Low-Fat Low-Cal Yummy Summer Squash Casserole

This casserole is so versatile and delicious...and it's low-fat! Not only is it a great side for dinner, but our kids love it on the weekend with a big breakfast or brunch- they even eat it cold! It's that yummy!

I got this recipe from an old 2006 copy of Light & Tasty magazine, and I've adapted it a little bit over the past year. Now we just love it!

Here's what you need:
3 pounds yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 medium onion, sliced
2 Tbsp butter or margarine, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 Tbsp all-purpose flour (we use unbleached flour)
4 eggs
2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups 1% milk
2-3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (depending on how cheesy you like your dishes)
salt & pepper to taste (I use a couple dashes of each)
12 Ritz crackers, crushed
cooking spray

Here's what you do:
Put 1 inch of water in Dutch oven or large skillet/saucepan with cover; add summer squash slices and bring to boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 5-6 minutes more. Drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Saute onions in 1 Tbsp butter/margarine (I use the same pan as above) until tender. Add garlic and saute a minute longer. Add drained squash and combine gently. Coat 9 x 13 pan with spray and transfer all to pan.

In large bowl, combine flour, eggs, egg whites, milk, cheese, salt & pepper. Pour all over squash. Bake uncovered for about 40 minutes.

Melt remaining butter, toss in crushed crackers, and sprinkle crumbs over top of casserole. Bake another 5 minutes or until crumb topping is golden brown. Let stand and cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. 

Enjoy! So, so good!
This recipe is easy to alter so you can make it exactly how you like it! We like it more like a quiche...Mmm...  =)

And remember that not-very-good-day earlier this week? Well, Daddy took someone on a special date last night to celebrate the 4-year anniversary of our referral...and that cute little someone came home with these...

 Lighty-up butterfly flip flops!

She is swooning for sure! What a great Daddy she has!

Have a wonderful weekend everybody! I can't wait to check out some new recipes over at Kelly's Korner!

Color Quiz

First things first, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIE!! Smile if you're reading this! Julie is a childhood friend of mine with whom I've recently reconnected, and we were able to meet up last week at the lake for the first time in over a decade! Yes, that does make me feel old, as a matter of fact, ha...

Have a wonderful day today, Julie!!   :)

I'm still fairly new to the whole blogging scene, in the world of home decor and fashion anyway. One of my "new" finds just posted this great quiz about all the different hues of color- it is harder than it looks! I got a 22. Go ahead and try it- it's really fun!

Ashley over at Lil Blue Boo has so many fun things going on all the time! And she has a much cuter link posted...this is all I can manage, ha! 

Click HERE to take the test!

I'll be posting a fantastic recipe later this morning, too...stay tuned!  =)

Busy "At Home" Summer Day

Last week we were on the go go go, and while it was great, I know I can't trek all over the state everyday. I'm trying really hard to find the right balance between hitting the beach and days spent at home. Yesterday's at home day...not too much fun. And I even brought them to the pool after lunch for crying out loud!

Today, however, I wanted things to be different. Better. Idle time for boys who get very, very naughty was the culprit yesterday, so we got busy bright and early. It was Caleb's turn today to help with the laundry, and he did a great job! All three boys now can tackle a load, almost by themselves! You're welcome, future wifeys! =)

By 8:30 we were outside, checking on the baby birds and then drawing pictures on the sidewalk across the street- there are nice big shadows there in the AM. We ended up doing body outlines- ha ha! It was so much fun, and they giggled the whole time I was outlining them. I wouldn't have thought this would be such a hit, but we really enjoyed it. They traced each other in different poses for a long while.

I thought I'd be soooo clever and make them shakes, announcing the excitement as "What's Shaking Wednesday?" when one of the boys corrected me and said ,"Um, Mom, it's Thursday."

It is not! Well, as it turns out, yes it is...so we enjoyed a treat for Thirsty Thursday!

If you don't make shakes for your kids, try it! They are so yummy, and quite nutritious too! I whip up organic soy milk, sometimes skim milk, a variety of fruit, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, yogurt-- virtually anything! Our favorites are chopped up frozen bananas- slice a browning banana before placing it in a bag in the freezer- and frozen strawberries. Simply toss them into the blender as you would ice. It makes the shake so creamy and delicious! Today I added coconut flavoring, chocolate protein powder and regular bananas to the soy milk base- awesomeness in a glass! Of course a little whipped cream doesn't hurt!

Caleb's new Target science book had some fun ideas...did I mention that book in yesterday's post?...anyhoo...here is a quick and ridiculously easy experiment to observe: pop an empty soda bottle (plastic, no cover) into the freezer for at least 10 minutes. When the 10 minutes are up, place the bottle on the counter and wet a quarter under the faucet. Very quickly, cover the bottle with the wet coin and listen and watch! So fun!

We made magnifying glasses with Ziploc bags and water, but that turned out to be rather disappointing. They did have fun squishing the water around inside the bag. FYI, enough pressure will cause bag to break open and leak contents everywhere. Just sayin'.  =)

And now, right at this very moment, it is absolutely quiet in my house. Caleb is in the other room watching a show, Little Miss is taking a much needed nap, Ethan is babysitting (I cannot believe I have a child old enough to babysit another child!), and Jonah is sleeping over at my parent's house. Ahh, quiet is nice....What do you other mothers do to get through the long days of summer with your kids without breaking the bank?

Tomorrow is a new day

Hah! I'm watching Minute to Win It with the boys and there was just a commercial on TV about your period. Ethan is over there fighting a smile while Jonah and Caleb are completely clueless. I couldn't help myself so I asked Caleb what he thought that was, and he piped up and replied, "Oh, I think that's when a girl gets really, really mad!" Hee Hee

We rushed through dinner to get to the pool for a quick after-dinner swim, but there was a sign on the fence that someone had had an accident so the pool was closed for the night. That makes me so mad! I know accidents happen, but it seems to happen an awful lot lately. And on the hottest days, of course!

So no swim for us and we headed to Lowe's instead. I know, just as exciting, right? Meanwhile, the clouds started rolling in and the thunder began to rumble, so we got totally drenched racing across the parking lot. That counts for something, doesn't it? We had to replace a shade that broke in Jonah's and Caleb's room. And I got a new folding chair for the beach. Productive trip!

We were on a roll, it was still hot (and wet) so we decided to go to Target. They've been remodeling the store for a couple months now, and it is not my happy place lately. I don't like change, and now I have to relearn where everything is...or is going. We were looking for a new gas grill, but they were all sold out. So we got...candy! Yup, a bunch of candy was on sale, and I grabbed a few bags. I don't normally do that. The kids were really shocked when I opened some up and handed it over to them on the way out of the store, ha!

It was nice to end the day on a good note. But it was not a very good day. There's a lot going on and I just didn't handle things well. I wished I could hide under a rock...or just under my pillow. But the more I tried to "hide," the needier and more persistent they all got. Isn't that always the way? There was nothing I could do or say to please anyone today, so by noon I was ready to give up. Blech- nobody likes days like this one! I sure hope tomorrow is better!

And right this very minute, I just realized I completely forgot that for years ago today we got our sweet baby girl's referral. I'd wanted to do a little something to celebrate but I just forgot what day it was...well, we did have candy in the Target parking lot!

This was one of the pictures of Isabelle that I never even saw until we'd returned home from Guatemala- our agency never sent us pics from her first five months, so what a wonderful, amazing surprise to be given a CD at our embassy appointment in Guat with every single photo ever taken of our little baby girl! Look at that beautiful little face!