I wanted to share some recipes with you that I found on Pinterest, tried, and our family liked. Robert and I both enjoy cooking, but with two kids at home, I typically need to look for recipes that are fast or can be prepared in advance. Sarah is old enough now that she truly can help which is very fun!
Snickerdoodles - Robert has historically said that he doesn't like snickerdoodles which is a shame because I love them. I found this recipe for a thick and chewy version, and he loves them! I guess what he doesn't like about most snickerdoodles is when they're thin and crispy, so if you're the same way, you will like these!
Lettuce wraps - I guess these are a replica of a menu item at P.F Chang's, but I actually make it as a salad instead of a wrap. You can use romaine or any other lettuce mix you like. I omit the mushrooms because Sarah and I don't like them. If you don't have almond butter, use natural peanut butter. I've even used natural crunchy peanut butter before and it wasn't a big deal. If you use almond butter it'll be Whole30 compliant.
Refried beans - It seems a little over the top to make your own refried beans, but when I got a pressure cooker I was looking for recipes and found this one. I don't use dried beans because Aldi doesn't have them, so I seriously just use a large can of pinto beans and less water than it calls for. Robert says he can never eat canned refried beans again after having this. After it's cooked, I drain out some of the water before blending it up with my emulsion blender.
Sausage, egg, and cheese balls - Ok, these are amazing. You can't taste the coconut flour at all, and they taste like a treat and not like they're keto. Everyone loves them. Sarah can usually eat three which is saying something! Instead of using breakfast sausage we use plain ground pork.
Chicken sausage and veggie sheet pan - I came across this recipe a few years ago and now I make a variation of it at least once a month. You just need chicken sausage, any vegetables you have on hand, oil, and spices. You can't go wrong!!!
Homemade breakfast sausage - This tastes just as good as store-bought sausage and is so much better for you! You can make it without salt if that's necessary for your health needs and you really can't tell a difference. Make a bunch in advance and freeze as patties or ground up.
Cranberry jalapeno dip - This dip is amazing! It's one of those where you could sit down and eat the whole thing. You have to prepare some of it the night before, but it's worth it!
What are some of your favorite recipes these days?
Sunday, June 16, 2019
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Trip to the East
My dad, Robert, Sarah, and I drove to Pennsylvania in 2015 when Sarah was two months old, and this spring it was time to do it again! We went over spring break and had a great time! Sarah really did do well in the car.
3.5 years ago and this time as well, we stayed in Ohio next to another church called South Gate, so Robert needed to document it!
It was so great to see everyone! Sarah loved seeing her family and didn't want to leave. Such a special time!
We spent some of our time at my grandparents' house and got to go to a bouncy house and the park and had lots of yummy food!
Then we spent a couple of days in Philadelphia, or as Sarah calls it, Phillyadelphia. She was so excited to swim in the pool! We were there for 48 hours, and she swam three times.
I think we did all that can be done in 48 hours. We had tickets for a Hop on Hop off bus, and it took us everywhere we wanted to go. We got to see plenty of things from it like Betsy Ross' house and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We got off there so Robert and Dad could run up the stairs from Rocky! We ate a few meals at Reading Terminal Market which was right next to our hotel. We got to see the Liberty Bell and toured Independence Hall.
We all had a blast at Please Touch Museum. The carousel was Sarah's favorite part!
The Franklin Institute was probably my favorite! Sarah got to walk through a huge heart exhibit and crawl through a brain exhibit!
It wore out Sarah!
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Recent House Projects
When we bought our house, the tub in our bathroom was cracked. We patched it and bought some time, but last summer it was time to replace it. We decided to install a large shower instead of a shower/tub combo, and we still have one of those in Sarah's bathroom. Robert did it all by himself, and I'm so impressed! He ripped out the old one, and then, unfortunately, our new shower was back ordered, so we had to share a shower with Sarah for about a month, but it wasn't too bad. We had to drive about 45 minutes to pick up the shower, so that was an adventure having it strapped to the top of my SUV! Robert installed the shower, and it looks great! We ended up painting the bathroom as well. We couldn't afford a shower door right then, so we just used our old curtain. For Christmas we got gift cards and money, and we were able to buy a shower door. I apparently haven't taken any real after pictures, but the before was purple, and the after is green. In the last picture you can see our new shower door behind the old curtain.
I'm so happy with our lawn this year! We've worked hard on it, and I feel like this year we are really reaping the rewards. Year one was the year of not knowing what we were doing, year two was the year of killing weeds, year three was the year of growing grass, and now year four is the year of fine-tuning. Our mailman commented that he's seen such an improvement since we bought our house, and he asked us what our method was. A stranger stopped me while she was on a walk and said our grass looked great. That was such encouraging feedback!
Always good to remember where you came from...
In May, Robert's fell through our deck while sitting in a patio chair! We knew it was time to do something about our deck. He ripped it out and replaced it with a gravel patio. I love it! This was a super cheap project and very economical for anyone wanting a patio who can't afford a wood deck or concrete slab. We bought one scoop of 1/2" limestone gravel for about $35. We bought three 4"x6"x12' pre-treated boards and nailed them into the ground using nine 2' rebar stakes. The old deck actually already had old brown gravel under it, so we covered it with weed barrier ($30 for way more than we actually needed), and then filled it up the rest of the way with the gravel. We had to buy a new hammer because Robert broke ours!!! That was a cost that was unexpected. haha We paid $20 to take the old wood to the landfill. We also happened to have an extra concrete step, so we used that by our back door. Overall, the project cost less than $200, but we had a $50 Lowe's gift card to use, and we also used some of Robert's lawn mowing money, and I sold a few things on Facebook Marketplace to help pay for it. Where there's a will there's a way! We also bought some used patio furniture (table and six chairs). Our previous hand me downs served us so well, but the table collapsed this spring after many years of enjoyment.
I'm so happy with our lawn this year! We've worked hard on it, and I feel like this year we are really reaping the rewards. Year one was the year of not knowing what we were doing, year two was the year of killing weeds, year three was the year of growing grass, and now year four is the year of fine-tuning. Our mailman commented that he's seen such an improvement since we bought our house, and he asked us what our method was. A stranger stopped me while she was on a walk and said our grass looked great. That was such encouraging feedback!
Always good to remember where you came from...
And now!
In May, Robert's fell through our deck while sitting in a patio chair! We knew it was time to do something about our deck. He ripped it out and replaced it with a gravel patio. I love it! This was a super cheap project and very economical for anyone wanting a patio who can't afford a wood deck or concrete slab. We bought one scoop of 1/2" limestone gravel for about $35. We bought three 4"x6"x12' pre-treated boards and nailed them into the ground using nine 2' rebar stakes. The old deck actually already had old brown gravel under it, so we covered it with weed barrier ($30 for way more than we actually needed), and then filled it up the rest of the way with the gravel. We had to buy a new hammer because Robert broke ours!!! That was a cost that was unexpected. haha We paid $20 to take the old wood to the landfill. We also happened to have an extra concrete step, so we used that by our back door. Overall, the project cost less than $200, but we had a $50 Lowe's gift card to use, and we also used some of Robert's lawn mowing money, and I sold a few things on Facebook Marketplace to help pay for it. Where there's a will there's a way! We also bought some used patio furniture (table and six chairs). Our previous hand me downs served us so well, but the table collapsed this spring after many years of enjoyment.
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