Good Eats-Melt in your mouth chicken

While working on my other Seattle posts, my pictures got all jumbled and I had to take a break from it!  Hopefully tomorrow, it'll be sorted out, but until then here is a recipe I found on pinterest that I was REALLY hesitant to try.  Mainly because the main ingredient is mayo....gross.  I've always thought mayo was gross until I cut dairy with Lainie.  For some reason, then I couldn't get enough of it. 

Just typing that grosses me out. 

Now that I've added back dairy I don't want mayo on every sandwich anymore, thankfully!  I seriously cringe thinking about the calories and saturated fat content of it!

Anyways!  The title melt in your mouth chicken got me and the fact that it is super easy.  There are several variations of this recipe on other sites, but the one I love the most is from Grateful Belly.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breast halves (I cut these into halves, for eight peices)
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

• Mix mayo, cheese, and seasonings. 
• Place chicken pieces in a 9x13 baking dish. Spoon mayo mixture onto tops and sides of chicken.
• Bake uncovered at 375 for aboug 25 minutes, or until cooked through.

 

Verdict:  Incredible! and so so so easy! We have had this many, many times since first trying it and I've changed a few things to limit the amount of mayo.  I used a mayo/sour cream mix, and then at my parents we used about 1/3 Cup mayo and 2/3 cup greek yogurt and it was delish. I think that is probably what I'm going to use from now on.  It seems like there is still enough mayo to tenderize the chicken, but not enough to gross me out.  With the greek yogurt, the chicken didn't seem to get as browned on top.  Hope you enjoy!

 

 

And for good measure, here's a cute picture of a typical breakfast in my house!

West Coast time!

Like I mentioned before we had a day at PapaGigi's house before we flew out to Seattle for Aunt Jessica and Uncle Tim's wedding week!  We had been talking about going to Grandma's house for weeks, so when we woke Ruthie up really early all we had to say was that today we were going to Grandma's house and she was Pumped!

Everywhere we went Ruthie told anyone and everyone she was going to Grandma's house (she was a big hit with the flight attendants).  She is really coming out of her shell lately and we couldn't believe how much she was talking to everyone.  The past 2 years of her life, she has pretty much cried if anyone she didn't know looked at her so this is a huge change.

This part of the trip is going to take several posts, so in order to post on Wednesday, here is the video we took when we got on the plane!  So cute!

St. Lucia!

Over two weeks ago, I packed the girls and myself up and headed to PapaGigi's house.  We decided to let Ruthie have a long weekend of superfun with PapaGigi while Joel, Lainie and I went to my best friends wedding in St. Lucia.  (**Robin and I have been friends for a long time.  We cheered together at NC State but didn't get to be really close until we lived in Hawaii together.  She is one of the people I know will always be there and I knew we needed to be at her wedding.  We absolutely love her husband Ron and are so thankful they've found each other and we were able to witness their wedding!**)

It was one of the hardest things I've done thusfar.  I have never understood why parents couldn't leave there kids knowing they're in great hands and will have a great time.....until it was my turn.  Its always amazing how perfectly clear you see things when it's someone else's situation. I think I've learned its just better to keep my mouth shut about everything :-)

**Any decent photos on this blog I have snagged from my friends and facebook, all other pictures are courtesy of our ipad**

After we got Ruthie settled and Joel joined us after work we got a short night sleep and got Lainie up about 3am and took off.  Lainie is a great traveler.  Those yogurt melts below are crucial to flying.

 She has a few minutes of screaming (which sounds extra loud and extra long to us) and then knocks out.

When we arrived we were greeted by the beautiful bride and had a snack while we waited for our room to be ready. 

This was our first trip staying somewhere all-inclusive, we have always thought that wasn't our thing.  We were wrong (refer to above statement about keeping my mouth shut always).  It was AWESOME!  We loved not having to pack up and go anywhere, not take our wallets anywhere, be able to easily go back up to the room if we needed something, having all the food we needed, etc. 

The resort also had pack n plays that had toys built into the mesh walls (and were square shaped). I hadn't seen them before, but thankfully we were able to wedge it into the bathroom so Lainie could snooze away and we could watch tv or sit on the balcony.  We took turns going and getting food and drinks and bringing them back up to our balcony.  It was great.

