Month of Meals {January}

I've said it again and again, "this month I'm going to start planning my meals". And I have, just not as consistently as I would like. Since it's the start to a new year, why not say it again. I use a combination of websites, Pinterest, cook books and my own recipes when coming up with things to make. I plan for cooking Sunday-Friday, with Thursdays open for left-overs. We usually eat out Saturday night. 

Here's what I've come up with for January {links to recipe when available}:

Jan 1-5

Tuscan Chicken Soup

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chimichuri Steak & Chicken

Jan 6-12

Chicken Skewers with Taziki

Lettuce Wraps

Crispy Chicken Parmesan & Salad

Tomato Basil Soup

Chicken Tacos

Jan 13-19

Mac & Cheese with Roasted Chicken

Whole Wheat Orzo with Broccoli

OMG Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Tortellini & Asparagus

Stir Fry

Jan 20-16

Baked lemon chicken & salad

Kale & Roasted Vegetable Soup

Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken with Couscous

Taco Salad

BBQ Chicken with Polenta Potatoes

January 27-31

BBQ Pork

Chicken Noodle Soup

Pesto Chicken Pasta

Pepper Crockpot Chicken

Note: I try and cook as healthy as possible. If a recipe calls for cream or butter, you can guarantee I swap it out for milk and olive oil. I also make a grocery list at the beginning of each week so I can go through the pantry and mark off what I already have and get everything I need. 

I'm Back

My last post was in March of last year, and oh so much has happened in my life since then. I guess I should start with why I stopped blogging. I felt like it was taking over my role as a mom. I felt I had to come up with the most original, beautiful, never-seen-on-Pinterest before thoughts and ideas. I was also pregnant at the time {happy to say we welcomed a little boy to our family in September} and it was one more thing weighing me down. Having an 18 month old and being pregnant was exhausting in and of itself.

We also were in between houses. We were renting a darling house in a great neighborhood when we decided to buy a new home in a city nearby and closer to my husband's job {his commute was a little over an hour each day}. The day we put an offer in on the house we received an email from our then landlords that they were going to put the house we were renting up for sale. Only confirmation that us purchasing was exactly what we were supposed to be doing. So with a two week old, a house that I had to move out of and a house I purchased still under construction, we did the only thing anyone else would do in my situation, moved in with my parents. It ended up being a great time for us all {I think}. My parents helped out so much with my two year old while I took care of the baby. I was excited to move into our new house but sad to leave my parents {having dinners made and laundry done was such a blessing}.

Jump forward to the second week in December and we closed escrow on our first house. We totally love it and can't wait to make it our own.

Now that my life seems a little more "permanent" I decided to get back into this thing called blogging. I can't promise a post everyday, maybe not even every week but I'll do my best to bring readers things I hope they'll enjoy!

Here's for more to come,

Allison

Easter Eggs

I think we've dyed Easter Eggs every year since I can remember. We usually just use vinegar and food coloring (which works great) but I thought these Easter Eggs were super cute and a little different than your plain colored eggs. 

Candle Wax Spotted Eggs:

via

Glitter Eggs

via

Naturally Dyed Eggs

via

Metallic Eggs

via

Marbleized Eggs

via

Stenciled Eggs

via

Happy Egg Dying!

Some Random Favorites

I've been slightly obsessed with a few things of late. 

First up, Stubb's pork marinade. One pork loin with this marinade in the crock pot for a few hours and you will have some amazing pork. I recommend it served as tacos. 

Second, Galeos Miso Caesar dressing. This with kale and parmesean cheese is delicious. 

On a different note, I'm loving ranunculus right now. And Trader Joe's currently has them in stock. 

I'm loving all the pretty things that come with Spring. It's only making me more excited for Summer!

Birthday

Today is my birthday. So I'm going to:

How cute is this poster? You can download and print it for free here. 

March Madness

Ok, so I admit my husband and I get pretty competitive when it comes to March Madness. I have always loved basketball and it is always fun to watch. I think last Thursday and Friday are the least productive work days of the year. My husband was emailing and texting back and forth with me and I'm thinking, "are you even working today".  My bracket hasn't fared well in the first few rounds, but I still have 7 of the Elite 8 teams so I'm hoping I finish strong. I think on ESPN I'm ranked in the 3 millionth place. Not doing well. 

The two of us always try and come up with a good prize for the winner between my husband and I. I'm trying to convince him that if I win he has to change all diapers on the weekends for a month. I think I need to win. He is still trying to figure out what he wants if he wins. Oh, and the team I have picked to win it all:

Considering one of their star players broke his arm in the last game I'm not thinking this is going to end well. 

Best Kale Salad (recipe)

After eating at True Food Kitchen I have become slightly obsessed with kale. They have the best (in my opinion) kale salad. I could eat it all day. And they are kind enough to put it on their website for all of us to try. 

Dr. Weil's Kale Salad

Ingredients - 4-6 cups kale, loosely packed, sliced leaves of Italian black (Lacinato, "dinosaur," cavolo nero) midribs removed - juice of 1 lemon - 3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - 2 cloves garlic, mashed - salt & pepper, to taste - hot red pepper flakes, to taste - 2/3 cup grated Pecorino Toscano cheese (Rosselino variety if you can find it) or other flavorful grating cheese such as Asiago or Parmesan - 1/2 cup freshly made bread crumbs from lightly toasted bread Instructions Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and a generous pinch (or more to taste) of hot red pepper flakes. Pour over kale in serving bowl and toss well. Add 2/3 of the cheese and toss again. Let kale sit for at least 5 minutes. Add bread crumbs, toss again, and top with remaining cheese.