Mama Must-Haves: Help in the Kitchen

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If you’ve read this post, you know that I’m not exactly a whiz in the kitchen. Some nights dinner is surprisingly awesome, while other nights I wish I could have a do-over. (Note to self: read the entire recipe before starting to cook. Not doing this has resulted in way too many “two-course meals” because I didn’t read the recipe beforehand.) Since I’m still learning, I thought I’d share some tips that I’ve found to be helpful!

- A cute, free, printable dinner menu for the week! This baby is on my fridge already. Many other menu planners have slots for breakfast & lunch, but I like that this one is specifically for dinners.

- As the title of this article says, The Ultimate Food Storage Guide. Great for if you’re asking yourself, “is it ok to eat those potatoes that are growing tiny limbs?” and more.

- Some really helpful tips for how to stay organized in the kitchen (even as you cook!) I wish I would have read this the other night…

- Everyone could do well to read this – how to eat . 

- The above-mentioned link talks about buying produce in season. Here’s a handy little chart for when certain produce is in season! (This probably only applies to the U.S.)

If you have any other great kitchen or meal-planning tips, let me know! I might just have to do a round 2 of this post in the future!

The Proposal

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Little 20-year-old me. Giddy and grinning because the handsome man to my left had just popped the question. May 22, 2008 my man asked me to marry him, literally on top of a mountain. I said yes. Apparently I didn’t say “yes” loud enough the first time because he asked me twice. I said yes both times.

That day I had no clue that Brian was going to propose. (We had talked several times about getting married soon, but Mr. Sneaky had lied and told me that he hadn’t bought a ring yet.) I had just returned to the States from two months in Asia on a missions trip. Wanting to have some alone time, we drove to a nearby mountain. (It’s Montana, so there’s lots of mountains just lying around.) We drove up the mountain and Brian pulled over at a beautiful, scenic spot that we had been to the year before. I thought, since we had just spent two months apart, that he wanted to enjoy a few quiet moments together as we stared at the beautiful view open in front of us. We sat down on a little rock ledge, and he began to spit out a string of words about how much he loved me. He stood up, then faced me as he got down on one knee. (In my jet-lagged brain, I thought that he was bending down so that he could hug me. Still no idea of what was about to happen.) Suddenly he pulled out a velvet box and asked me the words that I’d been waiting to hear since I met him at age 17. It was a beautiful moment. We hugged, kissed, and then Brian yelled “we’re getting married!” And did a few fist pumps. I was so excited and shocked that my hands shook for about 3 hours afterwards. It was a really good day.

We didn’t take any pictures of the actual proposal, so a year later we decided to don our wedding clothes and do a little photo-shoot at the proposal site! (Who doesn’t want to put on their wedding dress again?) Thank you to my friend Kristen for the beautiful photos!

The following pictures are some of my favorites! Isn’t the scenery gorgeous?

(All pictures by Kristen Marie Photography.)

And though my husband might kill me for it, I had to share this one with you. His dance moves were one of the things that made me swoon when I first met him, so I have to show them off. Ain’t he cute? Ah, I’m falling in love all over again.

Did you have any idea that your man was going to propose when he did? Were you completely surprised, like me, or did you have an idea of what was coming?

Pint-Sized Moments: Can I Take Your Order?

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You must be above 5′ tall to order food at this establishment.

Ok, I might be exaggerating, but one of my favorite restaurants in our town happens to have the tallest counters in the world. Every time I order food there I pray that the employee taking my order won’t just pass right over me to the next person in line, as I stand on my tiptoes and yell my order over the counter. Like so:

Somedays I feel like I’m on a movie set where all of the furniture is purposely over-sized to make me feel extra small. But no, this is real life, and I’m just smaller than average. I’m a frequent customer at this restaurant, so maybe I’ll propose that they have a special box for me to stand on so that I can see over the counter to order. Or maybe I’ll store platform shoes in my glovebox that I can pull out when I get in line. If you have any good ideas to solve this problem, feel free to let me know! :)

 Life is always an adventure when you’re pint-sized. Thanks for sharing in my adventures!

Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets

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I have something in common with most toddlers: I love chicken nuggets. I look like a child, so I might as well eat like one! :) The only things I don’t love about chicken nuggets: they typically aren’t very healthy, and I’m never really sure where the meat in them comes from.

Well, now both of those problems are solved with Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets! So delicious and pretty darn good for you. If you have never visited Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, go there now! I use her recipes all the time and they are always amazing. Here’s my rendition of her Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets! (This recipe is husband approved.)

