This makes my heart smile

It was quiet

I grabbed my camera

this picture

makes my heart smile

here is my little man

in a strip of warm sun

playing dinos

he was so content

Macaroni and Hamburger

My little man

seems to have an opinion

on what he wants

for dinner

I was surprised

he asked for

Macaroni and hamburger

I have never been able

to get my kids to eat

macaroni

no matter how it's cooked

I roasted some vegetables

cut them in chunks

diced some garlic

tossed it all in grapeseed oil

roast at 350 until

the toughest veggies are tender

while my hamburger was cooking

I got out my add ins

I added the tomatoes

added 5 large spoonfuls of pesto

took my roasted vegetables out

put them on a paper towel

to remove the oil

mixed up to tomatoes and pesto

added some sour cream

I also decided to add

some left over shredded mozzarella

and the last bit of Parmesan cheese

drained the macaroni

put it in the bottom of the casserole dish

added the meat mixture

topped with the roasted vegetables

this was fantastic!

the kids loved it

my little man had two helpings

my big man had 3 helpings

make it

it's very yummy

Menu Plan Monday

I'm going to get right to it

MONDAY - Vegetarian

Quinoa and Kale

Roasted Vegetables

Salad

TUESDAY - Fish

Oven fried Fish and Chips

Salad

WEDNESDAY - Kids Choice

Macaroni and Hamburger Bake Salad

THURSDAY - BBQ

Indian Marinated Chicken

BBQ Potatoes

BBQ Veggies

FRIDAY

Pizza

Salad

SATURDAY

Soup Cut Vegetables

SUNDAY

SIMPLE

Head over to the

Organizing Junkie

for many more menu ideas

The difference of one day

We woke up

looked outside

it was different

different than yesterday

Yesterday

Today

Yesterday

Today

Yesterday

Today

It's the middle of April this is crazy for the west coast however, in all fairness it was gone by noon

Small Project

We upgraded to a king size bed

a few months ago

but we didn't have a frame

for it so it's been on the floor

I am not a big fan

of my bed on the floor

so I've been searching web sites

for bed frames and headboards

everything was pretty pricey

just the frame usually was around $150

at the same time

I was watching craigslist

I had a very specific idea

of they type of headboard

I was looking for

I wanted an antique style metal headboard

what I bought was a brass headboard

that came with the frame

I spent $100

I saw potential

I bought two spray cans of paint

I used some steel wool

just to scuff the brass up

this project took me

maybe 1/2 an hour

the paint was fast drying

here is my family attaching the headboard to the frame from me

We were given the box springs

from my brother and sister in law

who didn't need them

we purchased the mattress

from an older couple

who had it as a spare

that they didn't use

we had a nice comforter

but it ripped a few times

so I purchased a duvet cover

that costco had on the cheap

to cover the comforter

good luck for me

it matched my paint color

I'm very happy to be off the floor

and I completely LOVE how it turned out

Cheater Beef Dips

I love Beef Dips

my husband loves beef dips

but they really are not super healthy

I'm not saying that these ones are

but for a fast meal

you can add some great vegetables

to increase the goodness just a bit

I started with a bit of grapeseed oil

half an onion sliced

a few large mushrooms

diced half a yellow pepper

half a red pepper

and sauteed these until tender I used a packaged Au Jus

normally I would do a beef dip

on a week where I cook an actual roast

when I don't I use deli roast beef

and a nice crusty baguette I made the Au Jus

added the roast to the vegetables

just to heat it thru

I layered it onto the cut baguette

and served it with the Au Jus I found these bland

my husband and kids loved them

I would add more vegetables and spices

to jazz them up next time

however this is an easy meal for a day you need that for something off topic

the Alternative Human Society

is an organization we worked with when we rescued our dog last summer they are fantastic to work with

and want to match you and your family

with a dog that will fit into your family

this month they are highlighting Bullies

this mostly covers pit bulls

but also any bull dog

bull mastiff or in our case

american bulldog cross

their facebook page has great information

regarding these breeds

if you are thinking of adding a dog to your family

I encourage you to search out a similar Society

in your area

if you live locally, Canada or the USA

contact the Alternative Humane Society

you won't be sorry

Menu Plan Monday

I've been MIA

my motivation is almost nonexistent

I'm not sure why

I think it's linked to my depression

but I really don't know

so I'm on the band wagon

to get going again to feed my family

healthy food again

here is my menu for this week

I've kept it somewhat simple as

I get back into the groove

MONDAY

Easy Beef Burritos

Mexican Rice

Refried beans

Salad

my son loves wraps

my girly loves the bean and rice

so I'm hoping this will go over well

TUESDAY

Beef Dips

Salad

I'll jazz up the beef dips

WEDNESDAY

Southwestern Chicken Skillet

Roast veggies

I'll use leftover rice from Monday

THURSDAY

Baked Salmon

Quinoa

Salad

because of my kidlets love for fish

I'm going to try to cook it more often

FRIDAY

BBQ Chicken

BBQ Potatoes

Roast Veggies

I'll marinade the chicken not sure yet how

SATURDAY

Fancy Grilled Cheese

Tomato Soup

cut veggies

SUNDAY

simple dinner

or clean out the fridge

for more menu planning ideas head over to the Organizing Junkie

blogger is giving me some issues

sorry for the extra spaces