Plentiful Excitement | Menu Plan & Recipe Review

Y'ALL!! Football season starts THIS WEEK! The first SEC game is on Thursday with the Alabama game on Saturday. I cannot wait. Of course there will be other games on too that I might even watch. For now I'm keeping occupied with other tasks, my menu for one.

Breakfasts: Cereal, Smoothies, Muffins, PB toast with fruit, Quiche with hashbrown crust, French toast

Lunches: PB&J, Pizza paninis, Tuna noodles, Soup w/grilled cheese, Chicken fingers w/sweet potato fries, Creamy garlic pasta w/salad

Dinners:

Leftovers

Veggie Tacos w/corn

Ham and Potato Soup

Pork Chops with creamy mushrooms and dill w/broccoli & mashed potatoes

I'm linking up at Menu Plan Monday on I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

Veggie and tofu stir fry: I've made this before and enjoyed it. As before, I couldn't find the baby bok choy, so I just increased the amount of the other veggies. It was yummy.

Barbequed tofu sandwiches (above): This was an easy recipe. I recommend that you plan ahead as it takes about 30 minutes to press to tofu and then 30 minutes to marinate it. After that, it cooks quickly. We definitely enjoyed it, but I thought it would be better with the bread toasted for a crunch. However, Pat thought that just a regular bun would have been better than the bakery wheat buns. Either way, we'll be making them again.

I not only have an exciting college football season to look forward to, but a yummy menu as well. What are you looking forward to this week?

Menu Plan Monday

Today's been a flurry of getting s&*t done, though to look at my to-do list you wouldn't think it. I've added to it and added to it as the day's gone on (and as I made a sale in the etsy shop.)

These earrings were listed and quickly sold after an Instagram 'friend' saw them. Woot!

Though there was that bright spot in my day, the bulk of it has been focused on food (shopping for it, preparing it, eating it. You know the drill.) and that includes making the weekly menu.

Breakfasts: Smoothies, Peanut butter toast, Yogurt w/granola, Omelets, Pancakes

Lunches: Chicken salad sandwiches, Leftovers, Soup and grilled cheese, PB&J, Tuna Noodles, Cheese quesidillas, Salad

Dinners:

Cauliflower chowder w/bread

Bucatini with mushrooms w/broccoli

Spicy peanut butter tofu w/green beans and yellow rice

Homemade pizza w/salad

Chicken Pot Pie

I'm linking this Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

I don't have any recipe reviews this week as everything we ate wasn't new to us. And now. . .well now it's time to stop writing about the food and start making it. It never ends does it? I really shouldn't complain, first world problems and all. Anyway, here's hoping you had (are having) a lovely Monday!

Smoothies, Weekly Menu, and Recipe Review

Each week for I don't know how long now, I've put 'smoothies' on our menu without ever mentioning how I make them, what I put in them, etc. In general, they are a green smoothie but the color always ends up being a bit . . .unappetizing. One of last week's smoothies, in fact, prompted this tweet/Facebook status from me.

I wasn't alone in this as I received several responses that some people often put their smoothies in non-see-through cups to drink them. Ha!

Despite the look of the smoothies, we really enjoy them. So here's how I generally make mine.

Start with a bunch of raw spinach and wash it. (Don't cringe, I HATE cooked spinach myself but this stuff doesn't even have a flavor when it's raw.)

Throw the spinach in your blender/blender cups. Above is about 2 cups of spinach per tumbler/person. Sometimes I just do 1 cup, but 2 is the max I can fit in these.

Add your liquid. I almost always use unsweetened, unflavored almond milk. It's only 30 calories a cup and without a flavor so I can cook with it too (note: vanilla almond milk in mac-and-cheese is NOT GOOD). Anyway, you could use water or any other milk you have on hand if you want. I've got about 1/2 a cup in there.

Blend the spinach/milk mixture until smooth. You see it blends down so you can add more yumminess.

I always add 1/2 to 1 whole banana per person and then some frozen fruit, usually berries. I don't usually buy the packaged frozen fruit. Most often I get fresh fruit on sale and freeze it myself, but it's been a long winter and this is what I had on hand. Remember that if your fruit is frozen, you don't have to add ice.

I also add about 1 Tbs of PB2. Y'all!! I haven't been paid or anything to represent this stuff, but I assure you it's awesome. The calorie and fat amounts for it are WAY BELOW traditional peanut butter, even the natural stuff. And, it still tastes like peanut butter. Score! Apparently, there's even a chocolate PB2 version, but it's not in my local grocery store yet, dangit.

