Meal Plan and Recipe Review

Over the weekend I made a big step for my business. . .at least for me. I'm really excited about it but not quite ready yet to spill all the details. Hopefully I'll have them all for you by the end of the week! In the meantime, let's talk food! Actually, there won't be much of that either since Pat and I have a super-busy week ahead. In fact, there's only three dinners that I'll be home to make this week. How crazy is that!? I hope they're good.

Breakfasts: Smoothies, Cereal, Grits/Oatmeal, Yogurt w/granola

Lunches: Soup w/cheese quesidillas, PB&J, Calzones, Bean burritos, Tuna noodles

Dinners:

Vegetarin Pot Pie

School Soup

Spaghetti

I'm linking up with Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

General Tso's Tofu: This has become a favorite in our house. It's pretty easy and totally yummy. I absolutely recommend it!

Chicken tortilla soup with chipotle & fire roasted tomatoes: I actually didn't eat this soup when I made it. I had dinner with a friend and threw this together real quick for Pat before I left. He said he really enjoyed it. I like that it came together so quickly! We had the leftovers today for lunch and I loved the spiciness and smoky chipotle flavor. I may make it again, but I think I might add some black beans or corn to it to give it a bit more somethin' somethin'.

Now to get back to work on this awesome new venture, at least I hope it's awesome. In the meantime, tell me what deliciousness you've made recently!

Menu Plan and Recipe Review

I seriously thought that since the Creative Spark e-mag was done, I would be getting back on track, no problem-o. Somehow, catching back up has been harder than I thought. . .and I've been seriously distracted. I feel like I'm being pulled in a thousand different directions and I don't know which way to focus. Oh well, so here I am late again with my meal plan. It is what it is.

Breakfasts: Cereal, Smoothies, Grits/oatmeal, Yogurt w/granola, Waffles w/fruit, Hashbrown baskets

Lunches: Leftovers, PB&J, Bean burritos, Calzones, Cheese quesidilla, Soup w/grilled cheese, Tuna noodles

Dinners: 

Bucatini with Mushrooms w/salad

General Tso's Tofu over rice

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Mac-n-cheese w/green beans

Pan-seared Flank Steak w/roasted cauliflower and boiled new potatoes

I'm linking up with Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

Vegetarian Fried Rice:  I wanted to like this so much. However, the brown rice turned out mushy - so the whole dish was mushy. We just couldn't stomach it and ended up ordering take-out sushi and fried rice. Perhaps another form of rice or chilling the brown rice first would have made this better. However, I won't be attempting this version again.

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup: (above) I've made this before, and it was good but a bit too rich for us with its two cups of cream. This time around, I used only one cup of cream and subbed vegetable broth for the other cup. It turned out perfectly. We lapped this soup up!

Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce: This dish was yummy even though I had to use dried basil as my fresh had browned. As well, I cooked some orzo in vegetable broth as a side and the cream sauce mixed perfectly with it. I may make this again.

Now to actually get some other tasks done and perhaps work on another blog post. . .wait, that can't be right! Please tell me you're running behind this week already too.

Meal Plan and Recipe Review

Whether you've noticed or not, it's been a crazy-too-busy-to-post couple of weeks for me. Once again, I'm getting back on track. Despite not posting my menu the last few weeks, we have had one and been sticking to it pretty well. As such, I've got quite a few recipes to review. You'll find those at the end of the post. For now, let's get to what's planned for this week.

Breakfasts: Cereal, Smoothies, Oatmeal/cheese grits, Yogurt w/granola, Frozen waffles w/bacon, Hashbrown baskets

Lunches: Leftovers, Bean burritos, Calzones, PB&J, Tuna noodles, Cheese quesidillas

Dinners:

Chicken in basil cream sauce w/orzo & green beans

Vegetarian fried rice

Creamy tomato tortellini soup w/salad

Tacos w/corn

I'm linking up with Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie

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Recipe Review

Monkey Muffins: (pic below) So easy, so amazingly good. 'Nuf said.

Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Soup: This was okay. I'm not sure I'll make it again though; there are other similar soup recipes that we  like better (see bottom of list).

Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta: I often make this without the chicken, and it is awesome as always. All the leftovers were eaten!

Cheesy Taco Casserole: (pic below) This was pretty good. It was very 'nacho-y'. I like that the chips stayed crisp in the oven, though I'm not sure how they did as leftovers as it wasn't touched later. It made a TON for just the two of us. I might make it again if I can figure out a way to reduce the size.

