North Woods Bean Soup

North Woods Bean Soup
serves 4
recipe found on My Recipe.com site.

Cooking spray

1 cup baby carrots, halved

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

7 ounces turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 (15.8-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 (6-ounce) bag fresh baby spinach leaves

1.  Heat a large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and kielbasa; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes. Add the broth, Italian seasoning, pepper, and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

2. Place 2 cups of the soup in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Return the pureed mixture to pan. Simmer an additional 5 minutes. Remove soup from heat. Add the spinach, stirring until spinach wilts.

Karl's reaction: "Oh, man. We're having soup tonight?" **grumble grumble** "Wait, this is pretty good. Actually this is really good. I think I need more."

My take: REALLY good soup. Loved this. Super quick and easy.

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Quick Healthy Breakfast Casserole

Tasty breakfast casserole goes a long way
serves 8-12
recipe from a church friend

1 dozen eggs

1 cup milk
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp dry mustard
1 bag of Simply Potatoes Hash Browns
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Bacon or other goodies

1. Mix all ingredients together and pour into casserole or cake pan and bake at 350 F for one hour.

2. Add bacon bits (I used real bacon) after it is in pan. I also added mushrooms, green, red and yellow bell peppers.

Karl's reaction: "Probably could use just a little more salt but this is really good."

My take: I love this recipe. It's easy to make and tastes great. It also feeds a lot of people.

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Chicken, Wild Rice and Cherry Tomato Casserole

Chicken, Wild Rice and Cherry Tomato Casserole
serves 6
recipe found in an advertisement in on of my health magazines for Nature Sweet Cherry Tomatoes

1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
4 oz mushrooms, bottoms trimmed, sliced thin
2 (5 oz) packages long grain and wild rice seasoned rice mix (I used the 5 minute rice)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
4 chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2" slices
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups of hot water
1 package of NatureSweet cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large casserole dish, combine the first nine ingredients, top with tomatoes, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Karl's reaction: 'This is different than anything you've ever made before. I like it a lot. Good job babe."
My take: I was surprised cuz I normally don't make rice but this was good! Will make again!

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Being Surrounded by the Flu Bug - Month Six

week 23

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.  (www.babycenter.com) 

Merry Christmas all! Here's our Holiday Card I made in about 30 minutes this year. It's not my greatest work, as I was running out of time but at least I sent them out and most people should get them on time...I hope...

Last week was such a good week and then poof - everything changed. Isn't life funny that way? My parents came up on Monday night, which I was so excited about. They watched me play volleyball for the first time in a very very very long time, but it was also my last time playing until the baby is born (my dad said I was incredibly slow...jeesh, thanks).

Tuesday my brother Mike and I were in our church's Service of Remembrance worship, so my parents came to that and we sang Christmas carols after, which always puts me in the Christmas spirit. Karl had one more final to take so he missed out. Then Wednesday my dad planned to paint Baby K's nursery while Karl and I were working all day. By the looks of all the ideas I printed up from my new favorite site Pinterest and what my dad sketched up on the walls, this nursery is going to turn out way COOL. I can't wait for all of you to see...that is...if it gets done. On Wednesday morning my dad was racing downstairs when I woke up. He said he didn't feel right and spent the next 12 hours in the bathroom. Yeah.... Not good.

We thought maybe with all the antibiotics he's been on, his immune system was lowered and he picked up a bug. Of course my mom was freaking out about his heart since a few weeks ago his was in stage B congestive heart failure (all because of a tooth infection that found its way into his heart). **Floss your teeth people** So we assumed since what started off as poison ivy all over his face, then H-Pylori, which then turned into a tooth infection, then an awful cold and now the flu, he just needed to build up his immune system and was more susceptible to germs.

I left work early yesterday so I could spend time with my mom since my dad was so sick and she doesn't know how her GPS works or where any of the stores are around here. We spent a lot of time together. Then last night we all had dinner and started watching TV. My mom all of a sudden jumped out of her seat and booked into the bathroom and stayed there for the next 12 hours. She got the same crazy flu my dad had!!!

Not to mention Karl has a major fear of getting sick. And I mean major major major fear. All I was looking for was the, "It's going to be fine, babe. Remember, you work out. You take four vitamins every day. You eat super healthy. You're going to be okay, honey." Oh, no. He wound me up so tight last night saying that I was going to be admitted to the hospital if I got the same flu bug my parents had and I'd have IVs sticking out of me because I'm pregnant and I need fluids. And pregnant women get sick easier. So I couldn't sleep. I stayed up all night wondering when the bug would strike me, worried that I'll be hurting our baby if I get it. Then he said it would be inevitable we both would be next and we basically needed to accept it.

This is the big difference about us. We both came from very different environments. Me, much more positive. Him, a lot more negative and anxiety filled. I think we balance each other out well though, but last night all his anxiety and negativity put me over the top. I couldn't take it.

So I need to blog about this and tell myself that Karl, baby and I will be fine. I do take care of myself. Yes, I might bite my fingernails (I haven't for two days), but I wash my hands all the time. I see people leave volleyball without washing their hands and get sick all the time. I try to get fresh air whenever I can. I eat really really good. I wash my cell phone off with disinfectant wipes. And I do workout. I didn't even think the flu shot counted. I never get that stupid shot, but this year I did...and it's for upper respiratory stuff. Now I wish it did protect against the throwing-up part. I guess I'm just worried about the lack of sleep now... And all the stress. I swear my blood pressure was through the roof last night.

Hoping and praying the bug leaves the house and every one is in tip-top shape come Christmas.

Too all of you...have a very Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!           

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