Spinach & Chicken Alfredo Bake

(For you, Chrissy)

When I worked at Fazoli's in high school, I despised having to try the Alfredo sauce to make sure its consistency and flavor were correct, though nothing was worse than having to taste the tea to determine if sugar had been added or not...Anyway, I love Italian food, and I always made a version of Fazoli's Pizza Baked Spaghetti.  Well, since I recently started making a chicken and spinach Alfredo dish, I decided to make it into a bake...What's the difference, you ask?  CHEESE!

Paula Dean:Butter::Diana:Cheese

If Paula Dean can add an extra stick of butter into to something, then I can add an extra cup or so of cheese to my recipes.  On to the recipe.

1 (16-ounce) package penne noodles
1 package of chopped spinach (I buy the frozen spinach)
2 (15-ounce) jars Alfredo sauce (I recommend Bertoulli's)
2 garlic clove, minced
2 lbs cooked chicken, cubed
2 T olive oil
Italian Seasoning
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cups mozzarella cheese

Cube the chicken, heat up the olive oil in a sauce pan on medium-high.  Sprinkle Italian seasoning on raw chicken and then cook in the pan until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
Prepare pasta according to package directions. 
Heat the spinach (if frozen)

Add chicken and Alfredo sauce in a 13 x 9 backing dish.  Then add pasta and spinach.  Stir the ingredients until all is well coated with Alfredo.  Top with the mozzarella cheese, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Top with the fresh parley. 

Bake on 350 deg F for 10 minutes, then on 400 degrees until cheese is bubbly.  I like to brown my cheese just slightly, so leave in the oven until the cheese is how you like it.

The Tenth Week

Finding My Fingers and Eating a Fistful

A lot of my pictures look like these, or are in the process of looking like these.  Aidan has discovered his hands and keeps shoving his fingers and sometimes his whole fist in his mouth.  A couple of times he has caused himself to cough because he sticks his fingers so far in his mouth.  So now we have the wonderful spit covered hands to hit  you with! :)

Aidan had a relatively quiet week until Friday.  AJ took him on a trip to Brunson, SC to meet his great, great grandmother.  There were five generations present. 

On Saturday, we drove up to Lyman, SC to celebrate a friend's 30th birthday.  We greatly enjoyed seeing a lot of our college buddies we hadn't seen in a while. Can't wait to see them again...apparently, there's an open invitation to use their pool, just have to drive 2.5 hours.

Can I just say that I love his face in this picture with me?  I like to goof around in pictures, and maybe Aidan will one day do the same.  I know his smile was not intentional in this photo, but I love it.  I wish I had stuck out my tongue or done something goofy...

Aidan continues to sleep 7-9 hours at night.  One night, he had a massive blow out at 2AM.  I changed him, put him back in his crib, gave him his pacifier, and played the magic seahorse...he went back to sleep right away.  He has also woke up at 3:45 am, I change him, and then put him back to sleep without feeding him - no issues!  I feel so lucky that he seems to sleep so well.  In fact, I have enjoyed staying up when he goes to bed somewhere between 9-10 PM.







All About Mom

No TMI this week...

However, I have noticed that I get dizzier more easily than I did pre pregnancy.  I have spun Aidan around in one circle, and I have to sit down.  Before, if I was spun around 5+ times, I would get dizzy and have a hard time standing.  If I were a superhero, spinning me in circles would be my kryptonite.  Seriously, I get crazy dizzy where I have to lie on the floor for 5-10 minutes depending on how many times I was spun.  I also noticed that I get a little lightheaded when reading a book in the backseat of a vehicle.  This has never happened to me!  I always read on road trips with no issues.  I don't recall being extra dizzy while pregnant, but I can't remember being spun...of course, AJ didn't spin me while pregnant because we stopped horsing around due to concerns for the growing baby.