Ingredients:
- 2-3 thick slices whole wheat bread, for about 1 cup of crumbs (I used whole wheat hamburger buns because I needed to use them up. They worked great.)
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup panko crumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tablespoon water
- 4 large (about 2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch or so sized pieces

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

In a food processor or blender, place the slices of whole wheat bread and pulse until crumbs form. Add the basil, oregano and Parmesan cheese and pulse until combined. Pour the bread crumbs into a shallow dish (like a pie plate) and mix in the panko crumbs.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, egg whites and water until well combined. Pat the chicken cubes dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Toss the chicken cubes in the egg white/olive oil mixture before taking a few of them at a time and rolling them in the bread crumb mixture to coat evenly.

Place the coated chicken nuggets on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, carefully flip the nuggets over (taking care not to remove the breading) and bake for 5 minutes longer, or until cooked through (the exact time will depend on the size of the chicken pieces). Serve immediately.

My Baby Shower & Hot Chocolate Cupcakes! [Guest Post by Jenn from Wuthering Iris]

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This summer, when I was hugely pregnant with Nicholas (oh wait, when was I not huge during my pregnancy?), my good friends Jenn and Becky threw me an amazing baby shower. I couldn’t believe how beautiful the decorations were, how tasty the food was, and how blessed I felt by my friends! The decorations were some of the coolest I’ve ever seen, and super Pinterest worthy :) Today I get to share about my baby shower by showcasing one of the lovely hosts! Jenn, from Wuthering Iris, is not only a blogging-world friend, she’s one of my real life friends! We work together and Jenn and her husband have become good friends of ours. Jenn is kind, super creative, a faithful woman of God, and one of the most beautiful and sophisticated people I know. She’s also an amazing Bible teacher, this girl has taught me so much! I encourage you to visit her blog, and you’ll be inspired by the beautiful things she shares about! Make sure you check out the Hot Chocolate Cupcake recipe that is below the baby shower pictures – these cupcakes are delicious!
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Hey Life of a Pint-Sized Mama readers, Iʼm Jenn from Wuthering Iris! I have the privilege of
guest blogging on my lovely friend, Mackenzieʼs blog today! A little about Wuthering Iris:
Wuthering Iris is a blog that celebrates the things in life (big or small) that put a smile on
your face. Whether that be Food, Fashion, Art, Design, or just the daily surprises in life…
whatever puts a smile on my face, I want to share it with you!

Today I get to share with you a little about Mackenzieʼs baby shower. I was so privileged
to be able to co-host it with our friend Becky, and from the moment we sat down to start
planning the inspiration kept flowing! We settled on the theme of a Vintage Toy Shower.
So with vintage Tonka Trucks and Tractors, a table runner made from coloring book
pages, chalkboard signs, stripped paper straws, childrenʼs story books, and a hanging
clothes line filled with little boy clothes…the party was a success! The ladies invited
enjoyed some of Mackenzieʼs favorite food, Popcorn and Hot Chocolate, as they were
able to celebrate Mackenzie and the gift of Nicholas that God had given her. But, since
it was a warm summer night, we turned the Hot Chocolate into Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
topped with baby blue frosting! They were so delicious, therefore I wanted to share the
recipe with you! Enjoy!

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 tbsp almond meal
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake pan with liners.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the coconut milk, canola oil, vanilla extract, and sugar together
until all the sugar is dissolved.
3. In a separate, larger bowl, sift the flour, almond meal, cocoa, baking soda, baking
powder, and salt together.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry mix and add the wet mix. Stir until all the lumps
are out and it is smooth.
5. Fill the cupcake liners until about 3/4 full.
6. Bake at 350 for about 18-20 minutes (if making normal sized cupcakes). Bake 10
minutes if making mini cupcakes.

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
3 cups powder sugar
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
blue food coloring

1. Beat all the ingredients on high in a electric mixer.
2. Pipe on to completely cooled cupcakes.
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Don’t those look so tasty? They were, believe me. I ate a LOT of them. Now go visit Jenn’s blog for more inspiration, and make those cupcakes! I’m sure she’d love to hear from you!

Speed-Date!

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Inspired by This Little Momma, I want to share with you a “Speed-Date” in a post! I’ve never actually gone speed-dating (except as a silly summer camp activity), but I do know that during a speed-date you get a few minutes to tell your date about yourself. I hope that this will help you to get to know me a little better! If you’re a new reader, or even if you’ve been with this blog since the beginning, here is quick snapshot of my life!

