The rest of our adventurous day was a lot more low key and much more typical of a relaxing Sunday.
We played games…
And did some baking…
I made a batch of granola bars using a recipe that I changed a bit from Smitten Kitchen’s beautiful blog.
Granola bars are really hard to get just right and this is probably the closest I’ve come to delicious granola bars that actually stuck together without being too doughy or too hard. Plus the granola bar batter was pretty darn tasty.
My sister and I also prepped black bean burgers for dinner in the afternoon. We made one big batch and then split them up so Ryan and I would have some and she and my dad would have some for dinner when they got home.
Leslie and my dad left our place close to 3 p.m. I was sad to see them go! Family visits are always too short.
Ryan and I spent the remainder of the afternoon working around the house and walking Sadie.
Dinner
Dinner came together in a flash thanks to the prep work Leslie and I did earlier in the day.
Black bean burgers for all!
They fell apart a little, but the taste was really, really good.
Leslie and I made them using this recipe, which contained minimal ingredients. The burgers were made of black beans, brown rice, salsa, chopped onion and an egg. Yum.
Even though they fell apart a bit, they definitely turned out more burger-like than my last attempt. Remember the black bean loaf?
Dessert
Later this evening, Ryan turned to me and said, “I want ice cream.”
Music to my ears!
We put Sadie in the car and drove to Dairy Queen where we ordered a large Blizzard to share.
Oreo + Reese’s combo. It didn’t stand a chance.
Time to go enjoy the last of the weekend!
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You can mix blizzards??? I think I need to take a trip to DQ. Right. Now.
yes! we JUST figured this out w/in the past three weeks. it opens up SO many options. i highly recommend the oreo + cookie dough combo!
I had no idea you could do that! That is definitely an awesome idea, especially since I always have a hard time picking a flavor :). Now I just need to live in a state where DQ is open all year round, instead of just march – september….
……and now I have a craving for a Blizzard haha. How do they do it so well???
Too bad your dad and sis couldn’t stay longer! At least you fit in lots of play time while they were over!
My favorite black bean recipe is Jenna’s: http://www.eatliverun.com/boyfriend-approved-spicy-black-bean-burgers/
I froze some of the mix for quick dinners, and it’s amazing when scrambled with some eggs!
It’s probably a VERY good thing that my husband’s love for fro yo and ice cream is minimal. Because we’d be eating ice cream every day if he did! I love FRO yo! And blizzards can be beat!
The first and only time I ever played Balderdash was a few weeks ago. We had Game Night at my house, and this was the only game we got through (thanks to a large pitcher of homemade sangria!). Half of us loved it, and the other half never really got the hang of it…which made it that much more enjoyable for all. I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in a long time!
The pictures of dinner just made my stomach do a flip…and then I realized that I haven’t had dinner yet. Ayy
Those blackbean burgers look yummy! Probably way cheaper than store bought or eating out, even if they were a little crumbly..who cares!
Ohmygosh blizzards are amazing. I haven’t had one in almost a year. And now that I know you can mix flavors..I’ve just got to find a dairy queen nearby!
Would you believe I’ve never been to DQ? But Reese’s and Oreo? Mixed? I need a DQ near me stat.
I’ve literally been to DQ twice in my life: once in Bemidji Minnesota and once in a random small town in Arkansas. And for some strange reason, I have been CRAVING a blizzard for the past couple weeks! Craziness…
Why are Blizzards so delicious?!
I love Balderdash! We always play in my family, but my sister is awful and always comes up with the worse answers then cracks up while its being read.
Um…why didn’t they ever tell us that you could mix blizzards?!?! That’s amazing! I’m really sad there isn’t a DQ near me in Boston…guess I’ll have to wait til I go home at some point haha. Sounds like a fun day- glad you got to see your family!
Blizzards are so good! I wish my man was here. That was always our thing on Sunday nights to have an ice cream date. Brownie earthquake blizzard for him–oreo snickers blizzard for me!
I love family games! We used to keep a big poster board hanging in the dining room tracking how many games all of us had won. We were so competitive. Have you ever played cranium? That’s my fav.
yes! cranium is so fun – but i hate the clay molding part!
woohoo for ice cream! And my thoughts on bean burgers is as long as they taste good, it oesn’t matter if they fall apart.
Ahhh I LOVE Balderdash!! Seriously, best game ever 🙂
I love mixing Blizzard flavors — the best is banana cream pie + M&M’s — I could eat that every day!