Working part time has been going well, too.  Aidan does most of his sleeping by 1PM, and whenever he's done with the long napping, I am done working.  Working also motivates me to get out of bed instead of sleeping when Aidan does. :) 

Time has flown by, and I realize I only have 3 more weeks with Aidan before returning to work.  I am excited to be back at work and interacting with adults, however, Aidan's happiest times are in the morning.  He loves to laugh and coo for almost an hour straight in the morning before he sleeps 2.5 hours.  He does this in the afternoon, but for 15-20 minutes only.  So I'll have to enjoy this time on the weekends - at least we are working 4 10's now, so I will have more weekend time with Aidan.

The Ninth Week

Sleep Sweet, Baby Boy, Sleep...

Let's hope the sleep and time between feedings remains relatively constant for quite some time.  Aidan is average 8 hours between the nightly and morning feedings.  I no longer classify it as a fluke or hope.  Now to figure out to get him to sleep sooner after the last feeding...That still takes 30 minutes to an hour.

The "fall back" helped get Aidan to bed earlier.  Instead of a 10PM routine that seemed to last until 11 PM, we now try to put him to bed at 9PM.  This means bed, book, and boob are complete by 9 and we are trying to help Aidan soothe himself to sleep.  Some nights are easy.

More and more, I am able to capture Aidan smiling, whether it's a small grin or a big, whole mouth grin, he enjoys showing off his gums.  He was smiling a lot just in the morning, but now it's through out the day.  He is especially happy right after eating, and he will coo and smile at you for a long while before he wets himself and needs a change...then a nap usually follows.  It's just nice to see him smile more, especially since AJ isn't around in the mornings and wasn't see his smiles all that frequent.

My dad asked me if Aidan was like a Barbie doll that I dress up...no, dad, I hated Barbie dolls when I was a kid, and I'm not a fan now.  However, I do enjoy picking out Aidan's outfits and even his diaper.  I get excited when he has a cute one on or one that matches his outfit.  I know dressing him up in what I want him to wear won't last forever, so I have to take advantage of it now.  Besides, who wears a one piece pajama with doggies all over it? Or frogs? Or bears?  Babies...because it's only cute when they're small.


So how about a cloth diaper with robots on it???

Aidan has his two month check up and first round of vaccinations on Thursday.  The picture to the right was on the way to the doctor's...happy baby.

He was 13.3 lbs, 24.75", and head circumference of 15.75".

I brought a bottle of pumped milk to the appointment and fed it to Aidan right before vaccinations.  He drank 3 oz before the nurse came in, so he cried a little when I took it away.  She gave him an oral vaccination, then two shots in the right thigh and one in the left.  He cried after each shot, but as soon as I gave him the bottle back, he was okay.  In fact, he finished it, burped, and passed out in the car seat for his morning nap. 

I did not notice any extra fussiness or sleepiness as a result of the vaccinations.  We gave him two doses of Tylenol the first day one and one dose the following day, but we didn't feel he really needed it, which is why we gave him so little.

We took Aidan to visit some good friends of ours in Hampton, SC.  They recently welcomed baby Cadence into their family about 3.5 weeks ago.  We told Aidan that Cadence is one of his girlfriends...he'll see another one this coming Saturday.  Though the girls don't have to know he's visiting the other. :)

One last pic...

As always, there are more pictures at http://willisaidan.shutterfly.com/

All About Mom

Well, 9 weeks postpartum, down to 4 lbs within pre pregnancy weight, which means I lost more than 1/2 per week.  The 1/2 per week is recommended (maximum) for breastfeeding moms.  Oh well, just slightly more.  I don't work out to lose, I work out because I enjoy it and helps keep my sanity!

The raging Hemi is now a quiet, but "I'm still hanging out" (pun not intentional) Hemi.  Not bothersome at all, I just wish it would go away.

Other than that, no PP updates.  My hair has not started falling out, but I think that's due to me continuing to take the prenatal vitamin since I am BFing.

