Announcing the Newest Growing Weisser Member!!
The Growing Weisser family is THRILLED to announce the birth of Weisser Grandbaby number 11, second child and first daughter to Bethany and Mike Wilkes…
Madison Rose Wilkes
She was born July 3 at 3:23am. Weighing 7lbs 4oz and 20 inches tall.
Madison (Madi for short) and family are doing great and we are over the moon. GOD IS SO GOOD!!!
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Read MoreBEST Summer Banana Bread
During the warm months of summer, I seem to always have a few bananas in my fruit basket that get TOO RIPE, TOO QUICKLY….Here is a perfect solution to that problem. This is a very easy recipe using ingredients you probably always have on hand. It is simple enough to make that you will want to call the kids in from their outdoor adventures to get cooled off for 15 minutes to help you measure, pour, mix and pop this delicious banana bread into the oven. If you have a bunch of kids over, you can make this into muffins for easier serving. Send the kids back outside when you put the bread into the oven and they will have another hour to play before you call them in for their homemade healthy snack.
BEST Summer Banana Bread
1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
½ cup oat flour or ground oats
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
2 large egg
1 1/2 cups (from 4 medium bananas) ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup plain yogurt or low-fat buttermilk
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Measure out the flour, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a small bowl and mix. Mash the VERY ripe bananas in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, brown sugar, oil and maple syrup to the bananas and stir until blended. Slowly fold in the flour mixture and yogurt or buttermilk. Add walnuts if desired and stir gently. When blended, pour into a greased 9 x 5 inch bread pan. Bake of 1 hour. Test with a toothpick and remove from oven when toothpick comes out clean. …
Read MoreCinnamon Vanilla Protein Bites
In the midsummer heat, it is so nice to have a quick snack that is healthy and delicious. Here is a perfect high protein recipe for a fantastic snack to keep on hand.
Ingredients
½ cup almond meal
¾ cups ground oats
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ cups maple syrup
¼ cup almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cups Isagenix vanilla chai dairy free protein powder (or a vanilla protein powder of your choice)
Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Stir until all ingredients are well blended.
Roll into 1 inch balls. Refrigerate until firm. Store in a tupperware unless you eat them all as soon as you make them.
What are your favorite summer snacks?
Rachel’s original recipe…
Caprese Panini – A Delicious Summer Meal
We love Caprese Paninis! Although it is a hot meal, it is a great summer meal even when the weather is hot because you don’t have to use the oven. We have a Cuisinart Griddler that we love using for Panini night! And, check out the ingredient list below for some of our new favorites when Caprese sandwiches are on our meal list!
These paninis are best served hot right off the panini press dipped into our balsamic vinegar dressing.
Ingredients
4 large ciabata style rolls **
12 ¼ inch slices fresh mozzarella cheese
1 roasted red pepper, saute with McCormick Italian Seasoning
8 basil leaves chopped into small pieces
2 cups baby spinach leaves
2 tomatoes sliced (8-10 slices)
Homemade balsamic vinegar dressing see recipe below
**(We love the Trader Joe’s Half Baked Panini Rustic Rolls – when using these, we like to microwave the roll and cheese for about 1 1/2-2 min to melt the cheese without over crisping the bread; These rolls are smaller so the ingredient amounts may differ when using these)
Cut Ciabata bread in half lengthwise. Open up and layer on bottom half-cheese, tomato slices, red pepper,spinach and basil. Press two halves together and put into a panini press. Let sandwich heat until cheese is melted and top and bottom of the ciabata is crispy.
Homemade Balsamic Dressing
¼ cup olive oil
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
1-2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (Our favorite is McCormick Italian Seasoning for this too)
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
Pour all ingredients into a salad dressing emulsifier and mix until well blended.
Summer Bucket List
SUMMER! It’s here!
Father’s Day Encouragement
Here are some fun Father’s Day quotes….Ask your kids to write a special something for their dad and make it into a card or Father’s Day note to bring encouragement to Dad. You can use these if you want.
Some examples of encouragement messages….
1. A father is someone who you look up to no matter how tall you grow.
2. A father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way.
3. Any man can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.
4. We never know the love of our parents for us; till we become parents.
5. A Father holds his child’s hand for a while, but holds his heart forever.
Love messages for dad this Father’s Day.
1. Dad, I may not need you to hold my hand anymore, but I’ll always need you to hold me in your heart.
2. To the first man to ever hold my hand, buy me a dress, smile at me, tell me how to be strong, and teach me how to love, Happy Father’s Day. I love you, Poppa.
4. One of the greatest gift I ever had came from God; we call him Poppa.
Here are the SUPER Dads in our family!!!!
“I have written to you, fathers because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you…” 1 John 2:14
A friend wrote a beautiful tribute to her father using this compassionate and insightful quote….”We are born into families with either a dad who heads his family with breathtaking responsibility or with dads who struggle their entire lives …
Read MoreSpringtime Survival Tips for Moms
Summer has begun for many families. Some weeks will be filled with camps, Vacation Bible Schools, swim lessons, other sports teams and tournaments……Regardless of your situation, there are going to be long days when you need some ideas in your pocket to make it to bedtime.
We asked some friends to share their favorite ways to survive long days.
