September 2015 - Page 2 of 3 - NY Foodie Family

Happy Birthday Virgos!

Posted on September 17, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Happy belated birthday to me! Yesterday was my birthday. Since I’ve gotten older and had kids, birthdays seem to be less significant, minus the fact that I’m getting older! And a birthday on a weekday?!! I spent the evening at my son’s back-to-school night! We had an early birthday celebration this past weekend with a family dinner out and a night of bowling. Good times were had by all! Instead of posting a 40 by 40 list or things you don’t know about me, I am posting about my astrological sign. I am a Virgo, the sixth sign of the zodiac, represented by the Virgin (August 23 – September 22). I believe I have many of the traits of a Virgo, some of which are listed below. Read on to find out more about Virgos!

Traits of Virgos, according to Astrology.com:
*can be picky and critical
*have a strong attention to details
* “born to serve”
*industrious, methodical, efficient
*practical and logical
*good at fact finding
*balanced and fair
*brain in overdrive
*prone to skepticism
*can over-think things
*interested in understanding things
*perfectionist
*most Virgos are neat and clean
*reliable and sensible
*humble and easy-going
*most Virgos are grounded
*can be worrywarts
*extremely health conscious

According to a recent PopSugar article, the best astrological matches for a Virgo are Taurus, Capricorn, Cancer or Scorpio.

Link Love:
12 Things to Know Before Dating a Virgo
Find out what your zodiac sign smells like as a fragrance.
12 Things Only Virgos Understand

Some Famous Virgos (this is NOT an exhaustive list!):
Lance Armstrong, Jack Black, Alexis Bledel, Ruby Bridges, Warren Buffet, Louis C.K., Agatha Christie, Cameron Diaz, Gloria Estefan, Richard Gere, Salma Hayek, Michael Jackson, Stephen King, Beyoncé Knowles, D.H. Lawrence, Blake Lively, Cesar Milan, Maria Montessori, Mother, Teresa, Bill Murray, Regis Philbin, Amy Poehler, Pink, Keanu Reeves, LeAnn Rimes, Cal Ripken Jr., Molly Shannon, Charlie Sheen, Shania Twain, Amy Winehouse

Sooo true! I have absolutely zero patience for a fool. #virgo:
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It can and probably will be used against you.... seriously, don't piss off a virgo!!:

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Sounds like Me.:
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Universal Yums! July 2015

Posted on September 16, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

So we are way behind on our Universal Yums! subscription box reviews. The August box arrived while we were in Disney and we haven’t even opened it yet! But here is a review of July’s box. The country for July was Japan. We still love how the featured country’s flag is represented by the tissue paper that the snacks are wrapped in.

This box included a variety of snacks including candy and salty/crunchy type snacks.

Karl Cheese Flavor Ji-Il (2.53 oz) – This was a decent size bag, large enough to share amongst the four of us. These were comparable to our cheese doodles in the United States, but with a milder cheese flavor that had a slight hint of sweet. We all liked these.

Calbee Saya Snow Pea Crisps (2.47 oz) – This was also a fairly large size bag of snacks. They have the look of a green cheese doodle. We found it interesting that the list of ingredients included tuna extract and natural flavors including rendered beef fat. We thought that these were just okay.

Nestle Japan Aero Matcha Green Tea Milk Chocolate (2 pieces) – To be fair, we kind of forgot about this candy until recently and didn’t realize it was chocolate. So, a month or so later and it was squished and not in the best condition when we tried it. While Nestle makes this chocolate in a bunch of different flavors, we received the green tea variety. (I normally love the flavor of green tea and the Haagen-Dazs ice cream green tea is one of my favorite ice creams!) The Aero chocolate bar is supposed to have a “bubbly texture” that according to the Nestle website, “the bubbles collapse and then melt on your tongue to create a deliciously smooth chocolate sensation.” We did not experience this “chocolate sensation” possibly due to the dry, crumbled chocolate we had. This was just okay for us.

Botan Rice Candy (3/4 oz) – This box had six pieces of rice candy inside, as well as a sticker. I didn’t realize until I couldn’t get the second wrapper off the candy that it was edible. It was weird since it was plastic-like but when you put it in your mouth, it melted. The wrapper encased a lemon-orange gummy candy. These were definitely different.

Morinaga Hi-Chew Mango Fruit Chews (1.76 oz) – There were 10 pieces of candy in this package. While the package and squares of candy looked like a Starburst candy, they were much chewier.

