Have you missed me the past two weeks? I've still been menu planning but for whatever reason I haven't posted them online.
This week is a CRAZY week. And how many weeks in a row have I said that? Probably a few but this week is for REAL crazy. Soccer on Tuesday and Thursday, my parents come to down on Thursday evening, Wednesday night is game night for my husband so he won't be home for dinner. My youngest turns two next Sunday. It's nuts. Here's how we'll have healthy dinners and keep up with the crazies:
Monday: Burgers and fries
Tuesday: Chicken, rice, broccoli and cheese bake. I haven't picked a recipe yet but it will be sort of creamy and yummy.
Wednesday: Just me and the boys so they'll have mac and cheese and I'll make myself a salad
Thursday: Spaghetti bake, green beans
Friday: Granny and Pop will be here! Yay!! Taco bar!!
Saturday: Honey spice grilled chicken, ramen salad, and I'm going to see if I can get my mom to make orzo salad.
Sunday: The Bear turns 2!!!! We are going to celebrate all things bear! I'm going to make chic-fil-a knock off nuggets (recipe courtesy of pinterest), rice, french fries, blueberries, grapes and a Curious George cake.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
MADE! Kid Pants
I overcame my fear of sewing with a pattern.
What was I afraid of?
Probably finding out something that looks easy really isn't easy and feeling like an idiot.
Guess what, the Kid Pants at MADE are as easy to make as Dana's tutorial makes them sound. And I had everything against me on this pattern as I need to size it down and I don't have a serger. But the pants *still* came out awesome.
See?
So how did I do it?
I simply followed the directions. As far as slimming down the pants to an 18m size (yes, my 2 year old is just starting to fit 18m pants) that was a total guess. I just trimmed off a bit on both sides of the legs (less than a half an inch on each side of each leg) and got very lucky that they fit pefectly.
The MADE directions are really spot on.
Sewing without a serger and doing the zig-zag stitch to clean up the edges was a first (as was following a pattern). I think I did what she was talking about, but I'm not entirely sure.
It took less than an hour to make these pants out of an awesome fall-colored seersucker fabric I got for less than $4 per yard at Hancock Fabrics over the weekend. I used less than 1/2 a yard making these officially the greatest pants ever costing less than $5 to make (including thread, elastic and fabric).
And who can argue with these results?
Even the most novice sewer can make these pants. They're fun and satisfying without being frustrating or over-complicated.
What was I afraid of?
Probably finding out something that looks easy really isn't easy and feeling like an idiot.
Guess what, the Kid Pants at MADE are as easy to make as Dana's tutorial makes them sound. And I had everything against me on this pattern as I need to size it down and I don't have a serger. But the pants *still* came out awesome.
See?
So how did I do it?
I simply followed the directions. As far as slimming down the pants to an 18m size (yes, my 2 year old is just starting to fit 18m pants) that was a total guess. I just trimmed off a bit on both sides of the legs (less than a half an inch on each side of each leg) and got very lucky that they fit pefectly.
Sewing without a serger and doing the zig-zag stitch to clean up the edges was a first (as was following a pattern). I think I did what she was talking about, but I'm not entirely sure.
It took less than an hour to make these pants out of an awesome fall-colored seersucker fabric I got for less than $4 per yard at Hancock Fabrics over the weekend. I used less than 1/2 a yard making these officially the greatest pants ever costing less than $5 to make (including thread, elastic and fabric).
And who can argue with these results?
Even the most novice sewer can make these pants. They're fun and satisfying without being frustrating or over-complicated.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Chocolate cake! Healthy! Really!
My mom told me about a new trick she'd learned to make a fantastic chocolate cake with no oil and no eggs. I was skeptical to say the least but the same recipe keeps showing up on pinterest so the awesome people there and my mom can' tboth be wrong.
And guess what?
They're right!
Chocolate cake the healthy way!
Here's what you need:
1 box of a cake mix. I chose chocolate
1 can of pumpkin
That's it.
Seriously.
Mix the two together until smooth.
Bake like the box says (mine was 35 minutes)
I chose to ice mine with chocolate icing.
Enjoy!!!
No one will ever know there's pumpkin in there unless you tell them your secret. Next time I might add a bit of water. Making the cake this way does make it more brownie-like rather than light and fluffy. A 1/2 cup of water will fix that. It's dense and chocolatey and delicious. Best of all, it's very very easy!
And guess what?
They're right!
Chocolate cake the healthy way!
Here's what you need:
1 box of a cake mix. I chose chocolate
That's it.
Seriously.
Mix the two together until smooth.
Spread the cake out in your pan. (I used a casserole pan because I was lazy and didn't want to ice two round cakes)
I chose to ice mine with chocolate icing.
No one will ever know there's pumpkin in there unless you tell them your secret. Next time I might add a bit of water. Making the cake this way does make it more brownie-like rather than light and fluffy. A 1/2 cup of water will fix that. It's dense and chocolatey and delicious. Best of all, it's very very easy!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Menu Plan Monday, first week of school edition
This menu plan Monday comes as the boys both start preschool. I cannot believe how quickly our awesome summer passed us by. And now, it's just
gone
in a single day we went from 90 degree temps to highs in the 70s or low 80s. A very unusual weather pattern for North Carolina. It will get warm again but probably not warm enough for long enough to spend afternoons at the pool. I'm so genuinely sad.
We're saying goodbye to the pool but hello to soccer! Time to give organized sports another try. And of course, that means busy evenings and crazy dinners.
Here's what I've got in store for this week:
Monday: Cube steak, mushroom risotto and salad
Tuesday: BBQ chicken, ramen salad
Wednesday: spaghetti with meat sauce, green beans, salad
Thursday: spicy honey chicken, rice, salad
Friday: take out!
Saturday: chicken curry
Sunday: burgers and fries
Is anyone who reads this blog on MyFitnessPal? If so, friend me! I'm Julianna_gets_fit
gone
in a single day we went from 90 degree temps to highs in the 70s or low 80s. A very unusual weather pattern for North Carolina. It will get warm again but probably not warm enough for long enough to spend afternoons at the pool. I'm so genuinely sad.
We're saying goodbye to the pool but hello to soccer! Time to give organized sports another try. And of course, that means busy evenings and crazy dinners.
Here's what I've got in store for this week:
Monday: Cube steak, mushroom risotto and salad
Tuesday: BBQ chicken, ramen salad
Wednesday: spaghetti with meat sauce, green beans, salad
Thursday: spicy honey chicken, rice, salad
Friday: take out!
Saturday: chicken curry
Sunday: burgers and fries
Is anyone who reads this blog on MyFitnessPal? If so, friend me! I'm Julianna_gets_fit
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