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23: week in review

June 11, 2023

Oh, we had such a wonderful week! It was my birthday week which made it extra special. Matthew and I went out on a lunch date to a restaurant we wanted to check out downtown. They make everything in-house, like their pasta, and use many local ingredients. It was a beautiful day to sit outside too! This time of year in Boise is really pretty magical. Driving downtown and seeing all the hydrangeas and rose bushes blooming made me so happy. We also celebrated my mother-in-law’s birthday yesterday with a little party. We barbequed chicken and my brother-in-law made a delicious potato salad, and my sister-in-law made this corn/avocado/feta/tomato salad that I could eat every day! And for dessert, I made the one, the only, the famous banana chocolate chip cake with peanut butter frosting. Such a delicious cake that will always be a favorite around here!!

Here’s a little recap of our week:

WHAT WE ATE

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

MONDAY- Grilled Steak with Salad

TUESDAY- Barbacoa Tacos with Avocado- we had a chuck roast in the deep freezer and wanted to try something a little different than the typical winter roast with potatoes and carrots. This recipe was so easy and good and now we have a way of using our roasts for tacos (and enchiladas!)

WEDNESDAY- Crispy Rice and Blackened Chicken Salad (while trying to find this recipe online, it’s from this cookbook, I came across this recipe which looks so good!)

THURSDAY- Oven Baked Ratatouille over Orzo (also from this cookbook but that recipe is similar!)

FRIDAY- Enchiladas- Matthew has become the enchilada master! We prepped these on Thursday night which made Friday evening so smooth and easy. I loved that we just had to pop the dish in the oven.

SATURDAY- Birthday Party for my mother-in-law- BBQ Chicken, Potato Salad, and a Summer Salad like this one but with a balsamic vinaigrette

SUNDAY- Meatloaf Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans (from the Defined Dish cookbook. If you haven’t had her regular meatballs, they’re so good!)

For my birthday, I made the strawberry summer cake which is another classic. If you need a good go-to summer dessert, this one is always a favorite!

WHAT I WORE

I’m taking advantage of wearing dresses so I wore some favorites from Doen this week. I also reached for my favorite tees from Pact. Their organic clothing is so comfortable and well-made.

I attempted to use hot rollers on my hair and failed miserably. If anyone has a recommendation for a set that will hold longer hair, and not leave creases, let me know! Maybe this set? Or this one has a lot of larger curlers too!

SALES TO NOTE

Abercrombie– First Ever Dress Fest! Get 20% off all dresses

GAP– All shorts on sale plus 30% off everything with code YOURS

It’s hard to believe we’re almost halfway through the year. One thing I’ve been trying to be consistent about is taking my vitamins. I have several supplements from Perfect Supplements that I love, including their Desiccated Beef Liver, their Hydrolyzed Collagen, Gelatin for homemade marshmallows and vitamin C gummies, and their Mushroom Immunity Powder. They have a deal going on where if you buy 3 products you get 20% off and you can stack my code MARA10 on top too! Read about their 3rd party independent testing too. This company is so trustworthy and you can’t beat the quality.

Check out some exclusive deals just for you over on this page!

ON MY MIND

My mother-in-law got me the Defined Dish cookbook for my birthday which I am so excited about!! We have cooked through this cookbook so much this year, especially January-April when we were doing our health challenge. It will be so nice to return my library copy and feel comfortable marking up my own copy. I feel like I’ve made almost every recipe but I still have lots to try which I’m looking forward to. If you’re looking for a healthy cookbook option, I can’t recommend this one enough. A lot of the recipes are Whole 30-approved too!

We went to visit our dairy lady’s farm this week which was such a highlight. We loved seeing the cows who provide us with our milk, cream, yogurt, and cheese! One day we’d love to have our own little dairy cow, but for now, we are so thankful to Ms. Shelli!

Some of the picture books we read and enjoyed this week were Cactus Hotel, What Grew in Larry’s Garden, and The Snail and the Whale.

Have a great week everyone!

xox

22: week in review

June 4, 2023

I hope you all had a lovely week! It’s always nice to have a short post-holiday week, don’t you think? Summer was in the air this week and I think it helped boost all of our spirits. I always get so excited the week after Memorial Day because I know June is around the corner and we’re about to create so many summer memories. While we don’t have any summer trips planned, it will be nice to enjoy being home and going on some local adventures.

Here’s a little recap of our week:

WHAT WE ATE

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

MONDAY- Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries for Memorial Day

TUESDAY- Grilled Tri-Tip with Basil Vinaigrette and a Tuscan Bread and Tomato Salad – this bread salad is a mix between a Panzanella and a Caprese and it’s hands down one of our all-time favorite summer recipes!

WEDNESDAY- Meatloaf and Potato Salad – from this cookbook. Somewhat similar to this recipe of hers but would highly recommend trying the cookbook version.

THURSDAY- leftovers

FRIDAY- Roast Chicken with Feta and Cucumber Salad

SATURDAY- Garlic Ginger Shrimp Stir Fry with Coconut Rice

SUNDAY- Penne with the kid’s favorite pink sauce, homemade sourdough, and a big salad

I made this buttered pecan granola this week and it was SO yummy! Everyone loved it and kept asking for bowls throughout the day. Hard to resist!

