High Five for Friday!

Welcome to Friday friends!  Hooray!  Linking up with Lauren for my high five of the week:

1) Hands down, number one of this week was getting to see Baby B for the first time.  Yep, incase you missed it, the husband and I are expecting baby #1 and are over the moon excited.  This being my first pregnancy,  I really had no idea what we'd actually see when we went in for the ultrasound. Needless to say, watching the baby flail its little arms and legs all over the place was pretty amazing, as was watching and listening to its little heart beat away on the screen.

2) This art print from Emily Ley's shop for the baby's room.  It's no secret I'm a huge fan of her products and I can't wait to see the new things she has planned for release later this year. This photo does it no justice, you should visit her site to see the real deal.

3) Parenthood is back on!  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed watching the olympics but I'm happy to have regular programing back.  I LOVE this show.

4) This cinnamon raisin toast from Costco.  Thankfully I have not been plagued with morning sickness so breakfasts haven't changed much for me.  (minus the extreme egg and coffee aversions) No this toast is not the healthiest of options but it is a delicious treat!

5)  And for my fellow music fans, I've had this song by Bronze Radio Return stuck in my head all week.  Lucky for me, I still like it! Another win for Pandora.

We're getting lots of rain in California this weekend!  If you're in the state be safe and look out for those tornados.  Yes, we have tornado warnings for California this weekend apparently, along with four other weather type warnings.  Crazy.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Meal Plan Monday!

Happy last Monday of February!  I’m happy to report that with a ridiculous amount of sleep over the weekend, my cold is nearly gone.  Thaaannkkkkk goodness!

My weekend was one of the mellowest weekends I’ve had in a while and apparently was much needed.  Saturday I mustered up the energy to deep clean the house which is actually a once a week thing.  One dirt yard + two big labs = lots and lots of dust.  Always.  I then meal planned for the week, grocery shopped and made sushi for dinner.
 
I spent part of Sunday morning at my mom and dad’s house charging my cell phone (because I somehow left both chargers at work) and playing with my niece.   The afternoon was spent resting and making these whole wheat oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  They are my absolute favorite.

When it came to meal planning this week I tried to keep everything quick and simple.  We’re expecting quite a bit of rain at the end of the week, FINALLY!  I have to admit that I’m probably one of the only people on the west coast who have not loved this summer like winter we’ve had. Everyone talks about how “lucky” we are to have 80* days November-February but we’re actually a bit cursed.  Why you aks?  Well, while the east coast is defrosting during real summer the west coast will be on fire.  

No not metaphorical “it’s so hot it’s like 

we’re on fire”, I’m talking real flames fire.  West coast summers are never fire free but this drought could  be a real kick in the pants.  I suppose it’s what my husband would call job security but to be quite frank, I’m sure most west coasters would trade this fake winter for a safer summer.  Annnnnnd with that rant over, here’s what we’re having for dinner this week:

Monday: Family Circle’s Creamy Lemon Chicken
Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner
Wednesday: Apple Grilled Cheese (I don’t follow a recipe but this is the basic idea) with Pacific Organic Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup
Thursday: Ginger Ale Pot Roast
Friday: Family Circle’s Sausage Jambalaya.  This recipe is on their month long meal plan in the March 2014 issue but I can’t find it online.  If and when I find it I’ll be sure to share the link :)

Have a wonderful week! 

High Five For Friday!

TGIF Friends!  Linking up with Lauren for my High Five of the week:

1) Our wedding album arrived this week!  I went through MyPublisher because I had used them before and when it came to this latest creation, they did not disappoint!

2) Last weekend I hiked Hellhole Canyon in Borrego Springs, CA with some friends from work.  The hike was about 7 miles round trip, 1/2 through sand, 1/2 rock climbing and all in a 90* desert.  The reward of the hike is a waterfall amistd a palm tree oasis but because of the drought the waterfall wasn't exactly what we thought it would be but it was still pretty.

