Hey friends. How are you? How was your weekend? Our weekend was dreary, cold and rainy and despite canceled outdoor plans, we made the most of it. We did all the usual rainy weather inside stuff — went to a trampoline park, a local arcade and the movies —  but also enjoyed the simple at home stuff like board games, cooked homemade meals, Legos and time together as a family. I ended up keeping my phone and camera away for most of the weekend so I don’t have much to show for it but I figured that in lieu of a weekend recap, I’d jump right into sharing a peek into last week’s dinners.

This blog post is part of the series I began a while back as a way to highlight everyday dinners and what our real meals look like for one week of every month. Pictures are snapped in real time and no fancy food photography is allowed.

Last week, our dinners included leftovers, an Instant Pot stew, freezer food and a throwback recipe favorite and, as always, every single one was easy to make. Let’s dive right in!

Week of Weeknight Meals

• Monday: Air Fryer Scallops with Cucumber and Bell Pepper Ginger Salad and Buttered Green Lentil Safari Pasta

Monday night’s dinner was a combination of leftovers, freezer food and fresh food. The scallops came out of our freezer (I swear by ALDI’s jumbo scallops), the buttered green lentil safari pasta was leftover from the weekend (unfortunately it got a thumbs down from all three boys hence why it ended up on our plates) and the fresh food component was the ginger cucumber salad.

I made the salad by following the loose directions that made this salad a viral sensation: Combine diced bell pepper, cucumber, ginger dressing (I used Makoto dressing I bought at Publix) and Everything Bagel seasoning, toss and enjoy! (Note: The viral recipe also calls for chili crunch but we didn’t have any on hand so I just omitted that part.) It was a rather random dinner but a good one!

• Tuesday: Curried Brown Rice + Green Chickpeas with Chicken

Daily Harvest to the rescue! Ryan had a work dinner on Tuesday night and since I was riding solo and wanted a quick and easy dinner after the boys’ evening swim team practice, I turned to the bag of frozen grains I had in my freezer. My favorite grains combination from Daily Harvest is their Curried Brown Rice + Green Chickpeas grains mix and I added some chicken I prepared earlier in the day in the air fryer to my bowl and dinner was done. Easy, nutritious and delicious!

Wednesday: Shrimp with Cilantro Brown Rice + Black Beans and Baked Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Dinner on Wednesday night was almost identical to the meal I ate for lunch that day. During lunchtime, I prepped a whole bag of Daily Harvest Cilantro Brown Rice + Black Beans grains mix on the stovetop and a bag of frozen shrimp in the air fryer and threw everything together as my mid-day meal. When dinnertime came around, I wasn’t feeling overly creative so I reheated everything and served it with a baked mashed sweet potato on the side to change things up a tiny bit!

Thursday: BBQ Meatloaf with Tomato and Sweet Corn Salad

On Thursday evening, I made a throwback favorite in our house: BBQ Meatloaf! My BBQ meatloaf recipe will forever remind me of our engagement/early married days because it was a recipe I first began making on repeat more than a decade ago. We still love it and I’ve only come to appreciate it even more because it’s one I can throw together in the morning or around lunchtime and then bake in the oven when we’re hungry for dinner while I prep sides.

On Thursday night, we paired the meatloaf with a sweet corn and tomato salad inspired by a recipe I heard about from my friend Merri. On our college friends’ group text we were sharing go-to side dishes for cookouts and Merri’s sounded amazing! She said to just combine sweet corn cut right off the cob in a blender with olive oil, salt, pepper, green onion and lots of fresh basil and toss it with fresh tomatoes. I did just that on Thursday night and it was fabulous!

• Friday: Instant Pot Butternut Squash Beef Stew

The weather in our area Friday through Monday was pretty awful. We’re talking constant rain and temperatures around 60 degrees. Ryan deemed it perfect beef stew weather which was one perk of the back-to-back dreary days. He made my Instant Pot butternut squash beef stew but also added a bunch of riced cauliflower to the pot before pressure cooking. We loved this addition because we couldn’t taste the cauliflower at all but are always happy to incorporate more veggies into our dishes when we can.

Questions of the Day

What do weeknight dinners look like in your house? Do you rely on leftovers? Do you meal plan? Do you have certain recipes you make on repeat? 

The post Week of Weeknight Meals: May 2023 appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

Well hot danggg Maycember/May-nia/May-hem is in full swing over here but this past week should be the final week of this kind of craziness because Rhett and Ryder are officially done with school and Chase only has two days left next week. It’s been an intense week but an awesome week filled with preschool parties, a summer birthday book reading in Chase’s class (I read The Circus Ship to his class and cannot recommend it enough, especially as a classroom read-aloud option) and some end-of-the-year presentations.

One not-so-great thing that happened was a super-fast bug that seemed to run rampant through our house. Each boy was sick but only for 6 hours. It was the strangest thing! Rhett and Ryder threw up but never had a fever whereas Chase had a fever but never threw up and everyone was back to normal within 4 to 6 hours. I’ve never seen anything like it! Unfortunately it knocked Ryan out much harder and he’s still not feeling his best so we’re hoping he’ll feel much better by the time the weekend rolls around. (I’ve thankfully avoided it so far which is good since I’m pretty sure moms aren’t allowed to get sick.)

As for the weekend ahead, we initially planned to host a bunch of friends for a cookout and lake fun but the weather looks awful — rain every single day and temperatures around 60-degrees — so we’ll put that one off until we have a warm, sunny weekend. I’d like to do something unique and celebratory for the boys as an end-of-the-school-year celebration of sorts so I’m sure we’ll figure something out!

I hope you guys all have a good weekend and, as always thank you for making my blog a part of your week! Now onto this week’s roundup of favorites!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• XL Makeup Bag (with lots of sections!)

Last year, in the midst of moving and home-building mayhem, we lived in four houses in 6 months. It was insane to say the least and I did all I could to make living in so many different places as seamless as possible. One thing that worked well was to unpack as little as possible and I applied this to my makeup! I began storing all of my makeup in one giant makeup bag and took it around the house with me to apply my makeup using my favorite portable mirror (often at the kitchen counter while the boys ate breakfast)  and ended up loving this system.

My previous makeup bag was looking a little rough so I recently upgraded to this option. It immediately appealed to me because it was not only aesthetically pretty but it has multiple interior sections to make dividing makeup up into different categories a breeze. I how have all of my makeup sorted into different sections (face, eyes, lips and brushes/applicators) and no longer feel like I’m digging through an abyss to find the specific product I’m looking for when I’m applying my makeup in the morning. I love it!

• SexyHair BIG Spray & Play Harder Hair Spray

Have you guys heard of the whole “empties” trend? I am likely 5,000 years late to this one but I think it’s a trend that began when beauty influencers started sharing their beauty favorites whenever they’d run out (aka their empty bottles) as a way of highlighting their favorite products they use consistently. I’m telling you fashion and beauty influencers are ON IT when it comes to creative sharing ideas!

Anyway, I have an “empty” to share with you today that I’m fairly certain I’ve shared in the past but if I did it was a million years ago. This hairspray has been the ONLY hairspray I’ve used for years so I figured it was worth highlighting again since I need to order a replacement today. I have very fine hair but apparently I have a lot of it (according to anyone who ever does my hair) but it looks so lifeless and flat without a little help. This hairspray was one of the best beauty discoveries I ever made for my hair because it adds volume and a little texture and the hold actually lasts! I will often let my hair air-dry which is a recipe for seriously lifeless hair for me but this hairspray can work wonders bringing it back to life and adding a little oomph while providing hold for my waves. It’s a winner and one I am sure I will continue to buy for a million more years.

• Amazon Crossbody Bag

True story: I saw another mom wearing this bag at preschool drop off a few weeks ago and thought it was so cute that I legitimately sprinted across the parking lot to ask her where she got it before she hopped into her car. I loved the black and brown combination of colors and the quilted leather look and crossed my fingers it wouldn’t be a million dollar bag. When she said it was an Amazon find, I was psyched and ordered the bag from the preschool parking lot. It’s not huge so it’s best for smaller events (aka it doesn’t hold ALL THE MOM THINGS) but it pairs well with so many looks and I’ve found myself reaching for it over and over again.

• Memorial Day Weekend Sales

Just rounding up a few sales that have already started this weekend just in case you’re hoping to take advantage of some pre-summer savings!

• Old Navy: 50% off everything (We love these slim-fit pull-on jeggings for the boys / I’m also eyeing this coverup and this floral maxi dress!)
• aerie: 40% off + 50% off swim
• Madewell: 30% off everything with code WARMUP (The whisper cotton tanks have been a summertime staple for me for years)
• Anthropologie: Extra 40% off sale
• Maaji: Up to 60% off swim (My favorite swimwear brand! They have a lot of mom-friendly sporty tops that still look pretty and feminine. Note: I always size up in the bottoms.)
• Nike: Up to 40% off (All of our boys have worn Flex Runners — they pull right on and off but stay on once they’re on / Love these retro sneakers so much!)
• American Eagle: 30-70% off everything
• Abercrombie: Up to 20% off (I’ve heard great things about their denim shorts)
• QUAY: BOGO sunglasses (I have and love their Sweet Dreams sunglasses)

HOME: 

• Serena & Lily: 20% off everything with code SPLASH (Their LaJolla Baskets have been a favorite in our house for years for a pretty way to store toys. They also majorly hold up to kid craziness — our boys have sat on the lids and they’re still going strong. // My sister also gave us this step stool for our kitchen for Christmas and we use it every single day. It’s stunning and the quality makes be believe we’ll have it forever.)
• HatiHome: 20% off everything  (We ordered their stool #2 in natural for around our kitchen island. I eyed them for well over a year before purchasing and they never did a sale steeper than 20% off. We LOVE them. The quality is fantastic, they wipe clean — a must for us with kids — and are very comfortable. They’re a splurge but a purchase I do not regret for one second.)
• McGee & Co.: Up to 25% off sitewide (25% off is the most I ever see them offer and I pretty much only shop this site during sales. I took advantage of 25% off to order our bathroom mirrors and extra long dining room table last year. We also have this small wood pedestal in our bathroom to hold our hand soap and I think it would be a great gift paired with a favorite soap.)

• Friday Flashbacks

Cilantro Lime Grilled Shrimp (For anyone grilling out this weekend who might want a delicious alternative to burgers and hot dogs.)

Chopped Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts Salad (A lettuce-less salad you can prep ahead!)

Questions of the Day

Do you have any plans this weekend? 

What is one thing making you smile this week? 

The post Things I’m Loving Friday #469 appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

Back in February, I shared a Roundup of Recent Looks blog post featuring some quick pics of outfits I wore for various day-to-day life happenings. It took me back to the days when I’d snap a quick picture of an outfit to share with you guys in the bathroom of the office where I worked full time. My style has changed quite a bit over the years — gone are the days you’ll catch me in a pair of heels or even wedges unless it’s for something special — and these days the vast majority of my clothing selections are comfortable, functional and mom-life friendly.

For this roundup of recent looks, you’ll see mostly super-casual looks I’ve worn for everything from volunteering at the boys’ schools and community events to soccer practices, walks with friends, work-from-home days and random meetings.

Roundup of Recent Looks #2

• Look #1

Occasion: Muffins with Mom Mother’s Day event at the boys’ preschool

Outfit details: Skirt: Amazon — I’m in the yellow in a medium / Top: Old but I think Amazon, too! This one looks almost identical / Lace-up sandals: Amazon / Paperclip chain necklace: Amazon

• Look #2

Occasion: Coffee shop work day + Volunteering in Chase’s class

Outfit details: Tee: Target / Slip skirt: Target / Shoes: Vans

• Look #3

Occasion: Evening soccer game

Outfit details: Jeans: Citizens of Humanity (part of my Nuuly rental) / Tank: Target / Duster cardigan: Super old from Forever 21 / Shoes: Sam Edelman

• Look #4

Occasion: Field trip with Chase’s school

Outfit details: Denim dress: Amazon (I’m wearing the “roadknight blue” in a medium and it’s very flowy) / Shoes: Adidas / Bag: Amazon (I literally sprinted across the parking lot at preschool pickup to ask another mom where she got this bag. Haha!)

