giving up and giving thanks.

here in the ebright household, we're making a few dietary changes for lent.

and focusing on thanking God for what we have.

thus, we aren't able to make a lot of the foods we normally eat. 

so, recipe central.

best fajitas everrrr.

actually got chicken blackened to perfection.

here's the process 

(you probably already know this, but it was shockingly new to me. judgement-free zone. like at planet fitness.)

1. create this seasoning in a bowl: 1 tbsp cornstarch, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon cumin.

2. put peppers in a ziploc with a little olive oil and mix around... then add a little seasoning and mix around.

3. cook those suckers up!

4. put chicken in another bag with olive oil and mix around more seasoning.

5. take the veggies out, put chicken in, cook and then combine.

6. check out the blackening like a restaurant, love your life, and put it in a whole wheat tortilla with lots-o-veggies.

7. love your life some more.

"peanut butter cup ice cream"

not really. most of that name is a lie.

2 frozen bananas, 1 tablespoon natural crunchy peanut butter, 1 teaspoon cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk.

emulsify that sucker.

i made three batches and put it in a container to be scoopable later!

or, eat immediately as a smoothie.

either way, delish.

breakfast "cookies"

... more like baked oatmeal in cookie form!

this one is straight from pinterest... i can't take credit. 

but i will add my opinion--really good, as long as you don't go into this thinking "cookie."

3 bananas, 1/4 cup almond milk, 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup raisins, 2 cups oats (i did old fashioned steel cut, not quick oats), 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. mix it all together and scoop it like cookies on a baking sheet.

bake at 350 for 15 minutes or so.

**a few notes: 

spray the pan. with no butter, these suckers STICK. also, flatten them to cookie shape... they don't change shape one bit while baking :).**

you could also add nuts or other fruit in these easily!

last recipe...

cheesy chicken quinoa

simple and delish...

cook 1 cup of quinoa, one chicken breast and a bit of broccoli

mix it all together, add 1 teaspoon salt and a bit of cheddar cheese and 1/4-1/2 cup soy milk.

mix, put in a baking dish, cover with a layer of cheese and bake at 350 for 10-15 min.

easy and great!

enjoy!

excuses to have fun...

happy valentine's day!

 from micah. and grandpa.

 and us. on a surprise date night. at a fancy restaurant.

 and first graders. doing probability and graphing with candy hearts.

oh, and a new tree for our door... 

100th day. best yet.

a lot of great things.

plus:

100 seconds to unroll a roll of toilet paper.

hats and crowns.

100 pieces of different items for a snack.

100th day read aloud book.

my favorite day.

3 months.

date night with a baby.

life has changed.
our ability to get out has diminished.

so...
date night in.
we dressed up.
we put micah to bed a little early.
matt went and bought gourmet cupcakes.
and also surprised me with flowers.
and he loves candles. no surprise there.
and we pretended we were not at home.

consider it a date!

becoming fatties...

our love for food may be unhealthy.

but we do. oh so much.

once metabolism slows down, we're going to be huge.

check out these recent finds:

philly steak green pepper:

basically, just saute roast beef with garlic, put a piece of cheese in the pepper, then the beef, then the cheese on top!  

bake at 400 for 15 minutes or so.

 sweet and sour chicken:

chicken:

-cut 2 chicken breasts into small cubes

-coat each piece with corn starch (i put the pieces in a ziploc with about 1/4 cup corn starch to get them coated)

-dip in egg (i used 1 beaten egg and actually poured it into the ziploc and mixed it around).

-heat 1/3 cup oil and cook chicken, sprinkling a little salt on it

-put in baking dish, cover with about 1/2 the sauce, and cook at 350 for 15 minutes. then mix it up and bake for 15 more minutes.

sauce:

3/4 cup white sugar

4 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt

about 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

about 1/8 cup rice vinegar

(this makes double sauce, half to pour for the baking time and then more to use for dipping!)

we also had asian green beans (just cooked with rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and olive oil) and rice. 

one of the better things i've ever made!

also, i forgot to take a picture, but i made some decently good 

apple oatmeal muffins...

here's the recipe:

mix 2 eggs, 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup applesauce. stir in (just a little) 1 cup flour, 1 cup quick oats, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon cinnamon. add in 2 cups of apples (no skin). 

divide into greased muffin tins, bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

eat it up.

calories, smalories. right?!

our baby is 3 months.

this is a post fully composed of cute pictures of the love of our lives.

sorry. i had to do it.