Egg Muffins

I made these egg muffins the other day and they were a big hit.  Logan has been calling them cupcakes.  Fine by me!  Sure, you can have a cupcake.  I modified a few different recipes (can't find the links!) and have made a couple of batches fiddling around with ingredients.

Egg muffins

Makes approximately 12

6 eggs

1c liquid egg whites

Turkey sausage fully cooked (or bacon or ham or whatever you feel like). 4 links

Green onions - 2 diced

Sharp cheddar cheese - about 1/2 cup.

These are approximately 110 calories each depending on how much cheese you use.

Wisk the eggs and add in egg whites.  Dice the sausage or whatever meat you're using (can also omit meat).  Be sure the meat is cooked thoroughly.  I bought precooked turkey sausage to make it super easy.  I used enough for 2 servings.  Dice the green onions.

Spray baking cups with cooking spray.  I used silicon baking cups and put them on a cookie sheet.  So much cleaner and easier then filling muffin pans.  I got some on amazon for like $5, but I've seen them at the grocery store too.  Of you can use a regular muffin pan.  Put some of the diced meat in each cup.  Then put the green onions.  Then sprinkle a little cheese and finally pour egg mix to almost fill muffins.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.  I popped them out of the baking cups when they cooled.  I tried storing them in the freezer and microwaving when needed, but it didn't turn out well.  I store them in the fridge and microwave for 17 seconds.  Yummy!  They've only lasted a couple of days in our house so I'm not sure how long they will keep in the fridge.

I used 1/2 a diced bell pepper in this batch, but I prefer the green onion.

And some picture of the kids...because , well, they're cute.  Despite waking up 6 times last night.  SIX!!!

He needs a bike!

Those boots!

Logan with the girlies.

Lounging.

The Best Lasagna

Ok,  I've made a lot of lasagnas.  It's one of my favorite foods.  I've made simple lasagnas and lasagnas that took hours with complicated sauces.  This lasagna has very simple ingredients and is very very easy to make.  I was really blown away by how tasty it was.  I made it for a dinner party last month and everyone seemed to really like it.  I made a double batch and just reheated the leftovers tonight's for dinner.  Isabel had 3rds!  It's definitely a special treat.  Not something to put in your weekly rotation because it is very indulgent on the fat and calorie content.  A perfect dish to send to a new mom or a hurting family who needs some good 'ole comfort food.

It's from the Pioneer Woman.  Here is a link with complete ingredients and instructions.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_lasagn/

I just realized that this link isn't clickable.  Sorry!  If you google 'Pioneer woman best lasagna ever' it should bring you right to the recipe.

Bandits

Brian was traveling for work this week so Gramma came to the rescue!  She came in Wednesday and stayed until this morning.  Some much appreciated help. We did a lot while she was here.  We hit up a bounce house place and the new Austin Children's Museum, Thinkery.  I bought a membership so was excited to check it out.

But first.  Check out this forecast Tuesday morning!

I really wanted to get an outdoor run on so this is me in 4 layers on top.

It was a little too much.  Could have shed at least one layer about 3 miles in.

Here we are getting treated to a nice dinner from gramma after bounce house fun.  Logan went to town on that calamari!

Here are some pictures from the Thinkery.

Gig 'em!  That's me and Izzy'a frozen shadow.

That is some happiness on Logan's face!  And Izzy and Gramma.

Gramma put the kids to bed (by herself!!!) while Brian and I saw 'Lone Survivor' last night.  So good.  I never cry at movies and I was pretty choked up at the end right before the credits.  Great acting.

This morning I went to pick up our mail and found this:

Yep, we were the only mail box hit.  The bandits did try and pry open 3 of the outgoing mailboxes.  What jerks.  I'm going to contact the HOA on Monday and request camera monitoring.  After taking to other neighbors I guess the outgoing mailboxes have been tampers with before.  Don't they know that this is a felony?!

A Wonderful Christmas!

