February 2016 - Page 2 of 2 - NY Foodie Family

The Kids Behind the Blog – February 2016 Edition

Posted on February 10, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Today I am joining Stephanie, Crystal, Beth, Meghan and Jessica for their first The Kids Behind the Blog link-up. I love the concept of this link-up. We ask our kids the monthly questions and share their responses. It’s a great way to get to know my family a little better and I’m looking forward to this monthly link-up. My daughter (D) will be 10 in April and my son (S) is 7 1/2. It was so much fun interviewing them to get their responses!

1. Where is your favorite place to go?

D: The Melting Pot (a fondue chain restaurant) and Disney World.

S: Disney World.

2. Who is your best friend?

D: Arlin and Lizzie.

S: Julian and Anthony.

3. If you could be a superhero, what would your superpower be?

D: Flying because I could look over the world and I think it would be cool.

S: To make my dreams come true.

4. What is your favorite candy?

D: Lollipops – I really like the Tootsie Pops.

S: Gum.

5. Who is your valentine?

D: My friends.

S: You (me!)

January 2016 Reads

Posted on February 9, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

It’s that time again to link up with Steph and Jana for their Show Us Your Books Link-Up. Not only do I get to share the books that I’ve read recently, but I also get to add a ton of books to my goodreads to be read list. January started out with a bang. I was reading like crazy but towards the middle of the month I started The Royal We and it just took me forever to finish! That is the first book on my February reads list, when I’ll share my rating and opinions. Too many books, not enough time! Here’s a look at what I read in January. The books are listed in order from least to favorite.

*Books and pictures are linked to Goodreads.

3 Stars:

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#Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso – This non-fiction book is part memoir and part career and life advice. Amoruso is the founder of Nasty Gal, a $100 million plus online fashion retailer. Honestly, I had never heard of Nasty gal before reading this book. I am a fan of hard working women who can change their lives around and become successful. However, this book didn’t really offer anything new and felt a little “braggy.”

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Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert – I may be one of the rare few who didn’t love this book. I was not a fan of Eat Pray Love either and think I just don’t enjoy her writing style. This book was very anecdotal and I felt uninspired. Gilbert and I don’t seem to have the same ideas on creativity and it was hard for me to believe the “magic.”

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The Grownup by Gillian Flynn – This is a short story by Gillian Flynn which questions who is the manipulator? An unnamed young woman reads the aura of a Susan Burke. She eventually visits Susan’s house and meets her teenage stepson which results in lots of Flynn’s twists and turns. It’s a super quick read but was just an okay read for me.

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The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin – This is a middle grade fiction book. Suzy Swanson’s former best friend dies unexpectedly while swimming in the ocean. To cope with her grief she has stopped talking and has hypothesized that her friend died from a rare jellyfish sting. Eventually she comes to terms with her grief. This was a 2015 National Book Award Finalist but I didn’t really enjoy it and didn’t recommend it to my daughter.

4 Stars:

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After You by Jojo Moyes – This is the sequel to Me Before You. It tells the story of how Louisa is dealing in the aftermath of Will’s death. There is a lot going on in this book and while enjoyable, I preferred the first book over this one.

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Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom – Parker is blind as a result of a car accident when she was seven. Her mother died in the accident and now her father has passed away. Her aunt, uncle and cousins have moved into her house to help keep things as comfortable and the same as possible. Mix in an ex-boyfriend who betrayed her when she was younger and a motley group of friends and you have this touching YA coming of age story.

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See Me by Nicholas Sparks – Maria and Colin come from very different backgrounds. A chance encounter brings the two of them together. Threats from Maria’s past test their relationship in this romantic suspense book. I liked that this book was more suspenseful than Sparks’ usual romance books.

5 Stars:

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November 9 by Colleen Hoover – Fallon and Ben meet on November 9. They are young and both have aspirations. They vow to meet every November 9 for the next five years so they can live their lives and try to achieve their goals, without being distracted by the other. I am a huge Colleen Hoover fan. This was a great “new adult” love story that might have made me cry!

Weekly Meal Plan {Week 30}

Posted on February 8, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Hello Monday! Not so happy to see you. We were spoiled with a three day weekend after a snow day on Friday! But, back to the grind we go. We have to get through this week and then have a week off for February break! You can read more about how we meal plan if you are new to the process and want some tips. Here’s a look at what was on our meal plan last week:

Saturday – I was out during the day so the husband stuck a chuck roast in the slow cooker and we had the beef, mashed potatoes and veggies.

