Tuesday Lose Day.... sigh

I am only down a pound this week.   I know it's still a down, and I know I did not visit the gym Friday or Saturday and ate A LOT of Kateena's buckeye brownies.  I guess this is a reminder that wanting to lose means the weight doesn't magically melt with no effort put in.

So back to the straight and narrow, which means eating well, just not eating it all.  Hopefully I can pick up the lost pound/time, somewhere in the next week, that wedding is getting closer faster.

I will not be the fat bridesmaid, I will not be the fat bridesmaid, I will not be the fat bridesmaid.

Menu Planning Monday...round 2!

Its 2:58 pm and I feel as though it is 2:58am!!! I suppose that is what happens when you start your day at 5am at the gym. Gretchen says it takes doing something for 21 days straight for it to become a habit so hopefully it will get easier.....I'm thinking next time we pick a habit its not something that has to be done at 5AM G...ya got that G!! . Alot has been accomplished and the oven is preheating for dinner so all is not lost...at least not yet anyway :)

Menu Monday 1/30-2/5


Monday- Roast , carrots ,broccoli and cheese rice


Tuesday- Honey sauced chicken,rice and broccoli(new crockpot recipe)


Wednesday-leftovers :)


Thursday-Beef pasta,corn and salad


Friday- Three cheese chicken bake, garlic toast and green beans


Saturday- leftovers :)


Sunday- Steak, rice,beans and carrot salad

Honey Sauced Chicken

Printable Version

3/4 pound chicken (of your choice)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/8 cup chopped onion (or 1/16 cup onion flakes)

1/8 cup ketchup

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3 hours or on high 1 1/2 hours. Chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce. Serve over rice or noodles.

To bake chicken as a 30 minute meal:

Dice chicken and season both sides with salt and pepper, place in 8x8 pan. Pour sauce over chicken and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.

Serves 2.

 

Happy Monday!!

Menu Plan Monday

Uggg  It was a looong weekend, but I slugged it out (manlet being sick and some unpleasant house happenings).  So this is Monday.  Yea..... I actually did drag myself and Kateena to the gym and begrudgingly worked out. 


Here is my menu plan for the week:


Monday :  Pantry Pork Roast from The Durfee Family Recipes  here is the recipe: 


ingredients:
1 (2 lb.) pork roast
1 envelope dry onion soup mix (I used Lipton's beefy onion soup mix)
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup water
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (you could also use beef or chicken broth, whatever you have on hand)
pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Add pork roast to crock pot. Pour onion soup mix, soy sauce, water, broth, and garlic powder over top of roast. Flip roast a few time to get it evenly coated. Add some freshly cracked black pepper over top of roast. Cook on low for 4 hours. Let roast rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting. Strain remaining liquid and serve on the side like an au jus. 


Tuesday:  Chicken Marsala, carrots, mashed potatoes. 


Wednesday: Tilapia, rice, green beans.


Thursday: Pork fried rice ( left over pork roast)


Friday:  Friend's house Friday- Kateena is hosting so I am doing a jello mold for dessert- she'll love it!


Saturday: Left overs!


So there you go.  One week menu, Sunday is omitted as it is Super bowl Sunday and eating will consist of junk apps all day long, I mean c'mon it's a Pats Superbowl!

Have a great week!  


Don't see anything you like?  be sure to take at peek at other meal planners @  http://orgjunkie.com/2012/01/menu-plan-monday-jan-3012.html

and


http://cafescrapper-scrapsoflife.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-tasty-menu-with-recipes-photos-and.html
     

Friend's House Friday

Tonight is my night for Friend's house Friday.   I made the sour cream chicken bake that I mentioned on my Menu Plan Monday.  It was alright, nothing to write home about.  It was something off of pinterest so I guess that is something.  
You decide.....

KATEENA as usual made an incredible Buckeye Brownie.  The recipe is on the same post above.  They are so good they will make you drop the "f" bomb... and I did.  Check it out!

OMG sooo good.


