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!

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

Overnight Oats!

I go to work pretty early in the morning and I like to eat breakfast in my office. This means that anything that is easy to prepare (especially the night before) is a win. I love oatmeal! Not only is oatmeal healthy for you, but it also helps with lactation. I've never had supply issues, but since I like oatmeal so much, it can't hurt! It has been way hot here in Oklahoma lately and hot oatmeal just doesn't sound all that appealing to me. I've been making overnight oats for quite some time now and it is absolutely delicious. I have been using a recipe that called for 1/4 cup of greek yogurt, 1/3 cup milk, and 1/2 cup oats. To this I would add numerous combinations of things. Banana, peanut butter, and honey or Banana, peanut butter, and chocolate chips, or even dried cranberries, almonds, and maple syrup. Well, I've been buying regular yogurt lately because it has been what was on sale, so I searched for another recipe to accommodate this. This recipe is so delicious and tastes just like cinnamon raisin cookies!

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup milk
1 Tablespoon plain yogurt
1 Tablespoon raisins
Few dashes of cinnamon
Little splash of vanilla
Squirt of honey (sorry didn't picture it)

Mix all ingredients in a mason jar or container and refrigerate overnight. Eat cold!

Family Update!

It has been a rough week for the Gray family....last week my husband lost his dad unexpectedly and then this week, his grandpa who has been on hospice passed away. I'm so terribly sad. Sad for my husband, sad for his family, and sad for our girls. They lost a grandpa and a great grandpa in 7 days. 

Well, while we are in the midst of making arrangements and attending funerals, I thought I would catch up on some pictures and our recent happenings. Please keep our family in your prayers. 

 Isn't she the cutest? Her blue eyes are just stunning!

 Taelyn was so proud of her "build a monster" craft she did. She is so creative and has a great imagination!

I've been doing a lot of cooking and trying out new recipes. I made Chicken in a Crock Pot and then made Overnight Stock in a Crock Pot. They both turned out great! I also made cinnamon apple chips and both the girls loved them!

 My mom polished this pot from the lake house and planted this tropical plant for us. I think it brightens our kitchen and is a great reminder of our place at the lake!

 

 No, this little beauty didn't get a frappuchino! She did love carrying this empty cup around and pretend that she was drinking it though!

 Outside helping mom and dad with the garden!

 While we were at the lake during the 4th of July we went and saw fire works! I think they were too loud for Hensley, but she loved watching them while I covered her ears. She kept saying "whoa" and "look!". Tae enjoyed the show from inside the car :)

 Caught red handed! This was in our hotel. Little stink got to the roll of toilet paper. She loves doing this!

 The pile!

 She loves standing at the window and watching the squirrels and birds.

 Sisters!

 We took a trip to the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History recently. The kiddos had a great time and they had a lot of great exhibits.

The Lake House

My husband spent his childhood weekends down at lake Texoma at his family's lake house. He has very fond memories and he has never wanted anything more than having the same for our girls. We recently acquired the lake property from Aaron's grandpa, but unfortunately it had been neglected for many, many years. There was extensive roof and floor damage and it was also dirty and cluttered and the property had been overgrown. Both Aaron and I couldn't seem to see beyond the mess, but my gracious parents came down and assured us that there was hope for this place.

In May, we went down with my parents, two of my sisters, and their families. We all worked very hard that weekend and patched the roof and the floors, cleaned out half the house, and did some yard work. We met with a local roofer and got an estimate on a metal roof. Things were definitely starting to look up!

This past weekend we went down again with my parents and finished patching the floors, cleaned the other half of the house, reupholstered the dining room chairs, put a deposit on the roof, and bug bombed the house. The roof will be put on in the coming weeks and then we will be able to fix the ceiling and lay new flooring.

What do the kids do while we are hard at work you ask????

They play in the dirt or ride on mommy's back :) In May we got some beach time in (the house is about 2 blocks from the lake!), but since this was a holiday weekend, it was a little too crowded for us.

My sweet mommy made this sign for the house. I LOVE it!

Here are some after pictures of all that we have done. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I think we can see the end and we know it will be a place that the girls will love to go.

I'm so appreciative of my families hard work. My parents have definitely put in a ton of sweat equity into this place. They can tell how much this property means to my husband and we will be forever thankful for everything they've done!