FindingFabulous

April 8 is National Empanada Day!!! So of course I had to make some. (Video made with the Clipper app). Recipe below...

FINDING FITNESS!  

A new survey has found the average mother feels stressed at least FIVE times a day. 

14% feel stressed at least 10 times a day.

The most stressful time of day is 11:56 A.M.  That's probably because its almost lunchtime and the day of halfway over - so much left to do !!!  

The second-most stressful time is 8:01 A.M.  And the third-most stressful time is 5:30 P.M.

  And the most stressful situation is going to the grocery store with kids.  Ain't that the truth!

the rest of the top 5 - Juggling housework with taking care of kids . . . the chaos of the morning . . . trying to get kids to eat . . . and preparing different meals for picky kids.

And the average mother spends three hours and 28 minutes a day doing family tasks.

the sun is shining and its time for some outdoor grilling!

this is one of our favorite recipes.  easy, delish and full of flavor. 

curry apricot-glazed pork chops 

4 pork chops (bone-in or boneless - your choice)

1/4 cup of apricot preserve

2 tsp of curry powder

in a small bowl combine the preserves and curry.  brush on all sides of the chops.  fire up the grill to medium heat and cook on both sides for 8-10 minutes - depending how thick they are.  make sure the meat is between 145-160 degrees in the thickest part of the meat. 

dont they look great!!!! 

you can serve these tasty chops with a little mango salsa on top for more flavor. we had a side of sweet buttery corn.  a great healthy meal for the whole family for under 25-bucks.   enjoy! 

we just had a loss in the family. sandy the fish went up to goldfish heaven. we decided to tell sophia the truth - thought this would be a great learning experience. (last time we lost a fish we told her he went to live in the reef with the clown fishies - not very original i know. but at 4yrs old - she bought it)

read all about it on yourmommyminute.com

plus tips on getting toddlers to dress themselves, potty training apps and shopping cart safety!   enjoy! 

how crazy cute is this!?

from the 'why didnt i think of that?' file.... a hoodie sweatshirt built for mommy AND baby!

its a perfect way to snuggle with your tot and stay warm and cozy.  perfect for an evening out when you dont want the hassle of strollers and slings.

a company named 'peekaru' makes it.  you can find it here.   theres a vest version on this site too.  and you can check amazon for a bargain.   

its a little pricey - but i think its worth it.  and something you can hand down to another mama when your baby is too big. 

another great mom invention! 

IT WORKS!  i saw this trick on Pinterest and had to test it out for myself. 

i still love my george foreman grill.  but im not a fan of the clean up.  but this changes everything. 

grill your goods like you normally would.  then after you remove the food double up a wet paper towel and lay it on the unplugged grill.  while you and your fam are enjoying the healthy grub your indoor grill is getting a lean mean cleaning.  the warmth of the grill, the wet paper towel - its a perfect combo. 

by the time you are cleaning up dishes your grill is cooled and ready for a quick wipe.  i needed one more paper towel to wipe off any excess and voila!  done! 

whats a lasagna without the noodles?  i'll tell you.  delicious!!! 

my niece pinned this on pinterest and when i saw that it came from one of my favorite websites i just had to make it. 

skinnytaste knows how to make meals healthy and satisfying with a few substitutes and adjustments that are just enough to make it a healthy and not lose any of the flavor.  and gina even gives you nutritional info including weight watcher points!  she is amazing!  her pictures are so fabulous you can almost smell the food! 

im a big fan of the crock pot santa fe.  

so heres last nights recipe... ZUCCHINI LASAGNA!

zucchini slices instead of the pasta. tough to impress my italian hubby whose mama makes 'the best lasagna ever'!  but peter was very impressed with the flavor and textures. 

i also used ground turkey instead of super lean beef and i added lots of italian seasoning to it while it browned and later simmered.  i think it was a big help!  

the family was impressed.  yes - even my incredibly picky daughter sophia enjoyed my 'lazana'.  but i gave her a little bowl of shredded cheese so she felt like a little chef at the table.  hey if it gets her to eat a new dish then im ok with it!

heres the recipe - thank you skinny taste for another family favorite recipe! 

  i seriously forgot to get something for my husband.  its the night before valentines day and in all the frenzy of sophias birthday, mardi gras, ash wednesday, crafts for her school... i never got my husband of 10 years a gift for the lovely holiday. 

so i did the only thing i could do in this situation... i went to pinterest.  lol!  i remembered pinning this cute project months ago but couldnt remember what board i pinned it on.  no biggie.  its pretty easy.  

i went online and yahoo searched maps for chicago illinois, beverly hills and covina california.  printed them.  found a heart shaped cookie cutter and traced out the cities.  yahoo likes to leave an obnoxious mark on the city you searched so i covered it with a little heart sticker.  i found a little canvas (from an earlier project) and pasted them on.  (but you could use poster board, a frame, or a heavy cardstock) then back to the computer and with the creative juices flowing i came up with 'we met'  'we knew'  'we said 'i do'.  paste paste paste  - done.  took 35-minutes and not a single penny!  although, i think i might purchase some kind of sealer to paint over the whole thing so it wont get smushed.  but i could just leave it as is. 

isnt it cute?  shhhh... dont tell my husband but im probably going to tell him it took days to create.  lol! 

happy valentines day! 

so my hubby used to live in new orleans.  he has great stories from his days working at the hard rock restaurant and house of blues. and he is all about tradition and history.

so this year - since our daughter is getting older, we thought it was time to explain the two days of feasting then fasting. 

for mardi gras we made a cake, hid the baby inside of course.  she helped me decorate it in mardi gras colors.  i didnt spend a lot on decor.  15-cents each for cake trinkets and a few 79-cent masks that we decorated with stickers and feathers we already had at home.  we love craft time!  we had some beads left over from her pirate party last year and i had purple, green and yellow streamers at home too.  the place looked great and smelled amazing after i made my bffs famous jambalaya. 

i explained to her mardi gras means 'fat tuesday' in french.  she said 'whats french?'  i told her its the language people in france speak.  then she said 'ohhh.. like paris, france!!'  and proceeded to school me on fancy-nancy and la-dee-da books and dolls.  ahhh, the mind of a 6 yr old girl!! 

we told her mardi gras is the biggest party in the world!!  celebrated in mostly in new orleans and brazil.  we told her people eat lots of food, and sweets, and they dance and have parades and wear masks and pretty bead necklaces.  (no need to tell her how some of the ladies get those beads!  lol!)  and the reason they do it is because tomorrow is ash wednesday.  the day we start to eat less to focus on Jesus in a better way.  and also focus on making our lives better thru ways other than food and sweets and treats.  it seems like she got it. or maybe she just wanted cake. 

of course i searched the internet for help.  dont we all?  i found some great stuff on mardi gras and ash wesdnesday.  hope it helps you like it did us. 

gotta run!  we are about to cut the king cake.  my husband explains tradition says you put a plastic baby in the cake and whoever finds it in their piece must throw the mardi gras party next year.  for our 6 yr old, we told it just meant good luck! 

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!!!  = Let the Good Times Roll! 

xo, irm