Menu Monday #14

After a super busy day on Friday, which included a fun playdate for the boys, speech testing for Ethan and a doctor's appointment for me, I wasn't feeling the whole cooking thing that evening, so we decided to go out instead. We checked out a local Asian restaurant, the Yong Asian House. It was really, really good! I was pumped about the chance to have some sushi for dinner and I really loved the appetizer I decided to try. I ordered the Roti Canai, which is a crispy and doughy Indian style pancake served with curry sauce. Delicious. I can guarantee that I am going to want to order it every time we visit there now! ;)

On Saturday morning, we had our favorite, Whole Wheat Banana Bread Pancakes. They are the perfect weekend pancake and the boys love them so much that they gobble up nearly as many as Josh and I! Wow! For dinner, we stayed in and I made the Hawaiian pizza that I had been planning to make the night before for dinner. It turned out pretty well and Josh and the boys loved it. I decided to add some spicy pepperjack cheese to counter the sweet pineapple. Topped with a little sriracha sauce after it was served, it had some great flavor!

On Sunday morning, I made a frittata. I had some leftover bacon that I wanted to use, so I combined that with some mozzarella and cheddar cheese and fresh cilantro for a super tasty dish. Topped with a little salsa, it was perfect! On the side, we had toasted whole wheat English muffins topped with a little of the homemade blackberry jam I had made the previous weekend. Yum!

Unfortunately, Ethan came down with something last night. His fever spiked to 102.9 before we even realized he was sick. :( Poor guy does a good job keeping up even when he isn't feeling well! I guess the dreaded sicknesses have begun now that he has started preschool and he'll be exposed to all kinds of lovely germs that we have managed to avoid for the past 3.5 years. Sigh. I am hoping he can make a quick recovery, as he woke up feeling good and fever-free this morning after a long 12 hours of sleep. Picture day is tomorrow at preschool, so I'd hate for him to have to miss it!

Sunday: Whole Wheat Pizza Pancakes and Caprese salad

I need to update the recipe that I have linked to here. I previously made these pancakes using Bisquick mix, but now I make them from scratch using a mixture of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. They still taste great and I don't think anyone even noticed that I changed them up! ;) This time, I just used the mini pepperonis to save a few calories, but next time perhaps some turkey sausage instead? On the side, I made a delicious Caprese salad. With all of this wonderful basil we have been growing, I wanted to take advantage of it! I used some great local tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil from our back yard, and then I reduced some balsamic vinegar into a glaze to sprinkle on top. It was heavenly!

Monday: Grilled, blackened wild sockeye salmon over brown rice, oven roasted asparagus

Yep, a repeat from last week, but it is oh so good. We're going to enjoy the sockeye salmon while we still can!!

Tuesday: Chicken Pesto Alfredo

I'm going to try this new dish that I found on Plain Chicken's blog. Here's my pin. I am going to modify it a bit by using whole wheat pasta, my own homemade Alfredo sauce (recipe found here under Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups), and my own basil pesto. With plenty of basil on hand, I'll try my hand at making my own. I love my poblano pesto, so I'm sure this homemade variety will be much better than anything found pre-made in a jar! It will definitely be more time-consuming done this way, but I think the results will be worth it.

Wednesday: Cheeseburgers with baked sweet potato fries

We haven't had a regular burger in awhile now, so we'll go simple this week with grilled burgers topped with a slice of cheddar and served on whole wheat Kaiser buns. On the side, the much-loved sweet potato fries with spicy ketchup!

Thursday: Grilled BBQ pork chops, grilled corn on the cob, baked beans

Another simple meal on the grill. We'll top our grilled pork chops with some Montgomery Inn BBQ sauce. We'll grill the corn on the cob in their husks, then season with butter, salt & pepper. Josh and the boys love baked beans, so I'll let them indulge in some for dinner. While I'm not really a fan, I'll admit that Bush's Grillin' beans (the Southern Pit BBQ variety) are not too shabby.

Friday: Out to eat?

This week, our local county fair is open, so we'll probably try to make it there one evening to check it out. I think the boys will love seeing all of the animals and maybe enjoy a couple rides?? We'll have to see how those look... ;)

Saturday: Cookout??

We are tentatively planning to host dinner this week for one of Josh's co-workers and her significant other, but we'll have to see if everyone can stay healthy!

Happy meal planning to you this week and good luck to the next round of kiddos starting school this week! :)

I'm So Pinteresting!

I'm so Pinteresting! No really. Only people as uber cool as me spend their Friday and Saturday evenings organizing their Pinterest boards. Yep, I am that cool. ;) It is a task (on a very long project to-do list) I have been wanting to tackle for weeks, but I finally got around to starting it a couple weekends ago. If you're a prolific pinner like myself, this post is for you! If you've never heard of or checked out Pinterest, what the heck are you waiting for?!? If you need an invite, I'll be happy to oblige, but beware, please warn your spouse/kids/boss/pets/etc that you'll be ignoring them for at least the next week. The site is a bit addictive (who am I kidding, it's very addictive) and you'll be floored at how many amazing recipes, decor ideas, cleaning products, etc that you will encounter. If you aren't a DIY-er, then it could be your personal hell, but if you're like me, you'll find yourself wanting to re-pin every other pin you see!! Seriously. Don't get frustrated if you aren't the type of person who can find 50 uses for old pallets, or 1,000 different ways to clean using vinegar, though. I'll admit there are some crazy pinners out there, but if you're like me, you'll find it is a useful place to organize yummy recipes, creative ideas and fun projects that you would like to try.

