Happy Halloween everyone! The triplets have been crazy excited all week for today, heck they have been excited for the last 3 months LOL. You know waiting until dark tonight will just be torture...for all of us Hahaha.
I tried to make breakfast fun and festive. I made a couple little tin foil skull molds, they were not perfect but they did a good enough job.
I cut out eye and nose holes...also made little pumpkin pancakes with the help of some food coloring.
Added some strawberries for the eyes and nose...and horns.
Voila, little skull devils, a spooky and yummy breakfast :) The kids LOVED them!
I will save you from the drama that was my day from 9am until about 5pm, dark could not get here fast enough, and skip to the good stuff. Xander did impress me today though. The "I want that" thanks to commercials has taken a new turn. Xander was watching a Barbie horse trailer commercial, he looked at me and said "I want that for Kenzie (our friends little girl,) she loves Barbie, she would love that." So funny, and sweet!!
When we couldn't put off getting the kids ready any more, our family of Superheroes reappeared :) Our little Firestars, in wigs and all, looked fabulous!
Thanks again for the help Grandma, the costumes came out perfect.
My boys...they wanted to start trick or treating at our own house LOL.
They were ready to go...dark in T-minus 30 minutes.
We headed over to Uncle Scott's hood. Hailee was super excited for all the kids to go TOTing together too.
Uncle Rick and fam joined us too. Cousin Tyler even dressed up. Once the Superheroes learned than Bane is in fact a bad guy they attacked Hehehe.
Looking good guys, looking good :)
My crew. I love that the kiddos enjoy doing the theme thing. They have already decided what they want all of us to dress up as next year...we shall see if it sticks :)
Um Uncle Scott and Auntie Amber need to work a little harder on their costumes next year.
Same goes for Uncle Rick, Auntie Tia and Cousin B. :)
The night was pretty nice. We have been really lucky the last few years...no rain again this year. It didn't even get quite as cold as it was supposed to and stayed in the mid 50's. Well until about our last 45 minutes or so, then it got pretty chilly and even wearing leggings under my costume wasn't keeping me warm. I don't know how the girls did it...they were in a leotard and thin tights....brrrr. Nobody complained even once...too excited to worry about a pesky little thing like warmth I guess LOL.
It was really nice to have such a big group of adults to help us keep an eye on everyone.
The Bat and the Cat :)
Being silly LOL.
Meow!
Jason and I have always been glad the girls are not identical. We love that they look different and have never had any trouble telling them apart...until tonight anyway LOL. The exact costumes, the same wigs, the dark all combined to make Jason and me mix them up a record number of times Hahaha.
So happy for the candy!
On to our second neighborhood.
So handsome hubba hubba!
Batman and Bane...enemies.
My turn to try and take him down LOL.
I guess I need to run him over with a car to take him out Hehehe.
This house is always super scary. The kids did a little better this year, a little.
I wouldn't even give that thing knucks ewww.
The boys were amazed by Captain America!
Jericho is a very independent little man, lots of "I do it myself", not wanting a steadying hand on porch steps and you better not touch his candy. We could all tell when Superman was starting to get tired...he let Cousin B carry his candy for him, but Jericho kept a sharp eye on him the whole time Hahaha.
And letting Dad give him a ride, yeah his little legs had about had it.
Husband, must you always photograph my butt?!
He is so adorable...and he knows it. This kid got away with handful grabs, even after we told the home owners to watch out for him...no one could resist his charm I guess.
Time to get home and have a piece of candy!
After 3 hours we came home with 13 1/2 lbs of junk that is calling my name. Tip: Never look up all the delicious chocolate goodies your kids got on Halloween on Myfitnesspal. You will want to cry. This is going to be so hard on me, I LOVE chocolate. I think we need to get some of this to the Dentist stat. The troops can handle all these calories better than I can.
Xander had his speech class today, Jason told me on their walk to take Xan to class a high school aged girl was walking towards them. When they met up and were about to pass each other Xander looks right at the girl and loudly says "women are beautiful!" Then he adds "right Dad?" LMAO. The girl was flattered and said thank you. My little ladies man, 5 years old and already the cheddar LOL.
After class we headed to a little park to play and have lunch. To Hayden's delight the park was covered in leaves.
Lots of fun tossing the leaves around.