Slow Cooker Soy Glazed Chicken with Stir Fry Veggies: This was pretty good. The chicken ended up a little tough but that was possibly my fault for leaving it in the cooker too long. I might make it again.

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Mushrooms: My own recipe; I love it every time.

While the stuffed mushrooms can be made vegetarian with the omission of bacon, I only use one slice per mushroom cap. It really ups the flavor.

Bean and Chorizo Jambalaya: I substituted soy chorizo in this as we had it on hand from another recipe. It was good. However, it was more of a chili-flavor than a jambalaya. We ate it, but not the leftovers. I probably won't make it again.

Sesame Chicken and Noodles: This was okay. It was super simple, but probably not something I'll make again.

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup: I've made this before and we really liked it. Again, it was a winner in our house.

That's the plan for now. Things may change though. We'll have the nieces over the weekend and some friends will be in town too so you never know. What's on your menu for the week?

Menu, Recipe Review, and Tidbits

After so much chaos for the last several weeks (or is it months now. . .), I have to boast that I did pretty darn well staying on track with the menu this past week. We didn't eat out near as much since our plans didn't change as often as they normally do. Actually. . . writing that out kinda makes me feel like we're settling into a boring routine rather than doing something admirable. I guess I'll get over that soon enough, especially since I should realize that we ate really well.

I actually made the above breakfast over the weekend. Now, if I could only get my butt in gear and get breakfast made/eaten on the weekdays as well. It's always a struggle isn't it? Here's what I hope we'll have this week.

Breakfasts:Cereal, Smoothies, Grits/oatmeal, Yogurt w/granola, Monkey Muffins, Breakfast burritos

Lunches: Leftovers, Hoagie bread pizzas, PB&J, Turkey panini, Cheese quesidilla, Soup w/grilled cheese, Tuna noodles

Dinners:

Cheesy Taco Casserole

Shepherd's Pie

Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

Lemon Basil Pasta (no chicken) w/salad

Slow Cooker Soy Glazed Chicken with Stir Fry Veggies over rice

I'm linking up with Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

Since I actually made most of the meals on the menu, I have some recipes to review. Woohoo!

Spicy Peanut Butter Tofu: This has become a staple tofu recipe in our house. Peanut butter and spiciness = WIN!! I did use reconstituted PB2 for the peanut butter and it worked out really well.

Spicy Peanut Butter Tofu (along with green beans and yellow rice)

Portabella Mushroom Cheesesteaks: I'll admit that I was on the fence about these. I'm not a huge bell pepper fan and Pat doesn't really do onions. But they looked so good. I just tried to make sure I got more onions and less bell peppers and vice versa for him. We LOVED these. He went on and on about them. Since they  were so easy, I'll probably be making them again.

Portabella Mushroom Cheesesteaks (with sweet potato waffle fries)

30 Minute Veggie Tortellini Soup: We enjoyed this. That's about all I can say about it. It was a good, healthy-ish soup. I wasn't a huge fan of the green beans in it, but it was a fine soup. I may make it again.

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Random Tidbits

Last week I joined up with several linky parties since I had the Easy Calzone Recipe to share. This week, that recipe is a featured post at Claire Justine for Creative Monday!

How cool is that!?

Finally, I fiddled with my blog header over the weekend and would love to know what you think of this new one. Constructive criticism welcome!
Here's hoping your Monday has been kind to you and that you have an amazing week!

Menu Plan and Recipe Review

Something happened to yesterday. It went POOF! I remember waking up, bustling about some, and then it was just over. What the hay? As such, I am once again late to the Menu Plan Monday party. sigh. Let's get on with it shall we?

Breakfasts: Cereal, Smoothies, Hashbrown baskets, Oatmeal/cheese grits, Waffles, Omelets

Lunches: Leftovers, Soup w/grilled cheese, Turkey sandwiches, Cheese quesidillas, Calzones, PB&J, Bean burritos

Snacks: Granola bars, Kale Chips, Chips w/salsa, Raw fruits and veggies, Cheese, Crackers/pretzels w/PB

Dinners:

Tacos w/corn

Pasta with Mushrooms w/roasted broccoli

Soup (from freezer)

Grilled Chicken w/roasted potatoes & green beans

I'm linking up with Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

Parmesan Wasabi Edamame: I was so, so excited to make these and share them at a friend's house while we watched the Iron Bowl. (ROLL TIDE!)  I mean it's all ingredients I love: parmesan, wasabi, edamame. . .how could it go wrong? These were definitely not inedible. We all ate some of them. However, they just didn't have the punch of wasabi I was hoping for. I MIGHT try these again and really up the wasabi as well as use some REAL parm instead of the kind in the green shaker. Hopefully I'll get more bang from them.

