with us. It has a piece that blows up in the “floor” if you have a smaller child that isn’t stable sitter. There was enough space for Zoe to have some “play time.” I can tell that we will be able to use this for at least another year or two.

Moby Bath Cup – Speaking of baths. I had this munchkin cup from the time Zoe was born until recently. It worked great for the purpose, but it started growing mild around the handle because they are two pieces. Gross!! I spent a lot of time researching cups that wouldn’t get nasty, and this one had excellent reviews. Zoe loves it because it is much cuter!!! And the way the water sort of “water falls” out of the mouth is a lot of fun. Bonus points for floating around the tub.

Munchkin Stainless Steel Miracle 360 Cup – This is our “travel cup” that we use for Zoe anytime we leave the house. It keeps her water at a good temperature all day and has minimal leak issues. By minimal I mean, if you keep the lid on when it is in your bag you should be good.

NUBY Reusable Snack Bags – Anyone else feel like they are just their kids “snack bitch?” Zoe loves eating her snacks out of little bowls and plastic bags. I don’t like to waste plastic bags every time she wants something though. And I certainly don’t want to have a bunch of empty ones all over my car/diaper bag. These reusable snack bags are perfect for both our house and when we are out and about. They are so cute and hold a lot!

Toddler Pillow – Zoe has been using stuffed animals and her blanket balled up as a pillow in her crib lately. I took the hint and did some research, and this toddler pillow gets excellent reviews! It is the perfect size for her and she LOVES it!!!! She will randomly carry it around the house.

Toddler Pillow Case – Toddler pillow cases are expensive!!! Most that I found were the same price as the pillow for just one. This brand has a two-pack for $10!!! They came in a cute little carrying case and fit perfectly with the pillow above. I love a good deal! They have a lot of color options, we went with pink and white since that is what matches Zoe’s room.

Speaking of Amazon things….RS Grey’s Not So Nice Guy came out today! She is my favorite romcom author, and always has me cracking up!

What have you purchased lately? Linking up with Tanya.

August 9, 2018 by Nadine

currently

Currently

Linking up with my girl Kristen for another Currently!

Reading – I should be receiving a copy of RS Grey’s new book in my inbox today!!! *squeals* It will be out August 9th, and you can pre-order a copy now! That means I will be dropping my current read like a bad boyfriend. I am having a hard time getting in to Surprise Me anyways. RS Grey is one of my favorite authors, her books always make me LOL.

Listening – After hearing about a million different versions of Zombie during Tomorrowland the last few weeks….my obsession with it is back! I mean, the 90’s was the best time for music. You can’t argue that fact. It’s science.

Watching – We have been basically binging on Blue Bloods every chance that we can. I think we both agree that it is our favorite cop show now. The one liners are epic and we really like the old man (Henry).

Cooking – On the menu this week is buffalo chicken sausage with parmesan squash risotto, korean beef and fried rice, sriracha honey meatballs with sweet potato zoodles, chicken tenders with maple brussels and braised pork chops with sweet potatoes.

Purchasing – It was time to buy foundation, as I was scraping bottom on my Estee Lauder Double Wear for a few weeks now and wearing BB cream some days instead. (Rimmel is the best drugstore BB cream for me. It does actually cover a little and lasts most of the day for me.) I had gone to Sephora to walk around and see what was out there. I love my Double Wear, and it is one I keep coming back to. But sometimes a girl just wants something new. I had considered the new Beauty Blender foundation, but I didn’t see it in store. Honestly, I feel like the packaging on it looked gimmicky anyways. Like you wouldn’t be able to use every last drop of the product, and I am not about that life. A sales person noticed I was wondering around aimlessly and hooked me up with a makeup artist who suggested Dior Skin Forever Perfect Foundation with SPF 35. I think I am in love! First of all, SPF 35? Yes, please! The color match is perfection on my skin (I am 020 for reference) and it is a full coverage foundation that feels a little lighter than the Double Wear. Which in this heat and humidity, I can certainly appreciate. When I went to wash my face last night, it looked like I had just did my makeup. So the staying power is strong. There was no creasing or clinging to any of my dry spots. Dare I say this might be my new holy grail? I will check back in and let you know.

Working – On my fitness. I have worked out every weekday the last three weeks. I even dusted off the treadmill in the garage and have been sweating it out a few times this week in the heat, on a super high incline. It feels great to be hitting my move goal every day on my watch and you know…those endorphins.

Planning – I am hoping to tackle our guest room and garage this weekend. Everything needs to go! I plan to be like this….

Excited – It is the second best month of the year!! MY BIRTHDAY MONTH! (December took over as my favorite, since that is the month Zoe was born AND you know..Christmas and all.) You guys…I am going to be 35 this year! I quit being sad about this number though. Honestly, my 30’s have been WAY better than my 20’s and I am excited to see what this year will bring.

Quoting –

So true

Laughing-

August 2, 2018 by Nadine

weekend shenanigans

Weekend Shenanigans

It sort of feels like we only have one last weekend of summer left, since school will be back in session next week! Though, we know the summer weather will hang around well in to at least October here. It has gone so fast! Just like this past weekend did, right?

We started deep cleaning our house Saturday during Zoe’s nap. We tackled the master bathroom, and Chris was a huge help going deep with some bleach. Then, I went through all of my dresser drawers and part of the closet…trying on and getting rid of a huge stack of clothes. When Zoe woke up, her and I headed to Pubix to grab some steaks and sides since “Uncle J” was coming to visit and watch Tomorrowland with us. Look at this deliciousness!

Zoe had so much fun riding around in the car cart at Publix and eating her sugar cookie. Probably a little too much fun, as she kept demanding that I “go” anytime I would pause to get something off a shelf. Got to love toddlerhood, right?

Sunday morning after breakfast we all headed out to do our grocery shopping at Target for the week. When we got home, Zoe had her lunch and went down for naptime. As soon as her head hit the pillow, I finished my clothing purge and cooked up a yummy lunch for Chris and I. The rest of the day was spent hanging around the house and bubbles outside. Always bubbles outside. In the ridiculous heat. She is lucky she is cute.

Last night we made some flatbread pizza’s with the low carb high protein flatout wraps and watched Blue Bloods. And now here we are, back to reality today. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Linking up with Biana.

July 30, 2018 by Nadine

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