Five Meals for Your Family Table.... Week 16

A little humor for your Monday.......

Ha! We have got you covered here.... at least with some ideas for what to cook. Sorry I can't come and personally cook for you! Refill that coffee, grab a pen and jot down your list for the week.

one

Asian Salmon Bowls are a quick dinner and similar to a stirfry. I have shared stirfry recipes before, and I love them for a couple reasons. They come together quickly, you can use nearly any veggies you have on hand and it's a great way to get in lots of veggies at dinner. For these salmon bowls I make a quick glaze, by whisking  together 1/4 cup liquid aminos, 1/8 cup honey, t sp ginger,and the juice & zest of 1/2 an orange. Use about a third of the glaze to brush the salmon fillets and grill for about 5-6 minutes per side (you can also roast in the oven at 425 for 15 minute).. Heat up a few tablespoons of coconut oil in a wok over high heat and saute your veggies. I love to use onions, peppers, spinach, mushrooms and baby bok choy and use about 4-5 cups of fresh vegetables. Once your vegetables have softened (about 5 minutes) add the remaining glaze and toss to coat. Layer your vegetable mixture over some brown rice or cauliflower rice and top with the salmon.

two

Almond Crusted Chicken with Smashed Baby Potatoes & of course something green!  And this chicken?? Oh my gosh... so good! Now I will tell you...I have only made this recipe with organic chicken breasts. It's not in our grocery budget to buy everything organic, but I make a dent where I can. Organic chicken tastes so much better.... I will never go back!

For the chicken, use 1 lb of boneless chicken breasts and pound each until they are about 1/4" thick. (I also cut each in half lengthwise before I pound, so I have 6 pieces). Set up two large, shallow bowls or pie plates work well too. In one place 3 egg whites & 2 TBSP of water and whisk. In the other place 1 cup almond flour, zest of 1 lemon and 1 TSP salt and 1/2 TSP pepper. Heat a few tablespoons of coconut oil in a pan over medium- high heat. Dip each piece in the egg, then the flour and put in the pan. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side, transfer to a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. I top mine with a very simple lemon dijon sauce , that I have shared before . Take 6oz plain Greek yogurt, 1-2 TBSP dijon mustard, juice of half a lemon and salt & pepper to taste. Mix together and add a little water to thin it out. It's a perfect topping for seafood or chicken and without all the additives of a pre-made sauce. You can grab the recipe for the the smashed potatoes and sprouts here.

three

This is one of my favorite ways to make meatloaf.  This Sundried Tomato & Feta Meatloaf with Greek Salad is so good. I found this recipe from Giada years ago. I follow all steps in the recipe, however I substitute oats for the breadcrumbs. We make a quick salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives & feta to go along with it.

four

This is a simple meal we had last week and it was delicious! Grilled Halibut topped with bruschetta. Our local grocery store has an olive bar, so I just grabbed some fresh bruschetta there. Drizzle the halibut fillets with a little EVOO, sprinkle with salt & pepper and grill for 10-12 minutes. Top with the bruschetta once they come off the grill. We paired ours with some cauliflower rice and sauteed spinach.

five

It's the end of the week and we all need something simple. These BBQ chicken pizzas are so full of flavor and are easy to throw on the grill. Spread about 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce (try to find one with low sugar, simple ingredients). Top with 3/4 shredded mozzarella & 1 cup shredded chicken. Now you can get creative... we like green onions, sauteed red onions, a little bit of smoked gouda cheese and sometimes black olives. 

The kids don't love onions, so I leave some without. Grill for 5-7 minutes. I put foil underneath, to help prevent the bottom from burning. And during grilling season... grilled romaine is my favorite! Drizzle the romaine with a little EVOO, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill for just a few minutes...soooo good!

Have a great week friends! See you tomorrow for Show & Tell Tuesday...Favorite Grown Up Parties! There's always room for one more at our family table!

xoxo

Genevieve

Friday Favorites....Spring Fever Edition!

Yay for Friday!!! We had a nice burst of warmer weather last weekend and the beginning of the week, so I am finally packing away the snowpants for the season! We pretty much transition from snowboots to flipflops here, there is not much in between!

As always, I am linking up with some of my favorite blogging friends, Andrea, Narci, and Erika to share a few of my Friday Favorites. Just a random assortment of things that made me happy this week! 

one

This week has felt so warm & we have full blown Spring Fever! We cleaned up some of our flower beds, got all the patio furniture out and Paul put the hammock out. Luke found his new reading spot!

And my favorite tree has pretty pink blooms peeking through! 

This was our yard two weeks ago....

And here it is yesterday....

It really is amazing to watch this Spring thing every year!

two

We are kicking off baseball season this weekend. Luke has his first game on his travel team and I cannot wait to watch him play! The boys have been practicing hard the last few months, and Luke is always excited to go to practice.

I still cannot believe this is his 5th baseball season!

This was his first season, and I think his favorite part was throwing candy in the opening day parade!

three

So I mentioned that the weather is feeling warmer...and that means boating season is coming soon! We got it out of storage and Paul has been busy getting it ready to go into the water!

Can't wait for this to be my weekend view.....

four

Yesterday I linked up with some new blogging friends to share my Favorite Target Finds. I shared some of my favorite stuff in store, but also shared this photo.

 I worked for Target for 10 years and it was an amazing experience. I was very fortunate to work with some great people. One of the coolest things was opening a new store. I got to cut the ribbon...with the Target dog of course!

We lived in New Jersey at the time, and my parents and sister came down for the grand opening. 

Love that my Mom & Emma wore red too!

Looking forward to a fairly low key weekend... a little baseball, a really long run, and maybe a little Spring cleaning!

Lots of fun planned for next week....

Meal Planning Monday

Show & Tell Tuesday... Favorite Grown Up Parties

What's Up Wednesday

April Book Review

I hope you stop by... there's always room for one more at our family table.

Have a great weekend friends!

xoxo

Genevieve

Favorite Target Finds

Not sure about you, but I am sure excited to have just one more sleep til Friday!!! These holiday weeks always have me feeling a bit behind! Today I am excited to be linking up with a few new blogging friends. Trina & Sara, Allie, Lisa, Tara , & Holly for their monthly edition of Ladies who Link.

The topic..... favorite Target finds! Now let's be honest, I could probably write a whole blog on this topic.

Now for those of you that don't know, I worked for Target for about 10 years. I started as an assistant manager and worked my way up to be a Store Team Leader.

And let me tell you, it really was the best job I have ever had. Yes there were frustrating days, but I worked with some really amazing people and it was a fun company to work for.

Not to mention whenever I told someone I work for Target, almost every one's response is "OMG I love Target". You don't really get that response with other jobs! So I guess my favorite Target find is...me! Ha!

OK, I  am going to do my best to break this down into little buckets. There are a few areas of the store where I find the best stuff pretty consistently..... so here we go! I did link the pics, so you can just click and shop :)

The Dollar Section

I am not sure what the official name of this section is, but you know what I am talking about.This is every kid and teachers dream and probably the Target associates worst nightmare. They always have the best stuff there for the holidays, but I am sure it is a ton of work to keep if filled! One of my favorite things are these little metal pails.

They always have them in fun colors, themes,etc and I always find myself picking some up. They make great containers for party favors, gifts, and party decor. I have too many too count and I use them all over.... all the time!

Up & Up Supplies

I do love all the Target brand basic supplies. I get all of my paper products, storage bags, cleaning wipes and more from this brand. 

I find they are great quality, lower price and you can usually get an additional % off with the Cartwheel app.

Spritz Party Supplies

They have the cutest supplies for parties. I love the themes they have.... currently swooning over the unicorn collection. 

And I love how they have such great basics organized by colors.

Home Decor

I mean... I love all of it. They make me want to change my placemats and decorative accessories weekly! But my most favorite lately is the kids bedding. Just the cutest selection of themes. 

My favorite find for boys...........

and girls............

Clothes, Shoes & Jewelry

These two departments are where the #targetdoesitagain slogan had to have come from. Anytime I think they can't get cuter stuff ........ they do. Currently loving the golf gear for little boys....

And they have the cutest girls swimwear and sandals!

And this latest collaboration with Bauble Bar is pretty amazing... but then again I am a sucker for anything with tassels lately.

The Cartwheel App

Now if you are not using this app, that's just plain crazy! It is so easy to use. Scan what you are buying and if there is an offer you can add it. Just scan the barcode at checkout and all the offers you have will be applied. No need to cut coupons, however you can use the cartwheel discount in addition to coupons.

I have been using it for 3.5 years and have saved nearly $1500! That's crazy! And if you don't have the Target card.....you are just throwing money away. You can save 5% every time you shop!

So there you have it... a few of my favorites. Although truth be told, the whole store is my favorite. What are your Target Favs????
See you tomorrow for Friday Favorites....there's always room for one more at our family table.
xoxo
Genevieve

Weekend Wrap Up,.....Easter Edition

We had such a beautiful Easter weekend and sure hope you guys did too! Here is a little peek at our past few days.

The kids were off on Friday and joined their friends at the school playground. 

Friday night was beautiful and Paul suggested we go out for a fish fry and sit outside. Our first choice was a 2.5 hour wait! Choice two was not serving outside. So we settled on choice 3 and had a great dinner. With near 70 degree temps and sunshine you just had to smile!

After dinner we checked in on our good friends. They are in the home stretch of their home remodel. They just finished the kitchen and it is beautiful! Ella thinks they are the real life Chip & Joanna and loves going there to see their progress! 

Then they stopped by our house for our first Spring fire in the backyard. Nothing better than catching up with friends around the fire pit!

Saturday morning I was up and out bright and early to get some pastries for Easter and took advantage of being out and got my run in.

Ella and I ran some more errands and grabbed lunch at Chipotle, while the boys got in a round of golf.

That afternoon I had three of the sweetest clients come over for Easter manicures!

 

 

Then it was time for some egg coloring. 

 

I just love the Target egg kits. Ella did an ocean theme & Luke did pirates. They are so darn cute! 

Then it was off to Easter Vigil Mass. It was a beautiful night....

Sunday morning Luke got us all up just before 7, super excited to find their eggs and baskets!

And Maddie got some "Peep" dog treats!

We finished up some prep for brunch.

These below are my favorite Easter plates from Pottery Barn. I got them years ago, and was so bummed that my green one broke :(

 

 Ella helped make these "Carrot in Dirt" brownies. 

They turned out pretty cute!

My parents, sister, and aunt all came over for a delicious Easter brunch. They left around 3 and the kids were all playing outside and...........I took a nap! I cannot tell you the last time that happened. I sat down to read my book and could feel my eyes closing. It was only about 45 minutes, but gosh it was great!

Everyone was early to bed after a full weekend!!  Yay! A great Easter weekend with my crew!

See you soon....there's always room for one more at our family table.

xoxo

Genevieve

Tuesday Talk....Healthy Food Tips for Kids!

Hi friends! I am linking up with  Erika & Ashley for Tuesday Talk. A monthly link up where we can talk about any and everything!

Today I am going to talk about kids and food! Two of my favorite things! It's how I decided the name for my blog, as every night we meet around the family table!

Getting kids to eat healthy. Wow...that sounds like a big topic! Let me say I am not a nutritionist or a certified food guru...just a mama trying to make the healthiest choices for her family. And more important.....teach them how to make good choices.

I do my best to keep my kids involved in the food process around the house. Everything from helping to plan our weekly meals, to helping shop and helping prep. I have found that when they are involved with it they have a better buy in.

I will try to break it down into little buckets of life that you can help teach your kids healthy habits.

Meal Planning

Let's start with meal planning. I know this can be a love/hate relationship. I found a system that works for us a few years ago.I shared some tips in a post a while back.

Meal Planning Tips

I try to plan my meals out a month in advance. Now I know that sounds crazy, but I take a month calendar and ask for the family's input. What do they want? I fill in and try to keep meals focused around what's in season. Now this doesn't mean the month is set in stone, obviously we may switch things around. I just do it by month, when I am feeling inspired and then I am not having to think about it every week! I share my weekly meal plans every Monday. Here is a link to this week,

Five Meals for Your Family Table.... Week 15

Shopping

I know sometimes it is easier to shop alone, but I found around ages 3-6 was a great time to teach them in the grocery store. let them pick anything they want to try in the produce section. Dragon fruit, jicama, mangoes and purple potatoes are a few of the things my kids have thought looked cool and wanted to try.  You can make it a game and have them pick anything of a certain color and change it up each week. Ella loves carrying the list and checking things off, and Luke is the best cart loader!

Meal Prep

This is hands down the key to getting kids to make better choices (at least in my book). You can buy all the healthy foods in the store, but if you come home and just put it in the drawers they won't eat it.... it's too much work!  Take an hour a week to prep it and it will make a world of difference. When they are doing homework and want a snack, they can just grab it from the fridge.

Or mid morning on the weekend and they are hungry...

Have them help too. I give them little baggies to portion out some snack options. 

And they are the best helpers for washing fruits and veggies....

And it's not all apples and broccoli.... we make cookies too!

Lunches

We pack our lunches everyday.  Now I know you are probably looking for some crazy, creative lunch ideas... but the truth is we keep it pretty simple. #sorrytodisappoint

They pretty much always take a sandwich, a fresh fruit/veggie, a crunchy snack and yes... something sweet. I usually make their sandwiches and they take care of the rest. Their fruit and veggie options are prepped from earlier in the week, so they can take what they want.

Snacks

You can see some of our snack options in the prep pictures, but the bottom line is if you buy junky snacks, then that's what you will eat. If you bring along some better stuff they will eat that because it's available. This is especially true as we head into summer. We are somewhere on the boat, pool or near the water all the time in the summer. And that just makes you want to snack. I try to bring along prepped healthier options... and there is nothing better than cold watermelon on a hot summer day! Well maybe Doritos.... and I do get those sometimes too. It's all about balance!

Dinner

Dinner is pretty much a non-negotiable in our house. We have always sat down as a family to eat dinner. It's an important part of our day and we say no to scheduling activities during our family dinner time. That may not work for everyone, but it is something we have as a priority in our lives.

A few things with dinner... 

A meal plan helps... a lot.

Have your kids help you in the kitchen with dinner.

Put out raw veggies while cooking...everyone always says they are hungry while you are cooking. And frankly if they are filling themselves up with veggies, I'm ok with it.

You are not a short order cook.

I have heard of a lot of parents that make 3 or 4 totally different meals every night... I just don't have time for that! I will make modifications, but we are all eating the same thing.

Like this meal, we made flat bread pizzas... I put brussel sprouts on mine, but the kids did not want them on the pizza, so they ate them on the side.

Another tip is to set up a bar... taco bar, salad bar and pizza bar are all favorites at our house. Kids love to build their own dinners!

I  try to talk to the kids about the importance of feeding your body real, natural, good food. One idea that has helped make it "click" for them is showing the ingredient list. I have told them when looking at a package,  if you have not heard of it or can't pronounce it, it is probably not good a good choice. 

So the bottom line is make food a fun conversation and allow them to help. Yes there will be some messes to clean up.... 

 

......but that's what makes a life well lived!! And let's be honest, that little dog peeking her head through is quick to clean up the spills!

Do you have any tips for eating well with kids? Drop them in the comments below.

See you tomorrow for our Weekend Wrap Up....Easter Edition. There's always room for one more at our family table.

xoxo

Genevieve