Mealtime Menu

Well, it's been quite awhile since I have posted my weekly menu. For one, we have been dieting and I didn't have any exciting new meals.... but I realized (once I found a few new meals) that even if I didn't think they were exciting, they may be something to change up your menu with!

So here goes... and we do have several new ones this week from this months TASTE OF HOME magazine. MMMMMM......



* Indicates a new recipe we've never had.



1. Broccoli/Ham Macaroni * - If you'd like this recipe go to http://tasteofhome.com/ and type in

broccoli/ham macaroni in the search box. Joe and I loved the flavor with the red pepper but

dearest child Ryan did not. So next time I will probably leave those out for the picky eaters,

but Joe and I loved it. Not only did we love it, it is far less fattening than the regular mac n

cheese I normally make with heavy cream etc.
2. Taco Salad - its an easy Monday night recipe... I love Mondays to be easy because I'm usually most tired on Mondays:P


3. Steak & New Potato Toss * - This is also a toh recipe - http://tasteofhome.com/ you can get the recipe yourself. Joe and I recently purchased a large quantity of beef. This is a different way to have steak and veggies with a little added flavor and veggies!


4. Ravioli Primavera - another quick & easy recipe, which is quite healthy.


5. Mom's fried rice * - A new recipe I found while trying to find something with chicken, since we are eating a lot more beef lately. You can also get this recipe from the taste of home link. This has bacon pieces in it, which was a different spin for me:)


6. Hamburgers/Hotdogs & sweet potato fries.... burgers & dogs are self explanatory... hoping to cook those on the grill, weather permitting. The sweet potato fries I recently made for the first time. I cut the sweet potatoes length wise into strips, sprinkle with cinammon, and drizzle with olive oil. Then I bake on a cookie sheet for a good 15 min (or longer if you want them crispier).
A healthier/tasty fry to go with the grill foods. Love it.


*** We will be traveling one evening and therefore I did not add a 7th meal*** :) I am hoping there is someone out there who can benefit from my crazy meal planning practices, and maybe, just maybe pass a new recipe along to me! Happy Eating :)

Where did winter go?

So, I just recently realized I didnt make a single post all of winter 09! As I was looking through pics, I realized how I enjoyed lots of special "moments" with my boys that I didnt record. One of those "moments" included going to Canandaigua and participating in various Christmas activities. We saw "elves, Santa, and 100 decorated Christmas trees"... and here are a few pics to show for our day. Let me not forget to mention that we went with Aunt Debbie Krieger, Chelsea, Dominic and Natalie... being with ones you love always makes a good time, a GREAT time!

My crazies

"Families are like fudge -- mostly sweet with a few nuts."

Little man... FULL of energy. Small for size, but enough energy for two!!

Openly expresses himself... very well. This kid ain't lettin' nobody take advantage of him:)

Glowing. His smile, his eyes.... they glow. He is simply a happy child, and spreads his joy through his smile.

Apples are his favorite food!

N' sync. This kid has got rythm!! He LOVES the guitar, and plays air guitar any time there's a tune... whether it be on the radio, rock band, or even a commercial. Not only that, he can keep a beat when using the drum sticks.

Logan - So full of life, and he marches to his own little beat. In a good way. He is TOTALLY content playing with "his guys" (army men) alone in the room. On the other hand, he will not turn down a wrestling match, video game, story time, or a good game of tage with Ryan for anything. He loves his big brother and will let you know it instantly. He also loves pretending, and playing dress up - like a cowboy, or batman, or any other super hero:)

Ryan's Random Questions, thoughts, and DREAMS.

As usual, I like to update about my kiddos first! They are truly awesome. I know, I am biased. So... Ryan is 4 now. About to enter preschool, so we decided to talk about why we go to school. Our conversation started with JOBS. A few days later we decided he should start having responsibilities... so now he has 3 chores each day.
1.Feed the dog in the morning before school
2.Putting away the shoes each night.
3. Putting his clothes in the laundry basket each night.

He was quite proud of himself when he was rewarded with a quarter... yeah, a quarter. I'm sure that won't last as long as I'd like it to!

Our next big question has been..." what do you want to be when you get big?"

Ryan:
1.Astronaut... I am really going into a space ship when I am big.

2. Pretend Superman

3.A pretend bird so I can eat bugs.

4. A tree and Logan can be the "tree cutter downer guy"

5. and I will fall down on the tree cutter downer guy.... cause I am a tree!

That was a little much for my imagination! hehe.





Also was "singing in his head" to "oh no you didnt" and ... when the word "ass" came on(which he knows he's not allowed to say) ... out loud he said - "I said ASS in my head"... how could you not laugh at that? Not proud that he did it disobediently... but the fact that he used the word as he was telling us was slightly amusing. Of course, I did not let him know I thought it was cute.



RYAN:Does God move the moon every night?



RYAN:Does God change the lights (speaking of traffic lights?)



RYAN:I will marry Charissa or my mom.



WOW! That was a lot about Ryan.... and then there's my sweetest baby Logan. More about him tomorrow....

Our "Honeymoon"...part 1.

Well, as many of you already know Joe and I went to the Bahamas a few weeks ago .... ALONE! Yes, thanks to someone GIVING us a cruise, and to my AWESOME inlaws... we were able to go on our "honeymoon". Joe and I never went on a honeymoon, and in September we will be married 5 wonderful years! This was the most relaxing we've done... since we've known each other. It was great. The first day was so weird. So many things to do... and at least 2,000 people onboard but we were so ALONE.

Here's a brief overview...

Vicki (my mil) drove us from Philly to NYC to get on the boat...

It was quite cold out in NYC... so we took a look around the ship until our sailaway party...

and we got quite a good view of the statue of Liberty, despite the wind and freezing temp!

Then we decided to find our Room..... we were a little nervous that we would end up with bunkbeds, as some of our friends did on their honeymoon. That wouldn't have been a good thing...

And that was day one. Just kidding... it was all a bit overwhelming on day one. So many shows. Lots to eat and drink. 4 pools, 5 hot tubs, too many bars, and a nice QUIET room... to read.

That WAS day one.

Back to reality... Meal Plan for this week!

So, I seem to have had this AWESOME vacation to the Bahamas... yeah, it was awesome. Not to brag... but there was food EVERYWHERE! One night we even enjoyed the chocoholic buffet. But now we have returned home to our two little munchkins, and our lovely diets. It's been awhile, but I am trying to get back on my schedule of meal planning. I have found that if I do not meal plan, we end up just eating junk on those nights when our schedule is jam packed or someone gets home super late from work! Som here it is....

Meal Plan #300000000000.....(slightly exaggerated)

1. Taco Salad
2. Salsa chicken (8 tortilla chips), and salad
3. Deviled chicken, salad,... and vegetable of choice.
4.Ravioli Primavera and Salad
5. Sesame Terriyaki Thai Chicken Dinner... its a box baby!
6. White Chicken Chili
7. Meatloaf, Mashed Cauliflower, Salad
8. Mesquite Grilled Chicken, corn on cob, salad
9. Sweet/Sour Chicken stirfry w/ brown rice
10. Pork Chops, Brown Gravy, Rice, Green beans
11. Beef Enchilada Casserole & Corn
12. Eggplant soup
13.Cream Baked Chicken & Steamed Broccoli
14. Spaghetti w/ meatsauce & green beans.

We are trying to stay away from pasta as much as possible... if you have any great recipes.... pass em' along PLEASE!