Keepin' Busy! Plus, Lemon Berry Loaf Recipe

I promised myself I wouldn't keep myself so busy this deployment, but I just can't help it!

Lets recap what fun things I did last week.

I made a duvet cover for Little Miss's toddler bed.

It was very easy, just alot of pinning! I found the tutorial over at Prudent Baby, she does an amazing job at this how-to for multiple size beds. It was actually cheaper for me to make this duvet cover than to buy one at the store!

Hubs made his first port of the deployment and he even sent us a picture with his Duffy the Disney Bear.

Doesn't he look like he is having fun? I would be lying if I said I wasn't a teensy bit jealous that he was able to see Athens...

We were able to Skype and it was great. Little Miss was so excited, she couldn't wouldn't stop talking. I hardly had a chance to talk to him myself!

I also got to meet some new additions to our Play Group: One of the momma's had her twins a few weeks ago and now they are finally home! They are so cute and tiny, AHHH baby fever is going into overdrive!

Little Miss also had an Easter egg hunt yesterday at a friends' birthday party. I even made the bow that matched her dress!

Finally, I made this yummy Lemon Berry Loaf. I will leave you all with the recipe!

Makes 16 Servings

1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 tbsp. lemon extract
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen, just don't unthaw!)
2 tbsp. grated lemon rind
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat the over to 350. Coat a 9x5x3-inch non-stick loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix the oil, 2/3 cup sugar, lemon extract, egg, and egg whites. In a separate, small bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with the milk, stirring just until blended. Fold in the blueberries and lemon rind.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Immediately poke holes at 1-inch intervals on the top of the bread. In a small saucepan over medium heat or in a microwave oven, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the lemon juice, heating until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the bread. Cool, and slice to serve.

From "The New Holly Clegg Trim and Terrific Cookbook" 

Care Package Madness!

Am I considered "crazy" if I send out so many care packages they are as tall as my toddler? If so, then I never want to be sane muahahahahaha!

*Okay, not all of those boxes are care packages (only the 3 in the middle of the pile!)*

My goal this deployment is to send a care package for every pay check. Well, he left on the 11th and I haven't sent out a box yet so I am already behind! Of course this box is filled mostly with stuff he forgot. He only packed one pair of pants for port visits, so I obviously had to send another pair. I don't know how often he does laundry but I can only assume it is only when absolutely necessary. He left a shaker bottle here and since he manages to go through those like candy, I figured he has probably already lost the first one. He left his sunglasses and a towel. I also filled the box with lots of goodies, like his favorite hard candies and some pictures of us on our Disney World vacay. In fact, this box has a bit of a Disney theme to it. I wanted him to open it up and think of something happy (like our recent Disney vacay), so I painted the flaps red and had Little Miss cover them with Mickey Mouse stickers. While I was at WalMart I came across these simple 5X7  plastic frames with a magnet on the back and I thought they would be perfect to hang on his rack, so I picked my favorite 2 photos from vacation for the frames. I hope he is happy when he opens it!

Then I made an "Egg Hunt" care package for his department. I filled plastic eggs with individually wrapped candy and toys like rings with bubbles, those plastic poppy caps (no idea how to better describe them!), and super stretchy plastic bunnies. 

The third box is for Hubs, he needed more of his protein shake and it comes in this HUGE container that wouldn't fit in the APO/FPO flat rate boxes. So lesson learned, I will have GNC ship it straight to him so I don't have to go searching for a box again!

Dang it, I just realized I forgot to pick up extra customs forms. We get paid again soon so its already time to start thinking about the next box!

Some helpful websites when it comes to care packages:


SKIP cares


Navy for Moms


Free Care Package from Scion!



 

 

Review: Frederic Fekkai Marine Summer Hair, Beach Waves

I have been searching for a way to achieve sexy, effortless beach waves. I have tried curlers. I have tried the sock bun. Then I came across this gem at TJ Maxx: Frederic Fekkai Marine Summer Hair. I decided to give it a try. 

