One Year European Anniversary!

Well, we have officially been expats in Amsterdam for one year, folks! Can you believe it?! I can't.

I will admit, I had to look back through all my emails to find out our actual date of arrival in Amsterdam. So much has happened this year that I honestly could not remember for the life of me the actual date we got here. But, I found it and it was today, May 1-May Day. Gawd, we were exhausted! But, give me a minute to go down memory lane.

When 2014 started all I dreamed of was visiting somewhere I hadn't been before...Seattle (which was going in be in conjunction with my daugther's cheerleading competition.) I quite honestly had no bigger expectations for the year. However, since we are dream chasers, we had someone schedule an interview with my hubby in Cambridge, so I had my first trip overseas and the opportunity to visit London. Hubby then flew on to Amsterdam, which I sadly could not make. However, it is the destination we wound up choosing. Stay tuned because next week I will be telling you why we chose Amsterdam to be the city that hosted our expat adventure.

I'll admit, I was very worried that horse was gonna kick me! haha

Prior to making the decision to move, my best friend moved to Hawaii, within weeks of her moving, my husband surprised me by booking the kiddo and me tickets to visit her. A place I'd always desired to visit came true, Honolulu, Hawaii was on my list of places to check off my bucket list.

Once we made our decision to vacate North America, I wasn't sure what the future held. We took a major paycut, but knew if we were clever with our money the experience would be worth it. ..and it has been, let's take a visit to the cities we've been to:

• Brussels....this was our first European adventure as a couple. The kiddo was off in Germany, at a theme park much like Universal Studios, called Movie Park, where the European National Cheerleading Championships are held. It was a grand adventure I will never forget.
• Paris...this was our first European adventure as a family. It was to celebrate our 15th Wedding Anniversary. An adventure none of us will forget, I know the teenager knows why we went, but I wonder if today she'd remember it was our anniversary, she was totally in her element and really enjoyed the city.
• Rome...It was fun to tell our friends, while they were on their honeymoon, "sure, we will meet you in Rome for the weekend-no problem!" ...and then actually go and spend an entire weekend wandering through the streets of an Italian city we've always dreamed of wandering. No real plan and just enjoying the time exploring.
• Zandvoort aan Zee...this is an amazing place...totally catering to tourists though...which is probably why we love it haha for more see our Day at the Beach in Holland Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
• Otterlo, Holland...visited the Kroller-Muller museum. Such a unique and lovely place. I have a post coming soon...but there are several Vincent Van Gogh works that if you are a fan you should not miss.
• Muiden, Holland...this was one of the first day trips within Holland the kiddo and I took...we had a really great time and if you have any extended period of time in Amsterdam I really recommend you visit this place.
• Berlin...this one barely made it to the one year cut off haha But, the kiddo and I had a lovely time exploring the uniqueness that is Berlin. Check out Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 for a full recap...if you have an extended period of time in Europe and you area  history buff...particularly if you can put up with the horrors of WWII, I definitely recommend you check this place out.

I feel as though our year has been very productive and I couldn't be more pleased. 

So, happy Anniversary to us!! If you are considering a move, please overseas and have questions ease don't hesitate to contact me, I am happy to share our experience with anyone who may want more info. This was the best thing we ever did for our family and I would love to share it with you. ☺️

Compassion in the right place, at the right time #1000Speak

Compassion is something I have been thinking of a lot lately. This particular venture of #1000Speak has made it more prevalent in my mind, but my daughter goes to a school where many of the teachers tend to lack compassion for their students, this disturbs me. However, hearing how many of these teachers deal with students from my own child and other children and parents got me thinking about the times people have shown compassion to me in my life.

I have a story, it is a very personal story. It is about an event at the beginning of my marriage, of really my life as I will come to know it, where the compassion comes from two different sources. Part comes from my fabulous parents, the other from people who are total complete and utter strangers whom I feel were put at this exact spot, at this exact time just for me. Many of you have never heard this story, even if you are very close to me. I have kept this even somewhat secret mostly because once my mother reads this she will probably call and yell at me, but it is an event that occurred 15 years ago and I had to use instinct to determine if it was an okay situation to put myself in....so, enough with the mystery...read on.

Click here for more info!

My husband and I were married when I was 18, he was 20. Fast forward, we have our daughter and in March of 2000 he gets stationed temporarily in California, not anywhere amazing like LA or San Diego, but Lompoc. Yes folks, Lompoc, California. Most of you probably don't even know where in the hell that is, nor should you. I didn't...and honestly, I didn't care.

Having spent 19 years of my life in the great state of Florida with little major traveling I was anxious to get out. I had always had a bit of wanderlust since Geography in the 7th grade and I knew that one day I would leave Florida and move to another part of the continent if not the world-I know, my poor mother.

So, as soon as this station happened I knew I wanted to go. This was for school for him so technically I wasn't "allowed" so we used our tax return to make the move and supplement our income. I knew I probably should have stayed back in Jacksonville, my home town, but I didn't know where the next station would take us. My entire life I had dreamed of seeing California, going to Disneyland, seeing many of the things I had seen on television and in magazines that had got my imagination going. So, come hell or high water, I.Was.Going.

