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Bear Paw Sweet Potato

 

This post is sponsored by Country Crock. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Getting children to eat and enjoy vegetables is difficult for many families, including mine. My children have always been willing to eat fruit, but vegetables are more of a battle. For example, my husband I both enjoy broccoli, but none of the children like it at all. Any attempt on my part to serve it is met with groans and complaints, even when I drench it in cheese.  Country Crock recently came out with the Clare Crespo Cookbook, which is full of fun ideas to make vegetables, like broccoli, more appealing to children, and they asked me to test out a recipe from the book.

Kohlrabi Potato Curry Recipe

bundle of KohlrabiLast week I got a kohlrabi and the grocery store, and had to figure out a recipe to use it in.  It is used frequently in Indian cooking, so I decided to use it in a curry.  I basically made a standard potato curry and added the kohlrabi, and it turned out pretty well. The kohlrabi had a nice taste too to it, and added some variety to the potatoes.

Thinking About College and Experiencing Sticker Shock

My middle daughters is in 10th grade this year – which means it is time for her to start thinking about colleges. She has to start prepping for standardized tests and figuring out what she wants to do.  Unfortunately she is finding it hard to come up with a list of possible majors.  She can tell you what she doesn’t want to do (science or math), but deciding what she wants to do is harder.

Propelled by Curiosity

Everyone has something that motivates and drives them.  Of course my family is a big motivation for me, like most mothers. But now that my children are older I have more time to pursue some things just for me, and I have found that the biggest thing that propels me is simple curiosity and a desire for knowledge.  I enjoy searching for information, learning new things, and challenging myself, even if what I am learning is not something I need to know right now.

Wordless Wednesday–March Madness

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My son’s rec. league basketball team had their big season ending tournament this weekend.  It ended up being a confusing round robin double elimination tournament which seemed to go on forever. Of course one of the reasons it seemed to last so long was that his team was winning. 

Hair Flairs Color Rub Review and Giveaway

My 15 year old daughter loves to experiment with her hair.  She straightens it, curls it, puts it up in different styles and she enjoys adding color too.  So I knew she would want to try the new Hair Flairs Color Rub, which provides a quick, temporary color for your hair.

Wordless Wednesday – Dog Sleds

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My daughter went to Quebec last week on a French class field trip, and the highlight of the trip for her was going dog sledding.

Sausage and Broccoli Pasta Recipe

Sausage and Broccoli Pasta

I enjoy cooking, my children’s schedule this year is making it harder for me to find the time to make complicated meals.  Between dance and basketball it seems like there is usually something going on at dinner time that requires me to drive someone somewhere.

So quick simple meals are a necessity for me right now.  This sausage and broccoli recipe took less than 30 minutes to make, and it was delicious.  I was surprised at how good it tasted, but the combination of the broccoli with the spicy sausage really worked.  I will be making it again, and if you are looking for something quick give it a try!

For more pasta dishes try this Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Pasta.

Progress in Home Organization

This week is winter break week for the schools around here, so all of our outside classes are cancelled.  This frees up the 2 hours or so a day I spend driving my kids to classes, so I am actually getting some things accomplished around the house!  I sorted through my closet and dresser and got rid of a lot of clothes that I don’t need.  For example, for some reason I had a bunch of red shirts and sweaters, most of which I have never even worn.  I look awful in red, it does not go with my pale skin tone at all.  So even though some of these are gorgeous cashmere sweaters they are all going to the Salvation Army.

red clothes

Pork Sausage Chili Recipe

chili champI love chili, especially this time of year.  Chili is the perfect wintertime food, because it is warm and filling and spicy.  Plus there are so many recipes and variations I rarely make it the same way twice. Sometimes I make Cincinnati Chili, sometimes I make Texas Chili, sometimes I make White Chicken Chili, and sometimes I make it vegetarian. The possibilities are endless.  To help celebrate Chili season and its variations the Chili Appreciation Society International and Bruce Foods sent me some Mexene Chili Powder and Louisiana Hot Sauce to review.

Peanut Butter Balls Recipe

I am always looking for fun activities to do with my kids.  Yesterday we went ice skating, and one of the things I realized while we were there is that I haven’t been doing as many fun activities with my children as I used to when they were younger.  It seems that I am always busy, but not always busy with the things that are most important!  Of course an outing is not always possible, but there are many fun things to do around the house.

Wedding Ring Resizing

What better day than Valentine’s Day to talk about wedding rings!  A wedding ring is an important choice because you will be wearing it for years and years.  When I got married I picked a narrow gold band with a nice subtle pattern.

Dodger and the Pantry

We’ve been having trouble lately with our dog Dodger and food. Ever since my oldest daughter went to college Dodger has been stealing food constantly. I think she must’ve been feeding him more than we realized! Dodger has always eaten food off the counter or out of the garbage can. He also regularly rips open ziploc bags because he assumes that anything stored in a Ziploc bag must be delicious. In the past he has opened Ziploc bags containing things like flashcards because he just assumes they have food inside them.

Super Bowl Cupcakes

Last night I was browsing around on pinterest and pinning Super Bowl food.  I saw some cool desserts, so I decided to make NY Giants cupcakes and cakepops for the game.  They didn’t turn out nearly as cute as I was hoping!

New York Giants Cupcakes