The Eighth Week

Sweet beautiful sleep

Aidan has been sleeping extremely well at night.  Several times this week he has gone 9 hours in between feedings while most times it was 8 hours.  He was waking up around 5 to 6 am, but he has now stretched that out to 7 to 8 am.  I was using him as an alarm clock to get up, but now I wake before Aidan.  So I have time to eat, brush my teeth, pee, feed the dogs, and clean up a little.

In other news, like most babies, Aidan hates tummy time.  It does seem that he stays on his stomach more each day, and it helps when I talk to him, and he can see me.   (Notice how cute he looks in his cloth diaper. :)  )

Aidan had a busy week.  He went to the zoo for the first time with 6 other kids (and another adult!!), and he missed out on the exciting gorilla eating and spitting up his food and the penguins being fed.  But ya know, watching the penguins being fed was my thing.  Though Aidan might enjoy it one day, too.

Aidan is quickly outgrowing his clothes.  I had to put away a lot of 0-3 and 3 month outfits because he was too long. :(

We had hoped to take Aidan out to our property and take pictures with him and AJ on the John Deere tractor in the onesie pictured on the left, however, it's too small for him.  Oh well, we do have a John Deere onesie and a tractor jacket...my little boy is growing too fast.

Mom, Aidan and I visited my grandparents on Tybee Island while AJ was out of town working bear hunting season in the Upstate.  Aidan does very well on road trips, however, he did get hungry in a very sketchy area in rural SC...I swear drug deals were going on at a post office.
Anyway, Pepaw and Memaw greatly enjoyed the visit, and I swear he was trying to mimic Pepaw's Chewbaca noises when we arrived home.

This coming week, we have to take Aidan to his 2 month check up and first round of shots.  I'm not looking forward to it, but it's for his own good.  Let's hope the shots don't ruin his sleep/eat schedule because I am loving the continuous night time sleep - but who wouldn't?

All About Mom

So I skipped a week to update on me.  Just short on time to blog about it.  Anyway, it has been officially 301 days since I had an adult beverage.  Well, I finally moved past my guilt and poured myself half a glass of wine...and I only drank half of that before the guilt set in.  I had a bottle ready, so it's not like Aidan would receive any alcohol in my breast milk.  So this past week, I bought juice and champagne to make mimosa's.  I made myself brunch (sausage and french toast) and a mimosa - mostly juice, but this time I enjoyed the drink!  I missed the taste...


I also began working part time from home, which works best in the mornings when Aidan takes his 3-4 hour nap after waking up from sleeping all night.  I enjoy interacting with coworkers and being involved in my job.  I love Aidan, but I do miss the work I do.

I continue to work out, with a focus on cardio since it's a stress relief and I wasn't able to do high levels of cardio while pregnant.  I definitely missed the elliptical. My goal is to work out (whether cardio or weights) five times a week, and so far, I have met that goal.


I swear, each day, I anticipate Aunt Flo coming back.  I have read that exclusively breastfeeding can't prevent the monthly visitor from returning, however, I know plenty of women that this is NOT the case.  Each time my stomach isn't feeling so great, I think "ah crap, here she comes."  However, much to my delight, she is delaying her visit - probably until the most inconvenient time. Boo.

Cloth Diaper Obsession

What started as using prefolds and covers turned into finding the cutest pocket diapers possible.  In fact, I sold off most of my prefolds beyond the size Aidan is in now in order to fund buying cute One Size pocket diapers.

My Original Loot (And there is more, but this I scored an awesome deal on from Craigslist)

I blame my mom for introducing me to FuzziBunz One Size because my collection consisted of a variety of prefolds (where I did develop favorite brands) and covers (Thirsties and Bummis).  I loved used them and was enjoying CDing, but when I received these cute and easy to clean/dry/stuff cloth diapers, I was instantly hooked.

So this is how I start my day...I lay out 12 - 16 cloth diapers.  Right now, that includes at least 3 prefolds and covers and the rest are One Size Diapers.

