Tip Tuesday {Recipes}

If you're like me, sometimes you don't know what's exactly for dinner until you look in the kitchen around 3pm.  I try to menu plan, but it may be vague like, "chicken thighs."  I had no idea what exactly I was going to make the chicken thighs with, but I knew that I wanted to cook them up.

I found this recipe via Tastefully Simple as I had the ingredients on hand.  If you're a mom, or just a busy person in general, you need to check out their dinner ideas!

The recipe called for chicken breasts so that you could make chicken tenders/fingers and dip them.  I only had thighs on hand, so I just used a previous recipe's baking time:

Chicken thighs:
450 degrees
40 minutes

Follow the rest of this recipe here. 

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Brown Sugar
Onion Onion

I did some steamed brussels sprouts with garlic cheese. (Wegmans)

The chicken came out so so SO good.  You definitely need to make the dipping sauce too!  For more amazing recipes, follow my friend Cathy on FB here! 

I also highly recommend this combo for a lazy/cozy Sunday by the fire with your lover.

What's cookin in your house this week?

Day in the Life

I love these posts! Mostly because I like seeing what other people do all day!  For me, no two days are the same, but I figured I'd give you a run-down of what typically happens during our day.

6:30/7:00- wake up. I'm trying so hard to get up earlier, but it's dark and cold and the bed is so warm! Oy! I really do enjoy when I have a little "quiet/me time" first thing though.

I walk the dog for about 10 minutes, brew some tea, and hopefully get a little time to check in with myself (meditate/gentle yoga) and check in on my biz (Stella & Dot)

7:30- iron Joe's work clothes, start the bacon & make the bed.

8:00 kids need juice, a cartoon to occupy them while I make breakfast.

Depending on the day, Joe leaves for work anywhere from 8-8:45.  He often takes Brooke to school as well, so that's always a little extra fun to get her ready and out the door too!

If I'm on top of my game, I make my breakfast too, if not I make it after he leaves.

All three of us go outside and wave goodbye to Daddy, outside.  

I will put the TV back on to let the kids watch Paw Patrol at 9am.

9:00- I make my Green Tea Latte & check in with my blog, Facebook, instagram etc.

9:30 I try very hard to peel myself away from the computer and wash the dishes.  One motivater is a good audio book! I'm currently listening to this:

10:00- Snacks all around (I've been enjoying this treat!) followed by playing upstairs, cleaning up bedrooms, getting dressed for the day etc. I may put away laundry

11:30: Workout (if I'm doing one with the kids-they LOVE Country Heat) 

12:00: Lunch

1:00 Nap time (for Bradley) Brooke is to play quietly in her room, sometimes she falls asleep, sometimes not. I typically get my shower in for the day, Joe may come home for lunch, I work on my biz, clean up whatever I need to, dishes, laundry, toys, repeat.  Today (Wednesday) I actually just did my workout and ate my lunch, and typed this blog post.

2:30 Kids are up. Snack/juice time

3:00 I try to get us outdoors while we can!  We may drive to a park, run errands or just play in the yard.  OR if it's raining, we may play in the basement to change up the scenery.

We found Brooke's piggy costume from 2 years ago and they got a kick out of playing with it.

4:30 or so, I start dinner, so I do put on a show for the kids.  Unless it was yesterday, in which case we had firewood delivered and the kids were SO helpful! They had so much fun stacking/throwing the wood.

5:30ish we will eat.  

6:00 Bath time OR go for a family walk. (I try to bathe them during the day then!)

6:30 On a typical night, we unwind, read books, tidy up rooms.

Last night however, I had a pre-school board meeting, so it shook things up a bit.

7:00 Bradley goes to sleep, I usually watch a show with Brooke, unless she's cranky from not napping and then I'll let her read.

8:00 is Brooke's bed time and then Joe & I have time to relax (if he's home)

10:00 I try so hard to be in bed by this time!  I am obsessed with my Kindle Fire my mom got me for my birthday and read myself to sleep.   Currently reading:

Now, keep in mind this is a highlight reel.  I try to share my day on Snap Chat or Instagram -stories, and sometimes I show the dirty floors/dishes to keep it real.  But not all days are rainbows & butterflies.  There are frustrating moments with Bradley melting down because I wouldn't let him destroy our Paw Patrol puzzle, or when Brooke throws herself on the floor because I won't let her eat candy corn for breakfast.

I am definitely on a good path right now and have lots of positive energy flowing in this home.  I am working extra hard at creating happy days for all of us and keeping toxic people out; I attribute much of our happiness to that.   But I still have times when I'm emotional or angry; but I really try to just push those thoughts out and stay focused on the good.

I'm thinking of trying to put together a Day in the Life video--as it might be somewhat comical to look back on and I just keep thinking how busy I am now, and how much I'll miss these crazy kids when they're in school all day.  Thoughts?


Happy Hump Day!

Recipe Share: Matcha Latte

I thought I'd share a drink recipe today!  Since I kicked my Coffee (and Spark) habit, stupid reflux, I still craved something in the morning a little more than just a cup of plain old green tea.  I knew matcha was powerful, but I didn't know how amazing.  Check this out!

