T-minus 6 days and counting!

So my stepdaughter will be here in 6 days, and we're all so excited!!!

Today at lunch, I asked the girls what they wanted. Fifi (the baby of the family) wanted what she always asks for: "a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich, but take the peanut butter off." LOL! Lulu and Bud got the same sandwiches: dark chocolate peanut butter from peanut butter & co., topped with a bit of Nutella. I always put everything on whole wheat bread, so at least there was some nutrition in what they ate! I chopped up some beautiful big Fuji apples and smeared some peanut butter on their plates for them to dip the chunks in, and I gave them each a couple of slices of colby jack cheese (their favorite because of their Papaw, lol). Top it all off with a 100% juice juice box, and that was their lunch today. Healthy for the most part... but I can compromise and give in a little bit, especially where Bud is concerned because we have to watch her sugar intake more than the other kids. I don't mind letting her have the Nutella and the dark chocolate PB at lunch, since I don't really put too much on there and she's not allowed to have a whole lot more sugar the rest of the day. I'm making pasta salad for myself (I'm not usually a big sandwich person), and Bud will probably have some of that, too. She's the best eater I have - the only problem is that she also eats a lot!

For dinner I'm making coconut rice and jerk cod. Okay, so it's not really "jerk" spice as we think of it, but it's gonna be pretty spicy, so the coconut rice will cool it down. I am excited for dinner! So is Bud! :)

I have two bunches of bananas in the kitchen that HAVE to be used today. I will either make my husband's favorite (Banana chocolate chip muffins) or banana bread... or maybe even both. The banana chocolate chip muffins never last long in this house, lol... usually just long enough to cool to the point where they won't burn the kids' mouths, and then BAM! They all disappear. It's like magic. ;)

I was looking through photography tips websites last night, and got lots of ideas for the girls' pictures this summer. Just some things I want to experiment with: waterfalls, railroad tracks, mirrors. Let your imagination run wild from there, lol!

Stir-fry Noodles

Stir-fry noodles

Package whole wheat noodles
1 lb chicken breasts
1/2 bunch bok choy, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup edamame
Teriyaki

Cook and blanch noodles. Saute chicken, bok choy, pepper, onion and edamame; add some teriyaki to deglaze. Stir fry noodles with teriyaki and vegetables then add chicken breasts.

The amount of teriyaki you add is personal preference. I add 4-5 T of it. Also if edamame isn't available, I use peas. VERY filling and nutritious - should please even the pickiest of eaters... except Lexi, who ate the noodles and left everything else on the plate. She even acted like trying a piece of chopped bell pepper smaller than the tip of her pinky gagged her. :(

Tuesday Times.

So tonight for dinner, I made a Chicken Tetrazzini from scratch. Josie actually had THIRDS, mushrooms and all! Faboo! Tomorrow night I have slated roasted chicken & rosemary potatoes, and I promised Grace I'd make my apple pie tomorrow for dessert. Just as soon as I see some good peaches, though, I'm gonna make that peach citrus cake that I saw on Take Home Chef - oh, it looked SO YUMMY.

I called Hobby Lobby, and they start new Wilton cake decorating classes every month. They meet every Tuesday night, and it costs $24.50 for the class, plus you have to buy a beginner's kit that has all your supplies (not sure how much that costs). Does anyone want to go with me starting in June? Leave a comment or email me and let me know if you want to - I think it'll be fun. Plus from what I understand, you take home a decorated cake at the end of each class, so dessert is a bonus!

This weekend I'm going on a camping trip with the girls and their Girl Scout troop. Here's to hoping that my overweight self can make it through the hiking.

Anybody else ever been to Ichthus? I thought about taking Gracie and Taylor up there for the whole 3 days, but then I found out it'd cost us over $300 to do that, NOT including whatever food or souvenirs we bought. Yowza. I guess Grace will just have to settle for the free Newsboys concert during the KY state fair!

Love to all...