MamaManagement

What can I say, people: I am on a soup roll! Another ace in the soup pot here: Harvest Corn Chowder. Hearty. Filling. And absolutely delish. Seriously, I am eating leftovers of this soup as I type this and it is SO good. I may actually have a soup crush on this bowl of yummy goodness. This little-ditty-of-a-recipe I found on simplebites.net, via pinterest…of course. I made some adaptions, most of which I've just adjusted in the recipe below, but one major one is this: I did not make scratch corn stock for this soup. I used store-bought, organic, vegetable stock. And it worked just fine (better than fine, actually). But if you'd like to make your own corn stock, you can visit simplebites.net for the recipe. Now, on to another fabulous seasonal soup recipe... photo from simple bites.net Harvest Corn Chowder (adapted from simple bites.net ) 1 tbsp olive oil 1 small sweet onion, chopped 2 small zucchini, chopped 1 small red pepper, chopped 3 fresh sprigs of thym...

It is the soup time of year, folks, and this creamy chicken and rice soup is a delicious crowd-pleaser. As the temps start to dip and the days get shorter I find myself drawn to soups and stews. This time of year I typically make homemade soup once a week. We get a delicious dinner one night and leftovers for lunches (dinners too, if my husband is traveling) throughout the week. And soup is one of my favorite dishes. Give me a loaf of crusty bread and a delicious soup and I'm in heaven. I like a wide variety of soups, but it's nice to find one that pleases everybody. And I think this one did. I mean, who doesn't love chicken and rice soup? And this version is warm and hearty with just a hint of sweetness from the evaporated milk. And, depending on how thick you like your soup, you can easily make this a thick and creamy chowder consistency! One thing you must know about me and soup-making though… I tend to use "generous" measurements when cooking them. If a ...

Ah yes, another Pinterest-born recipe in my kitchen. So easy. So yummy. My husband commented repeatedly during dinner how much he liked these and requested they be added into the regular rotation. So I'd say they were pretty good. The ranch dressing keeps the pork chops tender and juicy. And it's a quick prep then stick 'em in the oven for half an hour-- wham, bam, thank you ma'am-- kinda recipe. I served them with a rice pilaf and steamed, buttered carrots because that's what I had on hand. But I think they'd be great paired with buttered egg noodles and any veggie you like. (Note: I must say, though, that they are only okay reheated, so I wouldn't plan to purposely cook extra for leftovers.) So, here you go… photo from crazyhorsesghost.hubpages.com Parmesan Ranch Pork Chops (adapted from crazyhorsesghost.hubpages.com) Ranch dressing (I used Bolthouse Farms Classic Ranch yogurt dressing) 1 1/2 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs 1/2 pkg dry italian...

This past Spring I spent a few months consulting with our favorite children's librarian back in Hudson, Miss Beth, and reading my way through the Tween bookshelves. If she recommended it, I read it. And for the better part of 90 days I devoured 16 books…and had a ton of fun doing it! Lesson learned: when you have a 2 and 4 year old, what better place to find your literary adventure launchpad than your local children's library? I was spending all my time there anyway! And it was much easier to peruse books for myself while keeping a watchful eye on the tots-at-play when I didn't have the leave the children's area. Well, I've been meaning to share the fruits of my adventure with you for quite some time. And it seems there is no time like the present. So, welcome to part one of my many-part series on tween reading. I hope you enjoy this foray into the lives of 9-13 year olds as much as I did. There are some amazing authors in this genre, and I will most certainl...

It's that time of year again…time for soups and stews, time for big, bubbling pots on the stove and stewing crockpots on countertops, time for homes that smell of roasting meats and veggies and simmering herbs and spices. Ahhhhh, it's Autumn. Hurray! And with the return of fall, and our settling into our new home and new routine, I thought it the perfect time to bring back This Week In Food ! Assuming I can find where I put my pots and pans, I will get back into the kitchen and back to cooking up a storm. In the new house I have a new, HUGE island. A football field of prep space. Which is fifty shades of awesome (except when it's just more space for me to pile random crap). And a fabulous farmer's market literally across the street from my neighborhood. So there are no excuses here for not bringing on some new, fun recipes. But, we'll start with one I actually tried last winter…enjoyed…but never got around to sharing: Crockpot Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potat...

This morning, while out for my morning run, I had this moment of, "Wow, I really missed this." The sun was on the rise. It was a crisp, fall morning. I had my earbuds in and a happy song playing. Neighbors were waving as they headed out to work or taking kids to school. I hit my stride early. The soreness from yesterday's cross-training workout faded away. And I. Was. Just. Running. And it was good. It has been more than 5 years since I ran regularly. It was well before my first pregnancy that I stopped. I still worked-out then, but running had lost its luster. I had run off-and-on since high school, but it was at 24, when I decided to run a marathon, that I became a runner. And though I only ran one marathon, I kept running regularly for a number of years after that, often entering 5 and 10K's. But somewhere after 30, running fell out of favor in my workouts and other things took hold-- walking,  workout videos, the elliptical at the gym, whatever. Then...

Today I kicked off my own recommitment to healthy eating and regular exercise which I'm calling "Healthy for the Holidays"…or, the most apt description: "Shut Your Mouth and Move Your Butt." As we wind down this incredibly stressful and overwhelming move and look toward establishing a new routine for our household, and as summer comes to a close and the holiday season can be seen on the horizon, it seems the perfect time to kick-off a new exercise and eating routine. (And it is MOST NEEDED! I gained considerable weight during this relocation process…and I wasn't at my healthiest before it started.) Care to join me? Here's the basic premise: Shut your mouth (you can talk, just quit constantly stuffing food into your pie-hole). And, move your butt (exercise, workout, walk, run, play actively with your kids…do something that makes you get off your bum and move, everyday). We've got plenty of time to establish a new, healthy routine before the ho...