Kasugai Gummies (4 pieces) – The box had four pieces of this candy including melon, lychee, ramune and kiwi fruit flavored. I tried the ramune flavor, which was supposed to be similar to a lemonade flavor. My daughter noted that it smelled like lemon cleaner, and she was in fact not wrong! I did not like or finish eating this candy.

Glico Pocky in Cookies & Cream (2.47 oz) – This box of cookie sticks covered in a white chocolate and cookie coating is actually a product of Thailand, according to the package. We’ve had Pocky before and like it. I wasn’t a big fan of the cookies and cream flavor but the kids loved it.

Kasugai Kuro Ame Brown Sugar Candy (4 pieces) – These black wrapped candies were one of my favorites in the box. The brown sugar candy was a piece of hard candy with a molasses flavor that reminded me of the classic yellow-wrapped Mary Janes.

Kasugai Flower Kiss Candy (4 pieces) – These were hard, sweet pieces of candy. Although the candies had different flower wrappers, according to the information card, they allegedly all tasted the same. There wasn’t anything too special or different about these candies.

Bourbon BaumRoll (4 pieces) – The box had 4 of these BaumRolls. They were a lemon-flavored cake covered in a light layer of icing. The cake was a bit dry and sweet, but overall not bad.

Meiji Hello Panda (2.0 0z) – These biscuits with choco cream are actually products of Singapore, according to the package. Each of these cookies, shaped in circles or panda heads, has a picture of a panda engaged in various sports including soccer, kayaking, skateboarding and more. The cookie reminded me of a Nilla wafer with a chocolate filling. We all enjoyed these.

Overall, this box was a win. This box had a variety of treats that we could all eat and enjoy. Nothing was too spicy or “out there.” We can even probably stock up on many of these treats if at our local Asian grocery store. Look for August’s Universal Yums! box review coming soon! We are still finishing up the treats in the box and our September box just arrived!

Lemony Risotto with Mascarpone and Spinach

Posted on September 15, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Today I’m sharing this recipe with the Tuesday’s Recipe Swap link-up hosted by Kate @ Green Fashionista and Emily @ Martinis & Bikinis and the Tasty Tuesdays link-up. This was one of our meatless meals that I made awhile ago for dinner. I’m sharing it now though, since the weather is getting cooler and risotto feels like a fall food. Although risotto can sometimes feel heavy and filling to me (since you are basically eating a big plate of rice!) the lemon flavor helped make it feel less so. I added spinach to the recipe since we had some leftover, and extra veggies never hurt! Plus, I served it with some roasted broccoli. My son helped with the lemon zesting and stirring of this risotto. The kids ate this, although my son complained that it was “too lemony.” He then proceeded to eat a lemonade Outshine bar for dessert after taking forever to finish his risotto….go figure!

Lemony Risotto with Mascarpone and Spinach
Recipe slightly adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
6 cups vegetable stock
2 lemons–1 peeled (yellow part only), 1 zested and juiced (about 1 1/2 tsp. zest and 4 tbsp. juice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice
5 cups spinach
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 rounded tbsp. mascarpone cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for garnish
A few leaves of basil, torn

Directions:
1. In a medium pot, heat the stock and the lemon peel over medium-low. Cover and keep warm.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the shallot and garlic and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the rice; stir until coated, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine; stir until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add about 2 cups warm stock and cook, stirring frequently, until almost evaporated, about 6 minutes. Add 2 more cups stock and cook, stirring frequently, until almost evaporated, about 6 minutes more. Add 1 cup stock and the lemon zest; stir until almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Taste the rice. If it’s tender but still has a bite to it, stir in the lemon juice, mascarpone and 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Add the spinach, stirring to wilt. Season and stir in some of the remaining stock if the risotto isn’t saucy enough. Divide among bowls; garnish with basil and more grated cheese.

New Children’s Chapter Book Series: Race The Wild

Posted on September 14, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

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Rain Forest Relay (Race the Wild series #1) by Kristin Earhart
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Rain Forest Relay is the first book in the new Race the Wild series that was published this past April. This series is like the Amazing Race for kids. (On an aside, the Weekend Chef and I have always been big fans of the Amazing Race, and at one point might have even contemplated applying for the show!) In this series teams of four are competing in The Wild Life, a race around the world, with a million dollar prize for the winning team. As they race, the teams (and the reader) learn all about the animal kingdom and different habitats. This first book, and the first leg of the race, takes place in the Amazon Rain Forest. Russell thought that he was going to be on a team with four of his friends, but is ends up being teamed up with strangers, while his friends get to be a team. Every chapter begins with facts about the rain forest, including information on animals, endangered species, and what life is like in the rain forest. Information about the rain forest is provided in a fun and entertaining way. The book also focuses on friendships, both new and old and the importance of working together.

