Happy weekend everyone! I’ve had a busy weekend of meal prep over here. Of course, I decided to be busy in the kitchen when Matthew is off camping, but thankfully he came back a little early (his choice not mine) so I will have some extra help today (Sunday). I made granola, bread, pizza dough, sandwich loaves, salad dressing, and cookies for the adults and I still have more to do! I try to do what I can when I can because it does help the week go more smoothly.

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- Turkey Meatballs with Corn Rice– These were amazing! I wish I had doubled the recipe because I seriously can’t wait to make them again.

TUESDAY- One-pan Roasted Chicken, Cauliflower, and Potatoes with a Ridiculously Tasty Green Sauce– This is a keeper of a recipe! The cauliflower was loved by all, especially baby Beatrice!

WEDNESDAY- Green Chicken Tortilla Soup– this was so yummy! I’ve been enjoying the leftovers all week.

THURSDAY- Sheet Pan Sausage with Apples and Sweet Potatoes– so amazing I’ve already written it down. It’s simple but so delicious and perfect for fall. Another kid-keeper!

FRIDAY- Healthy-ish Turkey Bolognese– I cooked this from morning to evening and it was delicious! I was especially happy to find out that Baby Beatrice loved it too! There are lots of hidden veggies in here and I also added some mushrooms as well.

SATURDAY- Sourdough Pizza (I used Ken Forkish’s recipe and it’s so good! I love that it uses discard from making a sourdough loaf)- we topped ours with eggplant, red onion, garlic, mozzarella, Parmesan, fresh oregano and thyme. One of the best!

SUNDAY- Pork Chops and Farrotto

As you can see, this week I made a lot of recipes from Caro Chambers. My best friend gifted me a trial to her paid Substack and I have loved cooking her recipes. They have all been hits not just with me, but especially the kids. As some of you can attest, cooking for the tiny humans isn’t always easy. They can be opinionated and like what they like when they like. All of the recipes I’ve made this week- all of them- have been hits! I have to say, life is so much easier when my little ones go to bed happily fed with full tummies!

As a special treat for Mom and Dad, I made Caro’s Coronado Cookies (no raisins). They were so good and definitely a keeper of a recipe. I love the oatmeal, chocolate chip, and rice crispy combo. And the peanut butter (I didn’t have almond butter) made the base flavor so good. Also, kid-approved (of course!).

And for the kiddos, I made some pumpkin bread with cinnamon maple butter. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love fall baking!

WHAT I WORE

It’s time to bring out my favorite Jenni Kayne sweater. It’s so incredibly soft and comfortable and, while it’s a splurge, it’s held up so well the past 2 seasons. You can also get 20% off right now!

I found my Made by Mary birth flower necklace in my jewelry drawer the other day and I’ve loved wearing it again. It’s so pretty and would make such a sweet gift for a friend!

It’s definitely been a little chilly in the mornings so I’ve been needing to wear my black puffer jacket. This puffer jacket comes in a bunch of color options and it packs up well.

SALES TO NOTE

Everlane– 25% off Friends & Family Sale- I have loved so many of Everlane’s pieces. The price is good and the quality really holds up! I found so many great things and linked them below:

I ended up buying these Levi’s that I’ve had my eye on. Did you know that Levi’s direct site has an amazing free member program? You can get $50 for signing up too (with my link) which I wish someone had passed along to me. I did get my jeans on sale though, and they were full-priced on Shopbop. So definitely a site to keep an eye on if you have specific styles in mind.

Jenni Kayne– 20% off sitewide! I love so many of their sweaters. The Alpaca Cocoon Cardigan and their lug boots are on my list.

ON MY MIND

I’ve realized that I need to get new shoes for the kids since they’ve outgrown everything from summer! I’m looking for a pair of snow/winter boots and another boot that can be dressed up or worn casually. If you have any suggestions, send them my way! I did find these cute Mary Janes for Corinna that I’m excited about. I love the L’Amour brand because of all their sweet classic styles.

I’m hoping we can take some family photos this year since we didn’t take any last year. As a mom, those things are what I cherish most. I picked out some cute outfits from our absolute favorite children’s clothing brand Baybala (they have cute mama pieces too!) and I can’t wait to see everyone dressed up!

I picked some of our hydrangeas to bring inside and the color is so pretty. Last year I missed cutting them at the fuschia stage and they were more mauve/brown- still pretty but I love this shade. It will be nice to have them brighten up our winter.

