Boogers and Bananas

Okay, so I just had to share this story that my husband told me today...


Me: Joshua, what's that in the sink? (as I look into the sink to find a plate filled with gray, mushy looking stuff--it looked pretty gross)

Joshua: Bananas. I kind of let Kaiya go at it.

Me: Wow, that looks pretty gross.

Joshua: Yeah, what was really gross was when she tried to stuff her mouth with banana with a closed fist and ended up wiping her nose and trailing snot from her nose to her fist. Pretty much, she was eating a nice mixture of boogers and bananas.

Me: (Disgusted look on face)

Joshua: She liked it!


I love hearing the exciting/gross adventures Joshua has with Kaiya while I'm not home! :D

National Fettuccine Alfredo Day! (yesterday)

So, I am going to admit that I had to look up how to spell "fettuccine" before writing this post.
And I realized that I wrote it wrong at least 5 times yesterday.
Oh well.

The important thing is that it was National Fettuccine Day yesterday!
And I just have to wonder, who comes up with these awesome food holidays?!
And why don't we pay special homage to days such as these
when a food of extreme, creamy goodness is celebrated?!

Okay, so maybe it's not that important to cancel school for fettuccine alfredo...
but a girl can dream, right?

Anyways, in honor of National Fettuccine Alfredo Day (I am going to be a pro at spelling fettuccine after this post), I made some fettuccine alfredo for dinner of course!

I am, however, trying to be a bit healthier and avoid all the fat and extra calories (although they do taste so good!), sooooo I found a healthier recipe for fettuccine alfredo that still leaves you with
a nice, rich, creamy, delicious sauce, but leaves out a lot of the extra fat and calories.
The only thing I would have changed is the amount of salt I added to the sauce--it needed WAY more. Tasting the sauce alone made it seem there was enough salt,
but when it is mixed with the pasta, the flavor is diluted a bit.
So don't be afraid to make the sauce a bit saltier. ;) It'll be worth it.

We sprinkled parmesan cheese over our pasta to add a slightly saltier flavor. You can also add steamed broccoli to this dish (like in the original recipe) and it is SO good.

(No arteries or diets were harmed in the making of this alfredo) ;)

Joshua loved it. And Kaiya loved watching us eat it...

I got the recipe from a site called Budget Bytes. Have you heard of it? This girl is amazing! She makes delicious, penny-friendly meals and breaks down the cost of everything
(ingredients, price per entire meal, price per serving, etc.)
in EVERY recipe she posts.

It's great!

And it provides me with great information as I choose meals that are delicious and affordable for my family.

P.S. Today is Molasses Bar Day! But I probably won't be making any of those. :)

Love,
JaM

Time to play catch-up!

Oh my, where to start?

Life is so busy right now.
Who would have thought that going to school, working,
 AND being a wife and mother would be so time-consuming?

Oh wait, I remember...that's what I signed up for!
And as crazy as my days usually are,
they are often extremely rewarding as well.

I also know that all of this is temporary.
I won't be in school my whole life.
Or working my whole life (hopefully).

So, even though it is temporary, I am trying to find the "joy in the journey."

So many people go through life saying,
"Someday,  when I reach this such-and-such part of my life,
I will be happy."

But then they're never happy right now.

Not to say that I haven't ever had these thoughts,
but I am trying so hard to be happy now.
If I always find a reason to be happy now, I'll be happy always.
And that sounds pretty good to me!

Anyways... with life being so crazy,
I have failed to write about several happenings in the McG family.

First...

Kaiya takes over our bed...the little stinker!
But she's too cute and peaceful to move to her bassinet.
(Please excuse the mess!)

Second, I made these last week...

Vegetarian Quesadillas!!!

Ever since one of my friends introduced me to these, they have been a favorite.

I'll have to share the recipe sometime. ;) Basically, it's yellow squash, sweet corn, black beans, garlic, cilantro, and dried basil and oregano all sauteed together and placed on a tortilla with a generous amount of mozzarella.

Sooo ooey gooey good. Anyways, it's a favorite.

Third...

Joshua and I made Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies yesterday using this recipe.

They were soooo good!

I don't know if I can even adequately describe their soft, fluffy, sugary goodness!
I am a fan of soft sugar cookies and these fit that description perfectly.
Just thinking about these is making me salivate...

Well, here are just a few things that the little McG family has been up to.
And there has been so much in between.

We are definitely getting psyched for Valentine's Day!
Do you have any plans with your sweetheart? Roommates? Ben & Jerry's? (Haha, just kidding!)

Love,
JaM

Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza

Makes me salivate just thinking about it! Oh. my. goodness.
This pizza was sooo good. It had to be from the wonderful aroma emanating from the kitchen.
Nothing that smells that good could taste bad, right?!
Right.

I really like pizza, but I don't always like how gross and greasy it can be sometimes.
So, this pizza was perfect for me because it is so good and so healthy!
It is loaded with veggies (caramelized onions and roasted butternut squash) and flavor.
No meat required.
Did I mention the feta, mozzarella, garlic, and rosemary?
(Are you salivating yet?)

Anyways, biting into this deliciousness made me feel like I was eating
a gourmet pizza from California Pizza Kitchen.
Except it's cheaper.
And I get a whole pizza!
Yeah, it's an all-around win-win situation.

Well, here it is!

We added a little spinach and tomato side salad to top off the meal.

Yum!!! Look good to you? You can find the recipe I used here.

By the way, while I was busy making this delicious pizza,
Kaiya was having an adventure of her own...

Well, hope you have a fabulous day, night, whatever time it is!

Love,
JaM