My mom, she was sad. Not only had I married, moved out, and had a baby really young, but now I was literally moving across the country. But, she is a big person and even said her and my dad were really proud that they had raised children who weren't afraid to strike out on their own and make their dreams come true. So, mom showed me how to woman up and really helped me get ready. She helped me move out of my apartment, stored all of our household goods, and got me organized and ready to travel by train across the great US with a 4 month old.

Tweet #1000Speak


So, lets recap. I'm 19, not even married a year, have a 4 month old, traveling by train to California.

My mother really did it up for me and the kiddo. She bought me a nice carry on bag, she bought me plenty of formula, lots of bottled water, baby food, and tons of my favorite snacks and juice boxes (don't laugh, I was still 19 ;)). This was incredibly kind and is something I have never forgotten.

Once we are on the train (mind you I had to kick my father off haha), we traveled and I actually ran into a girl I went to high school with who had left years before. So funny where life brings you, so we traveled together until Texas. I then met a nice older couple that I had breakfast and dinner with whose story was somewhat similar to mine. She kept telling me what an adventure my life would be...she was right ;)

After arriving in Los Angeles, we were 8 hours behind schedule. This older couple helped me load my luggage and the gentleman ran ahead to let the next train know I was on my way over and not to pull out, I load up on that train and a couple of hours later get off at the Lompoc train stop.

I step out and I see behind me Pacific Ocean and in front of me...CORNFIELDS!!! The first serious WTF moment of my life. So, I start to load up on the bus to go into town and am told it is full and I need to call a cab. Stress level rising.

I go to the pay phone (it is 2000 people) and the cord to the phone is cut.

So, to recap I am in the middle of freaking no where, the last bus of the day to town is full and I can't call anyone. Oh yeah, and I have a 4 month old!

I start looking around quite panicked begging the bus driver to let me on or come back or give me a phone when a nice little old lady walks over and asks me what is wrong. I am half sobbing half yelling because I have no idea what I am going to do. All I could think of is what sort of mess have I managed to get myself in to.

So she takes me by the shoulders and brings me to meet her husband, they calm me down, get my story and tell me a bit about themselves. They were there because apparently, this was the best place in the city to see the sunset. After a bit they offered to take me to the base-my end destination.

The 80's child in me freaked. Millions of missing child posters flashed before my eyes; runaway train played through my head. All I could imagine is my mother screaming and yelling at me, but I was sort of out of options. Unless some other people with a cell phone or a taxi just happened to come out to see the ocean after the sunset I was going to sit at that train depot (with no attendant this was tracks and a platform, and a broken payphone) outside in the middle of cornfields by myself all night. So, I explained how hesitant I was. They understood and had a cell phone they said I could call a taxi or to save some money I could hold on to their cell phone while they drove me to the base. I called a phone number to make sure the phone worked and graciously took their sweet offer to drive me to the base. After talking with them for nearly an hour I felt no fear, no bad vibes.

Off we went and they gave me a tour of the area around the base and when we pulled up turns out this guy was well known on the base they let us on through and he dropped us right in front of the dormitory my husband was living in and let me use the phone to call inside and let him know I was there.

I was such a mess, those people did not have to help me, but they did. I have always remember the love and compassion I felt that day. The only thing they wanted in return was for me to pay it forward someday. I still haven't done my pay it forward deed, but someday it will come and I know I will know that moment, until they I try to be compassionate to everyone I meet and know they are fighting some sort of battle and know a little compassion can go a long way to help them through their tough times.

Tweet #1000Speak

Weekend Update, Goals, & Menu

Wow! Working my way to a full year's worth of meal plans on here, hard to believe!

Also hard to believe we are so far through July!

This past weekend looked like this (what few pictures I took)

I started Saturday out with some Insanity, then we just relaxed all day it was really hot so we worked some around the house then just rested. Sunday though it was rainy so I made that bad ass piece of blueberry coffee cake, we biked to a movie during a reprieve of the rain, after we came out it was POURING buckets so we grabbed some Chinese (I guess that was the cuisine) then biked home where my amazing husband put my purse UNDER his shirt for the ride home so it wouldn't get wet! That folks is true love! ...and that is how I will end my weekend <3 p="">

Last week's Menu Plan Monday post I listed a few goals here was my success with them:

• Follow workout schedule-Met with success! This one is always pretty easy for me though!
• Get stuff moved over to new apartment-DONE!  Everything is unloaded and put away...old apartment is even cleaned out! WOOHOO!
• Follow meal plan-Met with SUCCESS! It has been a REALLY long time since I have been able to say this....and because I followed my workout schedule and my meal plan I am feeling AMAZING!
• Get in green smoothies & one salad everyday-IMPORTANT!-Here is where I wasn't as successful as I wanted to be. I was great when it came to salads I really got one in everyday, sometimes twice and really enjoyed them. I tried several different green smoothie's everyday and this goal helped me realize one thing...I really just do NOT like green smoothies no matter how hard I try! Oh well, I love green juices and salads so not liking one thing doesn't really bother me. At least I learned something about myself ;)
• Get back on to working on my Index Card a Day project-No success here at all lol I was so concentrated on making sure I worked out, got everything done around the house, stayed active during the day getting sun and bike riding, and looking for real life jobs that this feel by the way-side...good thing there is this week!

