Food Reviews

Asian Coleslaw

Really good. I added chicken and mandarin oranges and I left the noodles crunchy. I've been buying rotisserie chickens at Costco about once a week. It makes making chicken dishes so easy and I can get three meals from one chicken, which for $4.99 is a great deal AND I don't have to deal with raw chicken, which I hate.

Baked Southwest Eggrolls with a Chipotle Dipping sauce
I didn't really follow this recipe at all, but I used the idea of it to make my own baked egg rolls. Definite success. Here's what I did:

First, I sauteed a white onion with garlic, a little butter, lemon juice, cumin and chili powder. I added some black beans, shredded rotisserie chicken, shredded cheese, fresh corn which I cooked and then cut off of the cob. And then I baked it according to the kitchencafe.com directions. I make the dipping sauce with sour cream, a little salsa and cumin. And then I make fresh guacamole to go with it.

It was a hit. All four members of my family ate it. Hallelujah. It is so rare I cook anything that Ian and the kids with eat.

Sour Cream Noodle Bake
I really loved it, but if you don't like cottage cheese than it is not for you (which unfortunately Ian is not).

White Chicken Enchilladas
So good and so easy. And very few ingredients which I love about any dish.

Garlic Parmesan Chicken and Noodles
It was just okay. I didn't use cream, which may have been my problem. I used milk and made a roux. I have more new recipes in my queue for the next week, so more reviews to come.

BTW...The links for the other recipes are two posts down. Also, when I make any recipe, I always half it. It usually works out to be just enough for Ian and I.

Happenings

I haven't taken my camera out since we moved, but here are some pics from my phone.
Lazy pool day with Choobie. It's been so nice having Jaime and her family so close!

Sealife Aquarium with the kids today
We been trying to go up to Legoland once a week or so. It's nice they have three different parks up there with the aquarium and water park.
Bubba. The kids are such troopers these days. Lately, when we have been going to Legoland, just the three of us, I have not been taking a stroller. So, by the time we leave, they have each walked around the whole park with their little legs. They are so tired by the time we are done. And they actually stay by me AND hold my hand most of the time (which both of them usually hate to do).
I was telling Ian the other day that our lives revolve around legos. Legoland, Lego video games, and actual Legos. This one in particular, the kids refer to as "Papa H," aka my dad, which gets fought over it seems like daily. I often hear them yelling at each other, "I want Papa H!" "No, I want Papa H!" It's pretty funny. Whenever anything needs fixing around our house, Addi always says, "Papa H needs to come visit so he can fix that." He is our handyman every time they make a trip out. Can't you see the resemblance?

SAHM

Stay at home mom. That is what I am now. It's crazy. I don't quite know what to do with myself. Aside from not working, we moved far enough away that I have no other obligations other than keeping my kid entertained. Seriously, I have nothing to do, it is so weird. I have never not worked, and I have always been the type to have way too much on my plate. When I worked, I was gone a solid 12 hours out of the day. I would leave the house at 7 am and not get home until 7 pm. So those days were shot when it came to running errands or getting things done around the house. Which meant the rest of my week was filled with Costco runs, getting Addi to and from school, working out, the kids random activities and any other errand that needed to be done. We were lucky to get home in time for Von's afternoon nap with all that I had to accomplish.

So, we've been going to the gym a lot. I think Addi likes the gym better than me. When I came to pick her up today, she cried because she wanted to stay longer. And luckily our new place has a really nice pool. So after the gym, we hit up the pool. Pretty much everyday. I also made myself a chore list, which I have printed out and hanging in my laundry room. And I've been cooking nice meals and baking. I asked Ian yesterday, "So is this what people do when they don't have to work?" He assured me, "yes." I have become obsessed with couponing. I saved over $50 last weekend between my Ralph's and Target shopping trip. It's kind of addicting and probably a good thing since we have just lost my income and we are paying MORE in rent. Not a good combination. I even found a coupon for a free training session at my gym which I used today. It was really informative, and so hard. Also, Legoland is on the agenda this week. We went on the 4th when Ian was able to go with us, the kids had so much fun. We went to the water park and Ian convinced Addi to go on all of the big kid rides with him. She was so stoked she told every lifeguard she came into contact with. And I turned 30 last week. Can we say making for a 1/3 life crisis?

