Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa

Friday, September 3, 2021

It’s Friday, Friday! Gotta get down on Friday! They mean so much more now. This week was long. I am linking up with Andrea, etc. here today.

Here are some things from my camera roll this week that were my favorites.

I am still reading Guncle but I was anxious to start this. I like it so far and I’m invested. The weather was rainy at the beginning of the week but the heat finally broke and we have had much more comfortable temps. You know I am an outside reader, so it has been nice to go outside after dinner.

I ordered two Blue Apron meals for two people. It is kind of expensive and the meals take a bit longer than my typical cooking, I think.

The packaging is really nice and convenient.

The first meal I made was Asian inspired tilapia, brown rice, and green beans. I did the WW approved/Wellness meals.

I haven’t made the second meal yet, and I put the chicken in the freezer because I knew it would be a couple of days.

Ernie loves to find giant puddles after the rain!

I sat on the patio in the rain one evening.

Have you ever seen a rhinocerous beetle? Oh my gosh; it was huge!

I am super excited about the new Kristen Bell movie about couponers. I must admit I was fascinated by the TLC show about the extreme couponers.

I watched a bit of the new Marie Kondo show on Netflix called Sparking Joy. I just think her methods are so interesting and I think the way she explains Japanese culture and beliefs is really cool, too.

I got my Pioneer Woman fall edition.

It’s almost time! I may make a TJ run tomorrow morning but I plan to go for the fall stuff, too!

Yesterday after school I had Beth over for happy hour and she brought this gorgeous light up pumpkin. I am so excited to put pumpkins out but I am giving apples their due first.

I made a sun dried tomato cheese ball, but I made it very small for two. We sat on the patio and it was so nice out! I didn’t get a photo – oops!

And, I asked permission to conduct class outside. The kids brought in beach towels and we read our literature textbook.

This tree is right outside my classroom window and I call it “my tree”.

Shenanigans before we went back inside:

They were soooooo happy! They asked if we could do it everyday – NO! But, I hope to take them out at least once a week. I really think it is good for our kids’ mental health. Unfortunately, a lot of our lessons are tied to technology and harder to do outside. It made my heart happy that they enjoyed it.

I overslept one day this week. I have been super tired. I fell asleep at 8:30 on the couch, went to bed at 9 and slept til 1:30 a.m. and got up to go to the bathroom. Then, I slept from 1:30-6:15. That’s a lot of sleep. So, I hurried and got ready and got a venti Pike with one pump of pumpkin at Starbucks and it was so good!

One night for dinner this week I had the skinny pizza dough pizza. Yum!

It’s hard to believe it’s already Labor Day weekend! What are your plans?

What were your favorites this week?

Amy

P.S. – It’s been a hard time with a lot of sadness. I am thinking of you if your heart is heavy from everything our country is going through.

Thursday, September 2, 2021

Erica, my co-worker, made this dish again! So many people wanted this recipe last time I talked about it. Just kidding, I think two people wanted it. So, here we go. I dubbed this “restaurant quality” which is the highest compliment I give.

Doesn’t this look good?

You need:

zucchini spiralized (you can buy it pre-made in the store if you don’t have a spiralizer) – 2-3 depending on size

1 tsp. olive oil

3 T. reduced fat cream cheese

1 small onion

2 garlic cloves

I 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

2 T. water

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 cup chopped basil

4 tsp. parmesan or pecorino cheese

Do:

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet

Add onion until golden

Add garlic

Stir in tomatoes and water

Bring to a boil

Reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes

Add salt and red pepper flakes

Gently stir in zucchini

Increase heat to medium high and cook for 5 minutes

Stir in cream cheese until melted and remove from heat

Sprinkle with parmesan.

The first time she did it she added grilled chicken strips and this time she artichoke hearts (canned) and fresh mushrooms.

I think there are probably lots of variations you could do!

This is Erica’s fridge in her classroom where we have all of our meals for the week. I don’t have a fridge anymore because mine was from the 1950s and finally died a couple of years ago.

