We had a very busy weekend. We went to Michigan (I will post pictures later, I haven't even had time to download them yet) for our yearly visit. We got to see family from The Netherlands and Canada. It was a nice but short visit. We left on Friday evening and didn't get into to Michigan until around midnight, then we had an early flight out on Sunday morning.
The kids were so busy playing all day on Saturday that they were worn out for a few days when we got back.
On Sunday, Dave and I went to the U2 concert. It was a great concert. They sounded amazing live, better then on any album I have ever heard. If I had a bucket list started, seeing U2 would have been on the list. I love their music and I always wanted to see them. I got some good pictures that night too. We didn't get home until around 11:30, so needless to say Dave and I were worn out from the long weekend.
I have been trying to relax a little bit more this week, but it is hard because the boys need to be busy.
Joseph I think is already entering the terrible two's and Samuel is full into the ridiculously difficult three's. There are a lot of tantrums going on in this house, lots of time outs, lots of correcting, lots of figuring out how to parent and lots of patience. There are many times a day that I want to lock both boys in their rooms and not let them out.
This hot weather is killing me. I have no energy to do anything. I can't wait for it to start cooling down a little bit.
I washed all the newborn baby clothes that were all unisex. I figured I wouldn't wash all the newborn boy clothes until I knew for sure what we were having. I still think I am having a boy, but the other night I kept dreaming about having a girl. We will find out soon enough.
We are off to play.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
28 weeks
It seems like I really only have time right now to post once a week. The weeks are flying by and I am just so exhausted I don't really want to do anything.
I am 28 weeks today. I feel so lucky to have reached this point. I always am relieved when I get through the first trimester and then again at 28 weeks.
I have started to feel really emotional. I feel this overwhelming need to just start crying. It is such a crazy feeling. I know my hormones are going nuts.
We finally bought a crib and changing table last weekend and it will be delivered soon. Once we get that set up and I wash the newborn clothes I have I will start to feel calm again.
Overall I am not that stressed about the prospect of having another baby or how crazy things are going to be, but I am stressed out. I have been having a lot of contractions for the past few weeks. At first I would have a random one that was really strong and painful, but now I am having that more often. I posted before that I have to start keeping track of my contractions if they start coming fast and I have to call the doctor if I have more then 10 in one hour.
Last night around 9 pm I started having a ton of contractions and several were very strong, hard and long. I started to get a little bit worried and was about to start keeping track of how often they were coming when they just stopped. It was scary from 9-9:30, I had one more around 9:45 and then it ended. I didn't have anymore the rest of the evening.
I am trying not to do too much. It seems like when I relax they come more often. It doesn't make any sense, but that is what is happening.
I have another ultra sound next week and then a doctor's appointment the next Tuesday. I will be almost 30 weeks at that point.
This baby is feisty. It doesn't seem like it is happy with the close quarters in my uterus. First lesson it must learn is that Mommy is in charge! It better calm down and stay in there for a while longer.
Well, I wish I had more of a break but Joseph is already waking up. He doesn't nap longer then a few hours.
I am going to try to stay cool and hydrated. We are having a heat advisory around here starting on Sunday through all next week. It is going to be miserable I am sure.
I am 28 weeks today. I feel so lucky to have reached this point. I always am relieved when I get through the first trimester and then again at 28 weeks.
I have started to feel really emotional. I feel this overwhelming need to just start crying. It is such a crazy feeling. I know my hormones are going nuts.
We finally bought a crib and changing table last weekend and it will be delivered soon. Once we get that set up and I wash the newborn clothes I have I will start to feel calm again.
Overall I am not that stressed about the prospect of having another baby or how crazy things are going to be, but I am stressed out. I have been having a lot of contractions for the past few weeks. At first I would have a random one that was really strong and painful, but now I am having that more often. I posted before that I have to start keeping track of my contractions if they start coming fast and I have to call the doctor if I have more then 10 in one hour.
