Boggy, Buggy...and quite fun

While speeding across Boggy Creek and giggling as you chase birds, you might learn a few things about your maturity level. Though we spent more time bird-chasing than crock-hunting, it proved to be a productive 45 minutes. So now I share with you three official signs of my maturity:

1. I snuck away from my sister's softball warm ups to go on an air boat ride with Dad. Then my dad and I discussed not telling her so that she wouldn't be jealous.
2. My dad and I r-a-n up to the lady holding the baby crocodile to ask if we could hold it. Somehow we lost her in our excitement.
3. I held in lots of girl screams as we rode through black clouds of freshly hatched gnats. I crushed these 1-inch suckers on my legs, arms, and yes even my face as we sped over the water. Hundreds of them.

Official Boggy Creek Air Boat picture of Dad and I on our private ship. Love this Little-Mermaid-like cove. Believe it or not, this spot had the fewest bugs of all.

Entrance to the lagoon from the photo above.

Look close and you'll see a pink sack of snail eggs on the tree root. Our tour guide said this is one of the successful integrations into the area. These snails were once endangered and now Boggy Creek has the largest population of these suckers. As the snails start to hatch, they turn white and fall into the water for the fish to eat. Birds have even learned to eat the eggs of the tree roots. Interesting, huh?

My favorite part of the ride: bird-chasing. Don't judge me. We weren't cruel in any way to these birds. Think of it more as a game. We would come behind the birds and they would sprint as if they just heard the horn go off for the 50 meter dash. They would never fly, only flap their wings to gain speed as they ran just out of the boat's reach.

Coolest alligator from the trip. This guy was about 8 feet long, pridefully swimming right out in the open. We saw another pretty big one, but he was hiding in the weeds. Then we saw a few that were a couple feet long. Did you know that an alligator grows about 12 inches a year? So if he's about 3 feet long, you can guesstimate that he's three years old.

YUM: Black Bean & Zucchini Quesadillas

Warning: If your name is Jordan, stop reading. But if you're not a bean-and-veggie-hater, it's okay to proceed.

I first tried this recipe as a tester before it went into Fitness magazine. I admit: At first I was skeptical. I don't know how they did it, but this recipe makes zucchini taste good. Might even say it's one of my favorite recipes when cooking for one. Super speedy. 15 minutes or less. Pretty budget-friendly too.

Black Bean & Zucchini Quesadillas

Ingredients
1 cup zucchini, finely chopped
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 whole-wheat tortillas
1 tablespoons salsa

Directions
In pan, saute zucchini, beans, oil, and cumin for 5 minutes. Place zucchini mixture and cheese on each tortilla. Fold in half and place into pan until cheese melts and tortilla is toasted on each side; about 3 minutes per side. Top with salsa.

YUM: Queso Dip

Kejal and Katie hosted a Chip & Dip Party that called for the mini crockpot. I went for this Queso Dip from Better Homes and Gardens. Though it looks creamy and fatty, I actually pulled it from The Dieter's Cookbook. So it's not too unhealthy.

The dip turned out quite a bit spicier than I intended, so I diluted with more cream cheese and shredded cheddar--didn't help the healthy factor. The party-goers still called it the dip with some kick. So if you're into kick, give this one a try.

Queso Dip
Start to Finish: 20 minutes
Makes: 2¼ cups

Ingredients
¼ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons water
1 14-½-ounce can stewed tomatoes, drained and cut up
1 4-½-ounce can chopped green chile peppers, drained
½ to ¾ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce
1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
3 ounces cream cheese, cubed
3 ounces fat-free cream cheese, cubed

Directions
In a 2-quart saucepan combine onion, garlic, and water. Bring to boiling. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until water has evaporated. Add tomatoes, chiles, chili powder, and hot pepper sauce. Cook and stir until heated through. Add cheddar cheese and cream cheeses. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted. Serve immediately with Tortilla Crisps and/or fresh vegetables.

