Recipe love.

Unfortunately cooking each night is a mandatory thing, so to help keep it spicy in my kitchen, I love to try out new recipes.  My goal is to try 1-3 new dishes a week... it keeps us on our toes so we don't fall in the routine of eating the same thing.

I love when people do things like this, so here are a few recipes from Pinterest that we've tried and really enjoyed.  

Source: sixsistersstuff.com via Megan on Pinterest

We LOVE these... one of my favorite things to throw in the crock pot before church and come home to. So easy!

Source: recipe-diaries.com via Megan on Pinterest

A yummy weight watchers recipe... even my hubby liked these.

Source: afarmgirlsdabbles.com via Megan on Pinterest

One of my favorite Pinterest finds... I accidentally doubled the pasta the first time I made it, which made the soup VERY thick, which made Tyler happy since he's not a huge soup lover.

Source: tidymom.net via Megan on Pinterest

Not much to say, other than yummy.

Source: whataboutpie.blogspot.com via Megan on Pinterest

Another one of our favorites... these are EASY and good.

Source: pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com via Megan on Pinterest

Oh my, another good one.  This also makes a very large batch, so I could easily cut this in half for our family... but we love the leftovers.

Source: melskitchencafe.com via Megan on Pinterest

I think I've only made these once, but we liked them.

Source: recipegirl.com via Megan on Pinterest

Ahhhh... my "go to" breakfast when we have guests.  SO rich, but SO good.

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Megan on Pinterest

Another "go to" of mine... if I ever bring you a meal, this is what it will most likely be.  It is easy to double and keep half for our family, and give the other half to someone who needs it!

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Megan on Pinterest

Not for the vegetarians or dieters.  :)  We add pepperjack cheese and mushrooms to this, and LOVE them.

Source: goo.gl via Megan on Pinterest

A fun twist on Mexican/taco night.  I loved these, Tyler thought they were just okay... but he doesn't really like tacos to begin with.

Source: tandriantastytidbits.blogspot.com via Megan on Pinterest

Really really really enjoyed this one.  Next time I'll cut the recipe in half, because the leftovers weren't great.

Try out some of these recipes and let me know what you think!

What about you... have you found anything good to eat lately?  You know me... always on the look-out for something new!  Ha!

Tidbits.

- First things first, are you caught up on Parenthood?  We are crazy about that show and I think I cried the entire 45 minutes this past week.  Also, so annoying that next week is the finale already... it's only February for pete's sake... NOT ok!!!  Love that show.  Can't say it enough.

- Have you heard about the Color Run?  They are coming to Kansas City this year (June 30), and I'm 110% confident that I am no where near being able to run the entire thing, but I want to do it SO bad... even if I walk 75% of it!  S O F U N !!!   If you are near me and want to do it, let's do it!  

- Sunday afternoon I started feeling crummy and really haven't gotten better.  It started out as just a stomach ache and now throughout the week my sweet family has given me their cold... literally my house is a MESS and I cannot get muster the energy to do anything about it... which, you know me, I hate.  I'm almost on the verge of buying a neti-pot, which I swore I'd never do.  Blech. 

- My master bedroom redo is in full swing and I'm super excited about it... my bedding is complete, minus a couple throw pillows... and I'm still on the hunt for some cheap(ish) mirrors.  There's your hint.  :)

- The weather has been GORGEOUS this week... we have been outside every day and I've loved running with the boys.  Jaxon is great motivation calling me "real slow" when I walk and tells me to go faster... ha!

- I have LOVED not being on Facebook the last couple days.  So freeing, so lovely.  I may never go back.... for reals.  Honestly, I'm not even tempted yet.  I'm just loving it way too much.

- Excited to see my family for the 3rd weekend in a row... I am so thankful to live close to them again.

- Cohen is no longer Mr. Innocent.  For so long, if the boys were fighting or if Cohen was crying, we automatically assumed it was Jaxon.  Nu-uh... no more.  Cohen *loves* to instigate things, and stir up trouble... he pushes Jaxon's every last button until he explodes.  Wrestling matches and head locks are a part of our every day routine now.  And so it begins!

- I am flying to Arizona next month for my cousin's wedding to be her photographer.  I was hoping that it would be a "getaway" for Tyler and I (with no babies), but unfortunately we couldn't squeeze the cost of the 2nd flight out of our bank account, so he is staying behind.  My girl cousins are all going (without their husbands), so it seems this is turning into quite the girls getaway weekend.  I am excited, but also freaked out and feeling guilty about leaving my boys behind... all 3 of them.  I am, however, excited to sleep in past 7am!

