Sunday, August 10, 2014

Vegetarian Mexican Fiesta

 Mexican food is my husband's all time favorite! We also incorporate several vegetarian dishes throughout the week to cut back on our meat consumption, so what better way than with this yummy vegetarian dish. Black bean and corn enchiladas have been a favorite among every one in my family for quite some time now. They are so scrumptious, hearty, and filling. I also made a queso dip that is to die for! This meal is also budget friendly and costs about $10 to make.
Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas

1 can of organic black beans, drained
1 T butter
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup cilantro
1 garlic clove, diced
3/4-1 cup frozen organic corn
1 package Simply Organic enchilada mix
1 oz can organic tomato sauce (for enchilada mix)
1 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
1 package whole wheat tortillas (8 count)

First you will want to get the enchilada sauce ready by following the package directions. 
While the sauce is thickening, melt the butter in a large pan on medium heat. Add in onions and garlic and saute until the onions are softened.
While the onions were cooking I chopped the cilantro and shredded the cheese.
Dump in your beans and corn and cook about 2 minutes.
Add in about a 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup of the cheese, and about 1/2 of the chopped cilantro into the bean mixture and continue cooking for about 5 minutes.
This is what it will look like!
Spoon mixture into tortillas and roll up. It's okay if it comes out the ends a little bit.
Top with remaining enchilada sauce.
Then top with remaining cheese and any remaining bean mixture that might be left. Put into a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. While enchiladas are cooking, make the queso dip.

Queso Dip (without Velveeta!)
2 T butter
2 T whole wheat flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup homemade salsa
Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat and then sprinkle in flour. Whisk for 3-5 minutes to cook out the flour taste. 
 Add in milk and salsa and continue whisking until the mixture thickens slightly.
Add in cheese and whisk until cheese melts.
Enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips!

And of course the best enchiladas
Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro, top with sour cream, and enjoy!

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Hensley: 14 months

 Where has the time gone?! It has been 2 months since my little sweet pea turned 1! She has grown and changed so much the past few months. She now weighs about 24 lbs and is wearing 18 months to 2T clothes. A lot of her baby chunk has slimmed down since she has been walking, but she still has pretty awesome thighs and belly rolls :)

Little lady is still nursing quite readily. She can go quite a while if I'm at work or if we are busy, but otherwise she is still a 2-3 hour girl and definitely comfort nurses. She eats a good balance of food also. She loves to eat eggs, toast, and fruit for breakfast. She is a HUGE fan of cheese, peanut butter and jelly, or mac and cheese for lunch. I still haven't found anything she doesn't like. She loves to feed herself, even if it requires a spoon (applesauce or yogurt). She is pretty good at using a fork and drinking from a cup without a lid.
 She is still a pretty decent sleeper. This little angel will sleep in the Tula or just in our arms, even if it is loud and we are out in public. The other night we went out to eat and she slept in my arms the whole time. She wakes up about 9am and takes a nap from 1:30-4pm most days. She goes to bed between 9-10pm. Usually she wakes up twice to nurse throughout the night. We are still currently co-sleeping. I think I will attempt to night wean at about 18 months if she doesn't do so before then.
 Hensley loves to play. She has really gotten to like playing with her sister. Sometimes Taelyn can be a little overbearing and Hensley has learned to scream and push her away. She loves to stack things and put things together. She loves to color and I'll catch her picking up a crayon or chalk and coloring on whatever is closest to her. One of her absolute favorite things to do is play outside. We have been lucky with some awesome weather this summer, so we have spent a lot of time outside.

Hensley is a mover! She is walking like a pro and is even testing out running. She can climb up and down our stairs and uses our stool to get up in chairs and such. She talks so, so much it is unbelievable. I would say that her word count is more than 50 words. Some of her favorite words to say are "happy, yummy, kitty, sissy, Hensley, snack, bite" and so much more. She can pretty much repeat any word you ask her to say. She is also really starting to understand directions. I can ask her to take something to sissy or daddy and she does it or ask her to go get something and she will go get it. She really loves babies and little kids. The picture below is of my cousins baby Tomas. She was just enamored with him and kept trying to pick him up and give him kisses, it was so cute!

It's truly bittersweet that my itsy bitsy baby is much more of a growing and changing toddler these days.

Frontier Order: July!

I'm a little sad that my sister who runs the Frontier stuff is moving and will no longer be doing it (Boo!). But, the good news is that one of her friends is taking over, so I will still be able to order my stuff.

This month they had some good sales so I got a few new items:

Kiss My Face shave lotion in mint (this stuff smells delicious)
Little Twig Calming Chamomile lotion
Sparklehearts Bubbling Blooms body wash (for Taelyn)
Plum Mighty Puffs (cheesy pumpkin sage)
Alba body wash in Pina Colada (I have the face wash and it is delish)
Ecover dishwasher powder
Aura Cacia plug in refills (lavender and orange/lemon)
Moon Cup (I'm finally ditching the disposable feminine products!)

Total spent was $53