Last night around 9 pm I started having a ton of contractions and several were very strong, hard and long. I started to get a little bit worried and was about to start keeping track of how often they were coming when they just stopped. It was scary from 9-9:30, I had one more around 9:45 and then it ended. I didn't have anymore the rest of the evening.
I am trying not to do too much. It seems like when I relax they come more often. It doesn't make any sense, but that is what is happening.
I have another ultra sound next week and then a doctor's appointment the next Tuesday. I will be almost 30 weeks at that point.
This baby is feisty. It doesn't seem like it is happy with the close quarters in my uterus. First lesson it must learn is that Mommy is in charge! It better calm down and stay in there for a while longer.
Well, I wish I had more of a break but Joseph is already waking up. He doesn't nap longer then a few hours.
I am going to try to stay cool and hydrated. We are having a heat advisory around here starting on Sunday through all next week. It is going to be miserable I am sure.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Long week
We haven't had the most exciting week. Joseph was sick most of July 4th weekend. He had a fever, running nose and cough, but acted completely fine. He didn't have a fever on Tuesday or Wednesday at all, but then Wednesday night was a complete mess. He was up pretty much all night screaming. It started around 9 pm. We got him to go back to sleep a few times, but it only lasted about 5 minutes. He just continued to scream. I told Dave we should just bring him in our room, so I think around 10 we brought him in. He just screamed and screamed. He only wanted me to hold him and he wanted to lay right on top of me. Dave finally moved to the couch to try to get some sleep. I have no idea when Joseph actually fell asleep, but at some point he did and so did I but only for about a couple of hours.
I had a feel that he had a ear infection, just because he was so miserable. I took him to the doctor yesterday and he has a double ear infection. No wonder he was such a mess. He took a 3 hour nap yesterday and slept all night (well until 6:30 am). He is a little cranky today, but is so much better.
What a night! I wasn't that tired yesterday, but today I am pretty exhausted. It is really hard to only get a few hours of sleep. Plus as I mentioned in a previous post I am starting to have contractions. Some are just tiny ones, but others are big, strong and painful. Because Joseph wanted to sleep pretty much on top of me, I had contractions all night long because of the pressure on my stomach. It wasn't comfortable in so many ways.
This is actually the first time Joseph has ever slept in our room at night. He doesn't get sick that often and never was so uncomfortable that he needed to sleep with us. I remember having Samuel in bed with us all the time. Even though I felt terrible for him and it was uncomfortable for me, I did like having him right next to me.
I also had a doctor's appointment yesterday. I am now 27 weeks. This pregnancy has been moving pretty quickly. While she was measuring me and listening to the heartbeat, I started to feel a lot of pain in my stomach. The more she pushed around, the worse the pain was. When I looked at my stomach I was having a huge contraction. My doctor said she was impressed with how a long hard contraction it was and asked how long I have been having contractions. When I told her two weeks, she wanted to check to see if I was starting to dilate. Luckily I am not dilating yet and there weren't any signs that the lining was thinning, so she was pretty relieved and so was I.
At this point I can continue to keep up all my normal activities and I can exercise, but I have to start keeping track of how many contractions I am having, even the non-painful ones. If I have more then 10 in one hour I have to call and come in to see the doctor. She wants to see me again in 3 weeks to check me out again.
I also have to get another ultra-sound to check my placenta to see if it has moved from my cervix. I will probably have that in the next few weeks. I haven't had any spotting or bleeding, which is a really good sign that it has moved, but we have to make sure.
I am keeping my fingers crossed (keep yours crossed too) that I don't have to limit my activity or go on bed rest. I would go nuts, so would the boys.
I'm off to figure out what to do with the boys.
I had a feel that he had a ear infection, just because he was so miserable. I took him to the doctor yesterday and he has a double ear infection. No wonder he was such a mess. He took a 3 hour nap yesterday and slept all night (well until 6:30 am). He is a little cranky today, but is so much better.
What a night! I wasn't that tired yesterday, but today I am pretty exhausted. It is really hard to only get a few hours of sleep. Plus as I mentioned in a previous post I am starting to have contractions. Some are just tiny ones, but others are big, strong and painful. Because Joseph wanted to sleep pretty much on top of me, I had contractions all night long because of the pressure on my stomach. It wasn't comfortable in so many ways.
