Week 75

Happy Easter all.  Hoping that you had the opportunity to bask in the renewal of spring, the sunshine and warm weather, the budding plants and bulbs poking out.  Gathering time and long afternoons spent with extended family.  Most of all, I hope you got the opportunity to think and ponder on the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ and his glorious resurrection.  The "Good News" of the gospel that tells us that he lives again.  I hope you all had that.
We took the kids to Banff for 2 days at the end of last week.  We had an amazing time going to Lake Louise and playing in the snow, having snowball fights, walking the trails and just being outside.  The kids climbed and ran, ate snow and marvelled at the mountains.  It was heavenly. We took them to the hotsprings and soaked our weary bodies in the hot water.  We took them back to the hotel where they all slept in a sweaty pile, all in one room.  They all woke early and giggled and talked while we listened from the other room.  We went to the Banff Springs Hotel, aka Hogwarts, for the kids to walk around and marvel at the "castle".  We roamed Banff Ave and shopped in all of the souvenir ships, laughing at t-shirts and examining trinkets.  We got treats at the candy shoppe, caramel apples at the Fudgery, sampled a Beavertail and everyone got to take home a special momento.  Overall, it was fabulous!
This week the kids are on Spring Break.  I know that it is late but we also had a week off in February - apparently their school thinks we need more time off during the year so that we can stretch classes all the way until the very end of June.  Yes, that is exactly what we need!
I am about to embark on painting Emma's room - wish me luck, I may never come out!

This week for dinner:

Sunday:
Easter Dinner at my fabulous inlaws - turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter salad, green bean casserole, corn and buns

Monday:
Something easy as I am painting.  Not sure what yet - maybe some pasta or Chicken Caesar Salad or something

Tuesday:
Lemon Butter poached shrimp, rice pilaf, asparagus

Wednesday:
Lemon Dill chicken, roasted potatoes, peas and glazed carrots

Thursday:
Maple soy salmon, rice, zucchini, salad

Friday:
Depends on if Dallin and I are going out or not.  If not we will have big rock burgers with raw veggies and chips on the side

Saturday:
Dallin will be out with his Dad for General Priesthood session and Chinese food so the kids and I will get to hang out, maybe make pizza or whatever and watch a movie ....

What do you eat when you are in a hurry?  Our go-tos are always some sort of pasta with a quick  alfredo sauce or some kind of taco/quesadilla.  I need ideas!!!

Week 74

Kids playing twister on a playdate - is there anything more fun and quintessentially "girlie"?

Okay guys, so I gotta apologize.  I hate feeling like I have to pass a test to post a comment and I didn't want to deter any comments on here so I took the filter off.  Apparently when I took off the filter for my comments here, it welcomed all kinds of nasty to come out of the woodwork.  So, I am going to try to get the filter back on ASAP.
In other news, all 3 kids got back report cards and are doing incredibly well.  I am one proud mamma of such smart little ones.  Jack, who is only in Kindergarten, is reading well above grade level and is well on his way to becoming a boy genius, just like his dad and Grandpas.  How do I make sure this continues?!?  I always want him to know how wonderful it is to do well in school and that he can go anywhere with the right education!  My girls are smart but for some reason it is usually okay with girls to do well in school and they are never embarrassed by it and can still be the same as they always are and do well in school.  Boys on the other hand .......
The kids start spring break today.  I am thrilled to have a week off with them and do fun stuff.  We are going to be painting Emma's room, haircuts for everyone, probably enjoy the nice spring-ish weather.  We are not arizona where they were having waterfights on their spring break a few weeks ago because it was 90F but still, I will take what I can get :)
Today we are taking the kids to Banff for 2 days.  We have rented a hotel and are going to go hiking and shopping and swimming in the hot springs and sight-seeing and eating out and I am so excited!!!

This week for dinner:

Sunday:
Leftovers - Dallin brought home a bunch of smoked pork roast from All You Can Meat so we ate that with some creamy parmesan polenta and green beans and spinach salad

Monday:
Penne with a spicy rosé sauce (just a homemade spicy marinara that I added some cream to at the end) and salad

Tuesday:
Hawaiian chicken thighs, coconut rice, glazed zucchini

Wednesday:
BBQ pulled beef on homemade buns with sour cream onions, baked potato salad, green salad with veggies and toffee chip cookies (I took dinner to a sweet friend who just had her 6th baby - she is amazing!)

