Menu Monday

Happy New Year's Eve! We aren't doing anything this year and will probably be in bed by 9:30.  What swingers!

Here's what we'll be eating this week...

Mon: Kickass Kale Salad

Source: fitnessmagazine.com via Rachel on Pinterest

I'm going to be subbing in just regular lettuce for the kale. KB's grandparents gave us a ton of greens over Christmas and I'm kinda over them for now. I'm going to be adding in lots of goodies to this salad though. KB and I both got lots of nuts and dried fruit in our stockings so I'm going to use them in this. I'll probably also add in a little bit of leftover shredded chicken.

Tues: Slow Cooker Black Eyed Pea Soup with Sauteed Cabbage

Source: allfreeslowcookerrecipes.com via Rachel on Pinterest

I love black eyed peas, cabbage and cornbread. I could eat like it's New Year's all the time!  I made this soup a few years ago and while it may not look like the most appetizing soup it is really delicious.  I'm going to sub in some country ham chunks instead of sausage for the meat.  KB has had some drama with a capital D this week so he needs something delicious when he finally gets home.

Wed: Weight Watcher's Garden Vegetable Soup

Source: doctoroz.com via Rachel on Pinterest

I really love soup and it's supposed to be all cold and nasty here this week, so this soup looks perfect. I'll probably add in some cabbage too to give it a bit more substance. It looks really good - even if it is Weight Watcher's.

Thurs: Buffalo Chicken French Bread Pizza

Source: howsweeteats.com via Rachel on Pinterest

We went and ate at Buffalo Wild Wings a few weeks ago for the first time in a really long time and it was amazing! I'm not a huge fan of buffalo chicken wings, but I love buffalo sauce. It's so spicy and creamy and wonderful. These flat bread pizzas look like you could use them with all kinds of different toppings also.

What goodies will you be eating this week????

Break It Out

After a long and much needed break I am back!

Christmas was a bit lackluster due to the fact that I only got the bare minimum off of work and had to travel to everywhere to spend it with everyone in mine and KB's extended families.  Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but packing it all into 2 days is a bit much.  Hopefully next year I'll either have more time off work or we can work out some sort of alternate arrangement with a few of the more extended family members.

This is how I feel right now:

Stay tuned for some fun updates on our house, my upcoming juice cleanse, treadmill buying and other fun news!

It's OK

It's OK....

-To fall asleep on the couch at 8:30 and wake up at 2:30 not knowing where you are.

-To drink 2 cups of hot chocolate after dinner....and then some green tea.....and then some hot Emergen C.

-To be super excited about getting packages...even though nothing in them is for me.

-To be almost done with my Christmas shopping!

-To hit your neighbor's mailbox with your car and rip off your side mirror.

-To expect KB to fix said broken side mirror even though he didn't do it.

-To watch every episode of Catfish on MTV. Such a weird and sad show.

-To want a whole new wardrobe. I'm over every piece of clothing I own.

-To want to be a stay at home mom.....to my dogs.

-To want to eat a big fat cheeseburger, even though your head is so stopped up you can't taste it.

What's OK with you today?

Link up and find out!

Pinteresting Wednesday

Here are my favorite Pins this week....

Link up with The Vintage Apple to play along.

Source: birdsandbloomsblog.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: shopbop.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: imgfave.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: ziplist.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: collofthewild.tumblr.com via Rachel on Pinterest

What are your favorite Pins this week???

It's beginning to look a lot like....

Spring in my house!  I moved lots of my plants inside for the winter just to see how they would do and they are going like crazy.

There's lots of things growing around here...

I got this Christmas cactus from Lowe's last year sometime in January.  They were selling them for just a dollar.  I left it outside all spring and summer and it never really did much.  As soon as I moved it inside though, it went crazy!  It's growing like crazy and this past week has started blooming like crazy.

I've been wanting an orchid for a while, but could never find one that was affordable enough.  These things are seriously expensive.  I found this one in Aldi a few weeks ago for only $9.  I couldn't pass it up.  I love it!  I've read a bunch about all their needs (they are as needy as a hormonal teenager), so hopefully I'll be able to keep it alive.

I love their blossoms!  I must be doing something right though, because I have a little bloom that's popping up.  Supposedly you can take that bloom when it gets a little bigger and transplant it into a whole new plant.