• Look #5

Occasion: Spring NatureFest community event

Outfit details: Skirt: Target / Sweater: Pink Rose — super old from Marshalls / Bag: Amazon / Shoes: Nike

• Look #6

Occasion: Community fishing derby

Outfit Details: Overalls: Amazon / Tank: Talulah / Shoes: Reebok / Faux leather backpack: Forever 21 via ThredUP

• Look #7

Occasion: Summer birthdays celebration at the boys’ preschool

Outfit details: Ryan said I look like a sustainable convict and he’s not wrong. Haha! I think maybe I should add his commentary after each of my outfit posts for sheer entertainment. / Jumpsuit: Back Beat Co. (part of my Nuuly rental) / Shoes: Sam Edelman / Bag: Amazon

• Look #8

Occasion: Work from home + Walk with a friend + Soccer practice with the boys

Outfit details: Leggings: Nike Yoga Luxe / Sweater: Pink Rose — super old from Marshalls / Flannel: Rosio — super old from Marshalls / Shoes: Nike / Watch: Old Fitbit Versa

• Look #9

Occasion: Ryder’s 4s class preschool graduation

Outfit Details: Slip skirt: Target / Tank: Target (the $8 tank I have in a million colors) / Sandals: Amazon / Bag: Freshly Picked

• Look #10

Occasion: Coffee shop work day + Preschool board meeting

Outfit details: Jumpsuit: Anthropologie (part of my Nuuly rental) / Tank: Ambiance — old from TJMaxx / Sandals: Old from Francesca’s / Necklace: LuluCherry (I think my code pbfingers10 for 10% off orders $50+ may still be active)

• Look #11

Occasion: MyGym class with Rhett + Park playdate + Swim team practice

Outfit details: V-neck tee: Target / Leggings: lululemon / Shoes: New Balance / Paperclip chain necklace: Amazon

• Look #12

Occasion: House meeting with landscapers and electrician + Coffee shop work day

Outfit details: Tank top: Target / Slip skirt:  Target / Shoes: Reebok

• Look #13

Occasion: Brunch to celebrate a friend’s birthday

Outfit details: Tank: Target (I told you I wear this one on repeat!) / Pull-on Ankle Pants: Target / Sandals: Tkees / Bag: Freshly Picked

• Look #14

Occasion: Work from home + Errands + Swim team practice

Outfit details: Leggings: Nike Yoga Luxe / Tee: Target / Shoes: Nike / Bag: Amazon / Hat: Nike

• Look #15

Occasion: Sunday lounging at home after being out all morning and afternoon

Outfit details: Tee: Target / Joggers: Summersalt / Pillow slides: Amazon

• Look #16

Occasion: Parent/teacher conference

Outfit details: Linen pants: Amazon (Worth noting: I threw these in the dryer to release the wrinkles before leaving the house! I’m in a medium in the beige.) / Tank: Target (yep, the $8 obsession again) / Sandals: Sam Edelman / Bag: Freshly Picked

• Look #17

Occasion: Church

Outfit Details: Slip Skirt: Target / Mock-Neck Sweater: American Eagle (couldn’t find it in stock anymore but it’s the “Snowsoft Mockneck Sweater” if you want to do some internet searching for resale options) / Lug Boots: Amazon / Headband: Target / Purse: Mali+ Lili via StitchFix

• Look #18

Occasion: Charlotte FC soccer game

Outfit Details: Leggings: lululemon / Jean Jacket: Old Navy / Crop Tank: Ambiance but old / Parka: Columbia / Sneakers: Reebok / Beanie: Walmart / Clear Stadium Bag: Amazon

• Look #19

Occasion: Road trip to Florida

Outfit Details: Joggers: Lululemon / Sweatshirt: Amazon — the beloved lululemon dupe in black! / Sneakers: Adidas but old

The post Roundup of Recent Looks #2 appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

Occasionally when Ryan and I don’t know what to expect from small(ish) events that are new to us within our community, we’ll  take our boys to them with “we’ll see how this goes” attitudes. This attitude actually serves us well with kids in general because keeping expectations neutral can help alleviate disappointment if something derails our vision for a perfect day. (And by “something” I typically mean fussy kids, fighting brothers, Mom opening a bar the wrong way for a certain 2-year-old, etc.)

Recently we took this approach with the fishing derby we attended last month and it blew us away! We had the same attitude going into Spring NatureFest, an event presented by Davidson Lands Conservancy at Roosevelt Wilson Park in the late morning on Saturday.

Apparently we are two for two on killer community events lately because NatureFest surpassed all of our expectations. Our three animal and nature-loving kids thought the event was fantastic and we had so much fun learning about local plants and animals, holding multiple reptiles, observing insects under a microscope, fishing in the small pond near the park and watching a queen bee lay multiple eggs right in front of us!

(Chase’s insect hat he got from my sister got a lot of love at this event!)

Everyone we spoke to at the various tents was so knowledgeable and passionate and it was such a great way to spend a Saturday morning. Everyone who attended the event was also given the opportunity to take a small tree home to replant and our boys thought this was the coolest.

They each picked a different kind of tree so it will be interesting to watch them grow!

Once we made it back home, we ate lunch and then Rhett took a nap while Ryan took the big kids fishing and I caught up on work. Rhett and Ryder were both sick for one day last week which blew up some of my work time so it was nice to have a couple hours on Saturday to dig myself out of the weeds a bit.

By the time Ryan, Chase and Ryder made it back home, Rhett was awake and we were ready for another adventure. Our pool plans on Friday night got scrapped due to the weather so we promised the boys we’d take them to our neighborhood pool on Saturday since it’s officially open for the summer! We spent the rest of the day splashing around before dinner and bedtime.

Sunday

Sunday was one of those days where we didn’t really do much and never left the house but at the same time our day felt quite full.

Ryan is currently training for his third Half Ironman (his race is less than 2 weeks away!) and all three boys are registered for a short IronKids race two days before Ryan’s event. The big kids will be running 1/2 mile white Rhett will be doing a 100-yard dash. They think “training” with Dad is the coolest and on Sunday mornings, once Ryan arrives home from his long runs, the big kids join him for a 1/2 mile run. It’s adorable to watch and they absolutely love it!

Rhett, Pepper and I tagged along on Sunday and cheered as Chase and Ryder did their short out-and-back run.

Once we made it home, to the surprise of no one, the boys all wanted to go for a bike ride so we biked to a little rocky trail near our house so they could do some “off roading.” Chase and Ryder are obsessed with riding their bikes on grass, mulch and basically any surface that’s not paved and usually they handle this well but on Sunday both kids had big wipe outs. They were fine after a little love and some snacks but seemed to want to hang out on the couch and rest for a bit when we got home.

Everyone perked up pretty quick when I began unboxing the shave ice machine I received for Mother’s Day!

I know this is quite the random gift but it was the only thing on my Mother’s Day wish list this year because it seemed like a fun thing our whole family will enjoy all summer long. I actually had it on my radar as a birthday gift idea for the boys (Rhett is next-level obsessed) but mentioned it to Ryan for Mother’s Day since I figured that would let us maximize using the machine during the hottest months of the year. My only request to Ryan: Please find a machine we can use with ice from our freezer that makes lots of snow cones at once and also find a machine that makes very, very fine shave ice like Kona Ice rather than hard, crunchy ice. Ryan did his research because our new Vevor shave ice machine knocked it out of the park yesterday! I see a lot of snow cones and shave ice happening in our house all summer long and I’m so psyched!

Other than bike crashes and shave ice, our main Sunday adventure took place on the lake. We piled onto our boat and took it out for our first boat cruise of the season!

This boat ride went a lot smoother than our last one when we got on the boat only to realize our boat needed a new battery. Oops!

After we were done on our boat adventure, we spent some more time in our backyard outside. Ryan, Chase and Ryder also took the kayaks out to a little island and returned home with a variety of bird feathers to add to their feather collection which had them on cloud nine. I love our nature-loving boys so much.

We spent the rest of our Sunday doing the usual winddown routine: Baths, jammies, dinner, movie night, stories and early bedtimes. It was a good weekend from start to finish and I’m feeling ready for the final full week of school for the boys before summer break!

I hope you all have a fabulous Monday!

The post Spring NatureFest and Weekend Fun appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

Friday is here and we’re just that much closer to summer break! We have a little taste of no school life today because Chase is out of school today for a teacher work day (Rhett and Ryder never have school on Fridays) and we are planning to make our way to the neighborhood pool. It’s opening for the season today and we are ready to spend hours splashing around together!

Chase and Ryder also began swim team this week and it’s been so cute to watch. We initially only signed Chase up to participate because we thought Ryder might still be a little too young for the team. After watching Chase swim in the first practice of the season, Ryder said he really wanted in and since the only requirement for participating in the “junior” swim team in our neighborhood is for kids to be able to swim one pool length unassisted, Ryder qualified and is psyched to be part of it, too! I was actually a diver and water polo player in high school so anything pool-related makes me feel nostalgic and I love watching the boys as they practice and learn new skills in the water. Give me alllll the pool time this summer!

Other than swimming and hopefully spending time on the lake this weekend, our plans are pretty wide open which was very intentional after a busy week. I hope to share more with you guys on Monday but until then, I hope you enjoy this week’s roundup of favorites, Things I’m Loving Friday style!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Our New Console Table!

How gorgeous is this console table!? The table was made from start to finish by an incredibly talented local craftsman and I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out! A while back, our boys did Soccer Shots with a family we know from the boys’ preschool. During one of the soccer practices, I learned that the dad of two of the boys on the team is incredible at custom woodworking and carpentry. I previously ordered a pair of adorable wooden jack-o’-lanterns from a few years ago for Halloween but always had him in the back of my mind should we have any special projects arise.

Fast forward to this year and I spent a few months looking for a perfect console table to place behind our couch. Our couch is quite long because we wanted it to seat a bunch of people and finding a long console table that looked unique and fit the dimensions we needed felt impossible. Then I thought of Mike! I sent Mike an inspiration photo I found from McGee & Co. and hoped he might be able to create something similar but in a size that would work for us. He absolutely nailed it and his turnaround time was incredible. He sourced local wood from Hickory, North Carolina and made us a console table that is honestly one of the highest quality pieces of furniture we’ve ever owned. I love the texture the fluted wood adds to the table and am already brainstorming the next project we’re going to send Mike’s way because his attention to detail, professionalism and the quality of his product truly blew us away. For any local friends you may find his website online at Munchwerks Design. I truly cannot recommend him enough!

• Lavazza Organic Coffee

I’ve always said my brother-in-law is the king of research. He genuinely seems to enjoy the process of finding top products across a wide range of categories while always keeping budget in mind. I trust his recommendations implicitly and his recommendations haven’t let us down yet! (He’s the reason Ryan selected the Cuisinart ice cream maker for me for my birthday a few years ago and it’s been a slam dunk for our family.) Ross’ latest find is Lavazza organic coffee. Whenever we visit my sister and her family in Florida, if we arrive at their home before noon, it’s a guarantee Ross will offer to make me a cup of coffee. (Yes, he’s the best!) I’ve learned to never turn him down because the coffee they have in their home is always good but, most recently, it was great.

As I sipped my coffee, I kept saying how delicious it tasted which prompted Ross and Leslie to rave about the new organic coffee beans they’ve been adding to their coffee machine from Lavazza. (They come in both whole bean and ground varieties.) It’s nothing new or fancy — it’s one of the top coffee brands in Italy and has been around for more than 100 years — but the best way I can describe it is to say it’s delicious in its simplicity. I’ve been using the whole beans to make my morning latte for a few months now and always look forward to beginning my day with a cup of this coffee!

• Bird Watching + Squirrel Ninja Warrior Videos

Last weekend, during our Mother’s Day adventure to a local garden shop, we loaded up on bird seed and a few new bird feeders. Our whole family got really into bird watching in our old house and I attribute our interest to two things: 1. When I was nursing the boys, I’d often sit on the couch in our living room and watch the birds out the window. I quickly began noticing the variety of birds we had in our backyard and my interest piqued. 2. My mom, father-in-law and Ryan’s Aunt Diane gifted our boys various North Carolina “bird maps” — aka posters and quick reference laminated pamphlets with information about birds native to North Carolina — and The Backyard Birdwatchers Bible book and Chase and Ryder genuinely love trying to identify various birds they see flying around outside. Now that our bird feeders are up and stocked with bird seed, we’ve loved seeing cardinals, blue jays, finches, bluebirds and more visiting us in our backyard. (We’re crossing our fingers for goldfinches and hummingbirds but haven’t seen them yet.)

