Mini Vans and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars

Hello, my name is Meghan and I drive a mini van.

Wow. Getting that off my chest feels a lot better. Are we still friends? I hope. Because driving a mini van and spending a lot of my recent time washing baby clothes has made me feel like I need to do other Mom stuff, like, you know, bake.

Momma left me a couple of magazines she bought for her flight down here, and when I was going through my overwhelming stack of periodicals I found a what I thought looked like a pretty tasty recipe in a Health magazine she left.

DIY Baby Mobiles

All three baby mobiles are finally finished!

When the husband said he wanted the babies to have mobiles I thought it was a pretty sweet idea he was getting into the whole registry thing. And then I saw how much mobiles cost.

Maybe you have kids and you'll say a $60 musical mobile is worth it, but I just can't buy into that philosophy at the moment. I can't imagine spending that amount of money on a mobile let alone registering for three of them and expecting someone else to buy them for our babies.

So I turned to Google.

Stuffed French Toast

Lazy weekend mornings when the husband's golfing are for sleeping in with brown dogs. They're for watching bad television the husband would never watch with you and downloading photos you've been letting sit on your camera for far too long.


Mornings like these are for making yourself a good breakfast and topping it with your uncle's homemade maple syrup so when you sit very still in your recliner with you feet up, you can feel the tiny humans in your belly go crazy.

Babies' Room Sneak Peek

One mobile down, two to go

I never understood those people who find out the sex of their baby before the baby is actually here. My dad always told me there's no other surprise as huge as waiting until that moment when your tiny baby is born and hearing, "It's a girl!" (Or, in my parents' case, when their rather-large baby was born; I weighed in at more than 9 lbs.)

Aside from gender, though, I really never understood parents-to-be needing to name said baby before its arrival. My mom and stepdaddy spent days after my brother's birth - yes, days - discussing his name before they finally made a decision.

Those people made no sense to me. And then the husband and I became those people.

I mean, how in the world are you supposed to buy stuff for triplets without knowing if they're boys or girls - or if you've got a mix of each? How do you decorate a room for three and stick with gender-neutral tones when you aren't a fan of yellow? Sorry. I just can't do yellow.

We had to find out.

Meatless Monday: Eggplant "Sandwiches"

I like to think Eggplant "Sandwiches" are good for growing babies.

I almost ate an entire eggplant one day last week. You see, I let the husband eat four slices. So I can say I didn't eat the whole thing myself.

But let's be honest here: I could have.

Super Easy Blackberry Cobbler

Blackberry Crumble

We just survived the hottest weekend on record for East Tennessee. I know plenty of people see 100+ temperatures on a regular basis. But we aren't those people. And I'm willing to best most of those people aren't carrying triplets.


Then again, maybe some of them are. (That's one of the things I like most about carrying multiples. Everywhere we go, the husband and I are walking around with our very own secret. Seeing the look on someone's face when they say "baby" and I correct them with "babies" never gets old.)


We had one night early last week where it was only 85 degrees, so I made the husband a little treat. He'd bought blackberries at the grocery store and told me he wanted a cobbler. I'd never made one before, but how hard could it be?

WIAW #11 [Cake and a Big Reveal!]

Congratulations, Sissa & A.J.!

Who eats four pieces of cake at a time? This girl. Now I know cake doesn't necessarily fall into the "sensible snacking" category, but there's something I've been keeping from all of you for the last couple of months. And I think once I tell you, you'll let me off the hook for eating more cake than vegetables last Saturday.

The truth is, I've been snacking a lot lately. I've eaten mini pizzas, affectionately known as Tomato Cheese Dreams at my old high school. Sometimes I cut up carrots like fries and heat 'em up in the oven until they're nice and hot and crispy. I sprinkle them with Mixed-Up Salt and snack away. And I've been drinking a lot of milk.
Think you've figured me out yet?

Catching Up ... Almost 3 Weeks Later

Hi, guys. Sorry I haven't been around in forever. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I promise. I haven't gotten rid of the husband or decided to give up on cooking, either. Things have just been hectic around these parts lately. 

We had birthdays.

What I Ate Wednesday #10

Last night we were supposed to have BLTs with chicken for dinner. (The husband didn't think a BLT would provide me with enough protein, so I agreed we could have chicken on our sandwiches, too.)

So I start cleaning and seasoning the chicken breasts, and the husband gets out the grill tray and tells me he's going to cook the bacon on the grill.

