Baked Red Snapper

yes to this.

I was talking with a girlfriend today about how much we really LOVE a Friday. Technically we do not drive to a 9-5 job ( because ours is 24-7 :)) but there is just something magical about a Friday.. its the end of the week..all your people are home together.. it’s just nice. So cheers to Friday!!!

Anyways about tonights dinner...

I have been seriously craving fish like every week! There is just something about summer and the water and fresh fish just SPEAKS to me so I have been salivating over fresh white fish every week except my grocery store charges 25 dollars a LB for it.

 so um NO.

We went to our beach house this past weekend and I was so enthusiastic over catching some fresh fish for my infamous tacos!! 

Didn’t happen. 

So today when I was making my weekly grocery trip I saw that my fish monger had freshly stocked his fish counter with a TON of fresh fish and shrimp. The Red Snapper was 10$ a LB!!!!!

My eyes were wide with excitement!!! So I quickly ordered up two larger than life filets and practically skipped my way home.

Then I came up with this fabulous dinner:)

It went something like this:

Shopping List:

2 Large filets of white fish ( Halibut or Red Snapper work best)

1 bunch of fresh parsley( chopped fine)

1 clove of garlic pressed or minced fine

Juice of one Lemon

Creole Seasoning

Pink Salt

Black Pepper

Freshly Grated Parm

Plain Breadcrumbs

4 Tablespoons of butter - I used 6 whoops :)

Procedure:

Preheat Oven to 400 Degrees

salt and pepper your fish to taste

Lay your fresh fish in a baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam

mix 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs with 1/2 cup fresh grated parm.

over medium high heat melt your butter with your pressed garlic and stir aromatics.

Add in your fresh parsley, Creole seasoning, juice of a lemon, and stir until fragrant and parsley is wilted. 

Pour herb butter mixture over the fish.

Finally top the fish with the breadcrumb and parmesan mixture and bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until fish flakes.

This dinner is out of this world Amazing!!!!

** We served alongside roasted broccoli but Asparagus or an heirloom tomato salad would be perfect!

15 Things that make me really happy

Just a silly little bit of randomness for your week :)

15 Things that make this mama HAPPY!

1. Waking up to my son’s happy and smiling face EVERY SINGLE MORNING. 

2. My Fit4mom Group. Motherhood is so much fun with those girls..

3. Hot Coffee...

4. My Jesus Calling Devotional. I keep it in my purse, on vacation, I literally read it every single day. 

It saves my attitude a lot and allows me to remember that GOD is in control ALWAYS.

5. A good girls night. These are always so needed and SO fun!

6. Pumpkin spice candles.. they scream fall!!! I love a cozy feeling in my home and these candles seem to bring out just that:)!

7. Music while cooking dinner. I usually have my Michael Buble’ on while I am cooking dinner.. or Chris Stapleton.. whatever I am in the mood for but music while cooking is heavenly.

8. COOL FALL MORNINGS. You know that time after summer is just about over.. the smell changes in the air and when you open your front door you are greeted with that scent of fall...those are my favorite mornings.

9. A really awesome water jug. Ever since being pregnant I have been completely obsessed with drinking my water. I try and drink 70 oz a day and I find that it helps me to drink it when I have my water in some sort of a cute and extra large cup. I love my big Bubba right now.

10. A date with my husband.. The kind that are not fancy ( even though I love those too!) but the kind that are meaningful. The other day my mom watched the baby while we were able to fish on the back dock. We had a bottle of wine and caught smelly, slippery, and slimy fish. It was awesome.

11.  A cozy blanket, a glass of red wine, and a fire. Literally this is the best!

12. Wine. Duh.

13. Pushing my son in the baby swing. If I could love anything as much as he loves a swing I would have no problems in life!!! He LOVES the swing!!! And I love HIM!

14. Spending time with my Mom and Dad. Cooking dinner, hanging on the porch, and swimming are so much fun for us.

15. Christmas. Ya'll.. I have a Christmas voicemail each year on my cellphone, I decorate the tree and house before Thanksgiving, I start listening to Christmas music in October.. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!!!!! 

xoxo

Low Carb Parmesean Chicken Casserole

Happy Wednesday!!!!

Last night I had my mom over for a little girls night.. and since she is currently following a no carb diet I wanted to make something that would correspond with her eating habits but to also have a dish that was full of flavor!!

I found the base of this dish on Pinterest ( go figure :)) and then tweaked it to make it my own. I currently have an obsession with zoodles,cauliflower rice and spaghetti squash. They are so versatile and make for great bases to any type of dish. For example I made fajita taco bowls the other night and instead of using rice.. I used the cauliflower rice!! It was so healthy and honestly I could not tell a difference. A vegetable noodle is an easy fix to get your carb cravings in and that is exactly what I used as the base of this casserole. 

