bacon bouquets and paula dean fitness.

By the title of this post, you would never believe that we have all been making an effort to eat right and exercise. But it's true, and we have been doing a great job sticking to it too.

However, for a Father's Day gift for Jeb and Griff's dad, we had to pull out the bacon. Disclaimer: Matt's gift did not involve pork products of any kind, yay!

The boys and I pulled together this beautiful bacon bouquet. The rose buds are actually bacon buds. Pretty clever, right? The idea came from here along with the printable card that reads "Hey Dad, what's shakin'? We just want you to know...we love you more than bacon!" It was a funny, greasy surprise for Chris. Speaking of greasy surprises...

 The boys love to watch Paula Dean's cooking show. We all know that Mrs. Dean is synonymous with butter. Watching her show (and others on the Food Network) have been great conversation starters about the difference of healthy cooking and not so healthy cooking. My goal for the summer is to make sure the boys stay active and to limit the TV watching, so I decided to put together a game for us. Each time Paula said "y'all" the boys had to give me 10 jumping jacks. Each time butter was mentioned or used, they dropped and gave me 5 push ups.

Both boys were pretty sweaty by the time she pulled her diabetic delight of a dinner out of the deep fryer. You could say we benefited from the "Paula Dean Fitness Program". That may be the only time someone has ever said that. ;)

clams? yes, please.

I am just discovering cooking. I never found it enjoyable, relaxing, or anything I wanted to do for fun at the end of a long day. In my former life, it was all about crock pots and take out. However, over the past couple of months I have found more time and a little confidence in the kitchen and have really enjoyed discovering that I can cook.

I was inspired Saturday evening at the grocery store when I saw these yummy littleneck clams. Never have I made clams and really only had eaten them a few times in my life. I quickly Googled recipes on my phone and find out that it's one of the easiest things to make. (I'm a firm believer in Google. I believe that in this day and age we can do anything from deliver a baby to change oil on our car just by doing a quick Google search. Can you imagine how dangerous our parent would've been if they had the internet?!)

What a yummy treat on a cold, rainy fall evening. MMMMmmmmm....Can you smell them yet?

HERE is the easy and delicious recipe I found online. I added a 1/4 cup of chicken broth, a dash of olive oil, and used cooking wine instead. The cooking wine is a touch saltier than drinking wine, so beware.

Serve with some crusty French bread and your guests will think you are the most gourmet chef they know! It's also a great date night recipe. Trust me, girls. ;)

Enjoy!

so cute, you could eat 'em up.

These little turkey sliders are quickly becoming a household favorite. They are quick and healthy and my boys ask for them weekly. They are seriously easy and oh so yummy.

Here's the recipe:

2 lbs. ground turkey
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon of worstchestersire
dash of cinnamon
salt and pepper

( I have to warn you, I don't measure very well. It's usually a dash of this and a bit of that so if watch the condiments so your turkey doesn't get too thin.)

Combine all condiments into bowl with ground turkey. Knead with hands until thoroughly mixed. Make golf ball size patties and cook in frying pan until browned.

We use Rhodes dinner rolls. I bake them while the meat is cooking and they are warm and fresh and add to the cute little Bun Boy look! We like to serve them with with spicy chipotle sweet potato fries. So good and GOOD for you!

Wouldn't these be great at a party? A whole little tray of them! Go make these today! It's the simplest thing you'll do for dinner and your family will love you for it.