Jerk Pork - Taste of Jamaica -Dinner Travels

Hey hey!!

Man, this semester of school has really got me swamped! I have had at least three papers due every week for the last five weeks!! Can you believe that?!?!
But - there is a light at the end of the tunnel...today starts the last full week before finals! Woohoo!

If you are on my Facebook Page or Instagram, you have been able to see some peeks into our daily life. This week, we are travelling the globe right from home! I have different dinners planned each night that are from different parts of the world. Monday night, we had a little taste of Jamaica with some jerk pork. Monday's are soccer days, so I wanted to have something that was ready when the kids got home from school, so I prepared this in the crock pot.

Let me tell you a little money-saving secret of mine... I shop for spices in the International Foods aisle! The Badia brand of seasonings and spices is my go to. They come in large containers and are priced SO amazing. I picked up some of this jerk seasoning for around $2! You just can't beat that!

For the pork, I used a 3-4lb. pork loin (not a tenderloin), jerk seasoning, garlic, lime, & orange juice. I put the pork into my crockpot, and added about 1/2 cup orange juice, 4 cloves of crushed garlic, the juice from one lime, and 3 tablespoons of the jerk seasoning. That's it. Easy peasy. Covered and cooked on low for about 8 hours.

About thirty minutes before we were ready to eat, I made some brown rice. I didn't add anything to this since I know I would be putting the meat on top.

This is where things get crazy...I originally planned on making a mango salsa to go with this since I saw it in this post. However, there are no mangoes in sight at my local grocery store, and my family doesn't love them enough for me to want to hunt some down. Also,the avocados were looking really sad the day I shopped. I originally thought I would just skip the fresh salsa part, and maybe have a salad or something. While I was finishing up the rice, I remembered that we had one lonely corn on the cob leftover from grilling over the weekend. I also had some red bell peppers on hand for Tuesday night's dinner! I threw some canola oil in a pan and got it hot. Then, I cut the corn off the cob right into the pan and added half of my red pepper, sprinkled on some salt & pepper, added some cilantro, and squeezed one more lime into the pan.

Let me just tell you...this meal was DELICIOUS!!!
It  is going down in my permanent files, and will be made again soon! The entire family loved it!

Here is the full recipe! Let me know if you try it!

Pork

* 3-4 lb. pork loin
* 3 Tablespoons jerk seasoning
* 4 cloves crushed garlic
* 1/2 cup orange juice
* juice of one lime

Cooked Brown Rice

Corn Salsa 

* One ear of corn, scraped from cob (frozen could work, also!)
* 1/2 red bell pepper
* Salt & pepper to taste
* 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
* juice of one lime

Directions

* Place pork in slow cooker. Add crushed garlic, jerk seasoning, orange juice, and lime juice. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. Shred in pot.
* About 30 minutes before serving time, cook rice.
* About 10 minutes before serving time, heat pan with 1 Tablespoon oil. Add corn and bell peppers. Season with sale and pepper. Cook until tender-crisp. Add juice from lime and cilantro.
* To serve: add rice to center of plate, top with pork and salsa.
* ENJOY!

Menu Plan Monday - Getting settled

Every time we move, it takes me so long to get back into a routine. Especially when I have to mix starting a new school year, new job schedule for my husband, and all the other 'new' things that come with a move. We have had company more weekends than we haven't, and it doesn't look like that is going to slow down any time soon. ( Not that I mind that part!) Oh yeah...a hurricane also blew through! I'm just sad that I wsan't able to keep up with my weekly menu plan. I was doing so good! I thought this would for sure be the year that I made it through the whole year! I guess there's always next year. We have no moves and no babies planned! :D
BUT - I have a menu plan this week. The one thing that tends to stay on track. I just can't walk into a grocery store without a plan, or we end up with a bunch of junk and no meals! >.<
 So, let's get to it, shall we?

Eggplant parmesan

Spaghetti

Salad

(The only reason this is being made today is because my sister is visiting and requested it! I'm very excited because I love it, but nobody else in my house will eat it!)

