Homemade Banana Ice Cream (the lazy way)

I have recently discovered how to make ridiculously easy banana ice cream at home thanks to the lovely kitchen lady on Disney Junior who comes on and bores my kid in between rounds of Jake and Mickey.  It seriously is easy.  Unless you want to get fancy, all you need is bananas!

Ingredients:

Um, bananas.  Probably about a half dozen.

Directions:

Peels and slice bananas.  Place in freezer long enough for them to get nice and frozen.  I used a freezer bag overnight,

Remove from freezer and place in a food processor (don't use a blender) and run it until the bananas start to look creamy.  This one is fun for the kids because it starts as little chopped bits then transforms into what looks like soft serve.  

You can add a little milk in if you think it looks dry or needs some liquid but it's not necessary.  I put in some almond milk and a little vanilla extract and it tasted just like ice cream.  But so much easier and healthy!

You can also get creative and mix in your own ingredients such as cocoa powder, strawberries, etc.

Fun and yum!

Inspired!

So, I have been watching United States of Tara (amazeballs!) and though I do not have multiple personalities (at least I don't think I do :) I do have a LOVE for all things 50s! After watching the first few episodes I was inspired! A fun flirty dress, a few pearls, pink heels, and red lipstick transformed me from 'frumpy mom' (I had gym shorts, a tank top, and slightly broken flip-flops on before this :) to 'primpy mom' (and with very little primp necessary - thank you sock bun ;)

Though it is hard to dress to 'impress,' I did find it quite quick and easy to put this all together (and by together I mean on.) I'm going to take the double-take (thank you husband) and the exclamatory "You look pretty!" from my 4 year old (gush!) as whole house approval for this dress. Now to change back before the sticky hands of a 4 year old makes its way to me ;)

Outfit Details:

Floral Dress- Vintage

Heels- Coach

Pearls- Mom's Jewelry Box

Until the next inspiration...

- N

Things they never tell you...

While there are many glorious things that no one ever tells you about pregnancy (um why is my skin so dark "down there"?  what's with all this hair?  am I pregnant or slowly becoming a gorilla?) and labor (why is my entire body shaking like a 8 point earthquake?) the thing I am thinking about the most during the last throws of postpartum is the freaking hot flashes!!

Yes friends, after birth your estrogen levels plummet making you feel... menopausal.  The hot flashes are sometimes worse for me when breastfeeding, but like a bad comic book villain, they can strike at any time.

Heat, inescapable heat, rising through your body and making you pit out like you just ran a triathlon.  Ah the beauty of being a mother.

Next week, where did my stomach go and who is that sharpei hanging around my midsection?

Fashion Remix

 

Recently I have become inspired to try and come up with something other than the typical shorts and t-shirt combo I work so well. In keeping with my new found love (dresses!) I have been going through my pre-baby wardrobe to see what I can rework into something new. Luckily, I found quite a few pieces I could use differently in my new obsession. 

 

I remember as a kid going through my mother's closet and trying on all of the fun dresses and skirts she had. I remember thinking, "I can't imagine when I will feel comfortable wearing dresses." As I got older I wore them on special occasion (dances, gradutation, etc.) but never just out and about. That is until I got pregnant, you couldn't put me in a pair of pants for all the money in the world. Being pregnant in Miami, ruled out any garment that covered my legs and I was lucky enough empire waists were back in style and I was able to find a bunch of cute, fun, and breezy dresses.

Since then, I have returned to my comfy shirts and t's (how else am I supposed to hide the post-baby tire I acquired?!?) But having become inspired after purchasing my first fit-and-flare dress, I have now started going through my closet for more workable garments (who needs to buy when you can just recycle:) (Oh and I figured out how to use the frame app on my phone :)

Clothing Details:

1. - White Lace Dress - Forever 21
    - Black Skinny Belt - Target (pre-baby)
    - Patent Mary Jane Heels - Coach vintage
    - Pearl Earrings - Gift from husband (then boyfriend:) 

2. - Yellow Lace Dress - Target Clearance
    - Black Horsey Dress (underneath) - Target Clearance
    - Black Skinny Belt - Target (pre-baby)
    - Patent Mary Jane Heels - Coach vintage
    - Black Willis Purse - Coach Vintage

