While going through some of my old recipe posts, I stumbled upon an old favorite - Spinach, Cheese, & Onion Stuffed Chicken Breasts. DUAHHHH! One of the easiest ways to jazz up a weeknight meal is to stuff it. I didn’t have any chicken on hand, but you can stuff just about anything – pork chops, pork tenderloin, burgers, lamb, steak – so here’s what I came up with. (You can always modify this stuffed flank steak recipe for what you have on hand, too).

What’s for Dinner?!? Stuffed Flank Steak

Stuffed Flank Steak Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Flank Steak, butterflied in half
• Havarti Cheese
• Baby Spinach
• 1/2  Med. Yellow Onion, thinly sliced
• 5 Button Mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/2 Bottle Favorite Marinade, Kinder’s Original Marinade
• Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, & Onion Powder
• Olive Oil
• Cooking Twine

Directions:

Lay flank steak flat on cutting board. Butterfly steak in half lengthwise. Season steak with salt, pepper, garlic powder, & onion powder.

Layer cheese, mushrooms, onions, and spinach in thin layers on top of butterflied steak.

Roll steak tightly from one short end to the other.

Secure roll by using a chain hitch technique with cooking twine.

Place secured steak roll into a large zip lock bag and add marinade. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow steak to soak up flavors.

1 lb. flank steak – Butterfly the steak in half and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder – Layer cheese, mushrooms, onions, and baby spinach, and roll up in a tight roll – Tie secure with cooking twine (I use a chain hitch technique).

Marinate stuffed flank in your favorite steak marinade for at least 30 minute. If I’m not making my own, I use Kinders Original Marinade.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In an oven safe large skillet, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil. Remove steak from plastic bag and pat excess marinade off with paper towels. Add steak to heated oil and sear on all sides until browned (between 5-8 minutes).

Remove skillet from stove top and transfer to the oven to continue cooking (about 30 minutes, or internal temp of 145).

Remove skillet from oven and let rest, tented with foil, for 10 minutes.

To Serve – Remove string from steak and very carefully slice, with an extremely sharp knife, into 1/2 in pieces. Pair with your favorite side dishes.

Sear stuffed flank on medium/high heat in 2 tbsp olive oil.

Brown stuffed flank on all sides.

Stuffed Flank, served with rice pilaf and salad.

Read the full post at Redomestication.

Along with ditching some of these not-so-pleasant aspects of the first trimester; the second trimester is chalk-full of new and exciting milestones. Feeling your baby kick for the first time. Seeing your little muffin transform from an alien blob into an actual human through numerous ultrasounds. Having to go to the bathroom every hour, on the hour. And wearing pants being held together by a rubber band or piece of spandex. Just to name a few. And, oh yeah, if you so choose, you get to FIND OUT THE SEX OF YOUR BABY! We’ve been anxiously awaiting this day.

And that time is finally upon us! We are so excited to welcome a BABY GIRL to our little family this coming summer! Going to be a huge transition from wrestlemania and baseball bats to tutu’s and baby dolls, but we couldn’t be more excited.

Dressing the Bump – Second Trimester Clothes

(Click here for my first trimester clothes ideas post).

100% honest . . . All I really want to be wearing 24/7 are leggings and sweat pants, and I probably would if my work schedule permitted it. But alas, it does not, so here are some other fabulous alternative second trimester outfits.

1. Belted Dresses

Belted Dresses

Since you did such a great job at hiding the bump with all of your oversized sweater dresses in the first trimester, belting those same dresses at your empire line can now help to create shape for your body. There is no use hiding the bump anymore, might as well create a nice silhouette for it. Styles can be found at Motherhood Maternity, A Pea in the Pod, & Nordstrom.

Ways to Belt

Credit to Style Me Cheaply

2. Wrap Dresses

Wrap Dresses

Wrap dresses are perfect for growing bellies. If you find a good one, it will grow with you throughout the entire pregnancy. Find Styles at Destination Maternity, Nordstrom, & Target.

3. Maxi Dresses

Maxi Dresses

Although the maxi dresses pictured are not “maternity”, they don’t necessarily have to be. Flowy,  drappy, and  stretchy styles are your best bet. Adding a long sweater or cropped coat can dress up the look as well. Piperlime and Old Navy.

