• Pantry

    Better Breakfast Planning

    When it comes to breakfast, our family meal planning looks a little different. In fact, it is more like meal theming than meal planning. Figuring out what to make family for breakfast – something that is healthy but also quick – is not a struggle I like dealing with five minutes after I roll out of bed. That early in the morning my brain is already having a hard time dealing with the reality that sleep time has ended, and to throw the puzzle of what to have for breakfast at it so soon after coming out of a slumber…

  • Life&Land

    August is Here, now Summer is Over

    At the close of every July, I find myself almost uncontrollably feeling the sad sense that summer is over. As a born and raised Idaho farm girl, I know that isn’t true. There is still plenty of farm work to do. Where I’m from, wheat harvest is just wrapping up. Neighbors will begin third cutting hay within a couple weeks, and fourth cutting won’t come until mid-September. The fields still need irrigated, and there’s plenty to do outside. I know this, yet I still find myself engulfed by that feeling. Summer is over. Reflections of Youth Likely, this feeling stems…

  • Life&Land

    This is the Life

    The other day I found myself in the kitchen prepping lunch after a morning outside doing all the things – feeding the animals, weeding the garden, scouring the garden for any ripe produce (which was limited to a handful of sweet peas), and doing yet more sanding on a table build I have going in my garage. It was hot outside and a relief to come inside where the house remained a few degrees cooler. As I stood there in the kitchen, I could hear my three littles in the next room fully engaged in The Land of Make Believe.…

  • Pantry

    Summertime Smoothie Time

    Rather than a smoothie recipe followed by dozens of links to other smoothie recipes – this article is all about building a list of your favorite smoothie combinations for you to hang on your fridge or add to your cookbook to inspire your own smoothie creativity. We are on the downhill slope of June, now, and it is hot, hot, hot in the Rocky Mountains. When we get to this time of year – when summer weather descends, and you wake up feeling uncomfortably warm and know it is only going to get hotter as the day goes on –…

  • Pantry - Recipes

    Backwards Breakfast Toast

    This Backwards French Toast is backwards in more than one way. Not your typical French Toast breakfast, but one that will leave you wanting to eat it again. Eat with syrup or without, this breakfast is simple and sweet in the best of ways. A little over a year ago my husband treated our family for breakfast at a local restaurant.  As a family always living on a tight budget, eating out is a rare occurrence. But of course when we do get the opportunity, especially as a planned outing at a sit-down-restaurant (as opposed to a quick zip through…

  • Life&Land

    15 Minutes to Change My Life

    Two weeks ago found me reading an article on writing. Though my efforts are not always shown here, due to my lack of posts and apparent inconsistency in posting, I spend a great deal of my week reading, writing, capturing photos, and planning for this here blog. But this last week, my reading of how to better write was related to a different writing medium. My goal to someday publish a children’s book. I know, I know. I’m all over the place. And whether I’m good at anyplace is still up for deliberation. But there it is, my small yet…

  • Purse

    Getting Back on Track

    Sometimes time really does fly. I cannot believe we are already in May – and already a full week into May at that! How the last four months have just swept on by. And now that it’s May, it’s time our family got back on track in terms of our spending. After moving at the first of the year, starting a new job, and figuring out the new routine for everything in our lives, it has taken all of us several, several weeks to get our feet back under us. Getting into a routine has been a slow and bumpy…

  • Pantry - Recipes

    Basic French Toast

    This is a Basic French Toast recipe, but with an added secret ingredient to give it a deeper flavor. Just five simple ingredients that whisk up in minutes for a solid and delicious morning breakfast. I am a breakfast lover. I love almost every breakfast food offered on the menu at any local café. But hands down my all time favorite breakfast is Basic French Toast. Perhaps it is the simplicity of taking a mere slice of bread and turning into something delectable. Or that the eggs and bread make for a solid stand-alone meal. Whatever the magic is, there…

  • Pantry - Recipes

    Sweet Breakfast Crepes

    These Sweet Breakfast Crepes are quick and easy to make on even your busiest morning. Their light and elastic texture are perfect for wrapping your favorite fruits, berries, butters, and jams. Perfect for a delightful morning wrap on your way out the door, or a delicate sit-down meal. Oh, and did I mention they are easy?! Growing up in rural Idaho, crepes were certainly not a meal that ever made it onto our breakfast table. In fact, I am quite certain the first time I ever heard the word “crepe” was from one of my older sister’s friends telling my…

  • Pantry - Recipes

    Leftover Rice Pudding

    This is one of our family’s favorite ways to eat leftover rice. It tastes great as an evening snack or for a delicious breakfast. Leftover rice soaked in milk with a splash of vanilla, honey or sugar, and some seasoning – it is simple comfort all in a bowl. Most rice pudding recipes call for dry rice that is soaked in milk and baked for an extended period of time. This method for making rice pudding uses leftover rice, significantly shortening the time it takes to have this treat on your table and ready to eat. Not only does it…