happy.harvey.home.

Toffee Dip

Posted on March 14, 2015 by annettelharvey

My husband has been out of town this week and so of course our little man and I both got sick. So Grandma to the rescue! My amazing mom came up and stayed with us for three days to take care of us. It was already supposed to be a busy week but adding being sick on top of that and I was just done. Luckily I was able to make it out of bed and out of the house long enough to celebrate my dear friend and co-worker Ashley. She is moving to Mississippi next week and so I couldn’t miss her going away party. As one of the party planners, I was thankful that most of the items I was contributing were already planned and taken care of. The only two things I needed to make were Basil Lemonade and this Toffee Dip to go with the fruit salad we were serving. Luckily its a quick and YUMMY recipe that is easy to whip up in no time. It’s my typical go-to party food. Enjoy!

Toffee Dip:

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 8oz block of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup toffee bits

Mix all ingredients together and chill for 30 minutes to an hour before serving. Best served alongside Red Delicious or Granny Smith Apples.

(Recipe was doubled for pictures above)

Turkey and Spinach Stuffed Peppers

Posted on February 26, 2015 by annettelharvey

Last night I made dinner for one of our friends and neighbors who recently had their fourth child. It’s crazy to think we moved into our new home and neighborhood just two years ago, right around the time they had their third child. Man, how time flies!

My typical go-to meal when bringing dinner to another family is Sicilian Meatloaf, however I’m pretty sure that’s what we gave them after baby #3 so I had to change it up a bit this time around. This recipe takes a little longer than my usual weeknight meal but the results are well worth it! And it makes a ton! So not only did we send a dinner (plus enough for leftovers) to our sweet friends but we had enough for 2-3 meals ourselves. That’s a lot of peppers (and yes, this recipe can definitely be halved if you don’t want this much).

Ingredients

6-7 red, yellow, orange, or green bell peppers or a mixture of all
Olive oil, divided
1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp chili powder (if desired-I don’t love spicy food so I often leave this out)
1 tbsp ground cumin
16 oz ground turkey
1 (16 oz) jar chunky salsa, mild or hot
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup cooked brown rice*
1 cup cheddar cheese
2 large avocados, peeled and pit removed, sliced
1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup finely chopped basil

*Quinoa or couscous can be subbed instead of brown rice.

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, slicing from the stem to the bottoms. Remove the white pithy ribs near stem and down length of inside. Remove the ribs and seeds and discard. Place the peppers in a shallow 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Drizzle the peppers with oil. Cover the dish with foil, and bake the peppers 15 to 20 minutes, until they start to soften.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, chili powder, and cumin; cook until the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey to the skillet. Cook, breaking it up with a slotted spoon or potato masher, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the salsa and the spinach, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cooked brown rice.

Carefully fill the pepper halves with the turkey mixture. Cover the dish with foil, and bake until the filling is hot and the peppers are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove foil, and sprinkle the cheese over the top of the peppers. Return to oven; bake, uncovered, until cheese has melted, about 7 to 10 minutes.

When ready to serve, top the peppers with a heaping tablespoon of the greek yogurt. Place slices of the avocado on top of each pepper. Sprinkle with the basil. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Original recipe available here.

Ranch Macaroni and Cheese

Posted on February 24, 2015 by annettelharvey

Screen Shot 2015-02-25 at 8.31.21 PM It’s snowing outside and so I think we are in need of a little comfort food for dinner. This recipe is perfect as a side dish or as a meal on its own. I don’t know if anyone else did this as a kid but I often like to eat my mac and cheese with a hotdog cut up and mixed in (are you with me on this?!) Heaven in a bowl – the perfect snowy day meal! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) package elbow macaroni
1 c. milk
1/4 c. butter
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 c. Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 c. Colby cheese, shredded
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. crushed Ritz crackers

Directions:

Cook macaroni according to package directions, until just al dente. Meanwhile, combine the milk, butter, dressing mix and seasonings in a pan on the stove. Heat thoroughly. Stir in the Monterey jack and Colby cheeses until they are melted. Stir in the sour Cream.

