Poblano Chicken Tacos

It's FALL!! Can you believe it? I am so ready for sweaters and soup I can hardly contain myself. I write this with the window open while seventy degree fall air blows through my house. This is one happy momma.

People who know me know that I have been learning to cook this last year. It's always been a goal of mine to be as good of a cook to my children and husband as my mom has been to her family. I've been trying new ingredients I had never heard of, vegetables that would usually intimidate me, and most importantly I have been trying to make things on my own.

This recipe is one that I have made based on a bunch of different recipes. I have made changes that either fit my fridge or my bank account.  Poblano peppers are one of my new favorite peppers and this is one of my family's favorite recipe.  After making these for almost everyone that has eaten in our home I have decided I should probably write it down. These Poblano Chicken Tacos are seriously the easiest, yummiest tacos. And did I mention easy?  They are so full of flavor, your family and friends are going to think you slaved over them forever. I have been dying to share this on our blog! Ready? K. Here we go.

Disclosure:

I am not a fancy cook. Nor do I know how to take good food photos (lots of times I eat them before I can take a photo.. #noselfcontrol), so if you have any questions or suggestions on how I can improve the recipe explanation process, please let me know. Ya'll are dope.

Poblano Chicken Tacos
Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Poblano Pepper (sometimes I use two)
• 2 large chicken breasts (use your best judgement depending on how many people you're feeding)
• 1 can of corn, drained
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1/8 cup water
• Small flour tortillas
• Optional: queso fesco for topping if you want, but I skip this 1/2 the time.

Directions:

1. Cut and chop peppers, chicken and cilantro.
2. Heat oil on the stove and add the peppers. Let cook for about 3 minutes on their own. 
3. Add chicken and stir occasionally
4. When chicken is half way cooked, add cumin, chili powder and salt. Depending on how much oil is left, this is where I will add a little bit of water to the pan to make sure everything gets coated in the seasoning. 
5. Once chicken is cooked, add the can of drained yellow corn. Cook until hot.
6. Heat tortillas and put mixture inside. 
7. Top with fresh cilantro (don't skimp on this part, it makes the whole taco!)

Feeds 4 and makes great leftovers!

These are probably in the top 5 of favorite tacos I have ever eaten, and they are so flipping easy. Comment down below if you tried them and tell me what you think! I think I am going to start posting recipes a more regular thing. Somethings are just too good not to share!

Becoming a New Mom - 5 Ways to Prepare

If you're reading this, there is a good chance you're having a babaay! So let me first say congratulations! You're preparing mentally and physically for your life to change. You're making lists and checking things off (I did that, check here for one of my many lists). But I am not sure much can actually prepare you for having a baby. You'll bob, your baby will weave and no matter what, it's going to take a couple weeks to really get into a groove. The baby groove, if you will. #babygroove? I'm making it a thing.

Here are a few things I have learned in the first 4 months of motherhood. And if this advice helps just one person, that's good enough for me.

1. It's okay to ask for help. 
You'll think you can do everything by yourself. I know I did. I would ask for help from my husband, but feel bad because he was also working. What you don't realize in all your mommy haze is that other people are just as capable as you. And not only that, other people want to also bond with your new baby. Let them. Its good for your brain to take a break every now and then. I also asked for help from unlikely people for unlikely reasons. Don't be ashamed or feel like your a bad parent if you do the same. Regardless of what you need and from whom, you're a rockstar mom. Don't forget that.

2. You will use a fraction of the things you buy.
No joke. You need about 1/4 of the junk you buy. At least right away. Wanna know how many times Ollie has slept in his crib? Less than ten times. I am going to make a list of things I feel I need, but the short version is: clothes (not many at all), receiving blankets, feeding stuff, diapers & wipes, small space for him to sleep, burp clothes and soap. Thats it. Maybe you'll need medicine and such, but buy it as you need it. Don't over do it.

3. Don't spend a lot of money on clothes.
I made this mistake. I bought so many cute outfits. Some more expensive than clothes I would buy for myself. But guess what PJ's were my favorite for him? Ones my mother-in-law got at Walmart for $1.00. One. Dollar. Also, if you could see how many clothes he didn't wear in the first two sizes you'd be sick. I made the mistake of taking the tags off everything or I would take them back for sizes he wears now. Buy what you need. Not seasonal (you don't know how fast or slow they will grow) clothes. Just plain, basic shirts, pants, and socks. Sooner than later you'll have your own opinion on what you prefer (buttons v zippers, etc.) and be able to pick out clothes faster than you'd imagine. You'll thank me.
I feel so strongly about this that I wrote a whole blog post on this specifically. Check it out here.