I have a variety of Velcro and snap closures, and I love diaper pics because of the adorable model *ahem, Aidan* and the cuteness of the diaper.  See evidence below:

Does this diaper make my butt look big? No, it makes your butt cute.

So I had FuzziBunz One Size, and then I ventured over to Happy Heinys to try out a Velcro closure for pocket diapers.  I found some cool patterns (owls, puppy dogs, and skull & cross bones).  But then I sold more prefolds, so I had to buy more One Size pocket diapers...More HH, this time an orange swirl and silly monkeys.  Then, I went over to Etsy.com to find some robot, safari, and Ooga one size cloth pocket diapers.  So I am waiting on these 5 diapers to arrive, but I AM EXCITED.  I love picking out which CD Aidan is going to wear...I even have favorites.

Now to find more stuff to sell so I can buy more cute cloth diapers.

Cowboy Cookie

So again, using a pinterest recipe, I tried a one pan skillet cookie with the original recipe coming from here.

Here's the original recipe

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chocolate chunks

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in an 8 inch cast iron skillet set over medium-low heat. Stir in sugars and vanilla and remove from heat. Let rest until pan is warm, but no longer very hot, about 5 minutes.

2. Crack an egg onto the butter and sugar mixture, and use a fork to whisk it well into the mixture. Place flour, baking soda, and salt on top, and very carefully stir into the mixture until smooth and well-mixed. Stir in chocolate chunks. Place in the oven for 15 minutes, or until starting to turn golden on the top and around the edges, but soft in the center. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

So the only substitution I made was dark brown sugar for light brown sugar.  I love dark brown sugar in my chocolate chip cookies, and I always have it in my spice cabinet. Oh, I also eliminated salt; I hate salt in my cookies, and I usually halve it in most recipes.

Prior to adding the chocolate chunks

After making this cookie, I let it cool, and then I dove in expecting sheer cookie delight. However, I was disappointed.  The cookie tasted like FLOUR, thus, I added vanilla frosting to cover up or minimize the flour taste.  At first, I thought it was edible, but in the end, I had to throw it away.  But not to be defeated, I knew I could have the perfect cookie cake in a cast iron pan if I made a few modifications.

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cups + 1 Tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chocolate chunks (semi sweet)

I, of course, tasted the dough before adding the chocolate (because who doesn't do that...admit it!), and it tasted like success.  So I added the chocolate, threw it in the oven and waited.

I hardly let the cookie cool (the roof of my mouth would be evidence, but sorry, no picture...) before tasting it.  Aw, yes, this is what I wanted.  Good cookie.  Soft, round, and would make the perfect cookie cake.  Just add your favorite icing and decorate!

And since I made some modifications and felt this cookie could be made on the range...or while camping, but using a dutch oven, I gave it the very original <insert sarcasm> name so that it was different that the one pan skillet chocolate chip cookie...

Buffalo Chicken Bites

By the title of this post, it IS safe to assume this post is not about Aidan. :)  I have joined pinterest and found a lot of recipes (and tagged a lot of Cloth Diapers...).  So I am starting to experiment with new recipes .

The original recipe is here: http://penniesonaplatter.com/2010/09/16/buffalo-chicken-bites/

I tried two variations.  One with bread crumbs and one with cornflakes.  I definitely liked the corn flakes better because it was crunchy.  I also added more of some ingredients...here's what I did:


3 cups shredded cooked chicken (I boiled chicken breasts in water, no seasoning though I might try adding some cayenne to give the bites more kick)
1/2 cup hot sauce
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups sharp fine shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
6 - 8 cups Corn Flakes cereal, crushed

Then follow the original recipe's directions...

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix the chicken, cream cheese and hot sauce until combined. Stir in the cheddar cheese and green onions.

Using a small cookie or ice cream scoop, spoon out the chicken mixture and roll into about 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on a plate or separate baking sheet (not lined) until ready to dip.