Also, I try to make sure I add the powder between the bananas and the berries so it's touching the liquid and mixes well.

Then blend away, check out the berries mingling with the spinach.

Alas, it still comes out that awful color. But, at least it tastes of a PB&J with banana!

Now that I've shared my smoothie secrets with you, here's what's on the menu for this week.

Breakfasts: Smoothies (obviously), Cereal, Oatmeal/grits, Hashbrown baskets, waffles

Lunches: Cheese quesidillas, Simple Sesame Noodles, Turkey Sandwich, PB&J, Tuna Noodles, Soup w/grilled cheese, Leftovers

Dinners:

Grilled Chicken w/sweet potatoes and Caesar salad

Pad Thai Soup (double recipe) w/spinach salad

Mac-n-cheese w/peas

Beef Stroganoff w/green beans

I'm linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

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Recipe Review

Broccoli, cannellini bean, and cheddar soup: I had such high hopes for this soup. However, once I started to cook the broccoli I realized there just wasn't much liquid to this recipe and there was A LOT of broccoli. I added more veg broth throughout the process, but it was still too think or something. The texture was mushy and not to our liking at all. I won't be making this again.

So,what are you looking forward to eating this week?

Meal Plan and Recipe Review (3/24)

With Pat back in town, we spent the weekend enjoying each others' company and some wonderfully yummy food.

We tried out a few new restaurants (Cornerstone Kitchen that I reviewed yesterday and ACME Oyster House that I might also review.) and grilled out a little to boot. Now that he's home, it's time to get serious about the food and stop re-heating leftovers. So here's what I've got planned.

Breakfasts: Smoothies, Conecuh sausage and mushroom omelet, Cereal, Hashbrown baskets, Cinnamon rolls (pizza dough experiment)

Lunches: Cheese quesidillas, Pizza (from freezer), Tuna noodles, PB&J, Bean burrritos, Soup w/grilled cheese, Leftovers

Dinners:

Baked Tofu w/green beans and red potatoes

Spaghetti w/salad

Broccoli, bean, and cheddar soup w/bread

Black bean burgers w/sweet potato fries

Crockpot ham w/cauliflower & field peas

I'm linking up at I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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Recipe Review

Enchilada Lasagna: As soon as Pat took a bite of this he said, "Mmmmm, that's good." Now, as always, I altered the recipe. To begin with, I used whole wheat flour tortillas (fajita sized) instead of corn. I also did NOT use 5 1/2 cups of cheese. That seemed a little redonkuous. Instead, I used one 8oz bag of shredded Mexican cheese. As well, instead of sour cream I used plain Greek yogurt. Lastly, I seasoned the chicken with some chili powder, granulated garlic, and adobo as well as the salt and pepper before cooking it in coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. There's a good chance I will make this again with the same alterations  since the hubby liked it so much.

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I've failed to mention in my last few posts that I've got a few new items in the Etsy shop - specifically these wire and bone earrings that I adore

Caged Bones Earrings

and this necklace/bracelet that apparently just didn't photograph well.

Subtle Warmth Necklace

Now it's time to start kicking butt and taking names. . .or just getting stuff done. Yeah, that'd be good. Happy Monday y'all!

Possibly Ending Monday's Mania and a Meal Plan/Recipe Review

I'm forever looking for new 'methods' of working efficiently, gaining inspiration, managing my time, cleaning the house, eating healthier, etc. Over the weekend, while plowing through my feedreader, I found this blog post from Marie MacMillian on how she manages Mondays. She mentioned 'filling her idea basket'. It hit a chord with me. I really loved the notion of pulling together some general pieces and then giving yourself time to process what direction/materials you want each of those pieces to take. I knew today would likely be a little hectic for me and had some time yesterday, so here's what I did.

I grabbed some deep, stackable plastic plates (this was all I had, I may need to get more or find some other containers for this task) and picked out a few focals.

From there, it was a matter of taking a long, hard look at each of the focals and deciding what direction I wanted them to take.

I can see using this process with any number of materials; random art beads that are begging for attention, a neat clasp, a collection of bezels, or whatever. In my case, I have a couple bowls scattered around that craft room that contain focals begging for designs.

How perfect would it be to start out each week with a clean desk like Marie and a stack of ideas already simmering? It would absolutely ease that Monday struggle of "Where do I start?" At least I struggle with it. I think it's the bowls full of stuff that get to me.

