Halloween Party

We had our first (hopefully annual) Chi Omega Halloween party this past weekend!  I was so excited to host this event, as I wanted an opportunity to see all of the kids dressed up!  I was delighted that not only the kids showed up in costume, but many of the adults as well!  (Rachel, in a last minute push, convinced me to dress up as a witch) ;)

And of course, I love any opportunity to get together with friends to eat.  And eat.  And eat.

Owen the Puppy:

Becca and Cam: Duck Hunter and a bird (and their hunting dog) :)

Luke the Lion:

Max the Hot Dog:

Maeve the kitty:

  

Ben the Jet Pilot:

Maureen and Vitaliy - A Kitty and Batman

Dylan aka Boba Fett:

Erica and her boys:

Greg the I'm not sure what but it was too scary for the kids....:

Rachel and Peter: Pregnant Mrs. PacMan and Ghost

Lots of treats and goodie bags!

        

Party in Ben's room:

Cam, Cars and Babies:

Peter + Kids = Extreme Couch Sports:

Making plates:

Owen, a little overwhelmed at the moment:

The effort that goes into these photo shoots with kids.  So funny.  I can't get over these expressions:

Love all of you guys!  Thanks so much for celebrating with us!!

  

 

** Thanks Erica and Maureen for sharing your photos!! **

Weekly Meal Planning: Week of October 28th

Review from last week:

Our non meal planning week was still pretty decent, meal-wise (although one night, I had truffle popcorn for dinner).

I made this Chicken Parmesan that was SO good and simple.  I can see this becoming a frequently-cooked recipe around here.

 

I also thawed some of the chipolte sauce and we had it w/ cod, onions and mushrooms, guacamole and sour cream.  (So thankful I made a big batch of that to keep in the freezer at all times).

Last night we had a turkey w/ turkey sausage dinner from Costco.

Thank goodness we are heading to Brenna and Noah's house tonight, because I was definitely out of recipes/ingredients by week end.

Plan for this week:

Monday: Carnitas (w/ cabbage and feta).

Tuesday: Meatloaf.  I've never really been a fan of meatloaf before, but my friend Jamie sent me this recipe as part of her "favorite recipes" collection and I'm intrigued.

Wednesday: Chef Salads.

Thursday: Chicken Tortilla Soup.  Hot soup after a little trick-or-treating seems like a good idea.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans
• 1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 oz) can beer  (or 1 can chicken broth)
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
• 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts  (1lb of chicken tenders)
• shredded Cheddar cheese
• sour cream
• tortilla chips

Directions

Place the onion, kidney beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer or chicken broth, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker.  **Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend.  Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients.  Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
 

Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips

Friday: Take out Thai food.  Greg is heading out of town for a weekend in Portland and Lisa is coming up to hang out with me and Ben, so it's a perfect opportunity to eat something that he hates and she and I love :)
Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Chicken Pot Pie.  I can't get enough of this recipe.  It makes for the perfect warm lunch for the rest of the week.

Chelan (in Pictures)

 

Campbells Resort, Chelan WA

 

Stopped in Leavenworth for lunch, cheese and a Fall photo:

 

 

 

Drank some wine at Tsillian Cellars (and visited with Jamie and Collin, also in Chelan this weekend):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAMB BURGER at Campbells:

 





 

Played in the sand:



 

 

 

Brunch at Blueberry Hill on our way out of town: