Turkey Sausage Bake!

I fully intend on doing a catch up blog tomorrow but tonight I want to share with you one of my favorite recipes that I found on Pinterest. Not only is this recipe healthy, it's really filling too!

Baked Turkey Sausage, Peppers, Carrots & Potatoes

(Yes, I eat on tiny salad plates for portion control)

Here is what you need to do:

Ingredients

• 1 package (at least 1 lb) of your favorite sausage links (johnsonvilles, evergood, generic smoked sausage, whatever you like.  i used smoked turkey sausage, 2 long links)
• 4-5 decent-sized potatoes (i prefer yukon gold or red bliss)
• 1 small jar banana peppers
• 1-2 bell peppers, sliced (I didn't do this on this recipe but I added carrots)
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 tbsp olive oil (yes, it has to be OLIVE oil)
• salt & pepper
• Parmesan Cheese (enough to sprinkle over the top)
• *optional — 3 tbsp creole seasoning ( I use Tony's because it's THE BEST)

Instructions:


Spray a large baking pan w/ nonstick spray (make sure there is at least a small “lip” that provides a “side” to the pan, don’t use a flat baking sheet.

1. Slice sausages into thin rounds, about 1/5″ thick. 
2. Cut potatoes into 1/2″ chunks
3. Slice onion and pepper into strips
4. Leave baby carrots as is if you use them. Just throw them in with everything else.
5. Place all ingredients on baking sheet and drizzle oil over.  use your hands to toss everything together in the oil, making sure everything feels coated.
6. Add salt & pepper and spices (if using)
7. Top w/ sliced banana peppers
8. Sprinkle Parmesan Cheese over the top
9. Bake at 400 for about 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender

There ya have it! This dish is really good and husband approved. It's one of his favorites as well. I added a salad to this meal too because I LOVE salad.

I'll be back tomorrow with a full 365 update and trip blog!

This photo is day 93 for the record. :-)

xxx

Ryan

I Promise...

Hey-o friends! I've finally crossed over to the "I don't want to be pregnant anymore, please get this child out of me" phase of my pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, I love being pregnant, I really do, but doing the smallest things these days is SUCH a chore. Yesterday I vacuumed the rug in my living room and swept up the floors and after that I sat in the chair and actually fell asleep. Knocked right out. Granted, daylight savings time threw me off yesterday and we did get up and go to church super early but seriously....I never fall asleep sitting up in a chair. Haha.

This weekend was really nice. Not only was the weather gorgeous but Ryan was home the whole weekend! Even during the day! Haha. Saturday night we had our maternity pictures done by my sis in law's sister Candace and I cannot wait to see them, Ryan said Candace is now in charge of doing all of our pictures because she doesn't make him do weird things and pose in weird positions haha! I just love him.

But anyway basically what I wanted to write about was our experience at dinner on Saturday night. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings on Dixie and we had a good time. The food was good, service was good and it was just a good time. But while we were eating there was this guy sitting behind us with what looked like his son. They had placed their orders and they were waiting on their food I guess. The guy was probably our age, maybe a little bit older and his son was in the 7-10 age range. Old enough where you can have a conversation and talk with them and they know what's going on. Well this guy sat at this table behind us and played on his phone the entire time they were sitting down waiting. He didn't even acknowledge his son that was sitting directly across from him just staring off into space looking bored. It broke my heart. I told Ryan that I really wanted to say something to him or at least strike up a conversation with the little boy so the dad would know what a dick he was being by playing on his phone the whole time and not giving the kid the time of day. 

I know we live in an era where technology is all around us and it's part of our everyday lives, but when did we start putting technology before our children? When did people stop caring about what was going on with their kids and instead all they cared about was who was posting what on Facebook or Twitter. I sit here and think about all of these children taking guns to school and the ones that are bullied that end up committing suicide and I think to myself, what if they tried to talk to their parents about what was going on in their life but all the parents did was play on their phones, tablets and computers all the time?

At another table across from us in the restaurant there was a family of four,  a mom, dad and two little girls eating dinner as well. The little girls looked about 4 and the smallest was about 7 or 8 months or so and those parents did not have their cell phones out once. They were actively engaging their kids in conversations, playing with them and devoting all of their attention to them. I don't even know who these people are but I left there feeling grateful for them and the good job they were doing parenting those children at that time.

I'm a child of technology. I love my Kindle, my iPhone, my computers and all of that mess but I can promise you that I will never put any of these material things before my daughter or before any of my future children. I will talk to them, play with them and give them my undivided attention whenever they need it or even when I think they don't need it. So what if I miss what's going down on Facebook? Facebook and social media will never be more important than my child(ren). 

So if you see or hear a little less of me online after April, it's ok. I'm just enjoying precious moments with my family that I will never be able to go back and re-do.

Until next time........