1. I’ve been a pastor’s kid my whole life, and I’ve loved it. There is a silly stereotype that all pastor’s kids are rebellious and disrespectful. I’m happy to say that my siblings and I completely dispel that stereotype. (Well, almost completely. I have my sassy moments.)

2. I had open heart surgery when I was a little over 12 months old. My heart surgeon happens to be a pretty famous surgeon who has pioneered new methods of heart surgery. At the time my parents were young youth pastors praying for a miracle for their baby girl, so having such a skilled surgeon was an incredible blessing to them.

3. I love being short. If I had the chance to be taller, I wouldn’t take it. It’s part of what has made me me.

4. My husband and I met when we were 17, at a church winter camp. For me, it was love at first sight. He didn’t realize that he had the hots for me until two years later. Yeah, it was a long wait, but it was worth it. After almost two years of dating, we were married in October 2008.

5. We work with Youth With A Mission (YWAM), an international Christian missions organization that aims to train and send young missionaries. So far we’ve been able to travel to Thailand, Malaysia, India, Singapore, Guatemala, and two countries in Central Asia.

6. I am not very adventurous. You might think the opposite because of my job description, but it is a stretch for me every time we have travelled. While I love getting to serve people in other cultures, I have to pray a lot and give myself quite a few pep talks while I’m on outreach overseas. I’m quite glad, though, that I’ve been forced to get outside my comfort zone and see some of the beautiful cultures God has created. It has changed me for the better.

7. Five weeks after we got married in Seattle, my husband and I moved to the Big Island of Hawaii. I found out that I love swimming in the ocean, Kona coffee, year-round sunshine, and turtles. I also realized that I hate giant centipedes, cockroaches, and transition. A tip if you are visiting Hawaii: don’t wear flimsy flip-flops while hiking over miles of lava rock. It’s not recommended.

8. I used to play the saxophone. I also used to chat online through AOL instant messenger. My screen name was “shortnsaxy7.” It might have been a little more mature than I was going for.

9. I’m finally learning to cook. (I’ve only been married for 3 years, so it’s about time.) You can read more about my mishaps and triumphs here. You can also find my favorite recipes in the “Favorite Recipes” tab of the menu bar.

10. Our son, Nicholas, is named after my husband’s childhood mentor. God used this man to bring hope and lasting change to my husband’s life. We hope that we will be able to impact our kid’s friends in a similar way!

Thanks for going on this little speed-date with me! :) I hope that you got to know me a little bit better. If you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me an email! You can reach me at mackenzie@pintsizedmama.com.

On Having a Womb-Mate Part 3: All Grown Up

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Growing up as a twin, you are always referred to as a unit. I was never just Mackenzie, and my twin brother was never just Taylor. We were “the twins.” You grow up with less of a sense of individuality, and more of a sense of companionship – and I mean that in the best way possible. Of course we had our own passions and talents, but we experienced a lot of our lives together. In my mind, Taylor was “the man in my life,” and always would be.

High school graduation was a rude awakening. At that point Taylor and I had never been apart from each other for more than 2 weeks (and that 2 weeks was right after we were born, when he went home from the hospital and I was still in the NICU.) I remember the day my parents and I dropped Taylor off at college. Driving away, without him in the car, felt wrong. It was the beginning of us living our own, separate lives. No one can prepare a twin for that moment!

Us at our high school graduation party:

And then, a few years later, Brian and I got engaged. I’m pretty sure it took Taylor until the day of my wedding to fully realize that his twin sister was getting married. He was definitely in denial for a little while! It was a strange moment when I realized that the person I was the most connected to was no longer Taylor – it was my husband. Of course that’s a healthy change because I was getting married, but it was strange nonetheless.

Taylor and I on my wedding day:

Taylor got married last June, to an amazing woman named Lorien. It was a beautiful ceremony and I absolutely love his wife, but my heart ached a little bit. I think in a similar way that parents feel a sense of loss when giving away their child in marriage, I felt like I was losing Taylor. We had finally grown out of being a unit. We were no longer just “the twins,” we were “Mackenzie & Brian” and “Taylor & Lorien.” We have our own families now.

 Even though we’re both married and live in different states, Taylor and I are still close.  He’s not just an uncle to my son, he’s a “twuncle” – a twin uncle! (It’s ok, go ahead and gag. I know I’m sappy. But we really did coin that term.) Also, I fully plan on being his children’s favorite auntie. We may not see each other very often, but there’s a bond that can’t easily be broken when you’ve shared a womb. And I am very grateful for that.