Menu Monday

 

Happy Monday everyone!

 

Weekend highlights:

• Having a lazy Saturday and doing nothing but watching this little dude (see below) make tons of crazy faces and have his first attempt at laughing/cackling.
• Going to a BBQ at our friends’ house and getting to see our buddy Rhett who is in town from New York.  The last time we saw him we just found out we were pregnant – my how things have changed!

 

 

 

Nothing too too crazy is planned for this week/weekend.  My mom will be back in town which means (hopefully) another date night and possibly hanging out with our friends Kam and Noelle (plus hubbies). 

Here’s what will be on our plates, how about yours?

 

M:  Pulled Pork (leftovers) Baked Potatoes w/ Broccoli

T:  Creamy Veggie Pasta

W:  Chopped Salad

Th:  Pesto Chicken Pizza

F:  Grilled Ham and Cheese with Tomato Soup

Sa:  Meatloaf w/ Veggie Cous Cous and Green Beans

Su:  Grilled Chicken Breasts w/ Green Rice and Roasted Carrots

 

Have a great week!

Run On

 

In the wake of yesterday’s tragedy in Boston, I find myself sad, angry, frustrated and any and all of the other emotions that are normal in a time of despair.

It was almost a year ago that Mike and I ran our first marathon.  We had trained hard for 4 1/2 months, running after work and on weekends; even getting up at 4am on Wednesday mornings to do our long weekday runs before we tackled the rest of the day.  We saved money to travel with our friends to Nashville and couldn’t wait to get to the race expo to pick up our race bibs and swag bags and look at all the race memorabilia.

 

 

I remember listening to Lady Gaga’s song, The Edge of Glory, during training and visualizing crossing the finish line and trying to imagine the pure emotion and euphoria I would feel knowing that we had done it…we had run a marathon.

 

 

Thinking back on it – it was harder than anything I had ever done (before having a newborn) and although I didn’t run as well as I had hoped, it was fun and relaxed and crossing the finish line was just as magical.  It was a pure sense of accomplishment, and we had earned every bit of it, and nobody could take that feeling away.

 

 

 

As I checked my phone yesterday on my way home from work I saw the NBC alert saying that there had been bombings at the Boston Marathon.  My heart sank. Yesterday’s Boston Marathon was supposed to be a day of jubilation and celebration for those running their 15th marathon or 1st, for those cheering on family and friends or simply just cheering.  It was none of that.

I thought of all of the runners who didn’t and wouldn’t get to cross the finish line and receive their medal.  The one piece of hardware for which you train so hard. 

I thought of all of the runners who did cross the finish line who wouldn’t get to celebrate such an amazing accomplishment like they should. 

I thought of the cheering section full of spectators/victims who felt the direct impact of the bombs and how our friends Lynn and Tuller had been waiting for us at the finish line of our own marathon.  I can’t imagine if something had happened to them while they were waiting to cheer us on.

I thought of my friend Kaia who had run the Boston Marathon last year. 

I thought of my dad who ran multiple New York City Marathons when I was younger.

I thought of all of the people around the country who are currently training to run in a marathon, and however scary this event was, hopefully they will continue to train and run in honor of Boston.

I thought of all of the runners who didn’t have their cell phones, IDs, hotel room keys, or money because they had checked their bags and planned to pick up their personal belongings after the race, like we had done – they couldn’t get in touch with anybody for quite a while after the bombings.  I can’t imagine the horrible thoughts of their friends and family.

I thought of all of the unsung heroes who didn’t blink an eye and did whatever they could to help those in need.

 

And then, as I wore my race shirt today in honor of those affected by yesterdays tragedy, I thought, we must run on.  And I did.  Not 26.2, but merely 2 miles pushing a jogging stroller…slowly…but it felt so good.

Prayers and peace to all.

God Bless.

Menu Monday

 

Happy Tax Monday everybody!

 

Weekend Highlights:

• I made a batch of DELICIOUS strawberry pancakes (recipe coming soon) using frozen strawberries in the freezer.  I don’t know why I haven’t thought of using those yummy red berries before now, I have used other fruits such as blueberries and bananas, but not strawberries.  Definitely a new favorite! In fact, for my next creation I’m thinking about strawberry/banana pancakes…I’ll keep you posted!