Anyway, when I shared a quick picture of the boys bird watching while they ate breakfast one morning on Instagram Stories, I followed it up with a picture of an intruder on our “squirrel proof” birdfeeders. Yep, it was a squirrel! This prompted two people to send me links to this Ninja Warrior Squirrel Maze Video on YouTube. Oh my gosh this video had our whole family cracking up! A former NASA engineer set up a Ninja Warrior-inspired obstacle course to see if the squirrels in his backyard could make it through to claim the top prize: An endless supply of walnuts. The video is funny, creative and family-friendly and we ended up watching and thoroughly enjoying all three videos in this mini series.

• Latest Thrive Market Haul

I think the last time I shared a Thrive Market haul was back in 2021 when I highlighted five Thrive Market hauls in one blog post. I’ve been a member of the online marketplace for years and never question whether or not to renew my membership each year because I utilize the website so often to order high quality, healthy and often organic food. I also love the site for introducing me to clean beauty products, yummy snacks for the boys and not-so-popular healthy living products. My most recent haul was a “restock the pantry with kid snacks haul” and I figured I’d highlight it here for anyone who might also be a member and looking for kid-approved snacks. (I also wrote this blog post in the past which may be of interest as well: Thrive Market Healthy Kid Snacks.) Here’s a peek into my most recent haul:

• Mavuno Organic Dried Mango
• The New Primal Turkey Sticks x 6 (one of my favorite ways to get some protein in the boys on the go)
• The New Primal Chicken & Apple Sticks
• The New Primal Pizza Sticks
• Bobo’s Chocolate Chip Oat Bites x 5 (Chase and Rhett adore these and Chase takes one to school every day to eat with an apple during snack time)
• Brami Italian Snacking Beans x 4
• Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers x 3
• This Saves Lives Rockin’ Straw-Beary Bars x 3
• Kevin’s Thai Coconut Sauce x 2
• SeaSnax Organic Seaweed Snacks
• Thrive Market Organic Raisins (16 oz)
• Crown Prince Smoked Oysters x 2
• GoodPop Organic Freezer Popsicles
• The Good Crisp Original Crisps (they taste like Pringles!)
• Late July Organic Tortilla Chips
• Neptune Snacks Sweet Citrus Ginger Fish Jerky
• Jovial Organic Sourdough Crackers
• Annie’s Organic Honey Graham Crackers
• Chica’s Lime Corn Tortilla Chips (my obsession)

And all of those snacks should last us about a week. Just kidding… kind of. If you are interested in Thrive Market, my affiliate link will save you 40% off your first order! I hope you love it as much as we have over the past few years!

• Friday Flashbacks

Incredibly Easy Black Bean Dip (For any upcoming cookouts you may have on your radar!)

Total Body Workout (For a day when you’re craving a little bit of everything.)

Question of the Day

What is one thing making you smile this week?

The post Thing I’m Loving Friday #468 appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

Hey friends! How are you? How is your week going? I’m doing pretty well and just wanted to check in today to share a recap of last week’s workouts with all of you. I created this series a while back to showcase what one week of workouts looks like for me during one week of every month. It’s a way for me to stay true to the origins of this blog when I used to recap nearly every single workout for you guys.

Last week my workouts were pretty typical and included a mix of in-person and online streaming Burn Boot Camp classes. I’ve also been trying to prioritize walks with Pepper (either alone or with a friend) because I know she loves them and they also do a lot for me mentally. Right now I still find myself needing some peaceful moments of sunshine to fight some of the fog of grief that is hanging over me and being outside with a joyful dog really does seem to help. Plus, solo walks are wonderful thinking time for me and I appreciate the quiet peace of being in nature with Pepper so much.

I included my walks with Pepper in my summary of workouts for the week below because the more and more I’ve read about fitness and overall health and longevity, the more I’ve found myself fully believing what I think most of us have always known: Walking is so incredibly good for us.

Week of Workouts: May 2023

• Monday: Burn Boot Camp Biceps + Triceps Workout (At Home/Streaming) + 45 Minute Walk with Pepper

I often kick off the week with an upper body workout of some sort because they’re my favorite and it doesn’t take much to motivate myself to set an alarm and do an arm workout on a Monday morning. Last Monday’s workout looked like a streaming YouTube video of one of Burn Boot Camp’s upper body workouts which primarily focused on biceps and triceps. My triceps really, really felt this one!

Pepper also got some love on Monday with a 45 minute walk! I love solo walks with my girl and squeezing them in when I can feels like a gift to myself.

• Tuesday: Burn Boot Camp Metabolic Conditioning Workout  (At Home/Streaming) + 45 Minute Walk with Pepper

I honestly wasn’t planning on a workout on Tuesday morning but I was up before the sun and figured I might as well move my body. I streamed this past Burn Boot Camp MetCon workout but subbed out some of the more intense plyo exercises like jumping lunges only because I just wasn’t feeling it! I’ve never loved jumping lunges and I especially don’t like them before 6 a.m. Haha!

I also managed to get Pepper out on a walk before preschool pickup on Tuesday which definitely added a little joy to my day!

• Wednesday: Burn Boot Camp Upper Body Workout

Rhett and I made it to Boot Camp after his MyGym class on Wednesday and it was a good one! I definitely push myself more during in-person camps and Wednesday’s workout had my arms feeling like Jello by the end.

• Thursday: 3-Mile Walk with Pepper and a Friend

Thursday I didn’t do a workout other than walking with a friend! I met up with my friend Laura before preschool pickup on Wednesday and we covered right around 3 miles in an hour while walking with Pepper. I loved the chance to catch up with a friend while walking Pepper and moving my body! I’ve been meeting up with a friend for a walk once or twice a week before preschool pickups lately and it’s been great! I know this will be trickier when summer is here and the boys are out of school but for the next few weeks, I’ll be soaking up the chance for walks + girlfriend catchup time.

• Friday: Burn Boot Camp Leg Day

On Friday, Ryder, Rhett and I headed off to Burn Boot Camp for a mid-morning workout. Our camp’s 9:15 a.m. child watch timeslot fills up like crazy on Fridays and we missed that time but we made it to 10:30 a.m. Ryder and Rhett ended up being the only kids in child watch that day and had free reign of all their favorite toys while I took my legs and glutes through the wringer with the above workout. It was a good one and had me feeling sore the next day.

• Saturday and Sunday: Off

No traditional workouts happened over the weekend but between visiting a huge bounce house event with the boys, kayaking and gardening, a lot of movement happened!

Question of the Day

What was your favorite workout of the week last week? 

The post Week of Workouts: May 2023 appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

Good morning friends! How are you? Did you have a good weekend? Our weekend was jam-packed but it was filled with good stuff — family, friends and plenty of time outside in the springtime sunshine!

Saturday

Our weekend kicked off at The Big Bounce America, a traveling inflatable event featuring the world’s biggest bounce house. When I saw it was coming to the Charlotte area, I knew our boys would be all about it and booked us tickets for the morning session for kids ages 7 and under.

(Top: Madewell / Leggings: lululemon / Bag: lululemon / Shoes: Reebok / Hat: Nike / Boys’ hats: Bitty Brah / Rhett and Ryder’s shoes: Natives — our favorite for summer!) 

All I can say is I’m so, so glad we went to the time for little kids because I cannot even begin to imagine the mayhem with older and bigger kids bouncing all over the place. I think it felt a little more chaotic than I anticipated in large part because it was really wet and drizzly outside so some grownups were falling down in the bounce houses which was a bit of a hazard for smaller children like Rhett. I quickly scooped Rhett out of the biggest bounce house (which our big kids LOVED, by the way) and Rhett and I explored some of the smaller, less popular inflatables which proved to be much more his speed.

Once Ryan, Chase and Ryder were done in the huge bounce house, we met back up and the boys all did a large inflatable slide together, bounced around in some of the other bounce houses and spent a lot of time going through the enormous obstacle course.

I joined Chase and Ryder for one round through the bouncy obstacle course and all I can say is I got smoked!!!

They took off and left me in the dust and I am sure I looked ridiculous making my way through a big bounce house obstacle course basically by myself. Haha! Let’s just say we were all wet and hot and sweaty by the end of this event! If this event is coming to your area, my main takeaways would be that it’s definitely better suited for bigger kids — Chase and Ryder were in heaven! — and I highly recommend wearing slip-on sandals and bringing socks. Socks are required and those who were able to keep socks on but walk all over the property in sandals that easily slipped off and on had it made, especially in the rain.

Once we were done at at Big Bounce America, we made our way back home for a late lunch and put Rhett down for a nap. We then went into go-mode prepping dinner and organizing our backyard for the evening because we had a bunch of friends and their kids joining us to use our firepit and make s’mores for the first time!

Everyone arrived a little after 4 p.m. and we had the absolute best evening. The kids spent hours in the lake and on the little beach in our backyard and we loved catching up with our friends and their little ones.

A few hours after everyone arrived, the kids all changed into their pajamas and we dug into a big spread of BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches (love this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen!), pizza (for the kids), black bean and brown rice salad, baked beans, curried corn and a fruit and veggie platter. Plus peanut butter chocolate chip brownies and cookies for dessert!

There were multiple moments throughout the evening where I found myself recognizing that our house was fulfilling the purpose we hoped it would when we purchased our lot 2.5 years ago. We wanted to build a family-friendly home with a yard and lake access that would be used by not only our family of five but also enjoyed by our loved ones and friends as well. Seeing our kitchen island filled with kids and then the boys’ bedroom filled with kids jumping around and scream-singing “We Will Rock You” at the top of their lungs felt like watching our vision come to life and my heart just felt so grateful.

All three of our boys were all up until almost 10 p.m. Saturday night and clearly on a high from playing with all of their friends. Saturday evening only served to make me feel all the more excited for summer. The countdown is on!

Sunday

Sunday was Mother’s Day! Going to the zoo is a bit of a Mother’s Day tradition for our family and one I absolutely love but I shook things up a bit this year and requested a family gardening adventure. We’re dipping our toes into gardening for the first time and spent the morning at Pike’s, a Georgia and North Carolina-based garden center.

I previously spent some time online Googling gardening tips for beginners but knew nothing could replace talking to someone who knows what they’re doing. Thankfully a woman at Pike’s served to be very, very helpful on Sunday morning and steered us toward the supplies and plants we needed for our gardening goals.

We have two garden boxes and are hoping to use one to grow organic vegetables and herbs and use the other one as a butterfly haven filled with butterfly-friendly flowers! The boys are seriously psyched about our gardening plans and already asked if we had any sprouts this morning. Now we are just crossing our fingers that we’ll see at least some growth in our garden!

The rest of our Sunday was spent at a local pond where the boys caught and released catfish and turtles and then we hung out at home for the rest of the day.

It was honestly a wonderfully chill Mother’s Day. We recently got the boys kid-friendly kayaks and the big kids cannot get enough of them. They are amazing and Chase and Ryder can both maneuver their kayaks really, really well. I actually used Rhett’s kayak to join the big kids on a hour-long kayak adventure yesterday afternoon during Rhett’s nap and loved exploring the lake this way. (I hung my legs off Rhett’s kayak for stability because it’s definitely not made for an adult. Haha! Rhett and I flipped over in it when we first tried to use to together — yikes! We’ve been checking Facebook Marketplace for an adult kayak but nothing has caught our eye yet.)

Once Rhett was awake, we made funfetti ice cream together and then all cuddled on the couch together for family movie night before early bed times for everyone. (Secrets of the Zoo: Tampa on Disney+ is our current fav!) It was a wonderful weekend with a nice mix of adventure and relaxation.

As for the week ahead, “Maycember” continues with field trips, summer birthday school celebrations and end-of-the-year events but it’s all good stuff so we’re trying to soak it up before school is done and summer is here. I hope you all have a great week!

The post Mother’s Day Weekend 2023 appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

Friday is heeere! How are you? How was your week? Earlier this week one of my girlfriends referred to this month as “Maycember” when referencing the number of kid-related end-of-the-school-year commitments and activities and it certainly felt like an accurate reference to the busyness that comes during the holiday season and, apparently, MAY. Phew!

