Since going Primal, I’ve been making batch after batch of this trail mix.  It makes a great on-the-go snack, and now that I’m up most of the lots at night with Slingshot, this has become my go-to midnight/2am/4am snack as well.  I keep a container of this trail mix next to my rocker in Slingshot’s nursery.  At some point, I’ll need to cut back my consumption of this yummy treat to a more occasional occurrence, but as as long as my weight loss continues (I’m only 2 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight!), I see no reason to give it up!  This trail mix tastes great, satisfies my craving for something sweet/crunchy/salty, gives me energy, and is full of those good fats that keep me feeling satiated until my next meal.

There’s no real recipe here, just a list of the usual ingredients I throw together.  Just use what you have on hand, and mix it to suit your personal tastes!  Like it sweet?  Add more dried fruit.  Like it salty?  Use salted nuts or seeds.  (I typically use unsalted).  Need your chocolate fix?  Add some chocolate chips.  I either use the highest quality chocolate chips I can find or I roughly chop a bar of 85% chocolate.

Trail Mix

Ingredients:

• Almonds
• Macadamia nuts
• Hazelnuts
• Walnuts
• Dried cranberries
• Dried apricots
• Dried cherries
• Sunflower seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Coconut flakes (unsweetened, you can toast it or not)
• Chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Combine in a jar and enjoy!

What are your favorite trail mix ingredients?

I’m normally quite the homebody, but over the weekend, I really just reached a point where I needed to get out of the house for a little bit.  My destination?  Hobby Lobby!  I had the crafting bug, and wanted to do something for Valentine’s Day.  I don’t have ANY Valentine’s decorations.  Not a one.  So I thought I’d remedy that, starting with this wreath.  Now I’m know I’m a few years behind the curve with using cupcake liners for wreaths, but I’ve run across a few of these on Pinterest lately and thought this would be an easy, relatively mindless craft for me to tackle in this post-baby haze I’m in right now.  (My pictures aren’t the greatest…they were taken on a particularly stormy day here…)

First, I covered the wreath with ribbon.  I actually forgot to buy ribbon for this step, but I found some red glittery ribbon in my stash to use.  It was sheer, but I made it work anyway.

It seems there are several different techniques for how to fold your cupcake liners for a wreath.  I decided to keep things simple and just folded my cupcake liners in half.  I originally tried folding the cupcake liners more, didn’t like the section I glued, and ripped them all off.  I’ve seen that technique used effectively, but for some reason I couldn’t get the hang of it.

I applied hot glue to a small section (maybe 1 inch) then stuck on the cupcake liners as quickly as possible.  Then repeated all the way around the wreath.  I used about 250-275 cupcake liners.

Once I finished the cupcake liners, I hot-glued these felt flowers (also purchased at Hobby Lobby).

An easy wreath for Valentine’s Day!

Last year I created my own cleaning calendar, and that worked fairly well for me (see sample in the right sidebar).  But with Slingshot’s arrival at the beginning of 2012, I knew I would need to switch things up this year.  Sometimes I find it much easier when someone else does all the thinking and planning.  Sometimes I need someone else to just tell me exactly what I need to do.  That’s where the Weekly Household Planner comes in.  The Weekly Household Planner was created by Susan Held of the Confident Mom.  I’ve been a follower of The Confident Mom blog for quite some time.  Susan is always full of great ideas, and this planner definitely falls into that category!

Here’s a sample page (and you can download a free sample here):

With a newborn in the house, I’m currently focusing on the Daily Tasks on the right side of the page (laundry, load the dishwasher, etc).  If I get through those and still feel like doing a bit more, I start working through the tasks on the left side of the page, broken down by the day.  The first week of January before Slingshot was born, I completed ALL of the tasks each day, and my house was sparkling clean.  It was amazing how just a few things each day made such a big difference!  The other thing I LOVE about this planner is that I can leave it out for my husband, and he can see exactly what needs to be done each day.  This type of planner makes it easy to delegate tasks to your husband and kids (assuming they’re old enough to help out).

You can also choose to have a Scripture Reading Plan included.  I opted to included it in mine, though I’m doing good if I get the New Testament scriptures read.

This planner is available for download for only $9.  You can print all the weeks out and create your own binder, take them to a copy place and have them spiral bound, or simply print one week at a time.  So flexible!  Definitely worth the $9!

Disclosure: I have not been asked to write this review, nor am I being compensated for it.  This is just a great planner that I’m currently using, and I thought you might like it too!

I hate meatloaf.  The Picky Apple hates meatloaf.  The Little Apple?  Well, he just hates meat, period.  So I tend to gloss over any recipes for meatloaf that come my way.  BUT The Picky Apple and I DO love Chicken Parmesan, so when I saw this recipe for Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf, I decided to check it out.  Chicken Parmesan in meatloaf form.  An interesting concept!  This is a meatloaf I like!  I cooked ours in a Pampered Chef mini loaf pan.  Next time I make it, I will add a bit more sauce to the top.

Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf

recipe from What’s Cookin’ Chicago?

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (Picky Apple Note: I substituted almond meal to keep it gluten-free)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup pasta sauce (homemade or store bought)
• 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
• minced parsley for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf pan with cooking spray, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. To not over handle the mixture otherwise it will get tough. Place the mixture in the greased loaf pan and form into a loaf. Top the meatloaf with pasta sauce.

Place filled loaf pan on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese. Place the meatloaf back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted.

Remove the meatloaf from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving/slicing. Garnish with parsley if desired.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Prepare the meatloaf mixture as directed and place in a disposable loaf pan. Cover and freeze. When ready to prepare and serve, defrost the meatloaf completely and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Top with pasta sauce and place filled loaf pan on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese. Place the meatloaf back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving/slicing. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Slingshot,

(you know his real name, but this is his blog “handle” from now on! )

I can’t believe you are 2 weeks old already!  We’re still adjusting to having you at home with us and to being a family of four.  At 2 weeks old:

• You weigh 6 pounds 1 ounce (3%).  You still haven’t reached your birth weight of 6 pounds 5 ounces again, but we’re getting close!
• You are 20 inches long (27%).
• You look EXACTLY like your big brother (see photo below).  We hear that from just about everyone, and it’s absolutely true!  I can’t wait to see how your personality develops.

The Little Apple, about 10 days old.  Doesn’t Slingshot look just like him?!

• You’ve finally figured out how to latch on properly and enjoy nursing (particularly those all night marathons!).  I am so thankful that I don’t have to pump anymore and that we don’t have to feed you with a syringe.
• You sleep ALL the time during the day!  Your big brother was on the other end of the sleeping spectrum, so we don’t quite know what to do with you (answer: embrace it!  take a nap!  be productive! ).
• You still keep me up quite a bit at night.  When you’re awake, you want to be nursing.  So we’ve had quite a few nights with 2 or 3 hour long nursing marathons.  Not very fun for mommy, but I’m hoping this will pass soon.  You’re a growing boy!
• You still see me exclusively as The Milk Lady.  If I’m holding you, you are rooting around trying to eat (even if you just ate).  I can only really cuddle with you when you’re asleep.  Daddy is much better at calming you down than I am.
• We think you may have a bit of reflux.  Hopefully not as severe as big brother’s, but we’ll see.  At least we know what to do about it.
• You make the cutest faces!  You’ve mastered the confused look (see photo above), the angry look, the pouty face, and the excited face.  We can’t wait to see you smile!
• You are already holding your head up really well when we put you on your tummy, and you look SO close to rolling from front to back.  You hate tummy time though.

Love,

Mommy

Even though I’m still going strong with my Primal/Paleo lifestyle, we have pizza night fairly regularly around here.  I make homemade crust for the guys, and they add their own toppings.  There are quite a few Paleo pizza crust recipes out there, but I’ve discovered that portabello mushrooms make a great base for my own pizza.  I buy a pack of 4 portabello mushrooms and top with a tablespoon or two of sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni slices and black olives.  This is such a great substitute for anyone who is gluten-free or looking for a healthier pizza alternative.

When we were deciding how to decorate Slingshot’s nursery, I didn’t have a clear vision for the curtains.  After we got the board and batten up and the walls painted, I knew we needed something to break up all that blue and white.  I wasn’t too pleased with any ready-made curtain options, so i decided to make my own.  I immediately thought of the dropcloth curtains we have in our bedroom, but I also wanted to incorporate some color!  Since several of the accessories (sheets, rug, etc) have red, I decided to try my hand at painting some red stripes on the dropcloth curtains.

The dropcloths I purchased were exactly the right size for the room…no hemming necessary!  Woo hoo!  Note: Don’t forget to wash and dry your curtains before you get started.  They WILL shrink.

I set up my painting station in the front entryway (it was too cold to be in the garage).  I put down cardboard, then 2 layers of old dropcloths underneath my curtain-drop cloths to absorb any paint that might soak through.

To paint dropcloth curtains, I mixed acrylic paint with textile medium.  I think you could probably just skip this step and use the acrylic paint straight, but using textile medium makes them more color safe for washing.

Next, I taped off the stripe pattern with painter’s tape.  We just wanted a few bold stripes up near the top.  Taping off stripes are always tricky because your eyes play tricks on you with the thickness of the tape lines.  Make sure you press down the edges of the tape as firmly as possible to keep the paint from bleeding.

Then it was time to paint!  I used a foam roller brush.  The dropcloth fabric soaks up paint big time, so it took way more paint than I was expecting.  Also, because of the nubby, irregular nature of the dropcloth fabric, there will be places that just won’t absorb the paint at all.  We actually liked this more “weathered” appearance to the stripes, but if you don’t want that, you may need to pick a different fabric!