Goals for this week:

• Continue being successful at last week's met goals: following meal plan, workout schedule, and eating my salads
• Be a bit more organized and prep food for the week, including healthy snacks
• Return to Index Card a Day Project
• Start my book for the around the world reading challenge

One of my goals this week is to be a bit more organized...especially when it comes to having snacks handy. I don't like to buy a ton of pre-made snacks and going out gets expensive like I mentioned last week...so, here is what I'm doing for this week:

P.S. After you read my meal plan make sure to visit Org Junkie for other meal plans ;)

Snacks 
(make on Monday)
Carrot Banana Granola Balls
Chocolate Chunk Muffin Tops
Banana Fudge Pops
Ham, Veggie Cheese Kabobs  and Garlic Parm Chickpeas (will put these together in tupperware/baggies as a grab and go snack)

Breakfast:
Raw Buckwheat Porridge (MWFS)

• For the teenager: cereal with banana

Egg sandwiches with sweet potato fries (T,TH)
French toast with sausage (Sunday treat)

Lunch:
Creamy Veggie Casserole (I will be making quite a few changes to make this "real food" friendly, will post what I come up with) (MWF)
Homemade Spaghetti-o's with mini chicken meatballs and salad (T, Th) (will prep all at the beginning of the week so it is easy to dish out and reheat
Saturday we will do a late lunch/early dinner as we will take a trip over to the beach so long as it is nice and let the kiddo do some surfing and then we will head over to a place called the Safari Club and get some charcoal BBQ (this will be a HUGE treat it is so hard to find charcoal BBQ/smoked food over here)!
Sunday: See what leftovers we have...if none then will do some ham and cheese crescent rolls with salad

Dinner:
Monday: (Meatless) Soup and baked potato
Tuesday: Shredded chicken quesadillas with corn and salad
Wednesday: Chicken nuggets and honey glazed carrots and fruit (recipe from the Fresh 20 cookbook)
Thursday: Chicken wings/cauliflower "wings" with salad and corn/sugar snap peas
Friday: Homemade calzones with salad and a movie
Saturday: hopefully the weather is good so we can get BBQ at the beach!
Sunday: Chicken alfredo (I will adapt this for me somehow to make it healthier), with homemade garlic bread, and salad


Since moving to Europe my love for cooking has really come back full force and I am loving it! I went through such a lull there where I just was not motivated, but being motivated and feeling good has been amazing! Do you ever go through "funk" periods where you just can't seem to be productive? What do you do to get out of it?

I hope everyone has a great week! HAPPY MONDAY! (Yeah, you should be awake now ;))

Thankful Thursday...Throwback Thursday....maybe both??

It is almost Thursday here, as we prepare for a huge adventure in our lives I find little momentos here and there that make me smile. There are just some things that you cannot get rid of. One of this things for me is this:

It's such a fun little retro item isn't it?! I believe it was given to me by my Grandfather, he died when I was 3 but I still vaguely remember him. That or I just saw so many pictures of him and my mother and Grandmother told me so many stories I just think I remember him. 

This item though brings back so many fun memories. I remember being in elementary school and by Florida standards I remember it being freezing cold and my mother didn't often bring this set out but she made my breakfast in this set: hot cocoa with marshmallows (good ones too not the crappy ones In the Swiss miss packet lol), toast, and oatmeal. I have no idea why I remember that, but I do. I hope my daughter has memories like this when she is my age. Heck, I'm sure she will have memories of this set...I fed her with it often when she was little.

Here is an unedited version of the set:

Do you have any thing like this? What is one item for you that brings back warm, fuzzy memories?

Menu Plan Monday #38 +being away from the child

Happy Monday y'all!

So, I know today many people aren't happy about waking up to, but I am waking up in England!

Crazy right?! This is my first time in Europe and I am enjoying every second of it and already can't wait to come back!

As excited as we are to be here it sadly has taken us away from our not-so-little-one for a few days. These times can be so heart-wrenching! I love her to pieces and hate to miss any time with her, but I do think in the long run it is good for all of us. About once a year we spend a week a part. The teenager usually goes to sleep away camp and to stay with family and the husband and I get some alone time. It gives the teenager time to bond with her grandparents, aunts/uncles, and cousins and to learn to sort of be on her own. It gives my husband and I, who never really had that alone time couples have in the beginning since we had her so young, time to focus on each other. In the beginning I think we are all excited to get away from one another since we spend so much time together, but by the end we are all ready for it to be over and to be back together!

So, I guess what I am trying to say is as precious as these days are with our young children if you want to get away, don't feel guilty there are a lot of benefits! This time around our daughter is staying with two of her friends who have two very different parents. One set of parents is about our age and as easy going as us, if not a little more easy going. The other set is an older set of parents who adopted their child and they are pretty easy going and enjoy giving the kids their independence!

