Daddy's Lunch Bag Art - 1st Grade So Far

Another year, another round of awesome lunch bag art for the kids courtesy of Hubby.  Here are some of this year's highlights...

Well, actually I drew this one. :o)

Super Food Recipe - Quinoa

I'm a little late to the party when it comes to the latest super food, quinoa.  I am just happy to be able to pronounce it, let alone cook it!  Now that quinoa has joined the ranks of the acai berry, I figured it was time I tried out a recipe or two.  Other than the fact that the grain looks way too much like fish eggs on top of sushi, it isn't all that bad.  It basically takes on the flavor of whatever you are cooking it with, a backseat food that is there to showcase the other ingredients.  

Last night's dinner consisted of quinoa with Latin flavors from a Fitness Magazine article.  Never one to follow a recipe exactly, I modified it to the recipe listed below.  I served this with chipotle tortillas, and it came out great.  Full of flavor and a little heat from the jalepenos that gave it a nice kick.  

This was a very healthy dinner.  I will admit to being totally hungry after, but it was healthy so I guess that's worth it.  If you are a meat eater I would suggest adding steak or chicken or something to make it more filling.

Did my kids eat this?  Ummmm no, they had fruit and chicken nuggets for dinner.  I can't get Joey to eat carrots, there is no way he is eating this.  I'm not a fan of making separate meals at dinner, but I am also not a fan of eating chicken nuggets. You pick your battles.

Ingredients

3/4 cup  quinoa

2 teaspoons olive oil 

1   medium white onion, chopped

1 jalepeno pepper, seeds removed, chopped

2 cloves  garlic, minced

1 1/4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth

1/4 cup  pepitas, toasted (see Note)

3/4 cup  coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup  chopped green onions

1 can black beans

1 bunch asparagus, chopped

2 tablespoons  lime juice

1/4 teaspoon  salt

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add jalepeno and garlic; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the quinoa, asparagus, and broth; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Add pepitas, cilantro, green onions, black beans, lime juice and salt to the quinoa; mix gently and fluff with a fork.

Notes:

To toast nuts & seeds on the stovetop: Toast in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. 

Fitness Magazine Article to the original recipe:
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/recipecomdetail.jsp?recipeId=25113181

Joey's 7th Birthday Extravaganza!!

This weekend was Joey's 7th birthday and his first grade class had an unofficial field trip to Monterey Bay  Aquarium.  So, we decided to make it a birthday weekend extravaganza with Monterey on Saturday and Santa Cruz on Sunday.

It wouldn't be a family vacation without scheduling something the day we are leaving... so to stick with tradition we accepted a very generous invite to join Logan's friend on a behind the scenes tour of Raley Field Friday night.  The plan was to have the car packed for Monterey and leave from the field.  That's not quite what happened...

Friday was insanely busy as we tried to run all the errands we needed to run, get ready, pack, etc.  We were running late for the tour (shocker I know) and finally hit the road only to have the seats of our double stroller also literally hit the road.  They were supposed to be secured to the roof, but not so much.  Unfortunately for reasons we will never understand, the cars behind us stopped before running them over and then ever so carefully ran them over.... and dragged them... and we refrained from shouting obscenities at them which we deserve a medal for.  Minimal damage to the stroller seats despite their adventure and we were back on the road headed to the baseball field.

As soon as we arrived at Raley Field we were waiting to be let in the gates and Emmie announced she peed her pants.  Great, just great.  Here is the pic Cheri snapped of Jeff changing her pants in front of the gates, lightening speed before the tour guide arrived -

The tour of Raley Field was awesome.  The kids were totally oblivious to what a special privilege such a tour was, as was evident when Logan removed his shoes and made himself comfortable on the leather couch in the executive suite we toured.

Jack and Logan (Logan sporting his complimentary River Cats hat)

One of the suites was set up for a photo shoot and the kids took full advantage of that.  That 's Emmie being a river cat.

Logan looking happy from the executive suite seats at Raley Field.

We got to the hotel around 11 pm and finally got Emmie to sleep close to 1 am and she didn't even take a nap in the car.  Crazy how late that girl can stay awake at age 3!  The next day we were off to the aquarium for a fun filled day of exploration!

"What do you think penguins eat Logan?"
"Penguin seed." - Logan

Behind the scenes at Monterey Bay Aquarium for the birthday boy! 

Dinner at Bubba Gumps - thank you Uncle Dick for the VIP passes! 

Sunday was Joey's birthday and he happily woke up saying, "Good morning 7!!"  First stop for the day was Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey.

Logan wanted to read his book at the park.  He sounded out every word  - so proud of him!

After the park we were off to Santa Cruz to experience the Boardwalk!