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Menu Board Inspiration

Every night before we begin bedtime routine, I cram as much chocolate into my mouth as possible. Why? So that I begin bedtime routine with a smile on my face. Emotional eating happens. Acknowledge and move on. And this is one of those times where it just works. After a fun and busy weekend with the kiddos, it’s time to get back at it. This summer, we have tried so so so so hard to keep us on some type of schedule so we don’t get too crazy, but that went out the window about 2 weeks into summer break. If you can’t beat em, join em. This weeks menu…
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Gigi's Weeknight BBQ Ribs

Growing up, my parents worked a LOT. Dinner was always about fast, simple and easy. There were no frills. The spice cabinet contained salt, pepper, Lawry’s season salt and italian herb mix.  Basic.  In fact, many of our meals were hamburger helper, over cooked chicken stir-fry or sweet and sour meatballs. My parents didn’t come from families that cooked a lot, so all of the things we had, they learned how to make themselves. They did a pretty good job for having little cooking experience. I still LOVE my mom’s BBQ ribs.  Ingredients One rack of ribs One bottle of favorite BBQ sauce, like sweet baby Ray’s One extra large…
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Italian One Pot Pasta

If you don’t like to cook, don’t think you can cook, don’t want to cook, have a case of the Mondays (Tuesdays – Fridays for that matter) or just need something to feed your family or yourself, this is it.  It’s super fast, and packed full of flavor. We made it on a Monday and it was amazing. Plus, if you have fresh herbs growing, it’s a great way to use up LOTS of basil. If you don’t grow basil, pick up one of those little plants in the produce department at your grocery store. It’s worth it! Ingredients 1 pound spaghetti 1 (12oz) smoked andouille sausage (any sausage will…
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Movies in the 608

One of my favorite things to do is go to the movies. It’s special to see a new movie on a huge screen, eat some popcorn and be “out” with friends and family.  One of the challenges we face is cross contact of food at the movie theater. This is the entire reason we can’t see a Milwaukee Brewer Game. Peanuts everywhere. Although a brewer game is significantly more risky for us to attend than a movie since AMC doesn’t serve giant bags of nuts. After a few conversations at the AMC Fitchburg and the AMC Dine-In, I have learned a lot. AMC Fichburg ( recently under new ownership, NewVision…
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Cilantro Lime Chicken (Crock pot)

Cilantro Lime Chicken did not disappoint last week – and the good news is that it made a lot of food to eat several different ways. We had two dinners from it and lunch leftovers. This dish can be eaten plain, over jasmine rice, with tortillas chips, as a huge nacho plate with extra olives, cheese and fixins, as burritos, tacos, and quesadillas with red onion and sour cream. This recipe is flexible. It can be frozen for a few weeks if you’re planning on making this ahead of time. Our family loves easy slow cooker meals that are full of flavor. Clean up is simple and I didn’t have…
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Quick Meals

Hey there – it’s been a Monday! Today was full of crazy, but I’ve found the silver lining. I was able to talk to not one, but two of my cousins today. It’s been a while since I’ve talked to them and it was nice to catch up, connect. It’s nice to know family always has your back. Even if it’s been a while since the last time you talked, it’s family, and family is #1. This week I’m behind. Of course. My usual weekend planning didn’t happen since we were out of town so here’s what I’ve come up with for quick meals in the past 15 minutes while…
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Organic Suckers

Did you even know these existed? I randomly came across these before our epic Disney trip in January and have been keeping them on hand for long car rides. We are on our way to Eau Claire for the day and brought these with. Along with Spider man, elena, Octonauts, blankets. Snacks Snacks Snacks Oh and coffee. Check these out next time you need a safe, all included treat!
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Minestrone Soup + Italian Chicken Meatballs

Tonight, you get my chicken scratch. I made the soup in 15 minutes and cheated on the meatballs. They are in the Fresh Market at Hy-Vee , organic , all natural chicken meaballs by Chef Bruce Aidells. I’ve had these before and they are delish. Adding to the soup gives it a little protein. I hate heavy meals on hot summer days. A light soup sounds good. Can you tell my lack of blogging guilt has set in?
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Allergy-Free Birthday Cake

My little man is turning 4 and we are celebrating at a museum. To be inclusive for ALL friends coming (and my dear daughter) we decided to stick with the Enjoy Life brand chocolate bars (which are VERY good.) And is free of top 8 allergens! Yay! What do you think? I will be adding a spiderman since the theme is Spiderman, of course 
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Summer with a 6 + 3 year old

Somehow, my dreamy way of thinking, I thought I’d have MORE time, not less, to dedicate to my food blog this summer. Clearly, I was mistaken. Summer for our family officially started on June 7, and the past month has flown by in record time. Trust me, I have plenty of pictures, food pictures, recipes and words of advice to offer, but it will have to wait. Nope. I’m not quitting my blog. I’m just taking the summer at a slower pace than expected. Quality time with my 6 and 3 year old has been amazing and I am enjoying being “in” the moment. Instead, I’ll share some fun stuff…
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