healthy eats

Life just seems to get busier as the days pass! With working full time, figuring out what courses I will be enrolling in this semester, and still making time for my family, I feel like I will never stop!

Easy and quick dinners have been our best friend around here lately since Eli's new trainer requires him to work out for what seems like 5 hours every night.  Here are some recipes we will be trying soon! They look so delicious, I couldn't wait until after we try them!  

Stir Fry Asparagus-Indian Style

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups trimmed and cut asparagus

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp chaat masala

1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes

salt to taste

1/2 tsp oil (we will use olive oil)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix lemon juice and chaat masala and pour over asparagus.

2. Heat (olive) oil in a pan and stir fry until done.

3. Remove from heat and sprinkle salt and aleppo pepper flakes and stir to evenly coat the asparagus.

4. Serve and enjoy!

I really love a simple, yet creative side dish. Side dishes are easy to repeat, so it's nice to find something different!

Speaking of simple side dishes.....

Sweet Cucumber, Red Onion and Dill Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup white wine vinegar*

1 packet Stevia (or 2 tsp sugar)

1/4 tsp salt

2 cucumbers, peeled and cut in half lengthwise

1/2 red onion, sliced

2 tbsp thinly sliced dill

*i have red wine vinegar on hand, so i'm going to use that instead...

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, mix the vinegar, sweetener and salt

2. Toss in your cucumber, onion, and dill

3. Cover and chill for 30 minutes

4. Enjoy!

Soy Glazed Salmon

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp dry white wine*

salmon filets

lemon wedges, for serving

*instead of wine, i will substitute for water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400*

2. Make the glaze by combining the brown sugar, olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, white wine (or water) until the sugar dissolves

3. Cut salmon filets, if necessary and arrange on a baking sheet-skin side down.

4. Evenly coat the salmon with the glaze

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, basting every few minutes to ensure the glaze is cooked into the salmon

6. Serve with lemon wedges and enjoy!

Chicken Caprese

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lb chicken breast

2 tbsp lemon pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

2 large tomatoes, sliced

6 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into slices and patted dry

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

*balsamic vinegar, if desired*

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 300*-350* (i will probably do 350*..that temp never fails!)

2. Season chicken with lemon pepper and drizzle with olive oil

3. Place chicken on a baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink

4. Transfer chicken to serving plates and top with tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil and optional balsamic vinegar.

5. Serve and enjoy!

Roasted Cabbage Steaks

INGREDIENTS:

1 head of cabbage

salt

pepper

garlic, freshly chopped or granulated

olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees*

2. Pull outer leaf off of cabbage head

3. Cut cabbage into 1" thick slices and place on baking sheet lined with foil

4. Rub both sides of cabbage slices with oil then sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic

5. Place baking sheet in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Remove and flip "cabbage steaks" and cook for an additional 10 minutes

6. Allow cool time and enjoy!

I hope you're enjoying your week. It's already Thursday, so we're almost there!

xoxo

Haley

My new journey!

I graduated from high school in 2010. I attended a local junior college during the fall and planned on transferring to University of Houston once I had completed all of my core classes. In July of 2012, I fell pregnant with a due date of April 2013. I decided I would enroll in one more semester before I took some time off. In October of 2012, my family lost a very special 16 year old. Our nephew, Kevin, had passed away in our home due to a blood clot in his heart. I ended up withdrawing from school as I was having pregnancy complications and was mourning the loss our of nephew. It seems like ever since then, things have just been going downhill and there has always been a reason for me to not finish my education. This past week, I had had enough. I had my transcripts sent over to a new junior college to finish a few more classes before transferring to earn my bachelors degree at UH. I am so excited for this fall! Words can't describe how motivated I am to finish my education and finally live my dream as an elementary school teacher. 

I want to thank Eli, my family and my friends as they have all been such an amazing support system for me. I also want to thank Liam as he is my BIGGEST motivation to finish school and to be a better me! 

I'll leave you with a few photos from Mother's Day. We had so much fun spending time with my family! 

Who knew swimming and playing in a water sprinkler would make this little guy so tired?! ;) 

Happy Mother's Day to all of you! May you have a relaxing evening and a full nights sleep. ;)

Xoxo

Haley

Laughing with Liam

This week has been so much fun with our little guy. His personality has changed so much and he has never made us laugh or cry (both happy and sad tears) more than he has in the last few days. 

