Wordless Wednesday - Silly Boy

There are plenty of days when my 2-year-old leaves me wanting to pull my hair out...they aren't called the terrible twos for nothing!! But he is also able to make me laugh every day. He seems to have two goals these days: Climb anything that can be climbed and Build Towers out of anything that can be used to build.

Shoe tower. I almost died laughing when I came down the stairs to discover this last week. We usually keep our shoes away from him because he loves to play with them, but they got left out that day. I'm impressed he managed to get it to stay!
His other passion these days is eating french fries. He talks about them constantly. He pretends to eat the ones out of the play food set. Cracked me up that he also thinks to transport them around in his dump truck!

He's such a silly boy...

Tasty Tuesday - Chocolate Zucchini Loaf

There is some debate at our house on if this should be called bread or cake. I insist that since it is baked in a bread pan, it should be called bread. Hubby seems to think that since it is chocolate, it is cake. I suppose it doesn't really matter what it is called, because it is SO good. Another great find in my family's cookbook that was compiled for a family reunion a few years ago. I did a double take when I saw it has oil AND margarine in it. Probably not the healthiest bread/cake but I think that having zucchini in it boosts the healthiness factor a tad. :)

Chocolate Zucchini Loaf

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 1/2 cups flour
4 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:

1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup brown sugar
(I didn't bother with the nuts or brown sugar....just sprinkled a few chocolate chips on each loaf.)

Cream margarine, oil and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, sour cream and shredded zucchini. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.

Grease 4 small loaf pans. Pour batter into each pan evenly. Sprinkle topping onto each if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

You can view all of my recipes here!

Meal Plan Monday - September 26

Welcome to the last week of September! The month really has flown by. I absolutely love the cooler weather we have been having and being able to incorporate more comfort foods back into my menu plans. Here is the plan for this week!

Monday - Mini Meatloaves, Perogies, Carrots

Tuesday - Tuna & Cheddar Pasta Melt, Green Beans

Wednesday - Braided Pizza Bread (bbq chicken for hubby and I, cheese and pizza sauce for the kids)

Thursday - Enchilada Casserole (another winner from my family's cookbook...will share the recipe soon!)

Friday - I'll be working, so I'm sending hubby and the kids out to McDonalds (grandma sent a gift card!)

Saturday - Probably out...working early that day, and it would be nice to do something in the afternoon/evening with the family.

Sunday - Chili, Macaroni & Cheese

Also planning to bake Apple Dumpling Cake & Ron's Bread Machine White Bread. Might also try to get around to making Peanut Butter Bars.

You can see more menu planning ideas over at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Tasty Tuesday - Lemon Blueberry Muffins

This recipe originally comes from my mom, who found it on allrecipes.com as Lemon Cranberry Muffins. She made them for us when we visited in summer and they were SO good. I looked at 4 different stores to find fresh or frozen cranberries, but could not find them anywhere!! So I settled for blueberries, and they turned out just as good.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp lemon extract (I use the zest and juice of one lemon instead)

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (you could use cranberries if you can find them!)

1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted (if desired, I left these out)

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat the eggs, milk, oil and lemon zest & juice. Stir into dry ingredients until just mixed. Fold in blueberries. Don't over mix!!

Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan to a wire rack after the muffins have cooled for 5 minutes.

These freeze very well. Makes 1 dozen muffins.

Wordless Wednesday - Apple Orchard

We are fall lovers at our house. None of us complain when the day comes to put away the summer clothes and pull out the jeans and hoodies! One of our favorite things to do in the fall is to visit a local apple orchard to pick apples. This year we picked 1/2 a peck, and I'm now scheming the most wise way to use them. They taste SO good!








The kids (L in particular) were SO excited to pick apples.





L wondered the entire time when it would be time for a "taste test". When the time came, she was very pleased with the apple she had chosen.

Z on the other hand was anxious to try a bite, but then quickly decided that he didn't care for the taste of apple peel. He much preferred the apple cider donuts that we enjoyed when we were finished picking.

It was nearly impossible to get a picture of these two together. Z had freedom - we had left the stroller in the van, so he was running around like a crazy man. Apparently they are also more interested in cooperating when daddy tries to take a picture than when I do. Oh well.

We had a fantastic family day together. Can't wait to do it again next year!