3) I hope by the time you're reading this on Friday morning that this cold I've been fighting has decide to pack up and move it's happy little self right out of my head.  I've eaten my weight in chicken noodle soup, could burry a small animal under the hundreds of tissues I've used, drank gallons of water and even used a neti pot religiously.  Move along cold, move along.

4) This video, which has gone viral so you've probably seen it, but in case you haven't:

5) Perfecting the sock bun. Yes I did it, no I'm not ashamed.  Really though, I'm lucky if I can go two days without washing my hair and this bun happens to make third day hair totally possible.  I don't think it's a style I would adapt for everyday but it definitely works in a pinch!

How was your week? 

Do you have any fun weekend plans?

Tonight we're headed out to dinner and then I plan on spending the weekend trying to kick this cold for good.  Maybe I'll even catch up on a book or two.  Just maybe. Happy Friday!

TOMS on Zulily!

Welcome to Wednesday friends!  I've decided those allergies I have are actually a slight cold so sadly as I try to kick this I don't have much new for you today. BUT, I did want to share the TOMS deal Zulily is having today and tomorrow.  If you or your little is in need of some new shoes this is something you might want to hop on.  Not only will you be getting a deal, but for every pair of shoes that are purchased, a pair is donated.  You're doing yourself a favor and someone else too!

{Photo courtesy of Zulily's mobile website}

The sale site can be accessed here!

Happy Wednesday!

Meal Plan Monday!

Happy President's Day everyone!  This weekend has definitely been full of events and I am very thankful for the extra day off this week as it seems I'm battling some sort of allergies already.  I really shouldn't be surprised since we basically went from Fall to late Spring in San Diego and are trying to bypass Winter all together, much to my annoyance.  So basically,  everything that does bloom, is in bloom.  Even the fruitless plum that we just pruned last month has flowers on it!

Saturday I headed out to Borrego Springs, CA to hike Hellhole Canyon with a hiking group from my work.  You guys, it was HOT.  Like 90* with no shade hot.  I was definitely happy to have my camel pack and extra water on hand because I drank 110+ ounces in those four hours!  The reward of this hike was supposed to be a 20 foot waterfall but due to the drought, it was smaller than expected.  Still pretty, but small.  Most of the hike was through sand and so it was similar to walking on the beach with a steady increase in elevation and minus the ocean breeze and water to cool yourself off with.  The last 1/4 of the hike was more rock climbing than anything else

Then on Sunday morning at about 1:30 AM, someone smashed into the brand new fence I was so excited to tell you guys about last friday.  Yep, not even up for 72 hours and it's destroyed.  I'm pretty astonished that someone could cause such destruction to someone's property and not take even the least amount of responsibility for their actions.  But then again, people who drive drunk probably aren't the most responsible to begin with.  We are grateful that the fence was the only thing destroyed in all of this and are hopeful that our homeowner's insurance will cover the repair costs.  Looks like our small business fence guy isn't quite done with us yet!

If you've made it through all of that rambling I imagine you came to see what's for dinner this week and I'd hate to disappoint!  Here's what's on our menu:

Sunday: Semi-Homemade Chicken Pot Pies with Kale Salad

Monday: Homemade Spaghetti with this sauce and these Meatballs but with Turkey instead of Beef (sorry Sam!) Garlic Bread and Salad.  Ronzoni makes a spaghetti  that is enriched with carrots, tomatoes and spinach that we like to use.

Tuesday: Spicy Buffalo Chicken Wraps We have ours on spinach wraps instead of lettuce and add just a little blue cheese dressing to the hot sauce before mixing with the shredded chicken.

Wednesday: Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Thursday: BLT's with Fruit Salad

Friday: Dinner out 

What's for dinner in your house?
Have a wonderful week!

High Five for Friday!

Welcome to Friday friends!  Per usual I'm linking up with Lauren for my High Five of the week:

1) Happy Valentine's Day too you!  No valentine, no problem. I'll adopt you as a valentine just like I designate myself as my sister's valentine every year.  Seriously, I think she'll keep whatever future boyfriend she has a secret for years just to collect on the valentines I send her. Smart girl!

