Kaylin is talking more and more every day. I love hearing her say new words, phrases, and sentences (!!). Recently, she’s been obsessed with waving hi to the dog. She always says HI FRANKY! Except…Franky doesn’t sound exactly like Franky. Just a pre-warning…it sounds like she is saying a bad word in this video:
Happy (ALMOST) Friday!!
The Easter bunny & I were super excited to put together Kaylin’s Easter basket this year. Lucky for us, we had help from Clif (disclaimer: CLIF products were received for free).
First, I searched on Etsy for the perfect basket. Although I think Pottery Barn kids has adorable baskets, they’re really small. I found this one on Polka Dot Tot:
I stuffed the basket with all kinds of goodies including Clif Kid Zbars and Zfruit ropes:
At 1 1/2, Kaylin is too young for candy (in my opinion), so these treats are perfect. According to Clif:
“Both Zbar Chocolate Brownie and Zbar Crispy Chocolate offer kids chocolaty, organic whole grain goodness. And Zfruit is 100% real fruit twisted into a fun rope shape for when kids want a tangy and chewy alternative to jelly beans.”
Outside the Clif goodness, I picked up bath toys, a Doodle Pro, sidewalk chalk, a book, Annie’s bunnies, and a truck filled with blocks:
I think we’re ready!
What do you want in your Easter basket?
I really enjoy doing at home Mexican. You can have all the flavor, without all the grease. We were having a few friends over on Saturday night, so I decided to put together a little fiesta.
I made pulled taco chicken in the crock pot (recipe below):
I served the chicken with tortillas and all the toppings, including bell peppers, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, corn:
Salsa, tomatoes, jalapenos (love the bottles and bottle cleaner in the background ;)):
Chobani Greek yogurt and avocados:
I also made a batch of vegetarian crock pot “refried” pinto beans (recipe below):
and desserts:
My friends brought over a big, delicious salad and chips with salsa and guacamole. MMmmm
Crock Pot Pulled Taco Chicken:
I started with this recipe, and made lots of adjustments. This makes a lot of chicken, enough to feed 8:
Ingredients:
Directions:
Place chicken in the bottom of a large crock pot. Squeeze limes over chicken and then sprinkle chili powder on top. Cook on low for 4-6 hours (my chicken was PERFECT at 4 hours).
Drain crock pot, shred chicken and return to crock pot. Mix in taco sauce and cook on low for another 1/2 hour.
Crock Pot Vegetarian Baked Beans:
Refried beans may not look pretty, but they’re so yummy.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Add all ingredients to crock pot. Cook on high for 8 hours. Remove onion. Drain beans (RESERVE liquid). Use an immersion blender (or other mashing device) to mash beans ( you can either completely mash them or leave them somewhat lumpy as I did. Add reserved liquid to achieve desired consistency.
I think everyone had a blast. The ladies attempted to take a couple pictures after dinner (even Kay!):
Tell me about your weekend.
Also, with Google reader going away (tear), don’t forget to follow me on Bloglovin:
This morning was amazing! Kindal and I ran the Color Me Rad race in our wedding dresses to raise money for Special Olympics (donations still welcome!!):
I’m happy to report that we raised $705 for the cause!! It was a cold (for South Carolina) morning…but we braved the temperatures (thank you Kindal/Dan for all of the pictures):
It was a great, fun 5K:
I held my dress the majority of the run:
In case you wanted to know what a color bomb looks like:
And the end results:
Goof balls:
Thank you again to everyone who donated! And a HUGE thank you to Kindal for letting me be a part of this effort.
Now, I’m getting ready for a little dinner party at our house (yikes!!). What are you up to?
I’ve been so bad about posting recipes lately. I’ve just been busy (in the best kind of way)! This week has involved work, teaching at the gym, spending time with the man, taking care of my favorite little lady:
spending time with friends:
trying new (and delicious) foods:
and cooking & baking! I made these crock pot Asian meatballs a while back. They were so good, that I re-made them using turkey (served with quinoa, peas & sesame seeds):
Yesterday, I threw together crab cakes. I despise mayo, and put together a batch without it. I had just finished teaching at the gym, was trying to feed Kaylin, and Josh was walking in the door from work….so this is the only (lame) picture I got. I assure you these are delicious!
Mayo-Less Crab Cakes:
Ingredients:
Directions:
Combine all ingredients except crab. Add in crab and mix with your hands. Form into 5 mini cakes. Place (covered) in fridge for a half hour (or longer).
