Holy Weekend Batman

Congratulations Jessica! You won the Food Should Taste Good giveaway! I used a random number generator and 33 was the winner! Email caramundy at gmail dot com where they should ship your prize and what 5 flavors you want!

Fun fact: 3 and 9 are my two favorite numbers. I picked them when I was 9 (hence the number) with my best friend Nikki at the time and it never changed. 33 is extra special because 3 x 3 = 9 (yes, this is proof I graduated the second grade).

Mediterranean Orzo Salad 

modified from A Healthy Passion's original Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

3 C water

1 C orzo

1/2 lemon juiced

1/3 cup Parmesan/Feta cheese

3 T olive oil

1 roma tomato diced or 5-6 grape tomatoes finely diced

1/4 C cucumber diced

1/4 C red bell pepper diced

1/2 tsp oregano dried

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 T fresh basil

1/4 c black olives (optional)

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

salt (used garlic salt)

pepper

Directions: Bring water to boil in a medium pot, add orzo and cook for 9 minutes. Add a cold water afterwards to stop pasta from cooking. This also prevents the pasta from sticking. In the meantime, dice up veggies and add to a large bowl, mix in oil, lemon, and seasonings. Once orzo is cooked fluff with a fork and add to bowl, stir to combine and mix in Parmesan/Feta cheese and let sit for a few hours to allow flavors to combine before serving. Can be served hot, cold or room temp! I love this salad cold, which is perfect for a hot summer day like today!

This pasta salad was so light and easy to make! I am glad I remembered her recipe because it was perfect! I made this for dinner last night and it was even better for lunch today. This would be great to bring to a pot luck or summer picnic!

I also made some delicious pancakes for me and CL this morning. 

Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup TJ's buttermilk pancake mix (any mix should work fine)

1/3 cup water

2 heaping spoonfuls of vanilla or plain greek yogurt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 apple diced

1 egg white

Directions: Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Spray hot pan with non-stick cooking spray and pray to the breakfast gods that they do not burn! Serve with sugar free syrup and enjoy!

I'm off to a family picnic to celebrate this little guy's 2nd birthday! Happy Birthday Noah!