Category: pregnancy

Family, Food, pregnancy, St Pattys Day, Uncategorized, Women

Green Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Hannah Lucio

These cupcakes are so delicious and moist! They are a must make for St. Patty’s Day.

 

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 Box Milk Chocolate Cake Mix (I used Pillsbury)

1 1/3 Cup Buttermilk

1/2 Cup Oil

3 eggs

1 Ounce Green Food Coloring

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners in muffin pan.

Combine Buttermilk, oil and eggs in medium bowl and mix well. Add cake mix and food coloring; mix well. Put batter into muffin cups and bake for 20-22 minutes. Cool completely before topping them with frosting.

 

Frosting Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) Package Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 Cup Butter, softened

2 Tbsp Sour cream

2 tsp Vanilla

1 (16 ounces) Powdered sugar

 

Directions:

Combine cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla in a bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Spread on cupcakes. 

 

Super easy and very tasty!

Enjoy and live simple. 

Family, Food, pregnancy, St Pattys Day, Stay at Home Mom, Uncategorized, Women

Irish Egg Rolls and Guinness Dipping Sauce

Hannah Lucio

Just in time for St. Patty’s Day! When I was searching for an appetizer to make for my husbands work I came across this recipe. It sounded good so we tried it. Oh My goodness…they are so delicious. The hubby said these should be a tradition, amen to that! I hope you try this recipe out and love them as much as we do.

Ingredients:

8 Ounces Chopped corned beef

2 Cup shredded steamed cabbage  (Steam the cabbage with the cooked corned beef water to add flavor)

2 Cup diced cooked potatoes (Cook the potatoes in corned beef water)

2 Cup shredded carrots (steam in the cooked corned beef water)

1 Cup thinly sliced onion (steam in the cooked corned beef water)

1 Pack of Egg Roll wrappers

Vegetable oil

 

Directions:

  1. Heat the oil up on the stove in a deep pan. I used a cast iron pan.
  2. In a bowl mix all the ingredients together.
  3. Lay the egg roll wrappers out on a dry and clean surface one at a time. Dip your finger in water to the edges of the egg roll wrapper, put in as much of the ingredients as you like. The bigger you make them the more likely they will rip when you roll them up. Roll the wrapper up according to the directions on the package and wet the edges again.
  4. Fry about 5 at a time if your pan is big enough. Cook until golden brown, the time will vary. Remove from pan and dry on a paper towel.

 

 

Guinness dipping sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

1 3/4 Cups lightly packed brown sugar

1 3/4 Cups Guinness beer (extra stout or draught)

 

Directions:

Combine brown sugar and Guinness in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour or until liquid is reduced by half and mixture has thickened slightly. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Egg roll dipping sauce

 

 

Enjoy and live simple

 

Christmas, Family, Food, pregnancy, Uncategorized, Women

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Waffles

Hannah Lucio

I made this recipe for breakfast today and it was so yummy. Everyone enjoyed them and ate a lot. That is a really good thing since I experimented with changing the original recipe and made it a little healthier.

 

Ingredients:

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

2 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp organic raw sugar (next time I’ll use 1 Tbsp to cut down on sugar)

2 Cups low-fat buttermilk

3 large eggs

3 Tbsp melted Organic Butter

 

Directions:

Plug in the waffle iron to preheat it.

Combine the flour, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir to blend, set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Stir in the melted butter. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon until combined.

I do not use oil in the waffle iron. I use cooking spray and it worked great for me. Spray the waffle iron each time before you add the batter.

Pour about 1 cup of batter into the preheated and sprayed waffle iron. Cook until golden brown.

 

 

Enjoy and Live simple!

 

 

 

 

 

Family, Food, pregnancy, Uncategorized, Women

No bake Healthy Bites-Toddler Approved

Hannah Lucio

I have been trying to get our family back on track to eating healthy. Especially our two year old. I have had this recipe for a few years and absolutely love them. I made this recipe not thinking that he would even try them. But, I made them and he absolutely loves them. He even ate 3 in a row! That’s amazing!