In three separate bowls, set out the flour, eggs and Corn Flakes. Dip each chicken ball first into the flour, then the egg and ending with the Corn Flakes. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

**If freezing for later, place the dipped and uncooked chicken balls onto the parchment lined baking sheet and flash freeze for 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a freezer bag and store in the freezer until ready. To bake, place the frozen chicken balls back on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350˚F for 25 to 30 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.

The Seventh Week

Oh the Places We Shall Go

Aidan and I are definitely leaving the house almost every day, and it makes the day go by quickly.

Sunday - Okay, so maybe not on Sunday.  Aidan's grandparents visited him and brought him a cute little Clemson windbreaker outfit that he wore later in the week when the weather turned cold. 

Monday - Mom and I took Aidan to the Greeneway in North Augusta to take photos in similar locations as the maternity photos.  While Aidan slept a lot and was generally not fussy, he was not as cooperative as we had hoped, so the photo shoot ended earlier than expected.  However, we did have some great shots, and I love his boo boo face.

Tuesday - Mom and I went downtown Aiken for lunch and to look around at the shops.  We bought some awesome olive oil and balsamic vinegar from a specialty shop.  We looked for Lincoln Logs at the antique store because dad wanted to buy Aidan some real Lincoln Logs, not plastic.

Wednesday - Aidan joined me at a baby shower for one of my coworkers, where he looked so adorable in his Clemson outfit.  He did very well until the end where I thought he might be hungry, but really, he wanted a nap.

Thursday - We ate at a nice restaurant in downtown Aiken with a neighbor.  Aidan fussed on the way to the restaurant, but was quiet the whole time we ate.

Friday - Aidan stayed in, while I went out shopping.  I have to admit that I bought too many bags of candy corn pumpkins and probably have just half of them left...

Saturday - Aidan and traveled the farthest distance alone to a wedding in Neeses, SC at the Buck Ridge Plantation.  I wore him in my K'tan sling, and we kept each other warm since it was an outside wedding and when the sun went down, it was cold!  He was alert some of the time but mostly slept, hardly any crying.  He didn't wake when a cannon went off after the wedding ceremony...sleepy boy.

The Sixth week growth spurt came and went.  We were working on spacing the feedings out to 3 to 3.5 hours, but during the spurt it decreased to 1.5 to 2 hours during the evenings, but no change over night.  Aidan is consistently taking 6 hours between feedings at night which is typically 11 pm to 5 am.

Aidan is also smiling a lot more...more than smiles in the morning.  He is more alert during the day, which means less napping, but that's okay.  I love playing with him and walking him around the house or yard so he can look at everything.

The Sixth Week

Six weeks...halfway through maternity leave.  Time flies, yet when I look back, I realize how much Aidan has grown and changed since Day 1.  My little guy is growing up so fast.

This week, I noticed Aidan smiling a lot more.  Small smiles and big gummy grins.  He is awake more, and we can play with him more.  I love watching his personality develop.

So here's the many faces of Aidan.

Two nights this week, Aidan went 8 hours in between feedings...unfortunately, I didn't sleep 8 hours straight.  After feeding, it took some time to get Aidan to sleep.  I also woke up in the middle of the night and had to pump because I was ENGORGED.  But, I definitely felt more refreshed than the other nights.  I hoped the 8 hour stretch was becoming the norm, but then Aidan reverted back to feedings every 3 hours at night.  Oh well, I'll take the 8 hour stretch anytime I can.

Aidan continues to have visitors...his great grandparents on my side visited him.  He met my dad's mother for the first time on Sunday and then my mom's parents drove up on Tuesday.  My memaw was very excited about the cloth diapers and the whole routine.  She was amazed how far CD's have come since we were babies.  Memaw also watched Aidan while Pepaw and I went out for fried chicken.

It appears the evening fussy period has disappeared, though Aidan now fights sleep which makes him cranky when he's super tired.  We'll get through this phase, too!

