Slow Cooker

#CampRoemer Week 3

The kids tried some new things this week, along with some well visit check ups  and a much needed night out for me!

Monday…

Of course we had to go to Publix but the novelty of shopping with all the kids has worn off. I actually started putting them to work. I tell that what I’m looking for and what side of the aisle it’s on and they have to find it.

Lego Club

LegoClub

We had no idea what to expect at Lego Club today. It was the first one of the summer and the first one ever for us. The room was jammed packed with kids AND legos! HUGE bins filled with lots of tiny pieces. The kids loved digging for all the ‘girl’ legos and creating masterpieces.

PicMonkey Collage

Look at all those serious faces! Even the baby loved it!

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Cilantro Lime Turkey Tacos

Tuesday…

Maitland Library

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Seriously, this library has the cutest story time program ever. My favorite part was the puppet show starring the one and only, Kermit the Frog!

Acro

The girls were excited to get back to gymnastics this afternoon. They have been practicing their new skills everywhere…in the kitchen, on the patio, at Publix, in the library…

Baked Pasta with Sausage & Spinach

Wednesday…

We started the day off with a 2 year & a 6 year checkup. While we waited, the girls kept busy with their workbooks and dry erase boards.

Wellvisit

Of course, a little bribery helps to keep good behavior at the doctor’s office. We LOVE donuts!

Donuts

Trotwood Splash Pad

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We had a little time to kill before the baby’s nap, so off to the neighborhood splash pad we went. I love going right after lunch because no one is there. The girls found a beach ball that someone left behind and they had a blast trying to get it to stay on top of the water.

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We have another swimmer!! Charlotte had her silly swim tonight and passed with flying colors…and lots of giggles! She jumped in fully clothed, got thrown off a raft and was able to remove a shirt that was placed on her head while she floated. Wow! These girls amaze me every single day. #oneproudmomma! Thank you Miss Tina for teaching my girls to not only love the water but to be safe and confident while they swim.

Ahhhh….I had a kid free night out at Carrabba’s with the owner and manager of #CampBentley. Plenty of red wine, delicious food and LOTS of chit chat!

BBQ Meatballs

Thursday…

We had to make a  quick stop at Lukas Nursery for more Milkweed. These caterpillars seriously eat more than my kids!

This was our first time going to the Reading Racers club at Oviedo Library. There were so many hands-on experiments and both the girls surprised me when the volunteered to try out a couple. It wasn’t too much fun for the baby but she was content to sit on my lap.

Madeline:

Charlotte:

Friday…

My poor baby girl wasnt feeling well. Low grade fever, teething and extra clingy. Needless to say, we stayed inside all day.

Honey Garlic Crock Pot Chicken

No friday love…my broken heart just cant deal. But Kendra @ The Gilbertson Family put together some Orlando Love and my fellow OMB contributors did a wonderful job at putting their emotions on paper. Here are just a few…

Kendra

LuLu

Elizabeth

How was your week with the kids?? Try anything new?

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Menu Monday {Jan 18, 2016}

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Pan Seared Salmon, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Pasta, Kale & White Bean Soup from my monthly Pampered Chef Cooking Club. Also shown Creamy Chipotle Lime Sauce & Hollandaise Sauce

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Skinnytaste’s Stuffed Pepper Soup

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Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken& Veggies from Damn Delicious

Oops…forgot to take an after picture. Definitely adding this dish to the regular rotation! Husband, kid & babysitter approved!

 

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Skinnytaste’s Baked Pasta with Spinach & Sausage

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Ahhh…Saturday Date Night In! The husband found a great recipe from his new cookbook, Ruhlman’s Tweny, Coq Au Vin. Oh my! Delicious! Even the kids ate it…well just the chicken…no skin & no evidence of any mushrooms or sauce on it. Ok, they just ate the chicken. But still that’s a win!

What do you have cooking this week?

 

 

Meal Plan For The Week of April 13th

Meal Plan for the week…

Black Bean Soup & Roasted Broccoli (LOVE this one!!)
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Shrimp & Asparagus Stir Fry w Lemon Sauce

(**new one**)

Teriyaki Chicken w Vegetables

(**new one**)

Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili

(one to eat & one to freeze!)

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Click here for the shopping list!

I’m going to start including the shopping list when I post a meal plan for the week. Right now, I’m just copying & pasting the list Plan To Eat creates for me. This will definitely take a little tweaking to get it just right, so hang in there with me. And please share any comments or suggestions on how to make it easier or more user friendly.

Happy Cooking!

xoxo

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Easter Ain’t Over Til The Hambone Gets Crocked

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My favorite comfort food of all time…Crock Pot Split Pea Soup!! Both my mother and my father would make this anytime they had a hambone and it always made the house smell wonderful but did I ever eat it?? NO. It looked disgusting AND it had peas in it AND a giant ham bone. No thank you. Looking back, I really wish that I had tried it…at least once, so that I could have something to compare it to.

It’s always around the holidays when I feel homesick the most and it’s usually when I do best cooking. So, this Easter was no different from any other..gotta save the hambone for some home cooked soup. You know, making comfort food to comfort my heart, or at least try.