I

What a great Christmas we had!  We were so fortunate to have my brother and his family from China, my sister from Florida and my Grandma from Montana all fly in and be together.  My nephews are too cute and it's fun to see them playing with Isabel and Logan.  Lots of little boys = lots of noise!  The good kind.  ;-)  I love how Ethan isn't even two yet and runs around and wrestles with the older ones.  He only took a few knocks and gave some good ones!

Brian has started a new job and unfortunately was unable to really take any time off for the holidays.  He drove back and forth from Austin to Houston four times to be with us on Christmas, the weekends and New Years.

Christmas day we went over to visit with Grammy, Papaw and the Hawkes'.  Isabel and Logan had fun racing with Lila on the driveway in her new tricycle.  They have so much energy!  I don't know how they get by on such little sleep and play SO hard.

Five of the of the twelve people staying at Gramma and Grampa's house came down with a lovely tummy bug.  Pretty sure we can thank Logan for that one.  Luckily it only lasted about a day.

We hit up lots of parks and even took Isabel on her first ice skating adventure.  We made the decision to rent a helmet for her.  She was one of two kids with one on, but boy am I glad she did.  She was using the little walker thing to skate around and was going really fast.  She decided that she could skate without it so we skated while I held her hand.  Then she decided she could skate by herself.  She was doing awesome and then got a little too confident and her legs flew out from under her and she really smacked her head hard.  Tear and ice and 20 minutes later she was ready to get back out there for a couple more laps.  I have a feeling the movie 'Frozen' has something to do with her love of ice and ice skating.

New Year's Eve day we went to the children's museum and they had a noon countdown and some fun activities.  We've gone the past 2 or 3 years and it's packed, but fun.  Logan got lost right out of the gate.  That was not so fun.  I knew he couldn't leave without me, but it was still scary.  I found him at the complete opposite side of where he was supposed to be (in the play house with his sister and cousins) with a nice lady sobbing.  Poor little guy.  He rallied and was ok after that.  It was really difficult to keep tabs on the kids-even with 4 adults.  I actually made it to midnight on New Year's this year but we missed the ball drop.  We were still on a high from watching the awesome A&M football game!

We're back in Austin and Isabel has her first day back at school Thursday.  Logan doesn't go back until Tuesday.  I've enjoyed having my buddies around for a couple of weeks.  I'm sure the time will be even more special next year when they are both going to school for almost 7 hours 5 days a week!

Today we were supposed to take down Christmas decorations (like everyone else in the entire country) and clean, but we decided to go to the mall and do some exchanges instead.  And then we went to Chuys for lunch.  I'm starting my diet (again, with the rest of the country) and had a chicken salad while Brian went for it with a steak burrito, 2 cokes and some creamy jalapeno.  He's participating in a weight loss challenge at work and the first initial weigh in is on Monday.  He wants to win, so he's 'bulking.'  ;-)  Wine has been switched out for tea at night (boo) and I've been drinking a gallon of water a day.  I have to stop with the water around 3pm or I'm up, no joke, 5 times a night.  Sometimes more.  It's ridiculous.

So tomorrow we have all of the decorations and cleaning to do.  Always fun with 2 little ones around.  At some point in the near future we also need to get Logan a big boy bed.  Yep, he's still in his crib!

*just now posting this---3 days later.

Now I'll just photo dump pictures from my phone!

Doctors, Cows, Soccer

I just lost the entire post......ahhhhhhh.  SO frustrating!

In a nutshell.  Logan went to doctor for tummy troubles.  He is fine.  Will do stool sample if he's not better by Friday.  This picture is him mid-yawn, not screaming

He is the cutest thing ever when he's sick.  He cuddled with me for over an hour this afternoon.

What is with my 1/2 duck lips?  Sorry about that.

Saw Santa and cows after doctor.

These two are registered for soccer in the Spring.  So.so.excited.  Season starts in February!!!

Tank will go in for mass AND lymph debulking tomorrow.  Our vet is great.