Fall Home Tour 2016

Hello my dear friends, It has been a while since I took the time to post anything. The kids had been sick, and I have been rather preoccupied. This is a busy season for us. Kids are in school, I joined a BSF bible study group, so any free time I have, I do my daily lessons. 

I have been to bible studies before (which I never stuck to) and even read the bible cover to cover (which took me over a year)  So I need this kind of structure. I need to be part of a group so I am more responsible and make time for God. Because, lets face it, motherhood is hard and your responsibilites never end, If you don't make the time, you will never accomplish what you want.

 I have only gone to two classes so far and already learned so much! It is amazing how I have read these passages so many times before and NEVER actually understood them until now. I am so thankful for this amazing opportunity to spend two hours surrounded by different women who love God as much as I do, maybe even more. This is just what I need in my life right now. I have been praying for God to send me people who would motivate me, who would bring me closer to Him, people who would lift me up and enoucrage me and He has answered my prayers :) 

It is fall Y'all!! I am so excited for this new season. I have been putting up some fall decor for the past few days and am loving how warm and cozy it is now :) Not only do I love the colors of fall, but also the smells. I have already made an apple pie, and have candles burning, the weather is crisp, which is perfect for the blankets and fireplace. It is absolute perfection :)

I have so much to be thankful for this season. 

Homemade Healthy Fruit Snacks

My kids love snacks. An hour after they eat a full meal, they will ask for a snack, and I don't mind, as long as it is a healthy snack. I don't even know why I cook for them... they can just eat snacks all day long. 

Even though I am not a "crunchy mama", I still try to make the right decisions for my kids, and tend to stick to the "healthier" versions of things. BUT,  I have to admit that sometimes "TASTE" wins over "good for you" things. If you follow me on Instagram, you know I bake atleast twice a week. We have muffins, cookies, cakes almost every week. When my mom was visiting, she told me that she no longer uses white flour, and avoids sugar, and I should try it to. How do I bake a cake without white flour and sugar?! Nope, sorry, won't do it. I have a major sweet tooth. But as I say, everything in moderation :)

So when Nadia from My Fruit Shack contacted me about trying out their fruit snack molds, I jumped at the opportunity. The idea of making a healthy version of my kids favorite snack appealed to me.

Since receiving the kit, we have already made fruit snacks on two different occasions, and my daughter is already thinking of different flavors she wants to try out next. 

The kit comes with 4 different molds, 4 trays, 2 droppers and a recipe card.  

There are two different ways to make fruit snacks, you can use juice or jello mix. I wanted to make a more healthier version, so I decided to use Naked juice. 

You also need gelatin. I bought my beef gelatin here. 

You can sweeten your fruit snacks with honey or sugar. 

Mom's Refrigerator Pickles

My mom makes amazing Russian food, most of my "Russian" recipes come from her. She was and still is a supermom. She managed to work, run a household, cook  dinner every day, and raise 7 kids.   
Every summer she would can her own pickles and tomatoes. I actually dreaded those days as a child. It meant all hands on deck. Jars needed to be washed, garlic needed to be peeled, bags of pickles needed to be scrubbed, dill needed to be chopped. But now as a mom I look back  I realize those were amazing bonding moments, and I really miss those days. I miss sitting around the dining table with my sisters talking and helping out. Especially since they all live across the country from me. 

I love the idea of canning, but this is not something I want to do. However, making refrigerator pickles in ridiculously easy.  In Russian they are called: Mалосольные Oгурцы. (Low Sodium Dill Pickles) I grew up eating these pickles my whole childhood. My mom would make them often during the summer for the weekend. 

They last about a week in your fridge, but we always eat ours within 2 or 3 days. 

Print recipe HERE

Ingredients:

Pickling cucumbers (I use about 3 pounds)

8 cloves of garlic (roughly chopped)

3 bay leaves

1 cup of chopped dill

10 black peppercorns

2 TB of pickling salt to 4 cups of water

Directions:

Wash and cut both ends of the cucumbers. 

