Primary Bathroom Update
We’ve been our house for 5.5 years and in that time been very content with the updates it came with. But this little space… our primary bathroom… it’s tiny. We share a 24” sink and have little storage. And we use it a lot (of course). So it needed a little face lift.
We went from a tiny round toilet to an elongated one, updated our sink and vanity to one with more depth and storage, and a few other aesthetic pieces. We refreshed the paint, too! It took less than a week but made a huge impact.
You can watch my Instagram reel to see the video, but here are the before and after photos.
Here are the links to everything!
Amazon (nine items)
Small art print
Bathmat
Vanity
Toilet
Italian Sausage Pasta Bake
Need a “simple ingredient meal?” You’re in the right place. Let’s jump right in.
Need a “simple ingredient meal?” You’re in the right place. Let’s jump right in.
INGREDIENTS
1 box penne or mini penne pasta
1 large jar pasta sauce (I prefer Raos marinara)
1 package mild Italian sausage (ground or links sliced)
2 cups mozzarella cheese
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350
Cook pasta according to package directions
Cook sausage
Prepare a 9X13 baking dish with nonstick spray
Drain pasta, add jar of sauce and cooked sausage. Mix.
Pour mixture into prepared pan
Top generously with mozzarella
Bake until cheese is melted - and broil until browned bits appear
Serve and enjoy!
I love this one because it’s a simple pantry staple meal and kids love it. Plus, by adding a simple side salad, it feels cohesive and filling with very little effort.
Family Meal Planning
I’ve been asked time and time again how I plan meals for my family, and ways to make the process as stress-free as possible. So today, I’m dusting off the blog to finally share that process with my friends and perhaps old readers ;)
I’ve been asked time and time again how I plan meals for my family, and ways to make the process as stress-free as possible. So today, I’m dusting off the blog to finally share that process with my friends and perhaps old readers ;)
Now, keep in mind that I have a tendency to ramble, and I want to fit in all the details to cover any questions. Ultimately, though, if you can make this a practice in your home, it only takes one night a MONTH to really sit down and plan, and then a few minutes once a week.
Here are the basics of the process:
Once a month: At the end of the month plan out dinners (and only dinners!) for the next month. This can be time-consuming if you let yourself get distracted, but by creating a master list of your family’s favorite meals, it shouldn’t take more than an hour.
Weekly: sit down for a few minutes and simply fill in the planned dinners, and rotate through your family’s usual breakfasts and lunches.
Grocery shop: I order from Kroger and have it delivered each week.
Prep fruits and veggies for the week and store them appropriately to keep them fresh and easy to grab, and pull out any frozen meat that will need to be thaw.
I’ve been using this process for probably 3+ years and made my own meal planning sheets that I print off and fill out. My brain just works better in this process if I physically write it out myself and erase and move things as I need throughout the month/week. I actually keep mine on the front of our fridge so I can glance at it quickly and so can everyone else in my house.
However, it would be very easy to use this template on your computer and view from there.
If you visit that link, you’ll see the tabs of each version on the bottom of the page. My monthly template, weekly template, and then examples of how I fill out each one.
Now, how I decide on what to fill in?
This is where you start to take your family’s preferences into account. Once a week I do Mexican, pasta, chicken, and takeout. I’ve also had phases of pizza once a week, or a frozen Trader Joe’s meal. A soup? Seafood? Veggie based? Beef? Breakfast for dinner? Takeout twice (or more?) a week? Whatever your family likes and creates some variety or makes life easier!
When I fill it in for the week, I take into account our plans. If we have late afternoon plans, I wouldn’t schedule a meal that takes a lot of time and effort. And when possible, I do some of the chopping and prep work during the boys’ nap/quiet time, but you do that whenever it’s best for you. Start of the week? End of the day for tomorrow? Whatever! So schedule out your meals in a way that realistically suits your life.
What recipes do I pull from?
I pull from a mixture of family recipes and favorites I’ve acquired from the internet. I throw in a new recipe probably a couple times each month and that gives us a larger library to rotate through (or not if it was a fail haha). Take the season into account - cozy fall recipes, bright spring recipes, etc…
Down below is a master list of our favorite recipes that we rotate through, but I highly encourage you to do this for your home to make the process of meal planning seamless.
