Protein Bars, Cookie Dough and Brownie Batter

What?! Why haven't I thought of this before? I am always trying to incorporate more protein into my diet (builds strong muscles, you know!), but protein and desserts! Yum!

First, check out the picture.

Then, get the recipe here!

Also my workout buddy, Karen, gave me this recipe for protein bars.

2 cups quick oats
1 cup dark choc chips
1 cup milled flax sees.
1 cup vanilla protein.
1 cup honey 1 cup peanut butter.
9x13 pan press into refrigerate.

ummm...I think I would eat the whole pan!

A Bribe of Mimi's Muffins!

I have stooped so low! Today is the first day of summer break for the kids and I am all about being a good mom and letting my kids sail right into summer fun...after yoga. I am competing in the Hy-Vee Triathlon again this year and the event is on Sunday.

We have a completely full next few days with softball games, Dave's birthday and getting the everyone ready for the Kid's Triathlon and myself.

I have to get to yoga class. I love it. It relaxes and stretches me and is truly the favorite workout out of everything else I do. 8 AM this morning is the only class at the gym I can get to this week for it. In a short bit I will be waking up my now 3rd grader, first grader and soon to preschooler (earlier then they ever got up for school mind you), but so they can go to the kids gym while I get my yoga in.

Fear not, after that I already promised them a surprise mystery trip to kick off summer. I'll tell you though, we are heading to Mimi's Cafe for a breakfast and four free muffins.

Have you had Mimi's Muffins yet? They are absolutely melt in your mouth delish! I especially like the chocolate chip ones.I think they will forgive me for the early wake up call on the first day of summer.

Our Big Summer To Do

The last school bell has rung and summer is officially here! It is a bit later then usual for us because of an over abundance of make up snow days, but that just gave us extra opportunity to anticipate summer and tweak our annual "Summer Fun To-Do" list. Every year we start a list of things we want to do and learn in the summer and post it on our fridge for easy access. I like calling it our Summer To Do because usually our to-do lists entails things like chores and its good for the kids to see that "to-do" is not always work!

There are always the favorite oldies that get re-mentioned right off the bat, but this year the kids have come up with some newbies. I continue to be proud of them as they pick creative things and inexpensive things instead of listing off things that are costly and a no-brainer (science center, zoo, Adventureland...)

The 2010 Weis Family Summer Fun To-Do

Camp in backyard
Sprinkler/Water Cone Races
Create your own ice cream sundaes
Under the Rainbow with Hose
Lemonade/Cookie Stand
Create and Play in Chemist Lab and Design Studios
Scrapbook
Bike to Tropical Sno
Drive in Movie
Hike
Go Bowling
Bike to Dahls for Breakfast
Visit the Dairy Farm/Creamery
Bike Around Grays Lake
Picnics
Farmer's Market
Living History Farms
Firepit Smores
Water Balloon Fight
Summer Olympics in Backyard
Painting Clubhouse with Water
Treasure Hunts
Chalk the Corners
Letterboxing

In addition to our "to-do" we include things we want to learn each summer.

Lucy's Learning Goals
telling time
addition
golf
Endangered Species


Megan's Learning Goals
practice on new sewing machine
volleyball
french braid
cook

Max's Learning Goals
writing his name
Using scissors shapes/letters

A Tea Party, Please?!

It was Megan's turn for our Try New Foods Challenge/Family Fun Night/opportunity for me to get out of meal planning for the night. Whatever you want to call it, Megan was chomping at the bit for her turn. She eagerly picked the Colonial Time Period which was inspired by her American Girl Doll, Felicity.

If anyone knows Megan at all they should not be surprised that this was not going to be the simplistic "lets gather eggs" colonial bit. Oh no, this was the fancy "everyone gets dressed up and we eat off our china plates." kind of time period.

Megan requested a finger foods, which are evidently what you serve when having a tea party. She made up tiny sandwiches with a variety of fillers. Enter the perfect opportunity for a variety of new foods and favorites with turkey, ham, varying cheeses, roast beef, mayonnaise and breads. She also wanted fresh strawberries and fancy little cakes for dessert. She prepared it all minus the cakes. When I was at Hy-Vee and saw the darling Little Debbie white cream filled fancy cakes, I knew that any "fancy cake" I helped her prepare would be nothing like this.

Megan wore her "Southern Belle" costume and Lucy her "Victorian Girl" gown (yes, I realize time periods were a bit off, but they wanted to choose their "fanciest dresses." Max was even allowed to use the china and they loved sipping lemonade from the tea cups.

What did I love? The manners were exquisite! It must be something about eating off china! After dinner, Megan had a choice for a game or watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which Daddy had just gotten. That won out, hands down and for an hour we all entered a fantasy type time.

A Twist on the 2010 New Food Challenge

For the past two months we have added a twist to our "try new foods" challenge to try to keep it fresh, interesting and educational. Since, Megan and Lucy have take an interest in other countries, time periods and researching we thought it would be fun for each of us to choose a time or a place and plan on dinner menu around that. This would also be perfect opportunity to rejuvenate our Family Fun Night which we had kind of gotten away from.

Lucy was up first and picked "pioneer times." She already knew quite a bit about this because of her American Girl books, but she still scoured all of her Kristin books to come up with her menu plan; Tilapia, potatoes and apples. She explained that these were things that pioneers could grow or fish for on their own.

What Lucy was most excited about was her dessert choice of Johnny Cakes. After school she and I made these little flour cakes and timed it so they came out of the oven perfectly warm just in time for dessert. She served everyone a cake sliced into four bite sized samples. This was so they could try each with a different topping of honey, molasses, maple syrup and powdered sugar. It became a taste test to see which topping was a favorite. Honey ended up in first place with molasses a dead last.

Lucy had planned our evening activity with a rousing game of "Button Button who has the button?," which turned out to be rather humorous as Max unable to contain his excitement over this game. The "guesser" barely had time to open their eyes before Max announced who was hiding the button in their hands.

Next up is Megan's Colonial Time period and how we realize Harry Potter is not from that era.

A Couple of Brave Birds

Megan and Lucy were thrilled to discover a nest built up in their swingset this week. Right in the clubhouse section where they can easily peer into it. Yesterday two sky blue robin eggs appeared and today there was a third. I for one can quickly think of 100 places I would rather build my nest, but some parents, I suppose, like to live on the edge. I can't wait to watch the process of the baby birds hatching and growing, but shhhhh....don't tell little brother Max they are in there. All bets will then be off.

Tip for a Food Rut: Leave the House!

We have been doing pretty well with our 2010 new food challenge. Our meal times have been a lot more pleasant and I haven't missed the, "what is this? or "how many bites?" questions. Instead the girls are complimenting their cooks more often and the unfamiliar foods aren't sitting on their plates resembling a lone island long after the meal has commenced.

Over spring break, I decided it would be fun to try something new; go out to eat as a family. That may sound silly to some of you, but we very rarely go out to eat with just our family. Not even McDonalds. Its just something we don't do.

I can see it happening more often as the kids get older, but for 8 years we have had someone in a booster chair and when you have someone in a booster chair that pretty much equals you will be entertaining that child while waiting for the food and during the meal (as they will be done so much sooner then everyone else. It will also certainly involve one parent leaving the table early with the youngster so the other one can pay and finish up the other children.

How do you then treat a family out for dinner that doesn't involve tokens, plastic silverware and blinking lights? Solution: Teppanyaki-style dining! Aka: they cook the food right in front of you. Ohana Steakhouse! Stay tuned for our adventure!