Paleo(?) Green Beans with Bacon

I'm not going to say that I eat a strict paleo diet because that would be a big fat lie. I don't even know if green beans are paleo, but the way I see it, if I can grow it in my garden then it must be pretty close. I try where I can, but it's hard when you don't like meat that much and you have two other people to cook for who aren't interested in it. It usually means extra cooking, work, and dishes to do afterwards. I love it when I have a dish that everyone in our house likes so I don't have to cook two different sides to keep smiles on faces. And let's face it, who wouldn't smile for bacon? I only smile for the crispy, meaty bits.

I tend to use small amounts of onion and spices in my cooking for our 4 year old. He's not a big fan yet, but we're getting there. So feel free to add as much or as little to suit your taste buds. And I know a lot of people use coconut oil, but I personally don't like the taste in savory dishes so opt for an extra virgin olive oil instead.

Did I mention this is my first time writing a recipe? I usually just sprinkle some of dis and a little of dat and go from there. Nothing's stopping you from doing the same. One pound of green beans you say? Is that a tad too much? That just happens to be how much I grabbed and put in a bag this morning. Use less if you're not big bean eaters. Add more bacon if you love it. I had 6 strips left over from another recipe, that's how I came to that number. It's a starting point.

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

• 1/2 walla walla sweet onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb. fresh green beans
• 6 cooked bacon strips, crumbled
• Olive oil (or use bacon fat from the bacon)
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Over medium heat, saute the garlic and onions in some olive oil until the onions become transparent.
2. Add the green beans and gently toss to get them cooking. 
3. Then throw in the bacon. 
4. The bacon will probably render out a little more fat as it warms up, giving the beans a nice smokey touch.
5. Season with sea salt and some pepper. Remember that bacon has salt in it already so be sure to taste before you add more!

Experiment with different herbs on this too. The next time I make this, I'm thinking of using some lemon pepper, fresh tarragon or thyme, or even toasted almond slivers to finish it off.

Guest Room Remodel

We all have one of those rooms right? One that is so gross you don't want to even look at it so you fill it with the junk you don't want to look at and then close the door. That was our downstairs spare room until our family decided that everyone was going to come visit throughout the summer and we needed a place for them to stay. Advert your eyes for the next picture...it's as ugly as it gets.

It Gets Worse
The walls were stripped back to the studs and I spent an afternoon putting in new insulation. Halogen lights were put in the ceiling, a few switches moved, and outlets replaced. Since the walls were exposed, we thought we would take advantage of that fact. Usually things look worse before they get better, but I have to admit that even the drywall looks better than that icky paneling that was there before.

Done Done Done
You can see how pleasant the room is now and we are excited to show it to our guests! I'm about ready to move in myself :)

Digger Birthday Party

A digger birthday party is both fun and easy to throw together in a pinch! We had cake, digger juice, a big pile of sand for the kids to play in with construction vehicles, and goody bags to take home. The kids each got a construction hat to wear.

Digger Cake
The cake was by far the easiest to do. If you don't have time to bake and frost a cake, just go to to bakery section of your grocery store and pick up a basic chocolate frosted cake and scrape off any decoration you don't want on there.  I turned a store bought valentines cake into a digger cake for the second cake. Can't find any cake toppers? Look in the toy box! We have a collection of construction trucks and things so I just washed them thoroughly and ta-da...cake topper.

• Chocolate frosted cake of your choice
• Chocolate sandwich cookies or grahams, crushed
• Gummy worms or bugs
• Small construction vehicles (ours were ones I purchased and some from our toy box)

Make piles of the crushed up cookies on the cake and around the edges. Stick on the vehicles and make them look like they are scooping up the crumbs. You can use a spoon to excavate some cake from the side, leaving some cookie crumbs behind. If your guests are into bugs and worms, you can even cut a gummy worm and poke it in so it looks like it is crawling through. 

 

Decoration

I didn't put a lot of effort into the decorations since they're kids and all they care about is the cake and playing :) I found some hanging construction decorations on Amazon and hung them up from the supports from our parasol over the table. I used basic yellow, brown, and orange crepe paper to do the railings around the deck. I made a few signs for the fruit trays that said things like 'Dig In' and wrapped juice boxes with strips of paper I printed out with construction tape and labeled them 'Digger Juice'. 

 

 

Buy Everything You Need, All in One Place
I like to save time and a lot of the time, money, by ordering as much as I can online from Amazon. With a Prime Membership (click here to learn more or sign up for a FREE trial), you get free 2 day shipping on tons of items...plus lots of other perks. But anyway, here are some links for where you can order them.

• Road Cone Candles
• Construction Vehicle Hanging Decorations
• Construction Helmets
• Construction Cupcake Kit (it's super cute but I didn't use it for this party)
• Cake Toppers (that are really toys so they can be played with after the party)

Lacy Cupcakes

A friend of was married last fall and I wanted to think of a shower gift that was sassy but still classy...you know, because her mom was there and all. I found a cute Martha Stewart cupcake stand and knew exactly what I was going to do. Three pairs of lacy underwear later, I had underwear cupcakes under the dome and one fancy gift for the bride.

The Finished Baby Room

....well, almost finished. We are still looking for some curtains (and a name for the little guy), but after that, consider it done!