According to the back cover this book is at a Grade 4 reading level, targeting readers in 2nd through 4th grade. My 7 year-old son (who is an advanced reader for his age) read this book and liked it enough that he is interested in reading the next book. I read it and really enjoyed it! My only criticism is that I’m not sure how realistic it is to have kids racing around the world without their parents. I don’t recall the ages of the kids being provided, regardless, I wouldn’t be sending my child off on their own. We are looking forward to reading the second book in the series, Great Reef Games soon!

*We borrowed this book from the library.

Friday Favorites {Week 29}

Posted on September 11, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Yeah for Friday! This has been a doozy of a week! Labor Day Weekend was filled with fun and a little relaxation. However, these three day weekends throw me off schedule! Plus, add in a very quick, less than 24-hour trip down to Arlington Cemetery for a family funeral. We picked the kids up from school early Wednesday afternoon, drove down to Arlington, spent the night at a hotel, went to the burial on Thursday afternoon, stayed a little bit at the reception and then drove the 5 plus hours back home to finish out the crazy week. The kids have an upcoming four day weekend because of the Jewish holidays. Hopefully, we can catch up on some rest and get in some relaxation then! Here are some of our faves from this past week:

1. Sunday we took a trip to Hershey Park. Our daughter won the tickets from a local radio station earlier this summer and they expired at the end of this month. Even though we just got back from Disney World AND we went to Hershey Park last summer, we couldn’t not go, since she was so excited about winning. Labor Day weekend was our only free weekend to go. We ended up leaving early Sunday morning and just spending the day there. It was a relaxed trip where we didn’t feel like we needed to do everything. Our daughter had finally grown tall enough to ride ALL the roller coasters, which the Weekend Chef was happy about. In the past, he had to ride the coasters by himself while I waited with the kids. Even better, although she was a bit apprehensive at first at the height and loops of some of these coasters, she ended up LOVING them! The Weekend Chef has a roller coaster riding buddy! Plus, as seen on Instagram, we got some good eats as well!

2. Favorite bookmarked recipe of the week: These Apple Pie Pancake Rolls. This will make a tasty breakfast for dinner one night soon.

3. Netflix Favorite this week: Last week on a Friday link-up B and M of The Sequin Notebook had mentioned this show on Netflix. Sing it On is a reality show following five collegiate a cappella groups as they try to make it to the ICCA finals in New York City. Umm, how had I not heard of this show before? I love a cappella and back in the day really enjoyed going to my college (Cornell University) and nearby Binghamton University’s various a cappella shows. The Weekend Chef and I watched all eight episodes this past week.

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4. The Martian by Andy Weir- This is another book recommended by Lisa from expandng that I didn’t think that I’d like and was pleasantly surprised when I did. While it was a bit technical in some parts, the story itself was suspenseful. Matt Damon will be starring in the movie based on the book which will be released in October.

5. Podcasts – We are so late to the podcast game. I just downloaded my first podcast earlier this week. I spent some time outside weeding and listening to various podcasts. It made the time fly by! Plus, we listened to some on our 5+ hour drive down and back to Arlington. I know about and have downloaded Serial, which I think the Weekend Chef and I will enjoy. However, we couldn’t listen to it in the car with the kids! So far, my favorites are Happier With Gretchen Rubin and The Nosh Show. But please, if you have any other podcast recommendations, please send them our way!

Linking up with Tif @ Bright on a Budget, Amanda from Meet @ The Barre and Andrea from Momfessionals. Have a great weekend!

Food Finds #2

Posted on September 10, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Here’s a look at some recent food finds that we’ve tried. I have to admit, most of them are junk food and snacks, as most of these were bought and tried before I decided that I needed to start eating healthier. Be on the lookout for some “healthier” selections in the next Food Finds post!

three twins organic ice cream: sea salted caramel – Founded in 2005, three twins ice cream is a California-based ice cream company that uses only certified organic ingredients. I love all things salted caramel, so when I saw this flavor in the freezer case of my local Shoprite I knew I had to try it. This ice cream was super creamy and smooth. It wasn’t overly sweet and had a hint of salty caramel. The Weekend Chef and I were both fans of this! Other interesting three twins ice cream flavors include Chocolate Orange Confetti and Dad’s Cardamom. For additional information, check out the three twins site here.