 

Recipe:

1 Cup (dry, regular) Oatmeal

2/3 Cup Coconut Flakes

1/2 Cup Peanut Butter

1/2 Cup Ground Flaxseed or wheat germ

1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips or Cocoa nibs

1/3 Cup Honey

1 Tbsp Chia Seeds

1 tsp Vanilla

Directions:

Mix all ingredients and chill in refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. Take out and roll into balls. And, done. IMG_7093

 

Super easy and fast.

 

Enjoy and Live Simple

 

 

 

Family, Food, pregnancy, prenatal, Uncategorized, Women

My favorite Breakfast and Prenatal Vitamin

Hannah Lucio

I am SO thankful that this pregnancy is better with the food department. The first pregnancy I seriously could not stand anything but muffins for a very long time. This time around I am able to eat a lot healthier and for that I am thankful! My favorite breakfast right now is a piece of Ezekiel bread topped with half an avocado and one-two eggs. The eggs really depend on how hungry I am when I wake up HA HA This is what I have in the morning on a typical day-IMG_6842

It tastes so good and has a lot of nutrition. I do not get the low sodium Ezekiel bread because I typically do not have a lot of salt in my diet already. So the added salt is ok for me. I always start with a cup of black coffee-nothing added. Eat my breakfast and then have a half cup of black coffee after. It is the best way for me to start my mornings.

 

I also take my favorite prenatal every morning with my breakfast. I have found that this prenatal is THE only prenatal that does not make me sick to my stomach. I start this pregnancy taking Nature Made Prenatal…and let me tell you, horrible! I was sick and wanted to throw up all the time. I finally found a store around here that carried the prenatal that I took with the last pregnancy. Once I switched to this prenatal I did not have a sick stomach anymore. I was so happy and also surprised that I made that big of a difference. This prenatal-IMG_7008

has been a lifesaver! If you have a sick stomach maybe try to switch your prenatal brand and see if it makes a difference. This prenatal I used to find in California super easily. But here in Virginia, its hard to find. I hope this helps you! It helped me 🙂

Eating 80/20 (80% healthy/20% who cares) is really a great way to live. I cannot cut everything out, nor do I really want to. I am still healthy, not gaining a lot of weight fast this time around. And, I feel human still. In pregnancy there are times that you may have a big craving that you cannot ignore. But, I have found that I have been able to curb my ice cream want with pineapple, strawberries and blueberries. Try it out and see if it works. If not, oh well HA just try not to indulge all the time 🙂

 

Live healthy. live simple

Family, pregnancy, Uncategorized, Women

Pregnancy Pilates and Happy 20 Weeks!

Hannah Lucio

I have been wanting to do more at home pregnancy workouts recently. I have been doing yoga a few times a week for the past month but want to do more. I do go to the gym 5-7 days a week, but there are days where I just do not want to go. I like home workouts because I do not have to go anywhere. And I can do the workouts while our son naps 🙂  I finally found a Pilates workout that is really good! At first I was not sure if I could finish the whole 30 minutes but I pressed on. It works you really good, especially while pregnant. I finished the video 1 hour ago and I feel absolutely fantastic now! Try it out and make sure to listen to your body. If you feel pain or discomfort just modify or stop. I am not a personal trainer or dr so make sure to do any workouts at your own discretion.

Here is the link: Pregnancy Pilates. Hope you get to try it out!

AND

Happy 20 weeks to me! IMG_6885[1]We are half way through, YEAH! I feel great….so far. I am just not a fan of gaining weight. Ever. Last pregnancy it was completely different. I only could stomach carbs and Mexican food. Fattening! I could not stand the thought of eating anything green. I stopped working out, almost cold turkey. I gained weight fast. It was all things that you shouldn’t do when pregnant. HA! This time around I am trying to continue working out, eating 80% healthy. And, I have gained a healthy 13 lbs so far. That is great because I am right on target. Of course I had my Dr appt at 11 am so I have eaten a few times and drank a ton of liquids. So I might have only gained 10 lbs so far. Either way it is not bad. I was telling my husband that this is how much I weighed when we met. He asked if that was good or bad? I told him…..well, you liked it before.  HA HA. A fact about me: I weigh less married 🙂 Opposite than what most people complain about. I want to look good for my hubby, not lose control of my weight.  Anyway, I am able to feel our little boy more and more. And, I cannot wait until the hubby and son get to feel the baby! I still have not had any “real” cravings. I think things sound good but nothing that I have to have. I am sure Ill get some sort of craving in the next month or so.

