Catching up...

Yesterday was a fabulous day! We spent most of the day outdoors, actually we spent most of the weekend outdoors. Yesterday, we took a trip to Squire's Castle, which is in one of the Cleveland Metroparks. We had a great time hiking through the woods. We ventured off on what looked like a shortcut and ended up being quite a steep climb down a hill. Never fear, we conquered it with ease! The kids gave me a slew of handmade things, which I love, love, love! Jason gave me two adirondack chairs for my front yard, handmade by a guy close by. We're going to paint them red. They'll look great against my blue house and my red and white impatiens I planted this weekend (keep away you waskally wabbit!). Here are some fun pics from our day...

I am a blessed Mom, indeed!

So, just wanted to update on our new quest for a healthy lifestyle. Today marks two weeks since we started our program. I am LOVING this! I cannot tell you how much better I feel, how much more energy I have. I no longer feel like a stuffed toad after I eat. It's great! We had a free day on Sunday to not worry about what we eat and indulged a bit. However, I was looking forward to getting back to the regime today. Jillian Michaels keeps us on track every morning at 6:00 am. The kids have noticed as well and wonder why we're eating so many "fancy" dinners! Hee hee... Here's one of our favorite recipes:

Caribbean Chicken Salad

1 lb chicken breasts

2 tsp McCormick Montreal Chicken seasoning

1 bag of baby romaine salad

1 bag romaine salad blend

1 cucumber, sliced

1 red onion, sliced

1 cup radishes, sliced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

1 can (11 oz) mandarin oranges, drained

1 can (8 oz) pineapple tidbits, drained

1/2 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup lite honey-Dijon salad dressing

Preheat grill to high. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with the Montreal seasoning. Then place chicken on hot grill and cook for approximately 6 minutes; turn and grill for approximately 6 more minutes, until no longer pink in the center.

While the chicken is cooking, combine the baby romaine salad, romaine salad blend, cucumber, red onion, radishes, red bell pepper and tomatoes in a large mixing bowl and toss.

Divide the salad between four plates. top each with one-fourth of the mandarin orange slices, pineapple tidbits and shredded cheese.

Place the cooked chicken on a cutting board, let it cool slightly, then slice into 1/2-inch strips.

Top each salad with a portion of chicken. Pour honey-Dijon dressing over salads.

Serve and enjoy!

I picked my little boy up from preschool today and learned that he had written a love note to one of the little girls in his class. It seems that he has his very first true crush. It's been building for a while and he is now free in talking about his friend. Evidently, today, he wrote a note to her that said, "I love you". Oh my! I'm sure Ben's name has come up at her dinner table and her dad is buffing his baseball bat! At least this note seems to be a little more chivalrous than his last attempt to impress her. He took a lollipop to school to give her. He had Emily make a card that said, "Love, Ben" and tied it on the stick. He put the lollipop in a baggie and headed off to school. When the big moment arrived and he handed over the prize, he said, "Here, this is for you. I peed on it." She was NOT impressed! But, look at this face... there's hope, right?

Have a fabulous week!

I am going to enjoy the sunshine!