I hope you all have a lovely week!

 xox

Hi friends! I just got two sheet cakes out of the oven (hooray!) and I’m sitting down to write this post after quite the busy week. My parents were in town to celebrate Augustine’s birthday which was so much fun. We always love their visits and from playing baseball in the backyard, reading books, going on walks along the Greenbelt, and getting ice cream, it was very memorable. We’re having a little party for him today, hence the sheet cakes, and I think we will also start school this week. Well, definitely starting school but just undecided if we’ll start on Labor Day or Tuesday. Matthew has work on Monday so I was originally thinking Labor Day would be fine, but now I’m reconsidering because it might be a little hectic with his party the day before. I’m anxious to start but I also want to feel ready and prepared.

Here’s a little update from 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. This week Augustine got to pick all the meals in honor of his birthday. We did this for Matthew’s birthday week so it might have to be a new tradition!

MONDAY- Crispy Oven Pulled Pork and Coleslaw on Brioche Buns– We’ve made this recipe countless times over the past year. Everyone loves it!

TUESDAY- Beef Enchiladas with Mexican Rice and Instant Pot Mexican Beans – This meal totally hit the spot! Augustine wanted shredded beef so I used this recipe. We joked about how I used my Instant Pot 3x this day! One of my favorite kitchen items hands down.

WEDNESDAY- Spicy Orange Sesame Chicken– another repeat from Matthew’s birthday week of faves. My boys like what they like!

THURSDAY- Classic Pot Pie– This turned out so delicious. I printed the recipe out so it’s going straight into my Keepers box.

FRIDAY- Creamy Weeknight Macaroni and Cheese– such an easy recipe with only 5 ingredients minus s&p

SATURDAY- Hot Dogs and Tuscan Tomato and Bread Salad– Trying to fit in some faves before the end of summer. This Tuscan tomato and bread salad is one of our faves. We made it with brioche bread this time – yum! And feel free to add a little drizzle of balsamic if you’re a caprese lover like we are.

SUNDAY- Pizza Party for his bday! For an appetizer, we’re cutting up celery and carrots and I’m making these two dips to go alongside: Tuscan mashed chickpea dip and ranch. Also making this sheet cake which is a classic for dessert. Vanilla ice cream is also a must!

For Augustine’s birthday cake, I made the Strawberry Summer Cake from Smitten Kitchen’s Keepers cookbook. If you don’t want the stacked version, check out this one on her blog. You can also make the sheet cake version which would be great for a party. This cake has become a summer staple over here!

Last Sunday we went to the new restaurant, Percy, in Downtown Boise. This Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad with currants, almonds, manchego, and a burnt onion vinaigrette was delicious!

With fall around the corner, I wanted to get a head start on some immunity-boosting tinctures. I made a batch of elderberry syrup in the Instant Pot and it was incredibly easy. I also made Fire Cider which is another fave!

WHAT I WORE

I’m starting to reach for my sweaters but the afternoons have still been pretty hot. I got a bunch of tees from Thread & Supply and they are such good quality for the price.

I also started putting Beatrice in my mesh carrier which gives me a little more support as she’s getting bigger. I wore this pink color with Corinna all the time so it’s fun to put our littlest girly in it.

SALES TO NOTE

Maisonette– Up to 40% off Labor Day Sale- love their kids pieces so much! They also have a sale on toys, home items, and womens pieces (love this cardigan that’s under $100)

J.Crew Factory– 50-70% off sitewide!

Levi’s– 30% off sitewide! One silver lining to not fitting into my jeans postpartum is getting new jeans! While before I might have gotten down on not fitting into my old pieces as quickly, now I’m just ready to have jeans that are a little more comfortable.

LOFT– End of Summer Clearance

Bloomingdales– Take an extra 30% off clearance for a total of 50-65% off

ON MY MIND

Our friend invited us over to pick aronia berries, also known as chokeberries, which are one of the richest sources of plant antioxidants. We picked a bunch to freeze dry and then grind onto a powder for our smoothies. They look similar to blueberries but have a chalky aftertaste but I don’t think we’ll notice it in our smoothies.

Baby Beatrice is crawling everywhere these days! It’s becoming harder to get things done when I’m chasing her around, but sometimes she’ll want to be right by me which is so sweet.