4. Maternity Tricks & Undergarments

Maternity Tricks & Undergarments

All of these tricks and undergarments are a necessity for me. The rubber band trick in the top left corner and the Tummy Sleeve in the bottom right corner helped me to get nearly halfway through my pregnancy without having to splurge on maternity pants. They act as an extender for your pre maternity pants. I use the two seamless camis as “smoothers” under all kinds of  shirts. They discreetly hide the Tummy Sleeve bumps, unsightly belly lumps (muffin top!), or your bellybutton outline. Both are really soft materials and very stretchy. The black one has a super supportive built-in bra and the white one does not.

5. Pants

Maternity Pants

And the time has finally come for maternity pants. I own both of these pairs and love them. The short elastic waistband is perfectly placed on the underside of your belly, and stretches well with movement and growth. Not feeling quite ready for the FULL elastic support built into some maternity pants, these are perfect. Styles from Gap and Old Navy.

6. Comfy Shoes

Comfy Shoes

Flats and wedges are a must. Between work and play, I find my back is already getting achy by the end of the day. Having stylish and supportive shoes that don’t strain my body too much makes for a happy mommy.  Obviously you can find these styles just about anywhere, but I found my favorites at Nordstrom and DSW.

Happy Pregnancy!

Read the full post at Redomestication.

I’m spread a little thin this week, so I needed to come up with a quick and easy Easter treat for Charlie’s daycare. Since the healthy St. Paddy’s Day Treats were such a hit, I decided to create a sweet version and a healthy version of my Easter treat creations.

Enjoy!

Easy Easter Treats – Yummy Easter Bunny Rice Krispie  Carrots

Easy Easter Rice Krispie Treats

Yummy Easter Bunny Rice Krispie Carrots

Inspired by the Crispy Easter Eggs

What you will need:

• 6 Cups Rice Krispies
• 1 Bag Mini Marshmallows
• 3 tbsp Butter
• Red and Yellow Food Coloring
• Non Stick Spray
• Piping Bags
• Rubber Band
• Green Tissue Paper

Melt butter in pot. Add the whole bag of marshmallows to butter and melt completely. Add 5 drops red food coloring and 40 drops of yellow (adjust color as you please). Mix well. Add 6 cups Rice Krispies and mix to combine. Lightly spray inside of piping bag with non stick spray. Fill bag with Rice Krispies mixture. Close bag with rubber band and add green tissue paper to create carrot stalk – that’s it! These Easter rice krispie treats are as easy as they are delicious!

For a Healthier Alternative…

Easter Bunny Goldfish Filled Carrots

Healthier Alternative- Easter Bunny Goldfish Filled Carrots

What you will need:

• Whole Wheat Goldfish
• Piping Bag
• Rubber Band
• Green Tissue Paper
• Bunny Ears Optional

Follow directions above, but sub out the Rice Kristies Treat mixture for Whole Wheat Goldfish.

Read the full post at Redomestication.

This cheesy biscuits recipe doesn’t make true biscuits… There’s more like biscuit scones. A little bit country and a little bit western. A little bit savory and a little bit sweet. All the way sumptuous and all the way scrumptious.

The best part? I mixed ‘em up about 15 minutes before dinner was to be ready, and they were done 10 mins after dinner started, perfect to munch one down after the main event. They really are on of the easiest biscuits I’ve made that didn’t use a boxed mix.

Did I mention they’re delicious too? Could be because I haven’t eaten bread in a month. Or it could be that they’re really, really that good. Make up a batch and let me know in the comments if I’m delusional or not!

Easy Cheesy Feta Biscuits Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3/4 C sour cream
• 3 C flour
• 1 TBS sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3 TBS water
• 1/3 C chopped green onions
• 3/4 C feta cheese crumbles

For the egg wash:

• 1 beaten egg
• sea salt
• black pepper
• paprika

Directions:

This biscuit was eaten seconds after this picture was taken. It’s all we we have left to remember it by.

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Sift dry ingredients together: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, pepper.

Cube butter and cut into the dry ingredients. I once had to learn what this meant too, so if you’ve never cut in butter, check this great tutorial. It sounds like scary technique that should be reserved to pastry chefs, but it’s actually really easy. You’re going for the look of a coarse meal.

While you’re husband cuts in the butter (that’s actually my technique), beat the cour cream, water and egg with a fork.