Thursday:
We will be in Banff with the kids so eating out

Friday:
We will see what we end up doing - we will either eat out if we are still in Banff or find something easy at home if we get home early enough

Saturday:
We have book club so something simple - maybe tacos or sou and sandwiches or something

What are you guys eating this week?  What have been your favourite new recipes lately?  We made a Banana Bread Steel Cut Oats with coconut in it that is super yummy and bonus because you make it in the crockpot overnight!  Recipe to come .....

Weeks 72 & 73

You guys are gonna get a twofer this week. I did have a menu last week but I just never got around to posting it so I thought I would put it up for ideas sake, anyway.

As for what is new around these parts, it is the same but different, if you know what I mean.  Still doing the school stuff, both for Dallin and the kids.  Still feel like I am running off my feet most days.  Got released from Nursery which makes me sad as I loved those kids something fierce.  I am looking forward to attending Relief Society which I have not been to much, in well .... ever.  It has been about 3 years since I have even been but in the last 8 years I have only been about 10 months of that time and even then, it was sporadic.  I have loved serving in Young Womens and Primary though, they have been lovely and so fun.
I am getting ready to redo Emma's room.  We ordered her new bedding and picked a paint color so for Spring Break we will be getting it all prettied up and making it more grown up.  Should be fun - I love a good room redo!
We just booked a night away on Good Friday in Banff with the kids.  We are going to take them for a hike and to the hotsprings and just to play in the mountains.  Should be so much fun and I can't wait!
Dallin got us tickets to go see Les Mis this summer at the Jubilee.  I love that musical so much and love that man for getting me tickets to see it!

Last Week for dinner:

Sunday:
Pork Roast with peach ginger BBQ sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, salad

Monday:
Beef stew over mashed potatoes, buttered peas, salad

Tuesday:
I cannot remember for the LIFE of me!  Who knows?

Wednesday:
chicken stew with biscuits, green beans, strawberry spinach salad with almonds

Thursday:
lasagna (which I have not made in eons and was SOOO good) and salad - I made two and took the extra lasagna to someone who needed it.

Friday:
leftover night - we all ate leftovers of one variety or another and some veggies on the side

Saturday:
Huevos Rancheros for Dallin and I, the kids were not hungry since Jack's birthday party went until 4pm and they ate pizza there.  They all ate some cereal or toast

This week for dinner:

Sunday:
penne alfredo with chicken, sundried tomatoes and spinach, salad

Monday:
Mushroom soup, biscuits, strawberry spinach salad with candied pecans

Tuesday:
we are going to the Temple and my mother in law is feeding the kids

Wednesday:
rosemary sriracha chicken thighs, roasted potaotes, garlic mushroom green beans

Thursday:
Pork tenderloin with a honey teriyaki sauce, "fried" rice, carrots and maybe some zucchini

Friday:
We will either go out for a date night (we have a groupon for Loungeburger) or else we will make big rock burgers at home.  it seems like a burger kind of night!

Saturday: we will probably just eat something easy like tacos or soup and grilled cheese, depending on what we do that day.  Dallin has "All You Can Meat" so he won't be here anyway ....

Have a good week all and let me know what you are eating - I need some new ideas!!!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

You asked for it, here it is.  The original that I found was good but a little too sweet and too soggy, too much sauce and not enough baking time and never enough cheese!  We tweaked it a touch and the result is something delicious and easy enough that a 3 year old can do it!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

recipe adapted from Boy Cheese Sandwich 

2-3 chicken breasts

Chicken broth ( a few cups) 

1/2 onion, cut into wedges or slices

salt and pepper

1/3 c liquid honey

zest and juice of 1 large lime, approx 5-6 tbsp juice (if you need more do another half lime)

1 tbsp chili powder

250g monterey Jack cheese, shredded (approx 1/2 lb)

medium flour tortillas (or corn if you prefer)

2 cans green enchilada sauce (I get mine at Sobeys)

2/3 c-3/4c half and half or use 1/3 c milk and 1/3 c whipping cream (it is a taste and sauciness thing)

cilantro, chopped for garnish

In a medium soup pot, put chicken breasts and cover with broth and some water.  Add onions and a bit of salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and then reduce and simmer until cooked through.  Remove it from the liquid and allow to cool slightly, unless you want to burn your ever-lovin' hands off.  Shred them with 2 forks and set aside.  

