Red Pepper & Feta Spread

I don't have much to say today because I volunteered at school this morning and worked this afternoon.  But as I was having a snack, I thought it would be a good product to share.  It's called Mt Vikos Taverna Meze Red Pepper & Feta Spread.  I can't even claim to have found it.  Mike and Addie brought it home from Ozark Natural Foods on one of their shopping trips together.  I love this stuff!  I usually eat it with reduced fat Triscuits, but I've even used it as a topping for my scrambled eggs.  I eat eggs a lot for protein at breakfast, so I'm always looking for different ways to top them.  These spreads also come in other flavors like Artichoke and Roasted Eggplant.  I haven't tried any of the others because I love this one so much.  I'll try to branch out eventually. If you're looking to change up your snacking, try this.  To see if a store near you carries this spread, go here.

Mom Taxi Fuel

Thursdays this fall are going to be super busy after school.  Between the girls and I, we have guitar lessons, soccer practice, and Zumba, bam-bam-bam, right in a row.  And somehow, I have to squeeze cooking dinner in there somewhere.  To start a busy day like this off right, I need to eat a healthy breakfast.  This is my favorite right now, scrambled eggs and spinach with Laughing Cow Queso Fresco & Chipotle cheese, turkey bacon, blueberries, and Ezekiel bread toast.  The cheese makes the eggs creamy and adds a little kick.  And you know those Super Food lists that are always in magazines?  Spinach and blueberries are usually on them.  They are both packed full of nutrients and antioxidants.  The Ezekiel bread is high in both protein and fiber.  I don't know about you, but if I don't eat enough protein, I just feel bad.  All of this food is only around 310 calories and the only items you really have to prepare are the eggs and bacon, and they take no time at all!  I wilt the spinach first in my non-stick pan, add in 1 beaten egg and 2 whites, and scramble.  The cheese is added at the end.  Try it, you'll like it!

What's in the box Wednesday

I love using Bento style lunchboxes for my kids' school lunches.  This year, I bought LunchBots from Ozark Natural Foods.  I like that these containers are all one piece and I don't have several items to wash when the girls get home from school.  And I feel much better about not using baggies and other things that just get thrown away. Today Addie's LunchBot Quad contained a mini bagel with reduced fat strawberry cream cheese, pistachios, cherry tomatoes, Babybel cheese, and blueberries.  Caroline has the Lunchbot Trio which I'll feature another time! You can see some more examples of our Lunchbot lunches here.

Strawberry Pecan Pie

Today is Mike's birthday, so I made one of his favorite desserts, Strawberry Pecan Pie, or Pat's Strawberry Pie as we usually call it.  Pat is my good friend and second Mom.  She has brought this pie to many a 3rd Sunday church dinner.  Her recipe is in my old church cookbook that is turning yellow and falling apart from use.  The crust is what really makes this pie.  It's like Heaven in your mouth with the mixture of sweet and nutty crunch.  I still had some strawberries in the freezer that we picked at McGarrah's in May, so we had one last taste of spring before fall sets upon us!

 

Pat's Strawberry Pie

Crust:

Beat 3 egg whites stiff.  Add 1 cup sugar very very slowly.

Add 20 Ritz crackers, crushed to a fine crumb.

Fold in:

1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Spread in well-buttered pie pan and bake for 35 minutes at 325.  Let stand 4 hours before filling.

Filling:

Mix together one 7-8 oz cool whip, a 10 oz pkg. (or 1 cup) of strawberries, drained, and pink or red food coloring if desired.

Meet Me in St. Louis

We had a great weekend trip to St. Louis.  Mike has been an Atlanta Braves fan for many years and I thought it would be nice for him to see Chipper play in person one more time in his last season.  We decided it would be better to drive to St. Louis than Atlanta.  Mother's Day weekend was our only choice.  The kids were really good for the 12 hours we were in the car.  I was pleasantly surprised.  We loved our hotel.  We stayed at the Drury Inn at the Arch.  It was full of baseball fans, mainly cardinals, but everyone was friendly.  Here's the view from our room.

