Sneaking in the Veggies

I am not a vegetable person. In fact, growing up I would cut my green beans into pieces that I could swallow whole to avoid tasting them while I chewed. Obviously, my parents made us kids eat them before we could leave the table. Now that I have a child I want to make sure he has a nutritious, well-balanced diet. I have been hiding spinach in things like fruit smoothies and lasagna, so when my sister-in-law, Heather, pinned Veggie Packed Pizza Rolls I was intruiged.

I made them this weekend and they were delish! It was a simple recipe involving a jar of store bought spaghetti sauce, 2 cups of vegetables and a blender. I did not make my own pizza dough, though to cut down on time and out of laziness. I also added turkey pepperoni. Jack loved them! Ty and I enjoyed them too.

Once I combined the vegetables with the jarred spaghetti sauce I had a lot of sauce. I have a full jar leftover and plan to use it on this easy, weeknight recipe that we enjoy.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Does anyone else sneak vegetables into their dishes? I'm open to suggestions on other ways to add vegetables to our meals!

My Sous Chef

I used to love baking on Sunday afternoons, but really haven't consistently been able to since I was pregnant with Jack. I didn't have the energy and didn't have a big craving for sweets. Those that know me well know that had to be an insane pregnancy side effect for me, as I have a big sweet tooth.Then, once Jack was born there was always something else to be done. Ty was off last weekend, the house was clean, and I had my little helper--the perfect combo for baking on Sunday.

Jack is very interested in helping me in the kitchen. Although, part of it may be that he loves to stand on the step stool. It is fun and a little stressful to have him help! On Sunday, we baked strawberry muffins and a chocolate chess pie.Yummy!

Our favorite "Jack" books!

Use Grammarly's plagiarism checker because no one likes a copy-cat, but all bloggers love to be given credit for their work! 

sponsored post by Grammarly, which is an automated online proofreader that finds and explains grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes in all types of writing. But the topic, recommendations, and opinions are my own.

I have always had a love for books, and I'm so thankful that Jack seems to have a love for them too. We love to read around here! We were blessed to have a book themed baby shower thrown for us by a great group of medical students. I love reading those books to Jack and seeing the nice messages that they all wrote to him. We have also been gifted with several books centered around the name Jack. These books hold a special place in my heart, and Jack loves for me to read them to him. A couple of them are out of print, but if you run across them, snatch them up. You'll love them. I promise.

King Jack and the Dragon

Jack has really started becoming a little boy and is leaving the baby stage behind. Everything about this book epitomizes the world of a little boy--imagination, forts, friends, swords, and the comfort that parents provide. I enjoy rhyming stories--"Jack, Zak, and Caspar were making a den, a mighty, great fort for King Jack and his men." The book is illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, who wrote We're Going on a Bear Hunt. I also love that it comes in a board book and has the glossy pages. While, this is a sponsored post I chose the content and the sponsor has no connection to this book. I just think every little boy should have this in his library.

The House that Jack Built (Little Golden Book)
Nothing is more classic than a Little Golden Book! This book has a great cadence. 

This Is the House Where Jack Lives
This book is out of print, but if you come across it, buy it! It also has a great cadence. The book has a cute surprise ending!

No, No, Jack!
Jack requests this book by name, "No, no!" every night. The story is about a dog who hides things in closets. The closets are flaps that the child gets to open. You probably surmised from the title, but the words "no, no" are used a lot. This is probably why Jack likes it so much.

We haven't read the bottom three books as they are a little long for a toddler's short attention span, but I look forward to reading them with Jack as he gets older.

I want to look back on this time in my life and remember how precious it was to have my sweet, little toddler curled up in my lap requesting book after book to be read to him. 

Winterset 2014

Ty was invited to attend Winterset, a black tie gala, last month. We jumped at the opportunity to get dressed up and have a night out. The theme for the event was Swing--a gatsby flair. I got my dress through Rent the Runway and had an easier time with it, than Ty renting his tux here in town. I would definitely use RTR again.  We sat at a table with one of Ty's surgery attendings who purchased the tickets and some friends of the attending. We had a great time with them!

The decor was beautiful!

weekend recap

We had a perfect weekend away at our hometown. The weather on Friday was gorgeous--in the 70s. I think Jack spent the entire day outside minus his afternoon nap. As soon as he woke up at Ty's parents house he was begging to go outside. We explored, hiked, went on four wheeler/golf cart rides and went up to the clinic to see Aunt Sarah and Uncle Trace and the animals. We headed to my parents house mid-morning. (What can I say, I've created an early riser! We accomplished a lot before 10 am.) Ty and I decided to take advantage of Jack's naptime and headed into town to see a movie. We spent the evening with Ty's parents, siblings and the nephews and niece. The next morning we watched Lucas play basketball. Jack loved clapping and cheering! We spent the rest of the day with my family to celebrate my niece's first birthday. We decided to head home Saturday night due to impending weather. I'm so glad we did! It alternated between sleet and snow. We stayed bundled up inside and it was so nice to get that extra family time. Jack took a four hour nap. He was worn out from his time with all his cousins! Ty had to go to work today, but Jack and I are still enjoying our time at home.