Before and After

I did it.

I finally took the plunge.

I.

Chopped.

Off.

All.

My.

Hair.


Eeek!

Before.

After.

I teased Dan that he had to hold the camera lower when taking pictures of me. This is what I got. 

I like it. It took me a day, but I definitely like it. What do you think?

A good book, a good laugh, and a good drink

Peyton has a favorite book. Two, actually. "Goodnight Moon" and "I Love You Baby." "I Love You Baby" is a touchy-feely book. Peyton loves the fuzzy textures and he especially loves to turn the pages all by himself like a big boy. Seriously. He gets mad if you don't let him turn the pages. In fact, Peyton loves the book so much, that he even licks (yes, I said LICK) the touchy-feely spots. Weird kid. Anyway, here's a shout-out to Amy Condie for sending him the book, because she couldn't have picked a better one =)

Peyton's other favorite book, "Goodnight Moon," is a very useful tool. He recognizes the title and words and responds to them far better than "No, no!" or even his own name. All we have to do is say, "Goodnight moon. In the great green room ..." and Peyton comes running (and by running, I mean speedily crawling) to read the book with you. You can even fool him with just the words and no book sometimes. I'm so glad he already enjoys reading [and licking] books.

Though I don't have a video of him tasting the touchy-feelies, here's a video of him responding to "Goodnight Moon."

Sometimes, the most random things will send Peyton into a fit of giggles. We absolutely LOVE IT when we figure out what those random things are. Recently, it was balancing a ring on our head and then letting it fall off. Peyton also thought it was quite hilarious when we put the ring on his head. He'd squint his eyes and bat at his ears until if fell off. Too cute.

Here's a video of Dan with a ring on his head -- and Peyton's reaction.

Lastly, who doesn't love a good, non-alcoholic drink (or in this case, an empty sippy cup)? And by love, I mean want to destroy. Prior to his sippy cup thrashing, he was playing whack-a-mole with Dan's hands. Unfortunately, that's not what we were able to capture on camera since Peyton lost interest in the game as soon as I thought to film it =)

And now, a few more pictures (at my mother's request):

Gearing up for a chomp-down.

Got teeth? 

Hook 'em Horns. 

Vegetable Stuffed Shells

I was hoping THIS recipe would turn out well ... and it did! I made a few minor tweaks, but for the most part, I stuck to the original. It was delicious and packed with veggies (and there wasn't too much cheese to offset the vegetable good-for-you-ness).

Vegetable Stuffed Shells

• 15 oz can diced tomatoes


• 8 oz can tomato sauce


• 1 C water


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped


• 2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped


• 1/2 sprig rosemary, chopped


• 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese


• 15 jumbo pasta shells


• 1 tsp olive oil


• 1 1/4 C broccoli, finely chopped


• 2 carrots, shredded


• 1/2 onion


• 1 clove garlic, minced


• 5 oz spinach, thawed and coarsely cut


• 1/2 C water


• 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped


• 1 C lowfat small-curd cottage cheese (2%) or part-skim ricotta


• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan


• 1⁄8 tsp each salt and pepper


• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided

Combine tomatoes, sauce, water, two cloves of garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary and 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until ready to use. 

Preheat oven to 400º F. Cook pasta, drain and cool on baking sheet per box directions.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté broccoli, carrot, onion and garlic for 3 minutes or until just tender. Add spinach and 1⁄2 C water; cover and cook 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Remove cover; cook until liquid is mostly evaporated. Stir in basil, cottage cheese, Parmesan, 1/4 C mozzarella, salt and pepper. Spread tomato sauce on bottom of an 8x8-in. baking dish.

Spoon filling into each shell; arrange in baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 C mozzarella, cover tightly with foil and bake 35 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 486 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  333 Calories from Fat  81

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  9.0g 14%

Saturated Fat  4.5g 23%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  29mg 10%

Sodium  1053mg 44%

Total Carbohydrates  41.3g 14%

Dietary Fiber  6.7g 27%

Sugars  12.6g

Protein  23.1g

Vitamin A 193% • Vitamin C 86% Calcium 42% • Iron 20%

Nutrition Grade B

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• High in calcium


• Very high in vitamin A


• Very high in vitamin C

Bad points

• High in sodium

I use no-sodium-added canned tomatoes and sauce. If you do the same, you won't have the high sodium content that the nutrition information suggests. 

Sweet & Sour Chicken

This is supposed to make eight servings ... let's just say it was so good, four of us pounded it in one sitting! HERE is where the original recipe came from, but I'll include some of the changes I made based on reviews.



Sweet & Sour Chicken

• 20 oz can pineapple chunks, drained (juice reserved)


• 1/4 C cornstarch


• 1 3/4 C water, divided


• 3/4 C white sugar


• 1/2 C distilled white vinegar


• 1/4 C Catalina salad dressing


• 4 chicken breasts - cut into 1" cubes


• 2 1/4 C self-rising flour


• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil


• 2 Tbsp cornstarch


• 1/2 tsp salt


• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper


• 1 egg


• 1 1/2 C water


• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying


• 2 green bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces


• 2 carrots, sliced


• 2 celery stalks, sliced


• 1/2 onion, chopped


• 2 1/2 C rice, cooked

Combine flour, 2 Tbsp oil, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, salt, white pepper and egg. Add 1 1/2 C water gradually to make a thick batter. Stir to blend thoroughly. Add chicken pieces and stir until chicken is well coated.
Heat oil in skillet or wok to 360° F (180° C). Fry chicken pieces in hot oil 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove chicken and drain on paper towels.

