The Hubs is making me post this one. He feels this Lemon Parmesan Fish is a keeper that must be repeated again and again. He is right!
Not only did he fill in on the cooking duty (because I was swamped with grant deadlines and he had a day-off) but he even insisted on snapping the photo. Really, he should be writing this post too, don't you agree?
Tilapia served with fresh-picked salad with Balsamic dressing and Mara's wonderful Cheese Biscuits.
The dish came together quickly and had gourmet results in under 30 minutes from start to finish.
We've experienced some hot weather lately and the night this tilapia was prepared was no exception so rather than heat up the house, the Hubs put the 13x9 inch glass dish on the Traeger grill and proceeded to cook it exactly as you would in the oven at 400 degrees.
1 tablespoon dried onions or chopped fresh chives or fresh scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon capers
A squeeze of lemon juice and a little lemon zest, if possible
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven or grill to 400 degrees. Pour olive oil in the bottom of a 9x13 inch glass casserole dish.
2. Dip the top side of fish and cover the filet with grated parmesan cheese.
3. Bake in the oven or grill for 20-25 minutes. (The Traeger grill took a little closer to 30 minutes. Just check when the fish begins to flake with a fork.)
4. Top tilapias with squeeze of lemon juice and capers before serving.
Delicious, healthy, quick, and easy - what more could you ask for?
We are gearing up for our annual trek to California for a family reunion and thought we'd share some of our survival and road trip sanity ideas when traveling with kids.
Cousins fishing at the Annual Family Reunion
My sweet mother-in-law Cindy raised seven children - 6 boys and one girl! During those childrearing years, she and my father-in-law traveled across the country from California to Washington D.C. with all the children in tow! (Talk about road trip survival experts.)
When we were gearing up for our first 10-hour trip with four kids in tow, she shared her wonderful idea for 50 Mile Bags. They are ingenious for maintaining sanity on road trips with kids in tow and for avoiding the relentless, "How much longer?" questions.
You start with a paper bag packed full of goodies, treats and car activities for each child (I learned that each child needed their own bag after the first round of tears from a favorite piece of candy nabbed by the first set of paws grabbing the bag.) No one is allowed to ask how much longer until... questions. Rather, the co-pilot gets the job of announcing each time 50 miles has passed that it is time to reach into their stash for the next treat. I can't tell you how much fun these bags have been over the years on our annual trek to family reunions and holiday gatherings.
50 Mile Treat Bags for long road trips!
One year I hit the jackpot and found kid movies to tuck in each bag along with the normal favorite treats. I typically break the rules on my limited candy and anti-soda campaigns and allow a little bit of sweets to surprise the recipients upon first inspection of their bags.
A variation of this that I want to try this year, now that the kids are much older involves putting a map on the back of the seat with various towns/cities along the route circled. The kids will now be able to determine when we reach the town or destination for their 50 mile treats, by watching for road signs and clues along the way while honing their map skills.
50 Mile Bags include:
Gum
Beef Jerkey
Individual Juice Bottles
Dried Fruit
Trail Mix packs/Granola Bars
Rice cakes
Pirate Booty, Goldfish or Pretzel Bags
Cookies
Favorite Candy Bars
Licorice - they actually have naturally flavored, old-fashioned licorice now without dyes!
Small Games/Brain Challenges or Mad Libs
Favorite Snacks and treats
Movies, Magazines or Books
Even though my kids range in age from 12-15, I am still finding myself packing 50 mile bags as it's tradition but now the kids are old enough to share from one big bag and understand prioritizing goodies and snacks amongst themselves.
I sure love being the copilot next to these two guys - both focused on the open road!
Recently, I read a great idea for packing Travel Activity Bags so I went about packing a large tote from thirty-one gifts that will be ready for our summer road trips.
I love these amazing totes and bags that come from thirty-one gifts via my friend Kambria.
Our Travel Activity Bag packed and ready to roll.
Our Travel Activity Bag includes:
CD Music Options - We love to play Name that Tune as a family and over the years the kids have been exposed to a plethora of music that they may have never opted to listen to but now can rattle off song titles and artists like "nobody's business"!
I love compiling summer play lists for road trips and recently asked for input from friends and family on social media outlets leading to our exposure to some great new and old music.
Headphones
DVD Player - even though we have a car-mounted DVD player, we can't always get unanimous decisions from both girls and both boys as to how they spend several hours invested in movies so this serves as a back-up for those occasions.
Thermal Insulated Snack Box - packed with snacks and water bottles
Pens and Pencils for games, notes and scavenger hunts or license plate games.
