Menu Planning (Printables Link)

Funfetti Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to do more cooking and baking from scratch.  

Since moving into our new home this summer, the kids and I have really enjoyed using our beautiful new kitchen.  With ample space for all the cooking gadgets, post/pans, utensils, etc. cooking/baking has become so much more enjoyable.  

Recently,  I discovered these great free printables from Smart Mommy Life.  They've been super helpful in organizing our meal plans for the week.  I don't know about you, but between Coivd-19 and quarantine, we've been eating at home so much more and our grocery budget has really increased.  Menu planning has helped us keep our budget in check and our appetites!  :)

But we are definitely ready to kick our meal-planning up a notch and do more "from scratch" cooking.  Box dinners and frozen entrees are fine in a pinch (or a really busy after-school night), but more frequently and especially on the weekends, I hope to try out recipes that use more fresh ingredients.  

The cupcakes, pictured above,  are a perfect hybrid mix of box + from-scratch baking.  These "funfetti" cupcakes that I made on NYE were easy peasy,  but so was the "from-scratch" buttercream frosting.  They were a huge hit with the kids because of the frosting.  Powder sugar...butter/crisco...vanilla...and a couple of tablespoons of milk and voila!  Deliciousness.