When I was still pregnant with Jane, my family was joking around and asking me if I had a theme for her first birthday party yet. Oh, they joked, but I honestly already had been thinking about how fun it would be to get to throw birthday parties for her. Over the last year, I tossed around idea after idea, and finally settled on a theme fit for our sassy, funny, little daughter who loved to say RAWR: dinosaurs. Jane loves books about dinosaurs, the toy dinosaurs at our local library are the first thing she crawls to when we visit, and she believes that all animals, no matter how big or small, say “roar” just like the dinosaurs. 
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In those first few weeks after the beginning of the New Year, everyone is on a healthy-kick, whether we made resolutions about it or not. It’s time to get back into routine, kick those bad-holiday habits, and buckle down with some healthy eating. We have been staying on track at our house with healthy meals during the week. In order to keep my sanity with this healthy-eating, I need to allow myself one day a week to cheat a little and indulge. There is no better day to indulge in the middle of the winter than football Sundays. The term “go-big or go-home” applies to both the actual game on TV, and how I feel about Sunday football snacks.
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It’s been a month since I shared a download post with you guys. This year, holidays flowed into snow days and then into my birthday, and in a blink of an eye the first month of the year is halfway over. So let’s get right to it, there’s lots that’s been going on, which means there is lots to share! 
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At the very end of the year, I took an informal survey on my Instagram page. I asked what exactly my followers wanted to see more of on the blog, and there was an overwhelmingly large response for easy weeknight dinners and meal prepping ideas. I previously wrote a big post about how we plan our meals out for the week to help us stay on budget, reduce food waste, and most of all, hopefully eat a little healthier. If food is pre-made in the fridge for lunches, or if I have a clear plan of what is on the menu for dinner each night, we make much better food choices and cut down on my frenzied panics about what we’re going to eat.
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Thirty-three! Isn’t it funny how when we’re kids and teenagers, our current age seemed so darn old? Thirty-three to 18 year old Kate sounded ancient. And now I’m here. It doesn’t feel so bad. I always think of the wise words of my dark-humored grandmother, who scoffs at people that complain about birthdays and aging. She says: “Isn’t it better than the alternative?” Heck yes it’s better, how lucky we are. 
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I didn’t really grow up a huge football fan, but when I moved to Boston for college I began to see a lot of the appeal. The winters here are cold, and hibernating with your friends and family on the couch on a Sunday afternoon to watch the game is a pretty nice way to spend your day. Also: football snacks. Yea, it’s the snacks really sold me on the whole football thing. I’m always looking for new treat ideas to bring to family and friend’s houses when we’re over for a Sunday afternoon hang, and that’s where the idea for these football marshmallows came from. The recipe is in the new issue of Family Circle Magazine on stands now! 
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I think that post-holiday brain must be a real medical condition, because I totally have it. I’m on a constant mission to reduce food waste in our house and use up ingredients we have on hand in the fridge when I’m meal-planning. This week, we had leftover roasted chicken in the fridge and I thought about how tasty it would be with some pasta, brussels sprouts, and a squeeze of lemon juice. YUM. I started jotting the recipe idea down and got to cooking. When the meal was ready I moved it over to the window to take a few pictures so that I could share here on the blog. Then I dished it up into a few small bowls for us to eat for lunch. As I took the first tasty bite, it occurred to me: I never put the chicken in the pan! I blame it on this terrible post-holiday brain, it’s really the worst.
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I have not jumped into 2018 with the fervor and energy of years past. Is it the weather perhaps? I’m typing this while huddled underneath a big blanket with a piping hot cup of coffee nearby, and yet it’s still freezing. The first big snowstorm of the season is barreling down, and while I wish I had bounding energy to write down goals and plans for the new year, I kind of just want to snuggle up with a good book instead. Sometimes though, a good book is just the motivation I need to get started. I thought it would be fun to round up a few of my favorite reads over the past few years that have inspired me, helped me make changes and resolutions, and a few that are on my reading list right now to tackle this month!
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Well, happy, happy new year! I took a little unintentional holiday break from the blog and internet over the past two weeks, and I have to admit to you: it was blissful. The end of the year was madness as I pushed through tons of work deadlines, holiday commitments and errands, and juggled a sick baby who had ear infections, a bad cold, and was cutting her first four teeth — yikes! To say that I needed this holiday break would be the understatement of the year. We traveled to see family and celebrated Jane’s first Christmas, we took on a big house project and painted our living room (which I can’t wait to share!), and we closed out the break with a really fun New Year’s Day brunch party (and an unfortunate New Year’s Day hangover). I even got to relax a bit and read a book, a whole book!
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Is it okay to have cupcakes for breakfast? If you’re celebrating the holidays (all month long, like me), then yes, you absolutely can. I’ve had a box of Trader Joe’s pumpkin bread mix in my cabinet for the past few weeks, and the other day when I was hunting for something to indulge my holiday sweet tooth I got an idea! I decided to make the pumpkin bread batter and bake it into muffin tins. It’s a sweet and spiced bread that came out nearly cupcake-like.
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