Egg in Deli Ham

Well, it's Monday again...

 

Being a stay-at-home mom, everyday is the same day to me, but Monday means back to getting up at 4:30am (if not before with the baby) to make sure Cam gets up for work and that he has a nice breakfast.

 

Now, Cam usually either has an everything bagel with cream cheese or a Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich, but I struggle every day with what to eat.

 

Trying to watch my calories and lose this stubborn baby weight makes meal time really difficult.

 

 Not only is it unpredictable when I'll get to eat, but I can never decide what to eat.

 

Some days, by the time I get to eat I'm starving and, surprise surprise, I end up over-eating or eating junk.

 

This week I'm starting to plan every meal in advance in hopes that it will help me.

 

I came across this on Pinterest and thought it looked really easy and really good.

 

I tweaked it a little more to my liking. Now I have breakfast for the week.

 

You will need:

 

 

 

A Muffin Pan

Cooking Spray

12 eggs (or as many as you want to make)

12 slices round deli ham

salt and pepper

Your favorite cheese to sprinkle on top

 

 

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 400.

 

 

Spray the muffin pan with the cooking spray so the eggs don't stick (I didn't do this and it was a real pain to clean up, so spray them well).

 

Place the ham in the muffin hole.

 

 

 

Crack the egg on top of the ham.

 

 

 

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.

 

Bake for 12 minutes.

 

 

 

Sprinkle cheese on top and serve warm.

 

 

I paired mine with a slice of organic whole wheat bread and jelly.

 

A filling breakfast for around 200 calories.

 

 

Broccoli Cauliflower Bake

I'm really bad about making side dishes for the meals I prepare. Usually, I just microwave one of those steam veggie bags...

 

I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a try. It, like most of the recipes I chose, is very simple and not many ingredients.

 

Let's get started.

 

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese, divided

2 Tbs butter, melted

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, divided

1 package (16oz) frozen broccoli, thawed

1 package (16oz) frozen cauliflower, thawed

2 Tbs butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 Tbs flour

1 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 1/4 cups milk

4 oz cream cheese, cubed

 

 

Preheat oven to 350.

 

In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs, 2 Tbs cheese, 2 Tbs melted butter, and 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning.

Set aside.

 

 

 

Cut up any large pieces of the broccoli and/or cauliflower.

 

Melt 2 Tbs butter in a large skillet on medium heat.

 

Add onion and cook and stir for about 5 minutes or until tender.

 

Stir in flour, remaining 1 tsp Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and pepper.

 

Add milk, cooking and stir until thick and bubbly.

 

Add cream cheese and stir until melted.

 

Add vegetables and toss to coat.

 

Spoon into 2-quart baking dish.

 

Sprinkle top evenly with crumb mixture.

 

Bake for 40 minutes or until heated through and top is lightly browned.

 

(You could also prepare the dish the day before needed, cover and refrigerate, then bake the day of.

 

Perfect dish to go along side of chicken, pork, or beef.

Homemade Pesto

Pesto.

 

Buying good quality pesto can be expensive. Especially if you don't use it very often and end up throwing out more than half of the jar because it expired -----> This Girl!

 

Making your own is an easy way to avoid that.

 

Pesto is just a few ingredients and you can use as much or as little as you want, depending on your taste and how much you need.

 

For this recipe, I was able to coat an entire box of bowtie pasta and not have any waste. No left-overs, but no waste.

 

Here we go.

 

1 1/2 cups fresh basil

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp minced fresh garlic (I always grate mine in)

4 Tbs grated parmesan cheese

1 Tbs lemon juice

3/4 cup olive oil (you might need more or less depending on how thick you like your sauce)

 

 

Heat a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add your sliced almonds. (You can also buy already toasted almonds if you'd like, I had them on hand for salads and decided to use them up).

 

Cook, stirring often until lightly browned. This will only take a couple minutes, so be sure to keep an eye on them so not to burn. Remove from heat.

 

Add the nuts to your food processor or blender.

 

Add in the remaining ingredients, except the oil.

 

Pulse a few times to get everything moving and then puree until combined, scraping the sides if needed.

While the processor is running, drizzle in your oil.

 

Puree until combined to the consistency of your liking.

 

And that's it! You can add the pesto to your favorite pasta, top it on a protein of your choice, or spread it on a sandwich.