  

Mix the honey, lime and chili powder and pour over the shredded chicken.  Let it sit for a while and get all happy and delicious, at least 30 min but you can do this step earlier in the day and leave it in the fridge.  

Shred your cheese and set aside.  Mix your green enchilada sauce with the half and half and pour about 2/3 c or so in the bottom of a 9x13 glass dish.  Take a tortilla and spoon a bit of chicken mixture down the center.  Sprinkle with cheese and roll up placing it in the glass dish seam side down.  Repeat until your dish is full.  2 chicken breasts filled this pan as you see almost exactly, there was less than a spoonful left over.  Pour the remaining sauce over the entire dish and then sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.  I used about 1/3-1/2 of the cheese inside and the rest on top.  

 

 Bake at 350 for about 25-30 min and then turn on the broiler and give it a few minutes under there to crisp it up a bit and make it golden.  Mine got maybe a minute too long but it was so yummy!  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with spanish rice and some corn and salad.  My kids gobbled it up, it has a super mild spice to it but I would not call it spicy.  Even my 5 year old picky son ate it up once he tasted it (he didn't even want to try it at first!).  Give these a try, they are yummy and super simple to make.  They take no time (especially if you do the chicken earlier in the day) and they will please a crowd!  

Go forth and cook, my pretties!

Week 71

Old picture from NYE

Okay my friends.  What a crazy few weeks it has been.  I had to take a bit of a hiatus with all that was going on.  My dear friend's daughter got married and she asked me to help be in charge of the food for the reception.  It was a massive undertaking but I had so much help and in the end it all worked out, despite all the leftovers.  It was a lot of fun and I had such good friends pitch in and roll up their sleeves.  I am a very lucky girl!
Right before the wedding, on my birthday weekend, Dallin and I redid the den and turned it into a music room/library.  Honestly, it was so spur of the moment and it all happened so fast but I am SOOO happy with how it turned out.  Every time I walk past that room, I smile.  I will show some before and after pics soon.
We also had Emma's birthday in there as well.  My sweet girl turned 11.  How in the WORLD did that happen?  I feel like her life is slipping past me and I am missing it!  I need to hold n tight as these next few years will go by even quicker and then she will be gone and I will be weepy and sad and ...... I am not ready for that.  One day at a time!
This week for dinner:

Sunday:
We had an Oscar party with our neighbors at their house but I brought lots of food - general tao chicken wings, sweet and sour chicken meatballs, lil smokies (for the kids), veggies and dip, baguette and Boursin, Kellee made salsa and she had crackers and cheese and some other delicious things and she made cookies.  It was a smorgasbord of deliciousness!

Monday:
Pork chops with a cinnamon chilli dry rub and apple sauce, roast sweet potatoes, broccoli and cheese sauce

Tuesday:
Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas, spanish rice, corn, sweet kale salad

Wednesday:
Coconut chicken fingers, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, salad, brownies

Thursday:
Pork Satay, coconut rice, steamed green beans and red peppers

Friday:
Big rock burgers, chips, fresh veggies and dip and fruit

Saturday:
whatever we feel like eating.  Really it will depend on if we go out Friday night and then we will have burgers this night and if not, we will just make something simple.  I try not to cook too much on the weekends :P

What have you been eating and loving right now?  What is your family craving?  My kids are all loving Salmon these days and we have been going through a lot of cookies, too.  I made cookies about 4 times in the last 2 weeks and they have eaten through every batch within 2 days!