I didn't have very many boards before I started this overhaul...under 20. I had one for most of the recipes I found, but a separate one for desserts. Everything for the home was lumped onto one board. Stuff for the kids or holidays on another. With over 900 pins and counting now, it was getting hard to go back and find things easily. I needed a better system for organizing the boards and pins. So, I started with the board with the most pins, the food. I now break it down like this...

• The Main Dish
• Main Dish (this is for miscellaneous items that don't fit into the categories below)
• Cookin' in the Crockpot
• Pasta
• Pizza
• Salads
• Sandwiches
• Soup
• The Side Dish
• Breads, Doughs, etc
• Condiments, Sauces, etc
• Grains & Potatoes
• Veggies
• Sweet Treats
• Brownies & Blondies
• Cookies
• Cakes, Cupcakes & Cake Pops
• Dips, Dough & Frosting
• Frozen Treats
• Fruit
• Miscellaneous Yummy Treats
• Pies
• Drink Up (all beverages, hot & cold)
• Breakfast
• Eggs & Meat
• French Toast & Breads
• Oatmeal & Granola
• Pancakes, Muffins, Biscuits & Rolls
• Recipes I've Tried (links to all of the original recipes I have tried that I found on Pinterest, including my comments about each)
• Kitchen Tips (useful tips for things to do with the kitchen itself, or for cooking/baking)

Then I moved on to all other items, and came up with these additional boards:

• Kids
• Education
• Food
• Fun
• Products I Love (various products/ideas that I want to try)
• Home
• Build It!
• Clean It!
• Decorate It!
• Organize It!
• Store It!
• This is How I Do Me (hairstyles, clothing, makeup, all thing girly!)
• Click! Take a Pic! (all things photography)
• Stitch! Stitch! (all things sewing)
• Kreations by Kristy (invites, announcements, etc that I have designed)
• Design Inspiration (things I have found that inspire some of my designs)
• Holidays (anything related to a particular holiday from food to activities to decorations)
• Christmas
• Easter
• Father's Day
• Halloween
• Independence Day
• St. Patrick's Day
• Thanksgiving
• Valentine's Day
• Get My Workout On! (all things fitness)
• Articles to Read (links to articles I want to check out or reference later)
• Parties
• Birthday (general ideas for any birthday party)
• Decorations (general decoration ideas for parties)
• Food Ideas (recipes and ideas for party food/drinks)
• Specific party themes (I have created a board for each specific party I'm throwing, e.g. parties for the boys' birthdays - Cars, Very Hungry Caterpillar, etc)
• Tennessee - Local Links (local events, classes, etc that I want to remember)

Whew! I now have 57 boards!

Gorgeous, isn't it?? ;) Yeah, as you can see, it took awhile to organize everything. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to move pins from board to board aside from editing each individual pin. With a mass number to go through, it was a slow process. So, if you are new (or fairly new) to Pinterest, I definitely recommend setting up a board system similar to this (be sure to add boards specific to you, too!) in the very beginning. It will save you a lot of time later when you have hundreds of pins and can't find that one you need!

Happy pinning! And be sure to  !! ;) Need more help with organization? Check out my line of custom planners in my Etsy shop!

Berry Delicious!

We enjoyed a couple delicious berry recipes this past weekend. We might as well enjoy the rest of summer while we can, right? As I mentioned in my weekly menu post, I made Blackberry Cupcakes topped with Cream Cheese Icing and Blackberry Jam to take to a cookout Friday evening. They were heavenly. A bit more labor intensive than your average cupcake, but it was worth it. These would be great for a girl's birthday party due to the fabulous purple color that the blackberries create! I started this recipe with the idea of re-creating a blackberry cake that we had enjoyed the weekend before at a local restaurant. To make it a bit easier on myself, I used a boxed cake mix as my base, but next time I may try a homemade base instead to help highlight the blackberry flavor in the cake. I wanted to make them easy to eat at a cookout, so I opted for a cupcake version versus a cake.

Ingredients:

Blackberry Cupcake
(yields 24 cupcakes)

• 1 package white cake mix (I used Betty Crocker's Super Moist)
• 3 egg whites
• 1/3 cup oil (I used vegetable)
• 1/2 cup water
• 12 ounces fresh blackberries (yields 3/4 cup juice)
• 2 Tbsp sugar

Cream Cheese Icing
(yields plenty for 24 cupcakes)

• 5 ounces cream cheese (I used Philadelphia's 1/3 less fat)
• 3 Tbsp butter (I used Blue Bonnet Light)
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tsp clear vanilla extract

Blackberry Jam

• Blackberries from the above cupcake ingredients

Directions:
Preheat the oven to the temperature listed on the cake mix package. Combine the cake mix, egg whites, oil and water in a large bowl.

In a medium saucepan, heat the blackberries on medium-low heat. Add the sugar and allow the berries to cook until they are softened, about 10 minutes.

Add the berries to a food processor and puree until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to collect the juice, leaving the seeds behind in the blackberry jam on top.

The carton of blackberries should yield about 3/4 cup of juice.

Add this juice to the cake mixture and mix until well blended. Place the jam, which was what was left in the strainer after draining the juice (pictured on the left above) in the refrigerator to chill.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full with batter and bake according to package directions, or until toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow them to cool for a minute in the muffin tin, then remove the cupcakes and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.

In the meantime, prepare the cream cheese icing. My recipe was adapted from one I found on my favorite food blog, Annie's Eats. Using chilled cream cheese, combine it with the butter using a beater blade in an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat 2 minutes more. Blend in the vanilla and mix until smooth.

Once the cupcakes are cooled, frost them with the cream cheese icing.

Place a heaping teaspoon-sized dollop of jam onto the top of each cupcake. Enjoy!