This image came from Pinterest with no source.  If it's yours let me know so I can give proper credit!

2) I'm not big on color in my wardrobe although I have been branching out.  I am, however; big on color around my desk. It just makes the day brighter.  I ran out of pens and correction tape this week so I was very excited to get a fresh batch of color in.  Believe it or not, in my job there's still quite a bit of handwriting needed. 

3) How cute is this gift bag?  I'm sure that's the first thing my husband is going to think when he opens it this morning. NOT. But really, one of my favorite parts of giving a gift is picking the wrapping. So like it or not, the guy gets a fancy bag.

4) I bought this soap at Whole Foods this week and I'm really loving it.  I was looking for something Rose scented but couldn't find anything so I settled for the next best thing.  Usually we use Dove but it seems they've changed their formula because now it leaves a film on your skin after you shower.  Maybe we just got a bum batch but this new find is a decent replacement and nice change for now.

5)  Our new fencing is done and it's awesome!  It was finished yesterday but since I got home after dark I couldn't take any photos.  When possible, Aaron and I have always tried to use local small businesses for the home projects we couldn't DIY and the new fence was one of those. Needless to say, the job was done in under a week, part of which was just concrete needing to dry. The work was clean, they never left a mess, and the final product exceeded our expectations. Another small business success. :D

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  Mine is a three day and I'm pretty excited about that.  Long weekends equal short work weeks. Basically a win/win! 

Meal Plan Monday!

Hi there! Better late that never? The Olympics are on.  Like most time related things right now, I blame the delay of this post on them.

We had a busy and productive weekend in our house.  Saturday was spent celebrating my niece's second birthday and then my brother and his fiancé joined us at our house later for dinner. 

Clearly our niece is terrified of dogs <---------- Sarcasm.

While Aaron was at work on Sunday our fencing company came to continue work in our front yard and backyard.  Since they were here most of the day, I kept the girls inside and out of their way while I cleaned and finalized our wedding album for production.

Mom.......you're borning.  I think the girls will be happy to have their yard back by the end of this week!

In my effort to get more sleep in 2014 I've realized that there's actually very little down time between when I get home from work and when I'd like to be asleep.  That being said, I've been trying to incorporate quicker weeknight meals that result in less cooking/cleaning time making more time to unwind.  I've been asleep before 10 every weeknight and I consider that a success since I wake up between 5:00-5:15 for work and was going to sleep around 11:00-11:30. How in the heck did I ever do that?!

Anywho, here's what we're eating this week:

Monday: Rotisarie Chicken with Roasted Baby Red Potatoes (minus the feta) and Green Salad

Tuesday: Fresh Veggie Pasta in Pesto (Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted zucchini, yellow squash and asparagus, tossed in Pesto with greek olives and artichoke hearts).

Wednesday: Pulled Pork Sliders with Coleslaw.  The recipe is going to sound weird but just trust me on this one. 

Thursday: A lighter variation of these Hobo Packets 

Friday: Valentine's Day Dinner at home.  We've never been huge on Valentine's Day, especially when it comes to fighting the restaurant crowds.  We're more the "love each other in little ways 365 days a year" type than the "go overboard on how much you love each other one day a year" type......not that there's anything wrong with that type at all, it's just not for us.  To each his own right?

How was your weekend?

Do you make Valentine's Day plans?

High Five for Friday!

Happy Friday all! Linking up Lauren from The Lauren Elizabeth for my High Five of the week!

1) Aaron comes home today!  He's been away at a training class since Sunday and the girls and I are almost as excited as I was in this pre-ceremony photo to have him back home!

2) One of my nieces turns two this weekend.  She is the sweetest, most loving, energetic, happy and hilarious two year old I know.  I'm so excited to celebrate her day this weekend!

3) I received these moccasins in the mail from Groupon this week.  They've been on my feet pretty much every waking minute I've spent inside of our house since.  They are incredibly comfortable and super cute.  Specials thanks to Zazzle for royally messing up our Christmas card order that resulted in the Groupon credit that paid for my new moccs. 

