Tomato and Basil Harvest - Recipe

Oh the tomato, how I love thee ...

What a wonderful time of year for produce. Especially tomatoes. I love them, and this time of year I usually eat them in some capacity daily. Though I am not a gardener, I still manage to have a bounty of fresh picked tomatoes thanks to family and friends whose gardens are bursting with them right about now. Basil too (which go together like peas and carrots). Obviously there are so many ways to eat tomatoes and this is my current favorite (my daughter's too).

Homemade Pretzel Crusted Chicken Nuggets (baked)

If you read my blog post about our family meal rotation then you'd know Monday night is "chicken night" for us. And yes, I have my "usuals" but wanted to mix it up a bit this week (I'm wild and crazy like that). Like all kids, mine love chicken nuggets. But it's very rare I buy them unless I need to feed a gang of kids. And fast food is a foreign concept to them so they are really deprived! I'm a little old school when it comes to cooking (and baking) and prefer (and enjoy) doing what I can from scratch. So needless to say, when the kids want nuggets I make them "my way".

By request - my meal planning schedule and most recent "must have" purchase.

Life has been super busy lately so I apologize for the less frequent posts. Just a girl trying to keep it all in balance over here. Work, family, and social plans (like all of us) has kept me from blogging! Also our big redecoration project at home. Thanks to a very generous Mother's Day gift (thanks Hubs), I have totally  jumped into accessorizing and updating our living room and dining room. We're married 15 years this year and our decor looked like it too! We change as we get older and our tastes do as well. I'm thrilled with the end result and enjoy being home even more now.

2 Kid Approved Recipes

I love to cook and bake. It really is how I show love (I'm 1/2 Italian after all). I especially love to find or create recipes the whole family enjoys. In our house Saturday morning means one thing -  Pancakes! The kids look forward to it all week and to be honest, so do I. It's a tradition we started years ago when my friend Brenda had us over for brunch and served us the most delicious pancakes I've ever had. She shared the recipe, and the tradition began.

My Weight loss Tip #1

When I was losing my weight one of the biggest challenges was finding a variety of foods that I enjoyed and were also healthy. It's really hard to branch out into uncharted territory and change is difficult to say the least. And when you're a person who is used to eating in an unhealthy manner for years (like myself) thinking outside the box food wise was a big challenge. It wasn't like I could just all of a sudden stop eating the way I was and dive head first into fruits and vegetables and expect to be satisfied and successful. It doesn't work that way. This polarizing view of weight loss is what kept me overweight for so long. It's not about deprivation or sacrifice. There is no "wagon" that I can realistically be on or off of. It's about finding a balance between what you do enjoy and what is also good for you.

The Best Homemade "All Purpose" Cleaner

For years I've been making my own cleaners. It's so easy, they work better and they are safer. So I wanted to share the recipe for my all purpose cleaner. I've been making it for so many years I do not even remember where I got the recipe. It was way before pinterest I can tell you that. I'll include a "bonus" recipe too for my shower cleaner as well.

2 Healthy Snacks for Weight Loss

I'm going to eventually dedicate an entire blog post to my thoughts about weight loss. Tips, tricks, what has worked for me, and suggestions for what might work for you (if you're looking to lose or maintain weight). So be on the look out for that. I'll get into more details later, but in a nut shell I am passionate about my own health and wellness after having lost over 60 lbs personally. But until then I want to share 2 of my favorite go-to snacks that promote my health and fitness goals.

EZ Go To Weeknight Meal

I would presume in many households across the country finding a nutritious, easy, and satisfying meal that everyone enjoys is a challenge. Well it certainly is for mine. I do not mind modifying here and there (ketchup vs. mayo) but you'll see pigs fly before I make everyone their own unique meal every night. So when I find a recipe that the whole family enjoys, this little gem gets worked into the "rotation". Which is pretty much a 10 meal no fail schedule. Those ingredients are certainly on my grocery inventory spreadsheet without a doubt.