Isn’t this a beautiful sight? We bring in our meals on Monday and then just pick what sounds good each day for our 20 minute lunch break.

We both agreed we have never eaten better!

Let me know if you make this and I will tell Erica!

Amy

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Happy September 1st! Are you ready for all things apple? I know I will let a bit of pumpkin slip in before September leaves us. In fact, I am itching for my first taste of pumpkin coffee – maybe this weekend. At least I didn’t do it in August, right?

Sadly, The Style Six is no more, but I will continue to share what I am wearing on Wednesdays. It’s not always exciting, but it’s what I really wore. Some look bad, some look o.k., and they are all ruined by a mask! Ha!

Last Wednesday I wore these consignment Matilda Jane crops, this consignment blouse, and my metallic lace ups.

Thursday I wore my newish TJ Maxx top. I love the print, but the material is weird and a bit hot. I knew better than to accept a not perfect material. The skirt is LulaRoe and handed down from a co-worker and I wore my metallic clogs. I felt great in this but I think it looks frumpy. I don’t know that a 5’4 person can pull off a long skirt. I look tired and I am still having the issue of fuzzy pictures.

Friday I got tons of compliments on my “fit” but looking back at the photo I don’t know. I wore my leopard sneaks that were like 90% off in the spring coming in at $12 I think. I have on an Old Navy skirt and a Steinmart leopard blouse.

Friday night I wore this to dinner and the concert. Finally a photo that is clear.

Monday I went simple with this blouse and my trusty black pants along with my red clogs.

And, yesterday I wore this TJ Maxx blouse with tiny leaves on it with another pair of consignment Matilda Janes and my gold Tieks that are also from consignment.

Now I am wondering if my tripod is moving my phone? You’re welcome for such a professional blog! Ha!

And, you have heard this story most likely but I found 3 pairs of Tieks at one of my consignment stores years ago. They were $30 ish each.

Some people are bothered by the big toe showing and there is a trick where you put some moleskin on the inside to hide it.

I feel pretty certain that people know I have big toes so I am o.k. with it.

I love the turquoise bottom.

They are really good flats if you are a flat person. So are Rothy’s. I really want another pair of Rothy’s!

Also, I made a purchase. I love Aerie lounge stuff. Yes, I am at the Soma age, but I like Aerie, o.k.?

I ordered this and it is perfection. I put it on after school everyday this week. It has pockets!

What have you been wearing lately? Buying lately?

Any favorite outfits above? I haven’t repeated a school outfit yet, but I plan to soon. I just want to make sure I am wearing all of my dresses before they look out of season!

Happy hump day!

Amy

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

I have done this type of post before, but this trip I bought some new to me things so I thought I would share.

Are you a Costco member? Sam’s Club? Other warehouse store?

Do I think they save you money? Not really! We do buy our dog food here for a much better price, but there are tons of tempting things so I don’t know how much we truly save.

It’s a bit overwhelming!

We buy our toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, etc. here, too. It’s just nice to not have to think about that stuff very often. For all of these products, I love the house brand Kirkland.

I bought this fruit container for $10. Tom thinks pre-cut fruit tastes funny. I kinda forgot and bought it but we have been eating it.

I bought these adorable little cucumbers. If you want to make pickles these would be great. I have been dipping them in a Greek yogurt dip.

I love to keep frozen green beans on hand and the skinny ones are my favorite.

This fish looked good for an easy meal.

These veggies are really good! They really do retain their fire roasted flavor.

I enjoy having some type of sausage for a sheet pan supper.

In an effort to add more protein, I have been having two of these again for my breakfast with my veggie mixture and my low carb egg easserole.

Tom is a big fan of anything honey mustard.

And, that’s about it from this trip! Did you want to see my dog food? Ha!

Do you have any Costco faves? I feel like they have new products each time I go.

