menu monday

party prep + soccer + halloween costumes + work + grumpiest baby EVER = pizza, sandwiches, veggie burgers, etc. i'm looking forward to having some time to do some real cooking, hopefully there will be a better menu next week!

anyone want to bounce a baby while i sew?

halloween crafting

$2 wreath! i found this idea on pinterest. i used a wreath i already had, $1 black streamers, and a $1 crow from dollar tree. it went quickly (got it done while alice was napping) and was so easy. i think it will be nice on the door to greet our guests for the halloween party!

halloween party

i've been busy busy trying to get things in order for our halloween party that's coming up.  robyn made us some awesome, batty save the date cards, so we wanted to do a bat in the invitation as well. i did a pop-up bat with a couple other raised things.

i also used some fun halloweeny fonts on the envelopes.

i'm so looking forward to the beginning of november. partly because family is visiting and partly because that means i survived october.  with soccer, work (and lots of home and hospital visits), a party coming up, and 3 costumes i still need to make, i'm feeling stressed!! i think i'm going to have a few late nights!

menu monday

another busy week coming up with soccer games, parent meeting at school, work and trying to get halloween stuff done - i haven't started sewing costumes yet! eek!

thursday - after work, hospital visit, and grocery shopping, i didn't get home until around 9 something. i have no idea what was for dinner but i missed it.

friday - fluffy french toast and peaches. best french toast ever.

saturday - bell pepper egg in a hole w/ whole wheat english muffins. we did these as a sandwich with some salad greens.

sunday - baked chicken, shells and cheese, and roasted brussel sprouts.

monday - greek chicken pasta

tuesday - tacos

wednesday - spaghetti & salad - maybe lemon garlic spaghetti, i'm not sure. something quick though. 

butternut squash and spicy sausage soup

i've been a huge fan of this soup for years now, so it's about time i post a recipe of sorts. this soups tastes like fall. it's based on this recipe.

gather the supplies. butternut squash, chicken broth, potatoes, corn, sausage, cream, onion, olive oil, salt & pepper.

cut squash, scoop out seeds and put it in a pan w/ some water. bake it until mushy.

scoop out the goodness

chop your onion and sausage into bite-size pieces

saute them in a little bit of olive oil

toss in the corn and potatoes and cook a bit more

puree the squishy squash and the chicken broth

stir it in with your sausage/onion/potato/corn mixture. season with salt and pepper - lots of pepper. let it cook for a little bit (especially if you use fresh potatoes). i'm too impatient to let it cook very long.

 add about 1/2 c. of heavy whipping cream and enjoy!

butternut squash and spicy sausage soup

• 1 butternut squash (i've also used pumpkin)
• 1 box o' chicken broth
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 12 oz. pack of turkey sausage
• 1 onion
• 2 cans of potatoes (or fresh cubed - add some extra cooking time before adding the cream) i've also used sweet potatoes
• corn - as much as you want - i do about the same amount as the potatoes
• salt & pepper - lots of pepper
• 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

criss-cross apron tutorial

if you're like me and you dont like an apron strap tugging at your neck, this is the perfect apron! ignore the wrinkles... i had been cooking when i remembered to take a picture of the finished product.

gather your supplies - 2yds fabric for front and back. some looong fabric for the straps, or something you can piece together. extra fabric for pockets, loops, and hang tag. some cotton filler cord (i'm sure you could find something else around the house for this....). and thread.

find an apron pattern. the one on the left is this one folded up to be shorter. the one on the right is a plus size apron.

make a pocket pattern. this was 8 1/2" x 9" and the top piece was 2 5/8" x 9" cut on a fold. you could even use the baker's apron pattern and fold and sew as instructed and skip making these pockets. in which case you'll need more fabric for your apron.

you also need a strap pattern.  the straps on mine were 2 1/2" x 61 1/2"

cut all the pieces out. front and back, 2 pockets, 2 pocket tops, 4 straps, 2 - 1 1/4" x 6" for loops, 1 - 2" x 6" for hang tag.

sew pocket tops to pockets, turn edges under and iron (and pin the hell outta them so they stay), fold top down and sew onto inside of pocket.