I decided I wanted to do something with the extra cream cheese icing, so I made Strawberry Shortcake Pancakes too this weekend! It worked perfectly. Since I don't use Bisquick anymore, I needed to find a good pancake recipe to try. Again, I turned to Annie. I found a recipe for chocolate chip pancakes on her blog and I adapted it to work for me. I didn't want a super sweet pancake (like I normally make) because I knew the cream cheese icing would be very sweet and could balance the pancake. So this is what I ended up making.

Ingredients:
(yields 18 large pancakes)

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups milk (I used whole because I had extra)
• 6 Tbsp butter, melted (I used Blue Bonnet Light)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 Tbsp sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 lb package of fresh strawberries
• Cream cheese frosting (see above recipe)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat a griddle or skillet to medium heat. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Whisk in the milk, butter and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Add in the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix just until incorporated.

Prepare your griddle or skillet with a small pat of butter or thin coating of butter spray. Drop scoops of batter onto the griddle or into the pan.

Cook until bubbles form on the surface and begin to pop, and the bottom is light golden brown. Flip gently with a spatula and cook again until cooked through and light golden brown on both sides. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a baking sheet in the warmed oven to keep them warm while you repeat the process with the remaining batter.

In the meantime, slice strawberries into thin pieces. Once the pancakes are complete, assemble your strawberry shortcake pancakes by spreading a thin layer of the cream cheese icing on a pancake and topping with a handful of the strawberry slices. Repeat the layers and serve. Yum!

These were a hit! Ethan preferred to just dip his pieces of pancake into a small dollop of the cream cheese icing and eat the strawberries by themselves. A fun, family-friendly breakfast that everyone will love!

I've never been a huge fan of blackberries, but they are hubby's favorite. This cupcake recipe, however, has converted me to a fan! I've always loved strawberries and they are one of the boys' favorites too. Which berries do you look forward to eating in the summer?

Big Boy Starts Preschool!

Tears. My little man turned big boy is going to preschool this year!! Do they have to get big so fast?? So Ethan started preschool after much confusion about it all on Tuesday. The city schools were still closed (due to flooding) and at the orientation meeting they had told us that they would follow the city's schedule for weather closings and delays. So, silly me, I assumed this meant they were closed too, since I hadn't heard anything different. I tried calling the preschool and the church numerous times on Monday and Tuesday morning, but couldn't get ahold of anyone, so again, I figured this meant no one was there. What else was I to think?!? Lo and behold, 5 minutes after they opened up on Tuesday morning (and less than 30 minutes after I had gone ahead and sent Josh to work), I got a return call saying that they were indeed there. Seriously?!? Sigh. So, I rushed to get Ethan ready while Josh made his way home to pick him up and get him there. Fortunately, it was just a transition day, so it wasn't a huge deal. Try telling that to my crazy self though that morning though! Off went Daddy and Ethan to preschool. Here he is, "fake sleeping," trying to avoid the inevitable. Always a comedian!

For transition day, parents were allowed to stay with the kids so they could adjust and get used to whole preschool thing. This was a great idea necessity for Ethan, who has never really been away from us much. Apparently he clung to Josh's pant leg for awhile, but eventually warmed up to exploring his classroom by himself. Whew. There was hope he would survive this big step! After Noah woke up from his nap, we made our way there as well to see how big boy was doing on his first day. We found him right at home with some toy cars! He built a driveway where they could all park. :)

Noah decided to get in on the action too and check out all the fun stuff in Ethan's new classroom!

He had no qualms about leaving our laps to go explore. Haha! Go figure.

Lots of fun stuff to explore. I think it will be a good year for him. He's going just two days a week this year to get used to the idea of school. It will be good for Noah to get some one-on-one time with me too, since he hasn't really had that as the second child.

Seeing where he measures up at the beginning of the year!

Getting ready to head home. Poor guy's backpack is as big as him! Haha!

Oh my goodness. The boy will be in high school before I know it!

Here he is before his first official day all by himself.

I was happy to hear that his teacher reported no tears from him!! She said that he played hard and enjoyed the science activities they did that day. Hmm, I guess he really does want to be "Daddy" when he grows up! :)

Menu Monday #13

We had a super yummy weekend filled with delicious food! On Friday night, we ended up going to one of Josh's co-worker's houses for a cookout. He grilled up some delicious steaks, burgers and veggies for us. I definitely need to try the marinade he brushed on the steaks! I decided to make cupcakes to take along with us to share. After trying the blackberry cake the week before at The Riverfront Seafood Company, I wanted to try to recreate it. So, I ended up making a blackberry cupcake topped with a cream cheese icing and a little blackberry jam. It was pretty darn good, but a bit labor intensive. More about that in an upcoming post! We had a fun evening of good food and conversation while the boys enjoyed chasing around their pet ferret!

On Saturday morning, I was unfortunately fasting for a health screening, so no normal big breakfast that day. For lunch, we were in Kingsport, and we couldn't resist hitting up The Riverfront Seafood Company again! I had to get the New Orleans style BBQ Shrimp dish that Josh had had the previous week. It was perfect! For dinner, I made the chicken bacon strawberry balsamic pizza that I was supposed to make on Friday night. It was just as good as the first time I had made it. It really is one that you should put on your must try list. You will not regret it!

