***Come link up your crafts to this week's party!***

Monday, May 27, 2013

Monday Menu Highlight

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you're holiday weekend is going well! My sister-in-law had
her baby girl last Thursday, so it's been even more exciting than normal around here.

Last week we decided to try making all vegan meals for dinner, just to try something new and to start adding more vegetables to our dinners. I was a little nervous about it at first, but I found some really great recipes that both Handy Andy and our little crazies enjoyed. The fan favorite from vegan week was:

Black Bean and Potato Nachos

 
This recipe is from Oh She Glows (as were most of the recipes I tried last week). These were so delicious! All the recipes I tried from this blog were winners. We didn't even miss having meat for dinner, which is quite the statement from Handy Andy.


Ingredients:
Potato Wedges:
2 medium Russet (baking) potatoes, sliced into wedges
1 tbsp grapeseed oil or melted coconut oil (I used olive oil)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Few pinches of chili powder

Black Bean Skillet Mixture:
1/2 tbsp oil
1 cup chopped red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red sweet pepper, diced
1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp ground cumin, or to taste
1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
Fine grain sea salt, to taste

Toppings: Tomatoes/salsa, cilantro, avocado, green onion, etc

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Wash and dry potatoes but do not peel. Place onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toss potatoes with oil. Sprinkle generously with sea salt, pepper, and a few pinches of chili powder.
2. Bake fries for 13-15 minutes at 425F. Flip potatoes and roast for another 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
3. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, and pepper in the oil for about 7-10 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
4. Stir in the drained and rinsed black beans, cumin, chili powder, and salt to taste. Continue to sauté for another 5 minutes. Set aside until ready to use, reheating just before serving.
5. Prepare your desired toppings.
6. Reheat bean mixture as fries come out of the oven. When fries are ready, place onto a large serving plate or you can serve it directly on the warm pan. Spoon on warm bean mixture, followed by toppings like avocado, cilantro, tomatoes or salsa, fresh lime juice, green onions, and/or corn chips.

I used four potatoes, but followed the recipe for the bean mixture. This made plenty for the four of us, and we were all full! I'll probably be featuring more recipes from Oh She Glows in the next few weeks. Who knew eating vegan would be so delicious?!

Thanks for stopping by!


Sunday, May 26, 2013

A Pinteresting Link Party - Week 93


A Pinteresting Link Party - Week 93
 


Happy Weekend Everyone! 
Thanks for sharing your projects with us, I can't wait to see what you've been working on!

My favorites from last week are:


BBQ Cups from Yummy. Healthy. Easy.



 Cinnamon Biscotti Dunkers from Lemon Tree Dwelling.



DIY Hanging Mobile from She Turned Her Dreams Into Plans.



Now Let's Party!

::The Rules are Simple:: Follow all your hosts on Pinterest

Lauren | Tutus & Tea Parties

Liz | Here's to Handy Andy

Amanda & Stephanie | Dreamsicle Sisters


You must have a Pinterest account to link up so you can Pin each other 
(that's the whole idea of the party)
 Link up your posts, no shops or giveaways.
Add the party button to your blog or link back here somewhere. 
Visit each other (it is a party after all) and pin some posts. 
Optional: Share and invite your friends to join in!
{I even made it easy for you...just RT the tweet below}
DON'T LINK AND RUN...PLEASE...PRETTY PLEASE!

Grab the party button!

Here's to Handy Andy
<div align="center"><a href="http://herestohandyandy.blogspot.com/search/label/Pinterest" title="Here's to Handy Andy"><img src="http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb359/eyoung919/PinterestingPartyButton_zpsba93ea68.jpg" alt="Here's to Handy Andy" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Don't forget to spread the word! Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Saturday, May 18, 2013

A Pinteresting Link Party - Week 92


A Pinteresting Link Party - Week 92
 


Happy Weekend Everyone! 
There were so many great projects last week - thanks for sharing with us!

My favorites from last week are:



 Crystelle Boutique shared this FREE pattern for the Dedre Backpack!



These Strawberry Cheesecake Streusel Muffins from Turtles and Tails look so good!


Now Let's Party!

::The Rules are Simple:: Follow all your hosts on Pinterest

Lauren | Tutus &amp; Tea Parties

Liz | Here's to Handy Andy

Amanda & Stephanie | Dreamsicle Sisters


You must have a Pinterest account to link up so you can Pin each other 
(that's the whole idea of the party)
 Link up your posts, no shops or giveaways.
Add the party button to your blog or link back here somewhere. 
Visit each other (it is a party after all) and pin some posts. 
Optional: Share and invite your friends to join in!
{I even made it easy for you...just RT the tweet below}
DON'T LINK AND RUN...PLEASE...PRETTY PLEASE!