I was so excited about this new method that I've already completed one of the designs.

Make sure you read Marie's Monday post so you can get the full gist of what her method is.

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Menu

And, since it is Monday I did go about my usual procedure of making a meal plan.

Breakfasts: Skinny Banana Blueberry Muffins (leftover), Cereal, Smoothies, Omelets, Hashbrown baskets, Waffles or pancakes (from freezer)

Lunches: (OPTIONS) Sandwiches, Cheese Quesidillas, Cheese pizza w/salad, Tuna noodles, PB&J, Bean burritoes, Soup w/grilled cheese, Leftovers

Dinners:

Enchilada Lasagna w/corn

Taco Soup

BBQ tofu pizza w/salad

Grilled chicken with lemon basil pasta w/roasted broccoli

As always, I'm linking up with Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup: This was so, so good. I threw it together for myself while the hubby was out playing a gig. The ingredients just sounded yummy together, and they were! The fact that the recipe is from Skinny Taste is a big plus. I'll definitely make this again.

Crunchy Garlic Chicken: This is a Jamie Oliver recipe that I've made this several times, and it never fails to taste great. I do have some issues with it in the breading of the chicken. Granted, I used a bit more chicken than the recipe calls for, but I tried to compensate by adding more of the ingredients to make the breading. I still didn't have quite enough. I think the butter in the breading mixture causes it to lump up and not spread evenly. I will admit that the butter in the ingredients does make the chicken more juicy, but causes the breading to be more of a paste. I left the butter out of the next batch of breading I made to cover the rest of my chicken, and it was just fine. I may make this again, but with my own substitutions - mainly using Parmesan instead of butter.

Paella with Soy Chirizo and Edamame: Weirdly, I'd never had paella until I made this and then over the weekend some friends made it for a party. (TWO paellas in one week.) Those guys are experienced cooks so I knew their version was closer to the real stuff. While this recipe was indeed tasty, it seemed to be more of a risotto than a paella. We liked it either way and I'll probably make it again.

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup: WOW! We both really loved this. I cut back on some of the half and half and Parmesan as it sounded WAY too rich with the whole amounts of those. I may cut back even more on the half and half next time too and just add more vegetable broth. If I hadn't made a salad to go with this, we could have easily eaten the whole pot. I will definitely be making this again.

Mushroom Bourguignon: I felt like I had way too many mushrooms when I bought all of them (it was a good thing they were on sale last week!) Once they cooked down, it made much more sense. I never could get the sauce to thicken much at the end, so we ate it while it was still a little liquid-y. That didn't hurt the taste one bit, it was yummy. We had more than enough leftovers so I'll probably half this recipe the next time I make it.

I think I've inundated you with enough this Monday. I do hope you're enjoying the extra sunshine in the evening that comes with Daylight Savings. I know I am!!

Menu and Recipe Review (Jan 20)

A weekend with the nieces means a weekend of junk food, eating out, and avoiding my carefully planned menu. This weekend was one of THOSE. As such, there's some repeats on this week's menu and I didn't  even bother to change our breakfast and lunch options from last week (so they're not included on this week's post.)

Dinners

Bowtie pasta with creamy wild mushroom sauce w/roasted squash & zucchini

Crispy honey lime tilapia w/sweet potatoes & oven baked corn fritters

Pad Thai soup (from freezer)

Baked ravioli w/salad

Spicy peanut butter tofu w/green beans and boiled potatoes

I'm linking up my Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

Delicious ham and potato soup: As always, a winner in our house!

Lemon garlic spaghetti: So simple, so tasty! I will make this again.

I apologize for being so short today but I'll leave you with the newest (re)listed item in my shop

Marooned Necklace

Happy Monday y'all!

Menu and Recipe Review (Jan 13)

It's time again for me to share what we'll be munching on this week. I'm keeping this short and sweet as the rain and lack of sun today has my energy at a low.