On Sunday morning, I wanted to use some of the leftover cream cheese icing I had from the cupcakes, so I tried a new recipe for pancakes, then topped them with the icing and fresh strawberries to make strawberry shortcake pancakes. They were awesome! More about those later too! ;)

This week I tried something new and decided to get all of my groceries at Food City. I had been a dedicated Fresh Market shopper since we moved to TN in January, but when we moved into our house, I started getting some of my stuff at Food City too, since it's just 5 minutes up the road from us. After checking out their produce section and meat counter on a few occasions, I decided it was time to give them a try. They actually have a really decent-sized organic section and I love that they sell local produce when possible. And I can't argue with the price. I ended up saving at least $50 just this week by purchasing everything there instead of getting all of my meat and produce at Fresh Market. Over a month's time, that's a lot of money! Maybe I'll convince hubby that I can finally get an iPhone if I can keep it up? ;) Yes, we are incredibly cheap when it comes to some things. I think that this pic says it best though...

Yes, we have continued to refuse to shell out a minimum of $30 per person for a smartphone data plan, along with hundreds of dollars for iPhones. It's something we haven't felt like we really needed at this point, but I definitely wouldn't mind having one. ;) So yeah, I can't say I don't cringe a bit every time I see someone on government assistance whip one out of their pocket. Ouch. I'm sure glad our tax dollars go to good use! Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now and get to the menu...

Sunday: Creamy Carbonara Cups and pan fried parmesan green beans

This is a spin on the Lasagna Cups I made a couple weeks ago. I still had wonton wrappers left to use, so I wanted to try something else with them. I made homemade alfredo sauce and used this as the sauce for the cups. Then I also used diced chicken breast, bacon and onion inside the cups. These were incredible! Can you really lose with butter and bacon though?? ;)

Monday: Grilled, blackened wild sockeye salmon over brown rice, oven roasted asparagus

We took a break from the salmon last week, but we are craving it again this week, so it's on the menu again! This time we'll have asparagus with it. Surprisingly, it's a veggie that both of the boys really like! Pretty crazy, huh?

Tuesday: Chicken Capri, roasted red pepper & basil quinoa, pan fried parmesan green beans

We haven't had this one in awhile, and it's a great low-cal dish, so we'll enjoy it this week. It is actually out of the South Beach Diet cookbook. First you season chicken breast halves with garlic powder and sear them in a little EVOO on the stove. Then you place them in a baking dish and top them with a mixture of ricotta cheese, salt, pepper & oregano. On top of that goes some crushed tomatoes, and finally a slice of cheese. I'll be using fresh mozzarella. Bake this for a bit to get the cheese melted and ensure the chicken is cooked through well. I'll serve it over the quinoa with the beans on the side. Yum!

Wednesday: Caprese burgers with baked sweet potato fries

Josh requested these again this week. It's his new favorite burger, and I'm happy to put this one on the menu! I just posted the recipe for these burgers and my fries last night. It is definitely one you should try if you want a healthier version of burgers and fries!

Thursday: Grilled chicken, oven roasted parmesan red potatoes, grilled corn on the cob

I like to marinate my chicken breast in Kraft's Roasted Red Pepper dressing all day. It gives the chicken great flavor and keeps it nice and moist. For my potatoes, I dice them into 1/2" cubes, sprinkle with EVOO, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, garlic seasoning & rosemary and roast them for 30 minutes, until they are crispy and golden. Yum. We'll grill the corn on the cob in their husks, then season with butter, salt & pepper.

Friday: Hawaiian Pizza

I'm going to try a new pizza this week. I'll use my whole wheat dough and regular pizza sauce. Then I'll top it with diced ham and pineapple for an easy Hawaiian pizza. The boys both love this when we get it at Mellow Mushroom, so I hope they'll enjoy my version too!

Saturday: Out to eat

Happy meal planning to you this week! We're taking advantage of what is supposed to a be a beautiful week with several grilling meals again. I am loving these slightly cooler temps, as they are getting me excited for fall!! Is it too soon to start thinking about chili, pumpkins, apples and other fall favorites??

Not Your Average Burger & Fries

I have been trying out some new burger recipes lately. While we all love the traditional grilled burger topped with American or cheddar cheese, it's also fun to try new recipes with varied toppings. Awhile back, I had pinned recipes for two such burgers that I wanted to try, but without our grill at the apartment, we hadn't given them a try until recently. With all of the rainy days here at the house since we moved in a month ago, grilling has been difficult, but we have managed to luck out and get our fair share in this summer.

The first recipe I tried was for a Caprese Burger. You can find the pin here. The original recipe is from the wishes and dishes blog. It's pretty simple and easy to make.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef (I used lean)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 slices of tomato
• 4 slices (1/4-inch) of fresh Mozzarella
• 8 fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 4 English muffins (I used whole wheat)

Directions:
For the balsamic glaze: Add the balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Reduce to a very low simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half and is slightly syrupy. Remove from the heat, pour it into a bowl or glass, and set aside to cool and thicken.

Mix the ground beef and the garlic. Form into 4 equal-sized patties.

Preheat a gas grill to medium. Cook the burgers on the preheated grill for about 7 minutes per side, or until they are cooked to your desired degree of doneness.

Toast the English muffins in a toaster until they are light golden brown.

Place the burger on the bottom half of an English muffin and top with a slice of tomato and a slice of fresh mozzarella. Drizzle the balsamic glaze over the cheese and top with basil leaves and the upper half of the English muffin. Enjoy!

This is probably our favorite burger recipe we have tried to date. It is such a fresh and light take on a traditional burger and you don't feel bad indulging in one. ;)

The next burger recipe I tried was for a Spicy Hawaiian Burger. You can find the pin here. The original recipe is from the homemade by holman blog. This was another easy recipe to follow.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef (I used lean ground beef instead of the ground chicken the original recipe called for)
• 4 fresh pineapple rings (cut about 1/2" to 3/4" thick)
• 4 slices pepper jack cheese
• 4 whole wheat English muffins
• 1/8 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:
Combine the ground beef, soy sauce, 1/2 the paprika, 1/2 the chili powder, seasoning salt, cumin and garlic. Lightly mix all of this with your hands and divide into 4 even balls. Form patties, making them slightly thinner in the middle and sprinkle with the remaining paprika and chili powder.  Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill to medium heat. Coat the grates lightly with cooking spray or oil. Grill the burgers over medium heat for about 7 minutes per side. Top with cheese for the last 1-2 minutes of cooking time, to allow it to melt slightly.