This is actually the first time Joseph has ever slept in our room at night. He doesn't get sick that often and never was so uncomfortable that he needed to sleep with us. I remember having Samuel in bed with us all the time. Even though I felt terrible for him and it was uncomfortable for me, I did like having him right next to me.
I also had a doctor's appointment yesterday. I am now 27 weeks. This pregnancy has been moving pretty quickly. While she was measuring me and listening to the heartbeat, I started to feel a lot of pain in my stomach. The more she pushed around, the worse the pain was. When I looked at my stomach I was having a huge contraction. My doctor said she was impressed with how a long hard contraction it was and asked how long I have been having contractions. When I told her two weeks, she wanted to check to see if I was starting to dilate. Luckily I am not dilating yet and there weren't any signs that the lining was thinning, so she was pretty relieved and so was I.
At this point I can continue to keep up all my normal activities and I can exercise, but I have to start keeping track of how many contractions I am having, even the non-painful ones. If I have more then 10 in one hour I have to call and come in to see the doctor. She wants to see me again in 3 weeks to check me out again.
I also have to get another ultra-sound to check my placenta to see if it has moved from my cervix. I will probably have that in the next few weeks. I haven't had any spotting or bleeding, which is a really good sign that it has moved, but we have to make sure.
I am keeping my fingers crossed (keep yours crossed too) that I don't have to limit my activity or go on bed rest. I would go nuts, so would the boys.
I'm off to figure out what to do with the boys.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Happy Independence Day!
Hopefully everyone is enjoying the long weekend. Our plans have been somewhat disrupted because Joseph has had a fever all weekend. He woke up with a fever on Friday morning and he hasn't gotten rid of it. The highest it has reached is 101, but it has been around 100 the whole weekend. He is coughing and has a runny nose too, but other then that he is acting completely fine. He is running around and not even acting sick. Samuel has a bit of a cough too, but is also acting coming fine.
They are both napping right now, which both Dave and I needed desperately. They have been waking up at 6 am. What is wrong with them? How do you get kids to sleep in later? Joseph goes to bed between 6:30 and 7 at night (we can't get him to stay up any later, he literally can not function by 7) and Samuel goes to bed between 7 and 8 depending on if he took a nap or not. They do go to bed at a reasonable time, but my gosh can they not sleep in later.
Other then not much sleep and dealing with wild children all weekend, I have been cooking up a storm.
On Saturday night we had grilled Bone-in Rib-eye (which was absolutely delicious), crab cakes, roasted fingerling potatoes (oil, garlic, rosemary, onion powder, cayenne pepper, pepper and salt all tossed with the potatoes and put on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes), grilled zucchini, squash, and portabella mushrooms.
On Sunday night we had roasted turkey breast (cooked in the oven in a roaster with celery, carrots, onions, rosemary and brushed with oil, seasoning salt, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and parsley cooked at 325 for 2 hours), garlic mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. It was super delicious. We had a lot of leftover turkey, so I sliced that up and we will use it for sandwiches for the rest of the week. Yummy.
Tonight I am making Vegetarian Stuffed Bell Peppers. I am going to post pictures and the recipe at Table for Two.
From now on I am going to try to post all my food related items at that blog. It is easier to keep it separate from all my family stuff.
Here are some pictures from the last few weeks:
They are both napping right now, which both Dave and I needed desperately. They have been waking up at 6 am. What is wrong with them? How do you get kids to sleep in later? Joseph goes to bed between 6:30 and 7 at night (we can't get him to stay up any later, he literally can not function by 7) and Samuel goes to bed between 7 and 8 depending on if he took a nap or not. They do go to bed at a reasonable time, but my gosh can they not sleep in later.
Other then not much sleep and dealing with wild children all weekend, I have been cooking up a storm.
On Saturday night we had grilled Bone-in Rib-eye (which was absolutely delicious), crab cakes, roasted fingerling potatoes (oil, garlic, rosemary, onion powder, cayenne pepper, pepper and salt all tossed with the potatoes and put on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes), grilled zucchini, squash, and portabella mushrooms.
On Sunday night we had roasted turkey breast (cooked in the oven in a roaster with celery, carrots, onions, rosemary and brushed with oil, seasoning salt, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and parsley cooked at 325 for 2 hours), garlic mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. It was super delicious. We had a lot of leftover turkey, so I sliced that up and we will use it for sandwiches for the rest of the week. Yummy.
Tonight I am making Vegetarian Stuffed Bell Peppers. I am going to post pictures and the recipe at Table for Two.
From now on I am going to try to post all my food related items at that blog. It is easier to keep it separate from all my family stuff.
Here are some pictures from the last few weeks:
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| Every night Joseph wants to lay down with Samuel on the couch. They are so cute together. |
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| On the train at the Museum of Transportation |
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| Joseph isn't much of a hugger but he loves to give Samuel hugs. I LOVE this picture of the boys. |
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| Check out that height difference |
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| More hugs! |
Friday, July 1, 2011
Growing and Nightmares
I think Samuel is about to grow because he is having nightmares again. Last night he yelled for me around midnight. I ran in there and he started yelling at me for poking him in the eye. I told him I didn't poke him in the eye and he said yes I did poke him and his eye was killing him. He was grabbing his eye and it actually looked really red. I think he poked his eye in his sleep and it woke him up. Anyway, I had to calm him down, turn on the light, look at his eye to make sure there wasn't anything in it and then I got him to go back to sleep. By that time I was wide awake and it took me a while to get back to bed.
I was supposed to have a doctor appointment yesterday, but when I got to the office both doctors were out delivering babies, so I have to go back next week. What a pain! I am growing by the day. I am so done with being pregnant. This baby is wild. It doesn't sit still and is always kicking me. It is as wild as Samuel and Joseph. Probably another crazy boy.
It is going to be a hot long weekend. I think we will be spending time at the pool. We bought a little pool for the backyard and the boys love it. I love it because I can sit in it while they are playing and not get too hot.
I'm hoping to cook and bake a lot this weekend. We will see if I come up with anything interesting. Happy 4th of July weekend.
I was supposed to have a doctor appointment yesterday, but when I got to the office both doctors were out delivering babies, so I have to go back next week. What a pain! I am growing by the day. I am so done with being pregnant. This baby is wild. It doesn't sit still and is always kicking me. It is as wild as Samuel and Joseph. Probably another crazy boy.
It is going to be a hot long weekend. I think we will be spending time at the pool. We bought a little pool for the backyard and the boys love it. I love it because I can sit in it while they are playing and not get too hot.
I'm hoping to cook and bake a lot this weekend. We will see if I come up with anything interesting. Happy 4th of July weekend.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Storms again and Random thoughts
Two nights in a row we have been woken up and stayed awake due to huge thunderstorms. Last night we woke up because there was amazing winds coming through and I swear it sounded like a tornado. Both Dave and I jumped out of bed and ran to the boys rooms, but when we looked outside it was just windy, lightening, thundering and raining. We turned on the news and saw that it was just a huge storm rolling through. I think both Dave and I were up from 2-4 because the storm was so loud. Luckily the boys slept through it.
Samuel is so strange sometimes. Last night we put him to bed and about 30 minutes later we heard noise in his room and then it sounded like he opened his door, but he never came out, so we didn't even go over to his room. Then about 9:30 we went to check on the boys before we went to bed. Samuel's door was open. He normally burrows down way in his bed at night and we have to pull him up and recover him up before we go to bed. I went up to his bed and I didn't see him anywhere. I heard a big sign and breath and it came from his bed, but he wasn't in it. I looked under his bed and he was sound asleep under his bed. We have no idea why he did that, but we had a good laugh.
