Life has been busy as usual, but I’m still trying to get tasty, homemade meals on the dinner table each night. I haven’t had the time lately to write a weekly meal plan post, but I figured a monthly spotlight post on the best recipes of the month is doable. As you will see, this month we had a lot of burgers! They are easy to make and quick to cook, which is helpful on busy weeknights. And it’s so much healthier to cook your own than get fast food/take out ones.
Baked Breakfast Taquitos – I apologize that there’s no picture – sometimes, the dish isn’t photogenic or we’re in a rush to have dinner…..regardless, breakfast for dinner is always a winner in our house. These taquitos are made with Italian sausage though, not the breakfast sausage that “breakfast for dinner” recipes usually call for. We had more filling than tortillas so my husband used the leftover filling to make breakfast burritos. We thought the sausage to egg mixture was off as well and would recommend using more eggs. Otherwise, this was a tasty meal.
Maple Bacon Beer Burgers – Another dinner that I didn’t take a pic of. We had a lot of burgers this month. They are so versatile and there are so many recipes out there to try! The maple syrup gives these burgers a slight sweetness. I substituted ground turkey for the ground beef and they tasted good.
Italian Rice Ball Skillet – I have to admit, I’m not sure that I’ve ever made an Italian rice ball. However, this skillet was quick, easy and tasty.
Broccoli Rabe Turkey Burgers – Here’s another burger recipe. I’ve actually made these burgers before. I like that there’s chopped broccoli rabe both in the burger and as a topping. Although I served these on buns, the recipe recommends serving on a piece of lettuce.
30 Minute Chicken Fajitas – I did not make the roasted pineapple salsa verde which the original recipe includes. However, the chicken was flavorful and this recipe is so easy. I’m not sure why I haven’t made fajitas on a sheet pan before. This was so quick and easy to make! We will definitely be having these again soon.
Apple Cheddar Turkey Burgers – This is another burger that I’ve made before and we’ve all enjoyed. They are tasty with the apple, cheese and cranberry sauce. I opted not to use the English muffins and served them on hamburger rolls.
When my kids were younger, bedtime was one of my favorite parts of the evening. Once they were in bed at 7:30 or 8 PM, I’d have a couple of hours to clean up, prep for the next day, blog and even get to watch an episode or two of a television show. Fast forward to today, where my now thirteen year-old, on some occasions, is going to bed at the same time as me!
My 10 year-old is supposed to be in bed at 8:30 PM and my thirteen year-old is supposed to be in bed at 9 PM. I am very aware of the research that recommends teens get 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night. If my daughter got to bed on time she’d be getting a good 9 hours of sleep, since she is woken up at 6 AM on school days.
However, between needing help on last minute homework or just being plain SLOW about getting ready, she is rarely in bed on time. If this was a one time thing it wouldn’t be a big deal. But this is an ongoing issue. We have her start the getting ready process at 8:30. Does she really need 30 minutes to get ready for bed?!
I know that the 8-10 hours is a recommendation. Some kids can deal with less sleep. My kids, however, take after me and NEED a lot of sleep. Otherwise, they get extra irritable and aren’t pleasant to be around. Plus, if she was getting enough sleep, I would think it would be easier for her to get up in the morning. I wake her at 6 AM before I go into the shower. Then my husband checks on her ten minutes later to make sure she is up and moving.
So what are we doing to try to get her to bed on time? I realize one of my mistakes was not taking her iPod away a certain hour before bedtime. I know this plays a huge role in her being distracted and slow. As we now are getting into phone discussions (post coming soon!) this is one of our non-negotiables. It is much more difficult to take something away once you’ve already allowed it for so long. Since she has no concept of how long things take her to get done, we are also thinking of resorting back to a timer and giving her limits on how long she can take to do something.
As infants and toddlers, and even in elementary school, both of my kids have been good sleepers. Now the problem is currently getting one of them into bed on time! I’m trying to instill healthy sleep habits now for the kids. I know as they get older, they’ll get more homework, be involved in sports and extracurricular activities and possibly even have jobs. I think a regular sleep schedule will help them perform at their best.
But seriously, girl, it’s time to go to bed already! How do you get your teens to bed at a decent hour?
The Catskills are a region in the Hudson Valley, approximately 100 miles northwest of New York City. It is made up of four counties and is home to the Catskill Mountains and the 600,000 acre Catskill Park. The town of Roxbury is located at the eastern end of Delaware County and has a population of less than 3,000. As you travel on state Route 30 and drive into the town, it looks and feels like you are stepping back in time. The entire Hamlet of Roxbury is on the National and State Register of Historic Places. And right off state Route 30 on Bridge Street is the Roxbury Motel.