For the pineapple, grill the rings directly on the grates over medium heat. Carefully turn after 1-2 minutes.

Toast the English muffins in a toaster until light golden brown.

Assemble the burgers with cheese on English muffins, top with pineapple and enjoy!

I love the idea of combining the spicy burger and cheese with the sweet pineapple. The flavor combinations are awesome. The only problem I had with this one is that the pineapple made the English muffin super soggy, despite toasting it. I wasn't a fan of that. It might be best eaten as an open-faced sandwich instead of as a traditional burger. Or perhaps a longer grilling time on the pineapple would have helped to dry it out more? We'll have to experiment again with this one.

I have talked a lot about my Baked Sweet Potato Fries, as we eat them often, but I have never given an official recipe for how I prepare them. So here we go!

Ingredients:
serves 4-6 people

• 2-3 large sweet potatoes
• ~1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Dash of salt
• Dash of cinnamon

Directions:
Peel the sweet potatoes. Cut them into fry shapes and place them in a bowl. Soak them in lightly salted water for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Drain the water from the bowl and blot the fries dry. Then coat them in a thin layer of cornstarch.

Sprinkle with the EVOO and toss to coat evenly. Next, sprinkle the salt and cinnamon on top and toss to coat evenly.

Spread the fries out in an even layer on a baking sheet, making sure to leave space between them to crisp, instead of steam as they cook. I usually need to use 2 baking sheets to have enough room to spread them out enough.

Bake for 15 minutes, then turn them over. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, then turn the broiler onto high and broil for 5 minutes to help crisp them up even more if needed. If you are using 2 pans, rotate them between top and bottom racks after 15 minutes.

Serve with Spicy Ketchup. This is a delicious accompaniment to the sweetness of the fries. I love sweet-spicy combinations and this one hits the spot every time!

Ingredients:
serves 2-3 people

• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 2 tsp sriracha sauce

Directions:
Mix together the ketchup and sriracha sauce and serve. If you want it spicier, add more sriracha, but I normally keep it in this ratio (1 Tbsp: 1 tsp).

Burgers are a must in our house. What's your favorite burger recipe?

I've linked up to a great site this week. Be sure to check out more great, healthy recipes!

You are my Sunshine!

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away. These are the words to my favorite lullaby. I love singing this one to the boys and I'm fortunate they aren't the toughest critics. ;) But, it's not the sunshine I am referring to today...

I am referring to the fact that I have been chosen for my very first blog award!! Woo hoo! I must admit I was definitely a bit surprised one morning last week to wake up and find the exciting news. When I started this blog a few years ago, I really didn't anticipate anyone aside from my mom and sister actually reading it. But, now that around 20 of you do, it has become something that I really enjoy keeping up with on a regular basis. I used to love writing when I was younger. Does anyone else remember the Power of the Pen writing contests? I don't think I won any awards back then, but it was a nice creative outlet that I find I still enjoy today. The main purpose of my blog is to capture all of the memories we make as a family. I know that 20 years from now I will be so happy that I did. I have enough trouble remembering what we did last week, much less years ago. This blog will allow me to remember all the good stuff...and the bad too. ;) I also use it as a means of keeping our families up to date with what have been up to. Since we have never really lived very close to either of our parents, the boys don't see Grandmas and Grandpas, aunts, uncles and cousins as much as most families do. It is my hope that this blog helps them watch the boys learn and grow! I have also started adding in my menus and recipes. While I am by no means Martha or Rachel, I hope that my meals or recipes can inspire other moms to put healthy, yummy meals on the table for their families. I used to cook from boxes and struggle to put meals on the table most nights of the week. Now I realize that it isn't as hard as it seems and it can be fun too! :)

As I stated above, I have been nominated for a Sunshine Award!

Meredith, at Mom of the Year, was so kind to nominate me. If you've never checked out her blog, you must. I recently started following her and her blog quickly gained a spot on my must-read list. She is so funny! With two kiddos of her own nearly the same ages as Ethan and Noah, we can relate. :) Sometimes I swear she is writing about mine. It's kind of freaky, haha! Thank you so much for the nomination, Meredith!

This award's purpose is to "positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere." Awesome! While I don't have a large following like lots of the mommy blogs out there, I do hope that I inspire at least a few other moms. In today's world full of mom-petition, we need to stick together and inspire each other to be the best moms we can be, not tear each other down.

The requirements of the Sunshine Award are that I need to thank the person who nominated me and link back to them. I also need to post the award on my blog, answer 10 questions, and pass the award on to 10 other bloggers.

So, here are the bloggers who inspire me...this definitely isn't a list of "mom" blogs so much, but they are fellow bloggers that inspire me in various ways and I enjoy reading what they have to say! :) A lot of them have huge followings, so this award may not mean much to them, and others don't really write for the public so much, so they will probably be surprised by this award. But, they are all people who inspire me to be a better person!

