Chocolate-Banana-PB Protein Shake

Ever since the hubby and I did p90x together in the winter he's maintained a more protein rich diet which includes protein powdered. Mixing the stuff with milk just doesn't do it for me. Then one day a running partner told me about this combo she makes - chocolate protein powder, bananas, peanut butter, and milk - UM - YES PLEASE!

So I went home a few days later and tried it out using the recipe I found here

It was delish and I will definitely be making it again - beware it's definitely not a super low calorie drink but is perfect for after a long run or meal replacement.

Ingredients:

- 2 bananas (sliced and frozen)
- 1 Tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 cup fat free milk
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder

Directions:

1. Blend and serve!

enjoy~

Pesto Panini

Salads and sandwiches have been my staples this summer. Oh - and the grill. Can't forget the grill. That's probably my number one.

Anyways - I've been having fun creating some yummy combinations for our panini's. Here's the latest.

Ingredients (for two):

- about 4 tablespoons of pesto (I buy it in a jar - you go girl if you make it yourself)
- 4-6 ounces of shredded chicken
- 8-10 leaves of fresh basil
- 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
- 2 slices of provolone cheese (I use the Sargento reduced fat kind)
- 4 slices of sourdough bread (of whatever other yummy carb you want to put it all on)
- a few slices of red onions

Directions:

1. Spread both sides of your bread with some pesto. However much your little heart desires.

2. Mix the chicken with the basil, sundried tomatoes, and a little more pesto.

3. Slather it on your bread and top with sauteed red onions and a slice of cheese.

4. Stick that bad boy in a panini press (or for us that means the George Foreman grill) until hot and sizzily.

enjoy~

strawberry salad

+

=

Perfection

I love salads! The summer for me is a time for new yummy creative salads! The freshness in the hot weather is just perfect. I have two favorites and this is one of them.

Throw all these things in and I promise it will be pretty tasty -

- romaine/spinach

- chunks of grilled chicken

- sliced almonds

- crumbled feta cheese

- dressing - Brianna's Homestyle Blush-Wine Vinagrette (the big strawberry on the front - my momma introduced it and now it's the hubby's new FAVORITE - he eats it on all salads now)

enjoy ~

monogramed towels

My kids fight. Do yours? It drives me up the wall so when I have the chance to try and eliminate the bickering I jump at the chance.

When I saw these towels at Target I fell in love. Some blogger out there probably has already made these bags and added a ruffle and whatever else. I opted to just buy them. $9.99 for a towel + plus an already made bag complete with a ruffle - SCORE!

To help keep the fighting to a minimum I decided to #1 - buy my kiddos the exact same towel. #2 - I put their initial on them.

I had just purchased the Silhouette and so I quickly bought and tried out the heat transfer but was disappointed when I learned it wasn't washable. Perfect for other projects just not this one. So I went back to my trusty Heat 'n' Bond! Love it - works like a charm and holds up perfectly running through the wash a million bagillion times :)

If you haven't tried Heat 'n' Bond go get yourself some - you'll love it!

enjoy ~

grilled pizza

I am trying to live up every last second of summer eating. In our family summer eating means ice cream, salads, fresh fruit, and the GRILL! We love the grill. Usually it's just steak, chicken, kabobs, hot dogs, etc. But this year I saw a couple of grilled pizza recipes and knew I had to give it a try. Man an I glad I did! It was fabulous and will definitely be repeated again.

I found this recipe for pizza dough over at My Bizzy Kitchen. It seemed easy and quick - and that was exactly what it was! I ended up using 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat flour and it was delish!

Then I used this tutorial from Meals&Moves.

1. Basically make and roll out your dough.

2. Spray your grill with non-stick spray.

3. Lay the dough on for 2-3 minutes.

4. Take it off, load the non-grilled side with toppings, and stick back on the grill!

We made one side with just pizza sauce and shredded mozzerella for the kiddos. The other side was jared pesto, chicken sausage, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, red onion, and fat-free mozzerella. Both were delish!

We can't wait to try more combinations! BBQ chicken, chicken and feta, the list could go on and on and on. Hopefully we'll find more favorites!

enjoy ~

keepsake notebook

I consider blogging a way to keep track of our family memories, milestones, and definitely a journal of our family. As my children grow more and more each year I'm reminded of how quickly time passes by. Especially at back-to-school time I'm more and more recommitted to recording all the funny, cute, special things my children do and say that make our day-to-day lives so enjoyable and that I want to remember forever.

For Mother's Day I gave my mom a cardstock covered and embellished notebook with the title "Words of Wisdom from Grandma". I wrote to her on the first page and left the rest blank for her to record anything and everything she wanted for my kids. My mom had a very special relationship with her own grandma and I want my kids to have that same thing with my mom. This is her little notebook to record things she wants them to know, advice, funny things that happen or they say when they're with her, etc.

One day my mother will give my kids this and I hope it's a special token and reminder of their grandma's love for them and something they'll end up cherishing forever.

enjoy ~

laundry baskets

I HATE cleaning. H.A.T.E. Laundry is actually one chore I really don't mind doing. Lately though I've struggled with how to sort and put it away efficiently.

I remember reading on the The Idea Room her laundry routine and so I followed suit and attempted my own.

Right now there are 4 people in our family. Everyone has a basket. On one side are laundry sorting labels - darks, whites, colors, towels/sheets.

On the other side of each basket is each person's name.

On laundry day the clothes are dumped and sorted into the correct baskets and brought to the laundry room. Once everything is washed and folded they are put in the correct basket and carried to each individual's room.

Once I made a permanent spot in the laundry room I'd like to buy additional baskets so each one doesn't have to do double duty. Once my kiddos are older they will be able to help more but for now they are doing a good job of learning how to sort, push clothes into the dryer, and hang!

enjoy~