Well, I have to start getting our house in winter shape. It was -1 degrees this morning outside. Brrr We are NOT in California anymore HA HA  I have to make more window coverings and door draft stoppers 🙂 Until next time!

Live Happy and Live simple!

 

 

 

Family, pregnancy, Uncategorized, Women

We are having….

Hannah Lucio

IMG_6857[1]

 

Another boy!! 🙂 We are super excited! As much as I was wanting to have a girl, I am kind of relieved to be having another boy. Now I can get on to preparing for a baby boy. We donated all of Mavericks baby clothes so we do have to start over. But, I really do not mind. It’s awesome to shop for baby stuff 🙂 The hard part is going to be a name……maybe Goose…since his brothers name is Maverick. Haha

Happy Thursday!

 

Live happy and live simple

Family, pregnancy, Uncategorized, Women

Less than a week left!

Hannah Lucio

We are so darn excited! We have less than a week left to find out if we are having a  boy or girl. I love finding out so we can be prepared and its just fun for us. I will be sure to post what we are having next week. We have been praying for a girl, since this is our last baby. But, I will be equally excited to have another boy. Boys are tough (especially today), but still fun. This pregnancy feels totally different, but I’m not counting on that as a clue. I have not really craved anything and feel a lot more motivated this time around. I am happy to be able to feel the baby moving a lot more in the the last two days. That is one of the best feelings of being pregnant. Its exciting and we are almost at the halfway point. Stay tuned for next weeks announcement 🙂

Family, Food, pregnancy, Uncategorized, Women

Pizza night!

Hannah Lucio

Since our “vacation” ended on Sunday, we are getting back to our normal routine. Saving, saving and more saving. Pizza Fridays are one of the main things. Well….homemade pizza that is. I have been taking a break and we have been eating out and ordering pizza instead. It was a nice break but I have to be honest, I love making homemade stuff. It just tastes different and better, in my opinion. I had been experimenting with recipes for pizza and its been OK. But, I finally found my old recipe that I used to make in California. I used it tonight and was so thankful to be able to find it again. I absolutely love it and am going to share the recipe with you all.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tsp (1 (.25 ounce) pack) Active dry yeast

1 tsp White sugar

1 cup Warm water

2 1/2 cups White flour

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Garlic powder

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

In medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let it stand till creamy, about 10 minutes

Stir in flour, salt, garlic powder and oil. Beat until smooth. Let it rest for 5 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan. Put in preheated oven for 10 minutes to get the bottom crust cooked a little bit.  Take out and put on your sauce and toppings. Bake in preheated oven for 10-20 more minutes until golden brown. Let pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

IMG_6819[1]

 

Yummy!!

 

Enjoy and live simple

 

 

Family, Food, pregnancy, Uncategorized, Women

Healthier Onion Rings

Hannah Lucio

When you think of Onion rings you would normally think of a few things: Deep fried, fat and greasy. Well….I found a recipe of the fried version and made it healthier. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

1 large onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices (I used what we had and it was a very small onion)

1 1/4 Cup Whole wheat flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

1 egg

1 cup milk, I used organic 2%

2 cups dried whole wheat bread crumbs: recipe below

Olive oil

 

Dried bread crumb directions:

I did not have dried bread crumbs already so I made my own. All I did was take 2 slices of whole wheat bread, took the crust off and baked it at 350 degrees for 4 minutes. Use your own judgment on how long to bake them. You want to make sure you can crumble the bread into small crumbs.

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
  4. Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are coated; set aside.
  5. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until batter stops dripping. (I placed parchment paper under the rack to make it easier to clean up.) Put the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl and spread out. Place one ring at a time into the crumbs, flip and coat the ring. Tap the ring as you remove it from the bowl. The bread coating should cling well. Repeat with the remaining rings.
  6. Lightly coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Place the rings on the pan side by side and drizzle olive oil over the rings.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, flip the rings and bake for 5 more minutes. I then turned the oven up to 425 degrees and baked for another 5 minutes. Bake until desired crispiness.

IMG_6791[1]

They were so delicious! We will be making these more often 🙂

Enjoy and Live simple