Drain the cooked pasta, and stir into the cheese sauce, along with the cracker crumbs. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve. Instant comfort food!

Lots of Firsts

Posted on February 23, 2015 by annettelharvey

We went out of town this weekend and when I came back our boy was suddenly experiencing lots of firsts! So many milestones just days after his 9 month birthday that I just didn’t want to forget..

Dropping down his crib! He’s standing on his own for the most part and pulling up as well. It’s definitely been time for us to drop down his crib and we finally took care of that today.
First tooth! His first tooth has definitely made an appearance. It’s about halfway in and still working its way through. So far we haven’t noticed any major side effects from teething but I’m still waiting to see how he does.
First table food! That’s right.. At his 9 month doctor appointment we got the “all clear” to stop feeding our boy new baby foods every three days and to just go ahead and continue baby foods along with some table food to get him used to “gumming” on this small bites. Today Jude sampled Grandpa’s waffles for the first time and he loved them! I plan to start giving him samples from our meals each day in addition to the regular baby food and bottles we are giving him. He has also been LOVING yogurt. I’ve immediately added it to his regular diet as well.
Speaking of food.. our boy fed himself (beyond his bottle) for the first time today! He’s been eating those baby puffs but today we put them on the tray of his high chair and he was able to grab them and eat them – all by himself! Our dog, Toby was instantly by his side and laid at the bottom of his high chair patiently waiting for any “misses” to head his way.. he definitely got his share of puffs as well!

Seriously all of this in just one weekend.. I can’t get over how fast things change and how fast this sweet baby is growing. Mamas take lots of pictures and snuggle your babies extra long tonight.. the days are long but the months are way, way too short.

Baby’s Weekend Away

Posted on February 19, 2015 by annettelharvey

This weekend both my husband and I are going out of town and our little man is staying with his grandparents overnight for a couple days for the first time! I think it will be a great weekend for all of us. In order to get ready to go I’ve had to think through not only packing for myself (and our dog who will also accompany our little man to grandma and grandpa’s) but our sweet boy as well. Here’s my recommended winter packing list for baby (he is currently 9 months- and yes, I think this list definitely varies depending on age). Ok Mamas out there.. any “must haves” I’m missing?

CLOTHES

2 tops and bottoms per day (preparing for blow outs, spit ups and spills)
1 pair of socks per day
1 set of pajamas per day plus one extra
1 outdoor outfit (one piece fur set with hood for play time outdoors)
1 hat
1 – 2 coats

FEEDING

Formula (don’t forget to tell them how much!)
Probiotic packets
Solids (enough for 3/day)
Spoons (1 per day)
Bibs (6) – cloth- to use with bottles
Bibs – plastic – to use with baby food
Bottles (enough for 1.5 days – they can be washed and reused while there)
High chair (the small travel one that straps on a chair or your kitchen counter)
Printed schedule (feeding times, naps, etc)

BED

Sound machine
Monitor and plugs (don’t forget both the camera and the monitor pieces)
Sleepsack
Bedtime paci
Bedtime “lovely”/blanket

BATH/OTHER

Diapers
Shampoo
A&D ointment (if he gets diaper rash)
Baby Tylenol
Changing pads x 2
Blanket

PLAY

Additional Pacis
Small toys
Musical toys
Soft books

TRAVEL

Carseat
Base
Stroller

9 Months!

Posted on February 15, 2015 by annettelharvey

Our boy is 9 months old today! I can’t believe it! (Guest appearance in the picture by our sweet pup Toby 🙂 ). Our 6 lb 12 oz little baby has now grown to 18 lb 10 oz! Time seriously has gone by so so fast. I’m trying to hold on to each little memory as best as I can while watching him learn and grow and discover everything around him. This boy can sit completely on his own, he loves to stand, roll, talk, SMILE. He loves people, sleep, eating his bottle and fruits (not so much veggies!) and being active- pulling up on our fingers and raising his arms out or up to be held (LOVE that by the way!) He is not at all interested in crawling. I honestly think this boy will walk before he crawls!

