Spaghetti and "Meatballs"

Dinner was easy tonight. Spaghetti and "meatballs," with garlic rolls and salad.
Don't tell Matt but the "meatballs" were actually "meatless & soy free."
Tyler helped me make the salad. He used the salad spinner to get rid of all excess water. He was such a great helper.

(He's shirtless because he complained the Punch Guy outfit was a bit tight around his waist...sniff)

Everyone ate the Spaghetti and "Meatballs" (even Matt!) Toward the end of dinner Tyler just happened to mention they were "fake meatballs" (as I had called them at the store when I thought he wasn't paying attention.) Matt was shocked...he had no idea!

!WINNING!

And I can't leave Lauren out of three posts in a row!
Check her out with post shower braids. We counted a total of 12 braids in her hair.

On the Road Again

I LOVE to Run! In a perfect world I would run every single day. However, my left knee does NOT like to run. For awhile I just ran through the pain but nothing good ever came of that. (such as: $$ to see the Orthopaedic Dr., $$ for the knee brace, $$ for the physical therapy, and $$ for whatever else) Now I prefer to exercise at the gym...4-5 days per week balancing cardio with strength training. This week, however, I was not able to make it to the gym but I had an hour or so of free time each day. Guess what I did?

I gave into those voices in my head and got back on the road again. Yesterday I ran 3.6 miles in 38 minutes and today I ran 4 miles and then walked 3 miles in 90 minutes. My knee aches mildly but I'm excited to find out that I am back in shape by taking all these classes at the YMCA. Maybe I'll be just fine if I have to retire from running all together. (wipes tear from eye)

P.S. I didn't make it to the Y today because Tyler had his Pre-School Easter Party.

the massive egg hunt

my favorite boy eating his Easter party snack

I'm not sure when I'll be 'on the road again' but it sure felt good to 'pound the pavement'.

Punch Guy

Guess who made a surprise appearance today?! [...drumroll...]

The One and Only Punch Guy outfit! I've missed him.

I'm thrilled it still fits. And yes that is General Hospital on in the background. Don't hate cuz they cancelled YOUR soap and not MINE. =)

I did a Blogger search at the top of the page for "punch guy" and it was fun to see his many appearances over the past few years. However, he first came into our lives before I even started the blog.

October 2007 and a 19 month old Tyler
All together now, "Ahhhhhhhhhh."

holy jalapeno!

I love anything and everything spicy and until I made this soup I thought nothing could be too spicy for me. Holy jalapeno was I wrong! Here's what I did based on this recipe.

Mexican-Inspired Vegetable Soup (the holy jalapeno version)

Ingredients:
2 c. frozen green beans, broken into bite size pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced (from a jar)
2 small zucchini, cubed
14 oz can diced tomatoes, with jalapeno peppers
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
5 tomatillos, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, sliced (include each and every seed!)
1 medium poblano chile, finely chopped (again include every seed)
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. ground cumin
6 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. roasted red peppers, water-packed (about 2 peppers)
2 T. canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
juice from 2 limes
light sour cream

Instructions:

Place green beans, garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, tomatillos, jalapenos and poblano into a large pot. Add the oregano, cumin and broth. Puree roasted peppers with chipotle in adobo sauce in a food processor (or blender;) Stir into soup. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.

Stir in cilantro and lime juice. Serve in bowl. Taste, choke and then add a 1/2 T. light sour cream to calm things down. holy jalapeno!

To go with the soup, I made Tomato-Herb Focaccia from my Taste of Home magazine. (Feb. Mar. 2011) I used the exact same ingredients so instead of repeating them (which can be found by clicking on the link) I'll just skim through the directions instead.

I used a food processor to mix the proofed yeast, olive oil and other dry ingredients. Instead of kneading for 6-8 minutes (I don't knead) I simply pulsed the food processor for 25 seconds. (much quicker and less muscle.) I turned the dough out to a floured surface, rolled it into a ball, placed it in a bowl and let it rise for 45 minutes (until it doubled in size.)

Then punch down dough and let rest 10 minutes or until you're done chasing the kids around the house trying to get them to quit fighting!

Shape into a rectangle and place on your newest favorite kitchen gadget. How have I lived without this thing all these years?!

If you haven't had a chance to get to Bed Bath and Beyond to buy the Professional Baking Mat than place your rectangle focaccia dough onto a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled.With finger tips, make several dimples over top of dough. Brush dough with 1 T. olive oil, arrange tomatoes over top and sprinkle with the cheese. Go heavy on the cheese if you want your kids to LOVE it. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes.

Gorgeous!