Tacos with all the works!

( I am still sticking closely to my 21 day fix meal plan, so I will be having more salsa, lettuce, and tomato than cheese and sour cream!)

Mexican Cabbage Soup

I came across this recipe on Pinterest yesterday, and I have all of the ingredients already. BONUS: It's a diet-friendly soup!)

Potato & Corn chowder

(Totally appropriate to have the day after a diet-friendly soup, right??)

Pizza!

(As you know, we have pizza every Friday. I haven't decided yet if I will make it, or we will order)

Fish sticks

Mac & Cheese

Broccoli

(Sometimes you just have to give in to the kid's requests!)

Taco Soup

(Yep, more soup. It's cold here this week.I have a lot going on, and it's already made and in the freezer, just waiting to be put in the crock pot! Don't judge :) )

Breakfasts are pretty much the same here daily: eggs and toast
Sometimes I switch it up with oatmeal. On the weekends we have more time, and therefore, bigger breakfasts. The kids like sausage biscuits, home made egg mcmuffins, or bacon and eggs.


Lunches: My two oldest are in school, and usually request ham & Cheese. I have leftovers from the night before, and sometimes the littles have mac & Cheese. This week we have chicken salad!

Snacks: granola bars
              yogurt & fruit with cinnamon
              veggies & hummus
              celery or apples with peanut butter

I hope you all have an amazing week! I will be posting throughout the week on Instagram and I am always finding something new on Pinterest
This week, I am linking back up with I'm an Organizing Junkie!
See you soon!
xoxo

Menu Plan Monday - Grill Week - June 13

Hello hello!! Welcome back!
This is our last full week in Maryland! :(
Our menu this week is full of grilled foods for dinner. My husband is back home after being gone for three weeks, so this was all his request :)

We will be visiting some friends in Rhode Island over the weekend, so I only have today through Thursday planned for meals.

Pork chops
Green beans
Rice

Shrimp & Chicken kabobs with peppers and onions
corn on the cob

Kielbasa
Roasted Potatoes
Broccoli

Chicken Salad
Not the chicken salad you're thinking of...We make a regular old salad and throw soe grilled chicken on top. With Italian dressing. Delicious!


Lunches:
PB&J
Ham & Cheese
Tuna
Leftovers


That's it for me this week!! For a bigger list of menu ideas, you can head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday!! :D

See you soon!

Menu Plan Monday - May 09

Good morning!! Happy Monday.
Y'all...I did not have my stuff together last week. You will probably see a lot of repeat meals on my menu next week because I did not make some of them. The only reason they aren't on this week is because I already had the menu made!!
Last week was pretty exciting! I finally got my call form LuLaRoe on Tuesday, so I can officially say I am now a LuLaRoe fashion consultant! Thursday I went to the LuLaRoe conference that just happened to be in DC that day. That is a whole story in itself! I will definitely be sharing those details later this week!! And, of course, Mother's Day was Sunday. In short, it was an amazing day!
This week's menu is looking pretty good. I'm hoping I can get it together and actually make everything I have planned! :D

Dijon Grilled Chicken & Quinoa Salad

Ingredients: Chicken, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, quinoa

Ground Beef Taco Skillet

Ingredients: Ground beef, zucchini, bell peppers, red onion, fire roasted tomatoes, Monterey jack cheese

Shrimp Lo Mein

Ingredients: Shrimp, lo mein noodles, veggies

YUM!
 

Pork Tenderloin
Green beans
Roasted red potatoes

Pizza
Salad

Ingredients: Flat out wraps, sauce, cheese, toppings

Chicken Pineapple Stir Fry

Ingredients: Chicken, pineapple, veggies, rice

Sloppy joes

Ingredients: Ground beef (The recipe calls for turkey), tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, onion, bell pepper

Breakfasts:
Egg, ham & Cheese sandwiches
Eggs & Toast
Bacon, eggs, pancakes
Frittata ( I just throw in whatever meat/veggies I have on hand)

Lunches:
Leftovers
Tuna Wraps
Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Snacks:
Fruit w/ Yogurt & Cinnamon
Peanuts
Carrots w/ hummus (The roasted red pepper hummus is my favorite!!)
Fruit Salsa w/ Cinnamon Chips

Here is my full menu for the week, with all my containers labeled.