I don't think anything of this; I don't stop him. In fact, I watch him clear a space on the counter, delicately separate the bacon slices and perfectly arrange them on the tray.

Can you tell where this is going? 

Flaxseed Crackers

The husband  took me plant shopping!

Weekends are for watching basketball, sleeping for 10 hours straight, buying hanging baskets, getting dirt under your fingernails while you plant lettuce seeds and eating dinner out because you're too lazy to cook.


Mondays are for wearing dress clothes, listening to the radio while you drive to work, hoping the dogs were good while they were in the garage all day and for sticking to a menu plan.


Mondays are also for looking for after-work snacks and wishing the husband hadn't eaten all of the flaxseed crackers you had Saturday and Sunday.

Guest Post: 7 Great Recipes for Regional Foods

Today's guest post is brought to you by Katie, a produced screenwriter who has just recently joined the blogging world. She's here to introduce us to great foods found around the U.S., so give her a big welcome! 

iStockPhoto

By Katie Fetting-Schlerf

One of the great joys of travelling the United States is the variety of food one finds.  From the seafood of the coasts to the “comfort food” of the inland areas, America is a melting pot – not just of people, but of taste buds. Our collective palate is at times mild and conservative, while at others hot and spicy. Regardless of the state, however, the local cuisine is always interesting.

Below are seven of the best recipes for regional foods from a variety of my favorite culinary websites. Cook away! 

Chocolatey Blondies

Chocolate Chunk Blondies

My first mistake was asking the husband if there was something I could make him as a special treat. I was in the mood to bake, but I didn't have much in mind. The next thing I know the husband's walking back to the grocery cart with a package of semisweet chocolate chunks.

My second mistake was agreeing to make him blondies, even though I was convinced I couldn't do it. (I pretty much knew that if I made blondies I'd have to test the blondies. Yes, I'd have to test them.)

And that leads me to my third mistake: sprinkling just a few of those blondies with unsweetened shredded coconut.

What I Ate Wednesday: #9 [and Green Egg Salad]

Technically What I Ate Monday

Breakfast: high-protein pancakes made with cottage cheese, two egg whites and chocolate protein powder, topped with blackberries and sugar-free syrup; half caff and unsweetened almond milk on the side morning snack: greek yogurt, 1/4 cup blackberries, hazelnuts lunch: avocado-egg salad, lettuce, low-fat string cheese, chocolate protein powder + water, coconut la croix snack: 1/2 tablespoon natural peanut butter; cottage cheese; apple (not pictured: rye-pumpernickel swirl bread toasted + topped with 1/2 tablespoon natural peanut butter) dinner: leftover corned beef; carrots; cabbage

And since we're here to talk about going green - because it's March is the month for St. Patrick, because eating veggies never gets old, because Jenn said so and because I've recently discovered I can eat avocado without my mouth itching - I wanted to share with you my "recipe" for avocado-egg salad.

Mrs. Paul's Fish Dinner

Mrs. Paul's Roasted Garlic Tilapia

Husband, hesitantly, trying not to start any trouble even though he knows what he's about to say easily could: I like having fish for dinner, but I just don't want to get burned-out.


Wife, perplexed: When we have it cooked differently every time, how are you going to get tired of it?


Husband, treading lightly: I don't know, but you're feeding it to me every Friday. I just don't want to eat so much of it that I don't want to eat fish anymore.


Wife, knowing exactly what he's getting at: Do you want to have fish sticks while I have baked fish?


Husband, suddenly enthusiastic: Yes! That sounds good. Let's have fish for dinner.

Easy Chicken Spiedies

Chicken Spiedie Salad

I have a feeling that if you aren't from upstate (central) New York, have never visited the area or do not love someone who is from there, you have no idea what I'm talking about when I say "spiedies." 


First, so you don't mispronounce the name and get all embarrassed when you talk to your friends about these, "spiedie" is pronounced "speedy." I won't get into the history and all - you can Google that on your own time. But I thought it was important you know that we're talking about an Italian-inspired meat dish that hails from New York and, once you get past the marinade stage, is speeeeed-ie to throw together.

What I Ate Wednesday: Week 8 [and Garlicky Spinach]

TGIW. Yes, that's right, I just made that acronym my own. I'm so glad it's Wednesday, I can do that. Wednesday means I get to show you all of the crazy things I've been eating lately, and that always makes for a fun time. But today was a pretty great day overall - it was sunny and in the 70s, and I had a fabulous time eating my lunch and reading outside this afternoon. And the dogs are on a roll. They haven't done one naughty thing while I've been at work this week. (I totally just jinxed myself didn't I?)

