easter Archives - Frolic Through Life

I’m An Aunt!

April 3, 2013 4 Comments

Last Friday, I became an aunt. Technically, I will never be an aunt because I am an only child, but my cousin gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl and in my eyes, that makes me an aunt. I was designated the hospital driver because I lived the closest and had a car. I think that when you’ve been through the process yourself people think you will be calmer, but my legs were jello the whole time.

I got the call to go while we were painting eggs at Alex’s godfather’s house, like we do every year. I had just finished dropping an egg into the purple paint that Alex and I were painting for the baby, when Tommy got a phone call. My frantic mother was on the line saying that my cousin’s water broke and everyone had been trying to call me, but I wasn’t answering. I had left my phone in the pocket of my jacket and missed 7 calls! I left Alex and Tommy to paint more eggs and jetted over to their house. I made it there in record time and we were on the way.

When we got the the hospital, they took her to triage and we found out that this was the real deal and that baby was going to be making an appearance that night. Unfortunately, so many other babies had decided to come before Easter that they were stuck without a delivery room to transfer her to. After about 45 minutes in triage, the doctor came over to check her again and was really surprised that she was ready to push. The floors were still being mopped as they pushed her into the delivery room, and less than an hour later the beautiful baby girl had arrived.

The whole birth process was amazing to see on the other side of things. Even though I had given birth myself a bit over 3 years ago, I don’t feel like I remember much of it. When you are in that much pain, everything is a blur, but experiencing the baby girl come into this world and take her first breath was truly amazing and emotional.

I am so happy that Alex has a new baby cousin. Someone to grow up with, make memories with and knowing these two, get in trouble with. I have always imagined the holidays and other family functions with a bunch of kids running around, and it is becoming a reality! We couldn’t have asked for a better surprise from the Easter Bunny!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: baby, easter

Easter Weekend

April 9, 2012 6 Comments

We had a busy Easter weekend around these parts. Luckily I have the day off from work to relax and enjoy the day with Munchkin.

On Friday, we did our traditional egg painting. Every year on Good Friday for a looong time now (since high school), we all go to my friend Paul’s house (Munchkin’s godfather) and paint Easter eggs. His parents have egg painting tools from Poland which you can use to make really intricately decorated eggs. Sadly I lack the skill to make such eggs, but its still a good time.

I was in charge of setting up the egg painting supplies this year, so it wasn’t done all pretty like last year. I also messed up some of the colors and we ended up with two blues instead of a purple, but we improvised pretty well.

It was the first year that Munchkin actually participated in the egg painting, and his hands were blue and green for two days because of it.

All in all, I think we did a pretty good job and got some good looking eggs. Munchkin even got his traditional Eater, not Easter, egg from Paul.

On Saturday, Tommy, Munchkin and I packed up our traditional Easter baskets and headed out to church to have them blessed. Blessing your Easter basket it a Polish traditional and you eat all of your blessed food for breakfast on Easter Sunday.

Dinner was up to me on Satruday, so I decided to make something Eastery. I was looking at Easter things on Pinterest when I stumbled upon this recipe for Mushroom Wild Rice Frittata from Eating Well.

Mushroom Wild Rice Frittata

1/2 cup wild rice (dry) and 2 cups water to cook it in
5 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 pound mixed mushrooms
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
6 thin slices prosciutto, chopped

To prepare wild rice: Combine water, rice and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the rice is tender with a slight bite, 40 to 50 minutes. Drain; you’ll have about 1 1/2 cups cooked rice.

To prepare frittata: About 30 minutes after you start cooking the rice, beat eggs and egg whites in a large bowl with salt and pepper. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler. Heat oil in a skillet, over medium heat. Add onion and salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in rosemary, then add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they release their liquid and the pan is dry, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; stir in the rice.

Transfer the mushroom, onion and rice mixture into a Pyrex dish. Pour the reserved egg mixture evenly over the rice and vegetables. Partially cover and cook until set around the edges, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan and prosciutto. Place the pan under broiler and broil until the eggs are set and the top is nicely browned, about 2 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

I also baked a Hummingbird Bundt Cake to bring to my aunt’s house for Easter dinner. Recipe will follow soon because this was so good!

We spent Easter with family at my aunt’s house. There was a lot of good food and desserts. I definitely overate, but it was all sooo good.

Munchkin also got super spoiled as usual.

Those are his various Easter baskets and treats that he got. Needless to say, he was on quite the sugar high yesterday.

Now we are off to have some breakfast and head outdoors to enjoy the weather. It supposed to hit almost 70 degrees today!

How was your Easter/Passover weekend? What are your holiday traditions?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: easter, holidays, munchkin, recipe

Green WIAW

March 7, 2012 3 Comments

Another week, another Wednesday! We are halfway to the weekend and I cannot wait. Tommy and I are planning on spending the weekend in Philly. It’s been a really long time since we’ve been there, and I am super excited about it. If anyone has any recommendations of restaurants for us to check out, please share! We are looking for some place to go for dinner on Saturday night.

Since it is March and the month of St. Patrick’s Day and all things green, WIAW is going green! This month’s challenge is to add lots of green into your meals a.k.a veggies, not sour apple jolly ranchers (they were always my fav). BTW googling images of sour apple jolly ranchers will leave you with some strange results.