Rather uneventful day besides that.  Kids are playing, or rather destroying Manlet's room.  The mess is cleaned up in like 30 minutes,  so no big deal- props to Kateena for giving me that perspective, I used to flip out with that kind of mess, but he is 4 and that is what they do.


Happy Friday!

Who? What????

The manlet is home today from feeling under the weather.  I now feel under the weather and he is running amok!  Ugghhh.  Thank you manlet, mommy loves you.


Parked on the couch with laptop upon the lap I am reading my fellow bloggers and once again I am struck by references to the show Dr. Who.  Not the one from when I was a kid, the one that looks like Harry Potter with an afro who has drank two too many espressos.  This is a new Dr. Who, I just watched the first episode and I still don't understand what I just saw, something about mannequins coming to life ( like that won't give me night terrors!).


Ordinarily, I would be all done with this, but 3 different women I know who are BRILLIANT, love this show so now I am wondering what all the fuss is about.  So here goes nothing.... jeez where is the tylenol?


If you are a Dr. Who fan, the new who, let me know if this is a waste of my time.

Tuesday Lose Day

It's a good thing I cleaned the house up yesterday because I am going to be very busy dying today after my trip to the gym this AM.  Living up to a training session expectations..... very hard, hell- LIVING after a training session is hard.   Kateena and I go anyway in the wee hours of the morning, because no one wants to be a fatty bridesmaid. We went, worked out, and are patiently awaiting the results.   

I see a glimmer of hope. I have lost 2 pounds this week.  I have been using a site my friend April recommended called "Lose it.com".  It's free and it is very similar to the Weight Watchers online site.  You create a profile, set goals and deadlines, some biological info and it sets up a reasonable timeline for your weight loss based on your calorie allowance.  You log your activity, your food and weight ( I do this just once a week, otherwise I would go nuts) and LoseIt.com takes care of the rest.  I had some success with the WW  online and hopefully this combined with the gym every day will produce some good results.  

I guess the proof is in the pudding, I am down 2 pounds this week.  I know the norm is to lose it very easy in the beginning, so while I am encouraged I remain cautiously optimistic.  Well maybe doggedly  determined is the better phrase.  I simply refuse to be a fat bridesmaid, refuse.  

refuse.   yea. 

Menu Monday

First things first....the Patriots are going to the SUPERBOWL and living in New England where there are so many die hard fans that it would not have been a good week if they lost.....Not saying any names! (Gretchen,Gretchen, Gretchen) I like the Pats and think they have had a great season but my heart will always belong to the Cowgirls..oops I meant Cowboys, sorry but they just need to play well again....love em but respect the game enough to call em on it when they are doing bad.

Menu this week is pretty simple and as a bonus I was able to use alot on hand. I love that I am able to keep a well stocked pantry and freezer without breaking the piggy bank :). And I owe it all to COUPONS!! I'll say it again ...it is alot of work but so worth it in the end.

http://orgjunkie.com/2012/01/menu-plan-monday-jan-2312-menu-planning-with-picky-eaters.html

MENU 1/23-1/29

Monday- Chicken Stew over white rice and salad

Tuesday- Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad and garlic bread

Wednesday-leftovers

Thursday -Brazilian chicken stroganoff

Friday- Dinner at Gretchens, I am making Buckeye brownies

Saturday-grilled ham and cheese and tator tots ...easy night since the hubby will be working late :)

Sunday- Baked Chicken, roasted broccoli and ranch rice

For my new recipe of the week I will be making the Buckeye brownies .

Buckeye Brownies, from Almost Homemade cookbook


19-1/2 oz. pkg. brownie mix 
2 c. powdered sugar 
1/2 c. plus 6 T. butter, softened and divided 
8-oz. jar creamy peanut butter 
6-oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips 


Prepare and bake brownie mix in a greased 13"x9"baking pan according to package directions. Let cool. Mix powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter and peanutbutter. Mix well and spread over cooled brownies. Chill for one hour. Melt together chocolate chips and remaining butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Spread over brownies. Let cool; cut into squares. Makes 2 to 3 dozen. 

Happy Menu Planning!!

Menu Plan Monday and AFC Championship Aftermath

Oh my, Menu plan or superbowl gush?  Business first I guess.


