Como Estas?

Yesterday was a rough day in the WB house… but we’ve moved passed it and we’re back to our happy place

Amidst the chaos, I did my best to make M a healthy lunch.

Avocado Cream Cheese Sammi, A very ripe peach, and Kashi Crackers.

M Looooooves avocados!!! I’m pretty sure she would eat a whole one on her own!

For a girl whose gums are in pain… she sure did gobble up her lunch!

Do You Habla?

Did you know that I’m hispanic and can’t speak a lick of spanish?! Its so embarrassing! I grew up with both my parents speaking spanish. My mom wanted us to habla, but my dad wanted us to learn English first. So… English it was! My brother and I never learned Spanish. Its so sad I’ll be in a store and a little old Mexican lady comes to me to help her translate… and I can’t

My husband who’s 85% Irish speaks more Spanish than I do!

I need to learn Spanish…. I want to be able teach it to M.

You’re probably wondering where this little epiphany came from… right? Well, this past weekend I met a little girl, same age as M, and she spoke both English and Spanish. She was thirsty and asked her mom for “Agua… Water”. She said both. I continued to watch this little baby/girl say words in two languages. She saw our neighbors dog and said “Pedro… Dog.”

I can’t even get M to say the complete word “Dog,” she says “Daaa” for “dog.”

I would love M to grow up speaking two languages… but honestly… If I can get my 16 month old to say any word other than “more” I’d be happy

Regardless… I need to learn Spanish and use it if I want M to learn it.

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On My Agenda:

• Go for a 6 mile run with M
• Pay Bills
• Do some housework (laundry, organizing)
• Wash car
• Work on Weekly Bite updates
• Work on Weekly Bite newsletter
• Look into purchasing Rosetta Stone????

Have a wonderful Thursday!!!!!

We’ve had a rough couple of days in the WB household. Little Miss M has been wearing her cranky pants and has decided she won’t be letting mommy get much done (other than pay attention to her )

In all seriousness… I’m pretty sure every molar known to man in coming through… poor kid

With all the kid drama I completely forgot to announce the winner of my Hain Celestial Giveaway.

The winner is comment #7 Andrea!!!! Yay!!!

Andrea, I will be sending you an email to get all your info Congrats!

See you all tomorrow!

I think I saw this recipe in a Southern Living Magazine… not sure though.

Its super easy…

First you wanna take about a cup of Italian bread crumbs, a little salt and pepper, and put it in a large ziploc bag. Then take some chicken breast tenders that have been cleaned, place them in the ziploc bag, and shake away until they’re all coated with crumbs.

Cook them in a large pan with a couple tablespoons of olive oil until browned…. about five minutes on each side.

Once cooked, place a strip of canadian bacon on each chicken tender.

Then place a small slice of swiss cheese on top.

Finally… take the entire pan, place it in the oven and broil for a few minutes until cheese is melted.

I served this with some Israeli Couscous and sauteed zucchini and mushrooms. This is so good and so easy! Its perfect for a quick dinner.

Eight Years……………

Today… Tim and I are celebrating our eight year wedding anniversary! I can’t believe its been eight years. It feels like just yesterday when I was a little twenty-two year old girl, out at a bar, and met this tall handsome man.

Yes… we met at a bar. I wish I had some unique story on how we met… but no… we met at a bar 10 1/2 years ago and have been together ever since.
  

We’ve been through so much together… and have literally grown up together. He’s my best friend and I feel so fortunate to have him in my life.

And now we have Little Miss M… she just brought everything to a whole other level….

That smile just about says it all…….

…. and on that note…. I’m out….

Have a great Tuesday!

Yesterday was my Birthday….

It was… really….

I could go on and on about how I’m getting old… blah blah blah….

But I won’t…

You see, Yesterday, I turned thirty-four years old…

there… I said it…

I could say that turning thirty-four means I’m one year away from turning thirty-five which is five years from turning forty…

But I’m not gonna go down that route.

Instead, I’m gonna focus on the positive… and how being 34 years old means how much cooler and wiser I will be.

