Pinned/Did/Done 6/28

Balsamic Roasted Potatoes. The recipe also calls for asparagus but I didn't have any. These were good. Since there were leftovers, I heated them up the next day and they had lost the balsamic taste completely. You might need to add more if that's the case. But it's a good alternative to just olive oil or garlic, if you're looking for a new flavor for potatoes.

Vegan Banana Bread. I made this in muffin tins and froze them. It makes about 18 muffins and bakes at the same temperature for about 15 minutes. THEY WERE FANTASTIC. This will be a go-to recipe for me.

Lactation cookies. I made the dough, scooped it onto trays, froze it, and then put them into ziploc bags for later. I'll bake them when I need them. It seems promising. I also made a double batch of my favorite oatmeal cookies, froze the dough, and will bake them at some point. I plan to keep Scott away from the lactation cookies by telling him they have twice as many calories as regular cookies (which, they likely do).

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Gnocchi. I like quick gnocchi dinners that I can just make on the stove in the summer, so roasting the vegetables kind of ruined that part. This was good, though. I prefer my eggplant breaded, in a parmesan-style, but it did the job and didn't take long to make.

Steel Cut Oats in the Instant Pot. Confession: we have a knock-off Instant Pot. Scott bought it to cook different meats and whatnot for himself while he was in charge of his own meal-planning this past winter in Wyoming. So the instructions on a lot of Instant Pot recipes don't always correspond to ours (It's a Farberware one). For this one, I followed the ingredient directions and just put it on for 30 minutes. It worked beautifully and I didn't seal in the steam to release it at the end. The oats just absorbed all the water, a lot like how a rice cooker would. My favorite part was that steel cut oats also take about 30 minutes on the stove, but they ALWAYS stick to the pan and make a mess. These came right out with no clean-up time.

Chicken Fried Rice in the Instant Pot. This came together really easily and I liked that you didn't have to use leftover rice. I will say that it needed more seasoning/soy sauce, so if you have go-to cocktail of seasoning for Asian food, use it. The method works really well if you like chicken fried rice. I left out the egg because I always pick it out anyway.

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Muffin Cups.
These were really good as well.  I have a thing for oatmeal, I know. Reheating with some maple syrup makes a great snack or breakfast. I froze a few ziploc bags of these so we'll see how they hold up.

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Speaking of things you see on Pinterest, but would hopefully never try yourself...this is the most awful thing I've seen in awhile.

I was actually kind of horrified by it. 

What have you pinned and tried out lately? 

I'm trying to make good use of meal-planning again, so hopefully I'll have more to report on in the second half of 2018.

Pinned/Did/Done 2/15

We normally don't do much for Valentine's Day, but yesterday was an exhausting and headache-inducing day (car trouble...), so me Facetiming with Jett was the highlight of my day (Scout wasn't super interested). 

But today, let's celebrate some Pinterest success. This is for you if you need recipe inspiration!

To see my Pinterest board where I keep track of everything I've tried, click here.

Parmesan Tomato Basil Soup. I liked the fact that this incorporated so many vegetables. I didn't puree it, but I might at some point in the future just to try it because I've done that with tomato soups in the past. I didn't mind the chunks of vegetables. Scott really liked this and I did too, but thought it didn't have as much flavor as it could have?

Sausage Orzo Soup. This was amazing. Like, I will make it once a month from here on out. Scott appreciate that it did not incorporate my only meat of choice lately (chicken sausage) and had pork sausage in it instead. The flavor with the tomato was excellent. It was incredibly easy to throw together. Next time, I will make a big batch without the pasta and add that into each portion later, as pasta doesn't freeze well.

8-Minute Pantry Dal. Let's be clear: the "8 minute" part is clickbait. It's referring to prep time, not cook time. However, this didn't take long and it was good. We love dal, and I plan on experimenting with different types at some point.

Marbled Banana Bread. This was really good. It's a bit more involved than my usual recipe, but worth the effort once in awhile.

Quinoa Corn Chowder. Again, Scott loved this. I thought it was just fine. I could see it being a quick go-to on a weeknight. Oddly, I always like making soups more than I actually like eating them.

Crispy Parmesan Garlic Edamame. I had a bag of frozen edamame taking up freezer space and all the rest of the ingredients on hand. This was interesting and actually really flavorful. If you like edamame, I'd try it.

Bacon-Wrapped Pheasant. Scott made this a few weeks ago. I did not partake, but it smelled good.

Pinned/Did/Done 7/20

I'm back from a trip to a slightly cooler climate and while I get my bearings (truth: my favorite part of a trip is returning home), here's a compilation of what I've been accomplishing on Pinterest. 

