Work of the Heart

I've done several bowl recipes.  I am partial to them. Portion control, easy eating and delicious.  As I have been all about back to school prep lately... this recipe seemed like a no brainer.. Ingredients: 1 bag frozen sweet potato tots Eggs 4-5 slices of bacon 1/3-1/2 roll of breakfast sausage 4-5 mini sweet peppers chopped Salt & Pepper to taste Smoked paprika Garlic paste Grated cheese (I used a smoky spicy variety) I picked up some sweet potato tots at my local  market. I used the sweet potato tots as the base layer of my bowl. I cooked them as instructed on the bag. Mine called for 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes. I love the balance of sweet they add to this bowl.  You could easy do fresh oven roasted sweet potatoes...but for me the time saver is a huge draw. While those were in the oven,  I cooked some chopped up bacon in a skillet. While that browned I chopped up some sweet peppers. I also used some breakfast sausage that I browned ...

I love to meal plan on Sunday night, then order groceries online and swing by and pick them up after school drop off. It is my favorite. Maybe it’s because I don’t have to walk around the store with my toddler, or maybe it’s my stop for an iced coffee at dunkin, I don’t know... but this routine makes me happy. I know what’s for dinner every night. The fridge is full for making lunches and breakfast. I feel together and ready for the week. This week is the start of extra curricular activities for us. My daughter starts dance. I also have several meetings at the school, for back to school orientation, so at least two nights I need quick meals. This weeks meals are very quick and easy with a couple being great make ahead options! This week is also filled with option.  Allowing my kids to choose their toppings, makes for happy kids and no fights! Baked potato bar. This is perfect for a Monday. You can bake the potatoes in the microwave, crock pot or instant pot. For Crock pot, ...

Back to school shopping  I am generally a buy as you need it kind of mom. I don’t typically buy a ton of things at the beginning of school. This is for a couple of reasons, we live in Georgia and it is hot here ...so my kids are still wearing summer clothes for the next three maybe four months. There is no reason to buy pants or boots in July. We are in for summer type weather at least through the middle of October, so when I think about buying new clothes I definitely think of summer items. For the most part,    this works out well for us because as the fall items come out, summer stuff goes on sale, we are still wearing summer and I can get some things for the kids at a discounted price that they wear immediately. When I think about school, one thing I was have to make sure with the girls is that their shorts and skirts meet dress code. The kids go to public school, so it’s not super strict but there are length requirements. Another reason I don’t buy a ton of stuf...

I always find the first week of school to be the bridge from summer. Most extra-curricular activities haven’t started yet, homework isn’t handed out and our afternoons are free for backyard play and talking about all the new things. Once we get into the second and third week I find that I need make ahead and quick dinners, because mom is a glorified Uber driver. This week I like to plan meals for outside play, conversations around the table and board games over a quick bite! I also like to make certified winners. Adjusting to back to school is difficult enough, I don’t want to fight at the table too! Here is what I’m cooking. I made the meal plan and ‘recipe’ in photo form so you can easily take a screen shot on your phone for most recipes. Grilled burgers are a hit all the way around at our house.  They are great for me, because most of the cooking is outside on the grill, which means less mess.  My whole crew loves grilled cheeseburgers.  They are also a win, ...