Keeping with the green theme, I tried to get my greens in and I think I did a pretty good job.

I started the day off with a big bowl of bananas. Just kidding, there is oatmeal under there, I swear! I also had the other half of the banana with a tablespoon of White Chocolate Wonderful PB. They aren’t kidding when the call the stuff wonderful, it’s so yummy!

For lunch, I went really green and made myself a big salad. Spinach, arugula, green bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, broccoli and a mozzarella cheese stick topped with Newman’s Own Sesame Ginger dressing.

After work I came home and ate a grapefruit. Like I mentioned yesterday, I can’t get enough of them. Luckily, my dad replenished my stash so I have enough to last me through the end of the week.

Dinner came together with the joint efforts of my father and I. He made Goulash using pork tenderloin, broccoli and carrots with a side of rice. I cooked up my fav Brussels Sprouts and dinner was a go.

After dinner, I had my online class. For some reason the class makes me go into snack attack mode. Luckily, the snacking wasn’t horrible this time. I opted for an apple, which was kind of green, and a handful of (unpictured) craisins.

______________________

I got a glance of myself in the mirror while eating breakfast this morning to discover that I matched my bowl.

I may or may not have looked like a giant Easter egg at work today. At least my pants were blank and not pastel colored. Speaking of Easter, I am happy to report that I’ve been staying on track with my Lenten goals and have not had any chocolate or soda in two weeks. That is quite the accomplishment for me, so I am patting myself on the back. Only 26 more days until I can have a Cadbury Creme Egg. Hooray! I am expecting a big chocolate filled basket from the Easter Bunny (cough cough Tommy), or at least a few eggs for my patience and dedication. I hope not to drink soda regularly ever again. The stuff ain’t good for you, you know! Now that I’ve shared that newsflash with you, I think its time to skedaddle.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

What’s the best thing you ate today? Do you like to match your tableware?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: breakfast, dinner, easter, lunch, WIAW

What I’m Giving Up WIAW

February 22, 2012 8 Comments

Am I the only one who is excited that Easter is only 40 days away. I can’t wait to make Easter baskets and possibly do an egg hunt for Munchkin this year.

With Easter being 40 days away, that means that today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. I’ve decided that for Lent this year, I am giving up soda and chocolate. I’m going cold turkey with soda- all kinds, even diet. I’ve been trying to break my soda habit for a long time, so hopefully this will do the trick. As for chocolate, I had to give it some thought. I’m giving up chocolate, as in candy, but not other chocolate flavored things like cake and cocoa. I need some chocolatiness is my life!

Moving on to other Wednesday matters, its time for another edition of WIAW and this time I succeeded in packing in the veggies this time.

For breakfast I made a veggie scramble with spinach, tomato and peppers. I also topped it with ketchup after I took the pic and technically that’s a veggie, right? Just kidding!

Right after breakfast, I had one of the biggest scares of my life. I was in the kitchen making making myself lunch and Munchkin was in the living room playing. He started running towards me but was acting silly and ran right into the corner of the closet. The bump on his head grew in front of my eyes and I was terrified that he might have a concussion. Luckily we put some ice on it and Munchkin was ready to get back to playing. Not a fun way to start the morning!

For lunch, I made myself a sammich. Arnold’s Healthnut Bread with Prosciutto, American cheese, spinach and mustard. I brought a side of baby tomatoes and hummus to munch on throughout the day. I washed it all down with Honest Tea – my favorite iced tea ever! I also brought some almonds with me, but I never got the chance to eat them. There’s always tomorrow!

I came home after work with no idea of what to do for dinner. I was hungry and wanted something quick to eat before my class started so I made a wrap with a Morningstar Tomato and Basil Pizza burger, avocado, mozzarella cheese and spinach topped with salsa and warmed in a pan to make the cheese nice and melty. As my side, I had baby carrots, tomatoes and broccoli with some more hummus. I can’t get enough of the spinach artichoke hummus!

My sweet tooth kicked in after dinner so I made myself a pumpkin spice Vita Top and half a banana and a bit of chocolate syrup. Totally hit the spot.

Wish me luck on my first full day this week. Luckily, it’s the next to last full day so it makes it that much more barable!

Have a great Wednesday! Halfway to the weekend!

Are you giving up anything for Lent? What’s the best thing you ate yesterday?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: breakfast, dinner, easter, lunch, WIAW

More Easter Goodies!

April 25, 2011 1 Comment

Yesterday was filled with a lot of food and a lot of frolicking in the gorgeous weather.

I totally overate yesterday, as usual during the holidays and this morning I couldn’t even look at the fridge full of leftovers. For breakfast I opted for a yogurt bowl. Nothing better than:

PLUS

EQUALS

Deliciousness

Definitely hit the spot after yesterday’s heavy food and desserts.

The weather yesterday was gorgeous. After a dreary and rainy Saturday, we woke up to a sunny and warm Sunday. Total turnaround. After church, it was time to head outside try out some new goodies from Munchkin’s Easter basket. He loved the chalk, and I’m not going to lie, I did too. I can’t even remember the last time I played with sidewalk chalk.

