Girlymama

Ugh. This cold is kicking my behind. My head feels like its three times its normal size and is in a total fog thanks to the cold medicine. My ears are blocked, yet somehow Colin's screaming seems louder than before.

I'll get back to my regularly scheduled blogging tomorrow. Meanwhile you may have a guest post by the little monkey who just discovered he could climb into the desk chair and is happily banging on the computer. Oh dear:

I've seen Ina make these. We're totally crazy these days about putting avacados and bacon on our burgers so these seems like something good to try! Yum!

California BLTs

6 thick-cut slices smoked bacon
4 slices good white bread, cut 1/2-inch thick
4 tablespoons good mayonnaise
4 to 8 tender green lettuce leaves, washed and spun very dry
1 ripe Hass avocado
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 large ripe tomato, sliced 1/2-inch thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place a baking wire rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon on the rack in a single layer. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until the bacon is browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
Place the bread slices on a sheet pan and toast them for 5 minutes. Turn the slices and toast for 1 more minute, until all the bread is evenly browned.

Place 2 slices on a cutting board. Spread each slice with about 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise. Cover the slices with a layer of lettuce. Peel the avocado and slice it 1/2-inch thick. Toss the avocado slices gently with the lemon juice, and arrange on top of the lettuce leaves. Place 3 slices of bacon on top of each sandwich and then add a layer of tomato slices on top of the bacon. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
Spread each of the remaining 2 slices of toasted bread with 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise and place, mayonnaise side down, on the sandwiches. Cut in half and serve.

Recipe Origin: Barefoot Contessa

Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

Jeremiah 32.17

First grade is killing me. KILLING ME, you guys!!!

At dinner last night, Ellie announces, "I have a boyfriend." (Insert sound of my husband's head exploding here.) Now apparently "Travis told me I'm his girlfriend because he loves me. I told him I wasn't his girlfriend, but he said I was and that he was my boyfriend, so I have a boyfriend and his name is Travis."

Husband immediately responded with "Sorry. You can't have a boyfriend for at least ten more years."

I didn't know whether to have some sort of heart-to-heart conversation about boys or giggle hysterically. I went with the second option while getting 'the look' from Husband who did not find this funny AT ALL. Seriously – I could not stop giggling. I couldn't help myself! I mean, obviously it is not really serious, but clearly we need to address this before he tries to kiss her or something!

First bullying, now a "boyfriend"? Need I remind you that this is only the third week of school? Please, all you moms of older girls, HELP ME!!! How on earth should I handle this? (besides giggling.)

Grace: "You shouldn't hit old ladies with your car. That would be rude."

It would also be rude not to follow me! I'm finally on Twitter!! I'm girlymamamel!

Yesterday  I got to meet Jillian Michaels, from The Biggest Loser (and the famous-for-causing-copious-amounts-of-pain Shred video). So some of my favorite local bloggers  and I eagerly  slapped on our sneakers and took a little road trip up to NYC (after hitting the stores to find a cute workout outfit, since what we had in our closets could not be worn in public.)

Warning: when you are in a gym and there are cameras and Jillian Michaels is standing there and someone says "Let's go, ladies!" you may feel a little lightheaded.

So how on earth did I end up in a room with Jillian Michaels? Jillian is launching a new workout game for Wii, Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010. Beth from RoleMommy hosted this terrific event where we got to preview this new game! The game looked like a great thing to add to your workout arsenal – this is NOT another workout video. You can personalize your workouts, change them up (as opposed to doing the same dvd workout over and over) and even keep track of your weight loss resolutions and goals. It comes out in October and I can't wait! I'll tell you all about it, promise! No gory details spared 😉

As with every blogging event I've been to, the best part was the terrific people I got to meet! Like Amy from Selfish Mom, Kim from Traveling Mom, Isabel from AlphaMom, and Esti from Prime Time Parenting, Jane from MomGenerations and Katja from Skimbaco Lifestyle. Plus, I enjoyed getting to know Beth better (and especially to hear about her upcoming book! Stay tuned!)

Anyway, it was a great event and a lot of fun! Highlights included Jo-Lynne meeting Jillian Michaels, fitness expert, and asking her… where she got her shoes. I. Was. Dying. Hilarious! Love ya, Jo-Lynne! Thanks to RoleMommy for hosting and a shout out to the Husband for taking time off work to watch the kiddos so I could go! 

Here's proof I met Jillian and survived:

(You may not believe this, but she's not scary at all in person! She was super nice and chatty and fun! She didn't yell at me once 🙂

Check back tomorrow to see what I've been up to.

Here's a hint: I'm not here today… I'm in NYC!!! hee hee hee!

Welcome to the first monthly "Try This: Spice Up Your Kitchen" carnival! This month's theme is VEGETARIAN MEALS. The more research I do, the more I'm convinced that adding vegetarian meals to our diet is better for our health, better for the environment and better for our budget! But I have a "Where's the beef?" kind of household. So I'm always on the lookout for hearty, filling, YUMMY meals that just happen to be vegetarian. Here are two of our favorites:

Penne alla Norma
serves 4 to 6

1 pound penne rigate
Course salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 large eggplant, cut into 3/4-in chunks
1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 c torn fresh basil, plus more for garnish
3/4 c ricotta cheese (or a variety of shredded cheeses, if you prefer.)

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, according to package instructions. Drain and return to pot.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and crushed red pepper*; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add eggplant to skillet; season generously with salt and pepper. Cover, and cook until eggplant begins to release juices, about 5 minutes. Uncover; cook, stirring, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes (if bottom of pan browns too much, add a few tbsps water and scrape with spoon.)
4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and 1/4 c water to skillet; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. (If you don't have tomato paste, leave it out.)
5. Toss sauce and basil with pasta; gently reheat if necessary. Top each serving with a spoonful of ricotta and garnish with more basil.
*I often wait and add the red pepper flakes after I've served the kids their servings.

Recipe origin: Everyday Food Magazine

Vegetarian Lasagna

4 cups (32 ounces) ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
salt and fresh ground pepper
2 packages (10 oz each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
6 cups homemade tomato sauce (or 2 jars store-bought)
12 no-boil lasagna noodles (8 ounce package)
1 pound fontina cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add spinach, and stir well to combine.
2. Spread a small bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish or two 8×8 dishes. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the remaining sauce; sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat to make two more layers, ending with cheese. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Before baking, defrost in the refrigerator overnight
3. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.
Recipe origin: Everyday Food Magazine

I hope you all have a great time looking through all the recipes today – I cannot WAIT to find some new meat-free feasts to wow my family with!! And remember: when you add your post to the Mr. Linky, please link to your specific post – not your general blog URL.
Here's how to play, if you have questions.