*Oh my goodness, I am in love!*

I tried it out this morning, I had showered last night and slept on my wet hair. So it was a hot mess this morning. I figured it was the perfect excuse to try out my new product! My hair is as straight as a board, I am not exaggerating by saying it has zero wave to it. 

As soon as I sprayed this stuff in, I could see a difference. It was a nice, light mist that smelled wonderful; not too strong and faintly sweet. It didn't make my hair stiff or wet looking once it dried. I simply scrunched up pieces of my hair after I sprayed it and finger styled. So very easy!

My hair held all day, even outside in the humidity. This product even offers some UV protection, which is great since I spend a lot of time outside. 

This product is definitely worth buying!

I am so happy to have found this product, I only paid $9.99 at TJ Maxx and when I looked it up online I saw it retails around $25!

Recipe: Baked French Toast

I apologize for the lack of blogginess going on this week, my mommy is in town! So we have been spending lots of mother/daughter/grandbaby time together. This week I made the BBQ Shrimp recipe that I absolutely love and of course we had french bread. We had quite a bit leftover so I decided to make Baked French Toast for breakfast!

1 cup light maple syrup

1 (16 oz) loaf French bread

2 eggs

2 egg whites

2 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Coat a 3-quart oblong baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the maple syrup into the dish. Slice the French bread into 2-inch slices, and place over the syrup.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, egg whites, sugar, skim milk, vanilla, and cinnamon until well blended. Pour the egg mixture over the bread, pressing the bread to soak up the liquid overnight, or leave at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.!

Preheat the oven to 350.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

Per Serving: Calories 261, Protein (g) 9, Carbohydrate (g) 47, Fat (g) 3, Calories from Fat (%) 11, Saturated Fat (g) 1, Dietary Fiber (g) 2, Cholesterol (mg) 444, Diabetic Exchanges: 0.5 very lean meat, 2 starch, 1 other carbohydrate. 


I prepped this the night before, it was so easy. Then I just popped it in the oven in the morning and voila! easy breakfast. 

I totally love this cook book from Holly Clegg. My mom surprised me and bought the Gulf Coast Favorites edition, I can hardly wait to try out all the recipes!

Hazy

The best way to describe the last few days: Hazy.

Hubs deployed on Sunday, less than 8 months after returning from the last deployment. As I was driving up to the pier it all seemed a little too familiar. I feel like we were just there dropping him off for the first deployment. We quickly said our goodbyes (because that is the easiest for us) and we watched as he disappeared amongst the crowd walking onto the pier. I sat there for a while just staring off into the distance and letting my mind wander. This wasn't fair. He wasn't home long enough. We were just getting used to being around each other again. Just 2 weeks ago we were having the time of our lives in Disney World, how could he be leaving now?

I didn't want to go home yet. I wasn't ready to go back there yet and see all of Hubs stuff. His shoes by the door. His body wash in the shower. I wasn't ready to fold his clothes that were in the dryer or wash the bowl in the sink that he used to eat ice cream the night before.

*Yes, I left dirty dishes in the sink overnight just this one time. Don't judge me!*

I looked around and noticed all the "goodbyes" going on. It reminded me that I am probably not the only one feeling this way. I started thinking about the next time I would be in this place and I smiled. Next time I would be here, there would be big white tents filling the parking lot for Homecoming.

Then my phone started going off, my friends had said their goodbyes and didn't want to go home either. We all met up and stayed together most of the day. When everyone else went to watch the ship pull away from the pier, I went home for a nap. I was functioning on 2 hours sleep and I cannot bear to watch the ship leave. I also mustered the strength to put away the reminders that Hubs was not coming home. Eventually I met back up with my friends for dinner and "Army Wives". By the time Little Miss & I came home, it was after 11pm and I was too exhausted to feel anything else. Even though I didn't want to, I put Little Miss in her own bed and I slept alone. Before drifted off, I reminded myself that when I woke up Hubs would not be next to me.