So happily I can report this will be a light week for the shopping, which is good, because I am now needing to budget for a SUPERBOWL PARTY!!! PATS ARE GOING TO BOWL BABY!!!! eheemmm sorry, that sometimes happens, can't be controlled. With out further adieu.....


Monday: Creamy Italian crock pot chicken (you know the one with the cream cheese, chicken, zesty italian)


Tuesday: Parmesan Tilapia, rice, broccoli & cheese


Wednesday: Beef Stroganoff


Thursday: Pork Chops-recipe is from Kateena, and I am hoping she will link it here??


Friday: Sour Cream Chicken Bake which I found on pinterest and followed to the recipe here .  


Saturday: Leftovers.




NOW....PATRIOTS WON THE AFC !! to Quote Rob Gronkowski " WE'RE GOING TO THE SHIP!"
I called Kateena as soon as it was over and her husband insisted she answer the phone on speaker so I got the pleasure of blowing out the eardrums of not just Kateena, but her entire family with my jubilant screams.  My husband sadly would not allow me to go down to the proshop last night to get the new AFC champions hat.  Booooo!  It was such a game, I was in knots most of it.
I now have a superbowl party to plan, so I am glad that this weeks menu is on the "I already have most of this stuff in the house" side.


As for Kateena and her notorious "g" file?  I will admit she has many .... unflattering photos of me, HOWEVER it is simply because ...... SHE IS CHICKEN!!!  Yea, I rode the bull, hell there is a country song that even talks about riding a bull when presented the opportunity- and she is from TEXAS, you can't get more country that that right?  NOOOOOO, the northern girl is taking the bull by the horns all the time...ok, well this time it took me, but I lasted a good 15 seconds at least!  My point is, when stuff needs doing, I do it and I can always count on Kateena to photograph the event.  
To Kateena's defense, when situations come down to "handling" a situation ( ie. ripping Crapcast for me for screwing my installation when I moved to my new place.)  She is ACES!  Plus, she generally is the keeper of the leash when I get my over the top Tiger mom on.  lol


So there you have it, not bad for menu plan monday on the day after superbowl sunday seating.  


Long Live BENJARVUS GREEN-ELLIS AND ROB GRONKOWSKI!

A Happy MESS!!!

We have had a great weekend. It started Friday night with "Friendly Fridays" . This week was my week to host at my house.I chose to make comfort meatballs from the Pioneer Woman , who can do no wrong in my book along with mashed potatoes, corn and 7-up rolls. The meatballs were like meatolaf balls...yummy and kid approved which goes a LONG way in this house.  The meatball recipe called for them to be cooked in the oven for 35-45 minutes after browning . I wanted to have them made ahead of time so after browning I just put them in my crockpot on high for 2 hours...turned out perfect!

 The 7-up rolls did not turn out as pretty as all the pictures on Pinterest but they were yummy, I think I found the Colonel's secret to his biscuits;) If only I could crack the chicken ..lol

The kids played and PLAYED until this was left of my daughters room...be scared very scared................

All done by two 4 year olds and  it was CLEAN before , how they do it I have no idea but honestly I did not care one bit about the mess, that mess meant that they had FUN, now granted there was alot of he said she said tattle-telling going on but dinosaurs were saved thanks to Scooby doo pirates and to this Momma  that makes cleaning up sooo worth it!!

Saturday brought a playdate with new friends and it went great, I mean how could it not G rode a bull.....yes I have pictures but I might not live if I posted them so they go into a "special" file incase they need to used at a later date....I must admit that folder is growing quite large....just a little FYI ;)  The night ended with a little  Rockstar action from my favorite little one ..speaking of my little Rockstar . Bella  brought home her Star of the week poster from preschool and one part asked "You are a star because........." and she had to finish the sentence well what does my child respond with "I am a star because I'm going to rock this house!" ....LOVE HER and the things she comes up with....can't wait to hear the response from Miss Laurie on that one...lol

Rockstar in training

Sunday was laid back waiting for the playoff game to start. We took Isabella to eat and play then after a quick stop at the grocery store came home and realxed. Isabella asked for a chocolate cake this afternoon which was a coincidence since this morning Gretchen had just pointed  out a good recipe on Pinterest . We got to work in the kitchen cooking and I cannot begin say enough good things about it....hands down the best cake ...Bella is a frosting girl and she ate the whole thing , the hubby even went for round 2 and he is not a cake guy. The recipe contains alot of liquid so I was unsure how it would bake up but it was FABULOUS...you must try this if you are a chocolate lover.

