Menu Monday + a recipe!

Monday: Pancakes and bacon

Tuesday: spaghetti (froze some a couple weeks ago--easy meal!)

Wednesday: Chicken, black bean, corn, & avocado burrito bowls

Thursday: Easier Shepherd's Pie with Roasted Potatoes

Friday: Ham and swiss cheese sliders (this is similar to my recipe except we don't use mayo...ick)

Saturday: homemade pizza night!

 

Sunday: Baked Chicken Parmesan with cheese tortellini

Alright, on to the recipe! About 2 weeks ago Ben grabbed lunch for us at Whole Foods. He came home with a Roasted Pumpkin Salad for me that was SO GOOD. I literally savored every single bite all the while writing down what I thought the ingredients were in my planner. I'm not joking...I wanted to recreate it immediately! I replaced the pumpkin with butternut squash, because honestly, I didn't know how/what kind of pumpkin to cook. And, I love butternut squash!

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash peeled & cubed

1 green bell pepper diced

1 small onion diced

1/4 cup of raisins

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup pecans (I cut these in half)

2 scallions

Coat the butternut squash with EVOO, salt, & pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. While that is cooking, saute the onions & bell pepper in EVOO until tender. Keep them on low until the squash is finished. In a large bowl mix the raisins, cranberries, sunflower seeds, & pecans. When the squash is finished cooking, add that & the onion/pepper mixture to the bowl. Mix really well while everything is warm. Top with thinly sliced scallions. You may want to add the scallions fresh each time you eat it so the onion flavor doesn't take over. This was really good warm & it was good straight out of the fridge! It tasted like fall in a bowl! 

Hope you try it & like it!

Five on Friday

It's Friday & I haven't blogged all week. I promise we did not disappear. We did, however, have a sick house for most of the week & we lived inside in our pajamas! I'm linking up with Darci & the gang for Five on Friday. Here is a look at what went on this week...

1. Griffin woke up early on Sunday morning with a high fever. We skipped church and hung around house all day. It was rainy & gross out so it really wasn't that bad. I do hate when my babies are sick though!

2. Griff was still running a low fever on Monday morning but Grayson was feeling great. I assumed that it had missed him. We had a mama/toddler day date to Gentry Farms with some of our friends while Griff stayed home. We had a great morning at the pumpkin patch...I'll do a post on that next week!

3. Around 1:00 am on Tuesday morning, G came walking into our room completely hysterical. I thought he had a bad dream until I picked him up. He was burning up. Poor guy had a 102 temperature. SO, our Tuesday was spent at home, skipping school, & watching way too much Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. 

4. After the boys napped on Tuesday, I started feeling bad. Sure enough, I also had a high fever. I honestly  do not remember the last time I was sick with anything other than a stomach virus. It lasted 24 hours and was awful. Luckily Ben was home that night & took over so I could go to bed after dinner. He's a good man! 

5. The only good thing about being stuck inside when your sick is that I was able to watch a whole lot of Parenthood during naps. I am on season 3 and I am hooked. This show is so good!! Why did I not watch it sooner?! My house may be an absolute disaster after this week, but I did watch about 10 episodes! Also? Now I want to be a Braverman. 

 

Happy Friday, friends! 

Griffin is 14 months old!

Griffin is 14 months (and a few days--oops) old! 

You are still our tiny little guy! Not sure how much you weigh, but you are still wearing some 9 month clothes & the rest are 12 month. You also have tiny feet--not quite a size 4! We have had to buy you all new shoes for the fall because you can't wear your brother's old Keds yet because they are too big. 

Here's what has been going on over the last month:

• you are cutting 2 more teeth! That brings your total to 12. You are constantly feeling those teeth with your tongue!
• You are walking ALL over the place & trying to run. You can also now stand up on your own! This has made playing outside so much more fun for you. 
• Your teachers at church love you. They are so happy when I bring you on Sundays & Wednesdays.ur You cry at first but you have so much fun with your baby friends! 
• We went on a 6 hour road trip to Kentucky & you had a blast! You played in a bouncy house for the first time and loved it. 
• Besides your mama & daddy, the only person you LOVE to go to is our sweet neighbor, Emma. You love her. As soon as she walks out of her house, you yell "HEY!!" She's definitely one of your favorites!

 You are currently loving...

• our neighbor's trampoline
• you are OBSESSED with your paci and want it all day long. I dread taking it away eventually!
• whole milk and Pediasure
• watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
• playing with trucks & looking for airplanes outside

 Happy 14 months to our tiny, fearless, & funny little boy!

 

So What! Wednesday

This week I am saying SO WHAT if...