1. Mollyberries' Hodge Podge: Molly's blog is one of the first I started reading on a regular basis. She inspires me to want to run. If you know me well, you know I have never enjoyed it. The way she describes her marathon adventures, it makes me want to someday be able to complete one of my own. I'm a long way off from there, but in the meantime, I enjoy living vicariously through her blog.
2. My Life Playing House: An account of Mommyhood on the Plains: She probably doesn't even know I read her blog, but I love it. I've only met her once, via our hubbies, but I love reading about all the fun things she does with her three adorable children. She inspires me to be more creative with my kiddos!
3. Thrifty Decor Mom: Her weekly menus inspired me to start doing the same on my blog. She also posts about awesome DIY projects that are easy to implement. It doesn't hurt that she's a fellow Ohioan. ;)
4. Plain Chicken: She has a huge following and there's a good reason for that! Her recipes are some of the best out there. They are normally really easy to make, kid-friendly and tasty to boot! Her posts make my mouth water and inspire me to make great meals for my family too.
5. Annie's Eats: Another very popular food blog, it is probably my favorite. The pictures she posts of the food she makes look so pretty, I wouldn't want to mess the food up by eating it! As a physician, mom of two and popular food blogger, she inspires me to try new, more difficult recipes. I am amazed at how she does it all!
6. Momastery: This mom inspires me to be a better person overall. A better wife, mother and friend. She is such a sweet, genuine person and I enjoy reading her motivational posts.
7. No Screen Summer: This blogger is actually my cousin! I know what you're thinking...it's unfortunate that her quick wit and funny genes did not make it into my DNA. Me too. Haha! Though she isn't currently blogging, this one is a great read. She inspires me to find the funny in life and try to take life in stride. I think we should bug her to start blogging again, don't you?? :)
8. Chocolate-Covered Katie: This healthy dessert blog has inspired me to start making healthier desserts. It's no secret that I am dieting changing my lifestyle, and her recipes have helped me to still occasionally enjoy a sweet treat, without having to feel super guilty about it. ;) She also inspires me to try getting more creative in the kitchen and experimenting with my own recipes!
9. Honest Toddler: This blog is just downright hilarious. It seriously makes me nearly pee my pants on a regular basis. Sadly, I don't need much help with that one after two natural childbirths, but I've had some close calls while reading this blog. Sometimes I wonder if one of my children are the honest toddler, but I feel better knowing some of the stuff they do isn't so out of the norm after all! ;)
10. My Life and Kids: Anna is hilarious. Plain and simple. I love reading her blog and I love the fact that she inspires me to "find the funny" in parenting. Taking care of kids full time can be tough and sometimes it's best to stop taking everything so seriously and just laugh!

The questions Meredith asked me to answer are fun!

1. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
This is a tough one. Though I have lived in the eastern half of the US all of my life, I think I might have to go with San Francisco for this one. Hubby and I visited once several years ago and we both loved it. While he would probably go with San Diego (or a tropical island), I preferred the city life of San Fran. Now if we could just afford to do it...haha!

2. If you could go on vacation anywhere, where would you go?

This is a toss up between Europe and any tropical island. Let's face it though, a trip to the spa without my little darling boys in tow is a vacation these days! ;)

3. What's your favorite part of blogging?

Probably preserving the memories. Like I said earlier, now that I've had kids, my memory is something of the past. I struggle to remember things from last week, so memories of Ethan as a baby are already starting to fade. I don't want to lose these precious memories forever, so I hope to keep up with them here. So hold me accountable to that! ;)

4. Coffee or hot chocolate?

No brainer...coffee! Fun fact about me...while I love chocolate (well, much more than I did as a child), I still don't care for chocolate milk products (ice cream, milkshakes, hot chocolate). I'd much rather stick with good 'ole vanilla!

5. How do you take your coffee?

Up until this year, I was a Starbucks only kind of gal. You know, the more fru-fru the better! While I still love my iced non-fat caramel macchiatos (yep, Starbucks has me hooked with whatever crack they put in there), I now make my own cup at home to drink daily. Thanks to Fresh Market's almond amaretto blend, I enjoy my morning cup 'o joe. I like to add a spoonful of vanilla syrup, a splash of half and half and top it off with a dollop of whipped cream! :) Yep, not exactly a regular cup of coffee, but I enjoy one cup each morning. After months and months of waking up multiple times a night with Noah, I decided I needed the daily caffeine fix to chase after two crazy little guys all day!

6. What do you do to relax?

I can't lie, I'm a reality tv junkie. While I don't watch very many of them out there (the more busy I get with the kiddos, the less TV time I seem to have! Haha!), I watch my fair share. It's one of my guilty pleasures and sometimes it's just what I need to wind down and escape from the real world. It may or may not include a nice glass of riesling. ;)

7. How do you keep calm in stressful situations?

Hmm, that's a tough one. I guess I would have to say that I normally turn to my rock. That would be my hubby. He's my best friend and has an amazing ability to stay cool in all situations. I'm extremely type A, so everything is stressful to me. He's definitely type B, so he balances us out and helps me keep my sanity! We're a team in this parenting thing and I'd like to think we make a pretty good one. :)

8. Beautiful skies or clear with stars?

Both are quite tempting, but I've always been a sucker for a clear, starry night. There's something about sitting under a beautiful night sky around a fire pit with loved ones, toasting marshmallows or enjoying some hot apple cider. It's one of the many reasons I love fall!

9. Dogs, cats or fish?

While my first pet was a fish, I've got to go with dogs on this one. Our adorable boxer, Daisy Duke, is and always will be our first child.

10. Be honest - which name do you like better, maiden or married?

I am actually fine with either. The only downfall to my married name is that I always have to spell it. It's not spelled like the famous mattress company. ;) My maiden name would have made for a catchy blog title (Frankly Speaking??), but it can be confusing to have a man's first name as a last name.