 Isabella thought it needed sprinkles and who am I to disagree, I think it made the cake PERFECT

                                                                   YUMMY

The dishwasher is loaded, living room is vaccumed, Bella's room is clean, laundry is drying and another weekend is over. I am tired but I am smiling because even though I have cleaned up just to mess it up and do it all again WE ARE HAPPY and HEALTHLY and thankful for all that we have. I could complain about cleaning and cooking but when I think about how much fun and smiles come from all that mess it makes it all worth it !!!

5am gym call is soon....Have a great week!! Kat

Nothing with that much butter can be bad

So here I am at Kateena's house and I am blogging.  It is her friday for dinner, so I made desert- we switch off this way every week.  I made desert all right.  It smells wonderful and the recipe calls for an entire stick of butter, so how could it be bad.  If appearances count for anything, this desert is BAD TO THE BONE!  It's not a pretty thing and I see now that when you have a dish as ugly as this, it commands an ugly name....wait for it. ..... the name of this is Flaugnarde.  Please don't ask how it is pronounced, I am loathe to think of the injuries that could result in the attempt.   

The recipe is something I found on Pinterest- so points for doing not just pinning, points for something neither Kateena or I have found before, and points for it actually made the house smell awesome.


Here is the recipe  http://eat-drink-garden.com/2010/08/finelys-flaugnarde/


Let me know if you have any luck making a pretty Flaugnarde or if you figure out how to say it with out bodily harm.

Strike two "hooka"!

I have a terrible memory it seems.  Kateena and I discussed, at length our new and improved gym plan last night.  I went to bed, reading The Hunger Games and being very pleased that we were back on track.  Apparently 6 hours is all I need to get off that track.  Yeaaaaaaa, I forgot to set my alarm and slept right thru  thus earning me a scathing facebook message at 545 am calling me a "hooka" .  Not as bad as it seems because I still giggle when she calls me that and I still do not understand why "hooka" is her insult of choice.  However, this is the 2nd time I have done this, I did feel badly, so I set my alarm then and there.


We still went to the gym, that gym is a HOT MESS, and worked out for 30 minutes.  I think the every other day of butt kicking workout and easier cardio 6 days a week works out ok, right?


So I am publicly apologizing to Kateena, for being a "hooka"and a late and forgetful one at that.

Tuesdays = Lose Days!

I got off to a really good start the 1st week of the month with going to the gym.  It is amazing how cold weather can wick away your will to work out early in the AM.  ( Holy moley that was a lot of W's)


I went to a bridal shop with my friend who is getting married so she can pick out a dress for me to wear.  She actually picked out one that really looks very nice even as I am now.  HOWEVER, I am not going to be a fatty Maid of Honor, so I renewed my commitment to the gym and signed up for an online tracker called Lose It.  It is very similar to Weight Watchers on line, but free.  I have another friend who had signed up and her working out and eating better are just incredibly inspiring-and she is one busy mama!  So if she can, I must!


So Tuesday is Lose day for me.  I will record my progress ( as I started today I have no progress to report other than the hour I did today-30 min elliptical 30 weight training ) and hopefully a genuine public account of my eatings and doings will keep me on the right track.


So here is to the strapless gown that already gives my waist a good look, may it be a kind to my arms in 4 months!


Wish me luck!


PS.  reading a kindle while on an elliptical can be hazardous to your health... you've been warned.

