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Main Dish

Pasta with sausage, sweet potatoes, & swiss chard

The dreaded question of “what’s for dinner?” is a tough one for almost ALL of us.  But in our house, we have an extra layer added to our dinner challenge.  While I am primarily a plant based eater, the other five people in my family…..well, not so much.  As much as JonPaul and the kids support me being a vegetarian, and eat a lot of my vegetarian cooking, they still enjoy having a few meat dishes around our table every now and then.

So I’m working on finding a balance, and not being so strict about my eating restrictions, or theirs.  This pasta dish is one of those “balancing acts”.  It’s packed full of veggies for me, a little bit of sausage for JP and the kids, and pasta for all for us (I mean, who doesn’t love pasta?).  All in all, I’d say this family dinner was a home run.  Not one person complained – and that my friends, is worth it’s weight in gold.

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Appetizer and Snacks

No knead artisan bread

Over the past few weeks I’ve had a major bread baking obsession.  I’m talking almost daily.  It started with a recipe I found on Pinterest for a basic loaf of white bread.  While it was ok, I knew we could do better.  And if there’s anything I love, it’s a challenge.  So of course the kids and I took it upon ourselves to find the very BEST (but still simple!) homemade bread recipe.

After our boring Pinterest fail, next we tried this recipe from a blogger I love, Brooke, over at Nesting With Grace.  She’s been talking about it for a while on her blog, so I decided it was finally time for us Rexing’s to put it to the test.

And let me tell you, this bread is great.  An easy “go to” bread for toast or sandwiches.  My kids love it, and we go through a loaf within a day (we make a lot of sandwiches with four kids).

But I still wasn’t quite satisfied.  I wanted something a little more rustic.  Something with a thicker, heartier crust.  Something a little more sophisticated, more artisanal, something that just begs you to rip off a piece even before you’ve sat down for dinner (please, we all do it).

Friends, let me introduce you to my answered prayer with this no knead artisan bread.

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Soup & Salad

Basmati rice and black lentil salad

I love a good recipe that is full of flavors and textures.  One that can be eaten hot, cold or even better the next day.  And especially one that is tasty and delicious, but leaves me feeling great as well.  Which is why I love this basmati rice and black lentil salad.  It’s easy to assemble, makes great leftovers, and did I mention that it’s good for you too!

This salad is packed with so many flavors and textures.  Starting with the creamy lentils, the juicy pomegranate seeds, and of course you can’t forget the star of the dish – those crispy fried shallots.  Oh how I love those shallots. Read More

Breakfast

Vanilla baked oatmeal

A little over 12 years ago JonPaul proposed to me in our small Chicago apartment just as the sun was rising.  He caught me completely off guard.  I can remember feeling so foggy, still in my pajamas without even my glasses on, and so confused as to what was happening, but at the same time so excited and over the moon happy.

A few hours later, once the excitement had settled in, we walked a few blocks down from our apartment to one of our favorite little spots, Southport Grocery and Cafe, and had a long leisurely brunch.   It was one of our favorite spots before that morning, but will now always have a special place in my heart.

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Soup & Salad

Summer corn chowder

It’s not quite the end of summer yet.  In my book, summer isn’t over until all the sweet corn is gone ( what can I say I’m a midwest girl through and through).

My parents came to visit last week from Ohio and brought us so much sweet corn.  My dad loves to stop at all the farm stands he can find near our house in Ohio, and is always known to bring a few peaches or tomatoes my way.  This trip, it was corn.

But somehow when my family is in town, I never seem to have time to cook!  We’re always running to kids activities, or out to dinner.  We seem to always be so busy “doing”, that we’re never at home cooking.  And this trip with my parents in town was no different.  After they left, my fridge was stocked with more Ohio sweet corn than I knew what to do with.  So what’s the saying…when you have lemons…make corn chowder?!  Yep, pretty sure that’s exactly how it goes 😉

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Motherhood

How I’m starting this school year

Can we get real for a second?  This back to school stuff is hard, for all of us.  Yes, there is so much excitement, and it feels great to get into a new routine.  But the reality is, this time of year can be hard ( for kids and mommas alike).  New routines, new expectations, new friends.  It can be a lot for any adult, let alone child.

