Masterpiece Me!

It was our darling art teacher who had this darling idea for the halls in our school.  I certainly can't take the credit.  But, it's too fun not to share with y'all.  For the start of school (before any of the kiddos produced their own art, as she explained it) she made our own "Museum of Art" filled with classic works of art -- with a twist.

Cranberry-Apple Quinoa Salad

Yesterday I shared my weekly meal prep,...which worked last night so fingers crossed that I can keep it up,...but neglected to share the recipe for the quinoa.  A sweet friend shared the weight watchers recipe several years ago when I was a little unsure of the whole quinoa revolution.  I enjoy the salad cold, and it only gets better after the first day, which makes it the perfect addition to lunches packed in advance.

Weekly Meal Prep

Now that school is back in session it's time to buckle down and get organized.  Hubby and I were pretty relaxed this summer with the meal planning and unfortunately it shows both in the wallet and the waistline.  I took some time yesterday to prep our food for the week.  Typically I pack my lunchbox and a few snacks for the week, but haven't prepped beyond that.  Yesterday I did anything I could ahead for meals.  Hopefully it will pay off.  Hubby says I was a little overzealous and that this much food will last us longer than just a week, but better to be over-prepared than under, right??

Five on Friday [8.6.15]

What. a. week.  School started with a bang on Monday, combined with the summer tennis program wrapping up, the boy's tennis season starting, and just plain 'ole life in the middle.  Ready for some rest and relaxation this weekend.  Ha.  But before we get to that or, if I'm being realistic, least attempt to relax, here's this week's Five on Friday:

ONE
I've been enjoying fresh mint tea from the garden.  It couldn't be simpler, and tastes so much better than the bagged version.

PSA: PKL The Cellar

Boy do I have a fun little tip to share with y'all today.  I'm almost afraid to say something, because I certainly don't want any more competition vying for their gorgeous finds :).

The incredible gentlemen at Parker Kennedy Living and the fabulous Paige of The Pink Clutch have teamed up to create PKL The Cellar on Instagram to sell truly amazing vintage pieces.

Think loads of blue and white....

Mint Tea

We've been enjoying our mint from the garden all summer.  It's delicious and prolific.  The perfect addition to any garden.  We've been enjoying vodka mojitos, have mixed some in with watermelon and feta, added it iced tea and meat marinades, but at this point in the summer it was beginning to look a bit straggly.  I decided to cut it back and harvest the mint in hopes that it will grow back fuller (which it usually does) and that we can have yet another harvest before it gets too cold.

We haven't yet used it to steep tea, which is a favorite, so I decided to brew a pot for a little afternoon treat and dry the rest for later use.  It couldn't be easier and tastes so much better than premixed tea bags.

In My Lunchbox [Southwest BBQ Chicken Salad]

Last week I shared Shredded BBQ Chicken as "what's for dinner x 2" and as luck would have it, I managed to get lunches out of the same recipe, too!  My kind of recipe...cook once and eat three ways.

With the new school year starting today...yep, you read that right, today....I snagged some new bento boxes from Amazon.  I love that they came in a set of 10.  I'm able to pack lunch and even breakfast, if I choose to, for the entire week.  I know myself well enough to know that if I don't do it on Sunday, it won't get accomplished later in the week.

While I'm happy with these, and the quality is fine for a what I'm using them for, I think next time I'll go with these instead, for no other reason than I like the way the sections are divided a little better.

I also ordered these silicone muffin cups to divide further if needed.  Unfortunately, I didn't read the description very clearly and they're smaller than I anticipated.  Happily, though, they still get the job done.

The only thing that made packing lunch even easier this week, was using part of the shredded BBQ chicken to whip up a little salad.  Couldn't be more simple.....