Alpina Café Selections: Vanilla Latte yogurt – Oh, how I had high hopes for this yogurt. This line of Greek yogurts is the first to be infused with real coffee. The cup of yogurt has 30-50 mg of caffeine, which is equivalent to approximately a half a cup of coffee. I can’t eat dairy first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, so having this for breakfast was out. The Weekend Chef and I decided to share it for dessert one night, though I was a bit hesitant, since I can be sensitive to caffeine and didn’t want to be up all night! Well, after one bite of this yogurt I didn’t need to worry, since I really didn’t like it. The yogurt itself was creamy and the coffee taste evident. However, both the Weekend Chef and I found the taste to be bitter and unenjoyable. There are too many other yogurts that we enjoy out there. For additional information, check out the Alpina US site here.

Mighty Leaf Chocolate Mint Truffle Tea – I don’t remember where I received a free sample of this tea from. I much prefer coffee over tea. However, this tea is caffeine free and was perfect for a recent relaxing night of Netflix viewing. While I normally add sugar to my tea, I didn’t with my mug of this. The chocolate and mint flavor was very mild and barely noticeable. I was hoping for a more pronounced flavor. For additional information, check out the Mighty Leaf website.

Canada Dry Blackberry Ginger Ale – I have really tried to cut back on my soda consumption. However, when I see something new I have to give it a try. We only let the kids drink caffeine free, regular soda on special occasions or when we go out to eat. They both have started liking ginger ale so we all tried this blackberry ginger ale. We all liked it, though it had more of a grape taste than a blackberry taste. I would definitely pick this up again. For more information check out the Canada Dry website.

Lay’s Kettle Cooked Greektown Gyro Potato Chips – Our daughter had us enter the Lay’s flavor contest. We didn’t win, but these Greektown Gyro flavored chips were a finalist, along with Southern Biscuits and Gravy, New York Reuben, and West Coast Truffle Fries. So far, we’ve only tried these and weren’t impressed. They had a weird, lab-dill flavor that wasn’t very appealing. Definitely not a fave. Still have some other flavors to try though!

Have you tried any of these? Do you have any recent food finds that we should try?!

Straight Up Tasty: A Review

Posted on September 9, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Straight Up Tasty by Adam Richman
Rating: 3 out 5 stars

Our family is a big Adam Richman fan. We love watching old episodes of Man V. Food together. So I was really excited to see that his cookbook was available from Blogging for Books. Straight Up Tasty is a collection of over 100 recipes ranging from breakfast and snacks & small plates to sauces & condiments and sweets. I like that Richman is not a chef or claims to be one. He’s a guy who loves food….and don’t we all?!!! There isn’t a specific theme to this book of recipes. Rather it’s a mix of recipes that Adam has grown up making and recipes of family and friends. Interspersed through the cookbook are recommendations on where to get the best breakfast, the best burgers as well as a list of best restaurants based on the protein (beef, chicken, pork, shrimp and meat substitutes), based on his culinary travels.

I didn’t end up cooking any of the recipes from the cookbook. I found the recipes were either similar to things that I’ve already made before (“Lemon Ricotta Pancakes,” “Easy Carbonara,” “Chicken Marsala,” and “Spaghetti Pie”) things that I’d just rather order out at a restaurant and not be bothered making (“Maple-Glazed Pork Belly Poutine and Sweet Potato Fries,” “Roast Pork and Broccoli Rabe Dumplings” and “Pulled Pork Egg Rolls”) and things that I already make and don’t need recipes for (“Latkes,” “Home-style Corned Beef and Cabbage” and “Grandma’s Egg Salad”).

The recipes cover a range of tastes and ingredients. There’s simple recipes like “French Farmhouse-Style Simple Roasted Chicken,” “Easy Lemon Butter Salmon,” and “Smoked Paprika Onion Rings.” None of the recipes called for difficult to procure ingredients, except for maybe the “Banh Mi Burger” which asks for pork pate.

So who is this cookbook for? I’d say fans of Adam Richman will enjoy this cookbook as they get to know a little more about him and are able to cook some of his favorite recipes, including his “Mom’s Spinach Pie” and his “Grandma’s Home-style Brisket.”

