Two Ingredient Play Dough

I found a recipe for very simple play dough on Pinterest so I had to try it out! Here are the ingredients:

That’s right, just conditioner and corn starch. The recipe called for 1 cup conditioner and 2 cups cornstarch but I found we need a little more cornstarch because it was a little too sticky. I probably added another half cup.

This bottle of conditioner only cost $1.50 and we already had the cornstarch so it was also a super cheap project. The kids loved playing with it (Campbell was asleep when I took these pics). We stored it over night in a tightly sealed ziplock bag and so far so good!

You should definitely try it out! But be warned– it is a little crumblier, and therefore messier, than regular play dough. But it sweeps up easily.

WWAW

What We Ate Wednesday: Every Wednesday I write a blog post with all of the vegetarian dinners we ate this week.

We potty trained Campbell this weekend (more on that soon!) so I tried to keep dinners pretty simple this week.

Wednesday: Hummus Wraps

Grandma Judi sent me this recipe and it was so good!! And would make a great lunch too! I used flat-out wraps which are sold in the produce section of our Harris Teeter.

Thursday: Enchiladas Verdes, Rice, Beans, and Salad

My friend Merritt just had a baby, so we brought her dinner and doubled the recipe so that we had the same thing. I made these enchiladas (from an old sunset cookbook). You can make them the day before, so they are good for making for other people. Obviously we don’t eat chicken, so I just double up on the cheese but do everything else the same (oh and use veggie broth obviously!). I also made black beans (I just cooked a couple cans of drained and rinsed beans with a little cumin, a little salsa and a little water). For Merritt, I also brought some microwavable rice, a bag of Mexican salad and some of these muffins. I LOVED getting to hold her sweet little baby boy. He just slept in my arms the whole time. Amazing!

Friday: Pizza Picnic

Our neighbors decided to have an impromptu pizza picnic. Everyone put in money and they ordered a bunch of pizzas. We all ate on the front lawn and the kids ran around. Very fun!

Saturday: Macaroni and Cheese and Broccoli

I made my Grandma Katie’s macaroni and cheese recipe and this broccoli. A family favorite and I can make it all with my eyes closed.

Sunday: Pizza and Greek Salad

We had pizza again (I didn’t know we were going to have pizza on Friday too when I made the menu). I just used Trader Joe’s pizza dough, Trader Joe’s pizza sauce, and Trader Joe’s shredded cheese. Pretty easy! I also made Nikki’s Greek Salad: cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, cubed feta, white vinegar, oil, oregano, salt and pepper.

Monday: Indian Take Out

Ben and I gave the kids leftovers and then ordered Indian just for us. Sometimes it is so fun to eat dinner while watching TV after the kids go to bed. Haha! We lead a pretty exciting life!

Tuesday: Leftovers

We still had a lot of leftovers so that is what we ate!

Grown Up Getaway

Ben and I like to take a “grown-ups only” vacation for our anniversary each year. For the past 7 years (minus the years we had new babies), we have gone to the same place in Puerto Vallarta. We LOVE it there, but last year we decided maybe it was time to try some place new. Usually one of our moms comes to watch the kids and we leave to go on vacation, but this time, we decided to combine our vacation with a family vacation to visit Ben’s family. The kids stayed in Claremont and we drove down to Laguna Beach for a few days. This worked out great! We got to get away and the kids got a little vacation of their own!

Whenever we plan our vacations, Ben usually does all the research and finds out where we should go, what we should do, and what we should eat. Then I plug all that info into our calendar and make a nice little schedule. Ben found a LOT of great places to eat, so we pretty much stuffed our faces all four days of our vacation. Plus, our hotel (which Ben found) had a delicious complimentary breakfast, so we started off every day full!

While we were in Laguna Beach, we ate at: Okura Robata, Sol, Taco Maria, Cayote Grill, El Torito Grill, Marche Moderne, La Sirena Grill, and Sidecar Doughnuts. All were excellent!! But I think our favorite was probably Marche Moderne!! Weird location but AMAZING food!

Of course, to burn off all those calories, we did a lot of walking! We walked along the beach

walked through a canyon on a beautiful trail (even if I was a little scared of running into a mountain lion!)

and walked through lots of great shopping areas!

