Hey, hey, friends, how was your weekend? We went to the beach on Saturday and spent a few hours with our oldest daughter and her roommates and it was such a delight! We got coffee and tacos and I even got a family picture on the beach which was wonderful! It was cold and windy, but it was dry, and actually, quite the beautiful day. After so much rain (which we continue to have), it felt like a real treat to spend the afternoon at the Oregon coast and not get rained on (for you non-PNW beach folks, it's probably hard to imagine a nice beach day in 48-degree weather, but it is possible!).

I'm going to keep this week's menu nice and short. I know a lot of you are moms with little kids and I don't want to be one more email stopping you from daily living. I know you've got spring sports, babies to bathe, dogs to walk, and a million other things to do...so...

Here's what's on the menu this week:

[Read more...]

Now tell me, who did you fool on April Fool's Day? Prank or joke? I want to hear because I'm always so bad at these things! Speaking of April, we've hit the fourth month of the year and I'm really hoping and praying for a little less rain and a little more sun. Who's with me?!

Initially, I had another tough week planning the menu out, but then I found my groove - so much so that I have begun planning the following week's menu as well! Oftentimes this will happen to me. I hit a slump and then I get excited all over again and am bursting with ideas (until the next slump, of course).

Here's what's on the menu this week...

[Read more...]

Happy spring break for many of you...and last week of March! It feels like this year is zooming by. Wasn't it just January? I mean, I felt like February was long, I guess, but January and March just zipped by. It's probably because we had Grace home from college for some of that time. This mama's heart sure loves it when she comes home for a visit. She'll be back for Easter, though, so, yay!

I like to be transparent with all of you because I don't ever want you guys to think that making our menu (the one my family eats throughout the week) is always easy. It's not. Some weeks I have tons of ideas and other weeks my brain is just tired and can't think of what sounds good or what I feel like cooking. This was definitely one of those challenging weeks for me. I struggled so much!

I feel as if I'm on the upswing this week - I've got some meals planned out for the following weekend I'm very excited about. I share this so you may also be encouraged - if you also have a couple of weeks where it is rough...there is menu #inspo on the other side. Which is why I continue to create these menus each week for you! Hopefully you can pull one or two of these recipes aside and use them in your own cooking.

Without further ado, here's what's on the menu this week...

[Read more...]

I hope you all had a wonderful & festive St. Patrick's Day. We opted for our usual Friday night dinner of pizza, but on Saturday, I made Corned Beef and Cabbage in the slow cooker (for the first time - we've never made it or tried it before) and it was a huge hit! Since I had never made it before, I didn't want to experiment with making my own recipe, so I used Foodie Crush's recipe and it was perfect! I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to try it for the first time. I made my corned beef in the slow cooker, but there are also instructions for making it in the instant pot for anyone who is interested.

Also, happy first day of spring, everyone! We got our first 60 degree day over the weekend and it was glorious! Josh and I noticed that several of our neighbor's fruit trees (plum and apple) are beginning to blossom. After a long, cold, weary winter...those petals are such a welcome sight. Are you excited about spring? I'll rephrase...how excited are you for spring?!

Here's what's on the menu this week!

[Read more...]

Happy March, friends! Grace got home from college a little over a week ago and we're so happy! We spent our weekend eating pizza, watching movies, going to church, and just hanging out (+ a few chores). Basically, I thought it was a really good weekend!

Could have been longer, though, am I right...or am I right?

I had some help from the kids picking recipes for the menu this week, so I hope you are able to find something that you'll add to your own menu.

Here's what is on the menu this week:

[Read more...]

I can't decide if I feel like February flew by or dragged on. Either way, this week we begin the month of March and I just can't help thinking how are we into the third month of the new year already? Stay tuned - later this week I'll be emailing out our monthly newsletter again already! 🤯

Seeing that March is upon us, who has spring break plans? We don't have any plans to go anywhere this year. In 2021, we roadtripped it back across the Western US after picking up a new family car in Ohio. Last year, we traveled to Florida and took the kids to Walt Disney World - how was that last year!? Feels like last week! This year we're just planning to enjoy some time with Grace home from school for a bit.

This week is on and off rain and so I am making comfort food this week but also, with Grace home, I'm planning to make one of her favorite meals. We all cannot wait to see her!

Here's what we're cooking this week:

[Read more...]