 I kept hearing about "Green Tea Lattes" and finally tried one at Starbucks---wow! Total game changer. Now of course, I've gotten some flack because it's got quite a bit of sugar in it, and the powder they use is not like anything I have found in the store (or Amazon)  But I really watch what I eat (typically) and try really hard to limit sugary items.  I found myself venturing out for these almost daily, so my wallet and health needed an intervention.  It's taking me a few months to figure out the best way to make these, but finally I found it!

Here is how I make my matcha lattes.

1.  I enjoy soy milk, and I prefer the reduced fat only because of the taste and consistency.  I've tried vanilla soy and that's okay too.  I've also invested in a milk warmer/frother---TOTALLY worth every penny.

2.  I bought this kind off of Amazon. Use 1/2 teaspoon.

3.  It's very clumpy so I mix it with a tiny bit of hot water to help smooth it out.

4.  This thing does all the work with one button--you can get it super frothy or just a little, I love that it has two options.

5. Pour and mix the green tea & water with the milk.

Here is what the warmer looks like. I am not a kitchen gadget person; I find that too many tools are a waste of space, but this is super easy to clean.

You'll get a little bit of film from the milk, (which I was getting waaaaay more from heating in the pan, and then the mess of boiled milk spilling over!! Oh, it was bad!!)  You just use the handy little brush and scrape it out.

I do it right after I use it and it looks brand new.

So again, here are some awesome perks of drinking this fabulous latte!  You could just make it with water, add a little honey, but I prefer it straight up with my soy.

I haven't tried any of these, but you could add it to your juicing recipes, smoothies or even bake with it!  I have read you don't want to take too much, as with anything.  I try to limit my use to once a day and sometimes I will just go for a chai instead.

If you follow me on instagram, you'll see these in my instastory quite often!  Even if you're a huge coffee drinker, you may surprise yourself and enjoy a cup of this.  I love how mellow I feel and truly get no crash or high off the caffeine.  It's a slow and steady awake feeling and I appreciate that.  I still stop at Starbucks now and then and definitely enjoy them at fancy coffee shops, but I am so happy to have found something to replace my coffee habit.  Sure I miss it and especially this time of year with all things pumpkin spice etc, but when you listen to your body, and find something that makes you feel better instead of worse, you listen to it.

Let me know if you've tried  Matcha! 

I'd love to hear your favorite recipes.

Monday Musings

Happy Monday & happy May!  I'm so excited for May.  I love that it's when the flowers start to truly bloom, the trees become green, the weather warms and Summer is right around the corner!

I have been feeling as though the universe has been sending me signs to read more books; I was feeling jealous looking at others on social media reading all of these books, and realized I have the time, I just have to find it and replace it with some other time suckers (ie. Facebook)

These two novels are my "goal" for the month, but to be honest, I'm already halfway through another novel on audiobook, so that's awesome!  {Currently listening to, The Luckiest Girl Alive}

I'll save the novel discussions for another post, but I have a few friends reading along with me, will you? I'd love to build my own little sense of 'book community'. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, that replaces a good page-turning-read.

We've had a fairly quiet few days; lots of housework, reading, snuggles, and yard work!  The weather is still on the cool side, and it rained all day yesterday (and today it appears) but that's okay.

Thursday Joe felt a little achey, under the weather, and not so well. I made my "healing soup" which I now refer to as 'magical' and he was asleep on the couch by 8:15.  The kids made use of his couch time, as he rarely rests, but we must listen to our bodies and do so.

Friday he woke up feeling a little better, so he was able to make his rounds at the rentals and put up some smoke alarms.  He also took Brooke along to help him.  I was able to sneak in a brow appointment and then we went to the mall for new shoes for the kids. Turns out Bradley is fine, but Brooke had grown a half an inch.  She found an adorable pair of light up Minnie sneaks, so those are her nice shoes and she can wear her older ones outside to play.

I waved the white flag on dinner, so we went to Kobe and enjoyed some sushi.  After that we took a short drive to our land, walked around for a bit, and piled back into the truck to tackle bed time.

Saturday the sun was shining so we enjoyed a little walk out back.

We also had a little lunch on the deck.

We played for a bit, I gave mid day baths, (they seem to make night time routines a little easier) and

Post bath, naps, and dance class, we decided to grill up some pork belly & ham steaks.  I also threw in a frozen pizza to help hold the kids over a bit, and I loved that there was no pressure to all sit down and eat. We kind of grazed/ate tapas style and relaxed while the kids played and he grilled. I also grilled up some portobello mushrooms and drizzled some balsamic vinegar on them. So tasty!

Our lilacs are starting to bloom! Not the best picture, but you can kind of see them.

Joe spent all day raking, laying dirt, mowing, and cleaning up around the back.  We're hoping to really control our mosquito problem this year and enjoy our deck!

Brooke helped him lay grass seed.  Mostly I just saw her run around and play with her ponies.  But it was the innocent way she galloped, skipped and sang that made my heart skip.  Watching her be a kid is so amazing on so many levels.  I only wish I could stop time and make them stay this little forever. My silly girl.

I'm on 2 weeks of no coffee--so far so good!! I start each morning with a cup of herbal tea, or sometimes a green tea.  I will be honest and say that I miss the jolt of energy, but I feel better overall.  I haven't had any headaches because I do drink green tea that has caffeine, but the energy I get is slow, gradual and is more mellow and it stays with me.  No crashes.  I definitely realize my body didn't do well slurping down a Spark or a coffee first thing in the morning.  Our bodies are not made for that!

I thought this tea tag was quite fitting.  

xox