Bread with the Brisels

Even though the weather is refusing to cooperate, I've declared it's soup season. I love when a soup is simmering in the crockpot all day and you walk in the door to the smell of dinner already prepared. This recipe is incredibly easy with minimal ingredients.  Busy Day Hamburger Soup  Ingredients: 1 lb of lean ground beef, cooked and crumbled  1/2 white onion, diced  3 stalks celery, diced  1/2 bag of frozen mixed vegetables (the one I use has corn, carrots, and green beans) 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes  1 8 oz can of tomato sauce  1 carton of lower sodium beef broth  Salt and Pepper  1 capful (about 1-2 tablespoons) of  this seasoning Optional Garnishes: sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced green onion, oyster crackers Directions:  Dump all of your ingredients into your slow cooker and mix thoroughly to combine. Stir throughout the day.  When you're ready to serve, ladle into bowls. Top with your desired garnishes. That's it! 

It's official - we've got a walker on our hands! This weekend, Jack officially decided that he prefers to be vertical and not horizontal, and he's been walking all over the place.  His record is about 8 steps before he falls down, but he's getting more confident each day! Sammy's favorite thing to do is to "practice walking" with him. Here's a cute little video of the action. 😉

Happy Monday! As I write this, it's Sunday night and I'm recovering from a weekend that was packed to the brim. I'm not much in the way of creativity tonight - so check back in tomorrow. XX

  HOORAY for Friday. 😊 I couldn't be more excited for the weekend ahead! I'm linking up with  Andrea  and  Erika  to share some of my favorite "happies" from the week.  We had THE BEST weekend last weekend! Saturday morning we were up and out the door early for a trip to Trader Joe's where we filled out cart with all the pumpkin-goodness we could find.  We were home by 11 and decided it was time to put some more fall decor outside... ...to the delight of the boys. 😉 We have an inflatable dachshund (of course we do) that says "Happy Fall-oween!" It's a favorite of the boys for sure.  A trip to Trader Joe's means that my family is having yummy (easy!) dinners during the week. I made a ridiculously easy  Potsticker Stir Fry  for an easy dinner this week while Dustin worked late. We also made some yummy flat breads using their Carne Asada, chimichurri sauce and arugula. This one was our FAVORITE!  Jack's favorite thing to do these days is be a

Happy Friday Eve! I really like Thursdays. There's something wonderful about knowing that tomorrow is Friday. 😊 If I had to list out my favorite seasons, I think they would be winter, fall, summer and then spring. I love each season for a variety of reasons, but winter has to be my favorite. Today I'm sharing the different ways I really try to "lean" in and savor the different seasons. I'm all about romanticizing life, and making each day special.  #1 -  my cooking   In the summer I am all about light dishes cooked on the grill. In the fall and winter, I want cozy, comfort foods. This time of year I'm starting to make soups, using richer ingredients and different flavors to make it really feel like fall. Food is a language, and cooking for my family is one of my favorite things to do this time of year.  #2 - drink from a seasonal mug  This brings me a lot of joy. 😊 This time of year, I am reaching for my pumpkin mug to pour in my pumpkin coffee with a splash

Yesterday I shared my Trader Joe's haul, so today it's only fitting that I share a quick little 3 ingredient dinner recipe. Actually, don't call it a recipe, it's more of an idea. You need.... 1 package of Chicken Potstickers (I used the Gyoza Potstickers from Trader Joe's) 1 package of frozen Asian style vegetables 1 bottle of Trader Joe's "Soyaki" Sauce (you'll use a few tablespoons)  Everything but the Bagel seasoning, optional Extra Virgin Olive Oil Here's what you'll do... Place the desired amount of postickers and vegetables in your air fryer, Top with a little olive oil and begin cooking. If you have a "basket" style air fryer, add a little water to the bottle of the basket. It will steam your vegetables as they cook.  Toss the mixture together and let it cook for about 10 minutes.  Place in a bowl and toss with about a tablespoon of the Soyaki sauce. Top with Everything Bagel seasoning if desired.  That's it! The easie

This past weekend, my soul decided it needed Trader Joe's. 😊 It was all decked out for fall and smelled like cinnamon - my version of heaven. I'm sharin g some finds from my haul should a trip to Trader Joe's be in your future.  Yes, please! Perfect for our master bath.  I bought this without any thought of what I should put it on, and we walked out of the store without pumpkin bagels. I'll have to pick some up at our local store this week! This spread + a honeycrisp apple make the yummiest little dessert.  We grilled up this Carne Asade, added flatbreads, chimichurri sauce and arugula and made... ...the yummiest dinner for our Saturday night. This was SO delicious!  This soup is delicious and perfect for lunches. I can typically get 2-3 lunches out of one jar of soup. I'm saving it for when we have some cooler days ahead of us.  I LOVE this sweet potato gnocchi. We typically air fry it and serve it up alongside some of their chicken sausages for an easy dinner.  I