Baked Ravioli: This is the second time I've made this recipe, and once again we liked it a lot. I'm all about the simplicity and ease of a recipe and this one couldn't be easier. I mean, the ravioli are STILL FROZEN, no defrosting!! A great recipe for when you really don't want to mess with a whole lot but still want something tasty. I'm sure I'll make it again.

That's it for now as I'm trying to get back on schedule. I hope you had a wonderful weekend of shopping or resting or whatever it is you like to do as the holidays begin in earnest. Enjoy yourself!

Menu Plan and Recipe Review

Another Monday, another menu. . .I don't even know what else to day about it right now. I'm feeling all grumpypants (mostly at myself for not having this done yet) all of a sudden. Anyway, let me go ahead and share what I plan on us eating this week.

Breakfasts: Cereal, Smoothies, Cheese grits/oatmeal, Breakfast burritos, Blueberry muffins, Hashbrown baskets

Lunches: Leftovers, Soup w/grilled cheese, Turkey sandwiches, Tuna noodles, Calzones, PB&J, Cheese quesidillas

Snacks: Granola bars, chips w/salsa, crackers & cheese, Fruit, Kale chips, Veggies, Parmesan wasabi edamame

Dinners:

Veggie burgers w/sweet potato fries

Baked ravioli w/green beans

Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's I'm contributing a Jiffy Corn Casserole and maybe something else (I haven't decided yet.)

Tacos

Soup (from freezer)

I'm linking up with Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

Veggie and Tofu Stir-Fry: I've made this recipe several times now and we still like it. I reviewed it initially here.

Chicken Marsala: Oh, heck this was good. Let me admit that though I live in the South, I've never fried chicken before. While it was indeed finger-licking good, it made one heck of a horrendous mess. I wouldn't mind making it again but only on special occasions.

So that's it for today. It's taken me far too long to write this because I had to stop and make dinner. I hope you have a fantabulous day!

Peanut Butter Cup Pretzel Bites (meal plan and recipe review)

Much like my Cinnamon Sugar Twists, I shared images of these bites online and saw some interest in them. So, I figured I'd share with you how easy they are to make.

Before I get to the instructions on those goodies, bear with me as I share my meal plan and recipe review for the week.

Breakfasts: Cereal, Smoothies, Cheese grits/oatmeal, Breakfast burritos, Blueberry waffles, Hashbrown baskets

Lunches: Soup w/grilled cheese, Turkey paninis, Chicken finger wraps, Tuna noodles, Pepperoni calzones, PB&J, Cheese Quesidillas

Dinners:

Chicken Marsala w/mashed potatoes & salad

Veggie and Tofu Stir Fry over rice

Soup (from freezer)

Black bean burgers w/sweet potato fries

Baked ravioli w/green beans

I'm linking up at Menu Plan Monday on I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

Cheesy Penne with Broccoli: This came together pretty quickly and was just what I needed to make after a long day; something easy and tasty. I really liked it.

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup: This particular recipe has become a staple at our house. When I say that I'm making potato soup, this is the recipe I mean (my mama's recipe that I love so much is too labor intensive for me most of the time). Be warned that the chicken bullion and the ham used in this recipe make it quite salty. I recommend only adding a little salt at a time.

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Now for the yummies. I'm not completely sure I should share this recipe though, because these are SO EASY that you might end up making them all the time. I don't want to be blamed for your new peanut butter pretzel bite addiction. If you've got a liking for sweet, salty, and crunchy like I do; don't say I didn't warn you.

Peanut Butter Cup Pretzel Bites

Ingredients:
Snyder's 'Snaps' Pretzels
Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups

Directions:
Heat oven to 250 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Spread out pretzels in a single layer on the baking sheet.
Place a peanut butter cup in the center of each pretzel.
Bake for 4-5 minutes until cups start to soften.
Remove baking sheet from oven and smoosh a second pretzel on top of the first.
Cool bites in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

That's it. Too easy. I warned you.

