I am at the Food Blog Forum Conference in Walt Disney World this weekend! I’m so excited about this event. It’s my first time going to a conference dedicated to food bloggers. And it’s in one of my favorite places in the world.

I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.  But if you’ve been hankering to take a trip to Walt Disney World, this is a great time to book it.  WDW just announced the Free Dining deals for dates this fall.  I’ve been able to take advantage of this deal a couple of times and it’s so fun!  When we go with Free Dining, we eat in restaurants we’d never spring for without the plan.

Check out The Magic for Less for your free quote:

Hungry for a great deal? Buy a non-discounted Magic Your Way package at select Disney Value Resorts and get a FREE Quick-Service Dining Plan. Or, buy a non-discounted Magic Your Way package at Disney’s Moderate, Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resorts and get a FREE Disney Dining Plan 9/2 – 9/25/13.  You can see the details at The Magic for Less Specials.  To be notified when new Disney Parks discounts are released, sign up for TheMouseForLess Discounts Newsletter.

Books

I’ve just finished reading two books – one fiction and one non-fiction.

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake – I really enjoyed this book.  I often get fiction recommendations from Amy at Mom Advice.  She has fantastic book reviews and she’s a prolific reader.  I’ll let you read her review of this book.

I like to keep at least two books going at a time, one fiction and non-fiction.  For my non-fiction choice, I read Laura Vanderkam’s short book, What the Most Successful People Do at Work.  This short book is just $2.99 and it’s an easy, quick read.  But it’s also chock full of helpful ideas.  I’ve also read Vanderkam’s other books in this series, What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend and What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast.

Now I need to choose a couple of new books.  Leave a comment and tell me about a good one you’ve read recently.

After a week of Musical Theater performances, graduation and more, followed by a week of Jim being out of town I am ready to get back to a regular meal plan.  Last week, I never did go to the grocery.  We did a lot of using up food stored in the freezer and pantry.  That’s a good thing to do every once in a while.

Now the fridge, freezer and pantry are a bit lighter.  I’d like to say they’re more organized too, but that would be overstating things.

This week, I shopped with the Traditional Plan.  It’s such a good feeling to be able to print that list and head to the store with a plan.  And I’m really looking forward to the meals that are lined up for the week.

Last week, like I mentioned, we made dinner up from what we had on hand.  On Monday, I unexpectedly ended up helping with the registration for core classes for our high school homeschool group.  That kept me out of the house all day.  When I got home, two of my kids were already at work and Jim was out of town for the week.  That left just three of us for dinner.

While I was trying to think of what to fix, Peter called and had forgotten his work shoes.  So, I jumped in the car to take them to him at Chick-fil-A and decided to make good on the 50% discount we get while he’s working.  We don’t use this often, but it sure came in handy on Monday.

It was also the first time I’ve ever tried Chick-fil-A sauce.  Can you believe that?  I’ve had kids working at CFA for 5 years now, but we really don’t eat there often.  I’ve had the Polynesian sauce and it’s good, but I think the CFA sauce might win out.  So yummy!

Tuesday, I rummaged in the freezer and found sliced ham from Easter.  I used it to make hot ham and cheese sandwiches in the oven.  What is it about wrapping sandwiches in foil and heating in the oven that makes them so good?  We had the perfect amount of ham to have sandwiches for dinner and again for lunch on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, I made one of our favorite 15 minutes meals – Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Pasta.  I had enough produce left in the fridge to scrounge up a salad to go with it.  The highlight on Wednesday was watching four rabbits hop around the yard in the morning. We live an exciting life around here!

Thursday, I put some chicken thighs in the crockpot with bbq sauce.  We did some clothes shopping for the kids that afternoon.  And we did see something interesting that day:  A woman wearing a cape from a beauty salon came walking out of a restaurant.  She had her hair all done up in foil, getting it colored.  I guess she decided to use the wait time to get some food.

So my question is, would you go into a restaurant while your hair was being colored?  

On one hand, I admired that she used her time in a way that was enjoyable to her.  On the other hand, I would not want to run into someone I knew while I was out and about with my hair in foil!

