Meal Planning: April 29th - May 5th

Review from last week:

Super good and one of the only things I make that Greg is excited to eat for leftovers:

I love this one.  And I'm the only one in my house that does :)

Tried a new recipe this week - and we all agreed it tastes just like lasagna!

Rosemary Chicken Salad with Bacon and Avocado:

Sunday: Grilled Burgers

Monday: Shrimp Summer Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Tuesday: Blue Apron Meal: Mexico City Chicken Tinga Tostadas with Avocado and & Refried Beans

Wednesday: Dinner with mom

Thursday: Blue Apron Meal: Orange Beef with Bok Choy & Scallion Rice

Friday: Blue Apron Meal: Pork Chorizo Tacos with Radishes, Roasted Potatoes & Cojita Cheese

Saturday: Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Garlic Cilantro Lime Slaw

Meal Planning: April 22nd - April 28th

Review from last week:

We've been low-carbing it post-vacation as much as possible.  Starting to feel back to normal again :)

We had rosemary chicken salad with bacon:

I sent Greg to the store to pick up some Halibut for Friday night, and he returned with halibut, king crab legs and filet for us!  Not mad at that!

I still love this pizza spaghetti squash casserole dish.  It makes for great leftovers:

This is a new recipe I tried.  The carrot noodles are spiralized and then boiled for 2-3 minutes so they are still firm.  Then I just tossed them with salt and pepper and they  made for a great side dish for the salmon and brussels sprouts!

Plan for this week:

Sunday: Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

Monday:  Leftovers

Tuesday: I have a work dinner that I'm attending so the boys will do their own thing.

Wednesday: Dinner with my mom!  I'm making Healthy Lasagna Soup in the Instant Pot.

Thursday: Cobb Salad Pizza

Friday: Thai Peanut Sweet Potato Noodles with Roasted Tofu


Saturday: Out for dinner and a movie

A Quick Weekend in Chicago

When we booked our flights, one of the options was to have a layover in Chicago.  Since I have never been, and since Greg has been really wanting to take us there, we decided to arrange a slightly longer layover in Chicago and stay a couple nights.  

We got up and the crack of dawn for our flight, only to realize that it had been cancelled and re-booked for 11 am instead (which turned out to be great - the extra sleep really helped)!

After landing in Chicago, taking the CTA train to our hotel, checking in, and freshening up, our first stop was Lou Mahati's for DEEP DISH PIZZA!  We were smart to go at 5 pm instead of going at a normal dinner time, because as we were waiting for our table, the place packed UP even more. 

And after all the hype, I have to say it: Deep dish isn't for me.  It was GREAT, don't get me wrong, but I didn't like the crust as much as I expected to!  Maybe it's because I was full from the carb overload from the rest of the week?  Perhaps...  STILL GREAT and I'd totally recommend this place :)

Views walking home from dinner.  It didn't rain much on Friday night...

Saturday's weather was a different story.  It was cloudy and misty in the morning when we walked to get our gyros and eggs. 

We had to grab an uber from breakfast to get to out next destination: The Field Museum!  This was a fun stop and we enjoyed a few hours there!

We made a stop at a cute cafe on the way back to the hotel for cappuccino and a churro for Ben.

Greg then took Ben to go bowling at the alley next door while I got a quick workout in at the hotel.  We grabbed a late lunch at Harry Carey's

Next up, we tried to go to the Sky Deck at Willis Tower, but when we arrived they told us there was 0% visibility - so we saved the $65 bucks and went to Eataly!

I'm OBSESSED with Eataly.  If you are ever in Chicago, or NYC, or Boston or LA: GO.  It's a really fun place to kill a few hours, especially when the weather sucks.

We finished the night off with a glass of wine at City Winery (right across the river from our hotel) and then a quick dinner at Sullivan's Steakhouse.  Greg and I shared a delicious filet with a side of creamed spinach and Ben was a rock star. (He ate his dinner earlier and quietly watched a show on Greg's phone while we enjoyed our meal together)!

I'm already looking forward to my next chance to visit Chicago!  Hopefully in warmer weather :)

Myrtle Beach Part 2

On our last day in SC, we drove out to the beach so Ben could see the Atlantic Ocean.  It was a beautiful day and fun to spend the last day with family out and about!

Myrtle Beach and Asheville, NC

During Ben's spring break from school, we took a trip down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for Ben's very first visit to Grandma and Grandpa Ingle's house!  Karen, Chris and Alyssa planned their trip for the same time and it was great all being together for the first time since Ben was not quite 2 years old.

Due to flights to Myrtle Beach being outrageous (SPRING BREAK), we opted to save a few bucks and take the red eye.  Never again.  Ben is a pro traveler though, so the only issue was lack of sleep for Greg and I :)  Ben remained happy and unaffected!

During the first part of our stay, Greg, his dad, Karen and Chris played a few rounds of golf, we visited the Ripley's Aquarium (so fun!), played several rounds of 31, and ate some great food!

On Wednesday, Greg, Karen, Chris and I drove up to Asheville, NC to spend a day and a night brewery hopping!  Asheville is an adorable college town with 27 craft breweries and some amazing restaurants.  It was SO much fun!  We also had the best weather we had all week up to that point, so it was awesome.

We ended our day with a late dinner at Buxton Hall Barbecue, and the meal was epic.  We each ordered something different and shared - but I ordered the best in my opinion: Crispy Catfish Sandwich and Collard Greens.

The next morning, Greg and I somehow managed to wake up early and refreshed and ready for breakfast!  We walked through town and grabbed some food at a cute cafe before making the drive back to SC.

Meanwhile, back in SC, Ben enjoyed a day with Grandma and Grandpa!  They were BUSY!  They went to Wonderworks, Dave & Busters and Ben surprised us all by partaking in the activity pictured below: Going out in a plastic bubble on the water! He really enjoyed his one on one time with his grandparents :)