10 day challenge - weekend & Day 7

We categorize meals in our house now between likes and not liked.  Meals from this weekend:

Kid approved:
waffles (the kids can not get enough of these!)
scrambled eggs with toast
Eggs in basket
teriyaki salmon and brown rice - C liked, the others didn't
100% whole grain noodles topped with butter and parmesan cheese and parmesan broccoli

Kid not approved:
pizzas - not sure if it's because I didn't read ahead and let the dough rise first, but we kids weren't a fan

More often than not, kids are liking what they are helping to make.  Hud can't believe that B didn't like the pumpkin muffins he baked.  Hud really liked those muffins and was actually happy when the other kids didn't like them.

We did a lot of cooking this weekend, and I nibbled on a lot of the stuff we made (ok, I really didn't nibble, I tried full size helpings outside of my normal meals!). This was evident on the scale Monday morning because I was up a couple of pounds!  We also attended a Halloween party (I planned ahead and brought in apples, oranges and grapes) that I partook in a beer (they say in moderation!) and popcorn.

We made Raspberry Lemon muffins (but made them blueberry lemon) for Monday and some Chicken Noodle soup since I had a feverish child.  We also made a 3 ingredient "breakfast" bar, but it's really a cookie!  Now you see my weight gain!  I'm not picking the salads out of the book :)  I want to enjoy this journey.

The temptation of the Halloween candy wasn't hard this weekend because we were so busy (did a LOT of raking leaves), but it is hard today.  As I mentioned above, I'm home with a feverish child (well, he's doing a ton better now) and the pull to downstairs (that's where we are hiding the candy) is very strong.  I've walked to the door 4 times already thinking "It doesn't matter, it's just 2 small twixs."  and then I start thinking about how I miss crunchy things.  The crunch of an apple isn't doing it for me.  3 more days Allison.  STAY STRONG!

Things I learned:
1.  No matter what, I eat more (and gain weight) on weekends
2.  Allowing myself 0 of something will make me want it more
3. Homemade bread is so delicious

Recipes from the 'net

Here are a couple of recipes I have borrowed from the internet.  I can't even imagine life without the internet.  No place to look up code snippets (work), no place to view symptoms of diseases you think you have, no place to look for how to find all of the coins in Super Mario Brothers (we use to check out gamer books from the library for this!) and no place to find recipes!

I like to look up recipes after going to a restaurant with food that I like.

Here are some great ones that I've found:

Carrabba's Dipping Oil for Bread
SUPER EASY!  I love dipping bread and this one is super simple to make.  I put all ingredients (except garlic) in a little container so I have it on hand for when we have bread, and add the garlic in the dipping dish with the spices.

McDonald's sweet tea
YUM.  Since I usually order 1/2 sweet tea and 1/2 regular tea, I only put in 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup sugar.   Instead of the 3 regular sized lipton, I use the cold brew pitcher size tea bag.  And I also dissolve the sugar in warm water first (on the stove).  The first time I made it, I dissolved the sugar, poured it into a 2 gallon pitcher, and then put the Cold Brew lipton tea bag in it.  It brewed in like 10 seconds!  So let the water cool down if you use the Cold Brew bag.

Carrabba's Tag Pic Pac
This one requires a little more work, but it's SO good!  One of the reviews was from a manager at Carrabba's and suggested rough chopping 8 basil leaves and add them at the very last minute to flavor the sauce.  He also suggests using white pepper instead of black and canned, whole Italian plum tomatoes to crush them in the sauce yourself.  I also like chicken to put on top.

The two main websites I go to to find recipes are Kraft Recipes and Betty Crocker.  They are nice because you can put in the main ingredient and search for what you'd like to make or put in a list of ingredients that you have and come up with a meal.  I like looking at the 30 minute meals and the kid meals.  I don't remember which site (or maybe it's both?), but some of the meals aren't very spicy/salty/flavorful, so be sure to add in extra spices (if you are good at that kind of thing).

Have fun!  Be sure to put in your recipe links in the comments!

Happy Cooking!