pin onto front of apron and sew them down. dont sew them closed.

sew straps right sides together, trim and turn.  i like to sew the end on an angle because it makes me feel fancy.

make green beans*. these are the loops your straps will go through.

sew the hang tag.

put apron pieces right sides together

sew along the black lines leaving openings for loops, straps, hang tag, and turning.

so now you should have your apron with pockets sewn on, straps sewn and turned, two green beans* and one hang tag.

turn your apron right side out, press, pin the straps to the tops and the loops on the sides.

pin your hang tag underneath one strap.  since this apron doesnt have a closed loop for the neck, you'll want something to hang it with. (thank you for the idea, robyn!)

here is what that process looks like. start with the edges pressed under, pin your pieces in, and then top stitch around the entire apron.  make sure you reinforce the pieces by sewing over them a few times. you dont want to pull a loop off while you're tying your apron!

and then you're done. put your apron on and go cook something yummy.

*your green beans do not have to be green.

8 months

another month older already! eek! at last weigh in, alice was 14lbs 13oz and 25 inches long. it still seems awfully shrimpy to me, but the fat rolls on her legs are still reassuring. she seems healthy and usually happy.

we think she may have said her first words "bye bye" - but she only did it for one day.  she was waving at people that had left when she did it, so we're pretty sure it was the real thing.  jeremy also thinks she says "mama"  she also says dada, but we're not sure if that's just babbles or not.

she is scooting/army crawling all over the place (she followed oscar all the way into his room the other day). she gets up on her knees and rocks back and forth, but hasn't actually done any real crawling.

she got tooth number FIVE on october 9th for gramma and grandpa's anniversary. tooth number 6 will be arriving shortly - i wonder if she'll manage to save it for a special occasion or if it will break through before one comes along. oscar was just getting his first tooth at 8 months!

and now she LOVES to eat yummy foods. she has become a cheerio fiend. i was concerned that she was only going to want cheerios, but it turns out that she just likes being able to pick up things that size and eat them. we mostly skipped over the spoon-feeding. her favorites are cubes of sweet potato, carrot, apple, and avocado coated with cheerio crumbs (so they aren't too slimy to pick up). bananas and peaches were followed by an unhappy tummy, so we're going to wait and try those again later.

menu monday - on tuesday

this has not been a week of healthy eating so far.. i'm having a rough time juggling cooking with work, soccer, teething baby, costume making and party planning. i dont look for things to easier this month, so i'm going to have to figure out how to get it all done!

thursday - jeremy brought a pizza surprise home. i got home late-ish from work and grocery shopping and all alice wanted to do was nurse the rest of the night.  i think work days are a bit rough on her as well - all those people trying to get her to smile all day... (and she wont. she does NOT smile at strangers unless that are really good at peek-a-boo)

friday - corned beef and cabbage

saturday - lemon garlic spaghetti and salad

sunday - crock pot - pot roast w/ potatoes and carrots

monday - junk. i need to come up with some sort of plan for mondays. soccer games at 5:30 mean we need to be leaving home at about 10 til 5 - no time for dinner! i think i need to either pack a picnic dinner for after the game or have something ready in the crock pot. suggestions?

tuesday - meatloaf, roasted herbed potatoes and green beans

wednesday - tuna salad sandwiches and salad

Menu Monday

Alice has been super grumpy (i suspect tooth #5 will show up soon), so I'm attempting to blog from my phone/bed. Since grocery shopping will be happening Thursdays, I think menu Monday will be Thursday - Wednesday instead of Saturday - Friday.

Thursday - lemon garlic spaghetti - I think this is becoming one of my favorite quick meals!

Friday - turkey meatloaf, roasted herbed potatoes, green beans - I had my first official home visit as lactation specialist that night and was able to prep most of the food in the twenty minutes before I ran out the door. All Jeremy had to worry about were the green beans.

Saturday - bell pepper egg in a hole on mixed greens and a whole wheat English muffin - this was another yummy one I saw on shutterbean.