Lily for some reason insisted on wearing a shirt and sweater she outgrew 18 months ago LOL. I hate when they find old stuff that I haven't weeded out yet, because it always becomes their most prized possession ugh.
It was a beautiful day, when the wind would stop...the kiddos played for over an hour. They started building a big pile for jumping.
Jericho couldn't wait for it to get very big before he started off the jumping frenzy.
Then the leaves started flying.
Hayden had a little surprise for her Dad :)
A quick lunch...then time to head home, we were all starting to get a tad chilly.
Xan walked over to sit on the slide and eat his cookie. Then Lily decided to join him. Before I knew it I had a cute little photo op on my hands :)
It is still hard to get everyone looking and smiling at the same time.
My 4 cutie pies!
When we got home the kiddos (minus Xander who was spending a rare moment with some Angry Birds,) helped Jason and I finish up the final pumpkin carvings.
Jason who usually does the pumpkin scooping out...eww, had some help from the kids this time, thankfully...since Jason's hand had a hard time fighting in those tiny pumpkins. Our OCD child Hayden flat out refused to use her hand, we finally got her a spoon and she got to work. Jericho and Lily loved doing it with their hands more than using the spoons LOL.
The tiny things are so hard to carve. Next year big pumpkins for sure. It didn't help that Jericho broke his Micky Mouse one...so now it is just a cut out instead of looking of all cool. Oh well...they will be decomposed in a week anyway LOL.
Tonight's dinner...OMG. I would have loved to have seconds. Another "Skinny Taste" recipe, but this one rivaled fast food...seriously.
Grilled Hawaiian teriyaki burgers.
Ingredients:
2 lbs 93% lean ground beef
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sriracha sauce (or more if you like it spicy)
8 slices fresh pineapple
(we used canned)
8 whole wheat 100 calorie buns
8 lettuce leaves
For the pineapple teriyaki sauce:
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger, very fine
1 small garlic clove, minced
Directions:
For the
burgers: Gently combine the ground beef with grated carrots, scallions,
ginger, soy sauce and sriracha sauce. Form into 8 equal sized patties,
try not to overwork the meat so it doesn't get tough.
For the teriyaki sauce: Combine the cornstarch in cold water and
dissolve. Set aside.
Mix soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar,
grated ginger and garlic in small saucepan over medium-low heat; bring to a boil
and simmer until sauce reduces, about 15 to 18 minutes. Add cornstarch water
mixture and simmer until thick, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside
to cool.
Heat the grill. When hot clean the grates and
spray with oil. Place the patties on the grill and cook on
high heat for about 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or until burgers are cooked to
your liking. While the burgers are cooking, grill the pineapple slices for about
2 to 3 minutes on each side.
To serve, place a piece of lettuce on
the bottom of each burger bun. Top with the cooked burger and 1 tbsp of
teriyaki sauce, then top with grilled pineapple. 330 calories and 10 grams of fat for 1 burger.
Served with...
Twice baked super stuffed cheesy potatoes. Ingredients:
(18 oz) 4 medium russet potatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli florets
2 cups chopped cauliflower
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
1 tbsp minced chives (optional)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese
Directions:
Pierce the potatoes several times with a fork. Place in the microwave and use your baked potato setting until the potatoes are cooked through, turning half way. (Or you can bake 1 hour in your oven at 425° F)
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine cauliflower and broccoli with a little salted water and cook, covered for about 3 minutes. Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon and set aside, continue cooking the cauliflower until soft, about 5 more minutes. Drain and set aside in a large bowl.
Preheat the oven to 400°F
Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop the flesh out into the
large bowl with the cauliflower, leaving a ¼" shell. Place the potato
shells on a baking sheet. Mash the flesh with a potato masher or puree with a hand blender along
with the cauliflower. Add the buttermilk and salt, mash until smooth.
Fold in half of the shredded cheddar (and chives if desired). Spoon the potato/cauliflower mixture back into the shells. Top
with the cooked broccoli (I just inserted them in) and remaining cheese on top.
Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through and the cheese is melted. (you
can also microwave it for a few minutes if you prefer not to use the oven) 146.5 calories and 3 1/2 grams of fat for a stuffed potato half.
It was FABULOUS...even the kids wolfed it down. This will be made again soon! Try it, you will thank me later, Jason and I both thought the burger...even without any mayo and all that crap was just as good as any fast food burger. I wish it was tomorrow so I could have one of the left overs already LOL.