He is in the mid percentiles for height (28.25 in) and weight but fits well into 12 month clothes and 6-12 month clothes. It’s still funny how “off” different brands are. For some stores his size is still considered a “baby” while others he fits in “toddler” clothes- it really is baffling how different each store and brand really are. In Carters he wears 12 month, Koala Baby 18 month, Gap and Old Navy 6-12 month. We are all over the place but I think I’ve finally gotten it down and resisted the urge to buy too much “ahead of time” not knowing what size we will be in during what season.

I am absolutely loving this season and loving how interactive our little man is. He is such a treasure and we are so thankful for his addition to our lives!

Valentine’s Sugar Cookies

Posted on February 9, 2015 by annettelharvey

I’m not the kind of person that needs an excuse to bake something new or a holiday to feel inspired to try my hand at a special dessert but when the opportunity presents itself I love to seize it! I stumbled upon this tasty recipe, got the two thumbs up from my hubby that it sounded good and decided to give it a whirl. Definitely a different spin on traditional sugar cookies. They are a tasty treat that is almost borderline with a shortbread cookie but are so good you’ll be going back for more. Give them a try and tell me what you think! (Warning this recipe does require some down time in the fridge so you’ll have to plan ahead with this one.)

In one bowl combine:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp. each baking soda and table salt.

In a second bowl beat:

1 1/4 cups sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/3 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 tsp pure almond extract

Directions:

Combine the two mixtures; beat on low speed until combined.
Divide dough into two portions.
Wrap each portion in plastic and chill several hours or overnight.

After several hours:

Preheat oven to 350.
Spray baking sheets.
Roll one dough portion on floured surface to 1/4 inch thick.
Cut out desired shapes with your choice of cookie cutters (In this case Valentine’s Day hearts of course!)
Place onto cookie sheet.
Repeat with remaining dough
Bake cookies until edges are set and bottoms are golden brown (about 10 minutes).
Eat warm or cool on a cooling rack and then decorate cookies with icing & top with sprinkles!

Icing:

2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract to taste

Original recipe available here.

Bittersweet

Posted on February 6, 2015 by annettelharvey

This is my reading spot. For over a year after we moved into our home I dreamt and planned the perfect spot and the perfect chair to sit and read – my own little oasis in our home. It’s the perfect spot to lean back with my legs propped up, blanket snuggled around me and coffee and a good book in each of my hands (for a brief hour during nap time of course – but I’ll take whatever I can get). This morning I’ve found myself diving into Shauna Niequist’s book bittersweet: thoughts on change, grace, and learning the hard way. A friend recommended this book to me and without knowing anything about it other than that title I instantly ordered it (thank you Amazon Prime) and dove in. I would normally wait and write a book review after I finished the book but after only a couple chapters in I couldn’t resist. Over the past 8 months we welcomed our first born and joy into our home, after a 3 month (which I highly recommend!) maternity leave at home I tried to figure out the balance between work and home and being an amazing wife and mother and friend and employee (not to mention daughter, sister, boss, etc). Shortly thereafter my husband quit his job to start his own business – a personal goal and dream of his – and around the same time my boss and dear friend of 8+ years made the tough decision to move himself and his family thousands of miles away to Arizona. One of my friends and co-workers announced she was leaving and another has begun plans to follow her husband to Mississippi. To say I was experiencing change in my life would be an understatement. I was experiencing A LOT of change and with it I became beyond sad and overwhelmed by everything happening at the exact same moment in my life. So much so that it has taken me months to even begin to write about it. Life and all of its changes instantly became bittersweet.

