Week 37 and a Freezer Meal Party

This week was #37!

It won't be long now. 

These two cutie pies were on their best big-brotherly behaviour at my check-up this week.

Of course they were well rewarded afterwards.

Their drink of choice is a sample cup of whipped cream.

And for me?

Just a Grande Starbucks Double Shot on Ice.

Ahhhh....

Being pregnant in this weather is no joke. 

We get out to water the garden and play in the mornings 

and then after dinner we're usually out the door for a family walk or bike ride.

But during the day, we're usually tucked away inside with the AC running.

 I tried a new banana bread recipe this week.

The boys were only too happy to partake.

We attended our 6th baby shower celebration of the summer!

And speaking of baby showers...

In lie of a shower, a few dear ladies from our Bible Study group at church came over this morning and spent hours working in the kitchen, stocking my freezer with all kinds of meals and goodies to enjoy after Baby #3 makes his debut.

A am so blessed to have had these sweet ladies spoiling me!

And if any of you are looking for some freezer meal inspiration that is more than just a cream of chicken soup casserole, here's what my freezer now holds:

Sausage Balls 

(for dear husband)

We omit the onion.

The Pioneer Woman's Breakfast Burritos

Blueberry Muffins

Sausage, Spinach, and White Bean Soup

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Quinoa and Black Bean Enchilada Bake

Three Bean and Beef Chili

White Chicken Chili

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Quiche

Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

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The Week of the Salad

I can feel that Spring is in the air.

I'm so ready for green, warmer weather, and a break from our winter hibernation.

Last week I decided our dinners needed to reflect the fresh aspect of this upcoming season, 

so I casually called it 

The Week of the Salad.

I'm blessed with an awesome husband who puts up so well with these kinds of crazy ideas. 

And gives great feedback.

Our first dinner wasn't actually a salad, but it incorporated some yummy fresh ingredients and was pretty healthy - basically a salad in my books.

BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad

I was in Reno for the day and just picked up a rotisserie chicken that was ready to go.

This was quick and delicious for a super fast dinner prep.

Our next dinner was beautiful.

The picture definitely caught my eye on Pinterest.

Thai Steak Salad

with sweet and spicy tahini dressing and sesame child-lime cashews

Isn't it beautiful?

Just a word of caution:

If you're thinking 

'throw a few things in a bowl and toss them together for a quick salad'

like I was,

this is NOT the salad for you

From toasting cashew to boiling and peeling eggs, this is a time consuming work of art.

And I even skipped the fresh mint.

If I had known how long it would have taken I might have skipped out on it.

But a delicious end to all of that work!

Up next was a

Thai Chicken Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce

This one was delicious and a lot less involved.

Plus, Braden grilled the chicken, so less mess and cleanup for me!

Just because we were eating salads didn't mean we were about to forego our beloved bacon.

Uncured and nitrate/nitrite free, of course. ;)

BLT Chop Salad

with corn, feta, and avocado

I mixed this one up and actually swapped quinoa in place of the lettuce, 

adding extra olive oil to the dressing.

It tasted even better as leftovers the next day.

On the menu tonight:

Chickpea, Pesto, Tomato, and Mozzarella Salad

I have a few grilled chicken breasts left over from the weekend to round out the meal.

Who else is feeling like Spring?

Feel free to pass along your fresh dinner inspirations!

Enjoying the Slow Days

It's not often that a week day ends up feeling like a day of rest. 

I'm just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel after being knock-down sick, so today was just what the doctor ordered!

For starters, who doesn't want to wake up to this sweet face? 

He doesn't always wake up this cheery, but I've found out that if I hear Lynden crying after a nap and send Ryder in to check on him, he'll always be smiling at big brother's antics and squeaky high voice within a few minutes. This morning was no exception.

I call that brotherly love. <3

I quick trip out to the farm stand and Safeway for flour tortillas resulted in a few extra items and forgotten tortillas. Ooops!  

These $2.99 gladiolas were worth every penny though. 