Place chopped dill, garlic, bay leaves, pepper corns in a large jar or bowl with a lid, then put in your cucumbers. 

In a medium size bowl or a 4 cup measuring cup, add 4 cups of cold water and 2 TB of picking salt. Mix until completely dissolved.

Pour over the cucumbers. Repeat until all of your cucumbers are completely covered with water. I had to repeat 2 times. 

Place into the fridge for 24 hours, and then enjoy. These are amazing and can get addictive. I love to slice some up to snack on during the hot summer days. 

Thanks for visiting, 

Family Room

Its been almost a year since we got our new Ikea section and we still love it! In this past year, I only washed the cushion slip covers twice. This is why I love gray slip covers so much! They hide all the stains, and believe me, we are not careful around this sofa, we watch TV, eat snacks and have drinks.

I ended up getting a new rug for this space. The rug I got last year was a pain to keep clean. You could see every stain and crumb on it, it drove me crazy. This is why I love jute rugs, they hide crumbs and little messes- a must have with little kids. 

I picked up a few new pillow covers from h&m (gotta love H&M prices) to freshen up the space for spring/summer and got a new palm plant for the corner. I love how bright and summery this space look now. 

-love this candle from h&m-

Thanks for visiting, 

Poppy Seed Muffins

There are two things I bake every week. Muffins and cookies. Muffins are quick and easy to make and they are something we can grab for a quick breakfast or as a snack.

 I have been alternating between my blueberry and strawberry muffins every week, which we all love, but I wanted to find a recipe for the perfect poppy seed muffin.   I have a tried a few and was always disappointed until I found this one. These muffins are delicious, moist and full of flavor. 

Recipe makes 24 muffins 

( I always freeze half, to have later)

Click to print recipe HERE

Ingredients

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups milk

2 1/2 cups white sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 TB poppy seeds

1 tsp almond extract

3 cups flour

sliced almonds

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Directions

1. Beat together the wet ingredients: eggs, vegetable oil, milk and almond extract.

1. Add the dry ingredients: sugar, salt, baking powder, flour and mix together. 
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3. Line muffin tins with muffins liners. Fill 3/4 full and sprinkle with sliced almonds. 

      Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. The tops should be golden brown a toothpick inserted in 

      the enter should come out clean. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. 

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2. Thanks for visiting, 

Pasta with Chicken & Sundried Tomatoes

I like making pasta dishes for dinner, because they are fast, easy and filling, plus my picky kids love eating almost any kind of pasta.  This pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and asiago cheese is so so so good ( I am not exaggerating) I will be putting  this recipe into my monthly menu rotation.  

The chicken breast is sauteed with garlic and sun dried tomatoes, and a creamy sauce is made in the same pot with half & half and asiago cheese. You can use a ziti or a penne pasta, both are perfect for the creamy sauce. You can also use a gluten free pasta if you prefer.

Print Recipe Here

Ingredients

• 1 8oz jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil (sliced)
• 2 TB olive oil
• 1 lb chicken breast, chopped into small pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• salt/pepper 
• paprika
• 1 1/2 cups half and half 
• 1 cup Asiago cheese, grated
• 8 oz penne pasta
• 2 cups fresh spinach

Instructions

1. In a large non stick skillet, heat 2 TB of olive oil, and add the jar of sliced sun dried tomatoes and minced garlic.  
2. Sauté for about 3 minutes, add chopped chicken breast to the sun-dried tomatoes and oil - season the chicken in the skillet with approximately 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp paprika. Sauté chicken until golden brown.
3. To the same skillet, with chicken and sun-dried tomatoes, add 1 1/2 cup of half and half and bring to boil. Add grated Asiago cheese and stir to melt the cheese. Reduce the heat from boil to simmer and continue stirring to make sure all cheese melts.  Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning to your liking.
4. Cook pasta according to package instructions and drain.
5. Add cooked pasta to the sauce. Add spinach, toss everything together. 

Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting,