Catching Up With The Kelnhofers -3

This week on Catching Up With The Kelnhofers…a burning question about a weird candy, another question about Costco faves, a road trip Up North with the whole family – after which I’m happy to report my husband and I not only survived but still love eachother lol – and a book so boring I actually returned it.

I asked my newsletter and have never gotten as many responses as when I asked- does anyone actually like circus peanuts? I had never had one but then my husband and I saw a ‘how its made’ episode and I was intrigued … they’re shaped like a peanut, are bright orange, are a marshmallow but are banana flavored? What? My husband told his Grandma, and when we went Up North this past weekend (more on that below) she left us some so I tried a circus peanut. Not a fan, it was weird. My son Ben seconded the opinion, he put it in his mouth, chewed it, and then spit out the little pieces and brought them to Nick to throw out lol! So my question stands … does anyone like them? I also want to know what your favorite candy is … lately peanut M&Ms are top of my list! In case you’re curious – 99% of the responses I got, people LOVE circus peanuts, and 1% absolutely detest them (I’m in the 1% lol).

New on the Blog:

• Continuing on with Catching up with the Kelnhofers, round 2!
• Super easy grilled steak and chimichurri with fries – enjoy the last summer weather with this amazing grilled steak recipe!

What to make this week:

Back to school is just around the corner, so all of my teacher friends and family are heading back to work! To make the transition a bit easier, here are a few of my favorite recipes for easy workday lunches

• Greek chickpea salad in a jar – a fun way to make a Greek salad portable for lunch on the go
• Pepperoni pasta salad in a jar – super easy and healthy too!
• Chicken Caesar pita wraps – only 5 Ingredients!
• Green Goddess Cobb salad – healthy and filling; perfect for lunch during the workday and great for meal prepping ahead

Reader Comments:

I love grabbing these fruit and nut muesli bread rounds to throw in my lunch or grab as a snack throughout the day:

• “Just made these using Bob’s Red Mill Muesli, old country variety, and they are delicious! Thank you so much for figuring these out! My teen daughter thinks they are better than the ones from Starbucks We tried them warm from the oven, because we couldn’t wait, with a dab of butter. SO GOOD!”

Things I’m loving this week:

• I took Ben to Costco, and as we walked by the display of toys, he reached over and grabbed this tacky pillow (he’s never even seen The Lion King) but he kept saying ‘rrawrrrr’ as we walked through the store and he hugged the pillow, so I just couldn’t say no. He loves it and lounges on it all the time now.

• I’m always trying the newest kitchen gadget..but I have to tell you, I’ve been using my toaster oven so much lately – it’s amazing and warms up food great for me and Ben!
• Kids music that doesn’t suck – Caspar Babypants – Away We Go and other albums, so good and fun to listen to with Ben in the car, he does a little dance too
  
• I’ve been loving Cabot cheese cracker cuts- they’re so convenient and perfect if you’re traveling, they’re already cut! Perfect for snack time! I use them all the time when making snacks

• From Scratch – the book was so boring I actually stopped reading it and returned it…that’s rare. I’m so surprised it got all these amazing reviews. Nothing was happening and my best friend also had a similar reading experience, which was nice to hear that I wasn’t the only one.
  
• I can’t believe I’ve listened to almost my entire Summer Audible book listening list! I just have Dry Hard (by one of my favorite audible book authors – his books are really funny and great to listen to!) and City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert left to listen to.
  
• We went Up North with all the kids for a long weekend (Friday afternoon-Monday afternoon). We had a wonderful time visiting Nick’s grandparents (I love his grandparents – you can see Grandma Rita making one of my fave recipes – these white chocolate grape bites – I posted a few years ago) and Nick’s parents were also there. His dad took Ben fishing, it was so sweet. Traveling with 3 kids is one those things where you tell yourself the memories are what’s important…it may be a little on the stressful side but we’ll look back fondly about all the memories we made. And I will say we had a pretty successful road trip – only one stop for a 5 hour trip and the kids sleeping fairly well, I consider it a huge win!

Sorry for the picture overload, I just thought they were too fun not to share!

Did you know the SweetPhi blog has a YouTube Channel? I’d love if you’d subscribe! And while you’re there, check out my latest video for spinach salad and dressing.

Do you have a Costco membership? What are your favorite things to buy there? Would you like to see a list of why I buy? Just leave a comment below, I’d love to hear from you!