2} We moved to Rochester, NY.

3} Ruben is 18 months old, and I’m still not pregnant! =)

That’s pretty much it! Life is NY is wonderful- we bought a beautiful house in Penfield with plenty of space. Sometimes it feels like the unpacking, organizing, painting, and projects are never ever going to end, but they will. Once the boys go to college. =) I have made some fantastic friends through 2 moms groups. The boys are finally getting to an {dare I say} “easy stage”. Leaving the house isn’t this gigantic chore anymore, and every day it feels more and more like they are twins. I’ve had slight baby fever, to which my husband responds that I must have picked up a crack habit. We’ll see. Anyway, after living in a hotel for 2.5 months, I’ve gotten back into the swing of things with cooking and I wanted to share a Mozzarella Sticks recipe I made for the boys. {Except I actually used a mixture of cheeses.}

It’s from my trusty Deceptively Delicious cookbook, so it has cauliflower in it! It was really very simple, and I was able to freeze extra cauliflower puree, so next time it will be a snap.

Start by steaming cauliflower…

Then give it a whirl in the NINJA {aka, puree}

I froze the extra in this nifty trays

Toss 1 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs & 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal

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Stir together the mozzarella, cauliflower puree, and cornstarch until well combined.

Then you roll ‘em up into little logs, dip them in the breadcrumb mixture, wrap in foil, and freeze for 20 minutes. {They are super soft and kind of hard to roll and dip, hence the freezing before cooking.} Then simply fry them up in EVOO!

Mmmm….

The boys LOVED them {contrary to Ruben’s face, not sure what his momentary upset was, but it passed}

I have mixed emotions about the whole “hiding veggies in food” thing. But I have gotten to the point where my boys don’t eat a lot of veggies. I can turn my life upside down trying to get them to eat them, or I can rather easily hide them in food, while continuing to serve up the real thing in hopes that someday they will eat them on a daily basis. Are you kids good eaters? Any special tips, I’m always looking to try something new to get them to eat a variety of foods! This is a great recipe, enjoy!

Mozzarella Sticks {with Cauliflower}

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds {optional}
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 1/2 cup cauliflower puree
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

• In a bowl, toss the breadcrumbs with the flaxseed meal and sesame seeds.
• In a second large bowl, stir together the mozzarella, cauliflower puree, and cornstarch until well combined. Shape into 8 2×1/2 inch logs. Gently roll each log in the breadcrumbs, then wrap in aluminum foil or waxed paper and freeze for 20 minutes.
• Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil. Arrange the mozzarella sticks in the pan in a single layer, being careful not to crowd them. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning occasionally, until the crumb coating begins to brown. Sprinkle with salt and serve with ketchup

Aren’t you proud? I am. Incredibly. What is it, you ask? Why, Zucchini Pizza of course. It was a hit at our house, even for Auntie Tori who is “allergic” to all sorts of veggies. =)

I didn’t make my own pizza dough. I think I might try that next time. I looked for whole wheat dough, but I was in a hurry at the g-store so this was sufficient. 

You grate the Zucchini. which is totally fun and a rather intensive arm workout. Be prepared. =) {Random fun fact: that grater is my Grandma Olson’s. Love her.} Also, if you try this, make sure you really get all the water out of the Zucchini {you use a paper towel, and squeeze over the sink}. I think I left too much water in and the middle of the pizza got slightly soggy.

I was able to use my spankin’ new Olive Oil Mister my wonderful mother sent me. It’s so cool! You pump the cap before spraying. I enjoyed it.

Mixed with some mozzarella

Ricotta, 2 minced garlic cloves, sea salt & pepper… isn’t Ricotta cheese pretty?

Spread the dough, spread the ricotta, and top with zuccini mixture. Simple as {pizza} pie.

Yummy, right?

Bake for around 12 minutes and you’ve got a delish veggie pizza. I found the recipe on Eat, Live, Run. It’s interesting that you don’t use any pizza sauce- just cheese. No complaints here. It really was good! I mean, I’m not gonna say it was the best pizza I ever had, but there were no leftovers so it couldn’t have been too horrible. Harrison enjoyed it, although he hates sitting in his booster seat so much he ate a little then repeated “All done” until I finally let him out.

Ruben seems to be feeling a little better. Hoping for the best tomorrow morning! I have a breakfast at Cracker Barrel with my mom’s group {and I’m the coordinator for the event} so he better get healthy! I leave you with a few pics of my “little old man”. He was just a mini Grandpa Mark this morning. =) Have a fantastic day!

Zucchini Pizza

Makes one pizza (square, “rustic” or pie shaped)

• 2 large zucchinis
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• sea salt
• pepper
• red pepper flakes
• pizza dough: either regular or whole wheat.

