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Tyler had soccer camp for one week this summer. It was in the evenings from 5:30-8:30 pm (can you say HOT!) but it didn't seem to really bother him. He just loved being out there playing with other kids. The last night he came home and showed me how he could "dribble" down the hallway. He enjoyed the camp, but really isn't ready for organized sports. Makes me glad I didn't sign him up for soccer yet - we can burn him out on sports another year.
My kids are definitely MY kids. They expect something sweet at least once a day, and can you blame them? We did have s'mores for lunch yesterday. Someone (I'm not naming names) did set their expectations for sweets early on in their lives.
One afternoon they wanted a treat and we had no treats in the house, but we did have tortillas, chocolate chips, and PB&J, which I used to make yummy fake crepes. I'm sure I am neither the first or the last mother to make treats like this, but I'll just pretend I am.
Fake Dessert Crepes (which are called such only because I can't spell quesadillas correctly according to my spell check, which has no alternative to offer other than "gorillas")
tortillas
chocolate chips (we use dark chocolate)
peanut butter (natural, no sugar added)
jam or jelly (apricot preserves in this case)
Spead PB on one side of a tortilla, spread jam on top, sprinkle chips and fold over.
Cook over med heat until chips are melted.
Eat and try not to get the mess all over you face.
Also try marshmallow fluff. I haven't yet, but it sounds good. So try it and tell me. Also try Nutella. I have tried that and its so good that I know I can't have the stuff in my house anymore - I'll eat it morning noon and night. Not that that's bad or anything...
So that other bit of turkey from the tacos ended up in this pasta salad. No measurements here. Just add what you like so it tastes how you like it
1 lb of pasta, shells, macaroni, spirals - whatever you have
1 can diced tomatoes
green beans from farmers market
feta cheese
kalamata olives
ground turkey
italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste
olive oil and balsamic vinegar
cook and drain pasta and remove from pan to a large bowl
cook green beans how you like to (either steam them or boil them in a shallow pan in an inch or so of water)
open can of tomatoes and dump the whole can, juice and all in the pasta
chop olives and green beans and add to bowl with feta cheese
add seasonings, olive oil and vinegar to your liking
When I make this, it usually is enough for one lunch or dinner for four and several lunches for my husband during the week. Very precise, I know.
This might be a food blog around here for awhile. You all don't mind do you? I have found that being in a tight spot at the end of a pay period yields culinary creativity. For the most part I don't mind the challenge. This week I decided to blog about last weeks food. This is partially driven by the fact that I am trying to eat right and exercise and all that good for you crap.
End-of-the-Pay-Period-Raid-the-Fridge-Tacos
makes about 6-8, with some turkey leftover for another meal.
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheese
sour cream
salad greens
tortillas
Brown the ground turkey and drain fat, add salsa and cook off the liquid left in the pan. Spread a tablespoon of sour cream on a tortilla and top with a handful of salad greens and cheese and a heaping spoonful of hot from the pan turkey. Wrap em up and eat it. Then make one for everyone in the family and eat the rest sitting at the table like civilized people.
There are worse ways to avoid cleaning your craft area, no? It's one of those things where the pile is getting worse before getting better and I had to step away for a bit. And naturally food seemed like a much better idea. It always does...Ty and I made carrot cupcakes and I wanted to share.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
1 cup (8oz can) crushed pineapple in its own juice
3 cups whole wheat flour (white flour is fine, though)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 egg white
1/2 cup safflower oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups coarsely shredded carrots
1/2 cup applesauce
Heat oven to 350. Drain pineapple and reserve the juice. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add the reserved pineapple juice, eggs, egg whites, vanilla and oil. Beat at medium speed until blended. It will be a dense mixture. With a spoon stir in the carrots, pineapple, and applesauce.
Spoon mixture into muffin tins, bake until a toothpick stuck into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 22 mins. Remove to a wire rack to cool 2 mins. Serve warm. Makes 24 cupcakes.
* I prefer to use whole wheat flour and bagged pre-shredded carrots. This keeps the cupcakes from getting too moist. They tend to completely fall apart if they are too moist. I also like to add raisins and walnuts to the batter (1/2 cup each) but my kids won't eat raisins and my husband won't eat nuts in baked goods. If you have a not-to-sweet cream cheese frosting they are ah-may-zing with a little frosting and crushed walnuts sprinkled on top.