Share 4 Somethings in February

 For this month's Share 4 Somethings (with Jennifer at Overflowing with Thankfulness) we'll once again be sharing things we loved, read, learned, and ate this month.

Loved-- By far my favorite moment this month was watching Alec take first place in the culinary student cake contest. (A very close second was the date my husband and I went on this past weekend).





Read-- I read so many great book this month and have at least another 1/2 dozen I'm trying to work my way through.  So many good books and yet so little time... 



Learned-- Sadly this month I learned how to properly thaw pipes and check for leak when a few of ours froze one night where we had lost power and our temperatures dropped dramatically.

Ate-- I'd love to say I ate nothing but healthy foods but we did eat cookies, cupcakes, and chocolate this month as well as some very, very healthy meals for me trying to find that balance. 

Shredded turkey wrap with salad

Fruit/yogurt/ granola


Crustless quiche with 2 ingredient bagel

Egg roll in a bowl made with ground turkey

Cookie bars we made

My weight watchers American chop suey with roasted zucchini & mushrooms

unstuffed cabbage roll soup (made with 97% lean ground beef)

Linking up with:







Comments

  1. Kathrine EldridgeFebruary 24, 2023 at 6:03 AM

    Congrats to your son! His cake looks amazing and yes to good date nights!

    https://www.kathrineeldridge.com

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  2. MariaFebruary 24, 2023 at 6:34 AM

    Alec is a very talented baker, his cake looks amazing!

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  3. Holly Breton @ Pink LadyFebruary 24, 2023 at 7:20 AM

    Congrats again to Alec and love seeing your meals! So colorful and healthy :)

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    Replies
    1. Joanne February 24, 2023 at 3:54 PM

      Thanks! Though I don't always feel like they're so healthy when I'm chowing down on the sweets or heading out to a restaurant (where I struggle to make the healthier choices with all that temptation around).

      Delete
  4. Veronica LeeFebruary 24, 2023 at 7:49 AM

    Congrats again to Alec! 🥂
    Your meals look amazing, Joanne

    Hugs and blessings.

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  5. Life Of 2 SnowbirdsFebruary 24, 2023 at 7:49 AM

    Congrats Alec. Your cake is amazing and probably tasted really good too!

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    Replies
    1. Joanne February 24, 2023 at 3:55 PM

      Thank you! We have to assume it tasted good as we never got to try it.

      Delete
  6. EllibelleFebruary 24, 2023 at 8:00 AM

    That's a beautiful looking cake! Congrats to Alec!! My son and I had to thaw a pipe before Christmas when my husband was bedridden with the flu. Always something new to learn!!

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  7. Dara @ Not In JerseyFebruary 24, 2023 at 8:21 AM

    The cookie bars look amazing!

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    Replies
    1. Joanne February 24, 2023 at 3:56 PM

      They were delicious and so easy to make; I did take a few photos and plan to share the recipe soon.

      Delete
  8. mireilleFebruary 24, 2023 at 9:24 AM

    One of my IG readers was just telling me about the ground turkey eggroll bowls. I am going to have to check out some recipes. I have bought lots of veggies to roast this week. Congrats to your son on his taking 1st place!
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

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    Replies
    1. Joanne February 24, 2023 at 3:58 PM

      I use this recipe from holly with 99% lean ground turkey http://holly-pinklady.blogspot.com/2021/01/egg-roll-in-bowl.html

      Delete
  9. ChelleFebruary 24, 2023 at 9:47 AM

    I live in fear of frozen pipes in the old house that houses my office and staff; it's been a very real fear around here lately.

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    Replies
    1. Joanne February 24, 2023 at 3:59 PM

      We have lived here 21+ years and have never had pipes freeze; when we built our house we made sure to keep all plumbing away from outside walls... but it was just THAT cold.

      Delete
  10. PamFebruary 24, 2023 at 10:05 AM

    WOW...on the cake. AWESOME job. Frozen pipes would not be something that I have had to deal with, and don't want to either. Bless your heart. Food looks great...all of it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. NY Foodie FamilyFebruary 24, 2023 at 5:29 PM

    I love your son's cake! Congrats again to him! I hear you about the too many books, not enough time to read them. Those cookie bars look delicious! I'm also about balancing healthy eating with the occasional treats! Hope you have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousFebruary 24, 2023 at 6:20 PM

    So many wonderful things to love about February! I can't imagine what it must be like to have pipes frozen because it's so cold. I'm just trying to imagine how you would go about thawing them out?
    Ruth@playworkeatrepeat

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    Replies
    1. Joanne February 26, 2023 at 10:12 AM

      We used both a small space heater and a heat gun to thaw out the pipes.. thankfully my husband some idea because I was totally stumped. We have never had our pipes freeze!

      Delete
  13. NatalieFebruary 24, 2023 at 7:57 PM

    Alec's cake looks beautiful. Congratulations to him again. I hope the frozen pipes didn't cause too much damage. Thank you for your weekend coffee share.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne February 26, 2023 at 10:13 AM

      Thank you! Luckily we only had one small crack in the handle of the faucet so the leaks were easy to reach and easy to fix and we didn't have to tear into any walls.

      Delete
  14. MarshaFebruary 25, 2023 at 12:06 AM

    I love eggroll in a bowl! And, I'm going to have to try several other recipes! I'm hoping your frozen pipes were easily unthawed (I remember those days)!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

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    Replies
    1. Joanne February 26, 2023 at 10:14 AM

      Yes, thankfully they were all thawed and in working order after just a couple of hours.