 

If you do end up with extra, store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week!

 

Enjoy!

 

My Growing Boy

Just wanted to post a quick photo of my growing baby boy!

 

He's 5 month old now. I'll probably say this every month until I die, but I can't believe how fast he's growing and how big he's getting. It feels like just yesterday I was calling the doctor and leaving for the hospital!

 

So, Happy 5 Month Birthday to my love-bug!

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Fried Rice

If there's anything I love more than Italian food it's Chinese food!

My absolute weakness is beef and broccoli with fried rice, but I decided to try out sweet and sour chicken since that is Cam's favorite.

He's not a big Chinese food fan (seriously, who is he?!) but that is what he orders when he has to.

This recipe is simple, flavorful, less calories, and most ingredients you will have in the house.

 

As Rachael Ray says, it's MYOTO (Make Your Own Takeout) where you can control the fat and sodium intake.

 

When I made it Cam said it tasted professional and if I didn't tell him, he would have thought it was from our favorite place, Peking!

Now let's get started...

 

You will need:

 

For the Fried Rice:

2-3 cups cooked white rice (I used leftovers from another night)

3 Tbs sesame oil

1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed (or any vegetable you want to add, I used carrot chips and scallions)

1 small onion

2 tsp minced garlic (I grated mine in)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup soy sauce

 

For the Chicken:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

 

For the Sweet and Sour Sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 Tbs ketchup

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1 Tbs soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt or powder (I didn't have garlic salt so I used garlic powder and it works just the same)

 

 

Preheat oven to 325.

 

Cut the chicken into cubes.

 

 

Season with salt and pepper.

 

 

 

Dip the chicken into the cornstarch to coat.

 

 

Then, dip the coated chicken into the eggs.

 

Heat the 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet.

Cook the chicken until browned, but not all the way through.

 

Place the chicken in a baking dish (9x13 works, but whatever you have on hand).

 

Mix all of the sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.

 

Pour over the chicken and mix to coat.

 

Bake for 1 hour, turning after 30 minutes to ensure even cooking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

While chicken is baking, prepare the Fried Rice.

 

On medium high heat, heat the oil in the same large skillet used for the chicken.

 

Add the peas, carrots, onion, and garlic.

 

Stir fry until tender.

 

Lower the heat to low and push the mixture to one side.

 

Add the eggs on the bare side and scramble.

 

Then, add the rice and soy sauce and blend together.

 

Stir fry until heated through.

 

And there you have it! You now can serve a more figure-friendly, take-out tasting dinner!

Homemade Calzone

Well here it is. My first recipe post!

Being Italian, I LOVE pasta and pizza.

For my first post I decided to make a Calzone! They are easy, delicious, and you can make them any way you like.

The dough:

I guess you can by pizza dough at the grocery store or at your local pizzeria, but how impressed will everyone be when you make your own. Plus, it's only a few ingredients and you can't mess it up.

2-3 cups flour

1 Tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

1 package yeast

3 Tbs olive or vegetable oil

1 cup warm water

Combine yeast, sugar, 1 cup of the flour, and salt in a large bowl.

Add the warm water and oil.

Mix together.

 

Stir in remaining flour slowly until the dough is soft but not sticky.

Knead until smooth.

Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes before making the calzone.

The Calzone:

Preheat the oven to 375.

Place the dough on a baking sheet (I put parchment paper underneath for easier clean-up).

 

Roll out the pizza dough the length of the baking sheet.

 

Spoon the sauce of your choice along the center.

Add whatever toppings you like (meats, olives, peppers, mushrooms, etc) I opted to just make a cheese calzone.

 

Then, add the cheese (I used Mozzarella and Parmesan).

Next, cut the dough on the sides (using either and knife or kitchen scissors).

Cross the cut pieces to close the calzone.

 

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.

Once done, cool on a wire rack.

And viola! You're done!

 

Serve additional sauce for dipping.

Facing Fears

I know I said I wasn't posting until tomorrow and I'm mostly about food and baby...but from time to time I'll slip in a little something extra.

For those of you who know me, I have an extreme irrational fear of zombies...

Just the word gives me the willies.

My lovely husband will chase me around the house (not since the baby came though, thank God because I scream and cry and scare him haha) making zombie noises. One time I actually locked myself in the bathroom and leaned against the tub to hold the door closed with my hands. All while screaming and Cam making those horrible noises.