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. However, all opinions are my own.

August 2015 Reads

Posted on September 8, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

I’m happy to be participating again in Steph and Jana’s monthly Show Us Your Books link-up. I love finding out what everyone’s been reading and my to read list grows tremendously after this link-up! I was on a big psychological suspense reads kick this month! Here are my August reads sorted by rating:

2 Stars

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Truth or Die by James Patterson & Howard Roughan – I don’t know why I keep reading Patterson’s stand-alone books! This book was a page-turner as usual, but the overall story was disappointing. Trevor Mann’s girlfriend, a newspaper journalist is killed in a mugging. However, he doesn’t think it was a chance shooting and attempts to find her murderer. I prefer his Women’s Murder Club and Alex Cross series and should just stop reading these stand-alone books!

3 stars
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Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave – Georgia returns to her family vineyard in Sonoma a few days before her wedding to discover her fiancé and family all have secrets they’ve been hiding. There were some interesting facts about winemaking that I learned, but overall, this was just an okay read for me.

In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume – Blume was one of my favorite authors when I was growing up. I remember really enjoying her adult novel Summer Sisters. I thought this book was just okay. I found it interesting that it was based on actual events. However, there were a ton of characters to keep track of and the storyline didn’t really interest me.

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Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll – This book has been on the New York Times best seller list for several weeks. I put it on hold at the library and I finally received it after waiting what felt like forever. I had seen this book dubbed as “the next Gone Girl,” which apparently is the standard to which every new psychological thriller is now compared to. I had also read several negative reviews of this book prior to reading. Not sure if those reviews subliminally affected my opinion of this book, but I wasn’t very impressed. After experiencing tragic events in high school, Ani Fanelli has now reinvented herself into a woman who seems to have it all. She revisits those painful memories and we find out what happened in the past as she is interviewed for a television special about the events that happened long ago. Reese Witherspoon is going to be producing this the movie version of this book, which Lionsgate has acquired. I of course, will watch it, regardless of the fact that I didn’t like the book so much.

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Missing Child by Patricia MacDonald – Patricia MacDonald is not a new author to me. I’ve read three other of her psychological suspense type novels. This was one of my least favorite books of hers. Caitlin’s stepson Geordie goes missing one day after she drops him off at school. This story is the search for the boy, with fingers even being pointed at Caitlin. Just an okay read for me.

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Sister by Rosamund Lupton – While I was at my new job training, I got into a book discussion with another woman who highly recommended this book after discovering that I liked psychological suspense books as much as she did. The book is set in England and is written in letter form from Beatrice to Tess. When Beatrice’s sister Tess is missing and then found dead, it is ruled as a suicide. Beatrice knows her sister would never kill herself and she flies to London to try to figure out what happened to Tess. Through her own investigation Beatrice discovers there’s a lot about her sister that she didn’t know. This was an okay suspense type read for me.

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Those Girls by Chevy Stevens – I loved Still Missing which was my first introduction to Chevy Stevens. This is now my third book of hers that I’ve read and unfortunately, it disappointed. Three sisters end up on the run after an attempt to avoid their father’s abuse turns bad. They create new identities and lives in order to survive after additional tragedies occur. Again, another just okay read.

4 Stars

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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – Blogger friend Lisa from Expandng had recommended this book to me. This was a monthly selection from her online book club Page Turners. After reading the synopsis, I didn’t end up reading it, because based on the summary, it just didn’t sound like my thing. And this is why I love book recommendations and link-ups like this. She read it for the book club and has since highly recommended the book. I decided to give it a try and I was so pleasantly surprised! I’m not a big sci-fi fan, but I enjoyed the game show premise of the book as well as all of the 80’s references. This one was even passed along to my husband to read, who also gave it a big thumbs up. We were excited to find out that Steven Spielberg will be producing this into a movie, which is supposed to premiere sometime in 2017.
5 Stars
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The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay – This book has been on my “want to read” list for what seems like forever. I’m not sure what took me so long to read it, but am so happy that I finally did! This is a young adult, coming of age story that is beautifully written with very likable characters. Nastya Kashnikov starts a new school with a hidden, tragic past. She ends up forming unlikely friendships with Drew and Joshua, two friends with very different personalities and lives. Relationships form and secrets come as the story unfolds. I can see this book being made into a movie.