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Either dust cornmeal on a baking sheet (or pizza stone–even better!) or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. Grate the zucchinis and press with paper towels to soak up the liquid. Mix the zucchini with the mozzarella cheese and a dash of salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
3. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and garlic. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
4. Work the pizza dough into whatever shape your heart desires. Spread the ricotta cheese on top and then top with the zucchini mixture. Add some pepper flakes if you like spice in your life. Reduce oven temperature to 450 and bake pizza for about 12 minutes, or until the crust begins to turn golden and the cheese has started to bubble.
5. Cool, slice and stuff your face.

Ever mixed these three ingredients? I saw the idea on a kid’s food website long ago, and decided it was high time to give it a try. I am so desperate for easy, healthy things to feed that ultra picky little boy of mine.

• Half an over-ripe Banana
• Half an over-ripe Avocado
• Half the container of Greek yogurt

I figured there was no better way to mash the banana & avocado than a potato masher! LOL.

Throw it all in a bowl…

And voila! A yummy snack fit for a 22 & 11 month old!

{it looked greener in person. A pretty green, not a puke green.}

Problem was, Harrison was thrown off by this “so called” daylight savings time, {funny how different that is when you have kids… extra hour my butt.} so he was tired and cranky. He wouldn’t even give it a taste. Boo. That’s my Harrison- food is all about timing, mood, place, presentation… you name it, it can affect his eating habits. Luckily I have my little Ruester who practically ate it all by himself. I finished off the rest because it’s DELICIOUS! I’m not a huge fan of greek yogurt on it’s own, but the tanginess adds so much to this. It was a perfect blend of yumminess. And it doesn’t get any easier than that!

Even though it already seems like Halloween was ages ago, here’s a few pics from our night{s}…

Harrison really enjoyed his first Trick or Treat experience!

Last night our family went to “Rockin’ Fort Hood”- a fair of sorts with a bunch of concerts. We were able to catch a bit of Christ Cagle! Fantastic. Another big advantage to the Army- fun, family oriented activities that are totally FREE! Poor little Rue was pretty miserable though. I NEED HIM TO GET WELL! He’s going to miss picture day at school on Tuesday if he doesn’t, LOL.

Hope everyone has a great Sunday! I’m off to clip some coupons. {YAY!} Let me know if any of ya’ll try the Yummy Easy Banana & Avocado snack, and what your little one {or you} thought of it!

t.lee treats is the beginning to what I believe to be a successful bakery- Tori Lee…”Creator, Baker, and Spreader of Happiness!”

Since my kitchen domestic skills are still in the beginning stages, Tori offered to make some cupcakes for my mom’s group’s Halloween party. If you’ve never had the pleasure of tasting her frosting, I PROMISE you, you are missing out!

She starts with just white cake batter for the cupcakes, which I think is genius. Super easy, and her frosting is so good it really doesn’t matter what the cupcakes taste like. Seriously.

Yummm… {someday I’m going to learn to get rid of the clutter on my counters to take better pics.}

All ready to be frosted!

And here’s what was left of the frosting bowl… lol. Weight Watchers went out the window for the day.

The finished product! We tried to make it look like a Jack.O.Lantern, but it didn’t turn out as good as the idea. Live and learn. They still tasted PHENOMANAL. And they were a hit at the party! As were Batman & Robin…

I’m afraid I have no recipe for you today, as the cupcakes were just cake batter and Tori is smart enough to keep her yummy frosting recipe a secret! =) Be sure to check out her blog, t.lee treats!

I was a pancake making machine this morning…

Aren’t they pretty?

I took a recipe from a fellow Kids Food Blogger- Amy @ Super Healthy Kids, and made her High Protein Pancakes. They were super easy, and both kids DEVOURED them. It’s like making a big sale in the corporate world. My clients were dishing out the moola {aka, "Pleases"} for more, more, more!

Easy, simple ingredients. What are the directions you ask? BLEND.
It’s that simple.

I had to add milk to make it thinner, and they made up as perfect little bite size yummies. Some have been calling them “Little Drops of Heaven”. {I’ve been watching a lot of Friends lately, LOL} They were actually very tasty- I enjoyed a few. Wonder how many WW points? I’ll have to figure that out later… I made a HUGE double batch and froze a bunch for easy breakfasts on school mornings.

Some even turned out like pumpkins

My goal was to make it to the gym this morning. No luck. But I promised myself a productive day, which I’m getting a good start too. Boys are napping now, so I’m taking a break, then I have to get back on it because we’re trekking to Austin tonight! The boys are getting a babysitter with my friend Sara’s kids, so Tori, Sara, and I can go out downtown! I’m needing this since Harold left at 6AM this morning, and won’t be back till Thursday. {He’s running the Army 10-Miler tomorrow- say a little prayer!} Here’s a random picture of my little lovebug Rue. See ya later gators!

