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Nutella Muddy Buddies

Kim Beaulieu — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 10:00:43 +0000

Nutella Muddy Buddies AKA Nutella Puppy Chow is sure to be a hit with kids and adults alike. Make a double batch because this stuff is addictive!

I love Nutella. It's one of life's simple pleasures.

There is just something about the taste of it that makes me swoon. I love baking with it, and I love just eating it right out of the jar with a spoon.

I'm also obsessed with cereal. I rarely eat cereal for breakfast. However, I bake with it endlessly. I'm not sure why. I just happen to find baking with cereal a ton of fun.

For me, the ultimate cereal shopping experience is heading state-side to shop. The cereal choices in the U.S. are far superior to our choice here in Canada. Not even kidding. The U.S. grocery stores are like Disneyland for cereal lovers.

Every time we head over there to shop I lose my mind. Once I hit the cereal aisle I start to come unglued.

All the choices, all those options, I just can't keep it together. I honestly start to skip through the aisles at some point. I can't help myself.

We always pick up Trix Cereal, as well as any other fun, bright, colourful cereal we see. Fruity Pebbles is another favourite. It's so fun and pretty, plus the taste is out of this world.

This recipe was so fun to make. Chex is perfect for making muddy buddies or puppy chow. It's so easy to make. Whip some up for your next party or for game day!

These Nutella Muddy Buddies can also be found on Food Fanatic. I used to be their chocolate fanatic.

Ingredient List:

Chex Cereal - You can use Rice or Corn Chex for this recipe. If you cannot find Chex cereal you can use Shreddies or Crispix. Since I live in Canada, I know finding Chex can be challenging in some places.
Chocolate Chips - Either semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips work for this recipe.
Nutella - Any hazelnut spread will do. Personally, I prefer the taste of Nutella.
Butter - You can use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe. Typically, I use salted butter for snack mixes because I love sweet and salty snacks. Plus salt enhances sweetness so it helps make the Nutella and chocolate flavour pop!
Vanilla Extract - Any brand will work in this snack mix. You could also use almond extract. It mixes well with chocolate flavours.
Confectioners' Sugar - This is also called powdered sugar or icing sugar in some places. Do not try to substitute granulated sugar. It will not work.

How to Make Nutella Muddy Buddies:

Grab a cookie sheet, line it with parchment paper or waxed paper. Set aside.
Measure out 9 cups of Chex cereal and pour that into a large bowl. Set aside.
Grab a microwave safe bowl and add the chocolate chips, Nutella and butter to it. Pop that in the microwave and cook for about 1 minutes. Remove and stir. Then, microwave for another 30 seconds, or until the mixture is smooth. Since every microwave is different I recommend checking often and stirring to ensure it's smooth and does not overcook. The mixture should be smooth when you mix it, and quite easy to stir.
Next, add the vanilla extract to the Nutella mixture and stir to combine. Pour that mixture over top of the Chex cereal you set aside earlier. Stir until it's combined really.
Grab a large resealable ziploc bag and toss the Chex mixture into it. Then, add the confectioners' sugar to the bag and seal it really well. Start shaking the bag until the confectioners' sugar coats the cereal evenly.
Grab the parchment lined cookie sheet you set aside earlier. Carefully pour the Nutella muddy buddies onto the cookie sheet and spread out as evenly as you can. Allow the muddy buddies to cool on the pan.
Serve or store for later.

How to Store Muddy Buddies:

Once properly cooled, you can store muddy buddies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Alternately, you can store muddy buddies in a resealable bag for up to 2 weeks.

These muddy buddies can also be stored in airtight container or resealable bag in the refrigerator for up to a month. Not only do they keep longer in the fridge but they taste great cold.

Muddy buddies can also be frozen. Which is great news if you like to plan ahead for holidays. Store muddy buddies in an airtight container or resealable bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More Dessert and Snack Recipes:

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Nutella Muddy Buddies

Nutella Muddy Buddies AKA Nutella Puppy Chow is sure to be a hit with kids and adults alike. Make a double batch because this stuff is addictive!

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword muddy buddies, nutella muddy buddies, Nutella puppy chow, Puppy chow

Prep Time 8

Cook Time 2

Total Time 10

Servings

Calories 264kcal

Equipment

Cookie Sheet
Glass Mixing Bowl
Microwave Safe Bowl
Large Ziploc or other Resealable Bag

Ingredients

9 cups Chex cereal
1 cup chocolate chips semi-sweet or milk chocolate
½ cup Nutella
¼ cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar (also known as powdered or icing sugar)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Begin by lining a cookie sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper. Set aside.
Measure out the Chex cereal and pour into a large bowl. Set aside.
Grab a microwave safe bowl and add the chocolate chips, Nutella and butter to it. Pop that in the microwave and cook for about 1 minutes. Remove and stir. Then, microwave for another 30 seconds, or until the mixture is smooth. Since every microwave is different I recommend checking often and stirring to ensure it's smooth and does not overcook. The mixture should be smooth when you mix it, and quite easy to stir.
Next, add the vanilla extract to the Nutella mixture and stir to combine. Pour that mixture over top of the Chex cereal you set aside earlier. Stir until it's combined really.
Grab a large resealable ziploc bag and toss the Chex mixture into it. Then, add the confectioners' sugar to the bag and seal it really well. Start shaking the bag until the confectioners' sugar coats the cereal evenly.
Grab the parchment lined cookie sheet you set aside earlier. Carefully pour the Nutella muddy buddies onto the cookie sheet and spread out as evenly as you can. Allow the muddy buddies to cool on the pan.
Serve or store for later.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Chex Nutella Muddy Buddies

Nutrition

Be sure to peruse my recipe index for more chocolate recipes. There's also tons of dessert recipes.

You can also follow me on Pinterest to keep up to date with all my new recipes. Every recipe gets shared to my blog board so be sure to follow that board as well.

If you love food photos as well as "slice of life" photos you should totally follow me on Instagram. Not only do I share pretty food photos there, but I also share photos of my pets. You'll see lots of photos of Dixon the Kitten on Instagram. He's growing up so fast. We'll be kicking off Bow Tie Tuesdays this week. It will be a new weekly series on Instagram, my cats are SO excited about it. Okay, that's a total lie. Only Mommy is excited about it.

Thanks for visiting. Keep swinging by for more delicious recipes every week.

Toodles! xx

The post Nutella Muddy Buddies appeared first on Cravings of a Lunatic.

Coconut Caramel Cookie Bars

Kim Beaulieu — Sat, 05 Sep 2020 10:00:27 +0000

These Coconut Caramel Cookie Bars are incredibly easy to make but hard to resist. They have layers of cookie dough, caramel, chocolate and coconut.