Pro Tip: Costco is a great place for Christmas shopping! If you see something, buy it because it won’t last long. They had Hunter boots this weekend for a great price!

Amy

August 30, 2021

It’s hard to believe we only have two more days left of August! I am linking up today with Heather and many more here.

How was your weekend?

Friday night Tom and I had concert tickets so we left home a bit early to try to find some dinner near the venue. We ended up at a Louisville classic called Come Back Inn.

We split a salad and some bruschetta and a pasta that was not good.

The concert was in a new to us space.

There were no bad seats in the house. We saw Paul Thorn and his fan base was probably 60-75. Tom and I were the youngest ones there, we think!

The lady in the hat was having a really good time. She made at least 10 trips to the bar and was trying to get everyone to dance with her.

We got home around 10 and I was tired!

Saturday morning I did a much needed Costco run.

I also cleaned most of the house and did my September mantle. I just put fake apples in the vases, found red books, and gathered my copper mug and Tom’s copper horseshoe.

Jack and Mason came home to hang out together and to spend the night.

I ran out to Bath and Body to get apple hand soap and

an apple candle. I dedicate September to all things apple!

I also put these burlap apples in a bowl along with a couple of the plastic red ones. I love this matching bowl and tray for fall.

For dinner, we have a Cane’s and a Chick Fil A across the street from each other so I got both. I finally tried a CFA nugget in the Cane’s sauce because I have been saying I was going to try it.

My modified meal: grilled nuggets, my pickles from home, my baked potato.

We watched Kim’s Convenience together and later on Saturday night the boys watched a Gilmore Girls with me.

Sunday morning I did my two meals for lunches this week – egg roll in a bowl and a Mexican mixture not pictured.

Then, I had a college girls brunch at Wild Eggs.

I had a mimosa and the farmer’s market skillet.

The rest of the day I did a bit more meal prep, watched some tv with Jack, and was just lazy. It was really hot this weekend so I didn’t want to be outside much!

We have a five day week and then it will be Labor Day weekend, which is also Jack and Mason’s 19th birthday weekend! Our weather is supposed to get much cooler this week.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Amy

Friday, August 28, 2021

How are you on this Friday? Thank you for all of the love yesterday here. You all are the best! Did you see my WIWW post here? I think many of us are struggling with the heat and getting tired of summer clothing! And, did you read my funfetti recipe here? I made a new flavor that you will see if you keep reading!

I don’t want to be melancholy, but I am feeling melancholy and I feel it’s o.k. to admit that here in my space. We continue to have kids going into quarantine due to positivity or being a close contact. It is not possible to social distance with 2000 kids back in the building. My next door neighbor teacher has a class of 35 right now (state law maximum is 31, but counselors have 20 school days to balance classes).

We have an acquaintance fighting for his life at only age 50 on a ventilator. He is not vaccinated, sadly.

My niece is a nurse and has been offered $36 extra per hour to take on overtime. I am worried about our hospitals and our wonderful health care workers.

I just never imagined that we would be in this situation right now and I’m sad.

Tom and I have concert tickets tonight and when we bought them we thought vaccinated people would be safe without a mask. Now masks are required (as they should be) and I just don’t even want to be around people indoors on the weekend.

Are you feeling like this, too?

For the sweetest photo of the week, look below at Ernie. This is the only chair he is allowed on and I had just made my morning coffee and put it in on the ottoman before sitting here. He stole my spot but I couldn’t be mad. Yes, we do have a guitar next to the favorite chair of everyone because Tom and Jack like to try to pluck out songs from here!

I ordered the laundry detergent of all laundry detergents. I use a laundry pod and add a bit of this. Is it weird that I am excited to do laundry now? You all, the smell is out of this world.

Mason looked so colorful and coordinated when we saw him on Sunday and Tom had to go to a funeral visitation of a co-worker’s parent (not Covid related) so I asked for a picture. It is hilarious that these 90s windbreaker suit jackets are back in style among the young people!

