A summer staple re-invented

Good news! We are STILL enjoying summertime!

Ahh, nothing like a dirt beard on your tiny daughter.

When it's so nice outside and the kids are playing, I prefer to be outside with them. Even if it means standing at the grill. SUCH sacrifices I make. Last night we did cheeseburgers on the grill and I decided to make mine into a salad form. I'm on a kick with making salad dressings, so I whipped up a burger-inspired creamy dressing. Sounds interesting, eh?

Cheeseburger Salad Dressing makes four salads -2 tablespoons mayonnaise -1 tablespoon ketchup -1 tablespoon mustard -1 tablespoon white wine vinegar -1 tablespoon dill pickle juice (you could just do two tablespoons of pickle juice and omit the vinegar- I'm not too hot on pickles so I didn't want an overwhelming pickle taste) -Dash of Worcestershire sauce -Pinch of onion powder -Pinch of salt -Pinch of pepper

#cheeseburgersalasdressing

Combine all the ingredients in a resealable jar. Shake to mix. Refrigerate. Keeps in the fridge for one week. Per serving: 50 calories, 8 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fat, 75 milligrams sodium.

Aldi has been killing it with the nectarines lately- such nice ripe and juicy ones! I treated the kids- and myself- to little chocolate milkshakes too. We are all about that summer living!

Can you treat cabin fever with ibuprofen?

You guys, it's like, winter now. All of December and most of January were pretty mild, and now BOOM, in the past two weeks it's alllllll the cold and allllll the snow.

(Well what do you think's gonna happen when you live in Minnesota?)

We've made lemon lime yogurt.

We've wasted 14.2 gallons of water playing in the sink.

We've...taken our shirts partially off and walked around like this for an hour.

The babies have both sprouted humongous top teeth and now they both love to grind their teeth together. I am pretty much going nuts having to listen to that. I DO NOT LIKE MOUTH NOISES.

One thing I dooooo like? Cooking with chickpeas!

Why? 

1. They are super cheap.

2. They are legumes, so they're a good source of protein and fiber.

3. They get eaten up by all four kids.

Smashed Chickpeas with Cucumber Yogurt

-2 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

-1 medium sweet onion, diced

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-2 eggs

-1/3 cup olive oil mayonnaise

-1/3 cup cornmeal

-1 tablespoon dried parsley

-1/2 teaspoon onion powder

-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

-1/2 teaspoon smoked (or regular) paprika

-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

-1/4 teaspoon salt

Cucumber Yogurt

-1 cucumber, washed and shredded, then patted with paper towel to absorb excess water

-2 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt

-2 teaspoons lemon juice

-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (or omit if you're not a fan)

-Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready. Can be made a day or two in advance. 

For chickpeas-

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. 

2.. In a medium skillet over medium heat, saute onions in olive oil until nice and browned. 

3. While that's cooking, use a fork or potato masher to smash the chickpeas into a mush. It's plenty ok to leave it a little chunky. 

4. Add remaining ingredients, including the now-cooked onions, and smash a little bit more. You should have some whole chickpeas left in the mixture, but the majority should be smushy. 

5. Form into 8-9 flat patties. 

6. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Serve warm with something like Joseph's pita bread and of course the cucumber yogurt. I added some matchstick carrots as well to give a little crunch. 

#SmashedChickpeaswithCucumberYogurt

Nutrition information for 1 chickpea patty + 1/3 cup cucumber yogurt + 1 pita = 290 calories, 38 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fiber (yowza!), 10 grams fat, 14 grams protein

All the kids ate this up. Better to hear chomping chewing noises I guess than teeth grinding noises!

Strawberry fields forever...

...eh, or until we're all too hot and tired and sticky to pick any more.

We drove out to a local strawberry farm Tuesday morning with our friends. Guess what? 15-months old don't understand you pick-you pay- you eat, in that order.

$18 later, we have a huge stash of berries!

So...what should I make?

I've been on a salad kick lately, which is definitely not like me (I'm MUCH more into cooked veggies than raw). Have you ever tried the whole fruit-in-a-salad-thing? Probably, because you're a better human than I am. I'll admit that I have truly never done it. Not a mandarin. Not a blueberry. NOFRUITINMYSALAD. Until today.

I tried it...and liked it...who am I becoming?! The key is the homemade dressing. Creamy, tangy, and a tiny bit sweet. And nutrient-packed of course!

Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing- makes about 1 cup of dressing -1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries, stems removed -1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt -1/8 teaspoon salt -1/2 teaspoon poppyseeds -1 tablespoon white wine vinegar -1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey

#strawberrypoppyseeddressing

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high for 15-30 seconds, or until smooth. Pour into a resealable jar. Dressing keeps for one week in the fridge- just shake before serving.

Give this one a try, even if you're like me and *think* you don't like fruit in your salads.

Nutrition information for one 2-tablespoon serving: 17 calories, 3 grams carbohydrates, 0 grams fat, 1 gram protein, 3 mg sodium, 2 grams added sugar