50 Non-Candy Ideas for an Easter Basket

This Sunday we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Chris. EASTER!

You wouldn't really know that if you visited  your local Target's Easter section. Unfortunately Easter is another holiday that is associated with baskets upon baskets of candy.  I went to Target yesterday to get some things for Sophia's class Easter party, and I think the only thing there that wasn't candy were decorations. At least in that section... I did find some little bouncy balls and Annie's snack packs to stuff into some eggs for their egg hunt. 

When I was there, I was stopped by a women who asked me what she could buy for her 11 month old Nephew. I had both girls with me, so she probably assumed I was a baby expert. :) I gave her a few ideas; books, bath toys, clothes...

I know there are probably way more people out there who need help in this department and while I'm no expert, I made a list for you! 

1. Crayons

2. Markers

3. Paint set

4. Coloring books

5. Chalk

6. Colored pencils

7. Blank canvases with finger paint 

8. Etch a sketch

9. Mag-Na-doodle

10. Play-Doh

11. Alphabet magnets

12. Easter Stamps

13. Spring outfit

14. Bracelet 

15. Earrings

16. Socks

17. Hat

18. Head band or Bow 

19. Bathing suit

20. Sunglasses

21. Sandals

22. Shoes

23. Rain boots

24. Umbrella 

25. Purse 

26. Wallet 

27. Sand bucket with sand toys

28. Pool toys

29.  Pool float

30.  Football

31. Volleyball

32. Baseball

33. Golf set 

34. Beach towel

35. Badminton set

36. Bubbles

37. Car or train 

38. Kite 

39. Gardening set

40. Book

41. Movie

42. CD

43. Toothbrush 

44. Flashlight

45. Silly straws 

46. Stickers

47. Hair brush

48. Annie’s snacks

49. Slinky

50. Legos

Shopping for a tiny under ONE?

1. Pacifier

2. Stuffed animal - cuddly bunny 

3. Cute onsie

4. Sippy cup

5. Bibbs

6. Bath toys

7. Baby bites - (Plum Organic Baby Super Puffs or other puff snacks)

8. Pajamas

9.  Musical book or toy

10. Finger puppets 

Happy Shopping!

XOXO

RECIPE: Miso & Potsticker Soup

Two Recipe Tuesday! :)

This soup recipe was absolutely delicious and SIMPLE! I had never cooked my own miso soup before and never used miso (soybean paste) as an ingredient. I didn't even know it existed at the grocery store...but it does and it's in the refrigerated section! FYI!

This recipe could be even more simplified but buying an already made miso soup base (my friend Alisha says the Trader Joe's Ginger Miso Soup Broth is amazing). All you would need to do is brown the potstickers in some oil and add to the soup. I love simple recipes,and I love simple recipes that my kids love that aren't mac-n-cheese! Winner, winner, potsticker dinner!

Miso & Potsticker Soup

What you’ll need:

2 tbsp. EVOO
2 scallions, sliced thinly, green and white parts separated
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

Salt and black pepper
½ cup miso (soybean paste)
7 cups chicken broth
1 pound potstickers, frozen (I used vegetable & chicken)
snap peas, thinly sliced
radishes, thinly sliced

What you do:

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
Add the scallion whites, ginger, salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the miso and ½ cup water. Whisk until the miso is dissolved.
Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
Cook potstickers until browned.
Stir into soup and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Serve the soup into bowls and top with the snap peas, radishes, and scallion greens.

**The snap peas give the soup a wonderful crunch!**

Enjoy!

XOXO

RECIPE: Lemon Chicken & Asparagus

Hey y'all!!

It's Tuesday afternoon and this is my first post this week! I love when I get texts from family and friends saying, "ummm where's the daily blog post?!" It makes me feel like I actually write this for someone besides myself. I like to think that anyways.. :)

The stomach bug has officially left our household and probably moved on to many others, unfortunately. It continues to go around and around and will eventually make it's way back to us...hopefully not for quite some time!

Since I didn't come into the office on Friday, yesterday was spent catching up on my catch up work. I'm still not fully caught up from the whole move and writing this right now certainly isn't helping. BUT I can't leave my blog readers too long!! Right?! Priorities. 

Then this morning was a PTA meeting at school, so it's about noon and I just sat down at my desk for the day. Just one of those weeks where you feel like nothing is getting done but you're actually doing A LOT! 

Anyways, I come to you with gifts. TWO Recipes! Double dose of food today and I hope you like them!!

