Quick and easy Meal idea: Penne with roasted red peppers and bacon

Looking for a quick and tasty meal with things you should already have?

While cooking penne for 4 people for about 10 minutes, Sautee together the following ingredients in a pan: 

*3tbsps. Olive oil

*1/4 cup chopped garlic

*1 tsp. Oregano

*1/2 jar of roasted red peppers

*2 tbsps. Red pepper flakes

*Salt and pepper to taste

I baked 4 pieces of bacon and crumpled it into this sauce. Then I mixed sauce and pasta together. I also had some garlic bread on the side.

Enjoy!!

Simple hair fixes from the winter blues

Hat hair fixes:
- Low side ponytail
-Making a bow with a low pony

Use the darkest hair color during the winter.

Use olive oil for 20 minutes before you shampoo for dry scalp.

Hair grows more when tied up in a ponytail,  if you want to grow out your hair over winter.

Thank you to Juan Tavarez, Avanzi Salon, NYC!

Fall favorite App Alert: Fried Mac and Cheese Balls

Comfort food, portion-sized. Gotta love it! Not to mention, your guests will love you for it!

Ingredients:

 (Per 8 servings)

 1 3/4 cup Velveeta Cheese cubed

2 1/2 cups Milk

1/2 stick Butter

1 tsp Garlic powder

3 Eggs

Panko Bread Crumbs

Salt to taste

Ground Black Pepper to taste

Cayenne Pepper to taste

Smoked Paprika to taste

Old Bay Seasoning to taste

1 Box of Elbow Macaroni

Vegetable or Peanut Oil for Frying

                                                              Deep Fryer

Heat in a large pan milk, garlic and butter until all the butter has melted. Then add all the velveeta cheese and combine until melted and smooth.

Boil macaroni and strain when finished. Mix macaroni into cheese sauce and spread out onto extra large flat baking sheet.  Put the sheet into the fridge for about 30 minutes, lightly covered with aluminum foil.

 Whisk eggs to create an egg wash in a bowl. Combine bread crumbs, salt, pepper, paprika, and old bay seasoning in a seperate large bowl.  After oil is hot enough in the deep fryer, use an ice cream scoop to create mac and cheese balls, and dip in egg wash, and crumb mixture. Then place in deep fryer for about 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.  I found after some time, I could place about 4 to 6 balls in the fryer basket and carefully move them from side to side with a fork to evenly fry them.  I also found that although the ice cream scoop could help score the amount evenly, my hands make the best shaped mac and cheese balls.

Make sure to place the fried mac and cheese balls on a paper towel in a foil pan and toss some salt on top to taste.

Last step:  Cover with aluminum foil and enjoy being the star of apps!

Did u know...

Random Facts...

DID YOU KNOW......

Moms and dads memorize more children's shows after their kids sleep for lack of changing the channel.

Frustrated moms develop blood pressure spikes from toddler daughter's hair being yanked out of perfect pony.

Whales and dolphins - babies and mothers go without sleep for an entire month in order to keep an eye out for predators and to keep warm.

Babies can breathe and swallow at the same time up until 7 months.

According to Utah law, a husband is responsible for any criminal act that his wife commits while in his presence.

The voices of Mickey and Minnie mouse were actually married in real life.

The movie 40 year old virgin shows a scene with Steve Carell getting his chest hair waxed. It really did happen in one shot. He has officially moved up a rank higher in my opinion.

**Some of these statements may not have enough research or proof to be backed. ;)

5 tips on exploring Holiday recipes

Since Thanksgiving and the holiday season is fastly approaching, I thought it would be a good idea to visit ideas of creating new and borrowed recipes.  I also spoke to the well-recognized chef in our family, who gave me some tips to share with you.

#1: When in doubt, add garlic.  It makes almost everything better.

#2: In Indian cooking, turmeric is a key ingredient in almost every recipe.

#3: If you are going to spend money on anything in a kitchen, spend it on sharp knives before anything else.

