Just can't get enough!

Do you ever just get hooked on a certain food, and you could literally eat it all day, everyday?!?! 

Well, Hello, my name is Leslie, and I can't get enough of this right here...

Yes.. that's right, I am hooked on Cauliflower. But not just raw cauliflower, that you would dip in ranch or put on a salad.. I'm hooked on Roasted Cauliflower.. So here's how you get it..

1 head of Cauliflower

1-2 TBSP Olive Oil

Ground Sea Salt

Ground Black Pepper

Yes, literally, that is all you need!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Break down your Cauliflower, into pieces like this. 

You can cut them to any size you desire. If you go too small though, they will brown more quickly than the other pieces. In the above picture, I have drizzled with the olive oil & then Salt & Pepper went on after that. 

I allow to roast for 15 minutes, I then turn the pieces over & allow to roast for 15 more minutes. And then I even sometimes roast them a little longer, because I LOVE to get them really brown. :)

And here is what you get.. I have no words for the taste that occurs.

It can only be experienced :) Jeremiah LOVES them as well! I actually add some Franks Hot Sauce to mine, and it's just so "Licious" as Jeremiah says!

I hope you will try this Simple, yet tasty treat!!

I hope you all are having a great week so far. It's been a challenging week for me, by my own doing of course.. I've been dealing with some personal things, that I have tried to take control over to deal with myself. Which, is always the WRONG answer! So I've really had to ask God to take the lead, and guide me. Our human nature always wants to think, Oh, I've got this, or I've got that under control. When, lets face it, we don't. So, I'm taking steps in the right direction, that's for sure! I'm just so thankful that I am loved by an amazing God, who doesn't look at my faults & failures that occur on a daily basis. I'm a work in progress, I'm under construction! 

{Leslie}

Oh, here's my #TBT for this week. My brother & I swimming at my Grandparents house.

I'm ready for some WARM weather!

When he wants, what he wants...

Hi Friends.. I hope you had an amazing weekend & a fantastic week so far!

So let me ask you.. are you familiar with what these are?

Well if not, let me explain. These are French Macaroons. I love them, like alot. I blame the TV Show Gossip Girl for my love of these. Blair Waldorf had a love for these on the show, and it spawned my love. But hey, this post isn't about me... it's about Jeremiah!

So.. a certain Realtor friend of ours, who I will name as the Beautiful Tina, sends us a magnetic Calender at the beginning of every year. We put it on our refrigerator everytime. Said calender offers recipes each month.Well.. lets fast forward to April, shall we? Jeremiah found the calender, and clearly found which month he loved the most.. and that is April. Aprils recipe is for French Macaroons.. and so began his love for these.. "Cheeseburgers" :)

So... last Thursday, we as a family were riding home from the Gym. Danny & I asked Jeremiah what he wanted for lunch. He proceeded to tell us he wanted a "Pink Cheeseburger." Well.. we were totally stumped as to why he would request such a thing. We got home & I decided I wanted a Turkey Burger. So I told Jeremiah I was making a Burger for him. He wanted it to be a Pink one.. What?!? So, in order to not crush his hopes & dreams, I got creative. I made him a "Pink" Cheeseburger!

 So, here is the base to my Turkey Burger.

1 lb 99% lean ground Turkey

1 TSP Ground Black Pepper

1 TSP Ground Sea Salt

1 TSP Onion Powder

1 TSP Garlic Powder

1 TBSP Lemon Zest

1 TBSP Melted Coconut Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I LOVE the lemon flavor the zest adds.. So I mix the Turkey & all the ingredients together. Yes, even the oil. The Turkey is so lean, it needs some good fats! I separate them into burgers. Do this as necessary for your family. unfortunately, I'm STILL trying to get my Hubs into this routine. So Jeremiah & I split this amount between us. :) 

For his "Pink" Burger, I just made him a sauce that looked Pink. Which was 1 TBSP 2% Greek Yogurt with 1 TSP Ketchup! I didn't have it on my Burger, and I also did NOT have cheese. But for him, he needs the added Fat with the Cheese. And I will never complain about the fat content!

So.. 2 days later, what did he want??!?! A YELLOW Cheeseburger. Well Tina.. thank you for keeping me on my toes! I not only accomplished it, but I NAILED it!!! Same base burger. But, I added some sauteed Yellow peppers... I added 2 small yellow peppers. Which you can get a bag of sweet peppers at the grocery. Just ask me because, I did NOT take a picture of the bag! But it is not the normal pepper size. 

So I sauteed some Yellow Peppers in a TBSP of coconut oil. I sweated them out & let them cool. I then, added said peppers to Ground Turkey Mixture. Therefore, I made a Yellow Burger! I put it on top of a roasted Portabella Mushroom Cap. 

