Scuba Diving and Swim Team!

This past weekend was fun! On Saturday Keaton continued getting Scuba certified for his upcoming spring break trip. I remember my first time breathing under water, it was absolutely exhilarating! He has his four open water dives, and then he's complete. Chase did fantastic at his swim meet on Saturday. He beat his personal best by 20 seconds. Doesn't sound like a lot, but in swimming it really is. He came in 2nd place in his heat for free-style, and 3rd in his heat for breast stroke. I had a fun concert on Saturday night. I've been loving singing with the Salt Lake Choral Artists, here's a review of the concert if you're interested. reichelrecommends.com

Here's my menu for the week:
Monday: Barbecued Boneless Beef Ribs, Quinoa and Broccoli with CheeseSauce
Tuesday: Gourmet Chicken Sandwich, Potato Chips, Veggie Tray
Wednesday: Turkey Taco Soup, Tortilla Chips, Avocadoes, Cheddar Cheese and Sour Cream
Thursday: Puffed Oven Pancake with Berries and Spinach Smoothie
Friday: BLT Pasta with Spinach Salad and Apricot Smoothie
Saturday: Mom's night off! :)
Sunday: Dinner with the Wall's

I slept in on Friday!

Yes, the headliner is about me sleeping in! I was nearly giddy on Thursday night because I have been craving a 'sleep in' for several weeks now! The kids had no school on Friday, Jud had no work on Friday, I had no commitments on Friday morning! I didn't get out of bed until 8:30am--it was heavenly! Random, I know. But one of life's little pleasures.

Here's my menu for the week:
Monday: Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce and Spinach Salad
Tuesday: Thai Chicken Satay, Mango and Coconut Rice Salad with Stir Fry Vegetables.
Wednesday: Broiled Parmesan Tilapia, Quinoa Cakes, Vegetable Platter and Apricot Smoothie
Thursday: Tomatillo and Chicken Stew, Quesadillas and Cobb Salad
Friday: French Toast, Scrambled Eggs and Spinach Smoothie
Saturday: Mom's night off!
Sunday: Chicken Cordon Bleu, Jasmine Rice, Green Beans and Fruit Salad

The Lacrosse season is upon us....

Highschool Lacrosse starts this week, with full-fledge practices every day from 3:45pm to 6. Will we survive??? I think so! But, I'll tell you what, I CAN'T WAIT until Keaton can drive!!!

In other fun news, Chase got braces and looks adorable (and really hasn't complained much:), Brooks' basketball team is undefeated and really fun to watch, Landon was star of the week last week and is still beaming from all of the attention, and Keaton was selected to go to the District Science Fair and District Solo and Ensembles for trombone. Fun stuff!

My menu for the week:

Monday: Beef Stew with Corn Muffins and my Incredible Hulk Smoothie
Tuesday: Lasagne (I use my bottled spaghetti sauce from the garden, yum!), Valentine Cheese Toast (Just cut the toast out with a heart shaped cookie cutter), Spinach Salad and Strawberries
Wednesday: Turkey Burgers and Homemade Tater Tots (yup, we like the tots!)
Thursday: No Cream of Soup Hawaiian Haystacks, Berry-Spinach Smoothie
Friday: Federation Celebration! It's our tradition to go out to dinner after piano Federation is finished. Tonight's the night!
Saturday: Ham, Cheese and Spinach Omelets
Sunday: Larson Family Dinner

Food Moods....

I think I've changed this menu about 4 times now. I don't know what kind of food I'm in the mood for, but I think this is the final change. Although, I just noticed I have two 'coconut' dishes in the same week. Grrrr... I hate it when I'm not food decisive!

My menu this week:

Monday: Thai Style Coconut Chicken with Steamed Jasmine Rice
Tuesday: BBQ Glazed Meatballs, Quinoa Cakes and Broccoli
Wednesday: Calabaza Corn and Coconut Soup with Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
Thursday: Tacos Supreme
Friday: Pizza Night!
Saturday: Mom's night off!
Sunday: Dinner with Grandma and Grandpa!

This week's menu

This is a repeat from last May, it was nice to just copy and paste my menu for the week, the only problem is that I lost the links in the process. I'll fix it tomorrow, I'm too tired tonight!

Monday: Crustless Quiche, french cheeses and breads, fresh fruit salad
Tuesday: Shepherd's Pie, spinach salad, fruit smoothie
Wednesday: Stromboli, Marinara and Ranch dipping sauce, Caesar Salad and chips
Thursday: Grilled Fish Tacos with Chipotle lime dressing
Friday: Mom's night off :)
Saturday: Oat Waffles, eggs, bacon and fruit
Sunday: Dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

Birthdays and our 16th Anniversary!

The third week of January is always an exciting one around our house! Keaton and Chase both have birthdays, and Jud and I have our anniversary. We had a great week. Keaton turned 15 and is chomping at the bit to get his Learners Driving Permit and get behind the wheel. Chase turned twelve and is 'finally' out of Primary! We had a neat experience as he received the Priesthood today. Jud and I celebrated 16 eventful years! I must say I was quite spoiled, which is what he does best. Not only did I get tickets to the musical "Wicked", I also got an awesome Ipad set up next to my stove (since I almost always use the internet for my recipes), and heated gloves for our ski trips (my hands are ALWAYS cold!). He also took me on a weekend getaway to a beautiful Bed and Breakfast in SLC. We had a fantastic time!


Here's my menu for the week:
Monday: Sweet Lime Chile Enchiladas with Sweet Pepper Rice and a Spinach Salad
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin, Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans
Wednesday: Chicken Fettucine Alfredo with Caesar Salad
Thursday: Chicken Corn Chowder with Popovers
Friday: Silver Dollar Pancakes and Eggs
Saturday: Mom's Night Off! :)
Sunday: Wall Family Dinner

A few great recipes

I didn't post my menu last week, but I used some great recipes that I don't want to lose. These are both five star recipes that I would highly recommend!

Molten Chocolate Cake with Sugar Coated Raspberries ( I used this recipe for Chase's birthday cake! I made individual cakes in custard bowls. Truly delicious!)

Chicken and White Bean Chili ( I have crashed and burned on all other white bean chilis, and thought I didn't like them, until I tried this one. Seriously, it is excellent! I used three cans of Great Northern Beans instead of soaking my own, cut the broth to three cups, and used only 1 1/2 tsp. of chili powder and no cayenne pepper. Try it, you'll thank me!)