Hearty Chili

Are you a Chili lover? You are not alone! I just made one of my best batches of chili to date! On a week when our almost 1 year old is having molar teething pain, this bowl of comfort couldn't have happened at a better time :-)

So here ya have it:

-1 large can of plain Tomato Sauce (NOT pasta sauce, simply pureed tomato's) 

-1/4 cup of uncooked Quinoa

-1 large can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained

-1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

-1 pound cooked and drained ground beef

-2tblsp of Chili powder

-1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced small

-A handful of onion flakes

-A dash of garlic powder

-red pepper flakes to taste (I like to let each person add there own due to a sensitive toddler mouth in our household )

I simply toss all of these ingredients into my crockpot on high for 4 hours (or low for 8 hours). How easy of a weeknight dinner is that?!

Here's one satisfied "I love momma's chili" face! :-D

Baby Food- The Fresh Way

Well- my baby girl is 5 months old! Can you believe it? I sure can't! So in honor of this gorgeous summer we are having I thought I'd share with the masses my first attempts at baby food making! So far we have officially made apple/zuchini, banana blueberry, and banana/avocado. Savannah loves bananas and if it was up to her they would be in everything! She truly is my monkey.

To start off- I am a fan and of doing what works for my little Babe- and that is NOT ALWAYS what is recommended by doctors. So this is just me sharing how we do things in the Drake household :)

Savannah has been tasting baby foods since about four months old. I decided it made sense to give her tastes every so often early on so it wasn't a huge shock to her system. We started with easily digested foods like bananas, apples, and avocados. :) studies show that baby cereal actually rots in the stomaches of babes so young because they can't digest grains properly. So after learning this we decided to limit her grain intake. We use cereal a little bit but I'd rather my babe have easily digested and YUMMY foods! Savannah even sucks/gnaws the banana right off itself- I watch carefully to make sure she doesn't get chunks :) So you could say we do a little baby-led eating! She loves her mesh feeder too- that's a great option if you feel uncomfortable with the banana sucking technique!

I love avocado/banana food momma makes!

Avocado/Banana Puree: 1 peeled banana and one scooped out avocado placed into a food processor! Wa-la!

Blueberry/Banana: 1 peeled banana and a half cup blueberries in the food processor!

Zuchini/Apple: cut up pieaces of both (peels on) cooked on med heat for ten minutes with two tbsp of butter. I then poured liquid off and blended in food processor. Once done I strained through a small mesh strainer. Wa-la!

Once all of these were done I spooned into an ice cube tray- froze- and then popped them out and bagged them in freezer. Right now Savannah only eats about one or two cubes worth- so it's great to have the ability to take as many out as needed!

So there ya have it! A foodie glimpse into Savannah's routine :)

Savannah Marie

So it's been just a little while since I have blogged- huh? It's like I had a baby or something! 

So here she is! My sweetest little froggy! Savannah Marie was born 1-14-15 and she came out perfect,flawless, amazing, and all of the other words that mean I'm a mom now ;-) Oh yes- and with huge feet like her momma. Josh tells me while they were cleaning her up a nurse exclaimed "she has huge feet!" I am so smitten on this little girl it's crazy! When she wakes up in the morning I cannot wait to go see her because she is always so happy in the morning. When I get home from work she is all smiles and she just makes life have even more meaning! 

Being a mom is for sure the toughest job I have ever had- but other than the no time off the benefits are pretty good! Savannah is almost three months old and I absolutely love seeing her grow and hit new milestones- there's always something new with this little firecracker! She already has my demeanor but is a spitting image of her daddy! I could count on one hand the amount of people who say she looks like me but that is quite alright because I think her daddy is pretty good looking if I do say so ;-) This girl is SO curious and ever since she was born she wants to see everything, sit up, chew her hands, suck her thumb, lay on her tummy, and sleep a lot! Since being born she has been ahead for her size and at her last appointment her length was 95% so she might just be tall like mommy! I can see some red in her hair in the sunlight but we won't be able to tell for sure til it gets longer- right now it's just pretty brown :-) 

Some things I've learned since my little Savannah came out to meet us:

• Caffeine is so popular because of moms
• Sleep deprivation makes everything more dramatic
• Baby poop is not normal and can totally shoot like a squirt gun
• Bath time is so much fun until it's time to get out- then brace yourself
• Thumb sucking is great because they will never lose it- but then again when she's mad she makes a fist and cannot find it anyway
• Having a baby girl is the best doll you could ever dress up!
• Sometimes the baby's clothes get stained with YOUR food because you're always holding them at first- haha!
• Breastfeeding is hard no matter what they say- but you'll find what works for you
• Your cats will get jealous of the new baby and start acting like lunatics
• There is SO much more laundry just with one baby!
• There is so much more trash too
• Don't get attached to your favorite baby outfit- they'll probably have a poop blowout on it
• Baby girls can get pee all over too- don't think you dodge a bullet with that one!
• Always plan to leave a half an hour before you need to- but you will still be late.
• Being a mom brings more reward than anything I've ever experienced
• Having a great husband is priceless- especially when you just want a shower

So that's just a little bit about my sweet girl and our life as a family of three so far! More updates coming soon! <3

Savannah Marie 1-14-15 7lbs. 5oz. Perfect <3

Flawless

We love being a family of three!

The day I became this girl's momma was one of the best days of my life <3