WE EAT | Weekly Toddler Menu Plan

Cheese & Spinach Tortellini {HERE}

California Quinoa Salad {HERE}

Sweet Potato, Kale, Sausage Casserole {HERE}

Turkey Pepperoni Pockets {HERE}

Potato Pancakes {HERE}

Chicken Gyro Patties {HERE}

Turkey & Veggie Sloppy Joes {HERE}

Mango Smoothie

{1 c frozen mango chunks, 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 c whole milk, 2/3 cup vanilla Greek yogurt}

BBQ Chicken & Macaroni Bake 

{Chicken breast, bottled Zesty Italian dressing, BBQ sauce - LOW for 7 hours, shred.  Cook whole wheat elbow noodles and prepare cheese sauce (HERE) Mix chicken and macaroni together and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly.}

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

{Whole grain white tortillas [Tia Rosa], fresh organic baby spinach, shredded monterrey jack cheese}

Chicken Salad

{1/2 cup cooked and shredded chicken breast, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt, juice of 1 lemon wedge, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 2 tablespoons chopped celery, 1 tablespoon dried raisins or cranberries}

Easter Bunnies 2014

Any opportunity to snap a few pictures with the talents of BFaith Photography.  

Happy Easter {2014} from these little bunnies! 

 Easter 2013 {HERE}

 bunny ears c/o ShelbyChicBoutique {Instagram shop}

 ruffle bloomers / Simply Anandi // head bows c/o ShlebyChicBoutique {Instagram shop}

May your holiday be filled with family, friends, and most importantly in remembrance and celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.  

Come back tomorrow for a full-recap of our weekend activities!

We EAT | Black Bean Cakes & Guacamole

Black Bean Cakes.  HUGE success.  huge.  

I am saying this in my best "Pretty Woman" impersonation.. 

I have to go shopping now!  

If you are not a Pretty Woman fan, nor have seen the movie you are totally lost at this point.  

What I'm trying to say is that these were amazing.  I made these for Parker and Jolie in hopes they would eat them but I mostly made them for myself.  

Black Bean Cakes with Guacamole {and Blackberries }

• 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs {plus a little more as needed}
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and rough chopped
• 3 whole green onions, chopped
• ½ red bell pepper, rough chopped
• 1 can (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed & drained
• The juice of 1 whole lime
• 1 whole egg
• Fresh Guacamole {HERE}
• Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. In your blender or food processor, add cilantro, garlic, green onions and red pepper. Blend until finely chopped. Add black beans and juice of the lime. Blend until beans are coarsely chopped. There still will be some chunks and that’s OK. You don’t want a complete paste. Add bean mixture to a medium mixing bowl.  Add the panko and egg,  mixing with your hands. Add additional panko if needed. Scoop up about 1/4 cup of bean mixture and form it into a patty. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bean mixture. Spray the top of cakes with cooking spray. Cook for 10 minutes, flip the cakes and cook for another 10 minutes.
  {Recipe adapted from The Tasty Fork}
  
  
  A little pre-baking action.
  

I served these to the girls with homemade guacamole.  They love guacamole but typically pick around the tomatoes.  They haven't gotten used to that chunky texture yet, but don't mind steering clear while they are eating.

I opted to serve the guac on the side versus spreading it on the bean cakes for them.  I was curious if they would dip their wedges.

Parker was hangry. I took entirely too long taking pictures and creating a perfect setting for eating before letting her have anything.  I attempted a taste of guacamole while she was yelling/crying at me.

Didn't go so well.  

 However she got over it quickly once I showed her what was for lunch.

Jolie was intrigued.  We've had bean burgers before, but never this recipe and not with guacamole for dipping.

 That sweet face it totally edible.  Especially with that teeny bit of green goo on the tip of her nose.  

I showed them the 'dip - scoop - shovel' technique just one time and they totally comprehended what my goal was for this meal.  I had to remove myself from the situation because I kept wanting to eat off their plates.

This was a winner in our house.  And whats not to love about {cheap} healthy eating that is simple AND you can say you made it.  from scratch.  100% homemade.

No freezer box bean cake this go round!

Twin Pregnancy | Healthy Eating

Head over to Twin Talk Blog today for my recommendations on healthy eating while pregnant with twins!  I've been meaning to write this post for a long time, and finally put keys to blogger:)

Happy reading!