Hand-Wipes
Small games - portable checkers and mancala for example
Books on CD borrowed from the library
Gum
Reusable Water Bottles
DVD Movie Options
Our Car Cooler fits between seats and holds heavy snacks and sandwich makings requiring refrigeration, yogurt, fresh fruit and vegetables and cold beverages to help us avoid unncessary stops. Our kids love summer sausage and cheeses so those are usually tucked in as well. The cooler also has garbage bags, plastic silverware, a knife, a small cutting board, napkins and wet wipes in the pockets.
We love being able to have snacks for our trek because we wouldn't have to stop and wake the dog!
Fun Travel Games that we enjoy playing include:
Name that Tune using playlists or CD compilations. We play the song until someone belts out the answer but when the kids were younger, it was more fair to play boys vs. girls or to give each person a chance to guess the song instead of belting out the answer.
Although my kids are too old for it now, The Quiet Game was an adult favorite for years.
Traveling Scavenger Hunts include objects or landmarks to spot along the trip (road signs, mtels, animals, fast-food restaurants, bodies of water, etc.) along with tasks they can complete in the car (such as getting a wave from a passerby or a horn honked along the freeway). The first one completed can choose an activity to do while traveling or a place to stop for a bite or treat.
A variation on this scavenger hunt can utilize the letters of the alphabet and each person has to spy something along the route starting with each letter of the alphabet.
Would you Rather? - Take turns posing a question to the rest of the travelers such as "Would you rather kiss a snake or a pig?"
Geography - The first player names a place (city, continent, body of water, neighborhood, ocean, mountain range, etc.) then the next person has to think of a place name that hasn't been mentioned that starts with the last letter of the previous place.
Lines and Dots - has players trying to mark sections of a grid by marking their initials in squares as they compete by taking turns connecting dots with lines.
Road Trip Questionnaire - Last year the Hubs and I played this game from The Dating Divas while the kids watched movies and we each had to try to guess what the other's answers would be and received points for correctly answered questions.
New games we want to try include:
Emotions - The driver starts the game calling out an emotion and the first player says "A" in that emotion, then a new emotion is called out for the next player and "B", etc. This also works using each player's name.
Encore - Someone says a word or category and sings a song wtih that word in it.
Vehicle Name Car Search - this game from About.com has players marking names off as they spy cars. Players can keep tallies of cars or you can compete for the greatest variety of cars. Make guesses before play as to which car you think you will see the most of in each state or area you travel through.
Great free Apps to help you get to your destination:
Sit Or Squat - a great little app from Charmin to help you find clean public restrooms while traveling.
Gas Buddy - helps you locate the least expensive gas prices along your route.
Food Tripping - a cool app that provides alternatives to fast food stops that are rated by others. I love all the healthy options and hidden gems that are shared on this site!
Waze - via GPS, Waze guides you through cities giving you options to save on gas and time and helps you avoid traffic, construction and other challenges giving you the least amount of time on the road.
Along the Way - allows you to type in your start and end points and gives you suggestions of interesting stops and suggestions of places to eat along your way.
Focus on the journey...and the destination, at least while embarking on a long road trip.
Looking for ways to spice up the weekends or evenings with the family? Here's a little list of ideas for fun Family Date Nights for the Summer
This was a Messy and Marvelous Party we had one year in which we let the kids go crazy with pudding, silly string, flour, jello and shaving cream. They had such a blast!
1. Messy and Marvelous Celebration
2. Old-Fashioned Picnic and Fishing at the Pond Date
3. Fire Pit S'Mores and Spooky Stories Night
4. Secret Signing Night - Make signs with messages for family friends, coaches or teachers; dress in dark clothing and drive about town posting the positive message signs in their yard without getting caught!
5. Take the dog out on a date he would enjoy!
6. Volunteer at a local shelter or food bank.
An evening at the beach at sunset can't be beat.
7. Scavenger Hunt - create a list of landmarks or items around town to find then take photos in a race of the guys vs. girls.
8. Slumber Party in the living room (parents too, I even groan a little as I type this idea but I default to remind myself that we are making memories that the kids will not forget)
9. Late Night Lake Night - drift in a canoe, kayak or raft in the lake late at night
10. Unplugged and No Power Evening/Night - see how creative the kids can be in creating old-fashioned fun by candlelight.
10. Drive-In Movie Night - Drive-in movie theaters are becoming a thing of the past so if you can find one in your area be sure to take the kids before they no longer exist. Often times cities will host outdoor summer movies and I even read about a local pool hosting a floating movie night viewed from the pool!
11. Movie Under the Stars - at home with a popcorn "bar" and treats mixed together, cuddling amongst blankets and pillows.
12. Make Dream Boards - Scour through magazines, cutting out images and photos of places you'd like to go and things you'd like to do together with each family member adding to a collage to create a family dream board.
