Instagram Anonymous. [Frosted Zucchini Brownies]

Hi, my name is Nicole and I am an Instagram addict.

[Which by the way if you want to follow me I'm under: nicolehopefully]

Ok, yes, I said it.  I admit it.  I know, I know.  I really, really, really, like Instagram, even more than Facebook [is that possible?]  I always have this guilt inside of me that maybe I'm the Mom that takes too many pictures?  That I can't just go do something without taking 500 pictures as proof that I did it.

And I think I'm guilty as charged.  

I've always been a picture taker, I took photography in high school, back in the day when we developed our film in a dark room in the pitch black hoping we would load the film right and the whole roll wasn't ruined.  My photography teacher finally had to tell me that not every assignment could be pictures of my, "druggie boyfriend" aka Andy.  Although why he thought Andy was a druggie I'll never know, maybe it was the fact that he was in a band, wore a beanie 24/7 & had long hair?

[I've also decided I'm just going to start using my own pictures for my blog instead of random graphics I find.  My blog is mostly for myself and I think it will be cooler to remember what we we're doing at different times than random memes I think are funny that day.  So here's Andy teaching a science experiment for our homeschool co-op the other day.  

I guess I never did listen to my photography teacher, sorry Mr. Allen!]

Besides photography class I would constantly take pictures with my little point & shoot cameras or disposables if those we're on hand.  I would use my allowance to develop rolls of film every week and the ladies at Rite-Aid would ask if I was ok if I missed a Friday developing my pictures.  I don't know why but I have always just loved pictures.  I'm a big memory person I guess, I love looking through old pictures and remembering how horrible I looked, or what we did on vacations, the fun we had that night, old pets that have since passed. [We love you Caboose!]

My room in high school was plastered in photo strips from the old photo booths that had developer in them, if you put your ear up to it you could hear the tray tipping back and forth.  Another thing that's long gone and if I wasn't feeling older before I definitely am now.  Come to think of it, I can't even remember the last time I developed a roll of film myself.  I loved making collages with pictures for the front of my binders and even tonight I just got done re-doing our fridge with all the new Halloween pictures we just took.

I have carted literally thousands of pictures across the ocean and back.  Reminisced about my brother's rat tail, of beach bonfires on the Central Coast, birthday parties where everyone has a drunken grin, pictures of the kid's as they've grown.  Of Andy & I in high school, my favorite of him drinking tequila out of my hair, oh I pray my children are nothing like us at that age! 

So sometimes when I wonder if I'm just going with the fad, if I just like Instagram cause it's popular and I want to be like the cool kids I remember myself as a not so cool kid taking pictures at punk shows, at funerals, and of the things we ate on road trips.  I've never been big on souvenirs, or buying little things to remind me of the places we've gone or the things we've seen but I do love pictures.  Of visits with our friends in Washington, of my Nani's gravestone when I can't visit her there, of my Grandma on Christmas with her 50 year old fur coat in 70 degree weather.  When I miss them they're here with me.

I'll never be a photographer, I'm not good enough at staging pictures, [even tho my cousin and I would hang bed sheets in our room and play "photo studio"] I always miss that perfect shot and I can barely use the auto setting on our awesome Nikon.  

But I promise you, wherever we go & whatever we do.....I will always be there taking pictures. 

Like this picture!

Yummy zucchini brownies I made for Halloween.  I have tried other zucchini brownie recipes and not loved them, made these the other night & they we're a hit!  The frosting is delicious and you seriously can't tell it has zucchini at all.  I will never make another brownie again.

Frosted Zucchini Brownies

[adapted from mommyimhungry.blogspot.com]

1/2 cup Coconut Oil

1 1/2 cups Sugar

2 tsps. Vanilla

2 cups Flour

1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

2 cups shredded Zucchini

1/2 cup chocolate chips 

Frosting:

2 cups Powdered Sugar

1/2 cup Whole Milk

1/4 cup butter

6 tbs. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

[1] In a stand mixer beat together coconut oil & sugar.  When combined mix in vanilla.

[2] In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda & salt.

[3] Slowly add flour mixture to oil and sugar on low speed.  It will look crumbly and dry.

[4] With a spatula mix in zucchini and chocolate chips.  Stir well until there are no dry spots.

[5] Grease a 9x13 baking pan and set your oven for 350.

[6] Bake for 30-35 minutes until brownies spring back when touched. 

[7] Let brownies cool completely before frosting!

Frosting:

[1] In a medium sauce pan melt butter on medium low and whisk in cocoa powder. 

[2] Add powdered sugar, milk and vanilla and whisk until smooth.