I do love fresh local flowers!

That failed grocery shop was followed by play time outside with my big boy. He is so clever and always coming up with creative ways to get things done. There's engineering in his blood!

I managed to get another Etsy order finished while we were outside.

I have just one more order to complete tomorrow and then I'll be home free this weekend. 

A good thing, because it's booked!

I prepared for and taught lessons for two of my piano students this afternoon while Lynden napped and Ryder played. And, since I have no desire to pack the boys up again and head out, I'm experimenting with homemade flour tortillas for dinner tonight.  If they fail, I'm sure I can at least pull off a taco salad. ;)

This picture wasn't taken today, but it's from Sunday which was also a restful day, so it fits - haha! 

I just had to brag on my baby who rode sitting all by himself for the first time in the bike trailer this weekend. Love these sweet boys!

Our Gourmet Dinner and Not So Gourmet Life

I had only eaten asparagus once before I was married. I was probably 10.

BLEH!

A family member had brought a beautiful dish of the green stalks wrapped in ham to a family hotdog roast in our backyard. We grew up pretty simply on meat, potatoes and the regular vegetables. You know, what grows in the garden - corn, peas, green beans, carrots, etc. Never asparagus. But, after being told to at least eat one, I took a deep breath and bit into the by then cold foreign vegetable. Needless to say, it didn't stay down long before coming back up and out. Yuck!

So, when I was married and my husband requested asparagus (trust me, he doesn't request veggies often!) I decided to be brave and give it another go. As it turns out, asparagus broiled with olive oil and parmesan is actually quite palatable.

Because it does happen to be a favourite of Braden's I'll occasionally seek out a new way to serve it with dinner. Last night we sampled a new dish (all credit goes to Pinterest) of Quinoa with Asparagus and a Fried Egg. I've decided that most things topped with a fried egg - runny yolk and all - become exponentially better! Light quinoa, crisp pine nuts, tart lemon, fresh oregano, savoury green onion and garlic...are you hungry yet?

Ryder certainly had no trouble putting his plate away.

And just in case you get the impression that we live a gourmet lifestyle, you should know that my laundry room is still overflowing with both dirty and clean clothes.

My chapstick found its way into a still full bottle of water - yes, there's a toddler in this house!

And with potty training in full swing, my life is far from glamorous. 

But I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Fennel for Dinner

Happy Friday!

Here's my morning boy, post-bath and ready to take on the day!

After 4 nights of not having Braden home for dinner, I was a little excited about eating something other than leftover chicken noodle soup. Since I've had a big beautiful fennel bulb with long stalks just hanging out in the refrigerator since last Friday (thank you Bountiful Baskets!), I thought I'd better find a fun new recipe to try out on the family.

Whatever did we do before Pinterest?!

Confession time: I've never purchased fresh fennel before. I don't think the fennel seeds in my spice cupboard count, because they were part of a gift and I've only ever used them in one recipe - Tuscan Chicken Stew - which I've written about here before.

A fresh fennel bulb looks like a cross between an onion and a bunch of celery with wispy dill-like hairs protruding from the stalk.

Well, I came across two fennel inclusive recipes that were top contenders and one used ingredients that I had on hand, so that was the winner - Lazy Sunday Casserole. If it were my own recipe, I'd probably change the name. When I hear casserole, I think of cream soups and meshed flavours, but this was basically roasted vegetables with sausage...organic garlic provolone chicken sausage to be exact. Yum!

Sorry for the blur!

I did add to this recipe a little yellow butternut squash that I diced (another Bountiful Basket item) and served it with a side of broiled broccolini  (smaller flowers and longer stalks than just regular old broccoli). I know, I know. I roasted mainly veggie dish with a side of veggies, but that's what we had and the colours looked great together.

And when I've not been in the kitchen, I'm usually enjoying walks with this little sweetie or reading him stories with my feet propped up. 

Have a great weekend!

