Cooking Group Week One: Fish Tacos

I joined an online Cooking Group sponsored by one of my new favorite blogs, Raising Foodies. The darling author started the group as a forum for moms (and dads) to get new kid friendly recipes for their familes. The group members are charged with fixing a new (to them) healthy and kid friendly recipe each week. We'll post our results every Tuesday for eight weeks. She will post hers along with a few of her favorites from the group on Thursdays. Hopefully at the end of eight weeks there will be a lot of fun new recipes to try for the entire family.

Week One: Fish Tacos
I made a grilled Tilapia with grilled pineapple salsa a couple of weeks ago that Daisy really liked but Abbie was unsure of (as usual). I thought if I turned it into a taco, she might be more open to it.
Daisy again loved it and Abbie was still a little unsure but did a better job eating it in taco form than with the pineapple salsa on top. I served it with a side of beans but would have added chips and rice had they been in the house. All in all, good eating.

Grilled Tilapia
1 packet taco seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 pieces of Tilapia (or other white fish)
Mix the seasoning and olive oil in a shallow dish. Coat the fish and grill. Done!

I also made a sauce to go with the fish tacos:
3/4 cup mayo
3/4 cup sour cream
1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 lime
Puree all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. This sauce is awesome with fish tacos but very spicey...not meant for children. It also makes a ton of sauce.

I served the tacos with shredded cabbage and monterey jack cheese. We like to use corn tortillas and fry them on the stove ourselves (or should I say Tripp).

{QOTD}

Quote of the day:

"Mommy, if Harry Potter is a nice guy I think he can marry me.  Or maybe Daisy."

Sometimes after all the nightmares from Kyle's movies, games and things he just talks about (that she doesn't ever see) I get really tired of all the big boy stuff getting into her little princess brain but then she says something like that and I sit dumbfounded for a few minutes then laugh.  I have to remember that she has far more nightmares about Arthur and Barbie than Harry Potter.

What we listen to...

Abbie recently fell in love with the Hannah Montana movie. She wanted to sing the songs and dance the dances all the time. I looked into getting a copy of the CD at the library (our favorite place to borrow music) but was number twenty-something on the list. Plan B.

I emailed four friends that I thought might have it. Before noon the following day I had one friend offer to loan us one, another friend drop her copy off and yet another drop off a burned copy for us. Thanks everyone! Abbie has been listening to both copies (one in the house and one in the car) non-stop ever since. Although I'm sure I will tire of it soon, it has been a nice break from Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Aladdin King of Thieves (our usual library CDs).

It was about time to turn in the movie so we said "Goodbye" today and traded it in for "Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses". Not much of an improvement but any small change is welcome.

Baby Hurd's Party

Our dear friends Scott and Tara are expecting their baby boy at the first of October. I couldn't make it to Tara's shower and neither could Lindsay or Sam so we decided to have one of our own for her. Two great reasons to throw your own shower:
1. You get to spend time with the husband too (it wouldn't be a party without Scott)
2. You don't have to fight with all of Tara's other BFFs for her attention

Abbie was excited to have everyone over and Tara was so sweet to let her open the presents. Tara has always been such a great friend to Abbie. So, I think our little shower was a success. The Marz family (John, Ali, Lindsay, Sam, Wes & Tripp) got to monopolize all of Tara & Scott's attention, we got to shower them with gifts and Nate got to spend time with Abbie. Abbie got to drag Tara around the house and show her all her little treasures and everyone got to eat copious amounts of bundt cake. Daisy may have broken her toe, but that's another story all together.

We can't wait for baby Hurd to arrive so we can shower him with hugs and kisses.

Labor Day at Mt. Charleston

We received a last minute invite to spend the afternoon at Mt. Charleston and although the "To Do" list was long and everyone was feeling a little worn down, we decided to go. I think had we been asked earlier in the weekend we would have put too much thought into it and declined so I'm glad we didn't have much time to think it over and simply jumped at the chance for a fun afternoon in the mountains.

Tripp and Kyle had scouting "Fly the Flag" duties early in the morning but we had a bit of time to lounge and eat before packing up and hitting the road for Mt. Charleston. It was a great afternoon spent with the Butler, Rich and Smart families. The kids had a great time outside and it sure was wonderful to smell fresh mountain air and escape the boiling Vegas weather.

After an afternoon of play we cooked up some tinfoil dinners then the Thompsons had to hit the road for Kyle's soccer practice and "Fly the Flag" duties part II.

Thanks for the invite Butlers & gang. We had a lovely Labor Day holiday.

Kyle's Birthday Present

Kyle's weekend finally arrived for the trip to Magic Mountain. Tripp pulled out at just after 5 a.m. Saturday morning for a day filled with 12 yr old fun.

*Crazy Rollercoasters - check

*Tons of treats - check

*Puking all over yourself while strapped in a ride - check

That's right, one of the boys had too many treats and too many loops and hurled while strapped into the seat. He couldn't move so it got all over him which ended the rollercoaster trip for the day. It was after 8 p.m. so everyone was tired anyway but not the best way to end a day of fun. They ended up getting a room for the night so said boy could shower and Tripp could wash his clothes. Which boy was it...secret is safe with me.

Despite the vomit, the boys had a great time. Tons of coasters and tons of fun. What more could a couple of 11/12 year old boys ask for?

$1 Scoop Tuesdays

That's right folks, if you live in Green Valley the 31 Flavors on Wigwam and Pecos offers $1 scoops on Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Don't arrive even a minute early because they will scoop you up and charge you full price.

However, if you have a little time to kill just after six, it's a nice family treat.

PS - It's a good sized store which makes for a nice dance floor after the ice cream has been consumed...just ask Abbie & Daisy.