Recipes:

Strawberry Cobbler. Something about this intrigued me. I made it and then put strawberry ice cream on top. It was good. It wasn't flaky or biscuity like a shortcake, but had a great flavor. I put regular sugar in it because I stay away from fake sugar.

Oatmeal Cookie Energy Bites. These did not roll. Even after a day in the freezer, they did not firm up. It was like an uncooked granola. I followed the directions exactly too. I loved the flavor but I didn't know what to do with it besides eat it with a spoon.

20 Minute Skillet Pasta. This was good and easy and didn't heat up the house on a hot day. I used chickpeas and didn't use GF pasta.

Copycat Texas Roadhouse Dry Steak Rub. We bought a bunch of steaks at Costco and, after the soy sauce incident, I couldn't marinate them in the way I usually do. I made up this rub instead and Scott really liked it. It was salty even after I cut the salt by 1/3, so I would recommend about 1/2 T. kosher salt instead of 1 1/2 T.

The Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cake. I 100% prefer vegan chocolate cake because it's moist, fluffy, and does not dry out. I was going to make cupcakes out of the cake recipe I made a few months ago, but realized we didn't have any applesauce so I started searching for another recipe. I used regular 2% milk, not almond milk, and that didn't make this vegan at all. I really believe in the ACV method for a light cake and vegetable oil is so much better texture-wise than using butter. This was easy enough and tasted fantastic.

I made roasted veggies with chimichurri sauce a few weeks ago but it was from the recipes of the month at The Balanced Life. Since this is a paid subscription, I doubt I'm allowed to share but here's something similar that I found on Pinterest.

I modified it, anyway. Roast green beans, potatoes, broccoli, chickpeas, and whatever else you want for 25 minutes at 425 degrees. Drizzle a mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper, and minced garlic (3 cloves) over the top first. 

Make a chimichurri sauce and pour over the warm vegetables before serving. 

Teaching:

Storing anchor charts has been a hassle for the last few years. I never really made reusable ones before that. I came across this idea to roll them, label them, and use a new trash can to hold them...I set it up, now we'll see if it works.

I made a chart like this last year and it worked not even a little bit. I think I took it down halfway through the year. I'm trying it again. Fingers crossed.

I've pinned a ton of teaching ideas (I'm forever pinning teaching ideas), so I'll have to do an update on what works and what doesn't.

What have you pinned and done lately?

Pinned.Did.Done (S&T 5/11)

Garlic Parmesan Halibut.  This was the first way we ever had halibut in Alaska. It's not healthy but it's tasty. I made it a few weeks ago when Scott came home with halibut from Costco.

Baked Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal.  This was good. Out of all the baked oatmeals I've made, I'd go with this.

One-Pan Sausage and Veggies. LOVED this. I'll probably make it often from here on out. Scott despises chicken sausage but I find it solves my problem of "need more protein" in a very practical way. Regular chicken gets old pretty quickly.

Vegetarian Chow Mein. I don't even remember if I tried this. I made it. Scott loved it. Something about it didn't appeal to me though once it was done.

Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos. I just did the shrimp part, and didn't make them into tacos. It was fine. I'm always looking for new ways to cook shrimp but, like any red-blooded American, I prefer my shrimp deep-fried and breaded.

Baked Pesto Chicken. Easy and quick. And i usually have these ingredients on hand.

Asparagus, Tomato, and Feta Salad. Tasty enough to repeat. I made it a month ago and I made it this week. VERY good.

Cilantro-Lime Black Bean and Shrimp and Rice. This was good. I ate around the shrimp because I really think I have an aversion to seafood sometimes but the rice was tasty.

One Bowl Vegan Chocolate Cake. THIS WAS SO GOOD. I don't know why anyone would ever make a "regular" chocolate cake after they try this one. It stayed moist in the fridge for days. I didn't make the icing vegan because seriously now...but I would do a peanut butter icing next time. This will be my go to whenever I need a chocolate cake from here on out.

Coffee Cake Doughnuts. These were really good. After days on end of The Great British Baking Show* I wanted to make doughnuts. I dug out that doughnut pan I just had to have five years ago...I've used it three times now in five years...and went to work. We ate them all in one day.

Alright. That's what I've Pinned and Done in the last month or so.

What's your favorite Pinterest recipe lately???

*The Great British Bake-Off is the name of the show as it airs in the U.K. In America, it's called The Great British Baking Show because Pillsbury (makers of all things processed) has trademarked the term "bake-off", and therefore it cannot be used on a t.v. show (be it on PBS or Netflix) that Pillsbury does not own. Gag, right?

