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menu plan monday : 4.30.12.

 

a crazy kind of monday so i'm getting around to this way later than normal.  this week seems to be more of the same.

meatless monday : pasta w/ marinara sauce.  love the sauce from my cook 1.0 cookbook.  love this cookbook in general.  it appears to be out of print but it's got lots of great stuff in it. 

i've selected monday as a night of the week for our family to eat a meatless meal as it tends to be more budget friendly as well as a friendlier option for the environment. my meat and potato eating husband tends to go along with this idea because i also make him a yummy dessert in addition to his meatless meal. what can i say, i'm nice like that.

tuesday : leftovers. i hate throwing things out.  even if i might not enjoy eating leftovers so much.  i'm getting this stuff out of my fridge!

wednesday : broiled chicken thighs with pineapple-cucumber salsa. from the latest issue of everyday food.  the love of fresh pineapple continues.

thursday : pizza.  i've decided thursday is a perfect pizza night.  it's like the pre-weekend.

friday : green chili chicken enchilada casserole.  love this girl's food blog.  hoping this recipe proves to be a nice, quick meal.  

 

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last week's new recipe reviews :

marinated skirt steak w/ arugula rice. from the latest issue of everyday food.  so.  very.  good.  this ended up being dinner on saturday night and was so easy to throw together.  loved the rice with the dired apricot and can envision making many a different version for future side dishes.  will definitely make again.

spaghetti with vodka cream sauce.  holy heavenly pasta goodness, batman.  C had two servings, andy had two servings and i might just have had three.  i also enjoyed it for two lunches as well.  i doubled the recipe and am so glad i did.  SO good.

tropical chicken tacos. there's potential, but as is it was just okay.  even after marinating the chicken, i didn't find that it gave them much flavor.  the flavor mostly came from the pineapple salsa, which itself was quite good.  next time i'd either marinate it longer or more likely, make a sauce from the leftover marinade to provide more flavor.

review : sneaky pete's naturally oatstanding beverage.

 

a few weeks ago, i was approached with the opportunity to try a new beverage that promises that it's "the first soluble oat beverage of its kind" - sneaky pete's naturally oatstanding beverage.  being a foodie of sorts and one that loves to try new things, i immediately said yes.

when we arrived home from spring break, i had three bottles ready and waiting for me to give them a try.  i received the apples away, grape escape and mango mystique flavors.  i think my favorite has been the mango.  i LOVE that this isn't a juice type beverage but is totally water based and is actually light and refreshing.  the flavors aren't too strong and with only 40 calories, i don't feel like i'm loading up on "extras" but instead is a great beverage to have with me in the car when running errands and doing pickups and dropoffs as a morning "snack."  the fact that it contains extra fiber is a complete bonus and one you'd never suspect when drinking.  in fact, this is something i'd be totally okay with having my daughters drink because it ISN'T juice. (not that they would realize that.)

this is definitely a perfect on the go type of drink as it's low in sodium and sugar but also contains the same amount of soluble fiber as a bowl of oatmeal.  basically a drink you don't feel guilty in having!

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the fine print : i was given this product to try but was not compensated in any way for this review.  the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

36 weeks.

 

i'm going to be upfront and say i think this photo is very deceptive.  it was taken with my phone unlike the others that were taken with  my dslr.  thus the angle is different.  and my belly doesn't look nearly as big as it truly is.

this was taken sunday after church.  after two people thought - and then thought they needed to share with me - that i looked like i should have the baby the next day.  nice.  luckily it's laughable.

absolutely loving ice cream right now, especially rocky road.  not usually my flavor of choice but we've been going through it like crazy at our house.  i might even eat it for lunch on occasion.

project life | weeks 13 + 14.

 

 

[week 13 - with inserts] can i first say i'm beyond excited that i completed three weeks for my project life album last week?  week 12 which i shared last week and weeks 13 and 14 which i'm sharing today.  it's my goal to complete weeks 15 + 16 this week.  here's to lofty goals!

this was the last of birthday weeks - thank goodness!  you can tell that my album is getting a bit lop-sided due to inserts.  this week i included an insert with andy's birthday cards and another insert documenting his actual birthday.

 

 

[week 13 - without inserts] i didn't notice until now that the lower right hand photo of the spread slipped out of the protector a bit when photographing.  oops!

 

 

[week 13 - left side] the girls playing outside.  a piece of mail addressed to the girls from nana.  L catching an episode of pbs at one of my ob appointments.  (there are MANY of these shots in this year's album.)  a grocery receipt.  a photo of the caller id of our landline from andy calling to say he was on his way home.  bath time.  going through the car wash with the girls - apparently it's very entertaining.

 

 

[week 13 - right page] the infamous bagel tomb preschool craft.  a playdate.  a trip to target.  the girls working on their computers.  C in the palm sunday service at church.

 

 

[week 13 - andy's birthday insert] photos from his day + a bit of journaling.

 

 

[week 14 - without insert] a full week of a road trip, an easter egg hunt and easter.

 

 

[week 14 - left page] heading out with the girls for our road trip.  notes from andy to each of us before we left.  the girls with their aunt and cousins.  a drive-thru lunch on the way back home.

 

 

[week 14 - right page] C  after voting with grammy.  the girls playing super heroes with their cousin.  yet another great quote from C.  easter grocery receipt.  the girls ready to go hunt eggs.  C and her big girl bed.

 

[week 14 - insert front] the easter egg hunt at our friend's cul-de-sac.

