Eat Some Pizza

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For me the best part of a pizza is the crust. The chewy and crispy deliciousness makes or breaks a pizza. When I started seeing cauliflower crust pizza recipes popping up everywhere, I will admit I was skeptical and honestly in no hurry to make it.

My husband came home from work Thursday, one day after I hit up Trader Joes to gather all I needed for our weekend menu. He says to me “I want cauliflower crust pizza this weekend”. Umm, OK.. Getting him to actually tell me what he would like to eat is like pulling teeth so I am always doing the menu planning. It figures the one time he knows what he wants I already went grocery shopping.

I went back to Trader Joes to gather ingredients to make two cauliflower crust pizzas. A Hawaiian with fresh pineapple and prosciutto and a Margherita with fresh Burrata and basil. I also grabbed a bag of their whole wheat pizza dough, ya know…just in case. Oh and I bought wine because it’s physically impossible for me to leave that store without wine!

Cauliflower crust with Burrata, Tomato and Basil
Cauliflower crust with pineapple and Prosciutto

I used this recipe and this recipe for guidance and this picture for inspiration.

So how did they turn out? Well they weren’t bad but they weren’t great either. The toppings I chose outweighed the crust, so that was a good thing. It’s not that the crust tastes bad, actually it’s pretty good, it just didn’t  have the right foundation. There is just no substitution for bread. Period.

I did  end up using the whole wheat dough. I cooked it on the pizza stone and topped it off with leftover basil, burrata and tomatoes and it was very good. I also made a mixed greens salad with goat cheese, pecans and blueberries and topped it with balsamic glaze. I wish I was eating it right now!

WW pizza with Burrata, tomatoes and basil
Blueberry, goat cheese, pecans with mixed greens
best new find at Trader Joes
mmm pizza
drink locally

Meeting Her Maker

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Friday was a special day. Kaili got to meet her maker, Dr. Garzo.

“You, put that camera away now!”

We headed over to Reproductive Partners to meet with our Fertility doctor the amazing Dr. Garzo and our wonderful nurse Elina to discuss how my pregnancy went and if we want to do it all over it again.

Dr. Garzo released me to my OBGYN  8 weeks into my pregnancy, although he knew I had a small tear in my placenta he was confident that it would heal itself rather quickly because most of them do. He was shocked to hear about how the the rest of my pregnancy  played out and clearly   surprised about the delivery. He said he was very happy that we opted to transfer a single embryo because if I had gotten pregnant with twins things would have been “much worse.”

We ran through what the game plan would be  if we decide on a sibling for Kaili. Thankfully this time would be a million times easier than the last. I would only  have to visit the office three times. Three times is much better than then the gazillion times I went in 2010. He is very optimistic  in a frozen single embryo transfer being successful and he said  all 9 of our embryos look fantastic.

Dr. Garzo would like me to meet with my Perinatologist  Dr. Stanco to discuss the pros and cons, but basically to see if she would even recommend me going through all this again. He is concerned with how my pregnancy went and needs her thumbs up to do it again.

I guess you could say  I am considering having another baby but my concerns may outweigh my desire to actually go through with it. I am going to make that appointment to see Dr. Stanco so we can either put this to rest or start planning our next baby’s due date.

The wonderful Dr. Garzo and Kaili. She was smitten!
Dr. Garzo, Elina and Kaili

Turkey and Black Bean Chili

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I seem to make chili a lot, especially now that we have Kaili because she just loves it. I never follow the same recipe twice, sometimes I use the crock pot and sometimes I use the stove, just depends on my mood.

I wanted a recipe without a lot of components and easy prep work. My sous chef was in Ventura and my baby was running out of Tupperware fuel, so I needed something quick and easy. This was a last-minute meal idea so I had to work with what I had on hand. I combined a few different recipes to come up with this final dish. The cinnamon is subtle but it goes so well with the ancho chili powder,this turned out to be a very delicious chili.

1 Tbs. Olive oil

1 red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground turkey

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 1/2  Tbs hot mexican chili powder

1 1/2 Tbs ancho chili powder

1 Tbs dried oregano

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbs tomato paste

1 Tbs red wine vinegar

1 cup chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

 Directions

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; cook onion and garlic until onions are translucent. Add turkey and cook, stirring, until meat is brown. Stir in beans, tomatoes, chili powders, oregano, cinnamon, tomato paste and vinegar, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 60 minutes or more, until flavors are well blended.

* If you like it spicy throw in a diced chili or two.

This is adapted from here and here and here

How Does Your Garden Grow?

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Mine grows like crap. Every year Shane and I head to the garden store and pick up the essentials to start our container garden and every year I end up with the same result, the plants either die or get infested by caterpillars. Every year I end up back at the garden store asking someone to help me find a product that will keep my plants alive and the caterpillars dead. This year I was hopeful, my Serrano chili’s took off and they are thriving, although they aren’t very spicy. My tomato plants are looking a little rough but I was so excited about turning my home-grown heirloom tomatoes into an amazing Caprese salad. Well guess what?

stupid caterpillar ruined everything

This is what I found when I finally picked the tomato, I think I cried. So once I again I am wondering why I do this every year. If you have a container garden that thrives, could you please tell me what I am doing wrong?

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Kaili and I decided to stay up in Orange County for a few days to visit with family and get some quality grandma and grandpa time in. Kaili really enjoys being around everyone, it must get boring being alone with me all week.