Best $1 I’ve spent.

Strikin’ a pose.

Alex also got another Easter basket from his Godmother!

She knows the way to a mucnhkin’s heart – Goldfish! She also got him spill proof bubbles and tub crayons, both of which I enjoyed a great deal. The tub crayons are a lot of fun and wash right off when bathtime is done. And we can use the basket as a beach bucket because it’s plastic. She also got him two super cute summer outfits. Can you tell she spoils him.

The Easter bunny also visited me last night.

I got a super cool exercise ball which I’ve been meaning to buy for months now. Isn’t my boyfriend, I mean Easter bunny great. I tried it out last night and it’s not as easy as it looks. What are your favorite workouts that incorporate an exercise ball?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: breakfast, easter, munchkin, workout

Hope you have a …

April 24, 2011 Leave a Comment

Happy Easter!

A cute Easter joke for anyone who speaks Polish:

Kto ty jestes? Jajeczko

Jaki znak twoj? Zolteczko

Gdzie ty mieszkasz? W skoropce

W jakim kraju? Kurzej dupce

Wesolych Swiat Wielkanocnych i mokrego lanego Poniedzialku.

And a Happy Sunday to all those who don’t celebrate!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: easter

Eggs and Pancakes

April 23, 2011 2 Comments

Egg painting was a huge success last night. When we got to Paul’s house around 7 his mom had already prepped all the egg supplies and mixed the paints so the only thing left for us to do was to get painting.

Egg painting table.

Yea I’m a big spender I bought the Deluxe version

Munchkin being the not so gentle creature did not get to personally handle the eggs, but he did enjoy dipping his fingers in the paints a whole lot. I’m pretty sure his little paws are going to be multicolored for at least a week.

Some of our eggs.

I think the highlight of munchkin’s night was pretending to be an astronaut.

This morning we woke up to cold and rainy weather, not exactly the kind of weather you imagine when you think of Easter. When thinking of what to make for breakfast, the first thing that popped into my head were Oatmeal Pancakes. I’m a huge fan of pancakes and waffles and these are a healthier version with all the taste. I got the recipe from Julie at Peanut Butter Fingers.

Ingrediants waiting to be mixed.

Oatmeal Pancakes (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
Serves 2 – 3
Ingredients:

1/2 c. + 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp. melted butter
3/4 c. milk
1/3 c. old fashioned oatmeal, cooked (I measured 1/3 c. oats before cooking. After cooking the oats, I had slightly more than 1/3 c. cooked oats.)
1/4 c. raw oats
1 tbsp. honey
1 large egg

Directions:
Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon) together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk the butter, milk, cooked oatmeal, raw oats, honey and egg together until thoroughly combined. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Cook pancakes on a hot griddle sprayed with cooking spray (or butter) or in a skillet coated with cooking spray (or butter) for 2 –3 minutes on one side before flipping and cooking the other side. The pancakes cook very quickly, so keep an eye on them!
Top with nuts, syrup, fruit, chocolate chips, powdered sugar or desired toppings and enjoy!

Alex literally cleaning his plate.

Yummy!

Now that our bellies are full, we are off to brave this wonderful weather and get our Easter basket blessed.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: breakfast, easter, munchkin, recipe

Guest Post from the Easter Bunny! Just Kidding ;)

April 22, 2011 Leave a Comment

Christmas is hands down my favorite holiday. I love the decorations, traditional Christmas Eve food and of course the presents! The only area where Christmas is really lacking is seasonal candy, but that’s where Easter comes in and blows it out of the water.

Who could resist buying a Winnie the Pooh Santa?

I am a huge fan of Easter candy. I mean who can resist Peeps, Cadbury Cream Eggs, chocolate bunnies and pastel m&ms, right? Not me and unfortunately, my waistline is wishing that I could. Along with all the yummy candy come Easter baskets. Munchkin was only three months old last Easter so this is the first year that he can really enjoy an Easter basket. Next year’s Easter Goal = Egg Hunt!

Mini-munchkin with his first (misspelled) Easter egg.

I started my hunt for Easter Baskets over a month ago and fell in love when I found personalized baskets with matching bunnies from Personal Creations. I ordered two, one for munchkin and one for munchkinette, the boyfriend’s god-daughter.

Munchkinette’s basket with pillow pet!

Munchkin’s basket.

Personalized bunny.

Tomorrow we are going to paint eggs, like we do every year, at my friend Paul’s house. His mom has really cool egg painting tools that she bought in Poland where they make really intricate Easter eggs, called pisanki. And on Saturday we go to church to bless our eggs, which I think is a Polish tradition.


Don’t expect mine to look anything like these.	(Source.)

But before I get to have any Easter fun I have to get through my Oral Arguments in school today. I think today is the day I’ve dreaded most in my whole first year of law school. I have to go before a panel of three ‘judges’ and plead my case on why my client’s convictions should be reversed. The only thing I’m looking forward to is the sushi and ‘celebratory’ drinks I’m getting with the boyfriend (he’s the optimist who called them celebratory). Wish me luck!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: easter, holidays, law school, munchkin