Pinned, Did, Done 3/29

Extreme Cookies and Cream Oreo Cake (pin) I made this for Scott's birthday in November. I liked it a lot but would probably take the frosting and the cookie part and use a boxed mix next time. It's just easier and you're guaranteed a moist cake.

5-Ingredient Tomato Butter Sauce (pin) I've made this several times in the last few months. I use a can of crushed tomatoes. Very tasty and leftovers keep well in the fridge. We put it over zoodles and use lots of breadcrumbs.

Addictive Spiced Nuts (pin) Unbelievably tasty. Good thing nuts are expensive or I would make these all the time.


Healthy No-Bake Chocolate Cookies (pin) These taste like health food. I mean, it's not a bad taste but it's like eating a bowl of oatmeal (and that's saying something because my sweet tooth is not nearly as intense as it used to be.)

Greek Quinoa Bowls (pin) An easy dinner. You could add chicken to make it more filling but I thought it was good on its own. I roasted the chickpeas first.

45 Minute Cinnamon Rolls (pin) Very good! Easy and do-able too! Especially for someone like me who doesn't mess with yeast that much.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup (pin) This was okay. I wasn't overly impressed, but it worked as a decent dinner.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Mug Cake (pin) I've made these twice in the last week because Scott often requests dessert. It's good. I like crispy and chewy cookies and this is not like that but it serves its purpose and is a good one as far as mug cakes go.

What have you pinned (and done) lately?

Linking up with Jenn!

Pinned.Did.Done 11/30

The background to these Pinned, Did, Done posts is that I treat my Pinterest a lot like a to-do list and I don't pin a recipe or tip without the intention of actually trying it. Here's what I've done since the last (long, long ago) post.

Ways to make and freeze winter squash. I did this in July when I got an acorn squash from the local co-op. It worked and the cubes are still in the freezer, waiting to be added to soups and stews. (Pin)

Napa Valley Chicken. This was good. Really, really good. I didn't have any white wine opened, so I just used chicken broth for all of the liquid. I dredged the chicken in a mixture of flour and breadcrumbs (because they were right there) instead of just flour. Also, I put it over couscous instead of rice. (Pin)

I needed something quick to take to a potluck and had always wanted to try the claim that pumpkin+cake or brownie mix is good. These 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Brownies were okay. They were very gooey and very pumpkin-y. I topped them with my own homemade cream cheese frosting so that made them better. I believe that the frosting is the best part of any cake or brownie anyway. I still prefer an actual pumpkin brownie recipe (which doesn't have the intense pumpkin flavor), but these are fine in a pinch. I'm not a huge pumpkin fan, so if you are these are good for you. (Pin)

Cleaning a coffeepot. I was kind of shocked that this worked. However, you do actually have to wipe down the coffeepot and kind of scrub the inside to get the full effect. Just letting the mixture soak and then rinsing doesn't clean it. It does loosen all of the grime and staining and makes it very easy to wipe out. (Pin)

These mini cheesecakes came out beautifully. I had never made cheesecake before. I made the caramel sauce listed at the bottom of the recipe to go with them, and then I toasted some pecans and mixed them in with the caramel sauce. Since I topped the cupcakes with this, I got my pecan pie cheesecake without having to make a gigantic actual cheesecake. (Pin)

30 Minute Dinner Rolls.  These were easy enough to make but sometimes I can't tell if baking in Colorado is off because of the altitude or if it's me. I use the convection feature on my oven because I've done some experimenting and found that convection will negate the altitude. If I use "convention", I have to adjust the recipe a little and/or things fall flat.  These rolls were heavy and biscuit-like. They tasted good, but I was interested in something light and fluffy so I may try another recipe for Christmas. (Pin)

What have you Pinned and (actually) done lately?

Linking up with Jenn with What's Hap"pinning" Wednesday.

Pinterest Tricks That (Really) Do Work in the Classroom

These are things I have used and will continue to use. I found them on Pinterest (clearly), so the links will take you to the pins.

This list of Beginning of the Year Procedures, so you don't forget to go over something. Checklists are great for that first week.

This Non-Fiction Notes strategy. I don't have it made into an anchor chart, but I have it on a piece of paper I project and the students copy it down. I should make it into a form for this coming year...
I use it for articles, partner-reading, and videos. You can give any video a purpose by making them accountable for completing this task at the end. Sometimes BrainPop can just explain it better than I can, you know?

What Does My Grade Mean?  I've made this into a handout for parents and students and also have one to project on the board as I hand back tests. Kids always want As (uh, so do the parents) but sometimes they (students and parents) don't get that a B or C is fine, because learning is the goal. Anyway, we still do letter grades in 4th and 5th grade in my district but it's a jump from the standards-based grades that they are used to in the primary grades. This is a handy explanation.

