....I sat down tonight to fill up my pages with the multitude of family events that just occurred, but in preparing to do so; I quickly became intimidated by all the pictures I still need to sort through.....my sister in law did a fantastic job weaving it all together and she posted it all so quickly, but I just don't have it in me tonight.....I got a late start on my date with MAC and for good reason.....my husband and I actually sat down to dinner together.....just the two of us.....for the first time in over two weeks....I cringe as I type that because infrequent couple time is not typical for us....it is way too long to go without a good meal and conversation with your beloved, but April was a blur and it got the best of us.....
....Brody turned one, we celebrated Easter, we had a full house of 9 people for a several days, two girlfriends popped in for a night and I took a solo trip to my alma mater to celebrate my sister's college graduation.....there were also field trips, parent teacher conferences, birthday parties, play dates, sicknesses....you know, the normal stuff that just piles up.....
....not only did the month pile up, but our entire family got very lazy with our eating habits.....I'm not going to speak for my whole family (Stefan), but I felt like it was time to purge the system and cleanse ourselves of processed, quick fixes and get back to planned and carefully prepared meals that are realistic to make with three small children and a very busy and hard working husband who arrives home late, ready to eat.....and for those that know us well, it's no secret that this household likes to eat.....
....even as he learns to use a spoon, he still manages to pack it down.....
....traveling, company and crazed schedules have made it challenging to practice good eating habits.....and while in Tallahassee, I just could not resist some of my favorites.....
....it's illegal to eat a raw oyster without a draft beer.....at least in my book.....
....and as much as I missed my babes and Stefan on my 48 hour escapade, I still whooped it up like a college girl.....it was so much fun to celebrate with my siblings, feed only myself at the dinner table, not change a diaper for two days and I especially enjoyed taking a shower alone......privacy is a luxury that I did not take for granted......I also had not been back to Florida State campus in 12 years.....
....although it was more emotional that I thought it would be upon entering the house I lived in for many years while on campus.....I had it all pulled together until the door opened and the house smelled the exact same....no place like home.....this was home to me and several of my besties for three years of my college career.....through our sense of smell, emotions are born and memories I haven't remembered in years flooded me upon my first inhalation in my old house.....the college girls upstairs, although all very polite, thought I was a lunatic....there I was, sobbing as I visited old rooms and laughing out loud when I would remember something hysterical.....and then I would linger in a hallway corner to gather myself together while I cried and laughed, simultaneously; snapping pictures all while this barge of emotions overwhelmed me.....
......crazy alums......
.....and the cheap draft beer in solo cups still tastes the same.....
....I'm laughing hysterically because my Dad snapped this photo, but couldn't see the picture button in the dark college bar.....so I sat posing with my solo cup beer for a good 30 seconds before he figured out how to take this picture.....
.....like I just said, crazy alums.....
....back to good eating habits, though.....long segue, but again, like my two week over-do dinner with my husband, we always find our way back to each other.....
....Sunday night I planned out all of our dinners....I placed a huge order of groceries, had them delivered on Monday and had a plan for how I was going to use all of the fresh ingredients.....I used to be really good at this, but it's taken me a while to get my groove back after having a third child.....a year ago.....oh well; it's a marathon, not a sprint, when it comes to my pace......
.....tonight's dinner was my favorite so far this week.....although, it probably had a lot to do with my company......I found this recipe on pinterest and have many more I am excited to try.....I am aiming for healthy, fresh and non processed ingredients and recipes that are not very labor intensive.....I am happy to share our future meals that are a hit with our party of five......this one has helped move us in the right direction.....garlic-lemon chicken kabobs.....so delicious and the recipe can be found here......
.....although, we city dwellers do not use grills.....maybe the lucky ones who have a nice outdoor terrace over looking Central Park can follow this recipe to the tee......but for the rest of us, we really get to know our ovens and have to adjust the grilling recipes we attempt to try.....
.....I placed these in the oven for 12 minutes at 415 degrees, rotating twice (make sure to soak your kabob sticks in water first) and then I broiled them for 6 minutes, turning kabobs twice to evenly charbroil.....
....we also added a dash of Annie's organic asian sesame dressing and a splash of low sodium soy sauce once we mixed of veggies together with the rice......it was fabulous!......
....bon appetit....