I feel like these times away from us as few as they are have such a lasting impression and really help her to find out who she is as we aren't there to help her make decisions and aren't easily contacted at the drop of a hat!

Anyway...enough about my ramblings...let's get to what you are here for...

Tue

Org Junkie

This is yet another weird week for us. We are out of town at the beginning of the week and have to go out of town for a cheerleading competition at the end of the week!

Breakfasts: cereal with banana, shakeology

Lunches: Shakeology, sandwiches (pb&j & turkey on whole wheat) with salad/grapes

Dinner: 

Monday: Out of town, something around London-fish and chips most likely if I haven't had it yet ;)

Tuesday: Pick up from the grill at the market or order in pizza & salad from an organic local place

Wednesday: Broccoli/Cauliflower/Spaghetti squash cheese bake with salad

Thursday: Burrito cups: mexican flavored chicken breasts, black beans, cauli-rice, tomatoes, onion, and lettuce layered in a cup

Friday: Eat on the road to cheer compeition

Saturday: Celebrate V-day by checking out an awesome restaurant in Tacoma after the cheer competition with my honey

Sunday: Get a meal from the market or order in something from a local place.

It is proving to be a seriously busy week but I think we can handle it! February will be gone before I know it!

Family Favorites Friday #3

This is another classic. My mom made it since I was a kid, but many people don't know what I am talking about when I say what it is: Magic Cookie Bars.

Many people call them 7 layers bars, but not sure why because the recipe I use only has 5 ingredients, or layers, plus they are practically gone the instant they are cool enough to cut, so we will stick with "magic".

This particular recipe my mom always used was found on the inside label of Eagle Brand Sweet and Condensed Milk. I tweak it because, well, my family is picky. So...here is the recipe:

Magic Cookie Bars

-1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs

-1/2 cup of butter, melted

-10-14 oz (about 300ml) can of sweet & condensed milk

-package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

-a little shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a 9X13 pan measure out the graham cracker crumbs.

2. Melt the butter. Pour over crumbs and mix together. Once combined use your hands to press the crust into the bottom of the pan.

3. Open the sweet and condensed milk and pour evenly over the crust. Try and get it as even as possible because once it is on there you can not really move it, but it does sort of naturally spread and settle so however you pour it so long as you cover most of the crust it will be fine.

4. Evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.

5. Evenly sprinkle some shredded coconut over the top. We have someone in our house who isn't a coconut fan so I just sprinkle it over half.

See half with coconut, half without! Pretty darn simple!

Here they are baked! Not the best picture in the world, but they sure are heavenly!

What is a favorite recipe you and your family love?

Menu Plan Monday #37 +a lesson on patience

My teenager has had three, count them three cheerleading competitions this year. In one they came in 2nd place, but it was out of two...so essentially last.

The next competition they came in fifth...out of fifth. I was really upset for my daughter because she was trying quite hard. She was very upset.

Pyramid from 2nd Compeititon

But, she stayed positive. She worked hard, she encouraged her teammates even when she was getting some negative text messages this past week like, "ready to lose Sunday?" Despite this she worked on her balance, she was moved to point for a portion of the routine, she stretched daily, and worked on not saying anything negative...even after practices that were hard she would tell me it was one of the best practices she'd ever been to. Well, Sunday comes and the negativity of her teammates seemed it increase despite them being excited to perform. She went in with a fierce attitude and practiced hard before going out on to the floor in the performance centre. She kept a huge smile on her face, she picked a judge and did what all good cheerleaders do...smiled her biggest smile and showed as much personality as humanly possible. My little ham even gave a cute little wink at the judges! So, these girls performed their hearts out, hit just about every stunt as far as I could see, moved their little booties during their tumbling passes, and danced their little hearts out at the end. This resulted in them competing against the exact same five teams from the last competition and them going from last place to first place! I couldn't be more proud of these little ladies and their ability to pull together and work hard.

Here is my little ham loving her medal. She even took it to school to show a couple of her teachers that know about her cheering.

So, life throws us lemons many times throughout our lives. We can either get hit in the head with them or make it a goal to become a better catcher and learn to juggle. I think my kiddo's positive attitude despite not having the best start to the season is an amazing trait! I hope it is one she never loses!

Anyway, enough about  my bragging...here's the menu for the week.

It's short and sweet, we are out of the country at the end of the week so I will have tons of food to post about when we get back at some point next week. May be early in the week, may be late in the week will just have to see how the trip goes and if we can squeeze anymore time out of our little trip!

I chose to use this banner this week for the Org Junkie Link-up because we are having a serious cold snap up here in BC! We have been super lucky and temps have been around 40 Fahrenheit, but now it is only in the 20's Fahrenheit! But, I have some seriously healthy meals designed around this weather that also uses up our leftovers before we head out at the end of the week!

Menu Board Tutorial

If you haven't made one of these...do it! It is the best ever and when I use it...I always stick to my menu!

