chicken roll-up casserole

Finally felt alright enough to cook something tonight. We've been living off of whatever is fastest to make in the house lately. This was pretty good. 

Ingredients (Sauce):

1 (10 3/4oz) can of cream of chicken soup

3/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese

1/2 cup of milk

Ingredients (Filling):

4 oz cream cheese, very soft

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon minced onion flakes

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

2 cups cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

2 tablespoons of milk

2 (8oz) cans of crescent rolls

1 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish very well with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl, mix together ingredients for sauce. In another bowl, mix together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in the garlic powder and mix well. Add in the chicken, onion flakes, and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Mix until well combined. Add in 2 tablespoons of milk and mix well. You can add in more if the mix seems too dry. Stir in seasoning salt and black pepper. Place a big tablespoon full of mix on the larger part of the crescent triangles. Roll up from the larger part. Drizzle some of the soup mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. Place crescent rolls seam side down into the dish. Drizzle the rest of the soup mix over the top of the crescent rolls. Top with the rest of the grated cheese and bake for 30 minutes uncovered. 

way to go, little man!

Conner has been potty trained during the day for quite a few weeks at home. Two nights ago, we decided to go ahead and try to see if he will have any accidents at night or not, since he would usually wake up dry in his pull up. First night AND second night was a big success! Woke up dry, drank his milk and then went potty in the bathroom. I'm soo proud of my little guy! The only thing we have to work on now is when we are out and about.  He absolutely refuses to use public bathrooms. We've made short trips out with him in underwear, but no longer than 30 minutes. 

We decided that since he's done so well, we were going to reward him. We got him a little tv with a built in DVD player so he can watch his movies in his room and we won't have to be subjected to cartoons all day every day. It was a win/win for him and us.

We're really hoping to have him 100% potty trained before we make this move. We will be roadtripping to Illinois first, which is a 26ish hour drive from here. Then it's another 17 hours from Illinois to Georgia. If he isn't fully trained by that point, then we'll deal with it. I just truly hope it will be all done by the time this baby comes to make it easier on me, and our bank account. 

All in all, super proud of my little man. He's done such a good job.

chow mein casserole

Here's another one for you guys. I gave a shot at some Asian food. It was a pretty easy recipe to follow, so I didn't have anything to mess up, lol. It was yummy!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb lean ground beef

1/4 teaspoon of garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

1 cup of uncooked long grain white rice

1 3/4 cups beef broth

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1/4 cup of water

1 can of stir-fry vegetables, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chow mein noodles

1/4 cup cashew pieces (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375F. In a skillet, crumble to ground beef. Sprinkle with garlic salt and black pepper and cook until brown. Drain. In an ungreased 11x17 glass baking dish, mix beef, rice, teriyaki sauce, water and broth. Stir in the vegetables. Cover dish with foil and bake for 50 minutes, until rice is tender. Uncover and stir. Sprinkle with chow mein noodles, and cashews if you are using them. Bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes until chow mein noodles are golden brown. Enjoy!

cancer free!

Hallelujah! You have no idea how badly this has been eating at me. I've already given the back story quite a few times, so here is the short and sweet version. In September 2011 I was told that lumps showed up during my barium swallow and that it concerned the doctors enough to want to make sure they weren't cancerous. After 4 long months of fighting for a referral, I had an endoscopy done on January 3, 2012 where they indeed found a few decent sized polyps which they removed to be biopsied. The results would be in on February 15, 2012. Shortly after the procedure, I found out I was pregnant.

Needless to say, the past month I have been a wreck wondering about the "what if's". I woke up at 6am and felt sick all day long. Just as I had expected, the day dragged on and it felt like forever before 3:30 rolled around. Every single minute that I was in that room waiting for the doctor to come in felt like an eternity. Now let me tell you something about Dr. Zuckerman. He sounds just like Bill Lumbergh, the boss from the movie Office Space. Taking his sweet time to say things. It almost makes me laugh, though, because I just assume he always has a case of the Monday's (if you've seen the movie, you'll get the joke). He's starts out with 'So, I'm glad you are feeling alright but... -insert ridiculously long pause before any kind of excplanation- I have good news and bad. Which do you want first?' I asked for the bad news. 'You have eosinophilic esophagitis. It can be treated, but not while you are pregnant.' So I left this sit for a minute and then practically yell at him, so what about the polyps? Are they malignant or benign? They are benign. Cancer free! I'll just have to suffer a little for the next however many months until I have the baby, but at least I know there is an end in sight to the worst of it.