I first discovered the Roxbury Motel while searching for lodging in the Catskills. When my husband and I decided to go away for a couple of days to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary, I thought the Roxbury Motel would be a great place to stay. It’s an easy trip and not too far from home, a little over two hours away.
When you hear “motel” please do not envision rundown or cheap. The Roxbury Motel is anything but! Owners Greg Henderson and Joseph Massa first opened the motel in 2004. After several expansions, it now consists of two main buildings, North and South. Altogether, there are two studios, five themed studios, five big king rooms, seven kitchenette rooms and eight suites, plus the Digs. As you will quickly discover during your visit, lime green is their signature color!
What really drew us to the Roxbury was the themed rooms. Inspired mostly by television shows and movies from the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, each room has a different theme and a unique name like Fred’s Lair (Flinstones), Samantha’s Cloud (Bewitched) and The Wizard’s Emeralds (Wizard of Oz).
I told my husband to pick the themed room that he wanted to stay in and he chose Maryann’s Coconut Cream Pie (room #27). For fans of Gilligan’s Island, this room is a reference to an episode (episodes?) in which she bakes a coconut cream pie. Greg and Joe really put attention into ALL the details of the room. From the round bed with the whipped cream pillows, the three framed and signed Maryann photos, to the SOS spelled out in shells. Every room detail is on theme. However, the real piece de resistance is the pie crust and meringue ceiling, which makes you feel like you’re in a pie.
Even the bathrooms carry out the room theme. The toilet is in its own room. There are double sinks and a deep tub with double showerheads. The Roxbury provides a selection of bath toiletries from the LATHER aromatherapy collection. This line of products are 100% vegan and contain no animal by-products or parabens. If you really enjoy them, full-size products are available for purchase in the main office. Staying in the Maryanne’s Coconut Cream Pie room, we also received a tub of coconut body cream to take home with us
The kitchenette rooms come with a mini fridge and a microwave. This is great if you want to store leftovers, pop some popcorn to have while you watch a movie, or chill your hard cider (or wine) that can be purchased from Roxbury Wine and Spirits down the street, which is what we did! The refrigerator is also stocked with wine and champagne for purchase.
The Roxbury serves a Continental breakfast, which during our stay included cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, cold cuts and cheese, croissants with a variety of spreads, fruit and several different pastries. There’s several different seating areas to enjoy breakfast. There are chairs and tables inside the office and in the enclosed porch area. When the weather’s nice, you can dine outside on the deck. There’s also a small dining room in the Roxbury North.
Coffee, tea and hot cocoa are available throughout the day in both the main office and the dining room in the Roxbury North. They also put out cookies and other snacks in both places that you can nibble on throughout the day.
The Roxbury’s Shimmer Spa consists of a spa in the North building and a spa in the South building. We pre-booked a couple’s massage before our we arrived, so we enjoyed complimentary access to both spas. Otherwise, it’s a $10 fee per person, per stay (not per day!) to enjoy both facilities.
When we entered our motel room on arrival, two fluffy bathrobes and slippers were waiting for us along with the spa key. Since we don’t frequent spas very often, we have very little to compare it to. The website notes that the Shimmer Spa isn’t a huge full-service spa. The South spa has a jacuzzi and sauna. While the North spa has a steam room, a reading library and is where the massages take place. The Shimmer Spa is appropriately named, with lots of shimmer and sparkle! The painstaking attention to detail that went into the room designs, was not forgotten at the spa.
The spas are both pretty small. We had the jacuzzi and sauna to ourselves. We spent part of the day in the North spa reading books and enjoying the sunshine (and snacks) before our massage. There was another couple using the space as well. We visited during the week in March, but I can see the spas getting crowded during peak times.
Although there isn’t a restaurant on-site, Cassie’s (during the day) and Chappie’s (at night), is a short walk right up the street. We visited for lunch one day and dinner another and can say that the food is good. Otherwise, the Roxbury provides a list of restaurants in the area in the info binder in your room. They include driving distance and type of food served.
A stay at the Roxbury is just plain fun! There tend to be a lot of repeat guests, which I know we will soon be. A couple of miles down the street from the Roxbury Motel, Greg and Joe are currently building the Roxbury at Stratton Falls. This property will consist mostly of themed cottages and a larger spa with a pool. You can bet that we are planning to visit this property when it opens!
