A little fun before work…

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I actually found myself ahead of schedule the other day. I had a shoot during the week, and I found myself with 15 extra minutes before I was taking Maya to a drop in daycare. So…we went outside and danced a little… Funny story. Maya is going to start preschool next week (so excited!!). Last week, we had a orientation picnic, and there was a list of school supplies we needed to bring. Of course I waited until the day before to go to Target and round everything up. The last thing on the list was a “head shot” of your child. Of all the items on the list, this was the one thing I didn’t have! ME! The professional photographer, who takes pictures of her daughter every day. No head shot. I honestly couldn’t tell you the last time I printed images out. Oh wait, yes I can. Every year at Christmas, I print out a big stack to distribute to family members. Anywho. The night before the picnic I took Maya into our backyard and got these images below. The one right below is the one I printed out. Not at the professional lab I use, but at my local drugstore… #momlife 😉 And for her reward, we ran through sprinklers 🙂On me…

Top- H&M (old)

Jeans- J Brand (dark vintage, thrifted)

Shoes- Toms (thrifted)

On Maya…

Dress- Hanna Andersson (thrifted)

Shoes- StrideRite (thrifted)

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Moto Boots…

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Ok, so we’re kind of twinsing again with our boots-whoops!Oh, and helpful tips for Mamas. Tying this denim shirt around my waist helped keep the dress down/aka made sure I didn’t flash anyone while picking Maya up. 🙂 I think this might be my new favorite picture I’ve taken of us! So sad that the sun is going down earlier and earlier. Which means our evening walks will soon be coming to an end 😦 Aaaaand, one of my new favorite pictures of Maya. LOVE IT!!!On me…

Dress- Twenty8Twelve (old)

Denim Shirt- Gap (thrifted)

Boots- Fiorentini + Baker 7040 Boot (purchased via an Instagram acct)

On Maya…

Dress- Gap (thrifted)

Socks- BabyLegs (legwarmers :))

Boots- Xhiliration (thrifted)

Keeping it Real…

Totally had to laugh when I saw this. It looks like she’s simultaneously punching me and then trying to put me in a leg lock haha.

Brown Suede Booties…

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I’ve gotten a little better about not accidentally matching with Maya. If it’s just our boots, I don’t think that really counts though 😉 This looks so sweet, but in reality, she’s saying “Shhhh!” haha 😉 Twinsies 😉 We walked over to my parents house to say hi, and this is Maya running into my mom’s arms. First the cute run…hahaha. How much do I love how enthusiastically she runs in for a hug? A LOT!!!We had gone to the zoo earlier in the day. I swear she was more excited about the statues than the real animals 🙂Looooooove this one!On me…

Top- Xhiliration (Target, old)

Jeans- Genetic Denim “The Shane”

Boots- Nine West (thrifted)

On Maya…

Jacket- Gap (thrifted)

Dress- Old Navy (thrifted)

Boots- Self Esteem (thrifted)

Keeping it Real…

Back to being ridiculously busy at work. This is my escape/fun, but no clothing links for a while, which is probably ok, since we are entering into fall season.

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

40 Clove Garlic Lemon Chicken // Paleo and Whole30

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I’ve seen this recipe in various forms, and have been so intrigued by all the garlic! 40 cloves sounds like a lot, but it really isn’t! I might add more next time I make it. When it bakes, it gets golden on the outside and buttery smooth on the inside. It’s not overpowering at all and so delicious!! I added some onion and lemon to give it a little more flavor, and I think next time I will throw in some grape tomatoes!Ingredients

4 chicken breasts (I used boneless and skinless, although you could use bone in!)
40 garlic cloves, peeled (I bought pre-peeled cloves from Costco, and yes, I counted them :))
One large yellow onion cut into 1 inch pieces.
2 lemons cut into 1/4 inch slices and quartered.
1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I did about 20 grinds for the pepper and 10 for the sea salt)
Garnish with fresh basil (mainly because I have a basil plant that I’ve managed to keep alive! :))

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put chicken breasts, garlic, and lemons in a big bowl. Pour olive oil over the entire mixture, salt and pepper to taste and toss until everything is evenly coated.
Pour into 9×13 pan and cover pan with aluminum foil.
Bake for covered for 30 minutes.
Uncover and cook for 15 minutes uncovered or until chicken is cooked all the way through.

