Creamy Orzo

I will admit it.  I am getting REALLY tired of "kid food".  Dino chicken (you all have them in your fridge don't you), mac and cheese, spaghetti, fish sticks, pizza.  They are all grossing me out.  Yes, my children prefer them but I am working on finding some new "kid friendly" recipes that can perhaps take these out of the cycle.  I decided to try this Creamy Orzo recipe.  I loved how there were veggies in it but a very simple recipe for kids.  The outcome?  I was successful for 2 out of the 3.  My Middle Man refused it while my Oldest and Baby Girl finished their plates.  Hey, I will take it.  I personally thought it was really good (as did my hubby) and it made plenty so both hubby and Baby Girl had lunch the next day (I have issues with leftovers....whole other story).  I will say that you need to REALLY season it with salt and pepper.  But that is just my two cents.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

When it comes to the kids, I have a major issue with packaged snacks.  Don't get me wrong.  I still buy them out of convenience but if I had the time to make everything they ate from scratch, I definitely would.  Granola bars have always been on my list of items to try. Today while working I had Giada on in the background (I promise, I was working, I just need a little background noise) and she was whipping up this little recipe.  It looks simple enough and I loved that it had peanut butter, almonds (both great proteins) and fresh oats (fiber!).  I altered it just a bit by adding chia seeds (if you are not adding these to everything already, you absolutely should).  They were a hit with the kids and my Oldest has already asked if he could have one after school tomorrow.  WIN for me!

Ricotta and Blueberry Pancakes

As mentioned before, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.  I am always looking for new recipes to indulge in because, I am not sure if you knew this, but the calories you consume for breakfast do not count.  I have made this recipe a number of times and continue to go back to it.  You cannot beat the homemade honey syrup and the warm cheese and blueberry pancakes.  So simple, so light and yet so indulgent.  Makes a Sunday morning just a little more special.

Linguine with Chicken Ragu

I have been completely lazy on recipe posts.  Once we got back from Paris I was too busy trying to keep my head on straight to think about cooking anything.  This led to two weeks of crap dinners every night.  I finally snapped out of it over the weekend and decided that to celebrate my return to the kitchen, I would make one of my absolute favorite dishes.  Saturday night I made Giada De Laurentis' Linguine with Chicken Ragu.  It is a labor of love with it taking a couple hours to make the homemade marinara sauce and then the ragu.  In the end, it is totally worth all the hard work.  It is a complete comfort dish and a homemade sauce tastes a THOUSAND times better than a jar.

Mini Italian Pub Burgers

The weather has been beautiful here in the OC, which leads to dinner being grilled in the backyard while the kids run around and play.  Burgers are always top of the list for my hubby and I when it comes to grilling, but I wanted to try a new spin on them.  These Mini Italian Pub Burgers were the perfect change up we needed.  They had a ton of flavor, were enjoyed by the entire family, and were the perfect way to enjoy a peaceful Sunday evening.