Breakfasts: Smoothies, Cheese Grits/Oatmeal, Egg white cheese omelet, Hashbrown baskets, Overnight oatmeal waffles

Lunches: Soup w/grilled cheese, Pizza (from freezer) w/salad, Sesame noodles, Bean burritos, PB&J, Cheese quesidillas, Leftovers

Dinners: 

Lemon garlic spaghetti w/roasted broccoli

Ham and Potato Soup

Baked ravioli w/salad

Crispy honey lime tilapia w/sweet potatoes & baked corn fritters

I'm linking up with Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

Taco Hand Pies: I'll start by saying that I made these with soy crumbles instead of ground beef to make them vegetarian. It didn't hurt the flavor at all. The pies turned out pretty good, but were uber messy to make. (see picture of aftermath above) Between the flour on the counter and the filling oozing out of the dough (see picture below) I had a real disaster on my hands (and on the counter, floor, and front of my shirt). I also had a ton of extra stuffing that wouldn't fit into the pies. I actually ended up freezing the leftover stuffing and half of the pies (before they were baked) since the recipe made sixteen pies. I probably won't make this exact recipe again as the dough itself was a TON of calories, but I will consider it. They ended up looking fairly pretty.

This isn't the same pie as the one above it. . .Pat ate that one before I could get a picture.

Roasted cauliflower alfredo: This was good, but the consistency wasn't exactly to my liking. I failed to read the whole recipe before making it (dur!) and didn't realize that the cauliflower was blended to make the sauce rather than just IN with the noodles and sauce. I think I would have liked that better. Oh well. I probably won't make this again. You win some, you lose some.

Broccoli cheddar soup: This was AWESOME! There was something about the roasted broccoli and the aged cheddar together that gave this soup a fabulous flavor. While it was pretty high in calories, I will most likely make it again. Yummers.

Slow cooker coffee braised brisket with potatoes and carrots: This was so easy to throw together on Sunday morning. I wasn't feeling well and it was nice to know that I wouldn't have to mess with cooking dinner in the evening. However, it was too sweet for my taste. I did add the extra coffee, garlic, wine, and Sirrachi as the comment-ers on the recipe suggested. However, the brown sugar in the recipe was where it went off course for me I think. If I make this again, I will likely use less brown sugar. Yet, I'm not sure that I'll make this again as I think I would have just preferred a regular old crock pot roast beef.

That's all for today y'all. It's about time to get started cooking tonight's meal and hope that the rain is gone tomorrow.

Menu and What-not

So much for getting back on track. If you are in the US and celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope it was a good one. If you aren't/don't I hope last week was good for you. Now, I hope that covers everyone.

Moving on. . My eating and exercise habits of late have been quite horrendous. As such, I'm feeling all kinds of flabby. That's really not so great as we enter the season of food. So, last night I pulled the below out and plan on using them AND the MyFitnessPal app/program to get serious again about losing some of this excess poundage.

My exercise routine options

I even got up early this morning to do some yoga. Yay me! Of course, along with exercise, I need to make sure I'm eating right/better. I know the MyFitnessPal will help me keep track of the calories. So, that's somewhat of a relief. I'll try to be sure to watch my portions and snack healthy. Here's most of what I'll be eating this week.

Breakfasts: Smoothies, Cereal, Raspberry parfaits, Ham & egg sandwiches, PB&J muffins (from a cookbook)

Lunches: (options) Ham sandwiches, Pita cheese pizzas, Tuna noodles, PB&J, Bean burritos, Cheese pizza (from freezer), Leftovers, or Soup and grilled cheese

Dinners:

Bucatini with mushrooms w/salad

Veggie burgers (w/fixins') w/sweet potato fries

Tofu stir fry w/veggie potstickers

Thai chicken tacos w/mixed steamed veggies

I'm linking up my meal plan at Menu Plan Monday on I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

Fancy mac-n-cheese (w/mushrooms): I made this without the meat. This was a repeat and was awesome as always.

Lemon-thyme chicken with sauteed veggies:  We really liked the chicken. I liked the simplicity of the flavors and the whole dish really. I left out the tomatoes for the sake of Pat. The vegetables were great to me, but Pat thought they were a little overcooked. I'll reduce the cooking time the next time I make this.

Pad thai soup: I've made this before and loved it then. I loved it just as much this time too. I doubled the recipe and have frozen the leftovers. This recipe comes together SO QUICKLY. I will make it again for sure.

Whole wheat waffles: I used white whole wheat flour and really enjoyed the texture of it in these waffles. I was only able to get about 5 waffles out of this recipe and not the 8 the recipe says. I'll likely use this again.

So that's it for me today. I would love to hear your tips, recipes, and exercise routines to stay thinner this time of year. Thanks for swinging.

Weekly Menu and New in the Shop

Since I just put tonight's dinner in the oven, I suppose I should share this week's menu with you before it slips my mind.