I love this colorful bulletin board display. It's perfect for hanging work and anchor charts and easy to change things out often. I would HIGHLY recommend making one if you have the wall space. The picture of mine is in the graphic at the top of the post.

For Open House/Meet the Teacher Night, I used cardboard boxes with labels to have the kids sort their own supplies. It was amazing. Here's a picture of mine.

I used this substitute form when I taught 2nd grade. Currently, my district provides one for the sub so I don't make them fill out two.

I did this highlighter trick next to the turn-in box. It worked two years ago, and didn't work well with this last group I had. I'll probably try it again this coming year.

I did this math trick with 4th graders. It works well with inquisitive kids.

And Flocabulary has some very engaging songs/videos for older kids. I did not find this on Pinterest, but I pinned it.

Pinteresty Things

My last Pinterest post was in June. It's time.

+Easy Sheet Pan Breakfast Pizza.  Delicious. We ate it on Christmas.

+Molasses Snickerdoodles. I also made these for Christmas.  Amazing.

+Tomato, Cucumber, and Avocado Salad. I think I made this last summer.  It was okay. I don't really remember it.  I like the grape/avocado/cucumber one better.

+Truly Crispy Oven-Baked Wings.  They really are crispy.  This works very well.

+One-Pot Lasagna Soup. I made this during our little snowstorm last week and didn't have ricotta or tomato paste, so I subbed in a bit of cream cheese and some extra marinara.  I almost used turkey stock but that seemed too adventurous so I made broth with chicken bouillon instead. It was tasty, but would definitely be better with (lots of) ricotta.

+Panda Express-Style Orange Chicken.  Eh. I didn't like it. I've made crockpot orange chicken before too and didn't like that, so maybe it's me.  Scott loved it.

And a few funny things:

+How an introvert makes a phone call. Basically they (I) dread it all day and start to sweat and procrastinate and are secretly relieved when they get a voicemail.  Since Scott's a commander now, I'm a key caller.  Worst nightmare realized. I get to randomly call people I've never met and chat with them and/or pass along information.

The "your" hurts my heart a little bit. You get the idea.

These are Schmidt quotes turned into motivational posters.  I'm planning on printing these and hanging them behind my desk at school.

Linking up with Jenn!

Pinned. Did. Done. 6/23

I'm reserving the right to adopt a summer posting schedule because why not? There will still be a recipe every week, but it'll be posted...whenever.  I was actually too busy reading this weekend to write any blog posts, and I suppose that isn't a terrible problem to have.  

Well, I suppose these posts will be happening every 6 months now.

If you want to see past Pinterest posts, click on "Pinned It/Did It" on the sidebar cloud.

I go to that cloud when I'm looking for things on my own blog.  It's different from THE cloud, but it's a cloud nonetheless.

+Curried Chickpeas.  I wanted to like this but I didn't.  It was kind of sour.

+Perfect vegan pancakes.  I'm don't eat vegan and don't proclaim to want to try.  In fact, I un-veganed these.  I saw the recipe on a blog and thought it seemed simple enough, and I made them in my cast iron skillet, as pancakes do not cook well in our stainless steel pans.  They were AMAZING.  In fact, I can see myself easily making a batch every weekend so I can eat them for breakfast all week.  I used coconut milk for the non-dairy milk (you could use regular milk) and then one egg in place of the flax/water combination.

+Pumpkin PB Dog Treats.  One day I was on the way back from the store when I realized I'd forgotten to buy t-r-e-a-t-s.  I wasn't driving back and we were almost out, so I pulled up this recipe and put all that leftover pumpkin in the freezer to use.  This makes a ton, depending how small you cut them.  I used a pizza cutter to slice the dough into Cheeze-it-style squares.  The dogs love these treats and go nuts for them.  I'll keep making them.  A batch makes a giant Ziploc bagful and lasts about 3 weeks around here. Just store them in the fridge.

+Microwave Hummus.  I don't have much luck with homemade hummus.  I just don't like it I guess.  This wasn't overly impressive to me.  It's a shame.  I'd like to be able to enjoy homemade hummus the way I enjoy the preservative-laden store-bought kind.  Do you have any hummus secrets?  I'm working on a recipe for next week.

+Quinoa Enchilada Casserole.  Very tasty.  I think you should try this for a quick, healthy dinner. As long as you have quinoa on hand, it's a cheap meal.  You could add meat to bulk it up too.

+Quinoa Pizza Bites.  I made a recipe a few years ago and it was surprisingly good.  I thought, for some reason, that this was that recipe.  It was not.  This recipe wasn't very good.  Scott liked it, more or less, but he hadn't had the first one.  This was dry and flavorless.  Make this quinoa pizza-bite recipe instead.