      Delete
  15. LeanneFebruary 25, 2023 at 7:04 AM

    That's the second time I've seen that cake - and it still looks amazing - so does all the food you ate over the last few weeks. I noticed you had the latest JD Robb book - I read it a few weeks ago and loved it - I think Nora Roberts will always be my favourite author and especially when she writes as JD Robb.

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    Replies
    1. Joanne February 26, 2023 at 10:14 AM

      Aw, thanks! I think you were the one that alerted me to the fact she had a new one out; I love her stories.

      Delete
  16. Tamar SBFebruary 25, 2023 at 7:40 AM

    So much tasty food!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Jennifer WhiteFebruary 25, 2023 at 8:24 AM

    The cake is AMAZING! I will have to show Hadley. Your meals look so good this month as well. I love eggroll in a bowl but haven't made it in a while...now I will add it to our meal plan.

    ReplyDelete
  18. LoryFebruary 25, 2023 at 8:31 AM

    Wow, learning to thaw pipes is an important skill, although I wish you didn't have to use it. I think you deserve to comfort yourself with some treats, along with those healthy meals you pictured. Great cake design too!

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    Replies
    1. Joanne February 26, 2023 at 10:15 AM

      Hopefully it is one skill I wont have to rely on again! :)

      Delete
  19. CathyFebruary 25, 2023 at 10:48 AM

    Sorry you had the need to learn to thaw pipes, but I think that that is a good thing to know. That cake looks awesome...some real talent there. Hope you have a good weekend.

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  20. Jodie's Touch of StyleFebruary 25, 2023 at 10:54 AM

    Alec is quite the amazing baker. I just love seeing what he creates!!
    As for learning the things that catch us by surprise, thank golly for YouTube and the internet nowadays,
    XOXO
    Jodie

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    Replies
    1. Joanne February 26, 2023 at 10:16 AM

      Yes, YouTube does often come in handy! Thankfully my husband is one of those guys that just seems to have the skills and knowledge-- I rely on him a lot.

      Delete
  21. JayneFebruary 25, 2023 at 12:12 PM

    Alec's cake was amazing! So talented. Your meals look so good! I've over indulged on the good stuff while on holiday/vacation. I will be trying to eat a bit healthier next week! x

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  22. Hena TayebFebruary 25, 2023 at 1:33 PM

    Congrats to Alec on his stunning cake.. he must be so happy. Yay on reading all those books.. I have many of them on my TBR list.

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  23. Kim CarberryFebruary 25, 2023 at 2:38 PM

    It does sound like you all had a wonderful time with Alex's cake contest.
    Eek! Frozen pipes are no fun at all. At lease now you know how to deal with them.
    All of your food look so good. x

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    Replies
    1. Joanne February 26, 2023 at 10:18 AM

      Thank you! I hope I never have to deal with frozen pipes again but, yeah, at least I know what to do now.

      Delete
  24. CindyFebruary 25, 2023 at 6:33 PM

    Wow, that cake is fantastic!!! Congratulations to your son! Is that something he wants or does already professionally? There are so many good books, and not enough time, but we will do our best to read them all, right?! Glad you had a good date night and your food looks super yummy!

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    Replies
    1. Joanne February 26, 2023 at 10:19 AM

      He's in a culinary program at his high school and is definitely looking into going to a culinary college; he hopes to work in and open his own bakery one day.

      Delete
  25. Doused in Pink | Chicago Style BlogFebruary 25, 2023 at 9:13 PM

    That cake is amazing! Congrats to your son! That egg roll bowl also looks so yummy!

    Jill - Doused in Pink

    ReplyDelete
  26. Kym February 25, 2023 at 9:44 PM

    Still amazed at Alec's talent whenever I see a picture of that cake! Looks to me like your food choices were balanced between treats and healthy things. ;-) Happy Weekend! Visiting from SFS#10

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne February 26, 2023 at 10:20 AM

      I try to have that balance-- but sometimes I think I lean a bit more towards treats!

      Delete
  27. Lisa BlairFebruary 25, 2023 at 11:09 PM

    Alex cake looks amazing, Joanne! Aww yes, the balance of healthy eating with yummy desserts. I'm sad to hear about your pipes freezing. Great job reading all those books!

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  28. Alex (ScribbleandScran)February 26, 2023 at 6:12 AM

    Cake looks amazing!

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  29. JessFebruary 26, 2023 at 12:34 PM

    I think it's just impossible to avoid having some sweets during Valentine's month. Those cookie bars look delish!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Benita JamesFebruary 26, 2023 at 12:44 PM

    Congratulations to your son, that cake was made to perfection.

    Bernie,
    The Style Fanatic

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  31. JenniferFebruary 27, 2023 at 1:27 PM

    That cake is a showstopper!! WOW - and congratulations! Were you the lucky ones who got to enjoy it?? And those cookie bars don't look bad either:)

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    Replies
    1. Joanne February 27, 2023 at 2:08 PM

      We donated his cake to the local church for their friendship hour.

      Delete
  32. KirstinFebruary 27, 2023 at 9:50 PM

    just love the cake your son made. Also, those cookie bars look amazing!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  33. NatashaMarch 1, 2023 at 6:29 AM

    Of all the things you ate this past month, the mushrooms are what I got really excited about. I LOVE mushrooms!!! Hahaha!!!

    ReplyDelete

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