Girl-don’t ya just love DQ. They are having a 5$ special here now that includes burger, fries, drink and mini blizzard. We must go. We also really like Hardees and Sonic. Do you ever go there? e
I LOVE black bean burgers and make them all the time with this Food Network recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aaron-mccargo-jr/deluxe-black-bean-burger-recipe/index.html
They are SO easy and stay together!
oh awesome! thanks for the recommendation!
Believe it or not, I’ve never been to a Dairy Queen. I have a pretty severe peanut allergy, so I just assumed it would be out for me. Do they have soft serve that wouldn’t come in contact with peanuts?
i really don’t know. i hope so!
oo granola bars look great. need to try them!!
it is getting chilly here in the north so warm meals are a must!
ice cream is diminishing a bit!
forgot to tell you what a great job you did on your run with Ryan yesterday!!
our dairy queen is only seasonally open and closes next weekend 🙁 will have to squeeze in one more blizzard before then!!
I just had an oreo and reeses “concrete mixer” from Culvers…best combination ever!
Yumm, I love the oreo + cookie dough combo, I will have to try that ou!
Black bean burgers and a blizzard?! Yum!! My favorite blizzard is the strawberry cheesequake. 🙂 It has frozen chunks of strawberries and cheesecake bites in it! The reeses is always a winner too though!
Ahhh — I’m about to get a Reese’s and cookie dough frozen yogurt for dessert. BUT, I just wanted to congratulate you on making a great bean-burger! I’ve been too nervous to try making a homemade veggie burger, but that recipe seems harmless. Thanks for the great idea!
I never get bean burgers to have the right consistency but they still always taste great, which is pretty much all that matters 😉
It must have been a DQ kind of night! My hubby and I got the Blizzard of the Month, Ooey, Gooey Caramel Brownie. Delicious! 🙂
~kari
Oreo and Reese’s are really the best combo ever!!!
We love Balderdash in our house. Sounds like a nice relaxing Sunday.
What I wouldn’t give for that blizzard right now!!
I’m amazed that you and Ryan can successfully share desserts. Kyle eats toooo fast and in bites tooooo big to share! It’s like a dessert race!
ha! i’m actually the problem in our relationship. ryan calls me an “aggressive sharer.”
That’s hilarious! I can’t wait to call Kyle that! Happy Monday!
I could use that one too!!!!!!!!
I never knew you could do a Blizzard combo! Reese’s and Oreo sounds perfect together!
oh my gosh – balderdash is my faaaaavorite game!!!
Ice cream = the perfect end to the weekend!
Woah, mixing blizzards is an epiphany to me as well! That’s definitely good to know for future reference :).
It’s so nice to see a balanced healthy life! health and sweets make for happiness 🙂
I’m so overprotective of my blizzards! I always make J get his own, because I don’t want to share. Ha! I like the little snack-sized ones that they just started offering recently. Because then I can get two different kinds.
Looks like a fun night! I’ve always wanted to make black bean burgers. I’ll have to try that recipe 🙂
I love blizzards! They are so good! I haven’t had one in so long. My favorite is chocolate ice cream with cone dip. The cone dip when blended in the blizzard gets crispy like chocolate chips. It’s heavenly.
I discovered the best black bean recipe that is seriously sturdy and doesn’t fall apart! It’s also extremely quick to make. You should def try it: http://elephanteats.com/2011/08/11/not-too-busy-for-black-bean-burgers/
minit oreo…add m&ms….but i never share
I always get the oreo and reese combo…it’s the best!
I like it so much I have a hard time even thinking about getting another flavor…life is full or really tough decisions 😉
Balderdash is the best game!
Whaaat? You can share a blizzard? You must have an excellent marriage!
Oreos with peanut butter taste fantastic, so the Blizzard must have been incredible. We have a DQ down the street from our house, but I’m scared to go there. I know once I got I’ll never be able to stop!
I love black bean burgers. I actually make mine with just four ingredients.
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup refried black beans
2 tbsp salsa
1 tsp garlic powder
Just cook for 4-5 min. per side.
Makes four delicious bean burgers! I usually make them ahead of time and then stick them in the fridge. (I have a burger press that came with burger shaped containers). So I’m actually not sure how well they do if you were to make them right away, but they are addictive.
I totally agree, granola bars are super hard to get just right.
Amaxzing granola bar recipe! I substituted dried cranberries for the raisins and added chocolate chips and walnuts! It makes a 9×13 and is almost gone! So good!!
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/playgroup-granola-bars/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=granola%20bars&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page