Menu Plan Monday - Week of 2/28/11 

Simple meals for the week was my main goal in menu planning yesterday. I just wanted easy to make, yummy meals. I think I've accomplished that below.  I think I'm most excited about the Cuban Chicken Salad - it sounds so delicious and fresh. Can't wait to try out the homemade dressing. I also bought a new raspberry vinaigrette dressing that I can't wait to try out with some salads at lunch and some rainbow salad. :)

Monday - BLTs 

Tuesday - Boudain Sausage & Scalloped Cauliflower
 
Wednesday - Cuban Chicken Salad

Thursday - Fried Rice

Friday - Southwest Chicken Quesadillas

Saturday - Leftovers

Sunday - Fend for Yourself Day! :)

Menu Plan Monday - Week of 2/21/11


Hey y'all!  Hope everyone had a fantastic extended 3-day weekend (and for those that had to work Monday, don't worry - I enjoyed the beautiful day for you!).  We had a busy, yet productive weekend in the Whiddon household.  As I mentioned in the last post, Trey and I spent the Saturday at the races and then sightseeing a bit.  I spent Sunday cleaning and organizing the office, trying to get things ready to bring over my scrapbooking supplies from Mom's. I have the room kinda like I want it and have the first load over already; only about two more truck loads to go! Jeez!

We celebrated President's Day by heading to the Webster Flea Market with Vivian (Trey's mom). We had a lovely day: the weather was perfect and the place was packed with all kinds of neat treasures. We didn't buy much, but had a great time walking around and looking at everything. My buy of the day was an absolutely gorgeous 1878 printing of Aesop's Fables!

Love the cover!

It has some awesome illustrations! Can't wait to read some of these to my kids in the future!

Monday evening, Trey cooked some backstrap (awesome, by the way). We used the leftovers to make venison fajitas for supper tonight (double awesome).  So, here's the menu for the rest of the week:


Tuesday - Venison Fajitas

Wednesday - Rotisserie Chicken and veggies

Thursday - Slow Cooker Meatball Subs

Friday - Fried Rice

Saturday - Pasta with leftover meatballs

Sunday - Fend for Yourself Day! :)

I really love my life!

Trey and I had a great day today. After sleeping late (which was really needed after such a long, stressful week), we headed to the Gainesville Raceway to watch the 2011 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series qualifying. We had a blast looking at all the cars, watching the races, and enjoying the sound of the engines and the smell of rubber burning. Since 1970, Gainesville has been home to one of the fastest tracks in the NHRA. It's kind of amazing that we have such a famous and important raceway in our own backyard. Anyway, the weather was gorgeous and sunny. It was so nice to be able to wear shorts and a t-shirt and feel the sun beating down on us. It was certainly a great day for the races. 

After we left the raceway, we headed over to Paynes Prairie to enjoy the lovely afternoon. On our way there, Trey made a quick detour to Boulware Springs Park and Historic Waterworks.  You know, I've lived in the area my whole life and had never even heard of Boulware Springs. It was so neat to see the historic building and learn the history behind the waterworks. I had no idea that it was the city's offer of free water forever that convinced the University of Florida to settle in Gainesville instead of Lake City.

Did you know that UF still receives free water, even though the springs have long since been closed as the city's water source. Crazy, huh?!

After the quick stop at the waterworks, we headed to La Chua Trail at Paynes Prairie. The weather was perfect to walk the trail and see all the wildlife there. There were alligators everywhere, much to our delight. It is a truly amazing sight to just walk around and see gators of all sizes banked and enjoying their sunbath. Along with gators, we saw all kinds of birds, cranes, and a bison. Apparently there are somewhere around 70 wild bison roaming the prairie. It was awesome to see one up close and personal!

We really had an amazing day! It's days like today that make me realize how very lucky I am. I am blessed to spend my life with my very best friend, and it doesn't matter what we do or where we go, whether it's the races or just a state park, we are going to have a blast spending time together. It's days like today that remind me just how much I really love my life!

Aaahhhhh.....finally some warmth has made it's way to Florida and I may be able to actually thaw out some soon. I am definitely not a cold weather person, so I am very happy to be able to introduce short-sleeve shirts back into my wardrobe. I'm ready to spend some time outside, plant some flowers and vegetables, and open the windows in the house to let the fresh air inside.

While February is a month that I want to pass quickly so I can be that much closer to Spring, there are some really great things about this month.  For instance, I got to share my first Valentine's Day as a married woman with Trey. Very exciting to open up that greeting card to see "My Wife" written inside. Also, February 20th is National Love Your Pet Day. It may be kinda corny, but I plan on spoiling my babies rotten and showering them with all kinds of love! Lots of extra tummy rubs, ear scratching, and special treats will be enjoyed by all! And they certainly deserve it - because, let's face it, they love us unconditionally, always greet us with a smile and a kiss (or in Nitschke's case, tons of kisses), and keep us laughing all the time!

My Baby Girl, Charli <3

Cuddling with my handsome fella, Nitschke <3

Snips, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails....we all know that's what little boys are made of and I know for a fact that my future nephew, Hunter, will be no exception to the old nursery rhyme! So with that thought in mind, there was no way I could plan a Baby Shower for my sister-in-law, Kristi and Baby Bump Hunter with any other theme! After months of planning, I got to throw one heck of a party. It was adorable. I found several sites online with all kinds of inspiration (my favorite being Bug Party at Nounces Design) and had a blast creating my own twists to go along with such a cute theme.

The table was set up with a variety of snack, all bug or puppy related. One of Trey's favorite kid's books is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, so I had to incorporate that idea somehow. I decided the best way was to poke holes through all the fruit with a straw so that the guests could see that the caterpillar had been there. :)

The veggie bouquet was time consuming, but I love how it turned out! The only problem is that nobody ate any of the skewered veggies....I guess they were too cute to eat!

My favorite pasta salad is actually a Weight Watchers recipe called BLT Pasta Salad. It is DELICIOUS!!! I usually make a double batch, even if it's just for me and Trey. If you haven't tried it, then you must...so, SO good!

Snails....get it?!

My mom had a great idea when it came to the chips and hummus. I was having a hard time coming up with puppy food ideas. My wonderful, creative mother suggested making homemade tortilla chips in the shape of dog bones. Voila! So easy and super yummy! :)

 

The punch was delicious, lemme tell ya!

The party favors: homemade dog-bone shaped almond-sugar cookies! Yum!

Instead of cake, we had individual portions of Dirt Cake.  You know that boy's gonna get good and muddy one day! Everyone loved the pudding cups and felt like kids themselves as they ate their gummy worms. :)

Found the Uh-dorable snail and grasshopper from Heaven On Earth aka Hobby Lobby. The others are Eric Carle stuffed animals from Kohl's.

We had an iron-on station instead of games at the shower. The guests loved being able to make their own onesie! They all turned out so cute! :)

Kristi with Hunter's future "I Like Hanging With My Aunt" onesie! He'd better wear it ALOT! ;-)

Me and Kristi, the new Mom-to-Be :)

Menu Plan Monday Tuesday - Week of 2/14/11

So it's been a seriously crazy last couple of weeks. My sister-in-law, Kristi, is preggers and I got to throw her baby shower for the Whiddon side of the family. Very exciting for me, since this was really the first time I've hosted anything for the family. I desperately wanted to impress and shower Kristi with TONS of attention and a party she'll never forget. I'll be posting more on the shower later....

Unfortunately, I spent so much time and effort on the shower, that I kinda let my MPM slide a bit. I hate that! So, to try to make up for lost time, I will at least post the hasty menu I threw together last night after a quick trip to Hitchcock's.

Monday, Valentine's Day - Leftover London Broil and Roasted Mixed Veggies

Tuesday - Mini-Meatloaf Muffins, Leftover Roasted Veggies, and Baked Acorn Squash

Wednesday -Loaded Baked Potatoes

Thursday - Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin, Scalloped Cauliflower and Greens

Friday -Maybe going to the UF Baseball game, so hopefully a hot dog and peanuts! :)

Saturday - Backstrap? Trey wants to do something with it, but I don't know if that means fry, grill, etc. It's up to him.  Either way, I ain't cookin'!

Sunday - Fend for Yourself Day! :)