Pinterest: I Finally Get It

I don't know what took me so long to get into Pinterest, but lately I'm loving it. I think I might have been using it wrong (if that's even possible) because I could never find examples of the specific things I was looking for. Now that I've got some time on my hands - hello last day of work on Tuesday! - I can more leisurely search for recipes, decorating ideas and toddler activities.

I tackled several recipes I found on Pinterest this week. I'm growing tired of serving Tory the same ol' meals every week so I choose some breakfast and lunchtime items I can easily reheat for her. She a bit slower than other kids in her development of eating I think, as she still needs her food diced pretty small and isn't a big fan of meat or complex entrees. Therefore, I try to sneak protein and vegetables into foods she likes (aka, cheese). So, Tory-friendly meals: that was my first goal.

My other issue with cooking for our family is that Andi's a bit picky. If you asked him, I bet he'd say he isn't, but I struggle to come up with new and different meals that aren't a chicken breast or steak. He prefers foods with crunchier textures and isn't a big fan of pasta bakes, chili or sandwiches. If I leave it until 4:30pm to make a decision, it almost always ends up being one of those two options. I now understand why my mom always said she was so tired of coming up with dinner ideas when we were kids. It's hard to please everyone AND come up with something new all the time. So, make meals the entire family would eat to save on time and effort. That was goal two.

First up, homemade hamburger pizza. I thought this would be a good way for Tory to eat beef since it'd be covered in cheese. I made this for dinner on Wednesday. Tory and I had fun making it together ...

... as she dipped her hand into an entire jar of marinara. She especially enjoyed patting the pizza dough into the pan. Of course after all of our effort, Tory would not eat the pizza at dinner. I had some and I thought it was pretty good. Andi was working that night, so I saved leftovers for him in the fridge. He didn't eat them. I followed the recipe on this one, only subbing marinara in place of pizza sauce. Overall recipe rating: C 

On Thursday night, Andi and I passed the parenting torch at the door as he came home from work at 6:45pm and I left for a haircut. I made him this Coconut Chicken Strips recipe - a classic example of me waiting until the 11th hour to make something quick to eat with chicken. Breaded chicken strips fit the crunchy requirement so he usually likes them. While I didn't ask him his opinion that night after I got home, I did have the leftovers for lunch the following day and I didn't think they were very good. Too coconutty? It was strange. Not surprisingly, Tory wouldn't eat them either. I did follow the recipe on this one, except for the sweetened rice flour (because who has that lying around in their pantry)? I used regular flour instead. Overall recipe rating: F (at least as leftovers)

First up for freezer meals this weekend, I made black bean and rice burritos. I thought these would be an easy lunch idea for future days when I'm home with Tory and even something I could send with Andi to work. I didn't really follow this recipe at all, mostly because I didn't have cilantro or yogurt sour cream sauce, but the frozen burrito idea's the same in method. I made mine with frozen corn, black beans, cheese, and rice. I reheated one for Tory's dinner tonight and she kept spitting it out. Surprised? I wasn't. She was having a hard time chewing the tortilla and I don't think it was anything to do with the recipe but her own ability to ingest "big people food." I ate what was left of her burrito and I thought it was pretty good. Easy, too. I think Andi will like them. Overall recipe rating: A-

I also made breakfast burritos with the same idea in mind. Tory really likes eggs and cheese so I thought these would be a big hit with her but in hindsight, maybe not because of her difficulty with tortillas? Who knows. Worse case, I could always remove the tortilla for her. I haven't tried these yet, but I think they'll be a great addition to our breakfast routine and so easy to throw together. Overall recipe rating: A

I thought Tory might like these Pizza Pinwheels. Flaky croissant breading that tastes like a pizza - what's not to love? Plus, they have pepperoni in them and that's technically a protein (although I'm not sure how much nutritional value forced meat provides). Anyway, these were kind of a pain to put together. It could've been my awkward kitchen skills, but I had to refer to the recipe several times to figure out what the heck I was doing. Tory and I had a few for lunch yesterday and froze the remaining rolls. Not surprisingly, she wouldn't eat it so I had a few. They were alright; a bit greasy (from the pepperoni, I think). They tasted like pizza so I think Andi will like them. Overall recipe rating: B-

Tory loves muffins and they're an easy thing to give her in the mornings. She'd eat four or five if I let her! I saw this recipe for Cinnamon Pear Popovers and thought they'd be something different than the standard blueberry and morning glory muffins she's used to. Tory loved helping me make this recipe. She sat patiently on a dining room chair and watched the mixer churn the batter.

We haven't tasted these yet, but they look delicious. My only gripe about the recipe is they were really difficult to get out of the muffin pan (which I sprayed liberally with cooking spray). Maybe it'd be better if you had an actual popover pan? Also, I think these are better classified as a breakfast dessert. Just because they're muffin shaped, doesn't make it a muffin. The sugar glaze goodness looks pretty sweet to me. Not complaining, just saying .... Overall recipe rating: B

Now after I've done all this cooking, I'm going to go pour myself a bowl of cereal for dinner. Andi's still working and when the day is done and it's just my stomach left to feed, that sounds perfectly fine to me.