Breakfast: Shakeology, eggs and veggies, cream of wheat

Lunch: Shakeology, leftovers

Dinner:

Monday: pork chops, brown rice/cauli-rice, peas

Tuesday: Chicken fried rice using the leftover rice/cauli-rice, peas, carrots

Wednesday: Chicken and cheese omelettes with bacon and any leftovers from the previous night and veggies

Thursday: Chicken and cheese quesadillas with leftover veggies (most likely carrots....hope we don't turn orange! haha ;))

Friday: Will eat a late lunch/early dinner at the airport after check-in....most of the decent looking places are prior to security so it won't be anything too exciting, classic pub fare no doubt...how to keep that healthy will be a fun challenge! ;)

Saturday: Somewhere fun and exciting in our destination city

Sunday: Again will no doubt be somewhere fun and exciting in our destination city...cannot wait to try some traditional local fare! 

What all does everyone have planned for this week?

Me, I am heading to the doctor, then off to buy a new planner, then the rest of my week will be filled with cleaning, stocking my Etsy store, working out, and packing for our trip! 

Menu Plan Monday #35

Hi all! So, our weekend was rather uneventful all in all.

Friday night we spent visiting friends in the 'burbs so she could cut my hair, the guys had to put together a computer, and then we had dinner together and played games. They cooked us kebabs and sweet 'tater fries. I should have taken a picture but was afraid they'd think me a freak so I figure we should get to know them a bit more before I start snapping pictures of my food. Of course, if they read this then the ice is broken so I say I am free to snap all the photos I want of food.

Moving on...Saturday the teen & I spend the day at the mall after an early morning workout. We have been searching for clue...seems there has been a run on it as I can't find it anywhere! Seriously, what the heck?! Anyway, then we tried a new restaurant for our weekly New Restaurant day. You can read about it here. Then, the husband and I took some time to go out dancin'! That was fun, hadn't dressed up and done that in a few months.

Sunday was a very lazy day. It was spend mostly getting ready for the week and not moving from the couch. I did however take the time to do quite a bit of meal planning and prep...are ya ready?! Here we go....

Org Junkie

Breakfast: Eggs & bacon/avocado, Banana Muffins, root veggie hash & eggs

Lunch: Shakeology, leftovers, tuna salad, chicken salad, 

Snacks: Shakeology, banola & almond milk, 21DSD pb cups, nut mix, green apples & peanut butter

Dinner:

Monday: Shepard's pie and salad; for the hubby I will make him a burger with corn and peas

Tuesday: Sole with cauliflower soup/chicken soup for the hubby, with a side of quinoa/rice

Wednesday: Hot and sour ginger garlic chicken (I am going to adapt this for the crockpot), with cucumber salad and some leftover rice/quinoa (and corn for the hubby)

Thursday: Pork Chops with broccoli and whatever is leftover (soup, rice, quinoa, etc)

Friday: New Restaurant Friday: I have no idea where we will try yet, but it will be something yummy, but cheap lol Will be a challenge to find something in my 21 day sugar detox diet when we go out. :P

Saturday: Ginger-garlic beef and broccoli/corn (for hubby), with rice/cauli-rice

Sunday: Double pork tenderloin (basically a bacon wrapped pork tenderloin), green apple salad, and whatever is left of the quinoa/rice/cauli-rice.

Here is some of my prep work:

My 21 Day Sugar Detox Spaghetti Bolognese leftovers. This is the best recipe in the world. I am addicted to it!

Some hard boiled eggs, avocado, some coconut cream, and some cucumber and tomato salad.

This is my leftover bin. There is my homemade italian dressing, some butter, som green beans and rice, and some shakeology.

My apples I was about to cut up. They are so delicious with some fresh peanut butter!

So, that is what we have going on this week. If you didn't see it at the end of last week also make sure to go check out the super cute Valentine's Heart Garland Tutorial I put up!

Tell me, what are you all having this week? I am always looking for some delicious, healthy recipes to try...have any favourites I need to cook up??

Family Favorites Friday!!! #2

I was a bit disorganized last week and didn't get a Family Favorites Friday post up! Oh well, those things happen.

This past weekend though, during my baking I found a new family favorite: FUDGE!!!   It is so gooey and delicious, it really cannot be beat. Plus, it is super, duper easy!

Easy Fudge

Ingredients

• -1.5 cups sugar (regular, old fashioned white sugar)
• -5 ounces evaporated milk (full fat)
• -1/2 cup of butter
• -2 cups of small marshmallows
• -1 heaping cup semisweet chocolate chips
• -1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Process
• 1. Line and 8x8 square pan with parchment. Make sure it comes up and crosses over the the edges, you may have to criss-cross the parchment.
• 2. Butter a non-stick sauce pan (2 qt). Combine The sugar, evaporated milk, and butter. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until boiling (around 10 minutes). Reduce heat to medium. Stir constantly for the next 6 minutes (set your timer). Really, continue stirring or it will get stuck to the sides and burn...ick.
• 3. Remove from heat. Add marshmallows, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Stir until the marshmallows and chocolate chips are all melted.
• 4. Spread mixture into the parchment lined pan. To get the look I have cover with sprinkles and tiny marshmallows on top. Put in the fridge and let cool. At least 2-3 hours.
• 5. After that time, when it feels firm enough, take it out of the pan and cut into small squares and store in an air tight container.
• 
  

This is a super yummy recipe and I 100% recommend making this ASAP....especially if your Santa is a fudge fan, s/he'd be ever so grateful! ;)

Make sure to check out the other recipes I've posted this week:

S'mores Pops

Birthday Cake Pancakes

Birthday Cake Pancakes!!!!! (& a sleepover organization tip!)

