Happy Sunday friends! We had a great week that I can’t wait to share with you all. Last night we had our good friend’s over for dinner and it was so fun seeing the kids running around, playing in the inflatable pool, and making those summertime memories.

Here’s a recap of our week:

WHAT WE ATE

I plan to share the meals I made the previous week, with links if possible, as some inspiration for your own menu planning.

MONDAY- Stir Fry with cauliflower rice- Whole 30 approved too!

TUESDAY- Fajita Steak Platter- so easy and delicious! Matthew even fried up some corn tortilla to make chips…such a treat!

WEDNESDAY- Zucchini Pie with a BLT Salad – both from this cookbook No Crumbs Left – we loved both so much, especially the creamy horseradish dressing on the BLT salad

THURSDAY- Cocoa Salmon- from this cookbook No Crumbs Left

FRIDAY- BBQ Chicken Cobb Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing

SATURDAY- Turkey Burgers {made like this} with sweet potato fries and a summer salad with strawberries, red onion, pecans and feta

SUNDAY- Spring Puttanesca Pasta {the start of Matthew’s favorite meal dinner week!}

These browned butter rice crispy bars with peanut butter ganache are one of the best treats I’ve made lately! They are highly addictive and oh so good! The recipe is in the cookbook, Pastry Love, which is one of my favorite dessert cookbooks.

I have been making the most delicious (if I do say so myself!) iced lattes and I look forward to them every afternoon. I’ve been practicing making my own sweet cream foam on top which is about 2T heavy cream, 2T milk, and 1 tsp vanilla bean powder/extract/simple syrup.

Augustine loved this ham, cheddar, and chive scramble the other day! He’s such a good little eater, Corinna too. But he’s definitely very into food and loves to help plan out our meals.

I also made this Torn Plum Browned Butter Cake which was a big hit. It had 5 egg whites, regular flour, almond flour, confectioners sugar, and honey, so you can imagine the texture was unique- not too dense or heavy but light and fluffy with a nutty sweet flavor.

WHAT I WORE

Always with a baby on my hip these days, which makes me so happy! I got this crochet bucket hat from GIGIPIP (use MARA15 for a discount) and I surprisingly love it. It seems like it would be easy to pack on a trip too!

I’m obsessed with Rachel Pally’s gorgeous dresses and her Adelaide silhouette is one of my favorites. I have it in the gauze but the linen is so lovely too!

SALES TO NOTE

American Eagle– Extra 30% Off 4+ Items, Extra 25% Off 3 Items, Extra 20% Off 2 Items

Everlane– New markdowns up to 70% off!

Net-A-Porter–  Extra 15% off selected lines with code EXTRA15

Bloomingdales– Summer Break Sale

ON MY MIND

This week I’ve been getting into the routine of working out again which I have loved so much! I think it’s thanks to the fact that we’ve gotten Beatrice into a better sleep routine and more consistent nap schedule. When she goes down for her second nap, I’ve been able to go on our elliptical while the big kids have their own quiet time. It’s been such a nice way to get a little extra energy for the afternoon. Also, after I put the kids down for bedtime, I’ve been going out for walks in the neighborhood. Matthew has been so sweet to encourage me to go and I’ve really looked forward to it. It’s light here until after 10 pm so going for an evening walk allows me to enjoy the last bit of daylight and the cooler evening temperatures.

Corinna and I have been reading the original Winnie-the-Pooh book and it is so adorable! I love that A.A. Milne wrote these stories for his son Christopher Robin.

This week we went over table manners in our homeschool and it was fun practicing how to set the table properly. There was a cute little poem in this book that has helped guide these character-building habits.

This coming week is Matthew’s birthday week so I’m planning one of his favorite dinners each night, which I think we’re all so excited about. I’ll share all the details with you next weekend. Have a great one!

xox

Hope you all are enjoying the first weekend of July! I had a girls’ brunch yesterday morning which was so nice, especially since baby could take a nap at home. It’s not often I can have time to catch up with my girlfriends so it really filled me up. We also had a family dinner last night which we always love. Today is for getting the house in order (read: laundry, dishes, vacuuming, meal prep) for a fun and busy 4th of July week. It’s one of our favorite times of the year!

