Winter Gardening, Sourdough Baking & Toddler Coffee Dates

I woke up this morning at 3 a.m. It was 20 degrees outside. I was so excited to make a cup of coffee, turn the fireplace on, sit with my warm blanket and the cozy lamp, and hop on the computer to blog.

As soon as I sat down with my coffee—”MOM!!” It’s like these toddlers just know.

I tried for an hour to get him back to sleep, but every time I left the room when he was completely asleep, he somehow knew I was gone. And then came the big “MOM!!” all over again.

So, from 3:00 a.m. until 8:45, I’ve been struggling to stay awake while playing Legos, Lincoln Logs, train set, Play-Doh—you name it.

Now he’s at school, and I can finally blog. The good news? He’ll be napping this afternoon. I always feel bad sending him to school when I know he’s going to be exhausted, but somehow he finds the energy to keep going.I haven’t written a recap blog in the new year just yet. I did finish a recap blog after Christmas, but with it being break and my husband being home, we stayed pretty busy. We did a lot, ate plenty of delicious home cooked meals, and caught up on a ton of garden work.

I have so many fun recipes to blog, and a travel blog from Lake Garda, Italy I’ve been working on!After Christmas, we started our week with these delicious, healthier enchiladas. I plan to share this recipe on the blog soon! They were filled with refried beans, whole wheat tortillas, organic chicken breast, chiles, onions, bell peppers, a little jalapeño cream cheese, Siete taco seasoning, cheese, and enchilada sauce on top. They were so good to heat up and eat all week long. This is a great recipe to add to a meal prep lineup.

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WATCH THIS BLOG POST COME TO LIFE WITH MY BLOG VIDEO!

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As soon as my son hit 2 1/2, his sleep schedule turned into a newborn again. We had the BEST sleeper ever, but now he’s having dreams, waking up yelling my name, and he wants to get up and eat breakfast or play at 4 am. The trade off is on the days he wakes up, he takes a good early nap.
I’ve made so much sourdough over the past few weeks! I’ve been working on a new “weekender” sourdough bread recipe. You can check out the timeline on my bread recipe post, but I’m planning to write up a post dedicated specifically to it soon.

We haven’t been able to get enough of the jalapeño pepper jack sourdough bread loaves, and I wanted to make a bunch for some neighbors as a New Year’s gift.

On the Saturday night before New Year’s, we worked on a sourdough pizza dough—one I’ve been trying to perfect since summer!

We had friends coming over for dinner that night, so I had to get it just right!

THE POLAR EXPRESS &
RECAP BLOG YOU MISSED!

While I was at Target picking up some household items and a few pizza ingredients, my son kept asking for a Starbucks cake pop. I told him we’d make some at home instead—and let me tell you, this kid does not forget anything I promise him!

I decided to make a slightly healthier version at home. I grabbed a box of Simple Mills Chocolate Cake Mix, Lily’s Dark Chocolate Chips (no sugar), and Watkins sprinkles(no dyes).

I prepared the cake as the box instructed (I think next time I’ll use butter instead of olive oil). After baking, I let it cool for a bit, then crumbled the cake into my electric mixer. I added 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and 2 tablespoons of cream cheese until I was able to form a ball.

I placed them on a baking sheet and drizzled chocolate over the top with some sprinkles since that was the easiest way to keep them together. They may not have looked pretty, but they were so, so, so good! They kind of tasted like chocolate peanut butter donut balls.And the kids loved them!

TRY THIS TRENDING HEALTHY DESSERT RECIPE: MAPLE CINNAMON APPLE CRISP WITH NO REFINED SUGAR, IT’S GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, AND VEGAN. 

To go with our pizza night, I prepared one of the yummiest kale and Brussels sprout power salads! It was so good! I actually got around to blogging that recipe a little over a week ago!After letting my dough rise all day, I was ready to give it a quick second rise before baking! I was so excited that this fifth attempt at perfecting my recipe finally worked. I ended up using two different types of flour for this one.I regret not taking more photos of the pizza! I guess I’ll have to make again! The next time I make this pizza will be for the official blog post. Look how perfect that crust is! It was so crispy.

On Sunday morning, I baked some breads that had been cold-proofing, and then I sliced them to place in the freezer for the week.
We headed to Lowe’s so I could pick up some organic raised garden bed soil for the garden refresh. Watch the video in this post to see how I did it! 🙂

I made the decision—because organic gardening in the South is hard, especially with all the pests—to only grow flowers, herbs, and lettuce this year. MAYBE I’ll do some squash, but I had so many gorgeous tomatoes last year, and they were just annihilated by those nasty pests. Nothing helped!