Meal Plan and Recipe Review (better late than never)

Doggone it all if I haven't let the week get away from me again. How is it already Wednesday and I still haven't shared my menu for the week? Oh right. . .I over-extended myself and have spent the majority of the last five days across the bay either helping my cousin or involved with friends. It was worth it. Let me go on and get to the 'meat' (har, har, har) of this post, my meal plan.

Breakfasts: Cereal, Smoothies, Cheese grits/oatmeal, Eggos, Ham omelets

Lunches: Pepperoni paninis, Soup w/grilled cheese, Chicken finger wrap, Tuna noodles, Bean burritos, PB&J, Cheese quesidilla

Dinners:

Cheesy Penne with Broccoli

Veggie and Tofu Stir fry over rice

Ham and Potato Soup

Veggie Burgers w/sweet potato fries

Chicken Marsala w/noodles & salad

I'm linking up with Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

No Noodle Pad Thai: The picture on the site (not the one above) made this look so good. Alas. . .  First off, Pat and I couldn't bear the thought of 'raw' tofu so I did lightly cook it in some coconut oil before adding it to the 'noodles'. We both thought this tasted fine, but that the meal was missing something. It didn't satisfy us. We just weren't full enough. It also made a horrendous mess in my kitchen, all those julienned veggies were flying EVERYWHERE!! Despite the good flavor and the healthiness of it, I won't be making this again.

Velvety Broccoli and Feta Pasta: I was a little excited about this one. I like broccoli, I like pasta, I like feta. How could it go wrong? This was an okay dish. It just didn't seem to have much flavor. I think maybe using a vegetable broth instead of the water to thin it down would have helped greatly to up the flavor factor. I'm not sure if I'll make it again with that adjustment or not. I enjoyed it, but it just didn't have enough umph.

So the above vegetarian recipes just didn't work out for us. I'm sure I'll find some more soon. . .at least I hope I do as we're getting a little tired of some of the tried and true ones. Let me know if you know of any great ones!

Cinnamon Sugar Twists Recipe (Meal Plan and Recipe Review)

This past week I experimented with a couple of recipes to try to use up what we had here at the house. On Sunday I shared this picture of one of my experiments on my Instagram (facebook, flickr, twitter, etc.).

There was such an interest in these that I thought I'd share with you how I made them. (They were really easy!) The 'recipe' is at the bottom of this post.

First, let me go ahead and share my meal plan and recipe review for the week.

Breakfasts: Doughnuts, Smoothies, Toast w/PB, Cereal, Cheese omelets, Waffles

Lunches: Leftovers, Soup w/grilled cheese, Chicken finger wraps, Pepperoni paninis, Bean burritoes, PB&J, Cheese quesidillas

Dinners:

No Noodle Pad Thai

Broccoli and Feta Pasta

Taco Soup w/tortilla chips

Veggie burgers w/sweet potato fries

Beef Stroganoff w/green beans

I'm linking up for Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup:  I've made this before, and we really enjoyed it again. The temperatures dipped over the weekend, and I wasn't feeling well so it was perfect. I did cook up a little Conecuh sausage and we 'topped' the soup with it. Yum!

Skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole: This was part of my last Pinning with Purpose. Though Pat had his doubts, it turned out really well. I might just make it again.

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As I mentioned above, this recipe originally started as a way for me to use up something I had on hand. I had used one sheet in a box of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry for the quiches a week or so ago and the other one was defrosted and ready to go. I just had to come up with something before it wasted away. I'll admit that I just eyeballed the measurements. Feel free to do the same to your tastes.

Cinnamon Sugar Twists

Ingredients: 

1 sheet of a Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry (thawed)

1 1/2 Tbs butter (defrosted)

4 Tbs (approx) Sugar

1 1/2 -2 Tbs (approx) Cinnamon

Directions:

~Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
~Melt butter
~Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a small, shallow plate.

~Lay the puff pastry out on your work surface (I placed mine on a piece of parchment paper for easy clean up). Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough in half and then into about 1 inch wide strips. 

~Brush melted butter onto either side of the dough and then dip the dough into the cinnamon sugar mix on both sides.

~Slightly twist the dough before placing it on a baking stone or parchment paper lined baking tray.

~Repeat for all the strips

~Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes or until done.

Like I said, these were super easy and so good. I served them with a banana. We ate every last one of these little treats...oops. I suppose you could use the whole box of two puff pastry sheets and just double the other ingredients. Enjoy!