Serve with holy jalapeno soup IF YOU DARE. (I ate the H.J. soup but I made Progresso Chicken Noodle soup for the Hubs and Kids and their sensitive taste buds.)

I sweated so much after eating this serving of soup. Hopefully I burned a significant number of calories because I felt like I just worked out. I challange my sister-in-law Mili (after she has the baby, of course (aka my nephew Patrick) to try this. I think it compares in spiciness to her Aji Salsa recipe!

Weekly Menu 4-18-2011

Before we get to the weekly menu, can you spot my son at his T-Ball game today? Great Job Diamondbacks!

This past weekend I felt I overindulged. I treated myself to Bunco snacks and then Matt and I went out to eat and I had the STEAK (not to mention the bread and potatoes!) So this week I tried to make up for it with light and easy dinners.

lunches: Mexican-Inspired Vegetable Soup (my absolute favorite lunch these days!)

Monday: Savory Sausage, Spinach, & Onion Turnovers & green salad (These turned out great. I prepped them before the T-ball game and baked them when we got home.)

Tuesday: Soup from the pantry and Tomato-Herb Focaccia

Wednesday: California Chicken Wraps & fruit

Thursday: Spaghetti and Pasta Sauce from the pantry (Wish me luck since I'm going to make this without a recipe! *wink) and Quick Italian Bread

Friday: Nutty Chicken Stir-Fry & Egg Drop Soup

Saturday: Tuna and White Bean Salad & Roasted Garlic Triscuits

Sunday: Honey-of-a-Meal Chicken and green beans

a fairly typical Sunday

A typical Sunday usually means we have an extra child who spent the night. This weekend it was Tera. Tyler and Lauren LOVE Tera.

Tyler loves them both so much he's happy to let them sit in his chair and watch them play the DS and iPAD.

On a typical Sunday we go to church BUT our church is remodeling and this is the weekend before Easter so we thought it would be C-R-A-Z-Y and opted not to go. (so bad, I know) Next week Easter services will be held at The Fred (the outdoor amphitheatre) so that will be a fun experience. Instead of church Matt and I took a solo trip to the new Sam's Club for their visit-for-free weekend. Mr. Mike watched the kids so M and I could check it out without any whining. I wasn't that impressed but things seemed to be about 50 cents cheaper than Walmart so I probably will get a membership. After the grass dried in the afternoon, Lauren and Matt mowed the lawn. Lauren in her lawn mowing sun hat and safety glasses. (I will cry when the Duck Hat no longer fits her!) Late afternoon Matt and Mr. Mike took all the kids fishing at a nearby pond while I folded laundry and made dinner. Don't let Lauren's cute smile fool you, Matt told me she was bored and grumpy as heck out there. But she sure is cute, eh? (Matt caught the fish and after this picture he threw it back.)

Dinner tonight: Herb and Goat Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Sauteed Spinach

Red Pepper Quinoa

(cook 1c. quinoa as directed, add in sauteed 1/2 c. chopped orange bell pepper and 1/2 c. chopped onion, season with salt and pepper)

Fresh Fruit YUMM!

(I even used fresh mint from my garden!) After dinner it was showers/baths for the kids and while Lauren read books, Tyler did his homework. "A" is for "Apple," "Angry Birds," and "Angel" When I grow up I will learn how to edit photos for the blog (and properly space my dinner dishes.) In the mean time please shift your head 90 degrees.

Today was a typical Sunday...and I sure do love Sundays. However, with this family I have, I love EVERYDAY.

P.S. For our date last night Matt took me to Downtown Grill in Tyrone, GA. Neither of us had been there before so we were anxious to check it out. We both thought the food was awesome. I had the filet mignon and Matt had a pasta dish. The only thing we weren't impressed with was the ambiance. The food and service made it seem like a 5 star restaurant but the high ceilings and bright lights made it seem like a strip mall restaurant. I think we're getting picky in our old age of 30 something.

perfect

Spring in the South is Perfect. In between thunderstorms (and occasional tornado watches) the weather is wonderful. (The storms aren't so bad either. We have a basement for shelter and the rain only lasts for 20 minutes or so before moving on. Nothing like the 30 day drizzle in the PacNW!)

low humidity, comfortably warm temps and lots of playing outside Lauren actually drove the golf cart. Today was another perfect day. We grabbed lunch and went to the park in Senoia (pronounced Senoy by the locals.)

the monkeys the Tylers looking for ticks exploring in the woods

thirsty

To top it all off on this perfect day Matt and I are going on a dinner date while Mr. Mike (Tera and Tyler's Dad) and Mr. Dave (Troy's Dad) hang out with all the kids. Perfect I tell ya.