Yup, they definitely are gone now

I don't consider Deployment Day as Day #1 of our countdown. I think the day after is the first day of deployment survival. I made a jar filled with kisses for Little Miss. Every day, she gets a "kiss" from Daddy. I actually think she understands what is going on, but I don't think she understands for how long. When I explained things to her, she nodded and said "Daddy at work." She is such a trooper.

This deployment so far has been harder emotionally than the last one. Perhaps it is because last time I was blissfully ignorant since it was our first deployment. This time I know what is coming and what to expect. I thought that experience would make this whole thing easier, but maybe that will happen further down the road. 

I am already diving head first into my check list. I had an appointment with my personal trainer yesterday and he came up with my hardest workout to date. Little Miss has been sleeping in her own bed since Hubs left. Next week we will complete potty training. I will be so happy to be done with diapers.

I am starting to see through the haze that came with this deployment, I can see the rays of light breaking through. Each day that passes is one day closer to that ship coming back home.


 

BBQ Shrimp Recipe

Since last night was one of Hubs final nights home for a while, I decided to spoil him with Southern cooking! He loves shrimp and even though it is pricey here, due to the special occasion I overlooked the cost.

This recipe came from Holly Clegg, she has a "trim&TERRIFIC" series of cookbooks. I own one of them and I cook from it quite often. The recipes are yummy AND they are healthy! 

I came across her blog and found this BBQ Shrimp recipe from her "trim&TERRIFIC Gulf Coast Favorites Cookbook". After making the shrimp, I will definitely be buying this cookbook!

BBQ Shrimp

 

Makes 4-6 servings

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fat-free Italian or reduced-fat Caesar dressing
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds unpeeled large shrimp
1/3 cup light beer, room temperature
1/2 cup clam juice or fat-free chicken broth

1. In large nonstick large skillet, combine all ingredients, except shrimp, beer, and broth. Cook over medium heat until sauce begins to boil.
2. Add shrimp and cook 5 minutes. Add beer and broth and cook until shrimp are done, 5-7 minutes.

Nutritional information per serving: Calories 207, Calories from fat (%) 44, Fat (g) 11, Saturated Fat (g) 2, Cholesterol (mg) 196, Sodium (mg) 614, Carbohydrate (g) 6, Dietary Fiber (g) 1, Sugars (g) 2, Protein (g) 22 Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 carbohydrate, 3 very lean meat

For our dinner, I doubled all the ingredients except the shrimp & the cayenne. I went with 3lbs of shrimp and used just the listed amount of cayenne. The only thing I would change about this recipe: I would suggest you let the shrimp soak for a while, around 10 minutes. Just like you would do if you were boiling crawfish!

My kitchen smelled so delicious while this was cooking, Hubs was instantly curious when it was going to be ready. I paired it with angel hair pasta and french loaf bread (for soaking up the juices mmmm!). Hubs also loved deer sausage so he grilled up a package of that too.

I will most definitely cook this recipe again, especially after Hubs gets home from deployment!

 

 

Easy Meatloaf Recipe!

I found this recipe a few years ago online and it has been my go-to when I need to throw something together on the fly. I usually take a package of lean ground beef out of the deep freezer in the morning and throw it in the fridge to defrost during the day. But when I forget, that is what the defrost button is for on the microwave right?

The reasons I love this recipe: Prep time is less than 10 minutes, there are 5 ingredients, I can throw it in the oven then take care of things around the house, and Hubs says its the best meatloaf he's ever had (shh don't tell my MIL)!

Easy Meatloaf

2lbs lean ground beef

1 pkg. stuffing mix for chicken

1 cup of water

2 eggs

1/2 cup bbq sauce

1. Heat oven to 375.
2. Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl.
3. Shape into a loaf in 13x9 baking dish OR put in meatloaf pan.
4. Top with additional BBQ sauce and ketchup if desired.
5. Bake for an hour.

Wasn't that the easiest meatloaf recipe ever? It is very simple, but very yummy! I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do around here!