Thanks again Meredith for the nomination and I hope that everyone spreads some sunshine today!

Menu Monday #12

It was great having a lazy weekend at home this weekend. Oh wait, did I say lazy? I meant crazy. Ethan starts preschool tomorrow. Tomorrow!!! Um yeah, let's hope I am ready for that one. Sure, physically we'll be ready. But emotionally? I'll probably be a basket case. Where has my bright-eyed little toddler gone? He's now a preschooler. He has grown up so much over the past several months. He is now getting out of bed by himself in the morning instead of sitting there, calling out for me and waiting patiently. Instead, he hops up, turns on his light and opens the door. Still getting used to that one! Haha! We recently decided that he is ready to start doing "chores" around the house, with our help and supervision, of course. I'm not running a sweat shop here (despite what Josh says, haha), but we do think it is good for him. He loves helping out and he does really well with having tasks and jobs to do. We're starting simple with things like filling Daisy's food bowl, taking dishes to the sink/dishwasher, loading and unloading the dishwasher, helping with laundry, and picking up his toys. I am in the process of making up a fancy chart that we can use to keep track of when he finishes the tasks and then we'll use that to determine his rewards at the end of the week. We'll probably use money, as he likes it so much (surprise, surprise), but we'll see. I guess I will probably make that my next big project, though my list keeps growing of things I want to get done!

So...given that school starts tomorrow and I attended his preschool orientation last week, that meant we had this past weekend to get his school shopping done. As it so happens, that coincided with tax-free shopping weekend in Tennessee. While it was nice saving that 9% on everything (school supplies, shoes, clothes), you would have thought it was Black Friday! The stores were CRAZY!! We survived and emerged with a new Cars 2 backpack and lunchbox, new shoes for both of the boys, some clothes and almost everything from his school supply list! Woo hoo! So, I think we are ready for tomorrow and fall now. :)

Unfortunately, it stormed (again...that is all it has been doing for the past month!) Friday night, so the Touch a Truck! event was cancelled. :( I heard it is to be rescheduled, so I'll have to be on the lookout for that. I was fortunate to be able to escape for a few hours on Friday afternoon for a cut and color and some shopping, so I picked up a pizza from Mellow Mushroom on my way home for dinner instead that night.

On Saturday morning, we fueled up with some Whole Wheat Banana Bread Pancakes (one of our favorites!) before our shopping adventures. Instead of the traditional pancakes though, I made them Whole Wheat Banana Bread Squares. I put the batter into a 9 x 13 glass dish and baked it. It's a nice version because then it's all ready at one time, instead of in batches. It turned out pretty well and the boys managed to gobble up as much as we did! After the madness of the day, I wasn't up for cooking that evening and we had just had pizza the night before, so we decided to go out instead of making Margherita Pizza at home. Kingsport has a great little seafood place on the river, The Riverfront Seafood Company. I had only been there for lunch before that, so I was excited about the bigger dinner menu. So many yummy sounding dishes to choose from, but I finally decided on their shrimp scampi pasta. It did not disappoint. We started with a crab cake appetizer, also very delicious. Josh had the New Orleans style BBQ Shrimp dish and it was incredible. I think I know what I will be getting next time! ;) We finished the meal off with a piece of blackberry cake. Delicious! I am still trying to figure out how they made that one. I think maybe it was a vanilla cake base with a lot of blackberry puree added to the batter. Topped with a cream cheese icing, it was the perfect summer dessert. I must try something similar here at home. :)

On Sunday morning, I whipped up a frittata with bacon, cheese and fresh basil. Yum! I have been struggling to keep basil plants alive this past month, but we got 2 new ones on Saturday, so I am hoping my black thumb doesn't kill these too. I spent my day scrubbing bathrooms, doing laundry and grocery shopping. Fortunately, I managed to make it home from the store, despite the monsoon-like rains that plagued Johnson City last night. It was seriously insane. They actually had to cancel the first day of school today because the bus parking lot was so flooded! No joke. I'm hoping things calm down today and Ethan actually gets to start tomorrow, but given the fact that it is raining downpouring again right now, I'm not sure what will happen at this point! Thanks to a friend for sharing this picture of the damage on Facebook. Do you think we've had enough rain yet?? We broke records (by over an inch) in July for the most rain here ever in a month's time with 13 inches. Normal is around 5 inches. Awesome. So far this month, I think we've had rain every day too. Sigh.

Sadly, my diet has been suffering the past couple of weeks. I have hit a standstill on the scales, so I really need to kick it back into high gear. That means no more after dinner snacks or desserts for me. I am also determined to get back to running in the mornings. Though I despise dragging myself out of bed in the 6 o'clock hour, I really need to do it. I guess that means no more staying up past midnight anymore. :( I am definitely a night owl by choice, but with preschool starting, it's probably best for all of us to adjust to an earlier bedtime again. Goodbye summer! :'(

Sunday: Crescent Roll Pizza Roll-ups
These are a family favorite. I mean, who doesn't love a buttery crescent roll?? Stuffed with fresh mozzarella and basil, it was undeniably delicious. I used string cheese and mini pepperonis for the boys, but Josh and I enjoyed the more "grown-up" version. Dipped in some crushed tomatoes, it was the perfect easy Sunday night dinner.

Monday: Grilled, blackened tilapia over brown rice, oven roasted parmesan broccoli
Changing it up a bit this week and having tilapia instead of salmon. The Fresh Market has the biggest tilapia filets I have ever seen and I usually end up eating some of the boys' portion for leftovers. It is super yummy, so we'll all enjoy it for dinner tonight if this rain ever stops!

