Yummy Summer Watermelon Salad made by yours truly!

•         Mix balsamic vinegar and oil vigorously
•          Toss all ingredients in a bowl—mix lightly
•          Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and toss lightly
•          Enjoy!

---

Sign up for email updates, news and notes of inspiration.

Disclaimer: I am a member of the SCJohnson Blogger Panel. I received compensation for this post however the opinions expressed here are my own.

Summertime is known as “family-fun time” in my household. From the most frugal of city-planned events to the highest-priced excursions, you’ll rarely come across a weekend where there is nothing to do. Sometimes, however, the easiest way to spend intimate, memorable and quality time as a family is the age-old tradition of a family picnic. It can be as simple or extravagant as your preferences dictate.

My family picnics have always been more spur-of-the-moment outings. My wife and I grab everything we need from the fridge and garage, while stopping at a local grocery store to pick-up necessities we don’t have along the way. We stock our cars with blankets and load-up our Ziploc® brand Big Bags with frisbees, soccer balls and kites for the kids. If you’ve never gone on a family picnic or if you’ve gotten out of practice, below is a list of key necessities you’ll want to bring.

1. A picnic basket. If you don’t have one, reusable shopping bags are a great alternative
2. Napkins, plastic plates and disposable cups, forks, knives, spoons and straws. Be sure to recycle these after use, if possible!
3. Outdoor games such as a soccer ball, football, frisbee, baseball and glove(s), a kite, a couple of bottles of bubbles or some variation of bubble making machines (these cost no more than $6 a pop)
4. 1-2 blankets designated for outdoor use depending on the size of your family

---

Sign up for email updates, news and notes of inspiration.

Last month, I featured this picture on Facebook with a statement directed towards women about a man being a good cook being a man who will take care of you. Well, in retrospect this was a pretty ridiculous claim to make. A man who can cook is most certainly aware of foods, palettes and maybe even chemistry to a certain extent. He may be aware of his surroundings, especially if he is an organic farm to table kind of guy. He might even be conscientious about pleasing, impressing, satisfying, and/or catering to others. But none of the above qualifies what kind of father and husband a man will be. Through the opposite lens, the same goes for women too. A man who can cook is a great asset, no different than one who is handy around the house. But this is a feature, not the total package.

As the man of the house I do my best to mitigate food wastage in my fridge (the place where fresh food goes to die). Sometimes the wife and kids make fun of me, calling me curmudgeonly. But when you see the numbers above and do the math, it really isn't a laughing matter.

How to reduce food waste in your home:

1. Eat the food you buy.
2. Check your fridge before you go grocery shopping to keep your food and your money from going to waste. Unless you are shopping for non-perishables or for next week's backyard barbecue there really is no need to stock up on food you didn't eat after your last trip to the grocery store.

---

Thoughts? Please, let me know in the Facebook or Disqus comment sections below.

I had to reach out to my favorite foodie, Chef Michelle, once I realized she had disappeared. She'll explain it all below in her first, inspirational and informative post for 2013!

I know it has been a very long time, please forgive my absence  I started a new job at the end of last year and it has me zig zagging all over the world! A lot of exciting things have happened in addition to my new job, I got engaged  for one! Wooooo Hooooo! Anyhow, Happy 2013 to you all and I am very happy to be back!

January of each new year has people rushing to the gym and watching what they eat.. Going along with that theme, I thought I would share a post  that I guest blogged for Silencebeseen last year on High vs. Low Vibration Food. There is nothing wrong with a diet now and again, but maybe instead of depriving yourself you can try feeding your body some healthy, good-for-you-inside-and-out, high vibration food. Also know as, fresh produce. Check it out....

I experienced a couple of snafus in the hours before my recent social media presentation in Las Vegas. One of them came about due to my lack of foresight, but more honestly lack of time, to iron the clothing I planned to wear on that Sunday morning. Instead I rifled through what I could find that didn't look like it had been slept in or simply, not ironed --- one of my favorite shirts and a pair of boot cut jeans I bought this past spring that are typically reserved for my high tops or boots.

Eh, nobody has time for all that, I thought as I forced everything into my bag and packed up all my camera equipment and electronics in order to beat the mandated check-out time of 11 a.m. and start talking at 11 a.m.

My presentation began at 11:20 am and all I wanted to do was sit at the edge of the stage and talk the way a lounge singer does when they get intimate with their crowd. My only problem was that I was in a grand ballroom and although the crowd was intimate they were all sitting comfortably in the back and I would've been out of sight had I sat down on the edge of the stage.

I often find myself frustrated with the glaring deficiencies in my teen son's ability to communicate --- what he's saying, what he means, where he is physically at. He says he'll be somewhere when he needs to be picked up but without being a psychic I know beforehand once I arrive he'll be somewhere else, or just not outside waiting for me. His plans with his friends are erratic and sometimes elaborate, constantly changing cluster-you-know-whats. We often play "Who's On First" because he claims he told me something I never heard him utter once. I often find him unaware of things that need to be done because he claims he never got that pertinent voice mail I left or text I sent. Lately, my mustache and goatee has been getting grayer and grayer.

But when I sit down and think about it long enough I really can't blame him. It's the thing that can't be pried from his hand that's mostly to blame for his, mine and nearly everyone else's often nonsensical way of communicating.

