Friday Favorites

I'm linking up with Momfessionals, Grace and Love, and A Little Bit of Everything to share my Friday favorites!

1.  Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe Joe's

 

Oh my gosh.  I both love and hate my friend Stephanie for introducing me to these cookies from Trader Joe's.  Imagine an Oreo, except the white filling is peppermint flavored AND filled with pieces of candy cane.  Then, dip that Oreo in dark chocolate, and sprinkle MORE candy cane pieces on top.  Sooooooo good.  I refuse to look at the nutrition facts.  Get a box before they're gone for the season!

 

 2.  Baby Christmas PJs

 

Is there anything sweeter than a baby in footed Christmas PJs?  I think not!  C has velour Christmas PJs with Santas on the feet, similar to these (I think mine is last year's version - bought brand new at a resale store with the Carter's tags still on it!)  I can't wait to snuggle him on Christmas morning!

 

3.  Babies, babies, everywhere!

via  

I LOVE this season of life with babies being born, babies on the way, and baby playdates!  On Tuesday night, my first time moms group from church had a Christmas party with all the adorable babies AND some friends of ours welcomed their baby that night (and we found out it was a boy!! Another friend for C!!)  On Wednesday, C and I hung out with 3 friends and their littles, one of which has a 7-week-old I got to snuggle (was C ever that tiny??) and two of which are due with baby girls in early 2015.  Definitely made me miss being pregnant!!  AND yesterday I got a Christmas card from another sweet friend announcing that their second baby is on the way!  This year, and especially this Christmas, is the most fun!  I can't wait for the 6 babies (so far!) arriving in 2015!

 

4.  The Best Yes

 

Over the last month I've been reading Lysa TerKeurst's book "The Best Yes".  I'm not normally one for "self help" type books, but this one has been a great read, especially since I'm still new to balancing a baby and a job, and, now, the holiday season.. 

 

(From the author's website)

Lysa TerKeurst is learning that there is a big difference between saying yes to everyone and saying yes to God. In The Best Yes she will help you:

• Cure the disease to please with a biblical understanding of the command to love.
• Escape the guilt of disappointing others by learning the secret of the small no.
• Overcome the agony of hard choices by embracing a wisdom based decision-making process.
• Rise above the rush of endless demands and discover your best yes today.

Buy This, Not That: Vitamin D Supplement Drops

If you have an exclusively breastfed child, your pediatrician will instruct you to give your child a Vitamin D supplement everyday, because apparently breastmilk doesn't provide sufficient Vitamin D.  It comes with an eyedropper, and I find it easiest to add to a bottle.  You can also administer it directly by mouth using the eyedropper, but that always results in C spitting it out.  Locally, you'll only find one brand option; however, it's worth it to check out another option available online!

Good: Enfamil D-Vi-Sol Vitamin D Supplement Drops

Enfamil is a well-known brand, and this is the only brand of Vitamin D drops you'll be able to find at your local grocery store or pharmacy (although it can be hard to find there - depending on the store, sometimes it's with the children's medications, sometimes with the vitamins).  A bottle has a month's worth of doses and runs about $10 at my Target.

Better: Carlson Super Daily D Vitamin D Drops

You most likely won't find this locally, but you can get it from Amazon.  This stuff is more concentrated than the D-Vi-Sol, so you only have to administer one drop a day to give the same dose.  This makes it way easier to administer directly by mouth, since the baby doesn't have to swallow a whole mouthful of supplement drops.  Also, a bottle of this is less than $10 and has AN ENTIRE YEAR'S worth of doses.  So, it is significantly less expensive on an annual basis than the D-Vi-Sol, plus you won't have to remember to go buy another bottle every month (and hunt for it on the pharmacy shelves).  

From the Kitchen: Stacked Green Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This is a quick dinner that I made up on the fly to use up some leftover chicken and corn tortillas that we had sitting around...and we ended up loving it.  You could easily make this into normal enchiladas but I think it is much faster to make it into a stacked enchilada casserole - combining the technique of a lasagna with the ingredients of enchiladas!

Stacked Green Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

16 white corn tortillas
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I used leftover rotisserie chicken)
2 cans green enchilada sauce
1 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese
1 10-ounce package prepared pico de gallo (I used Kroger's black bean and corn pico de gallo, found in the produce section near the bagged salad)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9"x9" Pyrex baking dish with cooking spray.

Place 4 corn tortillas in the bottom of the baking dish (they will overlap in the middle - that's OK).  Top the corn tortillas with 2/3 cup shredded chicken, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cup pico de gallo, and 1/3 of a can of enchilada sauce.

Repeat another 2 times (making 3 layers total).  Top the 3rd layer with another 4 corn tortillas to form a "top" to the casserole.  Pour the 2nd can of green enchilada sauce over the top of the casserole.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Add another 1/4 cup of shredded cheese on the top and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.