Thursday night, Liam fell asleep holding a little toy car. When I tried taking it out of his hand, he clinched his fist so I let him sleep with it. When we woke up Friday morning, he was all stretched out with an empty water bottle (what's up with this obsession?!) in one hand and his little toy car in the other. So cute! Anyway, I was getting ready for work and Liam was playing with Ellie in our bedroom. He ended up throwing his car down and trying to catch the dog so he could "hold" her. I walked out of the bathroom and told Liam "ok, we are going to grandma's house now...do you want to bring your car?". He marched over to Eli's side of the bed, picked up his car and walked down the hall to the stairs. (Insert happy and sad tears here) I cannot believe how smart and witty this boy it. 13 months ago, I couldn't imagine what life would be like with a little boy and his trucks, cars, sports balls, and a Cars ball pit. Pure bliss!

He is such a little ham! Every time I take my phone out to snap a photo, he starts making all these weird faces!!! 

Liam loves making weird faces as me

To make me laugh. These are the best moments!!!

He's sometimes too cool to even look at the camera. ;)

This is his "I just woke up and I'm really tired but my mommy looks funny because she just woke up too" face. 

Last night, we were having dinner and something hit me. I burst into tears as I sat there trying to eat my bbq. Our little baby is so little anymore. He is sitting there, eating his brisket and green beans and paying us no mind. 9 months ago, we introduced rice cereal and I cried then too. Liam has been self feeding and eating meats and solids for quite some time now, so I don't know what triggered this emotion last night but I still cannot believe how big he is. I am a very proud mama as he is so incredibly smart, but I so badly miss him being a tiny little baby that I had to rock back to sleep. (Insert only sad tears here) 

I will leave you with a photo of my brother from last night. He is trying to grow a mullet for some reason, and he loves tucking his hair behind his ears to make us laugh. He succeeded! :) 

Xoxo

Haley

August 1, 2013.

You may have read about my brothers that make me happy on my 100 happy days recap post. If you would like to read more, I have written about our experience and have included pictures from this time in my life. Although this story is a really hard one to tell, I feel like this is a way for me to get closer to my readers and for you guys to really know who I am. Readers discretion advised.

First. Here are some photos from our life before the accident. 

Here's the story. 

Every summer, several families (including mine) get together and go on a trip to the river. Summer of 2013 was no different, although Eli, Liam and I stayed back since he was only a few months old. The trip was over and they were on their way home. The boys (my brother and his friends) had planned a trip to the ranch for the very next day, just like always. August 1, 2013. A day I will never forget. It was 6:01pm when I got the call from Dad. I ignored it because usually he was just calling to say hi and Liam and I were at the hospital with a dear friend who was being induced to meet her sweet daughter that night or the very next day. I called him back a few minutes later when I heard what was going to end up as the worst news ever. "The boys are in San Antonio and are being life flighted to the hospital. They were in a car accident, but they are all ok."  They were hit by a loaded dump truck, where my brother, Chase, was ejected from the vehicle (he broke through the back glass of the truck-he did not have his seat belt on). I freaked, but he assured me they were fine and all of the families were on their way to bring the boys home from the hospital, or so we thought. Liam and I left the hospital in Sugar Land immediately because even though they were "ok", I couldn't keep it together. We waited for what felt like hours for an update. (We live about 2 and a half-3 hours away from San Antonio, Texas) We tried to go about our regular nightly schedule when my mom called and she had finally heard from Chase. He said he was ok and that he was in the emergency room. That gave me comfort, but I still had 5 other "brothers" to worry about. Not even an hour later, while I was giving Liam a bath, my phone rang and it was Mom. "Austin didn't make it", she sobbed. My body went numb. My brother didn't make it. I couldn't process the words fast enough. I began to scream and Eli came and held me close. I couldn't believe what I just heard. There is no way my brother didn't make it. I tried to get myself together and be strong for my baby who still needed me. Once my mom made it to the hospital, she sent me a picture of my brother and I just couldn't handle it.

I wanted to be next to him so bad. At the time, they said he had a broken pelvis, 4 broken ribs, and lacerated liver, kidney, and spleen. They had inserted a chest tube to help filter out the blood that was in his chest/stomach. My other "brother" Justin, was in the worst shape of all. He had what felt like everything wrong with him and ended up in induced a coma to help the swelling of his brain. Although I was not extremely close with the other boys involved in this accident, I was blessed to eventually be at the hospital with them and to watch them start the healing process. It has now been 9 months, and it feels like an eternity. I think about Austin every day and so badly wish there was something else the doctors could have done. I know my brother hurts every single day as he lost his best friend of many many years, and that's what hurts the most. Prayers are still appreciated for all the families who were involved, because although these boys are now physically ok...our hearts are still broken.