# 4: When ever coming up with a recipe,  try to find balance between sweet, sour and spicy.  Usually, it's a success.

#5: Most good recipes only require about 5 to 6 ingredients.  More than that often only creates more opportunities to mess up.

Thanks, Shaji Thomas! What great advice!

The only thing I can add is to not make a brand new recipe for a big holiday party without testing it out first ahead of time. You definitely don't want to make your guests guinea pigs of something that possibly could go wrong.

Good luck !!

App Recommendations for Mommies (Hopefully still free)

I married a tech guy. This was gonna make its way somewhere on here...

the-Lilypad.com:

a great app for scrapbookers that are looking for inspiration, ideas, digital templates, and forums.  Especially when you have time for it before kids and are preparing those baby journals!

Contractioncalculator.com (Android) or contractionmaster.com (iPhone):

a great app for pregos that are just about to have that baby. Tried and true story: Yelling to your husband "Time!" everytime you have a contraction and end one, so all he has to do is move his finger on the mouse. Lucky bastard.

FeedBaby or FeedBaby Pro:

a great app for after finally having the watermelon and needing to know how much of what of how long the little monster is having. This is an even better app when you have had less than the supposed 2 hours of sleep in between feeds. Oh! The app also does this for diaper changes, sleep, baths, growths, and pumpings. So, really, you can just have time to sit and smile and coo at the baby:)

Baby Tracker:

a great app for tracking baby's developmental milestones, weight, height, etc. Also, you don't have to wait till you get to the pediatrician's office to make sure.  For all you DIY'ers.:)

ABC Toddler Game/ BabySitter2Go/I Hear Ewe/Baby Scratch:

a great app for keeping the obnoxiously loud one quiet while in line, or in a quiet area (if you dare).  Obviously, try to limit how often this would be used, but definitely comes in handy for a few minutes.

CloudCam (iPhone) or Cloud Spy Cam (Google Play):

Use your phone like a monitor at home with the babysitter or while baby is sleeping. I did hear it does eat up battery, so plan on charging your phone ahead of time.

The Potty Show App from Preschoology.com:

a great app for potty training and preschoology.com also gives great advice and tips for introducing new siblings in the family.

Meetups:

a great app to find a group of humans similar to you since you have been incubating with someone that does not speak longer than 4 words at a time and tantrums often. There are usually hundreds of groups specific to moms of a specific region or specialty.  The best thing is that they do not hold it against you if you are not able to meet up, especially if the lil one decides to poop all over their outfit and yours at the last minute.

Activitytree.com:

a great site ( I don't know if they have an app yet) to find nearby children's classes, camps, activities with ratings.  Bonus: there are ways to score free classes through the site!

Starfall:

a great app for keeping that preschooler sitting still perhaps at the doctor's office or during that horrid drive-thru line that is 3 blocks long.  It came highly recommended from my son's teacher and it surprises me how advanced his thinking can get.

Mommaps.com:

a great app to find kid-friendly restaurants, parks, and museums. I wish I found this sooner so those people didn't give me that dreaded look that one time.

Instantplaydates.com:

a great app to set up play dates on a spur of the moment letting social media help you connect with your friends.  Or you can just text all 30 of your mom friends:)

Hopefully this helps all of you.  I know it has helped me from move to move, baby to baby, and work friends to new friends. Extra suggestions or comments always welcome!

Easy meal idea: Teriyaki Chicken

Hungry for a quick meal?

-4 pieces Chicken drumsticks/thighs

-1 tsp Sugar 

-1 tbsp pepper

-1/2 cup Teriyaki marinade

-3 tbsp Poultry seasoning

-1 tbsp Seasoned salt

-1 tsp Powdered ginger

Use ingredients stated above to do a wet rub on chicken, with no skin.
Cook on medium heat in a pan for about 5 mins each side. Then place chicken on a non stick  or aluminum foil-covered baking sheet for 30 minutes at 400 degrees in an oven. Then turn over pieces for another 30 minutes or until juices run clear.