I’ll be planting tulips, dahlias, zinnias, poppies, ranunculus, lavender, and more! I’m so excited to have a little flower paradise back there. I’m also planting jasmine on the trellis to make up for the big, luscious tomato vines. Check out my spring garden from last year! If there’s one place—other than the LEGO store—that my son loves to visit, it’s the “tool store”, aka Lowe’s!The soil was so heavy because the bags were soaked from all the rain we’ve been getting. Luckily, my little partner in crime (and my husband) were there to help me load up!

I ended up having to go back the next day for more soil because I didn’t realize how much I needed for the tops. When I had these filled a few years ago, they slowly lost dirt—not just from me ripping out old plants but also because, in the winter, when nothing is in the beds, my son loves to dig in there. 
We had so much fun out there digging the lines and mapping out where the tulips were going to go! I’ve never planted tulips in my garden beds before, and I cannot wait to see what they look like this spring.

Make sure to follow me on Instagram for daily updates when they start popping up! 

And when we finally get a few weeks of dryness outside, I’m going to stain the garden beds this year, something like a honey/light wood. Unfortunately, that will be a while since we have been getting a lot of rain, and now snow tomorrow!  
The first task was to clear out all the little tractors, animal toys, and construction tools from my garden beds. We’re going to have to figure out a new digging spot for the little one!

I still have a bunch of dahlias in the beds from summer, so I mapped out where those were, left them alone, added about five bags of fresh organic garden soil to each bed, and dug rows for the tulips. In between the tulips, I planted ranunculus, poppies, and allium.

In the spring, I’ll head to the local nursery and the Charlotte Farmers Market to pick up fresh lavender bushes for the corners of the beds. I love how lavender looks in the garden! I also want to plant more lavender around the house this year.

A few years ago, I bought some from a farmers market, and it’s still looking gorgeous and smelling amazing in the garden.

Oh gosh, do I have so much garden cleanup to tackle this year! It’s time to clean out the beds and mulch everything!
I often get asked where I purchase my bulbs, tubers, roots, and seeds.

Every Cyber Monday, I stock up on tulip bulbs from Holland Bulbs and Tulip World—they go 70% off! I had great success with them the first year when I planted so many, though it’s normal to end up with a few rotten bulbs in the batch.

I also purchase bulbs and seeds from Costco, Lowe’s, and Etsy.

This year, I bought some dahlias from small farms across the U.S., and I’m so excited to see how they turn out. I’ll be sharing updates on their progress and growth during the warmer months!

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It was so cute having my son help me place the bulbs. I told him we were burying treasure! Sometimes our hobbies turn into fun activities for toddlers. Instead of feeling like I don’t have time for things like baking bread, gardening, grocery shopping, or doing laundry, I just include him in everything. He’s always so curious or thinks it’s a new game, which makes it even more enjoyable for both of us! Taking him to the garden center to grab dirt was such an exciting adventure for him! He loves anything to do with dirt, and his excitement made it feel like we had taken him to Disney World.I tried to strategically place the bulbs, mixing them up and making sure the colors weren’t side by side, but it’s so easy to lose track! The good thing is we don’t have a squirrel problem (oh, should I delete that so I don’t jinx it??). Luckily, I’ll be able to dig these up later this year, separate them, store them in peat moss, and use them again next year!

Also, do you remember the peonies down in the woods? Should I go grab them this year or just leave them there?
Last year, when I planted ranunculus, I fell in love with how beautiful they looked in the garden beds and how they allowed me to create stunning cut bouquets. I can’t wait for another season of fresh flowers! Looking back at last year’s recap blogs brings me so much joy—seeing the vibrant flowers and lush green grass brings me so much inspiration.

After Christmas, all I want is either snowy landscapes or vibrant greenery. I just can’t handle this cold, windy weather paired with yellow grass and bare trees. It’s so… well, ugh, just plain ugly.It took me about three hours to finish everything! In just a few weeks, it’ll be time to start pruning the roses and trees and cleaning out the beds. I’m so excited for my climbing roses this year—I always miss them during the winter! I treat them like my little plant babies.

