Happy Homemaker Monday

Hello and Happy Monday to You! 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are jumping into the week with a happy heart. I have cabin fever so badly and I'm so ready for Spring to fully arrive...but we still have some cooler temps and a bit of snow in the forecast this week. Winter feels extra long this year - but I know Mother Nature will get the memo eventually. Sigh. Patience never was one of my strengths. 😉 

It was a fun weekend here celebrating our "pre Easter" with my family and Matt. We had yummy food and played different games that had us belly laughing. And the gals won the trivia game - so yay Chicks! Matt was such a help when I was making some of the food and with cleaning before folks got here. He also helped me clean up after. My Mom kept telling me that she thinks Matt is such a kind and precious man and he's a real "keeper". I agree. ♥️  

Matt and I then watched the Masters last night and just played cards and hung out. I always have the best time with that guy.

Now to the week ahead...

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

yogurt with fruit, coffee

ON MY TO DO LIST:

errands, chiropractor appt, painter coming to give estimate, trip planning, hospice work

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE   

It started out gray but the sun has been shining now. I'm just tidying up from a little lunch with my Mom and Aunt. They were over for leftovers and we celebrated my Aunt's bday. We had such a lovely visit and nice the house was still all tidy and decorated up for Spring

CURRENTLY READING

Daisies for Innocence by Bailey Cattrell

ON THE TV TODAY:

The Good Doctor, The Resident,  Spring Baking Championship, Greys Anatomy, This is Us, The Rookie, Outlander, WCTH,  Survivor, Shining Vale, Call the Midwife

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

MONDAY - leftovers

TUESDAY - cauliflower crust pizza, salad

        WEDNESDAY -  grilled cheese, tomato soup, fruit

                          THURSDAY - breakfast for dinner

(didn't do last week)

FRIDAY - might order in?

   

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

read, work on projects

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

When I was letting my dinner rolls rise - I put them on my heating pad set on it's lowest temp. They rose beautifully and much more timely than they would have just sitting in my kitchen

FROM THE CAMERA:

Love my vintage linens! 

We had crudite (veggies, olives, pickles), crab dip with crackers & deviled eggs as appetizers

Even though she's my big teenager now - I still had to do a little Easter goodie bag for my Annie boo

And spoil my honey Matt a bit too 

I should have had everyone look and smile but I snuck a quick pic just as everyone was focused on digging in. Lol 

I even made gluten free & low sugar cream cheese lemon bars for my bro (celiac/diabetic) and Matt. (keto)

PRAYER LIST:

Prayers for gratitude and thankfulness for so many blessings. For special intentions. For Ukraine, Russia, and the surrounding countries taking refugees. For the Lord's light, love, and peace to spread in our world and cast out the dark and bring peace.

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

I hope you all have a great week ahead and a very blessed Easter. I'm linking with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

Keto Zucchini Bread (+ easy keto pulled pork roast)

 

Hi Friends!

Over the weekend I did some keto baking for my sweet Mr. Matt. So he could have something homemade to bring home with him for the week ahead (although Annie and I got a little bit as we needed to make sure it was tasty 😉 ). We decided on zucchini bread and made a:

sweet loaf...

...and a savory one. 

We used this recipe from jenniferbanz.com

For the sweet one we followed her recipe exactly only I almost doubled the amount of cinnamon. The regular zucchini bread recipe I make calls for a lot of cinnamon and I LOVE that flavor with zucchini. And for the savory one I used the same recipe, but omitted the sugar & cinnamon and added about a tsp each of garlic powder and onion powder. And mixed in about a cup or so of shredded monterey jack cheese. And I also added some of that cheese, along with shredded cheddar, to the top of the loaf before baking. If you want the top part less crispy - then add the shredded topper later into the baking. Of course, keep in mind almond flour gives a different texture a bit - but the flavors were absolutely amazing!! Both were SO good and I think Matt was thrilled! ♥️ 

If you had to choose would you be team savory? Or sweet? 😋 

I also thought I would share that I made BBQ pulled pork over the weekend - that was yummy and very easy to make keto style. 

I simply seasoned and then browned a pork roast (almost 3 lbs) in butter and olive oil.