This photo was taken at night, so the color is a little off, but we were certainly panicking at this point, thinking that the stripes looked hot pink, and not the deep, tomato red we were hoping for….I actually went to bed after this, thinking that I would need to go buy a different color of paint the following morning.

But, when we woke up the next day and removed the blue tape (which also made it hard to see the “true” color), we were pleased with the way the curtains looked, and left them as is!  No second coat of paint, no different color needed!

At some point, I may add blackout fabric to line the curtains, but they work for now!

Have you ever painted curtains or other fabric before?

I’m sharing this post with…

I’ve been making these potatoes for YEARS now, and I can’t believe I’ve never shared the recipe with you!  My favorite two potato recipes are this one and the Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes.  These are clearly the lighter, healthier option of the two.  The recipe calls for new potatoes, but you can also use regular old Russets.  These are a staple side dish at our house for holidays as well as easy weeknight meals.

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

recipe adapted from epicurious.com

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces red-skinned new potatoes (about 3), each cut into 6 wedges
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt or other coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Toss potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to coat.  Transfer potatoes to small baking sheet; roast 20 minutes, stirring once.  Add garlic and rosemary to potatoes; toss.  Roast until potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to plate, serve.

Makes 2 servings.

Shepherd Asher Apple
(nn Shep, Slingshot)
Born Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 1:59pm
6 pounds, 5 ounces.  18 1/2 inches

Home at last!

Thoughts on Shepherd’s birth, his name, and our first few days….

• Shepherd: We wanted another slightly unusual name.  One that was distinctly masculine, one with a good nickname (in this case, “Shep”).  Shepherd is not a family name, just one we like.
• Asher:   As for the middle name, we didn’t pick that until the night before he was born!  Asher means: “fortunate, blessed, happy one” and we certainly feel blessed to have Shepherd after all we’ve been through the last few years.  We wanted something he could fall back on that was a bit more common, and Asher was #139 in 2010.  We love that it’s got the “sh” like Shepherd and the  ”a” like Apple, uniting the first and last name.
• It was SUCH a different c-section experience this time around walking in to the operating room and being fully aware of what was happening the entire time.  And having my husband there with me this time too!  I think my recovery this time is going a little quicker as well.
• Breastfeeding is not going particularly well, but I’m determined to stick with it.  The first two nights (at the hospital) were rough, and by the end of the second day, Shepherd was down to 5 pounds 8 ounces.  Most babies lose weight at birth, but he lost over 10% of his birth weight.  After several meetings with a lactation consultant, I started pumping and feeding him via syringe (all this after I attempt to nurse him for 20-30 mins).  Doing that over and over again every 2-3 hours has been draining, but our third night at the hospital was much better, and when we left the hospital he was up to 5 pounds 10 ounces. (Thank goodness I saved some of Finn’s preemie clothes!)
• Coming home was/is a HUGE adjustment.  Last night was rough all over again, and I feel like we took 10 steps backwards in the breastfeeding department.  I’m feeling more pain at the site of my incision because I’ve got a 2 story house to move around instead of a tiny hospital room, and I’ve been moving around MUCH more.  We’ve also got a VERY energetic and noisy 4 year old who is a little too excited to “play” with his baby brother.  We’re a little overwhelmed at the moment, but I know we’ll get used to our new family of four!
• I’m amazed at how much Shepherd resembles Finley when he was a baby.  They’ve got the same lips, nose, hairline, tiny little bodies.  They make the same faces, and they have similar fussiness!

Things may be a little quiet around here for the next few days as we settle in at home, but rest assured, I’ll be back with some new posts soon!  Thanks for all of your well wishes on Facebook!

This delicious Spinach Berry Cucumber Salad is my “Salad of the Week” (I could probably make this a regular blog feature, if I wanted to…hmmm).  I actually had this salad last week too.  And I made it to bring to a friend’s house for New Year’s Eve.  And I’m making more of it to bring to the hospital with me. (More on my attempt to eat healthy at the hospital after it actually happens!)  This salad is wonderful!  I think the dressing is what brings it all together.  I’ve been adding grilled chicken or leftover chicken kebabs to mine for a filling lunch.  The recipe calls for sugared pecans, but I just throw in a handful of plain pecans.  I’m sure sugared pecans would be delicious if you want to make them (and if you want the extra sugar).  Toasted pecans would be great too…I’m going to try that next time!

Spinach Berry Cucumber Salad

recipe from Trainer Momma

Ingredients:

• 10 oz of fresh baby spinach
• 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1 fresh peach, sliced
• handful of dried cranberries
• handful of Asiago cheese, shredded
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup sugared pecans
• White Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing (see recipe below)

Mix all the ingredients. Dress the salad to taste with the most of the dressing (I typically have a little left over) and serve immediately.

White Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

recipe from Trainer Momma

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar  (Picky Apple Note: I just used regular balsamic)
• 1 Tb pure maple syrup
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 ground black pepper

Just mix all the ingredients in a jar and shake well.