Recipe Share

I haven't shared yummy recipes on here in forever... I figured it was time!

I still try to meet my goal of trying one new recipe each week, usually via Pinterest.  Those Pinterest pins, I tell ya... they are hit or miss.  About half the time, I apologize to my family and vow to never make said recipe again.  The other half of the time, though, my family is singing my praises and I'm thanking Pinterest.  This recipe for Cheese Tortellini and Sausage soup is one of my recent slam dunks.  It is so.incredibly.easy.  No chopping required... just have to brown the sausage and then dump ingredients into the crock pot.  Perfect.  I've been totally craving soups this pregnancy and this one fit the bill perfectly!  Try it.. you won't regret it!

The other tried and true soup I've been making nonstop is an easy peasy Black Bean Soup.  I got the original recipe from my bestie in Iowa, who got it from her sister-in-law.  It's super easy, quick, and cheap... and can be tweaked in lots of ways too.  This is my go-to lunch around here.  Try it out!

Black Bean Soup

1 can (not drained) black beans
Salsa
Cumin

Dump a can of black beans, some salsa, and some cumin into a pot.  Heat up on the stove or in the microwave.  DONE!  I've also started tweaking it recently and adding other things I might have on hand.  Last time I added some salsa verde and frozen corn.  I usually garnish with avocado, sour cream, and shredded cheese.

Seriously the easiest and quickest soup.  It's super filling, too!

One more...

I tried this recipe for Pasta with Butternut Sauce & Spicy Sausage recently.  It was a little more labor intensive than I'm usually willing to dive into for a weeknight dinner but it was sooo worth it.  We all gobbled it up and everyone loved it!  The leftovers were just as good.  I was amazed at how creamy it was with no cream, sauce, or milk and very little butter... all from the squash.  I served it to the girls before adding the spicy sausage since they can be wussy about spice.  Justin and I loved the extra spicyness in ours though.. yummy!

Go try some new recipes!  And share your Pinterest scores with me!  ;)

DIY Style

My mom and I completed a big project while she was in town!

It took a lot of measuring...



ironing..



and sewing...


until they were done!


Here are the before and after pics.  Pretty major facelift, right?









They were a lot of work and I could not have done them without my mother's master seamstress skills, but we saved about $250 by going the DIY route.  Thank you, pinterest!  And thank you, Mom!

Pinterest Winners

I just popped one of our family's favorite Pinterest dinners in the oven and it smells delish!  Claire actually recently asked me to make "that yummy pasta with olives in it" again so dinner tonight was per Claire's request.

Here is the recipe for Artichoke Pasta Bake.

Speaking of Greek, this recipe was the yummiest!  We made it for a game day appetizer a few weekends ago and the girls (and us) gobbled it up like candy.  Super easy to make too!

Oh and this recipe for cashew chicken in the crock pot was amazing!!
 
Seriously, thank you Pinterest for spicing up our dinner menu!!

Happy cooking!

Painting Fun

With this crazy summer heatwave, we've had to figure out things to do inside instead of braving the heat.  Soo many fun ideas on Pinterest!  We used this idea to make some puff paint the other day.  The girls loved it!

It was easy, kept the girls entertained, and I had all the ingredients on hand.. that's my kind of fun! 

Pinspiration

Like so many other people, my eyes have been opened to so many good recipes, fun ideas, and easy projects thanks to Pinterest.

My most recent 'project' (if you can even call it that)...

The snack bin!  I keep it in the fridge and fill it with yummy, healthy snacks and the kiddos are free to help themselves any time they want.  Claire loves the independence of getting it and choosing it herself.  And I love not having to look through the fridge and cupboards and list off the options.

Inspired Craftiness

So I'm generally not a very crafty person, although I go through spurts when I try.  :)  But, my new favorite website Pinterest has really been inspiring me lately.  I have found SO MANY cute, easy, and cheap ideas that I've been so excited to try out.  I finally made one the other night.  It literally took about 30 seconds.  That's my kind of craft!  Behold, my new message board...

An old picture frame, scrapbook paper, and dry erase markers.  Perfect!