These Coconut Caramel Cookie Bars a family favourite. This recipe is absolutely delicious and tastes just like Samoas bars.

I highly recommend whipping up a batch or two today. I swear every time I whip these up I change them up a tiny bit. Sometimes I'll toast the coconut, sometimes I add extra chocolate. It's a fun recipe to play around with.

These were originally made in 2012 in my scorching hot kitchen in the middle of summer. My first batch look very chocolatey. The reason for that was it wast about 105 the day I made them.

I decided to update the post with new photos and a video in 2017. You can scroll down to get to the recipe video. I always find it fun to watch short cooking videos. Hope you feel the same way.

Now onto the original post with lots of gabbing and an interview with my blogging pal, Janet who blogs at From Cupcakes to Caviar.

We're still on the road, probably flying down some highway right now in an attempt to get mini-me home for school tomorrow. I'm highly doubtful she'll make that first class. I told her I would try but it's a long way from Alberta to Ontario so we'll see how things go.

I cannot wait to sleep in my own bed. And hug all my pets and horsey. Probably after a much-needed nap though. Naps then hugs all around.

Welcome to another edition of Burning Down The Kitchen. This is a weekly series where I have the good fortune to interview other bloggers. I get to dare them to do stupid things, and ask silly questions. It is such a riot to do each week.

It all started when I realized I had bookmarked a ton of recipes from other bloggers but hadn't been making them. So in order to make their dishes with an added spin the idea of a recipe and an interview was born.

I cannot tell you what a joy this is to do each week. So buckle up for this week's edition of BDTK.

BURNING DOWN THE KITCHEN WITH JANET OF "FROM CUPCAKES TO CAVIAR":

The amazing Janet blogs at From Cupcakes to Caviar. She is my blogging soul mate, or twin as we like to refer to each other. We have a pact to get married, which is weird for twins I know. And we spend oodles of time planning the wedding on each other's blogs.

I think the only thing holding us back from twin wedded bliss is Janet is a Coke lover and I'm a Pepsi lover. It's the elephant in the room people. One day Janet will wake up realize Pepsi rules all but until then we'll just agree to disagree and take every opportunity to jab each other on this heated issue.

I met Janet through Foodbuzz. She is a wicked cool chick, hilariously funny and can kick anyone's butt in the kitchen. She is also one of the most supportive and kind bloggers I've ever met. Beneath all our ribbing and jabbing we're really good friends and I love her like a sistah from another mistah. She makes me laugh, she challenges me to think outside the box and she always brings her a-game with every recipe.

She guest posted for me eons ago and made a Southwestern Ziti Casserole that will change your life. Well, if not your life, at least your waistline. And it will be worth every.... single.... calorie! She makes such a wide array of dishes which I love. This lady can cook people. She can cook her a** off, she can probably cook your a** off, and if she could cook my a** off I'd really appreciate it to be honest.

Those who know Janet know she is a loyal and genuine person. She is a supportive fellow blogger who always has your back. I adore this woman so much. My sistah from another mistah, my twin soul mate who I forgive for drinking Coke cuz I love her THAT much. Please welcome Janet back to the asylum.

Janet and her hubby Russ!

Rapidfire Q & A with Janet of From Cupcakes to Caviar:

How did you get started blogging?

I love to cook and I love to read, be it anything from a blog to the paper to a book to a toothpaste tube if I’m desperate. So it was a natural extension to go into blogging though it’s taken a hit from lack of time the last few months.

What inspires you to cook?

I think boredom started it originally. And hunger lol. I started cooking when I was about ten. My mom worked and there was “never anything good” (the cry of kid-dom) in the house so I started just throwing things together. I learned to make cakes, cookies and candies that way. Some of it wasn’t pretty but enough tasted good that I kept going. Sweets became dinner, dinner became “omg, I’m a mom; what do I cook?!” and that became yet another inspiration; making things my family loves.

Is your family supportive of your blog?

Well, right now, I think they wish I would get back to it because they are missing the sweets that tend to make up the bulk of my blog. But yeah, my husband is very supportive of it and is the type that goes to work and shows off the latest post to all the women there (he’s an R.N and works mainly with women so they love my blog too... leftover treats for them! My boys are...well, boys. They couldn’t care one way or another so long as mom is making them goodies.

How do you balance life and blogging?

That sentence says in a nutshell why I had to slow down some. Between one toddler, my recent stroke, a special needs teen, another teen, a husband, six cats, working my butt off to try to lose weight (36 pounds down!) and the blog, I was wearing myself out. Balance wasn’t happening. But generally, how did I? My family came first, my attempt to lose weight second (so that made it hard to make the high cal things my blog is known for) and then the blog.

How do you decide what to blog and what not to?

I make what I like. I'm really stubborn (ok, ornery and unconventional) and have joked more than once on the blog that you will rarely find me making all the trendy foods. I make homey, comforting, ooey gooey decadent types of foods for the most part.

What kind of blogs do you like to read personally?

Gotta have a sense of humor in there. The dry ones with just recipes and no tidbits from the writer don’t do much for me. I may go to them for a recipe but won’t be actually reading them. I like a little heart and personality with my blogs, be it a food blog, political blog, mom style one, etc. Let me into your world a little if for no other reason than mine is so darn boring

You have an amazing sense of humour, how do you stay so upbeat all the time?

Me? Why thankee ma’am. I think my insanity is all that keeps me sane at time. And I love making people laugh. it gives me a cheap thrill (well so do Twinkies but that’s another story) I’m that annoying person whom in the middle of an argument will crack jokes to alleviate the tension. Won a lot of arguments that way 😛 So the upbeat personality is medicine for me. I’m a firm believer in the idea “pretend to be in a good mood and 99% of the time you will really end up in a good mood”. The other one percent of the time is when you’ll find me in bed with chocolate, hot tea, a book and old reruns of Andy Griffith.

Do the kids help in the kitchen?

Not much. When my five older kids were little, I was so frazzled trying to get everyone raised and fed that I didn’t spend the time that I now wish I had letting them cook with me. By the same token, had I let them, I probably would have become a headline statistic on how even human mammals can eat their young. Now however, with my three year old, I’m a little less stressed and possessive of my kitchen. he’ll help me stir, he’ll get some dough to “knead and cook” when I make biscuits, things like that. But generally speaking, my kitchen is my zone and I prefer to be left alone.

Are any of your kids, or your hubby picky eaters?

