When we bought our house, one minor drawback was the size of the backyard. It’s, well, tiny. I happen to love that aspect of it because I do not have to leave my perch to know where Thing 1 and Thing 2 are at any given moment. Mike, however, wanted a place where he could entertain people and grill out like a man. Understandable. So, he got this patio idea into his head. And, I’ll be honest, I didn’t think it would happen. I thought it would be one of those things that we talked about forever, but never really sunk our teeth into. But, Mike dove in after weeks of making me look at bricks until my eyes bled, and he and my dad did the darn thing. Me being in my pregnant state and all, I was left to cater lemonade and other refreshments to the menfolk. No complaints on that front. Want a little drab before and fab after?

everything behind the metal fence is not ours. small.


pictures in the winter and at dusk? jenna, you shouldn’t have.

mike, how skeptical are you?

hanging with the big boys

summer on a plate

sam was all…
- Seriously the best mom lunch: nuke a Mushroom Lover’s Burger with a little mustard (and a slice of tomato if you’re feeling fancy) and you have something yummy, filling and healthy.
- My kids still haven’t figured out that the Chik’n Nuggets are soy and not chicken. Dunk them in ketchup and steal them from your kids’ plates when they aren’t looking.
- Original Sausage Patties broken up and scrambled with eggs makes an excellent hash. We may eat this for dinner on nights when mother forgets to plan.
- While we are not a 100% meatless family, we do try to go meatless a couple of times a week for health, savings and Friday fasting. MorningStar Farms makes it easy to eat smart, whether you go meatless every day, or every now and then.
- When it comes to recipes, feel free to create your own, or head to http://www.morningstarfarms.com/recipes to search their recipes by product or category.
For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, leave a comment below letting me know which MorningStar Farms product you would most like to try!
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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 72 hours to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
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This sweepstakes runs from 8/11-9/14/2014.
Be sure to visit the MorningStar Farms brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

