Boys WIll Grab Their Junk...and Portabella Mushrooms

So, two of the kiddos had their well child check ups this morning.  As the doctor and I were talking, I told him how my baby constantly grabs his manly stuff the minute you remove his diaper.  It is kind of akward trying to get the new diaper on and snapped with his hand in the way, kneading his "stuff."   My (male) pediatrician shared this hilarious wisdom, that has become my new favorite quote for the day.  "Boys will grab their junk from about 6 months of age until the day they die."  So true!  I almost keeled over with laughter!

After our appointment I took the kids home to have a somewhat "healthy" lunch since papa nothing banned me from the drive thru during such situations when I feel to lazy to go home and actually prepare a meal!  I reheated the kids some fabulous cheesy meatloaf minis, which they wholeheartedly devoured!  For dinner we tried one of our new "uber healthy" recipes.  We had marinated portabella steaks with a tropical relish served with a side of roasted garlic and olive oil cous cous.  When the kids saw the "steak" on their plate, they immediately pushed it away and not so politely told me that they wanted something else to eat.  I am guessing at this point, they would have gladly eaten ANYTHING other than what they were being served.  I eyed my plate pretty skeptically as well.  Topped with the relish, it wasn't too bad; we told the kids that if you eat a bite with the relish it tastes like candy.  That tactic got them to take a couple more bites, but they soon realized that we were plotting to get them to actually eat their whole dinner and promptly devised a scheme to try and sneak ice cream out of the freezer instead.  So, for those of you that are interested, here is the recipe we used from a book titled "Blissful Bites" by Christy Morgan.  The balsamic vinegar in this recipe is a bit much for me, I would probably cut the amount in half if we make this again, but to each his own.

Tropical Relish


1 1/2 cups ripe mangos, peeled, pitted and finely chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 cup tomato, finely chopped
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
dash lime juice
pinch of sea salt and black pepper

*mix ingredients in a bowl and let flavors meld together for about 20-30 minutes

Marinated Portabella Steaks


4 portabella mushrooms, stems cut and wiped with damp paper towel


marinade
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lime, juiced
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
pinch of sea salt and black pepper

*place marinade ingredients into a plastic bag and shake.  Add mushrooms and coat with the marinade and refrigerate for one hour.  Grill mushrooms directly on hot grill for a few minutes on each side (or if you are too lazy to fire up the grill like we were), you can bake them at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, turning once.

Enjoy!