Tiger Stripe

Today Alex got his first accomplishment in karate. In the 4-5 year old class the first two stripes (colored tape wrapped around the end of the belt) are earned by attendance. He should have received this stripe on Monday but the main instructor wasn't there and Alex was so upset. Today he and another boy both earned stripes and he was all smiles.

You get called up to the front and have to kneel while the stripe is put on your belt.
Then you have a special handshake to do with the instructor and all the Don's (I think a Don is an instructor because some of those kids help in Alex's class. They are the ones with the black trim.)
Alex showing off his new tiger stripe!

Meal Plan Monday

The boys and I went out of town to my parents house for Mother's Day so I didn't have a meal plan for the weekend but I did make Pineapple Bliss Cupcakes. I made these super easy cupcakes without the frosting so they were only 94 calories each. When topped with fat free whipped topping and fresh sliced strawberries & blueberries it was a delicious and figure friendly dessert.

This week I'm trying more new recipes but with a few older ones mixed in. Tomorrow I am making Blueberry - Buttermilk Coffee Cake (250 calories) to have for breakfast for the rest of the week.

Monday - Pasta, Greens, and Beans (379 calories)

Tuesday - Italian Potato Dumpling Casserole (225 calories) and roasted asparagus (about 60 calories)

Wednesday - Shrimp & Bean Couscous (344 calories)

Thursday - Makeover Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta (343 calories)

Friday - Middle Eastern Stuffed Zucchini (379 calories)

*Due to the pitiful selection of zucchini at the store today Friday's recipe will be replaced by Layered Black Bean Casserole. I've really been loving black beans lately but in this one the beans are mashed with tofu! Sorry I couldn't find a link for this one.

Hopefully there will be leftovers of something to eat on Saturday or we'll have an easy meal of sandwiches or cereal! Hope you have a good week!

Thank you!

Thank you to my husband for the gorgeous tulips that he sent me for Mother's Day. I love them!

Happy Birthday Chris!

We love you!

Sidewalk Chalk

The boys have had sidewalk chalk on their minds ever since they got some in the Easter gift that Daddy sent them. Yesterday evening was the perfect time to finally do it. The only bad thing is that no rain in Texas means I'm going to secretly have to hose off the driveway in a few days while the boys are at school!
We actually have a large box of chalk already so that's what's in this picture. Daddy did not mail that huge thing!


Guess what happened right after this picture?
If you guessed bathtime then you were right!

Meal Plan Monday

Last week's meals all turned out well except for the Mexican Beef & Pasta. I think it tasted good but despite using mild salsa and mild green chillies it was way too hot for the boys to eat. I thought it was a little hot myself. I do think it's worth trying again but I might only add half the amount of those spicy things next time!

This week is almost all new recipes again. I just love trying new things although it's a gamble if it's going to be a winner or not. Thankfully Alex & Zachary don't mind either.

Monday - Cubano Panini (295) with fruit and chips

Tuesday - Garlic Chicken Spaghetti (398)

Wednesday - Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana (195) with roasted veggies (squash, zucchini, onions, peppers, & broccoli)

Thursday - Philly cheesesteaks (230) with sweet potato fries

Friday - Chicken Enchiladas (160) with black beans

Today or tomorrow I think I'm making Low Fat Strawberry Scones to use up more berries and then I'll have to freeze the rest for another time. The Strawberry Jello Pie I made yesterday is already half gone! Good thing I tweaked it to make it low-cal!

Strawberry picking

A few days ago I heard mentioned on the radio or somewhere a "local" farm to go and pick your own strawberries. I had something like this on my summer to-do list with the boys but since strawberry season is almost done and we love strawberries we headed out there yesterday with some friends. The boys were so excited about going. It was free to get in so we just grabbed some fruit boxes and found a good picking spot. We were told that you have to look under the leaves for the strawberries and they were right. Most of the strawberries were not obvious unless you were looking for them. Despite an overcast morning the sun came out right when we got there. I'm not sure if the heat was the problem but Alex was done picking after about 10 minutes. Um, we had about a two hour drive to get there so I was not done. Plus I had been dreaming of a fresh strawberry pie! Zachary wasn't ready to stop either so while Alex went and sat on a bench under a pavillion he kept on picking with me. In the end I practically had to pull him away from the strawberries! Zachary was a great picker!!







After Zachary & I had enough berries for a pie and extra munching we took a break for strawberry ice cream and strawberry popcicles. Of course Zachary chose vanilla just to be different. Then we checked out more of the farm.
We dug a few new potatoes and pulled a few onions.

Train rides are always a hit!

Last but not least were the goats. There were horses and donkeys too but we were too hot and tired to see them. The goat pen happened to be next to the train. The boys got a kick out of feeding them through the fence.


Just in case we didn't have enough non-nutritional food after the ice cream and popcicles we made a donut stop on the way home!
At the end of the day I had about 3 pounds of strawberries, 3 onions, and 5-6 new potatoes.
More than enough for my strawberry pie!
I'm thinking about strawberry scones for tomorrow.....