Meal Plan Monday - September 19

So sorry about the lack of posts again over the last week or two...I started my new job and life has been a bit crazy! Now that I'm through with a lot of my training, I'm only scheduled around 15 hours a week for the next few weeks, so I should have more time to keep up with everything else in life. :)

Amazingly, even though I've been busy with work, we haven't been forced to eat out more. It just goes to show that if I have a good plan and stick to it, I can save my family money. I would hate to work just to pay for extra eating out. Seems to me like that would be a huge waste of time!

Here is my plan for this week:

Monday - Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Orzo with Zucchini & Tomatoes (new recipe!)

Tuesday - (working tonight) Leftovers for hubby and I, mac & cheese or pancakes for the kids

Wednesday - Buffalo Chickpea Patties, Rice, Salad

Thursday - Tacos

Friday - Probably out...L has a birthday party from 4-6 on the other side of town.

Saturday - (working) Something easy for the kids, frozen pizza or whatever my husband wants for himself (hehe...)

Sunday - Chinese food date night for hubby and I!

I am also planning to bake homemade hamburger buns (first time!), zucchini bread and Lemon Blueberry muffins (recipe to come tomorrow.)

You can check out more ideas for your own menu plan over at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Meal Plan Monday - September 5

Happy Monday! Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend! Today is my husband's 30th birthday, and we are enjoying the fact that he has the day off work so we can spend it with him! Thanks to a Groupon last week for Smashburger, dinner tonight is covered as well!

Monday - Out for hubby's birthday dinner

Tuesday - Chili, Chunky Cornbread

Wednesday - Rigatoni w/ Chicken & Spicy Cream Sauce, Garlic Toast, Salad

Thursday - (My first day of work!) Breakfast Burritos, possibly waffles for the kiddos

Friday - Leftovers or something easy for me, hubby is taking the kids out

Saturday - My in-laws will be in town and I'm not sure what we have planned yet, or if I will be working

Sunday - Most likely an eat-in date night

Check out more menu plans over at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

What I'm Printing this Week!

Here are a few high value and otherwise interesting coupons that I'm printing this week.

It's the beginning of the month, so there are a variety of new and reset coupons over at coupons.com.

$1/1 Kashi Crackers
$1/1 Totino's Pizza Stuffers
$1/1 Pillsbury Frozen Egg Scramblers or Biscuit Sandwiches


$2/2 Tazo Tea
$1/1 Wheat Thins product (on sale for $1.99 at Meijer this week)
$1/1 Wheat Thins sticks

Remember to visit my Savings Center or Coupon Database for more printable coupons!

Welcome to September!

It's the first day of September, and pretty soon, fall will be here. Just as the seasons change weather-wise, we are in a season of change at our house.

As of next Thursday, I will be employed again! I'm going to working part-time (mostly weekends) at a retail store. I am very excited and a bit nervous too. I have never worked retail before. I've worked on a farm, at an accountant's office, at a hospital, and at a church....but never in a store. I think I am up for the challenge! The best thing about it (besides for the extra cash!) is that it will still allow me to stay at home with my kids during the week.

The extra cash will definitely benefit us too. We believe very strongly that our kids belong in Christian school, which unfortunately comes with a rather large price tag! We also need to start saving for a replacement car for my husband. Life certainly doesn't appear to be getting any cheaper!

I will most definitely continue blogging on a regular basis. I'm sure I will have some interesting stories to share about my new experience!

Tasty Tuesday - Corn Dog Mini Muffins

I apologize for not getting this posted last week as planned. It was worth waiting for though, in my opinion! Corn Dog Mini Muffins are a HUGE hit at our house. Even little Z (who eats almost nothing) tried them last week. He did pull the hot dog out and leave it behind, but at least he ate the muffin part!

I originally discovered this recipe on a different blog, The Young'ns. I have changed it a tiny bit to suit my own needs.

Corn Dog Mini Muffins

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp salt

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/3 cup canola oil

3 or so hot dogs, cut into coins

1.Mix together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk and oil. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix well.

2. Scoop into greased mini muffin pan. Or if you absolutely despise cleaning muffin pans, use the paper liners like I do. :) You should fill them about 2/3 full. Push one hot dog "coin" into each muffin cup.

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

I have also been known to be very lazy and bake this in a 9x13 pan, just pushing the hot dog "coins" into rows on the top. It has to bake a bit longer...maybe closer to 15 minutes, but it is still a hit!

You can see more Tasty Tuesday recipes over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Remember, you can view all of my recipes here.

Meal Plan Monday - August 29

Happy Monday all! Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. It was pretty relaxed around here. After a busy week last week with school starting and everything, relaxing was just what we needed!

We've been enjoying the last couple of days because the weather has been much cooler. This has been especially nice because our grill seems to have decided that it doesn't want to work anymore. Last week I tried to light the right side burner and it lit a fire underneath the outside of the grill. I tried to use it again on Friday and it wouldn't turn on at all. It really needs to be replaced anyways, so I think we're done grilling until we can find a new grill in the spring. Or maybe even a heavily discounted clearance model this fall!

Here's my plan for this week:

Monday - Tuna & Pasta Cheddar Melt, Salad

Tuesday - Individual Meatloaves, Perogies, Carrot Sticks

Wednesday - Waffles with fruit, Scrambled Eggs

Thursday - Southwest Chicken Bake (this is a new one for me!), Salad

Friday - Spaghetti & Meatsauce, Garlic Toast

Saturday - Calzones

Sunday - 7 Layer Dip, Chips

I also plan to bake a double batch of Banana Muffins.

You can check out more menu plans over at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

What I'm Printing

Haven't done this in awhile....but thought you might be interested to know which high value and otherwise interesting coupons I have printed this week.

From coupons.com:

$1.50/2 Ziploc Containers
$0.75/1 Philadelphia Cooking Creme (Use this to make my Rigatoni w/ Chicken recipe)
$1/1 Minute Maid Juice Boxes, 1o pk

You can check out my Savings Center to print these and more coupons directly from coupons.com

From target.com:

$1/2 Morningstar Frozen Products TARGET coupon (combine with $1/1 here for a great deal!)
$1/1 Danimals Smoothies TARGET coupon (these are on sale at Target for $2 this week. Combine with $0.50/1 from the 8/14 Smart Shopper insert to get these for $0.50!)
$0.75/1 Clorox wipes TARGET coupon (the 3-pk are on sale at Target for $4.40. Combine with $0.25/1 from the 8/21 Smart Shopper insert to get these for $3.40, or $1.13 each)

Remember, you can always view my Coupon Database to search for coupons on specific items that you may need.

A Tribute to a Friend...and the story of a little boy growing up

I always said I would never be one of those parents that let their child become too attached to a stuffed animal or blanket. That rule worked out very well with my daughter. Not so much with my son. It was pretty much love at first sight.

His name is Mr. Georgey and he has been Z's sleep friend for two years now. Who would have thought a silly monkey that we bought on clearance at Target would become such a good friend.

A friend once commented after seeing this picture that she could see why Z didn't sleep with a pacifier. He had Georgey to chew on. Georgey has tiny beads in his hands which I guess makes him even more enjoyable to chew. Z has chewed those poor little hands for two years.



Georgey has been chewed and yanked and thrown around our house for years now. He has travelled internationally. His trips out of the house have been rare, because one day it hit me that if he ever went missing, it would be trouble. I looked to see if I could buy a second one. Yes, I could. For $50!! Um, no thanks. We would just be careful.

Well, we were careful. But all those days of chewing finally caught up with him. Monday morning I discovered that Z was now chewing on the little beads that were supposed to be in Mr. Georgey's hands. The dreaded day had come. Georgey was confiscated. Upon further inspection, I discovered that he had tiny holes in both of his hands. Guess it's time for him to retire.

If this had happened two months ago, I think there would have been major drama. But over the last little while, Z has become more and more attached to some of the other six stuffed animals that now sleep with him. He's growing up. I still worried. I looked for a Mr. Georgey on eBay. Inflation has apparently also hit the stuffed animal community. $100 or $149!! I don't think so! We would try to make do.

And we have. It has been two days now. Z did ask for him last night, but we gave him "No Name" (his other monkey) to comfort him. It seemed to work. So sad to hear him calling out for his buddy.

I think we'll keep Mr. Georgey around for awhile. He will need to stay hidden for a month or two to avoid any possible meltdowns. Z will miss him. And I will lament the fact that my baby boy has grown up so much that he is no longer dependent on a lovey to help him sleep. This day came way too soon.

Menu Plan Monday - August 22

It's the first day of school!

L had a good first day of Kindergarten! It started off with a few tears, but she recovered quickly and had a busy day. She came home completely exhausted. Choosing the half day option was definitely the best choice for her!

Now that we are working ourselves back into a school routine, I am hoping that I will be more organized....with meal planning, chores, grocery shopping, etc.! I'll let you know how that goes....

Here is my meal plan for this week:
Monday - Grilled Italian Sausage, Baked Beans, Green & Red Pepper slices
Tuesday - Corn Dog Muffins, Salad
Wednesday - Grilled Pizza, Carrot Sticks
Thursday - Tostadas
Friday - Grilled Chicken, Rice, Green Beans
Saturday - Something easy for the kids, Nacho Night for hubby and I!
Sunday - Leftovers
I plan to share the recipe for corn dog muffins with you tomorrow for Tasty Tuesday so stay tuned!

You can check out more menu plans over at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

School Starts on Monday!

We are heading into our last official weekend of summer break. It has been an unbelievably busy, but fun summer. Here's a recap of what we did:

Hubby and I visited Seattle.


L turned 5!

We took a family trip to Alberta.


Z turned 2!

We played at the pool and at the park. L went to two different churches for VBS. We had play dates and swim lessons. It was a fantastic summer!

It doesn't look like things will be slowing down as we head into the fall. Stay tuned to see what we'll be up to in the next few weeks!

Weekend Guests

Over the weekend, my husband's sister and her husband came to town for a visit. We always have a lot of fun when they are around!

We took the kids mini-golfing for the first time. It rained a bit, but I think fun was still had by all!

Paddleboating time!



Z and I hung out on the shore during the paddleboating.


We are so blessed to have family members that are willing to make the (long!) drive to come visit us. I often hear people talk about how they don't see their families for years...or how their kids have never met some of their own aunts and uncles. I feel fortunate that God has given us the resources to be able to afford to see our family often. We love and appreciate them all so much!

Wordless Wednesday - Z turns 2!

Z turned two on Thursday...he had a great day! We went to the All Aboard Diner for a family dinner...the boy was in heaven!


He got a beginner Thomas train set, which he is completely in love with. Can't believe my baby is no longer a baby!

Back from Vacation!

We arrived home yesterday from what is becoming our annual road trip to Alberta. It feels great to be back! It's a three day drive each way...which proved to be very difficult for my almost 2 year old. We had fun spending time with my family and being out in the country for a few days!

We celebrated Z's birthday while we were there...he will be two on Thursday! What happened to my baby??

The kids love being on the farm...and no trip to the farm is complete without a tractor ride! They even get to take their pick of which one to ride...."Johnny Tractor" or "Big Red". Z was terrified of Johnny....I guess a huge machine like that can be intimidating.

Picking strawberries was L's highlight of the trip. We weren't sure if we would be able to do it this year, as the strawberry farm recently got hit with a terrible hail storm. But fortunately, the nice strawberry lady let us come pick whatever we could find before she mowed the plants to prep them for next year. We got four icecream pails worth...SO tasty!


One of the highlights for me was getting to take my almost 90-year-old grandpa out for lunch. (That's him next to my mom). I still laugh to myself when I think about how he was showing L how old he is by using his fingers. It was nice to see that even though he is getting older, he still has a sense of humor!

I took quite a few more pictures which I will try to post later this week. Now that I'm home the reality that school starts in two weeks has hit me like a brick. So much work, so little time. Can't believe my little girl is going to Kindergarten!

Menu Plan Monday - July 18

Whew, it's hot outside! It's supposed to be in the 90s here all week...it's gonna be a long one! Most of my meals are going to be cooked on the grill this week. My air conditioner is having a hard enough time keeping up as it is, so I think I'll be kind and try to generate as little extra heat as possible!!

Monday - Tostadas

Tuesday - BBQ Chicken Pizzas

Wednesday - Veggie Burgers, Baked Beans

Thursday - Beef, Green Pepper & Pineapple Kabobs, Rice

Friday - Italian Sausage, Mac & Cheese

Saturday - Chili

Sunday - Leftovers or Sandwiches

I'm really hoping that we get some relief from the heat by next weekend, because I need to bake!! I have some ripe bananas in the freezer waiting to be turned into muffins. I'm crossing my fingers that we end up with a day in the 70s or 80s soon!

You can check out more menu plans over at Finding Joy in My Kitchen!

The Cake

This year for my daughter's birthday, I decided to do something I've never done for my kids before...make a birthday cake. Because both of my kids have summer birthdays, we typically travel to spend their special days with family. So, that usually means buying a cake...or having my mom make one. :)

Now that I think about it, I did make cupcakes for L's birthday last year...and transported them to Iowa. But that's still not cake.

So, when I saw this idea for a Candyland cake in my Parents magazine, I decided I was up for the challenge of making my first cake. Every year I almost cry when I price out store bought cakes. This year would be different.

We were only planning a small party, so I knew that we didn't need as big of a cake as was pictured. That was okay. Smaller = easier.

So, with the help of my wonderful husband, the night before the party, we set to work decorating the cake. I used one box of Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix, and baked it in two 9-inch cake pans. We used almost two containers of vanilla frosting, putting a thin layer between the two cakes to make sure they stuck together. Then we decorated with candy. Here is our final product:


To make the path, we used chewy jolly rancher candies that we microwaved, rolled with a rolling pin, and then cut into rectangles. We bought the string licorice at a candy store at the mall (it was unbelievably hard to find!) We ended up having to remove the jujubes because they were SO hard. Darn bulk bin candy. A broken tooth at a birthday wouldn't have been fun.

I was so pleased with how the cake turned out. It was SO sweet, but also SO good. I've been craving it for a week! Now I'm on to scheming what kind of cake to make for my son when he turns two in August.

Wordless Wednesday - L's 5th Birthday!

Can't believe my baby girl is 5. She is a such a fun, smart, well-behaved little girl. We love having her in our family!!

Check out more Wordless Wednesday pictures over at 5 Minutes for Mom!

Sorry for the Silence!

*chirp, chirp*

Sorry about the crickets around here last week. It was a crazy busy week! It FINALLY got hot enough for me to take the kids to the pool, and between that, swim lessons, a play date and getting ready for weekend company, the week completely got away from me.

Unfortunately, this week is looking to be equally as busy. L turns five on Tuesday and we're having a small party at our house. Can't believe my baby girl is already turning 5. Time goes by way too fast! I'm baking her cake for the party. Please wish me luck, and hopefully it looks good enough that there will be pictures to come later in the week!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful 4th of July long weekend!

Wordless Wednesday - Swimming Lessons!

To me, swimming lessons are a summer must-do for kids. I remember my mom taking me over and over (and over AND over) again, year after year. I loved being in the water, but absolutely hated putting my face in. Now I get to deal with the exact same thing with my child.


We started off with a two week swim camp at a FABULOUS place called Bear Paddle Swim School. It really is awesome. The pool is warm, the class sizes are small (3 to 1 ratio!), and it's indoors. We did outdoor lessons last year and froze and dodged storms for a few weeks. Didn't want to do that again!


By the end of the two week camp, she had become a little more comfortable with putting her face in, but still needs to work on it. So, we signed up to do weekly lessons at least for the rest of the summer. And hopefully one of these days we will get a nice, hot, storm-free day so we can utilize our swim pass to actually practice!


You can see more Wordless Wednesday pictures at 5 Minutes for Mom!

Tasty Tuesday - No Bake Cookies

Happy first day of summer! It's a hot and humid one here. I've been yearning to bake something for a few days, but just can't bring myself to turn the oven on anytime it's above 80 degrees! This recipe is great for days today because it doesn't require any baking. It comes from my mom, and I remember her making it often when I was a kid...probably on days just like today!

Uncooked Cookies

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup coconut

In a large saucepan, melt margarine. Add milk, vanilla and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes. Add rolled oats, coconut and cocoa. Cook for 2 more minutes. Immediately drop by tablespoonfuls onto wax-paper lined baking sheets. Freeze until hardened, around 1 hour. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

You can see more Tasty Tuesday recipes over at Balancing Beauty & Bedlam.

You can also see all of my own recipes here.