The night we arrived the bride and groom had a beach party and it was so much fun. It had been a pretty long day for us (and especially Lainie), so we left the party early and crashed for the big day ahead.

This is a group shot of just the ladies who came to the wedding. I believe about 75 people traveled to celebrate this awesome day!

 The next day the bride took time out of her busy schedule to meet me for breakfast so we could catch up. It was great, and I have an awesome picture on my camera (that is broken). Hopefully we'll be able to get the pictures off soon! The camera has an xd card, instead of an sd card so its not working with my computer. After I walked her to the spa to get ready for the big day, we took Lainie and hit the pool.

The pools at the resort were great. They had lots of shallow areas and shade, plus waterslides and a lazy river. Ruthie would've loved it (and we missed her terribly).

 

  Time to go to the wedding!

It was gorgeous.

But not as beautiful as the bride!

How cute is this picture??  Lainie knew just what to do when her toes hit the sand! 

The bride and groom had a steel drum band after the wedding during cocktail hour and it was so awesome! We loved the music.

When it started getting late, I put Lainie in the boba (similar to the ergo carrier) and put my hair in a ponytail.  That ponytail made her laugh for a good 45 minutes! Best toy ever!

The reception was held at a beachfront pool, dinner was delicious.  After Lainie was tuckered, Joel (graciously) took her back to the room, so I could dance with some friends I never get to see for an hour or so.  Below are a few of our Hawaii friends we miss like crazy. it was a great reunion!

The bride dancing with her Mama.

Robin had put together several songs specific to guests and it was a highlight when the dj played Garth Brooks, Baton Rouge.  We sang that song (at the top of our lungs) thousands of times in Ms. Kitty (a Big Red Ford F150 that I babysat for our friend Leigh, who is in the black floral dress dancing above).  It is a great memory I will always have!

When the cake was cut, I snagged a piece and took it to Joel and called it a night. It was good cake and a great night!

 The next day was a free day and we spent most of it in the pools. And of course, who doesn't love a baby in a rash guard over a tutu bathing suit. 

 

 The resort had several restaurants we could dine at and we chose the Carribean fare.  They had family hours starting at 6pm which was great. We didn't have to worry about disrupting others in case Lainie needed to talk or get mad (which she didn't).

 Really dark, but the best I could get on the ipad.  The food was delish! One of the best meals either of us has had in a long time.  For my own memory, I got corn chowder, crab cake, filet with crab mac n cheese (crazy good), and the chocolate decadence dessert.  Joel got the conch salad, shrimp appetizer, surf and turf and apple crisp for dessert.  We each loved everything but his dessert won hands down. It was so good.

 Facebook shot before our fancy dinner out.

 Lainie hanging out in the hotel room.

 Photo shot of Lainie's favorite game

 

Peekaboo!  This is how we take almost all of her pictures now!

 

 Before we left we got a shot of Lainie and I with Robin.

 Robin spent a good amount of her free time like this.  There is nothing like a lifelong friend who loves your kids.

 You can't really see too much in this picture, but I love it, Lainie was loving Robin and while you can only see half her face, its definitely a happy half. 

Here's my I'm getting teeth and super cute in my yellow dress face.

 

We had a wonderful time in St. Lucia and so much fun celebrating Robin and Ron's marriage, but I can't lie I couldn't WAIT to get home and see my sweet big girl.  We got home about 1:30am, so come 7am I was pretty much running down the hall to get a big Ruthie hug!  She was so sweet and had a great time with PapaGigi (and Aunts/cousins of course), but there was nothing as good as having the four of us together again! 

 

We had one day at PapaGigi's house then it was off to Seattle for Aunt Jessica/Uncle Tim's wedding! Stay tuned!

Long time!

Wow, it has been a long time and I've gotta say, I've missed blogging! The past two weeks have been full of weddings, beautiful brides, friends, family, lots of flights and of course, loads of fun.  We're getting back to the swing of things and like always, are glad to be home. 