Augustine and I went on a walk/scooter ride yesterday and I loved having some quality time with him. It’s crazy how time starts speeding up so fast. When we moved here he had just turned 4 and now he’s 7! I’m so proud of the boy he’s becoming and it’s such a joy to be his mama.

I was browsing Shopbop’s site the other day and getting so excited for fall! It’s my favorite season to dress for – not too hot and hot too cold. Here are some pieces I had my eye on:

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend, and hopefully, you get a long weekend with Labor Day off too!

xox

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend! We celebrated a friend’s birthday yesterday and today we’re going to church and then a family bike ride before a celebratory end of school dinner and ice cream. We’ve been continuing with a loose school schedule through the summer but I want to make sure we take the time to celebrate some of A and C’s big achievements – Augustine finished Good and the Beautiful Level 1 Math and Corinna finished her Kindergarten Prep. I’m so proud of those two. We’re all looking forward to a little break from lessons before we start up again in September.

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- Corn Chowder with Chile, Lime, and Cotija– so delicious and felt perfect on the night of a surprise summer storm. We’ve been loving the leftovers all week.

TUESDAY- Beets and Greens Phyllo Pie- I’ve had this package of phyllo dough sitting in my freezer for the last several months so I was so happy to find this recipe in a favorite cookbook. The combination of beets with feta and brie cheese in a crispy phyllo crust was so yummy!

WEDNESDAY- Spicy Stir Fried Pork with Green Beans and Tomatoes – also from this cookbook, although if you have an NYT acct I saw it here. This dish came together incredibly fast which makes me think it will definitely be a repeat! Plus, the flavor was so good and reminded us of a delicious takeout meal.

THURSDAY- Gourmet Hot Dog Bar with Oven Roasted BBQ Potato Salad and Watermelon – we had friends over and this was a great, easy summer dinner! The potato salad is so good and different because the potatoes are roasted so they hold their crunch without being mushy.

FRIDAY- Meatloaf and leftover potato salad- another repeat of ours because the kids will eat it all up!

SATURDAY- an easy pantry pasta for the kids and then a late night date night sushi for me and Matthew

SUNDAY- Grilled Fish Sandwiches with tomato, avocado and tartar sauce

That granola bowl above has become my favorite mid-morning snack. Strauss yogurt + pecan granola + raspberries and nectarine + local honey and bee pollen

My neighbor made the most delicious almond flour chocolate chip cookies for us the other day and she used the Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate baking chips…wow so so good!

SALES TO NOTE

American Eagle– 30% off all Jeggings and Slim Jeans + 25% off all Jeans

Ann Taylor– 30% off your full-price purchase

ON MY MIND

I’m getting my hair cut this week and I’m so looking forward to it! My thoughts right now are that I’m going to get bangs again, but I’m also a little worried that maybe my post-partum hair growth might make them look odd. So we’ll see what happens there. I haven’t been in over a year so it will be nice to just sit in a chair for a few hours and read a book/listen to a podcast.

Last week we had a few days that felt like fall (including that random storm day). It made me realize I’m so not ready to say goodbye to summer. This upcoming week we’re supposed to have a few 100-degree days so I’m hoping to take the kids to the splash pad at the park (finally!)

This week is going to bring some change too. My mother-in-law who has been living with us this past year will be back after being gone for the past 6 weeks, and then Matthew will be heading out of town for work. We’re going to miss him so much since it will be the longest time he’s been gone for at least the past 3 years. I know the kids will be happy to have some grandma time, though, so that will provide a little distraction.

Our chickens are now all laying! I didn’t mention this little project of ours that kept us busy this spring, but we raised chicks. It was actually a lot more work than we expected but it was a light during the end of winter bleekness and something we’ve wanted to do for a long time. The eggs have been so cute and tiny but are starting to get a little bigger.

I’ve been keeping up with my elliptical workouts which has been so good for me. I’m using that time to watch bits of a show and even though it takes multiple workout sessions to get through an episode, it’s just the motivation I need! When Downton Abbey came out Matthew and I loved it so much but for whatever reason (maybe we weren’t able to stream it?) we stopped watching after Season 2. Over the years we’ve heard some of the big spoilers so I didn’t feel as big of a desire to start watching it again, even if we could have. Just recently, though, I noticed that all the seasons were available for free on Amazon Prime Video so I picked up again where we left off. I am so happy I did because, even with some of the spoilers spoiled, it’s still so enjoyable!

Have a great week!!

xox