Friday, I went wedding dress shopping with my daughter.  No purchases were made, but she got a better sense of what she likes.  We also visited the Anthropologie store that we have in town.  I had no idea we had this store here in Lexington and it’s been opened since the beginning of the year.  I didn’t buy anything, but it’s such a fun place to look through.  I love all the kitchen items!

For dinner on Friday, we popped into Whole Foods and grabbed a rotisserie chicken.  We had a simple dinner, watched a movie while dozing and hit the hay before 10pm.  I told you we live an exciting life!

Here’s a sneak peek at this week’s meal plans.  You can find out more about how to get them delivered to your inbox by clicking here.  The grocery lists are now color coded so that you can tell which ingredient goes with which meal.  We hope you’ll like this new detail!

Slow Cooker Plan

Crockpot Honey Mustard Chicken
Honey Pork Chops
Beef Roast with Italian seasonings
Easy Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
Pizza Steak Sandwiches in the Slow Cooker
Chicken Tetrazini
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Traditional Plan

Easy Crockpot Chicken Fajitas 
Italian Sausage and Rice 
Bean and Cheese enchiladas 
Turkey burgers 
Garlic Lime Tilapia 
Grilled chicken 
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

I’ve confessed before that I am a terrible cake froster.  Most of my cakes turn out pretty ugly.  I was pretty happy with this easy method of frosting cupcakes though.  And I can’t wait to try this method of frosting a cake from Sweet C’s Designs.  Click over to learn her trick.  I think even I can do this!

I love using sugar scrub.  I usually make it with white sugar and olive oil, with a bit of essential oil mixed in.  But I can’t wait to try this Coconut Sugar Scrub from Lovin’ Our Chaos.  It’s super easy and I bet it smells wonderful.  Click over for the instructions and printable labels too.  This would make a great teacher gift.

And now I need a food processor so I can make this.  I love, love, love cookie butter.  And I’m totally stuck on peanut butter too.  I’ve even made my own Honey Roasted Peanut Butter.  This Cookie Butter Peanut Butter recipe from Averie Cooks combines the best of both in a simple homemade version.  This would not last long in my house!

And for Mother’s Day

If you’re feeling hurried and busy and behind.  If you’re feeling like you’re failing in some area.  Or worse, if you feel like you’re a failure.  Here are two encouraging places to visit:

Too Many Irons in the Fire by Amy Lynn Andrews

You are Mighty. There’s nothing ordinary about mothering.  A video from Lisa Jo Baker.

I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Finding Joy in My Kitchen hosted Ingredient Spotlight: Cottage Cheese/Ricotta Cheese this week.  There are lots of creamy dishes linked up and there’s still time to link yours too.  I thought Sara’s Savory Vegetable Tartlet looked amazing!

Here’s the Ingredient Spotlight Schedule for the next few weeks:

March 20 – Coffee hosted by Eat at Home

March 27 – Ham & Cheese hosted by Finding Joy in My Kitchen (think leftover Easter ham!)

Sponsor Spotlight – The Magic for Less

I am going back to Walt Disney World!  This time, I’ll be traveling there by myself (that is, if my family and my parents don’t hide out in my luggage!).

In May, I have the opportunity to stay at the Grand Floridian Resort for the Food Blog Forum Conference.  I’m really excited to get to see many of my food blogger friends there.  Plus, it’s in Disney World!

If you are dreaming of a Disney trip, please check out The Magic for Less.  Their fantastic agents can help you with all the planning and find you some great deals too. Right now you can save up to 30% off select Walt Disney World Resort hotels most nights through June 14.  To be notified when new Disney Parks discounts are released, sign up for TheMouseForLess Discounts Newsletter.

Spring Hop

Next week, I’ll be participating in a Spring Hop with some fabulous bloggers.  We’ll each be posting Spring recipes and crafts and then on Friday there will be a link party for you to add your Spring creations.  We had so much fun with the Valentine’s Party, we thought we’d do it again!

Join me, Buns in My Oven, Hoosier Homemade, Mom Advice, Nest of Posies, Positively Splendid, Pennington Point and Whipperberry!

Is this gadget really necessary?  It’s called MotherSpoon.  The idea is that mom makes a dish and tastes it.  The spoon reads the ingredients and transmits the recipe wirelessly to the child who lives far away.  Couldn’t she just email the recipe?

