delicious dinner

Last night was a "clean out the fridge for dinner" kinda night. And it turned out delicious! One of those made up recipes that you have to rack your brain for afterwards to figure out exactly what and how much of everything you threw in. So, if your feeling like you need a new meal in your weekly rotation, try this light and zesty option! (extra points too because it's only about 550 cal. per serving, and the left overs are even more amazing!)

Onion and Chive Lemon Pepper Penne

4 chicken breast tenderloins, sliced

4-5 mini sweet peppers, sliced and de-seeded

couple handfuls of broccoli florets

1 T. olive oil

1 T. lemon pepper

1 cup skim milk

1/2 box Onion and Chive Boursin cheese (any flavor or seasoned cream cheese could work)

1/2 box of whole wheat penne

garlic salt

In a large saucepan, bring water to boil. Add garlic salt to water and then add noodles. Cook until ale dente.

In a small pot, add about a 1/2 inch of water, bring to a simmer, then add broccoli and place sliced peppers on top. Steam until broccoli is tender.

Heat a large frying pan to medium high heat. Add the olive oil, drizzle over the entire base. Put sliced chicken and lemon pepper in the pan. Cook chicken through, then remove from pan into small bowl.

In a blender, add milk and cheese, and blend until smooth. Pour milk mixture into the hot frying pan. Deglaze the pan, and heat the sauce until slightly thickened. Add the chicken back into sauce.

Serve with the vegetables on top of penne, and drizzle the chicken and sauce on top.

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays ever...for no real reason. It might come from the fact that my favorite color is green, or maybe it's just because any reason to make a day a little more special is always exciting to me! But now that I'm a Doyle, I feel like I'm officially of Irish decent and I need to celebrate!

Easton wore his special green shirt all day, and we had a delicious green dinner! I made fettuccine alfredo with roasted asparagus and grilled pesto chicken...and lots of food coloring of course! It was amazing!

This year was extra fun because I had a spa gift certificate from Christmas that I used. Ryan sent me to the Oleksandra Spa in Treasure Island and I had a lovely and relaxing hour long massage. I felt so fancy, they gave me a big fluffy white robe, and slippers! I felt so spoiled, and it really topped off my favorite day!

visitors!

About two weeks ago my mom and sister Michelle came down to visit us. It was SO great to see them and have my family around to hang out. I forget how fun it is to have family around to do just random everyday tasks like running errands. Going to the grocery store with them is WAY funner than going by myself! We had an amazing time, and I hope they were able to relax and enjoy their vacation too!

They came into town on Thursday, and we hung out with Easton for a little while, and then watched TV while he took a nap. Once he woke up, we took off to Costco and got some groceries. Grandma even bought Easton a new carseat! He has long outgrown his infant seat, and he was unhappy and uncomfortable in it. Now in his new toddler seat (rear and front facing, don't worry) he is so much happier! He finally has room to stretch out, and he can see what's going on, he has always loved looking out the windows! That night when Ryan got home from school, we took off to dinner at our favorite restaurant we've found called Sammy's Woodfired Pizza.

Friday, Michelle and I took off to Smiths to get some stuff to make homemade laundry soap while my mom stayed with Easton during his nap. We made the soap and it made so much!!! I'm definitely going to continue making it from now on, it goes so much further than store bought detergent. That afternoon, I had to take Easton to Ryan's school as part of a pediatric evaluation for the Physical Therapy class a year ahead of Ryan. He did a great job, and LOVED all the attention the students gave him, such a flirty little guy! That night, i made dinner for everyone then my mom, Michelle and I went to get pedicures and shopping at Nordstrom Rack...my favorite!!

Saturday, Ryan went up to Mesquite to see his dad coach the USU baseball team (we wish Ryan was still playing!) And the girls and Easton took off for lunch and shopping at the mall. My mom and Michelle got a couple more cute things, and I'm proud to say I resisted buying something all weekend!! Wahoo! We got home and my mom helped me make a high chair/grocery cart cover for Easton. That night, Ryan and I took advantage of having babysitters and went to a movie! We saw Act of Valor, and it was incredible! I bawled. It was such a well made movie, and I couldn't believe how touched I was the whole time.

Sunday morning, they took off back up to Utah and I was so sad to see them go!

8 months

Oh baby! This kiddo turned 8 months old today! He is so much fun, and I have to say, I think this is my favorite stage yet. He is old enough to sit up and entertain himself, and interact with us. Yet he is still young enough to stay in one room and stay put for the most part. We of course just eat him up everyday! Here are some of his milestones:

• He still of course is obsessed with bath time!
• Weighs about 23 lb.
• He is loving his big kid food. He's moved up to stage 3 Gerber foods, so things with small chunks of little carrots and stuff. He doesn't love chicken noodle, and he is getting more and more of a sweet tooth. He likes the yogurt blends, and especially loves the Gerber graduate yogurt melts and fruit and veggie melts.
• He wants to crawl so badly!
• He is great at doing push ups, especially in the tub when his body weight isn't as heavy.
• He doesn't like his bottles anymore besides kind of in the morning. But bedtime bottles are the WORST to try feeding to him, he fights you the whole time. very frustrating.
• He got one tooth! The bottom left one, it's adorable and you can only see the very top of it, but we're very proud of him...one down, so many to go!
• He knows how to put the ball into his giraffe toy. It's a plastic giraffe with a big hole on his head and arms for the ball to go into, and we've worked hard on teaching him how to do it, at first he had no idea what it was, and now he knows exactly what to do with the ball...a future basketball player?? (side note: he likes to put the ball in with his left hand only. If he picks it up with his right, he will switch hands before putting it in.)
• We started trying to teach him baby sign language this month. Just "more" and "eat" and he looks at us like we are crazy every time we do it. We kind of feel like it's like training a puppy....the blank "you're crazy" stare.
• He sleeps in the most crazy positions, and like his mom, loves his belly and side! His little feet get caught in the crib sometimes, and it looks so funny!
• He sucks on everything he get his mouth on, then just gnaws at it!
• He is SO SO proud of himself when he rides in the grocery cart or sits in the high chairs in restaurants.

stop kony.