What's Up Wednesday!

What’s Up Wednesday!!!! Half way through the work-week!! #workinfortheweekend

Today I am joining two of my favorite bloggers Mix&Match Mama and Sheaffer Told Me To for their What's Up Wednesday link up!

On occasion, I will link up with other bloggers to share our favorites or what we are up to!

So here is what’s up with me!

What we’re eating this week…

            If you didn’t catch my post from yesterday you can see it here! We made a recipe into our own and ate buffalo chicken Monday night. Last night we made our new recipe.. SImple Southwest Shrimp Tacos. [recipe will be on the blog next Tuesday ] J Tonight Pat is in charge of dinner. I have a feeling whole grain pasta and sausage will be included #hisspeciality Thursday will probably be a crock pot meal and on Friday we both have basketball games so we will be eating on the go :P

Cotton Eyed Sloppy Joes

Simple Southwest Shrimp Tacos

** Patryk is my go to photographer for all food shots**
It pays to be dating your photographer 😍

What I’m reminiscing about…

            I find myself reminiscing A LOT. I love memories, old videos and looking at old photo albums from the way past or even just this past year. I find myself reminiscing lately about how wonderful the holidays were. I got to spend time with my parents and BOTH brothers, we spent Christmas eve with Pat’s family and he and I spent a lot of quality time together. Breaks and vacations are good for the soul. It rejuvenates and refuels the soul!

What I’m loving…

            No after school commitments this week. Cheerleading has slowed down IMMENSELY and it has been wonderful getting home when it is still light out! #allthepraisehands

What we’ve been up to…

            Recently my every day life looked a lot like this:

Eat. Sleep. Work. Cheer. Repeat. On repeat Xs 100. Cheerleading is a two season sport so it consumed my life since May. Pat recently traveled to Mexico for a wedding #boystrip and I have been working on #balancinginslippers J

What I’m dreading…

            My first 5 day school week since winter break. EEK!! I know, I know should not be complaining…. But I AM dreading that!

What I’m working on…

            Balancing In slippers of course J I am also working on recipes, and spending less time on social media. #Patiamtrying

           

What I’m excited about…

            We just booked spring break tickets to Marco Island and I cannot stop thinking about sand, sun and Yuengling of course!!

What I’m watching/ reading…

            Shockingly (yes Dad I Know) I am in the middle of two books! The first is Winter Stroll By: Elin Hilderbrand and the other is First Comes Loves By: Emily Giffin.

            Oh and you bet your bottom dollar I am watching Nick and the ladies on The Bachelor! #corinneneedstogo

What I’m listening to…

            I always have music on. Always. But recently I am loving Ed Sheeran’s new song Castle on The Hill. So catchy and I love the beat!

Castle on the Hill

What I’m wearing…

            This week is all about the jeans because we are cooking in my Foods 3 class. Sidenote… we normally need to wear business casual to school but on the days we cook in the lab we get to wear jeans! My kids are cooking three days this week and then there is of course Friday when jeans are a MUST! I have recently also fallen in love with This hoodie from Target and Victoria secret leggings- with the thick waistband!

What I’m doing this weekend…

            I have a high school bball game, a cheer competition for our varsity team and then a relaxing no commitment Sunday J

What I’m looking forward to next month…      

            Valentine’s day- dinner out with my love. And a 3 day weekend at the end of the month #nooneshouldworkmondays

What else is new…

            Well hmm lets see.. THIS! This blog is new and I couldn’t be more excited to be here sharing my life, favorites and tips to balance a crazy busy life with you all!!

Mr. Nick’s Bachelor recap will be here on Thursday I PROMISE!!!

Have a fabulous day! Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

Table Talk Tuesday

Ahh Tuesday. Nice to see you. Anyone else feel like Tuesday's are a much bigger struggle than Monday's? 

#needsleep.

This was me this morning.

Today I am starting my weekly posts about the best thing ever: food. 

When it comes to meals, busy life doesn't give you much time to shop,prep,cook and eat all in one. On Tuesdays I will be sharing recipes and tips & tricks to help you get that meal on the table at the end of the day to share with your loved ones. 

