My husband needs a new job because...

...it's not about the money. I miss my husband! This weekend my husband was lucky enough to get both Saturday and Sunday off. This is a rare event. I am usually blessed if I have him home one day of the weekend, let alone two! We didn't plan anything special, but we did manage to accomplish a lot of work around the house that needed to be done, mainly cleaning up the backyard, weeding again, and cleaning the office which was an absolute disaster zone. I would have taken before and after pictures but I was too embarrassed. I can't really take credit, my super amazing husband tackled it by himself while I worked on other housework. Which means, I can check "clean office" off of my 101 in 1,001 list! I can also add that I can update "try 20 new recipes" to "try 17 new recipes". This past week I got motivated to get in the kitchen and try some new things and this is what I came up with:

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

 We always have bananas that we let get a little too ripe, and I am always making banana bread because Santi loves it. This time I took my mom's basic banana bread recipe and used whole wheat flour and threw in some chocolate chips. It was soooo yummy! I am going to use this version from now on!
Then I tried this:

Minestrone Pasta Salad

If you like minestrone soup, this is basically the pasta salad version. It's also pretty healthy, and I used wheat pasta. Here's the recipe:

3	cups (7 1/2 ounces) uncooked medium pasta shells
2/3	cup Italian dressing
1/2	cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2	medium carrots, sliced (1 cup)
1	medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1	can (19 oz) red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1	can (15 oz) chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed
1	can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs or stewed tomatoes, drained

1.	Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
2.	Toss pasta and remaining ingredients. Serve warm or cold.

Then I made this:

Black Bean Pasta Cancun

This is like a Mexican pasta dish. I used quinoa pasta in this one (found it at Sprout's). It was pretty yummy. Here's the recipe:

2	cups uncooked radiatore (nugget) pasta (4 oz)
1	can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen® organic fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies
1	cup Progresso® black beans (from 15-oz can), drained, rinsed
1/2	teaspoon grated lime peel
1/4	teaspoon ground cumin
1/4	bell pepper, cut into 2x1/4-inch strips
2	tablespoons fat-free sour cream
2	lime wedges
	Cilantro leaves, if desired

1.	Cook and drain pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
2.	Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat tomatoes to boiling. Stir in pasta, beans, lime peel, cumin and bell pepper. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot. Garnish with sour cream, lime and cilantro. Squeeze lime over pasta.

I decided I like to take pictures of my new dishes, one because it makes me feel like a real chef (ha ha ha), and two because I feel like I need proof that I can actually cook if I take the time. Anyways, most of the new things I have been trying come from www.eatbetteramerica.com which is a great place to find easy, healthy recipes. I also use the Food Network website when I am feeling adventurous. I love Bobby Flay.
On another note, I survived field day at school yesterday. The kids had a good time, I was a little stressed because I did a lot of the planning and organizing and it included all of first and kinder this year which was a LOT of kids. Here is the evidence that they had fun:

And here is what brought them to that point:

I am going to tear up at graduation this year. I was so blessed with a wonderful class of some really great kids this year. They are really a great group.