I would totally try those chickpea burgers – are they new? We tried Morningstar Farms stuff a while ago for a promotion and the verdict was a big thumbs down… And everything’s so loaded with soy that I steer clear! But we all seriously love chickpeas (well, except the legume-hating husband)…
My kids LOVE chicken nuggets, so I would want to try those!!
Those black bean burgers sure sound tempting! I might even be able to get the hubby to try them.
I love your backyard reno. Very well done!
I’m always in search of more ways to get my kid to eat protein, so I’ll definitely check out their products. Thanks :-)
Black bean burgers sound delish!
I want to try the Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers.
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/498962202414436352
I would love to try the Morningstar farms Chipotle Black Bean Burgers next time we grill.
my tweet– https://twitter.com/lil_lady_dz/status/498984790687633408
I’d like to try the Baja Black Bean Pizza.
mami2jcn at gmail dot com
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/498989341381636097
I most want to try the morning star original veggie burgers.
I’m definitely a kid at heart, because I definitely want to try the chik’n nuggets.
I would like to try their Italian Herb Chik Patties.
tweet
https://twitter.com/Kellydinpa/status/499008253200592896
Would love to try the MorningStar Farms® Asian Veggie Patties
Tweeted https://twitter.com/AdorableSweetp1/status/499010891786883075
The Bean burger :-)
The chipotle black bean burgers sound yummy!
Oh, I would be all OVER those breakfast sandwiches. Breakfast, man. Breakfast…
I would love the Baja Black Bean Pizza.
I tweeted https://twitter.com/miainthewoods/status/499031294966108161
Yum. I’ll eat anything from them. Except their facon. :)
Spicy black bean burger?! Yes, please!
I would love to try the mushroom lovers burger :)
We would love to try the MorningStar Farms buffalo wings, they look delicious and my whole family would enjoy them! We would love to incorporate MorningStar items into weekday meals with salad and baked potatoes.
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/mummytotwoboys1/status/499993820054822914
mummytotwoboys@yahoo.com
The roasted garlic & quinoa burgers.
I would love to try the Mediterranean Chickpea Burger!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
tweet–https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/500772287130644481
i would like to try the Buffalo Chik Patties
i posted a tweet:
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/500778734132006913
I would really like to try the Spicy Black Bean Burger.
i want to try the buffalo chik patties most pryfamily5@gmail.com
i tweeted https://twitter.com/thepryfamily5/status/500790656516636672 pryfamily5@gmail.com
I would like to try the Buffalo Chik Patties
cshell090869 at aol dot com
tweeted
https://twitter.com/cshell202/status/500915370367008770
cshell090869 at aol dot com
I would like to try MorningStar Farms Breakfast Sandwich Veggie Scramble with Cheese.
-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/501210273743519744
I would like to try the Parmesan Garlic Wings
https://twitter.com/disneyfan40/status/501479183092940801
MorningStar Farms® Buffalo Chik Patties–I’d like to try them.
https://twitter.com/kattzzz/status/501480992402440192
i want to try Buffalo Chik Patties
https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/501544154594152448
I’d like to try the Roasted Garlic & Quinoa Burgers
tweeted
https://twitter.com/rubylorikeet/status/501569196782657536
I’d like to try the Baja Black Bean Pizza. I love Morningstar products and have used them in a variety of recipes.
I tweeted under twitter id @yarbr012 https://twitter.com/yarbr012/status/474704361398886400!
I’d like to try the BUffalo Chick Patties.
https://twitter.com/jen_r_horn/status/502482207932305410
I have had the Morningstar Farms Chik Patties before and I love them! Great chicken substitute! They taste just like it!! Would love to try the buffalo flavor patties.
I would like to try their buffalo chicken patties. We love spicy food.
Parmesan garlic.
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/Jayne_Martin/status/503044260686348288
I would try Mediterranean chickpea pizza first!
The Roasted Garlic & Quinoa Burger one sounds yummy!
I would love to try the MorningStar Farms® Chipotle Black Bean Burger. The ingredients with corn and peppers make this burger sound so delicious.
I tweeted.
https://twitter.com/birdiebee52/status/506179285833777153
I want to try the Roasted Garlic & Quinoa Burger
I’d love to try the Mediterranean Chickpea Pizza burgers!
Tweet: https://twitter.com/PrettyHotPink6/status/507592096014802944
The Roasted Garlic & Quinoa Burger
The buffalo chik patties look yummy!
I would like to try Morningstar Farms® Grillers® Original.
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
Tweet:
https://twitter.com/Janetfaye/status/507937122217914369
I would love to try the MorningStar Farms® Chipotle Black Bean Burger
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/507995019912155138
Mediterranean Chickpea Burgers sound best to me.
I would like to try the Morningstar Farms® Meal Starter® Veggie Meatballs. Thanks for the opportunity to enter.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/HeartnSoulmom/status/508439352574099456
Yay for quinoa. I want to try the Roasted Garlic & Quinoa Burgers .
I would like to try the MorningStar Farms Mediterranean Chickpea Pizza
https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/509431830634708992
I want to try the MorningStar Farms® Baja Black Bean Pizza
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/509890374509158401
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
The Breakfast Sandwich Sausage Egg and Cheese sounds really good for busy mornings!
The spicy black bean burgers are a staple in our house. I’d love to try the garlic quinoa burgers!
I really want to try the MorningStar Farms® Baja Black Bean Pizza!
tweeted: https://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/510209189809889280
I am a vegetarian and have pretty much tried everything they make at least once! LOL However, I went to their website and discovered one of my fav products now comes in an organic soy formula! WOOT!! LOVE THAT! Would love to try the MorningStar Farms® Sausage Patties made with Organic Soy!
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/510432084406435841
The Baja Black Bean Pizza sounds yummy! I would love to give it a try
tweeted -https://twitter.com/neiddy_ruiz/status/510450016364670976
I would like to try the Parmesan Garlic Wings.
I would try the Parmesan Garlic Wings first!
tweet: https://twitter.com/myfolly/status/511013829258805249
I’d like to try the Baja Black Bean Pizza.
willitara [at] gmail [dot] com
Tweet – https://twitter.com/willitara/status/511017984572133377
willitara [at] gmail [dot] com
I’d love to try the Mediterranean Chickpea Pizza!
https://twitter.com/aes529/status/511169720599740417
I want to try the MorningStar Farms Buffalo Chik Patties.
https://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/511194607103639552
I would like to try the Chipotle Black Bean Burger
I sent a tweet: https://twitter.com/electricstar/status/511218583867641857
Parmesan Garlic Wings sound yummy
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/511220415516377088
I’d like to try the Baja Black Bean Pizza.
https://twitter.com/usnamom2014/status/511292731638181888
I would love to try the Buffalo Chik Patties first because we love spicy food and I could use this over a salad.
I tweeted
https://twitter.com/my4boysand1/status/518579417069518848