Our calendar is certainly full right now but it’s temporary and, for the most part, filled with fun stuff the kids love. All that being said, you better believe I’ll be majorly exhaling June first when all of the boys are done with school for the summer.

As for the weekend ahead, I’m excited for it because we have a few things on the agenda, ranging from a big bounce house event that looks awesome and a make-up soccer game for Chase to hosting our friends on Saturday evening for lake fun and s’mores. I’m hoping to have a moment to recap everything on the blog on Monday but until then, I hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Muffins with Mom

(Skirt: Amazon — I’m in the yellow in a medium / Top: Old but I think Amazon, too! This one looks almost identical / Lace-up sandals: Amazon / Paperclip chain necklace: Amazon / Ryder’s shoes: Adidas — they were Chase’s and pass the hand-me-down test which is a rarity for shoes! ) 

Rhett and Ryder’s preschool had the sweetest Mother’s Day event yesterday morning. Moms, aunts, grandmothers and caregivers were invited into their classrooms for muffins and an adorable Mother’s Day activity/song. Rhett repeatedly told me “Happy Birthday” (holidays are tricky for 2-year-olds) and was all-in on the muffin part of “Muffins with Mom” while Ryder made me a beautiful yellow flower card, planted wildflowers in a pot he painted and performed an adorable Mother’s Day song. Ever since having children, I can wholeheartedly say the effort teachers and schools pour into events like this make a difference and truly help parents and caregivers feel the love. It was such a special morning!

• Van Leeuwen Ice Cream

Ice cream lovers, I have a solid recommendation for a new-to-me brand of ice cream to add to your must-try list. I’ve always said there is a reason the top semi-fancy ice cream companies (Ben & Jerry’s and Haagen-Dazs) remain at the top. They make seriously good ice cream that’s rich and creamy, not at all icy, has good mouth-feel (sounds weird but iykyk) and spot-on flavors. Well, Van Leeuwen ice cream is LEGIT and deserves a spot up there with the big guys. I’m making my way through a bunch of their flavors and have yet to be disappointed. I found out via Instagram DMs that they make some crazyyy flavors but I haven’t seen those at our local grocery stores yet so my Van Leeuwen exposure has been limited to the following flavors: Pistachio, Earl Gray Tea (this one shocked me by being unbelievably good), Marionberry Cheesecake and Honeycomb (which is more like a caramel) and Praline Butter Cake. I wholeheartedly recommend every single one of those flavors and cannot wait to try more. Van Leeuwen, you have a new super fan! (For local friends, I’ve found their ice cream at Publix, Fresh Market and Harris Teeter.)

• Comfy $12 Target Linen Tees (V-Neck + Regular)

(V-neck tee: Target/ Shorts: AGOLDE / Necklace: Amazon)

(Tee: Target / Slip skirt: Target / Shoes: Vans)

(V-neck tee: Target / Leggings: lululemon / Shoes: New Balance) 

Last week I shared some new-to-me Target tanks on the blog and this week I had to give a shout out to their comfy linen tees. Target is apparently having a moment on simple staples right now! I initially purchased one of their white linen tees in store and found myself reaching for it over and over again because it paired so well with everything from jeans and leggings to shirts and shorts. I then ordered the same tee in black and added a couple v-neck versions to my cart as well. Spoiler alert: I loved them all! They’re a great staple for casual mom life and I love the longer sleeves. For some reason I feel like so many t-shirts hit me at an awkward part on my arm and make me look linebacker-y so the longer, drapey sleeves are right up my alley. Also, for any long torso friends out there, this is a cropped top that easily extends past my belly button!

• Supergoop!’s Spring Sunscreen Sale!

It’s that time of year again!! Supergoop!’s annual springtime sale is here and this is the sale I take full advantage of every single year because we adore their sunscreen in our house! Their sunscreen became our family’s favorite years ago and I have my parents and sister and her family obsessed with it as well because it applies so smoothly (NOT sticky!), doesn’t leave a white cast and offers great protection. Since Supergoop! rarely goes on sale, I use this time of year to stock up on all of our favorites at 20% off. (Worth noting for those interested in clean sunscreen, the majority of Supergoop! sunscreen I researched on the EWG website received a 2 or 3 rating which I personally think is great for a product we’re using daily in the summertime.)

Below you will find a breakdown of our family’s favorite Supergoop! finds. I also recommend their Bestsellers Starter Kit if you’re unfamiliar with Supergoop! to see if it’s a good fit for you. It comes with three of the products mentioned below that we love!

• Supergoop! Play Everyday Lotion SPF 50: We buy the giant 18-ounce size and I LOVE the pump because it makes applying sunscreen to three energetic kids a little easier. We go through SO MUCH sunscreen all summer long and this size is the best for our family!
• Supergoop! Play Everyday Body Mist SPF 50: Bless spray sunscreen! It’s the BEST for re-applying sunscreen when we’re out and about with the kids and this is our go-to. I always have this in my pool back for a quick-reapply of sunscreen when we’re out and about.
• Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40: If you’re looking for the clearest of the clear sunscreen for your face, Supergoop! has you covered with this 100% mineral sunscreen! It feels moisturizing to my face and is made with ingredients like bush clover extract to help reduce signs of aging. Win, win.
• Supergoop! Glow Screen SPF 40: Think of this as a hybrid sunscreen/makeup primer! It gives my skin a dewy look and is nearly sheer but there’s a subtle tint to it that I like because I feel like it makes my skin look a little better than sunscreen alone. I also keep this in my pool/beach bag and love it for my face!
• Supergoop! (Re)setting 100% Mineral Powder Sunscreen: This genius product is perfect for giving your face SPF protection throughout the day without ruining your makeup! Just dust this powder over your face and be on your way.

• Friday Flashbacks

Mother’s Day Gift Guide (I’m sorry I didn’t get around to sharing a new gift guide for Mother’s Day this year but I stand behind all of these recommendations from last year’s gift guide if you’re looking for a last-minute gift idea.)

Sesame Cucumber Salad (So refreshing and delicious!)

Questions of the Day

Any fun plans this weekend?

What is one thing you’re loving this week? 

The post Things I’m Loving Friday #467 appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

A little more than a month or so ago, I shared a glimpse into a Sunday on our blog by sharing one picture per hour that day. It was a fun way to recap a typical Sunday in our home and I thought I would periodically share a “picture-per-hour” blog post once a month or so from here on out. Selfishly, I think these might be fun for me to look back on over the years to see what days look like with our boys during various stages of life.

Yesterday was a very typical Tuesday over here with school, activities and family time!

Tuesday: One Picture Per Hour

5:45 a.m. Garage workout time! I streamed a past metabolic conditioning workout from Burn Boot Camp and was done in 45 minutes. Side note: I would never in a million years wear cotton gray biker shorts in public (they majorly show sweat and are not at all flattering on me) but man are they comfy and perfect for home workouts.

6:45 a.m. Shower + Get dressed. Super greasy hair = hat day!

Leggings: Nike Yoga Luxe (I’m in the process of replacing some of my worn out black leggings with new ones and these were on sale and feel amazing. Soft and comfortable and semi-similar to lululemon Aligns but with a little more compression so they’re more smoothing over lumps and bumps.) / $5 Crop Tank: Target / Hat: Nike / White Zip-Up Hoodie: Amazon / Shoes: Nike (also eyeing this pair on sale with the subtle flower detailing)

7:45 a.m. Head out the door with the boys and Pepper for Chase’s school drop off!

8:30 a.m. Back home to transfer a load of laundry into the dryer and spend some time outside. Bike riding is #1 over here right now!

9:15 a.m. Preschool drop off for Ryder and Rhett. The hand-holding lasted for 5 seconds but you better believe I captured it.

10:00 a.m. Coffee shop work time. An extra-hot whole milk half caff latte has been my go-to order for several years. Simple is best sometimes!

11:30 a.m. Still working. I’m doing my best to be more active on the LTK app to make links to favorite finds, outfits and home stuff a little easier to find for you guys. You may find me @pbfingers!

12:30 p.m. Hot and sunny walk with Pepper before preschool pickup. I almost forgot how much I love walking with a joyful little pup after Sadie died but now that I have dog walks back in my life, they’re something simple I try to incorporate into my day when I can because they do so much for me mentally and feel like a small gift to myself. Fresh air + happy dog = Happy me!

1:15 p.m. Pepper rides along for preschool pickup. She gets to join us for a lot of the boys’ school drop offs and pickups and will run to door around the time we usually leave so we know she wants in! (One time she got out in the garage before we left and hid under the car because she didn’t want us to put her back in the house and leave without her.) The boys and I love having Pepper join us and she gets a lot of love from their friends.

2:55 p.m. We picked up Chase at school and once we made it back home of course another bike ride had to happen! Shirts and pants optional because a hose was also involved. Temperatures reached 87 degrees yesterday!

3:30 p.m. A quick blitz of household chores: Dishes, laundry, wiping down counters, clean sheets on the beds.

4:50 p.m. Chase has a soccer “try out” for a local competitive soccer league that begins this fall. (It’s unlikely we’ll do it as it requires more of a commitment than we’re ready to give at 7-years-old but we wanted to keep our options open.)

5:45 p.m. Park playtime at the park across from the soccer fields for Rhett and Ryder! Pink cheeks are back and likely here to stay for the next 5 months. It was h-o-t!

6:55 p.m. Back home for baths and showers for everyone. Yep, you read that right. Each boy wanted a “private shower” so they showered and washed their hair while their brothers took a bath and then we all rotated. I asked if they wanted showers or a bath on the drive home from soccer and should’ve known they’d pick both. Rhett’s “private shower” happened with Mom because that’s always his request and I felt disgusting and sweaty after lots of outside time in the heat. Plus, I love a pre-bedtime shower!

7:30 p.m. Dinner for everyone! Paleo chicken thighs remain the recipe I make most often from this blog! I prepped them earlier in the day and cooked them in the air fryer once we were ready for dinner. Mashed baked sweet potatoes and a simple green salad made up our sides.

8:00 p.m. Sorry I forgot a pic in the 8 o’clock hour but we were in the midst of our bedtime routine with the boys and it slipped my mind.

9:15 p.m. All the boys are in bed and after packing lunches for the next day and taking Pepper out again together, Ryan and I hop into bed to read until we fall asleep.

Aaand that was our Tuesday in a nutshell! I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!

The post Tuesday: One Picture Per Hour appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

Each bite of this ceviche inspired shrimp and edamame salad is a flavor and texture explosion thanks to vibrant veggies, protein-packed edamame, succulent shrimp, tangy citrus and creamy avocado. Enjoy as a chopped salad or even as a delicious dip. 

I know this may sound a little odd but for years my mom has added shelled edamame to chicken soup. While it may not seem to be an obvious addition, I adore it and it’s an ingredient I began adding to chicken soup in our house as well because I love the flavor, texture (gotta love a little crunch!) and boost of plant-based protein.

Fast forward several years from our initial edamame chicken soup discovery and our boys have all first tried edamame as they were helping me make chicken soup. They each fell in love with the mild-flavored little beans and frequently request edamame (especially in the shell with salt) as a snack or lunch or dinnertime side. Edamame quickly became something we always have on hand in our freezer.

I say all this to say, I’ve been amazed at all the ways edamame enhances various recipes. We’ve used it in countless dips and soups as well as the more obvious stir frys, poke bowls and salads. Most recently, I threw a heaping helping of edamame into something I called ceviche-inspired shrimp and edamame salad when I served it to our family. I realize it’s not “real” ceviche since it does not involve raw shrimp or seafood but the tangy citrusy flavors of ceviche are there.

For the sake of accuracy, I’m calling this recipe a ceviche inspired shrimp edamame salad on the blog today because if you make it I think you’ll agree it definitely has a ceviche vibe. There’s no lettuce or traditional leafy greens in this salad but rather lots of freshly chopped bell pepper, edamame, red onion, creamy avocado, tons of cilantro, freshly-squeezed citrus juices, salt and lots and lots of shrimp!