So my house is cleaner that than it has ever been and I've been trying new recipes and have plans (because I have time to meal plan, thus our dinners are already planned and shopping list made for the next two weeks) for many more. Here are a few of them thanks to pinterest.com:

White Chicken Enchilladas

Baked Southwest Egg Rolls with a Creamy Chipotle Dipping Sauce

Oven Baked Ham and Cheese Sliders

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

Grilled Balsamic-Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Garlic Parmesan Chicken and Noodles
Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells

Broccoli and White Cheddar Mac & Cheese
Pizza Balls in a Skillet

Thank goodness for the gym! After eating all of this I will need it.

Last day of swim

The kids had their last day of swim lessons yesterday :( We have been going to Watersafe Swim School for almost 3 years now and our kids have learned so much there. And the staff is so great. Von and Addi crash their office every time we go. They hang out with "the girls" as Addi calls them and raid their drawers for stickers and treats. I am already on the hunt for a new swim school in San Diego, but I don't think anything with compare to our experience with the people at Watersafe.
Before their lessons now, the kids are allowed to play in a roped off section in the pool. Von has gotten brave lately and will jump from the castle to the stairs. And on top of other kids. Oops.
Addi.
Addi's breast stroke. She also does the back stroke and has been working on putting together the arms and legs of the butterfly.
My kids can seriously hold their breaths longer than I can. And I'm sure Addi can technically swim better than I can. At 5 years old we are so impressed.

Here's a little clip of Bubba and his kicking skills.

Disneyland and Club 33

Last week, the San Diego administrators from Ian's work all got invited to bring their families to Disneyland and have lunch at Club 33.
We hit up the Jungle Cruise first. It was Von's first time he had been to Disneyland since he was a baby, he was genuinely so scared of all of the fake animals along the shore of the cruise.
Another scared face. He was so scared, he was shaking.
Club 33 is an exclusive restaurant where you have to be a member or invited by one. There are rules you have to follow and they have a dress code. All of the artwork in the restaurant are originals from Walt Disney's home. The food was really good, Ian and I both had the filet mignon. Yum, but a little weird to be eating it at 11 am. And they had a buffet, that you ate before your main entree came.
Von was particularly crabby that day. Thank goodness for the chocolate straws from the buffet and Netflix on my phone. He was on the verge of being disastrous. He kept drumming his silverware on the fine china. The wait staff was not to happy with us.
Addi and her Buzz light the kids got with their drinks.
The chocolate straw. AKA lifesaver.
Addi in the entrance.
After lunch, we hit up some rides at Disneyland and then headed over to California Adventure.
So pretty.
The new Little Mermaid ride was really well done, and luckily the wait was only about 20 minutes.
Don't you love his hair? I do.
The only picture of me from the whole day, taken by myself. Excuse the greasy face, it was hot that day!
I love this picture of Addi with Stitch. She just looks so unsure. It was a great day!

One thing I will miss...

My friend Erin, blogged about one of our Turbo Kick instructors, Nolan. He just happened to be subbing this morning for my last class before we move. He is fabulously intense. I love it.

Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad

Saturday it rained ALL DAY. So we hit up the spa, took the kids to the pool and arcade, played cards and watched some TV. Luckily, Sunday cleared up and one our way out of town we were able to take a little train ride.
Von for some reason was so crabby. He kept yelling at us every time we tried taking pictures of him, "NO. MORE. PICTURES!!!" Can you tell it was still really cold (according to my standards).
Waiting for the train. When the conductor boarded, Von yelled, "All aboard!" His language is so extensive these days, he is able to express his needs, but doesn't understand quite yet why he doesn't always get what he is asking for. I.E. last night it was, "I. WANT. DONUTS!!!" which we did not have on hand, nor would I have given him right before bed. He is such a yeller though, Ian eventually asked, "do I need to go to the store?" No. Have you seen this kid's thighs? He does not need any donuts anytime soon.
Addi and Daddy.

*Did I mention we are moving to San Diego within the next month??? It was a surprise to us yesterday when we got the news Ian needed to report to the La Mesa facility next Tuesday. That's right one week. So, this weekend we are heading down to try to find a place to live. Crazy. And sad. But it really is not that far. That is what I keep telling myself anyways.