Breakfasts: Cereal, Yogurt w/granola, Juice, Waffles or Pancakes (from freezer), Blueberry Muffins, Egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches (on wheat hamburger buns) [all with fruit]

Lunches: PB&J w/fruit & cheese, Chicken salad sandwiches w/fruit, Soup w/grilled cheese, Bean burritos w/all the fixins, Sesame noodles w/veggies, Leftovers, Cheese pizza (from freezer) w/small salad

Dinners:

Spicy honey roasted chicken w/sweet potatoes & Lemony green beans

Wild mushroom pattitsio w/broccoli

Taco Soup

Cheese ravioli with marinara w/salad

Beef with snow peas over rice

I'm linking up my menu at I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

Unfortunately, I've gotten all off track with my recipe reviews so I don't have one for you. Besides, nothing we've had lately really stands out as something I want to recommend or give my two cents on. Instead, let me show off some of the new items in the Etsy Shop.

Roman Empress Necklace

Shabbified Necklace

And these two pairs of earrings were just re-listed.

Textured Washers Earrings

Happy Flower Earrings

 I hope your Monday has been a lovely one and that you're not already behind like I am!

Menu & Recipe Review (while longing for the beach)

After an anniversary weekend complete with a 'fancy' dinner, an Alabama win, and a dip in the Gulf; it's time to get back to reality. But first. . .

The water was so clear yesterday! It was simply gorgeous.

Though I long to be back down at the Gulf, I know I need to focus on tasks at home. Today's main task (as always on a Monday) was to get the meals planned for the week.

Breakfasts: Oatmeal/Grits, Yogurt w/granola & fruit, JUICE, Waffles/Pancakes (from freezer), French toast, Breakfast burritos

Lunches: Leftovers, Bean burritos, Soup w/grilled cheese, PB&J, Sesame noodles, Tuna Noodles, Cheese pizza (from freezer)

Dinners:

Tilapia w/microwave scalloped potatoes & peas

Tofu stir fry with noodles and veggies (something similar to this sweet chilli recipe)

Cheese ravioli in marinara w/salad

Black bean burgers w/sweet potato fries

Slow cooker curried chicken with ginger and yogurt over rice w/green beans

I'm linking this up to Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

Jam filled almond muffins: Yes, I FINALLY made these. They were good overall. I did make them the night before we ate them as the whole process seemed like it would probably take longer than we wanted to wait for breakfast. In the end, it wasn't that long really. They rose well and were simply beautiful too look at. However, both the hubs and I agreed that they needed a bit more filling as they were kinda dry. I will probably double the filling next time. There will possibly be a next time.

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I also got this beautiful bracelet listed in the shop today. You may recognize it from my Bead Soup Blog Party reveal from earlier this year.

Green with Envy Bracelet

 Though those tasks are complete, there are still many more on my to do list. What are you longing for this Monday? (another weekend, a trip to the beach, a nap. . . that all sounds good to me!)

Meal Plan and Recipe Review

I've been sick with a nasty cold the last few days and am finally recovering (I hope). However, it leaves me a bit lazy and longing for some comfort food. As such, I threw together a menu that fits both requirements.

Breakfasts: Oatmeal, Juice, Yogurt & granola w/fruit, Waffles/pancakes (from freezer), Jam-filled almond muffins (I swear I WILL make these!), Breakfast burritos

Lunches: Leftovers, Soup w/grilled cheese, bean burritos, PB&J, Sesame noodles w/raw veggies, Tuna noodles, Cheese pizza (from freezer)

Dinners:

Spaghetti (w/soy crumbles) w/salad

Tacos (w/soy crumbles) w/all the fixin's & corn

Mac-n-cheese w/broccoli

Tilapia w/easy microwave scalloped potatoes & peas

I'm linking this menu up with Meal Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