The boys are really starting to play with each other. They laugh, jump on each other and just have so much fun. I love seeing them together. Joseph isn't a cuddler, kisser or a hugger. If he hugs you or kisses you then you are lucky. He gives hugs and kisses sometimes at night before we put him to bed but it isn't a regular occurrence. However, he LOVES to give Samuel hugs and kisses. He loves his brother and I love to see that. It makes me feel so good.
Samuel told me this morning, "You are my favorite Mommy." A good way to start the day.
Pregnancy update: Last week I was having a bad feeling week. I was feeling huge, uncomfortable and not happy to be pregnant at all. I worked out three times last week and I am already feeling a little bit better. I am trying to keep it up this week. I think the working out really helps with my mental state.
This weekend I started having Braxton-Hicks contractions. They are random and it is usually when I have been on my feet doing things for a long time. When I finally relax I start having some contractions. I have an appointment on Thursday so we will see what my doctor has to say about that.
Thank goodness this is my last pregnancy. I don't think my body could handle being pregnant again. I am so done with being pregnant. Everything seems like it is falling apart. My scar from when I got my appendix taken out is really hurting with this pregnancy. I called the doctor last week because I was having pretty severe pain around the incision. It went away after a day, but I had to ice it and take it easy. My legs still look absolutely terrible and I am now developing spider veins on my left leg.
This baby is super active. I think it is pretty comparable to my pregnancy with Samuel. It barely stops moving. Last night both Dave and I felt its foot come right across my stomach. It was such a creepy feeling. Whether it is a boy or a girl it is a wild baby right now.
Dave and I are still having issues picking out names. We think we have the first names figured out, but we are trying to figure out middle names. I am not totally set on the boys name, but Dave really likes it. We will see. We will continue to look and think of names. If you have any good ideas let us know. We don't want anything popular but nothing too crazy either.
I think it is going to be movie day today. It is raining and yucky out, so we will probably be staying in.
Samuel is so strange sometimes. Last night we put him to bed and about 30 minutes later we heard noise in his room and then it sounded like he opened his door, but he never came out, so we didn't even go over to his room. Then about 9:30 we went to check on the boys before we went to bed. Samuel's door was open. He normally burrows down way in his bed at night and we have to pull him up and recover him up before we go to bed. I went up to his bed and I didn't see him anywhere. I heard a big sign and breath and it came from his bed, but he wasn't in it. I looked under his bed and he was sound asleep under his bed. We have no idea why he did that, but we had a good laugh.
The boys are really starting to play with each other. They laugh, jump on each other and just have so much fun. I love seeing them together. Joseph isn't a cuddler, kisser or a hugger. If he hugs you or kisses you then you are lucky. He gives hugs and kisses sometimes at night before we put him to bed but it isn't a regular occurrence. However, he LOVES to give Samuel hugs and kisses. He loves his brother and I love to see that. It makes me feel so good.
Samuel told me this morning, "You are my favorite Mommy." A good way to start the day.
Pregnancy update: Last week I was having a bad feeling week. I was feeling huge, uncomfortable and not happy to be pregnant at all. I worked out three times last week and I am already feeling a little bit better. I am trying to keep it up this week. I think the working out really helps with my mental state.
This weekend I started having Braxton-Hicks contractions. They are random and it is usually when I have been on my feet doing things for a long time. When I finally relax I start having some contractions. I have an appointment on Thursday so we will see what my doctor has to say about that.
Thank goodness this is my last pregnancy. I don't think my body could handle being pregnant again. I am so done with being pregnant. Everything seems like it is falling apart. My scar from when I got my appendix taken out is really hurting with this pregnancy. I called the doctor last week because I was having pretty severe pain around the incision. It went away after a day, but I had to ice it and take it easy. My legs still look absolutely terrible and I am now developing spider veins on my left leg.
This baby is super active. I think it is pretty comparable to my pregnancy with Samuel. It barely stops moving. Last night both Dave and I felt its foot come right across my stomach. It was such a creepy feeling. Whether it is a boy or a girl it is a wild baby right now.
Dave and I are still having issues picking out names. We think we have the first names figured out, but we are trying to figure out middle names. I am not totally set on the boys name, but Dave really likes it. We will see. We will continue to look and think of names. If you have any good ideas let us know. We don't want anything popular but nothing too crazy either.