The Details: The Roxbury Motel 2258 County Highway 41 Roxbury, NY 12474 (607) 326-7200 Check the website for more information!
Rates: $90-$698 depending on room choice and date.
Tips: *For suburbanites like us, the Roxbury Motel felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. Be prepared to drive to any area attractions. *Cell service is basically non-existent. My husband had to take a work call on the room phone. The wi-fi worked well though. *Every room has a DVD player. The office contains a DVD collection of over 400+ movies that you can borrow. Or, like us, knowing there was a DVD player in the room, we brought our own movies that we wanted to watch (BlacKkKlansman and Outlander Season 1!). *The office also has a game closet if you are looking for something to do. *For more photos of of the Roxbury and of our trip, check out our “The Roxbury” instastories!
Happy Friday! The kids have been relaxing and enjoying their Spring Break. It’s been a slow work week as well, with school not in session. We are gearing up for a full, busy weekend. First, we are celebrating Passover with my husband’s family tomorrow. Then Sunday we will be hosting Easter while also celebrating my daughter’s 13th birthday with the family. Monday, my daughter is celebrating her birthday with a party with her friends. Here are five from this week:
1.Supper Club – Last weekend we had our monthly supper club dinner. This month’s theme was grain grab bag. At the last supper club we each wrote down two different grains, for a possible of twelve different selections. We folded the papers up and each chose one. I got corn and my husband got buckwheat. So for this supper club I made a Corn and Poblano Lasagna and my husband made buckwheat pancakes topped with roasted tomato, baby spinach and gruyere. I was surprised at how tasty, but filling this meal was!
2. Birthday Celebration – My daughter turned 13 on Sunday. We went out to dinner and she had the macarons she requested for dessert. Stay tuned….more birthday celebrations are coming.
3. Reading – I am currently reading The Storyteller’s Secret by Sejal Badani. I picked this book from its high ratings on goodreads. However, it’s been a pretty slow read for me.
4. Friend Trip – My daughter just got back from Savannah, Georgia last week. This week she spent Wednesday through today at Camelback Resort, an indoor waterpark in the Poconos, with one of her friends. Lucky girl!
5. Lunch and Arcade Date – With his sister away, my son got a special lunch date with my husband and I this week. We took him to the Palisades Center Mall where he enjoyed a sushi lunch a this favorite restaurant East. This is a conveyor belt sushi restaurant where you can pick the dishes you want as they pass by. We then went to Barnes & Noble and Dave & Busters (arcade). He was a very happy kid!
This week on the blog I debuted a new weekly post called Surviving Thirteen.
Sharing with Friday Favorites! Have a great weekend! Happy Passover and Happy Easter!
Are you the mom of a teenager? For the past couple of years, I’ve felt like I was. Eleven and twelve were filled with attitude, talking back and lots of tears (from both parties). But as of last week, I am officially the mom of a thirteen-year-old girl. And I feel like it’s a whole new ball game.
I’ve expressed concern to my husband that I’m not sure I can handle the next couple of years. Each day feels like I am tiptoeing around my daughter, not sure if I’m going to get Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde. He tells me, “we will survive it.” Yes, I say, we will survive, but surely not thrive.
But does 13 and beyond have to be a constant battleground? By nature, I am a reader and writer. This is how I make sense of things. What have others experienced? What does the research say about raising teenagers? Because whatever I did during the tween years evidently hasn’t worked.
And so this new weekly blog series was born. A place for me to share (a.k.a. vent!) about life with a 13 year-old daughter. Parenting is the most difficult job in the world and it’s only seemed to get harder the older the kids have gotten. Bigger kids = bigger issues. I know that there’s no one right or wrong way to raise our teenagers. However, I always find it nice to hear how other parents deal with parenting issues. So join me on my journey in “Surviving Thirteen.” I’m really hoping that my reading and research will help the two of us thrive together through the teenage years. Hear is to wishing me good luck on this journey!
Two posts in one week?!! What is going on here?! Today starts spring break for my kids. Even though I work for a school district, the central office staff do work during breaks. So, we don’t have much planned for this week. I’m hoping the kids will get a chance to catch up on sleep and relax a little. Blog-wise, I am trying to start posting more regularly after a short hiatus. Life has been busy at NY Foodie Family, but really, isn’t it for everyone? I can’t catch you up on the past several weeks, but here are five from this week:
1.Girl Scout Trip – My daughter just got back Tuesday from a four day trip with her Girl Scout troop to Savannah, Georgia. This trip was planned for several years. She had such a great time and I know she will cherish the memories she made. I even created a personal Instagram account just for this trip, so I could follow along as the leaders posted pics and stories of their adventures!