In the past few weeks I’ve seen a lot of online articles sharing tips and tricks for going back to school and making things “easier” or “smoother” for our kiddos, and I’m not going to lie, I’ve been a little confused.  Has there really been an easier way to start the school year, and I’ve just missed it all these years?  Was making lunches the night before, and changing bed time routines really all I needed to do? Wow, wish I would have known?!

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Side dish, Soup & Salad

Roasted tomato & grilled corn maftoul salad

Our kids go back to school this week.  Crazy. right?  I feel like this summer has flown by.  I say it every year, but this year it really feels like it went by too quickly.  Thankfully, even though my crew is starting school this week, summer is not officially over.  We still have a few good weeks of gorgeous warm weather and sunshine, and I will make sure to put all of it to good use.

One of the things I’m most excited about during these late summer days, is all the produce that’s at their peak.  Tomatoes, corn, summer squash, blueberries; so many of our favorite things all ready for the picking.

Last week I stopped by our local farmers market and picked up a large batch of beautifully ripe tomatoes and corn.  They were both so sweet and at their peak, so I wanted to do something fun with them to let them shine.   And let me tell you, this one did not disappoint.  I am so happy with how this roasted tomato and grilled corn maftoul salad turned out!

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Sweet treats

Creamy coconut & summer berry popsicles

During the summer months, I feel like my parenting style is a little more relaxed than normal.  Bed times get pushed back, the TV stays on a little longer in the mornings, and desserts become almost a weeknight occurrence in our home.  To be honest, I wouldn’t really want it any other way.  These are some of my favorite times with my kids.

But in that same breathe, I also try to be a little conscious of what my kids put in their bellies.  Which is why I am loving these creamy coconut and summer berry popsicles. Read More

Motherhood

loving her exactly as she is

It can be so easy with social media to see a snippet of someone’s life and think they have it all together.  Maybe they’ve only shown you a small window into their world, or a small curated version, but either way, I think it can be hard to get a complete picture.

When I started this blog, my intention was to be as transparent as I could with my life, and my family.  But as I look back at the picture I’ve portrayed about our family, I realize there’s a component I haven’t shared, or been as open about as maybe I could have been.

I’ve hesitated sharing any of this on the blog before.  I’m not sure why.  Maybe shame, or fear of how people will perceive me or my kids.  Regardless though, I think it’s important I share that our life isn’t always rainbows and unicorns.

My daughter, our daughter, Lillian, struggles with sensory issues.  Something that’s taken a while for JonPaul and I to understand.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with sensory issues, it essentially means that Lillian has a harder time feeling comfortable in her body.  She seeks out more input.   But more importantly, when she’s feeling “out of sorts” physically in her body, she feels “out of sorts” emotionally too.  Something I can relate to more than you know.  As a woman who needs her own type of “input” of “go, go, go” before she can sit and relax, I can relate to our daughter in more ways than I ever expected.

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Lifestyle

Organizing a kitchen that works

For the better or worse, I’ve had a lot of experience organizing a kitchen.  Our family has moved many (many) times.  Because of this, I’ve had both the joy and the pain of being able to work in and organize many different types of kitchens.  Some big and beautiful.  Others, not so much.  But either way, all of them worked for our family, and all of them were spaces I enjoyed being in and creating wonderful memories in.  Not because of how great the bones of the kitchen were, but rather how I organized the space to work, for us

Creating a kitchen space you love, and that can work for you, isn’t about doing an entire kitchen renovation.  You don’t need thousands of dollars or a designer.  But what you do need is a little bit of planning, thought, and time to organize and set up your kitchen (not matter how big or small) in a way that works for you. Read More