Tortellini Soup

Ok, I've been gone for quite a while.....life has been getting in the way.  Here is a great , quick, easy soup that my kids and hubby love...Enjoy!

Tortellini Soup

Ingrediants:

1 bag of dried or fresh tortellini
3 cups of fresh spinich
2 cloves of sliced fresh garlic
2 tbsps. of olive oil
1 carton of vegetable broth
3-4 cups of water
2 tsps. of oregano
1/2 pkg. of sliced mushrooms
1 can of either stewed tomatoes or tomato soup ( your preference)
salt
pepper

Cook Tortellini, drain , and set aside. Put your garlic and oil in a large soup/sauce pan and brown garlic...don't burn it though!  Add broth, water, and tomato soup and bring to a slow boil.Add mushrooms..simmer 10 minutes Add cooked tortellini and fresh spinich.  Add oregano and salt and pepper to taste...Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes.  Ready to Serve!! This soup goes great with grilled cheese sandwiches or just some crusty bread and butter...my family gobbles it up!! Enjoy!

xoxox

Yes, I'm still alive..

My original goal was to post at least twice a week on this blog... *sigh*

Two very sick kiddos has prevented that from happening in the last week or so...

but I promise just as soon as life returns to its' normal chaotic routine... I will be back!!!

Hope all of you are well!

xoxoxoxo

Kid Fun....the cheap way.

Here is a fun thing to do with your kiddos ( 2 and up) that for some reason they LOVE!!!

The next time you are at the park,beach,or your nearest rock quarry ( ha!)..( if your kids are anything like mine, they love to pick-up and collect rocks)...have them find the smoothest , lightest colored rocks they can and then haul them home with you.

Spread down some newspaper or other means of protecting your furniture ( or better yet , just have them sit on an old sheet in the yard), get out some washable paint or markers , and let them paint/color the rocks!

Olivia worked on this task for about an HOUR yesterday !  I am not lying.. a full hour.  She painted,admired, re-painted,  admired, and then finally re-painted her rocks until she was satisfied. 
Mama's reward:  I got 2 loads of laundry started, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, AND took a shower.  ( the little man was taking his am nap).  Nice!

Have fun!!!!

Cooking tip of the week!

..Looking for a great way to add protein to a salad and have it be healthy and taste good???


Here are two great ways:


1.  Take 1/3 a package of extra firm tofu and cut into small bite size cubes.  Saute' in a little olive oil and soy sauce on high heat... it should start to brown and get a little crispy looking on all sides.  Remove from heat and sprinkle in you salad of mixed dark green leafy greens... this compliment well with tomato, steamed and cooled edamame, and almonds.  


Another way:


2. Take a Gardenburger patty and brown it on both sides in a pan on medium-high heat.  Remove from heat when crispy and break or cut it into pieces and sprinkle in salad of dark-green leafy greens... this compliments well with a little tomato, cucumber, small amount of sharp cheddar cheese, and green onion. 




ATTENTION:  MAJOR YUMMY ALERT AHEAD!!!!


Also, my kids LOVE pan seared tofu ( like above) with edamame,shredded carrot, and rice ( with a splash of soy sauce). They seriously gobble it up!!!


Enjoy!!!

I have finally faced reality..

Ok... so now to the good stuff.

I looked at myself in the mirror the other day and did not like what I saw.  Let me try that another way, a more positive way.

I looked at myself in the mirror the other day and saw a lot of features about myself I like...HOWEVER, the evidence of having given birth to two babies is quite apparent to me.  *sigh*.

For the last year I have told myself , " As soon as I stop breast-feeding I will exercise regularly! "  Uh-huh, well I stopped nursing over two months ago....hmmmmmmm.  Soooooo, then I came up with another good one...."As soon as Finn is sleeping through the night, I will exercise regularly!"  Uh-huh.. he's been doing great with that for about 6 weeks now....

No more excuses....

Just because I am a mama of two does not mean I have to look bad.  NOW, don't get me wrong, I am not trying to become a size 0, or a size 2, or even a size 4...maybe a 6 would be nice???  I just want to FEEL good. healthy. confident.  ( ok, and I want to buy a pair of skinny jeans...)

So here is the new goal...

1. Get up at 6 am to walk/jog for 45 min. 6 mornings a week.
2. Use my new Wii Active 4 days a week for muscle toning
3. Use my hand weights while I'm watching Project Runway ( if looking at those models doesn't motivate, what will???

I challenge you all to come up with your own goals and let me know how you do!! I'll check back in weekly with my progress....

Good luck!!

xoxo
missy

WeLcoME!!!

Hello friends ( probably mama's but maybe not mama's too!),

I decided to start this blog as an avenue to create more self-awareness and also to share a little bit ( I am by NO means any kind of expert) about things I have learned being a mom.

Did I mention I am not and expert?

My goal is to try and write more regularly about issues mama's face and explain how I deal with them with the hopes that others can share their opinions and hopefully give me suggestions on how to be a better mom.

I hope that you will read and contribute to my blog about mama-hood. ....I think being a mom is such a blessing and I am striving to always to better...

xoxoxo
missy