4) After our visit to the vet this week Marley and her ear are feeling much better.  So much better in fact, that she and Maya took it upon themselves to destroy their outside bed on a rainy Thursday afternoon.  Needless to say, after 2.5 hours in traffic and coming home to pick that bed up from all over the backyard in the dark and rain, there's still no way I could get angry with this sweet little face.

5) The Olympics are on!  If I come across as sleep deprived over the next few weeks odds are I've stayed up way beyond my bedtime watching all of the competitions.  Tomorrow morning will be blamed on ice skating. I genuinely enjoy watching ice skating, it reminds me of sleepovers at my grandma's house when we were little and would watch ice skating.  I don't see it televised that often anymore so I'm glad I can catch some of it during the games.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

Blue Apron A Valentine's Recommendation!

Welcome to Wednesday!  Technically I've had a short work week.  I took yesterday off to take the girls to the vet.  Maya got her nails trimmed and was on surprisingly good behavior, I always think she's good but the vet can be an experience.  I'm sure it had nothing to do with the 4 cookies she got from the vet in the 15 minutes we were there.  Marley was a little less amused, likely because we were there to deal with her ear infection.  She has an environmental allergy that causes her ear to get infected but hopefully with the preventative treatments we developed yesterday, these infections will become a thing of the past.  Once her nail trim was over she reverted back to her 77lb angelic self.

Enough with all of that though, what I really want to tell you about today is Blue Apron!  Blue Apron is a weekly food delivery service that provides you with all the ingredients necessary to cook three dinners. They plan the food, do your shopping, measure your ingredients and deliver it all to your door.  All you have to do is cook and they provide detailed instructions on the back of the recipe cards which makes things even easier.  Weekly subscriptions are $9.99 per serving per meal.

Long story short, Aaron gifted me a week subscription for Christmas and I really enjoyed it.  The meals in our box were things I may not have cooked normally and I liked that because I was forced to branch out a bit.  The ingredients came in a very well refrigerated box and seemed very fresh to me.  Our box included everything we needed to cook Thai Shrimp Soup with Coconut Lemongrass Red Curry, Top Round Steak Fajitias with Guacamole and Whole Wheat Tortillas, and Turkey Meatloaf with Roasted Potatoes and Spinach.  We honestly enjoyed every meal but if I had to pick a favorite it would have to be the Thai Shrimp Soup, I absolutely loved it!  

So if you're in need of a Valentine's Day gift for the foodie in your life, want to set up a cooking themed date night, or just like the idea of trying something new every once in a while Blue Apron could be the thing for you.  I definitely would not be disappointed if I received another gift subscription.  Not in the least! Happy mid week! 

Go To Dinners

Welcome to the first week of February!  I'm writing this post on Sunday night waiting (and not so secretly wishing) to wake up to pretty white snow in the morning.  I'll keep you guys posted on whether or not my wishes come true.  

This weekend I got to spend time with my niece on Friday and Saturday. Now that she's almost two it's been so fun to see her personality emerge.  This weekend's favorited line was "One snack" accompanied by a small shaking pointer finger of course.  I also got to see my Grandparents and some relatives who were visiting from Iowa on Saturday which was really fun.  Sunday was spent doing my usual chores to get ready for the week and watching the Super Bowl, admittedly for the commercials and the 1/2 time show. Of course this was my favorite commercial:

I don't have a meal plan for you today but I did want to share my current top 5 go to meals.  These are the tried and true meals I use to fill in our weekly menu when I just can't seem to think of anything new:

No Bean Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili from Skinnytaste.com

Island Pork with Coconut Sticky Rice from Thisweekfordinner.com

Spinach and Bean Burritto Wraps from Skinnyms.com

Savory Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from Peasandcrayons.com

Ginger Ale Pot Roast from Familycookbookproject.com

How was your weekend?

Did you have a favorite Super Bowl commercial?

What are your go to meals?

Happy Monday!