Last week I took a much-needed break and unexpected break from work to focus on my family! The last time I blogged was Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I had every intention over the break to get some post scheduled and prepared for last week but really I just wanted to rest and I did just that! Since I work in Higher Education, most the holidays that my children have off from school, I usually get them off too! I took the Wednesday before the holiday off in hopes to have some “me-time” before the break, but I didn’t pay attention to the calendar correctly and they had the same time off! We had fun off together doing nothing, we even managed to take a family nap (the real highlight of my time off)!
Thanksgiving was Amazing! It’s actually my favorite holiday! I love that it kicks off the Christmas season, but most of all I love the spirit that it brings! I thank the Lord on a daily basis for my many blessings, however, when Thanksgiving comes around I really think about all the blessings; big and small! And those that I may forget to say thank you on a daily basis for! As my pastor stated last Sunday, the biggest blessing is your heart beating every day all day. We are grateful, but we don’t stop and say Thank You for each individual breath.
Ever since Darrick II passed away, each year that we all here and together I am extremely grateful! Losing a child will really have you thinking about life totally different. And I mean prior to losing a child I was grateful, but that experience takes it to another level!
I thought about trying to type out a list of things I am thankful for, however, once I started it was SUPER long and I felt like I was forgetting items! So I will keep it short, I am very thankful for where I am in life, my family, and for the things that God has planned for my future! There are a couple of things I am working on and I know in due time they will come but I am thankful in advance! God always give you the desires of your heart, even if they don’t come like you planned. He gives them to you the best way He sees fit and it’s always perfect!
Even though our weekend was very relaxing, here I am back to work and tired as EVER!!! And counting down the days to Christmas break and counting down my days to make sure I have everything for Christmas! If you are a parent, you know this season comes on like another job! Making sure the kids have everything and surprising a few along the way!
Prior to the holidays, I had dental work done. The tooth was fixed but I was still in pain! I thought it was due to the dental work but it got worse! Well, it turns out the tooth next to the tooth that I had fixed had some issues and had me all messed up so much that the pain was going down my arm! This is also the part when I stopped blogging, I couldn’t sit long enough to focus from the pain in my tooth to get through some blog work! I literally would go to work taking pain medication, get thru my shift take some more than come home and sit until I went to sleep because I couldn’t handle the pain (and I have a pretty high tolerance for pain). I mean I had a 9lb baby and almost 7lbs a piece twins…I’m pretty gangsta with pain until its tooth pain and all of that goes out the window!
During the time of being in pain, I was only interested in something soft to eat! I’m surprised I haven’t lost any weight because my diet has been pretty minimal the past couple of weeks!
While shopping in Trader Joe’s I found some Lobster Ravioli…I originally saw this posted on someone’s Instagram page, so I while shopping I found it and I knew this would be something good to enjoy while my mouth was still in pain! It was so easy to make and VERY delicious! The cooking process took about 30 minutes from prep time to sit down at the table!
The Lobster Ravioli was so EASY to make! The pasta was already prepared…all I had to do was boil it. I added sea salt to the pasta to give the noodles more flavor on the outside! The package says to boil it for about 4 to 6 minutes, however, I made two packages and doubled the time I cooked it. I boiled the pasta for about 11-14 minutes and it turned out perfectly, and I was able to eat it without any problems with my teeth!
I also purchased sauce to go on the Ravioli from Trader Joe’s…
I topped the Ravioli with the Pomodor Pasta Sauce and Shredded Parmesean Cheese, and we ate this meal family style! I actually share this with my mom since my husband is allergic to seafood! This meal was extremely easy to make! Even if you aren’t the savviest in the kitchen you can prepare this meal for yourself or for your family!
I can’t wait to share more meals with you from Trader Joe’s that are easy to prepare and take only 30 minutes!
If you have a Trader Joe’s in your neighborhood I suggest you make your way there! If you get overwhelmed by lots of people, your first trip should probably be during the week! It can get crazy on the weekends, however, you will still be able to look at everything and enjoy your shopping experience!