On New Year’s Eve I baked the jalapeño pepper jack sourdough bread for us, some neighbors, and friends. I keep it sliced up in my freezer for my son, who loves it! It’s one of the best savory flavors!Of course, since I always involve my toddler in everything, he chose the decor for these bags, and I LOVE it! Haha!For these loaves, I used my bread recipe (which makes two loaves) and divided the dough into thirds. The loaves turned out to be the perfect, cute medium size!On New Year’s Eve, my husband made us some delicious filet mignons, and I prepared quinoa and roasted carrots. Now, this is my kind of meal! YUM! Of course, we were in bed at 9.

My son won’t eat oats by themselves unless they’re in the form of a granola bar or cookie, but he loves anything banana-flavored, so I figured he’d love these banana oat blender bars. I’ve made them for him before, but you know how kids change their taste buds every 24 hours. I made him a big batch with all the extra ripe bananas in the house, and HE LOVED them! I’m so happy because that means I’ve found a new breakfast food or healthier option to add to his meals. We still stick to no snacks because he won’t eat meals if he snacks, so it’s nice to have something like this I can add to his meals. It has great whole grains, fiber, protein, and good fats. I call it a “cookie bar,” and he’s excited for it after dinner now.Since I have that child who begs for cookies 24/7, I had to make him some fun, healthier monster cookies! I loved having a great recipe idea to add to the blog. These are a spin-off of my healthier almond flour chocolate chip cookie, but with oats and peanut butter added, plus dye-free candies! They were a hit. He also loves getting involved with the cooking process.Tux has been in his glory with the cold weather lately. I know I’m craving summer, but this dog is thriving in the colder temps. He’ll go outside in the morning and just sprint around with zoomies, diving into the frost, playing, and hunching down to pounce. It’s so fun seeing him so happy. I’m so excited because tomorrow we’re getting some serious winter weather with snow! I can’t wait to see him rolling around in it with Leo. It’ll also be my son’s first time seeing snow! We’ve had a four-year snow drought here.

Sometimes, we get a fun coffee or food truck in our neighborhood, and one of our favorites, Naturally Sweet Cafe, came by last Thursday. They use only natural and organic ingredients, which I love! I had their oat milk matcha with one pump of sweetener (AMAZING!!) and ordered a kid’s steamer, which my son calls a cappuccino, and he also loved it. I’ve created a coffee monster, but I’m ok with it. 

It was so cold out that morning, so we grabbed our drinks and headed to Target for a few things, groceries at Sprouts, roamed aimlessly at Hobby Lobby, and then Ilios for lunch! I love having a little buddy to grab coffee and shop around with.  I’ve been on my chicken salad kick again lately. I really need to up my protein intake, and this is one of my favorite ways to do it.

I boil chicken, let it cool a little, and then put it in my electric mixer to shred. After it cools in the fridge, I put it back in the mixer and add Greek seasoning, black pepper, and Primal Kitchen mayo, mixing it all together. It makes THE BEST and healthiest chicken salad. I have some favorite store-bought ones, but they have so many added ingredients, so I prefer to make my own with chicken being the MAIN ingredient.

I love keeping a big container of it in my fridge to eat with crackers, cucumbers, and salads.

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We were running low on coffee beans, so on Sunday morning, my little errands buddy and I headed to Rock Hill Coffee to grab a new roast. I was excited to try their dark roast Guatemala! While there, I decided to try the seasonal “O Tannenbaum” cappuccino, and it was amazing! It had pine, juniper, and rosemary—a unique flavor for a latte, and definitely one of my new favorites. I also loved their ginger carrot seasonal one in the fall. They really know how to make a good drink!He had a little muffin and a cappuccino for himself (steamed milk) It was so cold, but he insisted on the outdoor table.  We stopped at our favorite donut spot on the way home to pick up donuts for a friend who was about to have a baby at any minute! It was her due date, so we dropped off some “due date donuts” on her porch. Momo’s in Rock Hill has THE BEST sour cream donuts you’ll ever eat. So delicious!
It was Sunday night football time in our house, and there was a little rivalry between my husband and my dad’s teams. Kyle loves the Eagles, and my dad loves the New York Giants. Of course, he taught my son to say “BOO GIANTS!” every time he sees his grandpa.

Since the game was a bit less exciting, I took the opportunity to make our favorite weekly meal—turkey meatloaf!

THE BEST TURKEY MEATLOAF RECIPE!

 

This has been our go-to meatloaf recipe, and I’ve had so many people hooked on it! I love seeing photos of people making it, and my mother-in-law even makes it a lot! It’s so great for meal prep—just keep it in the fridge and heat it up for dinner. I’m planning to make it again tonight since it sounds like the perfect snowed-in meal.