Needless to say, it doesn't make any sense. I just hate the noise and the weird walking freaks me out.

So. Today...I will face my fears.

I plan on watching 28 Days Later.

In the daylight.

Hopefully I won't scream and wake the baby up.

Here goes nothing...

The Time Has Come...

The time has come to re-vamp this boring blog.

No more just reviewing what's going on in my life (although I know a few people like it, but that's what Facebook is for right?)

So, I thought about what I'm passionate about...

Food

and my baby boy.

So there you have it. The new and improved My Life, My Love will be more posts about my growing boy and my pros and cons of motherhood, getting my body back after baby,and baby stuff in general and my love for food and cooking. I've been getting a lot of requests for recipes after I post a finished photo on Facebook so I'll post photos while and after I'm done cooking and the recipes along with it. I'll throw the occasional update on my running (or as of now lack of running) progress and a few other things here and there, but that's about it.

I'll be starting on Monday with a new recipe (too many left-overs as of now).
But, until then, enjoy this adorable photo of my little one!!

Where Does the Time Go?

The weekends are when I try to sit down and blog about the week. It seems like I'll be able to write and then I get distracted with the baby or spending time with Cam or the holidays and BAM another week has gone by.

Where does the time go?

I look at my little man and I can't believe he's 4 months already. He looks so much older and so different from when he was born. He's becoming a little person and his personality is beginning to show.

Recap of the past couple of weeks:

March 24th we had the Seder at Joanne and Meg's house. We made it to the soup and then baby went ballistic. He was just so tired and since we weren't home we couldn't get him to calm down. We eventually had to leave and he fell asleep as soon as we got into the car. Once we were home he woke up and screamed for another hour. Poor baby. Needless to say, we won't be staying out past his bath time/bedtime anymore.

March 27th. A year ago I found out that I was going to be a mommy. I took a test at home and finally got that positive symbol I'd been so desperate to get for years. Then, I got the call while I was at work confirming that my blood test was positive too! What an amazing day! I also took Baby Duncan to see the Easter Bunny! He didn't seem fazed and we got a decent photo!

March 28th I took Baby D to the pediatrician for his 4 month check-up. He's doing very well in all the areas and they gave me the OK to start him on cereal! He also got a couple shots and was not happy the rest of the night.

March 31st was baby's 1st Easter. I made Cam and myself "bunny pancakes" for breakfast and then we headed over to my mom and dad's and Joanne and Meg joined us there. Baby D was all dressed up and looked so cute. We had a nice dinner and everyone loved my chick and cross cupcakes.

 

April 1st my mom came over and baby-sat baby while I had my dentist appointment. She brought Mack back with her and we were very excited to have him home! That night, while Cam and I were catching up on the DVR, Mack looked like his was running after his toy and then just fell over. He had another seizure. It lasted what seemed like an eternity and Cam had to eventually had to hold him because he kept trying to get up and he couldn't. His legs just wouldn't work. We kept a close eye on him and unfortunately he had two more during the night. The first one I woke up out of a dead sleep and jumped out of bed to hold him and the second one was right after I layed back down after Cam left for work. I called my mom as soon as she was up and asked if she would come over and watch the baby again so I could take Mack to the vet. He stayed there all day for observations and because nothing happened while he was there they couldn't give him a clear diagnosis. But, he's now on seizure medication twice a day and we have an emergency medicine incase he has one that's more than a couple minutes. Poor Mack. He's been through so much in such a short time.

Friday, Baby D and I went to visit my LVDI girls! We had a nice time until baby got cranky and then it was time to go. My parents came over so we could sign the tax papers and get our awesome refund! I can't wait to get that check in the mail!! We can FINALLY finish the baby room once we get it!! We got chinese take out for lunch/dinner and then they headed home.

Baby Duncan is now eating cereal (oatmeal and rice). It gets mixed with his formula and it tastes disgusting. I seriously don't know how he eats it! But, he seems to love it and he really likes to sit in his highchair.

He's starting to laugh, too. Right now he smiles really wide with his mouth open and holds his breath! When he can't hold it anymore he lets out a big grunt. It's hilarious!

Mack is doing well. He had one tiny episode on Tuesday night, but now that he's on the medication he's been fine.