I was very impressed by how classy Cardinals fans are.  We received no dirty looks or snide remarks as we went around with our Braves garb.  When Chipper stepped up to bat the first time, the entire stadium rose to their feet and gave him a standing ovation.  I thought that was something else!  The cards catcher even called time so Chipper could enjoy the moment.  Here he is at bat.

Busch stadium is gorgeous.  Addie's friend Caleb in Oklahoma, is doing a Flat Stanley project and he sent Stanley to her and asked her to take pictures of him somewhere interesting, write about it, and send it back.  So Flat Stanley came with us.  She had a great time with that!

Saturday, the girls and Mike went up inside the Arch.  Not me!  I kept my feet firmly planted. Then we went to the zoo and did a lot of walking!  I wore the wrong shoes and had very sore feet.  Later, the girls swam in the hotel pool, then we went to the City Museum.  It was a very cool place with tubes, coils, and tunnels for kids to crawl through.  The girls had a blast, but I had a major anxiety attack because I couldn't find Caroline.  There was no way to follow them through all those small spaces.  I knew deep down there was only one exit and she hadn't gone out of it, but I just couldn't stand not being able to see her!  So I would definitely recommend this for older kids!  Here she is climbing in one of the outdoor tunnels.

Oh, and here is a neat photo Mike took of an elephant.  I've never seen an elephant playing in the water at a zoo before!

St. Louis is definitely a great place for families.  There were many things we would have liked to do, but didn't have time.  We can't wait to go back!

Unfashionable

After Addie climbs into the van after school, we go through the normal how was your day chit chat on the way to guitar, gymnastics, or home.  Here's how yesterday went:

A:  Today M told me I'm unfashionable.  She's told me that three times.  I asked her what she'd like me to wear and she said something that matches and not to wear leg warmers on my arms anymore.  I told her the package said you could wear them on your arms.

Me:  Oh, who cares?  You can wear whatever you want.

A:  I know.  I don't care.  It doesn't bother me.  Everyone thinks I'm obsessed with Justice.  I don't even have anything from there.  It's too expensive!  $20 for flip flops?  Seriously!  You can get 'em for $3 at Walmart.  

I love this kid!  I'm SO glad she doesn't let comments like this get to her.  I've always said I don't want her to take after my bad qualities.  One is caring too much about what others think.  I'm mostly over that now, but as I kid, a conversation like the above probably would've landed me in the bathroom crying.  She's always had a wonderful sense of style.  She started out young I tell ya, very young.

My Mom, who is convinced she'll be a fashion designer one day, calls it a gypsy style.  Her 4th grade teacher said in opening remarks at parent/teacher conference this year, "What an eclectic child!  She has an interesting style, but it works!"  I love that she enjoys thrift store shopping to see what kind of fun accessory, scarf, purse, or belt she can discover.  I love that her favorite store right now is The Mustache.  I love that she is learning to sew.  Middle school is just around the corner and I know that peer pressure will be harder to shrug off, but I hope she never changes.  I'd miss my Eclectic Gypsy!

Dreams of Helsinki

Last night, during one of our many walks around the neighborhood, my friend and I were discussing dreams.  She had mentioned that she had a very scary and disturbing dream the other night.  I asked her what she had read or watched on TV that night thinking maybe that prompted the dream.  So from there we started talking about what shows we like to watch.  Several were brought up including The Walking Dead, Mad Men, How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, and 30 Rock.  Sometimes we walk pretty close to bedtime, so I got back home, did a little reading of my current book, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, and hit the hay.  Well....I had the weirdest dream.  First, I was at some sort of business conference.  But the people there were co-workers of Mike's, not mine.  Then, I was trying to catch a flight to Helsinki and was having the worst trouble getting on.  I was seriously stressed because I thought I was going to miss my flight.  This part of the dream seemed to be on repeat because I kept trying and trying to get on that plane!  When I woke up, I had tons of sinus pressure and a bad headache.  What in the world brought on Helsinki?  Honestly, the first thing I did when I walked in the kitchen was ask Mike where it even was.  Geography was never my strong suit.  So, was it the TV talk, the Ya-Ya's or what?  Maybe I need to take a trip to Finland.  Who knows?  Addie learned to make worry dolls in Girl Scouts and she made Caroline and I each one to place under our pillows at night to ward off bad dreams.  I'm gonna make sure this little beauty is under there tonight!