Posts by admin:
- 1 pound 90-95% lean ground turkey
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup carrots, grated
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/2 pound penne pasta
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- 1 cup marinated artichokes, chopped
- 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup black lentils, dried
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups brown rice, cooked
What is happening…..NOW?
August 9th, 2013
I have had my sister this week and I really have not had time or wanted to spend that much time blogging but here is a nice list I found on Veggie Mama today. What are you up to?
Making : Plum Crisp
Cooking : Chicken and Rice in a Creuset
Drinking : Seltzer
Reading: Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist
Wanting: To go out with my sister who is visiting
Looking: forward to a night out with hubby
Playing: Beethoven for my 6 month old
Wasting: writing this up….LOL
Sewing: Nothing at the moment…
Wishing: I could have more time at night to myself without having to feel SO tired
Enjoying: the cooing from 6 month old
Waiting: for my sis to come back with 21 month old from mall
Liking: the help that I have for the next 8 days
Wondering: if I will ever lose weight after having this 2nd baby….
Loving: this rainy weather
Hoping: the evening goes well for my hubby and 2 kids while we are out
Marveling: at how quickly these babies are growing
Needing: more coffee
Smelling: the granola bar I inhaled
Wearing: workout clothes and makeup!
Following: all the FB feed
Noticing: that it is finally the weekend!
Knowing: that this weekend is going to fly by
Thinking: how blessed I am to have a healthy family
Feeling: excited about going out with my sister. I love her.
Bookmarking: the same as pinning on Pinterest, right?
Opening: the door for my sister about to arrive from errand
Giggling: every time my baby is startled by the Spotify commercials.
Feeling: WONDERFUL that is is Friday!
I want to know what your up to… Fill it in and give me your the link in the comments below.
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Nest: A Classy Indoor Playground {Review + Giveaway}
August 6th, 2013 |
| pic from Nest website |
A few weeks ago I had a chance to visit this great indoor playground located in the heart of Center City Philly along with some other bloggers. We were going to take the train into the city but we opted to drive into the city. My mother was in town so I had an extra hand to help with the baby.
I usually like to get Julianne out during the morning so that she can have a good nap by the afternoon. He was our chance for her to have a great day. We parked right next to the playground where we received a voucher afterwards.
Nest is an amazing oasis sprawling over 12,000 square feet of space over three levels! I could not believe that all that was in 3 floors. We arrived to a beautiful lobby with a nice entrance and gift shop and even a place to park strollers.
We were taken to an area where the kids were given crayons and markers and coloring pages to entertain themselves while we were given a description of all activities within the premises. I was super amazed at all the classes available for various ages. Here is some of the schedule:
Monday
Preschool Bound: 2-2.5 years9:15 AM – 10:45 AM
Little Monsters: 18 months – 2 years10:00 AM – 10:50 AM
Family Table: 3 years and up11:00 AM – 11:50 AM
NEST Music: 12 months-3 years11:00 AM – 11:50 AM
Movers Club: 5-8 mo.11:15 AM – 12:15 PM
Toddlers in Training: 12-18 months2:45 PM – 4:00 PM
Varsity All Stars: 3-6 years4:00 PM – 4:50 PM
Family Table: 3 years and up5:00 PM – 5:50 PM
Tuesday
Jr. Spot Me! 2-3 years9:30 AM – 10:20 AM
NEST Music: 12 months-3 years10:30 AM – 10:50 AM
Second Time Around: 12-18 mo11:15 AM – 12:30 PM
Baby Music: 6 weeks-12 months11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Varsity All Stars: 3-6 years1:00 PM – 1:50 PM
Hatchlings: 6 weeks-6 months2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Wednesday
Second Time Around: 18 months-3 years9:15 AM – 10:45 AM
Munchkins: 12-18 months9:30 AM – 10:20 AM
Jr. Spot Me! 2-3 years10:30 AM – 11:20 AM
Second Time Around: 6-12 months11:15 AM – 12:15 PM
Baby Music: 6 weeks-12 months11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Spot Me!: 3-6 years3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Thursday
Preschool Bound: 2-2.5 years9:15 AM – 10:45 AM
Little Monsters: 18 months – 2 years9:30 AM – 10:20 AM
Jamboree: 18 months – 3 years10:30 AM – 11:20 AM
Spot Me!: 3-6 years11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Under Construction: 3-6 years12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Professional Toddlers: 18 months-2 years3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
We were able to join a music class which was really packed since we were a huge group. My Julianne LOVED the class and danced all over, enjoying every song and all the various activities and instruments presented. I was super impressed how the class was organized and the variety of songs presented.