This is the kind of salad I really dig because it is so far from boring. Every bite contains different textures and flavors and with hot summer days on the horizon, it’s a cold, refreshingly light salad I know we’ll be making all the time. Bonus: It actually works well as a dip served with crisp tortilla tips as well if you’re looking for a delicious side dish to contribute to a spring or summer cookout. (You’ll just want to chop everything up a little smaller!)

If you make this recipe, I hope you love it as much as we do!

Ceviche Inspired Shrimp Edamame Salad

Ceviche Inspired Shrimp and Edamame Salad

• Author: Julie
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 60 minutes marinating time
• Total Time: 20 minute
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: salad, side dish
• Method: no bake, refrigeration
• Diet: Gluten Free

Print Recipe

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Description

Each bite of this ceviche inspired shrimp and edamame salad is a flavor and texture explosion thanks to vibrant veggies, protein-packed edamame, succulent shrimp, tangy citrus and creamy avocado. Enjoy as a chopped salad or even as a delicious dip.

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds shrimp, cooked and peeled and chopped into thick chunks
• 1/2 red onion, diced and soaked in water for 10 minutes (this removes some of the “bite”)
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup edamame, shelled
• 1 large bunch cilantro, diced
• juice of 4 limes (approximately 1/2 cup lime juice)
• juice of 2 lemons (approximately 1/4 cup lemon juice)
• juice of 1/2 orange
• sea salt, to taste
• 1 avocado

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

1. Combine everything but the avocado.
2. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 6 hours.
3. Remove salad from the refrigerator and mix together again. Dice avocado and stir together again.
4. Serve in bowls, salad-style or with crisp tortilla chips as a deliciously fresh and satisfying dip!

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Keywords: shrimp edamame salad, shrimp salad, shrimp, edamame, edamame shrimp salad, shrimp ceviche, edamame shrimp ceviche, chopped shrimp salad, shrimp edamame ceviche

Thank you for trusting me and my blog when it comes to feeding you and your loved ones. I appreciate it so much.

The post Ceviche Inspired Shrimp and Edamame Salad appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

Hey friends! How are you? How was your week? This week was very, very full as all weeks seem to be toward the end of the school year. Any other parents out there feel me with 1,001 activities right now? And when you factor in multiple children it feels like there are school-related commitments non-stop this time of year. Thankfully most of them are really fun and involve things like strawberry picking field trips and school plays.

Can you tell Rhett ate his bodyweight in strawberries during his preschool field trip to Patterson Farms this week?

On a very bright note, my parents arrived in town yesterday! My mom, dad, Ryan, the boys, Pepper and I are renting a house together in Raleigh for the weekend because we’ll all be attending my cousin’s wedding! (My sister and her crew unfortunately could not make it and we will miss them!) My mom and dad figured they’d break up the drive from Florida with a pit-stop by our place in Charlotte and we’re so glad they’re here. My mom arrived with red velvet cupcakes with buttercream frosting in hand so we did a little belated birthday celebration for me last night as well which was very sweet.

I’ll do my best to share highlights from our weekend on the blog next week but until then, let’s dive into this week’s roundup of favorites, Things I’m Loving Friday style. I loved hearing from so many of you last week so I also wanted to say thank you to you for sharing a little more about what’s going on in your world with me. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Target $8 Ribbed Tanks (Currently $6.40!)

Target’s $8 ribbed tank tops are an internet obsession for good reason. After I purchased my first one, I had to get more because they’re fantastic. The cut is flattering and the fit perfect for everything from layering to wearing them alone with jeans, skirts, overalls, shorts… you name it! The tanks are also currently an additional 20% off making them only $6.40. I have it in gray and white a few of their new spring colors!

• Light Installation

We’re four months into living in our new house and there are still a handful of projects and odds and ends we’re tying up. One of them made me awfully happy when it was completed this week — light installations! One of the very first light fixtures I purchased for our home more than a year ago was this chandelier from Anthropologie. I fell in love with the interest the capiz shells added to the pendant and Ryan and I were thrilled with how it looked once our electrician got it installed on Wednesday. I think it adds so much to the space!

Another smaller fixture that went it was a small picture light in our home office. I found the picture light on Amazon when I was looking for one with a circular backing to help break up some of the lines in our built ins. The price point was fabulous and the reviews are great and I love it so far! I’m hoping to hang some art below the picture light (very open to suggestions here if you have them!) and feel like the office is coming close to being complete which feels great.

• Wedding Guest Dress Options

Long-sleeve asymmetrical dress: WeWoreWhat / Green dress: Amazon / Red slip dress: Anthropologie 

I used my latest Nuuly rental to add a few dress options for Saturday’s wedding to my delivery and it was so, so awesome to have a few selections to choose from arrive at my front door earlier this week. I put a poll out on Instagram and clearly the bright red/orange slip dress was the winner so assuming the fashion tape I also ordered helps the top stay in place for dancing, that will be the one I wear tomorrow night! We’ll also be attending the rehearsal dinner this evening so I packed the two other dresses as well and will make a game-time decision there. This was only my second Nuuly delivery but having it arrive before a wedding weekend was awesome and I know I’ll be scheduling additional deliveries to coincide with special events, vacations, etc. FYI, my affiliate link gives you $10 off your first Nuuly delivery if you want to try it out!

• Tarte Opening Act Lash Primer

This lash primer deserves a shout out. I’ve been using it for years but ran out of my most recent tube a month or so ago. I found myself wondering if I really needed it in my makeup routine but every time I’d apply mascara without it, I found myself missing the volume and length it seems to add to my lashes when applied before pretty much any mascara. It’s clearly a makeup must for me and I’m glad it’s back!

Also worth noting: L’Oreal’s Voluminous Lash Primer is also fantastic and less expensive. I use both interchangeably and just picked up a tube of this primer at Target yesterday as well to have both on hand again!

• ACOTAR Book #4: A Court of Frost and Starlight

Ahhh you guys! After raving about the ACOTAR series in a previous TILF post, I read book four. Womp, womp. This book felt like such a filler book to me! It wasn’t awful to read or anything and still held my interest but compared to books two and three this one was very anticlimactic. I’ll once again refrain from posting a plot summary to avoid spoilers to anyone new to the series but this was probably my least favorite of the four novels. But did I already start reading book number 5? Why yes, yes I did.

Also, I’m semi-embarrassed to admit this but fellow ACOTAR fans may find this amusing. A few nights ago I could not sleep and I began creating an ACOTAR alphabet in my mind with something from the series representing each letter. A- Amarantha, B- Bone Carver, C- Cassian, D- Daemati , E- Elain, F- Feyre, G- Graysen, H- Hybern, etc. And I wonder why I’m awake for hours in the middle of the night sometimes…

• Friday Flashbacks

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Overnight Oats (Forever a recipe classic for me.)

Crockpot Chicken Corn Chili (Our dinner last night!)

Question of the Day

What is one thing making you smile today? 

For those with kids, do you have any end-of-the-school-year commitments coming up? Anything particularly fun? 

The post Things I’m Loving Friday: #466 appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

I’m coming at you guys today with a peek into what one week of weeknight meals looked like for our family in April. I began this series as a way to throw things back to the origins of this blog when I used to share our dinners every single day of the week. Now, through this series, I share what one week of our weeknight dinners looks like once a month. No fancy food photos are allowed and all pics are snapped in real time!

During this particular week, we had a lot of easy eats which is pretty much normal around here. You may also be able to tell I bought a bulk pack of chicken thighs from Costco when you see our meals below. Haha! You’ll see a decent number of chicken dishes, pasta, breakfast for dinner and a couple new-to-me food finds we tried and enjoyed.

Week of Weeknight Meals

• Monday: Marinated Chicken Thighs with Shishito Peppers and Lemon Quinoa and Butternut Squash

I swear I use the marinade I shared in my blog post about Easy Marinated Pork Chops just as often for chicken as I do for pork. It’s versatile and delicious and worked perfectly on the chicken thighs I made for dinner Monday night. After marinating them all day long, I cooked the chicken thighs in the air fryer and served them with blistered shishito peppers cooked in olive oil with a little garlic salt and lemon quinoa and butternut squash from a bag of Daily Harvest grains. So good!

On the kids’ plates: Applegate Farms organic chicken nuggets with ketchup, bell peppers and raspberries

• Tuesday: Sausage and Spinach Frittata with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Breakfast for dinner! We had some leftover pork breakfast sausage from the weekend so I used it to make a frittata with spinach, onions, bell pepper and shredded cheese. I also prepared a few sweet potatoes in the air fryer and them mashed them up with some salted butter as a side dish.

On the kids’ plates: Scrambled eggs with sausage, fresh spinach leaves with ranch for dipping (aka their version of “salad”) and strawberries

• Wednesday: Marinara Chicken Thighs with Palmini

Wednesday’s dinner was an interesting one. I placed chicken thighs on top of thinly sliced onion and grape tomatoes tossed with minced garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. I then poured some Rao’s marinara sauce on top and sprinkled everything with parmesan cheese before baking the chicken thighs. We then enjoyed them with more marinara sauce on top of Palmini, a pasta-like dish I bought from ALDI that is made with hearts of palm. It intrigued me and while it was nowhere near the same thing as pasta, it was still quite tasted smothered in marinara. If you’re expecting it to be a pasta substitute it would be a big disappointment but if you’re looking at it as a way to enjoy hearts of palm in a new way, it was pretty good! I liked it enough to buy again but might think of a new way to serve it because marinara sauce makes me want real pasta.

On the kids’ plates: Grilled cheese, carrots with hummus for dipping and clementines

• Thursday: Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken Thighs with Green Beans and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

On Thursday night, I prepared a batch of BBQ pulled chicken thighs in the Instant Pot by following this recipe from Meaningful Eats. There’s clearly a reason the recipe has so many positive reviews! It was delicious and I’ll absolutely make it again. Along with the BBQ chicken thighs we had steamed green beans seasoned with garlic salt and leftover mashed sweet potatoes from the big batch I made for Tuesday night’s dinner.

On the kids’ plates: Quesadillas with green beans and blueberries

• Friday: Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Meatballs and Marinara

When I don’t know what to make for dinner, spaghetti is always a winner! It’s something we almost always have on hand and since I already had a large jar of Rao’s marinara open from Thursday’s dinner, it was a no-brainer. While I boiled the pasta, I threw some frozen meatballs into the air fryer and then stirred them into the marinara once they were done cooking. The meatballs were actually a new-to-me find from Costco. They were the Amylu Paleo spinach and red pepper meatballs and we all liked them!

On the kids’ plates: Spaghetti noodles without sauce (kids, man), meatballs with ketchup for dipping, cucumber slices and a clementine

Question of the Day

What was your favorite meal of the week last week? 

Any new must-try recipes to share? Links welcome!

The post Week of Weeknight Meals: April 2023 appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

Good morning friends. How are you? How was  your weekend? Our weekend was filled with small moments that pulled us out from under the cloud that seems to be covering a lot of our days. It was a good weekend all things considered and a weekend that brought smiles to our faces numerous times.

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again — our boys are the freaking biggest blessings. I feel this every single day but it becomes all the more poignant when Ryan and I feel like we really need a sharp bolt of joy in our lives. They always, always deliver.

Our weekend kicked off with soccer on Friday night.

This was likely Chase’s last game of the season (there may still be a make up game coming up) and after coming off a team with an undefeated record last season, this season has proven to be the exact opposite. Chase’s team did not win a single game and, honestly, I’m so impressed with how Chase handled so many losses. He scored the most goals for his team this season and tried so, so hard out there. Most importantly, he always walked off the field with his head held high and positive, encouraging words for his teammates.

(Dress: Amazon/ Sunglasses: QUAY / Shoes: Madewell)

I’m proud of him.

Saturday

Saturday morning began with furniture building for me and Ryder!

Ryder and I share a love of puzzles and I swear it translates to enjoying furniture building together. I’m not exaggerating when I say Ryder sprinted over to me when I asked if anyone wanted to help build our new patio furniture and he took over electric screwdriver duties like a champ!

We are getting more and more ready for lots of outside time this summer and so far I’m impressed with the patio furniture I found on Amazon. We ordered these loungers and these Adirondack chairs and the quality as we were building the chairs seems great, especially for the price point. I selected them because I wanted something durable with a wood(ish) look that wasn’t real wood because they will stay outside 24/7 and be exposed to weather and the elements. Hopefully they hold up as well as I think they will!