Not so much thank God. My husband will eat practically whatever I put in front of him. The kids have their moments but I am old school and tend to go by the rule of “eat what I cook or don’t eat until the next meal”

What’s your favourite part of blogging?

I lead a very isolated life. I’m far shyer in real life than I am online plus having a special needs child has added to the isolation because it has made it difficult to leave for any period of time so for me, the connection to other people would be my favorite part. I get to chat and make people laugh and feel like a “normal” mom for a little while.

Sweet or savoury?

Depends on my mood. Since I’ve changed my way of eating there are times I would gladly eat an old gym sock. Sprinkled with salt or sugar... either would be fine.

Biscoff, Nutella or Peanut Butter?

Not a huge Biscoff fan. Not a huge fan of the others either lol. But were I pressed, probably PB in a good old fashioned PB&J.

Milk, Dark or White Chocolate?

Lord woman, you’re killing me here making me choose these things! I make a fantastic cookie that incorporates all of them (plus butterscotch) so I’m going to cheat and say all three.

Butter or margarine when baking?

Definitely butter. I’ll use margarine to coat veggies, things like that, but when it comes to baking, always butter. Every holiday season, my husband cringes and threatens to take out another mortgage on the house to pay for my butter/baking habit.

Coke or Pepsi? I already know the answer to this but I ask everyone so get your digs in now.

Lol! Geeeeee, let me think about this. Hmmm... I think I’ll have to pick Coke. I have always held to the notion that Pepsi drinkers are the same people who ate school paste as kids (sayeth the woman who just offered to eat a gym sock)

Apron or no apron when cooking?

I have two aprons. They are nice and clean. I have lots of t shirts. Not so clean.

If you had the dream kitchen what would it look like?

HUGE. Lots of cabinet space. I’m tired of storing my crock pots in the garage. Medium dark wood, fairly elegant looking but not snooty. Just clean lines, old fashioned looking and homey.

If you could tell home cooks 3 things to invest in what would they be?

A good mixer. I am still waiting for the kitchen gods to bring me a Kitchen Aid mixer. I have blown the motor out of more hand mixers than I can count. Also... mixing bowls. You can never have too many large mixing bowls. Good cookie sheets, not the 5 dollar ones from the dollar store that warp, pop and bend when they get hot, throwing all the dough on them to the roof of the oven. Don’t ask. Just don’t ask.

If you could have your dream job in the culinary world what would it be?

I already have it. Not a lady with huge aspirations here. I’d love for my blog to have more of a presence but I also know that that won’t happen until I have the time to get back to work on it. But I don’t have any big dreams of executive chef or Food Network calling me (though if Tyler Florence ever needs help, I’m there baby!). Well, maybe one dream. I’d love to own a bakery/coffeehouse/used bookstore. Weird, I know.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Is blogging still a big part of the picture?

I certainly hope it is. If not, it will be because in five years, I have already been institutionalized for the safety of the general public.

Dare Portion of Burning Down The Kitchen:

Show us a picture of your baking supplies:

Wow... this is gonna be embarrassing. I am a bit of the anal “omg, I need to buy 50 gazillion things in case the world ends and I can’t get them anymore”type. I only put about half of what I have in the photo. My table was bending under the weight. I think it may be time for an intervention.

Thanks for having me over to your neck of the blogging world today, Kim. You know I love you to death.... even if you do drink Pepsi. *Gives you a big hug and pours Coke in your pepsi can*

*Kim plays some elevator music while her hubs rushes her to the hospital.*

Okay all better now. I decided to cleanse my palate by making Janet's amazing Coconut Caramel Cookie Bars aka Samoa Wanna Be Cookie Bars.

Honestly, I could not help myself. I had an older post all picked out then I saw these beauties and just knew they had to be mine. My precious. *Starts to turn into a weird little naked dude with a funny voice.*

Janet's Version, Pictured Above!

More Great Dessert Recipes:

Places to stalk Cravings of a Lunatic

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest

Instagram ~ YouTube ~ Kiss My Smoke

Coconut Caramel Cookie Bars

These Coconut Caramel Cookie Bars are incredibly easy to make but hard to resist. Layers of cookie dough, caramel, chocolate and coconut.

Course Bars, Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword coconut caramel cookie bars

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 700kcal

Author Kim Beaulieu

Ingredients

For the Caramel Sauce (make in advance):

¼ cup water
1 ½ cups sugar
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pinch salt

For the Bars:

½ cup butter room temperature
1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 cups flour
2 cups oats
2 cups chocolate chips plus another ½ cup for topping
½ cups shredded coconut
1 cup caramel

Instructions

For the Caramel Sauce (make in advance):

Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan, cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Bring to a boil, do NOT stir. You can swirl lightly but do not stir. Mini-me just lightly swooshes the pot around is slow circles when needed.
Once it goes a nice amber colour remove from heat and add butter. Swirl around.
Add heavy cream and remember it's going to bubble up so make sure you are ready and your pot is big enough.
Add vanilla and salt and stir until combined.
Set aside to cool.

For the Bars:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Line either two 8 inch pans or a 9 x 13 pan with parchment. I went with two 8 inch pans.
Toast your coconut if desired, I didn't bother.
In a mixer combine your butter and brown sugar. Mix it.
Add your vanilla, coconut extract and egg. Beat it.
In a separate bowl combine flour, oats, chocolate chips, baking soda and salt. Stir it.
Mix your wet ingredients with your dry ingredients. Good things are happening now. Break out your stretchy pants.
Press into the pan. If you spray a spoon with non stick spray it helps the process go smoother and there's less swearing when the spoon sticks.
Pour your caramel sauce over top. Ooh and ahh!
Toss your coconut over top of that. Grin from ear to ear!
Sprinkle your remaining chocolate chips over top of that. Try not to just grab a spoon and dive in without baking it.
Pop it in your oven and cook until set. I used two 8 inch pans and it took about 20-25 minutes for them to cook properly. If you use one 9 x 13 you may need to adjust about 5 minutes or so. They are best taken out when you think they are a tad undercooked.
Remove from oven and let cool if you can. This is why I baked it in two pans. That way I could scarf one while it was hot and no one would know.
Serve with a big old I ate the whole pan smile!

Video

Notes

Recipe source: From Cupcakes to Caviar

Nutrition

Seriously, these bars are almost as good as Pepsi. And you all know how I feel about Pepsi.

If you aren't already following Janet's blog, From Cupcakes To Caviar, well, you're a doofus.

Make sure you think about us as we're driving like maniacs to get home today. I'm not so sure mini-me will be making it to class tomorrow. I'm highly doubtful in fact. But wish us luck anyway as we drive through the boring prairies.