Meal Plan and Recipe

Over the weekend, Pat and I decided to be more active than we have in a while and played a round of disc golf. That single 18 basket course wiped us out completely. It was shameful! It was also a stark reminder of just how lax we've been with out diet and exercise lately. Seriously shameful!! Now that my health is better (headaches are gone) and the weather is cooler, I'm hoping we can get back into some better habits. This starts with what we put into our bodies. Here's the plan for this week.

Breakfasts: Smoothies, Cereal, Toast w/PB, Conecuh (sausage) w/eggs & toast, Homemade puff pastry pop-tarts or cinnamon sticks

Lunches: Leftovers, Soup w/grilled cheese, Chicken finger wraps, Pepperoni paninis, Bean burritoes, PB&J, Cheese quesidillas

Dinners:

Conecuh (sausage) w/green beans & mac-n-cheese

Skinny tuna noodle casserole w/corn

Broccoli cheese and potato soup

Veggie burgers w/sweet potato fries

No-noodle Pad Thai

I'm linking up with Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

I'll be the first to admit that the above menu is not the most healthy, but I need to get rid of some of the junk we have on hand first. I just can't let food go to waste. Excuses, excuses. . .

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Recipe Review

Sticky Orange Tofu Bowl: I think this is the second time I've made this recipe. I reviewed it back in May. This time I had more success with not caramelizing the cashews. Again, it was a wonderful use of tofu.

Mini Quiche (w/crust): I think Pat had some reservations about this recipe when I mentioned it to him. (Real men don't eat quiche or something like that.) But, I added bacon and mushrooms to bulk it up a bit. I think they were really great!

As you can see, my Monday plan fell on a Tuesday. This means I'm already a day behind in this week and desperately trying to catch up. There's so much I want to do. What have you got planned for the week?

Menu Plan Monday and Recipe Review

It's seriously time to get back on track with the meal planning. Between working on the magazine and Pat being out of town, I simply didn't even bother with figuring out what I/we was (were) going to eat. That was probably a mistake as I/we ended up eating out or eating crap the majority of last week. While this week doesn't have as many meatless meals as I would usually plan for us, I'm letting myself splurge a little since it is my birthday week after all (bring on the bacon!)

Breakfasts: Cereal, Smoothies, PB toast, Cinnamon rolls, Eggs w/bacon & toast, French Toast

Lunches: PB&J, Tuna noodles, Chicken finger wrap, Pepperoni paninis, Soup w/grilled cheese, Cheese quesidillas

Dinners: 

Sticky Orange Tofu Bowl

Bacon and mushroom Mini Quiches w/salad

Soup (from freezer: either chili, pad Thai soup, or Italian Chicken soup)

Mac-n-cheese w/conecuh sausage & green beans

Turkey Filets w/mashed potatoes & peas

As usual, I'm linking up with I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

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Recipe Review

Spaghetti with Lemon and Parm: As with anything involving pasta, cheese, and lemon; I really loved this dish. It was pretty easy too. There's a definitely possibility it will be made again.

Honey brushed chicken thighs: I had the chicken thighs for another dish I had planned but never got to before some of the other ingredients. . .turned. So, I did a quick search for something flavorful and easy to do with the thighs. This was just that. However, there was something about it that was 'just okay' to me. I might make it again if I'm looking for something fast.

Parmesan basil orzo: (Another pasta and parm dish, go figure) I wanted a starchy side to go with the chicken (above) but also wanted to just use ingredients I had on hand. Somehow I have this box of orzo that seems to be self-refilling, and I always have parm in the fridge. I did substitute dried basil for the fresh, and I think that worked just fine. It was really, really good. This might come into regular rotation since I still have all this orzo!

Maybe next week I can get myself back in gear for the low meat diet we've been striving to maintain. Do you have any great vegetarian dishes? Please share.

Menu Plan, Recipe Review, and a Cooking Catastrophe

Ever have those kitchen disasters that at the time are horrendous, but once the horror wears off you can begin to laugh about it? Pat and I often tell the story of the Great Lasagna Incident, but we I think we may have a new kitchen accident to add to that one. Check out my review of the General Tso's Tofu below to find out exactly what kitchen mistake I made.

