Saturday, April 30, 2011

On the Brag

Lol. I'm laughing at myself. And glad I'm going to see Harmony and Michelle tonight because it's fun to be giddy with those hotties. Travis is on his way home from his boys' baseball weekend in Texas. It's always easy to let him go on these mini getaways because I know it means so much to him. He always has so much fun seeing baseball games, eating adventurous food (this trip it was fried frog leg salad), and relaxing boy-style. It's different than traveling with me. For instance, he wouldn't dare ask me to ride the bus across town to a different car rental place to save 100 bucks; but Ben had no problem with such a journey! I'm glad that Trav goes because I know that he'll also make it a priority for me to have some time away. Some people don't travel without their spouses, but I'm grateful we have learned that this is one of the best things we can do to strengthen our relationship.

This was a very typical Sunday morning at Casa Verde. Cassidy obviously didn't appreciate me trying to interrupt her boogie excavation. I'll save this to show her future boyfriend (if her Dad allows that...ever).

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

What's In Your Waffle?

I'm not perfect in nutrition with my kids, but I love me a good trick! I enjoy sneaking healthy stuff into their food. When Patrick lived here I'd offer him baked treats and he'd immediately ask, "Do I want to know what's in this?" I will never tell him unless he's already given it a try first, and he's usually splendidly surprised that I sneaked spinach in brownies or butternut squash in his cupcakes.

Shannon has been making sneaky substitutions for Cohen for awhile, as he's on a gluten-free diet and is pretty particular about what he'll eat. She uses applesauce and white beans often to avoid using oil or eggs.

My recent faves have been waffles and muffins. I figure waffles are often eaten with syrup, so how hard would it be to mask veggies inside?! Sometimes I make a base for a smoothie (frozen strawberries/blueberries etc.) in my Vitamix blender (love love this, but a Magic Bullet will also do fine) and then just add some pancake mix like Bisquick or Krusteaz.

Today I'm making banana muffins with pureed zucchini, bananas, great northern beans, and acorn squash. Some mini choco chips make them divine!

We've got a blending/juicing party in the works, so let me know if you want to come, or, if you're far away, I'd love to share some ideas we receive!