Dump the wet ingredients into the dry, include the feta and green onions and give it a few stirs. Then put it on your clean countertop and knead it together.

You *could* roll out the dough and cut it into proper biscuit rounds or scone wedges, but I was in a hurry. I pulled out balls, lumped them together and put ‘em in my parchment covered baking sheet like you’d do with drop biscuits.

Our dough was lumpy, wet and filled with goodies (mostly feta).

Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle the tops with the sea salt, black peper and paprika.

Bake for 12 – 15 minutes.

Bake me!

Enjoy!

Read the full post at Redomestication.

That’s been the problem with how I store my jewelry. It’s tucked away in a jewelry box and never gets worn, because I don’t see it!

(Sidenote: Calling my pile of rag-tag costume pieces “jewelry” is a bit ambitious… Suffice to say this might not be a good solution if you’ve got genuine rocks on rocks on rocks).

After a vicious and ultimately  liberating closet purge, I knew it was time to deal with my jewelry. I’d been using a hanging jewelry organizer that goes on your closet rod, similar to this:

80-Pocket Hanging Jewelry Organizer

Two problems with this option:

1. It was tucked in my closet so I *still* didn’t see it and therefore forgot my jewelry and…
2. Necklaces got tangled sitting in the pockets

I had a lot of empty wall space and decided to use it to make my jewelry organized and east to see / use. After walking in circles around the Container Store for 4 hours on a Saturday evening, here’s what I came up with.

DIY Wall Mounted Jewelry Organizer

I bought two magnetic strips from Container Store – they were on sale for $4.99 but aren only $6.99 when regularly priced. They come with small, powerful disc shaped magnets but those don’t have a hook to hang necklaces from. Not finding anything there that would work to hang the necklaces, I popped onto Amazon when I got home and found these bad boys:

White pushpin magnets

These white pushpin magnets actually come in tons of colors, I chose white because it would match the magnetic strips I’d already purchased. They’re $12.99 for 24 magnets. To give you an idea of the size, they are smaller than a dime in diameter but are made with ultra-powered magnets so they’re very strong.

That took care of the necklaces.

On the shelf below the necklaces, I have a small tray with bracelets in it (also from the Container Store). This only works because my closet has built in shelving, so I had somewhere to put the tray.

Bracelet tray

By adding more magnets to the magnetic strips, or buying another magnetic strip when I run out of room on the first two, it’s expandable. Same with the bracelet tray – I can just add another next to the existing one when I run out of room.

DIY Wall Mounted Jewelry Organizer

It’s been up for about a week and I’m super happy with it!

Read the full post at Redomestication.

obviously, none for me this year

Not to mention the food. We will probably consume more corned beef & cabbage in the next few weeks than most people eat in a lifetime. My oven also works overtime during this holiday, baking batches of Grandma Phyllis’ Irish Soda Bread. You can check out my recipes for Corned Beef and Irish Soda Bread here.

Along with sending some of this wonderful soda bread to Charlie’s daycare, I wanted to send something the kids would enjoy a little more than just bread. I turned to Pinterest for St. Patrick’s day dessert recipe ideas, and of course there were plenty…

St. Patrick’s Day Dessert Recipes

St. Patricks Day Dessert Recipes

1. Shamrock Pretzel Treats 2. Rainbow Fruit Skewers

3. Rainbow Rice Krispies Treats 4. St. Patrick’s Day Rainbow Treats

5. It’s Your Lucky Day Bag of Gold 6. Lucky Leprechaun Cookie Bark

7. Shamrock Pretzels 8. Mint & Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats

9. Leprechaun Hat S’Mores

In light of my Valentine’s Day Cake Pop debacle… I decided to so something a bit easier this holiday. I thought the other parents would appreciate a treat on the healthier side as well, so I went with Rainbow Fruit Skewers.

St. Patrick’s Day Rainbow Fruit Skewers

St Patrick’s Day Rainbow Fruit Skewers

Here’s what you will need:

• Raspberries or Strawberries
• Orange Slices (2 Cutie orange segments)
• Pineapple, cubed
• Kiwi or Green Grapes
• Blueberries
• Purple Grapes
• Rollos
• Skewers
• Cellophane Gift Bags
• Ribbon

Assemble fruit onto skewers in rainbow order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple). Finish each skewer with a Rollo for the “pot of gold”. Place 2 rainbow skewers in a bag and close with ribbon. Keep refrigerated until gifted.