We had an amazing time! And don’t feel bad for Sam and Campbell! They had a lot of fun too with Grandma and Grandpa!

CALIFORNIA

This post is a little overdue, but better late than never! We took an awesome spring break trip out to southern California this year to visit Grandma Judi, Grandpa Char, and Auntie Becca.

We have finally reached the golden age of flying with children! This trip, both kids were able to carry their own carry-ons, and best of all, stay entertained with movies and games the whole time!! Ben and I each read a book on the way out to California and another book on the way home. That hasn’t happened in four and a half years!

Campbell met her first celebrity chef, Sue Fenniger, at our favorite restaurant.

Ben and I got away for a little grown up vacation (more on that later!)

We had fun on the beach.

We had an Easter egg hunt

We drank lots of milkshakes and ate lots of grilled cheeses and fries

And we partied hard!!

Thanks for another great vacation Judi and Char!!

WWAW

What We Ate Wednesday: Every Wednesday I write a blog post with all of the vegetarian dinners we ate this week.

I have been listening to a lot of Martha Stewart radio lately and I really love it! I have learned a lot of good tips! The other day, they had the host of Everyday Food on and I was so impressed with her. She is a working mom and she shared her secret for getting home cooked dinners on the table every night: she cooks the whole meal first thing in the morning and then keeps it in the fridge! I loved this idea, although I would probably do it before going to bed–I am not a morning person! But I like this idea a lot better than freezing meals, because it seems like frozen meals tend to be heavier. And we eat leftovers anyway, so this really isn’t so different. Just something to consider if you are short on time to make dinner!

Wednesday: Kitchen Sink Salad

My friend Nicole recommended this ranch dressing and I was dying to make it! I wanted the salad to be the whole meal–I didn’t feel like making ranch dressing from scratch and then just having it be a side dish! So I decided to have a make-your-own-salad night. I prepared hard boiled eggs, diced pears, roasted chickpeas, shredded carrots, halved cherry tomatoes, grated cheddar, corn, and chopped romaine lettuce. Then everyone picked their own ingredients, I topped it with a little ranch, and mixed it about. It was a huge hit. The ranch dressing, was amazing!! I made it with greek yogurt instead of sour cream and Vegenaise instead of mayo because that’s what I buy now (I swear there is NO difference in flavor!).

Thursday: District Taco

We picked up Ben, headed to DT for takeout, and then went to the mall to watch Ben’s softball team play. But the game got rained out! Oh well, the food was still delicious.

Friday: Pierogies

Ben cooked up some frozen pierogies and sauteed bell peppers. Easy and delicious!

Saturday: Date Night

Ben and I had a lovely date night at Mala Tang. If you are local, you should definitely try it! Really good and also a fun twist on dinner out!

Sunday: Veggie Quesadillas

This was such a good dinner!! Ben grilled up some sweet potatoes, asparagus, and broccolini. Then I made quesadillas with those veggies and a little cheddar. It was delicious!

Monday: Pizza

Ben was working late so my good friend Maura and her daughter Mary Clare came over and we ordered pizza from Lost Dog: cheese and nouvelle veggie. And we dipped it in some of that leftover ranch!!!

Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner

We all LOVE breakfast for dinner nights! We had scrambled eggs, cream cheese biscuits with butter and honey, and roasted sweet potatoes. YUM!

Music Together

One of Sam’s favorite activities when he was younger was going to Music Together class with Miss Breianne. So I was so excited this year when I signed Campbell up for the very same class. And to top it off, my good friend Janna and her son Christopher took the class with us (Janna’s older son, TJ, and Sam took the class together too!). We are taking a break from the class this semester but Campbell has been talking about it non-stop lately (she calls it “hello class”) so maybe we’ll sign up again in the fall!

Here she is singing Jack in the Box

Pop!

Monkey in the middle!

Campbell and Christopher jamming together

WWAW

What We Ate Wednesday: Every Wednesday I write a blog post with all of the vegetarian dinners we ate this week.

Oops! I started this on Wednesday but didn’t finish it! Sorry I am a day late.

Wednesday: BBQ “Chicken” Pizza

I made this pizza with this new “chicken.” It was DELICIOUS! If you want to learn more about this new company, Beyond Meat, read this article by Alton Brown. It is a great product for people who are thinking about eating less meat!