(I used really large chicken breasts and did them for an extra 10 minutes.)
I served it over quinoa, but it would be fine all by itself with a salad or with some crusty artisan bread that you could smear the garlic on YUM!!! (Not Paleo or Whole 30 if you do this :))
Enjoy!!

Sunflowers in the City…

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We live in the city, but there’s a house in our neighborhood that always grows large amounts of seasonal things. Maya always comments as we drive by, depending on what’s growing. Right now…it’s large sunflowers. I keep wanting to take pictures by them, and we finally did the other night.

On me…

Top- H&M (on sale now)

Jeans- Joe’s (thrifted, similar here)

Boots- SixtySeven “Blake” Bootie (Nordstom Rack)

On Maya…

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Romper- Maggie and Zoe (thrifted)

Shoes-Xhiliration (thrifted, but similar here)

Keeping it Real…

Life with a toddler… Talk about feeling every emotion known to man all in one day. The one thing I’m constantly in awe of though, is her wonder and joy at the little things. Whether it’s the “Mommy, Daddy, and baby snails” that she looks for every morning on our walk (and finds!) or animals that she sees everywhere. Even when they are a few inches big and 30+ feet away, or possibly even clouds or sticks that truly do resemble whatever she saw. I admit that I get really frustrated at times when all I want to do is get where we’re going or not have our morning 3 mile walk take 2 hours, but she’s constantly reminding me to live in the present. At least she’s trying to 🙂 I’m a work in progress…

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Grilled Chicken, Onions, and Peaches with Avocado Tomato Salsa // Paleo and Whole30

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I love when one ingredient is the basis for a meal. In this case it was some peaches that I bought that weren’t quite ripe, but I was itching to eat them. So…I BBQ’d them! I swear everything tastes better when you put it on the grill! Although, I may still be still flushed with my new found grilling ability 🙂 Ingredients (to serve 4)

2 peaches (I used ones that were almost ripe, but still a little on the firm side)
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 large sweet onion
1 avocado
10 cherry tomatos
3 large leaves of basil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (amount not measured, but will describe in instructions :))
Sea Salt and Pepper

Directions

Light your grill and set it to a medium heat.
Cut your onion into 1/2 inch slices
Season the chicken breasts and onion with olive oil, sea salt and pepper.
Set both on the grill for 8-10 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken breasts)
Cut peaches in half and lightly coat with olive oil and a little bit of sea salt.
At the 8-10 minute mark, flip both the chicken and onion and add the peaches to the grill.
Cook everything for another 8-10 minutes until chicken cooked all the way through.
During the cooking, cut avocado and tomatoes into 1/2 inch squares. Dice up the basil and toss all together in a bowl.
Layer everything together and ENJOY!!! 🙂

This was the summer for dresses and rompers…

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I’ve had this dress for more than 5 years. I’m leaning towards saying 10? I still love it. It’s so easy to throw on in the summer, and the cascading fabric in the front hides the fact that I just ate a big meal. Total win!hahahaha ???“Upside down Mommy?!!” She loves this rock. Wants to run to it every night on our walk. Sometimes it’s a stage…sometimes a bed for resting…other times it’s a jumping platform 🙂 Below was a stage for her to belt out “Let it goooooo” On me…

Dress- Old, unknown brand because the tag fell out 🙂

Shoes- ShoeMint “Zandra”

On Maya…

Romper- Calypso St. Barth for Target (thrifted)

Shoes- Old Navy (thrifted, but similar here)

Keeping it Real…

I was actually trying to get an image of myself alone on the rock and Maya was having nothing to do with it. So….the ones up top are from a different day haha :} But…you’d never know since I pretty much wear my hair in a bun every.single.day 😉