Sunday - quinoa and Jake crustless quiche - found on pinterest

Monday - grilled swiss and cheddar cheese sandwiches, tomato soup concoction, and kale chips

Tuesday - pizza and green beans

Wednesday - tuna sandwiches and...?

menu monday

mondays keep coming and all the posts i've been wanting to do just aren't getting done! so here's another menu monday - shopping and meal planning is currently weird.  i'm thinking about switching to a mid-week shopping trip since i've been promoted to lactation specialist and will be working in waynesboro one day a week. it seems silly to drive back a day or two later to pick up groceries if i'm already going to be in town anyway!

saturday - tortilla pinwheels and pringles - this was really a last minute meal of leftovers and junk - but that's ok. we spent the whole day in hattiesburg at the LLL family day breastfeeding awareness celebration and then doing some shopping for halloween supplies.

sunday - toasted roast beef, tomato, and swiss sandwiches with roasted green beans.

monday - veggie burgers on flat buns and sweet potato fries - i forgot to get avocado! boo!

tuesday - pizza and green beans

wednesday - butternut squash and spicy sausage soup

thursday - lemon garlic spaghetti and some sort of vegetable

friday - meatloaf, roasted herbed potatoes and green beans

my co-worker's last day is thursday, and i'm excited to be starting the new job! i love meeting the clients in person instead of on the phone all the time. also, i'll have an office - which means i'll have less work stuff taking up space in my bedroom! yay!

1st day of school

**this blog is from september 20th but somehow didn't get posted!**

 

thought i would go ahead and post pictures from oscar's first day of school.... which was a month ago.

oscar is doing a great job in school and we always get positive reports from his teacher. they are working on the letter D this week and have all sorts of fun things coming up in the next month! there will be a field trips and lunches with family members and fall photos! i volunteered to be the parent representative for oscar's classroom - i have no idea what's involved in that, but no one else wanted to do it! and i think jeremy is planning on building some cubbies for the classroom for their bookbags and blankets and such.

and here is oscar's first day riding the school bus! 

menu monday

let's see.. i don't have any yummy pictures for this week - oops! but here is alice after a bath after being covered in sweet potato - see - food related. i was so hungry for pasta when i made the shopping list this week!

saturday - lemon garlic spaghetti - found this one on pinterest and it was delicious!

sunday - greek chicken pasta - please put gloria's harvest pitted salad mix in there. we didn't know we liked anything besides black olives before trying those - i'm hooked now. yum. i dont think the chicken is necessary in this (jeremy does - of course). but definitely put in some yummy olives!

monday - tuna salad sandwiches and green beans - a quick dinner before a meeting at school

tuesday - spaghetti and meatballs and salad - pasta pasta pasta!

wednesday - sweet potato burritos - had an earlier soccer practice last week, so these got bumped from the rotation. i did cook the beans and get them divided up in the freezer for faster prep time. these might get bumped again since i'll be working wednesday and i'm thinking about doing the grocery shopping that night to save a trip to town.

thursday - jalapeno shrimp and pasta - this one is in a cookbook. i'll try to blog it if it's a success.

friday - pizza and green beans - we're doing homemade pizza this week (oscar's request - he wants to put his basil leaves on it)

saturday morning we'll be headed to a breastfeeding awareness walk and la leche league potluck. i'm thinking about taking one savory and one sweet dish - any suggestions? we have some errands to run afterwards (fabric store! craft store!), so i need something that will get eaten and not go to waste in a hot car! i'm thinking chocolate truffle pie and..........?

7 months

i think alice is going to be an actress - check out this five minute photo shoot.  we've got happy

surprised

serious

inquisitive

angelic

and drunken silliness (which reminded me of another cute kid i know.....)

anyway... alice is awesomeness. she's been rolling and scooting all over the place. she's trying lots of new foods - though still getting mainly breast milk - not much else actually gets in. if i peel a whole apple and give it to her she likes to hold it and gnaw at it. she's been doing lots of talking and shouting and still adores her big brother.

menu monday

super boring this week - was trying for simple things since jeremy expects to be in birmingham part of the week.