This first one was adapted from SkinnyTaste.com

Lemon Chicken & Asparagus

What you’ll need:

2 tsp. grapeseed or olive oil
3-4 organic skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into bite sized cubes or strips
½ cup chicken broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water

3 tbsp lemon juice
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into small pieces
6 cloves garlic, minced

Salt & Pepper to taste
What you do:

Clean, cube, and season chicken with salt.
Heat 2 tsp oil a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add asparagus and garlic.
Cook for 3-5 minutes until garlic is golden. Set aside.
In a small cup mix together water and cornstarch
In the same skillet, add the other tsp oil and chicken. Turn and cook thoroughly. Set aside with asparagus once cooked.
Add the soy sauce and chicken broth into the empty skillet and bring to boil. Add cornstarch mixture and lemon juice and stir well.
Add back the chicken and asparagus into the skillet and mix well with sauce.
Serve & Enjoy!

XOXO

Good vs. Evil Nachos & other Friday Faves

TGIF! 

Bad news: The stomach bug has hit our household! Nelpe had it first, then it went to Angelo and Sophia. It's been not-so-pretty the past 24 hours and it was a loooong night last night with frequent trips to the bathroom with Sophia. Obviously I kept Sophia home from school, so it's been a lazy morning for the girls, while I try and disinfect everything now. I think the bug is starting to leave the building! 
Last time the stomach bug hit, it skipped me, so I'm hoping that's the case this time around too! (Prayers) It should be a rule that moms can't get sick...right?!

Friday Faves
This week I've been kind of addicted to nachos...I've had them 2x! One wasn't so healthy at LeeRoy Selmons on Wednesday with pulled pork, cheesy goodness, and okra! 
Side note: Isn't the patio seating at LeeRoy's fantastic?! It's kid-friendly and so laid back! 

Nachos can be somewhat healthy too! I made some at home using sweet potatoes as the chips, then topped with ground turkey, black beans, cheese, and tomatoes. Sprinkle with plain Greek yogurt & sriracha...just as good as the unhealthy version!

My little runner Sophia. Be still my heart... They had a fun run at her school yesterday.

A new Trader Joe's favorite: Beet Hummus! Loved by the whole family.The beets completely take over so it doesn't really taste like hummus, but it's delicious! 

Around the Web:

I found a new favorite website: FoodBeast.com Have you visited it yet?

Are you Sriracha's biggest fan like Angelo? Learn everything about it!

Don't miss the Frappe Birthday celebration March 26-30th at Starbucks!

I hope everyone has a wonderful & healthy weekend! 
Can you believe Easter is NEXT WEEKEND?! I can't! 

XOXO

The 12 Types of Parents You See At School Drop Off

School drop off is where all parents can be judged solely based on their outside appearance. I have no idea who some of these parents are, never spoke a word more than "Hi" to them. But I DO see them Monday-Friday, and from that I have grouped them into 12 different types. 

I have been most of these at one point, some days looking put together and other days looking just as stressed and frazzled as I feel. 

The 12 Types of Parents You See At School Drop Off

1. The mom in full workout gear - She's really great shape and you may give her the stank face (behind her back). But she should be, seeing that she goes to the gym every day after dropping the kid's off at school. OR maybe she just likes wearing workout gear and has really good genes. (double stank face)

2. The mom in pajamas - She may or may not have had a rough morning. Susy spilled her breakfast on her new dress while junior refuses to wear pants. Either that, or she just doesn't give a damn and is going for 100% comfort. Maybe she works the night shift and will go right back to sleep after the kid's are in school. We don't judge. 

3. The mom in yoga pants - This is one step up from pajamas. She has an entire drawer of black yoga pants that have never stepped foot in a yoga class. Her yoga pants aren't for yoga, they are for school mornings. This is me 75% of the time.

4. The mom in full business attire - She looks completely put together like she's about to walk into a court room. She could be an extra on Scandal. You go back and forth in your mind about if having to dress up everyday would be a good or bad thing. 

5. The Stay-at-home-mom who looks perfect- Hair done, outfit ironed and matching. Kid's clothes are the absolute cutest and her daughter always has a big matching bow. Your "at-awe" meter explodes when her other four kids jump out of her car looking like they jumped out of a J.Crew catalog. 

6. The dad in business attire and Bluetooth headset - His kids are running into school ahead of him while he finishes up a phone call. He stops for a second and yells, "Michael be careful!" then puts a finger to his ear and says "I'll call you back in a few minutes..."

7. The dad in workout gear - This dad is in great shape, what some would call a DILF. He's the dad all the moms secretly swoon over and might be the only reason some put on lipstick before exiting the car.