So for today, I am sharing a recipe I recently found and have fallen in love with. It is SUPER easy, affordable and delicious. 

I started following a few blogs about a year ago. I kept coming back because the blogs were real and had so much to offer. 

Shay Shull is the author of the blog Mix and Match Mama. And let me tell you she owns it with the recipes. She has great desserts and main dishes that I have fallen in love with! 

Pat and I LOVE her Buffalo Joes recipe and we have made it so many times over the past months. But the last time we made it, it was just off-- still yummy but not on point. 

This week Pat and I collaborated and altered the recipe to fit our taste buds and tummies :) I linked Shay's above for you take a look at as well.

Here is OUR version.

Shopping list: 

1/2 lb ground chicken

1/2 lb ground veal 

1/2 C. Buffalo sauce (we used sweet baby rays) 

8 ounces of tomato sauce 

1/4 cup cholula sauce

Chopped green onion

Blue cheese or Feta crumbles  (I refer Blue, Pat prefers feta!)

4 rolls.

1. In your frying pan, brown the veal and chicken together. Add a little S&P to give the meat some flavor.

2. Drain the grease.

3. Add in your tomato sauce, buffalo sauce, and cholula sauce. Keep your heat on medium-high to let some of the liquid evaporate. 

4. Chop up some green onion to garnish on top.

5. Toast your buns to give your bread a little extra CRUNCH! (we bought fresh rolls from the polish store.. umm hello yum!)

6. Scoop a LARGE amount of the meat mixture on to your bun. Add your favorite crumbles of cheese and green onion.

7. Serve 

I give Pat all the credit for these two pictures :) He is MUCH better at staging than me! #teamwork 

Sidenote: you could absolutely add a veggie or starch as a side for this meal.

Leftover chicken? Create an appetizer or buffalo chicken salad for a work lunch :) 

In Chicago lately the weather has been OFF to say the least. Whether you are in the sun, snow, or rain, make something yummy, warm and satisfying tonight for dinner.

"I get way too much happiness from good food." ~ Elizabeth Olsen 

See you back here tomorrow for my thoughts and insights on this weeks episode of The Bachelor. 

Weekend Recap- Last Cheer Competition of the Season Edition

Oh Monday... How you sneak up so fast!

Hello friends! I am so happy to be here sharing a little insight to my weekend! It was a whirlwind filled with yummy food, cheerleading and catching up on sleep :)

FRIDAY- or in a teachers world Fri-YAY.

Friday I had cheer practice until 530. It was the LAST day of our full week practices for the year! It is crazy how fast this year has flown with a new job and a new coaching opportunity!

When I got home, I asked my favorite question ever to Pat "What do you want for dinner?"
UGH DINNER ON A FRIDAY?? Why why why.... We try make weekends easy with shopping and buying food. We are so busy that Friday nights tend to be a night where we eat out at one of our favorites. And of course we settled for Portillos. How could you go wrong? I got a chicken sandwich and Pat got the chopped salad (a MUST)  BUT added Feta instead of the blue cheese and I have to say it was  a HIT!! #allthecheese

After dinner we went home, and watched TRIPLE D!! aka Diners, Drive Ins and Dives! Another favorite. If we had all the time and money in the world, we would spend our lives traveling and eating at these places!! #foodies We didn't stay up late, so we watched a little and then headed off to bed!

On Saturday, I spent some time at school organizing my classroom and making copies! I teach about 38 minutes away from Palatine [yes its exactly 38 minutes :) ] so with cheerleading coming to an end I have some more free time to get curriculum and copies in order!

Pat was busy working the table at the high school, for the boys swim meet so we were out and about in 56 DEGREE WEATHER IN JANUARY!!! #wheresthesnow #needit  We have had CRAZY temps here the past week and Saturday was unreal!! 

Saturday night was low key- I had to be up early for a cheer competition so I did what I do best- relax :)

With cheerleading SLOWING down, getting back to gym is a priority for me, but how could I pass up pizza and wine?

