Dom’s Dinosaur Day!

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We decided we wanted to take our grandson to see DINOSAURS for his 4th birthday. So we headed for Cedar Creek to Dinosaur Park for the day! It was a fun filled day of dinos, exploring, and big imaginations. Dom wore that big handsome smile of his pretty much all day!The lady that put Dom’s wrist band on at the dino park told him she was putting it on him to keep him safe from the dinosaurs. As we were leaving Dom saw me start to take mine off and told me “Wait Maw-Maw! You need to leave that on so the dinosaurs can’t eat you!” Thank goodness he kept me safe!

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Five years today…

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Five years ago today we spent our first night in our new home. So many memories have been made. So many drawings on walls (crayons, lipstick, whatever a toddler could get their hands on), handprints up the stairway from a little one learning to climb stairs, and so many milestones measured on the door frame in our laundry room from our children and grandchildren that won’t stop growing. There is no one in this world I would rather build these memories with.

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Mexican zucchini & turkey skillet 

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Week nights are busy with homework & dance activities, so quick, healthy, and easy dinners are always great to have ready for my family! 

Ingredients: 

  • 4 small to medium zucchini (quartered)
  • 1 – 1 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey 
  • 1 yellow onion (diced)
  • 1 red or green bell pepper (diced)
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic 
  • Large can petite diced tomatoes 
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt 
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder 

Directions:

  1. Brown ground turkey, onion, and bell pepper over medium heat until meat is browned. 
  2. Add minced garlic, tomatoes, and spices. Stir well and cover. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. 
  3. Add zuchinni. Stir well and cover. Simmer for another 10 minutes. 

Side notes: 

  1. Don’t over cook zucchini. Should be fork tender, but still firm.
  2. Serve as is or with brown rice or another veggie. 
  3. Reheats well for lunch the next day.
  4. If you prefer more heat you can use 2 10oz cans of rotel or spicy salsa in the place of diced tomatoes. 
  5. I don’t cook red meat, but you could substitute with lean beef.
  6. This is a quick 30 minute low carb meal! 
  7. This could be easily switched to an instant pot meal.
  8. Would also be good with zucchini & squash.
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    Build your own granola

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    I love finding recipes and putting my own twist on them. So I especially love recipes as versatile as this one. So many twist can be put on it to make it your own favorite or just what you have on hand at the time. I often shop the bulk isle at our local grocery store and was able to find almost everything I needed on that one isle. 

    Ingredients:

    • 4 cups rolled oats
    • 1 cup raw nuts or seeds (pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, sliced almonds, peanuts, chopped pecans, walnuts)
    • 1/2 cup dried fruit (raises, cranberries, pineapple, apple)
    • 1 cup coconut (or more oats or nuts)
    • 1 tbsp of your favorite spice (cinnamon, pumpkin spice, etc)
    • 1 pinch of salt
    • 1 1/2 tsp flavor (vanilla extract, almond extract, etc)
    • 1/4 cup fat (coconut oil, melted butter, canola oil, etc)
    • 1/3 cup sweet (honey, maple syrup, agave, brown sugar, or even a combo of any of these)
    • 1 egg white (optional! Beat just until frothy. Makes it super crunchy with clusters)

    Directions:

    1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. 
    2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 
    3. Spread out on tray(s). (I used two 11×14)
    4. Bake between 300°-350° (depending on your oven. I bake it at 300°) until golden. 
    5. Stir it after 15 minutes. Then every 10 minutes to follow. It only takes 25 minutes in our oven. 
    6. It will crisp as it cools.
    7. Allow it to dry completely and store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. 

    Batch I made today:

    • 4 cups rolled oats
    • 1 cup pumpkin seeds 
    • 1 cup sliced almonds 
    • 1 tbsp cinnamon 
    • 1 pinch salt
    • 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract 
    • 1/4 cup canola oil
    • 1/3 cup local honey 

    (Yields approximately 2 quarts)

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