For The First Time In Forever

Since I typed the blog post title, I now have that song from Frozen in my head.  Oh, now you do too?  You're welcome :)

 

One of my goals this year is to eat out less and to eat at home more.  Which requires that I cook more.  Don't get me wrong.  I do enjoy cooking.  But by the end of the day I am wiped out.  And the kids are whiny.  And it isn't terribly uncommon for me to be on the cusp of losing it.  And if I do cook, the kids complain or take for-freaking-ever to eat.  So it just makes it that much harder for me to want to step foot near the stove and oven.

 

But yesterday I decided we were going to give it a go!  I actually went to the grocery store and had some things on hand.  And we ate at home last night and tonight (baby steps, folks)!  And I am happy to report that both of the items were a success with the whole crew!  That's right - 2 for 2 so far this week!

 

Here is the list on the fridge...

I do need to go to the store to get the items for pesto pizza and tacos, but that won't be too hard to grab!  And those usually go over pretty well too.

 

Both the Creamy Onion Chicken and Lasagna Cups are recipes from Tastefully Simple.  And I will most definitely be making those again regularly!  YUM!  Here were my lasagna cups before I inhaled them this evening...

What are some of your favorite, easy recipes?  When I cook, I often use the crockpot - it is a lifesaver!  I have several different recipes pinned that I want to try in the crockpot.  My Foodie Friday may make a comeback this year if I can get it together with the menu planning, grocery shopping, and cooking!!

 

And how is it already February?!  I have so many posts to do - ha!  One of them is the second half of January (since I think I only did 3 posts the whole month - oops)!  Will get that one up soon and try to stay on top of things!  For now, I think I am getting in bed and reading my book (and hopefully finishing it).  That's another goal this year - more reading, less Facebooking...we shall see how that goes! :)

 



 

Foodie Friday: Oatmeal Banana Breakfast Muffins

This week, we followed our menu plan loosely :) We ended up picking up Newk's Monday night because we had gone out to shop at Jos A Bank's big sale and were all starving (and I didn't want to prepare anything)!  Tuesday night I had a meeting, so Brad and Katie had leftovers from the weekend.  And Wednesday night, I made the Pesto Tortellini with Pine Nuts - so easy and always a crowd favorite!  And the neighbors came to eat with us, so that was fun!

I did do some cooking this week for a breakfast item I found on Pinterest.  I had never tried to bake anything that didn't have oil or flour in it, so I decided to give it a try!  I made Oatmeal Banana Breakfast Muffins!

Here are all the ingredients in the blender.  I made the mistake of ignoring the suggestion of putting the oats in a little at a time.  Oops!  So I ended up having to take it all out into a bowl and mashing it around with a spoon.  It worked just fine but I am sure a blender or food processor would've been easier.  It's definitely times like this where I wish I had a KitchenAid Mixer - that would make me "official" ... maybe I can ask for that for birthday/Christmas this year!  I bet they go on sale on Black Friday :)  

Anyways...back to the muffins...this is what they looked like when they were done!

They are really good and filling...and only 50 CALORIES each!! I did use Splenda instead of sugar and Egg Beaters instead of eggs, so that is why they are so low in calories!  And I very badly want to try one with Nutella - but that would negate the health factor :)  When I make them again, I might try putting some cinnamon and maybe honey in them to enhance the flavor a bit.  But they are easy and delicious - I highly recommend them!  Just be sure to add the oats gradually rather than get in a hurry and pour it all together at the start! Also, on the website, there are a lot of comments of variations people have tried - ways to make it dairy free, adding pumpkin, etc!  So be sure to take a look at the comments!

Momma's Little Helper

Last night, some friends came over for dinner, so I was doing some cooking.  Katie wanted to help, so she finally got to wear her apron she got for Christmas! So cute - and she loved it!  I think she makes a cute little chef.  And the food turned out so yummy (recipes to come on Friday)!  I also love that maybe, just maybe, my new lens makes it easier for Brad to take pictures with my nice camera - the quality of the pics is just so much better! 

In other news, my little sous-chef had to go to the doctor yesterday - yes, our pediatrician's office even has hours on Sunday!!  She woke up at 4:30 saying her ear hurt.  I LOVE that she can tell us what hurts!!  I don't like that it ended up being a double ear infection, but so glad we could get it taken care of and get antibiotics going as soon as possible!  She is feeling much better and slept til 8:15 this morning (and proceeded to get up, go pee-pee TWICE, and change into big girl panties - Brad caught the tail end and helped her with the panties, but I'm so proud she is doing those things on her own!)  Happy Monday!

Christmas Goodies

Sweets are a must along with the Christmas season!  As I type this, my mouth is watering just thinking about all the yummy goodness that Brad's aunt made (and we will be consuming tonight)! Fudge, cookies, cheesecake, cupcakes....DELICIOUS! This year, I did some baking myself!

Brad had been asking me to make a coffee cake for quite some time.  Since the thought of food made me want to cry for several weeks, he just had to wait.  But last weekend I finally felt up to the task!  And it turned out pretty nice (and yummy), I think!  It definitely tasted better a day or two after I had made it.

 I also baked cookies for our neighbors as a gift from us!  I made peppermint sugar cookies and mint double chocolate turds cookies - they were both pretty tasty - even if they weren't aesthetically pleasing (if I do say so myself)!  I especially love the little boxes I put them in!  Thanks, TJ Maxx!

 Earlier this week, we had a little tea party!  Katie, myself, Grandma, Cee Cee, and June (a family friend from many years ago) enjoyed it - what fun!  I know Katie really enjoyed it.  Here is a little picture of some of the food...

Earlier this month, Katie and I baked some cookies on a rainy day!  Here she is ready to go - that apron was mine when I was little!

 And, of course, a self portrait - not too shabby!  I love my girl so much!  But please excuse me looking pretty rough...

 And the cookies! Aren't they cute?! Next year I want to make plain old sugar cookies and let Katie put icing and sprinkles on.  This year, this definitely worked!

 Katie loved it!  Here she is waiting on her cookie to cool off.  It was definitely a lesson on patience also - she had to wait to let the cookies bake and then let hers cool off!

I'm hoping we can decorate our gingerbread house today - if not, we may do it after Christmas and try to let it be a festive New Years house :)