Yum

I've always had a hard time making the perfect meatloaf.  This one is super yummy- an alternative to traditional meatloaf.  I use gluten free bread crumbs and all ground turkey breast instead of the beef.  Everyone in our family ate this up!

(Taken from mommyimhungry.blogspot.com)

  

Parmesan Meatloaf {Gluten Free}

slightly adapted from Full Bellies Make Happy Kids

1 lb ground turkey

1 lb ground beef
2 eggs
1/4 cup gluten free breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 small onion, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup marinara pasta sauce (homemade here, minus the meat)
1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
minced parsley for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf pan (I used a regular glass loaf dish as in the photo above) with cooking spray, set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey and beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Try not over handle the mixture otherwise it will get tough. Place the mixture in the greased loaf pan and form into a loaf. Top the meatloaf with pasta sauce.
Place filled loaf pan on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese. Place the meatloaf back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted.
Remove the meatloaf from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving/slicing. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Mom and Me

These are a few of my favorite things....

I have been bad about blogging and I can't see myself turning a corner any time soon.  So instead of giving you a bunch of wordy-without-feeling-and-motivation-behind-them posts I'm going to work on getting back in the groove with less pressure.  For a little while I am going to just try to post some of my favorite things from the last few months.
Maybe it's a picture.
A thought or revelation.
A video or blog post.
A memory or a recap of a family outing.

So have you seen this?  I think you'll have to copy and paste it into your web browser.
I know it's a few minutes long...but Andy and I both chuckled at this!


http://brushrealityaside.tumblr.com/post/62311010977/molgars-i-am-going-to-physically-die-from

2014

Hello 2014!

We're still alive.
I told myself I wouldn't blog until I was able to do laundry (dryer broke on Christmas day).
So here I am. With clean socks and a fresh start to the year. Finally.

We've been doing a lot lately.

And I've even already accomplished my first ever bucket list item.
Hello Pink.

I didn't set any New Years resolutions this year.  I didn't hear too many other people proclaiming theirs either.  Maybe it's not the thing to do anymore.
I did have someone ask me what the resolution was that Andy set for me last year.  I know I mentioned it with my goals for this year.  I don't think I full accomplished it. HA! I know I didn't.  It was a daunting task.  But it's time to reveal.  Andy suggested I attempt to make someone laugh every day.  I was taken aback.  I felt like I made him laugh every day.  He said "someone else".  I said that I make at least 1 patient (at work) laugh every day.  He said "a stranger then".  What? WHAT?  Who does that?  He said to take it however I wanted but he wanted me to try to lighten someone each and every day.  Someone unexpected.  This will be a life long goal.  But not a daily goal of mine.

So here we go...flying into 2014!

Waiting

It's so hard to wait for Santa....

But we're doin' it and we THINK he is going to come tonight.
So we did the who spiel...we put out the cookies and wrote the letter (oh dear, what to do when your little boy asks for something on Christmas Eve that he hasn't asked for all season?)

Merry Christmas to you all.  

(Thank you Sarah ....For the love of naps for the majority of these pictures!)

Snow

I am a huge Indigo Girls fan-been to multiple (probably more than 6) concerts.  I can't get enough.  Have you read this post by Mamastery?  Reason #1003 that I love her!  I specifically love the caption below the blurry photo!!!!  So take a listen (this is the ONLY version I could find online-so you can turn it off as soon as the song is over).  It's not important to watch, just keep washing those dishes with this song on in the background, because nothing important really happens.  But I love this holiday song, the lyrics and how light it is.

It finally snowed here.

Hugh isn't so sure about all that fluffy stuff yet.

Here's to hoping the temps cooperate so Hugh can touch his first snowman.  

First Holiday Post

Take a listen....




Where have I been you ask?

Catering to this little guys every need.

I'm one who is so so so very excited about the holidays.  I'm cheesy and ridiculous and want to listen to Christmas music as soon as the temperature drops below 50 degrees or right after trick or treat.  Or whichever comes first.  I tip toe around this though, because I know there are a lot of holiday haters scrooges out there who don't want to hear any holiday carols until the week before Santa's arrival.

But this year I am having a hard time getting in the spirit.  Eli asks what "getting in the spirit" means.  It's hard to explain because it's mostly a feeling.  But my heart is heavy because I think about it all day and the only magic I have felt in the last few weeks are only snippets throughout the day.  And I want to sandwiched between wrapping paper, big red bows, Christmas cookies and snow flakes.

The kids are definitely in it.  There is a lot of jumping, and counting down and questions about Santa and the long, long, long, never ending list of things that needs to be put on "the list" for under the tree.  So I take note of all of that, and pat myself on the back at the end of the day that I haven't failed.  Even though I haven't felt magical glittery all day, the boys do.  So I must be doing something right.

And even though I struggle, I remember that the littlest things bring them joy.  And I'm lucky to be the mom who gets to watch as they oooh and ahhh over the holiday magic.

So it may not be relaxed cookie baking, or slow ornament hanging with a glass of wine, or even wrapping with the help of a little finger.  It might just be avoiding the malls, hearing Rudolph the red nosed lyrics out of my 4 year old or the red sparkly candle I finally lit.

So that magic that I can remember, I feel it and it IS there.  It's just different this year.  As my sister says, this is my season. Letting go of the expectations of what it was, or ought to be (who decides that anyways, except yourself) is important.   The spurts of Christmas joy that I feel adds up over the weeks.  And there is no rush. None what so ever.  It will be so sad when it's over. So slow down December.  Slow down world.  Take deep breaths and let yourself feel that spirit-however it hits you.