Cover with aluminum foil until last 10 minutes to keep chicken moist.
Add rice or sticky rice or lo mein noodles, mixed with your favorite steamed vegetables and voila! Easy chicken meal.

Sorry, no picture of my completed meal! We ate it up too fast!;)

Fall Favorite Dessert alert: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars

If you are like me and love pumpkin anything, you will love this. It was a hit at my latest party!

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. 

Mix:

1/4 cup  Heavy cream 

1/2 cup  chocolate  chips 

Pinch of nutmeg 

2 tbsp vanilla extract 

1 Pumpkin bar mix

Bake according to mix directions.

Enjoy!!

P.S. This is also a great kid-friendly prep recipe.

DIY Lego Room...sort of

     My son loves Legos. I like legos, but his need to purchase one every time we are out is close to insane. Anywho, being the thoughtful mom I am, I decided to make his new bedroom into a Lego room.

Here are the steps I took:

1.  Paint the room lego colors. I also put lego decals I bought from www.etsy.com.  I love that site!

Of course, you can always make a 3d version and put actual legos on the walls with command strips perhaps. You know, in case you have some extra legos lying around on the floor...

2.  I made a lego switch plate cover.  I put the legos on paper to stabilize them once I started stacking them according to the size and space needed for the switches.   I almost got frustrated with how fragile it could be.  I also used craft glue to get them to stay on the paper.  Don't worry, it is NOT THE KRAGLE! (Lego movie term) It can easily be taken off.  Then, I used Command strips to hold this on the switch plate.

 3.  Something else that would enhance the feel of a lego room is a life-size version, so I turned his drawers into a large double sided lego.  I used round styrofoam, painted it the same color, and used (aha, once again) Command strips to attach them.  (Who knows? He may just want to use the drawers even after his lego phase.)

I did end up changing the setup a few times. I eventually had them 3 in a row vertically.

4.  I had a window seat cushion that I thought I was going to buy. I never found a lego window seat.  So I did the next logical thing and decided to make one myself.  I went to a fabric store and decided to buy fabric with legos on it.  Unfortunately, they did not have it. So the next logical step for me was to buy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (my son's second favorite theme) fabric. I also bought flat mattress topper foam.  I also discovered Stitch Witchery.   Maybe I am late with finding out, but I love this stuff!

So basically you place the Stitch Witchery in between your fabric and a damp cloth on top and then iron it a few times until it seals.  No need to sew! I ironed it a few times to make sure all the crazy jumping and dancing my son may do on this cushion wouldn't open it.

I also added circles of the fabric on top to make it scream LEGOS.

5.  Finally, I placed things around the room with a lego theme.  I used an actual box of legos as an end table.  I bought a bean beg with Lego Tetris.  I used lego bed sheets.  I got a lego table with a cover for those days he may want to draw instead.

This may not be the best lego room ever, but it worked for my son.  Hopefully, this can give other lego lovers some ideas.
Interestingly, I started feeling sad when I was done.  Who knows? Maybe I will put up framed lego posters. As for now, 7,000 laundry loads are calling me. Ta-ta!

10 Ways Parents Are Superstars

Some PM (Positive Motivation):

Parents=Superstars

1. We can go into stealth mode at any given time during the night and tiptoeing around the noisiest floors, like superspies.

2. Our primary job is multitasking.

3. Without being trained like doctors or hospice workers, we can break bad news to kids with great carefullness.

4. Without law school, we can negotiate anything after being taught about it from our kids.

5. We can go much longer than other human beings without whole meals as long as our kids eat (or so we think).

6. We can pretty much make, do, shift, and cook all with one-hand.

7.  We have supersonic hearing (especially when things get ridiculously quiet and the kids are awake).

8.  We can clean the stinkiest diapers, beds, trays, and clothes all without expecting a reward for it.

9.  Entertaining our kids with OUR moves obviously makes us STARS.

10.  We live, learn and make our family our STARS.

Enjoy Your Week, Everybody!!!!!

Breakfast Food makeshift recipes

Looking for changing boxed recipes with everyday pantry items?

Here are some ideas that worked for me!

