Roadtrip to Iowa

It was so sad leaving Goldsboro.

Going to miss our house, friends. everything.

But, I am ready for a new chapter.

New adventures.

I am excited.

Let the adventure begins!

We left Goldsboro around 6 am.

We are going to a 19 hour roadtrip.

2 days, 19 hours drive to Iowa.

There's no way we can do 19 hours drive straight especially

with the kids so we had to do it for 2 days. 

The first 4 hours of the trip was quiet.

started to get uncomfortable but it was okay.

My face seeing the sunrise.

The traffic was bad it took us a while to leave North Carolina.

My favorite view every time we go to Iowa.

The mountains in West Virginia.

We got to OHIO after lunch.

We only had to stop 3 times on our first day of travelling.

I think that is good, especially with having kids with us.

Feel so bad though because the kids were getting so tired from sitting down.

Well, I was too!

I recommend having a lot of entertainment for the kids.

Books, Activity books, Learning toys.

..And lots of snacks!

ohh. make sure they are not drinking a lot the whole time. 

 After 12 hours of driving we decided to stop and find somewhere to stay.

We ended up finding place to stay in Indiana.

I wanted to sleep in the most comfortable bed ever.

I'm glad we decided to stay in Holiday Inn.

We got the 2 bed room.

It was really clean. 

My boys did so good on our 1st day. 

I'm so proud.

All I did all day was snacking. 

I decided to just have some salad since I'm craving for some greens.

This chicken salad were so good.

We decided to sleep in a little bit the next day.

I slept so good!

But, first...

Coffee!

Before leaving we decided to walk around the hotel.

They have indoor pool and gym.

I wish we could stay longer.

But, we have to keep going.

We only had 6 hours of driving left. 

It was actually so much better than yesterday.

Still so sore from sitting down all day.

But. I feel better.

Still just snacking on our drive to Iowa.

I didn't want to eat something big.

Water and some snacks and I'll be okay.

Found these interesting snack at the Asian store the other day.

It was really interesting.

I like it!

Made it to Iowa around 2 pm.

Finally!

Now, time to just relax.

I cannot wait to do some stretching tomorrow.

xo

Goodbye Goldsboro.

Saying goodbye to the house we called home

for 6 years..

Goodbye Goldsboro, North Carolina.

You've been awesome.

Making a big life change is scary.

Making a big life change is scary.
But, know what's even scarier?

Regret.

Moving day and Going away party.

Our weekend has been the most eventful weekend ever. 

It's getting real.

We are leaving!

I am getting sad, but so excited for our new chapter. 

New adventures. 

I am ready. 

We are moving to Italy!!!

I still can't believe it every time I say it. 

But, It think its really going to happen.

Friday, the movers got here to get all of our stuff to ship to Italy. 

A very long day. 

Very long day of just watching them do their job since we can't help them.

Had to do a lot of organizing so its easier for them to pack

our stuff. 

I'm a little OCD..

well not little. 

Knowing that we are not allowed to help freaks me out!

All I can do is just hope for the best.

that they packed our stuff good.

I think they did a good job.

They are so careful with our stuff.

The next day, We had our going away party. 

It's more for my husband since all of his friends/co-workers were there.

But, I invited some of my friends too.

It was a great night.

So good to see everyone for the last time.

Will miss this lady so much!

I hope I get to see her again.

It was so nice of them to give us present.

It's more for our travelling.

Some plane activities for the little man and chocolate for me!

Yes, chocolate! :)

I'm so glad that even though I was quite busy, I got to make Lumpia.

It's everybody's favorite!

Great night. 

A week left. 

Time to just relax, do more packing and get ready for our roadtrip!

Have a good week. 

xo

Let the countdown begin..

It has been 5 years and 4 months when I got here.
I can't believe how fast the time went by. 
Now, We are getting ready for our new adventure. 

I am ready. 

Beef Stroganoff

Even though I have been so busy these days. 

Cooking still always relaxes me. 

Made this delicious dish for hubby.

Probably the last time I'll be cooking in this house. 

I don't know when is the next time I'll be able to cook in my own kitchen!

But. It probably won't be too long. 

Anyways, this dish is so easy I don't think you can mess it up!

So easy and so delicious!

Let me know what you think!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
• salt and pepper
• ½ cup diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 4 cups low sodium beef broth
• 8 oz dry rotini
• ½ cup sour cream
• fresh parsley, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a pot or large skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then remove from the pot into a bowl and set aside.
2. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the same pot. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until translucent, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add the ground beef and continue to cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon as it cooks, until it is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the paprika over the top and stir to combine.
3. Pour in the beef broth and the pasta. Bring to a light boil then cover the pot. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, 17-20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the mushrooms and sour cream.
4. Serve topped with fresh parsley.

Enjoy!

xo

-Jen

Hand Print Ornaments

Hello everyone!

Remember when I made Hand print Ornaments for my Kurty? 

( Kurt's Hand print Ornaments )

I decided to do it for Kameron.

I know its a bit early, I'm just not really sure if I'll be able to make

it before Christmas so I'd rather do it early than not at all.

I didn't do anything different with how to make it,

Just salt, dough, water. ( Instructions here )

I want to make Homemade Christmas Ornaments every year.

So we can put something new on our Christmas tree every year.  

Hopefully we will be settled in before Christmas.

Maybe we can make some.

I'm so glad we got to make these.

Definitely challenging with little one's hand but its fun!

I highly recommend it for your little one!

I bet they will love it when they see it in the future.

Anyways, the packing has started. 

It  has been so busy this week. 

But, I'm not complaining.

I'm so excited. 

...And I'm so excited to share with you all everything. 

I'm ready for our new chapter!

Have a good day!!

xo

Accept and trust, everything will be okay

"Sometimes you just need 
to take a step back
and take a deep breath.
Things will not always go as planned 
but that's how life is: 
A constant flow of change. 
Accept and trust, everything will be okay."

Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

Hello everyone!

How is your week going?

Sounds like we are going to hit by a storm this weekend.

I'm kind of worried about it but hopefully it's not bad.

Anyways, We only have one month left here. 

So I'm going to be cooking a lot to empty our pantry and fridge. 

It's going to be a lot of baking!

Hopefully I'll get a chance to blog all of them.

Made this awesome dish today.

On busy days, Using the slow cooker is definitely the best.

..And beef are cooked so good in the slow cooker. 

They are literally so good. 

This recipe doesn't require a lot of recipe.

But, feel free to add whatever you want. 

I swear you can't go wrong with this recipe 

so delicious!

Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds Flank Steak
¼ cups cornstarch
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
 ½ teaspoons mince Garlic, Cloves
¾ cups Soy Sauce
¾ cups Water
¾ cups Brown Sugar
1 cup grated Carrots
green onions, for garnish


Instructions

1. Cut flank steak into thin strips. In a ziplock bag add flank steak pieces and cornstarch. Shake to coat.

2. Add olive oil, minced garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar and carrots to slow cooker. Stir ingredients. Add coated flank steak and stir again until coated in the sauce.

3. Cook for high 2­-3  hours or on low 4-­5 hours until cooked throughout and tender.

4.Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

Enjoy!

xo

Monday Meal Prep

Happy Monday everyone!

Who else is ready for a new week?

I usually do meal prepping on Sunday's 

but, Sunday's now are just relaxing days.

Meal prepping is definitely the best if you want to stay healthy.

It doesn't matter how much you work out because if you don't eat 

healthy its not going to work. I swear!

..And meal prepping also comes handy for a busy mom like me. 

I can't make meals all the time and if you have prepared meals already you can

eat it whenever you have time. 

For this week's meal prep I made Healthy sloppy joe's and Baked chicken.

Making all of this probably took 90 minutes. 

Healthy sloppy joe's

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds ground turkey (93/7) 

8 oz tomato paste 

¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons tomato sauce

1 Tablespoons garlic powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 Tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoons garlic salt 

2.5 Tablespoons honey or maple syrup 

Instructions:

1. In a deep pan or pot, brown ground turkey over medium heat until completely cooked. 

2. Stir in all ingredients. Once mixed, heat on low for an additional 5 minutes

I usually make two kinds of meal per week so I don't get tired of eating

the same thing all week.

The other meal I made is Baked chicken with mashed sweet potatoes and hard boiled egg for sides.

I just seasoned it with my favorite seasoning and baked it for 375 F for 30 minutes. 

For the mashed sweet potatoes, I baked it for 40 minutes at 400 F. 

I mashed it and seasoned it with salt and pepper. 

So simple!

There you have it.

Eating healthy doesn't have to be complicated. 

It may look hard but I swear its the best thing ever. 

Have a great week friends!

xo 

Oatmeal M&M Cookies

So, because of breastfeeding. 

I needed to eat oatmeal at least once a day. 

To be honest, it's not my favorite and I'm getting tired of

having it for breakfast. 

I've been loving cold meals these days.

Like smoothie bowls for breakfast. 

So I decided to find another way to have Oatmeal.

 I decided to make cookies!

I mean, Cookies are good! :)

If you are breastfeeding too, you can add flax seed and brewer's yeast 

in this recipe.

I just didn't add it with this one because I've been taking it as a supplement. 

But Flax seed and Brewer's yeast. They are really effective if you want 

to boost your milk supply.

Anyways, I highly recommend this recipe.

I love easy, delicious recipes like this. 

It's hard to mess up this one. 

Just make sure you use a room temperature butter and you are good to go. 

:) 

Oatmeal M&M Cookies

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup  unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup   granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and 2/3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup  M&Ms (or mini size)

Directions:

Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and mix on high until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, toss the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Fold in the M&Ms. Dough will be thick. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Roll balls of dough (about 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie) and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. I pressed a few extra M&Ms into the tops of the cookies for looks. Bake for 10-11 minutes until very lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft. Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Enjoy!!

Masterpiece..

"You are allowed to

be a masterpiece 

and a work in progress 

at the same time."

Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes

Happy Monday friends!

Most of you are probably not so excited that it's Monday.

Back to work, Back to normal routine.

..And most of you are probably not in the mood to cook. 

I feel that way sometimes. 

But, I'm glad I found this recipe.

So quick, simple but so delicious. 

I mean, Cupcakes for dinner? 

Can't go wrong with that!

Not a sweet version of cupcakes but this is definitely a good

Dinner idea!

Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

1 

chicken breast, poached and diced

1 

(14.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup

1 

cup frozen mixed vegetables

1 

cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 

tablespoon Herbs De Provence

1 

teaspoon onion powder

1 

teaspoon garlic salt

2 

(10 oz) cans Pillsbury™ refrigerated biscuits

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
• In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, frozen veggies, cheese, herbs and spices.
• Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin and place the Pillsbury™ biscuits into each cup, pressing into the bottom and up the sides.
• Evenly spoon the pot pie mixture into each biscuit cup. Slide into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Check at the 12 minute mark.
• Let rest for about 3 minutes.

Enjoy! 

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl muffins

It's officially Pumpkin season!!!!
Not everyone likes Pumpkin everything.. but, if you are like me then you will love this!

Perfect for breakfast or snack with your Pumpkin Spice coffee or just regular one.
Let me know what you guys think.

Enjoy!!

Ingredients: 

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour 
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin (pure pumpkin puree)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

 For the swirl:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place paper baking cups into muffin pan. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside.
3. In large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture, until there are no lumps.Fill muffin tins 3/4 full.
4. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
5. Top each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture and use a toothpick to swirl it into the batter. This will not look smooth, but it will bake up much prettier.
6. Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!

xoxo

-Jen

Always be a work in progress...

Always be a work in progress...

Smoothie bowl of the day

Happy Friday everyone!

Fall is definitely in the air.

But I still crave smoothies.

Today, I decided to make a non-dairy smoothie bowl.

It was still really good.

Ingredients:

-2 Frozen bananas

-1 Cup raspberries

-1/2 Cup frozen pineapples

-1/2 cup almond milk

- 2 tbsp Honey

Directions:

-Blend it all together on a blender until smooth.

Topping:

-Fresh raspberries

-1 kiwi,sliced

Enjoy!