Either spray a skillet with non-stick spray, or add a little butter or olive oil. Heat over medium heat and cook each cake for ~3-4 minutes each side (they should brown up). Serve with your favorites sides or put on top of a salad.
So good! Love crab.
I fit in my workout this morning, so I am off to finish up work, pickup my Color Me Rad race packet, and meet Mandi for coffee! What are you up to?
AH! So, I told you how I’m running the Color Me Rad race in my wedding dress to raise money for the Special Olympics, right? Well, tomorrow, Kindal, Tracey (from Happy Wheels), and I will be featured on Lowcountry Live! We filmed our segment today.
I wore my new Lulu top and my Ellie capris (Kindal wore her whole Ellie outfit!!) .
I think the segment went well? I don’t think I said much haha. I will post the video if I can get a hold of it.
A BIG thank you to Lowcountry Live for having us.
How was your weekend? I enjoyed lots of time with Kaylin and Josh, went out to eat, and I taught at the gym. Few pictures from the weekend:
The wonderful Caroline took my Body Pump class on Friday:
Kay tested out the new Chobani Champions tubes. She is a big fan:
Weekends always involve Starbucks (ok…maybe most DAYS involve Starbucks). Loved the first trivia question (the answer is A):
We went to the park:
Hope you have a wonderful Monday!!
Reminder: You have until Wednesday at noon to enter my five giveaways!!
Wednesday! And a happy one at that. My Mom is down watching Kay today while I work (which means I get to spend time with my Mom-wahooo!) and I get to teach my half hour Body Step class (which I love). 3o minutes of all cardio goodness!! I also have fun plans at night with Josh’s Mom (shopping!!). What are you up to?
I mentioned last week that it was my 5 year blog birthday. To celebrate, I wanted to giveaway five awesome items.
Items # 1-3: I have three copies of the Peanut Butter & Co. cookbook to giveaway (thanks to their amazing publisher)! I really like the taste of their nut butters, how about you?
According to the publisher: “Proprietor and restaurateur Lee Zalben is spreading the joy of peanut butter with The Peanut Butter & Co. Cookbook. Here are more than 80 gooey recipes for everything from decadent desserts (Four-Layer Peanut Butter–Honey Cake) to delicious, nutritious snacks (Baked Apples with Peanut Butter) and sensational entrées (Peanut Butter Pad Thai). Of course, no peanut butter cookbook would be complete without sandwiches—here are recipes from the traditional (The Lunch Box Special) to the deliciously daring (Peanut Butter BLT).”
This giveaway is open to residents of the US, Canada, and UK.
Item #4: A size Large Aurorae Yoga workout top. I will be doing a review on the Aurorae Yoga top soon. I’m always on the lookout for great workout gear. What you need to know:
“The sport tank top is a racer back style and made from the eco-friendly Lenzing Modal(R), breathable, soft fabric with flat lock seams so you cannot feel the stitching on your skin. It is manufactured in the United States, which was very important to Aurorae.”
Super cute!
Item #5: A $10 Starbucks gift card and an Itzy’s Kitchen baked good of your choice- bar, cookies, etc! Because I really enjoy both Starbucks and baking!
How it works: just leave me a comment below letting me know which giveaway you’d like to be entered in. You DO NOT need to have a blog to enter. You can enter for each giveaway if you post three separate comments. Giveaway will be open until next Wednesday, March 20, at noon.
How was your weekend? We had a family filled weekend and it was great. After teaching Step on Saturday, Josh and I headed to the beach with Kaylin:
She loved being near the water, but wasn’t too sure about the sand:
She also liked the swings:
Are you a beach fan? I love listening to the ocean- so peaceful! But…I prefer swimming in a pool.
Outside the beach trip, we went to dinner with Josh’s parents, and went and visited my parents for lunch on Sunday. I also fit in a nice outdoor run on Sunday.
I’ve said it before, but I really like the new Ellie clothes (disclaimer: I received these for free!). They wear and wash great! The customer service with the company has been amazing. The first top I received was a little too large, so they sent me two tops to replace it. Here is the first, the first with my Ellie capris (notice Kaylin running around like nuts):
and my second top:
I wore the top again for our Attack launch this morning:
Giveaway time! I am giving away the first top I received that was just a bit too big for me. It fits like a medium and you can see it here on Annette’s blog. If you’re interested in the top, just let me know in the comments! I’ll leave this giveaway open until Friday, March 15 at noon. You DO NOT need to have a blog to enter!
Also- I will be having a second giveaway on Wednesday to celebrate my 5 year blog birthday!