From Better Homes and Gardens

YUM: Fajita-Ranch Chicken Wraps

Girls' night usually equals tacos and lots of guacamole, but we decided to try this twist on a Mexican favorite. These took longer than the claimed 20 minutes, but with the good company in the kitchen, it was worth the wait. By the time the food was on the table, we were so hungry that it was hard not to overflow our tortillas.

Fajita-Ranch Chicken Wraps
4 servings
Start to finish: 20 minutes

Ingredients
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast strips for stir-frying
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Nonstick cooking spray
1 small red, yellow, or green sweet pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons bottled reduced-calorie ranch salad dressing
2 10-inch whole wheat, tomato, jalapeño, or plain flour tortillas, warmed*
½ cup Easy Fresh Salsa*
1/3 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Sprinkle chicken strips with chili powder and garlic powder. Coat a medium nonstick skillet with nonstick spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook chicken and sweet pepper strips in hot skillet over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and pepper strips are tender. Drain if necessary. Toss with salad dressing.

Divide chicken and pepper mixture between warmed tortillas. Top with Easy Fresh Salsa and cheese. Roll up; cut in half.

*To warm tortillas: Wrap tortillas tightly in foil. Heat in a 350°F oven about 10 minutes or until heated through.

*Easy Fresh Salsa: In a medium bowl combine 2 seeded and chopped tomatoes, 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion, ¼ cup chopped yellow or green sweet pepper, 2 to 3 teaspoons snipped fresh cilantro, ½ teaspoon minced garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt, a dash of black pepper, and, if desired, a few drops bottled hot pepper sauce. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 3 days. Stir before serving. Makes 1 2/3 cups.

From Heart Healthy Online

Vacation!

I'll be m.i.a. for a week or so. Tomorrow I'm heading to Florida with the fam. We're going to watch Whit play softball and soak up some sun. Then next weekend I'm heading to Milwaukee to see Sir Jordan. I'll be sure to take pictures...

My girls & me

My favorite thing to do on Wednesday nights is hang with my girls at Route 56. Even if I’ve had a less-than-pleasing day at work, I can’t help but feel relieved when they come running for a welcome hug—like six days without seeing each other was way too long. I admire how they wear their hearts on their sleeves.

This past Sunday the girls, two parent volunteers, and I served at Kids Fest, a place where kids come to play games and see stars like Batman, Spiderman, and Veggie Tales. The profit from ticket tales goes to Children and Families of Iowa. Our group was in charge of a hand print art project, face painting, bingo, and paper airplanes.

YUM: Penne with Meat Sauce

Have you ever cooked dinner in the produce section of the grocery store? And I'm not talking a frozen pizza sample on a Saturday morning.

Jordan was working, so I took leftovers to Hy-Vee. I've never noticed it before last week, but there's a microwave sitting on top of one of the refrigerated cases in the produce area. So we grabbed plates, silverware, and trays. Then reheated dinner right under the florescent lighting of the aisle. There’s even a first time for taking your own food to the Hy-Vee restaurant. But hey, I learned that this recipe reheats well.

Penne with Meat Sauce
Start to finish: 25 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients
8 ounces dried penne
1 pound lean ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
1 14-ounce can whole Italian-style tomatoes, undrained
½ of a 6-ounce can Italian-style tomato paste
¼ cup dry red wine or tomato juice
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup sliced pitted ripe olives
½ cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (2 ounces)
Fresh oregano leaves (optional)

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well. Return pasta to hot pan; cover to keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in a very large skillet, cook ground beef and onion until meat is brown. Drain off fat. In a blender or food processor, combine undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, sugar, dried oregano, and pepper. Cover and blend until smooth.
3. Stir tomato mixture into meat mixture in skillet. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cooked pasta and olives. Cover and heat through.
4. Sprinkle individual servings with mozzarella cheese. If desired, garnish with oregano leaves.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 339, Total Fat (g) 11, Saturated Fat (g) 4, Cholesterol (mg) 59, Sodium (mg) 349, Carbohydrate (g) 33, Fiber (g) 3, Protein (g) 24

From Better Homes and Gardens