WHAT I WORE

One of my favorite brands is Doen but it is a little bit pricey- justifiable if you read about their mission and ethical work practices. While I can’t buy their pieces that often I love looking for second-hand deals. This brown gingham dress was one of them from an Instagram friend. It’s made out of a lovely linen and it’s a perfect dress for wearing around the house, or belting it and adding sandals for running errands. Here are some favorites from the brand:

I’ve been loving my new summer sandals. They have the prettiest lace up detail and even come in a heel version! You can get the sandals here and also over here in white.

SALES TO NOTE

Gap– Up to 50% off and extra 20% off

Shopbop– Up to 60% off sale

ON MY MIND

I have been having a hard time making working out a priority these days but I know how beneficial it is for me in so many ways. This week, however, I made it onto the elliptical twice and I feel like that’s a small but big accomplishment. What helped was that I watched Mamma Mia! on Amazon Prime while I was working out, which is one of my favorite movies. It’s such a feel-good musical and I love singing all the songs so it helped pass the time quickly. Looking forward to more workouts this week so I can develop a regular habit.

Wednesday was such a fun day. We picked up a new scooter for Augustine and went on a walk/ride along the Boise Greenbelt. The weather was so perfect and it was such a special time. I’ll probably think back to that day quite a bit.

We also rearranged our living room this week which has made a huge difference! It feels like the new layout works way better for our space and it just flows much more nicely. I think I should try rearranging some other rooms while I’m at it!

Beatrice has 4 teeth, which I think I mentioned last week. She also started saying Dada which is so precious! I love how she’ll move her mouth in an attempt to say it when she sees Matthew. I’m working hard to have Mama be her next word!

It’s my birthday week !! so I’m planning a little lunch date with Matthew and a manicure with a girlfriend. Thankful the Lord has blessed me with this beautiful life. While it can be full of challenges, He gives me peace and joy in everyday moments. I’m looking forward to seeing what this next year has in store!

Have a lovely rest of your weekend and a great week!

xox

21: week in review

May 28, 2023

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you all are enjoying the holiday weekend! Summer is unofficially here, right?? We’re planning on going for a walk along the river tomorrow and then coming back home to grill. This past week went by so fast but like I mentioned last week, our activities rapped up so now we’re officially in summer mode! Here’s a little recap of our week:

WHAT WE ATE

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

MONDAY- White Bean Soup with fresh Sourdough

TUESDAY- Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos

WEDNESDAY- Grilled Flank Steak with a Basil Vinaigrette and Herby Orzo

THURSDAY- BBQ Chicken Salad

FRIDAY- Dinner at a friend’s house- They made the yummiest fish tacos with mango salsa and black rice.

SATURDAY- Spaghetti alla Nerano

SUNDAY- Chicken Enchiladas

I made these chocolate chip cookies over the weekend and they are SO good! Mine turned out a little thinner than the photo but the flavor was so good! Perfectly crispy edges and soft chewy interior. I definitely will make them again!

Also made this delicious sourdough banana bread recipe. I’ve made it before and it’s so classic. Perfectly soft and not too sweet!

I made Alison Roman’s Coconut Cake last Sunday like I had mentioned. It was really good and not too sweet. The buttercream/cream cheese frosting reminded me of carrot cake so it would be a great alternative. And I also made her Carmelized Apple Tart to bring over to a friend’s house which was delicious too.

WHAT I WORE

I got my new boots from Margaux and they are so cute and comfortable! I love that it’s a small business and they handmake their shoes in Spain. Yes, they’re pricier but the quality is so good. I can vouch because I have a pair of their Demi flats from 3 years ago that are still going strong. The Woven mule is next on my wishlist.

SALES TO NOTE

Lots of Memorial Day Sales right now!

Anthropologie– Extra 40% off sale

J.Crew– Extra 60% off sale style + 40% off everything else. Use code WEEKEND

Gigi Pip– 20% off- I especially love this straw hat and this one.

Everlane– Up to 30% off- so many great basics!

Jenni Kayne– 20% off everything! Use code MDWEVENT. Their Cashmere Cocoon Cardigan is basically famous so if you’ve been looking, this might be a good time to get it! I have my eye on this square rib tank and these oiled leather sandals look so cute and comfortable. Their slip dresses look dressed up/down.

Maisonette– Up to 40% off plus an extra 10% off

ON MY MIND

Sezane is one of my favorite sites to “window shop” on. They have the most beautiful pieces. Here are some favorites:

We’ve been reading so many great picture books lately. It’s been a fun activity to do in the afternoons together. Here are some of our recent favorites:

One of my favorite restaurants in California had the most beautiful collection of floral plates and I’ve been wanting to build up a mismatched collection of my own. I LOVE green floral prints and found these at Zara Home that look like exactly what I want. Matthew thanks we have too many plates already but I just love the idea of using ones like these as our everyday plates. Life is too short to not eat on pretty plates right??

Beatrice got her second front tooth in this week! So thankful because it was causing her a lot of pain. She loved to be front-facing in my carrier this week. We took a nice walk to the park and she loved to watch the older two run around and go down the slide.

We went on a walk along the Boise Greenbelt this week and the water has been running so fast! It’s always such a pretty walk, especially with the blooming trees. Getting a coffee from Push & Pour before heading out is a pro move!

We’re enjoying lighter evenings these days because the sun has been setting around 9:15 pm lately. I’ve loved lighting a candle (love this one) and doing dishes/cleaning up before heading to bed. The extra 30 minutes spent cleaning is so worth it to wake up to a cleanish house.