Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Family Time & A Birthday Party!

We had the opportunity this past weekend to have some awesome family time together as we celebrated Ryder's best friend Chase's first birthday!



Mr. Chase on a sugar high


Chase's parents, Danielle & Scott

And of course, we had our camera there to document the event and get some updated pictures of our family! Hard to believe Ryder is 13 months old now and growing like a bean!


With these glares ....

... you'd think they were related!

Ryder loves balloons

Me and my boys. They could be twins. Love them.

Love this girl
And then of course we needed some updated family photos.





The cool thing about these last two photos?
Finding out there's four people in it instead of three :)

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Happy First Birthday Little Man!

It's hard to believe but a three weeks ago our little man turned ONE!

I know I sound like a total cliche, but I actually have no idea where the time went.

It feels like just yesterday we were brand new parents, bringing home this new, scary, adorable little package from the hospital and having absolutely no idea what to do. Now, I have a toddler who loves climbing in and out of his bumbo, eating apples in the cart while grocery shopping, and pushing toy cars all around the house while saying "Vrooommm".

To celebrate his birthday, we decided, what better theme for country lovers than a cowboy theme!



I'll admit, I went all out for his birthday. And let's be honest, we all know a first birthday party is for the parents ... so yes, really I did it for myself. And even though I completely stressed myself out, it was totally worth it!

A big thanks to LeeLaaLoo over at etsy.com for the amazing cowboy themed party decorations. It made decorating for the big day a breeze! Their delivery time was amazing as well. I ordered it Thursday night and had it all in my inbox Friday morning. Impressive!

Our wonderful friends Rob and Stacey Musselman offered to let us use their barn and property to host our cowboy themed party, so it was the perfect spot!

Here are some pictures from our little mans day!




BBQ Extraordinaire!








Our friend Rachel Huber did amazing job designing and creating this delicious cake and cupcakes! Her creativity and cake decorating abilities blew my mind. Thanks Rachel!









Enjoying his first bite of cake!



He acted like it was the most normal thing in the world



He was more interested in his pop can than any of his new toys

Lovin' his MegaBlocks wagon

Four Generations :)

A big, huge, GIGANTIC thank you to my amazing mother-in-law Bunny Ninaber for taking all the pictures this weekend. If it wasn't for her, I would have had no proof this day even existed!

With how crazy I went for this party, I can only imagine what year number TWO will look like!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Super Delish Pulled Chicken Fajitas

Winter is almost over, but even with spring, it's nice to have some warm delicious comfort food.


One of my most favourite (and easiest) meals to make is Pulled Chicken Fajitas. I’m a busy lady, and if there’s one thing I love, it’s coming home after work, or errands or even a play date, and dinner is already prepared and ready to eat. Or, I can just put it on in the morning and not have to worry about dinner all day long. Amazing.

For this to happen (unless you are blessed to have a housekeeper who makes your meals!), I must introduce you to my good friend: The Slow Cooker.  




Many people have one sitting in their cupboards, but they don’t use it to its fullest potential. Dust those babies off and be prepared to make a delicious meal that you, your friends and family will love!

I originally found this recipe in a Company’s Coming cookbook, but have gradually taken my own spin on it. My mom likes to call this “A Variation on a Theme.”

**Disclaimer: I am not a pro at making food look “good” for pictures … but I’m pretty good at making it taste delicious.




Pulled Chicken Fajitas

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 7-8 hours
Serves 6

 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approx. 4 or 5)
1 packet taco seasoning
650 mL salsa
      I prefer to use Medium Salsa to give it a bit of a kick, but depending on your taste buds, you can use Mild or Hot. Remember that the taco seasoning will add spice as well.
Tortilla Shells, soft

Toppings
Red pepper slices
Tomatoes, diced
Sour cream
Lettuce
Anything you like to add to your fajitas


Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker.


 Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the chicken.




Top with the jar of salsa. It will look like there is way too much salsa, but trust me, there’s not!


Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 3-4. If you are cooking it on high, keep an eye on it towards the end of three hours. You want to make sure that it doesn’t dry out the chicken.

After the 7-8 hours (or 3-4), take two forks and “pull” the chicken apart. It will easily flake. Mix it all up with the salsa. 

(This is where the earlier disclaimer comes in!)


When ready to serve, I like to use tongs, that way the extra juice doesn’t make the fajitas all soggy.


Top with your favourite fajita toppings and presto! You’ve got a delicious meal that barely took you (personally) any time to make.


Enjoy and then let me know how yours turn out! Did you do your own "variation on a theme"? I love hearing how others tweak recipes.

Have a great Wednesday!