All About Mom

What a great week!  Working out has really helped my energy level.  I only sleep at night (no naps), and it's typically less than 8 hours, which is fairly normal (pre pregnancy).  I worked my arms, abs and legs twice this week, walked 4 miles, and used the elliptical for 45 minutes...I hadn't used the elliptical since January.

Aidan and I continue to get out of the house most days.  We even visited AJ while he was working at a local community event - Hook and Cook Fishing Tournament.  My sole reason for going was to eat a funnel cake, and it was slightly disappointing. 

My linea nigra is definitely lighter, but still present.  I also thought the dark belly button was due to linea nigra since it became darker as my pregnancy went on.  Well, for almost five weeks, I apparently carried around some nasty dark residue that I scrubbed out.  I only thought about scrubbing it when I felt my belly button one day, and it felt like sandpaper.  That didn't seem right...so I finally remembered, probably 4 days later, that I needed to try cleaning it.  Disgusting, I know, but I really thought it was a dark color due to linea nigra.

I wanted to drink a beer this week.  I finally felt comfortable to have a drink since I had been successful at having Aidan feed every 2.5 to 3.5 hours instead of 1.5 to 2.5.  By the time he would feed again, the alcohol would have been metabolized out of my system.  But, I couldn't get past future guilt.  I have a wonderful bottle of wine waiting for me to drink, but if I can't even sip a beer, there's no way I'm opening the bottle. 

This coming week, I am supposed to start working part time from home...we'll see how it goes.  I do feel the need to have some brain stimulation, and it seems every book I read is a baby book or a book about babies.  Though I do have a James Patterson book in waiting...still not enough. 

The Fifth Week

Routine. Routine. Routine.

So Aidan doesn't have a strict routine, but I definitely have found a pattern in his behavior. Somewhere around midnight, Aidan will fall asleep for the night. He will sleep 3-5 hours, wake up to eat, then sleep another 3-4 hours. Then, he'll wake himself up by passing lots of gas followed by filling up his diaper. After a quick, but messy diaper change, he feeds again then typically sleeps for another 2.5-3 hours. After sleeping, he feeds then fusses, unless I wear him, then he promptly falls alseep. Every 2 hours, he will wake, eat, have a little activity, then sleep until 7pm. Around 7PM, he goes into complete meltdown, fussy mode until bed time. HOWEVER, I recently discovered that wearing him (swaddling), walking (swaying), give him his pacifier (sucking) and shushing him put him to sleep within 15  minutes, and it instantly calms him down.  So I wear him in the K'tan wrap until he wakes to eat.  So that's 4 of the 5 S's recommended by the Happiest Baby on the Block.

I guess Aidan wasn't a good luck charm for the Yankees as they fell in game five of the ALDS play offs to the Tigers.  Guess his charm only works for Tigers, specifically Clemson.  He still looks good in his Yankees onesie.  Aidan had another busy week.  We made it a goal to get out of the house every day, even if it meant just going uptown to buy candy (I'm addicted to Brach's Indian Corn).  In addition to family, he also hung out with my friend Diana and met my friend Kirsten.  He also made the trip to Charleston to visit with his Aunt and Uncle.  We brought enough cloth diapers to make it through the entire day!  I was very anxious about the trip and using cloth, but it went over very well. 



All About Mom

Have I mentioned the hot flashes and night sweats?  Between the leaky boobs and the night sweats, my bed sheets have to be washed every other day!  It's crazy how quickly I get really hot, then start sweating, then am back to normal.

Anyway, this week I was given the clearance by the OB to begin working out - just take it slowly.  So I walked 10 miles and worked out my arms twice, abs twice, and legs once.  I did many arm exercises that I avoided while pregnant; I had an hour and a half arm work out!  Working out felt great!  I can tell a difference in my abs since I resumed exercises, not so jelly like.

The OB stated that I had healed very well, and thankfully, the lochia has slowed down tremendously.  My hemoglobin levels were great, so I only have to take 1 dose of iron per day.

I also realized that the blood in my eye disappeared some time last week.