Blog outtake Black Halter Cascade Dress ShoeMint Zandra-13

(all pictures of me alone taken with a self timer and tripod, ones of me with Maya by my mom, and ones of Maya by me :))

Sunset on the beach…

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This beach is kind of on the down low as far as West Seattle goes. Compared to the much busier Alki Beach. However…when there is a good sunset, not so much. So…we had an audience when we were doing these, hence no shots of me awkwardly posing by myself 😉 A rock in one hand…a stick in another. SO perfectly Maya… 🙂 On me…

Top- Old Navy (old)

Jeans- Edyson “sloan” deconstructed skinny (thrifted, sold out, but similar here)

Shoes- Birkenstocks (20 years old, and still hanging in there!

On Maya…

Romper- Guess (thrifted, but love this for fall)

Shoes- Converse (thrifted)

Keeping it Real…

So, here’s another look at my set up and a refresher on how I take the images of me and me with Maya. I use that light stand with a stuffed animal at the top to focus on. Once I’ve locked in my focus, I switch the lens over to manual focus, so it doesn’t change. I mark where I need to stand, and run over to that spot with Maya. I’ve got my camera on a tripod a few yards away. I usually move the light stand completely out of the way, but messed up on this one 😉 Yes, I’m sure people think I’m completely wacko haha. Oh, well! One of these days I’ll try and take a video of how it all goes down…. Here’s Maya getting the hang of it all on her own! And…here’s the original post where I talk about my set up (misses and all!)

(all pictures taken with a self timer and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

Paleo Chocolate Almond Banana Ice Cream Shake // Healthy Wendy’s Frosty!!

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I loved the Paleo Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pies so much that I decided to try another variation. I’m not a big fan of chocolate all on it’s own, but I do like chocolate flavored things. I decided to skip the crust this time, and just make the “ice cream” all on it’s own.

I topped it with crushed almonds, shaved unsweetened coconut and fresh blackberries that Maya and I picked (ok, the ones SHE picked went directly into her belly as seen here :)).

Truth be told, I’ve made this twice in the last few weeks haha. The first time, it got devoured before I could take pictures of it, so of course I had to make it again!! The 2nd time I made it, I substituted some chocolate protein powder and convinced myself it was actually ok to have for dinner 🙂 It was just me and Maya because the Huz and the boys were out of town. Sometimes I feel like I’m constantly saying “no” to Maya or telling her to not do things all day long. This felt like a much deserved treat for being the sweet kid that she is. Ok, I wanted it too 😉 For some reason the first time in the bowl, I thought it just tasted like chocolate soft serve, but as soon as I put it in a big glass cup, all I could think about was a Wendy’s Frosty!! So delicious!Ingredients (makes 6 Servings about 1 overflowing Cup or 4 milkshakes :))

Ice Cream

5 frozen bananas
1 Tablespoon pure Cacao or Cocoa (or a scoop of chocolate protein powder!)
1 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
2 Tablespoons Almond Butter (can use peanut butter if you aren’t Paleo)
3 Medjul Dates (pitted)
Berries, crushed almonds, unsweetened coconut, or just about anything for topping!

Directions

Let the bananas sit out for about 5 minutes. It helps make it easier for them to blend.
In a blender or food processor, mix all the ingredients until smooth and creamy.
This really is best served right away, but I bet you can freeze individual servings in Popsicle molds!!
If you only want to make 2 servings, it halves easily!

NOW…what variation to try next!?!

ENJOY!!

Sunset walks…

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I know that everyone who is around me probably gets sick of me always having my camera on me. BUT…these next images that I asked the Huz to get of me and Maya on our evening walk? Some of my most favorite. We’d still have had these moments (as we do every day), but to have them captured that I can look back on? Invaluable… I can’t stress enough how important it is for Mom’s to get in front of the camera with their families! Do it! You will thank me later 😉 But then let’s rewind to the beginning of the walk. With…Marty the zebra 🙂“Mommy, there’s an INSECT!!”And then, I kid you not, she just plopped down on these stairs happy as can be and had a moment with Marty 🙂On me…