Thursday: Dinner Club

Our dinner club theme this month was seafood. I was so excited because I have been wanting to make this recipe, but haven’t because Ben doesn’t eat shrimp. It was great!

Friday: Hot Dogs, Tater Tots, and Salad

This is my favorite dinner for when I feel like having a junky meal. It is good and not as bad for you as it could be. Haha! (We use these “hot dogs” and they are super yummy and not nearly as processed as most fake meats.)

Saturday: Quinoa Taco Bowl

I found this recipe on pinterest and it was so good! I made my own taco seasonings (just cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne and salt), skipped the olives (olives in Mexican food makes me mad!), and subbed greek yogurt for the sour cream. It was REALLY good. Everyone loved it and Sam normally turns up his nose at quinoa.

Sunday: Mother’s Day Dinner

Ben and the kids were so good to me this year! To finish off a wonderful day of fun, we had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Columbia Firehouse. We got to eat outside and I had a delicious kale salad, mussels, and frites. So great!

Monday: Greek Orzo Salad

I wanted to make my sister’s greek salad (tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, olives, red onion, feta, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper) into a full meal for dinner so I added a half pound of orzo and a can of black eyed peas. It was delicious!

Tuesday: Fried Rice

This is a go-to easy meal. I just marinate extra firm tofu, cut into cubes, in soy sauce and then fry it up in a non-stick pan over medium high heat until it’s crisp on all sides. Then I fry a little cooked brown rice in a skillet with oil, add frozen veggies, and season with more soy sauce. I scramble and egg right in the pan (just scoot everything out of the way and then mix in once cooked).

WWAW

What We Ate Wednesday: Every Wednesday I write a blog post with all of the vegetarian dinners we ate this week.

I promise I will write non-food related posts at some point. I have been a little uninspired lately. But in the meantime, here is what we ate this week!

Wednesday: Quinoa Bowl

My friend Diana recommended this rice bowl, but I decided to sub quinoa for rice, mainly because it cooks a lot faster than brown rice! This was really good and I will definitely make it again! I think next time I will be extravagant and use white rice, as the recipe calls for. (vegan)

Thursday: Oyamel with Dad

You may remember that I had dinner with my dad just a week ago. The next day, he flew to Paris and then straight to DC for another meeting (and brought us some sweet treats). He had to take the early train back home that night, so Ben wasn’t able to make dinner with us (still at work). But we took the kids to Oyamel and had a great time!!

Friday: Spring Party

Our neighborhood MOMS club had their Spring Party on Friday. It was a potluck but we didn’t bring anything. I was going to make deviled eggs, but then realized we didn’t have enough eggs. Then I decided to make blueberry muffins and burnt them all after neglecting to adjust the oven temp and time for mini muffins. So I gave up! But the kids had a nice assortment of party foods for dinner. Oh, and the pic below shows Sam’s preferred method of travel these days. Who needs a double stroller? And also, how cute are Campbell and her friend holding hands as we left the party??

Saturday: Curried Coconut Lentils

This recipe is also from my friend Diana. It is very simple but comforting. And it is also pretty quick and easy to make. On Diana’s recommendation, I added carrots and cauliflower in with the onion. Yum! (vegan)

Sunday: Girls Dinner Out

A few friends got together for a girls dinner. As usual it was super fun and super delicious. We went to CAVA, one of my favorite restaurants, and had several things I have never had before. One of my faves was the dip sampler. Not sure how I never noticed that one before! It was awesome to sample all their dips including hummus, tzatziki, skordalia, and crazy feta.

Monday: Black Bean Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

This meal has become a staple in our house! The black bean burgers come together really quickly and I love that you cook them in the oven (trying to flip veggie burgers is always difficult–they don’t stay together very well!). And these sweet potato fries always come out great. Don’t bother with the soaking step. It’s not necessary.

Tuesday: Chickpea Spaghetti

I know I am like a broken record, but this dish is my FAVORITE!!! I served it on a bed of arugula (left over from the previous night’s burgers). So, so, so good! (vegan)

WWAW

Every Wednesday I write a blog post with all of the vegetarian dinners we ate this week.

We had a fun week with lots of dinners out!

