Menu Plan Monday - Week of 9/26/11

Last week was a use up what we had type week... this week is more stocking up from the storm, and a variety!

Monday: DH is going to have a rough day at work today :( So I am making one of his favorites: Velveeta Down Home Mac & Cheese


Tuesday: Skillet Pork Chops with Potatoes and Onion

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday:  We are going to see Newsies the musical!!! So dinner out.

Friday: Lazy Friday means Crock Pot cooking... Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken and Stuffing 

Enjoy your week!!!

For more information or to join the hop, go to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Eggless Peanut Butter Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

Artsy pic!!

What a day. It was supposed to be rainy, so I planned to bake... just baby E and me, for the first time since he was born. The few times I have baked, Jeff has been home to watch the baby. But, I didn't have eggs and had to use up the milk. I wanted to use up some canned pumpkin, too, but couldn't find a recipe that used what I had on hand. So, I asked around and eventually found a peanut butter cookie recipe. But it was after 3:30 by the time I could make it... after I put a very cranky boy down for a nap. So i had to rush through them (taking a lot longer than I thought... thankfully after his nap the babe was just fine hanging out in the bebe pod in the kitchen) but thankfully Jeff got home way late from work today, so I was  done by the time he got here.  Phew. So much for a relaxing rainy day LOL!!!

Fresh out of the oven and still puffy!!

Eggless Peanut Butter Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

adapted from cooks.com

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies

1/2 c. unsalted butter

1/2 c. margarine
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
5 tbsp. skim milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup white chocolate chips 

Thoroughly cream butter, sugars, milk and vanilla. Stir in peanut butter and add dry ingredients. Stir in chips, Drop from a teaspoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Press down with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

 

Yum!

 Here are some tips:

• These cookies are thin and chewy, but not crumbly
• Let them cool for 5 minutes on the pan before transferring them to the cooling rack
• The dough was super soft for me - it was much easier to work with after being in the fridge awhile

And to end....a pic of my babe watching me make these!

FREE Museum Day is Saturday!

Don't forget that this Saturday, you can get into museums around the country for free, thanks to The Smithsonian Magazine!! It is time once again for free museum day.  Jeff and I have gone to a couple. But don't forget to print your ticket - the first year Jeff and I had no clue we needed a ticket, and a lady actually YELLED at us when we tried to get into the museum. Ridiculous. So please print your ticket!

I am not sure if we are going this year - busy weekend as they all are - but I hope we can go, because I'd love to take Baby E. I know he;d love to look around at whatever museum we end up at. You can find a list of participating museums here.

Easy "Lasagna" Skillet Recipe

So, the other day, about noon, I realized that I was going to make something in the slow cooker for dinner but had totally forgotten!! We are not as stocked up as we were before the hurricane (a good thing overall) so there wasn't much to eat for dinner except the old standby pasta... but neither of us really wanted plain pasta. Luckily I had gotten some Philadelphia cooking creme and was able to adapt the Easy Lasagna Skillet recipe to suit what I had on hand. Such as... lasagna noodles with bugs in them! (thankfully my other pasta was fine), no hamburger meat, no peppers and a different flavor cooking cream. OK So I basically created a new recipe! Here ya go...

Sorry for the bad pic

Easy Pasta Skillet
Makes 6 servings, aprx. 1 1/2 cups each

1 jar (24ish oz) pasta sauce, with meat
2 1/2 cups water
1 box pasta, penne or similar
1 tub Philadelphia Cooking Creme, garlic and herb or whatever you'd like

1. Stir in sauce and water. Bring to boil. Stir in noodles; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 18 to 20 min. or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Add cooking creme; swirl with spoon. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 3 min. 

 YUM. This recipe adapted from and directions copied from this original recipe

New Daily Deal Site for Moms and Tots!

I just want to introduce you to Bon Mimi, the latest daily deal site. It is so new it isn't even open yet! However, if you join now, you get a $5 credit. Each dollar is equal to 100 points. What  makes Bon Mimi different than all of the other sites is that, besides using them to purchase items on the site,  you can also donate them to charity! How cool is that?

The daily deals they will have include:  clothes, books, toys, footwear, furniture and bed and bath. Join now using my link, and not only will you get a $5 credit right away, I'll get a credit after your first order! Win - win for all :) Join today and start saving up to 70% very soon.



This post contains affiliate links. All thoughts are my opinion, I received no compensation for posting this post

My Favorite Five Month Old...

It's so funny that July drrrraaaaagggggeeeeed on and on but August was over in a snap, mostly due to my parents being here a week and spending 5 days at Disneyland!!

Last Thursday Baby E was 5 months old! On Monday he went in for his 5 moth checkup. (Our dr does appts every month for the first 6 and gives shots at 5 of those 6 appts!) His stats: 15 lb.11 oz.and 24 inches; 40th percentile for weight and 25th for height. But 60th for head circumference lol!!! right where he has been pretty much.

On Monday!

He is doing everything he should except rolling over. He can stand - even hold himself up with one hand standing. He can sit by himself on a soft surface, without leaning on anything. On hard surfaces, he sometimes can lean on his hands. He LOVES the bebepod.

on his 5 month birthday

As you can see, he can hold his feet, hold and grab just about anything and everything! His aim is getting better. He can move himself in circles. And of course EVERYTHING goes in his tiny little mouth. Fingers are still number 1, but toys, noses, burp cloths, teethers, washcloths... all are a close second!