Sunday – My son had a birthday party in the evening, which my husband took him to. While they were eating pizza, my daughter and I had Five Guys cheeseburgers and fries!

Monday – We had Turkey and Rice Skillet from Very Culinary (which is now Belly Full). This is a quick one pot meal. We thought it lacked a little flavor and added hot sauce to it.

Tuesday – I made Orange Beef Teriyaki Soup from Melanie Makes. I have to admit that I didn’t season the beef with cinnamon and other spices because I don’t like the taste of it on savory foods. This soup still tasted great without it. It had a nice blend of sweet and spicy flavors.

Wednesday – I made Asian Pork Meatballs over Sesame Rice Noodles from Belly Full. I substituted ground meatloaf mix for the ground pork for the meatballs. I also didn’t have rice noodles and used spaghetti instead. This was a tasty meal! Asian spaghetti and meatballs!

Thursday – We used the leftover roast in beef burritos. This is another meal where there’s no real recipe, we just add some cooked rice, beans, cheese, salsa and sour cream and we all love it. And it’s a great way to use up leftover protein.

Friday – We had our usual homemade pizza. This is a quick and tasty weekly staple.

Books to Celebrate Mardi Gras

Posted on February 6, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Mardi Gras is quickly approaching. On February 9, the holiday will be celebrated with King’s cake and parades down in New Orleans. Here are some Mardi Gras books to read with the family to celebrate!

Non-Fiction Books:

Mardi Gras in New Orleans: An Alphabet Book by Karen Jansen
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This picture book goes through each letter of the alphabet and relates it to the celebration of Mardi Gras. Each page is accompanied by what appears to be a colorful graffiti-inspired chalk illustration. The text of this book is a bit busy. The author uses alliteration for each letter so there are several sentences of text for each letter. Every word on the page that begins with the featured letter is colored and the sentence from one page sometimes flows into the sentence of the next letter’s page. Almost all the important concepts of Mardi Gras are touched upon or named in the text, but descriptions of them are not provided. This book is okay to supplement your Mardi Gras reading, but does not provide enough information to make it a primary reference to learn about the holiday.

*This book was borrowed from the library.

Fiction Books:

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Mimi’s First Mardi Gras by Alice Couvillon and Elizabeth Moore
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

In this lengthy picture book (yes, this is not a quick bedtime read!) Mimi goes to her first Mardi Gras. She eats beignets for breakfast and gets dressed up as a princess before heading out to celebrate Mardi Gras with her parents. Mimi’s parents explain many of the sights that she sees. She gets to taste cotton candy for the first time and collects beaded necklaces. Although this is a fictional picture book, I think it does a nice job of describing a child’s first experience of Mardi Gras.

* We borrowed this book from the library.

On Mardi Gras Day by Fatima Shaik
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This picture book depicts the Mardi Gras experience through the eyes of two young children. From the parades to the food, author Shaik drew upon her own childhood experiences to write this book.

*We borrowed this book from the library.

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Timothy Hubble and the King Cake Party by Anita C. Prieto
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This is a cute fiction picture book that helps explain New Orleans tradition of King Cake during Mardi Gras. Timothy Hubble’s family has just moved to New Orleans. When he receives an invitation to his new friend and neighbor Adam’s king cake party he’s not exactly sure what to expect. Adam and his twin sister Amanda explain what a king cake is and when and why the parties are held. The explanation seems to worry Timothy even more…. a baby in the cake? Girls at the party? What happens if he doesn’t get the baby? And what happens if he does and no girl wants to be his queen?! This book does a good job of explaining the king cake tradition to young children, as well as touching upon worrying too much and making new friends.

*This book was borrowed from the library.

Friday Favorites {Week 47}

Posted on February 5, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Happy Friday! The days are going by so quickly that it’s hard to believe we’re almost a full week into February. I wish my weeks were more exciting, but with work and the kids after school activities we are settled into a nice routine. Here are some of this week’s favorites:

1. TKD Board Break-a-thon – The kids’ participated in a Tae Kwon Do board break-a-thon last Friday evening. Their school TKD club went against three other local elementary schools. Based on their grade, the students had a certain number of chances to try to break each colored board, starting with white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown and then black. Each colored board was worth a certain number of points. If the student couldn’t break the board in the given number of tries then they were out. My daughter was eliminated during the green board. My 7 1/2 year old son was the only second grader from his school to make it to the black board. He surprised everyone, but especially himself! He was so proud, since at practice he had only broken up to the blue board. And the icing on the cake was that their school came in first place!

