What are you eating?

So I love to cook, but lately I have NOT been feeling it at all. Once I finally get up and get started I am fine, but man, I am having trouble with wanting to do any sort of cooking at all. It's terrible. ha. I think maybe I am bored of the same old same old.

I would love to add something new to the meal plan, any suggestions? I would love to know what your favorite dish is right now. (vegetarian options a plus!)

{a list of things} Things to do in Tennessee before we move.

I am sure I will eventually make a more detailed post about this in the future, but for now, Jason is separating from the military and will be out in November. This means big changes for us. We will be moving from Tennessee to a yet to be determined place. (but probably San Antonio)

I have decided I don't want to be one of those people who lives somewhere and never visits the local sites! (kind of like how I was born in Arizona but have never been to the Grand Canyon) so I am going to put together a 'bucket list' of sorts.

Things to do, places to see in Tennessee before November 2012.

Places to see:
-Nashville Zoo
-Nashville in general
-Chattanooga Aquarium and surrounding museums
-Ruby Falls
-Land Between the Lakes
-Bell Witch Cave
-Memphis? (I have driven through, but nothing more.)

I would say this is a list in progress, I am sure I am either forgetting something I have thought of, or will think of something later.

If you have been or live in Tennessee, am I missing anything?

Ava jumps! a video.

Ava loves going outside after breakfast in the morning. If she is fussy a good way to cure it, is to simply ask if she wants to go outside. She breaks out a huge smile and heads straight for the backdoor without any hesitation. One of her favorite things to do outside is jumping on the trampoline. She climbs herself up there and bounces away.

{Meatless Monday} White bean and kale soup with Italian herb bread.

What you need:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
1 cup diced yellow onion 
4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped 
1 (32-ounce) box vegetable broth 
4 cups packed chopped kale 
1 (14.5-ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes 
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 
1 (14.5-ounce) can sliced carrots, drained, or two large carrots, peeled and sliced

What to do:

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Add broth, kale and tomatoes (and fresh carrots, if using) and cover. Cook 5 minutes or until kale is tender. Add beans and canned carrots and heat thoroughly. Serve hot.

Italian Herb bread (bread machine version)

What you need:

1 and 1/4 cups water

1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

3 and 1/2 cups bread flour (I never have bread flour on hand and used Ultragrain All Purpose)

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons dried onion flakes

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

What to do:

Measure and add liquid ingredients to the bread pan.

Measure and add dry ingredients (except yeast) to bread pan.

Use your finger to form a well (hole) in the flour where you will pour the yeast. Yeast must never come in contact with a liquid when you are adding ingredients. Measure yeast and carefully pour it into the well.

Snap the baking pan into the breadmaker and close the lid.

Press "menu select" to choose the French setting.

Press "loaf size" to choose 2lb. setting.

Press "crust color" to choose light, medium, dark or rapid crust.

Press start.

So this was pretty good, but I think next time I will use smaller diced tomatoes and add an extra can of beans. The bread was amazing and was perfect for dipping into the soup. It really is more of a fall type dish, but it is rainy and dreary out today so it worked out perfectly.

{the first year} ten months!

Geez! 10 months! Seriously? That means only 2 months until she is a year old. Where did time go? I know it goes fast, but I didn't anticipate it going this fast. I think the lack of a real winter has made it harder to realize that a whole year has almost come and gone. I am getting excited planning her birthday though! It is going to be small and simple, just a fun little gathering of family and friends to celebrate a whole year of Ava's life. I have decided that the theme will be "a summer picnic" and I have started collecting ideas on pinterest: ava's 1st birthday

Lets see, what has Ava done this month:

She has taken up this cute little run, she doesn't just walk places, she gets there as fast as she can.

She climbs, EVERY THING. If it is off the ground, she will find a way to climb it. She has even learned how to climb out of her high chair, and she climbs into the dishwasher.

She likes to bounce too. She climbs up on the mini trampoline or the crib mattress we have on the floor and stands there and bounces. 

She babbles all of the time, having little conversations with herself and anyone who will listen.

She loves to laugh, and if she hears anyone else laughing she immediately joins in.

She seems to like drawing. She draws pretty well with crayon, but quickly tries to eat it. She does draw well with the magnadoodle and the paint joy app on the kindle. (and by draw, I obviously mean doodling) 

She does surprisingly well with a spoon, and drinking from a real cup. 

No food or drink is safe if she can reach it, the girl loves to eat.

She is still nursing but mostly for nutrition or falling asleep, she isn't much on comfort nursing.

She loves the water and I can't take a shower without her trying to climb in with me.

She also LOVES the outdoors. She knows the sound of the back door opening very well and will come running when she hears it. If you ask her if she wants to go outside, she lights up and heads for the backdoor, no matter what she was previously doing.

We have been trying out Elimination Communication and (if I am paying attention) she is pretty good at giving signals and going to the bathroom when I put her on the toilet. I still depend on diapers mostly, but I have to admit it is pretty cool catching one in the toilet. and she laughs every time you put her up there. 

My camera fell from the book case earlier this week, and broke my 50mm lens. It really made getting today's picture kind of hard, and I don't really like using the kit lens. It would be really fantastic if I didn't have to keep spending money on things because they break and could instead, use that money for other things! I am really hoping to be able to get a new lens before her birthday (thankfully the one I was using is roughly $120, which isn't TOO bad, but still). 

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone has a fantastic Mother's Day! <3

Happy Saturday!