High Protein Pumpkin Pancakes

• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup dry oats
• 2 eggs
• 1 TBL canola oil
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp vanilla

Blend all ingredients in blender until well mixed.  If batter is not thin enough, add a touch of water or milk to get it the consistency of pancake batter.  Pour by TBL onto griddle.  Make sure you cook these long enough that the center gets mostly cooked.  Top with real maple syrup.

Aren’t we a cute little family of pumpkins? {Get it, I’m the white one… =) }

Tori and I were trying to decide what to put on the other side of the entertainment center for decoration. I think we found something good…

hehe…

Are you a mushroom lover? I am. Yuuuuuum. My friend Tori that is staying with us detests all veggies, and Harold is a rather picky eater.

Today I added these mushrooms, along with a few other ingredients to make Harrison some California-Fresh Quinoa  Orzo Primavera. I am a pinhead, and thought I had bought some Quinoa, but was actually thinking of this jar of orzo.

Bummer. I had already chopped up the veggies, so I just went with the substitution. It turned out just dandy.

Here’s all the vegs’. Things Harrison would NEVER touch all on their own. {besides carrots, he enjoys a carrot stick now and again.} Unlucky for him, his mom is a trickster and will find ways to get those veggies into his tummy! =)

Sizzling in the pan with some olive oil, low sodium soy sauce, and and garlic. The aroma was fantastic! Have you ever “minced” your garlic with a cheese shredder?

I always see Rachael Ray do it, and tried it for the first time tonight. Fantabulous. It worked so well! Thanks Rach. =)

Mmmmm….

I then just cooked the orzo according to the directions, and mixed it in with the veggies. It was SO simple! The hardest part was chopping, which is something I do enjoy. And let me tell you, it was delicious. I even got Tori to eat a little! =) Harrison thoroughly enjoyed it. I think next time I will make a double batch, and freeze some Harrison portions, and some adult portions. Harrison will be eating this at school tomorrow too. I think he should still enjoy it cold.

What did I have for dinner you ask?

This! I love making big salads {Whenever I make it all together, Harold always has to ask “Who’s coming to dinner”} and then portioning them out for single-serving salads. Then I’ll add a few extra ingredients {leftover chicken, shrimp, avocado…} and it’s an easy lunch.

That big ol’ yellow bowl was my dinner tonight. It ended being 12.5 Weight Watchers points with 1/2 an avocado, a tid-bit of orzo dish, and 2 servings of hickory bacon ranch dressing. {But it was OH so worth it.} I had 15 points left for the day, so I indulged. Tori and I also split one of those Little Debbie cosmic brownies at 3 points per half. Yikes. Again, oh so worth it.

Sleep tight my faithful followers! I leave you with a pic of Rue learning to actually color rather than simply eating the crayons. He wants to be like his big brother so badly. {And that’s water on his shirt, not drool. He’s also learning to drink out of straw sippy cups just like big bro, and it doesn’t always get totally swallowed.}

California-Fresh Quinoa Primavera

• 2 cups filtered water
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 3 tablespoons liquid amino acids {such as bragg liquid aminos} {Um, to be honest with you I have no idea what this is. I skipped it. Maybe someday}
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• Splash of olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced carrots
• 1/4 cup green peas, fresh if possible
• 1/4 cup diced broccoli
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup diced mushrooms
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 sprigs fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine the water, butter, 1 tablespoon liquid amino acids, salt, and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer on low for 10 minutes, or until the quinoa is fluffy. Keep covered and set aside.
2. Pour some olive oil into a skillet and heat. When the pan is hot, add the carrots, peas, broccoli, onion, mushrooms, garlic, oregano, soy sauce, and the remaining 2 tablespoons amino acids. Cook until the onion is browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Mix the vegetables with the quinoa mixture and serve warm.

A train ride for Harrison with friends

Playing in the hay

Pumpkin picking

BBQ Taste Testing

and wine tasting! It was a great fall Saturday.

Of course, Sunday was spent watching football- Tori & I “pigged out" on McDonald’s, sushi, and chips & dip because today marks the first day of Weight Watchers. {For real this time}.

Today I made Harrison some Yogurt Cereal Bars. They turned out pretty good! First mix the dry ingredients…

Corn flakes, flour {I used Whole Wheat, and it turned out good!}, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Add butter

Press 1/2 of mixture into pan

Mix yogurt, 1 egg, and flour

Spread

Top with last 1/2- Ready to go! Bake for 30 min and…

YUM!

Harrison finished {practically} every last crumb. I love it! I’m going to send some with his lunch for school tomorrow. They were delicious. {I had to try, I gave myself a few points.} They were so, SO easy, and there wasn’t too much clean up. Having your kids eat healthy snacks is so important, because a large portion of the food they get in a day is through snacks. Especially when you have a child such as Harrison, who is picky beyond all measure and hates sitting in his booster seat for too long. I bet if you mixed a little pumpkin in with the yogurt it would taste amazing as well. I think I will try that next time! I wonder how many points these bars are though… LOL.