- I am extremely obsessed with greek yogurt. It's 3 points and worth every single one! (Oh, did I mention I started up weight watchers again?  Down 5 pounds!) If you live in the midwest, try the new AE brand... my favorite!

- Enjoyed this new recipe last night!

- On a not as happy note, I could use your prayers today.

Happy Weekend! 

Celebration.

Well, just as expected I was able to snap out of the funk I was stuck in for a little over a week upon arriving at my parents house.  You see, my Mom doesn't give herself enough credit... she is an amazing decorator.  I don't know what it is, but something about being back "home" and seeing the lights on their house, the town village, snowmen everywhere, and the beautiful tree... it just screams Christmas.

We had a great weekend together full of lots of laughs, homemade cinnamon rolls (a tradition of mine that I wanted to "spread" this year), game after game after game including some outdoor kickball, and of course a delicious dinner followed by the reading of scripture and gifts.  My brother's gift to my Mom was restoring their old wedding video from 1981 on a 8mm, so we were able to sit around and watch it late Saturday night.  How fun it was to see my Mom as a bride and my Dad as a groom.

One of the ways I'm different from my siblings is my time clock and how I'm up early and not a fan of staying up late.  After about 10pm, I either turn into a zombie, a giggle-queen, or a total crank... then in the morning I'm typically the first awake, which annoys my siblings to bits and pieces when I'm so bubbly as they roll out of bed at 9am.  All of this to say, visits to my parents house always equal hardly any sleep for myself, but it's always worth it.

Sunday morning after playing keyboard at church, we hit the road and headed back home.  We had our big fancy hot date that night to Trans Siberian Orchestra... and again, it did not disappoint.  Dinner with great friends followed by an AMAZING concert that had us speechless is a sure way to help anyone feel refreshed.  It's been way too long since Tyler and I have been on a date, and it was so fun getting super dressed up and having a night free of toddler breakdowns, poopy diapers, and early bedtimes.

I hope you all had a great weekend and are getting ready for a fun week with family, traditions, and celebrations.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

It's official.  I need another few days to recover from the last few days!

Friday night we kicked off the weekend by going to the Plaza to see the Christmas lights.  This is our 5th Christmas season living in KC and have never gone... I know I know, I hear about it all the time!  So with a son who LOVES, and I repeat LOVES "Kiss-mas yites", we knew this year we had to go.  Unfortunately he was not feeling so great, so he dozed in and out of it... so Tyler and I just pretended there were no kids in the back seat (instead of sleeping kids), and pretended we were on a date.  And what a fun date it was.

Saturday my plans went down the toilet when my husband kindly told me that morning he needed to work.  I somehow convinced him to go in after my 4 errands were ran, and he agreed... thank you Jesus for running errands in peace.  When I got home, the baking marathon began!  I had 6 dozen cookies to make... 3 different kinds (2 dozen each).

Later that night, I took a trip down memory lane as I watched Jaxon help his Daddy load/unload firewood.

Sunday, we never stopped going going going.  Worship team, church, Christmas dinner at church, baking the last cookies, wrapping gifts, making an appetizer... and we were headed out the door to the Cookie Swap!

It was a blast and as you can see I came home with enough cookies to feed an army... which is a good thing since we'll be taking them to my parents for our family Christmas next weekend.  My sweet friend Andrea did an amazing job hosting!

So, today I'm thankful for friendship.  Christmas parties.  And for busy weekends... because it means you have people who want to spend time with you.  And for that, I'm grateful!

Have a happy week!

Tidbits.

- Wedding shower preparations for my Sister are in full force around my house, so I'm sorry for the lack of blogging lately.  I know we all go through phases that blogging takes the back seat, and that's the case for me right now.
{ps, sneak peek of the shower coming on Saturday!}

- We are still adjusting to Tyler's new schedule, but days like today that we were able to get out of the house and do something fun as a family was great.  We went to DeAnna Farmstead, which is free Monday-Thursday.  Can't beat free.

- We joined a gym last month and I am so happy to be finding my groove again with the elliptical machine.  They also offer many different classes, my favorite of course is Zumba.  And why not -- burning around 800 calories in an hour that goes by lightning quick.  I love it!

- A week ago we finally found the nerve to cut Cohen's hair for the first time.  It was way past due, but I could not come to terms with how different I knew he was going to look.  Luckily, he's still as cute as ever.

- I made cinnamon roll pancakes recently for some guests, and ohmygoodness, they were amazing.  We decided this would be a trademark for staying overnight at our house... being treated to these yummy things for breakfast.