I was flipping through the channels and my ALL TIME favorite movie was on. The Parent Trap. Not the original but the Lohan edition. I remember seeing this movie for the first time. ...My neighbor Mrs. Ruder took a bunch of us kids to go see it and the tickets were SOLD OUT! UGH! As a 7 year old my dreams were crushed!! But if you know Mrs. R at all, she makes everything happen. We had gotten tickets for Zoro... (like why do I remember this) but she snuck us into The Parent Trap and it was just the BEST!! 

I sat on the couch quoting this movie all night long!! So many childhood memories tied to it- Like forcing my friends to play the poker scene with bottles of nail polish and coins. LOL 

"Peppermint & Pipe Tobacco"

The scene where "Here Comes The Sun" Plays :)

A classic~ No doubt!!

Ok this scene...... EVERY time I watch this scene, Im all like WHY!! Why the top hat?? UGH!! I have NEVER liked Elizabeth James pick for the hat... smh!!

AND THIS SCENE! Meredith Blake.... #truediva Anyways, this scene KILLS me. When she talks about her first "Beau" when I was younger I always thought she meant a hair bow 😂

SIDENOTE- if you know anything about The Parent Trap, you would know that Meredith Blake's mother in the 90's film, played the OG (original) Meredith Blake in the original from 1961.

So I relaxed, enjoyed a favorite and off to bed I went before an early wake up time!

SUNDAY! Was sure as heck busy! I was up at 630 to make it to Hampshire by 745. We were competing down the road at Huntley but wanted to get there so the girls could relax and get ready! 

We took the floor at 928 and the girls had an amazing routine! I coached JV this year, and I could not have been prouder of them! We placed top 5 in all four competitions. They have such amazing skills and they pushed themselves all season long to achieve success #happycoach 

 

#allthefeels :)

HHS JV CHEER

How cute are these?? The Varsity team parents made the girls these signs and they even included the coaches!!
I have to say working out in Hampshire, the people are so kind and generous. I felt very welcome from day 1 out there!

AFTER a HUGE success for both teams, ( our Varsity took 4th in their division) I hustled home for a birthday dinner!
Pat's mom turned the big 5-0 this weekend and a celebration was in order :)
At the Polish restaurant of course!!



YALL!!! I had the Pork Goulash and it was to DIE for!! Basically like a pork stew over potato pancakes with green onion and cheese. BLESS.

After dinner we hung out with family for a bit then came home. Pat is off today so I took a day as well. We spent almost two hours on our couch in the quiet just talking about life. It was quite relaxing. 

Since we are off today we have decided that today is the most PERFECT day to de-christmas our home :) Yes yes, it is January 23rd almost a month after. Coaching, teaching, weddings and life have been in the way so now after the hustle and bustle of January it all comes down. I am most DEF not one of those people that takes it all down on Dec 26. Maybe I get this from my mom ;) Maybe its just the atmosphere the holiday brings, that I never want it to end.

Well I can't leave Pat to handle this all on his own, so I am off! See you back here tomorrow with one of my favorite recipes.

PS! Don't forget tonight Nick and the ladies are at it again on The Bachelor! I will be back tomorrow with the FULL low down on all the shenanigans. 

My Blog Dream!

Well Hello There!!

I am beyond thrilled to be here on my new blog! I have had a dream of starting my own blog for months now. Thank you to my family, boyfriend and friends who have encouraged me to start Balancing In Slippers!

I have a HUGE passion for making busy life easy and simple :) Life is short and there is not enough time in the day to constantly worry about the following:

1. What outfit will I wear for my observation at school?
2. What can we take out of the freezer and make for dinner tonight?
3. Are my favorite black leggings clean?
4. What on earth do I get my parents for the holidays?
5. How do I make the most of my weekends?

I have started this blog to help and encourage you to find life's simple treasures and ENJOY them!

Over the past months, I have been an active blog reader and decided now its my turn to start my own blog.

Throughout the week, I will partake in weekly link ups to not only help you but also inspire you to enjoy life! I will also share tips, tricks and insight on how I enjoy life's simple pleasures.

This is just the beginning and I cannot wait to see where this journey takes me!

Thank you for taking this wild ride with me.

Since it is Saturday night I am off to relax and enjoy a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. See you back here Monday for my weekend recap!