2. Lunch with an old friend – I reconnected with an old college friend who I hadn’t seen in over two years. We finally met up for lunch on Saturday. It was so good getting to see her and catch up. Unbelievably, I took NO pictures!

3. Foreigner “Classic Hits Live” My husband has been doing a lot more driving since he started his new job and now commutes to work by car. He’s been filling his driving time by listening to more music on CD. While we usually listen to Pandora in the house we still have hundreds of CDs. He rediscovered this Foreigner CD this week which was originally part of my collection before we even met. I don’t even remember buying or listening to it! He describes it as: “A guilty pleasure. A live compilation of an often over-the-top band performing their greatest hits. Each of the songs recorded at the time they were at the top of the charts. What could be better on a drive to the office?”

4. Photo A Day Challenge – If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I have been participating in Fat Mum Slim’s Photo A Day Challenge. I find this challenge so much fun and it gets me posting at least one photo a day to my Instagram feed. The prompts are fun and you can join anytime!

5. Favorite bookmarked recipe: {One Pan} Skinny Loaded Baked Potato Gnocchi from With Salt & Wit. My husband loves gnocchi! And our family loves anything “loaded baked potato,” so this dish will be a winner!

ICYMI on the blog this week:
Monday I shared our weekly meal plan.
Tuesday I shared some Tips and Try-Its.
Wednesday I shared my February Currently and joined Anne and Jenna’s link-up.
Thursday I shared my Happy in January update.

I’m linking up with Tif @ Bright on a Budget, Andrea @ Momfessionals and Amanda at Meet @ The Barre. Have a great weekend!

Happy in January

Posted on February 4, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

I started 2016 with my one little word for the year being “happy.” One month in and I feel like I’ve been doing a pretty good job of embracing happiness. Here is a recap of January:

Things I read:
10 Simple Things to Make You Happier At Home – I realized that I did most of these things already. I have always made our bed every morning and am trying to get my kids in the routine of making their beds on their own.

Your Happiest Year Yet! from the January/February 2016 Everyday with Rachael Ray. You don’t have to tell me twice to eat more chocolate and cheese!

Eight books this month and most of them were really good! Check out my February 9th post when I join Steph and Jana’s Show Us Your Books Link-up and review my January reads!

Things I listened to:
Happier with Gretchen Rubin Podcast – I’ve listened to all four January episodes (46-49).

Things I did:
The kids helped me work on our scrapbook from our Bermuda cruise that we took back in September of 2014! Yes, I was really behind. I really want to work on our Disney scrapbook from this past summer, but wanted to get the Bermuda cruise book finished first. As much as I don’t have a lot of time to scrapbook, I am trying to do it more since the kids love looking at them and remembering the fun experiences that they’ve had.

Wrote in my Instant Happy Journal. I still don’t write in this every night, but I do like to reflect on the positives of my day before going to bed.

Volunteered two Saturdays this month at the food pantry. Due to bad weather, and some other plans, I was only able to get to the food pantry twice this month. However, I was able to spend the whole three hours, helping with set up and shopping.

Had a dinner date with a friend who I hadn’t seen in months. I also reconnected with an old friend from college. It had been two years since we had last seen each other. We met up for lunch last weekend and it was so nice to catch up and see each other.

Things I am looking forward to:
Our family February Minimalist Challenge! It is time to declutter and get rid of “stuff.”

Things I need to work on:
Exercising more. Besides my weekly tennis league, I haven’t been getting much exercise. I need to find some motivation and just do it. Up first is yoga!

February Currently 2016

Posted on February 3, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

It’s time one again for Anne and Jenna’s monthly “Currently” link-up. I can’t believe February is here. It’s looking to be a good month, so stay tuned! Here is what I am currently up to.

Sending – Positive thoughts and prayers to my friend’s mom for a successful recovery. She was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She had surgery and is now going for chemotherapy. As the bracelet we have says “No One Fights Alone.”

