- be positive -

I seriously dislike being around people who are negative all the time. It drives me crazy, and brings me down. I happen to work with one of the most negative people I have ever met. And I can't even begin to tell you how much it affects me on a daily basis. As hard as I try to not let her get to me, I work very closely with her, and I happen to be her supervisor as well, so it's not that easy to just ignore her horrible attitude.

I'm not going to pretend my life is rosey all the time. I'm also not going to pretend that I am always upbeat and positive. But I like to think that most days I am in a cheerful mood and have a smile on my face. It really just makes life so much better when you are smiling and positive!

So today, I just want to remind everyone to smile, and be positive! People will like you more, and you will truly be happier inside! 

(Image credit soon2befit.tumblr.com)

- happy love day -

From my little valentine to you...I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

- quick recipe of the week -

Hello, hello, and happy Monday to everyone!

Today I thought I would share with you a "go to" recipe of mine...I'm warning you...it's nothing gourmet! But then again, I never professed to be a gourmet chef! While it's not a dish that will ever be served in a fancy restaurant in New York, it is super easy to make and doesn't take longer than thirty minutes from start to finish. That's my kind of weeknight recipe!

Stewed Tomato and Green Bean Chicken

1-1.5 lbs chicken thighs
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1/2 bag of frozen green beans, any style
1/2 cup cooking sherry
salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken thighs in a pot and salt and pepper. Pour the undrained can of tomatoes over the chicken. Cook on medium high, covered, for 10 minutes. Pour the cooking sherry into the pot and stir. Cover and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, on medium low. Pour in the green beans and stir again. Cover and cook for a remaining 5 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve over rice or pasta.

Printable Recipe

My sister originally shared this recipe with me and it's now always in my dinner rotation at least once or twice a month, because it just does not get any easier that that!

Enjoy!

- this is how we roll -

Just in case you didn't see this picture on my other blog yesterday, this is how we roll when momma needs to get some shopping done...

Yup, she's in the "unsafe" section of the cart...holding my phone, that currently has absolutely no case protecting it if it were to fall and hit the hard floor, shattering it to pieces. 

Luckily, I trust my kiddo to stay seated in the cart (I promise, she's really good when it comes to things like that)...and I know that she will hold onto that phone for dear life. Because she totally understands that if that phone breaks, she will not be able to play her games on it anymore! It's the one thing she is so careful with! 

Folks, that's just how we roll! Remember all of those "I'll never..." when you were pregnant? Yup, I do ALL those things I said I would never do. Because letting her watch videos and play games while I'm shopping makes momma and kiddo much happier! I just do what I can to keep the peace!

Linking up with...

- a little of this, a little of that -

 Hope everyone had a great weekend and a wonderful Monday (ugh...that's what I think of Mondays). The hubs went away this past weekend... a guys trip. He had a blast, and I'm so glad he was able to get some good 'ol fashioned dude time in, but we sure did miss him and we're glad he's home! Ellie and I spent some quality time with my mom, and got to spend some time with Lisa and her son, too. Definitely a low key weekend for us, while Matt partied like a rock star!

Turns out, I don't really have one particular thing to write about today, so you're gonna get another one of my mish mash posts...here it goes...

- This winter has been unseasonably warm, and I am loving every minute of it!

- Will I ever, ever, ever stop wishing there were more hours in the day? Hmm, now that I have a kiddo, probably not.

- I have an obsession with thinking about baby names...I could do it all day long! Am I pregnant? Nope...haven't even started for baby #2...but I have names all picked out already! I know, I'm crazy like that.

- I seriously hate drama...so much! And I hate that I manage a team of drama queens at work. Seriously, it gets so old. I really struggle between doing what I should do to be a good manager or just telling them to grow up. And what's worse, my team have all worked for me for over 4 years, so I've literally dealt with the same drama for over 4 years...ugh, it's getting old.

- A little public service announcement...tattoos can be addicting...once you get one, you will probably want more. But they are permanent...yup, permanent (well, let's not get technical and talk about laser removal, etc). So be wise while choosing the design and the size...(I may or may not have gotten another tattoo last week...and I may or may not be freaking out now, because it's definitely bigger than I probably should have gotten it...but, we won't talk about that right now. I love the design and I'm sure I will get used the size!)

- Does anyone else struggle as much as I do to really know who you are? Will I ever be completely confident and comfortable with just being me? (I'm sure I'll post more about this soon, as it has been weighing heavy on my mind lately...)

- I am getting super anxious about two major changes coming soon in our household...potty training, and moving Ellie to a toddler bed. Neither are happening right now, but I know they are coming, and just the thought of either of those two things freak me out. She has been using the potty on and off for over 5 months, but she hasn't shown interest in it lately. I know there will come a day when we just need to take the jump and go for it full time, but...ugh, I don't even know where to start. And the toddler bed?? Double ugh. Ellie hasn't tried to ever climb out of her crib, so we are keeping her in there as long as we can. But I know the toddler bed will eventually have to come, and I can't figure out for the life of me how we will ever get her to stay in the bed. Kiddo doesn't love bed time, and I know it will be a fight to keep her in the bed without that wonderful crib. Any suggestions on either of these two topics? Please, help me calm my anxiety!

- My kiddo has at least 4 pairs of Toms in her closet....momma has none! I think this momma needs a new pair of shoes, huh? A pair of Tom's to be specific! Any of these would do...

- quick recipe of the week -

I know I've been a little MIA the past week...no good excuses other than a touch of writer's block, plus a super busy week...did ya miss me? Yup, thought so!

Today, I'm sharing a recipe from Laura at Between the Lines.

