Easy Peasy Dinner Time !

Since Thomas gets bored of eating the same old recipes again and again (who wouldn't?!) I am constantly wracking my brain to come up with new and fun recipes to expand his palate. At this point in the game he is a toddler and can eat anything that us adults are having. Which makes life way more easy and fun!

Also in the recent past few months I have been on a mission to cook more for myself as well! I would like to prove to myself that my cooking skills don't suck! (Verdict says... They don't! I really am a good cook!) :) Although, after a long day of chasing around a toddler sometimes my brain is mush and cooking is the last thing I want to do for myself! But, thank you to my AWESOME pinning skills ;) I have come across a winning recipe for not only me but for Thomas too! To top it off all you need are 8 simple ingredients which most of you have in your household anyway! 

Pasta Carbonara!

Ingredients:

1. 8 ounces Spaghetti
2. 2 large eggs
3. 3/4 cup grated parm cheese
4. 4 slices bacon (when cooking for Thomas I use Turkey bacon)
5. 4 cloves garlic, minced
6. Kosher salt
7. Black pepper to taste (optional)
8. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (I do not use this ingredient) 

What I did:

1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to box instructions. Feel free to use whatever kind of pasta tickles your fancy! Make sure you reserve a 1/2 cup of the boiling salted water!!
2. In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and the cheese. Just set it aside for later :)
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until brown and crispy 6-8 minutes. Side note: I chop up the bacon prior to the skillet. It cooks faster and is easier for Thomas to eat that way! After the bacon is cooked add the garlic to it for about 1 minute.
4. Reserve the excess fat (When I use turkey bacon there really isn't fat so I just set the skillet aside until its time to add the pasta to it.
5. Stir in the pasta and the egg mixture. Toss to combine. Season with the salt and pepper to taste. Add the reserved pasta water one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. 

There you have it! A simple and yummy mommy/baby meal! SO VERY YUMMY!! 

XOXO,

D

Some Fun and Easy Frozen Treats

I have been absolutely loving the weather this week! After a long and cold winter, we were ready to play outside and enjoy the sunshine. The kids love to sit outside and have an ice pop after lunch. I really want to get an ice pop maker or some ice pop molds, but in the mean time Bomb Pops are a big favorite! Here are some other fun and easy frozen treats kids are sure to love!

"Homemade" Ice Cream Sandwiches

With two busy toddlers, I am keeping this really simple. Feel free to make a from scratch or allergy free version by just swapping out items.

1. Get a ready to bake pack of large sized chocolate chip cookies and bake according to instructions.
2. Wait for cookies to cool down entirely.
3. Take your favorite flavor of ice cream and put about two good sized scoops in the middle of two cookies.
4. Gently press down on cookies and flatten it out a bit. Use a spoon to even out ice cream falling out.
5. Wrap in tin foil and put in freezer for a little bit to firm back up.
6. ENJOY!

Frozen Grapes

Again this is such a simple thing to do and the kids love them. I probably don't have to write out directions, since most of you have probably done this before, but I will anyway.

1. Buy a bunch of grapes.
2. Wash throughly and take off vines... is that what they are called, vines? lol no clue
3. Put still wet grapes in a freezer bag or a freezer safe container.
4. Pour a tiny bit of sugar into bag or container and seal it up
5. Shake to mix sugar around grapes.
6. Freeze for a few hours or until grapes are hard.

For the kids I like to cut them in half when I serve them frozen. Grapes can be a chocking hazard and while frozen even more so. So make sure you supervise younger kids. You can also leave out the sugar part if you want to!

Frozen Watermelon  

This is so good and again very straight forward. I have been craving watermelon this entire pregnancy!

1. Buy a watermelon. I wish I could tell you how to pick a good one out but I always buy the WORST one there somehow! :( I'm cursed.
2. So if you are bad at picking watermelon like me, get some pre-cut ones.
3. Cut the watermelon into triangle slices keeping the green rind part. Its easier for the kids to hold that way, and just slightly less messy.
4. Put in a freezer bag or freezer safe container and freeze for a few hours.

How simple is that and they are sooooo good! I have even seen people insert sticks into the rind part before freezing them. 

Hope you all are enjoying this beautiful weather like we are! What are some fun and simple frozen treats you love? Feel free to share them below!