Bye Bye Summer

Even though there's still a few weeks left of summer, ours has officially come to an end. My baby big boy has started the 2nd grade! I know this is cliche, but seriously, they grow up so fast. I swear he just started preschool not too long ago.

Before school started though, we did have the opportunity to go to Virginia for about a week and a half. We stayed in Norfolk, and also traveled to Virginia Beach, Washington DC and Richmond. It was my first time ever on the east coast. It was pretty cool seeing our nation's Capitol and even though they may not remember this trip because they are still so young, I think this was a really great experience for the boys.

Nathan's first day back to school was Tuesday, two days after coming back home from our trip. It was a race to get laundry finished, groceries picked up and last minute back-to-school shopping done. We didn't really have a chance to adjust bed times because of the traveling and what not, but eh, what are you gonna do?

I have to say the house has been a bit quieter since school started. Not that Nathan is a loud and crazy kid, but when they are all together it can get a bit crazy around here. I've been keeping pretty busy with the other two. In a couple of weeks it will just be me and Brendan, Ryan will be starting pre-K. Waaaa! Don't get me started. But anyway, with only two kids at home I can run outside again. Albeit, it's hauling about 80 extra pounds on my run, but at least it's outside and not on the DREADmill. It was a beautiful, fall-like day today. I'm SO ready for fall.

Since being back home from our trip, it's been so nice to cook in my own kitchen. Eating out is great, but really gets tiring day after day, not to mention the not-so-healthy options that are available. Two things that were a hit with the boys this week...

This was really easy, basically just throw together everything you see here... brown rice, black beans, homemade salsa, grilled chicken and onions, and avocado. Of course you could always add some grilled chicken or steak, too.

My boys LOVED these, even Nathan my pickiest. I found the recipe HERE. The only thing I added was flax seed for fiber :)

Hope you all had a great week!

Things I like to eat...

I'm always on Pinterest looking for some ideas of what to eat, aren't you? Well, here's my own little roundup of some things I like to eat. Try them, if you'd like :)

1. Some of my go-to lunches :: tuna salad with cucumbers and homemade cilantro-lime vinaigrette on spinach; fresh fruit with a side of greek yogurt; sliced veggies with hummus and a hard boiled egg; BLT wrapped in whole grain tortilla with more cilantro-lime vinaigrette.

2. Snack time faves :: fresh fruit, usually with a handful of almonds.

3. Breakfast :: I almost always have an egg over-easy on a piece of whole wheat toast, but sometimes I'll mix it up with oatmeal, fresh fruit and chopped almonds.

4. Dinner :: usually consists of chicken breast, salmon and very rarely (like once a month) red meat. Usually I'll pair salmon with a fruit salsa or grilled fruit, a grain (like brown rice or quinoa) and some fresh veggies; roasted veggies with extra virgin olive oil and garlic to go with grilled chicken; and, one night a week I'll make pizza with homemade dough, this is the boys' favorite night of the week.

Four Things I Ate

1.  BLUEBERRY PANCAKES :: Every Saturday is Pancake Day in our house.  Usually Sunday, too, for that matter.  These were a little special.  I ran out of the mix I normally use to make them, so I had to make some from scratch.  I happen to see this recipe on the back of my Chobani Vanilla Greek Yogurt package.  I only made a couple changes... I added one more egg, used a full cup of milk instead of 1/2 cup (the batter seemed a little thick to me), and no cooking spray (I have a super cool non-stick pan).  They were delicious!

2.  VEGETABLE SINIGANG :: I kept Nathan home from school one day last week because he was having tummy issues.  The only thing he really wanted to eat that day was one of his favorite meals, sinigang.  I normally make it the way my husband likes it, with pork short ribs, but the kids and I like it meatless.  Would be good with shrimp, too :) It happen to be a gloomy day that day so this nice, warm soup was perfect.

3.  BAKED CHICKEN WITH HOMEMADE BBQ SAUCE :: Since we've been married, Mike has whipped up this tangy and easy BBQ sauce.  It's basically a combination of whatever condiments we have in our fridge, i.e. ketchup, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, hot sauce, sweet chili sauce, worchestershire sauce, etc... Sometimes when I make it I'll add some orange marmalade.  We also had a side of sweet potato fries and Thai Crunch Salad.

4.  CHICKEN ADOBO WITH SPICY BEANS :: Mike made one of our family favorites for dinner last night, chicken adobo.  He used chicken legs (we've also used boneless chicken thighs) and cooked them with garlic, pepper, equal parts soy sauce and vinegar, and chicken stock.  I made a side of Spicy Beans, a recipe I learned from a college friend years ago.  Just get some long green beans and saute with chopped garlic, soy sauce and hot sauce.  So yum!  And of course, can't have adobo without rice.

Four Things I Ate

1.  Ham + egg muffin with strawberry jam on whole wheat english muffin

2.  Tuna Sandwich with Avocado and Spinach :: I didn't use any mayo, instead I mixed the tuna with some lemon juice, green onion and salt + pepper.  Instead of using mayo on the bread, I smashed up the avocado and spread that on.  Mmm mmm MMM!

3.  Salmon on a bed of quinoa with spinach and red pepper :: The Salmon was marinated in low sodium soy sauce, honey, lime and ginger.

4.  Blueberry vanilla smoothie :: Just some blueberries, vanilla greek yogurt, some ice and about 2 cups of non-fat milk.

What were some of your favorites this week?

Two Recipes, One Vegetable :: Sweet Potatoes

I think sweet potatoes are very underused.  They normally only make an appearance in my house on Thanksgiving.  But, I think they are so delicious and a nice alternative to regular potatoes.  With only a few more calories than a potato, sweet potatoes have almost twice the filling fiber and more beta-carotene.

The first recipe actually came home from school with my oldest son.  He (my pickiest eater) made them in class and loved them.  How could I not make something with vegetables in it that my kids would actually like?

SWEET POTATO MUFFINS

1 cup cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, grease muffin pan (or arrange paper muffin cups in pan).
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
3. Pour the batter into the muffin tins until 2/3 full and back for 20 - 25 minutes.  Makes 24 muffins.

So yummy with a little butter and some brown sugar.

Look at that color!

The next recipe is a little easier, and sorry, I don't have a photo because we gobbled them down before I had the chance to snap!

SWEET POTATO FRIES

2-3 sweet potatoes, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, spray the bottom of a baking pan with cooking spray to avoid sticking.
2. Cut the potatoes into french fry sized pieces.
3. Toss the fries in a mixing bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Makes 6 servings.

Try 'em, even your kids might like 'em! :)