Here’s a recap of our week:

WHAT WE ATE

I plan to share the meals I made the previous week, with links if possible, as some inspiration for your own menu planning.

MONDAY- Grilled Halloumi Salad– We love Halloumi cheese around here!

TUESDAY- Fish Taco Bowls – one of our favorites. It’s from this cookbook and after I made it the first time I wrote it out on a recipe card. That’s when you know you’ve found a keeper!

WEDNESDAY- Green Chili Pork Medallions- also from the above cookbook. I loved it with the mashed potatoes!

THURSDAY- Spicy Orange Sesame Chicken – This is one of Matthew’s favorite guilty pleasures from TJ’s but the ingredients aren’t the best. This was finally a version that he approved of so I’ll definitely be making it again!

FRIDAY- Pasta ‘Ncasciata – I had been saving this recipe tear-out from one of my food magazines so I was really happy to finally make it. It was so delicious and one I would definitely make again!

SATURDAY- Oven-Roasted Beef Barbacoa Taco Bowls- we had family over for dinner so this was a great meal to serve a crowd. Some of us had tacos and others had lettuce bowls with all the fixings!

SUNDAY- Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken Burgers with Guacamole

I made Joanna Gaines’s After School Banana Bread and wow, so good! It’s baked in an 8×8 pan and it was perfectly soft on the inside. It’s definitely a repeat!

WHAT I WORE

The temperatures are heating up so I’m trying to stay as cool as possible. I ordered this pair of white shorts that I know I’ll wear a bunch!

It’s espadrille season and if you need a pair, this brand makes the absolute best! I love how classic and comfortable they are!

SALES TO NOTE

Anthropologie– Extra 40% off sale (love these strappy black sandals, this linen dress, and these curved earrings)

GAP– Up to 75% off and 50% off select shorts, tees and swim (how cute is this crochet dress? And here’s some classic denim and the most versatile little day dress)

DSW– 25% off with code SUNNY25 (get 25% off one of my favorite white sneakers)

OLD NAVY- It’s their Summer Deal Rush and there are buckets with $2, $4, $6 and $8 items!

Banana Republic– Up to 50% off Sale styles

Everlane– New Summer Markdowns up to 60% off!

GigiPip– Buy one Get one 50% off!

ON MY MIND

I can’t believe it’s July! Seriously?! How?! These summer months are our favorite though and we’re all very excited for the 4th of July. I was thinking about making these berry cheesecake bars because I haven’t made cheesecake in forever, but then there’s something about a classic apple pie. What would you make for dessert?

The kids got their Kidpik boxes this week which is always the most exciting day for them! I love what they picked out for both kids – such great pieces for summer. You can use code MLOVESM for 50% off any new subscriber’s first box and 25% off all Kidpik SHOP purchases.

It’s been heating up over here so we’re aiming to get out of the house right after breakfast for a little walk. Augustine has been scootering and Corinna and I have been pushing our babies in strollers. Corinna has a mini stroller for one of her dolls and it’s the cutest thing to see her pushing it around. We talked about all the mom things! Corinna has been dressing herself these days and it’s fun to see her little style emerge. Right now, she loves wearing this pink tutu dress with a baseball hat! Also, miss Corinna gave herself a little haircut this week, much to my distress. I feel like it’s something most kids do at some point and luckily it wasn’t too bad. To be honest, I did very minimal shaping to fix things up.

This week we started getting into a Morning Time routine. I’ve been wanting to be more intentional about a few things this summer and morning time has been one of them. I have this devotional that we’re going through as a family, and it’s such a nice way to start our day together. This book talks more about Morning Time and it gave me the push I needed to just start, even if it’s imperfect.

Even though we’re starting a holiday week, I’m feeling like I still want to be as healthy as possible – minus those cheesecake bars! I’m looking at my favorite supplement brands to restock so I thought I’d link My Deals page here if you need any.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday week!

xox