[3] You can add more milk or powdered sugar depending on how thick you want your frosting. 

[4] Spread on brownies & enjoy! 

The 7 Series: [1] Food [Goat Cheese Risotto Recipe]

So I recently got an Amazon gift card for my baby shower.  This already excites me to no end, I'm one of those people with an Amazon wish list constantly in the making, that falls asleep to images of strollers I can't buy or random iPhone accessories I don't need.  So when I got the gift card, along with a note from my sweet friend that said I could *gasp* spend it on myself!  I did just that.

I mean seriously, this little girl already has everything in the world she could need, and Mama's not gonna lie.  She likes to spoil herself sometimes.  So with my $25 burning a hole in my pocket I ordered a DicAPic waterproof case for my phone, I am constantly death-gripping my phone at the beach in order to get pictures of the kid's swimming while hopefully not losing my uninsured phone in the abyss & a book I had seen on another bloggers IG [crunchy_candid]

[Me reading my book at Pokai Bay this last weekend.]

The book is called 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker.

It's written by a Christian Mother of 3 and is basically about how she reduced 7 areas of her life down to 7 things each for a month.  I've just started reading Chapter 2 and I really dig it so far.  Since I'm trying to become a blogger with more purpose, and less scatter-brained rants about my children's bowel movements I decided I'd try and do a small series following along with her 7 things.

So first up, Food!  In the book Jen narrows down her food choices to just 7 things.  I will go ahead and put a disclaimer right now that I'm not going to do as she does.  Do not ask a 35 week pregnant woman with already finicky eating habits to now narrow down her choices to just 7.  If I was forced to choose tho my list would look something like:

1. Dr. Pepper

2. Coffee

3. Chocolate Milkshakes

4. Cereal

5. Bread

6. Smoothies

7. Pork Belly

So you see, not very healthy and more than half of those things are drinks.  I'm not going to put myself in that position.  I am a lover of food, but also, I hope, learning not to be a person of excess.  We start each Monday with a full fridge and by Sunday it's pretty bare bones.  I like it like that.  It keeps my fridge clean, I can see what we have & most of the things in our fridge are fresh foods.  

I have lost over 50 lbs. in the past 6 years, even AFTER having 3 kids.  Ok, right now I'm up 16 pounds but I have the baby to blame at least.  I attribute most of that to learning to eat better, loving my body, and wanting to give my kids a healthy attitude about the food they eat.  For the most part, we try. We also live off a budget of $60 a week for food for a family of 5.  While I would love to feed my family only organic vegetables, free-range chickens & grass-fed beef I live in reality.

  I do what I can while being thankful for everything we have, knowing how blessed we are.  

And I guess that's where I will go with food, that my family understand it's purpose.  We know food is nourishment for our body's, we don't waste it, we don't complain and we certainly don't turn down free food.  But food is not our everything, the amount of whole grains we eat does not effect our worth as humans.  Drinking water from the tap will not kill us, in other places it might.  We are blessed beyond belief to never go to bed with empty stomachs and if Oliver smashes one more Go-Gurt into his hair & carpet I will scream.

The end. 

Just for the purposes of this blog I will give the prices I paid for the food here, 

just in case you're wondering what a meal like this does to my budget. 

Plus this recipe is SOCLOSE to being 7 ingredients, I thought it fitting. 

Goat Cheese Risotto

1 cup short grain rice [.25]

2 Shallots, diced [.99]

1/2 cup Goat Cheese [1.50]

1 lemon [1.75.  Seriously? wtf lemon.]

Thai Basil, minced [Free from our Garden]

4 cloves of garlic, minced [.25]

2 1/2 cups Chicken Stock [1.25]

1/2 cup White Wine [.50]

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper 

Grand Total: $6.50 Serves at least 2 adults who eat a lot!

And 3 kids who would rather eat toast. :/ 

[1] In a large saucepan heat olive oil on medium heat.

[2] Add the onions and cook until translucent.

[3] Add the garlic and cook one more minute.

[4] Add your rice and stir for about 90 seconds, toasting the pieces, 

make sure you have enough oil to coat the rice.

[5] Add your white wine, stirring until it is all absorbed.

[6] Add your chicken stock,

 1/2 cup at a time making sure each addition has been absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup. 

[7] When all your liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender,

 grate in the zest & add juice of your lemon.

[8] Stir in your goat cheese and season to taste with salt & pepper.

[9] Plate & sprinkle with Thai Basil!  Enjoy! 

Brave Review & Yogurt Avocado Dip

Took Lily & 3 of my younger sisters to see Brave today.

