dinner

#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

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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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Friday I’m in Love…

Happy Friday!

It’s been a whirlwind of emotions these past two weeks and I’m quite eager to get back to somewhat of a routine. So…let’s get this LOVE going!

~one~

PicMonkey Collage

On Tuesday, my husband and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. I never knew exactly what love was…until I met him.

~two~

I’m the oldest of 6 kids so needless to say, we have a huge family. I spent some time with everyone in New Jersey last week and we always seemed to get together around meal time. On Sunday night, my father prepared a feast for us. He was looking to comfort us kids the best way he knows how…with comfort food of course! The picture on the left is a GIANT Chicken Pot Pie and on the right…3 pounds of Shrimp Scampi! Whoa! Talk about two of my favorite comfort foods. Both were delicious and I most certainly went back for seconds. Thanks dad!

~three~

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This cutie…my niece, Marina. I LOVED hanging out with all the nieces and nephews! We gave our parents 10 grandchildren, 6 girls and 4 boys. And the oldest is only 7! Here Marina is helping to make the guacamole. She LOVES to mash the avocado!

~four~

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Check out this amazing site, Pen + Paint by Lindsay Hopkins. I’ve been following her on Instagram for a while now and I’m soooo in LOVE with everything she posts. I have my shopping cart full of her beautiful artwork over on Etsy but I’m having a hard time hitting the complete order button because I keep finding more things I must have!

What are you in LOVE with this week??

Menu Monday {Jan 25, 2016}

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It’s always good to start the week off with a plan but as we all know, life with children and a husband who was traveling for work, it can get a bit unpredictable and crazy. We never had the on Tuesday because we had more than enough left overs of the Chicken Soup. And I used the white meat from the chicken to make several homemade chicken salad sandwiches…my husband’s favorite lunch! I did make the Mustard Chicken but served it with rice instead of spaghetti squash and a potato…much easier! The Little Big Meal from The Fresh Market was DELICIOUS!! I can’t wait to check out what they will have this week! We ended up eating the The Pioneer Woman’s Sloppy Joes (the best recipe ever!) Friday AND Saturday night so we saved the Pork Chops for Sunday night. I didn’t have the kids try it because I needed to feed them earlier and I knew we weren’t going to be eating until later. These pork chops NEED to go on a regular rotation because they were OUT OF THIS WORLD!

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Homemade Whole Chicken & Veggie Soup

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Mustard Chicken, Broccoli & Jasmine Rice

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12642735_10206093072181977_3901682966002475020_nThe Fresh Market’s Big Little Meal

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The Pioneer Woman’s Sloppy Joes

 

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Ruhlman’s Twenty Brined & Fried Pork Chops and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

What do you have cooking this week?

 

 

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?

 

 

Weekly Meal Plan for August 3 – August 9

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My mother, sister, nephew and niece were in town visiting this week and I was beyond excited to cook for them. It was a bit trickier than usual because the big kids really didn’t nap but we got it done. It really does take a village to raise a family, doesn’t it?

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Malaspine Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes & Roasted Broccoli

Now, my mother had this meatloaf the last time she was in town and she LOVED it! So of course I had to make it again for her. This was a huge hit with everyone, kids included! My mother in law, sister in law and her kids stopped by the next day and I fed them the leftovers. They loved it too! Seriously, if you are looking for a great meatloaf recipe, this is the one.

The kids did not love the broccoli because of all the garlic but us grown ups gobbled it up with no problems! Ha!

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Jenn’s Chicken & Veggie Soup

This one was easy to do with the family in town. I chose to make this one on the day that we stayed home. It takes about 2-3 hours in the oven. I have done it in the crock pot as well and it’s good but I really love it in the dutch oven. Best. Comfort. Food. Ever.

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Chicken Mozzerella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ahhh….one of my husband’s favorite meals! There were no leftovers this night. Even the kids ate it! I left out the red pepper flakes for the kids but sprinkled them on ours. The red pepper flakes give it a nice kick!

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Lasagna Soup

My sister is the one that told me I needed to make this so I knew her and her kids would love it. I was a little worried about my mother though. She loves lasagna but I wasn’t sure she would go for it as a soup. But she was living in my house, under my roof for the week so she had to eat it, right?!?! Hahaha! I’ve always wanted to say that!

I used regular sausage instead of the chicken sausage the recipe calls for. I love all the skinnytaste.com recipes but I tend to fatten them up just a bit.  😉

Mother LOVED the soup! I overheard her tell my daughter that I was a great cook. OMG! I learned from one of the best cooks around!

Desserts:

We put a HUGE dent in the #GoBigOrGoHome birthday cake but we still needed something sweet. I had to make my mother’s favorite banana bread and I also wanted to make something new for them. Cannoli Cake was it! My mother and my sister LOVED it! I should have made that at the beginning of the week because now I have a ton left and they flew back to NJ today.

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Cannoli Poke Cake

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Banana Bread

What favorite meals do you like to cook when you have family in town?

Enjoy all the recipes!

Happy Cooking!

and Happy Eating!

Katie 🙂

Hey, Plan To Eat users…look me up and let’s swap recipes!

