Friday Favorites: Soup Sundays!

This will be the third Fall/Winter season that we will be keeping our Soup Sunday tradition alive, and I am so excited to try some new recipes this year. It used to be Soup and Scrabble Sundays, but playing Scrabble around a toddler? Ha. That's funny. It's going to be fun to finally be able to let Baylee try the soups this year though...I can't wait to see what she thinks! Here are a few of my favorite recipes, as well as a couple that I plan on trying this year! Happy Soup Sunday-ing! :)

1. Chicken Noodle Soup

This is my favorite classic chicken noodle recipe, but I also want to try making homemade noodles this year to make it extra delish! 

2. Chicken and Gnocchi

If you've ever had this at Olive Garden and love it, you have to try making it at home. It's even better!

3. Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is soooo good, especially if you're in the mood for something a little more spicy! It goes great with margaritas too. ;)

4. Creamy Potato Soup

I'm excited to try this one this year! As you can see, I tend to be comfortable with the chicken soups, but potato soup sounds soooo yummy.

5. Chicken Avocado Lime Soup

 I thought this one just sounded amazing and so different from what I am used to making. It will be fun to see how it turns out!

I also have the most amazing recipe for chicken pot pie soup in the crock pot served over biscuits, but I can not, for the life of me, find the link to the website that I got the recipe from. Boo. I will have to type it out in a future post, because it is to die for! If you have any good soup recipes make sure you comment and share them with me! I have 21 Sundays ahead of me! ;)

Until next time...XoXoXo

Apple Muffins and Fall Rambling

Happy Fall Ya'll! Okay, okay...I know the "actual" first day of Fall isn't until September 23rd, but in my heart, September 1st is the day. ;) I don't care if it's 95 degrees outside, I can't wait to get a pumpkin spice latte and put some pumpkins on the mantle and spiderwebs on the door! 

As a Fall kickoff, I decided to try a new recipe for healthy oatmeal apple muffins. They were super easy to make, and taste amazing. As always, my little beggars were on the kitchen floor waiting patiently as patiently as could be expected for a taste. Love my little gremlins.

Here is the recipe:

Oatmeal Apple Muffins

Ingredients:

1 egg

3 bananas, mashed

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup old fashioned oatmeal

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 12 count muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Combine applesauce, egg, bananas, brown sugar, and vanilla. Mix well. (Will be a little lumpy from the mashed bananas...that's okay)

3. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and oatmeal in a separate bowl and mix.

4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.

5. Fill each muffin tin about 1/2 way with batter. (I had enough batter left over for 6 more muffins, so really this recipe can yield up to 18 muffins depending on how much batter you use in the tin.)

6. Bake for about 18 minutes. Insert toothpick to check if done.

See! Super simple, and healthy enough to serve to the little ones for breakfast or snacks. They really taste as delicious as they look too!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, they got Baylee's stamp of approval! ;)

Happy September everyone! Here's to cool weather, apple cider, and falling leaves on the horizon!

Until next time...XoXoXo

Fun on the Farm!

Yesterday, my mom, sister, and I took Baylee for her first adventure on the farm! She's recently very obsessed with animals, and I had heard about a cute little farm thats pretty local to where we live so I had to take her. It was absolutely adorable, and had it not been so hot we could have stayed there all day. I definitely plan on taking her back in a couple of months once the weather cools off, and hopefully to pick out a pumpkin for Halloween! 

We took Baylee to the petting zoo first. They had pigs, geese, and goats, and I think she was a little overwhelmed with the loud honking geese and snorting pigs! She warmed up once we went inside the pen though, and found a baby goat just her size. (Side note: I'm totally spoiled with the Disneyland goats who just lay around and don't eat your clothes. Ha.)

We saw the horses and cows next, and Baylee made friends with a pretty pony named Abigail. Apparently a pony eating hay is absolutely hilarious!

The big, brown cow was also a big hit with for sure. We got a picture of Baylee and her Nonna, but the cow didn't get the memo to smile. ;) 

And, of course, what's an farm adventure without her Mimi?! :)

The farm was definitely Baylee's element...outside surrounded by animals! This Mama is lovin' her little country girl! I can't wait until she fits in her boots!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Until next time...XoXoXo!

Happy List!

If it's not already apparent, one of the things I love most in life is a good list. I make them for everything from grocery shopping to blog post ideas. I even have a list of baby names for any future children that Brian and I may have! I love doing my Friday Favorites posts, but sometimes it's nice to be a little more random. Here's a list of things that I'm currently obsessed with. :)

1. Baylee walking!

Kiddo finally got the hang of it, and I am so proud of her! She has been toddling around the house like a pro for the past two days. It's pretty much the cutest thing ever.

