Bread with the Brisels

How in the world is it October tomorrow?! This weekend we moved from our "fall" decorations to our "Halloween" decorations and it made me a little bit giddy knowing that the next round of decor will be Christmas. I love fall, but the cozy Christmas season has my heart. Since we're at the end of a month and the beginning of another, it's time to check-in for a little reflection. 😉 My goals for September were... 1. Make time to enjoy the season  I feel like we have spent time outside, we've made pumpkin muffins, and lit all the pumpkin scented candles. Now I'd just like the weather to cool down a bit to feel more like fall.  2. Get into the groove with school I think that I am finally starting to feel a bit less "frantic" and a bit more settled. I've never had a rougher start to a school year before, and I can't believe it's taken about 6 weeks to get into a routine.  3. Take a minute for myself Ugh. I'm struggling in this ar

And just like that...it's the last week of the month! Time for What's Up Wednesday with  Sheaffer  and  Shay .  What We're Eating this Week... Fall weather is officially upon us, so I'm craving warm, comforting meals. This week's menu is... Sunday - Meatloaf and green beans Monday - Chicken Pot Pie with a green salad Tuesday - "Smash Burger" tacos  Wednesday - BBQ Chicken bowls Thursday - Spaghetti  Friday - we're grilling up the Trader Joe's Unexpected Cheddar Chicken sausages...so good!  My boys have been eating a lot of pumpkin muffins this week. I had to make a second batch this evening because Sammy ate 5 (5!) in one day.  We're basically eating pumpkin in whatever we can these days, which is why I made these pumpkin sourdough discard bagels. A warm bagel + pumpkin cream cheese from Trader Joe's = a little slice of heaven. 😊 What I'm reminiscing about... As always...this time last year. Look how small and squishy Baby Jack was!  T

Here's a quick and easy side dish for your week: Broccoli Salad. We had ours on Sunday evening alongside meatloaf and it made the perfect light lunch for myself on Monday. I love it when that happens. 😊 Broccoli Salad Ingredients:  1 head of broccoli, washed and cut into bite sized pieces  1/4 cup of red onion, diced finely  1/2 cup of dried berry mix (mine had craisins, golden raisins and cherries)  1/2 cup of mayonnaise (I like Primally Pure - it's so clean!)  3 tablespoons of vinegar (I used white balsamic but apple cider vinegar would work well, too)  2 tablespoons of sugar  Salt and Pepper to taste  Directions: In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir in your mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper. Mix until combined.  Stir in your broccoli, red onion, and dried fruit.  Store in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Yum. 

Happy Monday! Last week was BUSY, friends. And the thing is...I think life now is "busy," but I'm certain I will think back on these days when the boys are in high school and think, "you thought that was busy?!" I think it's all relative. 😉 We had the best, most rejuvenating weekend. Nothing spectacular was on the agenda, but it was the perfect mix of productivity, fun, and down time. Mid-week last week Sammy was feeling some big emotions. He said, "why are there so many days until Friday?!" Ugh. Same, buddy. We needed a quiet weekend at home to gear up for another week. 😊 Last week was Homecoming Week in our town. Sammy LOVES a parade and couldn't have been more proud to wave at the Newton Cardinals football players wearing... Dustin's old jersey. 😊 Our church had it's annual Fall Festival. There was a blow-up inflatable, tattoos, crafts, and cotton candy. Sammy was happy to indulge in all of the above while Jack watched from his sp

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