I mean a gal can only see wheat fields for so long before she needs to see a Sephora or Williams Sonoma to feel normal again. Am I right or am I right. It's okay, I know I'm always right.

Thanks for visiting today!

If you’re looking for more dessert recipes be sure to check out my recipe index. You can also find easy dinner recipes as well.

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest while you’re here. I love pinning great recipes! Also, make sure you follow me on Instagram. It’s a great way to stay up to date with the blog.

Toodles! xx

The post Coconut Caramel Cookie Bars appeared first on Cravings of a Lunatic.

25 Healthy Bowl Recipes

Kim Beaulieu — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 09:00:09 +0000

These healthy bowl recipes are the perfect for lunch or dinner. Bowl recipes are also ideal for meal planning which is a huge bonus.

Healthy bowl recipes are not only popular but they are absolutely delicious. What I love most about bowl recipes is how versatile they are. You can do almost anything with them.

Most healthy bowl recipes are super freezer friendly as well. I love the concept of "cook once, eat twice". Healthy recipes can be made in bulk then frozen for future meals. So freaking convenient!

I'll admit I always find it hard to plan ahead when my life is chaotic. It's always super hard to stay on track when my life is crazy busy. That's where planning ahead comes in handy.

I love meal planning so when life goes bonkers I can just pull something out of the freezer. Freezer prep meals just make good sense. Yes, you can freeze casseroles but you can also freeze healthy bowl recipes!

Food bloggers are super creative so I reached out to my pals for all their favorite bowl recipes. I've put together a list of 25 healthy bowl recipes that are super tasty and perfect for lunch or dinner!

HEALTHY BOWL RECIPES THAT WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD!!

Quinoa Avocado Breakfast Bowl from Cookin' Canuck

Cumin Roasted Chickpea Chicken Bowls from Cotter Crunch

Teriyaki Sockeye Salmon Bowls from Cravings of a Lunatic

Sweet Potato Brussel Sprouts Quinoa Bowl from Lauren Kelly Nutrition

Paleo Fish Taco Bowls from The Movement Menu

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burrito Bowls from Nutmeg Nanny

Greek Veggie Bowls from Lexi's Clean Kitchen

Salmon Noodle Bowls from The Blond Cook

Thai Chicken & Sweet Potato Noodles Bowls from Allergy Free Alaska

Easy Chicken Teriyaki Bowls from Cravings of a Lunatic

Thai Vegetable Quinoa Bowl from That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Winter Market Buddha Bowls from Pook's Pantry

Easy Tuna Stir Fry Bowls from Cravings of a Lunatic

Avocado Salmon Poke Salad Bowl from Cookin Canuck

Cantaloupe Breakfast Bowl from Cravings of a Lunatic (Produce Made Simple)

More Bowl Recipes:

Noodleless Zucchini Chicken Bowl from Reluctant Entertainer
Quick Lemon Chicken Broccoli Bowls from Miss in the Kitchen
Tex Mex Quinoa Bowl from It's a Keeper
Healthy Breakfast Bowl from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Coconut Curry Chicken Bowl from Art and the Kitchen
Wild Rice Power Bowl from The Lean Green Bean
Coconut Salmon Zucchini Noodle Bowl from Reluctant Entertainer
Cauliflower Kale Cod Bowl from The Tasting Page
Roasted Cauliflower, Mushroom and Chickpea Quinoa Bowl from Pumpkin 'n Spice
Shrimp and Smoked Salmon Sushi Bowl from Sumptuous Spoonfuls

Thanks for visiting today!

If you’re looking for more healthy recipes be sure to check out my recipe index. You can also find a lot more salad recipes as well.

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest while you’re here. I love pinning great recipes! Also, make sure you follow me on Instagram. It’s a great way to stay up to date with the blog.

Toodles! xx

The post 25 Healthy Bowl Recipes appeared first on Cravings of a Lunatic.

Weekly Meal Plan: Week 32

Kim Beaulieu — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 12:00:29 +0000

Weekly Meal Plan Week 32 - 10 great bloggers bringing you a full week of recipes including dinner, sides dishes, and desserts!

Weekly Meal Plan 32

Another week has flown by. Honestly, as I get older I find myself saying that more and more. I'm becoming an old bitty. I talk about the good old days way too much. It's so weird that time becomes so important, but it just does. Time just moves so fast. Blink and you miss it.

I think we all try to fit so much into our days that we miss all the little things these days. Everyone is so busy looking at their phones and capturing moments that they are forgetting to live in the moment. That makes me sad. I love living in the moment. It's so important in life.

Personally I think we all need to slow down a bit. We need to remember what is important. To me that's family. I never want to be the kind of person who is so busy snapping photos of everything going on around me that I forget to actually spend time with the people in those photos.

We tend to live in a photo free environment most days. Honestly, we are the type of family that can go all day without taking a photo. I never feel the need to capture every second of our day on camera. My daughter is in her 20's and doesn't tweet, instagram or snapchat. I know right, shocking.

I have to admit I love her perspective though. She keeps me grounded and from becoming consumed with social media. She reminds me that spending time with her is far more important than snapping photos and pretending we're one big, perfect family. We are happy but not perfect. No one is.

Don't get me wrong, I love social media. It's fun and a big part of my job. I just never want to become consumed by it. Seriously, I never want to mislead my readers into thinking my life is perfect. I have no desire to construct some kind of fantasy world on social media. It's not who I am. I like honesty, I like real people.

Hard Truth:

So much of what we see on social media is a big lie. Everyone is trying to sell a lifestyle. Eat what I eat for a perfect life. Work out like I do for a perfect body. Dress like I do for a perfect appearance so people will love you. Decorate your house like I do so you too can have a perfect life. Perfect house= perfect life, right?

NO! That's bullshit.

Real life is far more interesting. I don't look like a supermodel. My house is not a mansion, my kids are not perfect little angels, my hair is not always done, and my laundry is piled up to the ceiling. To be perfectly honest, I have dirty dishes in my sink, and pet hair on my couch, and my clothes. Some days I have hubs pick up takeout instead of cooking.

Life is not a fairy tale. It's not suppose to be "perfect". Perfect does not equal happiness. A skinny body does not equal happiness. A big house does not equal happiness. Perfectly photogenic kids do not equal happiness. Losing weight will not magically make you happy. Neither will that mansion. Or that perfect outfit.

Here's a little nugget of truth from this old broad. You ready for it? You sure? It's groundbreaking. You might want to sit down.

You are responsible for your own happiness!

Whoa. Did you hear that?

