Although the holidays made at home meals a bit more challenging this month, I still managed to introduce a few and this one…. A HUGE WINNER! Especially for this pregnant mama. I dont know if you can tell but this growing baby girl of mine loves creamy dinners. I mean who doesn’t? And trust me, I am not complaining one bit!

So with that, take a look below and remember if you want other recipes to try, be sure to sign up for my newsletter here where I always include one exclusive recipe for subscribers only. You won’t want to miss out!

 

What You’ll Need:

• 1 Rotisserie Chicken with meat off bone OR 2 boneless/skinless chicken breast (shredded)
• 7 oz sour cream
• 8 oz Monterey Jack Cheese 
• 12 oz frozen peppers, onions (feel free to add in any other veggies if you want)
• 7oz Diced Green Chiles 
• 8 soft taco size flour tortillas 
• 2 cups chicken broth 
• 2 tbsp chilli powder
• 2 tbsp cumin 
• mined garlic 2 TBSP (I usually eyeball the amount I put in but you can play around with us depending on how much you love garlic)
• OPTIONAL: Cilantro to garnish. I hate cilantro so I passed on that part but you can totally add that in

What to Do:

• pre heat oven to 400 
• on stovetop, sauté chicken, green chilis, frozen peppers, cumin and chili and I along with 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. If your chicken was being stored in the fridge before use and is cold, I like to use a little chicken broth to help it cook down and shred better. 
• Add 2-4oz of Monterey Jack cheese to chicken once everything is combined.
• In soft tortillas, place desired amount of chicken mixture. You will want to roll these up so make sure the amount you place it doesn’t overflow. Once rolled up, put in 9×13 baking dish 
• Mix together sour cream, remaining cheese, 1 tbsp garlic, 2 cups chicken broth in separate bowl and then pour over rolled up tortillas 
• Place in oven for 25 minutes 
• Serve and eat your face off!

 

NUTRITION: Not putting it this time because I have no clue plus it all depends on how you want to make it. Bring down the carbs by omitting the rice or up the fat by using whole fat cheese. Its all up to you. Just remember, you are allowed to enjoy food and one decadent meal won’t ruin you 🙂 

Anyone else love anything creamy? Well if so, keep reading because this recipe was fast, simple, and oh so yummy!

With another month of dinner rut rehab meals behind me, I  managed to make this new favorite for Kev and I. As for the kids, ehh they are picky AF so I tried but nope. One day hopefully but until then, Mac & cheese it is. 

So with that, take a look below and remember if you want other recipes to try, be sure to sign up for my newsletter here where I always include one exclusive recipe for subscribers only. You won’t want to miss out!

 

What You’ll Need:

• 2 Rotisserie Chickens- meat off bone OR 4 boneless/skinless chicken breast 
• 1 can 98% cream of chicken condensed soup
• 1 can 98% cream of mushroom condensed soup
• 1 jar of pesto sauce
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise 
• Mozzarella Cheese (low fat or whole fat, doesnt matter)
• 2 bunches of asparagus (cleaned and chopped)
• 2.5 Cups of white rice (you can forgo this if wanted)

What to Do:

• Cook rice and place on bottom of 9×13 pan
• Place asparagus onto of rice
• Shred and place desired amount of chicken on top of asparagus 
• Mix together cream of chicken, mushroom pesto and mayo in a bowl and then layer on top of rice, asparagus & chicken
• Top with desired amount of mozzarella 
• Place in oven and cook at 375 for 30 minutes 
• Serve and eat your face off!

 

NUTRITION: Not putting it this time because I have no clue plus it all depends on how you want to make it. Bring down the carbs by omitting the rice or up the fat by using whole fat cheese. Its all up to you. Just remember, you are allowed to enjoy food and one decadent meal won’t ruin you 🙂 

Have you heard the news over on instagram? This hungry and pregnant mama is sick and tired of eating the same old meals and taking on a little challenge. Each week, I am aiming to pick 2 dinner inspirations, have you all weigh in and vote, and then go from there to create a meal and share it with you. But here is the thing: I am no chef and I am not one for following recipes. These could totally end up sucking but either way you’ll end up hearing about it. As the title says, its a “Dinner Rut Rehab.” Time to kick myself out of my comfort zone and try something new. I’m excited about it and I think you should be too because after a few recent successes, I have a feeling we might make magic.

