Author: mrsroemersnest

mrsroemersnesthttps://mrsroemersnest.com/Runner, blogger & mom to 3.
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Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

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I think I’ve found yet another site for the most delicious recipes ever! I’ve already tried two of them so far and both have been fantastic! Like restaurant quality fantastic. Like holy hat, I could eat the whole dish before the husband gets home and he would never know I cooked anything. “Sorry, honey, I ran out of time to cook. Frozen pizza ok??” Ha. He’s no dummy. He would definitely call my bluff.

If you are looking for a great and relatively easy dinner to make tonight or this weekend, go check out Julia’s Album. I promise you will find a dish that you LOVE! And make sure to tell her I sent you by 🙂

Last night I made Chicken Mozzarella Pasta w Sun Dried Tomatoes and truth be told…there isn’t any left. Seriously. No joke. And it was only my husband and I who ate it. It was THAT good.

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In all of my 20+ years of cooking, I have never sautéed my chicken in the oil from the sun dried tomatoes. I almost skipped that step and used regular olive oil. I am so thankful I didn’t!! It made a huge difference in taste and adding a little paprika gave the chicken a beautiful color. Of course, I had to take a picture of the chicken because it just looked so pretty!!

I love how Julia’s Album incorporates a variety of flavors all in one dish. The mix of fresh basil with sun dried tomatoes and melted mozzarella is mouth watering delish. My favorite part was sprinkling red pepper flakes on top to give the dish a nice kick!

Another step that I was tempted to skip was reserving 1/2-1 cup of the pasta water. Once again, I’m thankful that I didn’t. The cheese sauce definitely gets very thick and you do need to add the water to make it a creamier, thinner sauce so it can cover all the pasta. And who doesn’t like extra sauce for dippin’?!

Happy cooking!

Katie xoxo

P.S. Check out your local Fresh Market for a great deal on chicken breasts. I promise you won’t be sorry! On Tuesdays, it’s $2.99/lb. Great savings and great tasting chicken!

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Lasagna Soup? What?!

A few weeks ago, my sister told me that she made Lasagna Soup. I was like, lasagna soup?? What?!? How in the world can lasagna be made into soup?! She went on and on about how much the WHOLE family loved it…even the kids. Well, once she said the kids loved it I knew I had to give it a try.

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Skinnytaste‘s recipes are absolutely, without a doubt, DELICIOUS! So much so, that I even bought her cookbook last year! I should have bought some kind of protector for it to keep it clean from all my cooking though…

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I’m not usually looking to reduce calories so I always find myself making the dishes “un-skinny”. With this one, I used regular sausage and most definitely added more cheese.

The girls didn’t try it because I ended up feeding them before it was done. I had a MNO to go to and I wasn’t feeling up to having them try something new. That takes a whole lot of energy…and time. Both of which I was lacking that night.

Next time, I will have them help me prepare and eat this meal. I just know they will LOVE breaking the lasagna noodles as much as I did. It was a great stress reliever!

Happy Cooking!!

Katie 🙂

Cook Once, Eat Twice

The husband and I both love freshly cooked meals. Well honestly, who doesn’t?! But let’s face it, with three kids 4 and under that’s just not going to happen very often. Unless…he hires me a live-in chef. And I’m pretty sure that will NEVER happen! Ha!

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If you are new to meal planning or freezing meals, you MUST try out this recipe. It’s super easy to prepare and if you are making one, why not make a second and freeze it for another week.

Crock Pot Mongolian Beef from Once A Month Meals.

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I’ve tested this one on the hubby before and he had NO CLUE that it was previously frozen. After he was done, I asked him how it was and he said it was delicious!! I chuckled and said…that’s great because I made it last month. From that little “experiment,” he now loves freezer meals too! Thank goodness!

Today, I used a 10oz bag of already shredded carrots (a HUGE time saver!) and ginger paste instead of fresh ginger. This is my first time using the ginger paste so I used the same measurement as the recipe. I’ll find out tonight if I need to increase it next time or not. Promise to keep ya posted!

Happy Tuesday!

Katie 🙂

Crafty Kid Time

Sunday’s card making went so well, I stopped at Michael’s again and picked up some more supplies. I’m in the process of making some teacher gifts (another blog post to follow) and I needed some cards to go with the gifts. My 4yr old LOVES to craft and she is in LOVE with Baby Jesus (she thinks she will get to meet the “real” Baby Jesus on Christmas) so I thought this would be a perfect craft for her. I waited until the other girls went down for their nap and I let her do this one alone. She let me help every once in a while, but for the most part she did it all.

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Now these were slighter more expensive to make…$0.32 per card compared to $0.30 per card for the Christmas tree one. Hahaha! Again, it would cost more to mail these cards than it is to make them. LOVE IT!!

Here’s the breakdown…

  • cards with envelopes…$2.49
  • nativity scene foam stickers…$1.99

For a grand total of $4.48. The stickers only had a complete set of 7, so we decided to do two different cards to be able to get 14 cards. It took a bit to convince her that it would be ok if the wise men are on their own card. I told her they will follow the bright star of Bethlehem and find Baby Jesus. She gave that some serious thought and then gave me the nod of approval. Have I mentioned that I just love this age?

