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Weekly Menu for the Week of Feb 22nd

February 21, 2016 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

I'm ready for this week, how about you? I caught a weird little cold early last week that settled into my throat and I haven't really been able to talk since Thursday. Thank goodness it was close to the weekend so Josh could basically do the "speaking" part of parenting for me. But it's getting better. My throat isn't sore anymore, I've been drinking lots of water, getting rest, and so the only thing I have left is a croaky voice and a dry cough.

The weather is supposed to be dry all week and for that I'm extremely thankful! I'm not sure what's worse - being sick when it's nice outside or being sick when it's rainy and dark! I feel like the gloom has a tendency to make me feel worse, while the sun offers some vitamin D and light into the house, right?

I just wish the sun would stay...because I miss grilling outside! Food just tastes better when grilled in the sun. Don't you agree? Speaking of food, in case you want to take a peek at past menus, check out our weekly menu archive here on the blog or you can pin these from Pinterest.

Have a great week everyone! Don't get sick!

Here are this week's recipes: [Read more...]

Easy Lasagna Casserole

February 18, 2016 By Chelsia Rief 8 Comments

This post originally appeared on Catz in July of 2012. The pictures and recipe have been updated.

My mom always had a tough job on her hands when it came to making everyone (okay, mostly my dad) happy when it came to meal planning. We didn't eat a lot of beef or pork in our family. It was a lot of chicken, seafood, pasta, and meatless meals. My dad wasn't (and still isn't!) a big meat eater. I would never label him as part of the carnivore family! But my mom had a brilliant way of making meals that didn't let us miss the meat...or even realize it wasn't there! [Read more...]

Rosemary Sweet Potato Stacks

February 16, 2016 By Chelsia Rief 10 Comments

Fridays can be really busy days around here. Even though we don't do school on Fridays, we still get up early and try to stay super organized...well, that part isn't too hard for me most of the time. The organization, not the getting up early. I still think the getting up early is brutal, even though I typically wake up at six in the morning every week day anymore!

My Friday mornings usually look something like this: wake up and drink coffee while I schedule any last minute social media/Pinterest posts (newer mom-task here, but I bet many of you can relate!). Squeeze in a workout if I've got a quick 20 minutes to spare. Take a shower and make sure the kids are doing what they are supposed to be doing (i.e. their showers, beds made, eating breakfast...are kids ever doing what they're supposed to be doing?), and then we're out the door with hopefully everything we need, like the diaper bag, Bible studies, Eden's coloring bag, and all of my grocery shopping stuff, and then we're headed to Bible study, which is a relaxing reprieve before the errands that follow! [Read more...]

Red Wine Chocolate Cake

February 11, 2016 By Chelsia Rief 22 Comments

Need a dessert that's easy, yet complex, not too sweet, but totally addictive? This Chocolate Red Wine Cake is for you...

Josh and I have a little thing we like to do when we cook together. We turn on some music, sometimes jazz, like Michael Buble or Frank Sinatra, or sometimes just Adele radio on Pandora - in my opinion, you can never go wrong with those choices - then, Josh will pour us a glass of wine and we'll get cooking. Usually, the kids will give us some time alone before they come down and set the table or they play quietly around us, neither of which we mind at all. But for us, it's a really relaxing and romantic way to start the evening as a couple.

Also, I think it's a great example of what a happy, lovey-dovey marriage looks like to the kids. I want them to always feel secure about our relationship, and hopefully, when their time comes to get hitched, they'll have some idea of how to mold their own relationships.

But that is just really jumping the gun A LOT! I can't even think about any of them with spouses of their own...yet.

Don't get me started or I might hyperventilate.

[Read more...]

Laser Potato Pie

February 9, 2016 By Joshua Rief 3 Comments

Potatoes.

I put them in the same category as eggs. As in, the category of things that I must have in the house at all times in case I need to make a random meal and nothing in the house sounds good but I don't want to eat breakfast cereal again.

You know what I mean?

