yumminess

I tend to incorporate a lot of new recipes into my meal plans each month. It keeps me from getting bored. I subscribe to several blogs and am always perusing them for ideas. Here are a couple we've tried recently and loved:

Macaroni and Cheese Soup from Framed Cooks

It was so good and very easy to make. The croutons really made the soup for me.

Caprese Paninis from This Week for Dinner

I love Caprese salad, so this was a must-try. I made it for dinner for the family one night and the next day, a few of us were fighting over the last of the mozzarella and basil to make one for lunch.

Spicy Garlic Chicken Pizza from Eat at Home

I made three different kinds of pizza that night, and this one was the hands-down favorite.

March

Let's see...what was March? March was Liam growing and growing....way too fast. He also got his very first haircut.

March was my oldest, Conner, getting injured playing Ultimate Frisbee. He had a swollen nose and a broken thumb. His left thumb. And he's left-handed. And a competitive bowler. So, yeah. No bowling or other sports for awhile.





March was also our 18th anniversary. Scott gave me my annual roses.

Then we went out for a very fun progressive dinner. The weather was beautiful, the food amazing, and the company perfect. :)

That was March.

February

This month pretty much passed in a blur. Chase and Scott both had a cough in January that lasted two weeks. Then on Super Bowl Sunday, I developed a fever that continued on and off for a week. Then I got the cough and it lasted two weeks. Seems to be duration of that particular virus. During that time, life had to go on, but boy was I miserable.

Chase had his 15th birthday on the 4th. His main gift was a hammock. Not the best time of year for it, but he is definitely looking forward to getting a lot of use out of it this summer.

Zane turned 5 on the 16th. We went out for a family dinner to Olive Garden to celebrate both the birthday boys.

Zane got a lot of toys, the main one being a Leapster Explorer. He has spent a lot of time on it since then, I think it was a good choice.

Our nieces are still living with us during the school week, and Zane has been great about sharing.

We've continued to move along in our homeschooling. One of the preschool boys' themes this month was snow. We read several related books and did many activities.

 It  snowed a lot this month, so that helped. :)

This was a snow-themed lunch we had one day

Liam continues to grow and grow. Sometimes I just want to slow down time so I can squeeze him a little longer.

Cappuccino Muffins

This is my favorite muffin recipe right now. I just made some today and can't wait for morning to have one with a cup of coffee.

CAPPUCCINO MUFFINS

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder (or instant coffee)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate mini-chips

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin tins with papers or grease liberally.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, espresso or instant coffee, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix milk, butter, egg, and vanilla until combined. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture only until combined. Do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes for standard muffins, 10 to 12 minutes for mini-muffins.

Cappuccino muffins freeze well.

Yield: 12 muffins or about 48 mini-muffins

March Dinner Plan

I'm trying to plan out a month's worth of meals at a time. I hope it will make my life somewhat simpler in regards to grocery shopping as well as giving me an answer to that ongoing question "Mom, what are we having for dinner tonight?"

So here's the tentative plan for March. This is only dinner, I'm still working on breakfast and lunch. Baby steps.

MARCH DINNER PLAN

PIZZA

CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD

FENDFER/CLEAN OUT FREEZER NIGHT

BROCCOLI-CHEESE SOUP AND BREAD BOWLS

BUTTER CREAM CHICKEN-PEROGIES-ROASTED ASPARAGUS

OVEN TACOS

EAT AT AWANA -- TAMALE PIE, NACHOS

SUB SANDWICHES-CHIPS-PINEAPPLE

FLATBREAD PIZZA-SALAD

BUFFALO CHICKEN SALAD

INDIAN MEAL WITH HOMEMADE NAAN BREAD

BBQ CHICKEN-HOMEMADE MAC N CHEESE-VEGGIE

LEFTOVERS OR PASTA

EAT AT AWANA -- CHICKEN CACCIATORE

TACO SOUP-CORNBREAD MUFFINS

OUT FOR OUR ANNIVERSARY-KIDS EAT LEFTOVERS OR PIZZA

CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE

TAKEOUT

LASAGNA PENNE PASTA CASSEROLE AND SALAD

FIRST DAY OF SPRING MEAL - TBD

EAT AT AWANA

BREAKFAST FOR DINNER

CROCKPOT PIZZA

FENDFER

CHINESE MEAL WITH POTSTICKERS AND FRIED RICE

CHICKEN PARMESAN BAKE

PASTA WITH CLAMS, VODKA SAUCE AND CRISPY BREADCRUMBS

CHEESEBURGER SOUP

CHIPOTLE-STYLE BURRITOS

DATE NIGHT -- KIDS EAT LEFTOVERS OR PIZZA

FENDFER