(Image credit Laura)

Laura is an Army wife and a mother to the sweetest little one-year-old blondie, named Ethan. She has a slew of interests and occupations, including but not limited to, pharmacy technician, psych major, Scentsy consultant, Avon representative, and photographer. Photography is one of her biggest passions, so, there are often a number of her great photos displayed on her blog. Recently, their family sponsored their first child. His name is Jeff, and he's from Kenya. You can read all about their amazing decision to sponsor Jeff here. It's a great story to read, and an amazing cause!

Laura's recipe sounds so good...you have gotta try it!

Pappardelle Pasta and Chicken Sausage
1/2 lb pappardelle pasta
2 cups broccoli florets
1 Tsbp oil
1 lb chicken link sausage
1 red pepper
1 cup fat free, sodium reduced chicken broth
2/3 cup half and half
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Five Italian cheese
2 Tsbp shredded parmesan cheese

Cook pasta in a large pot. Add broccoli florets for the last two minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil up in a skillet on medium heat for five minutes. Add sausage cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add red peppers. Cook until peppers are crisp-tender and sausage is done.

Drain pasta mixture. Add to the skillet, along with the half and half, broth, and oregano. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring often, until sauce is slightly thickened. Top with shredded cheese and continue to cook 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

(Image credit Laura)

Printable Recipe

Thanks Laura! Any recipe that has pasta in it is always a must try for me!

- six healthy choices I try to make on a daily basis -

Don't get me wrong, I am definitely NOT the epitome of health! I should exercise way more than I do (or, maybe I should just exercise period...ha ha), I definitely indulge in glasses of wine, snacks, and sweets, and I don't count calories or check fat content like I should.

However, I do try to make a handful healthy choices on a (mostly) daily basis that are pretty easy for me to stick to:

1. Always choose whole grain carbs - For the past few years, I have only been buying whole grain, wheat bread, pasta, and rice. I actually didn't mind the transition, but I definitely think Matt had a harder time with it. Let's just be honest, most of the time, whole grain carbs do not taste as good and as their "not as healthy" counterparts...the white carbs. But, they are so much better for you!

2.  Buy frozen vegetables - I know, I know, frozen vegetables are not as good for you as fresh ones. But, with our busy lifestyle, cutting and prepping fresh vegetables is just one more thing that I would never get around to. I would often just serve a dinner with no vegetables because the thought of chopping was just one extra step in my dinner prep (I loathe chopping vegetables...I don't know why!) And if dinner plans ever changed, and we didn't get around to eating the fresh veggies, they would end up in the trash after sitting in our fridge for too long. Now, I make sure I always have a stock of frozen veggies on hand. I never have an excuse not to add veggies to the meal since they are already cut and prepped for me! Just taking this little step really helps us get more vegetables in at dinner time. (And frozen is better than nothing!)

3. Drink water...A LOT of it - I drink a lot of water every day...at least 72-80 ounces. It cleans out your body, keeps your skin hydrated, and even can help you lose weight by raising your metabolism and keeping you feeling full so that you don't over eat. I really don't mind the taste of water (does water even have a taste??), so drinking a lot of water every day is not hard for me to do. But if you aren't thrilled about plain water, try squeezing a fresh lemon in it. It makes the water taste much better! Or, try putting cucumber slices, limes, or strawberry slices in it..all pretty darn good in water (they all help liven up the plain 'ol water!)




4. Choose white meat (or very lean red meat) - We are big white meat eaters in our house. Ellie thinks every meat is chicken because she sees so much of it on our plates. While a big juicy steak or burger can taste amazing, most red meats are very high in saturated fats pound for pound when compared to white meat. It's not that red meat is horrible for you, but too much of it can definitely raise your cholesterol levels. I remedy that by cooking mostly white meat in our house....chicken, turkey, and of course, fish. Ground beef is never in my freezer, I always use ground turkey instead. I choose turkey burgers whenever possible, and if we do cook red meat, we choose lean cuts such as top sirloin, or sirloin tips (a good rule of thumb...generally cuts that have the word "loin" in them are the leaner cuts... this applies to both beef and pork).

5. No snacking at night - Matt is a huge snacker...I am not. So this is a pretty easy, healthy choice for me to stick with. After dinner (and sometimes dessert if I'm lucky), I'm usually done eating for the night. I generally don't snack while we are watching our nightly television, or if we watch a movie after Ellie goes to bed. While eating after dinner isn't necessarily bad for you, choosing unhealthy snacks can be. And those are usually the snacks that most people turn to in the evening. If you are still hungry after dinner and you have the will power to choose something healthy, like an apple, or some carrot sticks, go for it! But if you find yourself always grabbing potato chips or cookies, then it would just be better to avoid eating once you are finished with dinner!

6. Cooking at home - This isn't always the most fun thing for me to do. I'm really busy during the week, and cooking is definitely a chore for me. I don't love to cook...I don't hate it, but it's definitely not a passion of mine. But cooking at home is so much healthier than getting take out, or eating out. I make myself cook dinner at home at least four days a week...on a good week, five. (For our pocketbooks, and for our health, it should be six or seven days a week, but this momma needs a break once in awhile!) When you cook at home, you can avoid processed foods. You can also make healthier choices. I don't always cook the healthiest meals, but at least I can switch out ingredients to make them better for us...fat free creams, non fat milk, and again, whole grains. There are plenty of easy recipes you can make if you are pressed for time...check out some of the quick recipes of the week that all of my lovely readers and contributors have helped me compile!

 (and yes, Matt totally comes home after work and kisses me as I slave over a hot stove, and no, I don't wear a dress, apron, and pearls while cooking dinner!)

So those are the baby steps I take every day to be a healthier me. Do I have a long way to go?? YES! But at least I am aware, and isn't that half the battle?? :-)