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Recipe Review

• Peanutty Thai noodles with sugar snap peas: We liked these a lot. The hubs said he wished the peanut butter had been a little sweeter, but I was using Jif, so I don't know how much sweeter I could have made it. I really like that the peas were still really crispy. I may make this again, but I may fiddle with the recipe to get a sweeter taste from it.
• Mushroom, corn, and poblano tacos: These were pretty good. They still needed a little 'umph' of something that I just couldn't figure out. I like that they were low calorie and still filling. However, I'm not positive I'll make them again.
• Red lentil rice cakes: Let me first say that the flavor of these was really good. I didn't make the salsa as the hubs doesn't like raw tomatoes. I had an issue with keeping the patties together. It was a real fight. The recipe is supposed to make something like 12 patties. I made 10 and still had mix left over for 10 more. I froze the second half for another time. As such, I guess we will be eating them again, but I'm not sure I'll make them from scratch another time.
• Delicious ham and potato soup:  - I've made this soup many, many times. I'm a huge fan of potato soup and have tried several recipes, but this one is our favorite. I do tend to 'mash' the potatoes some once they're soft as I like it a little creamier than the diced chunks. I will most definitely make these again.
• Steamed shrimp & mushroom dumplings: As predicted in the instructions, these aren't a quick, throw-it-together dish. And though I was sick, I was willing to stand, stuff, seal, and steam to get these made. They were totally tasty and I will likely make them again when I'm sure I have plenty of time for them.
• Garlic sesame snow peas: I reviewed these previously here. 

It's time to turn my attention back to playing with the beads on my desk and enjoying the comfort that is lower temperatures!

I can't really show you a picture of the lower temperatures. . .

The Emptiness at the End of Summer Vacation (I'm filling it with food and beads)

Today just seems like the end of summer; school is starting back (not that it affects me much) and our staycation has ended. It feels like a new start. . a perfect time to get back on the ball. While it unfortunately rained the last few days of our vacation, the bad weather gave me an opportunity to plan out this week. That planning especially included our meals. Here's what I'm looking forward to enjoying this week

Breakfasts: Oatmeal/cheese grits, Juice, Yogurt w/granola & fruit, Omelet w/fruit, Whole wheat waffles, English muffin with peanut butter & fruit

Baked Homemade Pizza Rolls from Back to Her Roots

Lunches: PB&J w/fruit & chips, Baked homemade pizza rolls, Soup w/grilled cheese, Bean burritos w/all the fixin's, Turkey sandwiches, Sesame noodles w/carrots, Leftovers

Slow Cooker Black Bean Enchiladas from The Kitchn

Dinners:

Slow cooker black bean enchiladas w/salad

Curried brown rice with broccoli casserole (1/2 recipe)

Pad Thai Soup

BBQ Tofu Pizza

Chicken Parmesan casserole (1/2 recipe) w/pasta

Pad Thai Soup from Tasty Kitchen - recipe and photo via Jackie Dodd

I'm linking up to I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

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Recipe Review

Since I didn't meal plan last week and thus didn't blog my recipe review, let me go ahead and review what we ate the week before last.

Spicy peanut butter tofu: I made these a little bit spicier than suggested with a tad more Sirracha and a touch of chili oil. It was yummy! I'll probably make this again.

Pasta and white beans with garlic rosemary oil (half recipe): I actually forgot that I was doing a half recipe of this, so I used the whole carrot, celery, onion, and garlic amounts but then adjusted most everything else down a bit. I also used some veg broth instead of water/cooked bean water in some cases. It was really pretty good. I may make this again.

Skinny baked broccoli mac and cheese: This was okay. . .I accidentally bought and used VANILLA almond milk in this recipe so I personally tasted a distinct sweetness to it. The hubs said he couldn't. Either way, I just didn't find this creamy enough for me. I couldn't taste cheese at all. I might make it again to see if it's just the almond milk that was the problem, but I'm not completely convinced that was it.

Honey balsamic carrots: I've made these before and we like them. I'll admit that I'm not a HUGE lover of cooked carrots anyway (I prefer them raw), but I like all the flavors that go into this recipe. I do have to adjust my amounts from the recipe as 2 pounds of carrots is WAY more than the two of us will eat. I'll probably make these again.

Garlic sesame snow peas:  These weren't listed on the menu two weeks ago, but I found this recipe at the last minute to cook the snow peas that I did plan (To clarify, I had snow peas on the menu but didn't specify what I would do with them.) I had everything on hand to make these and it came together very quickly! I'll make these again.

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Also during the rainstorms, I had time to make sure my bead table was ready for a fresh start. I started vacation off by pulling out a bunch of beads that I only had a single pair of left. Earrings. . .pairs. . .it seemed a good start to me.

About the middle of vacation, the top of my desk looked something like this.

By the time yesterday rolled around, this is what I was dealing with! GAH!!!!

It only took a few minutes to straighten in back out, thank goodness.

I mean. . .who wants to come back from vacation to a mess? The 19 pairs of completed earrings were a definite plus to the whole situation.

That's all for today. I've got all kinds of other news and posts to share with you, but I figured I'd stick with routine for this Monday. Is it feeling like the end of summer for you too?