Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Weekly Meal Plan

Happy Spring!!
I love Spring time. The air is fresh, the tulips are out and the tress are getting bright green buds on them. We also have baby chicks we are raising, Spring is just a fresh beautiful new start. Not to mention the beautiful celebration of Easter and the new tomorrow that we get each day so graciously from our savior and his Amazing love and Grace. I have stepped away from the blog to just breathe and focus on life a little bit more and not feel like I have to do it but I want too. I am in the kitchen a lot anyway but I was not really finding the time to get pictures done and blogs posted without feeling stressed or anxious about it. I wanted it to be fun and easy! So they may not be every week or maybe they will, but currently I am focusing on my little boy(who is growing way to fast), my husband, our office, our home, my family and friends. We have been busy(good busy) these last 3 months, I turned 30, my minivan got totaled, so we got a new one(I guess that is a bonus kind of), office work, taxes, gymnastics, T-Ball, school, My little sister is traveling through Florence and having the time of her life (I am seeing all her pictures and posts wishing I could visit), Birthday season has begun for all the nephews and I LOVE birthdays:)!!! Gardening is underway and I am on a mission to kill as many rats that try to enter my chicken coop as possible!!!! Planting peppermint everywhere, rat traps, I have searched and found the perfect chicken feeder(if it was only cheaper), the automatic chicken door I NEED (if only it was cheaper), I need to re-dig trenches with house cloth wire(if only my back was feeling well...thank you accident),but it will all happen in due time. as I kept reading and reading what rats will do to your chickens I became more and more furious with them. It is a glorious morning when I walk out to the chicken coop and I see rats in the traps...VICTORY IS MINE! Sorry and now that I am currently off track of food...lets somehow get back to that. Here are some pics of the last few months:)


 We went up to a local ski resort and probably got some of the best snow of the season for my birthday weekend! It was so much fun! Our winter in Washington was horrible for snow but at least we scored an AMAZING weekend!


 I went out to eat with my whole family and got to have all 4 of my nephews join us too. Family is everything!


I am beyond blessed to have some truly amazing friends in my life and I have some dear dear ones that I have had the blessing to have apart of my life since grade school and junior high. My dearest friend from grade school Lindsey surprised me with a truly amazing gift I will never forget. She set up for 30 ladies to send me cards of encouragement, spend quality time, or a little something to celebrate me being 30. I was/am still so very touched by the outpouring of love and encouragement and I still look at those cards and notes. The Lord has so abundantly blessed me in my life and I am forever grateful and thankful!


We put our little man in gymnastics and BOY did he love it! When he starts back up he will be ready for the all boy class that may be a little faster for my very speedy lil man:)


A going away party for my best friend and sister Carmen to Florence Italy to study abroad!! She is greatly missed but we are so beyond proud of her for following all her dreams and living life to the fullest!!


Our AMAZING SEATTLE SEHAWKS went to the Superbowl 2 years in a row!!!! While the outcome was not as we would have hoped we are still beyond proud of our team and look forward to another return next year! I did however get the opportunity to decorate for our neighbor/family's Superbowl party and was so thankful they asked me here are a few sneak peak pictures but come football season I will give you the whole spread so seahawks game you can host can be extra fun:)!! We are so blessed to live where we do in a quiet place but more then that the people we are surrounded by that have become family and spending seahawks games and other events over the year has been such a blessing.


I love to plan a party, I have already begun planning my sons 5th birthday party and while it is not until July, July will come all too fast and I need to get ahead of the game. Plus he just switched themes on me and luckily the etsy purchases I made were kind enough to change the theme for me. Thankfully I ordered them so early in advance they had not started either! Plus his new theme just makes so much more sense for him...until July!



I am able to be a room mom this year for Blake's Pre-K class and it has been so much fun! These robots and the treats below were for his class Valentines party! He gets so excited that I get to be there and help plan it! 



This kid was all smiles and jumping up and down when he got a postcard from Italy from his dearly missed AUNTIE!!!


Then we decided to get chicks just a few or 8...we already have 9 hens...and know I need another chicken house...hmmm. My husband just shakes his head and goes OH my goodness...but how can you resist this adorable boy and his love for chicks...I mean this face! I could have walked out with 15 so he should be thanking me...lol!


He is too much...my favorite!


His joy...this one he named Fluffy!


Blake's favorite thing is to make and eat rice Krispie treats. He LOVES them, it is the one thing he will normally not deny until most recently I discovered he does not enjoy them dipped in chocolate. But on the bright side he had fun helping me and applying the sprinkles. I enjoyed them dipped in chocolate...so I got his leftovers:) 


I am so very grateful that we get to send Blake to a school where is able to learn about Jesus and that we are able to bring in fun treats that teach the true meaning of Easter! Holidays are too fun!!


I have been having so much fun with school and spending and sharing this time with Blake. It is such a joy to see his excitement for his friends, his teacher, and learning so many things! Plus I get to be creative and he can help me make fun things for his classmates:)





 I love Easter. Its a beautiful celebration of Grace and Love. We are so blessed to have a saviour who suffered so much so we could one day live with him forever!

