Cleaning out the fridge and freezer

I am a huge believer in that things should not go to waste and leftovers should be eaten (just not by me...I don't like leftovers). I am also a stickler for expiration dates. I never use anything that is expired and I clean out the fridge and pantry once a week. Ryan thinks I have OCD, but whatever...maybe I do. Anything that is going to expire is eaten first or used in a recipe before that date comes. My poor family last week...a bunch of food was about to expire, so it became a fun-filled 3 days of experimentation with recipes! We made veggie burger sandwiches, vanilla frozen yogurt, cinnamon applesauce, strawberry applesauce, oatmeal-applesauce bars, and doughnuts. I must say, some of the experimenting paid off...and some did not. Oops!

The applesauce was a huge hit at the house. And one big benefit of making your own applesauce is that I am able to control the amount of sugar and other things added to the apples....mmmm, good stuff!




Next came our adventure in Vanilla Frozen Yogurt! The girls and I followed (I use the term "followed" loosely. I almost never follow a recipe 100%. I adjusted the amount of sugar and vanilla according to the amount of yogurt I had.) a recipe by Dave Lebovitz: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/a-frozen-yogurt-recipe-to-rival-pinkberrys-recipe.html

3 cups (720g) strained yogurt (see below) or Greek-style yogurt
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Mix together the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla (if using). Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. ***You really don't even need an icecream machine...but it in a plastic bag or some sort of plastic container and freeze***

To make 1 cup (240g) of strained yogurt, line a mesh strainer with a few layers of cheese cloth. then scrape 16 ounces or 2 cups (480g) of plain whole-milk yogurt into the cheesecloth. Gather the ends and fold them over the yogurt, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours. So, for the above recipe start with and strain 6 cups of yogurt.

Makes about 1 quart.

So we started by straining the yogurt for almost 12 hours...yes, I forgot about it in the fridge. We used a combination of Organic Vanilla and Organic Plain (both were about to expire and I'm all about using what I have instead of running to the store).
We continued to follow the recipe and ended up with some of the most delicious frozen yogurt I have ever had. The girls and I made ourselves pretty little sundaes to enjoy while watching American Idol :)



The one recipe that we will not be making again is the veggie burger sandwiches...my wonderful husband scarfed his down and finished mine, but I think he was just really hungry and didn't bother tasting them. Camryn is our little "garbage disposal" and she'll eat almost anything, unless Morgan tells her it is gross.

All of the ingredients alone are delicious, but together they are not so yummy!



Morgan felt this face best expressed how she felt about the "burgers...


and Camryn, well Camryn will eat anything...



I love my family!!

Our first son...and his nightly ritual.

This is Max. He is a 7 year old Pit-Bull Mix. Ryan and I adopted him from the Humane Society exactly 6 days after I moved to Colorado Springs. He was always #1. He's very spoiled and enjoys getting his way all of the time (I guess he and I are pretty similar). Well poor Max has been through everything with us....getting married, moving, and babies. I think with Baby RJ on the way, Max is feeling very neglected...

We try to give him as much attention as possible, but with 2 kids and a busy house to run...he will demand attention at times.




Max's favorite thing to do (besides sleeping in our bed, licking Grandma Marchiel's feet, eating leftovers, and snuggling in between Ryan and I~always in between us) is to smell Ryan's stinky boots at the end of the day. He gets so excited every night as Ryan takes off his boots. I don't know if it's the smell of the foot powder Ryan uses or what, but every night this happens...








It's almost like a drug for him. He puts his entire face in the boot, rolls around with it on his face, then continues to roll on the ground and sneeze for close to 5 minutes. The girls now know to stand clear of Max as he tends to get pretty worked up. They usually end up climbing on Ryan and giggling until Max finishes.

And then Daddy carries them to safety...


This is Max...our crazy first son.

Why don't friends with kids have time?

***click on page to enlarge article***

34 weeks, 4 days

Today I went for my 34 week appointment. Everything is looking good! Baby RJ is still putting on weight like a champ...he is weighing in just under 6 pounds right now! Dr. Chatterji would like for me to carry him as long as possible, but as soon as I start contracting regularly it's off to the OR for a c-section. Thankfully, everything is going as planned and we're both healthy :) We have an estimated date of March 23. Ryan should be done with IFF and we'll have some quality family time before our big move to Arizona...fyi, please don't mention the city of Phoenix to Morgan or Camryn~apparently someone has convinced them that we can not move to Phoenix because "old people" live there...

Yummy Cookies!

The girls and I made the most delicious M&M cookies this weekend for Valentine's Day. This has become our go-to recipe for cookies!

Here is the recipe:

1 cup butter
3/4 cup light olive oil
4 eggs
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
6 cups flour (3 cups whole wheat and 3 cups cake flour)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
dash of cinnamon (optional)
3- 31/2 cups plain M&Ms or chocolate chips (try 1 cup dark, 1 cup milk, 1 cup semi-sweet)

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Mix together all of the ingredients; stir in M&Ms or chocolate chips.
3. Roll into egg-size balls.
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes...until light, golden brown.


***Thanks Erin for the recipe!!***

Here we go...

I'm trying to start up a blog so that we can stay connected with friends and family a little easier...although, I'm not sure how easy it's going to be to keep this thing updated with 3 little ones running around.~ Well here we go!