Because We Need to Eat - April 11-15

I've been slow to get this post up because I've actually been reading a book and managed to finish it in four days. I totally recommend The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. So heartbreakingly good! Sadly, meals needed to be made but I did really enjoy getting back into reading. Here's our meal plan:

Veggie Pizza - K actually said "Thank you for making this, Mommy!" so I call that a win. We had a pre-made pizza shell, spread it with pizza sauce and parmesan cheese, added someh sauteed veggies (red & yellow peppers, zucchini, broccoli florets, and red onions) mixed with pesto, and topped it with mozzarella and feta cheese. It made up for me eating ice cream and chips while the girls were napping.

Roast Beef with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans - This is such an easy slow cooker recipe. The beef is so yummy I was even sneaking bites while I was waiting for Mark to get home. 

Sausage & Peppers Penne - This is a Mark creation. Cook up some ground sausage and sautee red and yellow peppers and onion. Add pasta sauce and penne and you are good to go!

Perogies with Frozen Veggies - Our back up Friday meal. I just realized we didn't buy any

bacon. Usually we top the perogies with bacon, cheddar cheese, and sour cream. 

Spinach Omelette - This girl loves her omelettes. This week I also added some cooked broccoli and feta cheese just to mix it up a bit.

Grilled Cheese & Veggies

Chicken & Apple Balls - We didn't end up eating these last week so it will be a quick meal when we get back from our walk. Hooray for better weather!

Cheese & Crackers

Fruit & Pretzel Fish - I love these pretzel fish.

Pancake Muffins

I took it easy with the snacks this week. I wasn't feeling up to baking anything. Luckily, K will survive and so will I!

Because We Need to Eat - April 4-8

I have arrived as a parent. Yesterday I knelt in poop and it didn't faze me - not one bit. I probably shouldn't really be proud of that but I am. In the midst of a day with a non-napping baby which equals no down time for momma, I dealt with poo and took it in stride. Maybe this isn't the best topic to start off writing about meal planning but it's out there now. Here's our meal plan for the week:

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry - Mark is the stir-fry king so I was a little hesitant making his recipe but it turned out well. K has developed an aversion to onions so I cut them up in big wedges for her to pick out. 

Crock-Pot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti  - We made this back in December and it is super tasty. It's best to eat right away or else the cheese sauce dries up a bit. 

Stuffed Peppers - This is from the Suppertime Survival cookbook and K loves it - even though it has rice in it which she tends not to love. Such a great way to get some serious veggies in.

Breakfast Burritos with Hashbrowns - Breakfast burritos are another Mark dish. He does a great job of sealing them in the frying pan. I will prepare the scrambled eggs and hashbrowns ahead of time and as soon as he walks in the door he will do his burrito magic. We put salsa, sour cream, and grated cheese in with the eggs. 

Tuna Melt with Cucumber - Click here for more info. We were at a surprise party for my aunt on the weekend and were sent home with a bag of cut up veggies. I've always wanted to have some pre-cut veggies available but never really get around to cutting them up. K has started asking for snacks (as in cookies or granola bars) right before dinner so yesterday I gave her some cut-up peppers slices instead. Even if she spoiled her dinner it would be with veggies. She ate them without any complaint. Mom win!

Chicken & Apple Balls with Veggies - click here for more info.

Cheese & Lentil Wedges  - This recipe comes from the Baby Led Weaning Cookbook. It's one of those recipes that I may or may not make depending on how I'm feeling but I have a whole bunch of red lentils that we should eat up.

Banana Bites - click here for more info. A good alternative to the granola bar.

Pancake Muffins - click here for more info. I still have some in the freezer.

Morning Glory Muffins - Also from the Baby Led Weaning Cookbook these muffins are sugar-free which may explain why it takes K forever to eat them. I feel good about eating them, though. They are packed full of carrot, apple, coconut (obviously I did put sweetened coconut in), and walnuts. You're also supposed to put dates in but they are not my favourite.

Because We Need to Eat - March 28 - April 1

Easter was busy and I'm not sure that I did the greatest job of slowing down and reflecting on the cross. Thankfully, we have grace and I'd be oh so lost without it. I will have a post up soon about the Easter traditions we've started with K and some other exciting things that are on my mind.

This was another weekend where we didn't make it out to grocery shop or really meal plan so it's a mish-mash of easy meals and stuff we had in the freezer. The good part - our grocery bill was only $60.

Alpine Chicken with Broccoli & Potato Wedges - So this "from the box" chicken isn't actually called that (chicken stuffed with ham and cheese) but it was when I was kid so it will remain so now. The broccoli was steamed and the potato wedges were from a bag. Still delicious, though!

Spaghetti - It may appear as though we eat spaghetti every week. We don't! We actually haven't eaten it any of the days it has been on the plan. Tonight's spaghetti is extra special, though. Mark got a free sample of organic, free-range ground beef from a farm that was going door-to-door. My husband is not one to turn down free meat, apparently! I'm not sure that slathering it in pasta sauce is the best way to appreciate it but I'll probably add some onions, carrots, and celery to the meat, too.

Slow Cooker Taco Chili - A few weeks ago I made slow cooker chili and we had leftovers so we're eating those up with some tortilla chips on the side.

Broccoli Quiche - K's fave and super yummy.

English Muffin Pizzas - Tasty! I served these with apple slices. K has just recently started being interested in apples. I did peel hers and sliced them pretty thin. I put C down for a nap and came back downstairs and she'd polished off her whole meal. I think she was making up for being a toddler and not eating much on the weekend.

Crackers & Cheese with Frozen Veggies - Uninspired. That's all I will say.

Peanut Butter Toast with Squash - Take note of the vegetable and my $60 grocery bill.

Clementines & Bunny Crackers - The Easter bunny brought K some of those Annie's cheddar bunny crackers and the honey cookies. They will be making appearances at snack time this week.

Smoothie  - Again this week because I need to use up the plain yogurt and eat more fruit myself.

Carrot & Pineapple Muffins - I really like these and I only used half a can of the crushed pineapple so I am making more this week.

Because Easter Decorations are Pretty

I love Easter for many reasons but among them are Easter decorations. My Easter collection is beginning to rival my Christmas decorations but I'm okay with that. Hopefully my husband is, too! Here is a quick peek:

Because We Need to Eat - March 21-25

We did eat last week, I promise. I had a cold and so did K which tends to wipe us out. Needless to say, fast food was ordered and vegetables may have been lacking. This week I am trying to make up for it with lots of veggies mixed in with our meals. Most of the dinner recipes came from the Suppertime Survival Cookbook and K's lunches were from the Annabel Karmel cookbook. 

Meatballs with Green Beans & Rice - These meatballs are made with quick rolled oats, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, salt & pepper and of course, ground beef. Here's the recipe for the sauce:

• 1 cup bottled BBQ sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 tbsp prepared mustard
• 1 cup water or orange juice

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease baking dish and place meatballs in dish

2. Combine ingredients and pour over meatballs

3. Cover and bake for 30 minutes

Harvest Vegetables with Chicken & Penne - This is a simple baked chicken dish with lots of veggies (onion, green & red peppers, zucchini) added to a pasta sauce and served over penne. It was super yummy and the chicken was nice and juicy.

Baked Turkey Enchiladas - I don't often cook with regular turkey so I'm going to try to find some turkey breasts at the grocery store. Apparently this would be great with leftover turkey from Easter. 

Spaghetti - Our go-to Friday meal. 

Grilled Cheese & Pepper Strips - Quick and easy and an all-time favourite of both of us.

Spanish Omelette - This omelette is made with diced potatoes, onions, red pepper and frozen peas. 

Pasta Shell Confetti - This pasta includes some sauteed carrots, zucchini and tomato. The pasta is cooked and stirred into the vegetables along with some heavy cream and grated Parmesan cheese. 

Tuna Pita Pockets  - K enjoys eating these, although I had to make sure she wasn't eating it upside down. This week I added some grated cheddar cheese and if I had more time I might have put in some grated carrot.  

Carrot & Pineapple Muffins - This recipe is from Annabel Karmel's book and is one of my fave muffin recipes. 

Crackers & Cheese - In case, we are busy...so it will be a definite snack this week. 

Smoothie  - check out my recipe here. 

Because the Laundry Needs to Get Done

Doing laundry doesn't bother me. Folding laundry doesn't bother me, either. Putting it away, though. Good grief. I'm terrible at it. Strangely enough, I would rather put away the girls clean laundry than my own. This week, laundry is the focus of the Declutter Challenge my mom, sister, and I are trying to do. You can see my sister's progress on her blog - Grieve Family Adventures. 

We do laundry every day. Now that K is potty training it means we don't have to do diaper laundry every other day. Yay! However, it also means that we have more kids laundry to do. Boo! We get cheaper electricity rates after 7:00pm and on the weekends so we can usually get a load or two done and in the dryer by the time we go to bed. By doing a bit of laundry every day it frees up some time on the weekend to have fun or do other chores. 

Here is our laundry schedule:

Because Potty Songs and Potty Videos are Fun for Me

Two weekends ago we started potty training K (detailed post coming soon). We talk about the potty all the time so why not sing about it? And while we're at it, why not watch some potty tv?

We subscribe to Google Play music so I quickly put together a Potty Playlist by doing a quick "potty training" search. Here are some not-so-super annoying potty songs:

• When You Have to Go Potty Stop and Go Right Away - Daniel Tiger's Neighbourhood
• Potty Party - Splash 'N Boots
• Potty Time - Patty Shukla
• Potty - DeeDee
• Wee Go Potty - Rocknoceros
• Potty Train - Curtis Maloney
• Potty Time - Toozigoots
• Potty Time - JBunny & Grizzly Gold
• Potty Song - Lil Genies

If you are thinking about potty training your toddler I recommend subliminal (or overtly blatant) messaging/brainwashing ahead of time. 

We love Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and I mean love. I probably like it more than K, to be perfectly honest. I just like how nice all the characters are, the catchy music and important life lessons. CBC Kids has full-length episodes posted on YouTube. Here is the potty episode.