Wednesday: Pimento Cheese Sandwiches

Ben sent me this recipe because he knows how I love pimento cheese. It was really freaking hard to follow as a recipe (it was written as a funny article, not a recipe), but it turned out good. It tasted a little more healthy than some other pimento cheese recipes I’ve made (probably due to the dill and green onions). We had carrot sticks on the side.

Thursday: Dinner Club

Our dinner club theme this month was casseroles, so I made my macaroni and cheese. And, since we are supposed to share recipes for dinner club, I actually typed up my grandma’s recipe finally!! So now you can make it just like I do. Ben and the kids had macaroni and cheese at home along with roasted broccoli.

Friday: Alma de Cuba

My sister was in Philly for a work conference, so I drove up to spend the afternoon with her (Ben came home from work early to watch the kids. Thank you, Ben!). We had so much fun walking around, getting our nails done, shopping, and catching up. Then our dad drove down from NJ to have dinner with us. We had dinner at Alma de Cuba which was one of the best Cuban restaurants I’ve been to!! My favorites were the little rolls they served and the Empanadas de Verde (Red kale, manchego cheese and artichoke escabeche). Yum!!

Saturday: Double Date Night!

Ben and I met up with our friends Heather and Rich at Rasika, one of the best Indian restaurants ever! We had some drinks at the bar, then sat outside for dinner. But before we even got our appetizers, the sky opened up and started pouring (even though all of our weather apps said ZERO chance of rain!). Everyone had to run inside and wait for more tables to open up inside. But we didn’t mind hanging out by the bar for a little longer! When we were finally seated and had our meal, it was amazing! I had the palak chaat, shrimp kathi roll, and Dal Dhungaree. Everything was so good and I wanted to keep eating until I burst! Haha!

Sunday: Super Classy 40th

One of my bestest friends, Diana, had her 40th birthday party at Whitlow’s while the kids stayed home with a babysitter and had PB&Js for the THIRD night in a row! Oops! We had so much fun celebrating our fabulous friend and neighbor!

Monday: Asparagus, Spinach and Feta Quiche

I really liked this spring quiche and will definitely make it again. Sam and Campbell really liked the pie crust, and picked at the rest.

Tuesday: Lots o’ Apps

I thought it would be fun to have an assortment of appetizers instead of a regular entree. We had baguette slices, pita chips, tomatoes, English cucumber sticks, baby carrots, this awesome dip, roasted chickpeas, and manchego cheese.

WWAW

Every Wednesday I write a blog post with all of the vegetarian dinners we ate this week.

Back from vacation and finally on time with a WWAW post!

Wednesday: Out for Sushi

I don’t normally eat fish, but I do make an exception for Sushi, especially when I am at the beach. We started with delicious soy-garlic edamame and then had three different kinds of sushi rolls. Okura Robata

Thursday: Out for Mexican

We went to dinner at a cute Mexican restaurant, Sol, right on the marina in Newport. I was pretty sure we were going to run into the Bluths or maybe the Cohens. I had the largest Michelada of my life and a delicious shrimp chili relleno.

Friday: Out for more Mexican

This was more Mexican-inspired than traditional, but it was amazing. We had a 4 course pre fixe meal at Taco Maria. The courses were all delicious and creative. I highly recommend it!

Saturday: Beans and Rice

Ben and I thought it would be nice to make dinner since Judi and Char took care of our kids while we were off in Laguna. We made brown rice, these beans, cheese, and guac. Yum yum!

Sunday: Quesadillas and Quinoa Salad

We decided to make dinner again (we really appreciated our vacation!). We made this quinoa salad and cheese quesadillas with corn tortillas and jack.

Monday: Cheese Plate

I ordered the cheese plate on our Alaska Airlines flight home. Surprisingly good!

Tuesday: Chickpea Sandwiches

My friend Diana recommended this sandwich and since we had no food and this looked easyish, I decided to make it that same day! I threw the whole thing together in 20 minutes and it was DELICIOUS!! On her recommendation, I served it on Hawaiian rolls and topped with guacamole (she actually recommended avocados, which would have probably been better but there were no avocados at the store so I had to buy premade guac). And, other than the buns, it’s vegan and super healthy! Next time I would probably serve it with sweet potato fries. It wasn’t super filling.