13. Game Night: A night of endless games such as Outburst, Scattergories, Bunco, Yahtzee, Monopoly or card games is always a huge hit at our house.
14. Homemade Ice Cream and Topping Bar - July 21st is National Ice Cream Day!
Homemade Cherry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream
15. City Lights from Above - Drive to the best vantage point to see the city lights.
16. Fondue Night - Make cheese or pizza fondue and finish your evening with chocolate fondue!
17. Candlelight Fancy Dress-Up Dinner Night - with kid food or take-out
18. Make a fort as a family.
19. Grandparents Date Night - Celebrate the grandparents with an evening dedicated to them!
20. Host a Favorite Foods Party - Each guest brings their favorite food to share with the group.
21. Have a Christmas in July Celebration - Crank up the Christmas Carols and make your favorite Christmas treats and celebrate an evening watching Christmas movies or singing carols and exchanging white elephant gifts buried in your closet.
22. Frisbee Golf Date
23. Have a refreshing water fight with the hoses, water balloons, water guns and spray bottles!
24. Progressive Fast Food Dinner Date - Frequent numerous different locations for each component of the dinner meal.
25. Video Scavenger Hunt- make a list of movie clips groups must "film" then get to work making video clips as a family or on teams.
26. Neighborhood Kickball, Volleyball or Badmitton Game Night - We recently gathered with friends for a wild game of kickball and I must admit, I enjoyed racing around bases and trying to catch kicked balls.
27. Art Night - Create a canvas together as a family, make a chalk mural outside in the driveway or have each member work on art next to each other.
28. Skit or Charades Night - We have had so many good belly laughs from playing Charades and watching skits put on by our kids.
29. Just Dessert Night - I am already dreaming of this one!
30. Head to a nearby U-Pick fruit farm and spend an hour or two picking fruit then return home to make a sweet treat such as a berry crisp, peach sorbet or a blueberry pie!
This summer we're trying to weave old-fashioned slowed-down summer joys into our normally fast-paced schedule in our attempt to push the pause button of life and enjoy our kids to the fullest. Games of badminton and kickball, endless card games, bonfires at the beach under the stars, tide-pool exploration at low tide, lemonade and dinner on the deck, s'mores after sunset, family bike rides, picnics at the park, swimming at the river on hot days, hiking and geo-caching for treasures, fireworks on the Fourth, spending time with extended family members, sleeping in and having leisurely mornings - we're off to a good start but just beginning on our quest!
I made a bucket list of summer things to do and make to include life skills that I want to teach the kids. Still yet to do includes volunteering in a community effort, attending an outdoor concert, sleeping in the backyard, visit a few college campuses, play Frisbee Golf, and many other ideas. Last week, each of the kids made a component of the dinner meal with great success.
Any ideas for some summer pleasures we can't miss?
Here's what we have been eating...
4th of July Fruit and Brownie Kabobs
Fruit Salad for the Fourth of July
Corn on the cob ready for the grill.
The Hubs' Grilled Smoky Ribs
and what we've been doing...
Skim boarding at the beach
Observing the tide pools at low tide
Summer Soccer Tournaments in 90 degree heat
Watching 18 High School Summer League Basketball games in four weeks.
Miss B performing in the Missoula Children's Theater Production of a modern-version of Robinson Crusoe
Miss Mara blowing out her Molten Chocolate Lava birthday cake to celebrate turning 15!
Playing countless games of cards.
Wishing Gram a happy birthday with a family bike ride and picnic in the park.
Slip 'n Sliding at the school.
Evening family bike rides are the best.
Escaping the heat with a dip in the river.
Discovering treasures while geocaching with the cousins.
Recipe adapted from Rodale Press, Flat Belly Diet Family Cookbook
Ingredients:
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1/2 cup dried cranberries or any other dried berries or raisins
I use any dried fruit that I have on hand. This day I used dried cherries, blueberries, strawberries and golden raisins.
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. (I love using the coconut oil spray you can find at Trader Joe's.)
2. Combine the oats, almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Combine the honey, oil and almond extract in a measuring cup or separate bowl.
3. Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir well to combine.
4. Spread evenly on the baking sheet. Bake stirring every 10 minutes, for 38-40 minutes, or until lightly toasted.
5. Remove from the oven and stir in the dried fruit, cherries and cranberries. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
This recipe makes 12 servings at 1/2 cup each.
For Yogurt Parfaits:
I like to layer 1/2 cup of the homemade granola with 6 ounces of greek yogurt and a handful of fresh fruit for a delicious breakfast.
Fresh raspberry, homemade granola and Greek yogurt layered for a parfait.
A girl in love with the seasons who wants to cram as much as she can into the 365 days of the year to live a life of bliss. Welcome to What Matters Most Now! I hope you will find inspiration and recipes you love.