I do know this... Your child WILL eat what you are enthusiastic & excited about! Jeremiah LOVED this recipe. It was his Yellow Burger. Yes, I made a Greek yogurt blend to on top. And if interested I will post it. But I am THEE worst about taking measurements... All I know is this.. When you make fresh food for your family & you love it at the same time, so will your children! 

I hope y'all have had an amazing week so far!!

{Leslie}

Friday Favorites

Good Morning Friends!

I've decided to do a special post, every other Friday called, Friday Favorites. I want to spotlight one of my favorite things, that I love! Some days it could be something minor, and others more major :) So for my very first post, it's a MAJOR MAJ post :)

It's not every day, that you find someone who captures your families special moments. And not just a little  posed picture, but really captures precious moments, in a way that you never imagined possible. Someone to a point that they are no longer your photographer, but a part of your Family.

Well, let me introduce you to Whitney, her husband Kyle & sweet daughter Iris. They are the founders of Ballentine Photography. www.ballentinephotography.com. 

 

First of all, I have known Whitney since she was born. She is the youngest of 4 girls, and I knew her 2 older sisters more personally than I knew Whit, because of our age. She's a youngin :)

When we Adopted Jeremiah, we couldn't tell anyone for a few weeks that we had him. There were legalities that had to be worked out before people could know. However, I wanted his first few days of life captured in photos. So I got ahold of Whitneys older sister, Stephanie, who I knew was doing some photography. I knew I could trust her not to say anything. So I went to her home to have Jeremiahs pictures done, I believe he was 10 days old.

Well, Stephanie & her family moved to Africa to follow Gods calling on their lives to be Missionaries. But she told me that her sister Whitney was starting to get into photography as well, and that I should have her do Jeremiah's pictures in the future.

The first event that I asked Whitney to come take pictures at, was Jeremiah's official Adoption Day! She would have to come to the courthouse to take pictures of the proceedings & then take a few pics afterwards. To say that she went over & beyond that day would be a complete understatement. She blew my mind! She created THEE most amazing video

that day, that I had NO idea she was even doing. To this day, 3 years later, the video brings me to tears.

I knew from that moment forward, I would never have anyone else take our pictures. And I haven't. She has captured Jeremiahs every special moment.

And that has also poured onto my brothers family. Whenever they are in town from Florida, we always plan family photos. She was even willing to take a road trip with me to Florida, to capture the birth of my twin nephews (my hubby ruined that idea, but in a good way!)

I love Whitney & her little family. They are an awesome team & they really capture every perfect moment. Thank you for all of the special moments you have given our family over the last 3 years. And we ALL look forward to all the future moments we will get to share!

You are my Favorite today :)

{Leslie}

 

Throwback Thursday

Alright, Alright, Alright! (you know whose voice I'm using here)

So it's been a couple days since I've posted.. Ok, it's been like 3 to be exact. I guess I don't want to start getting on everyone's nerves so soon, by posting everyday. I've really wanted to though! I've had a lot to say & share. So what do you think, everyday? Ok, you talked me into it!!! :) I have an AMAZING post to share tomorrow, you won't want to miss it. It's a special I will be doing every Friday! So be sure to come back tomorrow!!! 

So, it's #TBT. And as my contribution to this day, I will be sharing a DELICIOUS recipe that my once again, amazing friend Brooke shared with me :) I just revamped it a bit. I love when you have those friendships where, when you have made something yummy & amazing, you just can't help but share it with someone that you know will enjoy it just as equally! That's how I am feeling about all of you who are trying my recipes that I have shared so far! So on that note.. here we go!

Veg Out Bowl

What you need:

1 Small Eggplant

1/2 Small Onion

1/2 Cup Peppers of Choice (I used Red & Yellow)

1/2 Cup Mushrooms

10 Grape Tomatoes, halved

1/2 Can Garbanzo Beans (drain & rinse with water)

1/2 TSP Minced Garlic

1/2 TSP Fresh Thyme

1/2 TSP Sea Salt & Black Pepper

Juice from half a Lemon

1 TBSP Olive Oil (I added a little more during the sauteing process)

Partially peel the eggplant & slice into 1/2" pieces. Lay a couple layers of paper towel down & lay the slices on the paper towel. Salt both sides of eggplant & let them sit for 30 minutes. This process is SO important. The salt will draw out the moisture that is in the eggplant. Pat them dry with paper towel once the 30 minutes is up. 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Cut them into quarter sized pieces & spread them out onto a baking sheet. I left a few in sliced for, for snacking while I was cooking) Drizzle with Olive Oil & Pepper. So salt, since they already have been salted. Even though you pat the moisture out, they still retain a salty flavor. Bake them for 15 minutes & then turn them over. Bake for another 15 minutes & then let cool.