Menu Plan Monday

This weeks menu is completely last minute but yummy none the less. I really wanted to make meals from what I had on hand and was able to do so very easily thanks to a pretty well stocked pantry. I was able to keep my grocery budget way under and with what I did spend was able to stock up on a few items. I always buy my staple items at Market Basket and sales match for other stores. This week was a slow week but I did manage to save 50% at Big Y price matching my coupons with their weekly sale. Not too shabby at all!! People might make fun of me but I like to look back and see how far I have come in trying to get my families grocery budget down. The more money I save the more we have for savings, vacations, etc....I see DISNEY WORLD ....heheh!!!
http://orgjunkie.com/2012/01/menu-plan-monday-jan-1612.html

1/16-1/21

Monday- Blackened chicken alfredo with spinach and mushroon served with garlic bread

Tuesday- Onion baked pork chops with broccoli macaroni and cheese and corn.

Wednesday- LEFTOVERS :)

Thursday- 3 Can Chicken in the crockpot served over noodles and salad

Friday- Comfort meatballs, mashed potatoes and 7up rolls

Saturday- LEFTOVERS:)

Sunday-Lemon-garlic chicken, ranch rice and green beans, Banana cake for dessert

I am still making one new recipe a week and this week it will be the Garlic-lemon chicken on Sunday and I don't have the exact recipe from G yet so I will post the recipe for the Comfort meatballs on Friday...they are yummy but EVERYTHING Miss Ree cooks is YUMMY!! 

Comfort Meatballs
Recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman

Meatballs
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup quick oats
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons finely minced onion
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
black pepper
4 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup flour

Sauce
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons distilled wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4-6 tablespoons minced onion
dash of Tabasco (G, I will leave this out for you...lol)

In a bowl, combine ground beef and oats.  Add milk, onion, salt and pepper; stir to combine.  Roll mixture into tablespoon-size balls (I used a cookie scoop), refrigerate 30-45 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350.  Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Dredge meatballs in flour and brown in batches until light brown.  Place into baking dish.  Stir together sauce ingredients and drizzle on meatballs.  Bake about 45 minutes or until bubbly and hot


Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs
recipe courtesy of Emerill Legasse

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs with bones and skin, about 3 1/2 pounds
• 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cups thinly sliced onions
• 10 cloves (about 1 1/4heads) garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 pound angel hair pasta
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Season the chicken thighs with 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the freshly ground pepper.

Place the flour in a shallow dish. Lightly dredge the chicken in the flour and set aside.

In a large wide saute pan with 2 to 3-inch sides, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the thighs and brown well on both sides, about 6 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Add the onions to the oil and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the chicken until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the bay leaf and cook 1 minute. Add the lemon juice, chicken broth, and browned chicken thighs to the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover tightly, and place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the lid and cook an additional 15 minutes, or until cooked through and tender.

While the chicken is baking, cook the pasta until al dente, 4 to 5 minutes for dry pasta. Drain well and toss in a large bowl with 3 tablespoons of the parsley and the butter.

To serve, place a portion of pasta in the center of 4 large plates. Arrange 2 thighs around each serving of pasta and drizzle lemon garlic cooking liquid over the pasta. Garnish with additional parsley and serve immediately.

I have also been wanting to make the 7UP rolls that have been all over pinterest and  thought that they would go perfect with this meal.I will update on Friday on how they turn out.

2 cups Bisquick

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup 7-up

1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 450.

Cut sour cream into biscuit mix, add 7-Up. Makes a very soft dough.

Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan.  Place cut biscuits in pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

** I buy Jiffy baking mix...its about 2 dollars cheaper and works just as good as the bisquick**

It has been COLD here in the Boston area for the past few days and I do believe winter is here and that makes this Texas girl very sad...I was really liking the mild winter .Sunday was a nice day with a quick run to Target , picking up a  pizza and then relaxing at home. Cold weather makes me want to stay inside drinking hot cocoa and watch cheesy Lifetime movies but with a child and hubby I don't see that happening. Lots of games and Scooby Doo watching instead but it has been a nice afternoon at home. Grocery shopping is done and my wonderful hubby is doing laundry tonight so I can rest ....LOVE that man!!! Have a great  week....mine is getting off to a perfect start :)

Manic Monday.....

