Get Your Day Started Right

I am back on WW. And I am actually following the program, so that's always good. ;) The hardest thing for me was breakfast. I was having a light yogurt every morning, and while it was low it points, it also made me hungry by 10am.

At my WW meeting, someone mentioned oatmeal. Now I have NEVER been a hot cereal type of gal. My grandmothers both had cream of wheat every morning and I thought it tasted like paste. I put all hot cereals in that category. But I was desperate, so I figured i had nothing to lose. I went straight to the top and got steel cut oatmeal. Not instant- the kind you have to cook nearly an hour.

But man, does it work! I eat some of these, and I am full for the whole morning. I can't believe it. They are really tasty too! I make a full batch and night, and then divide it into 4-6 containers. Then I just heat it up at work in the morning for 1 minute in the microwave, add a tiny bit of chopped walnuts and craisins, and I am good to go!

I use McCann's Irish Oatmeal. You can buy these oats at many grocery stores, but I have found them cheapest at Trader Joe's. Having a filling breakfast really works for me! For other works for me ideas, visit We Are That Family.

I felt so Amish

After being inspired by Jane's blog, I decided to have some fun with the girls (while Big Man was napping). We took a simple container of heavy cream and had a blast. First we made whipped cream. Using the Kitchen Aid (and a bit of sugar and vanilla) the girls LOVED their homemade whipped cream. They both said it tasted like melted vanilla ice cream. Then we took the same container of heavy cream, put it in a rubbermaid container, added a bit of salt and shook. After not to long we had Butter! They thought it was soooo cool. The whole thing took about 10 minutes, and they loved it. Gotta love fun, mixed with science, and snacks!

Yummy Quick Dinner!

So last night I made a really yummy dinner. DH and I loved it, Big Man liked it, the girls complained, but what else is new. I made mini meatloaves, using a muffin tin. But these weren't any meatloaves - these were delicious cheese-stuffed meatloaves!

Here is the basic recipe -

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
sprinkle of garlic powder
sprinkle of onion powder
salt & pepper (i use crazy salt)
sprinkle cumin
sprinkle Lawry's salt
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
15 Ritz crackers pounded to small crumbs

Mix all above. Divide into 12 parts

Take 4 string cheese and cut into 3 pieces each

Make a meatball, wrapping meat mixture around cheese stick.

Put in muffin tins (after spraying tins well with PAM) - and top with mix of 1/4 cup ketchup and 1/4 cup brown sugar. YUMM!

Cook 15 or so minutes. DELICIOUS!!!

Next time I will serve to the kids with tomato sauce and I think it will be fine.

I'm Just Here for the Food

Big Man is obsessed with food. At 3 1/2, he LOVES candy, cookies, etc. Neither of the girls were like this - it is really insane. When he wakes up, his first thought it where are his (gummy) vitamins. Shortly thereafter he wants a poptart. In the car on the way to work/daycare, he asks what is for dinner. When we pick him up, before saying hi he says "what's for dinner?". When we get home he asks for a snack.

Last night, while eating dinner, he says his tummy hurts. We tell him he has probably had enough to eat. He says yeah. 30 seconds later he asks for some yogurt. Then a cookie. Then a banana. We have found him hiding in the pantry eating cookies. He will lie about what he has eaten while he is still eating it and it is smeared all over his face.

He is not overweight, in fact he is a little guy. I assume this will pass?

Strawberry Fields Forever

On Saturday we went out to our favorite pick-your-own place and nabbed some awesome strawberries. We also got some English peas and Sugar Snap peas. But now I mixed them up and have no idea which are which - anyone know how to tell?

Fun with Cauliflower

No really. This week we have been trying some new recipes with cauliflower. And both were pretty good! The best was - roasted cauliflower. A bunch of friends had tried this and proclaimed it great, so we gave it a shot. It is really easy - first you cut up the cauliflower into little florets. Put them all spread out on a cookie sheet. Then cover liberally with olive oil, salt and pepper (we use Crazy Salt). Roast at 425 for about 25 minutes. If you can turn them once, that's good. YUMMY!! These were so good. Little roasted salty goodness. I personally think the cauliflower is just a delivery method for the oil and salt - but whatever. Yummy.

Also, with my low-carb thing, I have a hard time with my dinner plate. I am a traditional - meat, veggie, starch girl. That is what a dinner plate looks like to me. Well, I am not eating starches at dinner. So my options are to serve it, and just leave a gap on my plate - or come up with alternatives. One I found this week was cauliflower "rice". Basically you use a cheese grater and grate some cauliflower down to little grains (like rice). Put them in a bowl with a cover and microwave for 4-5 minutes. Remove, add some butter and maybe soy sauce - and its kinda like rice. Definitely still has a cauliflower flavor - but not bad.

So there you go - fun with cauliflower. Enjoy!

Food Fun - Part II

So after our first week of teaching the kids how to eat like people (where every single night was a screaming, hysterical, sobbing mess), the kids got a break because we went on vacation. I wasn't going to make them actually order stuff they won't eat from a menu.

But tonight we were back at it. Actually last night, but that was just pasta, bread, and applesauce - and they eat that all the time. Tonight was steak sandwiches, hash browns, and broccoli. And -- AMAZINGLY -- there was no crying. There was even a bit of enthusiasm. What a miracle!!! They didn't happily eat it - but they did eat it - most of it. It was awesome. And like I said, NO FUSSING. I'm sure it is a temporary bloop, but I will take it!!

Tomorrow is salmon - something neither my husband or I eat. I am the worst New Englander ever - I don't like snow - I don't ski - and I don't eat fish. My Dad, when he was growing up, his mother served dry fish sticks EVERY single Friday. So when he got married, my Dad told my mother he would not eat fish - ever. My mom loved fish, and used to get it at restaurants, but we never had it at home. So I never got a taste for it. But it is so good for you, so I want to try and like it.

So, tomorrow night lets hope there are not 5 sobbing, hysterical people at my dinner table! Wednesday night is terryaki chicken.