I'm also planning on trying to root a pineapple plant.  My grandmother has a pineapple plant that she rooted from a pineapple top and it is huge!  You can actually harvest your own pineapples from them after a few years.  I read online that you need to let it root first in a shallow dish with water.

I also moved inside my African Violet.  I made this fun little pot out of jute twine last night.  It turned out pretty well and my African Violet fit right inside of it.

We're also working on doing some outside work on our new garden spot.  I'm not sure what the people that lived here before us were doing but it involved lots of landscaping fabric and irrigation pipes (can you say sketchy).  We're trying to rip up all of the landscaping fabric before tilling it up, but the stuff is everywhere!

What do you have growing???

Menu Monday

I survived being by myself last week and Thanksgiving, so now it's back to business as usual.  Here's what we'll be eating this week...

Mon: Lemon Pepper Pork Chops with The Best Broccoli of Your Life

Source: amateurgourmet.com via Rachel on Pinterest

KB loves pork chops and lemon pepper, so since he hasn't been at home in a while I'm going to make him some. These are easy. They're just baked pork chops with lemon pepper seasoning on them. I'm also going to make this broccoli. I really like cooked broccoli, so hopefully it is the best broccoli of my life.

Tues: Slow Cooker Spaghetti

Source: skinnyms.com via Carrie on Pinterest

I'm going to be making this meat free since I don't feel like dealing with browning the beef. It looks pretty easy and I probably won't make too many substitutions.

Wed: Tomato Basil Soup with Grilled Cheese

Source: 365daysofcrockpot.com via Rachel on Pinterest

I've had something similar to this soup before and it was really good, so hopefully this one lives up to expectations. The recipe calls for making it in the crock pot, but I'll probably just make it on the stove.

Thurs: Freezer Food

I'm going to a fun dinner put on by a local culinary school that highlights the food of Spain. It should be fun. KB will be eating freezer food. Too bad so sad.

Bonus Time!

I made this banana bread yesterday. It was only okay. It's definitely not the best I've ever had.

Source: 8weekstoabetteryourecipes.blogspot.com via Rachel on Pinterest

What will you be cooking/eating this week???

Menu Monday

I'm a single girl this week (KB is off hunting all week) so it's going to be fun to live off of red wine and crackers.

I'm taking a break from cooking, so there's no new fun recipes. I bought a ton of fruit, hummus, veggies, etc. In hindsight I probably bought way too much for just 3 days, but whatever.

I'm going to repeat some recipes for Thanksgiving too.  This apple pie is going to KB's grandparent's house and this salad is going to my parent's house.  They both got rave reviews at our company's Thanksgivings, so I figured they were good enough.

Pinteresting Wednesday

Here are my favorite Pins from the week.  Link up with The Vintage Apple to play along.

Source: skinnytaste.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: 26.media.tumblr.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Rachel on Pinterest

What are your favorite Pins this week????

Inspiration

KB and I had a little date night on Friday to see this bad boy:

I love all James Bond films and try to look like a Bond girl on a daily basis (except for maybe Grace Jones in A View to Kill - yikes!) but the whole "looking like a normal human being at work" thing always gets in the way.

Needless to say I got quite a bit of outfit/makeup inspiration from this one.

I've already purchased the following:

Oxblood lipstick

How awesome is that lip color???  I saw it and was immediately in love.  I cheaped out and bought this one:

I haven't worn it yet, but I'm planning on debuting it tomorrow.  I wore it around the house on Saturday when I first got it and it lasted for a really long time.

Trench Coat

I was just talking earlier in the day on Friday about how I needed a trench coat and then I saw all of the amazing outwear in the movie and knew it was meant to be.  Once again, I cheaped out and got this one:

I'm also planning on debuting it tomorrow (whew it's going to be a big day).  I'm planning on pairing it with black everything (black pencil skirt, turtleneck, tights and heels).

I'm also still really interested in trying to recreate this outfit in a more feminine way (and without the janked up blonde hair and gun).

I can see some cheap Wellington boots in my future!

Menu Monday

It's another uneventful menu at the Brown household this week. I was feeling really uninspired when I made my grocery list on Saturday, so our meals are old favorites that I know off the top of my head. I didn't want to think this week.

