Weeknight Shrimp and Grits

I’ve been doing pretty well sticking to our meal plan for the week. We’ve moved around some of the meals but no emergency pizza calls or cereal nights so that’s a plus! Tonight we tried this recipe for shrimp and grits.. It was so simple to make but has a flavorful and simple taste. It’s the perfect weeknight meal after a busy week when you want something different but don’t want to make an extravagant meal. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients:IMG_5669

  • 3/4 cup instant grits
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

  • Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, covered.
  • Uncover and slowly whisk in the grits, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
  • Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter.
  • Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.
  • Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper.
  • Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add the shrimp, garlic and cayenne and cook, tossing, until the shrimp are pink, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons water, the lemon juice and parsley, stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
  • Divide the grits among shallow bowls and top with the shrimp and sauce. Serve.

Original recipe available here.

Weeknight Dinners 1

So I’ve really been slacking on making dinner lately. Thankfully my husband is amazing and has been saving us and our tummies these past few weeks and taking care of making meals for us. In an effort to try and get on top of things again here is my meal plan for the week for easy weeknight dinners… week 1. Here’s to hoping I can come up with an easy month of meals to make future planning a little easier.

  • Sunday: Food Trucks after church
  • Monday: Filet steaks on the grill and roasted Brussel sprouts
  • Tuesday: Fish tacos with salmon and Mexican corn.  (I’ll have to write a post with the recipe for both of these that night)
  • Wednesday: Ranch chicken club roll-ups
  • Thursday: Homemade pizza
  • Friday: Date night- Dinner out!
  • Saturday: Shrimp and grits

So full recipes and results on how well we stuck with this plan to come!

Twins, Triplets and Quads

Soon after we found out we were expecting twins I immediately reached out to one of my friends and co-workers, Ellen, who has 18 month old twin boys, as well as a 4 year old sibling. I figured she would know better than anyone exactly what I was about to experience and what I could expect!

The first thing Ellen recommended was that I read the book, When You’re Expecting Twins,Unknown Triplets, or Quads by Dr. Barbara Luke & Tamara Eberlein. I immediately dove in and have learned A TON already. This book focuses on a  nutritionally based prenatal program for women pregnant with multiples. It even includes diet and exercise recommendations for the postpartum mother as well as recipes and step by step guidance for each trimester of your multiple pregnancy. I recently went and visited a nutritionist as well and even though she rolled her eyes at the mention of this book both the nutritionist and the book gave the same advice as to how to successfully nourish your body and your babies to a full term pregnancy.

If you are expecting twins, triplets or quads I HIGHLY recommend this book. But to get you started here is a list of some of my top learnings:

General Facts about Twin Pregnancy:

  • Women age 30 or older are significantly more likely to carry their twins for at least 35 weeks compared to younger women.
  • Adequate maternal weight gain is associated with significantly better fetal growth, longer length of gestation, and higher birth weights, as well as better childhood growths.
  • One third of all twin pairs are identical (that’s our girls!). Identical twins share 100 percent of their genes and always are the same sex and have same basic physical features.

Nutrition Goals for Twin Pregnancy:

  • Weight gain goal (if normal weight pre-pregnancy): 40-45 lb
    • 24 of those pounds by 24 weeks
    • 7-9 lb per week
    • If you lose weight during first trimester due to morning sickness then those pounds you lost and re-gained don’t count. It’s a total of 40-45 lb from your original starting weight
  • Goal is to consume 3,500 calories per day for twin pregnancy
  • Eat often! Daily Meal Pattern should include 7 “meals” per day!
    • Breakfast | Snack | Lunch | Snack | Snack | Dinner | Snack
    • Focus on small, frequent meals as opposed to fewer large meals
    • Always eat protein first, then veggies and fruits and then starches
    • Always eat protein and carbohydrates together in every snack and every meal
  • Goal: 100 grams of protein/day
    • I accomplish that with the help of UNJURY – a medical grade protein powder mixed with milk – 30 grams of protein in one 8 oz glass!
    • Each meal or snack should contain protein
  • Eat a bedtime snack that includes dairy
  • As with any pregnancy avoid: alcohol, deli meats, sushi, more than 6 oz of tuna per week, and unpasteurized cheeses

1 year!

Our little man officially turned ONE on Friday! I can’t believe how fast this year has gone.  Our lives forever changed when we welcomed him into our family one year ago. We truly love him more and more every day and are so blessed to have him in our lives. We absolutely love watching him learn and grow!

Jude weighs 19 lb 12 oz and is 29.5 in long. He is currently in the 25 percentile for height and weight. He is no longer a fan of baby food (even though I try to sneak it in there from time to time) but prefers to eat whatever we are eating. He still LOVES playing outside, loves the water and going on walks through the park in his stroller. His new favorite thing is swinging at the park. He is also a big fan of rolling (and throwing) balls and playing with trucks. This kid is all boy!

To celebrate his 1st birthday we had a small party at our home with some close friends and family. Jude mastered the art of cake smashing like a champ. For a list of where we got our decor and my menu for the day check out this post.  I’d consider this birthday a success!