Until I can get my act together, here are a few cute pictures from one of our favorite three year olds birthday party this past weekend.  Hopefully, tomorrow I'll have the first part of our trip up on the blog, my best friends wedding in St. Lucia (of course our camera died when we got there, so I've got ipad pictures :-)! Until then...

 

And this is my two girls LOVING the bouncy house (and tackling each other).

 

Can you tell from the pictures my girls stick together? One of my favorite things in life.

My Little Lainie Month 11

Wow am I behind! Thank goodness for a deadline on the 2nd of every month for my sweet baby's update.  We are very close to having two walking kids and no crawling baby anymore and I can't stand it.  Here is our month 11 update!

Eating:
We're definitely making progress! We've found that Lainie LOVES cheese.  String cheese, cheddar cheese, colby jack, etc.  Loves it.  Right now that is definitely her favorite food.  Her other favs are yogurt, black beans, happy tot stage 3 squeezie pouches, pasta, banana bread, sweet potatoes, green peas and bananas.  She really likes to chew on apples if I'm holding the apple, I think they feel good on her chompers.  I have to be careful with apples because she'll bite a piece off and promptly start gagging on it. 
Its been a slower introduction for Lainie to solid foods, but she's doing great and eating all sorts of things now.  I think she could eat anything that is soft with some texture, but she still gags a little bit, although she's losing. 
The only thing I know of now that she obviously doesn't like is oatmeal.  Hopefully that will change, we'll keep trying!

She eats 3 meals a day at 7:30am, 11:30am, and 5:30pm.

As far as nursing goes, our schedule has gotten much more flexible.  Usually she nurses at 7am, either 11am or 1pm, 4pm, and 6:30pm.  She is fine if she misses a feeding (other than the first and the last) since she is eating so much regular food.

She likes puffs okay (I think they've lost their novelty), cheerios (sort of), goldfish, graham crackers, and baby mum mums for snacks (and cheese).

Size:
She is still so big.  I'm guessing she's about 20/21 pounds and in size 12-18 month clothes and some 18-24 month clothes.  Its shocking to put Lainie in clothes Ruthie literally just got out of!    She is still in size 4 diaper.

Nighttime Sleep:
Baby still loves her wall!  She sleeps from about 7pm-7am.  In.Cred. Ible.

Daytime Sleep:

If we're at home, she'll sleep from about 9am-12pm, and 2pm-4pm.  If we're out and about, she sleeps from about 12:30pm-3:30/4pm.

Mobility:
She could SO walk!  She has taken several step over the last few weeks and now can easily go from sitting to standing without pulling up on anything. 

She has amazing shocks too, when you're holding her hand and let go she has the most controlled down ever!  If you hold her hand with one finger she almost runs across the room. She is FAST!  It won't be long before there are just walkers in my house, sniff sniff.

Eyes:
Blue baby.

Paci:
Just in the crib and carseat (or if we're out in a store).  She doesn't love it like her sister, but she does love it.

Hair:
In comes the mullet!  Just like Ruthie, the back is growing in long and it is time for her first snip!  The top of her hair is long but the front hasn't come in at all. Her hair seem to be coming in lighter too.

Signs/Words:
She's a clapper! She waves bye bye, claps, plays peekaboo (loves peekaboo) and dances her head off.  She hasn't signed other than that but is very attentive when we do.  She says MaMa, DaDa, and makes a lot of sounds.  Her most prominent sound is her teradactyl scream, its pretty sweet,

Teeth:
Still the bottom two. I think more are coming, the chewing has started again and the drool also! I'm thinking  its more on the bottom but we'll see!

Doesn't Love:
-Still at the top of the list is having things taken from her.  She does NOT like it and will let you know!  She'll give you a warning scream and it cracks us up.  She is so funny.
-oatmeal

Loves:
-The Swing (outside, we put the baby swing up a long time ago)
-her sister

-all of her sisters drinks (I don't think we're going to have any problem making the transition to milk, almost daily I turn around to find her chugging Ruthie's milk, as soon as Ruthie yells "don't drink my milk NayNay".  She can get to her milk in about 1 second flat).  I now give them all the same cups but somehow she knows which ones are Ruthie's and apparently water takes better out of Ruthie's cup.
-Chloe. She's really showing interest in Chloe and loves to pat her.  Its cute and Chloe is so so good.
-peekaboo. Loves it.
-being tickled
-singing
-Being chased, one of my favorite things in life.