Back to the menu planning...

Monday:




Tuesday:

Pioneer Woman Spaghetti

This batch of spaghetti will feed us for dinner one night with 4 nights of dinner ready for the sauce to go into the freezer. My son LOVE spaghetti so on nights when my husband & I eat just chicken and veggies this is perfect to take out for my son and he has leftovers for lunch for the week! I am all about a good meal that doubles as a freezer meal.

Wednesday:

This is one of those great meals you can double and store in the freezer. I make the base sloppy joe and meat mixture and freeze it. Then I take it out in the morning and heat it up, add the corn and cream cheese, tator tops, top with cheese and pop it in the oven! Super simple and super easy!


 Thursday:

This one is also perfect for the freezer. Add all ingredients except Lime Juice, salt, & hot sauce to a Ziploc bag and freeze. When ready pop it in the slow cooker...super easy for a busy night of baseball or running the kiddos around.




Friday:

OUT TO DINNER
Its Friday and you have cooked all week...you earned it!!

Saturday:




Sunday:




I hope this helps with your upcoming week of meals. I plan mine of Sundays so what you see is what we ate the week before. I try to do simple, fast, healthy, and something once a week that doubles for stocking up my freezer. I like having a prepared freezer for those days I don't feel like cooking or just plain don't have time! 

Have a beautiful and blessed day!!!

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!!
We only have one last stop to make tomorrow for Christmas shopping and we are done. My husband has a favorite chocolate chip cookie from a local cafe and since they are open tomorrow, I had 4 reserved for him. Since he is Santa around here and works so hard for our family, we need to leave "Santa" his favorite cookies and Coca-cola:) Today we braved Costco to get a cake for the kids to sing Jesus Happy Birthday! We got out in and out in 36 minutes...I would call that a victory!!

A few weeks ago I made this super cute and easy(just give yourself a few hours to complete & patience) DIY project using Christmas fabric, burlap, and your favorite string of lights. You can find the how to over here on a previous blog post. I love to incorporate a new DIY project each year to the house, just makes the decor extra special and a little more festive. 


I found the burlap fabric with the glitter at Joann's and the rest at Hobby Lobby.




My son had his first class Christmas party for pre-k and it was so much fun! I feel so blessed to be able to send him to a school where he is able to learn about the true meaning of Christmas! I also get to a be a room mom and it was a blast helping plan the party and be able to be there and listen to the kids say, "this is the best party ever!!!" I made these super adorable and easy baby Jesus in a Manger cupcakes(thank you Pinterest) for the kids. Chocolate graham crackers, mini Nilla wafers, white frosting, and yellow sprinkles for the King of Kings. I hope you have had a beautiful December with your family making wonderful memories with your loved ones and taking in all the joy & hustle & bustle this wonderful season has to offer. Only 2 more days!!

Wishing you & your family a very blessed and Merry Christmas! May your day be filled with an abundance of love, grace, and the joy of this glorious day! Thank you for coming on this journey with me and taking the time to read my blog posts. 

Merry Christmas!

Saturday, December 20, 2014

12 days of Christmas cookies...the final days

We had a wonderful 12 days of Christmas and while we ended up pretty exhausted from all the activities it has been by far the best Christmas season with my little man. I might say that every year but each year that his excitement grows and he is so beyond full of Christmas joy just makes the season so much brighter! I love it...we have done 3 different gingerbread's...a train, a tree, and the nativity scene. To have him grasp the true meaning of Christmas and get so into baby Jesus and his birthday has been so fun. His generous spirit grows and grows, it is defiantly the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas is just 5 days away...We are all ready around here and if like me you are doing another day of baking, then here are some cookies you may enjoy doing these final days till Christmas. The house is lit up with lights inside and out, my son is beyond excited, its Christmas break from school which means Christmas jammies all day long!! We even wore them to the store today, they are only little once! We went to an ugly Christmas sweater party last night hosted by our dear friends, it was fun to see the creative sweaters and skirts.I actually secretly liked the one I wore and may even wear it Christmas day...


On the 9th Day of Christmas some jolly neighbors brought to you CHOCOLATE CRINKLE COOKIES...because"my daddy likes them more then the rest." Yes its true these are my husbands favorite cookies so we had to put them on the list, plus one fresh out of the oven still warm and gooey is pretty amazing. The little man & I shared one and he thought the same!


Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Recipe from All Recipes

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar

In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Roll dough into one inch balls. Coat each ball in confectioners' sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

Enjoy!!


On the 10th Day of Christmas a little boy brought to you...Some Chocolate Drizzled Rice Krispie treats...

Rice Krispie treats are one of Blake's absolute favorite things to make and eat warm out of the pan. We had to include them into our line up, its is one that Blake helps out every step of the way:)




We made them festive and added swirled Chocolate and crushed Candy Canes:) These are the only pictures, it was a particularly busy day and daylight was against us.

