The Mommy Games

How to Start Stroller Running

Jun132013

“How in the heck do you run with that thing?!” is a question I get all too often. People see me toting the kids to and from in our ginormous (at least by NYC standards) running stroller and can’t believe I push it around the grocery store, let alone run with it. But with school out for summer, many moms, myself included, find getting in their workouts difficult. Stroller running is an awesome way to get in your cardio while the kids get fresh air. You are also showing them first hand what leading a healthy lifestyle looks like. I like to track the miles I run with my kids and can’t wait to tell them that they’ve “run” 1,000 miles or something similar when they are old enough to understand.

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Classic Roast Chicken

Jun112013

There are a few dishes that every girl should have in her back pocket. Roast chicken is most decidedly one of them. The ingredients are few, the recipe is simple, and the presentation is so stunning your family/guests/future husband (remember the craze over engagement chicken?) will be all too convinced of your culinary awesomeness. Everyone has their own spin on what qualifies as the perfect roast chicken, but I tend to keep it classic and unadorned. Making sure the skin is brown and crisp is key, as is getting the meat to stay tender and flavorful.

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: chicken, dinner, potatoes, roast, thyme

Oakley NY Mini 10K Race Recap and Thoughts on Goal Setting

Jun82013

I am not a goal setter. Well, at least not a very aggressive one. I like to set attainable goals that I know are within reach, then pleasantly surprise myself with better results. I know this flies in the face of every motivating philosophy out there, but it’s worked for me, especially when it comes to running. Running is supposed to be fun and beneficial in a zillion different ways that have nothing to do with a particular time. Running keeps me healthy and sane, and it would do exactly the same thing whether I ran 7:30 paced miles or 7:20. Don’t get me wrong, I’m competitive (sometimes to a fault), but I don’t like to add fuel to that fire by giving voice to my big goals. I like keeping running in a stress free bubble most of the time.

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· Filed Under: Race Recap, Running · Tagged With: 10k, goal setting, mother runner, race, race recap, running

Homemade Ice Cream Cake

Jun62013

Ice cream cakes are now officially my favorite desserts to make. Nearly zero effort or time involved, endless flavor and mix-in possibilities (think frozen yogurt toppings endless), and ridiculous deliciousness. And you don’t have to turn on the oven, which is a major plus in the summer. I actually made this particular cake a few weeks ago for my brother-in-law’s birthday. He doesn’t like traditional cake (I know, I know) so I was racking my brain to come up with something different that we could still stick a candle in. Et Voila. Make this. Then, when you’ve eaten it all a day later, make another one with whatever ingredients your mind can dream up. You won’t think of buying one from DQ ever again. Make whatever alterations to the ice cream and fillings you want – there is no going wrong here!

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· Filed Under: Recipes, Sweets · Tagged With: birthday, cake, chocolate, dessert, homemade, ice cream, recipe, vanilla

Cheese and Bean Enchiladas

Jun32013

Mexican is my default “I’ve had a rough day” cuisine choice. Cheesy, hot goodness without any fuss is exactly what I need on days when things just aren’t going right. A good margarita (with extra salt!) or michelada doesn’t hurt either. Sometimes we do tacos, but what I really love are these been and cheese enchiladas. They’re originally adapted from something I saw in Cooking Light (don’t get too excited, they lost their “light” status as soon as I got my hands on them), and you can tell how often they frequent our table my the many markings and splattered blots all over the now very altered recipe. What makes this recipe extra grand is that the ingredients are basic pantry staples, so these could easily be dinner tonight. Just the thing to cure the Monday blues. Tequila is also strongly encouraged.

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: beans, cheese, dinner, enchiladas, mexican, recipe

Best First Birthday Toys

May312013

Like most kids these days, my little ones are pretty spoiled. They are the first grandchildren for 2 sets of grandparents, and Brad and I generally have more fun picking out toys than the kids do playing with them. This isn’t something I’m necessarily proud of, but no matter how much we try and keep things in check, I’m all too aware of the fact that our place is chock full of toys of every shape and sort. When Rylan turned one a few months ago, I decided to be really conscious of what we were buying him and to aim for quality over quantity (it didn’t hurt that we already had a pile of age appropriate toys passed down from Brandon). I wanted to share with you the toys that had sticking power – the ones that he liked right from the beginning, still get played with daily and can grow further with him, and those that I don’t find so annoying that I want to chuck them out the window onto the Broadway traffic.

Here’s my list for Top 5 Best First Birthday Toys:

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· Filed Under: Mommy, Mommy Know How, Mommy Must Haves · Tagged With: first birthday, gift, one year old, toys, what to buy

Copycat Alice Springs Chicken

May292013

Living in NYC, we have a plethora of delivery food options. Ranging from fancy steak & lobster to greasy Mexican, practically anything you want can be delivered right to your door in this fabulous city. In one of our old apartments, we lived just blocks from an Outback Steakhouse and would have that delivered at least a couple of times a month. I’m slightly obsessed with their Alice Springs Chicken dish. Chicken, cheese, bacon, mushrooms – what’s not to love? This recipe is darn near identical to what you get in the restaurant and it’s simple to boot. I always serve it along with a pile of spiced fries and extra honey mustard sauce. De-freakin-licious.

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: bacon, cheese, chicken, copycat, dinner, honey mustard, mushrooms, outback steakhouse, recipe

Sausage, Fontina & Pepper Strata

May232013

Are you a breakfast for dinner kind of person? I am a huge breakfast for dinner person – eggs, pancakes, even cereal when I’m on my own, I seriously could eat breakfast for any meal of the day. My husband, not so much. It’s probably the only food related discrepancy we have. Since I’m the one cooking dinner, he sometimes just has to suck it up and eat what I fix, but we now have reached a very happy compromise. This casserole is the best breakfast casserole I’ve ever had. Seriously, so ridiculously good. It’s like your average breakfast casserole with the meat, cheese, and eggs, but much more polished and gourmet tasting. Make this for breakfast, brunch, or dinner and your dinning companions are bound to be swooning. The great thing is that you can prep it ahead of time, let it soak up in the fridge, then pop it in the oven when you are ready to go. This one is a keeper!

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