Here is a list of our tips and suggestions:
– Easy Dinner – make sandwiches or pancakes.
– Utilize free events and story times at your local library.
– Create an art show with all your kids art projects from school and invite some friends to come!
– Host a play date. Then you can still have company without leaving your house!
– Join a Mommy Group. This is definitely what saves me most days. You can join shared interest groups, find groups on Facebook or Instagram, or a become a part of a church group like MOPS. I have many virtual friends that support me through our talks and sharing on Facebook.
– Utilize technology: text, FaceTime, Skype. Kids love to see family. Ellie, Hanna and Mikah love to FaceTime with their Aunts and Uncles.
– Do a house project to pass the time and stay focused on a task.
– Plan something for yourself at the end of a long day: a Mom’s Night, wine and a good book, a prerecorded favorite show, or a nice warm bath all to yourself.
– Campout in the living room. I can’t wait for my girls to be old enough for forts and campouts.
– Read a good book or watch those guilty pleasure shows your husband won’t watch with you.
– Go on walks or a nature walk. This is one of my favorites.
– Reward the kids with a frozen …
Read MoreFather’s Day Coupons
What better gift is there than coupons! Coupons for quality time, coupons for a special gift, coupons for a favor, or coupons for a special event… Coupons can cover almost any idea. And you can be as creative as you want! Making tangible and useable coupons makes sure that each specific coupon can be “cashed in” for the gift or service. Coupons make the special birthday or holiday last even longer! For this blog post we are going to talk all about Father’s Day and what we can do for dads! You can make a sheet of coupons, a jar of coupons, a book of coupons, an envelope filled with coupons… the options are endless. Coupons are always one of my favorite gifts to give, because coupons usually end up as TIME spent together, which we all love! But let’s make this Father’s day a special one by filling days and weeks with special things for dad! So here are some ideas…..I wonder what the Growing Weisser dads will be getting for their Father’s Day?
Things to think about when choosing your coupons for Father’s Day:
What are dad’s chores and duties?
What are dad’s favorite things?
Are they coupons from a daughter or a son?
What is the age of the child giving the coupons (for you moms that are helping with gifts)?
How can a child help their dad?
What will make a dad’s day?
What is something a dad may not expect?
Chores Category
Mow lawn
Wash car
Take trash out
Vacuum
Help in yard
Help clean garage
Food Category
Make him his favorite dessert
Breakfast in bed
Favorite snacks packed for work
Packed lunch
Pick favorite meat to grill
Special Date Category
Movie date
Ice cream date
Coffee date
Video game challenge
Do whatever dad chooses…
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Memorial Day is a day of celebration our military heroes. I am so grateful for the men and women who have sacrificed to maintain our freedom and liberty throughout the ages. Memorial Day is usually the kick-off day for summer barbeques. I love to experiment with different side salads to accompany whatever comes off the BBQ. Here is a fun twist for a yummy side salad, combining quinoa and Mediterranean style flavors.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups of quinoa cooked as directed on package (makes about 4 cups of quinoa)
1 English cucumber chopped
20 baby tomatoes cut in half
1 red or orange bell pepper chopped
1 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
1 (15 oz ) can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
1 4 oz container crumbled feta cheese
1-2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
3 lemons juiced (about 2/3 cup)
1/3 cup olive oil
Cook the quinoa according to package direction. (I used 2 cups quinoa in 4 cups of water. I brought it to a boil, turned to simmer and covered for 15 minutes.) Let quinoa cool and add chopped cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and basil. Season with salt and pepper and mix in feta cheese. Squeeze lemon juice and add olive oil. Mix dressing into quinoa salad and adjust seasonings. I love the fresh basil and probably used more than 1 cup. You can add kalamata olives if you want more of a Greek flair.
Enjoy with BBQ burgers, chicken, ribs or your favorite meat.
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Favorite Go To Meals Right Now
Dinner prep time gets crazy around my house! I only have one kid. But I usually find myself like this
or feeding him some type of snack so that I can actually get dinner on the table at a decent time. So I have been trying to think of and plan some easy go to meals that I can prep ahead of time or not have to even look at a recipe.. Even though most of the time I look up something! I also know spring and summer is crazy time for sports and school ending and vacations… so we all need some ideas of how to make dinner a win!
- Barbecue- Who doesn’t love a good old barbecued meat that you can add some sides to. Thank you husband for manning the grill
- Roasted Vegetables- oil them, season them and throw them in the oven
- Quinoa or Tabbouleh- add some veggies and dressing and perfection
- Mexican- can’t go wrong with some ground turkey or crock pot chicken and all the fixings
- Crock pot chicken- so many options
- Salad- Add some meat for a full meal, do a green salad with veggies, some fruit and nuts for an extra flair,
- Omelets- a great go to for last minute!
- Breakfast for dinner
- Pizza- Trader Joe’s dough and some toppings galore
- Turkey burgers
Trader Joes Favorites:
- Masala burgers
- frozen pizza
- Chili lime burgers
- Orange chicken with stir fry veggies
Here are some recipes of our favorite go to meals:
wow enchilada casserole: A Growing Weisser Favorite!
Ground Turkey Mediterranean Salad
What are your go to meals in times that are really busy?
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