This is one of the things that Nest boasts is providing a one-of-a-kind programming for creative stimulation, ages newborn to 6 years. What a plus!
Look at Julianne! I could hardly catch a good photo she was running all over the place. I had to make sure she did not run over the babies in the class since it was an all-ages class for this specific morning. 😉
Our 5-month-old was in the music class and she was quite enthralled by all the activity.
In addition to these classes there is an amazing indoor playground ideal for the recent hot weather. There is also an kid salon and a local cafe that serves kid-friendly eats. What’s not to like?
Want a chance to check out this great place?
There is a trial membership offer for a limited time. It is only 20 dollars for the first month of membership! What a buy! If you want to try it, please email jessica@nestphilly.com to take advantage of this (limited time) offer.
If you do not want to do a whole month or you simply want to SEE what Nest is all about with a complimentary day pass. The best part of the day pass is the giveaway included! If you use the day pass by October 1st, then you will be entered in a drawing to win a YEAR’S membership! This is a value of $540!!!
Just print out the following flyer and bring to Nest or show it from your phone, or simply mention the promo code “BLOGGER.”
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“Sneak-Some-Veggies” Turkey Meatballs
August 5th, 2013
This past weekend we enjoyed a little time at the beach and even though we have been here one year in the Philly area we had not been to the beach at all. Julianne had not even seen the ocean and she is almost 2 years old!
We went with another family who had been to Cape May before so we were not experiencing the area alone. It was a PERFECT day for some waves. We were talking to Julianne about water and she was excited because she thought it was the pool.
We get out of the car and start walking the sand and Julianne takes one look and goes “WATER!” How did she know? Maybe from “Finding Nemo?” Well, she just could not wait to get into the water. We got sunscreen on her and hardly had time to get Ryan’s sunscreen on before she was heading down the beach. She was so determined.
Six hours later and it was hard to pull Julianne away from it all. We DID manage to get BOTH girls to nap in between, surprisingly enough, and the day continued getting better. There hardly was anytime to eat but I made sure our little family stayed hydrated and fed somehow.
I am so glad that my toddler is such a good eater, of course there are hard days where all she feels like eating are carbs? Such a girl thing no? One of the go-to meals I know she will like are meatballs. If fact Ryan does not necessarily like turkey but he liked these meatballs as well, so I did well with this meal. 🙂
Can you believe Julianne is 21-months old? She is growing and a growing girl needs her veggies any way even if it means sneaking them in! Julianne loves “moothies” or smoothies where I already knew was a great way to sneak kale or spinach. What a plus with this recipe.
Even though this recipe if for meatballs, I made it into a meal for the us parents. It gave me the option to offer pasta for Julianne. This dish has lots of flavor and has a Mediterranean flair with lots of garlic.
Do not be afraid to add the veggies because all your family will benefit from the colorful goodness in these meatballs.
“Sneak-Some-Veggies” Turkey Meatballs
by Noelle Kelly
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Keywords: cook saute lunch entree turkey spinach carrot
Ingredients (20-24 meatballs)
Meatballs
Pasta
Instructions
Place ground turkey in a large bowl. Add the chopped veggies, beaten egg, seasonings, and breadcrumbs and mix well until the mixture comes together. Form into meatballs and set aside.
Heat a large non-stick pan on medium heat with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and cook meatballs in batches. Each batch cooks for 15 minutes, moving the meatballs in between so that they can cook evenly.
Prepare pasta while meatballs finish cooking.
Place all cooked meatballs aside. Saute’ sliced red onions, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes in 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Add cooked pasta to the mixture and 2 garlic cloves. Toss the meatballs into the pasta and serve.
Pasta and meatballs can be served to toddler but mine just liked the meatballs cut into 4 pieces.