2. Mini cookie cutters.

They make everything Baylee sized and are so much cuter than just cutting things up! I need to invest in this set of shapes and also these letter cookie cutters!

 3. Which Which

This place puts Subway to shame! If you haven't tried a Which Which sandwich yet, click on this link and see if there is one near you. They're probably the most amazing hoagies I've ever had and everything is super fresh. I'm drooling.

4. Baby Tights

I am so excited to put Baylee in some tights once the weather cools off! I got her some white cotton ones, but I'm looking at getting her these cable knit ones as well. They're perfect under dresses, or even layered under a pair of shorts! Adorable...is it fall yet?

5. September

Did I tell you that I am over summer? September starts in only 6 days and the official first day of Fall is in 28 days...not that I'm counting.

6. This Jacket

 Um, the Pumpkin Spice Queen NEEDS it! ;)

7. Refurbishing

Brian and I just refurbished my old toy box for Baylee and I am soooo happy with how it turned out! It makes me want to go to yard sales and refurbish every piece of furniture that I can get my hands on...but really who has time for that? We sanded and varnished the wood in a darker color and painted the smooth sides in chalkboard paint so she can write all over it when she's older. My attempt to dissuade her from drawing on the walls, which may backfire. We shall see!

Until next time! XoXoXo

Today With Bay!

 A lot of people ask me what my day is like as a stay at home mom, so I thought it might be fun to show you our day in pictures every so often. It will be interesting to see how our day changes as Baylee gets older and as the seasons change. Right now, we are still having a pretty bad heat wave here in the desert, so we are mostly staying inside with the A/C on! Anyway, enjoy reading about our day! :)

8:01 My little bird wakes up.

 She sleeps pretty solid from 8:00-8:00. I'm usually up by 6:30-7:00 that way I can shower, catch up on social media, and just have some quiet time before the toddler tornado wakes up.

8:10 Breakfast for Mommy.

 I usually let Baylee play in her crib for 15 to 20 minutes after she wakes up. It gives me a chance to feed the dogs and myself, and she's perfectly content rolling around and tossing her pacifiers in the crevice between her crib and the wall. Today is day #2 of my diet. Protein shake for breakfast. Yay.

8:20 Baylee plays and watches a Baby Einstein DVD.

 We snuggle on the couch for a bit, and when she's over the hugs and kisses she goes and plays with her toys. This gives me a chance to wash her bottles and make some breakfast for her.

9:00 Breakfast for Baylee.

 Today we had strawberry banana smoothies and peanut butter on wheat toast. Yum! I'm recently obsessed with the Jamba smoothie bags. They taste soooo good and are the perfect portion for both of us to share.

9:30 More playtime.

 Baylee plays while I do my makeup and get ready for the day.

10:00 Target run!

 It really is negotiable wether Target or Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth! ;)

11:00 Bottle and quiet time.

 A melt down as I put groceries away signaled time for a bottle and some calm down time. I swear I will wean her to a cup one day.

11:30 Nap time 

 Yay for naps! This meant snack time for Mommy and some reading. I also managed to get some laundry and a workout in as well as 20 minutes of shut eye for myself. Win.

2:15 Baylee awake, so I vacuum before I get her out of her crib.

 Wishing I had a playroom so my living room doesn't have to look like a daycare anymore. *sigh* One day...

2:30 Lunch time!

 Turkey, quesadilla squares, green beans, and blueberries. (I had another protein shake. Meh.)

3:00 More playtime and a dance party. 

 We love to put on music while we play and dance around the living room!

3:08 Lou Lou-back-riding.

 We own the world's most tolerant dog.

3:45 Coloring 

 We got new crayons at Target, so we had to try them out. My little artist!

4:30 Swinging and bubbles outside.

 5:00 Books in Baylee's room.

5:30 Make Dinner.

 Brian is usually home by now to keep the munchkin entertained while I make dinner, but today he had an appointment after work. This meant a utensil party on the kitchen floor! Woot!

6:00 Dinner time.

 Whole wheat pasta and meat sauce! I also made us a side of broccoli because it's Baylee's favorite veggie right now.

6:30 Bath time!

 7:00 Movie and calm down time.

 We watched The Princess and the Frog for the bajillionth time. It's the only movie that keeps her attention for practically the whole time.

8:00 Night bottle and bed time.

She was exhausted and went right to sleep...and now I miss her little face!

 Until next time...XoXoXo!