And I must say I was pleasantly surprised!  It was so good, and I am not one for kid's movies in the slightest.  If we ever attempt to watch one together at home I end up getting up about 20 minutes into it to start cleaning the kitchen or something, I just can't focus that well on what I feel is "kid stuff."

I can barely focus on adult stuff so I guess thats a whole different story.

I really had no idea what the story was about, just that she was a little red-headed archer who liked to get into trouble.  Little did I know that it was a perfect Mother/Daughter movie and was so happy that I got to take Lily to see it.  We've been having some screaming matches lately, which I do admit start on my end and maybe she's just now getting old enough to be able to yell back.  My short-fuse is something I struggle with everyday and I hate the fact that my kids will come to know that about me.  

I am constantly praying for patience and restraint, my weakness being taken out on my children never feels good. 

It was a great wake up call, and being pregnant & hormonal didn't help add to the dramatics of it all.  But I am truly blessed to have such a loving, spunky, kind, and yes, brave daughter.

The story was cute & presented in a way that I liked.  Neither the mother or daughter were in the wrong but each had a different way of thinking & were in a different place in their lives.  In the end all that mattered was the love they had for one another.  

It will definitely be one we buy, Pixar never seems to fail!  

[My happy crew after the movie!  They loved it!]

And now for the food!  This recipe doesn't really tie into the movie at all but the color did remind me of all the beautiful scenery in Scotland.  Either way, it would make a great movie snack....if you can just find a way to sneak it in.  

Yogurt Avocado Dip

adapted from www.twopeasandtheirpod.com

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

2 ripe avocados

1 jalapeño

1 small handful cilantro

2 cloves of garlic

Juice of 2 limes

Cumin, Salt & Pepper to taste

I used our Ninja for this but a blender or food processor works the same!

[1] Peel & seed avocados.  Add to blender with Greek yogurt.

[2] Roughly chop jalapeño, cilantro & garlic.  Add to blender.

[3] Blend on high until everything is blended & smooth.

[4] Season to your taste with lime juice, salt, pepper & cumin!  

Serve chilled with pita chips.

Side note:  If you don't like spicy you can omit or seed the jalapeño.  We love spicy in our house so I did not! 

It's a Girl Raspberry Blondies!

Baby boom time!!!  

I have so many pregnant friends right now all due right around the same time, unfortunately I don't live by any of them so I just have to make do with virtually feeling connected to all of them and watch their bellies grow on Facebook.  I love being due around the same time as people I know just to enjoy being pregnant together, go through each stage together, etc.  It's right around the time when everyone starts finding out the gender of the babies.  One of the funnest parts of pregnancy to me.  

We didn't find out for Oliver but from the beginning my Mommy intuition told me boy and it drove me crazy more than anything to not be able to prepare and choose a name that this time around we knew we would be finding out asap!

So it seems a lot of us are having girls!!!  This is where the cutesy side of me kicks in and I can't stop looking at bows, pink, frilly, adorable-y girls only type stuff.  So far I have 8 friends expecting girls, 4 that have recently delivered girls & just 1 expecting a boy.  As well as a few more expecting to find out in the next few weeks.  So I'm not sure what's going on, maybe the world needs more sweetness or isn't afraid of the hormones but watch out cause the girls are coming! 

Yesterday another one of my friends announced that she is expecting her 3rd girl. 

When I'm pregnant with a girl I can tell because I start craving sweets immediately!  I used to kind of brush off that kind of stuff, like how can you just tell what you're having?  By random cravings and what you "think"?  But after 4 pregnancies I think I can finally say I believe Mother's Intuition is a powerful thing!  

So in honor of the girls.  Sweet things that they are and make me crave and a little pink for fun I baked up these Raspberry Blondies yesterday.  Sweet and a little tart, kinda like my Lily Pax.

These are great to make when your pregnant too, I call them a one bowl wonder.  Only one bowl for everything when baking is a rare thing.  Enjoy! 

Raspberry Blondies

1 cup AP flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

8 tbs. [1 stick] unsalted butter at room temp.

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup almonds chopped

1 cup fresh raspberries

Zest from 1 lemon

[1] In a stand mixer cream together sugar & butter.  

[2] Add the egg, vanilla, lemon zest & salt.

[3] Slowly add in baking powder and flour until combined.

[4] Fold in chopped almonds.

[5] Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper, making sure some over hangs.

[6] Spread batter evenly in pan with spatula.

[7] Sprinkle berries on top.

[8] Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.

[9] Let cool and refrigerate for 1 hour before cutting into squares.

And a side note, I am officially 24 weeks today!

This pregnancy is flying by and I can't wait to meet our sweet little Tulip Bea. <3