Mon: French Onion Soup

Source: howsweeteats.com via Rachel on Pinterest

It's really windy and cold here today (that's the story of almost every Monday for the past month). I love french onion soup - it's one of my favorite soups of all time. I'm also home today because our heat pump decided to freeze over last night. Quality time with repairmen is always the best. I'm going to start it pretty early this afternoon so it has all day to cook.

Tues: Huevos Rancheros

Source: fortheloveofcooking.net via Rachel on Pinterest

I could eat these everyday for every meal and still be satisfied. They are also super easy and pretty cheap. Win win.

Wed: Twice Baked Potatoes

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Hannah on Pinterest

We still have a ton of potatoes left and I haven't had a baked potato in a really long time. I also have bacon and sour cream leftover from last week, so these will be really good.

Thus: Freezer Food

We still have food that we need to eat.  Every time I think we're going to eat it, someone ends up going out or just making a sandwich.  We're really going to eat it this week - I swear!

Bonus Time!

Kale Salad with Glazed Onions

Source: goodhousekeeping.com via Rachel on Pinterest

I saw this randomly in a Good Housekeeping magazine at the doctor's office and thought it would be good for Thanksgiving. My work Thanksgiving is on Thursday, so a test run is in order. If it's all good then I'll be making it for the real Thanksgiving next week.

What will you be eating this week???

Thankful Thursday

I'm jumping on the bandwagon and throwing some things out there that I'm thankful for today.

Link up with Lovely Little Whimsy to play along.

My sweet little babies - They were so good this morning and didn't put up a fuss when we left at all. They were also really sweet and laid in bed with me this morning when I didn't want to get up.

KB - He drove me to work this morning and is coming to pick me up.

Green Tea - You are so warm and delicious this morning. I got really cold coming into work and you warmed me right up.

Pretty weather - it's been so gross here lately and it's finally going to be sunny and somewhat warm for this time of year.

What are you thankful for today???

Pinteresting Wednesday

It's time for another Pinteresting Wednesday post - here's my favorite Pins of the week!

Source: marthastewart.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: tk-jk.net via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: livelovediy.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: whatsgabycooking.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: peanutbutterandpeppers.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Menu Monday

It's another semi-uneventful week in the Brown household. I think I got most of my ingredients this week though.

Mon: Baked Potato Soup

Source: skinnytaste.com via Rachel on Pinterest

It's supposed to get cold and rainy here (again) starting tonight, so I thought this might be good to make. It's also going to be dark when we get home (thanks daylight savings time) so it will feel even colder and nastier.

Tues: Easy Corndogs

Source: nceasyfood.org via Rachel on Pinterest

I love hot dogs and any incarnation of them (corn dogs, beanie weenies, all that gross stuff). As gross as it sounds, they are one of my favorite foods. I might make some potato wedges to go with this, but I'll probably just be lazy and we'll just have the corn dogs.

Wed: Ham Steaks with Cheesy Broccoli Mashed Potatoes

Source: foodgawker.com via Rachel on Pinterest

I've been wanting to make these for a while, but I always get side tracked when planning my meals and normally only plan for main dishes. My sides and salads Pinterest board has been severely neglected for a while. These look pretty easy and like they'd be a healthier option than mashed potatoes.

Thurs: Freezer food

We still have lots of random bits of things leftover in our freezer. KB will be deer hunting for the next 2 weeks, so I've got to make some room before there's deer everywhere.

Bonus time!

Pumpkin Spice White Hot Chocolate

Source: jadeandcoco.com via Rachel on Pinterest

I was planning on making this on Saturday, but it ended up being kind of warm here that day. We also worked outside in the yard all day, so by the time we got inside the last thing I wanted was a really hot cup of hot chocolate. Hopefully I can pull it together enough this week to make it.

Dutch Apple Pie

Source: thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogspot.com via Danielle on Pinterest

KB's work Thanksgiving is on Thursday. He signed me up for a cake. I don't really bake cakes. I'm going to make a pie and everyone is just going to deal. We still have lots of apple leftover from my in-laws, so hopefully I can use them up in this. I'll probably grate the apples instead of chopping them. I've done that before and I like it better that way.

What will you be cooking/eating this week???