Meal Plan {Week 11}

Posted on September 7, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Happy Labor Day everyone! Hope you are enjoying the day off that most of us have from school and work. School is back in session and the weather will hopefully be getting a little cooler soon. I am looking forward to quick and easy meals and using the crockpot more. Here is what was on the menu last week at our house:

Saturday: The Weekend Chef and our daughter made Hawaiian Quesadillas, Cilantro-Lime Rice and refried beans for our first back from Disney dinner. The Weekend Chef made some homemade guacamole to have with. It was nice eating some home-cooked food for a change!

Sunday: The Weekend Chef cooked some Country-Style Ribs in the slow cookers and served with roasted potatoes and roasted broccoli. Although he made a spice rub and sauce, the ribs ended up losing a lot of their flavor.

Monday: I made this Mexican Tortellini Salad. The Weekend Chef and I enjoyed this but the kids weren’t the biggest fans. The leftovers were also great for lunch the next day.

Tuesday: I made this Sweet Chili Chicken with Coconut Rice. I served it with a salad. I wasn’t sure if the chili sauce would be too spicy for the kids. However, they loved this! It was so quick and easy to make that I know this will be making an appearance on our menu again soon!

Wednesday: We made this Banana Chocolate Chip Fluffernutter French Toast Casserole. Yes, the name is a mouthful. I’ve mentioned that my kids love breakfast, so breakfast for dinner is always a hit in our house. This casserole was so good! While it probably counts more as dessert than dinner, it was winner for sure! Note that this dish can mostly be prepared the night before but does have to cook for an hour.

Thursday: I made this Cajun Shrimp with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce. I was worried that the Cajun seasoning might be spicy for the kids but they ate this. The flavor of the pasta was actually somewhat bland and the seasoning helped spice it up. Overall, this meal was just okay for us.

Friday: We were going to the kids back-to-school picnic so I made homemade pizza. I fed the kids before going since I know there would be no eating once they saw all their friends.

Friday Favorites {Week 28}

Posted on September 4, 2015 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Yeah for Friday! It’s been a long, busy week around here. The kids have started school and we are getting back into schedule mode. Luckily, we have a little bit of time before all the activities start up. Plus, with Labor Day and the Jewish holidays, the kids don’t have a full week of school until October! Here are some of this week’s favorites:

1. Disney Mug – I bought the mug pictured above as a souvenir from our recent Disney trip. They had sooo many different mugs to choose from it was so hard to pick. Since I don’t really have a favorite character, I thought this mug, which depicts all the parks and many of the classic characters was a good memory of our trip. However, this is a jumbo mug! My morning coffee intake has doubled since it just didn’t look or feel right drinking from a half empty mug!

2. Favorite bookmarked recipe of the week: These Hoisin Burgers with Peanut Slaw. I’ve made an Asian Turkey Burger before that we like from a recipe from Cooking Light. However, this recipe looks like it has a bit more flavor and I love the addition of a peanut slaw.

DIET DIET DIET *dammit just thinkin bout it makes me sweat.. but for the love of having a great body, I CAN DO THIS!!!: DIET DIET DIET *dammit just thinkin bout it makes me sweat.. but for the love of having a great body, I CAN DO THIS!!!

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3. This workout plan – Since getting back from Disney, I’ve gotten more serious about starting to exercise and eating a bit more healthy. I found this workout plan on Pinterest and have been pretty good about keeping up with it. It’s a small start and I like how it mixes up different exercises and amounts every day!

4. Netflix this week – I finished up watching the latest season of Grey’s Anatomy. I had seen a spoiler so wasn’t totally surprised at how the season ended. The show still makes me cry almost every episode! The Weekend Chef and I are one episode away from finishing up Season 3 of Orange is the New Black. I’m continuing to watch Revenge and I’ve started watching Bloodline. I’ve heard good things about it. But I’m only into episode 3 and am having difficulty with it keeping my interest.

5. Hop’n Mad Apple Cider – I bought a variety pack of Angry Orchard hard cider, which is one of my favorite adult beverages. If you follow on Instagram, you might have seen that we tried a new to us flavor, Hop’n Mad Apple. The Weekend Chef really likes this cider, with its blend of cider and two different hops. It wasn’t as sweet as their other varieties, which I prefer.

Linking up with Amanda from Meet @ The Barre, Tiff from Bright on a Budget and Andrea from Momfessionals. Have a great Labor Day weekend!