Happy Friday!

Happy Friday! And a big thank you to my Mama who came down this week to help me meal prep, run errands, and generally organize things around the house so we can get ready for this baby. Sometimes I just need a bit of help and motivation to cross everything off the to do list. Thanks, Mom - you’re the best!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

White Chicken Chili

Yesterday we had a special visitor {Mom} to help run errands and get the house ready, so I decided to try a yummy new soup for dinner to say thank you. I went with What’s Gaby Cooking’s White Chicken Chili which, as promised, was easy and delicious. It would be insanely easy to use a rotisserie chicken and besides a little chopping, in no time we had a delicious soup to warm us up on the stormy day. Cheers to that!

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients 

2 Tblsp olive oil 

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp paprika 

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

3 cups chicken broth

2- 4oz cans diced green chilies

1 lime, juiced

Salt & Pepper

2 - 15oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup sour cream 

1 cup corn

2 cups cooked shredded chicken

Green onions, avocado, cheese, Greek yogurt, etc for serving 

Instructions 

1. Heat olive oil in heavy Dutch oven. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add all spices and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

2. Add broth, green chilies, lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 can of beans and stir to combine. 

3. Using an immersion blender, blend soup about 20 seconds until thickened. 

4. Add remaining can of beans and corn and bring to boil. Simmer about 20-30 minutes. 

5. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and chicken. Serve with desired toppings. 

Serves 6-8

adapted from what’s gaby cooking

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Weekend Work

After what felt like forever, Mom & Dad are finally back from AZ so of course we instantly put them to work helping us organize the house.  They came down Sunday and spent the gorgeous day having lunch at Maggie Bluffs, picking up a glider for the nursery from Erika & Joe, and hauling out a bunch of furniture that no longer will fit in our house.  I appreciate the help so much {and am so glad we got a beautiful day to do it before baby makes it's debut} and now we're ready to start decorating and nesting.  Thanks again to the best parents in the world!

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Friend Baby Shower

The week after my family baby shower my friends threw me a cozy and sweet shower at Erika's house.  I loved getting to catch up with some of my nearest and dearest friends who I rarely see, including Kelli who was able to make it all the way from Colorado!  We had yummy snacks and drinks, laughed a lot, and I was once again spoiled by these sweetest friends who were way too generous and thoughtful.  It meant so much that everyone took the time to celebrate us - especially right after a busy holiday season - and it was a day I didn’t want to end. One thing is for sure - this baby has a lot of wonderful aunties!! :)

my sweetest hostesses

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Family Baby Shower

A few weeks back I was spoiled with such a thoughtful and fun family baby shower in the Valley. Gretchen, Mary, and Jill hosted a sweet Swedish themed shower for Baby and me full of Swedish fish, a Swedish baby quiz, and a gorgeous balloon arch decorating the room. I was surrounded by so many family members and family friends and it was so fun getting to catch up with everyone and be showered with all the necessities for baby. It was such a great day that made me feel so special and loved :)

the hostesses

with ashley - friends for almost 40 years!

grandma

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Christmas Again

For Christmas Eve and Christmas, we headed back to the valley to spend time with the rest of the family. I didn’t take too many pictures but we had a nice time having Christmas Eve dinner at the parents then opening our presents just the 4 of us {so we could sleep in a little on Christmas}. In the morning we had breakfast at Grandma’s like always, which C unfortunately missed since he was getting a cold, then headed back to the city for work the next day. It was a quiet and cozy Christmas and went by way too fast. 

xoxo,

stephanie marie

An Early Christmas {Dinner}

After our big duck hunt we went back to the house for naps, games, wrestling, and dinner with  Great Grandma.  The kiddos once again were obsessed with watching {and dancing to} The Nutcracker, and they absolutely loved spending time playing with their Uncle Christian {and asking him for $1,000,000}.  It was such a fun weekend hanging out with these kiddos and I can't wait for the next one!

xoxo,

stephanie marie