Tuesday: Melt in Your Mouth Baked Chicken, whole wheat rotini, pan fried parmesan green beans
We haven't had this one in awhile, and it's a great low-cal dish, so we'll enjoy it this week.

Wednesday: Spicy Hawaiian burgers, cajun grilled corn on the cob
Trying another new burger recipe this week. The Caprese burgers we had last week were awesome! I'll try to post about those soon. I found this Hawaiian burger awhile back on Pinterest and it looked awesome, so I have been wanting to try it. It is actually supposed to be made with ground chicken instead of beef, but they don't carry that at Fresh Market, so I'll be using lean ground beef instead. Topped with spicy pepperjack cheese and sweet grilled pineapple, it should be the perfect mix. We'll grill some corn on the cob, topped with a little butter and some Cajun seasoning.

Thursday: Cajun Stuffed Peppers
Another meal we haven't had in awhile, but a good one. It's packed with nutrition, but doesn't lack in flavor.

Friday: Strawberry Balsamic Chicken Bacon Pizza
I haven't made this pizza since the first time I tried it out, as it is definitely a bit involved, but it is too good to hold off any longer. I can't wait for Friday! :)

Saturday: Out to eat
Hard to tell where we will end up, but I'm sure it will be good.


Happy meal planning to you this week and I hope fellow parents of new preschoolers survive this first week like I am hoping to do! :)

Menu Monday #11

After another weekend on the road, it is nice to be settled back in at home again this morning. We are grateful for the shorter road trips to see family in Ohio again, but there's still nothing like being at your own home. I tend to steer towards the authoritarian (military) parenting style when it comes to some things, like naps and mealtime. Unfortunately, these are things that are harder to control away from home. Perhaps due to the very structured life/schedule we lead at home, it has made the boys not as easily adaptable to other situations, which often leads to tired, cranky kids when we are away from home. Ugh. It also leads to children still sleeping as I type this at 9 am this morning!

We enjoyed our Saturday evening at a family reunion with hubby's mom's relatives. A big picnic-style dinner of ribs, pulled pork and assorted sides and desserts filled us up as we caught up with everyone. It was my (and the boys) first time meeting some of the attendees since it was my first time attending a reunion with this side of the family. It was an evening of good food, good conversation and good times for the kids.

I am happy to report that last week's Lasagna Cups were a success! Super fun and tasty too. This one will definitely be added to the rotation. :)

Sunday: Out to eat

We got a late start back home, so we had to grab something quick to eat on the road. Did you know Burger King has sweet potato fries right now? I don't know if it was because they had been sitting too long or because they are deep fried, but they weren't that great. :( Their grilled chicken sandwich was pretty good though. I guess I had never had it since we are normally Wendy's people if we have to eat fast food.

Monday: Blackened salmon over brown rice, oven roasted parmesan broccoli

Yep, salmon again! You can bet I will have this one on the menu every week now until I a) get sick of it, or b) it gets too cold to grill. Neither of those are likely to happen anytime soon. :) The boys will have tilapia again.

Tuesday: Slow-cooker salsa chicken in whole wheat tortillas with Cajun-steamed corn

I need a quick meal since I am headed to Ethan's preschool orientation tomorrow night!! :o I know, I still can't believe that one yet either. Yes, I am sure there will be tears when preschool starts on the 7th. Hopefully just from me, and not Ethan! ;) This is a great meal to get on the table quickly. The chicken cooks most of the day, then I can just heat the tortillas and corn and we are ready to eat in 5 minutes!

Wednesday: Caprese burgers, baked sweet potato fries

I saw this idea for a burger awhile back and have been wanting to give it a try. I'll make traditional burger patties, using lean ground beef. We'll grill those, then top them with a slice of fresh mozzarella, a slice of tomato, a few basil leaves and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. All of that on a toasted whole wheat English muffin. Sounds delicious, so I am hoping this one turns out great!

Thursday: Grilled BBQ pork chops, mac 'n cheese, pan fried parmesan green beans

We'll grill some pork chops, topped with our favorite, Montgomery Inn BBQ sauce. On the side, I'll make Kraft mac 'n cheese. It's the only kind Ethan will eat (we've tried lots of different homemade varieties at home and at restaurants) and I haven't made it in months, so we'll indulge a bit. :) They make lots of different kinds now and I buy their whole grain variety. I actually prefer it to the original and feel a little better about serving it. ;) I also make their reduced-fat/calorie version (listed on the box), by decreasing the amount of butter and using skim milk. I actually think this tastes better too. I must admit that mac 'n cheese is one of the only things I prefer from the (blue) box to homemade. I guess because I grew up eating so much of it? I don't know. It's also one of the only things I prefer as leftovers, and I normally hate leftovers. I think it's because it's even more dry the next day when you nuke it and that is how I prefer my mac 'n cheese...not creamy and saucy. Weird, I know, but I guess Ethan gets that from me. Haha!

Friday: Out to eat

Downtown Johnson City (the Hands On! Museum) will be hosting a "Touch a Truck" event where you can come and see (and touch!) all kinds of different trucks. When I saw this, I knew it would be super exciting for Ethan, so we're hoping to make it there for this. :) While we are downtown, we'd like to check out one of the local restaurants there.

Saturday: Margherita pizza

I ended up changing last week's menu a bit since we would be eating pizza Friday night at Josh's parents' house. So instead of making Margherita pizza last Thursday, I made a Margherita pasta instead. I prepared whole wheat rotini, then mixed in some fresh garlic, crushed tomatoes, chunks of fresh mozzarella and basil leaves. It was pretty good and Noah gobbled it up, so I think it's a keeper!

Happy meal planning to you all this week! And yes, little Noah is still sleeping at 9:45...he was one tired little boy!!