Saute green peppers, onion, pineapple chunks and carrot with a small amount of oil.


In a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 C water, sugar, vinegar, reserved pineapple juice and Catalina dressing. Heat to boiling. Turn off heat. Combine 1/4 C cornstarch and 1/4 C water; slowly stir into saucepan. Continue stirring until mixture thickens. Add chicken pieces and sauteed vegetables and stir to coat.

Serve over rice.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 433 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 691 Calories from Fat 154

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 17.1g 26%

Saturated Fat 3.4g 17%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 56mg 19%

Sodium 270mg 11%

Total Carbohydrates 110.8g 37%

Dietary Fiber 4.0g 16%

Sugars 28.3g

Protein 21.0g

Vitamin A 71% • Vitamin C 122% Calcium 5% • Iron 26%

Nutrition Grade B+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Low in sodium


• High in vitamin A


• High in vitamin C

Vegetarian Chili

This one hails from foodnetwork.com and is soooooooooo good! I was a little skeptical about chili sans meat, but boy-oh-boy, we gobbled this up. HERE is where it came from. We ate this with the best cornbread in the world.



Vegetarian Chili

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil


• 1 large onion, chopped


• 4 large cloves garlic, minced


• 3 Tbsp chili powder


• 1 green pepper, cored, seeded and diced


• 1 red pepper, cored, seeded and diced


• 1 zucchini, diced


• 1 yellow squash, diced


• 1/2 tsp dried oregano


• 1/4 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)


• 14.5 oz no sodium added diced tomatoes


• 11 oz can corn kernels, drained


• 15 oz can reduced sodium black beans, drained and rinsed


• 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon 


• 1/2 tsp cumin

Accompaniments, optional: sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, avocado and cornbread.

Heat oil in 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and chili powder; saute for 5 minutes. Add green and red peppers; saute 5 minutes. Add zucchini, squash, oregano and ground red pepper; saute for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes; cook 10 minutes. Stir in corn, black beans, bouillon and cumin; cook for 5 minutes.

Serve with the accompaniments, if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 249 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 152 Calories from Fat 44

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4.9g 7%

Saturated Fat 0.9g 4%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 250mg 10%

Total Carbohydrates 26.4g 9%

Dietary Fiber 6.7g 27%

Sugars 5.9g

Protein 6.3g

Vitamin A 40% • Vitamin C 87% Calcium 6% • Iron 13%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• No cholesterol


• High in dietary fiber


• High in potassium


• Very high in vitamin A


• High in vitamin B6


• Very high in vitamin C

So healthy, so good. 

Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a fan of Allrecipes.com. The reason being that you can look at the reviews/ratings and have a pretty good idea about what you're getting into -- before getting into it. This is kind of a big deal when you're trying new things and you don't have a back-up plan. Every once in a while, I come across a recipe on Allrecipes.com that has unbelievable ratings/reviews; one where you don't have to alter anything based on what others have said. This is one of those. A.Maz.Ing. Dig in! We paired this with Vegetarian Chili and it was fabulous!



Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread

• 1/2 C butter


• 2/3 C white sugar


• 2 eggs


• 1 C buttermilk


• 1/2 tsp baking soda


• 1 C cornmeal


• 1 C all-purpose flour


• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375° F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.

Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 104 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 306 Calories from Fat 122

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 13.6g 21%

Saturated Fat 7.9g 40%

Cholesterol 78mg 26%

Sodium 362mg 15%

Total Carbohydrates 41.9g 14%

Dietary Fiber 1.5g 6%

Sugars 18.3g

Protein 5.4g

Vitamin A 9% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 5% • Iron 8%

Nutrition Grade C

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Bad points

• High in saturated fat


• High in sugar

Hawaiian Haystacks

Another favorite from the Jorgensen Family Cookbook. The gravy for these Hawaiian Haystacks is phenomenal. It's delicious, easy and great for big families or groups.

Hawaiian Haystacks

• 4 chicken breasts


• 2 stalks celery, chopped


• 3 carrots, chopped


• 1 onion, chopped


• 1 Tbsp parsley


• 1 tsp basil


• Salt and pepper to taste


• Water to cover chicken


• 2 cans cream of chicken soup


• 3 C rice, cooked

Toppings: 

• Chow mein noodles


• Tomatoes, chopped


• Celery, chopped


• Green onions, chopped


• Pineapple chunks


• Almonds, slivered or sliced


• Dried coconut


• Cheddar cheese, grated

Boil water, chicken, celery, carrots, onion, parsley, basil and salt and pepper together until chicken is done. Shred chicken. Reserve 3 C chicken broth and combine with the 2 cans cream of chicken soup. Add chicken to soup mixture. Heat gravy and serve over cooked rice. Pile on the toppings! 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 244 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 445 Calories from Fat 82

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 9.1g 14%

Saturated Fat 2.5g 13%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 57mg 19%

Sodium 572mg 24%

Total Carbohydrates 64.6g 22%

Dietary Fiber 1.9g 7%

Sugars 2.2g

Protein 23.6g

Vitamin A 81% • Vitamin C 5% Calcium 5% • Iron 26%

Nutrition Grade B+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Low in sugar


• High in vitamin A

Above is the nutritional information NOT INCLUDING the toppings. Enjoy!