If they’re linked, you’ll find a recipe. Over time, I’ll start adding my family recipes to the blog so you can have a link to those as well :)
Breakfasts
Scrambled eggs, bacon, hash
Over easy eggs, toast, sausage
Avocado toast, yogurt
Breakfast burritos
Breakfast sandwiches on English muffins or croissants
Bagels with preferred toppings
Soft boiled egg, toast, sausage
Pancakes (homemade or boxed)
Fresh waffles
Frozen waffles, yogurt
Banana pancakes
Muffins (banana, blueberry, bran)
Scones (lemon blueberry, orange cherry, cherry almond)
Finnish pancakes
Dutch babies
Brioche french toast
Crepes
Cinnamon rolls (easy version or overnight)
Trader Joe’s frozen croissants, yogurt
Peanut butter toast
Cereal
Oatmeal (cinnamon apple, PB banana)
Egg-in-a-hole, bacon
Hashbrown bake
Quiche (bacon asparagus)
Lunches
Leftovers :)
Salami sandwich on croissant
Tuna on croissant
Paninis
Ham and cheese sandwiches
PBJ
Chicken wraps
Grain bowls
Mac n cheese (boxed or frozen)
Quesadillas (with leftover tacos)
Mini frozen tacos from TJs
Egg salad
Potstickers and fried rice
Chicken nuggets
Snack lunch/charcuterie
Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Chicken salad sandwich on croissant
Hot dogs, beans
*I always serve sandwiches with cut fruit and veggies and maybe some chips
Dinners
PASTA
Spaghetti and meatballs
Ravioli
Chicken Alfredo
Pesto pasta
Carbonara
Lasagna
CHICKEN
Chicken pot pie
Chicken divan
Chicken, mushroom sauce, rice, veggie
Chicken, rice, broccoli casserole
Olive garden chicken, potatoes, veg
Grilled tenderized chicken sandwiches on French bread
MEXICAN
Chicken burrito bowls
Taco salad
Ground beef tacos
Birria tacos
Nachos
Tostadas
Mexican pizzas
Fish tacos
Mexican lasagna
SEAFOOD
Seafood boil
Breaded pan fried cod
SOUP
Tortilla soup
Ramen
Chili
OTHER
Meatloaf
Breakfast for dinner
Pizza
Pizza sandwiches
Veggie pizza
Steak and potatoes
Pot roast, carrots, mashed potatoes
Burgers, fries, veggies
Hot dogs, beans, salad
Brats, salad, Mac n cheese
Pasties
Butter chicken and naan/paranthas
Sushi
Mediterranean chicken kabobs with taziki, pitas, hummus and rice
Roasted veggies and sausage
SIDES
Broccoli salad
Roasted veggies (broccoli or root)
Corn bread
Corn on the cob
Pasta salad
Salad
Cottage fries
Cottage cheese (for the boys)
Scalloped potatoes
Roasted potatoes
Rice
Spanish rice
Refried beans
Potato wedges
Mashed potatoes
Grilled summer veggies
Any veggies
Fried rice
Frozen 3 min rice
Frozen french/waffle/sweet potato fries
Garlic bread
I sincerely hope this is something that is helpful to you. Whether or not you use any of this exactly the way I do, maybe you’ve walked away from this post with some ideas. Do you have any other questions for me? Leave me a comment, email me, or shoot me a message on Instagram. I’m happy to help :)
Joy's Rhubarb Custard Pie
Read BELOW the recipe for me talking about how good it is. But I hate scrolling through a long explanation, so here’s the recipe!
Read BELOW the recipe for me talking about how good it is. But I hate scrolling through a long explanation, so here’s the recipe!
Start with halving this Perfect Pie Crust recipe or you could do a pre-made crust - that’s fine too! That pie crust recipe is my absolute go -to for EVERYTHING, though. I use it for chicken pot pie, pasties, all pies, etc… it’s so versatile and tasty and easy.
After allowing the crust to rest in the fridge, roll it out and place in your pie dish.
If store-bought, allow to thaw.
Ingredients
4 C rhubarb, cut into pieces
3 eggs
1/4 C flour
1 C sugar
1/4 C heavy cream
dash of salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 340 degrees on convection - or 360 non-convection.
Blind bake your crust until slightly crispy but not browned. About 15 minutes - give or take.
Cut about 5 stalks of rhubarb (4 cups worth) into small chunks.
In a separate bowl, add eggs and flour.
Using a whisk, beat well to incorporate flour until mostly smooth.
Add sugar, salt, and cream and beat until smooth.
Add rhubarb to the crust and pour the custard over top. Bake for 55 minutes or until nearly set - it can have a minor wiggle to the center - it will set.
Allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes.
I am not a pie person. Don’t like making them. Don’t like eating them.
BUT THIS PIE.
It is the thing of my (and Tom’s) dreams. It has such a perfect texture, and the balance between the tanginess of the rhubarb and sweet, creamy, custard is HEAVEN. Most people are a big fan of strawberry + rhubarb and I’m not opposed but I prefer that mixture in “bar” form. THIS PIE IS SO GOOD SO DON’T TRY ANY OTHER ONES OKAY BYE.
Here is an older version of this pie recipe, but my new version has surpassed it and is actually simpler to make.