So lets see, our first meal that was voted on by you all over on Instagram was this creamy chicken dish. This was the original recipe I used as inspiration. As you will see, it looks delicious. But I wanted to make a few things. For starters, I wanted to use my crock pot. Why? Because as a mom whose kids have a witching hour right around dinner time, having a meal sit and stay warm and be ready to serve the moment Kev walks in the door, is an automatic win. Secondly, I am currently having a mushroom and cream moment. Call it a pregnancy thing or not, but I wanted to add in some baby Bellas. And then lastly, I wanted to make this somewhat healthy but not skip out on the creamy. So I figured I would add in some feta cheese. 

What You’ll Need:

• 2 Rotisserie Chickens- meat off bone OR 4 boneless/skinless chicken breast 
• 1 8.5oz jar of Sundried Tomatoes- drain from oil 
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 2 tbsp minced garlic (feel free to add more if you want)
• 1 Yellow Onion chopped
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms (I used baby Bella)
• 2 giant handfuls of fresh spinach but again you can add however much you want
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1 cup feta cheese

What to Do:

• Separately on the stove, combine mushrooms, onion and garlic with a little olive oil and sauté until browned. This should take no more then 5 minutes
• Take sautéed veggies, and add to crockpot and combine with all other ingredients listed above. 
• Set on low and let sit for 4-6 hours. 
• If you used a rotisserie chicken, you can shred this pretty quickly. But if you use raw chicken breast, you will want to wait until cooked through and can be easily shredded.
• Whenever you are hungry, eat that food! And hey, if you want a little something extra, try this over some egg noodles. You won’t be disappointed.

Nutrition Facts: These were calculated using 4 chicken breasts instead of rotisserie but I’d imagine it would be very similar. I am also guessing that this can feed 6 to 8 people. 

Anyway, I told you it is EASY! I am so excited to have found a new go-to meal for my family and can’t wait for you all to try it. Be sure to let me know if you do and if you aren’t already, be sure to follow me over on Instagram for more life adventures, yummy meals, and more!

 

It was funny, a few weekends ago when I was at our first post pandemic wedding, someone came up to me and commented on my lips. I have never received such a compliment and while I wish I could say they are naturally mine, they are not. Why? Lip filler baby! Something I was so hesitant about getting but now that I have it, and everything has settled, I am so glad I did! So with that being said, I wanted to use todays blog to break it all down for you. And more importantly, show you there really doesn’t need to be a stigma surrounding it. Spoiler alert, you can get them done and STILL look natural. Not all lip fillers are created equal, remember that!

Why I wanted Lip Filler

If you’ve been following me a while over on Instagram, you will know that injectables are not something new to me. I’ve done Botox and a simple lip flip (that’s when botox is injected into the upper part of your lip to help relax the underside and help cover the gums) but lip filler was always something that really intimidated me. I have always had decent size lips and in the past, I always associate lip filler with people who looked like ducks. I thought of people like Kylie Jenner and other Hollywood elite that just look insane after they’ve gotten it done. So, for me, I never really considered it. However, after having two babies, not only did I find that my boobs shriveled up but strangely enough, so did my lips. I’m not even kidding either. Take a look at my before photo and you’ll see what I’m talking about. It’s not surprising considering how much my lips and face swelled with my son, but seeing how wrinkly they always were definitely was starting to get me self-consciously. Especially with my love of makeup. I was finding it really hard to wear fun lip colors without second-guessing it.

Where I Went

This is where my friend Kathleen at Artistry Skin Center comes in. She is quite literally the lip of goddess of New Jersey. Her work is incredible, her spa is so tranquil and beautiful, and when she reached out to me to connect, I knew I wanted her to be the one to help touch me up. Based in Randolph New Jersey, I walked into a Nirvana of sorts. So beautifully decorated, you really feel like you are treating yourself. Which is exactly what Kathleen wants. While I used to go to a dermatology office to get Botox done, that always felt like a very medical procedure. The office felt cold, it didn’t feel special and now that I have seen a difference, I can see why people are raving about Artistry Skin.