Rice Krispie Treats
by Ms. Marquets Kitchen

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
7 cups mini marshmallows
5 cups cereal
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup dark Chocolate (optional)
crushed candy cane's optional

Melt the butter over medium heat on the stove-top. Add Marshmallows, stirring until melted. Remove from the heat, add cereal, stir, and add remaining 1 cup of mini marshmallows. Top with melted Chocolate of choice and Candy Canes and enjoy!

A favorite treat for the young and old! 


On the 11th Day of Christmas some true friends brought to you GINGERSNAP COOKIES...Gingersnaps are by far one of my favorite cookies to enjoy well anytime of the year, but you can always have an abundance of anything Gingerbread related around Christmas time. These delicious cookies come from my sister-in-law and I am excited to share them with you! They are full of flavor with the perfect crunch on the outside yet so soft on the inside! My little man loves them too and as you can tell from below did not want to wait till I was done to finish off the cookie:)


Gingersnap Cookies
Recipe from my Sister-in-law Jess:)

3/4 Cup of Shortening
1/4 Cup of Molasses
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
2 1/4 Cups of Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ginger
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Cloves

Pre-heat oven to 375.
Mix Shortening, Molasses, Brown Sugar, and Eggs together. In a separate bowl whisk Flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, & cloves together. Stir into Molasses mix until combined.
Form dough into 1 inch balls and roll into granulated sugar.
Bake on parchment lined baking sheets for 7-10 minutes. I do mine for 8...all depends on how soft you like them. 
Let them sit on baking sheet for a minute or so and cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!


On the 12th day of Christmas some very Joyful neighbors brought to you CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT CHEX MIX. This might be one of my favorite things...but then again I have a lot of favorite things. the perfect mix of puppy chow with the cheer and joy that peppermint brings this time of year. 
Blake had so much fun helping out with this one; from unwrapping candy canes, crushing them(the boy loves to hammer), to dumping, and mixing! He was all hands in on this one!






Having fun in the kitchen always ends with lots a dishes to clean and floors to sweep...we had a little extra to clean but that makes it a little more fun:)


You can find Chocolate Peppermint Chex Mix over on Our Best Bites. Super simple and so much fun with the kiddos...another crowd pleaser for the whole family! 



My little one loves to take pictures and this was a photo he snapped of our Christmas tree:) I love this time of year and I think he took a pretty good pic:)

In other news....GO SEAHAWKS!!!!!

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

On the 5th, 7th, & 8th Day of Christmas....

December is going by faster then I wish! My favorite days are spent with my little man talking about Christmas, reading Christmas books, and hanging out in our Christmas jammies! Each day when we get home, its straight to his bedroom take off his uniform and its Christmas jammies and slippers for the rest of the day! Its pretty cute...I love his excitement and joy for this time of year! Jingle Bells, Away in a Manger, and all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth are a few songs he doesn't stop singing:) One of my favorite books currently is J for Jesus each time we see a candy cane he turns it upside down and says J is for Jesus and the Shepard's used it as the cane! I love how much he is into learning and retaining all about baby Jesus, the reason for the season! And of course the cookies....

On the 5th Day of Christmas some jolly neighbors brought to you...PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOMS. These are one of Blake's favorite cookies to help with and to help eat! This year has been fun to watch him help and be able to do more things.




These are just to remember how cute he is and how fast they grow...if time could stand still! 





You can find the recipe for the Peanut Butter Cookies over on Our Best Bites. I love there Peanut Butter Cookie recipe and I just stick the Hershey kiss on right after I take them out of the oven! 
On a side note I am doing the 6th day over again, I was not happy with how the fudge turned out. You win some and you lose some, we still handed them out but for me it went in the okay department;)!



On the 7th day of Christmas some of Santa's helpers gave to you...COWBOY COOKIES! Cowboy Cookies are a huge hit, one of my little sisters favorite, the neighbor girl requested them and Blake loves them this year! They come from the amazing former First Lady Laura Bush and you can find them here! They are full of Oats, Nuts, Chocolate, Coconut, and a bunch of cinnamon!! So in the healthy category they are further up...


On the 8th day of Christmas some little elves brought to you...JAM THUMBPRINT COOKIES! I love jam thumbprint cookies, these are ones Blake had no intention of helping with because he does not like jam, unless on the rare occasion on his pancakes, Silly yes, but I LOVE them. Growing up we made them dipped in egg yolk rolled in chopped walnuts and you put the jam in after cooking. I love these ones because they taste like shortbread with the perfect sweetness from the cooked jam.

Jam Thumbprint
Adapted from Martha Stewart

3 sticks of Unsalted Butter Room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups of flour (spooned, leveled and sifted)
3/4 cup of jam (any flavor you wish, I like raspberry)

Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheets with Parchment paper.

In a stand mixer or large bowl with hand mixer, beat butter and sugar together until smooth. Add egg and then vanilla. With mixer on low, in stages, add flour until just incorporated.

Roll into 1 inch balls (i used a small cookie scoop) and place on baking sheets.
Moisten thumb with water and make an indentation on each cookie. Place 1/2 teaspoon of jam on each cookie. Bake for 16-18 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely! 

Enjoy!!!