-Dancing.  usually if we're in a store with music playing, if Lainie is in the stroller, she is dancing.  Cracks me up.
-playing with hair.  Her's or mine, doesn't matter. Its usually when she's tired and its really sweet.
-blowing bubbles and making her piggy face.  hilarious.

-Life. 

Other:
Lainie still does great playing by herself. 

There is no one she thinks is funnier than her sister.  She is the sweetest ever to put to bed when she's sleepy.  She has a sleepy giggle that Joel and i think is the cutest.





Lainie is so happy and such a great baby.  She is nothing but a blessing and we are so incredibly fortunate that she is ours! I love seeing how much my girls love each other.  This month was so much fun, and I can't even get my head around next months update!

Wordless Wednesday: She's so proud!

 

Lainie's loving her new found trick! She claps breakfast, noon and night and we're pretty sure this solidifies her status as a baby genius :-)

Random Question: If I'm getting Christmas stockings for our family, what do I embroider (if anything) on Joel and my stockings?  The girls names will be on there's, but it seems weird to put Joel and Grace on ours, also weird to put Mom/Dad/Mommy/Daddy.  So do I go with no embroidery on anyones or just on a the girls? Thanks for your input!

Randoms around our house

-We cut cable.  I pretty much threw a silent fit about it to myself for about a week where I wanted to lay on the floor and flail (charming image, isn't it).  Then I realized what a hold cable had on me and knew there was a problem.  I called the next day and cut it.  It was totally liberating.  The cutting our cable/internet bill by more than 60% didn't hurt either.

-Joel's been wanting to cut cable for years.  Years.  I think he could go without it forever.

-I really miss HGTV and Food Network (and who am I kidding, Bravo and Lifetime just for Dance Moms).  The only other thing I miss is the ability to watch things on demand.  We've never had a dvr so I am used to watching everything live anyways.

-Now I just watch stuff on the computer which is definitely not the same as on the tv.

-I'm pretty ready for fall shows to come on.

-UNC Explorer is actually a pretty good channel.  So is ION.

-You would think I would be getting all sorts of stuff done without cable.  I am getting more done than I was, but the list is still never ending.

-With my new found time during nap time I've started reading again.  Its pretty awesome.  Lately I've read a few Randy Alcorn books and the Duggar books (thats right, those Duggars).  The Duggar books I really loved and they told almost every step they took to being completely debt free. Incredible. and Inspiring. Any suggestions for books? 

-Lainie and I were sick this past week/weekend (always on a holiday weekend, isn't it).  Joel swooped in as superDad and took over.  I slept and slept while he took over Mr. Mom.  I don't know what I'd do without him.

-The mosquitos seem to not be as horrible lately. We've been able to go outside without getting constantly swarmed. Its been great.  I love fall.

-Speaking of fall, is it too early for me to make party mix?

-I found 6 long, wirey gray hairs last weekend.  I haven't colored my hair in about 4 years and it makes me sick to think I'm going to have to start coloring it so I'm not 30 and totally gray. ugh.  Let me clarify, should I find 6 more long, wirey gray hairs, I will be coloring my hair (or maybe Joel will).

-Joel cuts my hair now.  I've been getting it cut locally and every time i come home, he ends up fixing it (to the tune of cutting inches to repair the rattail damage), so instead of shelling out the $30 and have him fix it, he just cuts it now.  He's actually pretty good at it, layers and all.  I've had more people ask me where I get my hair cut now than in years, and we both crack up at their faces when I tell them its at Salon JoJo.

-One of my favorite things Ruthie says now is I be eat Mama?  She says it all the time.  She be eat'n.  all the time.

-Another fav is Hold me Mama.  All the day long. 

-NayNay loves to do the Indian (totally not PC, no clue what else to call it).  She thinks its hilarious and would do it continuously for hours I think.  Ruthie never had any interest in that.

-I really want sushi this week, weird.

 -Ruthie loves to hug (which strangely looks like a choke hold) NayNay. Its really sweet, and slightly scary.

I think random was definitely the right title for this blog post.

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