I haven't been plowing through my Pinterest boards the way I used to, but I do intend on getting back on track soon.  I'm "freezer-cooking" these days, because I intend to fill up the deep-freeze with soups, crockpot meals, and sauces this summer.  It'd be really nice to go into August (and school) with food that's ready-to-eat.

Pinned. Did. Done. 12/30

Sometimes, when I start feeling bad about myself, I go to my Food to Make board on Pinterest and just start plowing through it.  It makes me feel accomplished if I happen to be feeling unaccomplished.  Here's what I've been up to lately…

+Cauliflower Pizza Crust.  Scott requested this for his birthday.  A friend's wife "has a recipe" and it was "delicious".  I scoured the internet and tried the recipe that made the most sense to me.  It was ridiculously time-consuming.  Scott loved it.  I tasted nothing but cauliflower.  But really, Scott loved it and recommends it.  I think I ate a quesadilla.

+Chocolate Coconut Chia Pudding.  We have a giant bag of chia seeds and I thought, "Hey, this looks like something I could do with those".  No.  One bite and that was it for me.  Scott wouldn't eat it either, and he's not picky.  There was no flavor but dark, dark chocolate.  I suppose it's worth noting that I used a squirt of honey instead of stevia because I don't believe in little packets of sweet, powdered substances.  Also, I used coconut milk in place of the water/almond milk.  But I would think that would've given it more flavor?

+Vegan Coconut Oil Muffins.  I remember trying these months ago and don't recall much about them.  I do remember thinking they weren't spectacular.  Also, they stuck to the pan.  I think vegan baking can be overrated.  I mean, sometimes we need eggs for things.  Or at least an egg substitute.

+Yellow Layer Cake.  This was tasty.  I liked the use of cake flour.  Gave it that bakery texture.

+Chicken Avocado Soup.  I made this on a weekend we were both sick and it was good.  I added extra lime.  It didn't have a ton of flavor.

+How to hard boil eggs perfectly.  This didn't work for me.  I'll never learn how to hard boil eggs.

+Quinoa Pizza Pie.  This was SO good.  I mean, SO GOOD.  Flavorful, filling, healthy, and cheap to make.  I used leftover quinoa I'd cook days before in chicken broth, so I just stirred in some pizza sauce and tomato paste as I was mixing it all together.  I will definitely be making it again.  We thought it tasted like lasagna.  You could definitely add ground beef to it.

Let's end on that tasty note. 

Pinned/Did/Done 9/30 (Zucchini help?)

Kitchen pictures coming soon.  I need to wait for good light and I'm already running late for work.  

I made this mahi-mahi on Saturday.  I'm not a huge fish eater, but I make fish of some variety for Scott at least twice a week.  That's my cop-out meal.  He gets protein, I get to eat a quesadilla.  Everyone's happy.  He loved this sauce.  It did smell amazing!  Super easy too.  He said, "I'm so glad you know how to make stuff like this…" and I said, "I credit the new stove. It's not from 1999 and all the burners work, so that probably makes a difference."

So. much. zucchini.  I'm running out of things to do with it.  Especially because I don't really like it that much.  I think I'm just going to shred and freeze most of it?  Here are a few things I made…

Stuffed Zucchini.  Like stuffed peppers.  Scott loved these.  I probably had pizza or something that night.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread.  This was fantabulous.  A must-make.  I topped it with homemade chocolate frosting from this brownie recipe.

I also made this regular zucchini bread.  It was good.

Anything else I can make with zucchini?  I've also roasted it in the oven, tossed it with pasta, etc.

I've really just been going back and forth to the same tried and true recipes lately.  Living in a construction zone isn't conducive to recipe development.  Sometimes I think that my creativity came out in Alaska because it had to as a way for me to cope.  Missouri sucked the life of me and killed whatever creativity I had left.  I'm slowly trying to find it again and I have a great fall-flavors bread recipe in the works…maybe I'll get to it this weekend.  You know, preferably before fall is over.

Pinned.Did.Done. 7/15

I try to use Pinterest as an actual tool and I've been pinning many decorating and teaching inspirations lately.  I never pin something without the intention of trying it, so I really attempt to keep track of what I've already done. I have a board dedicated to everything I've done, so here's a round-up of the last few weeks.  

Cucumber, Avocado, and Grape Salad.  This was delicious.  In fact, I'd make it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  For company or just for us.  It is one of the best things I've ever put together in my kitchen, and I think you should try it.  It's creamy, tangy, crunchy, and sweet.  Oh, and healthy.