I always have several books going at once.  Right now I’m reading:

EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey.  It’s full of really sound advice for business and life.  It’s also on sale for Kindle right now for just $1.99.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain.  I am an introvert and my oldest son is also an introvert.  This book has been an interesting read.

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin.  It was my turn to choose the book club read this month and I chose this story.  So far, I’m liking it a lot.

The other night, I found myself  at home alone in sole control of the TV choices.  I chose to watch the movie, The Long Walk Home.  It’s instant streaming on Netflix.  If you like The Help, you will like this movie.  Watch them both and compare the roles that Sissy Spacek plays in each movie.

So much goodness was linked up on Ingredient Spotlight: Tortillas this week.  I’m craving Chicken Tortilla Soup with Sweet Potatoes from Architecture of a Mom.  Go check out all the good stuff that was shared.  There’s still time to add your link too.

Do you follow me on Pinterest?  Of all the social media outlets, Pinterest is my favorite.  You can also find me on Facebook.  I’ve been trying to use Instagram more often.  Google + has been harder for me to get started using.  I’ve all but abandoned Twitter though.

Disclosure: I used a lot of Amazon links in this post, but none of them are affiliate links. Feeling too lazy for that right now!

On Wednesday, we shared popcorn recipes, along with my family’s favorite kind of popper and our favorite kernels to put in it.  Check out all the links on Ingredient Spotlight: Popcorn and add your own too.  Here are a few that caught my eye:

Doesn’t that photo of Cinnamon Bun Popcorn from Everyday Insanity look fantastic?

Honey Butter Popcorn from Finding Joy in My Kitchen sounds like the kind of thing I could just eat and eat.

Brown Ale Caramel Corn from Pocket Change Gourmet would satisfy that sweet-salty craving.

Chocolate Cinnabon Popcorn from Kim at Makin’ it Mo’ Betta takes the whole thing to a new level.

I know some of you are homeschoolers or thinking about homeschooling.  Here’s a great bundle of ebooks for you. It’s only available until Monday at 8am Eastern, so snag it now if you’re interested.  The price is just $7.40.

There were lots of great cherry and pomegranate recipes shared in Ingredient Spotlight this week.  Many would be perfect for Valentine’s Day.

The photo above is Chocolate Cherry Napoleons from Galley Kitchen.

I want one of these Cherry Almond Bars from Hoosier Homemade now!

This Dark Chocolate Cherry with Dark Chocolate Ganache looks fantastic.

These Pomegranate Cupcakes from Will Cook for Smiles look pretty in pink.

Pomegranate Chocolate Chip Muffins from Half Baked Harvest would make a fun Valentine’s Day breakfast.

Next Wednesday, Ingredient Spotlight will be hosted by Finding Joy in My Kitchen.  It’s all about Chocolate, so you don’t want to miss it!

Now for a few links that don’t have to do with food.

I thought this quiz to find which Downton Abbey character you’re most like was fun.  I’ve finally gotten on the Downton band wagon and I love it!  The rest of my family doesn’t agree though.  They refuse to watch with me, so I save it for the rare evening when I have the TV to myself. Check the comments to find out the answer I got on the quiz and be sure to leave a comment telling me who you’re most like!

And on a more serious note, I couldn’t agree with this post more.  Tracey pours out her heart and talks about time, technology and kids.

 Graeter’s Ice Cream has a brand new flavor and I was lucky to get to sample it.  Black Cherry Chocolate Chip is my new favorite.  I like it even better than the Black Raspberry Chip (although this has sparked a debate in our house, since Jim likes the Raspberry better).

Black Cherry Chocolate  Chip has pieces of dark cherries and those creamy chunks of chocolate.  So good!

Weekend Links

Ingredient Spotlight this week was hosted by Finding Joy in My Kitchen.  It was the first ever duel ingredient spotlight, focusing on Beef and Tomatoes.  There’s still time to link up your recipes and be sure to check out all the dishes that have been linked up.

There are still a few days left to get this week’s Bundle of the Week.  There are some really great homemaking books in this bundle.  Snag it before Monday at 8am Eastern, because after that the bundle will be gone.

If you need a pick up and a smile, watch this!

Disclosure: I was provided with Graeter’s Ice Cream to sample. Also, this post contains affiliate links.