Weekend Whereabouts

I made the lemon bars that I posted about on Friday and they were delicious! The recipe calls for a cup of lemon juice so you need A LOT of lemons (I bought 2 bags at Trader Joe's and went through most of them) but it's worth it to have the fresh juice. The finally product tasted and looked like spring. They were a hit at the church party so I think others liked them as well! 

This weekend the weather was amazing! I think it was the nicest weather we've had all year. It was sunny and warm both Saturday and Sunday so we spent a lot of time at the park. We went to a 1st birthday party on Saturday and they were able to have it in their backyard. I forgot to take a picture :( Saturday night we went out to eat with some friends. Of course the night we stay up too late Grant wakes up A TON in the night. I think he's getting a cold. 

Sunday night we ended up grilling hamburgers to be able to be outside as much as possible. Bennett says that hamburgers are his favorite food right now. It's the only meat he'll eat so we should probably make more hamburgers. Grant only ate the bun and fruit. 

It's gorgeous out again (close to 80!) so we are off to the park. Have a great Monday!

Fri-yay!

TGIF

This is my new favorite cocktail: 

vodka

lime LaCroix sparkling water

grapefruit juice

lime 

Dinner Menu Planning 

Sunday: Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas 

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: Pasta with roasted tomatoes and salad

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Salmon, bread and salad

Friday: Pizza


These banana bites. My kids are always asking for snacks! Thought I'd try these.


This quinoa salad. I plan to make it on Sunday and have it for lunch for the week.


I have to bring lemon bars for a church social on Sunday. I'm going to use this recipe from Ina.

You should buy these if you haven't. My kids love them! Bennett likes to peel them himself and then he'll eat the whole thing and ask for seconds. 

Reading this week

I just started reading this and it's so funny.

I want to order this book. Heard it's great!

I ordered these Beauty Counter products for my kids a few days ago and can't wait to start using them. The less chemicals the better, in my opinion.

Have a great weekend! 

Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

I made this recipe from Smitten Kitchen and while they taste yummy, I obviously didn't do something right. The crust did not come out the way it was supposed to. Step one says:

Pour 1/4 cup water into a small saucepan. Gently add the sugar and corn syrup (do not let any sugar or syrup get on the sides of the pan) and use a small wooden spoon to stir the mixture until just combined. Put a candy thermometer in the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 235 degrees F.

I don't have a candy thermometer so I just boiled it for a bit. The result was just a sugary liquid. I think because of this, the crust never hardened. Still tasted yummy! 

Our Weekend

This is how I felt this weekend. We woke up to snow on the ground Saturday morning. Come on, Spring!

Friday night = pizza night + House of Cards 

Saturday night: Chick-fil-A at our friend's house. I was so excited to get Chick-fil-A because we don't live near one. 

Sunday we went to church and ran errands. No pictures taken! 

Sunday night, I made this bolognese sauce  and served it over pasta with a side salad. 

Menu for the week

Sunday: pasta with bolognese sauce and salad

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: Dinner out (my brother-in-law is coming by for a quick visit on his way back to NC)

Wednesday: BBQ chicken in the crock pot with homemade cole slaw and salad. Put chicken breasts in the crock pot, pour your favorite BBQ sauce all over and set on low 4-6 hours. 

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Pizza 

Checklist for the week

Want to order this measuring board for our house. The boys are growing quickly and I want to keep track to show them. 

Make these biscuits for breakfast.

Make these energy balls.

Have a great Monday!

Days Lately

TGIF

We are headed to my friend Colleen's this morning for a playdate. Colleen and I were part of a playgroup of new moms when I first moved to Chicago. Bennett and her daughter Addie have known each other since they were six months old.

Breakfast one morning this week.

Leftover enchiladas for lunch. It was too heavy for midday! But, someone had to rid of the leftovers!

I roasted sweet potatoes one night. Roast at 350 with olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. I loved them! 

Grant did not.

I made this 4 Ingredient Pesto Ranch Chicken last night and it was delicious. Served over a bed of rice and peas. 

We usually buy a big bulk thing of coffee from Costco but we ran out before I could get back to Costco. I bought this kind from Trader Joe's and it's really good! The beans smell like cake. 

It's been so cold and overcast with rain and snow here. Hoping we see some sun today! Have a great weekend!

What We've Been Reading

I usually start every morning with this

I also follow Proverbs 31  and the First 5 app. I like to wake up before my kids in the morning and have quiet time with my coffee and scripture. It helps to focus my heart for the day.

I'm reading Don't Make Me Count to Three to help me with discipline. The author focuses on scripture to look at the heart of an issue.

I recently check this book out from the library and thought it was "meh." It was entertaining and a little different from the usual fun fiction books I like.

The boys and I checked out this book and loved it!  It reminded me so much of my boys when they eat bananas. 

We also checked this out from the library and it's so cute. 

Toddler Snacks

I am in charge of bringing in the "healthy snack" on Wednesday for Bennett's preschool class. I saw this post and thought they were so cute.

I've also made these oatmeal raisin energy bites that my kids love. I added some chocolate chips to make them seem like a special treat.

Other snack ideas:

• grapes (cut length-wise)
• apple slices
• clementines
• homemade granola bars
• dried fruit
• cheese sticks
• carrots and hummus 
• apples + nut butter
• smoothie with hidden frozen spinach
• pita bread + hummus 

Regardless of what he eats, Grant makes a HUGE mess 

He looks innocent enough in this picture but there is food all over the floor and the seat and his pants.