Quick and Easy Recipes + Weekly Meal Plan Template

A couple weeks ago I shared a few of my favorite meals on Instagram Stories. Many of you asked for me to share the recipes and my weekly meal planner. I didn’t create a meal plan for this week since Noah is out of town but I thought I'd share my last meal plan along with the recipes I used.

I grocery shop weekly so I usually create a weekly meal plan. It isn't always easy coming up with new recipes so I always head to Pinterest when I need inspiration. I usually start my Sunday mornings with a cup of coffee, browse Pinterest then, I'll make a grocery list.

I usually go with recipes that 1) don't have a ton of ingredients and 2) won't take longer than 30 minutes. I do not have time to cook elaborate meals that have a ton of ingredients I can't use often.

Summer Recap and Life Lately

Seriously, where did the summer go? It just goes by so fast these days. I know I talk about how crazy life can be with four kids but I feel like time goes by quicker when there's always a million things going on. That's just daily life at the Cruzan house! I thought I would share a recap of the summer and share what's happening lately for my "little" crew.

I'm so sad we didn't make it to the beach this year! This is our second year not going. Last year Mia was just born and this year I don't know what happened. Maybe the thought of taking the family to the beach was too overwhelming. If you have kids you know what I'm talking about. There is a beach trip pre-kids where all you really need is a beach towel, chair, sunnies and a good book.
Then, there is the beach trip with kids... the one that consists of floaties, goggles, sand toys, extra clothes, sun block, umbrellas, wagons, coolers.... you get my drift. The thought of packing us to the beach is overwhelming. So, maybe next year. I am super sad and also extremely pale!

Fourth of July Celebrations

Happy Hump Day everyone! Today was my first day back from vacation and I'm already dreaming of our next trip! We had a great time with family having fun in the pool, enjoying the beach and of course lots of eating! We met up with Noah's family in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The forecast called for rain over the entire weekend but it didn't ruin our plans. We had two good days at the beach and plenty of pool time!

We came home a day early and celebrated the Fourth of July downtown Savannah. It was HOT, but we had a good time.

I hope you had a wonderful long weekend! Here's some photos from our adventures!

Ava and Lily, my water babies! They have gotten so tan from going to the pool this summer!

It was Levi's second trip to the beach. He loved crawling in the sand and splashing in the water! He didn't mind getting sandy one bit!

Levi's first Fourth of July!

Thanksgiving 2014

Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend! Mine was everything I was hoping for. This year my family decided to rent a cabin in the mountains for a little getaway. We have always talked about it but this year we finally made it happen.

I was able to find the perfect cabin in Hiawassee, Georgia. My family, my sister's family and my dad and brother were all able to make it. We had 13 people and 5 dogs in all and we still had plenty of room.

The view from the mountain side was beautiful. Our house came with a fire pit, wrap around porch, hot tub and game room so there was plenty for us to do while we were there. Each night was spent in our pjs relaxing by the fire, playing games and laughing with the kids. It even snowed Thanksgiving morning!

Thursday we had a nice breakfast,  then for dinner we had reservations to eat Thanksgiving fixings at a local restaurant. It was nice not having to be in the kitchen all day and worrying about cleaning up for once.

There was no black Friday shopping. Instead, we visited Helen, Georgia. It was a cute little town. We walked around and wandered into gift shops.

Saturday we went to Anna Ruby Falls. The waterfall was beautiful and so was the small hike up to it.

This year was the first Thanksgiving without my mom. I definitely missed her presence. She would have loved going away with us and spending time with the grandkids. I am happy we went away for sure, it helped keep our mind off of the void we all still feel. I think it would have been so much harder if we stayed in town.

The whole weekend was so relaxing. No agenda, no busy plans, no housework, no problem! I will definitely look into doing it again next year!

Cruzan Family Fun {Tampa}

Last weekend and earlier this week we took our first family mini vacation to Tampa, Florida! Nothing fancy, but still time for just the four of us. Here are some photos, the very few I was able to take.

We have another family vacation in June so I can't wait! I love family time!