Menu Plan - June 21

Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday...the weekend totally wore me out! My garage sale experience wasn't fantastic, and all I felt like doing yesterday was sitting around. Happy to have my energy back today!

Here's my plan:

Monday - We had hot dogs & mac & cheese...like I said, I was tired....

Tuesday - Grilled Pizza (ham, red & yellow peppers, green onions), carrot sticks

Wednesday - Waffles with Strawberry Rhubarb sauce, bacon (bumped from last week)

Thursday - Spaghetti & Meatballs, carrot sticks

Friday - Meatball Subs, Salad

Saturday - Thinking about trying something new and having "finger food night". We typically don't get home from church until just before 7 and we are all hungry and I don't feel like cooking! Thought it might be fun to prepare a few things (cheese cubes, dip, cut up fruit, etc.) before we head out to make dinner time easier!

Sunday - Taking L to a party, will probably pick something up on the way home.

Check out more menu plans over at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Wordless Wednesday - Trip to the Zoo!

I bought a zoo pass last year that expires at the end of this month, so I was wanting to find a day where we could visit one last time. It just happened that the day we had already planned to go was a day where the Wild Kratts were making an appearance.

Wow, it was crowded!!

We had friends that waited in traffic for over 2 hours to get into the zoo and ended up turning around and going home. It was the perfect day to go to the zoo, so I think that with the nice weather, the fact that it is now summer vacation AND the fact that the Kratt brothers were there, made the zoo the busiest I have ever seen it!

But we had a great time. I got terribly sunburned and I'm still feeling the effects today. The kids had fun. It was a great family day!

To see more Wordless Wednesday pictures check out 5 Minutes for Mom!

Tasty Tuesday - Banana Muffins

This recipe is adapted from Banana Muffins II over at allrecipes.com. I've been making it for a few years and have messed with it to suit my family's tastes.

Banana Muffins

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

3 large bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Chocolate chips, if desired (how many you want is really up to you!!)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pan by inserting paper cups or spraying well with cooking spray.

Mix together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix together remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips if desired. Scoop into muffin pans, filling the cups about 2/3 full.

This recipe should give you 12 regular sized muffins or 36 mini muffins. Bake regular sized muffins 20-25 minutes and mini muffins 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.


As I have mentioned before, I bake a lot of muffins. Everyone around here eats them. My husband has told me that these are his favorite...and he doesn't even like bananas. Enjoy!!

You can see more Tasty Tuesday recipes over at Balancing the Beauty and Bedlam.

Be sure to check out all of my recipes here.

Menu Plan Monday - June 13

Almost half way through June already! I suspect the summer will be over before we know it. :( Had a GREAT weekend and looks to be a good week ahead. I'll be busy getting ready for my garage sale, so my menu plan this week reflects that.

Monday - Beef Tostadas, Corn Chips & Salsa

Tuesday - Grilled Pizza with Chicken, Spinach & Mushrooms

Wednesday - Waffles with Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce, Bacon

Thursday - Burgers (Anxious to try some all-natural beef that I found on sale at Meijer last week!)

Friday - Brats, Mac & Cheese

Saturday - Probably something out, since I'll be busy with garage sale all day

Sunday - It's Father's Day! Not sure what we are doing yet.


There you have it! Now I'm off to take the kids to the park to enjoy the beautiful day we are having!

You can see more Menu Plan ideas over at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Wordless Wednesday - Seattle Edition

Here are some pics from our Seattle trip as promised!

Loved the market! All of the fresh fruits and vegetables looked awesome! Made coming back home and going to the grocery store's produce section kind of a let down.

The view of downtown Seattle from Lake Union. We took a 1.5 hour tour on a "Duck"...so much fun!

This is the "Sleepless in Seattle" houseboat on Lake Union.

This is the ferry that took us to Bainbridge Island. The ferry ride was okay, but the island was dissapointing. It was raining and the entire town seemed to be under construction. We basically ate lunch and left.

The view from the bottom of the Space Needle. We were too cheap to actually go up. :)

Me and my hubby!

We had such a great time and I am so thankful to my in-laws for taking great care of my kiddos for a few days! Can't wait to do it again. :)

For more Wordless Wednesday pics, hop on over to 5 Minutes for Mom!