Lunch time
coloring with cousins
“tell me more”
first time with crayons and not once did she put them in her mouth. Hooray!
somebody found the cat food. But wait they don’t have a cat…
non-cat cat-food
swinging
higher…
and higher!
fun at the park with grandma

Olympic Goals and Soccer Dreams

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Olympic Training Center

Saturday we went out to the Olympic training center in Chula Vista, aka Wag’s home. It was buzzing with BMX Olympians and loads of their fans to watch the Olympic trials. I wasn’t even aware that BMX was a sport in the Olympics, shows you what I know.

BMX Course
VIP

It was a pretty big ordeal and fun to see. There were skydivers and the band Buck-O-Nine played in between the trials.

Incoming

We didn’t get to stay to see the finals because the little Miss needed dinner and things were running behind schedule. 19-year-old Connor Fields took home the trophy and landed a spot on the US Olympic team and will compete in London next month.

Hi Mommy
“After the show there’s the after party”
Love
Futures so bright!

On Sunday or should I say Father’s day Shane, Kaili and I drove up to Irvine. Shane got to spend the day with his babe and I took my parents to see the Galaxy take on Portland.

I love soccer. Even though the Galaxy hasn’t been on a winning streak lately they did pull out a win this time. Half of the team is either injured or playing on their national team in Europe so it was mostly second string players. Beckham showed up and  played very well but it was our goalie who saved the game.

Back to Father’s day. Kaili made Shane a little gift, don’t you love it?

Happy Father’s Day!

A Day at the Beach

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Crystal Cove beach is located between Laguna Beach and Newport beach. Tucked away from the hustle and bustle stands a perfect little beach with a nostalgic twist. The historic district as it’s known is a beautiful beach with cottages dotted along the sand. Most of the action takes place at the Beachcomber cafe which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. There motto is “where every night is Saturday night and Saturday night is New Year’s eve.”

Cafe from the beach

My dad is a member of the Crystal Cove gallery where his paintings are always on display. He was asked to be a visiting artist for a few days down by the beach. My mom, Kaili and I decided to join him for a day, his cottage wasn’t roomy enough for us all to sleep in but it was perfect for a home base.

Featured Artist
Dad painting

Steve Kell Fine Art

Beach Cottage
Love
big girl

We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the cafe and then headed out to the beach. The sun wasn’t much of a team player today but it is June after all.

View from the beach
View from the beach
Sandy butt

Hi birdies
bathing beauty

I left with a list of all the cottage names and prices for a stay and I must say it’s very reasonable. I want to live in this cute little retro world for a few days.

A Look at Monday

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“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” – Aristotle
Morning walk
Not the only ones with this idea
Little lady, big world
Look, a dog!
cheeky
Small dog, big bark.
Let’s play in my room.
“Kaili, give yourself a kiss!” Aw!
On the road again..
playing catch with Rillo
nice doggy
ww pasta with spinach + tomato sauce for dinner
forks are overrated.
“Kaili, where do the shoes go?”
Bath time
Story time. Nighty Night!

London Calling

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Forget all my kid stuff for a minute. Let’s talk about why we are going to London in a few months!

My husband and David Wagner have been friends since grade school but Shane didn’t know that David would be a world class athlete.

In 1996 David suffered a life changing accident at the beach in LA that left him paralyzed.

After the accident there were years of struggle, but eventually he found his way back to a passion.

After 4 Paralympic medals in wheelchair tennis, he is headed to the London Paralympics and we will be there to cheer him on.

Here short video of David. This was made back in January as he was preparing for the Australian open.

He most recently started a free wheelchair tennis camp for disabled children. It took place June 9th in Portland Oregon, David said he had an amazing time with the kids.

The Paralympics follow the Olympics. The opening ceremonies kick off on August 29. I will share his journey and ours with you. Until then, I leave you with some pictures of a wonderful man, extraordinary athlete and amazing friend.
Greece Paralympics 2004
Greece Silver and Gold Medal Winner
Beijing Paralympics 2008
Beijing 2008
Beijing Paralympics Bronze and Gold Medal Winner
With his fans in Beijing
2 of his biggest fans

Labeling the Dresser

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I have been meaning to label the dresser in Kaili’s room for months. I thought that I could easily google what I wanted and have them sent to my home…easy breezy. That however was not the case.

I always had my classroom labeled but luckily most teaching stores will sell a huge pack of labels along with pictures. The labels would cover everything from scissors to doors to books and then I would just make the random few they didn’t have, it was a piece of cake. A few months back I started searching around for labels for the home or at least for the child’s bedroom. Something with the word and a picture but I still haven’t found what I am looking for. So strange.

I slowly started making my own because let’s be honest, I would much rather be on Pinterest. I am starting with just a few so when I rearrange her dresser {soon} it wont pose a problem. The  tricky part of doing this while Shane is gone is that I am only allowed a snippet of time. I went in as soon as she woke up from her nap and I kept her in the crib for as long as she allowed. She really really wanted the scissors…and the contact paper…and the trash, you get my point.

printed and ready to be cut
half-ass measuring
viola! A not so perfect label but it will do.

Yes, I am aware that top label is nowhere near straight. I almost took it off to redo it but I had a hairy beast hollering at me.

see, a hairy beast.

I will take it off and fix it because  it’s really driving me nuts now that I see it in pictures. Kaili had to go inspect it once I let her out of her cage.

She went over and pointed to each word over and over. I know this will be a great learning tool. Shane may have to refrain me from labeling the entire house. Hopefully I will finish her room by the end of the month. Oh and if anyone knows where I can purchase labels like these please let me know! Thanks.

You are my Sunshine!