This past weekend was my daughter's birthday. Normally we are huge, huge on birthdays. I mean the day of we celebrate the heck out of that person but this birthday was a crazy one and we celebrated her literally all weekend long!

It started with a big surprise party with 10 of her closest friends from school (how they all kept it secret I will never know, but boy was she surprised!). This was a total surprise to her. We had told her that due to our family Christmas gift we couldn't really afford the big party she originally wanted to she could invite a girlfriend or two to spend the night. Well, immediately after that I decided to coordinate the surprise party. I am so happy it worked out. The girls were so sweet and made it so special for her. I unfortunately didn't get the "surprise" on video, but here is on of them singing to her.

Then, on Saturday we let her have a sleep over since that was her "original" birthday party  with three of her girlfriends. I made homemade pizza, ribs, and peas (the mom in me can't go without a veggie on their plates; and contrary to what the USDA believes I don't count tomato sauce as a veggie). I don't buy paper plates or plastic cups so our cups were going to get used up very quickly with six of us in the house so I decided a bit of organization was in order. I thought at first about writing on the cups with dry erase marker, but was slightly worried that it would rub off and they'd still get them confused. So, I came up with this....

It was super easy. Just used a few post it notes, wrote their name on them and put the cups where they belonged! They could come out and grab a little water or soda, take a swig and either rinse it an put it down, or if it still had stuff in it just put it down over their name! They loved it and even thought it was a great idea!!

Now on to what you really came here for...

Birthday Cake Pancakes!!!

The original recipe that I used is here. I did mostly the same stuff. Here is what I did...

Ingredients

-Betty Crocker Party Rainbow Chip Cake Mix

-3 Eggs

-1 Cup of Water

-1/3 Cup of Melted Coconut Oil

First, I poured in the cake mix and took a wooden spoon to it to break up any lumps. Next, I added the eggs, water and oil and mixed it up, just until mixed. I also smoothed out any large lumps. I found since this is a cake mix it all mixed together pretty smoothly and I had no lumps.  

Once I got toward then end I poured them all willy nilly in the bottom just to get them made...after all I had four very hungry teenage girls! 

But, as you can see most of them I made quite nicely. See how beautifully they brown up? I pour a little maple syrup over top with some sprinkles. The original recipe shows using icing, but my kiddo isn't a huge fan so I avoided it. The other girls here didn't actually use anything at all to top their pancakes they were sweet enough without it.

All lit up!!!

The Birthday Girl blowing out her candles!

These made amazing pancakes. I couldn't even eat a whole one though, they are quite filling and a very special treat for a birthday boy or girl! I think these will definitely be a tradition in our house!

Does your family have any fun birthday traditions?

S'mores pops! Anybody want a s'mores pop???

This past weekend , since we didn't do a whole lot outside of the house I made myself super busy inside the house! Last year I was more of a store bought cookie kind of gal because it was super difficult for me to get used to the dark dreary days of living in the PACNW. This year however I was determined to make things different and decided to cook up some treats!

Here is the first of the treats I made. It is super simple and requires very little actual cooking.

S'mores Treat Pops
-Candy lollipop sticks
-Large Marshmallows
-Semi-sweet chocolate chips
-Graham Cracker Crumbs
-Milk
-Large, parchment covered plate
Optional: Washi tape

1. The first thing I did was decide how many pops I actually wanted to make. My bag of pop sticks came with 50 so I decided 25 would be enough so I had 25 sticks for a later project. I picked out my 25 & covered them in various colours and patterns of washi.

2. Take a pop stick and stick it into a marshmallow, repeat this for however many marshmallows you choose to make.

3. Measure out half a cup (1 cup) of chocolate chips, add a dash of milk (1/2  tablespoon or so, add slowly because you can always add more, but can't take it away). Melt in microwave in 10-15 second increments and stir until smooth. (Be very careful not to overheat as then you will have something that resembles burnt fudge and that is no bueno.)

4. Pour a bit of graham cracker crumbs into a dish. Make sure they cover the bottom of the dish you are using. I would say you'll need at least a half cup of crumbs. Also, get out a large size plate and cover it with parchment paper or wax paper.

5. Take one marshmallow and dip it into the melted chocolate, then dip it into the graham cracker crumbs. Place it on the parchment covered plate to harden. Repeat this until you have covered as many marshmallows as you want! If it is fairly warm in your home (we keep ours set at Caribbean) you may want to place your plate in the fridge for a bit so the chocolate can harden.