Just like the song says, I wish it were a Sunday.  Today is going to be a loooong day.  I was intending to go to the gym this AM but when I heard it was going to be below 0 at gym time, I promptly changed my mind.
Lot's to do today, and I have the manlet home for the holiday, but let's get it started anyway.  We are also linking up with Orgjunkie blog as always!





Menu Plan 1/16-1/21


Monday:  Crockpot chicken and dumplings


Tuesday: Kokinisto ( Greek dish - for the hubs- the name means 'reddened beef')* recipe below 


Wednesday:
Spaghetti


Thursday:
Chicken lo mein (with the left over spaghetti)


Friday:
Struffoli pockets ( an italian dessert, dinner is at Kateena's this week)


Saturday:
Pork Chops, Mashed potatoes, corn




Today is going to be a mad dash for the finish line.  Ugghh.  Market Basket shopping in morning, then lunch for the manlet, put away the groceries ( lunch may have to be to go ala bento if it is closer to lunch than I would like).   Then to meet my coupon guy to see if he has stacks for me- he typically does, but sometimes not, I try not to ask too many questions.  Then off to Big Y store to finish off the grocery shopping in the afternoon.  Home, put groceries away again and then late snack and off to a dress shop in RI for a bridesmaid fitting.  Home again, dinner, bath and bed.  GOOD GRIEF, thank goodness this is not a typical day.  I am exhausted just thinking about it all.  Wish me luck.

***Kokinisto recipe

1 -1 1/2 pound stew beef.
1 large onion rough chopped
1/2 bunch parsley
3-5 garlic cloves chopped
3-4 whole garlic cloves
3-4 dashes cinnamon
2 chopped tomatoes (I use canned)
2- 8 ounce cans of tomato sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
salt 
pepper


In a large pot ( dutch oven is perfect for this) heat oil and salt and brown meat on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add onions, chopped garlic and parsley, saute until translucent.
Add tomatoes and cook until they begin to give up some liquid.
Return meat to the pan, add cinnamon and whole garlic clove.
Add 2 cans of tomato sauce and stir.  
Add 2 empty cans filled with water.
Season with salt or pepper as you like.
Bring to boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 2 hours.
You can serve with noodles, I serve it over rice.

Valentine treats

For the first time in a very long time, Kateena and I did NOT wait till the last minute to panic about school treats of the non edible kind.  We started panicking well ahead of time.  Ha ha,  nahhh we are actually done with the kids treats and will make the teacher and bus drivers valentines next week.

We were able to make these very inexpensively. The glow bracelets came from the Target Dollar spot of all places.  The pdf was provided by http://www.theteacherwife.blogspot.com/ and I highly recommend her site, it is fantastic!!!  We also linked this up on http://todayscreativeblog.net/craft-to-make/

So here is the building of a valentine.

The teacherwife blog pdf, too cute right?

We used a hole punch instead of taping the glow stick to the heart.

Double stick tape on the white heart.

Thread the glow stick carefully.

Friend's House Fridays

Every week Kateena and I switch off having dinner at the others house.  On these Fridays the kids get to play while we work on our shopping and menu plans and or what ever project we have going on at that time.  The host makes dinner and the guest makes dessert.  Tonight is my night. So here is the run down.  I will add pics later tonight.


Dinner tonight is Parmesan Tilapia with ranch rice and green beans.  My friend Jennifer gave me this recipe.  She is a blogger too, check out her blog @ http://ticket-to-crazytown.blogspot.com/ .  Now I am not a fish person, but I LOVE this.  LOVE IT. Even the manlet likes this.  I hope Kateena will too.  Here is the recipe:

1/4 c. parm cheese (grated) I use the kraft in the plastic shaker
2 tbsp. butter softened
1 tbsp. + 1.5 tsp. mayonnaise (if you don't like mayo, don't worry, you won't taste it in the recipe)
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic salt (or garlic powder, but I like the salt personally)

- Mix butter, mayo, and all seasonings in a bowl and set aside.
- Place tilapia fillets vein side up on foil in baking pan (spray foil with cooking spray).
- Broil for 2-3 minutes. 
- Turn fillets and broil for 2-3 more minutes.
- Remove fillets from oven & top with parmesan mixture.
- Replace under broiler for 2 minutes or until mixture is browned and fish flakes easily.

