Yum!

I have been obsessed with Mediterranean food lately. So much so that we've eaten it like 8 times within the last 2 weeks. Since getting it out was getting expensive, on Sunday my husband spent hours recreating it for me.  We had falafel, muhammara, and feta stuffed dates with pomegranate sauce on them (below).





And then tonight we went out again for more. This is the gyro Josh had...



I meant to take a picture of my feta cheese pie and salad, but I was too hungry to pause that long. Yummy.  I'm glad I feel this way about healthy food instead of craving fried food like I used to. Yay for Weight Watchers and the ways it's changing my life.

Date night

As Abby has been getting around really well on her own with or without her walker (she scoots on her booty) we felt it was okay to have a date night. So we got all dolled up and went to Applebee's. It's not the fanciest but it was 5 minutes away in case we had to rush home. For me it felt good to get out of the house. I also haven't been taking much care in what I wear or doing my makeup lately so it was nice to make an effort. One thing I'm making more of an effort with is really enjoying my good moments and taking notice of them so that they can get me through the bad moments. So I'm going to make more of an effort to have date nights with my husband, take pictures, just find time to take that deep breath and enjoy it all.


Awhile ago, I bought a knock-off version from China of the Bump-it. They cost 1/2 the price and work pretty nice. It's not something I'd want in my hair all day but it sure beats teasing it and using tons of hairspray to get some lift in my hair.






Josh and I ready to go out....


And a random photo of the inside of Josh's car...

Yummy recipes

Friday night, Josh picked these two recipes out of one of my magazines and made them for me. I love when he cooks for me. Not only is he great at it, but the effort makes me feel special. 

Red Potato and Green Bean Sauté
Source: Ladies' Home Journal

Ingredients
1 lb baby red potatoes, halved
1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
1-1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until almost tender, about 15 min. Add beans and cook until just tender, about 3 min. Drain well.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 30 sec. Add potatoes and beans; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing to coat vegetables with oil, until heated through, about 2 min. Toss in basil and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Nutrition facts per serving:
calories: 125
total fat: 4.5g
saturated fat: 1g
cholesterol: 0mg
sodium: 243mg
carbohydrate: 20g
fiber: 4g
protein: 3g

Bite-Size Tomato and Mozzarella Tarts
Source: Ladies' Home Journal

Ingredients

Flour, for work surface

1   sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3-oz box), thawed

1-1/2  tbsp shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

1  large plum tomato, thinly sliced (8 to 9 slices)

3 oz salted fresh mozzarella, very thinly sliced (8 to 9 slices)

1  tbsp chopped fresh basil Directions 1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. 2. On a lightly floured surface, unfold pastry. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 8 to 9 rounds and transfer to prepared baking sheet, placing 1 inch apart. 3. Using a fork, prick each round in several places. Bake 5 min. 4. Sprinkle each round with about 1/2 tsp. Parmigiano-Reggiano, then cover with 1 tomato slice; season with salt and pepper. Top each with 1 mozzarella slice. 5. Bake until pastry is puffed and golden, 12 to 14 min. Sprinkle each tart with basil and sere warm. Makes 8 to 9 tarts. Nutrition facts per serving:  calories: 75 total fat: 5g saturated fat: 2g cholesterol: 8mg sodium: 207mg carbohydrate: 4g fiber: 0g protein: 3g

Fancy livin', here we come!

I rarely use the cloth dinner napkins in my house. One of the reasons why I don't is that my daughter would probably just use them as a blanket for her baby doll rather than a napkin. My son would likely toss them in the garbage when he's done with dinner. I just can't see my 11 & 4 year old children appreciating a nice table setting for dinner.

There are nights though when my hubby and I wait until after the kids are in bed to have dinner. When you have children, quiet dinners alone are to be cherished. It's then that I put candles on the table, sometimes placemats and (drumroll please) cloth napkins. But I don't fold them into birds of paradise, I just stuff them into a napkin ring. Some night when I'm not so tired that I might fall asleep in my soup, I might just try out these instructionsfor fancy napkin folding.