Menu Plan Monday - Week of 10/10/11

  This week is going to be a busy week... getting everything ready for my parents' visit and Baby E's baptism, plus we are having game night on Saturday!!! And J will be working until 6 almost every night. Thursday is E's 6 month appointment, too. I will probably cut out a meal this week, but this what I have planned!



Monday: Pasta e Fagoli - modified to leave out the beans

Tuesday: Zesty Italian Crescent Casserole

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday:  Healthified Impossibly Easy Chicken-N-Broccoli Pie (this has been on and off the menu for weeks!)

Friday: My parents get here!!!! So I am doing easy homemade - Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

Normally, I do not cook on the weekends :) But this is an exception weekend...

Saturday:  Game night via House Party!! MIL is bringing baked ziti, and we are having snacky items - cheese, crackers, chips, dip. Fun times!

Sunday: Lunch after baptism: ordering pizza and making Slow Cooker Lasagna with salad and garlic bread on the side. Cupcakes, pizza crumb and yet to be determined cookies for dessert1 YUM.


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

Happy 6 Months!!!

I cannot believe Baby E is 6 months old today!! It seems like forever ago that he was born. And he  is changing right before my eyes!

the day after he was born

All of the sudden he is rolling over, both ways, all the time. He sits up on his own, unassisted and not bearing weight on his hands, for quite a few minutes. He always wants to sit up so he can see what is going on (just like his mom lol!) and still loves to stand. he is getting so tall, to me at least, he is almost a head taller than the bottom of the rocking chair.

being silly with his Mickey

He's in his crib for night and naps now - unswaddled totally! And he always ends up against the rails.

friends guardinh him while he sleeps

He hasn't started "army crawling" yet but I am sure that will be soon. He can turn himself around and around to get to where he wants to go. He can push himself up to standing and to sitting.

still loves eating his feet too

He LOVES eating, loves all of the fruit and veggies he has eaten except peas and squash.  He is also teething... lots of drool and some crankiness.

first food... bananas

And still always moving! So laid back in the womb... so active today!

I love this kid so much and can't really imagine life without him!  Happy 6 months sweet boy!

6 months!!!

Hanes launches comfort-sharing Facebook App for Breast Cancer Awareness

Hanes new Virtual Comfort application allows users to share comfort with those who need it most. Become a fan of Hanes on Facebook to personalize and send free virtual Comfort Packages to friends and family using their app. For each package sent, Hanes will donate $1 (up to $25,000) to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. to promote early cancer detection and provide mammograms for those in need! I love when companies make it simple to donate to wonderful causes.

The free virtual Comfort Package can be sent from the Pink tab on the Hanes page.  The Comfort Package is fully customizable with photos, videos, recipes, T-shirt designs, music and messages.The Pink tab also includes video of interviews featuring Hanes employees who have been affected by breast cancer and the Words of Comfort Wall where fans can leave thoughts of hope and encouragement to those touched by this terrible disease.

Please take a moment to send a virtual Comfort package.

As a longtime supporter of breast cancer awareness, Hanes has made cash and in-kind donations totaling $1 million since 2009 and is donating up to $125,000 to NBCF this year.  <
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.

Get Ready for Swag Code Mania!!!

On Monday, Swag Bucks will be having a Swag Code extravaganza!  They will release multiple codes throughout the day – 60 Swag Bucks worth of codes in total – and the fun kicks off at 6am PST with a code on Twitter. Some of the codes will be easy to get, and some will require some work, so be sure to bring your thinking caps with you!



If you still haven't joined Swag Bucks, click here to join. You will get 30 points for joining, and if you enter the code BIGTIMEBUCKS you will get an additional 70 Bucks! That is 100 total - almost 1/4 of what you need to get  a $5 Amazon.com gift card! I make enough bucks to get $10 to $15 worth of Amazon gift cards a month... JUST by searching!!!




This post contains affiliate links

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.



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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!!!