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Hearty Black Lentil Lunch Bowl
August 1st, 2013
We have been enjoying our summer so far even though it has flown by! Can you believe we have not even been to the beach yet? We are going this week and I cannot wait to see our girls reaction to the whole experience.
We have been doing a lot of park runs exploring all things having to do with nature. Julianne and I have been having little dates since baby Kathleen has come into our lives. She has been having a bit of a jealous streak and it was suggested by family to go out with her solo and remind her that we love her. It has been really great!
I love seeing the affection that they show to each other especially when I see Kathleen get really excited when she see her older sister coming into the room. LOVE IT! Kathleen loves her sister’s toys and even though she tries to grab them, Julianne just holds her hand.
Such love and affection make me melt. My love increases and I understand why God tells us to be fruitful and multiply. Having a family has allowed me to be less selfish and to be MORE loving and self-sacrificing in a good way.
I love seeing the joy and happiness in my children. Especially when we have our meals. Julianne has been a BIG eater lately only to find out that she has been going through a growth spurt. She is getting so tall. I have been looking through our pictures from last year and it is pretty amazing how much Julianne has changed.
I have been trying to find more time preparing healthier meals for our family. I love beans but it is not the most exciting food in our family. I made this for a quick lunch for Julianne and me and we both had 2 bowls each!
Hopefully you can give black lentils a try. I usually try the green lentils but these were very small and delicious not to mention the loads of protein and iron these are packed with.
Hearty Black Lentil Lunch Bowl
by Noelle Kelly
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients (4-6 servings)
Instructions
Add lentils to a medium pot and add water and bay leaf. Place lentil on medium heat until simmering and lentils are cooked and liquid has somewhat evaporated about 20 minutes.
In a large skillet heat olive oil. Fry onions and carrots for about 5 minutes, add lentils, rice, spices and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes. Last ingredient to add is the fresh spinach. Cook for an additional 10 minutes and serve.
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Resting through trials
July 30th, 2013
Have you ever had something change your life or caused you to pause in your tracks even if it was not your trial or situation? It has been hard to post something about anything lately because my heart has been heavy. Things that seemed important just do not feel important as other things.
If you have not seen my comments lately one of my college friend’s husband passed away yesterday. He has been struggling for close to a month. He had been receiving chemo treatment for cancer that had returned after being in remission for 3 years. There was a Facebook group created to pray for her husband after he was admitted to the hospital more than 3 weeks ago because he could not breathe really well. Seems like the chemo treatment created some sort of toxicity in his lungs.
As a pharmacy technician, I have seen and read so may things when it comes to medication. There are pros and cons to taking it and when I realized that my friend had to go through this side effect of taking a medication in order to eradicate cancer, it confused me. It did not make sense to me at all.
If anything, asking God for clarity and strength was my biggest challenge. I wanted to be strong for my children but once I found out that he passed away, my day was crushed. I have not really lost a loved one except for a great-aunt back when I was 16 so it has been A LONG time since I have experienced a friend’s passing. Even though I was friend’s with his wife only, I knew of his character and his love for Christ.
There is amazing testimony of his being a great witness and lover of Christ and even though I am saddened that he left 3 small children and a wife behind, I know, I KNOW that he is in heaven with no more suffering and pain. This reminds me that this life is short and it is temporary. I only imagined being in my friend’s shoes and wondering how I would react. Would I crumble? Would I be strong and understand God’s plan?
Goodness, I have been a Christian practically all my life but I have never felt the way I felt yesterday. I felt devastated and crushed. I felt saddened to a point of feeling depressed. I wish I could be there for her, hold her and help me. There is a reason for everything and I know that this will make everyone stronger.
Someone shared this verse and it resounded deeply with me:
2 Corinthians 1:3-8
New International Version (NIV)
Praise to the God of All Comfort
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
I was challenged. Am I living my purpose and being an example to others? Do I show the joy of the Lord as my strength or am I relying on the things of this earth to satisfy? What is bringing meaning to my life and am I only being defined my the things God has blessed me with or am I defined by HIM?
As you can see, I am going to have to process a lot of these questions with Scripture because there is a reason.
If you feel so moved or inclined to donate to my friend who is now a widow with three children under the age of 5, please consider giving to a fund that has been created for their family. They have a lot of medical bills to take care of and it would be very helpful. Thank you!