So, what is eosinophilic esophagitis? In the easiest terms possible, it is an allergic inflammatory reaction typically caused by food allergies, but can also be caused by GERD. As far as I know, the only food I am allergic to is strawberries, which I avoid at all costs. And as everyone already knows, I was diagnosed with GERD back in September, as well. So there is our nasty culprit. The symptoms are difficulty swallowing, food impaction, and severe heartburn. Those of you who have been around me the past few years know that I've had those times where I can't breathe due to food getting 'caught' in my esophagus. It's awful, and I don't wish it on anyone. However, there is a sunny side - it can be treated. Usually they would do an allergy test, but we already know there is nothing new to be found there. In the event that any allergens are found, I would have to alter my diet to excludes those things. I've already done that since I know what some of my triggers are. Again, not an allergy, just causes of the severe heartburn. The treatment involves a liquid corticosteroid, which I am unable to take during pregnancy due to the fact that too much of it may be absorbed and transferred to the baby. That just means I have to be very careful of what I eat and head to the ER asap if it flares up.

So I have to suffer a little for the next 7ish months. That kind of sucks, but it's a huge burden lifted off of my shoulders to know that there is no cancer and that this can be treated. The GERD is there forever, unfortunately, but there are medicines I can take to help keep that to a minimum. Overall, I am very happy with the outcome, and I have a feeling that with this being over with for the time being that I will be a lot less stressed out. I appreciate everyone who to time out of their day to message or text me and those who have been praying for me since the beginning of this whole ordeal. It's really nice to know I have so many people on my side when it comes down to something like this.

conner's first visit to the dentist

I was such a ball of nerves, it wasn't even funny. I had no idea how he would react to his first visit to the dentist. I HATE the dentist. Mostly because when I had my first filling, the dentist that was doing it was telling me horror stories while injecting the novacaine. I never got over that. However, I know I need some fillings done and I am farrrr overdue for a cleaning, and Conner had never been. We researched like crazy to find a dentist we thought would be great for both myself and Conner. Too bad we are leaving to Fort Stewart in May, because I actually really like this dentist. A few people had suggested we check out Dr. Care. He accepts both older and younger patients, and is super military friendly. 

I called yesterday and they got us both in today. Conner did so awesome! They had a play area out in the waiting room, so while we were waiting (which wasn't a long wait) he played. Once we got back there, he got some stickers for being good while I got my x-rays done. He thought the big machine that rotated around my head was the coolest thing ever. It started and he goes 'WOOOOAH!' lol They have tv's in every little area so he could watch while he got his teeth cleaned. He opened all wide and even let her polish them. He has another molar that is almost completely cut through and I had no idea. He hasn't had any fevers or fussed any like he was in pain. He was a really awesome teether with most of his other teeth, so the fact he got this one in without us knowing isn't much of a surprise. The dentist came in to count his teeth and he was super impressed with Conner's manners. He gave him a new tooth brush and some more stickers for doing so well during his visit. 

I knew my teeth were going to be crap. I have 2 new smaller cavities in the back and then the 3 that need to be refilled in the front. I just got my teeth cleaned today. I have to have consent from my midwife in order to get the fillings done. They are going to use a laser on the back 2. I had no idea that they go do fillings with a laser. No needles or drills for that part. But the ones in the front I will have to be numbed and then drilled on. No big deal. I knew it would have to happen. I'd rather get it over with now before they get worse. As long as my midwife says it's okay, that is. Conner sat there and watched the movie while I had my teeth cleaned. He held my hand at one point and told me 'It's okay, mommy. Spit the water' which made myself and the nurse crack up. My little man is growing up so fast. 

