I always here of these moms who say they haven't had anything to eat all day. In my head I'm like whaaattt?? How can this be? Even on my busiest days, you can betcha I made time to eat something whether I had to stand while eating, take it in the car, or whatevah! I can guarantee you I got my calories in. But, sometimes this gets me into a tricky situation if I am super busy because I end up eating maybe not the best thing nutritionally for my body and then I kinda crash and burn in the energy department, which is not good with a one year old whose energy never stops unless he is asleep. That all changed when I learned that making your own jerky is actually super easy and is the perfect high protein snack to get me through even the busiest of hours.
I have been a little pre-occupied with Parks' birthday and family being in town, therefore I have been a little MIA...oops. I feel like the past eighteen days of October have disappeared right before my very eyes. How is it possible that it's almost Halloween? On top of that, two of my burners on the stove went out last week due to a possible wine spillage (possibly from my mom...we won't tell her though) and I have had to be super creative with our meals due to my limited cooktop. Easy side dishes that can be done quickly to make room for the next pot are a requirement these days! My 10-minute shaved Asian brussel sprouts are going to be your new favorite healthy side dish for any day of the week!
I have dreamed about one day having my own book published. How that was going to happen or what that was going to look like, I didn't know for sure. The only thing I knew, is that food would be involved. When Skyhorse Publishing reached out to me last year and asked me about writing a cookbook, I literally couldn't believe it. ( Um, pinch me...is this real life?) Three years ago, I was a girl who started a blog not knowing much about it other than that I wanted to share my life and the food I was making with all of you. And now here I am awaiting my very own cookbook release and I am just so thankful. The Unexpected Cajun Kitchen is a cookbook where you will find Cajun inspired dishes with a farm to table twist that you can make in your everyday life!
Oh man, the weather here over the weekend was absolute perfection. Windows were open, there was a crispness in the air, and I actually could feel fall. We had Parks' 1st birthday party and celebrated with friends and family and it couldn't have been a more perfect day. His birthday will always signify the start of fall since it's on October 1st, and to me it doesn't seem like fall until October. One of my favorite ways to get into any season is to start cooking with my favorite seasonal flavors. My roasted beet and acorn squash Autumn salad is the perfect side dish or meatless dinner that will have your tastebuds in total fall bliss!
Dare I say that I can finally feel a hint of fall? The air is definitely changing here in Texas, even though it is still pretty hot compared to some other parts of the country, it's feels pretty great to me. I had the windows open all weekend and definitely felt the fall baking bug and soup cravings hitting me hard. Anyone else have this happening right now? My roasted butternut squash and apple soup with sage oil is going to cure your soup hankering by giving you a hug from the inside!
They always say don't blink because it all passes so quickly, and at the time when you are tired from sleepless nights, you are covered in spit up, and can't quite remember what your old body felt like...it's hard to see how that could be true. Well I blinked and here we are one year after our lives changed forever, and Canean Parks Chatagnier was born. Just like that, truly in a blink of an eye, a whole 365 days have passed. Our baby boy who struggled while taking his first breaths and came into our lives rather traumatically, is vibrant and so full of joy that he brightens our days more than he will ever know.