While Ryder and I built furniture, Rhett got a fresh trim courtesy of Ryan.

Look at that handsome little man! I’m so, so impressed with Ryan’s hair cutting skills. He began cutting the boys’ hair about 6 months ago and is getting so good at it. Thanks for saving us a million and one trips to Great Clips, Ryan!

Once breakfast, Rhett’s hair cut and furniture building were complete, the highlight of our weekend occurred because we attended our first fishing tournament! I found out about a small fishing derby open to kids ages 7 and up through local parks and rec programming and when I mentioned it to Chase, he could not have been more enthusiastic about participating. There’s not much more Chase loves than animals and fishing and he couldn’t wait to bait his hook and get going!

Everyone registered had one hour to fish in a pond and awards were given out to the kids who caught the most fish, the largest fish, the smallest fish and the first fish.

Chase was so, so psyched when he claimed an award for the first fish caught and won a new spinning rod! He also managed to catch 8 fish in an hour; 6 catfish and 2 bluegills.

(Tank: Talulah / Overalls: Amazon / Shoes: Reebok) 

Watching your kids do the things they love is one of my favorite parts of motherhood and Saturday certainly delivered. Ryder and Rhett were also able to fish (and play with Hot Wheels cars in the grass, of course) so our whole family truly had a wonderful time.

As we were leaving the derby, Ryan and I couldn’t help but talk about how much his dad would’ve loved being there with us. Greg  joined us on a lot of our local fishing adventures over the years and we know this derby would’ve brought him a lot of joy. Over the weekend, Ryan received a card from one of his dad’s friends who said Greg talked about his grandsons and called them “magical.” I cannot get that word out of my head. What a beautiful way to describe our boys. We promise to keep Granddad’s memory alive in them.

After the fishing derby, we made our way home for a late lunch. The weather was so incredible and our boys didn’t want to come inside so we did picnic lunches and hung out outside until they requested a family bike ride. Since Rhett’s nap clearly wasn’t happening on Saturday, we loaded up the big kids ‘ bikes, a stroller for Rhett and Pepper drove to a local greenway for a 3.5 mile walk/ride.

About a week ago, Ryder learned how to ride a bike without training wheels and blew us away. You guys, the experience in teaching Ryder how to ride a bike was night-and-day different from Chase and we are giving all of the credit to his balance bike. Ryder understood how to balance and fly around on his balance bike and already understood pedaling from Chase’s old bike with training wheels so when we took the training wheels off the big bike, I am not exaggerating when I say he absolutely flew! There was almost no learning curve and it was unreal! Let’s just say teaching Chase to ride a bike was not nearly as seamless so we’re definitely going to be encouraging the balance bike with Rhett, too. My mind is still blown.

Ryan and I smiled a lot on our walk because the big kids had the best time flying through puddles on their bikes which we both remember vividly from our own childhoods. When do we stop getting so much joy out of stuff like this!? Kids know something we don’t, I’m telling you.

The rest of our Saturday looked like pizza and movie night at home.

Sunday

Sunday morning began with some very important business. We had a baby bird to check on!

Right before bed time on Saturday night, I saw a baby cardinal fall out of its nest when I was letting Pepper out. Ryder and Rhett were already asleep but Chase was awake so he flew outside to check on the baby bird. We read a lot about what we should do because the little bird seemed so vulnerable in our grass but everything we read and all the videos we watched said to do nothing, especially if you see the mom and dad nearby which we did. We determined it was a cardinal fledgling and was likely taking its first adventure out of the nest. We hoped for the best and were so, so happy when we came outside on Sunday morning and the baby bird was resting in a hidden spot near the trunk of the tree.

Chase then peeked up in to the tree and spotted two more fledglings hopping around on branches which made us feel so much better about the bird’s chance of survival.

When I shared a picture of our new little fledgling friend on Instagram, I received a handful of messages telling me they believe cardinals signify a loved one who passed is visiting you. I loved this idea and shared it with Ryan and it buoyed both of us. Little signs like this bring a simultaneous pang of grief and joy and you better believe our family is now all the more invested in this little cardinal’s survival. The boys immediately checked on it again this morning before school and it’s still just hanging out under the big tree where Mom and Dad continue to flutter around all day long.

After we made sure the baby cardinal was okay, we headed back inside for breakfast and melty beads/biggie beads before it was time for church. After church, Rhett went down for a nap and Ryan fished off our dock with the big kids while I met up with some friends for a DIY terrarium class at Plant House in Huntersville as a mini belated birthday celebration for me and my friend Carrie.

(Sweater: American Eagle — sold out but you can find it resale if you Google “American Eagle snowsoft mock neck sweater” / Slip Skirt: Target/ Shoes: Madewell)

We all selected our own vases and filled them with succulents or air plants and agreed it was a lot of fun! Sometimes when you do classes with friends they can require a lot of focus but this was a great one because it was so simple so it left us with plenty of time to catch up while we created something fun to bring home.

By the time I arrived home, Rhett was just waking up from his nap, so I scooped him up and then we all hung out at home, building more patio furniture, checking on the cardinal fledgling and doing the whole bed and bath time routine.

We wrapped up our weekend with reading in bed — I’m on book 4 from the ACOTAR series — and I slept restlessly but am feeling oddly okay this morning. I think the sunny 65-degree weather helps.

I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead and hope to see you back here later this week. Thank you for making my blog a part of your day!

The post First Fishing Derby + A Cardinal Fledgling appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

Hey friends. How are you? How is your week going? I’d honestly really, really love to know. Hearing about how other people are doing or what is going on outside of our home feels like a breath of normalcy so if you’re up for sharing, I’d love to learn a little bit more about how life is treating you lately. Anything exciting happening? Any fun plans on the horizon for the summer? Please share!

Our week was okay, all things considered. I actually celebrated my 38th birthday yesterday (see more on that below) and felt a lot of love. Ryan was traveling (he returns today) but we chatted multiple times a day and I filled my week with usual kid commitments and also managed to get in some quality time with friends in the form of long walks (my favorite way to catch up!) and my girlfriends also came over and surprised me with gifts and cards and treats after the boys were in bed on Tuesday night.

I’m ready for the weekend ahead (plans include a fishing derby and two soccer games) and hope to find my way back into more regular blogging next week. Thank you for being here.

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Celebrating 38

As I mentioned above, my birthday was Thursday and it’s kind of crazy to think I am 38 years old. In one breath, I definitely don’t feel 22 anymore but in another breath 38 feels like a true adult, a true grown up. When I take a step back and think about how I’m feeling at 38, the past 2 weeks of grief not withstanding, I’d say I’m feeling more complex yet more comfortable with myself. I feel more complex in that there’s so much more I think about that weighs on my heart every day but I’m more comfortable with who I am, what I want out of life, who I surround myself with and the family Ryan and I have created together. This is honestly something I may write a blog post about because I have a lot of thoughts about “growing up” after you’re “grown up” but I’ll save those thoughts for another day.

As for my birthday, I spent it with our boys. (Ryan was actually out of town on a work trip but sent flowers and worked on cards and surprises for me with the boys that he hid before he left which made me smile.) I was supposed to make my way to Patterson Farms with the boys’ preschool for a day of strawberry picking yesterday but the weather derailed our plans so we pivoted and filled the rest of our day with rainy day fun: Board games, homemade ice cream, early pajama time and stories. It was a calm, uneventful day but it was also a good day.

• ACOTAR Series

It’s been a hot second since I’ve found myself as obsessed with a series as I have become with the A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series. It’s a phenomenal blend of fantasy, drama, humor and romance (it’s steamyyy) and despite the fact that the second and third books in the series are dictionary-size novels, I flew through them and didn’t find one single page or chapter tedious or mundane. I loved every page and very chapter and am trying to drag out the fourth book in the series because I don’t want the experience of reading these books to be over. I know I mentioned the first book on this blog a few weeks ago but I can only say the series explodes and gets SO MUCH BETTER as you keep going. If you’re on the fence about this series, give it a shot and by the second book, I have a feeling you’ll be all-in on this one, too. I don’t want to share plot summaries about the second and third books in the series because it would give away too much but know my ratings for both the second and third books would be a solid A. Love, love, love them. These books have truly been a gift for me especially during a time when I’ve needed an escape and a little spark of joy in my life at the end of the day.

• We Have Grass!

It’s been four months since we moved into our new home and I am so, so happy to report we finally have grass. I cannot tell you how thrilled we are to have grass in our yard instead of messy red clay, especially with three very outdoorsy boys who practically live outside. We expected to have grass a long time ago but an unseasonably wet winter kept delaying things. The timing of our grass seemed to coincide with warmer temperatures and sunny spring weather so we are beyond thrilled to have a yard with soft, lush grass where our boys can play for hours and hours.

Our previous home had a small backyard on a significant slope so it wasn’t ideal, though our boys 100 percent thrived in our previous yard and spent hours looking for slugs and worms under all of the rocks.  A huge part of the reason we purchased the lot we did was for the flat backyard and lake access. Home is where we’re all happiest and Ryan and I said having grass down and the ability to actually enjoy our yard and land is pushing us into “Phase 2” of our move into our new home: The outside era! We are ready for it!

• Elton John Music

Isn’t it weird how you find yourself gravitating toward certain music depending on your mood or what you’re going through in life? Elton John is my guy right now. I grew up listening to his music thanks to my parents but something about his music is landing perfectly for me right now. It’s not too crazy or intense. It’s not too upbeat or happy. It’s also not too depressing or sad. It’s just a perfect blend of nostalgic, comforting, beautiful and peaceful.

• DIY Adhesive Letter Sticker Projects

A few weeks ago I purchased a makeup bag with adhesive letters on it for my friend Laurel when she came to visit. I actually wanted it to have numbers on it but the little boutique I visited did not have any numbers available. (My idea was for her bag to have the room number of the room we shared in our sorority house — Room 12 foreverrr!) Anyway, all of this lead me to eventually Google to see if I could find adhesive numbers which then led me to discovering a mega-pack of these adhesive letter stickers. I quickly realized I could buy a bunch of them to use for future gifts and projects. I can see these being perfect for birthday gifts (a mini backpack or purse for a little girl), makeup bags, teacher gifts, mini tote bags, pool bags and more. This discovery had me a little too giddy (I’ve already made two makeup bags for girlfriends you may see above) and am excited to continue to put them to use for fun personalized gifting!

• April 2023 Top 10

Below you will find a recap of the top 10 most popular blog posts and your top 10 favorite items from April 2023. Hopefully this will help you discover some blog posts you may have missed or help you easily locate an item I’ve mentioned in the past that got buried in blog/social media mayhem.

Top 10 Blog Posts:

• Thoughts on Four
• An Unexpected Goodbye 
• Mid-Week ALDI Haul
• Easy Orange Juice Chicken Marinade
• Egg White and Oatmeal Protein Pancakes
• Our Sunday: One Picture Per Hour
• Walking Through Grief and Other Thoughts
• Everything Bagel Seared Tuna
• Paleo Chicken Thigh Marinade
• Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf

Your Top 10 Favorites:

• TUL Pens (No lie, another pack of these pens was one of only two items I had on my birthday “wish list” when my mom and sister asked me what I wanted for my birthday. These pens have officially claimed the “best pen ever” spot on my semi-ridiculous list of pens I love.)
• Beauty By Earth Sunless Tanning Lotion (Clean ingredients, applies like lotion, looks natural and doesn’t smell. My fav!)
• Diamond Painting Stickers (These were in the big kids’ Easter baskets this year and they’ve been a hit.)
• Amazon Free People Dupe Jumpsuit (The crazy-comfy jumpsuit that looks just like Free People’s Hot Shot Jumpsuit!)
• Biggie Beads (I love how many of our kids are obsessed with these things now! Our boys ask to do them all the time.)
• Elk & Friends Glass Cups with Silicone Sleeves (The cups we got the boys for Easter. Dishwasher safe and the blue/gray/green color set we got was finally restocked again.)
• Amber Glass Soap Dispensers (The dish and hand soap dispensers we have in our kitchen. They’re beautiful and have held up really well — no corrosion! — in the 4+ months we’ve had them.)
• Instant Pot Air Fryer (Our countertop air fryer! We truly use this multiple times a week.)
• Dr. Brand Liquid Sun Shield (The sunscreen I wear on my face every single day. I swear it functions almost like a primer, too, and makes my makeup look better when I apply makeup on top of it. Also worth noting: It also has zero white cast!)
• AGOLDE Parker Jean Shorts (I have no idea why these popped up as a best seller since I blogged about them so long ago but maybe an old blog post gained traction somewhere on the internet and they got some attention? Whatever the reason, I stand by these as the best jean shorts, especially if you have a booty and hips.)