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Planning a 1st Birthday Party

Our little man just turned one and here is a list of all of our food and decor for the main event!

Menu: IMG_5078

  • Pigs in a blanket
  • Veggie Tray
  • Apples with toffee dip
  • Sausage and cheese dip (recipe coming soon!)
  • Caprese sticks (fresh mozzarella, tomato and fresh basil)
  • Sugar cookies with blue icing
  • Cake (If you order from Publix for a 1st birthday you’ll get a smash cake for free!)
  • Basil Lemonade
  • Sweet Tea

Decor:

  • We got most of our party decor from BirthdayExpress.com. Plates, napkins, streamers, balloons and even a banner were all from this 1st birthday theme. It makes party planning simple for those who are on a budget or have limited time and just want a one stop shop.
  • I created a banner with all of Jude’s monthly pictures by printing my Instagram pictures through Social Print Studio. I like using them because the pictures are printed matte and on a very thick paper. I hung them on twine using paper clips and then added a colored fabric banner underneath. Instant mantel decor!

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Easy Sugar Cookies

I am finally starting to feel like myself again! After weeks of exhaustion and morning/all day sickness, I’ve hardly cooked at all, let alone bake. Today my hubby and I spent the day resting (as we are both trying to get over a cold) and then shopping- a treat for my upcoming birthday next week. His one request at the end of the day was that I make these sugar cookies.. and considering his birthday is just around the corner as well I could hardly say no! Enjoy the easiest (and yummiest) sugar cookies around!

Ingredients (I usually half this recipe to make around 20-24 cookies)IMG_2845

  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla.
  3. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.
  4. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
  5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

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Original recipe available here.

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

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It’s girls night tonight and so I’m whipping up one of our favorite appetizers- corn and black bean salsa. My husband was actually the first to master this dish and could eat it by the bowlfuls. It’s a sweet and salty dip that will leave you wanting more!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 bunch of scallions, chopped (use all or half)
feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:
Mix oil, vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper.  Combine corn, black beans, scallions, feta cheese.  Now mix everything.

For best results let it sit over night in the fridge before serving (or at least 1-2 hours if you’re in a time crunch.) Stir and drain before serving.
(Side note: the longer it sits it may look funny at first but don’t worry just stir and it is good to go).

Berry Cobbler

IMG_6846Spring is in the air and summer is not too far away which means its officially berry cobbler season. This is one of my favorite desserts.. for some reason peach cobbler makes me think of the fall but berry cobbler is a spring/summer recipe, especially when topped with vanilla ice cream. It’s also incredibly simple if you need an easy recipe that tastes great. Oh and ignore the colored egg plate-I made this for our Easter dessert 🙂

Ingredients:
2-3 cups berries (I usually prefer a combination of blackberries, raspberries and blueberries)
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
I stick butter, softened

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350.  Wash berries and drain well. Put berries in a buttered 1 quart baking dish. Mix all remaining ingredients and crumble over berries.  Bake uncovered for 40-45 min or until crust is light brown….top with vanilla ice cream and serve. Yummy!

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Big News in the Harvey Home!

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We have some exciting news in the Harvey Home! We are adding not one, but two more Harveys to our family! That’s right- we are expecting TWINS and we couldn’t be more excited! I am officially 10 weeks now and the morning (aka all day) sickness has been pretty intense so its been pretty tough to for me to make it through the day by day, let alone cook or post on the blog lately- so forgive me for my tardiness these last few weeks. While I can’t promise any new recipes in the very new future (I’m living on cereal these days) I will be posting more about pregnancy with multiples and preparing to go from a family of 3 to a family of 5.

Here are the answers to the common questions I’ve gotten so far..

  • I’m 10 weeks and due October 26. Praying we make it close to our due date but we will be prepared early and definitely expect to meet our babies by mid October. (Average delivery for twins is at 35 weeks but we are praying to beat those odds!)
  • No, we don’t know if they are identical or fraternal yet… and while my doctor did confirm that they are in two different sacs that doesn’t necessarily mean they are fraternal. They could still be identical.
  • Yes, twins are common on my side of the family. And yes, I was surprised to find this out once we told my parents the news and my mom told me about our long family history of twins. I had NO clue.
  • Yes, we will find out the genders! We are planners and I’ve got lots of planning to do! Not to mention we need to figure out their names.. goodness.. we were still talking about baby names in the delivery room with our little man! It’s so hard to name a human!
  • No, I don’t feel great (i.e. the all day sickness mentioned above) and yes I’m exhausted but hey- I’ve got a 10 month old, an injured pup at home (more on that later), a husband who has been going above and beyond these last few weeks, a home and full time job to take care of- not to mention friends and family to keep in touch with and share these joy-filled moments with. So I don’t feel great but I’m hanging in there!
  • Yes, we are OVERJOYED at the idea of adding two more to our home in just 7 short months. It’s going to be a wild ride but we are excited and blessed and can’t wait to take on this next adventure. I hope you’ll join us 🙂

So more to come on pregnancy, babies, and now… multiples!