Black Bean Burgers

So after the black bean brownie recipe, it must be obvious that I seriously love me some beans! I made black bean burgers last year and they were fantastic. I went to that blog to get the recipe and the link was dead! Ack! I couldn't recall exactly how I made them except that I had used oats and soy sauce, both of which are out of the question while I'm still nursing Konny.

When I was brainstorming for what I was going to use to hold these puppies together, I discovered that Janna has several recipes on her blog using quinoa, including black bean burgers!

Here's what I ended up throwing together. Even though I'm a dumper, I tried really hard to measure this time.

3 cups black beans (I used dry that I'd cooked ahead)
finely chopped veggies softened with some olive oil (I used carrots, green peppers and onions)
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp coconut aminos
1/8 cup ketchup (get the kind without hfcs)
1/4 - 1/2 cup cornmeal, however much you need to firm them up enough to make patties

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

This made 7 larger burgers. There was enough for 8, but I thought it might taste good as a dip with chips (and I was right!)



I'm really happy with how they came out. Even E (the ultimate carnivore) likes them. They're perfect to take to work for lunch. They freeze and reheat really well.

The quinoa worked wonderfully and I can't wait to try Janna's meatballs and stuffed zucchini! Both use quinoa.

Since quinoa and I are BFF's now,
I had some for breakfast too!

three cheers for strawberry picking

Last year, we had three disappointed little faces when we didn't make it to Sargeant's in time to pick strawberries. They did brighten up and had a ball picking peaches but I promised them we'd for sure make it this year.

Getting ready with sunscreen and bug spray.

So excited and ready to go! Noticed Katie is forward facing now? We turned her a couple weeks ago and she thinks she's hot stuff!


Konny has a Marathon now too!

They were practically bursting out of the truck by the time we arrived! I can't believe Katie wasn't even walking yet last time we picked strawberries.



The berries were a little smaller than last time,
but still beautiful AND delicious!

So we picked 15lbs!





My mom stuck around and helped me hull all of these.
It took hours!

The girls thought they were pretty good with
Pamela's gf vanilla cake and cool whip.

And of course, I made freezer jam!

We already can't wait for next year!

15 months...ALREADY!

Who said our last baby could grow up so quickly??
Wasn't he just born?
Beyond a short lived fever Mother's Day weekend, we are happy to finally have him well after being ill nearly all of April.

He is so funny and has really picked up signing and has a lot of spoken words too! He is into everything and loves to play, especially with his Busy Ball Popper.

His other love is his pound a ball toy from Nana.

And we can't forget his walk/ride toy from Mimi.

His well baby check was last Wednesday. He and Katie both ended up getting shots. I've felt so much better with following Dr Sears schedule this time around.

He weighed in at 18 lbs 13 oz and 26 in.
Comparatively Katie was 19 lbs 1 oz and 28.5 in
And Kelton was 21 lbs 8oz and 30 in

He's lost weight (which doesn't really concern me seeing that he was sick for a month) and he's fallen completely off the bottom of the growth charts. Still, I'm not super concerned since all my kids are on the petite side. Although honestly, just now typing out the other kids stats at this age made my heart sink just a bit because he's smaller than Katie was. Ugh.

However, since he's not a good eater (beyond pureed fruits and veggies), the ped would like us to try some OT to get him eating some other textures. It's not for lack of trying on our part and I guess I'll be glad to have the extra guidance. She's not in a rush for us to go though and wants to give it another month or so to see if he starts walking unassisted as well. If not, back to PT we'll go. He cruises EVERYWHERE, but has yet to let go. Katie hadn't either at this age, so it's just something else we have our eye on but aren't getting too excited about right yet.

I've been trying (without much luck) all kind of different foods for him. Our one success? Taco meat. Easy enough for me since I regularly get seasoning very cheap or free (or just use this taco seasoning recipe) and we have more than enough deer burger to get us through until next hunting season.




Just a few more pictures of my cutie for his adoring fans....

Mother's Day Weekend

We started off the weekend with haircuts! Our friend, Angela, has been cutting my hair since we moved to Mulvane and Katie really likes her, so we decided to give it a try. It went great! I immediately said, "Let's take it to her shoulder blades." However, Angela said she took one look at E's face when I said it and knew she would not be cutting it that short. She snipped off two little curls and we all left happy.




E and the kids always spoil me rotten on Mother's Day weekend. Every year on Saturday, it's my day to go out shopping, get a pedicure, and just do whatever I'd like.

This year, I got pancakes on Saturday AND Sunday morning! YUM!
Kelton picked me out some green flowers,
which he bought with his own money.

The kids also gifted me with a new coffee mug since my old one had been leaking. This one has their hand prints on it! I LOVE IT!



Sunday evening, we grilled and ate dinner on our finished deck. E did an outstanding job and we are so happy to have it.


The weekend could not have gone better (unless Konnor hadn't had a fever). We finished the day with one of my favorite things ever.....matching jammies!!

Our Big Backyard

The backyard at this house is great. The other house had a nice size yard also, but there was a big slope, a large drain. Not fun.

Spring is great for working in the yard. Around this time last year, we were busy in the backyard. And we have thoroughly enjoyed that addition!

After a garden hiatus last year, I was really itching to have one again. Naturally, I wanted it where there happened to be phone lines, cable lines, etc buried, so E built this little bed for my veggies. We've got onions, tomatoes, green peppers, jalapenos, zucchini, cucumbers, and radishes. Katie was there "helping" the whole time. :)




A man after my own heart!

We found a ladybug and moose for the garden, but are still looking for a little bear for Konny. Let us know if you spot one somewhere so we can pick it up!



What a team!

Everything is growing great. Katie planted the radishes (they're on the lower left). They will need thinned out a bit!


Our other backyard project was originally planned for later this fall or even next spring. The cement slab out the back door had cracked down the center and was sinking. Katie kept tripping, Konny will be walking soon and E stubbed his toe just one too many times. We knew we needed to get it taken care of sooner than later.

I seriously am so grateful that E is such a handy man! He can do just about anything and it saves us TONS of money. He pounded out the cement with a sledge hammer and then one of his friends brought a jack hammer to demolish the top step. All 3 kids were very impressed.



We were also very blessed that E's parents are almost always able to come spend the day when we have big projects going on.



And I can't forget our neighbors! I really can't say enough times how much I love them all. They are always around, always willing to help out, and always there for us. The deck would not have come nearly as far on Saturday if it wasn't for them!




The next day, the kids got to help out a little too.


The date, all our hand prints and Konny's little foot print will be there forever. I imagine years down the road looking at those tiny little prints will really tug at my heart!


We're hoping to get it finished up in the next few weeks!