Thai Peanut Sauce.  This is the best peanut sauce I've found so far.  I put it on a stir-fry. I didn't make the salad it's paired with because I'm not a fan of tofu, but I know I could easily add this sauce to any salad I create.  Are there actual Thai bottled dressings sold in the regular grocery store?  I've yet to find one.

Pho.  This is Martha Stewart's version of the homemade noodle soup and it is fantastic.  I hate this because I do not like Martha (she's a rich criminal), but the soup is good.

Vegan Banana Oatmeal Pancakes.  I don't know.  I think pancakes should have eggs and/or oil or something.  I didn't have much luck with these.

Cake Batter Ice Cream.  I have my own fantastic recipe for cake batter ice cream but when I went to make it last week, I realized I was out of cornstarch.  I was not driving 15 miles for cornstarch, so I went to this recipe I'd pinned a year ago.  It uses the old fashioned method:  eggs.  VERY easy to make, but I wasn't crazy about it.  Also, I added some chunks of funfetti blondies to it.  I still wasn't impressed.  Maybe I'm outgrowing the flavor of funfetti?  While that doesn't seem possible, Scott wasn't crazy about this ice cream either and it's still in the freezer a week later.  The world is truly out of balance.

Iced Coffee with a French press.  I've been brewing coffee in the French press, letting it sit in the press to cool, and then pouring it over ice.  It makes very strong (i.e. very good) iced coffee.  Much easier than straining!

How to Erase Chalk Markers.  This really works!  I bought a chalk marker to go with my two new chalkboards and, much to my dismay, it wouldn't erase with water.  Then I read this tip and it was like a miracle.  The secret:  use a Magic Eraser.  Brilliant.

Using salt, vinegar, and dish soap to get rid of weeds.  Our "yard" is all sand and gravel with weeds.  We tried this tip for getting rid of the weeds and it didn't work.  Not even a little bit.  Don't waste your time.  This wasn't the only pin with these particular instructions.  There were several out there, so I assumed it might have some validity.  It doesn't.  Don't try it.

Pin anything great lately?  Last night, I saw a pin featuring instructions (step by step) on how to make quesadillas.  Maybe Pinterest is making us dumber.  

Pinned. Did. Done. 1/19 (and a winner!)

Allie from A Day in a Joyful Life won my Birthday Giveaway!  

Congrats Allie!  Your Starbucks card is in the mail!

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It's been awhile!  The last Pinned, Did, Done post was in July!

Since I'm still regularly trying things I find on Pinterest, here's the latest batch of pins I've conquered.

Breakfast Oat Bran.  What can I say?  I like big bowls of mush for breakfast.  I eat oatmeal almost everyday and a hot breakfast trumps a cold breakfast.  Plus, I'm not allowed to buy cereal.  It ends badly with an empty cereal box a day or so later.  This oat bran is tasty.  I like adding just a bit of brown sugar and some almond butter.

Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha Latte.  Delicious.  Easy too.  

Coconut Vanilla Granola.  I burned this a little bit.  Also, I don't have fresh vanilla beans lying around because I'm not Ina Garten.  I used canola oil instead of coconut oil too. It still tasted good though.  The reason why I rarely make granola is because I eat it too quickly (see cereal reference above). This was gone in 3 days.

Peanut Butter Pupcakes.  You're going to think I'm crazy, but I kind of assumed this would be perfectly edible for human and dog alike.  Flour, peanut butter, honey? What's not to like?  I did not put the "frosting" on.  They, however, don't seem like something a human would like to eat, and the smell of them (think: pb and flour baked together) kind of nauseated me. They are definitely for dogs only and Scout-the-dog enjoyed his treat.

Clean-Eating Sweet Potato Casserole.  A healthy alternative to this sweet potato casserole my family makes each Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I liked it.  

Buffalo Chicken.  Shredded buffalo chicken is one of my new favorite things.  We put it on salads, on quinoa, in tortillas.  Try it.

Mason Jar Soap Dispensers.  I tend to half-ass crafts.  Which is why my dispensers aren't holding up as well as I'd like.  I put two of these together relatively quickly and Scott drilled the holes through the lids for me.

What have you been making from Pinterest lately?

Pinned.Did.Done and Humidity

My camera lens has a nice little fog on it here.  

Shirt: Gap // Shorts: Old Navy // Shoes: TOMS

Because of that foggy humidity, it was actually hard to breathe when I was outside yesterday.  Today, the humidity is just as thick.

And right after I took this picture, I noticed a muddy little paw print-like spot on the front of my shirt.  You win some, you lose some, I guess.  I loved this shirt in Alaska, and I love it in Missouri.  That stain had better come out (Scout).

What I DON'T love in Missouri is this deck.  I can't get the positioning right and I always look strange in my pictures.  It's like the same deck!  I don't get it.

Anyway.