Semi-homemade strawberry banana muffins topped with blueberry glaze

- Mix 1/2 cup milk, 2 tsp vanilla extract,  2 bananas, and strawberry muffin mix. Bake in muffin cups at 350 degrees for 17 minutes.

- Heat 1 cup of rinsed blueberries and 2 spoons sugar and a dash of honey until mixed well and pat down berries with a spoon until popped and boiling. (Taste the fruit! If it is too tart, you may need to add more sugar.)  Take off of stove and set aside to cool and thicken.  Pour glaze lightly on top of baked muffins. Yum!

Semi-homemade nutella banana berry muffins

-Mix 1/2 cup milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 bananas, 1 heaping spoon of nutella (or other nut-free chocolate spread of choice),  and wildberry muffin mix and bake in muffin cups at 350 for 20 minutes. Enjoy! I know my kids did.

Mommy is fed up with the bruises

     As another Mommyism, I have come to realize I must look a wreck to other people. Maybe it is just me or just my body reacting, but does anyone else bruise so easily from everyday care of their kids? 

Sounds ridiculous, I know.

Over the past couple of months, I would get a random bruise and not know how it got there. No I am not a domestic violence victim. Unless you consider me married to my children. I almost started to wonder if it was an illness.  I finally figured out why I was getting these bruises.

My kids.

I would take my younger one who is in the phase of not liking diaper changes and she punches, kicks and rolls so I can't change her. Then there are other times I carry her down the stairs and she drops her book on my leg. You know, the hardcover heavy one. Or the time my older one "accidentally " got me while swishing his Star Wars light saber. And then,  there are the legos.

Yes THOSE. I am going to patent soft top ones one day.

Aaah, just another day of being a parent.

I think it is time for us parents to patent a bruise proof cover on ourselves, maybe with those pvc-free, rubber-soled, non-skid, fireproof foam padding. Then we can all walk around like sumo wrestler  wannabe millionaires!

Till then, good luck!

Hello, Life.

Hello there, philosophy.
Set some goals for myself.
Identity. The meaning of life. Friends. Peace. Better at being a mom and a wife.

What about you? Has there been a time when you have felt like this? Your plate is bountiful with blessings, but something is missing. No one else can find it for you. Everyone is pretty much doing all they can for you and your life. So what is this internal nag?

Working vs. stay-at-home mom.
Quality vs. quantity of time spent with your kids.
Exercise and die-hard health plans to elongate life vs. enjoying life to the fullest today; screw health because you might not be here tomorrow anyway.
Career vs job.
Money whore vs philanthropic work.
Long-term goals vs today's plan.

As humans, we certainly have enough push and pull fights in our brains before other personal issues arise.

It is like you are damned either way. Maybe it is my cynicism (go figure, the word I got wrong in my regional spelling bee), but I think our world has set us up wrongly.

Or ...you can choose to just be a good person and be unselfish as your day goes on. I guess that is it:  Live one day at a time and hope it goes well. 

Move the Coconut!

Yup, that's what my husband said. Smack in the middle of the night, talking in his sleep, while I nuzzled up to him under his arm. Do you know what he was talking about? I didn't, at first, either. Then, he started pushing against my head and saying it again, "Move the coconut." My jaw dropped to the floor and I was trying to figure out if I should be mad or start laughing horrified. I know I have long hair, but it is definitely not that coarse! I even asked him in the morning about it, and he doesn't even remember having said it. So it has been several years since that happened and I can manage to forgive him.

What does this have to do with me starting a blog?? Well, I was trying to think of how to start this. I mean, my ever-thoughtful brain, needed an outlet. Before this coconut falls off, I wanted to share my thoughts about life and grow these well-rounded coconut offspring right.

Life as a stay-at-home mom of 2 young kids/models.
Life as a wife of a second generation Indian American couple.
Life as a therapist and dance choreographer.
Life as a wellness researcher.
Life as a DIY-er.


Hopefully, I can connect with some of you on a higher level and I welcome any and all feedback!