Cooking together.

Brown rice with vegetables and marinated pork chops

In our home, we really enjoy cooking together. When we're all in the kitchen we seem to always have a good time. Whether it's a quick snack, a sweet  treat or dinner we're preparing. We always enjoy preparing these as a family. 

Brown Rice with Vegetables: Diced-Carrots, red onion, cilantro, broccoli, red/green bell pepper and garlic.

Seasoned with: Chili powder, cumin, ground pepper, salt, dash of cinnamon and garlic powder. Stir together with brown rice. We normally cook our brown rice in the oven for about an hour.

Pork chops: marinated in Worcestershire sauce,  Italian dressing, whole pepper corns and soy sauce.

Cooked with peppers and onions.

I also prepared a quick and easy cucumber salad.

-cucumbers, sprinkle with garlic salt seasoning, pepper and toss  in Italian dressing. All done! 

Do you enjoy cooking together as a family? What's something you enjoy preparing with your family?

Enjoy! 

**Welcome new readers, so happy to have you here**

Winter. Around here.

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” 

― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

Winter.- Snow, mittens, warm hats, scarves and warm drinks to warm us all up. We enjoy our time out. Playing in the snow and creating ice igloos and sweet baby snow angels. The snow falls. It's all so beautiful. We enjoy these moments. 

Parks are covered with icy slides and cold swings.Our oldest daughter enjoys her time at the park.-She runs, jumps and climbs. While she plays with dad, I carry little one around in her carrier. I take as many photos as I possibly can. I think there is just something about winter that is so beautiful. 

At home, thicker blankets are out. Snowsuits, wet jackets and snow boots stay out to dry. Hot soups are prepared and we enjoy some warm drinks. Our daughter has a favorite.- Warm vanilla milk. We warm up a little milk and add in a drop of vanilla extract. She loves this.  I enjoy watching her sip up her warm milk. We discuss our day and what we all enjoyed most about it. I enjoyed our time spent together. Having fun and capturing these beautiful moments. Winter, we enjoy having you around. 

Lately-Remember to smile..

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,

 but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” 

― Thích Nhất Hạnh

Lately...

-We have enjoyed trips to our local library.  We attend a few of the library programs as well.

-Playing a few audio books for the little ones.-  A drive to the grocery store or a quick trip to the post office. They seem to enjoy this time listening to a story.

-Enjoying more sunny days. When we get sunny days, we really do appreciate them!

-Watching my girls interact with each other. -I absolutely love these moments. Our little one is giggling now and her big sister can't resist giving her sweet kisses all over. -I can't help but to smile!

- I'm running more and staying on track with my workouts. - Trust me it's challenging finding the time and motivation sometimes. I must say I'm pretty darn proud of myself that I've been able to keep it up for a few months now.- Brings a smile to my face just seeing my progress.

-Preparing healthier foods and snacks! - We're enjoying more healthier foods and snacks in our home. Also preparing our lunches ahead of time for the week. -Thank you all who enjoyed my post on the Oat Banana Chocolate Cookies. If you were able to make them, I sure hope you enjoyed them as much as we have! 

-My oldest daughter and I have been enjoying watching a few of the Nature shows on PBS. We just recently watched one on Dogs. 

-Working on a few lessons. I recently checked out a preschool curriculum book. I've been busy working on a few learning charts and fun lessons to do with our oldest daughter during the day.

-Creating art. We've been  creating quite a bit of art in our home. Putting it on display and just sitting back and admiring such beautiful and unique pieces our daughter creates.

Life gets busy. We must always remember to smile.

At times, I feel like my days are hectic. I'm later reminded that these hectic days are spent with the ones I love. -And of course that brings a smile to my face. 

In the Kitchen.- Sweet tooth.

Oat Banana Chocolate cookies

2-3 bananas
1 cup of oats (If you find that you are wanting a bigger batch, try 2 cups instead)
Cacao Dark Chocolate chunks or you can use milk chocolate chip morsels
Optional- 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

Mash bananas, add in oats, vanilla extract and slowly add in your chocolate chunks/morsels. 

Preheat oven to 350 and bake for about 12-13 minutes. 

Once done, add to cooling rack and allow to sit for about 5 minutes 

I promise they are delicious and healthy! 

**I placed my batch in my fridge. They taste great and what a quick and easy way to prepare a simple sweet treat for all to enjoy!**

Here we are...

Cheers to the New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful time ringing in the New Year.

So much has been going on. We're actually quite busy around here these days. Our little one will be 4 months this month and she's been doing some exploring. -I enjoy early mornings with her. We read, explore around the house and I just can't get enough of her sweet cooing sounds. -She's also blowing bubbles with her cute little lips.  

Our oldest, has been exploring science projects. And working on a few reading lessons. I'm trying to get on a set schedule with her. -We're getting there! 

It's actually quite peaceful around here. After the holidays and dealing with crowds and what not, I'm actually enjoying this peaceful time. I didn't make any New Year’s resolutions. - Honestly I would love to just participate in a fun run and go on a few new adventures. My husband and I started back up with our fitness schedule a few months after having our little one last year. - I've been running again and going on my morning walks. - Truthfully I feel so refreshed after a nice workout.  Do you enjoy working out? If so are you more of a morning workout kind of person or do you enjoy evening workouts? 

Our days are long, yet very enjoyable. I've always enjoyed my time in the kitchen. I've been experimenting with different ways to prepare brown rice. -Diced peppers, onions, garlic, a few seasonings and I promise it's so delicious!  I've also been working on homemade snacks. Apple chips, banana oat cookies and one of my favorites is actually, carrots drizzled in olive oil with a few spices and placed in the oven. It's a perfect snack. It's light and also goes well as a side with dinner.

I'm so thrilled for the New Year! So here we are, new adventures, Memories in the making and just working on being a better me. -Wife, mother, daughter, friend, blogger and so much more. Thank you all for coming along on my blogging journey.