Shopping List:

Fresh Parsley

Fresh Basil

1 clove garlic minced

Fresh buffalo Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesean Reggiano Cheese ( shredded)

1 Jar of organic Marinara

1 yellow onion

3 cups COOKED chopped chicken breasts

4 chopped zuchinni and yellow squash

Procedure:

( have chicken cooked beforehand and chopped into large chunks)

Preheat your oven to 350

Saute’ 1/2 large yellow onion with 1 minced clove of garlic in some EVOO over Med/High heat and once cooked set aside.

Next-To a casserole dish or cast iron skillet, layer the bottom with your chopped zucchini and squash: add a little EVOO to the top. On top of that, add your freshly cooked onion and garlic, then add your cooked chicken ( layering like a lasagna) then pour your marinara sauce over everything. Finally add chunks of your buffalo mozzarella, pinches of Parm, and the chopped fresh herbs. Cook for 25-30 minutes until cheese is nice and bubbly. 

Life Lately

Happy Monday Friends!!!!

It is raining hard today in San Antonio and doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. Jax and I went to workout this morning and then came right home and put our PJ’s on ( after I showered:)) It is just a lazy rainy day for us.. and I am sort of enjoying it :) 

 Life lately here in San Antonio has been HOT..most of our days revolve around water, popsicles, and  trying to find things inside the AC that are fun and keep my little sugar busy. We are boxing up and getting ready to move hopefully by the end of August or beginning of September..still undecided. I am trying to take each day as it comes and cherish this special summer. Last summer I was surviving as a new mom with  a newborn, and now I have an active and spunky one year old boy who looks at me like the light of his life. As much as I am ready for fall and pumpkins.. and cooler weather :) I truly do not want this summer to end. 

Here is what we have been up to! 

Picture overload coming up:)

FROYO dates with daddy are such a special treat!

Swimming naked is a favorite activity around here.. for jaxie :)

Brandon and I snuck away to the pearl and had a GREAT time.. we discovered a new wine bar called high street wine company and I highly recommend it! The wine was great..cheese platters GREAT!

a playdate after Stroller Strides

Yum that frozen yogurt is GOOD!

I will never stop rocking!

Before our date.. I scored that cute top at the Nordstrom Anniversary sale for 10 bucks!!! 

Summer hair fave ...messy bun with a hidden braid. 

Jax is all boy. Cars and Balls are his favorite toys!

August’s Project Handprint

This is my favorite color combo with Lipsense right now

Aussie Rose and Sandgloss!

See ...all boy

Paw loves to play trucks with him 

Lupe girls dinner!

SS

Found this precious rug at PB Kids for Jax’s playroom and I had to get it.. I am so excited to see this little room come together!!!!!

A day at La Cantera with Mommy, Allie, And Brookie

Another fave new lipstick is Charlotte Tilbury in “Salma”

They are a matte finish and stay on really good! 

I admit.. I am a total makeup JUNKIE

I love having a boy.. like LOVE IT

Trader Joe Shopping bud

Thats it!

Top Favorite Baby Products ..in the beginning

Happy Friday!!!! The weekend is finally among us and it feels great!!!! 

My girlfriend and I were talking the other day about all the stuff a baby really needs and how I am STILL using a lot of which I registered for an entire year later!!! A tiny human really does need a lot of stuff :) 

So here is my guide to registering for baby/ List of baby items

1. First and Foremost a Good Travel System: 

We chose to go with the Uppa Baby Vista and I cannot say enough good things about it. It can transform into a double stroller, making it easy on you when you have that second baby!!!! It comes with a bassinet attachment for newborns, the actual carseat, and then a larger seat for when baby is bigger. It also is very light and packs up super easy. I LOVE this stroller.

2.  Breast Pump and Breastmilk Set:  If you are planning on breastfeeding then a good pump is in definitely something you will seek..DAILY! Most insurances cover pumps so don’t forget to call around 32 weeks and get one ordered!!! I chose the Medela Freestyle Pump because it allowed me to have my hands free, I did not have to be hooked up to an electrical socket since the pump charged like a cellphone, it was small and compact ( think fitting in your back pocket ) , and was SO SO durable. I pumped probably 4 or 5 times daily and it worked like a boss. A Breastmilk Set usually comes with storage bottles, storage bags, newborn bottles and nipples, and sterilizing bags. These are GREAT!  I chose to make my entire set the same as my pump so we went with all Medela bottles and Nursing supplies to keep it easy. 

3.  Swaddles: There are so many different types of swaddles out there. Jax was not a HUGE swaddle fan so I didn’t buy any of the fancy swaddles like the woombie or sleep sack. My favorite BEYOND favorite swaddles are the pottery barn muslin swaddles and their organic cotton swaddles. They are so stretchy and soft and work beautifully!!!