For dessert, I made some delicious cranberry white chocolate chip cookies! THEY WERE SO GOOD! I used my healthier almond flour chocolate chip cookie recipe but swapped the chocolate chips for cranberries and white chocolate chips. Ugh, they were amazing! I’m definitely going to make them again, but next time I’ll add macadamia nuts.
 
Since I was on a baking roll, I whipped up some healthy almond flour blueberry muffins for the week. They’re so good stored in the fridge or freezer and then toasted back up in the oven! I’ll be sharing the recipe soon, but I used the base of my almond flour chocolate chip muffin recipe, swapping in maple syrup and applesauce as the sweeteners. They turned out amazing!They were a hit!It was back to school on Monday! After picking him up (and hearing all about how excited he was to wear his Paw Patrol sweatshirt to school), we headed to Ilios for lunch. It’s his favorite place, which you’ve probably heard me mention a million times if you keep up with the recap blogs!

The weather outside was freezing, and with a very active toddler, it’s getting harder to find things to do indoors. He’s not the type to sit still and color (which, I totally understand!), so I made myself a cup of hot tea—this one is amazing by the way! It tastes like orange and red hots!

I decided to set up an “auto shop” in the garage since he’s obsessed with tools and cars. And let me tell you, it was a HIT! I set out his bikes, cars, excavator, and some random items for him to fix. He worked in his little tool shop for over two hours! Anything that can keep a toddler engaged for that long is a win in my book!

My mom came over on Tuesday, and I took full advantage of the time! When she’s here, it’s all about Grandma, and I’m basically chopped liver to my son. So, I headed out for a three-mile walk with my friend, came back for a relaxing Epsom salt bath, and then treated myself to a massage appointment. It was a full-on day just for me, and it was AMAZING.

I’ve been able to walk more now that my leg/sciatica/pinched nerve in my L3 has subsided. I’ve been focusing on Epsom salt baths, stretching exercises I’ve learned in PT, increasing my protein intake, and getting new walking shoes—things are looking up!

On top of that, I hurt/strained my neck before New Year’s, and I’ve been dealing with cervicogenic headaches since. They’ve been absolutely awful. I’m trying to take things easy, but it feels like once I heal from one thing, it’s on to the next. I really want to make 2025 about healing, but right now it feels a little impossible. I know things will get better because I’m committed to making them better. Have any of you dealt with cervicogenic headaches before? They’re so excruciating. Taking care of a toddler with them is definitely not for the weak! My doctor has me doing heat, some medication, and rest, but I’m just waiting for some relief. I have a hard time with staying put, which is probably why I’m not getting better. Instead of resting, I garden, make bread, go on walks, and maybe I’m just the problem lol

A snack I’ve been loving to up my protein lately is yogurt with protein powder. I used to eat it all the time, and I’ve been going back to it since it’s so good! To keep the good day going, I whipped up some delicious salads for my mom and me. They were filled with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, avocado, and freshly chopped Parmesan. I added some quinoa and a hearty scoop of my homemade chicken salad for protein, and finished it off with a drizzle of Primal Kitchen Balsamic Vinaigrette. It was the perfect combination of flavors and textures, and just the kind of nourishing meal I needed after such a relaxing day!


While my son was at school yesterday, I took a trip to the Outlets to find him some snow boots—a bit of a challenge here in the South! I popped into Famous Footwear and scored the coolest pair of Spider-Man light-up boots. Coming from the “I’m only dressing him in neutrals” mom, I never thought I’d be buying themed shoes. But here I am, totally embracing the Paw Patrol, Spider-Man, cars, and dinos phase. You really do change when you see how happy something as simple as a light-up pair of boots can make your child. I used to dread those bright, flashy items, but now? I’m on the lookout for all the Paw Patrol gear and whatever else brings him joy. It’s amazing how those little things, like the most obnoxious Paw Patrol sweater that used to drive me crazy, make him feel so proud and excited to show it off at school.

He couldn’t wait to try everything on for his snow day and had so much fun showing us how his Spider-Man boots lit up. We even took a quick walk around the block to test out the new boots—he was so proud of them!

I got home a bit late from another doctor’s appointment, so I whipped up a quick salad for myself but added eggs this time since I need to make more chicken salad! My protein-eating machine of a husband found my stash, so now I just have to double it to keep up with his appetite. 

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Questions for you!

1. Is it cold where you are? 
2. Are you looking forward to Springtime?
3. What is one meal you’ve been eating on repeat this week?