I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.  But if you’ve been hankering to take a trip to Walt Disney World, this is a great time to book it.  WDW just announced the Free Dining deals for dates this fall.  I’ve been able to take advantage of this deal a couple of times and it’s so fun!  When we go with Free Dining, we eat in restaurants we’d never spring for without the plan.

Check out The Magic for Less for your free quote:

Hungry for a great deal? Buy a non-discounted Magic Your Way package at select Disney Value Resorts and get a FREE Quick-Service Dining Plan. Or, buy a non-discounted Magic Your Way package at Disney’s Moderate, Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resorts and get a FREE Disney Dining Plan 9/2 – 9/25/13.  You can see the details at The Magic for Less Specials.  To be notified when new Disney Parks discounts are released, sign up for TheMouseForLess Discounts Newsletter.

Books

I’ve just finished reading two books – one fiction and one non-fiction.

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake – I really enjoyed this book.  I often get fiction recommendations from Amy at Mom Advice.  She has fantastic book reviews and she’s a prolific reader.  I’ll let you read her review of this book.

I like to keep at least two books going at a time, one fiction and non-fiction.  For my non-fiction choice, I read Laura Vanderkam’s short book, What the Most Successful People Do at Work.  This short book is just $2.99 and it’s an easy, quick read.  But it’s also chock full of helpful ideas.  I’ve also read Vanderkam’s other books in this series, What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend and What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast.

Now I need to choose a couple of new books.  Leave a comment and tell me about a good one you’ve read recently.

The post Books I’ve Just Finished and Sponsor Spotlight appeared first on Eat at Home.

Grilled pizza is one of my favorite summer meals. It’s easy, involves almost no planning and it’s super quick. The first time I tried this I was thinking, there’s no way this is going to work! But it works and it works really well.

The ingredients for grilled pizza are the same as you’d use for a traditional pizza:

I like to prep everything inside and lay it out on a cutting board to take outside.  This seems to keep things contained a little better, and it’s easier than carrying a million things back and forth to the kitchen. It’s also a great idea to have everything prepped before you start – these cook quickly!

In a nutshell, you plop your dough onto the preheated grill. When the bottom is firm and has grill lines (after about a minute on the grill), you flip it over.   

Then you add your toppings and shut the lid to let the cheese melt. In less than five mintues, you’ll have a great pizza!

We prefer to make these personal-sized. It’s easier to work with a smaller pizza on the grill and it allows for everyone to top it as they prefer, but you could also do a bigger pizza if you’re feeling ambitious! It’s a great, easy summer meal.

The post Easy Grilled Pizza appeared first on Eat at Home.

This cake doesn’t look like anything special.  But if you like lemon, you will love it.

It’s one of my very favorite desserts.  My mom has made it for years and I can’t believe I haven’t shared the recipe with you yet.

It starts with a lemon cake mix.  Add a package of lemon pudding mix.  And after it’s baked, drench it with lemonade.

The result is moist, sticky, lemon-packed scrumptiousness!

Here’s what you’ll need:  

The post Lemonade Cake – One of My Favorite Cakes Ever appeared first on Eat at Home.

We loved this meal!  First, because it just tastes great.  It’s a bit of a change from the normal fare.  Tender beef cooked with mid-East flavors, stuffed in pocket bread.  I served it with cucumber-yogurt sauce instead of the more traditional tahini sauce.  Either way is delicious.

I also love that it cooks in the crockpot.  And leftovers can easily be reheated for lunch or for those nights when we are eating in shifts due to work and soccer practices.

I adapted the recipe from Chicken Shwarma.  Both are tasty, but I think I have a slight preference for this beef version.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it:  

The post Beef Shwarma in the Slow Cooker appeared first on Eat at Home.

After a week of Musical Theater performances, graduation and more, followed by a week of Jim being out of town I am ready to get back to a regular meal plan.  Last week, I never did go to the grocery.  We did a lot of using up food stored in the freezer and pantry.  That’s a good thing to do every once in a while.

Now the fridge, freezer and pantry are a bit lighter.  I’d like to say they’re more organized too, but that would be overstating things.

This week, I shopped with the Traditional Plan.  It’s such a good feeling to be able to print that list and head to the store with a plan.  And I’m really looking forward to the meals that are lined up for the week.

Last week, like I mentioned, we made dinner up from what we had on hand.  On Monday, I unexpectedly ended up helping with the registration for core classes for our high school homeschool group.  That kept me out of the house all day.  When I got home, two of my kids were already at work and Jim was out of town for the week.  That left just three of us for dinner.

While I was trying to think of what to fix, Peter called and had forgotten his work shoes.  So, I jumped in the car to take them to him at Chick-fil-A and decided to make good on the 50% discount we get while he’s working.  We don’t use this often, but it sure came in handy on Monday.