The technology of communication --- the very lifeblood that drives this blog --- the thing that came to make communication and connectivity easier, in the ever evolving ecosystem of communications and Social has created massive holes in effective and basic communication. How many times have you heard or said the following:

This morning I got on the scale and it registered the number 186.5. That is a solid 10 pounds less than I was when I started back working out at the end of June. I've changed my diet, I've changed my level of activity (outdoor boot camp, biking, swimming and some running) and it in turn has changed my attitude, enhanced my vitality and helped me to calmly navigate through things that normally got me all twisted up in knots. Not to mention, pants that were cutting into my waist, fit once more and the protruding bulge beneath my that had become commonplace in all my shirts is now gone. My only complaint/issue/acknowledgment, etc. is that I am not the young man I once was. Thanks to my 40 year-old willpower I'm working out harder than I ever have. But thanks to my 40 years-old body, recovering from my workouts has become almost as painful as the workouts themselves. C'est la vie.

But I've got 10 more pounds to go. And I'd like to lose them by my birthday, which is exactly 6 weeks away.

And I challenge you to lose them (yours not mine) with me.

Happy Monday, and welcome back to Monday's with Michelle! In case you are wondering what happened with my Half Marathon that I mentioned a while back... I did it! It was last weekend and I finished and I am still alive and kicking. :-)

Here's another "In case you missed" it from my Foodie Blog. This one is about preparing a healthier version of one of my favorite Puerto Rican dishes Arroz Con Pollo... enjoy!

Tonight's  plan for dinner is one of my childhood favs, Arroz con Pollo (chicken with rice). I picked up some chicken legs the other day (since they were on sale at Kroger) with this dish in mind. I've experimented with this fav a ton, I've made it in the traditional one-pot fashion, I've tried half rice cooker/half stove top, I've added pigeon peas (yum), I've tried a more Spanish style and cooked it in the oven... like I said, I've experimented a ton and it has all be delicious.With my recent weight loss efforts I decided that I would change this recipe a little bit to make it as figure friendly as possible. In order to do that, I decided to use brown rice instead of white rice. Keep in mind this changes the dish quite a bit because the texture of brown rice is different than white rice, but that doesn't mean that it can't be just a flavorful.

The recipe is listed below, but before you get to that here is a step by step via some photo's I took during the process, check it out...

Season the chicken with Michelle's Essence

In case you missed it.... here is another great, quick go to meal that I posted on my foodie blog a couple of weeks ago. You can have it whipped up for your family in 30 minutes or less and it is a well rounded healthy meal that everyone will love... Enjoy!

Shrimp, brown rice, black beans and broccoli

On your mark... get set.... goooooooo!

Pizza is one of my favorite splurge junk food fixes, as it is for a lot of you I'm sure. What if you could make a super yummy, non-cardboard tasting version of it? And even better a CLEAN version?

Homemade yummy CLEAN Pizza sizzling in the oven

All together, the process took about 40 minutes. I made a whole wheat crust with lots of yummy herbs and seasonings, then I added some fresh, organic chicken sausage, lots of fresh veggies, organic sauce and cheese...super easy, super yummy, Clean Eating Pizza!

First you have to start with the crust:

Welcome to Monday's with Michelle! This week I want to share some yummy (and healthy) salsa recipes with you in an effort to make your meals even more delicious without adding a ton of fat or calories.

Grilled chicken breast with my tomato salsa over the top... served with corn on the cob and  a mixed green salad. (That's a pretty colorful plate! Remember tip#2)

Black bean mango salsa

---

For more on Fatherhood, Relationships & Lifestyle:

• Sign up for email updates.
• Become a fan on Facebook
• Follow MMWH.com on Twitter
• Subscribe to the MakesMeWannaHoller Channel on YouTube
• Read my parenting book

Delicious fall salad

---

• Like this post? Sign up for email updates or subscribe to my RSS Feed
• Do you live on Facebook? Join the MakesMeWannaHoller Facebook Experience
• Do you Tweet? Follow Me on Twitter
• Subscribe to my MakesMeWannaHoller Channel on YouTube
• To purchase a copy of my book on fatherhood, click here

Today, I have for you a spin on a classic: Chicken Wings! They are usually fried and covered in some type of finger licking sauce (which I love by the way). But in an effort to be a tad more health conscious I have taken to baking them.

Crispy Wings, Baking. Yum...

It’s a pretty simple recipe. You really just need a good spice mix and some time. Here is the recipe…

Happy Monday to you all! I hope you had a yumtastic weekend!

Nice & Healthy, yum!

Time being of the essence, I thought I would share another quick, go-to meal with you. It’s not unusual for me to get home after 9pm during the week; this meal is for those nights. Especially since I just started working out with a trainer and drive thrus are no longer an option!

Here is the recipe...

Baked Tilapia with Asparagus

Last week I picked up the largest order of chicken I've ever laid eyes on --- forty pounds of free range chicken breasts courtesy of Zaycon Foods. After excitedly getting all this chicken thanks to a connection from a fellow blogger, after dragging this big box of juicy poultry into my freezer in the garage the question that begged to be answered suddenly popped into my head:

What on Earth am I going to do with forty pounds of chicken?

Watch below to see what my wife and I have done so far with just the first ten pounds. Stay tuned for more.



I'm the author of DAD: As Easy As A, B, C! - 26 Dos & Don'ts for Fathers. Click here for my story and the origin of Makes Me Wanna Holler. Do you Tweet? Follow EPayneTheDad on Twitter. Live on Facebook? Like Makes Me Wanna Holler on Facebook.