MrsRoemersNest

Weekly Meal Plan for July 27 – July 31

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Tilapia with Garlic Roasted Tomatoes & Corn

 

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Jenn’s Chicken Veggie Soup

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

(I must remember to get a picture!)

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Honey Balsamic Chicken Breasts & Veggies

And here’s a shopping list for this week’s meals, minus the brisket, burgers and hotdogs. We are having the family over to celebrate my daughter’s 3rd birthday and my husband usually does the shopping and the grilling for the cookouts! Love that man!

I would LOVE to connect with some more Plan To Eat users! Look me up… MrsRoemersNest

Happy Cooking!

Katie 🙂

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Meal Plan Week of July 20 – July 24

I’m in the mood to cook this week!!

–Honey Balsamic Chicken Breasts and Veggies

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–Tilapia with Garlic Roasted Tomatoes & Corn

–Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

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–Lasagna Soup

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–Chicken In Basil Cream

And a shopping list!

Happy Cooking!!

xoxo

Best Cilantro Dressing EVER!

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The weather has been gorgeous lately…cool temps in the morning perfect for early morning runs, sunny and warm in the afternoon along with a few afternoon showers. It’s really starting to feel like summertime!

Which reminds me…bathing suit season is right around the corner! I wanted to get away from all the comfort food I’ve been making lately. A friend of mine shared her weekly meal plan and introduced me to The Garden Grazer. You need to go check this site out! Seriously. This site is FULL of wonderfully delicious vegetarian and vegan meals!

I made Southwestern Chopped Salad with Cilantro Dressing the other night but I added some chicken for the hubby. He enjoys salad as much as I do but more as a side dish, not for the main course.

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I didn’t have much time to search for a “recipe” of any sorts so I just spritzed the chicken with olive oil and sprinkled McCormick’s Chipotle & Roasted Garlic seasoning on top. I cooked it for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Perfect!

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I washed and spun dry the romaine lettuce, chopped the orange pepper, cherry tomatoes, green onions & cilantro. Then I started prepping for the dressing, all while the chicken cooked. Super easy!

20150508-165511.jpgI’m not a fan of avocado, so I chose to use plain greek yogurt for the dressing. I added lime juice, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar and salt. Kaitlin, The Garden Grazer, recommended to add a bit of honey if the dressing tasted too tart. I’m used to plain greek yogurt but I wasn’t sure the hubby would like it as much so I added the honey to sweeten it and it came out great! Next time, I would LOVE to try it with some cayenne pepper! I love a lil’ kick!

Since it was the just two of us, I made individual bowls. I put the romaine in, a few spoonfuls of veggies and topped it with the Cilantro Dressing.

Would you believe that while we were cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, I saw the corn and black beans sitting on the counter…completely untouched. Yep, I forgot to add them. Ha! So maybe the salad wasn’t quite as “southwestern” as it was supposed to be but it was still amazing!

20150508-165451.jpgThis dressing is so unbelievably delicious that I think I’m going to make it the next time we host a party. I’ll chop up a bunch of fresh veggies and leave them out to dip in the dressing. Although, my husband told me that he doesn’t need any lettuce or veggies, he just needs a spoon! Score! This one is a keeper! Thank you Kaitlin!

Here’s the recipe on The Garden Grazer‘s site and for all my Plan To Eat friends, click here to add it to your planner for next week!

Happy Cooking!

xoxo

Taking A Chance

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I was scrolling through pics on Instagram, and stopped when I came across Orlando Moms Blog post. They were looking for new blog contributors. What? Seriously? The post said they wanted local moms who “inspire, encourage, support, inform and simply share this journey of motherhood we’re all navigating together.” I paused, caught my breath and said, “This is the perfect job for me.”

And in the very next thought, all the negative, self destructive thoughts came flooding in. They would never pick you. You aren’t a writer. When would I find time to do this, IF they even picked me. What could I actually contribute??

I shut that voice up and went to sleep. The next morning on my run, it was all I could think of. This was meant for me. I knew. I felt it. But could I actually get the nerve up to apply for it?? That was the million dollar question.

I only had a few days until the deadline to submit the application. I knew that if I let this opportunity pass, I would be more upset than if I applied and didn’t get the job. So…I shoved all those insecurities in a box, duct taped it closed and answered those questions. All that was left to do was hit ‘Submit.’

{Insert Jeopardy music here…..}

It took a while…maybe a few hours. It wasn’t until my sister pretty much yelled at me through text that I went running to the computer, pulled up the application and sent it in.

HOLY CRAP! What did I just do??

A few weeks went by and I hadn’t heard anything. I just assumed the new contributors were chosen and I didn’t receive my “Sorry, try again next time” email. And I was okay with that. I was glad that I took the chance. I didn’t have any regrets.

I was feeding the baby in the car, waiting for the big kids to finish school and I happened to check my email. Low and behold, there it was. I received an email from Orlando Moms Blog but it was asking me to join the team!!! I freaked out. I cried. I was shaking. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it.

My first post for Orlando Moms Blog,”Stock Your Freezer. It will save your sanity. I promise” went live this morning. In it, I give a bunch of simple freezer cooking tips to help make the endless task of feeding the family a bit easier. It saved my sanity and it can save your. Promise.

Stock-your-freezer

Happy Cooking!

xoxo

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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