Eating – this Orange Beef Teriyaki Soup that I made for dinner last night as well as other cold weather foods like stews and chili. The groundhog predicted an early spring, so I’ve got to eat all the cold-weather comfort food now!

Dreaming – Of a vacation. My husband turns the big 4-0 this year and we are planning a family vacation to celebrate. November is a long ways off though and I could really use a couple of days of rest and relaxation right about now!

Smelling – My White Barn Mint Mocha Bark candle from Bath & Body Works. This is a “winter” scent to me and I want to use it while it’s cold

Hearting – Podcasts. I’ve been listening to them all the time – on my drive to work, cleaning the house, etc. My recent faves have been Heather Dubrow’s World (I’m a Real Housewives fan!), Spawned with Kristen and Liz of Cool Mom Picks, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, The Lively Show, Fempire, Carpool Talk Show and All the Books! This is a real mix here!

Tuesday Tips and Try-Its {Week 1}

Posted on February 2, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

1. Today is Groundhog Day. If the groundhog sees his shadow it is predicted that winter weather will last for six more weeks. Since I hate the cold weather, I’m hoping for an early spring. When was the last time you watched the movie Groundhog Day? I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen the entire movie so I’m giving it a try. If you’re a big fan, you may want to watch it again in preparation for its 2017 Broadway musical debut. Most of the creative team of the Broadway hit Matilda are behind the anticipated March 2017 Groundhog Day musical debut.

2. Give your sponge a 1-2 minute zap in the microwave every day. According to this article, your kitchen sponge is one of the dirtiest things in your house!

3. Sunday, February 7 is Super Bowl 50. You can watch the Carolina Panthers vs. the Denver Broncos, or just watch for the commercials and half-time show like I do! Regardless, the day is all about the snacks! Check out this collection of recipes, drinks and crafts to help celebrate the big game!

4. Have a family game night! Recent family favorites of ours include Bounce-Off and Life. This is probably what I will be doing with the kids while we stream the game!

5. Make one meatless meal this week. We aim to have at least one vegetarian meal on our menu plan each week. These Slow Cooker Lentil and Brown Rice Tacos are a family favorite. And they’re made in the slow cooker! So easy and tasty!

Weekly Meal Plan {Week 29}

Posted on February 1, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Is it Monday already?! The weekends go by way too fast! We had a jam-packed weekend filled with fun. For those new to meal planning you can read more our meal planning process. Here is a look at what was on our menu last week:

Saturday – We were snowed in from Storm Jonas. We ended up making some pasta with sauce. Super simple.

Sunday – The Weekend Chef made tilapia, crispy hash brown potatoes and Brussels sprouts.

Monday – I made Greek Wedding Soup from Every Day with Rachael Ray, December 2008. I made this recipe once before and this was as tasty this time as it was the first time I made it! ‘m not a big fan of “soup as the meal,” but with the orzo and meatballs this was filling enough. I used ground turkey instead of the ground lamb or beef that the recipe called for. I also used vegetable stock instead of the chicken broth, which led to the dark colored broth.

Tuesday – I made Chicken with Chorizo and Tomato Salsa from Cooking Light, January 2015. I was able to finish up the chorizo that I had used in last week’s Mexican Chorizo Hash. I added avocado slices as well. This dish was really tasty. I served the chicken with roasted broccoli and rice.

Wednesday – I made Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Florentine Pasta from Pinch of Yum. This recipe was a bit disappointing. We found it a bit flavorless, even though the ingredients sounded good together.

Thursday – I made Loaded Breakfast Totchos from Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen. This was by far the kids favorite meal of the week! Breakfast for dinner usually is! Crazy enough, I ended up leaving the bacon out of this dish, since it already had sausage. Tater tots topped with sausage, cheese, homemade country gravy and scrambled eggs and scallions. Yum!

Friday – Friday was a crazy, busy night and I ended up making Steak & Bleu Cheese Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Dressing from The Creative Bite. I left out the blueberries in the balsamic dressing and found it tasty without. This salad was really tasty with all of the “stuff” which included mixed greens, steak, blueberries, blue cheese crumbles and walnuts! Unfortunately, we found it wasn’t very filling (or we didn’t eat enough of it!). We ended up eating dinner at 5 PM before we had to go to a school event. By the time we headed home from the event, around 8:30 PM, we were all starving! We ended up making a quick stop at KFC and bought a popcorn chicken and fries snack.