But the kid will. not. roll. over. He has rolled front to back about 4 times, and back to front once the other day. But he just wants to either hold himself up to look around or kick his feet and wave his hands. Doesn't care to see what it is like on the other side!

right after he rolled back to front the first time

This kid is soooo happy. All the time unless he is hungry or wet. The best is when he laughs <3 We are giving him rice cereal but his lovely pooping issues returned so we switched to oatmeal. He has been eating fruits, and we are starting veggies tomorrow! He has LOVED everything so far. This kid has always been an eater lol

21w5d sitting

Now if he would only roll over!!!

Bounce It Off Millions

Bounce takes Facebook interaction to a whole new level with a new initiative called Bounce It Off Millions, and they want you to get involved.

Bounce is offering a chance to have millions of Facebook users help you decide on a choice of your own.  Go to Bounce's Facebook page, click on "Bounce It Off Millions” and, in poll form, submit a choice or decision that you’re making in your life. Over 200,000 Bounce fanatics can lend their opinion, so you’ll have thousands helping you make a guided choice.


I haven't asked a question yet, but I think I am going to ask if we should get an exersaucer or a jumperoo. We do have a jmuperoo, but sometimes I wonder if an exersaucer would be better. Some of my favorite questions that have been asked are "Do you use Bounce dryer sheets  to keep your trash can smelling fresh?" (I had never even thought of that!) and "What is better with peanut butter - grape or strawberry jelly?"

Bounce will choose 4 of the most interesting polls to be featured in a facebook ad, so your question or choice could go out to the entire facebook world, inviting the more than 150 million Facebook users to help you make a choice. How crazy awesome is that?!?! So go and submit your question ASAP.  But hurry - the contest ends Sept. 17th.

Bounce fans can also enter in sweepstakes for the chance to win two Bounce Dryer Bars—one to keep, and one for a friend of your choice. 5,000 winners will be chosen. you can enter daily. And BTW, these bounce dryer bars are awesome!!!

If you submit a question to Bounce It Off Millions, comment here. I'd love to help you decide :)


I participated in this campaign as a member of One2One Network and am eligible for a prize drawing.  All opinions stated in the post are my own.

Menu Plan Monday - Weeks of 9/12/11

What What? I am actually doing a Menu Plan Monday again!! they crazy days of summer are gone, and with DH working later hours in the fall, we need to get back to cooking. The challenge of cooking while looking after a 5 month old... let's see how that goes!!! I also won a membership to e-mealz so I am planning on making some of those recipes too!

MONDAY: Barbecued Chicken for Two (foil pack recipe)
TUESDAY: Crock Pot Chicken and Wild rice (e-mealz)
WEDNESDAY:  Dinner out for DH's grandpa's birthday - Olive Garden
THURSDAY: Leftovers
FRIDAY: Chicken Spaghetti  (e-mealz)
SATURDAY: leftovers or just snacks, if we go to the city (will be full from lunch!)
SUNDAY: I am going to a baby shower luncheon, so dinner is whatever you want!

I might just make some No Pudge brownies this week too!!

For more information or to link up your menu plan go to Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com

Never Forget...

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/beglendc/

Thoughts and prayers going out on this day...

Stay strong, America.

Mat Kearney's Young LoveReview

I was first introduced to Mat Kearney by my best friend, Teresa. She is very involved in music, and we have very similar musical tastes. Every month on her Web site Hotel Cafe Junkie, she chooses a new artist to spotlight. So it was through her I discovered Mat.

Mat's new album, his third, Young Love, debuted on the #1 spot on iTunes Album and Rock charts and is currently sitting at #7!

Propelled by the sunny handclap and catchy hook of hit single "Hey Mama", Young Love is quickly making listeners fall for Mat all over again.  Check out the video for "Hey Mama" here. 

If you aren't familiar with Mat's music you've probably heard some of his previous hits on your favorite TV shows.  Past songs have appeared on 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy, The Hills, Friday Night Lights, Scrubs, NCIS, and numerous other television shows.  Mat's been winning over crowds on tours with everyone from John Mayer and Sheryl Crow to Keane and The Fray.


Mat's style is varied. He is popish and folkish and also does a little bit of rapping! I know!! My favorite songs are Ships in the Night and Sooner or Later. I am a big lyrics person, and Mat write wonderful lyrics. His tour starts Wednesday, so check him out in  town near you!



I was sent a copy of Mat Kearney's Young Love CD from theO2O network for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. All thoughts are my own opinion.

WINNER for Fiber One!

Congrats to Chipdip2010!! You have won the Fiber One package! Check your e-mail, and you have 48 hours to reply! Thanks to all who entered.

And We're Back!!

Well it has been quite a week!!!

Five days at Disneyland were WONDERFUL!!! Other than blowouts on each of the flights, Baby E did so good flying. I think he enjoyed Disneyland too, hard to tell, but he did very well being out of his element and off his schedule. He certainly is very outgoing and friendly. I really hope he stays that way. We got to hang out with most of my friends too <3 I will probably do some sort of trip report, but here is one pic:

Meeting Buzz Lightyear!

While we were gone. Hurricane Irene struck at home. It was just a tropical storm then, but it caused quite a bit of damage to the area. We just had branches down and are very thankful to J's parents for prepping our house. I'll add a pic of the tree in our neighbor's yard - kinda scary. Our ~lovely~ power company has taken forever to repair the damage.. In our town, power went out early Sunday morning, and we just got it back today! /still more than a thousand people without power.

So I was behind to begin with and am even more behind now! I will be extending the Fiber One giveaway through Sunday night. And I am planning on getting up an overdue review tomorrow.

Hope that all of you out there are doing well and were not too affected by the hurricane!