Dinner Last Night

Last night Adam's evening appointment cancelled, so he was home at a reasonable hour, and the kids and I were too {since my car overheated, therefore cancelling all evening activities}.  On the upside, it offered us an unexpected free night.  Adam grabbed ingredients and made us Lobster Stuffed Pasta with a Vodka Cream Sauce, which was heavenly!  The best part of all -- every.single member of our family actually ate it!  I would say the kids didn't LOVE it, but they ate it without complaining, so that's a win in my book!  So, In the event you're looking for a new recipe, here it is...

1 package Lobster Ravioli {we get ours from Costco}
12 oz. Pasta Sauce
8 oz. Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 a bunch of fresh Basil {chopped}
3 Shallots {minced}
1/2 c. Vodka
1 tsp. Honey
1 c. Parmesan Cheese {shredded}
Salt & Pepper to taste
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+ Melt butter in saucepan {we used a cast iron skillet}, add shallots, salt & pepper.  Cook until shallots are translucent.

+ Add pasta sauce, bay leaf, basil, and honey to the pan.

+ Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to low/medium for 20-30 minutes.

+ Remove the bay leaf.

+ Add heavy whipping cream and stir.  Bring the cream back to a low boil.

+ Cook ravioli with instructions on package {ours was 4 minutes after boil}

+Top ravioli with sauce and cheese as desired.  Add basil as a garnish.

*You could also serve this with regular pasta of your choice. 

Low-Country Seafood Boil 2019

Yesterday we hosted a seafood boil for Adam's Birthday.  This meal is always a crowd pleaser -- you cover a table {or 2 if you have a family as big as ours} with newspaper {tip - cover the table in wax paper first} and spread out the food.  Everyone crowds the table and eats like scavenges.  Bonus :: easiest cleanup ever!

I will admit, the guys always cook this meal, but it looks pretty simple! ;)

We fill a turkey fryer with water and bring it to a boil.  Then add Zatarain's crab boil {we cooked 2 pots, so we had 2 boxes of seasoning}.  Add potatoes and Andouille sausage {we cooked 3} for 10 minutes.  Add corn {6-8 ears, cut in half} on the cob and cook until tender {DO NOT OVERCOOK!}  Add jumbo shrimp {5lbs}, crab legs {7 lbs}, crawdads {1lb}, large prawns {1lb} & mussels {1lb} for an additional 5 minutes.  Drain & dump on the table.  {this fed 15 people}

*In previous years we've added blue crab.  While they look cool, we find them to be too much work for the amount of meat you get.  

How I Meal Plan

With Adam getting home late {after 8p} so many evenings, I've had to step up my cooking game.  One of these days I will share a few of my easy recipes that your toddler could probably master! ;)  Today I'm sharing how I meal plan each month.  It's pretty simple {I use excel -- comment below if you would like me to email you my template}, but I love seeing the entire month and knowing what's planned.

• I start by laying out the month and adding in any days we will be out of town {high five for dining out!} or have dinner plans to go out with friends {I'll be honest, this is very rare these days!}
• Next I add any reoccurring meals.  In our house we have pizza every week.  Usually Friday, but sometimes Sunday evenings. Tuesday night a sweet, sweet friend of ours hosts us -- yes, every single week.  No, I don't take this for granted.  If for some reason we can't make it {like we're late getting home from taekwondo} my backup meal is 'Breakfast for Dinner'  We always, always, always have the ingredients for scrambled cheesy eggs and sides {fruit, yogurt, pancakes/mini bagels}
• From there I fill in all remaining dinners {& lunch on the weekends}.  To keep this simple, I Mondays are pasta night {spaghetti, chicken spaghetti, chicken Alfredo, lasagna, macaroni, etc.} Wednesdays are always some form of chicken {chicken & rice, chicken Marsala, chicken enchiladas, chicken Parmesan, grilled marinated chicken, chicken cordon bleu, chicken Parmesan bites, homemade chicken strips, etc.} Thursdays are always some form of a beef meal {open faced hamburgers, lasagna, maid rites, meatballs, roast, cheeseburgers, tacos/walking tacos, french dips, etc.}  For the weekend I just plug in meals that aren't already listed somewhere.  I keep a list of family favorites {chicken nachos, scalloped potatoes & ham, paninis, baked potato casserole, chicken friend rice, fish, beef tips over rice, bacon ranch rollups, grilled pork loin, smoked turkey breast, etc.}  In the fall/winter we always have Soup Sunday -- a few of our favorites include chicken noodle soup, chili {Adam's, not a favorite of the kids and I!}, tomato soup & grilled cheese sticks, beef tips over rice, cheesy potato soup, mushrooms and wild rice soup, hamburger beer cheese soup, 

If all else fails -- peanut butter sandwiches for all! ;)

Soup Sunday | Cheesy Potato & Hamburger Soup

How We Wednesday | Meal Plan Edition

I'm joining Mix & Match Mama & A Little Bit of Everything today to share how I meal plan.  