Split Pea Soup has got to be one the easiest soups to make and it brings great comfort to my heart and also to my belly. It makes a ton so get ready to share with family or friends or stick some in a ziploc bag and freeze it. It freezes great! I recommend freezing it in single portions. That way when the husband is out of town and you don’t want to cook but you are looking for a lil’ comfort…just take a bag out of the freezer and voila! Comfort food without any work.

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Rinse the peas and put in the crock pot first. Next, add the hambone. Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, salt and pepper. Fill with water, leaving about 1/2 inch at the top. Cover and set on low for 10 hours.

After 10 hours, your soup will look like this:

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Remove the hambone very gently.

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Stir the soup. The peas will lose their shape and the soup will thicken. If you want an even thicker soup, mash the potatoes with a fork…I love a thick pea soup!

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Shred the ham with a fork and add as much or as little back into the soup as you would like. I like just a bit but to my husbands bowl, I add a bunch!

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Enjoy! Happy Cooking!

And please let me know if you decide to try it. I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!

You can also find me on Pinterest & Facebook.

Love,

Mrs. Roemer 😉

xoxo

Easy, Delicious AND Kid-Friendly!

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I tried a new recipe this week… Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Chili from Pillsbury. I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant to try this one because it seemed too easy but Tuesday nights my oldest has ballet and it’s way too crazy to try to actually cook something. So, I took a chance on this one.

I love dark meat chicken and when I saw that the recipe called for thighs, I was excited! Most recipes call for chicken breast and I have a tendency to cook them too long causing them to dry out. I bought skinless, boneless thighs and just dumped them in the crock. I didn’t bother cutting them. I was looking for easy, remember? Oh, and I didn’t bother to spray the inside of the crock pot with cooking spray either.

Typically, when I cook a crock pot meal, I never put the beans or corn in until the last hour or so but this recipe had me do it all in the beginning. I was thinking the beans were going to be mush but again, I wasn’t going to be home all day so I really needed something easy. In went the corn and beans! What was the worst that could happen? I would eat mushy beans, curse a bit and never cook it again. A chance I was willing to take.

To my surprise, this meal was beyond delicious! I couldn’t believe how much I loved it. The chicken was juicy and the beans weren’t mushy! I served it over jasmine rice (my absolute favorite!) and with tortilla chips. I fed the girls something different because I really didn’t think they would like this but again to my surprise, they LOVED it! Both of them! They practically ate my whole bowl. Now, I love this one even more….an EASY crock pot recipe and one that the kids LOVE?? Win, win all around! This will definitely be added to my meal plan on a regular basis.

I was thinking I would put in a can of Rotel or some hot sauce (I love a lil’ kick!) next time but since the kids love it, I won’t. I’ll just spice up my bowl. Hmmm….maybe that will keep them out of my bowl! Ha!

Next time, I’m going to make two…one to eat that night and one to freeze. It doesn’t take any extra time and you will be so thankful to have a meal already prepared. I’ll freeze it raw, defrost it the night before I want to cook it and then dump it in the crock. The only thing I won’t put in the freezer bag will be the cheese, sour cream and green onion but everything else will even the beans! 😉

Definitely print this one out or save it to your Plan To Eat and make it next week. I promise you will be surprised at how easy it is to make and how delicious it is. Remember to make two and don’t forget to let me know how it came out and if your family loved it 🙂

Happy Cooking!

Katie

Mrs. Roemer’s Nest

 

 

 

 

Weekly Meal Plan

Meal Plan for the week of March 16-20:

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–Crock Pot BBQ Meatballs (freaking LOVE these!)

–Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage

–One Pan Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta (**new recipe for me)

–Tilapia w Garlic Roasted Tomatoes & Corn (already made a few weeks ago, just have to remember to defrost it this time!)

Who else is cooking Corned Beef on Tuesday? How do you like to cook it? I’ve only ever done it in the crock pot and it always turns out delicious! Yummmm!

I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures especially of the new recipe I’m trying out.

Happy Cooking!

P.S. Would you be interested in a shopping list if I added it along with the meal plan? It’s easy to do. Just let me know, I would be happy to include it!

Overnight Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal by Circle B Kitchen

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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

Got What I Asked For

I’ve been complaining about my lack of sleep lately. More specifically, my lack of uninterrupted sleep. Well ask and ye shall receive, right?

The girls were in bed by 7 and I’m pretty sure I was asleep by 7:20. Next thing I know it’s 11:30, the tv is blaring and the hubby is snoring. In those four hours I slept like a ROCK! I’m not exactly sure how a rock would sleep but I didn’t move or hear a thing. I woke up feeling so refreshed and full of energy.

Not the best feeling at 11:30pm especially when the littles are super early risers. But hey, I’m not complaining about that tonight!

Instead, I took this opportunity to try a new recipe – Overnight Apple Cinnamon Oats. I’ve never made them but have always wanted to. I’ll post the link (and of course a pic) tomorrow and let you know how they were. Fingers crossed the girls and the hubby love them!

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Beautiful the mess I am.
Love & Prayers,
Katie