Jack doesn’t know that I snapped this pic while we were at the library together on Sunday. I had such a nice couple of hours one on one with him. We went to Target, too, and talked and talked.

I love my students and it is so good to be back in full classes, but I am not sure that we shouldn’t be in A/B groups right now. I look out at all of their masked faces and feel so sad for them, but happy that we are building in person relationships. If we do have to go virtual for a bit that will help, I think.

I can’t remember who told me this but it has really helped. Put a tiny bit of peppermint oil on your finger and rub on the inside of your mask. It really helps me breathe easier and maybe has a calming effect, too.

I did my grocery pick up on Wednesday this week. I really like doing it before the weekend.

So, I tried a dark chocolate fudge mix this time – go back and read my funfetti here and just swap out the mix flavor and for the frosting I did the peanut butter powder and Cool Whip.

Honestly, this one is even tastier. But, should I really be making cakes weekly? Probably not! Lol!

I hope you had several favorites this week, too.

Amy

Thursday, August 26, 2021

I figured it was time for a little update on how I’m doing and what I’ve been eating lately. I feel a little weird writing about this; maybe no one cares!

I have now lost 30 pounds! A quick recap: I started on my journey to a healthier lifestyle on April 8th, 2021. It’s a slow process, but I am enjoying what I’m eating and I really don’t feel deprived. I understand that I didn’t gain it over night and that it won’t come off overnight. I’m doing WW Purple and basically it encourages whole foods. I can eat whatever I want, but am encouraged to eat lean proteins, whole grains, and tons of vegetables and fruit. I am strictly doing the digital app version and not going to any meetings. I love the app. It is really, really good in my opinion!

Typical Day:

-2 cups of coffee with mini moo creamers (one per cup)

-half of a Premier Protein with instant coffee made into an iced coffee

-veggies (zucchini, onion, mushrooms) with a square of low carb egg casserole

-banana

-low carb lunch with a lean protein and lots of vegetables

-small snack of popcorn, string cheese, apple, or something like that

-low carb dinner with a lean protein and lots of vegetables

(examples of my fave lean proteins: ground turkey, chicken breast, tuna, eggs, veggie burgers, fish)

-dum dum sucker or a small dessert like a fiber one bar heated up in microwave

-maybe another snack before bed

-as much water as I can drink! During the week I only drink coffee and water unless I have a happy hour.

On the weekends, I do have some more fatty and caloric foods. This past weekend, I had a decadent giant soft pretzel. I still have a few cocktails on the weekends.

Here are some things I recently found:

OMG! Do you love popcorn like I do? I use my popcorn kernel and lunch bag trick in the microwave here and this stuff makes it taste just like movie theater popcorn! After looking in my Kroger that never has anything, I ordered a 3 pack off of Amazon.

And, I ordered this ramen off of Amazon for the noodles only and not the seasoning mix. The seasoning mix makes it 980 grams of sodium. These little noodles are yummy boiled in some chicken broth and I can see this being a go-to as the weather gets colder.

Here are some meals I have enjoyed lately:

One night recently I had whole wheat bowtie pasta with broccoli and mushrooms and chicken. I have grown to love whole wheat pasta. I have bought Barilla and found I need to boil it longer than regular pasta.

One of my school lunches was Asian lettuce wraps. I cannot wait to make these again. They were great and so spicy. I did not follow a recipe but used ground turkey, green onions, shredded fresh carrots, and a tiny bit of sesame oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and lots of siracha and a little bit of water and honey. We wrapped it in iceberg lettuce leaves.

My co-worker Erica is doing lunches with me, as I have mentioned. She is doing WW Blue and has now lost almost 10 pounds in just 4 weeks. She makes two or three meals a week and I make two or three meals a week for our lunches. For five day weeks, we alternate who does three and who does two.