MILK BARN Is also another favorite swaddle brand. They are made of organic cotton, super soft, and easy to swaddle. LOVE this brand!!!!!

Milk Barn Swaddle ^^

PB kids Swaddle. These also come in packs of three!

4.  4Moms Mamaroo: Jax wasn’t a BIG fan of his Mamaroo at first but after a while it was a MUCH loved product for Jax and for Mama. You can also connect the mamaroo to your cellphone so you can control the different settings right from your phone!!!! Very cool.

5. Baby K’taan or Wrap:  I personally loved to baby wear. It allowed me to have my hands free, baby was quiet and happy, when I was out and about not a lot of people could touch him. I loved it.. it was probably my number one favorite baby item!!!! They make so many different types of wraps too.. the k’taan was super easy and can be washed easily too.

Also the TULA Is my go to carrier now that Jax is bigger. It is such a great carrier and comes with an infant/newborn insert for when baby is smaller

6. Sound Spa: This was a MUST have for us. As a newborn Jax would fall asleep instantly at the sound of the white noise. We were NEVER quiet around him. We always vacuumed, had the TV on, talked because we never wanted to live our lives on eggshells. When he went to sleep when we were out and about we just turned the white noise on and it was great! He now sleeps with the lullaby version at night and I have a feeling we will be using this machine for a long time! It comes in a plug in and portable version. We have both and I recommend BOTH!

Portable Version ^^

Regular plug in ( this also comes with a projection so at nighttime it projects a sweet little picture on the wall for baby to look at.) 

6. Smart Glo Thermometer: We have this thermometer per our pediatricians recommendation and it is extremely easy to use. You simply slide it across baby’s forehead onto the temporal lobe for an easy reading. I use it on myself and Brandon as well. Any drugstore carries this as well as the major baby stores. 

7. Diaper Bag: This was SUCH a big deal to me.. I knew I wanted a really cute bag but a bag that was also going to double as a purse/functional baby bag.  There are so many cute and stylish bags for baby. We ended up going with two and use them both for different reasons. The main bag we use is the Classic PB diaper Bag in Gray. We monogrammed it ( you totally don’t have to if you want to reuse) But it is LARGE. It comes with a lot of pockets, a roll out diaper changer changing pad, and a wipe holder. 

The second, I bought on a whim and really love it too

Petunia PIcklebottom

it is a backpack or a carry all. We got this exact version and I feel like it can work for a boy or girl.. we don’t know what we will have next so I wanted it neutral! These also come with a changing pad and wipe container. They have clips that clip right onto your stroller ( bought separately) and is very easy to throw in your bottom compartment of the stroller. This one is a bit smaller than the above bag so I like both for different reasons. 

8.  Co Sleeper: If you plan on nursing, having your baby next or nearby to you is so easy. I never slept with Jax in bed with me but I did do the pack n play with a bassinet. This was nice because it had a changing system attached to it so I never left my room for anything! The downside was that it was big and bulky.. a lot of my friends LOVE their Dockatot and I have heard wonderful things. You can travel with it, it is not as large, and you can co-sleep with your baby. Another plus to the pack n play is that we travel with it ALOT! Jax uses it to nap in at my moms ( she has her own), we take it anywhere we are staying over night so it definitely gets used. I will list my version and then also another favorite. 

This was my exact one and can be found HERE

I also love the Dockatot

9. Boppy Lounger and Boppy Pillow: Both amazing and both highly recommended!!! I took my lounger EVERYWHERE!!! He would just lay and snuggle in it. It is smaller so I could pretty much move him all around the house and he would nap in it. The Boppy pillow is a must for nursing. We still use ours to this day because it snuggles him really well while I rock him. I did have the Breast Friend Nursing pillow but returned it because it was not as comfy. Pottery Barn also makes very cute monogrammed slip covers for the pillow...just saying’ :)

We LOVED Them. Both can be found

HERE

9. Moniter: There are a million to choose from.. there are about a million reviews to read too!!! We ended up going with the Motorola MBP36 because it can hold up to four different spaces with only ONE remote. So, for example I can add four cameras in different rooms and click back and forth from only one remote to check on different spaces. It also tells you the time, temperature of the room, plays lullabies, and is portable. You can turn the sound on or off and you can zoom in and out. I really love it. The only down fall I would say is the charging life isn’t forever.. you need to always keep it charged while your sleeping so that it can withstand the day. You can shop it HERE

10. Ubbi Diaper Pail:  This may seem like not much of a biggie, and in my personal opinion I never throw poop diapers in the pail ever...because gross? However This diaper pail is made of pure steel and NO smell...and I mean NO smell is escaping it. It is sleek, small, and easy to fit in a corner of a nursery. I love ours.

Shop HERE