 

• Mike and I enjoyed another date night, thanks to my mom watching E for us.  We hit up Outback with a gift card from one of my students and had a blast.  Beer, red wine, steak and a burger – sounds pretty much perfect to me.

 

 

• Everett got some “new” pajamas and an adorable pair of madras shorts from Once Upon a Child, a secondhand children’s store – my favorite new place to shop for my little guy.  More on this in a later post.

 

 

• After being sidelined from running for about 4 weeks with a hurt knee (swelling, pain when bending) I got the results of my MRI this past Thursday and luckily nothing was torn – just some chronic stuff that can hopefully be lessened with a cortisone shot.  Since finding out nothing was seriously wrong with it, Mike, Everett and I hit the pavement running (ha!) and it felt good to get back out there – definitely out of shape – but good none the less.

 

Jogging stroller with a sunroof.

 

• Other than that we just hung out around the house playing, reading and lounging!

 

 

 

 

As for our menu for this week here it is; sounds pretty delicious to me!

 

M:  Steak Salad w/ Caramelized Onions and Gorgonzola

T:  Black Bean Soup w/ Chicken and Yellow Rice

W:  Pulled Pork Tacos w/ Roasted Carrots

Th:  Chicken Tetrazzini w/ Green Beans

F:  French Dip Panini w/ Peppers, Onions and Au Jus

Sa:  Roasted Chicken w/ Green Rice and Balsamic Mushrooms

Su: Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry w/ Brown Rice and Eggrolls

 

Have a spectacular week!

Shower Time

 

A couple of weeks ago I had the honor of catering a bridal shower for a friend of friend – it was so much fun!!! 

 

 

I was so honored to have been asked to prepare the food and I must say I was excited to go to a bridal shower since recently I have been participating exclusively in baby showers. 

The bride, Stephanie, was just precious and it was so cute to see her so excited about “cooking stuff”, a toaster oven and a trash can.  It seems so long ago, but I was just as excited when I was getting married, and still am, about that kind of “stuff”.

For the food, I worked with Elizabeth, my friend who hired me (her twin girls are the beautiful flower girls), on the menu and gave her a list of ideas.  She picked the final menu and I got busy, especially since I was cooking for 35 people! 

Here’s what was on the menu:

 

Cheesy Ham and Veggie Quiches

 

Chicken Salad  Croissants

 

Fruit Kebabs

 

Caprese Kebabs with Pesto

 

 Pineapple Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches on Blueberry Streusel Bread

 

 

 Buffalo Chicken Bites served with Ranch Dressing

 

 Elizabeth also ordered a tray of chicken strips from Chick-fil-A (a favorite of the bride) and always a hit!

 

Everything was a hit, thank goodness, but everybody kept asking about the Buffalo Chicken Bites.  I, of course, found the recipe on Pinterest and wanted to share it with all of you.  These are super easy and would be great for a summer BBQ or a football party in the fall.

Enjoy!

 

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Print this recipe!

• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (About 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken, skin discarded)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce (or more to your taste)
• 3 1/2 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 3/4 cups sharp or medium shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 – 4 cups Corn Flakes cereal, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix the chicken, cream cheese and hot sauce until combined. Stir in the cheddar cheese and green onions.

Using a small cookie or ice cream scoop, spoon out the chicken mixture and roll into about 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on a plate or separate baking sheet (not lined) until ready to dip.

In three separate bowls, set out the flour, eggs and Corn Flakes. Dip each chicken ball first into the flour, then the egg and ending with the Corn Flakes. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

**If freezing for later, place the dipped and uncooked chicken balls onto the parchment lined baking sheet and flash freeze for 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a freezer bag and store in the freezer until ready. To bake, place the frozen chicken balls back on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350?F for 25 to 30 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.

Source: Adapted from The Food Network via Macaroni and Cheesecake and Made by Melissa

 

Other shower highlights:

 

 

Stephanie and the beautiful flower girls – Genevieve and Elyse.

 

 

 

Congrats to the bride and groom!