St. Patricks Day Rainbow Fruit Skewers

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Read the full post at Redomestication.

Charlie, proudly sportin’ his new big brother shirt.

YUP… that’s right… here we go again!

Charlie is going to be a big brother! Hard to believe that my 19 month old will no longer be the “baby” in the house, but so excited to see him step into a whole new role of the protective, loving – slightly jealous at times – BIG BROTHER.

Feeling confident in the fact that this isn’t  my “first rodeo”, the unknown of pregnancy seems a little more manageable this time around. Already knowing the type of changes my body is about to endure, I’m determined to navigate through this pregnancy in a healthy, and more fashionable manner.

During the first trimester, several changes are taking place. Fatigue, possible nausea, bloating (especially the second time around), and breakouts – just to name a few. For me, the *GLOW* is nonexistent. The first trimester is also known for being a very delicate time in your pregnancy.

“About 10 to 20 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, and more than 80 percent of these losses happen before 12 weeks.”- Babycenter.com

Because of this fact, many people choose to keep their pregnancy a secret until this first trimester has successfully passed. Me included. The hardest part about keeping the secret is when you begin to start “showing” – not to mention the lack of wine being consumed at social events, but that might just be me.

Although it wasn’t an issue my first pregnancy (I didn’t start showing with Charlie until I was about 5 month along), this time around, it seems like my stomach muscles decided to “tap-out” earlier that expected. Baby Moylan has been trying to make their presence known from the get go.

Keeping the secret and *attempting* to still be fashion forward in my first trimester; here are a few pieces and styles that I drew wardrobe inspiration from.

Dressing the Bump – First Trimester Clothes

1. Shift Dresses

Shift Dresses – Work, Going Out, and Special Occasions.

Shift dresses are perfect for being discrete. The loose shape of these dresses are roomy so they conceal, but tailored enough to flatter your body. I like to wear these to work with tights and a blazer or to a wedding with a chunky necklace and strapy shoes.

2. Sweater Dresses & Boots

Sweater Dresses and Boots – Work

I have been living in these Monday – Friday. Sweater dresses are a perfect work outfit with boots and tights or leggings. I have found a ton of favorites at H&M. Check out Michelle’s post on Fall Boots for some great boot options as well.

3. Blazers & Accessories

Blazers & Accessories – Can be dressed up or down

Blazers and accessories are a great way to add layers to your outfit. Scarfs and chunky necklaces served as a good distraction from my growing mid-section.

4. Oversized Sweaters

Oversized Sweaters – Casual/ Everyday Wear

Pretty much my uniform. Pair with leggings or skinny jeans (if you can still wiggle your way into them) and boots for a cute fall/winter look.

5. Flowy Blouses

Flowy Blouses – Dress Up or Down

Thank god these blouses are so IN right now. You can find them just about anywhere. I found a bunch of cute ones at Nordstrom and ZARA. You can easily dress them up for a night out or down for a causal afternoon.

6. Leggings

Leggings – Dress Up or Down

Probably the best investment you can make. I have found that the most comfortable styles have a wide or fold-over waistband. Above are a few of my favorites. The leggings on the left are actually my ALL TIME favorite. You can find them at Victorias Secret. They have a fold-over waistband that easily accommodates a growing belly. The waistband comes in several colors, but I prefer the plain black legging with black waistband. If you REALLY have started showing early, the middle leggings are a great seamless maternity option from Target. And the leggings on the right offer a wide waistband for added comfort, and can be found at Nordstrom.

What are some of your first trimester clothing go-to’s? cx

Pin it!

Read the full post at Redomestication.

Wow, Valentine’s Day truly snuck up on me this year. I was so unprepared! While searching the house, trying to come up with something to send with Charlie to daycare, I found this Bake Pop Kit I received as a white elephant gift this past Christmas. After breaking it open and skimming the directions, I thought, “Valentine’s Day Cake Pops… Easy enough.”

