Engagement Photos: Best of T & M, Just For Fun

As with any photo shoot, we had to be sure to include some silly, just for fun ones.  These are actually some of my favorites.

he liked it, so he put a ring on it!

we call this one "the Beyonce"

XOXO

Brittany's Risotto

This recipe was a gift from one of my pharmacy students on her last day of my rotation.  As I've probably mentioned before, the best part of my job is having Butler pharmacy students come for rotations.  Not only do they keep me current in the field, increase job satisfaction, and all that other good stuff, but also they're fun, interesting people and we are always sad to see them go at the end of the month. 

Here's the amazing risotto recipe that Brittany gave me last month.  It's so delicious I made it again two days after the first batch!  It's a little bit of a process that requires some attention, but for me, it was almost therapeutic.  I hope you enjoy this risotto as much as my family has - here's how Brittany makes it:



just keep stirring...

Brittany's Risotto



Ingredients:

- 1 stick butter
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 c. rice
- 2 qt. chicken stock (2 cartons)
- 1/2 t. saffron
- 4 oz. grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 lb. chopped chicken breast
(serves 6-8)



Chewy Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

Here's a healthy spin on one of my favorites.  This recipe (randomly enough) came from a printout in one of our prescription receipts at work.  I'm telling you, people, inspiration can come from anywhere.  Here's how Mama makes it: 

Chewy Chocolate Oatmeal Bars



Ingredients:
- 1/2 c. nonfat yogurt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c. Splenda brown sugar mix (or regular brown sugar)
- 1 1/2 c. rolled oats
- 2 T. flax seeds
- 1/4 c. chocolate chips (I prefer the minis, also made a batch with half mini m&m's)
- cooking spray to grease the pan



Engagement Photos: Best of T & M, She Said Yes!

Between the perfect lighting, the romantic dusting of snow, and the beautiful park setting, we couldn't go wrong with these photos.  Not to mention the beautiful couple.  I had so much fun taking these photos!  Here's my highlight reel...



My Top 15 Working Mama Meals

I was recently asked by a friend to suggest some good "working mama" weeknight meals.  This is a pretty common request that I get, so I decided to gather up some of my favorite easy weeknight meals.  These recipes are great for working mamas, work-at-home mamas, working people, students, or really any hungry people who don't have tons of time to devote to making dinner.  I love getting this question because it means that parents are coming home from work and cooking dinner for their families.  It's such a healthy and important part of family structure and child development in general, and doesn't have to be a big production.   Serve these with fresh/frozen veggies and/or fruit and call it a day.  You don't need to plan 5 course meals every night - save those for special occasions or on the weekends when you have more time.

When deciding which recipes to include, I decided to split them up into slow cooker meals, quick 'n easy, and plan ahead favorites.  These are all the different types of weeknight meals I make, but everyone's different, depending on how much prep time you have and when it is.  If you have a lot of time in the evening, you can plan ahead for the next day and/or take longer to cook dinner.  If most of your free time is in the morning, the slow cooker may be your weeknight BFF.  Most likely, you use some combination of the two.  Either way, here's how this working mama makes 'em:

Toddler Meals: Pasta with Chicken & Avocado Pesto

A toddler-friendly version of my chicken linguine with avocado pesto, this dish is fun, healthy, and delicious.  Instead of a mostly basil pesto, I made an avocado and spinach pesto with just a few basil leaves so it wasn't overpowering for my Peanut.  I also added some green peas to the sauce for some added greens and smooth texture.  Instead of linguine, choose a smaller pasta, such as stars, alphabets, or even rice.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Pasta with Chicken & Avocado Pesto

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. ground chicken

- 1/2 c. spinach, cooked

- few basil leaves

- 1 ripe avocado

- 1/2 c. cooked green peas (I used frozen)

- 1/2 c. cottage cheese

- 1/2 t. lemon juice (prevents avocado from browning)

- 1 1/2 c. small pasta, uncooked



Skillet Beef & Rice Casserole

Another of my so-called pantry creations, this dish is proof that you can improvise on dinner and still make something fabulous.  The trick is to not be too crazy.  Stick with combinations that you know work well together, and when in doubt, look online for help with cooking methods, timing, etc.  This dish was thrown together on one of the days Annalyn was sick and none of us wanted to leave the house.  The result was so surprisingly delicious that even my Peanut devoured it (after not eating much all day due to her sore throat).  Michael & I actually fought over the leftovers (and eventually decided to be fair and split them).  I love it because it's easy to make with simple ingredients - no chopping required! (For the record, I actually really enjoy chopping things.  I have pretty knives and big cutting boards, but not always all the time in the world to do so.  Therefore, I appreciate the occasional no-chop meal.  I think you'd be crazy not to!)

Skillet Beef & Rice Casserole



Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 1/2 c. chunky salsa
- 1 T. minced garlic
- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 c. water
- 1 1/2 T. taco seasoning (see this post for recipe)
- 2 c. brown rice (can substitute white rice, just decrease the cook time)
- 1 c. shredded cheese



Engagement Photos: Best of T & M, Puppy Love

Since their puppy was a part of the proposal, we definitely wanted to include her in some of the engagment photos.  Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect when trying to photograph a puppy, but it worked out so well and we had lots of fun with little Stella.  And the pictures turned out perfectly!

first photo I took all day

Peanut Post: 1 Year Old!

 

Well, it happened.  Somehow we let our baby Peanut turn into a toddler.  *sigh*  A whole year old and you've already decided to be crazy independent.  Oh, Peanut, I think the coming years will be a treat.  All I know is that your Daddy & I are head over heals in love with you after this first year together.  Your ornery little grin... your squeal when Daddy chases us... your giant smile when we come in to get you in the morning... your proud clapping when we say "good girl!"... your scowl when you don't approve... your silly little bulldog face when you're feeling indignant.  Baby girl, if nothing else, I hope you know how much we love you. 

 

Your birthday was a crazy time for us this year, but I think we made the most of it.  I didn't get this written until a couple weeks afterwards, but here are your one year old stats:

The Machine Shed in Davenport, IA

on your birthday

Chicken Linguine with Basil Avocado Pesto

First off, I know what you're thinking... avocado? in pesto...? Huh.  Well, trust me friends, this is a match made in culinary heaven.  Creamy avocado blended with fresh basil and olive oil... mmm, mmm, mmm!  I made the sauce the day before since I already had my food processor out to make Annalyn a toddler version of this dish (recipe coming soon!).  I stored it in the fridge and it was perfect as ever the next day (the lemon juice even kept the avocado from browning).   Plus there was less of a mess to clean up once the Niedermeyers got here for dinner.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Chicken Linguine with Basil Avocado Pesto

Ingredients:
for the sauce
- 2 T. minced garlic
- 2 T. fresh lemon juice
- 2 T. olive oil
- 2 ripe avocadoes
- 1/2 to 3/4 c. fresh basil
- 1/4 c. fresh baby spinach
- 1 t. salt
- 1/2 t. pepper
- pasta water, as needed to achieve desired consistency

for the pasta:

- 1 package linguine

- 2 T. olive oil

- 1 package boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs.)

- salt and pepper, to taste

- 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained

- grated parmesan cheese, as garnish (forgot this part, but it'd be yummy!)