In a Medium skillet, add your Olive Oil & Tomatoes. Let them cook for about 2-3 minutes to start the "bursting" process. Add your Onions & Garlic, letting the onions sweat out a bit. Next, add Peppers, Mushrooms & Thyme. Let all that yumminess marry together for, I'd say 2 minutes or more. Depending on how soft you like your Veggies. Lastly, add the Garbanzo beans & Salt & Pepper. I add them last because I don't like them to get mushy! Again, cook for just a couple minutes. (Pictured below is everything you saute, except I forgot to get the beans in the pic! Oops!)

 

I then take a good size bowl, and combine my eggplant from the baking sheet, with the Veggies from the saute pan. Drizzle with a little olive oil & the juice from half a lemon. (more or less depending on how juicy the lemon is!)

And there you have it! I hope you will try this recipe, it is SO filling! And I even used the leftovers & put them on top of some Ground Turkey Taco meat, Rice & Greek Yogurt I had made the next day! 

Ok, so that just seemed like the longest post ever! HAHA! So my husband had to go into work today, on his day off for a little bit. Which bums me out & also mixes my day up. We are usually at the Gym right now, but instead will have to go this afternoon & I'm so not a fan of working out later in the day. Anyone else with me on that? I find that I lose motivation later in the day. I'm so energized in the morning! However, I'll find joy in the fact that I am in fact able to workout, and with my husband! That's a true blessing. 

Well if you all don't mind, I'm going to hop off here & go see what little Mr is getting into downstairs. But, I'd like to post again this evening. I have another Vegetable dish I want to share today, as well as my Heart about some things! Enjoy your day, and find Joy in a little something today :)

{Leslie}

#TBT Jeremiah when he was 4 months old :)

Manic Monday...

Hello Friends :)

It's been a pretty frazzled day thus far for Jeremiah and I.. I've been attempting to sit down & write today, for 2 hours. And ole Jeremiah clearly could sense I was trying to have some quiet time, therefore he is currently singing at the top of his lungs & jumping on his bed! I have just checked out at this point.. at least he isn't strangling the dog, or destroying his play room! He's confined :)

Before I forget, I want to share a little treat with you, that I make for Jeremiah! I meant to post it yesterday, and just ran out of time & energy :)

The Anytime Popsicle

Base:
1 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 Frozen Banana
1/4 Cup 2% Plain Greek Yogurt

And here is where you can get creative, depending on what your child may like! There is No wrong way!
5 Frozen Strawberries
Handful of Blueberries or Raspberries
1 heaping TBSP Almond Butter
1 Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Packet

This is my Chocolate Hazelnut Butter

I bought the molds at Dollar Tree. The recipe makes exactly 4!

Here is Jeremiah with a Strawberry & Blueberry Popsicle :)

What I love about these Anytime Popsicles is, they are just that. They can literally be for Breakfast, and your child will think you are the greatest Parent ever! I hope you'll try these!! Let me know if you do :)

Although this Monday has been frazzled, Mondays are always one of my favorite days of the week. For 2 reasons. My husband doesn't have to be at work until Noon. Therefore, we get to have breakfast together, we go to the Gym as a family & just have a good quality morning together. The other reason I love Mondays is, I get to go to Celebrate Recovery. If you are unfamiliar with Celebrate Recovery, I HIGHLY recommend looking it up! Just go to www.celebraterecovery.com. Once you go to the page, go to CR Groups at the top, and then Group Locator in the drop down. Find a meeting place in your area & check it out. It has been a HUGE blessing to me in my life. It's not just for Drugs & Alcohol addiction. It's for soooooo many things. We all have some sort of hurt or hangup in life. Why not go and worship & meet other people who are looking for God to restore their lives in some way! Here is just a small description on it:
"Celebrate Recovery is a biblical and balanced program that helps us overcome our hurts, hang-ups, and habits. It is based on the actual words of Jesus, rather than psychological theory. 20 years ago, Saddleback Church launched Celebrate Recovery with 43 people. It was designed as a program to help those struggling with hurts, habits and hang-ups by showing them the loving power of Jesus Christ through a recovery process. Celebrate Recovery has helped more than 17000 people at Saddleback, attracting over 70% of its members from outside the church. Eighty-five percent of the people who go through the program stay with the church and nearly half serve as church volunteers. Celebrate Recovery is now in over 19,000 churches worldwide!"
I hope you will go check it out!! And of course, let me know if you do, I'd love to hear about your experience!

Well, it has suddenly become quiet from Jeremiah's room.. I think he finally gave up & fell asleep. So on that note, I will head off of here to get ready! Thank you so much for coming by, seriously, it's overwhelming to me to see how many have stopped to read & share with me what this has meant to them!

{Leslie}