Breakfasts: Leftover muffins, Cereal, Smoothies, PB Toast, Eggs w/toast

Lunches: Soup w/grilled cheese, Tuna noodles, Chicken finger wrap, Cheese quesidilla, PB&J

Dinners: 

Spaghetti with lemon and Parmesan w/green beans

Tacos w/corn

Chili over rice

Frozen dinner w/salad

Slow cooker creamy mushroom and chicken pot pie

I'm linking this up at I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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Recipe Review

General Tso's Tofu: I've made this before and we loved it. However, this time I made the mistake of throwing my red chili flakes into the hot oil without much of anything else. This simple act resulted in me pretty much pepper-spraying the whole house. Pat and I were coughing, windows were opened, water was consumed, and there was some standing outside for a while. It was rough. Fortunately, I was able to finish cooking the dish, and it turned out fine. I will be making this again, though more carefully next time.

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower: I reviewed this yesterday in my Pinning with Purpose post. It was okay.

Pasta with Mushrooms: This is one of my favorites. It's become a comfort food for me. It was delish and I will definitely make it again.

Thai Chicken Breasts: This made a TON of peanut sauce. I accidentally misread the recipe and used sweetened instead of natural peanut butter, so I cut back on the sugar I added to it. We liked it, but I ended up throwing a ton of the sauce away since it made so much. I would definitely recommend either making more chicken or halving the sauce.

Monkey Muffins: As with any PW recipe, these were fantastic. I took the easy method and used a can of flaky biscuits. They came together quickly and were so good. I can't wait to make them again.

So those were my wins and losses this in the kitchen last week. Here's hoping this week has more wins. Do you have any kitchen horror stories that you can laugh about now? Please share!

Pinning with Purpose | Week 11

So, how was your week!? I actually got some stuff accomplished myself. The one ahead looks rough though. I guess we'll see. Before diving into this week's Pinning with Purpose, let me thank Jenna from The Painted Apron for both her contribution of her Octoberfest Tablescape as well as her Sausage and Veggie Smoked Gouda Pie.

Octoberfest Beer Garden Tablescape

Sausage, Spinach, & Peppers Smoked Gouda Pie

For those of you wondering what this Pinning with Purpose thing is, never fear. . .here are the details: each week, I pick out a few pins from my Pinterest boards and try to recreate them or use them for inspiration. And, I challenge you to do the same. Find a pin that gets your creative juices going; be it a craft tutorial, recipe, style inspiration, or organizational tip and run with it. I encourage you to share your results on your blog and then link it up here. I do ask that if you are going to link up here, that you mention it on your blog with a link back.  As well, if you want to pin anything seen here, please make sure you go to the original post to do it.

As a reminder, here's what I was supposed to work on last week:

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower from SkinnyTaste

Dollar Store Floral Wire Pumpkins from Mad in Crafts

And, how did those work for me? Well. . .

The garlic roasted cauliflower was okay. The added steps of toasting bread crumbs and whatnot was a bit much for me. As well, I would have liked just the garlic and cauliflower roasted without all those crumbs on top. Maybe a little of the grated parm would be good, but I could have done without the breadcrumbs. Lesson learned. If you like a little something crunchy on your veggies, by all means go for it. It just wasn't for me.


The wire pumpkins on the other hand. . .they were easy peasy.

I found the wire in four different colors at my local Dollar Tree but went with the gold and the green. They seemed the most fall-like. Oh, and the little gold twist-ties holding the wire on the packaging are great for holding the wire together in the center of your pumpkin too.

The hardest part of the whole processes was spotting and deciding on a cylinder to wrap the wire around.

After that, it was a breeze to make a couple of pumpkins for my Fall decor. These really took minutes to  make.

And, they look even great next to the fru-fru pumpkin in my foyer.


As for what I'll be working on next week. I already told you the one ahead looks rough, so I went easy on myself again.

• First, I decided that something sweet would be right up my alley for a rough week, so these peanut butter and pretzel bars  off my FOOD | Sweet board seemed perfect.
• After making the pumpkins above, I realized that I need to get on the ball with some Halloween decorations, so I opted for a button lettered pumpkin on Easy Day's list of Pumpkin Carving Ideas (it's a long list and you have to scroll down, but it's the one with the buttons. . .go figure) off my HOLIDAY | All Hallow's Eve Board.

I hope you've found something inspiring on Pinterest too and will share what you've made.

An InLinkz Link-up

Why I Meal Plan, plus Menu and Recipe Review

I don't think I've ever mentioned why I plan our meals each week. And, if I have it's been quite a while.

