14th Blogaversary

Woohoo! 14?! Crazy. This year had some fun adventures during school vacations, more swimming than ever, and the kids seeming so much older. I cooked a lot of burritos/wraps, they’re a favorite of mine and some really fun appetizers. This is my chance to look back on the past year and set some intentions for the year ahead. I bring you some superlatives:

Best Burger: Pizza Burger with pepperoni grated into the burger.

Most Underrated: Street Corn Pasta Salad is addictive and the perfect taco side but maybe looks not so cute. It’s so good.

Most liked: Greek Chicken Burritos were the fan favorite on instagram for the year.

Goals for this past year:
Year of small businesses/artisans/writers: this was mostly good, though a few misses on Etsy so I didn’t tag creators who I wasn’t happy with
More meatless meals: this happened on occasion but I didn’t really prioritize it
sandwiches and salads: yes! So many hot wraps/burritos!
a focus on going to new or places we don’t get to all the time: this went so-so but it’s a fun one when it does happen!
redo photos: I was so glad to refresh some that needed a makeover!
What I’m reading: I’m up to 44 books read this year!

Goals for this upcoming year:
Year of replacements/upgrades! I realized I have some not-beloved things that are due for a better version or that are worn out and I just keep using without thinking about a better one.
Restaurant Recreations – It has been awhile but this if a fun one
Special ingredient focus – this could be a nice push to use some ingredients I don’t always reach for
More fish – I may have said this before and not made it happen so we’ll see how this goes
maybe I’ll add another or see how it goes

October 2024 Recap

October went by so quickly with lots of soccer, the end of fall baseball, and all the fall things. By the time Halloween actually hits the kiddos will have been in their costumes at least 3 times. October is wrapping up with a bang and November will be a flurry with a super busy work time the time change, and a lot to fit in.

In the kitchen, I loooved this whipped cottage cheese with honey and pistachios and I definitely don’t love cottage cheese.

Nachos got an upgrade with some special touches for Nacho Average Nachos. There are flavored chips (mine are El Nacho – Hot Honey, Mango, & Lime), refried black beans, queso, lots of cheese, salsa, and pickled onions. Try any flavor of these chips…they are incredible.

Next I made Hibachi stye rice bowls! They were good and I’ll keep at the yum yum sauce to get it closer to the restaurant. This is an easy step compared to the flaming volcano onion.

I gave some Greek rice wraps with rice, greek salad, chicken, and dressing.

I’ll be OK with soccer wrapping up. I guiltily said no to helping coach basketball – that’s not my sport and I need a season off. I cannot wait to be a spectator. I’m not 100% set on November blog posts. The darkness is tough! Work gets crazy and I’ll be excited for Thanksgiving.

The Big Kid:
He’s had a fun time with lacrosse and it’s so nice to try something without committing to all the gear and a whole season! He lost 2 teeth! He has a creepy skeleton mask for halloween. We found a few fun chapter books even when I was choosing for him. He tried out for basketball and made one of the travel teams which starts soon! He has one more lacrosse 3×3 and is taking lacrosse after school for a few weeks.

The Littler One:
She lost 2 teeth! It was exciting to see big ones come in. We’ve had a fun soccer season and there are just a few more. She had a friend over and went to a party with the class so I think she is settling in a bit more. She chose to be a witch and has a great time in her purple velvet cape! She is signed up for gymnastics starting in December and she’s interested in ice skating so we’ll see what comes together.

Goals for this year:
Year of small businesses/artisans/writers: I got a black & white wreath ribbon that felt fitting for fall/Halloween
More meatless meals: nachos were our meatless dinner
sandwiches and salads: salad bar came in handy to prolong shopping.
a focus on going to new or places we don’t get to all the time:
redo photos – no redos right now
what I’m reading: I reread Firekeeper’s Daughter for bookclub and loved it as much years later. I read The Women and it might be my best book of the year. I read I Hope This Finds You Well and it was very interesting…kind of a train wreck. Then I read Fake which was better than some other art/auction/forgery I’ve read.

September Recap 2024

September brings a lot of big feelings. I love the start of fall, but the anxiety of new routines is a lot. We celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary, got back to soccer and fall baseball. I’m ready for some fall temps after some summer-like days. I had a great time cooking a bunch of Italian-ish dishes this month:

First, I made a Pizza Burger and the pepperoni ground into it makes it.

Next I was into a Caprese Quiche after my quiche take out lunch was never delivered at work. It was really simple but great flavors and so helpful to freeze a few slices.

Then, I chopped an Italian Sub and loved every bite.

Finally, I gave the Italian Grain Bowls a little refresh from 2017 and this time it was based on some tomato orzo (which the little eaters gave mixed reviews but both ate).

October brings a little calmness as we’ve all settled and aren’t still sweating! I’m thinking about a few apps and a quick dinner option for the nights we’re fitting in practices. I can’t wait to see what they pick for Halloween!

The Big Kid:
He’s starting trombone lessons for band at school! We were so excited and I loooove seeing him try new things. Fall baseball is….interesting – we like a more chill/less serious chance to play but there are so many kids in different combos each week that the coaches don’t know names. He’s loving 4th grade and being the bigger kids “on campus”.

The Littler One:
She FINALLY has a wiggly tooth! We are eagerly awaiting first tooth fairy visit. She’s starting to settle at school but doesn’t know many kids yet and she’s tired of being new again. Soccer has been great to see her be fully into it – running the whole time, ready, being aggressive, and she scored!

Goals for this year:
Year of small businesses/artisans/writers: I got some acrylic hoops from Etsy
More meatless meals: quiche!
sandwiches and salads: The chopped Italian was perfection.
a focus on going to new or places we don’t get to all the time: we stopped by Natick Community Farm to see the rabbits and loved it!
redo photos – the Italian Grain bowl was originally from 2017 and was a good facelift as meatballs are an easy dinner.
what I’m reading: I read All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley and thought the writing was fantastic – my mind wandered occasionally but it is a good no-stress book. I read Happy Place by Emily Henry and loved the friendships and vacation spot but the romance was secondary to me. Our bookclub one was The Woman in Me by Britany Spears and I listened to it – being a celebrity sounds awful, but the audio performance by Michele Williams was phenomenal. I read the Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez and will remember it for such a long time – which doesn’t always happen for me!

Italian Grain Bowls

{originally published in 2017 and updated in 2024}

We have loved grain bowls for a long time. The customization and variety make these really great meals for us. I go for a carb base (orzo, or swap for risotto or rice or beans) + a protein (meatballs, or chicken or rosemary white beans, and cheese) + raw veggie (tomatoes or arugula) + a cooked veggie (parmesan broccoli, or swap for roasted asparagus or zucchini or mushrooms) + drizzle (pesto, or tomato sauce, or alfredo)!

The kids mostly ate everything separate to dip in pesto – their dreams come true.

Italian Grain Bowl
Ingredients (for 4)

1/2 pound orzo (half a box, or use grain of choice)
1-2 heads of broccoli
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
meatballs
1 tablespoon tomato paste or tomato sauce
1 cup fresh mozzarella
2/3 cup pesto sauce
1 cup tomatoes

Directions:
Roast the broccoli in the oven (375-degrees) or air fryer until roasted and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parmesan.
Cook the orzo (or any grain).
While veggie and grains are cooking, warm the meatballs and chop the raw veggies.
Drizzle with pesto and enjoy!


One kid let me know they like orzo better with just butter and parmesan – I mean, they still ate it, but this is only a slight deviation for pasta-obsessed kids and it is true we most often have orzo pretty plain. I’m always laying the groundwork for them to see foods all different ways. The same one remembered how much they like roasted broccoli while the other only likes it raw.

The leftovers are great, or let this be the use for leftovers. I love build-your-own situations for groups so people can customize and hit all the dietary needs.


We love all the grain bowls – take your fav flavors and serve it in this grain bowl format (chicken parm! burrito bowls! Egg roll bowls!) and everyone will be glad they can make it their own.