I think it is going to be movie day today. It is raining and yucky out, so we will probably be staying in.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Best Vegetable Cheese Enchiladas Ever
Tonight I made the best Mexican food ever. I made Vegetable Cheese Enchiladas, Jalapeno Cilantro Rice with Sauteed Fresh Corn.
I will start with the easy sides. Now I can't give you specific measurements because I kind of just throw things in, but I can give you estimates and you can alter it to your own liking.
Jalapeno Cilantro Rice
Brown Rice - (cook like you normally would, I made enough for 4-6 servings)
Take a small frying pan and put in some oil (about 1 tablespoon), turn on medium heat. Add about two tablespoons minced garlic, half of a large onion chopped and two tablespoons jalapenos chopped (I used jarred sliced jalapenos that I keep in the fridge). Saute everything until the onions are translucent, but don't make the pan too hot that it browns the onions or garlic. You don't want to burn it at all. Lower the heat if it starts to brown at all.
Once the onions are cooked turn the heat off, then add about two tablespoons or more of chopped fresh cilantro (I love cilantro, so I added a lot) and mix it all up together.
After all mixed, then add onions, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro to the brown rice and fluff all together.
It was absolutely delicious. It had a great kick and tons of flavor.
Sauteed Corn
I used three ears of fresh corn. I sliced all the kernels off the cob.
Use a medium frying pan. Put about one tablespoon of butter. Melt butter halfway in pan. Add all the kernels. Saute so that all the corn is covered in butter. Then add a little fresh cracked pepper and sea salt to taste. Saute entire mixture until hot.
Dave added the corn to his rice and mixed them all together and I tried it both separately and mixed and it both tasted great.
Vegetable Cheese Enchiladas
Enchilada Sauce
2 15 oz. can of organic tomato sauce
2 tablespoons Chili Powder
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Cumin (or more if you like cumin)
1 red bell pepper (or any other bell pepper) chopped
Combine all in a pot and cook until it starts to boil, then let it simmer for at least 5 minutes. Once cooked, put enough sauce on the bottom of an 11x13 baking dish to have a nice layer on the bottom. Then add some sauce to a bowl because you are going to dip the corn tortillas in the sauce on both sides before you stuff them. The remaining sauce will be poured over the top of the enchiladas.
Cheese Mixture
One package of mixed Mexican blend cheese (I think it was 15 oz total)
A little more then half of a cup of sour cream
Two Tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley
Pepper
Cilantro (Add as much as you want or non at all)
Mix everything together in a bowl and set aside for stuffing of the tortillas later
Vegetables
1 cup mushroom, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped squash
1 cup chopped bell pepper
2 tablespoons garlic
half of a large onion chopped
Use a little bit of olive oil and heat in pan. Add garlic and onions, cooked until onions are translucent. Add all the remaining vegetables and saute until partially cooked (you don't want to overcook because you don't want it to be mushy in your enchilada). Remove from heat and get ready to add to enchilada.
Assembly
Preheat over to 350.
Before you start to assemble you will also need a can of refried beans (I used Organic Refried Pinto Beans) and a can black beans drained.
For each corn tortilla:
Dip both sides in enchilada sauce, then add down the center a thin layer of refried beans, some black beans, some of the sauteed vegetables and then some of the cheese mixture. It will be a full tortilla, but roll it over and place in baking dish seam side down.
Continue until you fill up the baking dish. Put in as many as you can get.
I had a good amount of left over veggies, so I placed them all over the top of the rolled tortillas (remember that they might be juicy from being heated, so just drain the juice and pour only the veggies on top, not the juice). Then pour all the remaining sauce over the enchiladas.
You will have leftover refried beans and black beans as well. You could heat it up and have it as an additional side dish or put it away and keep it for quesadillas later.
There should be extra cheese mixture left over too. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Then add a little more cheddar cheese over the top to cover all the remaining enchiladas. You don't need that much cheddar cheese because the cheese mixture really spreads when it heats up and melts.
