Scrumptious Sundays

This recipe was so delicious! I was disappointed that I didn't take pictures, but trust me it's worth trying. I'll steal a photo from Chloe, who we got the recipe from. We love it because it really tastes rich, creamy, and delicious - like a typical unhealthy pasta dish...BUT IT'S HEALTHY! Love it!! I should mention it's SUPER easy, takes only the time to cook the noodles to make. Every mom's dream - easy & delicious :)

Avocado Pesto Pasta

1 lb dried linguini

1 bunch basil leaves (about 2 1/2 ounces)

1/2 cup pine nuts (we used walnuts because we didn't have pine nuts on hand)

2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

3 garlic cloves

1/2 c. olive oil (we were able to get by with only 1/4 c.)

1/4 c. chopped sun dried tomatoes

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, bring water to boil. Add pasta and cook according to package. While pasta cooks, in a food processor blend basil, nuts, avocados, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. Season with salt & pepper.

2.) Drain pasta. In large serving bowl combine pasta, pesto, and sun dried tomatoes.

We made it for dinner one night and liked it so much I made it again for our vegetarian friend Samara the next day for lunch.

1st Lollipop

Remember when you were a kid and went to the bank with your mom or dad. They always had a piece of candy to give you...they still do that. Gavin had his first lollipop courtesy of the bank security guard. He chose blue (of course), it was a sticky, slimy mess - but brought back some fun memories of being a kid.

Baseball Buddy

Jason got a UofA baseball frame for Father's Day, so we thought filling it with a picture of his favorite baseball buddy would be a good idea. Getting a wiggly toddler to sit still for pictures isn't easy. But these sure turned out cute.

Practicing the ABC's to get a smile out of him.

A little yard work while we take pictures.

Guilty?

Batting Practice

Great Grandma's Are Xtra Special

Gavin is one lucky little boy, he has several great grandma's. He got to spend an entire week with Great Grandma Blanche a couple weeks ago. Gavin's daycare was closed for vacation and we needed a babysitter, she kindly offered. They had such a great time together. Singing, dancing, laughing, playing baseball - and of course the pool & popcorn...a daily favorite.

Thanks to Grandma Blanche for helping us out.

After all that playing, he was finally pooped.

Scrumptious Sundays

Asparagus and Mushroom Rigatoni

courtesy of Runner's World with a few Hendricks alterations

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 pkgs crimini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch spears
1 pound rigatoni pasta
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, boil six quarts salted water.

Heat three tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Add garlic. When it turns gold, add mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Saute mushrooms until darkened, about five minutes. Add asparagus and toss gently to coat, sauteing a few minutes more.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook 10 minutes.

Turn heat under the saucepan to high and add a cup of pasta water. Cook until water reduces by half, about thirty seconds. Lift pasta from water with slotted spoon and add it to the skillet. Toss over high heat for one minute.

Turn off heat and toss with parsley, lemon zest, and cheese. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Serves six.

Scrumptious Sundays

Ice Cream Cake

(minus the cake)

You will need 3 containers of ice cream, any kind. We did 3 different kinds to get a variety. You will also need one package of Oreo cookies.

Let the ice cream get soft enough you can scoop it out into a saran wrap lined round cake pan. It doesn't have to be completely melted; it actually melts better once it is in the cake pan. The saran wrap will come in VERY handy later so don't forget that step.

As the ice cream continues to melt more, smooth out the top with a spatula.

Oreo cookies come 3 rows to a package. Take one row and place in a ziploc bag. Seal, then roll with a rolling pin until cookies turn to crumbs. Top the ice cream with the crumbs.

Place each pan in the freezer and let harden completely. We did ours over night to make sure they were good and frozen. You may want to put another layer over saran wrap over the top to avoid freezer burn in your ice cream.

Now it's time to stack. Take each pan and pull on the saran wrap. The frozen cake will pop right out. You will loose some of the cookie crumbs because they didn't stick to the ice cream, that's okay there will be plenty still attached to the ice cream. Stack one on top of the other to create 3 layers. Mmmmm, it's starting to look delicious!

Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips to use as 'frosting'. I spread mine on like frosting, but you can actually melt more and

Scrumptious Sundays

Easy Italian Sausage Pie

Makes: 8 servings

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 5 minutes

Bake: 375 for 1 hour 15 minutes

Recipe:

1 lb. Italian Turkey or Chicken Sausage, cut into 1" pieces

5 eggs (we used egg beaters)

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, drained

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

2/3 c. ricotta cheese

1 shallot, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 package refrigerated ready-to-roll pie crusts

1 egg beaten lightly with 1 Tbsp. water

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375. Place sausage in a nonstick sillet over medium-high heat and cook 5 minutes until browned on all sides. We actually cook ours on the BBQ.
2. In a large bowl, combine sausage, 5 eggs, spinach, mozzarella, ricotta, shallot, pepper, garlic powder and salt. Line a 9" pie plate with 1 of the pie crusts. Spoon in the sausage-and-spinach mixture. Top with the remaining pie crust; seal and crimp the edges. Poke a few holes in the center of the pie crust and brush with the egg-water mixture.
3. Bake at 375 for 1 hour, 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

We've made this for dinner twice but discovered via leftovers that it's a great breakfast dish as well.

Surprise!

Throwing a surprise party for someone that lives in your house is not an easy thing to do...but we did it. Thanks to all Patti's friends and family that helped we were able to pull it off. It was a great afternoon of friends, eating, drinking, and celebrating. Happy Birthday to mom, mom-in-law, grandma, and Patti!!

Fit Tip Thursday's

Week #10 Tip - Stick With It

Well my biggest loser contest has come to an end. Hopefully you learned a little about your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to healthy choices and losing weight. The trick now is to play on your strengths but always be aware of your weaknesses. Don't let the things that constantly bring you down be your focus. For example if you hate exercising, then don't...not yet anyway; focus on food and making other healthy choices; exercise will come in time. We've talked about water, food, exercise, simple changes to an already busy life. If you stick with the changes you've made you will continue to lose weight and be a healthier, happier you!! Good luck with your new choices and your new you!

The Tornado

Gavin's new nickname!! It applies to lots of aspects of Gavin's day-to-day routine. We've documented just a few. He is going, going, going all the time. It's super speed or sleep speed - those are the only 2 speeds he knows.

Our future chef. Loves to help in the kitchen whenever he can - typically his helping is pulling things out of the cupboard and spreading them throughout the house.

Anything becomes a toy. If you don't want him to have it, it better not be in his reach. This bucket has been a boat, a stool, a stage, a cowboy hat - he really does have a great imagination.

The maniac pool boy! Gavin loves the water so much!! Sprinklers, fountains, pools - if there is water he wants to play in it. A couple weeks ago he was jumping and playing with noodles at the pool. One jump came a little too close to the edge of the pool and turned into a face plant into the cement. That cute little smile now just has a little more character with a chunk missing :)

The calm after the storm. He loves to take his toys and kitchen and just throw them all over the living room floor. He will pick up a box of legos and throw it on the floor and then say "uh-oh!" or "oh-no!". Not quite sure why he likes this, but he does all the time. We can't help but laugh. He's learning how to help clean up after himself.