My family’s TOP recipes + 10 things

I did an all quad workout and thought my legs were going to crumble by the end. PS the Stakt Mat is so good for when you need to elevate your heals or toes for different moves. (tank)

2. Skye had a game with zero subs… I should have put a gps on her because she was running up and down the field the entire time.

3. He comes over for high fives from the sidelines after every goal.

4. I booked myself an appointment at Holi Head Spa and had the most relaxing hour of my entire life. They work on your scalp, massage your head/face/arms, steam, wash, hydrate your hair… I was so relaxed I woke up to my snoring. My nervous system has never felt that calm. I will be doing this for every birthday/mother’s day/bad days I need to be flipped around. My hair felt new afterwards.

5. We laughed very hard while watching The Office.

6. This is Beck’s eye after 99% of the swelling went away. His allergies were so bad we rushed him in to see someone because his eyes could barely open. They gave us a good protocol that is really helping him.

7. Our guard dog found a racoon in our yard!

8. Andrew and I went out for sushi and then acai bowls. Our dream meal.

9. I only used my Boston cup over the weekend. I have so much FOMO!

10. The boys were very on time to church and the girls were very off time to church;)

SJ asked this the other day, and it feels like the perfect time to chat about it!

“Completely off-topic, but I would love a post about how you feed your family to scale, especially as your kids are getting bigger. I have a husband with a good appetite, two boys, and another baby on the way so it’s something I think about! I know you like Trader Joe’s as well – do you buy multiples of the same thing for single meals? Do you plan for leftovers? Just the things you think about as a family grows!”

Dinner has become a big deal at our house. As things have shifted from the kids being home all of the time to now they have so many events, practices, friends, activities… Dinner all together has become the best part of the day and something I’ve really tried to focus on because it brings us all together. It’s amazing how much fancier it feels with a few pretty dishes, placemats, a candle or two, and good food. It makes everyone want to sit and talk for much longer which is the goal because eating together is one of the best things for our overall health no matter the age.

I’ve also learned to love cooking by slowing it down. Who cares if we eat a bit later when I get to enjoy the whole process, avoid feeling stressed about it, and get excited to do it when I slow it all down. Food has also become VERY important to the kids as they are growing at lightening speed and with how active they are which makes cooking also more fun for me because they are so grateful for it (food is also one of Andrew’s love languages). I used to love to eat out but it is way too expensive to do often now as a family with my kid’s appetites and we all prefer eating at home now.

Now, to answer SJ’s questions:

I love to plan and buy for 2-3 meals at a time. Doing a full week at a time is overwhelming for me and I love cooking something that one of us is craving which means grocery shopping more often. I love to run to TJ’s, do Walmart delivery, or go to our neighborhood grocery store that is just a few blocks away. I also HATE with a passion wasting food or having food go bad and so buying for an entire week is sometimes risky if we change plans or things come up. We also go to Costco probably once a month for any bulk items we need!

I do love to plan meals that have similar ingredients close to each other (ie if I need a rotisserie chicken for BBQ chicken pizza then I’ll plan another meal like enchiladas the next day because it also needs rotisserie chicken). I also love to plan with meals that fit in with whatever season we are in (although, I love a good soup randomly thrown in during the summer, too:).

I pray and hope for leftovers after each meal because nothing makes me happier than not having to make lunch BUT I am finding that no matter how much I make, if it’s one of our favorite meals, it will be gone by the end of the night;). If it’s something so-so then leftovers are pretty guaranteed and I eat them or Andrew takes them to work.

I think the most common websites I use for recipes are Mel’s Kitchen and Pinch of Yum. You can’t go wrong with either website. I also use IG a lot and me and Andrew send each other delicious looking recipes every day, ha.

Here are a some recipes that we cannot get enough of lately and rate a 9/10 or 10/10 (I left out any duds):

Sweet Chili Chicken Crispy Rice Salad.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.

Ang’s Creamy Tortellini Soup.

Easy Bang Bang Salmon Nourish Bowls. We also love these Salmon Bowls.

Street Corn Inspired Baked Tacos!

This Strawberry Crunch Salad is a dream.

Quick Terriyaki Bowl (add in all of the veggies you want).

Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

Sun Dried Tomato Fettucine Alfredo

Sweet Potato Stacks.

Fish Bowls!