Bake in 350 oven for about 20 minutes until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
Let sit out for about 10 minutes before cutting into it.
Everything was so delicious. Dave and I loved everything. So good.
I will start with the easy sides. Now I can't give you specific measurements because I kind of just throw things in, but I can give you estimates and you can alter it to your own liking.
Jalapeno Cilantro Rice
Brown Rice - (cook like you normally would, I made enough for 4-6 servings)
Take a small frying pan and put in some oil (about 1 tablespoon), turn on medium heat. Add about two tablespoons minced garlic, half of a large onion chopped and two tablespoons jalapenos chopped (I used jarred sliced jalapenos that I keep in the fridge). Saute everything until the onions are translucent, but don't make the pan too hot that it browns the onions or garlic. You don't want to burn it at all. Lower the heat if it starts to brown at all.
Once the onions are cooked turn the heat off, then add about two tablespoons or more of chopped fresh cilantro (I love cilantro, so I added a lot) and mix it all up together.
After all mixed, then add onions, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro to the brown rice and fluff all together.
It was absolutely delicious. It had a great kick and tons of flavor.
Sauteed Corn
I used three ears of fresh corn. I sliced all the kernels off the cob.
Use a medium frying pan. Put about one tablespoon of butter. Melt butter halfway in pan. Add all the kernels. Saute so that all the corn is covered in butter. Then add a little fresh cracked pepper and sea salt to taste. Saute entire mixture until hot.
Dave added the corn to his rice and mixed them all together and I tried it both separately and mixed and it both tasted great.
Vegetable Cheese Enchiladas
Enchilada Sauce
2 15 oz. can of organic tomato sauce
2 tablespoons Chili Powder
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Cumin (or more if you like cumin)
1 red bell pepper (or any other bell pepper) chopped
Combine all in a pot and cook until it starts to boil, then let it simmer for at least 5 minutes. Once cooked, put enough sauce on the bottom of an 11x13 baking dish to have a nice layer on the bottom. Then add some sauce to a bowl because you are going to dip the corn tortillas in the sauce on both sides before you stuff them. The remaining sauce will be poured over the top of the enchiladas.
Cheese Mixture
One package of mixed Mexican blend cheese (I think it was 15 oz total)
A little more then half of a cup of sour cream
Two Tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley
Pepper
Cilantro (Add as much as you want or non at all)
Mix everything together in a bowl and set aside for stuffing of the tortillas later
Vegetables
1 cup mushroom, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped squash
1 cup chopped bell pepper
2 tablespoons garlic
half of a large onion chopped
Use a little bit of olive oil and heat in pan. Add garlic and onions, cooked until onions are translucent. Add all the remaining vegetables and saute until partially cooked (you don't want to overcook because you don't want it to be mushy in your enchilada). Remove from heat and get ready to add to enchilada.
Assembly
Preheat over to 350.
Before you start to assemble you will also need a can of refried beans (I used Organic Refried Pinto Beans) and a can black beans drained.
For each corn tortilla:
Dip both sides in enchilada sauce, then add down the center a thin layer of refried beans, some black beans, some of the sauteed vegetables and then some of the cheese mixture. It will be a full tortilla, but roll it over and place in baking dish seam side down.
Continue until you fill up the baking dish. Put in as many as you can get.
I had a good amount of left over veggies, so I placed them all over the top of the rolled tortillas (remember that they might be juicy from being heated, so just drain the juice and pour only the veggies on top, not the juice). Then pour all the remaining sauce over the enchiladas.
You will have leftover refried beans and black beans as well. You could heat it up and have it as an additional side dish or put it away and keep it for quesadillas later.
There should be extra cheese mixture left over too. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Then add a little more cheddar cheese over the top to cover all the remaining enchiladas. You don't need that much cheddar cheese because the cheese mixture really spreads when it heats up and melts.
Bake in 350 oven for about 20 minutes until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
Let sit out for about 10 minutes before cutting into it.
Everything was so delicious. Dave and I loved everything. So good.
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