3.  - Luck Be a Lady Dress in Purple - Modcloth (new obsession)
     - Horse Dress in Black - Target clearance
     - Jewelled Black Velvet Flats - Tory Burch vintage

4. - Pink Dress (now a skirt ;) - Forever 21 (pre-baby)
    - Gray Tank - Target
    - Gold Belt - Target
    - Gold Flips - Coach Outlet
    - Silver Necklace - Fred Meyer's (4 Years ago)

5. - Yellow Button Down Shirt - Gap (pre-baby)
    - Printed Skirt - gift (pre-baby)
    - Bow Blue Velvet Flats - modcloth
    - Gold Rhinestone necklace - mom's Jewelry Box

6. - Yellow Button Down Shirt - Gap (pre-baby)
    - Brown Satin Daisy Dress (now a skirt) - Rave (pre-baby)
    - White Skinny Belt - Ross
    - Gold Flips - Coach Outlet

Hope this inspires you to remix your wardrobe :)

N

The definition of "jinxing it"

4:07 pm

Two children both asleep in their rooms at the same time!  And I'm downstairs!!

Victory is mine!!!!

4:12 pm

I'm washing dishes!  Haha!  You shall be clean today dishes!!

4:22 pm

Two children awake and crying.  Yay.

Not another fashion blog!

So, I have to admit I have been spending a bit of my summer vacation visiting blogs. I have found some awesome people out there who too feel they have something to share :) That said, the one I have been most in love with I found while shopping on Modcloth.com. If you haven't heard of this site and love fun, cute, and somewhat vintage styled clothing then you will love modcloth. In addition to selling adorable clothes, they have a style gallery where people can upload photos of themselves with vintage inspired looks. One of the style uploaders was a young girl with her own fashion blog centered around her love for all things vintage. Inspired by her blog, as well as T's own idea of posting our own fashion as mom's, I am going to upload my first fashion post of the Bi- Coastal Mom's, so here goes...

I just received a package (YAY!) from modcloth.com and was so excited to put on the dresses that I had purchased. I had recently purchased the same style dress but with a different print and was so smitten I decided to splurge and purchase 2 more this month. (Shh...don't tell :) In addition, I was so inspired my http://someonelikeyou18.blogspot.com/ that I tried something new with an old dress I bought pre-baby and have yet to squeeze my top half in the way it used to.

Clothing Details:
1. Modcloth "Luck Be A Lady" Dress in Potpourri, Target Berry Cardigan
2. Modcloth "Luck Be A Lady" Dress in Equine
3. Modcloth "Luck Be A Lady" Dress in Purple
4. Forever 21 Polka Dot Dress, Forever 21 Red Bow Sweater

As I was shopping with H (who was kept busy via cell phone game app) I overheard a girl, about 5, delightfully exclaim to her mom "Look she has horses on her dress!" (Awww :)

In future post I will be sharing the art of the 'sock bun' my new obsession!
Stay tuned :)

(Oh and sorry for the makeup-less shots...it's summer vacay :)

N

I've got a feeling...

As I type this I sit with a huge smile across my face- a feeling of accomplishment. Because today I mastered the impossible...convincing my 41/2 year old to go upstairs for bedtime with his father instead of me! Now, I will say he does go up with my husband at times but it is always with resistance and a small (if  not at times humongous) tantrum. How did she do it you ask? Well, by playing to h is interests...why didn't I think of this before? Seriously, though.

So, tonight the stairs leading to his room were not just ordinary wooden steps- no, they were the start of his journey- a pathway leading him through dragons and dinosaurs. The man behind him-  that is not just 'boring' dad. No- the man behind him is a giant, aiding him is his quest. I have to say his eyes lit up! But before he was on his way, he stopped, looked up, and asked for a kiss from the princess (awww- me :) And off they went- up the path and off to battle the dragons...and best of all- not a tear in sight! AAh, now off to relax and enjoy being the cool mom I am :)

Beef Stroganoff

I'm always scouring the interwebz for recipes that will be appropriately low in fat, sodium and carbs for SuperDad's taste and my waistline.  One of my favorite comfort foods is beef stroganoff as my dad used to make a German version served over mashed potatoes.  I dearly wish I had the recipe for that.  But in my household stroganoff usually means made with turkey, no sour cream, no mushrooms, whole wheat noodles.  So...not really stroganoff at all.