• we totally failed at No Spend September? 
• I am totally obsessed with Jazzercise now? It is such a fun work out! I'm addicted. 
• I make monkey bread muffins every single time I bring food to MOPS? I'm just too scared to try anything new......and they are delicious. 
• all I want out of my work outs & calorie counting is a thigh gap? 
• we went to Newk's the other night for dinner and I totally forgot that my 6lb spoiled rotten chihuahua was outside before we left? OOPS. Mom brain. 
• I left TWO milk sippy cups in the boys bathroom while we were in Kentucky? GAG.
• Wednesdays are my favorite because I change out of my momiform? Jeans! Jewelry! A real bra!
• it is totally stressing me out that I am 2 days behind on taking Griff's 14 month pictures? Also? FOURTEEN MONTHS. wah.

The Time I Went to the Sticks

I have been wanting to visit my sweet friend, Jen, in Eastern Kentucky for SO long. She always tells me about how she lives in the middle of nowhere & it is sounds so different than where I live. We finally had our kids birthdays on different days so I thought Carsyn's 3rd birthday party would be the perfect weekend! The boys and I left on Friday for the 6 hour {solo} drive. They did so good and we had the best time all weekend! Here is a look at our weekend...

Carsyn had a Minnie Festival and it was so cute! Jen did such a great job and I loved all the pink & glittery pumpkins! I'll let you read her post for all the fun details:)

We were truly out in the middle of nowhere. These were hanging out nearby. It was a little bit different than where we live! I wish I was in town longer so I could explore!

G & Griff had the best time at the party. They ran all over the property for about 8 hours. Seriously!

Poor Griff couldn't hang the whole time...I pushed him for about 10 minutes and he slept through the first hour of the party! 

The pretty little birthday girl!

my very first internet friend! :) 

me & my boys on the hay ride! They loved it, of course. 

sweet little (big) Hank.

The highlight of Griff's trip may have been the fact that the train was like 30 feet from Jen's parents house. BIG deal!

my first corn maze EVER. 

I love these boys! Wish we lived closer!

My first time on the Ranger. I think I could have lived in the country....if there was a Target close by! Ha!

Our weekend was so much fun & we are still recovering! We can't wait to see our Kentucky friends again!

Menu Monday

We had a great weekend in Kentucky but I am ready to be home for a little while & eat in. I was actually looking forward to meal planning yesterday! Here's what is on our menu this week:

Monday: Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce with Baked Sweet Potatoes

Tuesday: Spaghetti (the kids favorite AND I get to hide veggies in it!) & garlic bread

Wednesday: Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili with cornbread

Thursday: Honey Lime Enchiladas with black beans & corn
 

Friday: Pizza Rolls with marinara sauce (this is a neighbor's recipe...once I perfect it like she did, I'll have to post the recipe!)

Saturday: Hamburgers for the the boys & Turkey Burger with Zucchini for me!

Sunday: Chicken, Corn, & Potato Chowder

Five on Friday

I am linking up with Darci & the gang today! Here's my Friday brain dump...

1. Today is a happy, happy day because me & the boys are going to visit Jen, Carsyn, & Hank!! I am driving the 5ish hours up to Kentucky today to spend the weekend with my BBF (best bloggy friend) and celebrate Carsyn's 3rd birthday with a big ol' shindig! I can't wait! Pray that I don't get lost out in the sticks with no cell service--ha!

2. SOOOO, on the Operation Skinny Mama front, I joined Jazzercise this week!

 

I really wish I could wear 80s costumes to the workouts, but I don't think that would be appropriate. BUT, all legwarmer/leotard jokes aside, I LOVE IT. I have done 3 classes and burned over 550 calories each time...it is a great workout! It is much harder than I thought and I am sore. This mama needs to get in shape! 

3. Fall is my favorite...especially the start of all my tv shows! 

 

Chicago Fire was my favorite new show last year & it was so good this week!

 

Law & Order: SVU will always hold a special place in my heart. It is, hands down, my favorite show of all time!
 
The Voice is also back with the original judges!I just couldn't get into it with Usher & Shakira. I'm glad the original four are back. And goodness, I love me some Adam Levine.

What are you watching??

4.On the Wednesdays that I don't have MOPS, I do a bible study for women at my church. It's a pretty big group of women but I love the fellowship time. This year we are doing a book study on this:

I am really enjoying it so far. I feel like it is so hard to be content; especially when we live in the world where everyone always wants more. I have only read through the first 2 chapters but so far I love this book!

5. We have been talking about Halloween costumes around here. I think I have finally talked Grayson out of being a fireman again. I think G will be a Titans football player & I want Griff to be the referee. However, I will have to get creative with Griffin's costume because I can't find one in his size anywhere! I keep toying with the idea of having him wear Grayson's old gnome costume because it was the funniest thing ever.

I mean, really. It still doesn't get old. Grayson the Gnome is the best.

Have a great weekend!