For those twenty-somethings who are reading this… I promise the thirties are the best!

The twenties are such a strange time… We’re still figuring out who we are and what we’re all about.

The thirties are all about loving the woman we’ve grown to love.

Is this post getting too deep for you? Hope not…

I had a great day yesterday…

I made me some Jamaican Coconut Bread…

Why? Cause Its my birthday and I can do whatever I want….

I found this recipe in an old issue of Cottage Living (which is no longer in print )

I was intrigued with the idea of using a food processor to finely blend the coconut with water. Then you add an egg and some melted butter to form this creamy thick coconut puree.

Its such an easy recipe… all you do in mix the coconut puree with the dry ingredients.

These were delicious! The texture is similar to that of a scone. Very moist, yet dense. The coconut flavor wasn’t overwhelming and they were slightly sweet… which is good

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 light brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cup grated coconut
• 1 cup water
• 1 egg
• 4 oz butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the first five ingredients in a large bowl… set aside. In a food processor or blender, process coconut and water until finely blended. Add egg and melted butter. Process until well blended. Stir coconut mixture into flour mixture until moistened. Batter will be very thick.

Spray a 9×5″ loaf pan, spread batter in and bake for 40-45 minutes. Or… you can make them into muffins like I did. I used an ice cream scooper and scooped the batter into a lined muffin tin. Bake for 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!!!!

Question for you:

What are your thoughts on getting older? I’ve never been bothered by it because I’ve actually found that the older I get… the more I love my life

M & I made it home safe and sound! Boy are we exhausted! I’ve got loads of laundry to do and lots of emails to catch up on…. If you’ve sent me an email this week and I haven’t gotten back to you yet… I will soon. Thank you for being so patient

I have some good news!

I’m giving some stuff away

Are you excited? Who isn’t excited about free stuff?

The Hain Celestial Group is hosting a Family Fitness Challenge!

Located at www.TakeaHealthyBite.com, the program invites families to eat right and exercise together for a chance to receive high value coupons for Hain Celestial products. Additionally, families can receive free Sports Authority® Gift Cards for use in purchasing items like sporting equipment and athletic gear that will enable them to get fit as a family. On the site, families can access activity, meal and snack ideas, log total hours spent participating in fitness activities to receive product coupons and download a form to mail in register receipts. Receipts totaling $10 in participating Hain Celestial products for a free $5 Sports Authority® gift card OR $20 in receipts for a $10 gift card.

I was sent these wonderful products to enjoy. Each of these products are participating in the Family Fitness Challenge.

Multi-Grain Chewy Granola Bars…

Earth’s Best Organic Snackin’ Hearts… M loved these!

Almond Dream Almond Milk…

Garden of Eatin’ Popped Tortilla Chips… I tore into these right away! Loved these!

Garden of Eatin’ Multi-Grain Blue Tortilla Chips…

And Maranatha All-Natural Peanut Butter!

One lucky reader will win a package including:

• Garden of Eatin’® Popped Tortillas
• ALMOND DREAM™ non-dairy beverage
• Earth’s Best Sesame Street® Organic Snackin’ Fruit Hearts/ Rings
• MaraNatha® Organic No Stir Peanut Butter
• Health Valley® Granola Bars
• Free Earth’s Best Frozen Product Coupon
• Sports Authority® gift card ($25 value)

Just leave a comment on this post and I will pick a winner on Monday morning. You have all weekend to enter!

Have a great weekend!!!!

]]> http://weeklybite.com/im-giving-some-stuff-away/feed/ 37 http://weeklybite.com/locked-in/ http://weeklybite.com/locked-in/#comments Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:45:58 +0000 Estela - Weekly Bite http://weeklybite.com/locked-in/ I ran a very sloshy 6 miles in the rain yesterday…

But the good news is the SUN IS SHINING today!!! This post is going to be a quick one so I can enjoy all that glorious sun!

Yesterday we spent 3 hours locked in…. You see, that’s what happens when the President decides to go shopping and eat lunch in the town your staying in. No one could leave or enter any store near him for three hours. We were starving and somehow managed to sneak in the back door of a restaurant. This is the scene of spectators watching the first family shop…

I enjoyed a Blue Moon while we waited for the President to leave….
  