Thankfully my father-in-law is in town so I can add all those no-nos back in and claim it's because he won't like it otherwise.  Since for once I can make stroganoff as it was intended to be, I'm cobbling together a recipe gleaned from many to make Ultimate Easy Beef Stroganoff. 

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

2 tbsp butter

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 small can sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 packet brown gravy

1 cup water

2/3 cup sour cream

Directions:

Brown the beef in a large, high-sided skillet.  Drain and set aside on a separate plate

Melt butter in the skillet and add onions and mushrooms.  Sauté until onions are soft, about 4 mins.  Add garlic and sauté another 2 mins.  Add beef back to skillet and stir to combine.  

Add the cream of mushroom soup, gravy packet and water.  Stir vigorously (but don't make a mess) to make sure there aren't any lumps.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 mins or so.

Stir in the sour cream until it is fully incorporated.

Serve over hot egg noodles, rice or (my favorite) mashed potatoes.

This version is pretty close to what my dad used to make.  I have also heard you can use a cup of red wine instead of the water for a richer dish but I have not tried it.  Didn't want to experiment on the in-laws but next time I'm breaking out the bottle to give this version a shot.  Maybe I'll even put it over mashed potatoes!

Next time:  Enchiladas and my super shredded chicken short cut!

Toddlers to teenagers

Similar conversation with G-

Me: So what did you do in school today?

G: Nothing.

Me: Who did you see?

G: No one.

Me: Where are you going?  (As she wanders away from me)

G: Nowhere.

Last time I checked you were two, kid, not a tween.  Please God, don't ever be a tween.

4 going on 13

Having in depth conversations with H has never been more interesting...
 
N: H
(nothing)
N: H
(nothing)
N: Hhhhh?
(nothing)
N: H!
H: Huh?
N: I was calling you. 
H: Uhuh.
N: Are you listening to me?
H: (grunt)
N: Want to play a game?
H: Eh.
N: Do you want to have a snack?
H: Eh.
N: Do you want to have ice cream?
(Head flips quickly around) 
H:Ice cream?!?
N: Ah...now you hear me (insert smile.) I want to talk to you.
H: Did you say ice cream? 
N: Yes, but I want to talk to you.
H: Let's get the ice cream.
N: Let's have it after dinner. I want to talk with you.
H: No thanks, I'm busy.

(What!?!?!?!)
 When did my four year old turn into a teenager?

 
 N

  

Am I the only one that thinks this is crazy!?!

Okay, so I'm going to start of with stating that I am not, or have I ever claimed to be, a good driver. In fact, I have many a friend who volunteer to drive every time we go out just so they don't have to sit while I drive (think imaginary brake from start to finish.) I come to terms with my faults and am okay with that. However, I can't believe how crazy some of the drivers are here! Case in point- I'm driving home with H, who is happily playing Angry Birds on my phone (yes, I'm that mom) when I see the car, two cars ahead of me, with its hazard lights on.
(Now I have to warn you that this is where the story turns crazy and unbelievable, but everything I tell you is the truth, nothing but the truth...)

So, as I was saying, I'm merging on the highway at 60MPH (did I leave that part out before!?!) as the car in front of me swerves away to avoid the SUV with its hazards on. As I passed the SUV, I watched it proceed to BACK up the on-ramp, around a blind corner, and get off of the interstate it mistakenly got on!

Now I hate to say this- but if this had happened in Seattle everyone would have called the police claiming drunk driving or such, But I live in the fabulous world of sunshine, beaches, and indecency of epic proportions. To think H will be on the road in only 12 years- now more than ever I'm ready to invest in the 'bubble boy protection' unit!

Wish me luck on my next journey, I'll need it!
N

Hey look, it's a blog!

I made us a blog.  Now I have to go clean bathrooms with a small baby strapped to my chest.  I had chips and three red vines for lunch.

Your turn.

(I promise to post better in the future when in-laws are not arriving in short time)