...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.