6. For storage I have mine on the kitchen counter in plastic bags and they are doing great! If you wanted to give these as a gift you could easily cover them with some saran and a piece of ribbon, especially if you coordinated it all to your washi!

What is your favourite no-bake holiday treat????

Menu Plan Monday #30 +the obligatory weekend recap

Welcome back to Monday!!! 16 days until Christmas and just 6 days until my "baby" is 14!!! Where has the time gone?! I used to get so annoyed at my mother for saying that, but geez, now that I'm an adult I say it all the time. So, sorry, Mom-I totally feel ya now!

Anyway, this weekend was a big weekend for my daughter, she had her first cheer competition of the season. They didn't win this one, but they know what their deductions are to work on for the next time...biggest tip: make sure everyone's shoes are tied well! Here's the weekend in pictures....

So her competition was at the Olympic Oval in Richmond, BC. Gorgeous facility and area. We took the skytrain and this was just about a 10 min walk from the train. It was so cold, but I'm pretty sure with the way the lines were to pay for parking on the way out we saved ourselves a solid hour at least by taking the train!

The girls after they performed! They did amazing. So proud!

Her new t-shirt, she was super stoked to get it!

Went grocery shopping to start my holiday eat good challenge this week. I even managed to turn grocery shopping into a workout. I even took the hilliest way home possible to work up a sweat! 

After dinner, the advent calendar activity was to bake gingerbread men. Aren't they cute? We used up the last of our Halloween candy to decorate them! hehehe ;)

Now that you know what we've been up to, let's move on to a very important part of starting our week off on the right foot....

Org Junkie Menu Plan Monday

This week I am starting my first clean eating support group, so my meals will reflect our clean eating. Eating good, clean foods is so important for our health and overall fitness. In fact, it may be even more important than your actual workout because we all know that no matter how much you workout, you can't outwork a bad diet.

Breakfast

Monday: Kiddo: Cereal with banana Me: Green Juice & 2 hard boiled eggs

Tuesday: Kiddo: French toast bites, hard boiled egg, and apple slices Me: Big Ass Pancake with nut butter and banana

Wednesday: Charity Breakfast

Thursday: Same as Monday

Friday: Same as Tuesday

Saturday: Omelette's with bacon and back bacon

Sunday: Treats from yoga ;)

Lunch:

Monday: Leftovers from Saturday's meal

Tuesday: Veggie burrito bowls

Wednesday: Leftover's of some kind

Thursday: Kiddo: Grilled Cheese bites and soup Me: Beet Juice and hard boiled eggs

Friday: Kiddo: Philly cheese steak kebabs with peppers and carrots Me: Beet Juice and hard boiled eggs

Saturday: Grilled cheese, cucumber bites, and soup

Sunday: Bacon and cheese potato rounds/sweet potato rounds, salad

Dinner:

Monday: (Red and Green Themed Dinner) Spaghetti with salad (traditional and spaghetti squash)

Tuesday: Chicken Wings/chickpea nuggets with veggies 

Wednesday: BBQ cheese burgers, zucchini, corn, carrot mash

Thursday: Taco's with salad

Friday: Ribs with potato and sweet potato wedges with roasted carrots

Saturday: Make your own pizza's with salad

Sunday: Dinner out at Hamburger Mary's for her big 1-4 (New Restaurant Friday "throw back")!

Snacks: Fruit, veggies, hummus and lentil chips,  and protein balls, and Shakeology

Come on over and follow me on Instagram as I will be posting pictures & recipes of my dinner's all week to keep me accountable and following my menu...if you come connect over on Facebook, tell me about your menu or show me pictures!

So, this is what we are planning for the week; lots of homemade, delicious food. What sort of yummies do you have on your menu? Trying any new recipes? 

Menu Plan Monday #29 + a small weekend recap

Good Monday Morning! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! Ours wasn't too busy for once we mostly just hung out at home. The husband caught up on some gaming, I got quite a few projects completed, we decorated the house for Christmas and did the laundry! Here is what it looked like in pictures...

For New Restaurant Friday we went to a place called Abode. It is close to our house located in the Blue Horizon Hotel. Those chicken wings were amazing (the sauce they come with was bleh, don't eat that), the steak and frites was good (especially the frites), the buger and salad I had were amazing as well. Although that took some squishing and cutting to get one bite in my mouth! ha! Don't know if we will go back any time soon, but it was enjoyable if you are in the area.

This was the rest of our weekend Saturday my daughter's gym had their showcase. First competition is next weekend, we are so excited! Then I worked on her advent calendar, I made some yarn covered "sticks"  (tutorial to come), I worked on a wreath, and did some yoga! It was a fabulous weekend all-in-all and can't wait to do it in 4 more days!

Now though it's time to get down to business for the week...

Go check out all the other menu's linked up at Org Junkie!