Imagine that it's football season and you need the perfect side dish to bring to the potluck. Enter...Crack Corn. It's warm, it's cheesy, it's made in a crockpot...what's not to love?! ' Crack Corn Ingredients: 32 ounces bag of frozen corn  1/2 stick of butter, cubed 1 8 oz block of cream cheese, cubed 4 oz block of cheddar cheese, cubed (Or you could do 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese) 1 package of dry ranch dressing mix 1/2 cup of heavy cream  3 green onions, sliced 1 small can of diced green chilis  Directions: Place all ingredients in the crock pot and turn it to low. Allow the ingredients to cook for about 4 hours, stirring often. That's it! Easy and perfect for your potluck.  *A few sliced of cooked, crumbled bacon mixed in would really take this to the next level. 😉

  I'm always happy to see Friday, but especially when the weather calls for... this gloriousness this weekend, I.Can't.Wait.!  I'm linking up with Andrea  and Erika  to share some favorites from our busy, short week!  These brothers get so excited to see each other everyday after school, it melts me! They were together at childcare last year, so it makes me think that they have to be missing each other this year.  Brother time is always a favorite of mine. 😊 The chicken street taco kit from Costco is a favorite as well! This time of year it's important to get dinner on the table quickly and I love that this kit involves minimal clean-up.  This little boy is determined to start walking. He's getting braver and braver by the day!  There's a new flag football player in town. 😉 Sammy started flag football this week and I can't wait to watch him in action this fall! This is his "tough face." Haha.  Sammy's lunches have been a favorite for sure. T

When Jackson turned 1 year old I stopped doing my little monthly updates, and I've decided that I kind of miss them! It's always very fun for me to look back and remember a little bit about how things were in previous months. 😊 Today I'm sharing a little "life lately" update for the month of September.  At this point I don't quite feel as if we've found our rhythm for the school year yet, but things are getting better. I mentioned to Dustin how I already dislike packing three (Jack's, Sammy's and my own) lunches each day, and it feels like it takes so long! On the weekends I try to "batch" things and cut/wash/package all of our fruits and vegetables for the week, so that helps. I have to be pretty particular about what Jack consumes to meet his caloric/nutritional needs, so that requires some advance planning and preparation.  Another task I wasn't prepared for was the amount of water bottles that need prepped each day for our family

Over the weekend we went to Costco and I wanted to share some of my finds, new and old, that came home with me. These are a terrific find for breakfast. I pop them in the air fryer and love knowing that there are minimal ingredients - even Jack can have them! This time of year is all about easy dinners. I grabbed a chicken street taco meal kit to make life a little bit simpler on Tuesday night.  I have a terrible sweet tooth and this gigantic bag of Brookside chocolates was calling my name. Haha. I stuck it in my teacher bag and took it right to school with me for a little after lunch treat!  Grab and go snacks are the name of the game, and perfect for both my classroom and for Sammy's. I stocked up on Goldfish and the Costco Chocolate chip cookies.  We also got a gigantic package of cheese sticks for about $12. A small package (pictured) at Walmart is around $6 so this was a fantastic deal for about 3x the amount. The boys go through these like crazy!  This big ol' bag of trai

You know how you can have comfort food, drinks, and even clothing? This weekend I realized that I have a comfort book. I open this book on my Kindle when I need to read something that I know the ending to, but I want to unwind by reading it. I've read this book several times and love it even more every time I pick it up, It's a perfect book to read this time of year. It is set in a cozy Alaskan town, and follows the reunification of a daughter with her father, and a love story along the way.  If you need a cozy book for this time of year, give my "comfort" book a try.  See you tomorrow!

  It's finally here, the beginning of the "ber" months!  For those who don't know... ...it's the best time of year. 😊 To mark the beginning of the month, I'm sharing some of my goals for the month of September. Last month I shared my  August Goals  and I'm pleased that I've accomplished them! Here's what I'm hoping for September... 1. Make time to enjoy the season. I'm ready to light that pumpkin scented candle, head to the apple orchard, and bake some pumpkin bread to celebrate the season.  2. Get into the groove with school. It's been a rough start to the school year (personally and professionally) so I'm hoping this month my family can settle in and find our rhythm. I'm ready to not feel so darn frantic all the time.  3. Take a minute for myself. While talking to my big brother the other day I mentioned how run down I was feeling. He asked me if I had been taking any time to take care of myself. My answer was: "haha, um