It was also the first time I’ve ever tried Chick-fil-A sauce.  Can you believe that?  I’ve had kids working at CFA for 5 years now, but we really don’t eat there often.  I’ve had the Polynesian sauce and it’s good, but I think the CFA sauce might win out.  So yummy!

Tuesday, I rummaged in the freezer and found sliced ham from Easter.  I used it to make hot ham and cheese sandwiches in the oven.  What is it about wrapping sandwiches in foil and heating in the oven that makes them so good?  We had the perfect amount of ham to have sandwiches for dinner and again for lunch on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, I made one of our favorite 15 minutes meals – Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Pasta.  I had enough produce left in the fridge to scrounge up a salad to go with it.  The highlight on Wednesday was watching four rabbits hop around the yard in the morning. We live an exciting life around here!

Thursday, I put some chicken thighs in the crockpot with bbq sauce.  We did some clothes shopping for the kids that afternoon.  And we did see something interesting that day:  A woman wearing a cape from a beauty salon came walking out of a restaurant.  She had her hair all done up in foil, getting it colored.  I guess she decided to use the wait time to get some food.

So my question is, would you go into a restaurant while your hair was being colored?  

On one hand, I admired that she used her time in a way that was enjoyable to her.  On the other hand, I would not want to run into someone I knew while I was out and about with my hair in foil!

Friday, I went wedding dress shopping with my daughter.  No purchases were made, but she got a better sense of what she likes.  We also visited the Anthropologie store that we have in town.  I had no idea we had this store here in Lexington and it’s been opened since the beginning of the year.  I didn’t buy anything, but it’s such a fun place to look through.  I love all the kitchen items!

For dinner on Friday, we popped into Whole Foods and grabbed a rotisserie chicken.  We had a simple dinner, watched a movie while dozing and hit the hay before 10pm.  I told you we live an exciting life!

Here’s a sneak peek at this week’s meal plans.  You can find out more about how to get them delivered to your inbox by clicking here.  The grocery lists are now color coded so that you can tell which ingredient goes with which meal.  We hope you’ll like this new detail!

Slow Cooker Plan

Crockpot Honey Mustard Chicken
Honey Pork Chops
Beef Roast with Italian seasonings
Easy Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
Pizza Steak Sandwiches in the Slow Cooker
Chicken Tetrazini
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Traditional Plan

Easy Crockpot Chicken Fajitas 
Italian Sausage and Rice 
Bean and Cheese enchiladas 
Turkey burgers 
Garlic Lime Tilapia 
Grilled chicken 
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

The post Real Life and Meal Planning appeared first on Eat at Home.

I’ve confessed before that I am a terrible cake froster.  Most of my cakes turn out pretty ugly.  I was pretty happy with this easy method of frosting cupcakes though.  And I can’t wait to try this method of frosting a cake from Sweet C’s Designs.  Click over to learn her trick.  I think even I can do this!

I love using sugar scrub.  I usually make it with white sugar and olive oil, with a bit of essential oil mixed in.  But I can’t wait to try this Coconut Sugar Scrub from Lovin’ Our Chaos.  It’s super easy and I bet it smells wonderful.  Click over for the instructions and printable labels too.  This would make a great teacher gift.

And now I need a food processor so I can make this.  I love, love, love cookie butter.  And I’m totally stuck on peanut butter too.  I’ve even made my own Honey Roasted Peanut Butter.  This Cookie Butter Peanut Butter recipe from Averie Cooks combines the best of both in a simple homemade version.  This would not last long in my house!

And for Mother’s Day

If you’re feeling hurried and busy and behind.  If you’re feeling like you’re failing in some area.  Or worse, if you feel like you’re a failure.  Here are two encouraging places to visit:

Too Many Irons in the Fire by Amy Lynn Andrews

You are Mighty. There’s nothing ordinary about mothering.  A video from Lisa Jo Baker.

I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

The post Weekend Links and What I’ve Been Reading appeared first on Eat at Home.

In college, the dining hall had a made-to-order station featuring a different dish ever night. General Tso’s nights were one of my favorites – you could pick your protein, vegetables and type of rice for a customizable dinner. I always got chicken and broccoli with brown rice. When I moved off campus, it was one of the few things I missed about the dining hall.

I quickly learned to recreate it at home and it’s been one of our go-to dinners on busy nights since – it’s on the table in about twenty minutes.  It’s also a really flexible recipe. Broccoli not your thing? You can sub in snap peas, green beans or another vegetable. Small meatballs or pork can be subbed for the chicken.

If you’re going for the classic, though, here’s what you’ll need.  

This serves 4-6, but can easily be halved for a smaller crowd.

Kate is a home cook living and working in New Jersey. In addition to sharing recipes with Eat at Home readers, she blogs her cooking adventures at Kate’s Recipe Box. When she’s not in the kitchen, you can find her reading or tending to her garden.