• Friday Flashbacks

Easy BBQ Meatloaf (This recipe will forever remind me of our engagement/early marriage days because it was a recipe I made on repeat 10+ years ago. It continues to be a fav in our house!)

Chocolate Chia Seed Protein Pudding (Aka what I had for breakfast 3x this week!)

Question of the Day

How are you doing? I’d love to know. Anything exciting happening in your life? Any fun summer plans on the horizon? 

The post Things I’m Loving Friday #465 appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

I’m giving myself permission to blog when I feel the urge right now and today I feel the urge. Writing has always been something I’ve turned to when I need to work through my emotions. Back in high school I filled countless journals and now this blog has become my online journal of sorts. Thankfully this online journal/blog comes with all of you and your comments. Your words have helped carry me though some of the most challenging times of my life. Right now is one of them.

Losing a loved one unexpectedly is horrible. It’s heartbreaking and devastating. When I then layer in the fact that Ryan found his dad the way he did, another layer of trauma finds its way into our grief and I feel such intense heaviness in my chest. I truthfully don’t know how to navigate everything right now.

Ryan experienced something horrific. I will never for as long as I live forget the way Ryan looked at me when I arrived at his dad’s apartment after he found his father. It truly makes me weak and overwhelmed with sadness when I relive that moment in my mind; something I cannot seem to help but do repeatedly these days.

In the past when I’ve shared some challenging experiences on this blog, a lot of the time I’ve found myself waiting until I had a good handle on them to share certain struggles with all of you. I waited until I felt like I was in a decent enough headspace to share everything publicly but my headspace right now isn’t decent and I very much feel in the thick of everything. I feel in the thick of my own grief but I also feel a rush of so much emotion when I think about Ryan. Some days I find myself craving distraction and normalcy and close friends and conversation. Other days I crave solitude, a heaving cry and holing up with my family.

I’ve also noticed something about grief. At times it almost feels like an out-of-body experience. Ryan and I both felt the desire for distraction and attended the boys’ soccer practice last week. We spoke with friends and watched our kids kick a soccer ball around on the field. I looked over at Ryan and saw him smile as he talked to another dad who did not know about Greg’s passing. All I could think about was how that father had no idea what Ryan was walking through privately behind his smile. How often are the people we come in contact with going through something heavy we know nothing about behind the scenes? A lot, I bet.

When asked “how are you doing” in passing by strangers or people I didn’t know very well last week, I found myself replying “good” on autopilot which wasn’t true but felt easier than the truth. I even tried out “okay” as a response but that got me an awkward head tilt and I quickly realized I didn’t want any follow-up questions about how I was “really” doing and so “good” became my answer again even though every time I said it, I felt the weight of what would typically be a mundane and simple question. Grief is strange.

Some things have buoyed us through our grief. I’ve always loved the men Ryan has formed close bonds with but watching his friends step up through this painful time in his life has touched both of us deeply. They’ve not only reached out to Ryan regularly but also continually contacted me to make sure he is doing okay. They’ve gone out of their way to help him not only through emotional support but also through tangible action; connecting him with the necessary professionals to help us through the logistics that need to be considered after the passing of a loved one has been invaluable. They’ve planned a trip for him — his friend Ben called me to explicitly ask if I thought it was something he’d want right now — and they’ve been there for him in every sense. I remember Ryan’s mom saying “Ryan surrounds himself with the best people” years ago and it’s something that has always stuck with me. She could not be more right. His friends are gifts.

Whenever Ryan and I have walked through hard times, our boys have provided us joy, distraction and laughter in moments we didn’t think we would be able to laugh. Ryder and Rhett don’t fully seem to comprehend Greg’s passing (Ryder seems more focused on understanding what death “is” while Rhett is too young to understand) but Chase gets it more. I honestly think Chase remembering our dog Sadie’s death has helped him through losing Granddad. We explained that, just like Sadie’s body was no longer healthy, Granddad’s body was no longer healthy enough to keep working but he is not in pain and he is not hurting. Chase said he had a “funny feeling in his stomach” when we told him and we’ve reiterated numerous times that it’s okay if he feels a lot of different things. Mom and Dad are sad and our stomachs feel funny, too.

Through all of this, I feel so incredibly grateful Ryan is my husband. We’ve talked a lot. We’ve utilized help with the boys to simply go for long walks as a couple and just talk. Ryan is a fantastic communicator and it’s something he brought to our relationship that changed me. Before dating Ryan, I tended to want everything to be happy and peaceful and okay in relationships and would not want to bring up the way I felt if it wasn’t positive. Ryan quickly taught me that was not healthy nor was it the way to find a deep, meaningful connection with a partner. He made telling him when I was mad or upset or annoyed with him easy because he received my feedback. He listened and absorbed and did not get defensive.

I say all this to say that when something hard happens directly to Ryan, this is the only time I see him struggle with communication. He doesn’t like a lot of sympathy or attention poured onto him. He processes these things alone and with me within our relationship but mostly keeps the door closed to anyone outside of us. It’s thankfully something our close friends and family understand but watching him navigate his dad’s death and open up more about the swirling mix of emotions he’s going through with a few trusted people is something I think can only be a good thing. Accepting the love and support of loved ones who want to show him love and support can only be a good thing. And we’re also open to opening up to professionals if that may help or be needed in the future.

One other thing I’ve felt in past times of struggle that has only crystallized over the past few days is how blessed we are in our “normal.” I felt this deeply after our first two miscarriages when I became pregnant with Ryder and had my first “normal” ultrasound that felt anything but normal; all of the sudden it felt miraculous. After Greg’s passing, I’ve found myself praying for our “normal” again. I’ve found myself longing for simple, everyday days that don’t feel heavy and hard and cloudy. Those days will come. They always do.

I share this because it just reaffirms how blessed we are when things are “normal” and we aren’t in a season where we’re facing loss, health concerns, intense worry and grief. Something about death has a way of magnifying what it truly important. It doesn’t wash away everyday challenges but it does have a way of smacking you in the face with a heavy dose of perspective. Walking through life without feeling the weight of worrying about the health and wellbeing of the people we love and without the weight of grief on our hearts and shoulders is a gift. Gratitude has always, always been at the very core of the joy I feel in my day-to-day life and a lot of it comes from the realizations I’ve had in moments like this; in the poignantly difficult moments of life that have me crying, questioning, feeling, loving and learning.

I’ve learned in the past that joy and grief can co-exist. That’s already proven true. One minute I’m sobbing because a picture of Greg popped up on my phone; the picture of him with Ryder where I swear they look like twins.

Then, not even 5 minutes later, Rhett grabs my hand to tell me he has a “wild poopy” and a laugh bursts out of my mouth because what in the world is a wild poopy?

I’ve also noticed pictures are a weird thing right now. They simultaneously help and hurt and yet I find myself pouring over them because they make me smile and cry tears I need to cry. I’d like to share some more of my favorite pictures with you. These are photos that bring back truly joyful memories of Greg and they’re the moments we’re choosing to remember and focus our hearts on right now.

Thank you for remembering Greg with our family. We feel your love and it helps.

The post Walking through Grief and Other Thoughts appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

Hello friends. The past few days have been very hard and very heavy. They’ve been filled with intense anxiety and immense sadness. I am so incredibly sad to share Ryan’s dad passed away. We’ve shared this news with friends and family and Ryan said I could share this news on the blog with all of you today as well.

To back everything up a bit, Ryan went over to Greg’s apartment a few days ago because we could not get ahold of him. We were very concerned when he was not answering his phone so Ryan drove over to his apartment and knocked on his door. He did not answer.

Ryan then found Greg no longer alive in his apartment and it has since been determined he passed of natural causes. Greg’s health has been a concern for a while now, as Ryan and I have both been to the doctor and in and out of the hospital with him many times. This is something I did not share on the blog, as I wanted to respect my father-in-law’s privacy. (While I tend to overshare my own life, I am immensely protective over the people I love and fully recognize that the health concerns and struggles of my loved ones are not mine to share without permission even if watching people I love go through challenges impacts me deeply.)

When Ryan left for Greg’s apartment we were both scared and filled with the kind of fear and anxiety that churns your stomach and overtakes your body. When the nightmare we imagined was confirmed, we were devastated.

My heart is ripped open for a myriad of reasons. Knowing I won’t hear Greg’s goofy “dad jokes” or watch him light up as he talks about Ryan and our boys or his travel adventures makes everything feel so permanent and so hard. He was always so quick to share the kindest words about our family and repeatedly built us up as individuals and as a family unit.

Knowing what Ryan went through when he found his dad is honestly something I cannot talk about aloud right now. It’s too much and too hard and something no one should ever have to experience. Ryan was truly an incredible son to his father. He is Greg’s only child and navigating next steps following the loss of his dad in such a traumatic way feels like a lot. We are walking through this together and with the love of our friends and family.

We are also remembering Greg.

We are remembering a man with a good heart who loved the outdoors. We are remembering a man whose punctuality could not be beat and who was always quick to chime in with the corniest of the corny jokes that made everyone simultaneously laugh and groan.

We are smiling thinking about the “gifts” he’d give us that he’d find around his apartment or at Publix; some that genuinely ended up being the most useful things we own. (The “emergency” duffle bag he gave us that Ryan kept in his car came in handy a lot! Who knew a rogue silver spoon might be needed on occasion?) We cannot help but feel a squeeze of joy when we picture him with Sadie, the dog he loved who fiercely loved him back.

He adored the beach, Florida sunshine, family, travel, nature, coffee, hiking, Muay Thai, McDonald’s hot cakes and sausage and extra large bowls of ice cream.

Above all, he adored Ryan.

We will miss our beloved Greg, Granddad and Dad so very, very much.

The post An Unexpected Goodbye appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

Last week was the first week of April and since I missed sharing my “Week of Workouts” post in March, I figured I’d get to it nice and early this month. This series began on the blog a while back as a way to throw things back to the early days of Peanut Butter Fingers when I would recap my workouts most days of the week.

My workouts have changed a lot through the years but fitness is still very important to me and something I prioritize in my life, even if the days of 5- or 6-day-a-week workouts seem to have fallen to the wayside.

Last week, I managed to work out four times and, as usual, the focus was on strength training and overall daily movement.

Week of Workouts: April 2023

• Monday: Streaming Burn Boot Camp Upper Body Workout

As I shared in a previous Things I’m Loving Friday blog post, Burn Boot Camp recently made their streaming workouts free for both members and non-members. I think this is incredible as I fell in love with their online option during the pandemic. I still rely heavily on their at-home workouts and used one on Monday!

I was up at 5:30 a.m. on Monday and streamed an old upper body workout from Burn’s YouTube channel in our garage. This one is a big-time favorite of mine as it keeps things moving and went through a triple set multiple times before moving onto another triple set. I love this style of workout and prefer it to workouts that jump all over the place as it does a good job of exhausting a particular muscle group before moving on.

I also took Pepper on a 45 minute walk with the boys to the playground near our house and back.

• Tuesday: 45 Minute Walk with Pepper

No traditional workout happened for me on Tuesday. It was a busy one with kid activities and I slept terribly on Monday night so I opted for sleep over an early morning workout. I ended up taking Pepper on a 45 minute walk during the awkward time I had between school pickups though!

• Wednesday: Burn Boot Camp Leg Workout

On Wednesday morning, Rhett and I headed to Burn Boot Camp for a late morning workout after his MyGym class. While Rhett hung out in child watch, I went through a leg day workout that left me seriously sore for a few days. Phew! Here’s the online streaming version of the workout I did in person on Wednesday!

• Thursday: Quick Cardio Workout

I took myself through a fast and sweaty cardio workout and used this throwback workout I shared one the blog before to motivate myself. This was another 5:30 a.m. garage session and absolutely flew by!

