We Have a Winner

I love trying new recipes.  As you know some are winners and some are not to been seen again.  Today I was asked to make "the macaroni and cheese with the broccoli".  Really? She's asking for it specifically?  Hip hip hooray I have a winner. 

A few weeks ago I came across Too-ez Mac 'n Cheese in a recipe book I have.  It looked easy, healthy and kid-friendly so I took a chance.  Unfortunately, on my hunt to buy all the ingredients, I was unable to find the cauliflower and cheese at my local grocery store.  I ended up buying the broccoli and cheese and thought it shouldn't change the recipe too much, and it didn't.  Brooke is still acquiring her taste to broccoli but Morgan ate every last bite and asked for more.

P.S. It makes good leftovers too


There are only THREE ingredients.

And the prep time was great. 

I cooked the broccoli in the microwave according to the package directions.  While that cooked I put my water on to boil and then cooked my noodles.  Both finished at about the same time. 

Poor all contents of the broccoli into a large bowl.  Add the drained pasta noodles.

 Open three wedges of Laughing Cow Cheese and microwave for 30 seconds.

While the cheese is in the microwave, mix the pasta together with the broccoli and cheese.



Then add the Laughing Cow cheese wedges and mix until creamy.

.



Look how creamy

In our house macaroni and cheese always calls for a hot dog.  Here I used a lower fat hot dog.  Don't mind the slice of toasted bread used for a bun, you do what you gotta do sometimes. 

On the side is some applesauce.

Mommy's plate looks a little more grown-up.  I opted for no hot dog and got a diet coke instead.



HG too-ez mac 'n cheese

2 cups uncooked whole-wheat blend rotini pasta

6 cups (about 24 ounces) frozen Green Giant Cauliflower & Cheese Sauce

3 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese

Optional: salt and black pepper

Directions:

Prepare pasta according to the instructions on the box, and then drain well and set aside. While pasta is cooking, cook the cauliflower & sauce package in the microwave for 12 - 16 minutes, until sauce has melted and cauliflower is hot.  Carefully, remove it from the microwave and combine with the cooked pasta. Set aside. Unwrap cheese wedges and place in a small microwave-safe dish. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth, and then add to the bowl.

Mix thoroughly, ensuring that the Laughing Cow cheese is evenly distributed and the pasta and cauliflower are coated in cheese sauce. If you like, season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

My Bologna Has a First Name...

(See Update Below)

This past weekend we had such a weird night that it made me check to see if it was a full moon.  Brooke has had a terrible cold/flu bug and it hit her pretty hard.  Saturday night was one of those nights that first thing in the morning Casey was doing a coffee run. 

Finally, by that afternoon I was able to get my grocery list together and Morgan and I went to the grocery store.  As I came around the corner into the parking lot, guess what was parked right in front of the store? It was the Oscar Meyer WIENERMOBILE!!!  I was so excited, maybe it was the lack of sleep but it totally made my afternoon.  Morgan kept asking me "what's a wienermobile?" I of course had to sing the song, my bologna has a first name it's O S C A R, my bologna has a second name it's M A Y E R.  Unfortunately, that's all I know and Morgan was totally getting into it too. 

















Morgan was telling me to "hurry up"

Can you tell by the smile, that I was pushing my luck with the camera?

Driving the Wienermobile around must be one of the coolest jobs EVER!  Everyone is excited to see you, you get to travel around and make someone's day, like me. Thank you "Frank" for giving me a little chuckle and putting everything in perspective. 

UPDATE:

So my trusty friend Ryanne who remembers EVERY song lyric by EVERY singer gave me the lyrics without me needing to google it!

So here you go:

My bologna has a first name,

It's O-S-C-A-R.

My bologna has a second name,

It's M-A-Y-E-R.

I love to eat it everyday,

And if you ask me why I'll saaaaaayyy,

Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A!

I kind of hope this song gets stuck in your head all day, it's making you smile, right?

Sleeping Babies

From the first few weeks of Morgan coming into our lives, sleep had been a weekly if not daily topic in our household.  We have been talking about how many naps, how long was the nap and I think she needs a nap for years now.  We have pretty easy going girls but getting the hang of sleep, has definitely had it's challenges for me.  It has always been important for naps to be consistent and in their own bed.  I personally just feel that they sleep better.

When I first had my brand new baby, I remember hearing stories of two year olds still sleeping with mom and dad.  I was determined this wasn't going to happen to us.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my snuggle time, but it very seldom happen while we both slept.  And actually, I don't sleep very well when they are with me. Therefore, my sleeping beauties have always been tucked safe and sound into their own bed.

In the past few months Morgan has started putting two and two together that when daddy is on shift, mommy gets that big bed all to her self.  The days of using the distraction technique are long but gone with that girl.  Yes, I have given in to those big blue eyes when she says "can you think about it?" 

What she doesn't know is that this has now become a treat for mommy since she usually sleeps in a little longer on the weekends. 

Sweet Dreams Baby Girl.

Happy New Year

So here goes... my first blog post.  To start off I'm going to keep this short and sweet.

My family tradition every year on New Years Day is to have a banana split.  I'm not sure how or why it started but it was something my mom has done now for several years.  We like to think of it as our "good luck" for the new year.  This year was no different, we had banana's with all the fixin's.

Morgan and Kayden showing their prize banana splits.

Notice how full their bowls are.  They really got into building their creation.

Kayden suddenly realized her's was a little too big and it no longer sounded very good.  That's OK Miss Kayden, it's all about the experience.

HapPy NeW YeaR!!!