Grab the party button!

Here's to Handy Andy
<div align="center"><a href="http://herestohandyandy.blogspot.com/search/label/Pinterest" title="Here's to Handy Andy"><img src="http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb359/eyoung919/PinterestingPartyButton_zpsba93ea68.jpg" alt="Here's to Handy Andy" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Don't forget to spread the word! Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Shop Closing [discount]!

Hey All! I hope you're having a wonderful start to your week! 

I'm going to be closing down my Etsy shop, so you can use the code CLOSING30 to get 30% off anything in my shop, like...


 Olive & Ivory Rose Hair Clip 
($4.55 after discount)


 Bed of Roses Brooch Pin
 ($5.60 after discount)


Retro Blue & Tan Flower Pin
($5.60 after discount)


Autumn Leaves Pre-Made Scrapbook
($7.00 after discount)

Sunday, May 12, 2013

A Pinteresting Link Party - Week 91


A Pinteresting Link Party - Week 91
 


 Happy Mother's Day weekend everyone!

Let's party!

::The Rules are Simple:: Follow all your hosts on Pinterest

Lauren | Tutus &amp; Tea Parties

Liz | Here's to Handy Andy

Amanda & Stephanie | Dreamsicle Sisters


You must have a Pinterest account to link up so you can Pin each other 
(that's the whole idea of the party)
 Link up your posts, no shops or giveaways.
Add the party button to your blog or link back here somewhere. 
Visit each other (it is a party after all) and pin some posts. 
Optional: Share and invite your friends to join in!
{I even made it easy for you...just RT the tweet below}
DON'T LINK AND RUN...PLEASE...PRETTY PLEASE!

Grab the party button!

Here's to Handy Andy
<div align="center"><a href="http://herestohandyandy.blogspot.com/search/label/Pinterest" title="Here's to Handy Andy"><img src="http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb359/eyoung919/PinterestingPartyButton_zpsba93ea68.jpg" alt="Here's to Handy Andy" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Don't forget to spread the word! Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Teacher Appreciate Gifts

Happy Thursday! I'm sure many of you know that Teacher Appreciation Day was on Tuesday. Our boys have only been at their new school for five weeks, but we've been very impressed by the teachers they have. They are doing a wonderful job helping the boys get used to their new classrooms, and they have been amazing at communicating with us and helping us as we figure out how to be parents of elementary-aged kids. (Now, I realize that this won't help anyone get an idea of what to do for their teachers, since the day already passed, sorry!)

There are so many ideas for teacher gifts, so I spent a while browsing Pinterest for some ideas. I also asked several of my friends who are teachers what they've appreciated from students over the years. We decided to go with a smaller gift for Teacher Appreciated Day, because we'll also get them a gift at the end of the school year.

Based on all the input and Pinterest inspiration, here's what I came up with:



 Each teacher received a reusable cup filled with chocolate, tea, biscotti, and a Starbucks gift card. I added a tag to the straw with each of their names, and then cut out a hand print from the boys and had them write Thank You to their teachers. I tied a ribbon around each cup and clipped the hand print note to the ribbon with a mini clothes pin. I didn't include a clever or cutesy themed note because 1. I'm not that creative, and 2. I don't really like cutesy sayings that much.


I hope the boys' teachers feel appreciated! Thanks to all the teachers out their for all you do! Don't forget to let your kids teachers know you appreciate them.

Thanks for stopping by!

 



Monday, May 6, 2013

Monday Menu Highlight

Hey All! I'm finally trying to get fully back into the blogging...trying being the key word. Anyway, it's been a while since I've done a Monday Menu Highlight. Our eating habits have changed some since the boys moved in with us, I'm trying to find recipes they like and ones that don't destroy my cholesterol-lowering effort. I'm not doing as well with my low-cholesterol diet, but I'm trying. One recipe that fits my diet AND one that the boys absolutely love is...

Chicken Taco Chili


I found this recipe last year on this blog.  It's a weight watcher recipe, so if you keep track that way, you can check out the points there (the recipe is originally from SkinnyTaste - one of my favorite recipe sites!). Here's my adaptation of the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz can black beans, rinsed
2 8-oz can tomato sauce
10 oz package frozen corn kernels (used 2 small cans of corn kernels)
1 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies (used a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes)
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts OR 1 lb of ground turkey
Ms. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning (I used this instead of the other seasonings listed at the other blogs)
Shredded cheese (for topping)
Sour Cream (for topping)

Directions:

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, and seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with cheese and sour cream.
**If using ground turkey, brown and then add to the crockpot with all other ingredients. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.

The boys seriously love this! They ask for it every week! And, I generally don't like chili, but I really like this recipe! 

Thanks for stopping by!