• Friday: Burn Boot Camp Full Body Workout

On Friday, I had plans to meet up with my friend Lauren for a Burn workout. It was a full body workout and I swear something about Burn’s full body strength programing almost feels like a combination of strength and cardio because my heartrate inevitably elevates quite a bit. The workout included a “buy in” of pushups or jump squats for the first two rounds which certainly made things more difficult.

• Saturday and Sunday: Off

No workouts happened for me over the weekend.

Question of the Day

What was your favorite workout of the week?

Do you have any current fitness goals in your life at the moment? 

The post Week of Workouts: April 2023 appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

Spring break is here!! Today is the official kickoff for spring break in our house and we’ve all been feeling very ready for a break. I am really looking forward to more chill mornings and a fun family vacation we have on the agenda for next week. We’ll be spending Easter morning at home before hitting the road in the afternoon on Sunday and I cannot wait!

Before signing off, I wanted to share a roundup of weekly favorites, Things I’m Loving Friday style! Please feel free to join in and share something you’re loving with me in the comments section of this post. Enjoy your weekend, my friends, and Happy Easter to those celebrating this special day on Sunday!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Creative Egg Hunt

I’m forever in awe of teachers and, once again, was blown away by the creativity of Ryder’s teacher for their class egg hunt this year. Egg hunts are fun and exciting but can also be intense with younger kids who are all too aware of who finds the most eggs. The way Ryder’s teacher handled the egg hunt this year was seriously genius! Each family brought in a dozen filled eggs and then she numbered the eggs 1-12 with a permanent marker. Each child then decorated an egg carton and she added stickers to the inside of each carton with the numbers 1-12 again. For the egg hunt, each kid had to locate one egg with each number and add it to their carton. This made the egg hunt not only last longer but also all but eliminated competition and comparison among Ryder and his classmates. So smart, right!?

Ryan and I are planning to do one color egg for each boy to find on Easter morning this year to keep things fair and also allow us to hide the eggs at appropriate difficulty levels for each kid. Let’s just hope I can find a bunch of eggs in a single color at the Dollar Store or Target within the next two days. Haha!

• My First Nuuly Delivery

When I say I’ve been meaning to try Nuuly for well over a year, I mean it. Two of my girlfriends get Nuuly deliveries monthly and it felt like every single time I’d compliment them on their outfits, they’d say, “NUULY!” My interest was piqued and I figured I’d give it a shot for a month to see what I thought. Initially I thought it was going to be similar to Stitch Fix (a service I still sporadically use on occasion for me and the boys where new items are selected for you based on your style profile) but it’s actually quite different.

With Nuuly, you “rent” the clothes they send your way and select every item in your delivery before it is shipped. You have the option to buy the items you receive at a steep discount or you can wear them as long as you’d like and then send them all back.

In my first Nuuly delivery, I rented six items: A pair of distressed jeans (retail value $228), a cropped pink sweater (retail value $50), two jumpsuits (retail value $150 and $195) and two dresses (retail value $209 and $320).

Citizens of Humanity Jeans:  

Urban Outfitters Sweater: 

Rue Stiic Dress: 

dRA Jumpsuit:

Anthropologie Jumpsuit: 

Every single item except for one worked for me! (One of the dresses — unpictured — was too small.) I still haven’t sent my delivery back because I’m planning to wear one of the dresses for Easter and some of the other items on our spring break trip next week but still wanted to highlight the service here because I’m so impressed!

If you’d like to try Nuuly, you may use my affiliate link and we’ll both receive $10 off our next Nuuly delivery. I’m excited to try it again next month as we have a wedding coming up and the dresses they have available to rent under their “special occasions” edit are gorgeous!

• Air Fryer Chicken Wings

I’m pretty sure these wings may have popped up in a past recap of my weeknight meals but I think wings are officially my favorite thing to make in our air fryer. They’re super easy to make and frequently pop up on the menu for simple lunches and easy weeknight dinners. I made them again for lunch yesterday (with ranch for dipping, of course) and figured I’d mention them here for any other air fryer fans out there. I marinate the wings for a few hours in teriyaki sauce and garlic salt and then place them in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 25(ish) minutes, tossing them every 7 minutes or so. I’ve perfected my method over time and this one seems to yield the best results and allows me to make a decent amount of wings in one batch in our mini countertop air fryer. So good!

• Friday Flashbacks

Easy Holiday Breakfast Recipes (A handful of my personal favorites worthy of Easter morning!)

Meals I Make When We Have Guests In Town (For anyone hosting this weekend this blog post has a bunch of crowd-pleasing meals in one place!)

Question of the Day

What is one thing making you smile this week?

The post Things I’m Loving Friday #464 appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

I’ve been a loyal ALDI shopper for years. It’s a grocery store I frequent weekly because the prices cannot be beat and I’ve been continually impressed with the number of healthy options they offer. While I also pop around and shop at multiple grocery stories (I’m a 2x a week grocery shopper these days), ALDI has my heart as it’s convenient and affordable and honestly fun to shop at because of their ALDI Finds section. (If you’re not an ALDI shopper, the ALDI Finds section is regularly stocked with new items ranging from home décor and children’s toys to kitchen essentials, snacks, pantry staples and more. It’s always changing and always fun to browse.)

When I popped into ALDI before the boys’ preschool pickup yesterday, I realized the majority of the items I purchased in my mid-week ALDI haul were items I purchase every single week. Rather than share an ALDI haul of new-to-me finds, I thought a post comprised of items I buy regularly might be of interest, as they’re my tried-and-true ALDI favorites.

(Worth noting: I’ve partnered with ALDI in the past but we haven’t collaborated in well over a year. This blog post is not sponsored in any way. I’m just an ALDI fan!)

Mid-Week ALDI Haul

Fruits and Vegetables

This is an area where I’ve seen ALDI grow by leaps and bounds since I first began shopping at ALDI. Their organic produce selection has skyrocketed and their prices on fresh berries, baby carrots and bell peppers blow all other grocery stores in our area out of the water. Since these are staples for us, they’re items I often buy at ALDI every single week. (They were actually all out of all organic berries yesterday which is unusual at our store but also explains why they didn’t make this haul.)

In this haul:

• Organic avocados
• Organic pink lady apples
• Organic bananas (we eat a LOT of bananas in our house)
• Simply Nature frozen organic sweet corn
• Organic zucchini
• Organic spinach
• Organic bell peppers
• Autumn Crisp grapes (if you like crisp, crunchy, juicy grapes, these are the best!)
• Organic baby carrots
• Mini watermelon
• Pineapple

Dairy + Poultry + Refrigerated Goods

Can you tell our family is not dairy-free? Haha! We loveee cheese in our house and ALDI has some of the best options for organic (and delicious!) cheese in our area. Rhett and Ryder love their string cheese while Chase is all about Babybel cheese. We use ALDI’s Simply Nature organic colby jack cheese slices in grilled cheese and also on snack plates for the boys and the shredded Mexican cheese is staple for quesadillas in our house.

Also worth noting, when it comes to meat, seafood and poultry, we love ALDI’s organic grass fed ground beef, wild-caught tuna, shrimp and scallops but we already had all of these on hand in our fridge/freezer so they didn’t make the cut in this haul.

In this haul:

• Simply Nature organic vanilla Greek yogurt
• Simply Nature organic whole milk plain Greek yogurt
• Simple Nature organic shredded Mexican cheese
• Babybel cheese
• Simply Nature organic colby jack cheese slices
• Simply Nature organic string cheese
• Simply Nature organic hummus
• Simply Nature organic white shells & cheddar mac & cheese (our boys’ fav!)
• Organic thin-sliced chicken breasts (still holding out hope ALDI will carry organic chicken thighs one day)

Pantry Staples

It was a very happy day for our family when ALDI began carrying Dave’s Killer Bread! We fly through loaves of that stuff! I also often turn to ALDI for organic canned beans and tomatoes, olives and quick-cook grains for busy weeknights. Rhett also still loves their baby food pouches so I loaded up on those yesterday as well.

In this haul:

• Dave’s Killer Bread (Thin-Sliced Whole Grain)
• Simply Nature organic mild salsa
• Simply Nature organic 90-second barley and lentils
• Simply Nature organic 90-second jasmine rice
• Simply Nature organic black beans
• Simply Nature organic pinto beans
• Simply Nature organic diced tomatoes
• Specially Selected kalamata olives
• Simply Nature organic baby food pouches (Rhett still loves these)
• Belle Vie strawberry sparkling water

I threw out my receipt yesterday but my total for this haul was right around $120.

This mid-week haul was a rather basic roundup of ALDI favorites but definitely was not a restock-the-fridge-and-pantry haul. We still had plenty of pantry staples on hand (rice, pasta, peanut butter, nuts, oats, etc.) as well as some fridge staples (eggs, milk, almond milk) so this haul was more or less my way of restocking fresh produce and some dairy items we were out of in our house.

I hope this peek into a mid-week ALDI haul was fun to scroll through for those of you who might also be ALDI shoppers! Also, if grocery store hauls are of interest, I’m happy to share more from some of the other grocery stores I frequent in the area as well.

Questions of the Day

• Do you shop at the same grocery store(s) every week or change it up? 
• Do you shop at ALDI? Any ALDI favorites I should try?
• How often do you grocery shop? 

The post Mid-Week ALDI Haul appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.

Good morning friends! How are you? How was your weekend? You know those weekends where, at the end of it, you find yourself exhaling and saying something along the lines of, “Phew, I needed that?” Well that is exactly how I felt about our weekend. We missed Ryan like crazy while he was in India for the past week and just needed some downtime together as a family.

Our weekend kicked off with a soccer game for Chase on Friday night. He scored a goal but his team lost again which I think is going to be a bit of a theme for the team this season. Coming off a season where Chase’s team was undefeated, he’s thankfully handling it well and part of me thinks he might get even more out of this season from a personal and emotional growth perspective. Can you tell we’re looking for the silver linings this season? Ha!

Ryan arrived home from India an hour after all the boys were in bed on Friday but you better believe they were all psyched to see Dad when they woke up on Saturday morning. Ryan was majorly jet-lagged on Saturday but rallied for play time with the boys. We also made it out to the high school musical at Chase’s school and then called it an early night.

Sunday morning I woke up with an idea! I’m fairly sure I’ve seen Janae do this on her blog in the past but I thought it might be fun to recap our Sunday through photos with one picture recapping every hour of the day. Keep on scrolling for a peek into our Sunday from the moment I woke up to the moment I turned out the lights and called it a night!

Our Sunday: One Picture Per Hour

6:30 a.m. Rise and shine! Pepper says it’s time to pee and play!

7:30 a.m. Pancakes with my little helpers.

8:45 a.m. Dressed and ready for church.

9:30 a.m. Church!

10:45 a.m. Off-roading in our backyard.

11:45 a.m. A million rounds of Dinosaur Memory and lunch for the boys.

12:30 p.m. Dru, our friend from college and one of Ryan’s best friends, arrives in town for the afternoon with his dad!

1:30 p.m. I think the crockpot chicken chili I made for our lunch was a hit.

2:45 p.m. Outside playtime! Pepper is turning into quite the little lake dog and wanted to fetch pinecones out of the water.

3:30 p.m. The big kids change into their soccer gear and request “soccer practice” with Ryan while Rhett is napping.

4:00 p.m. Quick work blitz for me! We said goodbye to Dru and his dad and Ryan took the big kids outside for soccer fun while I got a little work done.

5:15 p.m.  Amazon delivery arrives with the stuff I ordered for the boys’ Easter baskets: Decorate-your-own flower growing kit, nectar for the hummingbird feeder I ordered, diamond painting stickers a friend hiiighly recommended, 4-pack of 12-ounce glass cups with lids and straws and a fishing game for bath tub fun

Plus a little more outside fun…

6:30 p.m. Bath time for the boys, pajamas, dinner time.

7:40 p.m. Stories, prayers and bed time for the boys.

8:30 p.m. Pepper says it’s time to stop cleaning up around the house, get in bed and cuddle.

9:00 p.m. Reading until my eyes can no longer stay open.

The end!

The post Our Sunday: One Picture Per Hour appeared first on Peanut Butter Fingers.