4. All the things people say about becoming a parent is true. 
"It's different when it's your own kid" "You'll just know" & "You wont be able to remember a time without them" are all things that made me cringe when people would say this. I once had a conversation with a couple of mom's who told me life was gray before kids and I don't know love yet. It's all true. It's so hard to explain (another thing people say that drove me nuts). But I am now one of those moms. And its amazing. And the biggest thing? It really does come naturally. So relax and enjoy yourself. This time is so special.

5. Don't take your pre baby plans too seriously.
You've read books, got advice, saw other parents and decided the do's and don'ts. So much of that goes out the window when you have your baby. I said I wouldn't feed Ollie a bottle. Guess what? He ate more than I could make, so now we are primarily on a bottle and there isn't much I can do about it at this point. He falls asleep in bed with me.. also something I swore I would never do. Anything you can do to make your life easier and to keep everyone happy, do it. Sure, read your books at take advice. But don't take it too seriously and stay flexible. Find what works for you and your baby. It's going to be different for everyone.

What other advice would you give a new mom? Comment down below!

5 Ways to Save Money on Baby Clothes

Hi, new moms or moms-to-be. It's nice having you here!

If you're like me, you're excited to dress your little dude or dudette in the hippest, cutest, and most expensive clothes you can get your hands on. $60 rompers? You've got 4. And no matter what anyone says, you're going to buy the best. I know. Why? Because I was that mom just 4 months ago. My baby wasn't going to be going through clothes the way other kids were. I had this thought in my mind that he was going to grow at the pace of the tag on the clothing. I even bought a 12 month onsie because I thought, "Oh, this would be so cute to see him walk in!" But guess what? My man is 4 months old and weeks away from fitting into that cute shark onsie that I spent wayyyy too much money on. And guess what? He can't walk. Bummer.

I have learned a few things about baby clothing and I would love to share my thoughts with you so you don't make the same mistakes I have made. I might be able to make you feel better about not buying the trendy clothes and save you a little cash!

Tip #1
Take all the hand-me-downs

All those people who offer you clothes from their kids? Take them. For whatever reason I turned down clothes from everyone except my sister. Whhhhaaat a mistake that was. Kids grow way too fast to be buying that amount of clothes every couple of months (or weeks). If you find someone you can share clothes with, do it. When/if she has another baby, I will give them right back along with the things I've bought. It's officially my number one money savor when it comes to the kiddos.

Tip #2
Get all sizes of clothes

Whether you are buying your own clothes or telling people what size of clothes to buy (at a baby shower or just from friends & family who want to give), get sizes at least up to 18 months. I was only wanting clothes in the baby phase. When I got something that was over 9 months I thought, "Huh, this is weird? I'm not going to need this forever!" Wrong again. We are almost grown out of the 9 month clothes and I am low on clothes already. I went from him having 20 - 25 onsie pajamas to having to do laundry every couple days because we now only have 7 (he pukes so much).

Tip #3
Don't spend too much on clothes

And take this one as literally as possible. $1 sales at Walmart? Stock up. I bought clothes for Oliver that I would have never spent that kind of money on for myself. He has a tiny little jacket that is nicer than all the clothes I own put together and he has worn it maybe twice. Get the cheapest pajamas you can find. I have a favorite brand at Walmart that are regularly $15 but when they go on sale they are only $1. I buy as many as they have in Oliver's sizes. I like them 10x more than the ones I spent a fortune on, and they are so much cozier.

Your baby will grow out of their clothes so quick you'll never even get a photo. This is the major area I know I could have saved the most money on when preparing for my baby bird. I say one or two good outfits for family photos or monthly updates per size and the rest can be basic and cozy. They are going to puke all over them anyway.

Tip #4
Buy gender neutral 

I only have one baby, but I plan on having more. I don't want to buy all the clothes over again so I buy as many gender neutral pieces as possible. Space, science, sports, all can be worn by a girl so don't forget to think ahead!

Tip #5
Stick to one theme/color palette

The last thing I would recommend is to try to have all your clothes match each other. We wear a lot of gray, black, blue, and white so that (hopefully) all the shirts match all the pants. Your clothes are only going to stay organized for a bit, and after about a week or two, half your clothes are going to be dirty and the other half are going to be in a clean pile in the crib. Having all your piece match will make for easily getting your babe dressed all the time!

Saving on clothes is the last thing I know you want to do. You are ready to blow a whole month's paycheck on getting new threads for that cute little baby of yours. But don't. Everyone told me this same advice and I didn't listen but really wish I had. So here it is for you. And it's free. ;)

I am always looking for more ways to save, so comment down below with your tips! And if you have any suggestions, send them my way!

You're the best,

How to Stain Your Cement Floors

Hello, dudes. It's been a while! Andrew and I have been crazy busy remodeling our house, working, and raising a barf bucket we like to call our child. I have a ton of projects I want to post as well as new finds that I can't wait to share with you. Those along side family updates should get this blog back into the groove of things and quick. I've missed being here and I know you've missed me! 

I hope you enjoy the first of many DIY blogs I've got coming. They're going to rock your socks. 

Five Easy Steps to Stained Concrete

Whether you have cement outside, in your garage, or in your home (like us), you've probably thought about ways you can change it up but without the cost of buying new flooring. We thought the exact same thing. We had just redone the top 2 floors of our house and had just our basement left. The walls aren't done, but we knew we wanted to utilize the space until we could afford to frame it. We wanted a space to do yoga, run on our tredmill, and even put a spare bed for guests when they stayed but we didn't want it to feel dark and cold. My parents stained their floors and I thought it was also the perfect solution to our problem: wanting to change everything on the smallest of budgets and not wanting to do much work. :)

Follow the instructions below for a cheap, quick way to refinish your concrete!

What you'll need:

• Pump Sprayer - $13 - I got mine at Kmart in the garden section
• Acid Wash - $35 - Rust Oleum 1 gallon
• Base coat of stain - 2/$25 - I got 2 based on the size of my floor (approximately 600 sqft) and the color Sand. Amount will very based on size of your project
• Top Coat of stain - $25 - I got one since its not a thick coat and of a darker, more chocolate brown (if I had to do it again, I would have picked gray then black on top).
• Sealer - I don't remember the exact price and can't seem to find it on the Home Depot website, but just ask someone. I got the Wet Look Sealer and I think its only $20.00 a gallon
• A floor squeegee 
• A metal scrub brush
• Gloves
• Eye protective wear
• Garbage bags
• Boots

1. Dress appropriately. 
   Put on your eye protective wear, long pants, boots, long sleeved shirt and put garbage bags over your shoes for extra protection. The first part of this job is the hardest and can actually hurt you if you let this stuff get on your skin. Please be extra cautious.
   
   
2. Using your sprayer, spray the acid wash on the ground and scrub.
   Assuming you're doing this on already cleaned floors, the spraying and scrubbing shouldn't be too bad. Spray a 10x10 area of acid then wash it off with a hose. Squeegee the excess into a drain then move onto the next 10x10 area. Note: Learn from me and be sure to not just dump the acid wash on the ground. Every place it hits the ground will be noticeable and you will be left with what looks like spilled water all the time when you're done. This step is the least forgiving.
3. Base coat.
   24 hours after cleaning your floor, put on your base coat. Use the spray pump and try to get it as evenly and thick as you can, but remember not to get it too wet or thick that it bubbles.
4. Top coat.
   One of the hardest parts of this job is waiting. 24 hours later apply the top coat. I went over mine lightly and evenly then did another top coat the next day with what I had left just to make it extra dark. But that is totally preference and one time through will work perfect. Don't forget to wash your tools in between coats!
5. Sealer.
   Spray down the floors with sealer after the top coat has dried. I waited 24 hours in between everything just because it was easy for me to remember to do this the same time every day. Once down, don't walk on it as any foot traffic at all is noticeable and will be there forever. I then waited 72 hours (per the back of the bottle) to bring in any sort of furniture. 

The entire project took about 4 days total, but it was also one of the easiest jobs in the house so far. One hour a day and an hour extra of podcasting. Comment down below if you have any questions or know of any additional tricks! I'll tell you that as soon as my garage is cleaned out I will be looking for fun and easy ways to finish the concrete in there as well.