Like eggs, there are roughly eleventy billion different ways you can prepare them, most of which are easy and delectable, and the rest of which are more challenging but equally delectable. I suppose that we wouldn't bother to blog many of the everyday potato dishes we make - baked potatoes, breakfast potatoes, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, fries of all conceivable varieties - unless they were especially notable, but even still, there are a decent number of recipes in our potato archive. This is despite not being a particular focus, unlike, say, French Toast... (inside joke there for any regular readers...) [Read more...]

Tuesday's Tidings for February 9

February 9, 2016 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

Hers

1. I had the worst knot in my neck that would travel to my vertebrae area and Tiger Balm has been saving my life! I've been using this stuff since I was a kid and it's the best thing for sore muscles, knots, and you name it.

2. I am loving bai right now. It's an antioxidant infused drink and so good. I'm loving the pomegranate flavor. I bet it would be mighty delicious in a smoothie! Yum!!

3. We watched The Martian and Everest over the weekend. The Martian was really good and gave me a new appreciation for gardening (haha). Matt Damon did an awesome job, as he always does. Everest was full of a great cast and I was already familiar with one of the characters, Jon Krakauer from reading Into the Wild and a few excerpts from Into Thin Air. It was a well filmed movie. It reminded me more of a documentary than a blockbuster. Would I watch it again, no. But I did find it interesting and sobering. [Read more...]

Weekly Menu For The Week of Feb 8th

February 7, 2016 By Chelsia Rief Leave a Comment

The Super Bowl is over (good job Broncos) and the sun shining and it's going to be in the upper 60's today and I bough Primroses to plant...

I am eager for spring!

#40daystillspring

This week is Valentine's Day - a holiday I always look forward to. I think it's a fun day to show your love for your loved ones, including your kids. I always like to show my kiddos how much I love them and how happy I am that they are in my life. <3

Do you have any fun Valentines traditions?

Don't forget to look back at past recipe archives for some great dinner options for your menus!

Have a wonderful week everyone! Here are the recipes:

[Read more...]

Mini Blackberry Lime Empanadas

February 4, 2016 By Chelsia Rief 7 Comments

Sweet and just a little savory, these cute little mini blackberry lime empanadas take only five ingredients, and can be made as cookies or treats on a stick!

I loved Valentine's Day as a kid.

My mom would decorate our house with cupids and hearts, string up red lights in the windows and keep fresh carnations in a vase on the counter. I would come home from school and BAM! it was like a pink and red explosion in our home and I loved every bit of it.

One year we skipped buying cards from the store and opted to make homemade ones for all the kids in my class. Boy, was that a job! I do believe it took several solid hours and I think half way through I even bowed out and let my mom handle the rest. Which is why we probably only made those that one year!

[Read more...]

Healthy Snacks We're Loving

February 3, 2016 By Chelsia Rief 2 Comments

For many, the new year is a time of change and fresh beginnings. A lot of the time that means making more time for your health, mentally and physically. While I didn't make a resolution this year, I did want to make more of an effort to make healthy snacks more available to my family.

We generally don't keep traditional "snacky" things in the house like chips and cookies...but that doesn't mean I keep enough healthy snacky items on hand either.

When I heard Nuts.com was looking to hear my go-to healthy snacks I keep on hand, I had to share! As a stay at home mom whom also homeschools, I recognize the need for convenient snacks, as getting your child to eat healthy is really important, not only to keep them happy, but also keep their brains smart! Of course, this goes for my husband and I, too. If I keep fruit, nuts, and veggies on hand for snacking, we're more likely to eat them, enjoy them, and develop our taste buds for that naturally snacky goodness. [Read more...]

Almond Waffles with Raspberry Basil Sauce

February 2, 2016 By Chelsia Rief 4 Comments

This perky recipe for almond waffles with raspberry basil sauce is a tour de force of bright, warm flavors with tart, savory accents. It's a must try!

Valentine's Day is coming up! Or maybe you haven't heard. I'm all for a romantic dinner, but for that special day, I like to feel pampered...and breakfast in bed just seems like the perfect way to get the holiday started.

In past years, if Josh had prepared waffles for me on Valentine's Day, I would be disappointed, if we're being honest. It's not that I wouldn't have been moved by his breakfast gesture, it would just be that waffles are not my favorite thing to eat.

And he knows that.

[Read more...]