35 Weeks and Counting...

Little Dipper keeps on growing and the big day is fast approaching! There's definitely a lot to get done before his arrival, but his brand new carseat arrived last week and so in a pinch we could get by now. :)

I'll warn you now - this may be picture overload - but we had such a fun-filled weekend, I couldn't decide what to leave out.

Out for a busy day of errands with my little buddy on Friday.

Ryder chose out a special treat at the cafe we visited for lunch, and learned a new word: 

'CAKE-POP!'

Friday night I picked up our second Bountiful Basket. I wish that I had stopped to take a picture before diving in. I quickly got excited about the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables and Saturday morning I got to work on a few different recipes.

Yummy butternut squash muffins to freeze and have on hand for Ryder and myself at home.  More than a few disappeared from the mini muffin tin and were devoured buttered, honeyed and hot by the boys. <3

*If you do look up the recipe to make, I'd recommend adding a little extra sugar. We topped ours with butter and honey, but they taste a little too 'healthy' on their own. :)

And then a super fantastic old-school red velvet layer cake made with two whole beets (thanks Bountiful Basket!) and no red food colouring. This was frosted and accompanied us to our Sunday church potluck - thankfully, there are just a few slices left to enjoy at home still. 

Saturday ended with homemade and grilled burgers on fresh-out-of-the-oven hamburger buns.  I tried a new recipe, which was great!

This bun got a little extra toasty on the grill. Oops!

Followed by a quick trip through the DQ drive-thru to get a 1/2 price Oreo blizzard, which we all shard. Mmmm...

Thursday Already?

I can hardly believe the speed with which this week has flown! I've been busy with playdates, making new friends, and keeping up with old ones.

I tried a new dinner recipe on Tuesday - Stromboli.  Should I be embarrassed that I didn't even know what Stromboli was until I searched Pinterest with the ingredients I had in my fridge?  Thankfully it was a big hit with the boys (I didn't tell them that it was packed with a full 2 cups of fresh spinach ;) and my little bread lover has enjoyed leftovers for lunch these last two days.

I look forward to getting back into teaching piano in the next couple of weeks. I had originally planned to put it off until after the baby, but with a new year there's no time quite like the present to jump right in! This will definitely factor into the fun side of 'work.' I've always enjoyed teaching and so just balancing my schedule with one more activity will be the most challenging aspect, but not impossible!

Since I don't have any new photos to share, here are a few from last week of Ryder and Daddy burning the Christmas tree and a few stray tumbleweeds that somehow managed to hop the fence into our backyard.

Moose - It's What's for Dinner!

That's right, a friend of a friend of ours happened to have Alaskan moose sausage and upon learning that I was Canadian, graciously shared the meat.  A quick cry for help to my Northern Canadian-dwelling sister and a few Pinterest recipe searches later, I felt equipped to make something out of it.

Honey Garlic Moose Meatballs were the result and though I bit in with some skepticism, my desire to want to love this 'au naturel' game won out - in fact, we were all pleasantly surprised with the result.  It didn't hurt that they were served with creamy mashed potatoes and parmesan roasted squash.

Here's the proof that we did it - sent to a very special auntie! <3

Today we were also thankful for a holiday. The sun was out and radiating heat by the time Ryder and I finished breakfast, so we headed out for some yard work and play. Once we finished out there, I became ambitious in the kitchen and decided to make some fresh lemonade as a treat - it certainly didn't feel like winter today!

There's nothing better than being woken up by this cutie! 

Ryder & Dixie

Collecting rocks in my gardening pail.

Fresh Lemonade!

 All the unglamorous chores were completed too - laundry, cleaning bathrooms (showers, toilets, floors, and all), more dishes than 3 people should possibly dirty, etc.  But what a great feeling it is to sit down at the end of the day, truly tired yet grateful, and looking forward to doing it all over again in the morning.

I am blessed!


Here are a few more candids of Ryder playing outside...

Somebody found Daddy's safety glasses in the shop as well as an old too-small hat.
He's our little Mr Dress Up!