Bittersweet is the idea that in all things there is both something broken and something beautiful, that there is a sliver of lightness on even the darkest of nights, a shadow of hope in every heartbreak, and that rejoicing is no less rich when it contains a splinter of sadness…Bitter is what makes us strong, what forces us to push through, what helps us earn the lines on our faces and the calluses on our hands. Sweet is nice enough, but bittersweet is beautiful, nuanced, full of depth and complexity. Bittersweet is courageous, gutsy, earthy…

So that is where I’ve found myself. Right in the middle of bittersweet. Trying to be hopeful about that sliver of lightness but still trying to find my way out of the shadows. Change had taken over and my initial reaction was to resist it, until I started to learn the hard way that I needed to embrace it.

This is what I’ve come to believe about change: it’s good, in the way that childbirth is good, and heartbreak is good, and failure is good. By that I mean that it’s incredibly painful, exponentially more so if you fight it, and also that it has the potential to open you up, to open life up, to deliver you right into the palm of God’s hand…when life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.

And so that is why I wanted to write this post, as an encouragement for anyone going through a lot of change and wondering “how in the world am I ever going to get through this!” I’d love to encourage you to join me in reading bittersweet and then let me know what you think..until then I’m just going to stop trying to fight it and instead I’m going to choose to say thank you, and grow.

The Order of Solids Part 2

Posted on February 5, 2015 by annettelharvey

Back in November I started a log of what solids our little man was enjoying those first few weeks he attempted to eat solids. It definitely look us a good month (or more!) to get going but he’s finally up to eating 3 solid meals a day and loving it. Here’s my updated solids list, broken down by age, as recommended by Sage Spoonfuls. I still highly recommend this book for anyone looking for any easy resource on how to make their own baby food and what order to introduce each food safely.

Foods safe for 4-6 month olds (we started at 6 months):

Organic Oatmeal mixed with breastmilk served warm
Banana – yellow, ripe with some brown spots – mashed and warmed
Sweet Potato- firm – steamed & mixed with breast milk or formula served warm
Apple- fresh red – steamed and pureed
Avocado- even green color and give a little when squeezed – pureed
Carrot – organic, orange, without cracks- steamed and pureed (The Favorite so far!)
Peas – frozen- steamed and pureed
Zucchini – organic, medium sized and even green in color – steamed and pureed
Pears – Bartlett or Anjou, slight soft – steamed and pureed (A Favorite!)
Butternut squash – firm to touch and heavy for their size – roasted in oven for 45 min

Also safe but skipped for now: parsnip, pumpkin, potato

Foods safe for 7-9 month olds (we started around 8 months):

Blueberries – fresh, organic – steamed and pureed
Broccoli- fresh -steamed and pureed
Mango- frozen – steamed and pureed
Green Beans – frozen – steamed and pureed
Peaches- frozen- steamed and pureed
Cauliflower – frozen- steamed and pureed

More to come!

World Market Wins

Posted on February 1, 2015 by annettelharvey

My husband and I both recently moved into new office space. He moved from our home to an outside office and I moved from one office building to another within my company. As a result we both were in the market for some new office furniture and decor to spice up our space. My go-to whenever shopping for anything furniture related is always Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware (well actually the outlets for both) but this time we decided to take a trip out to World Market and see if we could come across any good finds and boy were we in luck!

For my office we found this Emerson bookcase and accessories as well as the Erin Cute-as-a-Button loveseat (notice the buttons!) I can’t handle it – I love them both so much! I’ve also gotten numerous compliments on them. I love how the bookshelf has an industrial, Restoration Hardware type feel but at a fraction of the cost. Such great finds at great prices (their furniture sale this weekend certainly helped!) And 10% off your entire purchase for all World Market Explorers (their membership discount). The only downside.. that these cute pieces weren’t going in our home! Guess i’ll have to settle for staring at them every day in my office instead :).

Also pictured: