Happy Homemaker Monday

Hello & Happy Monday Friends 👋 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! We had Annie's last hockey game because playoffs were single elimination and her team lost. She still has a few more practices this week, but her team is done with games for the season. 

I caught up on some movies. My Mom came over one night for dinner and some craft time with us. Also, went through my summer clothes to figure out what things I'll want to bring for our FL trip ahead. (And what still fit well 😂 ). And speaking to how things fit....I also joined WW recently. I'm keeping myself accountable for all of my food and activity. It's all on a points basis. I have a plan customized for myself and includes all of the free point foods I can have. I have a certain amount of points allowed per day. I log them in each day and can use from lists they have available or scan with a barcode option. They even have recipes you can look at that are all figured out for points already. 

I'm going to weigh in weekly on my own. You can join with local WW groups and go to weigh ins though if you wanted. You can also use WW coaches available to you. You can post inspirational things and see others inspirational posts. You can even win reward points and can trade them in for actual reward items. 

I never think of dieting. That just sabotages me. But ever since the holidays were over I have been working to be healthier. And I decided that WW would be the kind of tool that would really help me stay focused on that.

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING

peach yogurt with granola, coffee

HOW I AM FEELING THIS MORNING:

Awake and refreshed. Since I've upped my exercise I've been sleeping better...however I've been more sore now and then depending on what I'm doing. I did a good workout this AM, ran errands and did housework. I have a lot of running around to do later today for Annie's dentist appt, and a meeting I need to attend at her school.

ON MY MIND:

All the things I want to accomplish this week. And that I need to help my Mom with a few things at her place too.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

Pretty tidy. I'm working on this down in our lower level, as we had put a desk down here for our son in the past. Now that he's at college it hasn't been getting used as much, so I thought I'd take advantage of it.

CHORE I'M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WEEK:

I need to start attacking my craft room that I keep putting off. I also need to do some wiping out of cabinets and reorganizing in the kitchen at some point. 

 

CURRENTLY READING

This is Me Letting You Go by Heidi Priebe

ON THE TV TODAY:

 Kids baking championship, the Resident, The Good Doctor, New Amsterdam, Greys Anatomy, This is Us,  Will & Grace, The Bachelor, HGTV shows, American Housewife, 911 Lone Star, and I watched the Oscars last night. 

 

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

MONDAY - budgeted points to grab a sub due to busy night


TUESDAY - tomato soup, crescent cheese bombs, veggies


WEDNESDAY - pancake muffins, fruit, turkey bacon


THURSDAY - spaghetti hot dish, salad


FRIDAY - leftovers

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

take a bath to help my sore muscles

FROM THE CAMERA

Got more snow the other day, but then it's just a good excuse to keep the cozy going 

The moon was so full and bright last night

I actually love the FB reminders I get that help me remember such special times as a family. I can look back now and it doesn't hurt like it did.

Here's some screenshots of the WW app

PRAYER LIST:

A friend going through a hard time, a friend dealing with stress learning a new job, for our future travel to FL, for my friend that will be making his big trip from AK soon to move back to the midwest, peace and healing for our world







PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:



😊 ❤️

I'm linking with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Hello Friends! 

I just thought I'd share this easy, and very tasty recipe for slow cooker pot roast.  I love a good pot roast. And it's one of my Mom's absolute favorites! So when I made this recently I had to invite her over for dinner to enjoy too. I have always loved cooking and doting on my family. And now that my boy is off to college and I don't have Ad living here anymore, I found I was mainly catering to Annie's meal desires. She is much more narrow in her likes (and rarely eats much meat of any kind).  I decided that I wasn't going to push my love of cooking different meals aside just because I didn't have as many family members at home. So I still make at least one meal each week that sounds good to me and then I share it with my Mom, often times my FIL, and sometimes Ad will come over for a meal. That way I don't feel I'm wasting any food either. I will also freeze some at times also. I believe God's plan is for me to have a fella in my life again one day, and I will look forward to cooking for him too. It's part of my love language I guess. Food is love. Even if it's just for me! 😉 ♥️ 

I used a chuck roast that was just a little less than 3 lbs. I seared it in a pan in a little bit of butter & olive oil. Just to get it browned up a bit.

Then I took out the roast and browned some onions and added garlic and cooked them until just soft.

I  added a little bit of beef stock/broth and scraped up the bottom brown stuff (where all the flavor is). Basically I deglazed the pan. You could use red wine for this part instead if you like.

I then added the deglazed liquid with the onions and garlic in it, to the bottom of my slow cooker. I placed the roast on it. And I added some small potatoes (so I could leave them whole) and cut up some peeled carrot and added that in too. I took a packet of zesty Italian dressing (powdered form) and sprinkled it all over the roast and veggies. It adds the best flavor!! You could also use lipton onion soup packet instead here if you like. 

I poured the rest of one carton of beef broth over all and covered and cooked on low for about 8 hours.

When the roast was ready I shredded it up a bit in the slow cooker. I turned my slow cooker to warm and took out about  2 cups of the cooking liquid and poured it into a saucepan on the stove. I brought it to a boil and whisked in a corn starch slurry made up of a 1/4 cup water with 2 TBSP of corn starch whisked in it. I stirred this as it cooked for about 3 to 5 minutes and when it started to thicken. I tasted it and added a little bit of salt and pepper. As I let it cool it thickened more. It made the most delicious gravy! This step is optional, though, as I think just pouring the juices from the slow cooker over the roast and veggies would be really tasty too. But the gravy really did make it next level. 😋  

I had yeasted bread rolls in the freezer and I thawed them according to directions to have them rise and then baked them up to go with the pot roast. I brushed on melted butter when they came out of the oven. 

It truly is one of the absolute best comfort food meals there is for this time of year in the northwoods. And it made my Mom (& my FIL) very happy campers too. My little "I love you". 😉 ♥️ 

Happy Homemaker Monday

Happy Monday Friends

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are ready for this brand new week ahead! Annie didn't have friends over (which was a first - LOL) so we hung out quite a bit and played some games and just enjoyed one another's company. One of her buddy's did come to church with us Saturday and then we went out for dinner. And yesterday my Mom came over and we enjoyed Super Bowl festivities. I'm so glad the Chiefs won! I was happy for Andy Reid and their team as it had been 50 years since they won. Plus, several of you wonderful blogging friends close to my heart are from MO and I was very happy your for your sakes! 😊 ❤️I thought the game was fun & exciting, the half time show was good, and loved a lot of the commercials. Did you watch?? 

I heard that the groundhog didn't see his shadow. I'm praying it's true and that Spring will come earlier this year! I'm already getting cabin fever in my northwoods. 

** One side note is that one of you Friends commented about how a couple of weeks ago I shared my girlfriends here for our annual girlfriend Christmas and how we do a theme each year. We take turns choosing the theme. This past year it was nutcracker. You asked what our theme was for this year. Well, the friend whose turn it was to choose for this year's theme happens to be traveling to Ireland soon for her daughter's Irish dance competition. So she chose a Celtic Christmas for her theme. I think it will be a fun to be on the lookout for the perfect goodies this year, but she will be one up on all of us because she'll be able to find truly authentic wonderful goodies in Ireland! ☘️ 

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

It was so beautiful this past weekend and yesterday it was around 40*! But this week it's back to cooler temps

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING

grainy toast with raspberry jam and coffee

HOW I AM FEELING THIS MORNING:

Tired a bit. I had sporadic sleep last night. And I need to get more awake because I play 2 hours of wallyball tonight! 💪 

ON MY MIND:

Annie's hockey this week. She has playoff games. She made the roster for varsity too! Not sure if she'll get much playing time for playoff games but pretty cool they rostered her when she's only an 8th grader. So proud of her handling such a big load, plus she goes to a pretty academic private school and just got her semester grades and she is still maintaining straight A's 🌟

Also, planning a meal to bring to my FIL this week. And that I want to share the pot roast recipe from last week with you my friends. It was so yummy! So I will do another post today, after HHM, with the recipe for 

this slow cooker pot roast:

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

Pretty tidy - still need to load dishes from the super bowl fun food last night

CHORE I'M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS WEEK:

I've never been a fan of laundry and how it never seems to end. And due to my Mom's mobility issues since her surgery a year ago, she can't do all the narrow stairs to get down to her laundry in the basement of her duplex. So I also do her laundry each week. And I am happy to be able to help!! But I am grateful she is on a waiting list for a really nice apartment across town and the laundry will be on her floor. Yay! Lol😉Truly not just for my sake - but for hers too. She is hating needing to be more dependent. And she will also have more socialization there. It's so pretty and looks like a wonderful place. 

 

CURRENTLY READING

magazines for the moment - not sure what I'm going to read next

ON THE TV TODAY:

 Kids baking championship, the Resident, The Good Doctor, New Amsterdam, Greys Anatomy, This is Us,  Will & Grace, The Bachelor, HGTV shows, American Housewife, 911 Lone Star, some Hallmark movies and almost done with the Crown on Netflix

 

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

MONDAY - easy sandwich and veggies & dip


TUESDAY - homemade creamy chicken noodle soup with veggies, these roll up baked sandwiches, fruit


WEDNESDAY - not sure...easy night?


THURSDAY - homemade waffles, fruit


FRIDAY -  baked potato & salad bar night

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

find something good to curl up and do some reading, work on some art projects 

FROM THE CAMERA

I made these adorable little waffle fry sliders last night for the Super Bowl 

They were so yummy and so cute because I used waffle fries as the "buns" 

Also extra yummy last night were these mississippi mud brownies with a layer of baked marshmallows in between the brownie and the chocolate ganache type frosting. 

My hockey Girl 🏒 🌟 

And in action (in the white and black jersey)

Chillier days call for tea and a stroopwafel. Have you ever had one? They're a thin waffle type cookie from the Netherlands with a layer of caramel in the middle. They're made just the right size to fit on top of your mug so your steam can warm the cookie. Such a treat! 

And sorry if I"m making you hungry but one more treat. Lol I had a wonderful tart cherry scone mix that I made up last week and added a glaze where I threw in some almond extract to add to the cherry flavor. So delish! 

PRAYER LIST:

Continued prayers for all of those lost in the helicopter crash that Kobe Bryant and daughter were in too. Annie has been focused on it because she found out she's almost exactly Kobe's daughter GiGi's age (their bdays are only a few days apart in May) and how this will be the first year GiGi's Mom will have to acknowledge the birthday of her daughter in heaven) 😢 

a friend going through a difficult time, a friend having some hiccups with her new job, my step Mom's relative dealing with cancer issues, healing and peace in our world






PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:



I'm linking with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.