I'm still making many recipes from Pinterest, but that new embedding feature is really off-putting, so I just feel like I can't be bothered...download the picture, go to the website, copy the link...and so on.  Completely sucking up my unemployed time.

Today I'm sharing links!  You can go check them out for yourselves if you're so inclined :)

Kale chips.  These made the whole house smell bad.  And they burned.  Anyone have a recipe for kale chips?

Gnocchi, Zucchini, and Corn This was good!  It made for a very quick and tasty dinner. As a side note, do you know where to find the gnocchi in a grocery store?  Hint: It's not in the refrigerated pasta section. Three stores later, I found it with the dried pasta.

Spicy Steak Rub.  Tasty!  I used it on pieces of flank steak (broiled) and then made steak salads.  Next time, I'll go for the grill if I can convince Scott to cook it.  I'm not good at grilling.

Oatmeal.  No. This did nothing to get me closer to that creamy restaurant-style oatmeal I've been after.  I've discovered the secret to thick oatmeal is to soak the dry oats (rolled oats) in milk or water overnight before you cook them.  I came up with this on my own.  There was no Pin pointing me in the right direction.

Balsamic Chicken in the Crockpot  SO good.  Next time, I'll try it with mushrooms and green peppers too, and maybe some marinara instead of just diced tomatoes.  I also thickened up the sauce with some cornstarch.  Perfectly easy.  I'll use this for guests.

Clean Eating Thai Chicken Stir-fry  Wow.  We've had this twice in the last couple of weeks.  I keep bags of broccoli slaw on hand now because it makes such a quick stir-fry.  The peanut/coconut sauce it to-die-for.  It's safe to say we eat something "Thai" at least once a week.
It's a necessary flavor in this household.

Sharing at WIWW, Random Wednesday, Walkabout Wednesday

Pinned, Did, Done!

Plowing through Pinterest is productivity at its finest.  It does make me feel accomplished.  I don't like pinning stuff just to hoard it.  I like seeing it, doing it, and moving on.  Meaning, if I like it, I keep it in our rotation.  If I don't like it, I can get rid of it.  Well, I can put it on this board, along with my thoughts.  I wish more people would be honest on Pinterest.  It'd save us all a lot of pinning time.

Anyway.  This week, I've got a lot of stuff I actually didn't like.  You can thank me later for saving you precious time.

*I've linked the Pins to the text, so you can just click over to Pinterest that way.  I'm not using that crazy Pinterest embedding stuff.  Ain't nobody got time for that. *

Apple Crockpot Oatmeal.  Looks amazing. Tasted like mush.  I cooked it on low for 8 hours.  I was distraught that I wasted 2 cups of oatmeal on this.  I actually just threw it away after Scott said it was "okay".  He only eats oatmeal if I make it and doesn't pursue it on his own.  I didn't see the need to save it for reheating.

Make this oatmeal instead if you're looking for a crockpot version. 

Roasted Zucchini Sticks.  I didn't try the carrot ones.  These were mushy too.  They didn't caramelize.  Scott ate them, but I didn't like the texture.

Thin Sugar Cookies.  OHmyGosh.  Yum.  I ate an unnecessary amount of the batter off the mixer paddle.  These are amazing.  I did them up with red and blue sprinkles for Memorial Day...and then made them into ice cream sandwiches.  It was necessary.  

Oatmeal Smoothie. This was GOOD.  Like, impressively good.  If you think you don't like healthy smoothies, try this one. It's the most milkshake-like one I've had.

Single Serve Rice Krispy Treat.  Oh geez.  I ate this 3 days in a row.  While Scott was fishing.  So I didn't have to share.  

Iced Tea.  One thing I've struggled with is making good iced tea.  This method works well.  In fact, Scott loves it and carries a tea jug to work with him, Uncle-Si style.  We make unsweetened tea.  Sorry.  I can't get on the sweet tea train.  I like to chew my sugar, not drink it.

Thai Coconut Curry. This was SO, SO good.  I mean, we'll be making it at least once a month from here on out.  I cannot believe how delicious it was, and the fact that it came out of a crockpot was just the icing on the cake. 

Baked Falafel.  I tried a crockpot falafel recipe a few years ago and it was pretty good.  I had high hopes for this particular recipe and it seemed very easy.  It was easy.  But it didn't have any flavor.  I followed the recipe to a "T".  So, next time, I'll make the crockpot falafel and bake it in the oven instead.  

Skillet cookie.

I can't even talk about it.  I just...no. Too delicious to even put into words.

Pin anything yummy lately???  Have you tried any of these recipes yet?