Here's another one for you.

Perfection is an illusion.

Built on lies.

You don't want perfection. You want imperfection. That's where joy is. Accepting yourself and everyone around you for who they truly are. Completely. Unconditionally. Love yourself. Love everyone around you. Without judgement!

I know right. It seems so simple. You can lead a happy life that isn't perfect. OMG, mind blowing.

This week has been a rollercoaster ride. Weeks like this one are important, good or bad they give you perspective. They make you appreciate the little things in life. It's all those little things that make memories that feed the soul.

So, let go of perfection, embrace your imperfect happiness and live your life! You deserve it!!

More Weekly Meal Plans and Dinner Ideas:

Find more great meal plans on the blog!

Chili with Beef and Bulgur - Lemons for Lulu

Simple 6 minute 6 ingredients Tomato Soup from Scratch - Foodie with Family

Coconut Crusted Chicken Tenders - Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

Hearty Italian Vegetable Beef Soup - Barefeet in the Kitchen

Kitchen is CLOSED - Enjoy a night off from cooking!

French Dip Sandwiches - Pass the Sushi

Spinach Feta Crock Pot Lasagna - Diethood

Parmesan Garlic Zucchini Fries - Sweet C's Designs

Slow Cooker Creamy Hot Chocolate - Wishes and Dishes

Cherry Cobbler with Chocolate Chip Topping - Cravings of a Lunatic

Gooey Texas Sheet Cake Skillet - The Cookie Rookie

This week's meal plan was brought you to by:

Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts| Barefeet in the Kitchen | Foodie with Family

Wishes and Dishes | Pass the Sushi| Lemons for Lulu | Sweet C's Designs

The Cookie Rookie | Cravings of a Lunatic | Diethood

Show some love to all the bloggers who participated in this week's meal plan:

This is my last week participating in the weekly meal plan. I've enjoyed it so much and appreciate all the work the gals put into each week. I love meal planning and have been doing it since my kids were little. It's a great way to plan ahead, plus save time and money.

I have realized my readers aren't digging these posts at all. The response from readers when I asked how they were enjoying them was overwhelmingly "not so much". The shares and comments have been dismal. So I've decided to refocus and go back to Slow Cooker Saturdays.

Thanks for hanging in there with me. As bloggers we always like to try new things to see what works and what doesn't. Clearly meal plans don't work for my readers. I always want to keep my readers in mind when choosing which types of things to share, and which not to.

For those wondering how Dixon the Kitten is doing, he's doing awesome and growing so fast. He's such a little lovebug and I'm so happy we welcomed him into our family.

He is so high energy, he just runs non-stop. He's obsessed with my daughter and cries when she's not home. She's in Toronto with friends this weekend and he's been wailing at her door constantly. He misses her really bad.

Total cutie right. I know, he's pretty darn adorable. Did you catch the imperfect photo I took of him and one of his brothers playing in the box fort I made them? I posted it on Instagram.

Hilarious right? We had so much fun that day. Two of the cats loved it, two did not. The dog is still deciding how she feels about it. We tested this out, now my daughter wants to build a big one for them. We'll see how it goes.

If you're made it this far, way to go! I ramble. *giggles*

Peace out. Have a kick ass weekend.

Thanks for visiting today!

If you’re looking for more dinner recipes be sure to check out my recipe index. You can also find a lot more pasta recipes as well.

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest while you’re here. I love pinning great recipes! Also, make sure you follow me on Instagram. It’s a great way to stay up to date with the blog.

Toodles! xx

The post Weekly Meal Plan: Week 32 appeared first on Cravings of a Lunatic.

Weekly Meal Plan: Week 31

Kim Beaulieu — Sat, 13 Feb 2016 10:23:23 +0000

Weekly Meal Plan Week 31 - 10 great bloggers bringing you a full week of recipes including dinner, sides dishes, and desserts!

Weekly Meal Plan 31

Happy Saturday to all my peeps. I hope this weekend is fabulous for every single one of you.

I'm going to spend the weekend dreaming of the day I can make these meal plans while I lounge on my lanai with a view of the water from my vacation home in Hawaii. Seriously, I figure if you're going to dream you may as well dream big.

I mean it's freaking freezing here in Ontario right now. Clearly, I was born in the wrong place. I'm suppose to be living in Hawaii. I was robbed of my destiny.

This weekend I'll also be spending girls day out with my daughter. We're taking off for the afternoon on Sunday to spend some much needed time together.

She's been busting her hump with mid-terms lately. She has next week off for reading week so we'll have lots of time together next week.

Sunday we're finally getting out for a very belated birthday celebration for me I was sick on mine so we stayed in. So, tomorrow we'll head out to shop and see a movie.

Yes, he's wearing a Walking Dead shirt. He's got Daryl's Vest T-Shirt on. Totally normal.

I'm also super stoked for Sunday because THE WALKING DEAD IS BACK! Sorry, I had to scream that because I'm so freaking excited I can barely contain myself. I'm telling you right now that my arse will be firmly planted on the couch on Sunday night. The ringer on my phone will be off. The puppy will be downstairs with her Daddy since he doesn't watch TWD. And I'll have copious amount of kleenex nearby in case some bites it.

This is the first time our new kitten Dixon will be watching with us. Yes, I'm certain he will be a Walking Dead fan. I mean, how can he not be when he's named after Daryl Dixon. Maybe it's kismet. Perhaps it's fate. Or it's Mommy being way too obsessed with The Walking Dead. It's all good. I'll readily admit I'm a complete fanatic.

More Weekly Meal Plans and Dinner Ideas:

Find more great meal plans on the blog!

One Pan Cheesy Skillet Chili Mac - Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

Loaded Nacho Fries - Sweet C's Designs

Mahogany Chicken Thighs - Girl Carnivore

Balsamic Chicken Dinner Salad - Foodie with Family

Kitchen is CLOSED - Enjoy a night off from cooking!

Bacon Avocado Tomato Pasta Salad - Barefeet in the Kitchen

Best Ever Chili Dogs - The Cookie Rookie

Smashed Potatoes with Onion and Garlic - Cravings of a Lunatic

Garlic and Butter Roasted Carrots - Diethood

Double Peanut Butter Molten Lava Cakes - Wishes and Dishes

Raspberry Hazlenut Dutch Baby - Lemons for Lulu

This week's meal plan was brought you to by:

Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts| Barefeet in the Kitchen | Foodie with Family

Wishes and Dishes | Pass the Sushi| Lemons for Lulu | Sweet C's Designs

The Cookie Rookie | Cravings of a Lunatic | Diethood

Pin these photos to your favourite meal planning Pinterest Board!