saturday - molasses-orange-glazed-chicken salads.  mixed greens, sliced glazed chicken, tomato, onion, orange chunks, toasted walnuts, homemade croutons and honey mustard dressing.  this was danielle's birthday dinner request and was mmm mmm good.  for dessert we had the above tiramisu layer cake which was SO good. jeremy's mom requested one for her birthday and the whole cake was finished off before everyone left that night.

sunday - tuna salad sandwiches and green beans. snore. (so boring that we almost forgot to eat dinner)

monday - pizza and green beans (oscar's request, of course!)

tuesday - whole grain banana walnut pancakes. these are already done and in the freezer - just need to heat and serve with some bananas. i should have extra cream from the soup, so i may be able to whip up some maple whipped cream...

wednesday - butternut squash and spicy sausage soup.  i took pictures - i think i even arranged them in a blog post... now i just need to finish the post so that you can make some of this. because it's good. really good.

thursday - sweet potato burritos. uh oh - i think i forgot cilantro. i think i need to buy some cilantro in a tube for times like these.  i almost bought some a couple months ago, but stopped after looking at the ingredients.

friday - ???? this will probably be quesadillas - probably tuesday or wednesday night - probably just me and oscar (and alice)

menu monday

this week i'm trying to use up some things in the pantry and freezer.

saturday -  fresh tomato basil soup, grilled mozzarella and gouda cheese sandwiches, roasted asparagus. oscar requested grilled cheese, and we ha a ton of bread to use up. the fresh homemade tomato soup was yum-eee

sunday - cajun baked catfish, smoked gouda cheese grits, cool southwestern salad. i guess i was feeling ambitious to try three new recipes in one night.  the catfish was not my favorite - but jeremy said it probably had more to do with the fish than with the recipe. the southwestern salad was ok - i really expected to love it, but i think i was a bit too heavy-handed with the dressing. the cheese grits were AWESOME. i ate the leftovers for breakfast. this used up a big bag of catfish and cleared out some freezer space.

monday - we're invited to a luau today!

tuesday - venison roast with carrots, onions, and potatoes in the slow cooker. i think this is the last of our venison stash.

wednesday - cabbage roll casserole - cabbage roll flavors in a lasagna layout. this will use up a bag of chopped cabbage that's in the fridge.

thursday - rice pasta w/ homemade spaghetti sauce and sauteed mushrooms, spinach salad.  that rice pasta has been in my cupboard for ages! i also already have the sauce frozen.

friday - chicken stir fry. this will use up chicken and veggies in the freezer, teriyaki sauce, and whatever other veggies didnt make it into other meals this week.

menu monday!

i was thinking i might start posting our menu every week since i like reading other people's menus for ideas.  i usually just list out 7 meals and then make them on any night i feel like it. i do my shopping on friday or saturday, so i'll list what we already had to eat on saturday and sunday.

saturday - corn zucchini lime pizza - this was really yummy!! oscar made a separate pizza - just for fun - with tomatoes and basil that he grew. he spread the dough out perfectly and had all the ingredients spaced evenly on top. i was seriously impressed! we were so wrapped up in pizza making that i forgot a veggie for a side dish.

sunday - greek frittata, roasted green beans, crusty bread - this frittata is amazing and easy, we love it.

monday - butternut squash and spicy sausage soup - i use an altered version of this recipe. i've mentioned it a couple times before - perhaps it's time i post an actual recipe.

tuesday - sweet potato burritos - these are yummy, i've made the two weeks in a row already. i add cheese and olives to the top along with the olive oil and cilantro.

wednesday - pizza and green beans - every week i ask oscar what he wants for dinner the next week and he usually tells me pizza and green beans (or broccoli.. or peas..). he understands that we have to have a vegetable with it and it gives me an easy cooking night, so i dont complain!

thursday - quesadillas - jeremy will be out of town and i have extra tortillas, so i'll probably make up some sort of quesadilla with what we have on hand.

friday - fluffy french toast with maple whipped cream (leftover cream from squash soup), eggs and cherries. we actually ate this last friday night.  the sourdough bread i got on the discount cart needed to be eaten, and so did the cherries that i splurged on (mmm).

so that's our menu! i have a surplus of canned tuna - so if you have any recipes that use canned tuna, let me know!