Turkey Cashew Stir Fry

August 20, 2018 Norma Powell

Happy Monday!! I made this dish last week and it will definitely be on repeat. I am going to keep this short and sweet because Chapman is about to wake up from her nap and I have been trying to get this recipe posted for dayyyssss. I wasn't quite sure how this was going to turn out because I was playing around with portioning out the flavoring, but it was delicious!! I did rely on my mom hack and used the frozen cubes of minced garlic, ginger and basil-- THEY SAVE SO MUCH TIME!! If you follow me on instagram you know I recently found them at another grocery store other than trader joe's, so look in the freezer section at your local store. Those little cubes are life changing in the kitchen!! I also tried to be very mindful of the sodium added to this dish. Asian inspired recipes can come with a lot of sodium, which is usually why they are so addicting. But this recipe is seriously delicious without all the excessive salt. Take a look...

Goat Cheese Berry Crostinis

July 23, 2018 Norma Powell

It was overcast and breezy this weekend, so we did a lot of work around the house! This is our first time owning a house and we are enjoying all the house/yard work on the weekends. I'm sure it will get old fast, but for now we have fun working in the yard together. We got some twinkle lights put up after several attempts that failed! We resorted to 10 foot 4x4 wood polls and concrete. Yup, we got serious about it. And Daniel has been working on building us a table and bench for the back deck and it turned out so beautiful! I am beyond impressed, especially since this was his first time to do anything like this. You can see the top of the table in the picture above... isn't it gorgeous?! Take a look at this simple recipe for these berry crostinis…

Vegetable Hash

July 19, 2018 Norma Powell

I was craving some veggies today so I made a veggie hash!! It was so simple, especially because I already had some of the vegetables chopped up in the fridge and just threw them in, and I look for any excuse to eat a fried egg now that I'm not pregnant anymore.... runny yolk gives me life! What I love about this dish is it can be good for ANY meal--breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner! I had it for lunch and might have it for dinner tonight, too :p. I also am living for Siete Foods new hot sauces (you can find it at Whole Foods and it will be available to order online soon)! They are made with clean ingredients and taste amazing! This dish was super easy and delicious. Take a look...

Mediterranean Turkey Meatball Pasta Salad

June 27, 2018 Norma Powell

It has been a crazy last 4 weeks! You know, becoming a mom and trying to keep a tiny human alive and all :) It has also been a big adjustment trying to figure out how to get in the kitchen to cook when trying to love on and take care of our new bundle of joy. But because cooking is my "me" time, and even though I now have to do it in stages (and over days sometimes), I find a way to make it happen. I'm not cooking as much as I had envisioned, but as long as I create one good meal every few days I think that's a win! Take a look at this delicious dish…

Chapman Jane Powell

June 12, 2018 Norma Powell

Chapman Jane Powell was born a little over 2 weeks ago, and yes, she goes by Chapman! I cannot even begin to describe the love and joy we have felt since she was born. Also, a lot of exhaustion adjusting to our new normal— thank goodness for family!

Daniel and I talked a lot before we decided on a name, and we went through both of our family trees— which was so fun!! She is named after my two grandmothers, Lyra & Jane. Chapman was my great-grandmother’s (Lyra’s mother) maiden name and Jane is the name of my maternal grandmother. I could do an entire post on what those names mean to me, but I’ll keep it short this time and save that for another day.

I have had several people reach out about her birth story and her nursery, both of which I intend to post about {at some point}, but for now here are some pictures of our newest addition. Can’t believe she is already two weeks old, and at the same time can’t believe it has only been two weeks since she has been in our arms. We are all just smitten! Even Ralph & Calvin seem to be adjusting well to their new sister (that is a huge praise!)

Shout out to my mom, aka YaYa, for capturing these precious moments when Chapman was 1 week old!

<3 Norma

Greek Goddess Chicken Spaghetti Squash Boats

April 11, 2018 Norma Powell

This creation surprised me, and I'm so glad it did!! Creamy & light with just the right amount of kick! I am on a spaghetti squash kick right now because they are still available in the grocery store. They can been harder to find in the summer months so I'm doing my best to cook allllll the spaghetti squash while I can. I knew I wanted a creamy pasta-like dish {hello pregnancy cravings} but didn't want the calories and unwanted fat that typically comes with creamy pasta dishes. I saw this goddess dressing at Trader's Joe and got inspired. Take a look...

Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage Dinner

April 5, 2018 Norma Powell

Happy Thursday, friends! As most of you know, I am in my third trimester expecting our first child! I don't usually share too many personal details on the blog, but you can see our announcement post here. Although I honestly do feel great-- "great" being relative to growing a human inside your body-- I still get tired quicker than usual and my back hurts, especially when I have to lean over the sink to do a lot of dishes. Enter sheet pan dinners to save the day, and my back!! I honestly don't know why I haven't done more recipes like this, especially during this seasoning of wanting quick and easy prep and clean-up. Take a look...

A Big Life Update!

February 20, 2018 Norma Powell

We are over the moon to be expecting our first child this summer and ITS A GIRL! We are 6 months into this pregnancy and are due the very beginning of June {or possibly the end of May}!! WHAT? That seems so soon and it.is.flying.by. I have several thoughts and emotions about how and when we would share our news on social media {more on that below}, but I thought now was a great time because we have been able to share this exciting time with family and close friends AND our talented friend took these sweet pictures this past weekend! I am not a big fan of being in front of the camera, but I am so thankful to have this season captured. Not to mention, I am so impressed that she was able to turn our complete awkwardness into sweet moments that we will cherish forever! Take a look…

Paris {L+J Travels}

February 7, 2018 Norma Powell

Ahhhhhh Paris!! I have to admit, I went to Paris once when I was in Jr. High and was not impressed. It could have been that I went with a large school group and we probably stayed way outside the city, but I remember it being dirty and just ehhhh. But when Daniel and I were planning our vacation this past summer, he wanted to at least see Paris because he has only been outside of the US a few times {mainly being when we went to Ireland a few years ago-- here and here} and never to anywhere in Europe. As we were planning the trip, we knew we wanted to go to several places to make the most of our time across the pond. I had been to Italy several times and actually spent a summer there in college and I wanted so badly to show Daniel the country of Italy... it's my favorite! So we decided on Paris, Florence and Lake Como. Here is a look at our time in Paris...

White Chicken Chili {slow cooker, low fat}

February 6, 2018 Norma Powell

Winter is STILL here. It feels like the longest season right now and January really did seem 78 days long, especially having to take the pups out multiple times a day in the below freezing temps. burrrr. But you know what I love about the colder months? S O U P S!! Pretty much most soups can be thrown in a slow cooker and require very little attention... another reason soup season keeps my chin up! Take a look...

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