Thanks for visiting today!

If you’re looking for more dinner recipes be sure to check out my recipe index. You can also find a lot more pasta recipes as well.

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest while you’re here. I love pinning great recipes! Also, make sure you follow me on Instagram. It’s a great way to stay up to date with the blog.

Toodles! xx

The post Weekly Meal Plan: Week 31 appeared first on Cravings of a Lunatic.

Weekly Meal Plan: Week 30

Kim Beaulieu — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 13:00:08 +0000

Weekly Meal Plan Week 30 - 10 great bloggers bringing you a full week of recipes including dinner, sides dishes, and desserts!

Having a weekly meal plan life is so important when life is chaotic. It makes life so much easier.

I find by planning out my week I waste less grocery and spend less money on food. Plus it's just fun to find great recipes to fill your slots each week.

This week has been nuts at our house. My daughter is still car shopping which is time consuming.

Honestly, there aren't many jeeps for sale in our area and she's so busy that by the time she gets to see it the vehicle is sold. So, we haven't had much luck finding her a car.

She wants a 4 x 4 and but for some reason they're hard to come by here. And when they do pop up they sell super fast.

We got our little Ragdoll kitten this week. We picked him up Thursday night around dinner time.

His name is Dixon, and he's a riot. We were told he was super shy and quiet, but thus far he's been really outgoing and absolutely fearless.

In the first 5 minutes he ran right up to Spark, and head butted him. Spark loves head butts so they are now best friends.

The joys of having 6 furkids at home. It's complete chaos here so having a weekly meal plan is an absolute must!

More Weekly Meal Plans and Recipe Ideas:

Find more great meal plans on the blog!

Weekly Meal Plan:

Bacon Alfredo Pasta Bake - Wishes and Dishes

Honey Garlic Baked Chicken - The Cookie Rookie

Herbs de Provence Pork Chops - Sweet C's Designs

Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup - Pass The Sushi

Kitchen is CLOSED - Enjoy a night off from cooking!

Easy Baked Ranch Fish Tacos - Foodie with Family

Steak Bites Mini Taco Boats - Cravings of a Lunatic

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms - Diethood

Red Velvet Steamer - Lemons for Lulu

I Want to Marry You Cookies - Barefeet in the Kitchen

Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookies for Two - Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

Pin this weekly meal plan!

Thanks for visiting today!

If you’re looking for more dinner recipes be sure to check out my recipe index. You can also find a lot more pasta recipes as well.

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest while you’re here. I love pinning great recipes! Also, make sure you follow me on Instagram. It’s a great way to stay up to date with the blog.

Toodles! xx

The post Weekly Meal Plan: Week 30 appeared first on Cravings of a Lunatic.

Weekly Meal Plan: Week 29

Kim Beaulieu — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 10:00:28 +0000

Weekly Meal Plan Week 29 - 10 great bloggers bringing you a full week of recipes including dinner, sides dishes, and desserts!

Weekly Meal Plan: Week 29

Every week a bunch of us bloggers join together to share these fabulous weekly meal plans with our readers. It's so much fun to see what each blogger shares each week.

This week was another long one. Mini-me was sick this week.

She missed some school, some work, barn time with the horses, her weekly military training night, and she was suppose to start training for roller derby.

Yes, you read that correctly. She goes to university, works part-time, is in the reserves and has two horses. Apparently she's not busy enough so joining roller derby seemed like a good idea. You betcha!

I always tell people I want to be mini-me when I grow up. She's a total inspiration in every way. I've never met a hooligan with so much energy, and who just goes for everything she wants in life.

Honestly, she doesn't sit around wishing for things in life, she jumps in and makes it happen. She makes time for everything and everyone in her life. Every day when she brings up something new she wants to try I just grin, because I know she'll do it.

Both my kids went to French Immersion schools. They took French immersion throughout grade school and high school, and got certificates.

Mini-me hated it and often told me she didn't see the point in continuing. Now she's happy I made her stick with it. She switched her major to languages last year and is currently attempting to become a polyglot. Technically she's got English and French crossed off the list. She's learning Spanish, German and Russian now as well.

Seriously, I can barely speak English most days. Honestly, I don't know how she keeps up with them all and doesn't mix them up. Learning one language is rough, learning multiple languages at the same time is difficult.

I like to help her with her homework as much as possible. And by help, I mean I love for her to teach me all the bad words so I can swear in every language. Mom goals. It's a thing. Look it up. It's real.

So, this week has been filled with bad language, sick hooligans and lots of Netflix. It's how we roll.

Take a quick peek through our meal plan and let us know which one is your favourite!! We'd love to hear from you!

More Weekly Meal Plans and Recipe Ideas:

Find more great meal plans on the blog!

Oven Baked Crispy Chicken - Barefeet in the Kitchen

Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons - Wishes and Dishes

Baked Breakfast Sliders - The Cookie Rookie

One Sheet Pan Garlic Roasted Salmon with Brussels Sprouts - Diethood

Kitchen is CLOSED - Enjoy a night off from cooking!

Red Beans and Rice Soup - Lemons for Lulu

Slow Cooker Sweet Chili Chicken Wings - Girl Carnivore

Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Dip - Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

Peach Sangria - Cravings of a Lunatic

Lucky Charms Treats - Sweet C's Designs

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Frosting and Apple Cider Caramel - Foodie with Family

This week's meal plan was brought you to by:

Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts | Barefeet in the Kitchen | Foodie with Family

Wishes and Dishes | Pass the Sushi | Lemons for Lulu | Sweet C's Designs

The Cookie Rookie | Cravings of a Lunatic | Diethood

Share on social media to spread the meal planning love!

Thanks for visiting today!

If you’re looking for more dinner recipes be sure to check out my recipe index. You can also find a lot more pasta recipes as well.

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest while you’re here. I love pinning great recipes! Also, make sure you follow me on Instagram. It’s a great way to stay up to date with the blog.

Toodles! xx

The post Weekly Meal Plan: Week 29 appeared first on Cravings of a Lunatic.

Weekly Meal Plan: Week 28

Kim Beaulieu — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 22:59:07 +0000

Weekly Meal Plan Week 28 - 10 great bloggers bringing you a full week of recipes including dinner, sides dishes, and desserts!

Weekly Meal Plan Week 28

Welcome to our weekly meal plan week 28! Another week has flown right by.

This past week was insane. Quite frankly the entire month has been a bit crazy. We've had a sick horse, a sick cat, a sick me, a sick kid, a sick puppy and another sick cat. I have no clue what's going on here. It's like the plague has hit our house.