We have awesome insurance. I'm so glad I signed Conner and I up for United Concordia. Our cleanings were free and for all 5 fillings, it will be less than $100. That is fantastic, considering when I originally had my fillings done in high school, we paid a lot for it. We're so lucky to have insurance in the first place. That's all for now.

baby myrda's first picture

Well, I had my first appointment today with the midwife. They took 7 viles of blood for testing. We talked about the regular things that I already knew. I asked her about the dizziness I've been experiencing the past two days. They are going to see if there is anything abnormal in my blood, but she thinks it's just a normal thing. I never had any kind of symptoms with Conner, so that threw me for a loop. Just rest and drink a lot of water and I should be good. Speaking of, I really don't know how I can drink any more water than I already am. Anyway, here is bean's first picture.

Baby was wiggling up a storm. It took 20 minutes to get measurements. Had a very good, strong heartbeat. Looks like I was correct on the due date. September 20. She scheduled me for another ultrasound on February 28. I should be like 11 weeks at that point, I think, and bean should look more like a baby rather than a bean! Next prenatal appointment will be March 21. I'll be 14 weeks then. Woo!

Here's the 8 week bump

Aside from the killer headache I have from them taking so much blood, everything seems good today. The only symptoms I have experienced so far is the dizziness. Conner is really excited about the baby. He was carrying around the ultrasound picture saying 'Conner's baby'. Lol I love it. 

chicken manicotti alfredo

Tried out a different manicotti recipe tonight. Since the red sauce and I don't agree, the white sauce is much better.

Ingredients:

2-3 large chicken breasts, uncooked and sliced into tenders

16 oz alfredo sauce

1 cup of water

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon of italian herb seasoning

14 manicotti shells, uncooked

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. In a bowl, mix the alfredo sauce, water and garlic powder. Pour 1/3 of it into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle the italian herb seasoning over the cut chicken. Stuff the uncooked manicotti shells with the chicken and then place on top of sauce in baking dish. Pour the rest of the sauce mix over the shells. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, uncovered, until cheese is bubbly. (Optional) Top with pepper, pesto or tomatoes to add more flavor!

superbowl sunday

I don't really care about either of the teams playing, but it sure gives me a good excuse to eat poorly. My in-laws are still here visiting, so we decided we are going to fire up the grill and make some brats. Then of course we have the traditional football snacks. Peanuts, chips and dip, crackers and cheeseballs, little smokies. Only today, I have a gigantic cookie frosted like a football field. YEAH! My pregnant self is going to eat a ton today.

Four years ago, we were watching the same match up with our friends at our first apartment in Illinois. Now we are watching it in Texas. Next year, I'll be watching the Superbowl, most likely alone, in Georgia. It is crazy to think how much has changed in the past 5 years and some odd time together with Chris. We've matured in so many ways. Moved almost every single year. Got married and had a son. Now we're expecting baby #2. Insane. If you were talking to me 4 years ago during the Giants/Patriots match up, I would have given you an entirely different scenario from what I am living today. 

Thinking about watching football alone would probably depress some people. I've come to accept it, though. 1. I love football and 2. Deployment is a part of our life now. I've spent many days, weeks, and even months on my own. It's a little bit of an adjustment, but I know I can do it. I have a few months to prepare for it. Not entirely such exactly how much time, since we won't know when he for sure will be leaving until we actually get to Fort Stewart, but it's not too early to start preparations. I'm not so much worried about myself as I am for his family. They've never dealt with anything like this. I grew up having friends and family in the military, so it's nothing new to me. I have to be strong for my husband and my kids, but also for my extended family. We can do it together. 

My mom finds it terrible that we are so young and already have to worry about living wills. I told her that, military or not, it's a good idea to have a will in place. You just never know what it will be your time. Well.. this blog just turned a little depressing. Sorry! Anyway, we're about to bust open some of this junk and prepare for this afternoon. Even though I don't care for either team, my bet is on the Giants. :)