Back when I was working full time, I did my grocery shopping for the week or two weeks or whatever but never really had an idea of how I would use those staples. Each work day, I found myself constantly turning over ideas of what to make for dinner with what I had and eventually would have to run to the store on my way home to pick up an item or two that I needed for that meal. This happened day in and day out. It ate up so much of my time and was costly in gas and supplies. I felt like my life was consumed by what we were going to eat and then making it. It finally occurred to me that if I came up with a menu each week, my days and evenings would be free-er to consider other creative pursuits. In beginning my planning, I stumbled on I'm an Organizing Junkie's linkup and other meal plan sites that fueled this new habit. While I'm no longer working full time, I've continued to use my meal plan strategies because it limits that "What the heck are we going to eat" question from plaguing my thoughts to only once a week, the day I plan. It really has been a time-saver.

Breakfasts: Smoothies, Cereal, PB Toast w/fruit, Ham and cheese omelets, Monkey Muffins

Lunches: Black bean burgers w/sweet potato fries, Soup and grilled cheese, Chicken finger wraps, Cheese quesidillas, Creamy garlic pasta w/salad, Chicken salad sandwiches, PB&J

Dinners:

Pasta with Mushrooms w/ Garlic roasted cauliflower

General Tsos Tofu w/green beans and rice

Homemade kitchen sink pizza (pizza dough in freezer) w/salad

Thai chicken breasts w/broccoli and wild rice mix

Obviously, I'm linking up at Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

Coffee Braised Brisket: The hubs really liked this recipe. I thought it was okay. I think he was just hungry for some real meat/real food. I'm not sure I'll be making this again though. I've got a couple other brisket recipes to try.

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Mushrooms: This is my recipe and I haven't altered it. As always, I love these.

Bowtie Chicken Alfredo: I loved, loved, loved this, It wasn't a very traditional alfredo sauce, but I really liked it anyway. Even without the ease of a microwave, the hubby ate the leftovers. I'd say it's a winner.

So, do you plan your meals too? Why or why not?

Menu Plan and Recipe Review

Though I made a meal plan last week, I completely flaked out on sharing it. I didn't want to make that mistake again this week.

Breakfasts: Cereal, Smoothies, PB Toast, Yogurt w/granola, Breakfast burritos, Waffles

Lunches: Soup w/grilled cheese, Chicken finger wraps, Cheese quesidillas, Tuna noodles, Creamy garlic pasta, Chicken salad sandwiches, PB&J

Dinners: 

Bowtie Chicken Alfredo w/green beans

Jalapeno popper stuffed mushrooms w/salsa rice and corn

Black bean burgers w/sweet potato fries

Slow cooker brisket with potatoes and carrots w/salad

I'm linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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Recipe Review

Baked Sesame Tofu Sticks with PB, tahini, and ginger sauce: I've made these before. This time around I made them without the peanut sauce on the side. The sticks were good, though Pat said he would have liked to have had the peanut sauce with them. Oh well.

Parmesan Potato Wedges: These went over so very well at my house. Please see Week 8 of Pinning with Purpose for my full review.

Italian chicken soup: I've made this before, and we really like the flavors in it. However, I forgot just HOW MUCH it makes. We both had our fill and there was still enough leftover to fill two gallon-sized freezer bags. I didn't even use all the pasta or chicken because my pot was almost overflowing already. It's a great, filling soup. Though, I only need to make it once a year as it makes so much!

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough: Oh, this stuff was great! I ended up deciding to have pizza for lunch instead of dinner so I prepared the dough just after breakfast. It really came together so quickly. I love that it required very little kneading. Since the pizza was just for the two of us, I only made one pizza and froze the other half of the dough. As for the taste, It was really yummy. I do wish I had a rolling pin to get the dough a tad bit thinner so it will crisp up more, but otherwise it was great!

 Three Cheese Skillet Lasagna: I didn't realize until I had this on the menu (and all the ingredients bought) that it requires cooking in the oven and not just in the skillet. As my deep skillet has a plastic handle, it can't go in the oven. I improvised with a casserole dish instead. It worked out fine. The lasagna came together quickly and was yummy too. I might just refer to this recipe again.

Hashbrown Taco Casserole: This was pretty good. I used soy crumbles instead of the ground turkey and it turned out just fine. With our microwave still broken, the leftovers just sat in the fridge though. I might make this again. We'll see.

Baked Spaghetti Squash and Cheese: I've been searching for a spaghetti squash recipe that we really like and just haven't found one yet. With my love of mac-n-cheese, I thought this just might be it. I used broccoli instead of the spinach since I don't like cooked/wilted spinach. The result was tasty, but still not THE recipe. I probably won't make this again. The search continues.

If you've got a GREAT spaghetti squash recipe, please please please share it with me. I want to like the stuff so much, but it just keeps coming out mushy. Now, what's on your menu this week?

Pinning with Purpose | Week 8

I cannot believe another week has passed me by. It's been a fairly productive one, though it's never quite as productive as I'd like. I'm looking forward to starting anew and trying again. For now, let's get to the meat of this post.

If you're new to Pinning with purpose, here are the deets: each week, I pick out a few pins from my Pinterest boards and try to recreate them or use them for inspiration. And, I challenge you to do the same. Find a pin that gets your creative juices going; be it a craft tutorial, recipe, style inspiration, or organizational tip and run with it. I encourage you to share your results on your blog and then link it up here. Fun, right!?

Let me start by thanking Jenna at The Painted Apron for linking up her yummy-looking Zucchini Garlic & Gruyere Galette last week.

You can bet that's been added to one of my Pinterest boards!

Now for what I had planned for this week. (Please go to the original sites to pin or otherwise share these images, above and below.):

Download and use the fonts from 1. 10 Favorite Font Combos from Yellow Bliss Road 2. Favorite Free Halloween Fonts from Ella Clair Inspired 3. Lovely Fonts from Ann Meer Design

Parmesan-coated Potato Wedges from MyRecipes

Yarn-wrapped print blocks from Print & Pattern's review of Print Workshop

Here's how they turned out:

I decided to break down the fonts and just use some of them to make a few images. For the Favorite Font Combos from Yellow Bliss Road, I made another Pinning with Purpose banner.

The Free Halloween Fonts from Ella Claire Inspired had me in a Halloween-y mood, so I went with it.

By the time I got to playing with one of the Lovely Fonts from Ann Meer Design, I went a little crazy with my photoshop.

I always love having a nice selection of fonts on hand for when the graphic design bug hits me. These new ones have definitely given me some more exciting options.

The Parmesan-coated Potato Wedges from MyRecipes were added to my menu easily enough. I had some red potatoes that needed to be used so I went with those instead of the recommended baking potatoes and sweet potatoes.

These came together well-enough, though I won't say they were easy (as coating anything is a bit of a chore.) However, they were a huge hit. Pat raved over them. They were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside as promised.

Of all the wedges I made, these three (above) were the only ones that remained. It was a good thing they did because I forgot to take a picture until dinner was over. Oops. Since the man loved them so much, I'm sure I'll be making them again.

Lastly, I've been obsessed with my Gelli Plate since it came in the mail. When I saw the yarn-wrapped block as part of Print & Pattern's review of Print Workshop I wondered how well that texture would work on the plate. Pat gave me a scrap piece of wood from his shop and I cut a length of yarn.

The first length wasn't quite long enough, so I re-wrapped it with a bit more yarn.

It didn't look like it left much of an impression on the Gelli plate,

but immediately worked well as a stamp.

The print from the Gelli Plate actually turned out better than I expected.

I'll probably use more yarn and something less. . .synthetic next time, but I think this worked well both as a stamp and as a texture tool on the plate.

Now to start planning for this week. Here's what I've selected from my boards to try out:

• Football season is in full force, and Alabama will have their first in-conference game this coming weekend against Florida. I'm planning ahead for what we'll snack on during the game and this French quarter cheese ball from Plain Chicken off my FOOD | Party Food board looks pretty tasty.
• I've been pretty lax in my jewelry-making this past week so I want to make sure I get my hands on some beads this week. The Wire wrapped wristlet tutorial from Shiny Little Things off my Jewelry tutorials board seems pretty fun.
• I don't pin much to my Printables board, but I never seem to get around to printing them either. So that I have some items on hand to play with when the collaging bug hits, I figure it might be time to print out a few. I'm starting with these three:
• French postal graphics from Just Something I Made
• Harry Potter Potions labels from Over the Big Moon
• Vintage inspired dresses from Sweetly Scrapped 

I'm looking forward to the week ahead and hope you are too.

An InLinkz Link-up