my week in food

here's a summary of everything i made & we ate over the last week. enjoy!

meyer lemon pasta with bacon

it's no surprise that i love meyer lemons. they're sweet and tart, a perfect mix of lemon and orange. i've always used them for sweet treats - meyer lemon tart, meyer lemon cupcakes with meyer lemon buttercream, and a runaway hit, meyer lemon iced raspberry yogurt cake - but they're equally as delicious in this simple pasta. if you're looking for a vegetarian option, omit the bacon. can't find meyer lemons? use a regular lemon instead. the flavor will be a bit more tart and pronouncedly lemon and definitely delicious.

my week in food

here's a summary of everything i made & we ate over the last week. enjoy!

slow cooker black bean soup with cilantro pesto

a couple weeks ago i made these black bean burritos with cilantro lime pesto for dinner, substituting my own black beans for the relatively flavorless version in the recipe. while the beans were delicious as usual, it was the cilantro lime pesto that really was the star. ever since i've been looking for an excuse to top something else with it. 

at the same time, i've been thinking lately that it's time for us to start going meatless one day a week. i know meatless monday is a thing for a lot of people, but at our house, it could be any day of the week. when this black bean soup showed up in my feedly, i knew it would be delicious topped with the cilantro pesto. and it was. 

my week in food

while many bloggers publish their meal plans each week and while i plan out meals each week before grocery shopping, often things come up & our meals change. here's a list of what we actually ate in the last week. and since we have an 11 month old & 2 3/4 year old who both eat what we eat, all of our meals are kid friendly. all recipes are posted on my pinterest made board & links are below.


sunday dinner was this copycat panera broccoli and cheddar soup with italian bread. i've never been a huge fan of broccoli - i distinctly remember only eating it as a child with a thick pour of homemade cheese sauce over it - and have been trying to eat more of it recently. this soup was killer. the only problem is that it made just enough for dinner; next time i'll double it for leftovers.

monday dinner was one of our favorites: grilled turkey, onion, and garlic panini with a side of  peas

secret recipe club: breakfast pizza two ways

i can't believe that my little butterball's first birthday is about six weeks away. after planning two parties for his older brother, i've learned a few things about kids' parties - first birthday parties are really for parents & older siblings to get together and play, no one will blink an eye or miss a beat if you don't have a theme, as long as there's good food & things to keep kids busy, people will be happy. oh and most importantly, schedule around nap time. both for your kids and theirs. otherwise, either no one will come, they'll come late, or you'll be stuck with a bunch of grumpy children, including your own.

which brings me to this year's great idea: a saturday morning birthday party. parents and kids can come, eat some brunch, let their kids run around until they're tired enough for nap, and have the rest of the day to do whatever it is they need to get done. and really, is there anything better than brunch food?!