In our house, Adam does 95% of the cooking and I do 95% of the grocery shopping/pickup, meal planning, and cleanup.

Grocery 'shopping'

As we run out of staples I add them to the cart in the WalMart app {that link will give you $10 off your first order}.  Then on Thursdays I try to do a big pickup on my way out of the city for the week.  Fridays I go to other 'specialty' stores if needed.  Fareway or Dayton's Meat locker for meat {not often since we buy beef and pork every year}.  If I get seafood we go to HyVee {unless we're making sushi, then I get that a Waterfront since they fly it in daily}.  McNallys has awesome cheese and is only 20 minutes from our house.  For last minute stuff, we have a little grocery store 5 minutes from our house.  They don't have a huge selection, you have to watch their expiration dates, and they're pretty pricey but so convenient!  Also, they have a good selection of alcohol {excluding wine!} for a good price. Not that I need that right now {currently on a 30 day 'water only' streak -- Aquatober}

Meal planning

I make a monthly meal plan.  I insert any days we're out of town and then plug meals in from there.  Every Tuesday night our friend hosts us for dinner.  This started once we moved to the lake.  We call it Burger Night but it's evolved and now she makes all kinds of dinners.  It's incredibly sweet!  Plus she's a great cook and loves trying new recipes, so it's always a great night!  {Trust me, we don't take this for granted!}.  Other than that, we used to get pizza once a week {before we moved to the middle of nowhere}.  Also noteworthy, we just use this a a guide when we don't have a different idea, so we probably only eat 75% of these meals, and rarely on the day it's listed.  If it's cold we pull a soup or slow cooker meal from the list, if it's hot we will pull a grillable meal, etc.  It's mainly just some of our favorite 'go to' meals.  We're currently doing soup every Sunday in the fall and hope to start doing a big family style dinner every Sunday after football season. 

Soup Sunday | Cheesy Potato Soup

* This is thick and hearty and pairs well with a big loaf of french bread

Happy Valentine's Day!

I wish so badly I was home with my kiddos making everything heart shaped and shades of red today, but now that they're in school it isn't really possible.  I hope they're having a blast exchanging Valentine's with their friends.  I'm looking forward to picking them up a little early and surprising them with a few goodies and then going to dinner with Adam, even if we got the last reservations {8p! -- booked 2 weeks ago!} at Simon's.

The photos below are from a little shoot the kids got to do for my sister's company.

Dining on Anna Maria Island, FL

Okay, this is my last Florida post {considering I've been to Mexico twice since then, it's probably time to wrap this series up--haha!} :)

With the exception of the day after the wedding, when we went here for breakfast, and a couple of days when we ordered pizza to the condo, the only meal we went out for was dinner each night.

Skinny's | This was our first dinner on the island, we had only be in town about 30 minutes, so my camera was still in my bag.  Adorable 'restaurant'.  Burgers and beers.  A 1/2 block from our rental house.  Super cheap. Sand floors & picnic tables.

Island Time | This was our first group dinner. Adorable restaurant.  Unfortunately, it was hot outside and the kids were tired and not really feeling dining out this evening, so we cut out pretty early.  They had a guy making balloon creatures for the kids. :)

You can see their moods in this photo! :)

Barefoot Tiki Bar | This is where everyone met the night before the wedding. It was the cutest restaurant we went to.  The service isn't the greatest, but they have live music, a fun washer game, and water bowls for your pup.  Plus it's all outdoors, so bonus points for that! {We left this restaurant early to take Jordyn to Urgent Care--Cullyn went the day before--you'll notice they look off in these photos, too.}

Girls in the wedding

Doing anything to keep them happy :(

Sick eyes.  About 10 minutes before she puked {luckily we had just got to the car}

Sick boy who had went to Urgent Care for his ears the day before

It's SUPER hard to see but she's holding this little ring that's tied to a string, that she swings to hook the nail.  Harder than it sounds//promise! :)

The Sandbar | This was venue for the wedding reception.  Very similar to the Tiki Bar the night before.  Way better food.  Outdoor seating.  Sand. Biggest restaurant on the island.  Adorable.  You can see lots of photos here.

Rod & Reel Pier | This was the only place we had a wait {it was brutal with two kids two and under on the gate-less pier.  I was very thankful for the extra hands our family provided!}  People fished off the pier.  Best view of the sunset.

I was scared to death the entire time that one of my kids was going to fall into the water.

A few places we grabbed cocktails...Lobstahs {great food}, Harry's {would go back to}, and D Coy Ducks {complete dive!} Noteworthy--many places on the island serve just beer and wine because of the expense of a liquor license.  

Our favorite place for ice cream treats... Joes Eats and Sweets

Have you been to Anna Maria Island?
If so, where did you fill your belly?

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To read about the drive to {& from} Florida go here. 

To read about the rental house in Florida go here. 

To read about deep sea fishing in Florida go here. 

To read about the pool & beaches in Florida go here.

To see photos from the wedding in Florida go here.