The rest of the day was spent shopping. We went to watch “Eat Pray Love” but the line was fifty people deep when we got there Boo….

The shops here are AMAZING! And mighty pricey too! There’s nothing better than finding a top you absolutely love only to find out is cost $298!!! Umm…. Never mind… I will not be shopping in that store anymore…

Love The Black Dog

Window displays are so much fun! I just love staring at them.

I will be purchasing some of this delicious fudge before I leave….

As for now…. I’m off to enjoy the sunshine!! Yay!!

Tomorrow will be a very long travel day for me… so there will be no blogging.

See you all on Friday

Have a great Wednesday!

Its 65 degrees, super windy, and its been raining constantly. To make matters worse… its not gonna clear up until I leave

Oh well. On the bright side… I am on vacation, I’m not at home, and I can do whatever I want

Tim and I had lunch yesterday at Skinny’s Fat Sandwiches. Its a fun little sandwich shop right across the way from our B&B.

I loved their huge chalkboard menu wall! So cute!

I had the veggie & hummus wrap…

It was the best hummus wrap I’ve ever had!! They make the red pepper hummus fresh in the store. It has chunks of chickpeas in it too! It also had summer squash, zucchini, romaine, and pickles! It was mighty tasty

I couldn’t help but take pics of their ice cream menu! LOVE the descriptions!!! If I wasn’t so full from my wrap I would’ve ordered the Oreo Cookie Nookie!

I wonder if anyone’s ever ordered the “Oink?” I’d just love to see it!!

Being on a Kid-less vacation… there are some things Tim and I have been able to do that we haven’t done since before M was born.

• Go on a 6 mile run together, and feel good that I can still keep up with him
• Sleep in past 6:30 in the morning. Which for us is sleeping until 8… which feels like we’ve slept till 11.
• Go to dinner at 8pm… then grab cocktails after…
• Go to the movies!!! (This is our own fault… we could easily get a baby sitter to do this.) With the weather being so crummy we ventured out to the local movie theatre and saw “The Kid’s are Alright” with Annette Benning and Julianne Moore. It was a great movie!
• We realize how much we miss our little munchkin All we do now is talk about her! We’re at a restaurant and see someone’s kid scream and throw food on the floor and all we do is just look at each other and realize how much we miss M. ‘Sigh’ The grass is always greener….

It’s another cold and rainy day here on the Vineyard. Our B&B has no gym (obviously) so I think I might brave the rain and go running. I foresee another movie in our future today. “Eat Pray Love” is playing today so we may go see that…

Question:

What do you do when you get rained out on vacation?

I need some suggestions

Have a great day!

After a long drive on Friday, and an airplane ride on Saturday…. I’m here Tim was already up here for work so we decided to make it a little vacation

Did I mention this was a kid-less vacation??! I dropped M off at her grandparents house. Rest-assured, she’s being very well taken care of… in fact… I’m pretty sure she’s being very spoiled at this very moment

We’re staying at the Fallon Boutique Bread & Breakfast in Edgartown. IT. IS. GORGEOUS. Conveniently, they have a gourmet restaurant and bar on the first floor

Here it is… So pretty!

The room decor is described as vineyard casual. I love the toile wallpaper. Very vintage.

Here’s the super cute bar downstairs. I love the feel of it and the decor.

The best thing about the bar is you can order your drink, walk outside, and enjoy it on the adirondack chairs…

This is the dreadful view from from the front yard…. Life is rough…
  

We walked a couple blocks from our B&B for lunch… We decided on The Wharf Restaurant & Pub.

It has your standard pub decor… very cozy…

Cozy decor and cooler temps outside made me crave soup. I ordered a bowl of their New England Clam Chowder for lunch. It was one of the best clam chowders I’ve ever had. It had a smoky flavor with bits of bacon in it.

Tim ordered the sirloin steak sandwich and fries. I had a few bites of his sandwich and a handful of fries. His sandwich was incredible!

