The smell of the pinewood derby is in the air. . . Tyler's first, you know. This is the part where Shane gets to relive his childhood scouting experiences. They drew up sketches, did a little online research and sanded to their hearts' content. The finished product will only be revealed on the night of pinewood derby. . . so you can look forward to that. (I'm sure you can't wait.)Now on to the girly things . . .
Mo is eating everything in sight. Puppies for dinner? That's right. If she's in her chair and you give her something, she attempts to eat it. She's all about carrots, bananas, berries and applesauce. She wasn't such a fan of the chicken and rice, but we'll keep working on that.
Paige just started her little ballet/jazz class throught the community. She loved her first day. I wasn't allowed in the room, so we'll have to wait until the recital for the good stuff. That probably ok with her, because the first day was pretty comical. I watched through the door as she attempted to touch her toes. With her legs bent, she grinned at her teacher. Then it was on to teaching the stretches for the splits. The teacher asked for a volunteer to show the class how to properly do the splits. "I'll do it!" she exclaimed with her hand in the air. (She's never done this before, mind you.) Poor kid, she got her flexibility from me. She kind of looked like a little frog all stretched out on the floor, but grinning from ear to ear. Good thing I was OUTside the classroom, because I laughed out loud. The teacher was much nicer. "That's good Paige, but let me show you how to do the splits properly." HA!
And, here's a little recipe from last night that has to be shared.
Here's what you need for Couscous and Feta-Stuffed Peppers. (minus the tomato paste)
Couscous and Feta-Stuffed Peppers
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1 1/4 cups fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
2/3 cup couscous (I used Hodgson Mill whole wheat couscous, garlic and basil flavored)
4 large bell peppers, yellow, orange, or red
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (I used green onion)
6 oz zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced across thinly
6 good-sized mushrooms diced
1 handful of fresh spinach, chopped
1 clove chopped garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 oz crumbled feta cheese (about 1/2 cup) or more if you want
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray. Bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan, add the couscous, cover the pan and remove it from the heat.
Meanwhile, cut the stems and top half inch off the bell peppers and scoop out the seeds and membranes. Microwave trimmed peppers until you start to hear them sizzle.
Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Add onion, garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, oregano, pepper and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Remove from heat and stir in the tomatoes. Using a fork, fluff the couscous and then scrape the couscous into the skillet and toss with the vegetables. Stir in the crumbled feta.
Place peppers upright in the baking dish and fill them with couscous. Bake 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
Then today for lunch I had 3 oz of the leftover meat on my salad. Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my chin.
Give it a try and let me know what you think!