The post General Tso’s Chicken and Broccoli appeared first on Eat at Home.

A sponsored post on behalf of Pillsbury.

If you’ve read this blog for any amount of time, you know I love cake mix cookies.  The possibilities are endless.

Recently, Pillsbury asked me to try their new Orangescicle and Key Lime flavors.  Each comes in a cookie mix and cake mix, so you can choose.

Spring is here and the weather is starting to warm up.  I think these citrus flavors are a great way to celebrate spring and sunshine.  My kids loved the cookies.  My son said to me, “You know what these taste like? Those orange popsicle treats.”  Win!  They do taste just like orange creamsicles.  Yum!

Celebrate Spring with your family!

• Make a day trip to the zoo more special by packing a picnic lunch with these cookies for dessert.
• Visit a park or take a short hike in the woods. Be sure to bring along sweet cookies to enjoy.
• Make playtime in the backyard more fun, by bringing out a plate of cookies and sharing them in the sunshine!

I added vanilla baking chips to my Orangesicle cookies.  About 3/4 cup is plenty for one box of cookie mix.  Just follow the directions on the back of the cookie mix box, then stir in the white chips.

I’ve got a fun giveaway for you too!

Summer Seasonal Celebration Starter Reader Giveaway Kit:

• ·         One box each Summer Seasonal Cake & Cookie Mixes
• ·         Frostings (1 each of Creamy Supreme Key Lime and Creamy Supreme Orangesicle)
• ·         $50 dollar Visa or American Express gift card
• ·         Total estimated giveaway value: $60

To enter, leave a comment telling me how you’re planning to celebrate Spring with your family.  Giveaway closes on Monday morning 5/13 at 9am.  Winner will be notified by email.

You can follow the Pillsbury Baking Facebook Page and find Pillsbury Baking on Pinterest.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Pillsbury Baking.  I have been compensated for my time and provided with samples. All opinions are my own.

The post Orangesicle Cookies & a giveaway! appeared first on Eat at Home.

I love assembly only recipes for the slow cooker, don’t you?  Less than 5 minutes of prep and dinner is well on it’s way to being ready.

You may recognize the two ingredients that are paired up in this recipe from the popular meatball appetizers that get served at parties.  I decided to try it over pork chops instead of meatballs.  Really, I think you could use any type of meat for this.  Use what you find in your freezer or what’s on sale.

I served this with Easy Smashed Sweet Potatoes and steamed broccoli.  It tasted like I’d spent a long time cooking, but in total it probably only added up to about 15 minutes of hands on work.  And that was spread out over the day.  Perfect for a busy family!

Here’s what you’ll need for the pork chops:  

The post Tangy Sweet Pork Chops in the Slow Cooker – 2 Ingredients Plus the Pork appeared first on Eat at Home.

I wrote this post quite a few days early, but I went back and added the photo of Peter and me on Sunday. We’ve had a lot going on this week.  Most of it involved getting ready for my son’s graduation ceremony and party on Saturday.

It’s hard to believe how fast a kid can go from being a 9 year old, playing on his first soccer team to an 18 year old and graduating from high school!

Both of my sons were also in a high school musical performance of West Side Story on Thursday and Friday.  All their grandparents came in to see the play Friday night and then graduation Saturday.

Consequently, dinner has been a simple affair around here this week.  One night, it was just my youngest and I for dinner. I opened a can of soup and served it over rice with a pretzel roll on the side.  Just enough for the two of us!

Another night, I made a quick meal of ravioli before we all rushed out in different directions for dress rehearsals and soccer practices.

I’m looking forward to working with a planned menu again next week!  The good thing is, since I shop regularly, the pantry is stocked.  That means there are things I can use to quickly pull dinner together.  We can still eat at home, even very simply.  It’s nice to avoid running through the drive through when the schedule gets crazy.  Especially, if the schedule is crazy multiple nights in a row!

Here’s a sneak peek at this week’s meal plans.  You can find out more about how to get them delivered to your inbox by clicking here.  We did add a new feature starting with today’s plans - the grocery lists are now color coded so that you can tell which ingredient goes with which meal.  We hope you’ll like this new detail!

Traditional Plan

1. Slow Cooker Creamy Jalapeño Chicken Tacos
   
2. BBQ Ham Steak on the Grill
3. Bubble and Squeak
4. The one dish wonder
5. Chicken Florentine Pizza
6. Rustic Italian Sausage Pasta 
7. Double Chocolate Coconut Cake Mix Cookies

Slow Cooker Plan

1. Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
2. Chicken-Fried Chops in the Slow Cooker
3. Slow Cooker Creamy Jalapeño Chicken Tacos
4. Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken
5. Pierogies with Smoked Sausage and Gravy
6. Ham Caribbean
7. Apricot Pound Cake

The post Real Life and Meal Planning – New Plans for May 6 appeared first on Eat at Home.