- I am borrowing a sewing machine from my sister in law as I prepare to sew my sisters wedding programs.  I'm so excited to get started, but a little nervous as well since I am not quite sure how to run this thing... ha!

- We are still enjoying our summer together {and all that entails} but I am SO over the heat.  This week we are expected to have another couple 100 degree days... I cannot wait for fall!

- We have spent a lot of time with my friend Andrea and her son Benton recently.  Jaxon and Benton are almost the same age and play SO well together.  Added bonus that I get to spend time with his beautiful momma!  She's a great friend to me and I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her better.

- The flu/influenza hit our house pretty severely over the weekend while we had my Step-FIL in town.  So far, just my boys have had it, and I'm praying it stays that way.  With the shower coming up this weekend, I cannot afford to get sick, nor can my hubby, who is keeping Jaxon back home while Cohen and I travel.

- Just hours before the virus hit Jaxon full-force, he attended his first Royals game!  Such a fun experience for him, and because the facility is so family-friendly, he didn't get bored or antsy at all.  They got home at 10pm and he was still wide awake and excited to tell me all about the "baseball game".

- I'm constantly on the hunt for fun things to do with Jaxon, and came across a suggestion to get some water balls for him.  The original idea of these is to use them for home decorating or in substitute for water in a vase of flowers, but kids and adults love to play with them as well.  {just be careful because they cannot eat them} I ordered 10 packs for $7 off Amazon and it was money well spent, as Jaxon loves playing with them.  They start out as tiny little balls and within 4 hours grow to marble size.  So fun!

- Cohen has been waking up from his afternoon nap with red blotches all over his face.  It goes away within a couple hours of waking up, but I find it strange that it's only after one nap {not at bedtime or his morning nap} and goes away fairly quickly.  I've washed/changed his sheets, and have closely monitored what he has ate for lunch {in case it's an allergy}.  It doesn't seem to bother him, so if it continues I'll take him to the doctor but I just thought I'd ask here as well.  Any thoughts?

- That wraps up our past couple of weeks!

Lime Chicken Tacos.

An amazing recipe sent to me by Grace, thanks lady!

We love love LOVED this recipe... and the best part {in my opinion}, is how incredibly easy it is! Throwing some frozen chicken breasts in a crock pot is the hardest part, haha!

Lime Chicken Tacos

Place 1 1/2 lbs of frozen chicken breasts in crock pot.

Combine:

3 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp taco seasoning

Pour over chicken. Cover and cook for 5-6 hours on low, or until chicken is tender. {I did about 4.5 hours and it was fantastic!}

Shred meat.

Then add:

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup black beans

1 cup chunky salsa

Cook an additional 30 minutes.

Serve on tortillas. {I used the small ones, yummmm!}

Enjoy :)

Recipe.

Here's another yummy recipe, in case you're looking for a new one!

Sour Cream Pork Chops

4-6 boneless pork chops

1 c beef bouillon

2t mustard

2T parsley

1t paprika

salt/pepper to taste

8 oz can mushrooms, drained

1/2 onion

8 oz sour cream

Brown chops in large skillet. Mix in all ingredients, except sour cream. Pour over chops and let simmer for 1 1/2 hours, covered. Remove chops, and set aside. Mix sour cream with juice in pan. Add pork chops and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Serve over rice.

This is the pan after we ate.... as you can see we really enjoyed it ;)

Enjoy!

Saturday afternoon.

How to bake cookies with an almost 2 year old.

#1. Pray for patience.

#2. Recruit your helper.

Bonus points if he's amazingly adorable.

#3. Gather all your ingredients.

#4. Explain rules.

Starting with "don't stick your hand in the mixer"

and remembering the most important one: have fun with Mommy.

#5. Mix ingredients in mixer.

Watch carefully as your helper "ooooh's" and "ahhhh's".

#6. Beware of sneak thieves.

#7. Take a break when you need one.

Play your guitar if you have one... just don't forget to dance along.

#8. Recruit other cute helpers.

It's okay if they're too young to participate, they still make great teammates.

#9. Bake cookies.

Put on your listening ears as your toddler explains to you that the oven is hot,

do not touch it Mommy.

#10. Remove foil from kisses.

Take advantage of the opportunity for a counting lesson.

Again on high alert for taste testers.

#11. Allow your helper to make sure the kisses are edible before placing them on the cookie.

#12. Enjoy the delicious cookies and the memories you just made.

Note: I am not usually a big "peanut butter kiss" cookie fan, but this recipe is incredible!

Try it out... just don't forget to recruit your helper. And rule #1.