Once I took it out of the pan I sauteed about half of a sliced onion in the drippings and got all the good fond (browned bits) up with them. 

I then put some BBQ sauce in the bottom of my slow cooker. Threw some of the cooked onions in with it. Put the roast on top. Covered in more BBQ sauce and onions and I let it slow cook all day on low. After about 6-7 hours it was ready to shred up. I didn't get pics of the after - but Matt had his on a low carb wrap and I had mine on little slider buns. I served it with coleslaw mix I tossed in Jimmy's coleslaw dressing (because it's a lower carb one) and we ate it right on top of our pulled pork. Add a nice salad or other veggie side dish and you have dinner! To keep this pulled pork keto, I used sugar free BBQ sauce. Matt suggested this one:

And I gotta say it was amazing! Highly recommend - even if you're just looking to cut down on sugar. So good. 

Enjoy! 😋 

Happy Homemaker Monday

Hello and Happy Monday! ☀️ 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and that this week is off to a great start for you! 💗 

I'm running late with my post today so I'll be brief. It was another kind of "typical" weekend now. Lol Matt was up visiting. I made some meals to treat him up a bit. And we baked some keto zucchini bread together (savory and sweet). I'll share recipes later this week. And we also ran errands and did some shopping. Played games and hung out, and went out to dinner last night with Annie & her buddy ...just a lot of our current usuals and I love it! We are working on a game night with some relatives in May, so he can meet more of my people. 😊  And also working on a date night out with my bestie and her hubby in the near future - when their kiddo's sports schedule slows down so they're around on a weekend. Matt's folks will be coming back from wintering in AZ soon and I will get to meet them too! 

I know it's early, but we will be celebrating Easter here this coming weekend with my Mom & step Dad, Bro and SIL, and Matt. The actual Easter weekend Annie & I have plans because it's also going to be her Spring break ... I'll share more of that down the line. 😉 

Now on to this week ahead

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

coffee with salted caramel protein drink creamer, chobani yogurt, berries

ON MY TO DO LIST:

booking some Europe stuff with my cousin, grocery run & errands, handyman here to do some projects, Annie's new bedroom set coming, hospice work at facility and from home, home projects

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE   

kind of gray out today, still little spots of snow but overall seeing more grass now and getting excited for it to turn green & things to start blooming!! 

CURRENTLY READING

I have some enchanted garden mysteries coming, also Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, and More Than This by Patrick Ness....not sure what I've going to dive into first

ON THE TV TODAY:

The Good Doctor, The Resident,  Spring Baking Championship, Greys Anatomy, This is Us,  Outlander, WCTH,  Survivor, Shining Vale

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

MONDAY - leftovers

TUESDAY - breakfast for dinner (french toast, fruit, breakfast potatoes)

        WEDNESDAY -  might do takeout?

                          THURSDAY - salad night

FRIDAY - air fryer toasted cheese ravioli, marinara, roasted broccoli

**Doing early Easter here and menu will include: glazed ham, cheesy potatoes, strawberry spinach salad, fruit salad, corn, deviled eggs, relish tray, dinner rolls, keto friendly cream cheese lemon bars, fruit pizza cookies

   

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

craft, read, book a pedi

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

The older I get, the more I embrace who I see in the mirror; love the woman I'm growing into through my faith and life choices; and acknowledge the wisdom and experience I've gained through the years. And a sense of humor is one of the best tools in the whole arsenal. 😉 

Let's hear it for middle age! 😊 ♥️ 

Exactly! 😆 

FROM THE CAMERA:

Happy Birthday to my Gram in heaven. She is the one I named Annie after and she would have been 102 today! 💝 

My dear neighbor bestie has been keeping me stocked up in beautiful eggs from her chickens

First robin of the season!

When we went out for dinner of course Annie had to do the driving, so Matt & I were in the back seat and I teased him that he looked nervous in this pic.

But I held his hand and all was well. Lol 😂 

The first little sprouts of my herbs I planted....yay!!!! 🌱

PRAYER LIST:

Prayers for gratitude and thankfulness for so many blessings. For special intentions. For Ukraine, Russia, and the surrounding countries taking refugees. For the Lord's light, love, and peace to spread in our world and cast out the dark and bring peace.

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

Have a blesse week! I'm linking with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.