loves lobster!

My hubby made a delicious lobster bake.
He kind of made it up as he went but it was sooooo good!

Find a similar recipe here

would love to have dinner here

Original title: Today Hilary would love to have dinner here instead of scarfing down her kids leftovers (TMI?)

I'm putting this Brooklyn Asian/BBQ fusion spot on my list for future date nights Looks like exactly what I need....

went to the NJ Seafood festival

My family and I took a ride down to Belmar, NJ today for The 24th Annual NJ Seafood festival (our first time going - hope it becomes a family tradition). Belmar is about 1 1/2 away from where we live - yes it's the Jersey Shore but no it's not like that Jersey Shore....

We made this trip rather quick and simple mainly because of the girls - 2 babies under 2 1/2 can be a handful.

We drove down along the scenic route, walked along the shore, stopped to pick up some delicious seafood to eat picnic style (whole lobster, corn on the cob, jumbo catfish sandwich, french fries, fresh lemonade). There were free arts and crafts for the kids, Olivia made a sun visor and played in a bounce castle. Later the girls played in a playground right on the beach and in the sand, a round of Italian ice for everyone and we hit the road back home. I'm a lucky lady as I write this my husband is finishing cooking a lasagna - can't wait to dig into that either

Sophia at the festival

PS - When did this blog become an episode on Food Network....I promise to stop eating so much tomorrow





What did you eat today?

had a yummy hamburger!

One of our favorite Saturday spots is Elevation Burger in nearby Montclair, New Jersey. There are only locations in 6 states so far but if you are lucky to have one nearby I highly recommend you try one of these burgers.

Their slogan is "ingredients matter" and they take that seriously, including certified USDA organic grass-fed free-range beef for the burgers, olive oil for the french fries and organic eggs and butter for the cookies. All these details add up to a delicious meal.

An extra perk I like is that they have a customer loyalty card where they give you a punch for each burger purchase and he 7th is free. They also text codes for free burgers on Mondays and Tuesdays....

Overall, I love this place! I could eat there once a week.....



What did you eat this weekend?

was surprised

You no how sometimes you just grab a couple things without thinking or realizing the price. Then you brace yourself for shock when you get to the register. Well that happened to me today and boy was I surprised...

I went to IKEA to meet a friend and her daughter for lunch immediately after my daughters ballet class. I was a bit frantic to get there in time after dressing and undressing my daughter out of her leotard, coaxing her to try to do pee pee (one week into deep potty training) and feeding my 11 month old. When we get there I just grabbed a few things off the kids menu for Olivia and for myself as well (one of my tricks for portion control). My plan was that we'd mix and match our meal and share a few bites with Sophia. We're talking meatballs, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables and macaroni and cheese.....

You can imagine my surprise when I got to the register and the cashier told me I owed.......
Are you ready for this?
$0
Kids eat for free - no coupon or purchase necessary

I said thank you and thought see you tomorrow.....



Have you been pleasantly surprised lately?

Until tomorrow

had a beautiful Mother's Day!

All in all I had the perfect Mother's Day...

It started on Saturday evening when I opened up some of my Mother's Day gifts. I got silver earrings with red stones (kind of a southwestern feel to them), a picture frame, a sushi kit from Crate and Barrel and a photo album from Pottery Barn. Danny got me a pair of Banana Republic sunglasses which unfortunately are a little tight and a gorgeous Gucci purse which I've already moved into.

On Sunday morning, I got the girls dressed to go out for Mother's Day (Olivia kept saying it was her birthday).





We got into the car, made a pit stop at Starbucks and then spontaneously changed our plans because of the freakishly cold weather. Instead of driving 2 hours away to Philly, we spent a relaxing day close to home. The four of us (Husby, Olivia, Sophia and I) tried an Indian restaurant I've driven by before in the past that always looked interesting, Dabbawalla in Summit, New Jersey. I learned some pretty interesting cultural facts about the Indian lunch system, read all about it here. We had the Mother's Day buffet, it was delicious. I love Indian food especially anything with Paneer (a kind of cottage cheese cube substituted for meat in various dishes). Some of you may be wondering what do the girls eat when we go to "exotic" restaurants and to be honest they eat what we eat. Olivia had an Indian kids meal with chickpea fritters and also shared a little of our naan (similar to pita bread), puri (puffed pita bread), rice and various fruits and vegetables. Sophia had little nibbles of everything - we are still waiting for those teeth....

Later in the day, we went to a park and Danny and Olivia flew a kite, it was so cute. I stayed with Sophia who was taking a little nap and caught up on the latest Marie Claire magazine with Sarah Jessica Parker (don't you just love her?!?!).

Afterwards we went to Red Mango for frozen yogurt ( a recent obsession of mine). Later on we came home and I snuck in a little nap, that almost never happens.

In the evening, we put the girls to bed and had the perfect ending to a memorable day. Danny cooked Carne Frita which was yummy and we ate it while we watched the movie Leap Year while drinking a glass of Moscato. I thought the movie was fun, I really don't get critics sometimes.....




How did your day turn out?





Until tomorrow,

wants a coke!

I'm a sucker for new packaging and if it's a "green" improvement - even better!
How cool are these new square bottles...

Until tomorrow,

had some great pizza!

We went to a new pizza spot in Montclair today after my daughters Zoo Friends class...

Ah'Pizz (I know horrible name...) is located on Willow Street in Montclair. It's a classic Neapolitan pizza joint. the owners even went to Naples to learn how too cook authentically on the wood burning oven that was imported from Italy. We had the basic Margarita pie (larger than a personal pie - it could probably feed 2-3 adults) and a chocolate cannoli. Everything was delicious and fresh with great quality ingredients. I can't wait to go back to try other pizzas.

Click here for Ah'Pizz info - no website


A word to the parents, my 2 year old loved the pizza and cannoli but bring your own plastic ware. They do not have children's drinking cups, non breakable plates etc.

What did you have for lunch?

Until tomorrow,
Hilary

is in the mood to make jam!

Aren't these labels adorable? (From A Delightful Blog)

They make me want to whip up a batch of jam right now.

I made strawberry jam a few months ago, it was so easy and so delicious! I'd like to venture into other fruits. Growing up my grandma often made peach jam so that would be fun to try. It's a great way to use up bulk fruit you buy at warehouse supermarkets (Costco, Sam's, BJ's, etc). Last week I bought the largest container of plums known to man, I think plum jam is in order....Now, if only I can get to The Container Store to buy the jam jars before the plums spoil......

Plum Jam recipe

Jam jars


Until tomorrow,
Hilary

was thoroughly disguested with her lunch!!

Don't get me wrong - It tasted great. But really, who knew a quarter pounder with cheese was 510 calories! Not to mention the extra big mac sauce I had them add. I'm not a diet freak by any means but after several pregnancies in a short period of time, 2 c-sections and let's be honest metabolism and age are not amigos, I am starting to make somewhat more careful choices.

I've been using a great program called myfitnesspal.com to help me keep a daily diary of my food and exercise. They determined for my height and ideal weight I need approximately 1200 daily calories. Some days I'm motivated and make smart choices, other days I try to stretch my allotted amount as far as possible with meals and snacks that aren't as nutritious but in smaller portions to stay under the radar. Trickery never tasted so good.......

How do you stay fit?

Until tomorrow,
Hilary


By the way, McDonald's new limited edition Olympic sweet chili sauce for the McNuggets is delish!!
;)