2. Birthday Weekend – This weekend, my daughter also turns 13! I’m not quite ready for a teenager, on so many levels. Her celebration must include a nice meal and macarons. That’s the only direction we’ve been given as of now. And in typical soon-to-be teenager fashion, she still hasn’t decided if she is going to have a party with her friends. Nothing like waiting until the last minute…..(which doesn’t sit well with this Type A, needs a plan, mom!).
3. Reading – I just finished the book No Exit by Taylor Adams. This was a non-stop, suspenseful read that I enjoyed a lot.
4. Hiking – While my daughter was away, my son had a friend over and we took him hiking to one of our favorite places. We first climbed Anthony’s Nose back in the fall and fell in love with the view. It was cloudy and overcast the first time we hiked it. The weather was beautiful last weekend and the view was amazing. We brought lunch up with us and got to picnic while enjoying this view!
5. Lunch Date – Last weekend my husband and I also got to enjoy a rare lunch date. I had been in the mood for Indian food, which we hadn’t had in forever. So, we went to a local restaurant for the lunch buffet. For the price, it can’t be beat. I didn’t stuff myself, but I do enjoy getting to try a variety of different dishes. Especially ones that I probably would never order otherwise. Although not the prettiest picture (are plates of buffet food ever?!), it was delicious!
(This post contains affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for more information.) I’ve not been very active on the blog recently, but I couldn’t miss Steph and Jana’s monthly Show Us Your Books linkup. While I haven’t been in the mood to write very much, I have been reading up a storm. I read eight books in March, most of which were really great reads! Here are my March reads from least to most liked.
3 Stars:
The Little Book of Life Hacks by Yumi Sakugawa – This is a fun little non-fiction book with beautiful illustrations. However, there’s so much information and much of it is nothing new.
4 Stars:
All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir by Nicole Chung – Nicole was born to Korean parents and adopted as a newborn. Raised by a white family in a small town in Oregon, she doesn’t know much about her adoption. But now, pregnant with her own child, Nicole hires someone to help her contact her birth parents. She learns things about her biological family, while discovering family secrets and making new connections. Adoption is complicated. Although I am adopted myself, I didn’t relate to her situation. She was born in the United States to Korean parents, where I was born in South Korea. I do wonder about my medical history, which is a difficult part of being adopted and what started her search for her birth parents.
An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen – Jessica Farris signs up for Dr. Shield’s psychology study and becomes Subject 52. She must answer a series of questions about morality that become more invasive. She is soon being manipulated by Dr. Shield and that this study is more than she had bargained for. This was a great suspense read that had plenty of twists to keep me guessing until the end.
Best Friends Forever by Margot Hunt – Alice meets Kat at the airport during a delayed flight. The two discover that they live near each other and become fast friends. But then Howard, Kat’s husband, dies in what appears to be a murder. The police start looking at Alice as a suspect and Kat suddenly becomes unavailable. Alice must prove her innocence and discovers that she didn’t really know her “best friend.”
Cravings by Chrissy Teigen – I read her second, more recent cookbook, Cravings: Hungry for More first. I really enjoy her down-to-earth writing style and the recipes are actually things that I want to cook.
The Lies We Toldby Camilla Way – This story has two story lines – present day where Clara’s boyfriend Luke disappears. His computer e-mails show that he’s had a stalker for some time. Over twenty years ago, Luke’s sister Emily disappeared. Now, she has suddenly returned and wants to help find Luke. The second story line takes place in the past where Beth and Doug realize that their daughter Hannah is not like other children her age. She seems troubled and aggressive. Of course the two story lines end up connecting in a series of plot twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end.
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes – I really enjoyed this book years ago when I first read it. This was my work book club’s March pick so I decided to do a reread. It was still as good as I remembered. I love Louisa and her quirkiness. This book also brought me a good reminder to make sure I get out there and try new things and enjoy life.
5 stars:
Becomingby Michelle Obama – I don’t read many memoirs. I knew that I wanted to read this book though and had been waiting patiently, for what seems like forever, for it to come in from the library. I really enjoyed learning about Michelle’s past and what life was like for her balancing being the First Lady while still trying to keep life as normal for her daughters. She’s always been so down-to-earth and this book is so open and honest.