This was just a couple of weeks ago. Liam and his uncle Chase. 

To Austin, you can now honestly say "you made it"! We love you and miss you every single day!

Rest in peace. 

1996-2013. 

Xoxo

Haley

100 happy days recap

Day one. 

Eli & Liam. Watching these two play together make my heart SO happy. Eli is such a good daddy to Liam and I couldn't ask for a better partner in life! 

Day two. 

My brothers. Austin (a super close family friend for so many years) and my (actual) brother, Chase. Austin is now my guardian angel, which warms and saddens my heart all at the same time. I loved watching these boys grow up! For more on this story, click here.

Day two, picture 2. 

the Atkins diet.  I love this diet! I was always against it when one of my best friends would tell me about it, until I final gave it a try. Today marks one month and I have lost 15 pounds!! I feel great and I can totally tell a difference in my body. If you have any questions regarding this lifestyle change, please email me at Haleynw8@yahoo.com. :)

Day three. 

Liam's crazy personality. No matter how stressed, tired, or exhausted I am, this boy ALWAYS puts a smile on my face. Especially when he starts doing something new...like a forward roll. Who taught him how to do that?! 

Day four. 

Saturday mornings. Laundry to fold and a kitchen to clean, but I'm home with my baby and relaxing after a long work week. This is definitely something to be happy about! :)

I am so glad I decided to do the #100happydays challenge! It has definitely opened my eyes and shown me that there is always something to smile about! You should join in the fun! :)

Xoxo

Haley 

Liam's Favs

Over the past two weeks, Liam has fallen in love with Easter eggs! I don't know if it's the color of the eggs or if it's the sound they make when he bites down on them smashes them together, but whatever it is….he's digging it! 

Liam loves bath time! We usually let him play for a while before we wash up and get ready for bed. He loves to play with his munchkin alphabet letters and numbers and his Bath Time! book that he got for his birthday!

He is also LOVING bubbles! His great grandma and his grandma both put bubbles in his Easter basket this year, and so did we!

Liam isn't much of a meal eater, but more of a snacker.  This scares me because I want to make sure he gets all the nutrition he needs to grow big and strong! We have tried several different items and then try them again later, but not much has worked. Last night, I gave the gerber graduates spaghetti rings with meat sauce another try. Before I knew it, half of the container was gone! He didn't seem interested anymore so I put the rest in a ziploc and refrigerated the left overs.  Tonight, I popped that little blue container in the microwave for 17 seconds and he finished the rest of his "spaghetti o's"! I am one happy mama tonight!

When we get home from work, I usually start dinner while Liam plays in our downstairs toy room.  Most of the time, I'll find him reading a book or playing with his trucks. One of his favorite books lately is the Slide and Find Trucks Book.  There are so many surprise pictures to see in this hard back book! All of you boy mama's have to check this one out! :)

Last weekend, Liam was diagnosed with EM.  Treatment for EM includes lots of Benadryl and a 5 day prescription liquid steroid. Liam turned one on April 3rd and still wasn't walking…Day one of being on  his prescription meds and this kid was cruising!  We gave him a few days to get the hang of walking barefoot, and then we tried to add these Nike Flex Experience Athletic Shoes. It was quite comical at first, but this little boy keeps surprising his mama! Liam will be running laps in no time. ;)

Don't forget to head over to 100happydays.com to sign up for the 100 happy days challenge!
I dare you!

#100happydays

I am generally a happy person, but lets face it…we all have our days where we are just not feelin' it! However, I do feel that your attitude affects everyone around you, so why not try to be as happy and positive as you can be?

I feel that it is my responsibility as a daughter, sister, friend, lover and mama to find happiness in everything that I do!  That being said, I have signed up for the #100happydays challenge, and I encourage you to do the same!  I am excited to make a conscious effort to find something each and every day that makes my heart happy.  

day 1:

Eli and Liam. 

I love coming home from work and getting to spend my evenings with these two.  No matter how stressful or tiring my day was, they will always be able to put a smile on my face and my heart!

Follow me on IG (@eliandhaley) to see what is making me happy!

Are YOU up for the challenge?!