Hide the veggies…

August 31, 2012 by

I don’t think I need to post a recipe for mac & cheese but I do want to share a clever idea. Hide veggies in your kids mac & cheese! Brilliant!

Most of the time my kids will eat their veggies but there are occasions when they will refuse or only eat certain ones. If I would let them, they would eat mac & cheese for lunch every day but I try to limit to once a week. That being said, I had still been looking for a way to make it a little more nutritious. They now know that when they ask me to make mac & cheese, that it will always come with veggies mixed in.

All I do is prepare the mac & cheese as directed on the box (we have found that Annie’s classic is the best tasting organic mac & cheese, but often get sucked into buying whatever box of Annie’s has a character on it). Heat up some veggies on the stove ( we buy organic mixed frozen veggies from Costco) and then toss it all together. *note: If you are going to use organic mac & cheese, make sure you then use organic butter and organic milk to prepare it with, otherwise it defeats the purpose.

Add some fruit, fresh mozzarella, carrot sticks, vitamins, a slice of ham, and you have got yourself a well-balanced lunch.

Sometimes when I’m feeling extra sneaky, I will sprinkle some of this fiber in the mac and cheese as well.

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Filed Under: It's What's For Dinner, kids, meals Tagged With: , ,

Garlic lemon mostaccioli

August 30, 2012 by

You will need:

  • 1 can fire roasted tomatoes, diced (we used Muir Glen)
  • juice of one lemon
  • zest of one lemon
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • olive oil
  • mostaccioli noodles, cooked

In a large pan, on medium heat, sauté garlic in about a tablespoon of olive oil. Heat for about 10 minutes to bring out the flavor, then add onions. After another 10 minutes, or when onions become translucent, add lemon zest & juice. Continue heating for yet another 10 minutes. Then add can of tomatoes. Turn heat to low and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Serve over prepared mostaccioli noodles, sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

*something to keep in mind: there is no hiding the lemon flavor in this recipe it is very strong. If you do not like a lemon-y flavor you should either skip the lemon all together, or use half of what the recipe calls for.

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Gift idea using old bridesmaid dresses

August 29, 2012 by

Last year I wanted to come up with a special gift for my sister-in-law, using the bridesmaid dress from her wedding. I was 8 months pregnant with our son Remy during her wedding, so there was no wearing the dress again! After deciding on Christmas stockings and a table runner, I set out to find pink ribbon, buttons and embroideries. I can’t sew to save my life, so my grandma did all the work (thanks grandma)! But hey! Were talking about my great idea…right?! This is a great gift idea for a bride, who would otherwise never see her wedding colors again, except for pictures which isn’t really the same. Wedding colors never look as vibrant in the pictures as they do when they are right in front of you. Besides, who really ever wears a bridesmaid dress again unless it is super practical?

They turned out so awesome, I loved watching her open them!

Before:

After:

This year for my birthday she returned the favor and made me pillows from the bridesmaid dress from my wedding. They are so beautiful and I was so surprised! She used the sash from the dresses around the pillows and then picked up some fun flowers and buttons and sewed them on. How talented is she?! Love her!

Before:

After:

See what I mean about wedding pictures not doing the color’s of the dresses any justice?

Tip from my sister-in-law: You have to find creative ways of hiding the seams that are naturally a part of the dress, in order to make the most of the fabric you have. For example: she used the sash from the dress to hide seams on both sides of the pillows.

Thank you so much Marie for taking 6 hours away from my cutie godson to make these lovely pillows for me.

 

 

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Tomato basil crisps

August 28, 2012 by

You will need:

  • fresh mozzarella
  • sliced roma tomatoes
  • dried basil
  • your favorite crackers

On a greased baking sheet place your crakcers. Top with tomato, mozzarella and sprinkle with basil. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Perfect, quick, appetizer for entertaining! *note: it makes all the difference using fresh mozzarella instead of processed or shredded mozzarella, believe me! It also really matters if you use store bought tomatoes (with very little flavor) or fresh tomatoes from the farmers market or locally grown. Keep that in mind.

 

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Filed Under: appetizers, It's What's For Dinner, meals Tagged With: , , ,

Happy 1st Birthday Liam

August 27, 2012 by

Today my baby turns 1, and it is so bittersweet. Liam has brought such joy to our little family. He is literally always happy and so stinkin’ cute! From day one he was a perfect little infant- just kind of going with the flow of things, easy-going like his daddy. I think he almost had no choice, seeing as he was born baby number 3, already having 2 older brothers still needing a lot of mommies attention. I remember feeling so overwhelmed finding out I was pregnant with Liam, seeing as Remy was only 3 months old when we found out I was pregnant. But once again God took care of us and we couldn’t imagine our life with out our precious blessing, Liam.

Liam enjoys short walks, warm bottles of milk, and food of all sorts. He spends most of his days defending his nukkie from his older brother Remy who recently kicked the habit (1 month clean, fingers crossed)!

 Pictures taken by Shelley Cullen Photography.

 

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Filed Under: kids, life
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