 

[week 14 - insert back] easter day 2012.

menu plan monday : 4.23.12.

looks like a week full of new recipes.  always fun to experiment and see if there are any keepers to add to our rotation.

meatless monday : spaghetti with vodka cream sauce.  we didn't get to this one last week, so tonight it's a sure thing.  let me tell you how cool i felt as a 36 week pregnant woman purchasing vodka.  there are no words.

i've selected monday as a night of the week for our family to eat a meatless meal as it tends to be more budget friendly as well as a friendlier option for the environment. my meat and potato eating husband tends to go along with this idea because i also make him a yummy dessert in addition to his meatless meal. what can i say, i'm nice like that.

tuesday : tropical chicken tacos. from the latest issue of clean eating.  the girls and i have been enjoying lots of fresh pineapple lately so it seemed like a perfect time to give these a go.

wednesday : marinated skirt steak w/ arugula rice. from the latest issue of everyday food.  the four year old of the house is very much like her daddy in that she's discovered steak is the best thing ever.  this should be a big hit.

thursday : french toast.  the girls have been asking for this one.  breakfast for dinner it is!

friday : chicken tikka masala.  we've had this one other time with good results.  wanting to use up some chicken thighs i have in the freezer.  

 

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last week's new recipe reviews :

hawaiian sweet potato skins.  from the latest issue of clean eating.  the two year old and daddy enjoyed these.  C was ho hum although she did ask for a second helping of kale.  i think i actually had more fun making them than eating them.  but then again, i'm not the biggest fan of ham.  doubt i'll be making these again.

easy garlic chicken. SUPER easy.  and with an ingredient list of stuff i always seem to have on hand.  i doubled the amount of brown sugar/garlic to put on top as the original recipe seemed stingy.  everyone enjoyed and i'll definitely keep this one around.

philly cheesesteak sloppy joes.  another easy one.  instead of the cheese sauce, i simply topped the filling of each sandwich with a slice of provolone and then broiled until nice and melted.  the girls both hate their half a sandwich without complaint.  will likely make again as andy seemed to really enjoy it.

just because.

 

just because.  a quick photo taken before heading out to church this morning and texted to daddy who was rounding at the hospital.

just because.  they haven't worn pants to church in ages but with the change in weather this am, that's what we all ended up wearing.

just because.  i remember how hard i thought it was getting two girls dressed and ready for church at the beginning and in a few weeks, what has now become easy will get just a bit more difficult again.

just because.  they look so grown up all of a sudden.  my chaotic, crazy girls.

sianara sippy.

 

less than a month after turning two, she decided she was done with sippy cups.  she now drinks from a big girl cup, thankyouverymuch.  granted this means only filling her cup half full and then giving her a refill but hey, more power to the girl i say.  she's independent just like her mama.

and i swear what we were eating that night was more appetizing than it looks.  we were enjoying hawaiian sweet potato skins and kale.  her big sister asked for a second helping of kale.  that's a proud mama moment if there ever was one.

project life | week 12.

 

 

[with insert] i have grand plans for project life this week.  week 12 is now finished and in the album.  i also have photos printed for weeks 13 + 14.  hoping to be close to current by the end of this week!

 

 

[without insert] this is the first week that i didn't feel like i had enough 4x6 photos to complete my spread.  instead of photos, i opted to include our menu for the week, a drawing from C and a larger journaling card.

 

 

[left page] our dinner menu for the week. new artwork from C that documents her current phase of drawing rainbows each and everytime and also her new "style" of people.  the girls' yearly check-ups.

 

 

[favorite] my favorite part from this week's spread was this health check journaling card.  the base is an OLD card that i had in my stash that i believe is from my mind's eye.  add some alphabet stickers and another smaller journaling card and it was perfect.  on either side, i had taken photos of the girls' height and weight with my phone from the sheets we brought home from the doctor.

 

 

[right page] C writing her birthday thank you notes.  a field trip.  my perscription for the meds i took for bronchitis.  a quote from L.  the girls having fun with their aunt cuckoo.

 

 

[insert front + back] photos from an overnight trip andy + i took to chicago.  lots of yummy food.  two trips to ikea.  a huge spa in our suite (amazing living social deal).  mucho dinero spent on tolls.

 

menu plan monday : 4.16.12.

 

i'm in total baby prep mode which means lots of things on the to-do list.  going to try to make it an easy week in the kitchen in an attempt to get a few more things accomplished.  wish me luck!

meatless monday : spaghetti with vodka cream sauce.  andy mentioned liking something similar to this that he had dining out (without me) and when i ran across this, it seemed like a perfect option for a meatless meal.  and with the girls loving pasta as much as they do, i'm thinking everyone should be happy.

i've selected monday as a night of the week for our family to eat a meatless meal as it tends to be more budget friendly as well as a friendlier option for the environment. my meat and potato eating husband tends to go along with this idea because i also make him a yummy dessert in addition to his meatless meal. what can i say, i'm nice like that.

tuesday :  hawaiian sweet potato skins.  these got bumped from last week's menu but i'm eager to give them a whirl and hoping they live up to the high expectations i have for them.

wednesday : easy garlic chicken. a pinterest find. looks quite similar to another dish i've made so i'm curious as to how it will compare.

thursday : philly cheesesteak sloppy joes.  a twist on a classic.  another pinterest find for this week.

friday : salsa chicken nachos.  these didn't make it onto last week's menu so they're back and a perfect addition to this week's busy schedule.

weekly scrapbook layout : 4.13.12.

 

i haven't done an actual scrapbook layout for awhile.  life has gotten in the way and with doing project life i just haven't found the time.  but with only four or five weeks left of this pregnancy, what a better time to start L's baby book, right? 

totally inspired by the april studio calico kit and this week's sketch over on the basicgrey blog.  and i shouldn't even mention it took me two nights to put this together.  ugh.  but it's done and ready to go into an album and that's what matters most.