Because I hadn’t had any veggies yet… I had a spicy bloody mary for an afternoon snack

It was a great start to our vacation

In the past I’ve gotten some emails on how to eat/stay healthy when on vacation.

Here’s what I do….

I eat on vacation the same way I eat at home. I eat exactly what I want. I eat when I’m hungry… most of the time… and stop when I’ve had enough. I will be enjoying more cocktails then normal and will definitely be eating out more/daily. I’m not big on eating out for breakfast. Don’t know why… but I’m just not a huge breakfast person. We have a little fridge in our room stocked with yogurt and fruit. I normally have a small breakfast, eat healthy lunch out, and eat whatever I’m craving for dinner.

I also go for a five mile run every day and walk everywhere.

What about you? How do you stay healthy on vacation?

It’s a dreary, rainy day today on the Vineyard. Not sure what’s on the agenda today… We have no schedule so the day is wide open

Have a great Monday!

I’ll have a full report later on what’s its like to drive five hours with a fifteen month old… but first… I want to get some things off my chest…

Confession #1: I have an abnormal obsession with this clothing website! Its like a cheaper version of Anthropologie. Their clothing style is ‘current vintage’… Does that makes any sense?? If you’re in the market for a super cute dress, this is your place!

Confession #2: I made a batch of brownies for some friends last night. Without even thinking I placed the empty bowl in the sink and squirted a dab a dish soap. I quickly realized that I didn’t do my traditional “lick the bowl”… I took my finger and scraped the parts of batter that weren’t touched with dish soap.

Are you grossed out? Don’t be… I didn’t get any dish soap in my mouth… promise

Confession #3: The D.C. Housewives make me wanna puke! I’m a huge fan of Bravo’s Housewives Series… but D.C. is a huge disappointment. There’s only one problem… I watch it anyway! What’s wrong with me?!?!??

Confession #4: Right now, as we’re driving, I’m consuming a 32-oz soda fountain Diet Cherry Coke from 7 ELEVEN. I know its unhealthy, but it could be worse… I could be consuming a 32-oz Mountain Dew…

I’ll see you on Monday from my vacation destination!

Now its your turn… CONFESS AWAY….

I had a feeling you might not know what Cowboy Candy is… so here’s the definition:

Cowboy Candy is a sweet and fiery blend of jalapeno peppers, onions, garlic, bell peppers, and various spices mixed into a caramelized sugar sauce.

Think of something you would sample at a country fair poured over a block of cream cheese… that’s what it is.

Three things inspired me to make this…

1. Freshly picked jalapeno peppers from my garden.
2. Leaving for vacation in two days…
3. Even though I’m a born and raised Texan… I had never heard of Cowboy Candy until my friend, Melissa, from high school told me about it. She saw my post about my first jalapeno pickling experience and asked me if I’d had Cowboy Candy before. The name drew me in immediately!

Look at all that garlic! So good!
  

I scoured the internet and looked at tons of recipes… after getting way too confused, I made my own. Here’s a little advice… what you’re suppose to do is fill the entire empty jar with jalalpeno’s… filled to the top. Obviously I didn’t have enough to fill the jar… so I just went with it.

I sliced up the jalapeno’s and roughly chopped four cloves of garlic. All of that went in the jar.

For the sauce, I combined 2 cups of white vinegar, 4 cups of sugar, and 1 tsp turmeric. You want to bring this to a boil… once it reaches a rolling boil, reduce heat to a low boil and stir until the sauce thickens. I purposely made the sauce a little thin. I thickened the sauce until it lightly coated the spoon. If you want to make this like a jelly, you want to continue to stir and boil until it thickly coats the spoon.

Pour the super hot liquid over the jalapeno’s. Seal immediately and refrigerate. The peppers should be ready in 24 hours.

These were so good I could’ve eaten it with a spoon! I understand why Melissa loves em’ so much.

So here’s the million dollar question….

Have you ever heard of Cowboy Candy before?

In other important news…

Here’s the latest list of eggs recalled for salmonella poisoning. Check your eggs!