We've spent our life savings on vet bills, medication for all the people, and various movies on Cinema Now to ward off boredom while we laid about like sloths. Thank goodness for Cinema Now and Netflix. Live savers, I tell you. I'd be lost without them.

Laundry is piled up to the ceiling. The dishes are stacked and hidden in a corner. Christmas decorations still litter various rooms. Dust bunnies are now mutating into super dust bunnies with x-ray vision and the ability to read our thoughts. Not. Even. Kidding.

I'm not sure if there's any groceries in the fridge, or what anyone has been eating while all this has been going on. I think hubs ordered out a few nights. Probably out of sheer desperation. One night he asked if I was cooking. I may have thrown a remote at him. Hard.

The UPS dude has shown up multiple times during all the chaos. Each time he stops by he looks more concerned. He muttered something about there being popcorn in my hair one day. I thought he meant he wanted it, but he look pretty startled when I threw it at him.

When he swung by with an apple delivery the other day I made my daughter get the door. I hid behind the door and whispered instructions to her. By the time we were done I think he was convinced she was possessed by demons. He ran back to his truck like a little girl.

One time he showed up while I was working with red velvet desserts. I had spilled red colouring all over my apron, managed to wipe red icing in my hair and on my face, and my hands were covered in red bread dough. The look of horror on his face was indescribable.

He must think this is where they film Dexter. Poor guy was so horrified by the way I looked. I remember him trying to say "you gotta little, omg, I don't know what that is, on your, omg, what is that, um, never mind, it fell off" without crying one day. He looked rattled. Then ran.

So, basically we've been taunting delivery people, and lounging about while we recover from whatever bug hit the household. Our lives are never dull. Even when we're all sick. I mean, why let a little illness stop you from having fun. At the delivery guy's expense. Life is short. Be silly.

Now the horse is better, the cat is better, I'm better but exhausted, the kid is better but exhausted, the puppy is better and never exhausted, and the other cat is better and wrecking havoc on the household. I just can't wait till the new kitten comes home to live with us. His name is Dixon.

I know right. He's cute as a button. His name will be Daryl Dixon. Yes, he's named after the dude on The Walking Dead. Yes, I am that big of a fan. I even have a little t-shirt with Daryl's angel wings on it. Because....why not. Life is short. Have fun and adopt kittens. Named Dixon.

More Weekly Meal Plans and Recipe Ideas:

Find more great meal plans on the blog!

One Pot Garden Alfredo - Sweet C's Designs

Lemon Chicken Fettuccine - Diethood

Mega Taco Salad in Baked Cool Ranch Tortilla Shell - Foodie with Family

Better Thank Take Out Beef and Broccoli - Barefeet in the Kitchen

Kitchen is CLOSED - Enjoy a night off from cooking!

Lemon Chicken Skillet with Artichokes and Olives - Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

Baked Buttermilk Chicken - Wishes and Dishes

Easy Apple Sangria - Cravings of a Lunatic

Brussels Sprout Salad - Lemons for Lulu

Hot Cocoa Cake - Pass the Sushi

Snickers Cookie Bars - The Cookie Rookie

This week's meal plan was brought you to by:

Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts | Barefeet in the Kitchen | Foodie with Family

Wishes and Dishes | Pass the Sushi | Lemons for Lulu | Sweet C's Designs

The Cookie Rookie | Cravings of a Lunatic | Diethood

10 great bloggers bringing you a full week of recipes including dinner, sides dishes, and desserts!

Thanks for visiting today!

If you’re looking for more dinner recipes be sure to check out my recipe index. You can also find a lot more healthy recipes as well.

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest while you’re here. I love pinning great recipes! Also, make sure you follow me on Instagram. It’s a great way to stay up to date with the blog.

Toodles! xx

The post Weekly Meal Plan: Week 28 appeared first on Cravings of a Lunatic.

Weekly Meal Plan: Week 27

Kim Beaulieu — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 11:00:26 +0000

Weekly Meal Plan Week 27 - 10 great bloggers bringing you a full week of recipes including dinner, sides dishes, and desserts!

Weekly Meal Plan Week 27

Welcome to weekly meal plan week 27!

Meal planning is a great way to plan ahead and take the guess work out of dinner. It can also save you time and money, which is always a good thing. Planning ahead makes grocery shopping so much easier. You will find yourself wasting far less food by planning ahead and being aware of what you need while shopping. It's a beautiful thing.

This week my meal plan went out the window. After being worn down by taking care of our sick horse last week my immune system seemed to crash in a big way. I don't have the strongest immune system as it is, likely because of my IBS. I was so worn out after not sleeping all week and being on my feet 22 hours a day. My body didn't handle it well.

I managed to catch some strain of the flu. I've been crazy sick this past week. Lots of sleeping, which if you know me at all you know is very odd for me. I have insomnia so I usually get by on 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night. This week was a whole different ball game. I've been sleeping all day long, then taking a nap only hours after waking up. Crazy, right?

Eating has not been high on my list of things I want to do this week, that's for sure. Most days I didn't bother, some days I tried to force myself to eat. Usually I regretted that decision later. Hubs picked up my favourite food last night, I took a few bites and pushed it away. I think it took him a few hours to get over that monumental occasion. Me turning down food? Weird.

Hopefully I'm through the worst of it. My daughter has been hitting the barn every day to keep an eye on the horses. I have not been capable of heading out there since getting sick. She's been a trooper about it. Particularly since my car is in the shop which means she is without a car too. So hubs has been driving her out there every night. He has a stick shift and none of use are as adept at using it as he is. I'd rather pound salt that drive a stick. No idea why. Just spoiled I suppose.

My SUV went in for some work this week. Turns out WAY more work than we anticipated. We had some of it done today, then it goes back next week for some more maintenance. Then another trip to another place to get new tires. By the time it's all done I probably could have bought a great used car for the price of the repairs. It's all good in the hood though, it all needs to be done so I'm just sucking it up and getting everything crossed off the list.

The hooligan is still car shopping. She's seen a few she likes but nothing is working out perfectly. It's always that fine line of how much do you want to be in the hole for wheels. She's a smart cookie and saved all her money from the military this summer, so she has a good chunk of cash stored up. Her worry is using it all then something comes up and her bank account is dried up. So she's thinking of financing which is a whole other can of worms, am I right? Scary when you're still in university.

Hopefully everything shakes out okay with car shopping this weekend. Maybe she'll find something awesome. If not, Mom's Expedition is safe for driving again. She hates driving it though. If you haven't seen the Expeditions they're monster sized SUV's. I bought it to pull a horse trailer in the future, you know, when we actually can afford to buy a horse trailer. So basically she's driving around in a Soccer Mom vehicle and hates parking it. I don't blame her one bit.