Hmmmmm …

How To Make Valentine’s Day Cake Pops

Baked Cake Pop

What you will need~

• Baked Cake Pop Kit
• Favorite Boxed Cake Mix (and ingredients to prepare cake batter)
• Favorite Store Bought Frosting
• Mini Chocolate Chips for Decoration (optional)

Here is what the kit looks like:

Baked Cake Pop Kit

Step 1:

Bake your cake pop balls according to kit directions. I decided to do a combo of yellow cake and red velvet cake pops. Just added a little of each batter to the tins.

Baked Cake Pop Balls- Yellow Cake and Red Velvet Cake Mixed

Step 2:

Insert sticks into the cake balls. To get the sticks to stay in the cake balls when you’re decorating cake pops, I had to melt a little chocolate and put it on the stick before inserting. Heat your frosting in microwave for 25 seconds, until smooth. I chose cream cheese frosting. Dip pop into frosting and tap off excess. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.

Add Sticks and Dip Cake Pops

Step 3:

Place pops in holder and put in fridge until set. You can buy specific cake pop stand, but I just made one by punching holes in a box.

Cake Pops Setting

Step 4: (Optional)

Add decorative Cake Pop Bag.

TADA – Completed Baked Cake Pops

Why I will probably never attempt these again:

Although the steps seem easy, it was a very tedious process. Making the batter, baking the pops, letting them cool completely, removing them, shaping them, inserting the stick, getting the frosting to the right temp, dipping them, removing excess frosting, adding chips, letting set, wrapping them up. A LOT OF STEPS!

A few issues I ran into:

1. the frosting being too thick and not able coating easily
2. the candy coating the box recommends never coated evenly, so I scratched it.
3. the sticks sipping through the top of the pop
4. the cake balls would slip off during the dipping process. I had to melt a little chocolate and add it to the stick before inserting.
5. the cake balls had edges that needed to be trimmed after baking
6. the chips fell off unless I slightly smashed them on

All in all, the pops turned out good, but not worth the hassle. I’ll leave this specialty dessert to the pros.

Pin it!

Read the full post at Redomestication.

These are the products I mentioned in the video:

[heartlist]

•  CoverGirl & Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation
•  CoverGirl & Olay Simply Ageless Corrector
•  CoverGirl + Olay Pressed Powder
•  NARS Sheer Glow foundation
•  MakeUp Forever HD loose powder

[/heartlist]

In YouTube comments, folks mentioned their mutual distate for Covergirl products – most due to long-ago-but-not-forgotten middle and high school experimentation. I hear ya, girls. And I felt the same.

Making a vid about my love for a Covergirl foundation is almost as embarrassing as telling the world I’m getting fat.

But it’s true. I love this stuff. It’s a great product with ONE caveat I forgot to mention in the video. A caveat that I was reminded of from YouTube comments.

Someone said she’d always hated Covergirl, and tried to use it recently (not that Covergirl & Olay Tone Rehab 2 in 1, but another of their foundations) and couldn’t get past the smell.

And I remembered my first dance with the Tone Rehab foundation.

It’s got a perfume. A definite scent. One I too disliked.

In fact, the smell is what drove to to try again and again to fo back to my Makeup Forever HD foundation.

But I just couldn’t do it. Once I’d used the Covergirl & Olay Tone Rehab, the Makeup Forever seems so… so… mask-like. Pretty unbelievable for a product I’d used – and loved – for about 18 months.

So yeah, it’s got a perfume that’s weird, and reminds me that yes, this is a Covergirl product. But I deal. Because it’s that good.

Have you tried it? Have a mutual distate for Covergirl? Did this post make you want to try it? Let me know in the comments!

Read the full post at Redomestication.

Here’s the goodies I picked up:

[fancylist]

•  Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer
•  Dolce & Gabbana “The One”
•  YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation
•  YSL Touche Eclat Radient Touch
•  Benefit Boi-ing Industrial Strength Concealer (Shade 2)
•  Makeup Forever Full Coverage Concealer
•  Buxom Brooklyn lipstick

[/fancylist]

The Buxom Brooklyn came out much more cotton-candy pink in the vid than it is in real life. It’s a cute sample, went right into my purse.

I’m getting more and more used to using the Bio-ing Concealer, and I do like it better than any other I’ve tried, but it’s still not perfect. It’s still just not opaque enough for my darkest areas… But I’m totally returning the MUFE Full Coverage Concealer. It’s ok for blemishes, but not for eyes.

Read the full post at Redomestication.