Caesar Pasta Mason Jar Salad

This mason jar salad will be perfect for our upcoming camping trip. By assembling a couple of these veggie-packed salads ahead of time, I can be sure that our menu won't consist of simply hotdogs and smores.

Ingredients

1 cup dry penne, prepared according to package directions
3 tablespoons Wildtree Classic Caesar Dressing Mix, prepared according to package directions
½ cup broccoli, cooked
½ cup peas
½ cup romaine, chopped

Method of Preparation

Once pasta is cooked, rinse and drain under cold water. Return the drained pasta to the pan and toss with the prepared Caesar Dressing Mix. Add this to the bottom of a 1 quart mason jar. Layer with broccoli, peas, and romaine. Seal the jar and refrigerate until you are ready to eat. Shake to mix up the ingredients.

September is Going to be "Mom Month"

As the summer is winding down, I look back on the fun time spent with the kids. I loved the lighter schedule and laid back days. However, I also realized that the focus on "being there for the kids" put me and my health on the back-burner. So, I've declared in my house that September is "Mom Month".

My focus for the month will be on ME. I'm already blocking out workout time on my September calendar. In addition, here are a few of my goals for the month:

1. Lose 10 pounds.
2. Participate in a diet bet on dietbet.com to stay motivated.
3. Go in for my physical.
4. Get an eye exam.
5. Get a massage.
6. Get a pedicure.
7. Start getting up at an earlier hour.
8. Begin the practice of meditation.

Since I'm a planner, I'll use these last weeks with the kids home to make the appointments, get my schedule organized, and set up a place comfortable place in my home to meditate.

I look forward to reporting back on my results and future goals. 

Making Your Home a Haven

One of my favorite bloggers is Courtney over at Women Living Well. She is inspired to help women understand and become the kind of women God has intended for us to become.

She is starting a new Fall Challenge that I am eager to take on. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I love a good challenge to keep me motivated.

As Courtney writes:

"Stuffed full calendars and to-do lists sky high can leave the entire family feeling tense during the holiday season. I believe we can create a physical environment, as well as a spiritual environment, that can bring peace, harmony and a sense of calmness to our homes if we are willing to be intentional."

This is what I'm after this holiday season. A time to slow down, appreciate the things we already have, and connect more meaningfully with those we love. 

As the week 1 challenge begins today, I've lit my candle in the kitchen. It will be burning brightly all day to encourage me as I work, bring calm over my children at dinner, and catch our blessings as we go to sleep.

Read the rest of Courtney's post here. Then, let me know if you've lit your candle today.

Real Food - Pumpkin Spice Latte

Those who know me, know I love my coffee. I usually drink it black, but when given the opportunity I like the foo-foo drinks at the coffee shop. With my intentions to reduce our discretionary spending and to reduce the processed food we eat, I haven't been able to indulge in my warm cups of comfort that often.

Thanks to Aliesha over at Feathers in Our Nest, I now have a great recipe to make Pumpkin Spice Lattes at home. Of course, this recipe is much cheaper than the coffee shop version and much healthier.

Finding this recipe on Pinterest, made me thankful for all the wonderful ideas shared online, but at the same time a bit wistful. All these great ideas shared, all the pins I've made to my boards, but hardly any of the projects or recipes acted upon. So, I've decided to pick a Pinterest project of the week to try and share the results with you all. I'm looking forward to getting a bit crafty as the holidays approach and adding new recipes to our weekly menus.

So enjoy a cup of Pumpkin Spice Latte with me and share your thoughts.

Throw Out 50 Things - The Kitchen

I tackled the kitchen today as part of the Throw Out 50 Things Challenge. I have to admit that I cut a few corners in going through the kitchen. I didn't exactly sort through each drawer and cupboard, but rather took a cursory look and pulled out a few things. On the plus side, I did manage to gather up a few things to throw out that have remained in the keep pile through a few clearings done prior to my garage sales.

So, my list of 50 things continues:

20. Two serving dishes
21. Five miscellaneous plastic ware items
22. Two can coolers
23. Six assorted cups, glasses, and water bottles
24. One candy mold
25. Five expired bottles of vitamins and over-the-counter medications
26. Four cookbooks
27. One food scale

Well, I'm half way to my goal with only three rooms down. I haven't even gotten to the storage room or garage yet where there's likely to be many more items to throw out. Next, I'll be moving on to the dining room. It's a pretty basic room with only a hutch for storage so it's not likely to add a number of items to the throw out pile, but I'm sure I'll find a couple things we no longer need.

Check back with me in a few days and in the meantime, let me know how your progress is going.

Happy Halloween

Thanks to Anna over at The Princess and the Frog Blog for this awesome idea for healthy Halloween treats. My kids love clementines and adding the faces is so quick and easy. These were a fun treat for their snack to take to school today.

We also went healthier on the treats to hand out at our house with all-natural fruit snacks and Halloween-themed pencils. (Had I seen this clementine idea before I purchased the other treats, I would have done these for the trick-or-treaters instead.) I know some kids might roll their eyes when they see what they are getting from our house, but I also know some parents will be thankful that it's not another sugary piece of candy.

What are you handing out at your house?

Pumpkin Cookies

Given the season, I'm inspired to bake something pumpkin-y. We have a number of gatherings this week, so these iced pumpkin cookies will serve many.

I've made these many times and like to add raisins to some of the cookie dough for variety. When my kids help bake them, we usually end up adding chocolate chips to another portion of the dough. They all taste great!

To add more depth to the flavor, I will also substitute whole wheat flour for half the white flour, and a 1/2 cup brown sugar for some of the white sugar. Get the original recipe here.

I enjoy baking with pumpkin and stocking the freezer with homemade treats that are easy to pull out for snacks and desserts. By Christmas time, our freezer will be overflowing with a variety of foods from the harvest to take us through the cold winter months.

What's your favorite pumpkin recipe? I'm always looking for something new to bake...