Home Sweet Home Team

Monday: Spaghetti and meatballs with salad Tuesday: Chicken Pot Pie Wednesday:  Loaded Potato Casserole with vegetable Thursday: Sandwiches Friday: Soup Saturday: Leftovers Look for updates throughout the week for recipes and pictures.

My two older girls are of an age where mommy/ daughter time is so important and can be very special if done correctly. There are lots of options to planning a special time with your daughter that cost little or nothing. Here are some ideas that are both inexpensive and fun. The idea is not how much money you spend, but the quality time spent with them and the memories you will make together. The following are ideas for preschool and early school age girls, but could be adjusted to older and younger children as well. DIY Mother/ Daughter Spa & Glam Night.   This is an evening of relaxation for both mom and daughter(s). Paint each other’s nails, get out the avocado mask, give each other makeovers, and even get dressed up and have a fashion show.    **If you have little extra money to spend, go to a nail salon together. Most salons will charge a discount fee for children. I have tried this before with my girls. It was so much fun. Tea Time.  Find your best table

This week I am starting  pantry challenge. The way it works is that I have  a list of items that I definitely want to use in my meals this week. Here is a preview of my dinner from last night. I made  enough salad for rest of the week and stored it mason jars in the fridge. Mango Chipotle Chicken Salad Pantry Basket Items mango chipotle salad dressing stuffing mix peppers potatoes apples ( we have lots of apples) -------- Proteins frozen turkey breast chicken thighs Ground beef --------- Here is what I came up with Monday- Mango Chipotle chicken salad, and rice Tuesday- Goulash Wednesday-  Tacos Thursday- Leftovers Friday - Sandwiches Saturday -  Roast turkey and potatoes So what is your plan for the week? XOXO, Jennifer

This week has been so very busy, and my two youngest children were sick pretty much all week.  Spring is in the air but were starting to feel some major cabin fever coming on just because of sickness. I've definitely been feeling that way and am looking forward to getting out of the house more often now that it is warming up (as long as everyone stays healthy), In the meal plan department I feel like I basically stayed on track. This is a good thing.  Meal Plan Monday : Goulash Tuesday: Pancakes, eggs, and breakfast hash with sausage Wednesday: Pizza  Thursday: Sandwiches Friday: Leftovers or soup Saturday: Chicken and Rice Stir Fry Leftover items in fridge that need to be used up: rice, and potatoes  --------- Actual Meal Plan On  Monday, I made a big batch of goulash. Both regular and white. For white goulash leave out the tomatoes. I served it with corn and homemade bread. Goulash 1 pound ground beef 1 small onion chopped  1 ca

I am so excited to announce that Home Sweet Home Team has been nominated for a Liebster Award.. The rules for the Liebster Blogging Award are as follows: * Thank the blog that nominated you and link back to them.. *Answer 11 questions from the blogger that nominated you.   *Tell readers 11 random facts about yourself... *Nominate up to 11 bloggers to receive the award next.. *Give your new nominees questions to answer about themselves. A Liebster Award is given by the blogging community to recognize and support new bloggers like ME!! I am so honored that Amy from  Third Shift Living nominated me.. Her blog is so awesome and I can sooo relate to many of her blog post.. As I read her articles, I can hear her "voice" just as if we are sitting in the same room together talking. One of my favorite posts of hers is " My New Daily Routine for Third Shift Workers ”.  I am not a third shift worker, but I

Here is the meal plan for this week: Monday: Goulash Tuesday: Pancakes, eggs, and breakfast hash with sausage Wednesday: Pizza  Thursday: Sandwiches Friday: Leftovers or soup Saturday: Chicken and Rice Stir Fry Leftover items in fridge that need to be used up: rice, and potatoes Note: The plan for the leftovers are to use the rice in a freezer meal for next Saturday, and the potatoes will likely become part of  breakfast  hash to go with our pancakes on Tuesday evening.  Snacks The plan for after school snacks this week is to use up the watermelon, and eat as many apples as possible. As we still have several bags left from when they were on sale at Stop and Shop for $1.99 last week. I also plan on having popcorn for at least one night, I tried to make a formal snack plan, but it did not work because not everyone likes the same things. In addition, on Friday it was not practical to do after school snacks because we ate dinner at 4:30.

Original Meal Plan Monday- Roast Chicken and Vegetables Tuesday-   Spaghetti and meatballs and salad Wednesday-   Chicken quesadillas and corn Thursday-   Sandwiches (made to order) Friday-   Goulash Saturday-  Pizza  ------------ Adjusted Meal Plan Monday- Roast Chicken and Vegetables Tuesday-   Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Bake Wednesday-   Chicken fajitas with rice and corn Thursday-   Lasagna ( freezer meal) Friday-   Sandwiches (made to order) Saturday-  Spaghetti and Meatball Bake  ( freezer   meal)  The purpose of a meal plan is to give you something to aim for, but sometimes life happens  so even the best intentions may not happen.  On Monday , this week I started with the roast chicken, which turned out wonderfully.  This was the first time I made this recipe.  I’m not sure why I’ve never made it before.  I guess I’ve always been intimidated to try it.  Perhaps I thought it to be too time consuming.  It turned out so well, and I

I used to love watching cable, but the truth was that I only watched about three or four channels, along with the cartoons that my kids watched almost constantly. Seven months ago we cut the cord on cable and have not looked back since.  Here are some tips that made life easier for everyone while cutting the cord on cable. 1.)  Internet Though we cut the cord on cable, but didn't go completely "off grid". We discovered that with high speed WiFi there still are many options for entertainment if you are willing to be flexible. Movies and TV** The obvious options for movies and TV shows online are Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.  All of these are paid subscriptions if watching recent shows is important to you. So far we have tried to stay away from a subscription and have opted for free services such as tubitv.com and YouTube. Tubitv.com is a website that hosts older TV shows, I was surprised to find a few shows that I used to watch on cable, and many

I need this t-shirt. I had big plans to get a lot done this month in terms of creating a workable routine in the evening that will alleviate some of the chaos which tends to happen in the at our house.  However, there was nothing routine about the way the month of February turned out. The entire family was sick in one form or another, and within the past two weeks our two year old son decided that he does not want to take naps anymore. In addition, he has been getting up during the night. Those of you with toddlers likely appreciate the consequences of giving up nap time.  For me, It meant that I had at least two hours ( possibly) of time when could  get caught up on laundry, clean, or just relax. Now without those two blissful hours in the afternoon, there are plenty more opportunities for further messes,  I know that we will get ourselves into our routine eventually during the month of March, but stay tuned. Looking ahead, I want to start the month of March with a clea

Over the weekend I found great sale on chicken at Stop and Shop, $.88/lb.  I also managed to get a great deal on frozen turkey breast, $ .99/lb. It may sound strange, but I have never actually made roast chicken before. I usually just buy the frozen chicken breasts.  I hope it turns out well, and the family likes it. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Here is my plan of action for dinner this week. I’m hoping to score some favorites this week.   Dinner Plan Monday- Roast Chicken and Vegetables Tuesday- Spaghetti and meatballs and salad Wednesday- Chicken quesadillas and corn Thursday- Sandwiches (made to order) Friday- Goulash Saturday-  Pizza -------------------- Goulash 1 pound ground beef 1 small onion chopped  1 can diced tomatoes drained 1lb box macaroni cooked Sauté onion, brown ground beef, combines with macaroni, and diced tomatoes.  Salt and pepper to taste. Yield 6-8 servings --------------------- After School