Pinned.Did.Done. and funny stuffs

I'm contradicting myself in a major way in this edition of Pinned.Did.Done.  
I usually don't eat hamburger meat or sausage.  Nothing personal.  I just can't deal with the texture.  I've been this way my entire life.  It all looks good.  It all smells good.  I just can't eat it. 
However, I'm a realist.  I realize most people eat ground meat, so I like having some reliable recipes on hand.
What I made here was eaten primarily by Scott (and the friend we had staying with us last week).  I did try a small bite of everything though (for Pinterest reviewing purposes, obviously) to make sure the flavor was right.

These meatballs looked amazing to me.  They didn't turn out quite like the picture, and were just okay.    Ricotta cheese makes everything better, though.

Source: petitcochonde95.blogspot.ca via Kristin on Pinterest

These meatballs sounded amazing by the way Kelly described them.  I browned them in a frying pan before adding them to the crockpot.  Scott loved them.  Italian sausage, I believe, made all the difference.  It's also worth noting that I subbed in spaghetti sauce I had made a few weeks ago and a lot of non-paleo ingredients (panko, regular milk, etc.), but I was more intrigued by the "method" not by the "ingredients".  I will always make meatballs in the crockpot from now on.

Source: keepingupwithkellyandcogoespaleo.blogspot.com via Kristin on Pinterest

I used the leftover sausage in this stuffed spaghetti squash recipe.  The recipe didn't call for it.  But I think it made the squash so much more flavorful.

Source: happyhealthymama.com via Kristin on Pinterest

These were okay.  I like putting bananas and oats into cookies (like Gina's recipe here at skinnytaste.com).  But bananas and oats by themselves were kinda bland.  Add some vanilla or peanut butter to jazz them up if you try them.  You may be adding more calories and defeating the purpose, but why would you eat food that doesn't taste good?  Exactly.

Source: theburlapbag.com via Kristin on Pinterest

I loved this snack.  It was quite like a giant gooey popcorn ball.  I licked the pan.  Scott kept asking if I was "going to watch the movie" with him.  I was in the kitchen, busy digging marshmallow out from under my fingernails.

Source: myownblogreview.com via Kristin on Pinterest

funny stuffs.

Speaking of Pinterest...this tumblr site of gross-looking Pinterest creations is pretty amusing.  Pleasepleaseplease don't ever let me end up on it though.  That'd be sad.

If you're not a Walking Dead fan, I apologize.  Only a one more week to the finale.

Source: Uploaded by user via Kristin on Pinterest

Do you know what I watch every Monday morning before school while I drink coffee?  That's right. The Talking Dead.  It's a nice little recap of the previous evening's events.

Then there's this:

Source: dumpaday.com via Kristin on Pinterest

And this is, honestly, what I want to do tomorrow.  It takes me 2 days to recover from a work week.  Why would I want to start all over again tomorrow??

Source: some.ly via Kristin on Pinterest

Whatev.  4 more weeks.  Not that I'm counting or anything.

Pinned. Did. Done.

On Friday morning, as I was all hopped up on cough syrup, I found myself trying this out at 7am on the kitchen floor.  I'll definitely be repeating it, as it felt like a great stretch, if nothing else.  

Maybe not everyday at 7am though.

Source: fitnessmagazine.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Other than that, most of what I Pin (and accomplish) is food.

How 'bout you?  Accomplish anything you've found on Pinterest lately?

This intrigued me.  It's basically cold oatmeal.  But it was pretty tasty.  And since I've been off of cereal for almost 2 weeks now, I'm back to munching on oatmeal for breakfast again.

Source: snack-girl.com via Kristin on Pinterest

More breakfast.  Overnight Pumpkin Pancakes.  I did not like these.  Scott loved them (and ate them all).  I reached for the Aunt Jemima box and made myself a "real" pancake.  

Source: snack-girl.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Skinny Chicken Pot Pie.
I love chicken pot pie.  And I love biscuits.  However, we haven't been eating much of either of those in the last year or so.  My pot pie recipe uses a lot of fat/flour.  This one doesn't.  It was actually really good.  Next time, I'll cut the fat-free half-and-half with skim milk and add in some corn starch for extra thickening.  I made this in one big pan, instead of in small ramekins.

Source: eat-yourself-skinny.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Apple Butter Bites. They were quite tasty and fudge-like.  And so easy.  It's worth giving them a try..especially if you have apple butter sitting around.

Source: crazyforcrust.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Ranch Chicken Enchiladas.  We highly recommend them! Since I'm not a fan of bottled ranch dressing (personal vendetta I've held since a lunchbox mishap in 4th grade), I used sour cream and ranch dip seasoning instead.  I'll certainly make enchiladas this way again.

Source: julieseatsandtreats.com via Kristin on Pinterest