All of my dinner meals, as well as a few others, are saved in my 21 Day Fix Board on Pinterest.
During the week, I post updates and any changes on my Facebook page. Plus a bunch of other random, fun things!
And if you love Instagram as much as I do, you can find me there, too! :D

I follow along each week with I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday!

See you soon!!
XOXO

Menu PLan Monday - New adventures

Good morning!! Happy Monday!

Last week was so busy! I had a bunch of random things happening, and totally forgot to post my meal plan on Monday, and never got a chance to the rest of the week.
We enjoyed lots of outside time in the warm sunshine and had some ducks come right up and visit us at the park! My favorite part of Spring is seeing all the new colors in the garden! Do you have a favorite?

This little guy was so excited to have ducks come right up and say hello!

Bring be ALL the beautiful flowers!!
 

I have a couple big changes coming up in the next few months. I'm sharing one today because A) It's super exciting, and B) it's happening this week!!
I will be getting my call to place my order and officially become a fashion consultant with LuLaRoe!! If you haven't heard of LuLaRoe yet, I am so sad for you! They carry the most amazingly soft leggings, and many styles of tops, dresses, and skirts for every size! The prints are beautiful. You may have seen some of my photos over on my Facebook page of me wearing some of my LuLaRoe pieces. I highly recommend you check it out! And, if you're feeling lucky, I have a giveaway going on right now for $10 off and free shipping! All you have to do is join the group and tell me what style you would love to see (or try!) in my shop! So easy!!
These are (almost) all of my leggings!

And one of my favorite pieces, the Amelia dress. It has pockets! And it goes great with my little Amelia :)

 If you would like to join the group, you can follow this link: LuLaRoe Keli Jennings


Let's get to the menu this week...

Warmer weather is coming, so our meals are getting lighter and easier...

Penne pasta with Italian sausage(ground)
Salad

Tacos
Guacamole
Chips & Salsa

Pork Chops, Roasted red potatoes, Green beans
Salad

Chicken Parm Casserole
Side spaghetti
Salad

Pizza
(mozzarella, pepperoni)

Hamburgers
Fries
Baked beans

Fuji Apple Chicken Salad (Panera Bread Copycat)


Breakfasts:
Waffles
Oatmeal
Eggs with toast
Biscuits & gravy (Saturday)

Lunches:
Tuna
Chicken Salad
leftovers
PB&J
Mac & Cheese
Ham & Cheese

Snacks:
Smoothies
Cheese & Crackers
Yogurt w/ fruit
Chips & Salsa
Apples w/ Peanut butter
Carrots w/ hummus

I hope you all have an amazing week!!
You can find most of my recipes on Pinterest
For daily life, follow me on Instagram
Don't forget to share your menu on Facebook!

If you need more menu ideas, I'm linking  up with I'm an Organizing Junkie

See you soon!

XOXO

Menu Plan Monday - April 11

Good morning! How do you like the new layout??
I almost forgot it was Monday and that I needed to post my menu plan! Thank goodness I remembered!
Last week was full of checkups for the kiddos, a youth retreat for our oldest, and an last minute trip to drive 4 hours to go look at a potential house! So fun, but mama's tired. I also cleaned out the fridge and learned two very good lessons last week - It's always a good thing to stay on top of cleaning out the fridge -and- It's always a good idea to check the fridge before going grocery shopping. I usually try to clean out the fridge every week (leftover night!) but the last two weeks, the meals we've had didn't have leftovers, so there was no need to empty out those.However, I went grocery shopping, came home and deiced that was the time to clean out and reorganize the fridge, and found out that we now have 4 pounds of baby carrots, and two big brand new bottles of mustard. OOPS!! Too bad they can't be eaten together! Haha But- the fridge is happy again. Which makes me happy. :D

Before! :(

So.Much.Better.

