Hello! I was hoping to use my spring MPM banner today but look at what I woke up to on Saturday morning.
Seriously isn’t that crazy! Who wants to come visit me here in Alberta, Canada? 🙂
Recipe Highlight:
So last week’s recipe winner goes to the Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken recipe from the Table for 7 blog. I totally didn’t think I was going to like it because typically chicken in the crockpot is not so good but I was pleasantly surprised with this recipe. The whole family really liked it. Erin has a ton of recipes on her site and I can’t wait to try out some more of them.
Family Dinner Time:
One thing that is really important to me is that my family eats dinner together at least 5 times a week. We have so much fun and usually have the strangest conversations. For instance, last night’s conversation included why some eggs are white and some are brown. Of course none of us really knew the answer but it was sure funny trying to give it our best guess (can anyone tell me?). Often I’ll have a newspaper or magazine open and I’ll read little interesting facts to the kids that we can have fun discussing. We talk about our day or tell jokes or just whatever. The point is we are together just hanging out with each other. As long as my youngest isn’t whining over not liking what we are having for dinner (sigh), it really is quite enjoyable. So my question today for you, is how many times a week does your family eat together? Do you have any fun rituals around your dinner table?
My Weekly Menu Plan:
Monday: Creamy Black Bean Chili
Tuesday: Roasted Maple Mustard Chicken
Wednesday: Pizza Casserole
Thursday: Leftover buffet
Friday: I’ll have a house full of kids so we’ll be having hot dogs and green smoothies 🙂
Saturday: Broccoli Cheese Soup
Sunday: Picking Night!
*Bonus recipe that I’m hoping to try for lunch one day ~ Quinoa Pizza Bites
Have a great week everyone!
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Rita says
We still have snow too. No fun! Have a good week.
Emily @Random Recycling says
Wow, I thought our spring was slow. Snow just feels wrong in April. Hope it brightens up for you soon.
SusieQTpies says
Thanks for hosting! Those Quinoa Pizza Bites sound amazing!
Laura says
Don’t they? I can’t wait to try them!
Kimberley says
It is snowy here in south Saskatchewan too! Oh how we are going to appreciate spring when it gets here!!!
We try to eat together as a family every night, which is easy right now because our boy is still young……once he gets older I hope to keep the tradition!
Cathy @ Chief Family Officer says
It’s been unseasonably cold here in Southern California too – I spent the weekend shivering while watching my boys’ games! I kind of envy the snow though – you’re probably sick of it, but it also looks like fun 🙂
Angela says
The egg shell color is based on the breed of the chicken – we have 6 chickens in our back yard city coop and they lay 4 different browns, one lays a white and one a blue egg. The color is added when the shell is formed. Egg all start out as white then during the last 6 ours of egg formation the color and shell are added. Different things can change the color, like a stressed chicken may lay a paler egg than they normally lay, or the size of the egg that day can be a factor in color. It’s alway interesting to see the differences and try to figure out what is happening. 🙂
Different shell colored eggs aren’t different nutritionally, but it sure is fun to gather different colors every morning! 🙂
Laura says
Wow that is interesting! I’m going to be popular at the dinner table tonight with this info. Thanks!
Momma and boys living on a budget says
Yuck on the Snow even in Canada.
We make sure that we all sit down at the dinner table atleast 5 night a week as well. No electronics at the table either.
Laura says
Yes I totally agree on the no electronics thing for sure!
April @ Angel's Homestead says
Yikes! After seeing all that snow you got, I guess I shouldn’t complain about the cold weather that will be hitting my area this Friday. At least there wont be any snow… I hope.
I love Erin’s blog, and have had her Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken bookmarked for awhile. I beed to get in gear and make it soon after reading your review.
As for your egg question. The color of the egg depends on the breed of chicken that lays it. There are many colors of eggs too! White, brown, blue, green, etc. The taste is the same, no matter what the color is though.
Have a great week Laura, and I hope that snow melts for you quickly! 🙂
Laura says
Thanks April!
SnoWhite @ Finding Joy in My Kitchen says
We have snow too. Heck, I even had a snow day last week. In April. Gross. the good news is, at least the birds are back — their singing made shoveling so much more pleasant.
As for the eggs – it’s all genetics. Genes determine which chickens have blue, white, brown and/or speckled eggs!
April says
UGH … I feel slightly bad about saying that it was so hot here over the weekend! I just posted my first meal plan!! Hopefully this will help me make less trips to the store, give some thought about coupons and store specials … and find some new recipes! That chicken looks yummy!
Sherry says
We had 90 degrees last week and for the northeast it was too hot, I would have loved snow, sadly we had very little this year. I want the kids to enjoy the snow as I did as a kid. Being a Work at home I don’t mind snow.
The chicken looks yummy. I am always questioning crock pot chicken as well I just found a recipe I want to try (raising a whole chicken up on tin foil balls). Thanks as always for inspiring me to plan. Since I started linking up in January, life and the budget is a little easier.. thanks.
Sinea Pies says
Thanks so much for the great party.
That photo of the snow is almost identical to one I took in mine a few months ago. Thankfully, snow is finally gone but it sure was pretty when I took that picture. 🙂
Lisa @ CheapThrillsInOmaha says
For a second there, I thought you were in Nebraska! lol. The Crocked Honey Garlic Chicken has my mouth watering….and it’s only 8:45 am!
Jenn says
I will refrain from mentioning my weather 😀
We eat at the table together five nights a week. The kids (I have four) aren’t home on Friday and Saturday. Our ritual is to go around the table and tell one thing you learned that day. Another ritual is Family Game Night on Wednesday and Sunday right after we eat.
Janet @ Frugal & Focused says
Oh, sorry about the snow. Makes the rain and grey skies we’re having a bit more tolerable. We go around the table and say something we’re thankful for. I have misplaced our Family Gratitude Journal so we haven’t been writing it down. I need to find it soon. I hate that it’s missing.
Heather says
We, too, like to eat together as a family – usually every night – and talk about our day. No real rituals. Sometimes we make up jokes. If there’s nothing exciting to talk about we might play word games. When the kids were a little younger, we would play an alphabet game where the first person would say a food item (or animal, or another chosen theme) that starts with the letter A, the next person would say a food that starts with B, etc. We would continue around the table until we got to Z. Since my kids are working on times tables at school right now, sometimes we’ll say the multiples of a chosen number – 7, 14, 21, 28, etc. Each person takes a turn around the table until we reach 12.
Laura says
Love that Heather!
Susanne says
For I second there I thought I had clicked onto my blog! LOL. Crazy, eh, it’s Monday afternoon and it’s still snowing here!
Sarahlcc says
It’s the breed of hen. Different type hens lay different color eggs.
White leghorn lay white eggs, Easter eggers lay browns and greens and blues and speckles. The brown eggs come from a plethora of birds that usually don’t lay as consistently or for as long as the White Leghorns, which is why they are the breed most often used commercially.
The larger the egg, the older the hen.
Rosemary says
“The larger the egg, the older the hen” … that sounds tough! But maybe it gets easier … like having kids is supposed to! (No I never believed that one)
The egg question reminds me of other pointless arguments you can have, like whether brown or white eggs taste better, and if it’s even possible to taste the difference …
Christele @ Health 'n' Horizons says
Oh the snow! I live in the opposite part of the world where we’ve been swimming for the past couple of weeks. I wouldn’t want to be in Canada right now, maybe in a few months when the heat would become unbearable here!
We almost always have tech-free family meals together; it’s just my husband and I for now and sometimes my 10 month old would join! very important for bonding and reinforcement of mindful eating.
Sending some sunshine your way :)! have a great week
Selina says
Funny I’m trying to emigrate to Calgary from England (over 2 years its taking so far!) Starting to think I should be aiming for Vancouver, at least I know what rain is lol!)
Selina says
Forgot to say, isn’t it the colour of their ears that determines the colour of eggs?
Nichole says
That chicken looks great! We try to eat together every night, and we always share our Favorite Part of the Day at dinnertime.