Mom Life in the PNW

Chicken Bacon Mac and Cheese Recipe

Chicken Bacon Mac and Cheese Recipe

This post is sponsored by Foster Farms Simply Raised fresh chicken but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Comfort food to me means carbs and sugars, and what better comfort food is there than mac and cheese!?

Why Foster Farms No Antibiotics Ever Simply Raised Fresh Chicken bacon mac and cheese of course!

It’s about the only thing that I can currently get my daughter to eat, so in order to get some protein in there that’s healthier, I buy the Foster Farms Simply Raised Chicken which contains no antibiotics ever at Target and incorporate it into our mac and cheese.

I like this chicken because it’s locally grown here in the PNW and California with no antibiotics ever. It’s fresh, all natural chicken that is American Humane Certified and fed a 100% vegetarian diet, without any added hormones or steroids. Foster Farms has been family-owned since its founding in 1939, which has been committed to producing only the highest-quality poultry for you and your family.

It’s also local, partnering with local family farms in the Pacific Northwest (depending on consumer location) so you can be rest assured the chicken you’re buying is delivered fresh within 48 hours or less.

And I’m not sure what’s going on with her eating habits, but my sister who has 3 kids assures me it is normal and a “stage” that’ll surely pass. I just hope it passes soon!

If you haven’t made mac and cheese before, it’s pretty simple and quick to put together. I need simple right now since I am trying to run a business, a blog and entertain a now toddler. Mom life; gotta love it!

 

Chicken bacon mac and cheese

 

Chicken Bacon Mac and Cheese Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb. macaroni pasta (or whatever noodles you prefer)
1 lb of chicken
1/2 c. of chopped bacon (I buy the precooked stuff from costco in a bag)
3 green onions chopped (or skip)
4 c. milk
½ c. flour
½ c. butter
6 c. freshly shredded sharp or white cheddar, or whatever cheese you prefer.
2 T. butter
1 T. salt
pepper to taste
2 T. of olive oil for chicken

(makes 10-12 servings)

Directions:

  • Boil the pasta as stated on package directions.
  • Cut up the chicken into 1/2″ cubes. Toss them in a medium skillet with the olive oil over medium heat and cook about 10 minutes or until edges are opaque.
  • Chop up the green onions and toss them in with the chicken. Once chicken is about done, toss the bacon in.
  • Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat.
  • Once melted, sprinkle in flour and whisk it until smooth for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add in the salt and pepper.
  • Slowly pour in the milk, whisking it until smooth until thickened.
  • Stir in the shredded cheese until it’s a melty cheese sauce.
  • Pour over cooked noodles and top it off with the chicken, bacon and onions and stir altogether.

Chicken bacon mac and cheese

And enjoy!

Head on over to the Foster Farm page where you’ll find other great recipes that are a little more healthy and are considered the #newcomfortfood.  The new comfort food is a modern interpretation of a classic comfort food dish with a healthy twist.

2 Days of Fun at the Clark County Fair in Ridgefield, WA

2 Days of Fun at the Clark County Fair in Ridgefield, WA

Ever since I was a little girl, I’d go to this fair every year. The memories I have spending time with the family here, is something I’ll have with me forever.  As I’ve gotten older though, it’s become less fun. Partly because, the insane upside down rides make my brain feel like scrambled eggs and throw my equilibrium off, and 2nd, I’m the one paying for it now. Boo!

But none of that matters. All that matters is letting Arya enjoy it and making those fun memories with my little girl.

Normally I am cringing at the prices of things at the fair, like $7 for a corn dog? $30 for ride bracelets? lol I remember when it was so much cheaper, but it’s a once a year thing that I’m willing to splurge a little on for a day of family fun.

I was hoping Arya would be able to ride some of the kiddie rides with me or dad, but most of the kiddie rides were 36″, and I think she’s about 33″, so she was only able to ride on the carousel according to the signs.

clark county fair

We were able to talk a carney into letting us take her on the rotating strawberry, which was cute. She loves strawberries! I mean, who doesn’t!?

She enjoyed it since she loves spinning in our computer chairs.

Next we had to head over to the family fun park and let her ride a pony since she’s enthralled with her rocking horse that makes horsey sounds (which she replicates pretty well I might add).

As soon as she spotted them, she was squeeling with joy. I knew she’d love it!

clark county fair

When it was time to get off, she cried. My poor girl needs a real pony.

Luckily some family in my husbands hometown have some horses that she can see and ride when we visit, which won’t  cost us $7 for less than 5 minutes. Eek!

clark county fair

She didnt get upset the next day since I think she got a big dose of numerous horses in the horse barn right before. She loved when they’d come over and say hi to her through the gate, and she would reach out and touch their noses.

We didnt watch any concerts since they start at 7pm and we were ready to go home by then, nor did we play any carnival games. But that’s okay, we endulged on food, barns and exhibits.

clark county fair

Arya and the baby goat were curious about each other’s flavor…

clark county fair

It was great fun as you can see..and I can’t wait til next year when she can enjoy the rides more.

Hopefully!

Transitioning: No More Sleeping in Mommy and Daddys Bed

Transitioning: No More Sleeping in Mommy and Daddys Bed

If I had it my way, I’d still cosleep, but since daddy keeps complaining and friends and family make comments about how I need to get her out of our bed or it’ll only get harder, I figured I’d give transitioning a try with our 15-month-old.

Since she’s too tall for her crib, I decided to order these foam bed bumpers for our old queen bed that’s currently in our daughter’s room so that I know she’s safe from falling off of the bed. They came all rolled up like a sleeping bag in a box. I unrolled them and let them expand to their intended shape for a couple of hours.

After they fluffed up, I stuck them under the sheets and showed her her new bed.

She loved the security feeling of the padded bumpers. She was so excited and happy to be in her new big bed.

So 9 pm rolls around and I breastfed her in her room, but she was too amped up to sleep and wouldn’t settle down until around 11:30 which I then had to give the feeding another try. This time she was tired and decided to stop fighting it, so after she passed out, I put her in her bed and I quietly turned on the baby monitor and went to bed in my own bed with my husband.

I was too worried to sleep though, not knowing if these bumpers would actually work since she often wakes up every 2 hours with us and sits up and falls back asleep in a random position and spot on the bed. I figured she’d sit up, and then plop over the side and onto the floor. luckily it isn’t a huge fall since we don’t have the box spring and mattress on a frame ATM, but still.

I’m waking up every 30 minutes to an hour and glancing over at the baby monitor and she’ll be in a different position a couple times, but she did not fully wake or make one peep until morning, and I had the monitor on full blast so I could hear the slightest sounds over our AC.

I was amazed because she had constantly been waking me up every 2-6 hours to breastfeed since birth besides the occasional few times of sleeping through the night.

Overall…

Getting her into her own bed to sleep was not difficult, as every kid and situation is different. The difficult task for us is going to be weaning, which I’ll try to do around the age of 2 since she’s showing no signs of giving it up yet.

Either way, this is what works for us and has been successful the past 4 nights. I’m thankful it’s been easy, now I can catch up on some much-needed sleep!

UPDATE:

Now that she’s a toddler and weaned from the breast, we lay down with her in her bed until she falls asleep. I don’t like sleeping by myself either, so this is what we do and has actually worked well with our child.

When did you transition your child to their own bed?

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What Do You Know, I Have Another Niece…

What Do You Know, I Have Another Niece…

It’s only the 20th one. Lol No, just kidding.

I have 3 sisters.

my first sister had 2 girls, then a boy (guess 3rd time was the charm) and now shes due with another girl in October. Then she’ll have 3 kids under 3. I think she’s kinda crazy… but, that’s just me.

my 2nd sister, has 2 girls and just had her 3rd girl arrive August 1st (the reason for this post).

my 3rd sister has 1 girl, but i imagine she’ll be pregnant again in no time and it’ll be a girl.

And I of course have my daughter.

So as you can see, we’re an all girl posse.

My poor nephew Braylon doesn’t stand a chance with his siblings and cousins. Poor fella.

They say it’s all dependent on the male for which sex you get, but I think it goes a little deeper than that. I’ve found some information online (that I of course take with a grain of salt) that states some findings suggest that it also has to do with the vaginal PH. This results in the sperm of each deciding sex to live longer or die faster.

Apparently you can test your vaginal PH with a test strip and find out if you’re more alkaline (to get a boy) or acidic (to get a girl). A vaginal PH of between 4 and 4.5 is ideal for conceiving a girl, while a vaginal PH of between 7.5 to 9 is perfect for conceiving a boy.

I think im going to order the strips and have myself and my siblings do the test since I’m curious. And if we’re all acidic that would explain the reasoning for all the girls, at least in my mind it would.

Anyways, id like to welcome my new baby neice Alexis. Isn’t she adorable? She weighed 8lbs, 4oz and 19 and 3/4″ long. Her biggest baby yet, but still not bigger than mine. heh.

alexis

Has anyone tested the PH theory?

DIY Lavender-Orange Body Butter

DIY Lavender-Orange Body Butter

With the high costs of beauty products nowadays, I decided I wanted to start making my own. Plus, the ingredient list of some items you see in the store or even have in your bathroom is mind baffling. Like why would I want to put all of those chemicals on one of the most important organs; my skin? No thanks!

So I started collecting some items I would need, like organic coconut oil, African Raw unrefined shea butter, apricot kernel oil, and an array of essential oils just to get me started.

For this recipe, I used the above and doTERRA’s lavender and wild orange essential oils.

doterra essential oils

Wild Orange:

  • High in monoterpenes, Wild Orange possesses stimulating and purifying qualities, making it ideal to support healthy immune system function when seasonal threats are high.
  • As with many citrus peel oils, Wild Orange contains powerful antioxidants that help maintain overall health.

Lavender:

  • In ancient times, the Egyptians and Romans used Lavender for bathing, relaxation, cooking, and as a perfume; it is widely used for its calming and relaxing qualities which continue to be Lavender’s most notable qualities.
  • Lavender is frequently used to reduce the appearance of skin imperfections.
  • Add to bath water to soak away stress or apply to the temples and the back of the neck.
  • Add a few drops of Lavender to pillows, bedding, or bottoms of feet to promote a restful night’s sleep.

How to make Lavender-Orange Body Butter

Lavender-Orange Body Butter

What you’ll need:

  • 1 cup of unrefined shea butter.
  • 1/2 cup of coconut oil.
  • 1/2 cup of apricot kernel oil. (or any other fast absorbing carrier oil)
  • 15 drops of Lavender and 15 drops of wild orange. (add more for a stronger smell.

Instructions:

  1. Combine the shea butter, the coconut oil, and apricot together in a double boiler, or use a pan and a metal or glass bowl if you don’t have a double boiler. Heat until melted. It’s faster if you break up the shea butter into smaller chunks.
  2. Once melted, remove from heat and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes. It should still be warm.
  3. Add your drops of essential oils. (If it needs more, add 5-10 more drops each.)
  4. Place the bowl in the freezer until slightly hardened. Around 30 minutes. I forgot about mine and it was solid, but it still worked, just took a bit longer to whip.body butter
  5. Whip the solid contents for 5-8 minutes until you get a whipped consistency using a mixer, either hand or stand. I used hand cause that’s all I have atm.
  6. Add body butter to jars. I used Ball brand 4oz jelly jars and it only filled about 3 of them.

I made these as baby shower prizes for my sisters baby shower a couple weeks ago and it was a hit!

I was afraid they’d melt in the summer heat, but nope they stayed whipped. Granted it wasn’t super hot that day, maybe mid-70s.

One of these 4 oz jars lasts a long time and should be shelf stable as long as you get no water in it for at least 6 months. A little bit goes a long way too!

I love it because I have dry skin. Makes my bumpy arms feel so soft after a week of using it.

I’ll be trying to make more chemical free items when I get the chance now that I have a little one, so stay tuned!

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