Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Menu Monday #36

Whew. What a week/weekend it has been! Obviously, I am still playing catch up since this is being posted on Tuesday, instead of Monday! Things started getting crazy on Thursday, when they announced that morning that schools would be closing early. So, I picked Ethan up from preschool earlier than normal and we headed home to get ready for the snow! And sure enough, it actually came this time. It came very quickly. We ended up getting 5 inches of snow in under 3 hours here at our house!! Kind of crazy since we didn't even get that much all year last year! Sadly, that meant that it took Josh almost 2.5 hours to get home from work - something that normally takes 15-20 minutes. :/ Snow + mountains does not mix well.

When it started...biggest flakes I've ever seen!
Less than 3 hours later it was a winter wonderland!!

Unfortunately, all that snow meant no school on Friday, which meant no Family Fun Night for preschool. :( I hope that it gets rescheduled! Fortunately though, the snow was cleared pretty quickly by road crews and the warm sun started melting things pretty quickly too, so Ethan was able to make it to his dentist appointment. No cavities for him. Yay!

Such a big boy!

I was also able to get my hair cut and colored, then we enjoyed some time playing outside in the snow!

He's so light, he had trouble breaking through it to walk!

We came inside and enjoyed some snow cream as a fun treat! I first heard of it when we lived in Georgia, but had never tried making it myself. They were big fans. So was I!



It's super easy to make and almost tasted like homemade ice cream, my favorite! :)

Snow Cream

Ingredients:
  • 8 cups snow
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
Mix all items together in a large bowl until the correct consistency is achieved. Adjust vanilla and milk as needed. Serve immediately.


After that, we enjoyed a dinner out at one of our favorites, the Yong Asian House. Later that evening, my parents and my sister and her family arrived from Ohio to spend the weekend with us, for a late Christmas gathering. The five cousins had a blast playing with each other!

On Saturday morning, I made a couple breakfast casseroles for everyone to enjoy with some fresh berries. Then the kiddos got bundled up to go out and play in the snow. They made a huge snowman, with the help of Grandpa, of course!

Wow! Too bad it didn't last long in the sun!
Grandpa and Grandma Frank with all five of their grandkids!

After naps, we rounded everyone up and made our way to the Hands On! Museum for a little fun and education that afternoon. The kids were able to learn about teeth and make their own toothpaste in the discovery lab. Fun!

Mixing up his strawberry toothpaste

They also enjoyed playing with all the fun equipment and making bubbles!

Noah! :)

Playground time!

Bubbles!

After a fun time, we made our way to Scratch to fill our bellies. Pesto cheesesticks and a few pizzas were a wonderful idea. We chose the toppings for one of the pizzas, ordered one as a "limited trust," where we crossed out a few things we didn't want, and ordered the final one as a "full trust," where they chose everything for us. They were delicious, as usual!

Ethan's drink of choice!

Yuuuummmm!

On Sunday morning, I made some whole wheat coffee cakes for everyone. We enjoyed a lazy day around the house with the kids playing outside again.

Sunday: Chicken and noodles, green beans, French bread
One of my all-time favorites. Super simple, too! Boil a whole chicken for 90 minutes, then remove from the pot and add egg noodles (the super skinny ones are the best!) to the water. Simmer for 20 minutes while you pick the chicken off the bones and add it back to the noodles. So good! I sautéed some green beans in a little canola oil, seasoning them with a little minced garlic and parmesan cheese. I also made a loaf of fresh bread, too.

MondayMelt in your mouth baked chicken, whole wheat rotini, roasted asparagus
An easy, yummy, healthy dish that everyone enjoys.

Tuesday: Pot roast with potatoes, carrots, and onion
It is quite chilly here, so this meal sounded like a wonderful way to warm up. I have started adding a little A1 sauce and onion soup mix in with the meat and veggies. It gives the chuck roast a great flavor!

Wednesday: Tomato soup, grilled cheese and prosciutto sandwiches
Another cold day will be warmed up with some tasty soup. This is a meal Ethan is always requesting, so I was happy to oblige. I use Amy's Organic Tomato Bisque. I make my own French bread for the sandwiches and use provolone cheese with the prosciutto. It's a great combo.

Thursday: Chicken and rice in a bag, corn
I have never made this one, but it's one that my mom used to make a lot when I was young. You put rice and soup in the crockpot, then put in a bag that contains chicken and onion soup mix. You poke holes in the bag and the juices mix in with the rice and soup. The end product is really good, so I hope Josh and the boys like it, too!

Friday: Out to eat
Not sure where we'll end up.

Saturday: Girls Night Out!
I am excited to head out with the girls again for dinner. It's nice to get away for a bit and enjoy some girl talk. The guys will be fending for themselves, which probably means take out pizza for them!

How's the weather in your neck of the woods? Last week was quite possibly the craziest week ever that we have experienced. We had enjoyed a beautiful weekend in the 70s, which was quickly followed by rain. Lots and lots of rain. So much rain that the unfinished portion of our basement managed to flood a bit. Not a fun surprise. :( The rain then switched over to sleet, which was quickly followed by the snow. All that snow, then the temperatures were back to the 50s and the snow is almost gone already! Now we're experiencing the coldest day we've had here yet. I wasn't kidding when I said it was crazy here! I think all this weird weather is wreaking havoc with my kiddos. Ethan is home sick today from preschool with a fever, congestion and cough and Noah is still fighting his ear infection. Fun times for us. Hope everyone is staying healthy in your house!


3 comments:

  1. You guys do so many fun this! And go your for acing out the dentist appointment and hair appointment in the midst of it all. Love your recipe--if we ever get substantial enough snow, I'm making this!

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  2. Aww, so sorry I am just seeing this now, Chantel! Thank you so much!! We did have a fun week, followed by a sick week to follow it up. Go figure, haha! Hope you have a wonderful week, too! :)

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  3. Thanks for checking in, Meredith! It was a very fun weekend. Afraid we may have picked up all this sickness at the museum though. :/ I think the end is in sight now, as I am finally feeling human again today. I was a little skeptical of the snow cream, but it was pretty darn awesome, and a big hit with all of the kiddos! :)

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