Yogurt Cereal Bars

• 2 cups Corn Flakes
• 3/4 cup flour {I used whole wheat, and I think it turned out good}
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1 cup flavored yogurt (banana, strawberry, etc) {I just used vanilla}
• 1 egg slightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons flour

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine cereal, 3/4 cup flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl
3. Cut in butter or margarine until course crumbs form
4. Press 1/2 the mixture firmly into the bottom of a greased 8 inch square pan
5. Mix yogurt, egg, and 2 tablespoons flour in another small bowl
6. Spread over cereal mixture in pan and then sprinkle the remaining cereal mixture on top
7. Bake for 30 min or until golden brown
8. Cut bars when cooled

Being the lucky wife that I am, I received this fantastic anniversary present a few months ago. {Muah to the Hubs} So I figured it was time to give it a try!

I made the whole family French Toast with Pumpkin Puree. It was a hit to say the least. My only complaint was that I couldn’t taste enough pumpkin- feel free to add more than the recipe calls for if you’re really looking for that pumpkiny flavor!

Prep work: Eggs w/ pumpkin puree {I just used canned} & cinnamon. It smells so yummy!

I tried to make a little extra and I think I over-did it on the eggs. No one else seemed to notice.

I LOVE my griddle!

It was a hit for both of my HP’s!

French Toast {with puree}
From Deceptively Delicious

4 large eggs
2 tablespoons banana, pineapple, sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash puree, or canned pumpkin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 slices whole-wheat bread
Nonstick cooking spray
2 teaspoons trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread
Pure maple syrup, confectioners’ sugar, or fresh fruit for serving
Flaxseed meal {optional}

1} In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs, puree, and cinnamon. Add the bread slices and turn them in the mixture to soak for 30 seconds to 1 minute {any longer and the bread will get soggy}

2}Coat a nonstick griddle or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the margarine. When the margarine sizzles, add the soaked bread slices {sprinkle with flaxseed if you like} and cook until golden brown on the outside, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve warm with syrup, confectioners’ sugar, or fruit.

Harold & I had a fantastic weekend at the Lakeway Resort and Spa for an Army sponsored marriage retreat. I think this picture pretty much speaks for itself. We learned a lot, relaxed, ate good food, and just enjoyed each other’s company. Oh yea, and that whole “no kid” thing was pretty great too. Big thanks to my Dad for flying in to watch the boys for us!

Well I know everyone is pretty much over the whole “back to school” thing- it’s been a while for most of you. But my little Harrison had his first day of “school” {Mom’s Day Out program at a local church} I was so not enthused about making his lunch. He’s so dang picky. So I went with Grilled Cheese {w/Sweet Potato or Butternut Squash} from my trusty Deceptively Delicious cookbook. I would say it was a success! I just made it on Monday night, kept it in the fridge overnight and sent it with a cold pack. {You know, the same way you all make lunches… lol}

I started out with frozen {defrosted} home-made butternut squash {it was frozen in a ziploc, if you couldn’t tell}

We didn’t have any shredded cheese, so I improvised. =)

Mixed it up with butter and a little salt …

And there you have it- ooey gooey goodness! His teachers said he ate the grilled cheese, and left his carrots & fruit. {I know, you’re shocked}. But at least his grilled cheese had some butternut squash involved. I gotta get more creative with veggies and fruits. Hopefully I’ll figure it out!

All packed up!!

His Monkey {AKA ooh ooh aah aah} nap mat!

Back packs & lunch boxes all ready to go!

Ruben & Harrison! {Harrison’s first day of school, Rue had been before}

My buddies. =) I tried to take a pic of Harrison with his backpack on, but he literally fell over backwards because it was too heavy. LOL. We were also running late.

Harrison’s first day went so well! I bet his teachers commented 3 times that they thought he must have been in daycare before. He cried when I left, but they said it didn’t last long at all and that he did fantastic! I was so happy. I still feel guilty dropping them off. But I know it’s the best thing for all of us!

Grilled Cheese {w/Sweet Potato or Butternut Squash}

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sweet potato or butternut squash puree
1 tablespoon trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 sliced whole wheat bread
Nonstick Cooking Spray
1 teaspoon olive oil

1} In a medium bowl, mix the cheese, vegetable puree, margarine, and salt. Spread two slices of the bread with the cheese mixture and top with the other two slices.

2} Coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Put the sandwiches in the pan and spray the tops with cooking spray. Cook 4 to 5 minutes per side, until the bread is crisp and the filling is melted.