But the absolute best thing about today? The husband comes home on Thursday from his business trip. And since Wednesday is just about over, that means we're that much closer to Thursday.

  

Monday's Meals
Breakfast: deli ham and scrambled egg whites and low-fat cream cheese; a chocolate protein shake made with almond milk; half caff

Stuffing Peppers & Editing Photos

Tonight's dinner: a green pepper stuffed 

I had big plans tonight. They involved eating dinner, doing the dishes, playing with the doggies, vacuuming, putting my clothes away and starting a new book.

So far I've had dinner, eaten a few handfuls of the husband's Raisin Bran, played outside with Mr. Pants and Miss Stella, did the dishes and discovered pixlr-o-matic.

Coffee-Marinated Steak & Meal Planning (Week of 3.12.12)

The gardens are reading for planting, the kitchen is clean, the husband is packed for his business trip and our meals for the rest of the week are planned. This week is off to a pretty good start, or it's at least off to an extremely organized start.


I even managed to sit down and catch up on a bunch of emails I've been letting pile up in my inbox after we ate our coffee-marinated steak and sauteed spinach dinner. Yes, the husband ate spinach for dinner and liked it.


I wasn't lying when I said this week was off to a good start. Care to see how the rest of it's looking?

How to Make Tree Bookmarks From Pinwheel

Ah, Friday. How nice it is to see you again! We aren't supposed to have the nicest weather today, as I think we have a little rain moving in, but at least the weather forecast for the weekend doesn't look too bad. I think we're looking at seasonable weather in the 50s or even 60s, which means the husband will be hitting the golf course Saturday and I'll be retreating to my craft room. (I do not golf until it is at least in the mid-70s and warm enough for sandals.)


So, long story short, I'm already looking forward to doing a bit of crafting this weekend. How fitting it is, then, that I introduce you to Alice, who makes all kinds of one-of-a-kind crafts over at Pinwheel.


Alice is here to share a great tutorial for making tree bookmarks. I love trees and books, and I love to make things, so naturally I love this project. I hope you do, too!


These sweet bookmarks are inspired by the cold weather, and I wanted something in warm, bright colours to cheer me up!

Supplies: 

Scraps of red, yellow, orange, burgundy, dark brown and light brown felt.

White thread

A needle (Big enough eye to fit doubled up thread through)

How-to:

Cut a long thin rectangle from dark brown felt, and a circle from the light brown. These will form the body of your bookmark. It looks good cut with pinking shears, but if you don't have any, just use normal scissors. Then cut about 3 or 4 leaf shapes from the red, yellow, burgundy and orange.

Thread the needle with doubled up thread, and using backstitch, sew together the circle and rectangle. Go over your stitches again, to secure the pieces together properly, because this is the main body of your bookmark.

Position your first leaf in place, then backstitch along the center of it with the doubled up thread. The stiches look like the vein of the leaf, and show up best in white, though you can try other colours as well.

Continue adding leaves, and try to position them so that they aren't all facing outward. Vary your stiches as well, with random ones bigger or smaller so it looks more natural. Another tip is that if a leaf doesn't fit in the space, trim it down! It won't look as good if the leaf shapes are all exactly the same. 

Ta-daa! These bookmarks are great even out of autumn, and they can be adapted to any season.

This tutorial is for non-commercial purposes only.

What I Ate Wednesday: Week 7 [Going Green!]

March just happens to be one of my favorite months of the year. It's my birth month, as my momma texted me the other day: Happy birth month! I think you should celebrate all month long! Ginger that I am, I also love celebrating St. Patrick's Day - and wearing green. (My very best girlfriends wore green the day I married my best friend.)  


But my love for March and all things green doesn't stop there. No, I also love to eat things that are green, so when I heard What I Ate Wednesday was going green, I was super excited. (Girl, you are so full of great ideas!)



Green Stuff I Ate in the Last Week:
3/1: Pesto-Topped Fish With a Side of Edamame

3/2: Sweet and Sour Stir-Fry (Filled With Green Peppers!)

3/4: Buffalo Chicken Salad on Romaine and Topped With Celery Leaves

3/5: Toastachos (and More Green Peppers)

How are you getting your greens?