Here is what we have had so far:

adult lunchables (hard boiled egg, chicken breast, Greek yogurt dip with veggies, and fruit)

tuna wraps

buffalo chicken dip with celery

egg roll in a bowl

sweet potato lasagna

Asian lettuce wraps

zoodles with chicken and tomatoes

sausage and roasted veggies

burrito bowls

basil coconut chicken curry pictured below

We have been eating well!

It has been fun to talk recipes, look for new recipes, and kind of rate the lunches we have enjoyed the most. We are talking about making some sort of Google Doc with our recipe rotations. Both of us are looking forward to some fall/winter recipes like soups, too. It’s been really fun and helpful!

Some more foods I have eaten lately:

A recent dinner of sausage, roasted veggies, and mashed potatoes. This was also a lunch. I am trying to do one dinner for Tom and I and one lunch for Erica and I sometimes.

This is what my breakfast looks like: I take it to school to eat during my first period planning. I do not heat it up in plastic, but put it on a paper plate. I would like to move to all glass storage containers.

Dinner of a veggie burger and the ramen with a tiny bit of mac and cheese powder. Tom had the real Kraft mac and cheese! We found out he is not a fan of the veggie burger like I am. He had his leftover lunch sandwich instead.

Next week I am receiving two Blue Apron WW meals. Did you know they have that option? One is a tilapia dish and the other is a chicken dish. It is more affordable for two people so I thought I would try it out.

Any suggestions for me?

Thanks for reading!

Amy

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Linking up today with The Style Six here!

I apologize for some of my photos this week. I can only think it was the high level of humidity in my classroom after my phone had been in my better air conditioned house and car?

I bought a new dress at Target a couple of weeks ago. It was Knox Rose and I have been enjoying wearing dresses so much this year. Here it is if you are interested. I wore my gold clogs for the first time and lots of students liked them!

The next day I wore pants for the first time and it was raining. I tend to wear black when it rains. I wore my Chico’s pants, an old Loft blouse, a kimono, and red accessories and red Saltwaters. The Saltwaters are so flat that they aren’t the most comfortable on my hard classroom floors.

And, I wore this orange LulaRoe skirt with a Savanna Jane blouse and my MIA clogs. I think this blouse is too big. There is a LulaRoe documentary coming out on Prime in September that I am interested in. I still have my pencil skirts, a few pairs of their leggings, and a kimono from them. The documentary trailer makes me think there is a scandal behind the company!

My Saturday outfit was of course my cut offs, gold Birks, and an old basic Old Navy button down blouse. Here is my new Amazon purse I showed you on Friday and I used my old camo strap this time. This purse is the perfect size!

Monday I wore my dress from Diane, my blog reader!

And, Tuesday I wore my fall-ish Target dress for the first time.

And, has anyone heard of June Adel online boutique? Well, a targeted Instagram ad got me. I saw these pants and swooned. And, I found out they are Umgee which is a favorite brand. I ordered them Friday night and they arrived Monday! Wow!

They are beautiful but long. I will have to wear a heel for them to work for me. But, I am willing to do it. They are a dressier material.

What have you been wearing lately?

Amy

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Are you ready for a super easy recipe for cake that is super moist? Sorry, I had to use that word. According to my calculations this is WW friendly, too, at 3 points per piece if you cut into 20 squares.

You need:

Funfetti cake mix

1 cup Greek plain non fat yogurt

1 cup water

Frosting: The cake is really good without the frosting, but this does add to it!

Tub of fat free cool whip

Box of instant vanilla sugar free pudding

Sprinkles

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350

Mix cake mix, yogurt, water and spread into a 13 x 9 pan

Bake for about 25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool.

Mix thawed Cool Whip with pudding mix (just powder – do not follow box directions)

Spread

Sprinkle

What do you think? Are you a fan of funfetti like me?

Amy

P.S. – I am keeping my cake in the fridge because of the Cool Whip!

Monday, August 23, 2021

Here you are again, Monday! I am linking up today with Heather, etc. here.

The weekend was full and went by super fast! It was a hot one, too.

