New exciting ways to waste time!

So who else out there has gotten sucked into the world of Pinterest? At first all of the fun ideas for food and crafts made me so excited, but then as the pins started piling up I just got very tired. When will I do all of these adorable crafts? Do need to stay up at night and work on "fun stuff"? Should I learn to sew? Ugh, now I feel bad because there are now new things that I can't seem to fit into my schedule and I kind of wish they were never brought to my attention. Out of sight, out of mind...always been my motto. Okay enough negativity... Seriously Pinterest is cool and I hope to try at least a couple of the cute ideas I keep pinning like crazy!

Another thing I noticed while spending countless night owl hours looking at these Pinned links is that there are A LOT of blogs out there. Everyone is blogging these days. And most people have some very interesting things to show to the internet world. I am kind of feeling a little silly with my piddly little "all about me and my cooking attempts" posts. It's seems like trying to make a You Tube video of me singing karaoke in my garage compete with Beyonce's latest music video on MTV. Im no Beyonce (btw B is a major guilty pleasure of mine! :) and I know it, but I will keep posting musings from my newly suburban life until my 3 followers get too sucked into kid's crafts on Pinterest to read these posts anymore! :)

Last week I made a very fun meal for the fam. AND bonus I was able to sneak in some Zucchini, a vegetable Amelia swears she will never eat. Skinny Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Frosting from Skinnytaste.com. Gina is a Genius! These were so delicious and cute as can be! You have to try it!

The beautiful babies before they go into the oven.

Who doesn't love mashed potato frosting?

Voila!

Skinny Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Frosting

Ingredients:

For the Meatloaf Cupcakes:
1.3 lb 93% lean ground turkey

1 cup grated zucchini, all moisture squeezed dry with paper towel

2 tbsp onion, minced

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 cup ketchup

1 egg1 tsp kosher salt

For the Skinny Mashed Potato "Frosting":
1 lb (about 2 medium) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved

2 tbsp fat free sour cream

2 tbsp fat free chicken broth

1 tbsp skim milk

1/2 tbsp light butter

kosher salt to taste

dash of fresh ground pepper

2 tbsp fresh thyme

Put the potatoes and garlic in a large pot with salt and enough water to cover; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat; simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.Drain and return potatoes and garlic to pan. Add sour cream and remaining ingredients. Using a masher or blender, mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°. Line a muffin tin with foil liners.

In a large bowl, mix the turkey, zucchini, onion, breadcrumbs, ketchup, egg, and salt.Place meatloaf mixture into muffin tins filling them to the top, making sure they are flat at the top.

Bake uncovered for 18-20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from tins and place onto a baking dish.

Pipe the "frosting" onto the meatloaf cupcakes and serve.

So the "cupcakes" were the star for the week but I also threw together another simple recipe from Real Simple. You know how much I love these recipes. Easy peasy meals with ingredients I usually have on hand. The October issue of Real Simple challenged me to think beyond the taco and burrito and use the tortilla in some new ways. 10 new ways to be exact. I chose the Bean and Cheese Taquitos. Super easy and yum. The kids ate it too!

Bean and Cheese Taquitos

1 cup black beans (rinsed)

1/2 cup Cheddar cheese

8 warmed corn tortillas

olive oil

fresh salsa and sour cream

In a medium bowl, gently mash 1 cup black beans with grated cheddar. Dividing evenly, roll up the mixture in 8 corn tortillas. In batches, fry the rolls, seam-side down, in 1/2 inch olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. About 2 to 3 min per side. Serve with Fresh salsa and sour cream. You may notice from the picture that I used flour tortillas because that is what was in my pantry. They were still yummy but probably a little heavier and less crunchy than the corn tortillas would be. But really bloggy friends, it is a cheesy fried taquito. Whether you use corn or flour you know it is going to delicious! Muchas Gracias Real Simple!