Pricing:

So this was the top question over when I asked my followers on Instagram what they wanted to know. And I’ll be honest, it isn’t cheap. Filler for the most part, depending on where you go ranges anywhere between $750-$1000 and or more. I know that sounds like a lot but your return is far longer than it would be with Botox or anything like that. Filler, depending on how quick you metabolize it, shouldn’t last you at least nine months. As for me, I am someone who doesn’t often spend money on myself and I usually like to pick and choose where I spend and for me, this is something worth putting my money towards. I’m sure many could agree, but it makes me happy and I think it’s worth it.

What is Filler Made Of:

At Artistree skin, Kathleen prefers to use Juvderm. You can use this type of filler for multiple different reasons but for the lips it is her preferred.According to the website, Juvederm is an injectable Hyaluronic Acid filler, which is a natural occurring acid in our bodies that can break down, Its main function is to retain water to keep your tissues well lubricated and moist. In this form it is used to soften lines, wrinkles and create volume to the face. 

 The Process and Specifics

OK so when I went in, I met with Kathleen who took a look at my lips and discussed with me what my goals were. I told her that I wanted something very natural and something that looked like my old self. I didn’t want to look overly plastic or like a duck. I wanted to look like I had no lip fillers at all. Once these fine details were set, she then applied a numbing cream to my lips and within seconds it started to numb incredibly well. She let that sit for about 10 minutes and then we got to work. I know for some spas they can do a dental block where they will inject you and numb you even further but I personally don’t think it’s necessary. Especially with the cream that she used, I hardly could feel a thing.

Once she got started, I felt tiny pinch occasionally but she worked quickly, making her way around my mouth. She would take momentary breaks to step away and take a look to make sure everything was even. The total procedure probably took no more than 15 minutes. At first glance, immediately I loved them. Granted things were definitely swollen but they weren’t bad once so ever. I was sent home with a nice lovely little ice pack, told to avoid exercise and alcohol for 24-48 hours (to help prevent bruising) and if swelling got crazy, to take Benadryl.

Day 1-Day 3

Immediately after: I was Definitely swollen but nothing major. They looked good but felt kinda funny. Like they were a bit heavy

Day 2- Woke up incredibly swollen. Like scary swollen. But this was to be expected. Remember to give yourselves at least a week before you decided if you love or hate it

Day 3- Swelling improved but now there was major bruising. There were also 2 slight bumps under my top lip. This was believed to be from the injection site. Kept an eye on it and let Kathleen know. They didn’t hurt or look bad. It was just more like a bump under my skin. Like I got knocked in the lip, if that makes sense.

Day 4-10:

Over the following week, swelling only continued to get better and better. However, for me, the two bumps under the top lip were still present. Again, continued to lightly massage, ice and wait. Again, no pain or anything worth worrying about. I made Kathleen aware so that we could address it on follow up appointment, which was on Day 10

.

Day 10, Day of My Follow Up:

Went back into Artistry Skin once more and met with Kathleen. She looked at the bumps I had and determined they were just deep bruising. One concern was that it was product build up, which can easily happen is very easy to fix but that wasn’t the case for me. In the rest of the appointment, she looked at evenness of lips based on how they were settling and then gave me the rest of my syringe (which she stored away safely until I returned). Once again, I was numbed and after a few quick and very painless pinches, I was all evened out. Lips looked even better than they did after the first appointment. So again reminder, don’t miss out on your follow up! It’s all a part of the final result!

My lips swelled for the 3 days following my touch up, which was to be expected. But once that went away, they looked INCREDIBLE! Seriously, I felt like my old self.

The Final Result Today:

Well the result speak for themselves. I don’t feel like you can tell I had lip filler. And that is exactly the thing I wanted. I just wanted to look like my old self. I feel confident, I feel excited to wear makeup, I love smiling now and I just am so happy.

 

With all this being said, if this is something that you have ever considered doing I hope that this gives you the courage to explore it further. As long as you go to someone you trust, that has good reviews and the results to prove it (Avoid people you find on Groupon!), you have nothing to fear. There is nothing wrong with doing something cosmetic for yourself. There is nothing wrong with changing yourself. You can still love yourself but want to change it and I think that is something we need to always remember.