WE EAT | Weekly Toddler Menu Plan

Chicken Fried Rice* {HERE}

Whole Wheat Orzo & White Bean Salad* {HERE}

Greek Chicken & Artichokes* {HERE}

Sweet Potato Hash* {HERE}

Lemon Blueberry Biscuits {HERE}

Guacamole* {HERE} 

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

{1 c frozen strawberries, 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 c whole milk, 2/3 cup vanilla Greek yogurt}

Sweet Potato Hummus*

{Combine 4 cups (baked) and mashed sweet potatoes, 1/4 cup tahini, 1/4 cup lime juice, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper}

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken* 

{Chicken breast, bottled Zesty Italian dressing, BBQ sauce - LOW for 7 hours, shred}

Spinach Quesadillas

{Whole grain white tortillas [Tia Rosa], fresh organic baby spinach, shredded monterrey jack cheese}

Bean & Quinoa Burgers*

{1 cup cooked quinoa, 15oz can black beans, rinsed & drained, 16 oz jar mild salsa, 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning.  Combine all ingredients and form into patties- bake on a baking sheet coated in cooking spray at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, turning once.}

*Dairy Free

The Color Run 2014

We started a family tradition this weekend.  

The excitement on these faces clearly says it all about the time of our lives we had.

 'What in the word did that crazy woman put on your face..?'

'You've got it on your face too, girl.'

hairbow / custom creation c/o @shelbychicboutique (via Instagram)

A couple months ago an old high school friend posted on Instagram {follow me @masseya) that she was hosting a team for The Color Run Dallas. I was lounging on the couch in between Friends episodes (the joys of an unproductive nap time) as I mentioned it to Jordan.

So, I signed us up, not even realizing what in the world we were signing up for.  A quick Google search did me in with excitement.  At this point I hadn't even thought that we would bring the girls.. and why not?  Its definitely a family-friendly affair!

12 minutes after pulling into the parking lot, and Parker and Jolie were already making a name for themselves. 

tanks / old navy // tutus / gifted {similar} // leggings / the hair bow company 

 Our sweet friends, Chris and Sarah joined in on the fun without a second thought.

Me: Hey, do this Color Run with us on April 11th.

Sarah: Done!

I mainly invited her because I knew she wouldn't leave me in the dust like my husband would (that was a joke, but seriously, Jordan would leave me).  

He talked for months about walking with me, doing it as a family, blah bleh, bloo, blah.  As we are at the start line, he is asking me "just to make sure" if I was going to walk the WHOLE thing.  

Yes, dude.  

Sarah to my rescue.

Stroller / Baby Trend Expedition Double Jogging Stroller 

Over the course of the 3.2 mile 'run' there were color 'check points'

Yellow - Pink - Blue - Purple

Check point #2!  We'd been Yellow'ed and Pink'ed!

 There were about 40,000 people doing this run.  Half of them took pictures of Parker and Jolie. 

Ok.. that might be a little white lie.  But, there were plenty of pictures snapped with {and without} my knowledge.  

Shout out to my twin momma's out there- if you ever thought making it through Costco was tough {because two babies sitting in the double cart is unbearably precious to 99.4% of people - the other 0.6% of people have no hearts}, douse your children in muli-colored chalk next time. 

Count the 'awe' and 'oh my gosh' coming out of peoples mouth.  Its humorous.

 Sarah Tucker {@Sarahtuckerup} is my jam.  This girl makes me and my children happy, happy.

AND, she didn't leave me while I walked and run-jogged the entire race.

 During the last half mile, there was a guy with his toddler jogging in front of us.  His entire stroller was covered in plastic.  He put his baby in a bubble.

Here I am to follow up with my parenting skills and children looking like this.

His older kid {probably 4 or 5} wouldn't stop talking about P&J.  

"I like those babies, dad. They look better and funnnn.." 

He pretty much told his dad he was uptight.. right to his face. At 5 years old.  

Look out for that one.

What an amazing time we had.  2 hours of too much fun.. I was wishing it wasn't over!

These boys.  Ran the entire way.  They got to wait an extra half hour at the finish line before Sarah and I crossed with the cutest and most colorful babelets on the planet.

 Self proclaimed as That Happiest 5K on the Planet, and I'd say they are justified.

Parker was WIPED.  We woke them up at 6am (2 hours before they normally wake up) and loaded them in the car with smoothies for breakfast as we headed to Dallas.

 Jolie on the other hand..

Bee-bopping to the music.

Duh.

My colored Jolie Grace 

 Parker.. haaay Parks.  

 Smile? 

{Side note: Check out her curly locks. swoon.}

 Not quite.  

We all {minus Jordan..he was driving} zonked out on the drive home.  I'm pretty sure the girl were out before we even exited the parking lot.  We had so much fun, and talked about it all weekend long.  We are definitely doing this every year.  

A few tips for post-race clean up:

-A good spray down with the water hose and the stroller was squeaky clean!

-Tattoos came off easy peasy with a little rubbing alcohol.  

-Showering did the trick to come clean.  I was nervous it wasn't going to come off, but we all four came out without any color after a mass shower train went into effect about 7 minutes after arriving home.

Way to go Color Run.  You hit it big and can officially be on my list of 'Most Favorite Days of 2014'.