Breakfast Options:

Hard boiled eggs, overnight oats, muffins, pancakes, sweet potato/potato hash

Lunch Options:

Leftovers, egg muffins, salad, philly roll ups

Dinner:

Monday: Pizza Burgers with salad

Tuesday: Beef stew with rolls or cornbread

Wednesday: Leftovers/Breakfast for dinner

Thursday: Pork chops with carrots, squash, corn

Friday: New Restaurant Friday

Saturday: Sausage and peppers with roast potato & sweet potato pieces

Sunday: Chicken breasts with corn, sauteed pears or pear sauce, and squash

So, that is it for me today! What are you doing to get ready for the holidays? 

DIY: Christmas Countdown Calendar (Advent Calendar) +free printable!

I don't normally do much posting on the weekend, but this project has been in the works for a few days and with December 1 pending tomorrow I decided to make sure this got up today!

Now that American Thanksgiving is over, the holiday's are officially in full swing for my family! Even up here in Canada they had several "Black Friday" sales, it was fun to get out and pick up some goodies to put under the tree! I had also been working on getting something special prepped for my teenager for the holiday's. 

We always do some sort of advent/countdown calendar. I wanted this year's to be about more than just candy, but I also didn't want to give little trinkets that would just take up space and clutter up our small apartment. So, I came up with some clutter-less activities that allow us to spend time together as a family and give to those around us. Here is how I did it...

Supplies

• Advent Activities printed on Sticker paper
• Something to put the candy/activities in
• 1" punch
• Small Candy

I gathered my advent calendar, the printable I made, my 1" punch, and some Hershey's kisses.

I used these kisses:

They were all my Shopper's had...and they are amazing!

Above is the 1" punch I use. If you don't have one but you craft a lot I highly recommend this one by EK Success. It is compact, it is an "easy punch", and it can be used for a variety of things...namely bottle cap crafts! So, take this punch and turn it upside down like this: 

Centre it over the words and wreath, and punch! I punched all of mine out first... 

....and then stuck it to the bottom of the Hershey's Kiss!

Cute, huh?!

Then I put it behind the appropriate door! 

Now, something to keep in mind when deciding which activities to use is check your calendar. Some of the activities are quite easy and can be done even on a busy day. For example one is read a holiday book, another is have dinner in front of the Christmas Tree, have a red & green themed dinner. Those are things that don't really take any extra effort, but can go a long way in making great memories!

I printed this calendar and as I put the activities in the box, I wrote down what was being done on each day so that way each evening I can look ahead to what activity is on schedule for the next day so if it involves pancakes, waffles, hot cocoa, etc I can make sure those are prepped the night before; or, if it involves going somewhere I can make sure I tell everyone to be on schedule!

Now, how did I come up with the activity ideas? I tried to choose things that were cheap, mostly clutter-less, and ones that could help my teenager think of others. I scoured pinterest, facebook, and and several blogs looking for ideas, but most of them are unique because honestly most of the ideas I found involved a lot of "stuff" or expense. 

Here are the ideas I used and what I am doing for each one:

Hot Cocoa Breakfast with cookies

Cinnamon Ornament

Make an ornament

Design Your own Tree

Make gift for teacher(s)

Holiday Light Displays

Ice Skating-Sundae Bar

See a parade

Reflect on the year

Commemorate the day in video or pics

Look at neighborhood lights

Play Charades

Red & Green Themed Dinner

RAK Day

Have a dance party

Sing Carols

Game night

Make presents for cheer coaches

Snowboarding

Go play in the snow

Roast marshmallows in the fire

Go see a holiday movie in theater

Make goals for next year

Popcorn Garland

Mail Xmas Cards to friends

Xmas Trivia

Popcorn & Movie

Look @ Xmas Lights

Merry Christmas

Tree Lighting & Carol Ships (this is unique to our city, but your city may have a tree lighting)

Donate coats to a charity

Night Before Christmas (movie/book)

Donate a toy to charity

Bake Gingerbread Men

Make Fudge

Make puff pain snowflakes

Candle light dinner

Polar Express (movie/book)

Make mom & dad a present

Pancakes & Cocoa

Open Presents

Dress fancy for dinner

Bake Spritz Cookies

Write to Santa

Visit holiday attraction at a museum

Take a cookie basket to friends (use the cookies you've baked earlier in the countdown)

Do something nice for Mom & Dad

Magic Cookie Bars

Waffles & Cocoa

Living room fort

PJ Party

Christmas Market

Visit Santa

Dinner in front of Xmas Tree

Breakfast in front of Xmas Tree

List what you are thankful for

Craft Day

How the Grinch Stole Xmas

Send hug to out of town family

Look at the holiday window displays

Holiday Book

Xmas Movie

On Friday's and the days my teen is on holiday break I put in two activities because I really wanted us to be doing a lot together. I think this will be so fun.

Some ideas in the event you don't have an advent calendar like I do above....pin socks to a line of string hung on the wall, hang numbered socks on the tree and the let the kids pick them off each day, hang a string or string of lights and use numbered clothespins to pin pieces of paper with the day's activity to it. Think outside the box, have fun with it!

How do you kick off your holiday season???

I would love to see your holiday activities! Leave a link in the comments or some share with us on facebook!