So, that's been our week in a nutshell. It's always chaos here. I tell people I thrive on it, but lately I'm sort of thinking a change of pace might be in order. I'm getting too old for this stuff. Honestly, once you hit a certain age you just tire easily. Or maybe that's the flu talking. All I know is I want a nap. Lots and lots of naps.

More Weekly Meal Plans and Recipe Ideas:

Find more great meal plans on the blog!

Slow Cooker Pork Roast - Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

Paleo Pork Stir Fry - Sweet C's Designs

Pork Tenderloin with Haskapa Chutney - Cravings of a Lunatic

Italian Pork Cutlet Florentine - Wishes and Dishes

Kitchen is CLOSED - Enjoy a night off from cooking!

Perfect Eye of Round Roast - Girl Carnivore

Easy Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken - Diethood

Light Marinated Broccoli Salad with Grapes - Foodie with Family

Sriracha Honey Roasted Green Beans - Barefeet in the Kitchen

Raspberry Mocha Chocolate Pudding- Lemons for Lulu

Slow Cooker Peppermint Hot Chocolate - The Cookie Rookie

This week's meal plan was brought you to by:

Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts| Barefeet in the Kitchen | Foodie with Family

Wishes and Dishes | Pass the Sushi| Lemons for Lulu | Sweet C's Designs

The Cookie Rookie | Cravings of a Lunatic | Diethood

10 great bloggers bringing you a full week of recipes including dinner, sides dishes, and desserts! Pin to save!

Craving more? Here's some recent posts to peruse:

Steak Bites Mini Taco Boats

Mini Trix Cereal Jedi Snack Mix with Pretzel Lightsabers

Easy Apple Sangria

Thanks for visiting today!

If you’re looking for more dinner recipes be sure to check out my recipe index. You can also find a lot more healthy recipes as well.

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest while you’re here. I love pinning great recipes! Also, make sure you follow me on Instagram. It’s a great way to stay up to date with the blog.

Toodles! xx

The post Weekly Meal Plan: Week 27 appeared first on Cravings of a Lunatic.

Weekly Meal Plan: Week 26

Kim Beaulieu — Sat, 09 Jan 2016 10:00:36 +0000

Weekly Meal Plan Week 26 - 10 great bloggers bringing you a full week of recipes including dinner, sides dishes, and desserts!

Welcome to our weekly meal plan week 26. We hope you are enjoying the meal plans and using them regularly!

It's been a rough week for my family so we've been ordering out every single day. Well, on the days we've been lucky enough to actually eat. It's been so stressful and busy there's days we've missed meals.

One of our horses had colic this week. Our new horse Gigi started to act odd the other day. We had the vet out and sure enough she was sick. That was days ago. We've had the vet out about 5 times since.

If you don't know anything about horses colic is basically abdominal pain. It means there's some gastrointestinal issues with your horse. They get severe abdominal discomfort and start behaving differently.

Most horses will paw at the ground, turn to look at their stomach a lot, some will make strange noises because of the discomfort, you will see them get a strong desire to lie down and roll.

They key is to not let them roll, that's bad news in a big way. So we basically you keep them upright and do some walking. Needless to say we walked miles and miles in the past few days.

During one of her worst spells I broke down in front of everyone. It's hard to watch your horse be in so much pain. So I lost it a little bit. Or a lot, if we're being completely honest. I cried like a baby.

I love my horses, they are like family members. So having one get sick was heartbreaking. The one night when she was super sick I just couldn't help but break down. I was so worried about her.

She's so much better now. After a few days of vet calls, walking her, hydrating her, and keeping her calm we're through the worst of it. Her impaction has let loose and she's feeling like herself again.

Today she was full of what I like to call "piss and vinegar". She tried to nip me, she was bouncing off the walls and a little ball of energy. To put it mildly. We know when she's causing trouble she's feeling better.

I'm so happy she's doing a bit better. We're still watching her like a hawk just in case she relapses or her tummy slides the other way after all the meds and hydration. That's always the worry after a bout of colic.

I'm not going to lie, I'm also happy she's improving because I'm physically exhausted. During one of her bad spells the barn owner was walking her when she dropped to the ground, hard, and tried to roll.

Myself and my daughter jumped in and tried to push her up. You basically use your foot to push the hind quarters so you're far enough away and can move out of the way quickly if needed.

Well, she spun without warning and we saw hooves coming at our brains. We both jumped but my daughter thought we wouldn't make it out of the way quickly enough. So she shoved me out of the way.

I flew through the air a little bit and managed to fall flat on my back, and whacked my head pretty good. My head, neck, hip and back are all sore. But let's be honest, it's better than a hoof to the brain.

So, needless to say walking for hours and hours has taken a toll after getting hurt. I powered through and ignored it while she was super sick. Now that she's a wee bit better I realize how sore I actually am.

This weekend I'm also going to hit the grocery store and stock up for next week's fabulous meal plan. I'm looking forward to getting back into the kitchen and cooking for the blog.

More Weekly Meal Plans and Recipe Ideas:

Find more great meal plans on the blog!

Bacon Grilled Cheese Dippers - The Cookie Rookie

Korean Beef Bulgogi - Barefeet in the Kitchen

Tortilla Pizza with Roasted Red Peppers - Cravings of a Lunatic

Easy Chicken Curry - Lemons for Lulu

Kitchen Closed - Enjoy a night off!

Greek Salad Gryo Plate - Foodie with Family

One Dish Chicken Bake - Diethood

Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread - Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

Homestyle Mashed Potatoes - Pass the Sushi

Cake Batter Fudge for One - Sweet C's Designs

Hot Chocolate Coffee Rum Cake - Wishes and Dishes

This week's meal plan was brought you to by:

Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts | Barefeet in the Kitchen | Foodie with Family

Wishes and Dishes | Pass the Sushi | Lemons for Lulu | Sweet C's Designs

The Cookie Rookie | Cravings of a Lunatic | Diethood

10 great bloggers bringing you a full week of recipes including dinner, sides dishes, and desserts!

Thanks for visiting today!

If you’re looking for more dinner recipes be sure to check out my recipe index. You can also find a lot more side dish recipes as well.

Be sure to follow me on Pinterest while you’re here. I love pinning great recipes! Also, make sure you follow me on Instagram. It’s a great way to stay up to date with the blog.

Toodles! xx

The post Weekly Meal Plan: Week 26 appeared first on Cravings of a Lunatic.