8. The mom in workout clothes and flip flops - Her top half says she's going to workout, but you can tell by her bottom half that she's just trying to fool you. 

9. The Friends group - These are the parents who have friends who also drop their kids off at school. They usually wait for each other in the parking lot, walk into school together, and stop and chat for 10-15 minutes in the parking lot while giving all the other parents a quick smile in between gossip. 

10. The mom with 5 hands - Her kid's are on the morning energy high as they race into school. She's trying to keep up behind them with all their backpacks and book report posters. It's kind of like watching a juggling act at the circus. 

11.The dynamic duo - This set of parents raise many questions. How do they both have time in the morning to not only bring their kids to school, but walk them in. Are they millionaires who don't work? What do they do for a living? Is their workplace hiring?

12. The grandparent - You see this grandparent so often you may  wonder if they're actually the parent. No, can't be...they're just a really involved grandparent. Cudos to them and their patience levels. 

All these "types" of parents are completely awesome in their own way. Whether you're the mom/dad in pajamas or business attire, you are all dropping your little loves off at school and kissing their tiny faces with the same love as the other. 

XOXO

RECIPE: Sweet Potato, Chicken Sausage, and Kale Bake

Hey guys! I hope this Tuesday morning finds you terrific! 

I made this recipe 2 (TWO!!!) weeks ago and just now getting to post the recipe. I kept meaning to write it down, but time slips away from my butterfingers...mmmm butterfingers... :)

This recipe is pretty saucy. If you don't want it too saucy, don't add all the sauce into the baking dish. My dad asked if there was rice or something to put under it. I didn't even think to cook anything else, but since it's so saucy, I would recommend serving over rice or quinoa. If you're eating by itself (like me), half the sauce amount. 

Sweet Potato, Chicken Sausage, and Kale Bake

What you’ll need:

1 tbsp EVOO
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 lb chicken sausage, sliced

2 cups kale, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
¾ cup almond milk¼ cup flour of choice
¾ shredded Gruyere cheese or white cheddar
What you do:

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat EVOO and garlic in a large saucepan over medium high heat.

Add sweet potatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes. Let sit a few minutes to brown.

Add chicken sausage and stir to combine. Cook until both are browned.
Pour into a baking dish.

Bring the broth and milk to a low boil. Whisk in the flour and ¼ cup of cheese to form a slightly thicker sauce. Keep whisking to until sauce is smooth.

Pour sauce over the sweet potatoes, sausage, and kale in the baking dish.

Top with remaining ½ cup cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

Enjoy!

XOXO

RentTheRunway & Weekend Recap

TGIM! After a weekend of fun, Monday gives me a calm feeling. Am I the only one on that train?
Although the weather is crappy today (it down poured right after I dropped Sophia off at school this morning), I still got all my errands ran, and made it to the office to get in a couple hours of office work. I'd say it's a successful Monday already and it just hit noon! We can all go home now and feel happy about ourselves. 

Friday night was the rehearsal dinner for Jenny's wedding. We met at the church for rehearsal (Sophia was a flower girl) and had dinner at the Westin Bistro Room. 

This is the only picture I took at rehearsal. My phone kept closing on me and I just gave up. 

Saturday was wedding day! We made sure to get a run in before and almost made it six miles before we gave up to the heat. It was 90 degrees outside and the run was bruuutal! At least we saw some cute cows on the journey...

The wedding was absolutely beautiful! The reception was at a new venue place in town called The Vault. It's an old bank building that still has the vault inside, hence the name... They had a Spanish band keeping the dance floor full and alive! We danced almost all night! So much fun.

The dress I wore was from RentTheRunway.com. I was super nervous about it since I didn't receive it until Friday afternoon. The fit was perfect and I fell in love. I am officially addicted to RentTheRunway! It's so easy to use, and you get to wear amazing dresses and not burn up your wallet. I rented the dress and earrings. In the box that is shipped to you includes your dress in two different sizes of your choice, your accessories, and a return envelope with return shipping label. You wear the outfit, look fabulous, then pack it all up and drop off to UPS the next day. This works perfect for me, because when I buy a dress to wear to a wedding, I usually never wear it again. 

The wedding food:

Sunday was a day of rest and flying kites in the backyard. We basically just ran around the yard holding the kite as there was little to no wind. :)

Italian Chef Angelo made Baked Ziti for dinner! 

I hope you all had an amazing weekend!!! 

Coming up this week on Al2GetherFIT!

- Sweet Potato, Chicken sausage, and Kale Bake Recipe

- The Different Types of Parents you see at school drop off

- Color Me Rad RACE ENTRY GIVEAWAY!!

XOXO