Week 70

My dad (in the red) and my aunt's boyfriend, who share birthdays, with the red velvet cake I made

I know it seems like it is always Wednesday before I get my menus up for the week but Mondays I am too tired and since Mon & Wed are the nights D is in school I have time on the computer for a few minutes.
What is new in your 'hood?  How goes the grind?  We are plugging along, albeit not very gracefully but we are still here.  This week has been a reminder that I need to yell a lot less often at my kids.  ANd by kids, I mean my 5 year old son.  I feel like it is all I have been doing and it makes me sad.  I also feel like I want to do more fun stuff with my kids.  All day long we either run from one thing to another or else I am trying desperately to get anything done at home.  One of these days I am going to realize that I have missed it all and I am going to be devastated!
The past 3 nights Dallin has not been home, which only adds to my feeling of psychopathic mom and we are only at the beginning of the semester - the next few months are going to be KILLER with midterms and finals creeping up in just a few weeks!  I am looking for some suggestions of easy, yummy meals that you or your families love.  I am hoping that if I can stay on top of meals, it will be one less thing for me to worry about, right?
Lastly, it is cold, but it is one of the only times we are not alone in this.  Actually, I think most of the rest of North America is colder for once and we are sitting at seasonable cold, which still feels miserable but it is nice to feel like it is normal!

This week for dinner:

Sunday:
Fried chicken with sriracha honey glaze (from the book The Chew - made a combo of the 2 fried chickens in the book but used the Sriracha honey and it was to die for!), "baked potato" salad, brown sugar carrots and zucchini, spinach salad

Monday:
Steak with mushroom pan sauce, mashed potatoes, broccoli (which turned to mush after the kids would not come to dinner and it sat in the pot trying to keep warm - needless to say no one ate it!)

Tuesday:
Pork Satay over brown rice, buttered peas

Wednesday:
Glazed meatloaf, mashed potatoes, broccoli with cheddar cheese sauce, mesclun & caprese salad

Thursday:
asian chicken drumsticks, fried rice, pepper and zucchini stir fry, steamed sugar snap peas

Friday:
fried buffalo chicken tacos, spanish rice, corn, guac and chips

Saturday:
I have a bridal shower to go to, maybe just some breakfast for dinner or something else easy

What are you cooking these days?  What is your favourite stew recipe?  I am totally craving Creamy Chicken Stew - it is one I have tweaked over many years based on an old Ina Garten recipe.  She is a comfort food GENIUS, I tell you!

Week 69

Emma attempting to eat the spaghetti topped with candy & maple syrup at the "Elf" party we had with friends

Happy, happy ... wednesday but let's not get picky. I am doing 2 weeks in a row and that is saying something!  As for what has been happening this week, let's think back and see ....
*Dallin started school again for his new semester last week
* We went for a date night and tried a yummy new sushi restaurant and saw an awesome movie - so suspenseful and gripping!
* Celebrated my dad's 59th birthday with lots of family
* Made my first red velvet cake for said party and impressed even myself with it - white chocolate cream cheese frosting?  Yes, please!
* Working on plans for something big that does not happen for a whole year which both excites me and freaks me out entirely!

This week for dinner ....

Sunday:
Impromptu dinner at my parents - we went to drop something off that we had forgotten the night before and stayed and ate leftovers and hung out

Monday: 
Spicy Honey boneless skinless chicken thighs with dijon garlic roasted baby potatoes, broccoli with cheese sauce and spinach salad

Tuesday:
Maple Soy Ginger glazed salmon with brown rice, zucchini and bell pepper stir fry and spinach salad with feta, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers (it was similar to this recipe but I added 1 T fresh grated ginger, upped the soy sauce to 2 T and used 2 garlic cloves.  I also baked in a foil packet and then opened it and broiled at the end - kids GOBBLED it up!)

Wednesday:
homemade brown bread and mushroom soup, pears and cukes on the side

Thursday:
Dallin is in charge if dinner - I am going for a GNO with some friends for Indian :)  Jack has requested pancakes and bacon

Friday:
Homemade pizza with fresh veggies on the side - pepperoni and cheese for the kids and probably fig, prosciutto and arugula on one and pesto, caramelized onion, artichoke and sundried tomato on the other for D & I.

Saturday:
We have bookclub so something easy for the kids like homemade mac & cheese or alfredo pasta for them

What are you cooking this week?  WHat have you eaten lately that you can't stop thinking about?  Anything you are dying to make?  I want to try making french bread - I know it is probably so easy but I just never do it!