The good news is that we have a pretty awesome menu planned for this week. Totally makes up for the last two weeks that have been less than creative!

Today is Spaghetti with Italian Sausage (ground) with salad

Ingredients: Spaghetti, sauce, Italian sausage, Salad

White Chicken Enchiladas (Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients: green, red, yellow bell pepper, jalapenos, onion, chicken, chicken broth, heavy cream, butter, paprika, flour, Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, tortillas

Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork (Pioneer Woman), cole slaw, Baked beans

Ingredients: Pork Roast, onions, chipotle chiles in adobo, Dr. Pepper, brown sugar, cabbage, mayo, lemon, carrots, baked beans

Balsamic Glazed Steak Rolls
Ingredients: Flank Steak, red & green bell pepper, zucchini, onion, balsamic, red wine, brown sugar, beef broth

Pizza & Salad

Ingredients: Pizza dough (we're using Trader Joe's dough this week!), pizza sauce, toppings (for us, it's mozzarella, pepperoni, bell pepper and onion if there's any leftover)

Breakfast




* Breakfasts this week:
Biscuits & gravy
Eggs & toast
Oatmeal

* Lunches:     
Tuna
Chicken Salad
Mac & Cheese
PB&J

* Snacks:                                         
Carrots & Hummus or Ranch
Celery & Peanut butter or ranch
Chips & Salsa


What are you eating this week??

Visit me on Facebook and share your menu!
 Check out Instagram for daily posts
Pinterest for most of my recipes and lots of other fun things!


I follow along each week with I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday


See you soon!!

Menu Plan Monday - April 04

Goooood morning!!

So last week was fun. I got to work on a couple projects. I have a list of projects that I need to finish. I was able to cross one off the list, and do two others that were not on the list.

One of these projects included a little make over for our lazy susan. We got one from IKEA after we moved here. It's a blonde wood and I have never really liked it. It didn't fit with anything else in our house. I have been wanting to refinish it, but I could never decide what color I wanted it to be. After stalking Pinterest for a few minutes, I finally made a decision!! AND I got to learn how to use a new tool - a Dremel. I have used one before, but only to carve pumpkins and my husband set it all up for me. Haha. This time I used it to etch wood and got it all set up by myself. (ThanksYouTube!) ;)

Here it is! What do you think? My husband said it reminds him of the Garth Brooks logo. I think I have to agree.

I will do a full post on this soon! I am so glad I decided to stain it. Now it matches the bar stools I refinished last summer :)

I also refinished the top of our living room table! It was getting a little banged up, and I wanted a change. I originally covered it with some pretty contact paper, but I hated it because it didn't match the room at all! After a couple weeks, I pulled it off. Not a good idea! Now I really needed to redo it!
A friend let me borrow some chalk paint, and I just redid the top. It is so much better. It may not be perfect, but we're moving soon, and it's not coming with us. It's great for now! :)

Our kitchen got a little update with some fun new rugs! I am in love with the bright colors in these!

And finally...I got Amelia's mobile finished and hung up. This is the one I got to cross off my list. It really should have been done a long time ago!

All in all, it was a pretty productive week! Thank goodness we had easy dinners planned!! :D
I'm looking forward to what this week has in store!!

Here is what the menu looks like!!

 Chili mac & cheese

 Tacos

Pork chops, green bean casserole, salad

Sesame noodles with chicken and broccoli

 Pizza

I don't have Saturday and Sunday planned yet!! I'll have to work on it and update later this week!! ;)

Our breakfasts this week will include:
* eggs
* French toast
* biscuits & gravy
* muffins
* waffles

Lunches:
* chicken salad
* tuna
* mac & cheese

Snacks:
* carrots with hummus
* vegetable spinach dip
* yogurt with fruit


I would love for you to stop by my Facebook page and let me know what you are eating this week!
You can also find me on Instagram where I post throughout the week!
For more menu planning ideas, check out the Menu Plan Monday I link up with! :)

See you soon! :D