It is summertime!

::::hides head in shame:::: I know, I know, I've been so neglectful of my blog.

Summer is here, Lucy has finished school and just finished her very first real Ballet Recital which was SO Much fun, if you are local and want a great dance studio for your kids check out beautifulfeetofchandler.com you won't be disappointed!
Here is a picture of Lucy before her performance ;)

So now that Lucy is home and Hannah and Piper are obviously home, I knew I needed to make some type of schedule for the summer so we all didn't go crazy ;) I'm posting mine below, so far it is going really well and it gives the girls stuff to do and still leaves room for fun trips and a little tv/screen time without them being "bored".

Here is mine, feel free to copy/edit as needed https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9eg6NVP00xIZGVFRzNjUXcxcTg/view?usp=sharing

And if you need some free (or almost free) stuff to do with your kidlets this summer, here is a pretty awesome list by another blogger! http://www.freebiefindingmom.com/free-summer-activities-for-kids/

Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Soup (in the crockpot!)

So, let me just tell you, I love Cauliflower! Blanched, raw, roasted (my fav), mashed, in soups, whatever, I love it.

However, my hubby, well not so much, he thinks it is bland and boring. So I have to find creative ways to use it.

(picture from Peas and Crayons, link below)

I personally love cauliflower soup but I have to find ways to jazz it up for my husband, I stumbled upon this recipe and thought it would be great for us!

So you know when you just don't know how you are going to get dinner done with everything you have going on, or in my case with 3 kids around? Sometimes, it is easier to just throw something in the crockpot and this is the perfect soup for this!

Toss everything except the Cream cheese and Milk in the crockpot making sure that the chicken broth covers most of the ingredients, it doesn't have to cover it all the way because they will release some liquid and we'll be adding some more liquid later.

Let it cook for the day 8 hrs on low or 4 hrs on high.

When it is about 30-45 min before you want to serve get out your immersion blender (or your regular blender) and blend it smooth. Add your cream cheese and milk of choice and finish blending. Leave in the crockpot to warm while you prepare your toppings.

My kids (and who am I kidding, me too) like to choose toppings.

We put bacon bits, cheddar cheese on ours.
Hubby added jalepenos and goldfish to his!

Everyone enjoyed this soup and we had enough for leftovers later in the week. I loved that the sweet potato gave it some beefy-ness that cauliflower alone can't do!

On the next day you need a crockpot meal try this soup and add some garlic bread for a yummy meal.
Recipe:
2 Heads Cauliflower
2 Large Sweet Potatoes (skin on, cubed)
1 Quart Chicken Broth
1 Large Onion, Diced
Fresh Garlic (I did about 6 cloves, we like garlic here, adjust  it down if you don't want to keep the vampires away)
1 tsp Italian Seasonings
1 tsp Paprika
4 oz Cream Cheese
1 cup Milk (or coconut milk)


recipe adapted from Peas & Crayons

Big gulp, Eh?

Welp, sorry! I have just been neglecting blogging! I'm hoping to share a few recipes over the next few weeks.

Hopefully I won't be gone so long!