I now have a total of 39 Christmas cards and I only spent about $12. The kids had a blast creating cards to give out to friends and family and hopefully I’ve created some good family memories for them.

Love & Prayers,

Katie

Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy

The girls and I had a blast teaching at our church’s Kids Mass Ministry on Sunday and I wanted to take them out afterward for a surprise. We love to do crafts of all kinds and when I turned into the Michael’s parking lot, they went NUTS!

I didn’t have a craft in mind and I didn’t have a list, which is so not like me. We just went to “look”. Haha! (Yeah, right…liar, liar, pants on fire!)

Everything was on sale!! We were like kids in a candy store! I needed something easy, something that both of the big kids could do and have fun with and considering I didn’t get to send out Christmas cards yet, why not have them make some. I told them my plan and we were on the hunt for the perfect supplies to make our cards.

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These foam stickers are the bomb diggity. Both of the girls (ages 2 & 4) have no trouble whatsoever peeling the paper and sticking them on the cards. I ended up buying Christmas tree embellishments and not stickers but it worked out fine. Any reason to bring out the Elmer’s glue is another cause for celebration in the Roemer house! I glued the trees, Charlotte placed the stars on top and Madeline ever so perfectly placed the presents under the tree. It took us about 45 minutes to complete those cards. There was not one fight, one disagreement or any whining or crying. Heaven!

Here’s the breakdown in cost per card…

  • 24cards w envelopes….$2.49
  • tree stickers…$1.99
  • star stickers…$1.99
  • present stickers…$1.19

For a grand total of $7.66 which comes out to $0.30 per card! It’s going to be more expensive to mail these cards than it was to make them.

Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy!!

So head on out to your local arts & crafts store, pick up some supplies and have a craft filled afternoon with the kiddos!

Love & Prayers,

Katie

The “Perfect” Cake

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Before motherhood, I was a perfectionist and I had that quality perfected. Now that I’m four and a half years into this motherhood gig, I’ve finally determined it’s not worth all the time, effort, stress and craziness that it brings along.

I’m embarrassed to say that this lightbulb just went off this weekend. I mean really went off. I’ve heard it pretty much all my life but it wasn’t until I took my daughters baptism cake out of the refrigerator that it hit me. Actually, it hit the cake. The top shelf of the fridge hit it…when I pulled it out for the party. Eesh! The old me would have been devastated!! But in all sincerity, it really didn’t phase me. That’s when I realized I’ve changed. Maybe I’m so delirious from the lack of sleep these days or maybe I’m finally coming to terms with motherhood and all its twists and turns. Either way, it’s all good…I created happy memories for my girls that day. And in case they happen to forget, I took LOTS of pictures to show them later.

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I’m in the process of storing all of my recipes at Plan To Eat so that I can efficiently meal plan for the entire family (blog post coming soon!). So here’s the link for the buttercream icing:

http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/3238551

Your Charmed Wedding made Elizabeth’s gorgeous headband for me. Head on over to Etsy and check out this wonderful shop!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/YourCharmedWedding

PS…I’m new to all this “linking” of websites so if for some reason it’s not working, just let me know.

Beautiful the mess I am.

Love & Prayers,

Katie

The Truth Hurts

Today was a hard day. I can’t even pin point a specific event or a list of specific events that made the day end the way it did. All I know is that there was a constant power struggle between me and my oldest daughter from the moment she woke up until bath time.

It was 645pm and I was feeling thankful that this day was coming to an end and then, out of nowhere, I was sucker punched!! As I was getting the girls out of the tub, my 4 year old stood up, squinted her eyes and informed me that she was going to get a new house with a better mom. Wait…what did I just hear?!

OUCH! That stung.

Actually, it ripped my heart in two. I bit my lower lip and with all my might, held back the tears that were ready to flow like Niagara Falls.

Then in the next breath, she started babbling away like nothing ever happened. I looked at her, asked her to be quiet and tried to process what I heard.

I had the husband finish getting them ready. I just couldn’t be in the same room with her. Deep down, I knew she didn’t really know what she said or how hurtful it was but I couldn’t hide the sadness in my face or the pain in my heart.

When we said our prayers before bed, my husband added a few extra. He thanked God for all of Mommy’s hard work for the family and how she always does everything to keep the family together. My baby girl chimed right in and added…”and for all the food she cooks us!”

I squeezed my eyes shut even harder for fear if I opened them the least bit, the water works would be in full effect.

After a glass of wine (or two), I was finally able to talk about it and figure out what’s going on. Could it be possible she’s feeling the stresses we are with all the buying and selling of the houses? Does she need some one-on-one time with her momma? Okay, maybe I need some one-on-one time with my baby.

My plan is to take her out for cupcakes at her favorite lil’ bakery and then do a little shopping on Friday while her sisters and probably her daddy nap.

I firmly believe everything happens for a reason and this is no exception.

Maybe this needed to happen. Maybe it was the only way I could see that she needs me. That she is only 4. Maybe she’s right. She does need a “new” mom. One who will stop multitasking and make the time to be with her…to really be with her.

Whatever the reason, it has opened my eyes and my heart. And on the Eve of Thanksgiving, I sit here feeling blessed and grateful to have learned yet another valuable lesson in parenting firsthand…kids really do speak the truth.

Beautiful the mess I am…
Love & Prayers,
Katie

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(Photo from Pinterest http://pinterest.com/pin/A3VMOQAQwDYH3DOgcX8AAAA/)

Ten Year Two Step

On the few occasions that I am alone in the car, the first thing I do is eject the kiddie music and pop in some DMB. My all time favorite cd is Crash. I could seriously listen to that all day long! With the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving fast approaching, I’m reminded of something that I am thankful for. I am thankful for Betty the hygienist.

Ten years ago, a fellow dental hygienist, Betty, set me up on a blind date with one of her patients. His name was Jon and he was a flosser. True story. Dental hygienists just cannot date people who don’t floss so that was an important AND impressive quality. I reluctantly agreed to let her. Betty is of my mother’s age and she was always so motherly towards me. This happened right after all those hurricanes (Charley, Frances, Ivan & Jeanne) hit us. Betty always made sure I had plenty of food, water and a place to stay. So when she demanded, I mean suggested that I call him (yes, she made me call him because she wouldn’t give my number out), I did exactly as I was told.

Thank God I got his voicemail. Seriously.

We ended up meeting for dinner on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. After four hours of delicious food, great wine and mind-blowing, heart-pounding, butterflies-in-my-stomach conversation, I knew I had to see this man again. On my way home, I called my sister and my BFF and told them both that this was the man I was to marry. Creepy, I know but so very true. I felt it in my soul and I saw it in his eyes.

Two Step by Dave Matthews Band always reminds me of that evening, not because it was playing that night but because it says what my heart was feeling that night and every night there after.  I love you Jon Henry. Happy ten years!

Two Step by Dave Matthews Band

“Hey my love you came to me like wine

comes to this mouth

grown tired of water all the time

you quench my heart and love,

you quench my mind

Celebrate we will

because life is short but

sweet for certain

we’re climbing two by two

to be sure

these days continue”

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(image found on pinterest…http://www.pinterest.com/pin/519532506985695228/)

Prayerful Text

I admit it. I’m a text-aholic. And I’ll also admit that I prefer to text over talking on the phone. It’s quick, easy, can be done while all the kids are screaming, can be one word or even one letter. It’s the perfect way to communicate. Today, I did something I have never done before with my texting. I typed a prayer to my husband.

With both of our busy day-to-day schedules, his in the business world and mine in preschool land, we rely heavily on text and email to stay in touch through out the day. It works for us.

Today is probably one of the more stressful days we have had in a while. In the beginning of November, we put our house on the market and 4 days later we took it off because we were officially “in contract.” Never in a million years did we ever think that would happen! Talk about putting the rush on finding a new house now!

Low and behold, we found one. One that we could raise our family in and one that we could grow old in. It’s perfect and in a wonderful neighborhood with awesome schools. Yesterday, we signed the papers and the realtor was delivering them to the sellers that afternoon. We didn’t hear a thing until this morning and it was something about the sellers receiving another offer. WHAT?! And just like that we froze. We still know nothing and it’s almost 3pm. We are still frozen and Elsa & Anna are nowhere to be found to help break the spell. (Lame, I know…but remember I live in preschool land). This not-knowing is about ready to give the husband a heart attack. So… before I went to pick up the girls from school, I sent this text:

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It was the only thing I could do to help him, to help us. I’m curious to know if it brought him any comfort but I’ll wait until tonight to find out so I can see it in his face. Surprisingly enough, this time I didn’t have to go searching for comfort in the kitchen (good thing because the oven is on the fritz!). I actually found comfort through prayer.

Beautiful the mess I am…

Love & Prayers,

Katie

Overnight Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal by Circle B Kitchen

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http://circle-b-kitchen.squarespace.com/food-and-recipes/2013/10/18/overnight-apple-cinnamon-oatmeal.html

As promised, here’s a pic and the link to the Overnight Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal. It was absolutely delicious!! I may or may not have had a few bowls this morning. My oldest described it in one word- “Delicious mom!” Alright, that was two words. And my 2yr old made a squinty face and said, “yucky”. She didn’t even try it! She woke up cranky (2yr molars AND her canines are coming in) so I rejected her opinion. I know she will love it. The kid eats everything!

I ended up doubling the recipe so I have plenty of leftovers for a few days. I’m curious to see how it will reheat in the morning though. I may add a little milk (and maybe even some honey) to it and heat it on the stove. I promise to let you know how it goes.

Let me know if you like them or if you have any tips to share! I would love to read them.

Love & Prayers,

Katie