Friday after school I had a patio happy hour with two friends that I met when my kids were in elementary school. We hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Cool thing is that this year I have both of their youngest kids in one of my class! One has a senior girl and the other has a senior boy.

Beautiful patio and yard and a delicious drink that I enjoyed too much – Deep Eddy orange vodka and orange La Croix.

I stayed way longer than I thought I would but it was so fun! I came home and Tom had eaten leftovers so I finished off my skinny pizza dough with a couple of breadsticks.

Note: Last week I did grocery pick up on Thursday after school so I really enjoyed having that done and having fresh food for the weekend. I came home from school Friday, made an appetizer, and went to one of the ladies’ houses. So nice!

I went to bed around 9:00 Friday night – because teacher tired!

Saturday morning I was up and at ’em, though! I made my breakfast veggies – zucchini, onion, mushrooms – and a funfetti cake made with only non fat plain Greek yogurt and water. Recipe coming tomorrow.

Tom left to help his parents for the day and I was so happy to have a Saturday with no errands! No errands because grocery was done and that’s what Amazon is for, right?

I had plans to go to the Paristown Flea – every third Saturday and this would be my third in a row. My flea buddy is Elizabeth, my next door neighbor teacher.

But, first, I had something so cool to do before meeting Elizabeth. This is Diane, a local blog reader. Isn’t her outfit super chic? She ordered a Savanna Jane dress from Ebay that didn’t work for her and wanted to give it to me.

Her house was beautiful and and I got to meet her husband and sweet dog, too.

How generous! I have wanted this dress so badly but it wasn’t in my size at my local boutique. I looked at the Amazon version and didn’t think it went up to a large enough size for me, either.

Thank you so much, Diane!

I met Elizabeth at 11:00 and it was already super hot!

She found this cute button down with a t-shirt square sewn on the back.

She had a bloody mary and I had something really good – it was orange, ginger beer, and a few other things. I really was on an orange kick with my cocktails.

And, we got the giant pretzel again to split.

We ran into these four senior students of mine! I love that they are doing fun things like this!

I only bought a plant. Isn’t she cute?

After leaving the sweltering heat of the market, I got a call from Mason. He woke up feeling sick that morning. His roommate had vacated the dorm room and thought Mason should get tested for Covid. Their college is 99% vaccinated according to my other son but still…we are hearing of mild cold symptoms for some vaccinated people.

I don’t know about your area, but it is very hard to get an appointment to get tested here. Plus, I didn’t want him to wait in a germy area. My school offers drive through testing after school from 3-7, but that is only on the weekdays. And, he said his college didn’t do testing on the weekends, either.

I remember seeing home kits at Walgreen’s and Lindsay mentioned keeping some on hand. I went and bought two 2 packs (they had about 8 left) and drove to Mason’s dorm. That is the nice thing about being close.

We did it in the back of the car with the hatch open while both wearing masks. It was really pretty easy. Both of my kids were tested several times last school year, so they know the drill. I had to put 6 drops of a solution in this card and Mason had to swab each nostril and do 5 circles. You put the swab into the test card and wait 15 minutes.

We were both nervous, but he was negative! I hope it is accurate and I am trusting that it is. He wanted to come home so he did and I gave him medicine and he slept for 3 hours. He woke up in a great mood and feeling so much better.

While he was napping, Tom and I had tickets for the Women’s Cup soccer match at our new stadium. Our team was playing Germany (Bayern Munich) so that made it more fun.

Leiderhosen and Birks on this fan!

It was a really exciting game but we won!

When we got home I cooked a late dinner for Mason and we watched Gilmore Girls and I stayed up late!

Sunday Jack came home! We went to Target and the library and then ate dinner together. They went back to campus after dinner. They still had stuff to load up and take to their dorm rooms.

Back to life, back to reality.

How was your weekend?

There has been so much sadness lately in the world. I don’t take it for granted that I can do this.

Amy