Ranch rice is very simple.  Just add 3/4 of a ranch packet to the water you add to the rice you are cooking. *note I do not make minute rice.  My rice is the old fashion kind, you know the ginormous bags that you see in the lower shelves of the market that weigh 10 tons, yea those.


**edited to add photos.

It was a hit even the kids ate the fish!!!

Kateena made cinnamon blossoms that literally melt in you mouth.

Bug or M&M overdose?

Yesterday the manlet awakes from his nap and announces he is "too full" and doesn't want to eat anymore food. Hmmmm, he has eaten 1 peanut butter and jelly sandwich upon returning home from school, and 1 lindt chocolate truffle (the last one from my Christmas stocking).  I ask him well how much food have you eaten.  My manlet now realizes he has painted himself into a corner, and answers the ever present "I don't know" whilst his eyes guilty shifted to the new M & M dispenser we were given for Christmas.  I asked him if he ate the candies and he answered yes, and then I asked how many he ate.  His answer was "bunches".  I pick up the dispenser and find it nearly empty and I know I had filled it with a one pound bag just 2 days ago.  Minutes later, manlet walks into the room and informs me he is really having tummy troubles by throwing up a la 6th sense style on my living room carpet, then takes 2 more steps and does it again.  I grab and run him into the bathroom, all the while he is still going and I to have to second shower for the day.  I get him in the bathroom and then step into his bedroom to get him a blanket, as he is now shivering from the shock of it all, when I see another mess splashed.  Long story short this continues thru the night (I literally was on the phone crying with Kateena when Round 4 began) and I felt horrible, for him and for me.  The husband was certain manlet was deathly ill and I spent much of the night arguing that he did not have a fever and was not having any additional symptoms, at worst .  Things subsided around 10:30 and I wound up sitting next to, note not directly next to and under, his bed dozing every so often, ready with a bucket.
I don't know if he had an M&M overdose, or caught the stomach bug that was going around, but this morning he was thirsty ( thank goodness) and hungry.  Water and dry toast is the breakfast of champions today and as my friend Xtina says "everything tastes better when cut diagonally"  Manlet, wholly agrees with you on that Xtina!  He seems in great spirits today, but I am keeping him home none the less.

Banana Bread Randoms!!

Today has been a nice relaxing day. The house is clean, laundry is folded and put away, dinner is cooked and I even manged to bake the hubby some banana bread. He asked for some more today on his way to work and I know he did not think I would make it today but it is sitting on the kitchen counter cooling as I type. Its the little things we do to make our family happy and as a bonus it will be really good with my coffee in the morning;)

Gretchen linked up for a recipe blog today so I thought I would include the recipe. It is  my favorite (and the hubs) recipe. I like for its simplicity .

Banana Bread

makes 1 loaf 

Preheat oven to 350

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 cups baking mix

1 cup very ripe banana

*choice of nuts, choc chips, coconut

 Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan.  Cream sugar and shortening. Add remaining ingredients. Mix until blended. Pour into loaf pan and bake55 minutes. Cool slightly in pan before removing. I usually leave the nuts out in mine and add mini chocolate chips. Today I added coconut as well . Enjoy

And now for the RANDOM part of the post

 "Momma can I get a kiss and a hug, I love you and Daddy" ........thats all it takes  to melt this momma's heart. Isabella has cracked the code. She knows that I will stop whatever it is I'm doing and give her a kiss and a hug. Tonight it got her ice cream for dessert before she really finished her dinner...now I am not a "clean plate" type of Momma but I do require her to eat what I think is a good amount before she gets dessert . Right after telling her three more bites she said it  and next thing I knew I was dishing up dessert!!! Good thing she is cute:) Think I have SUCKER written all over my face!! I am hoping that I am not the only parent this happens to. And before you call me a sucker G ...Nelson has you pegged too!!!! 

So tonight is ending with reading some more of The Hunger Games on my new Kindle that the hubby bought for me. It really is so nice to be able to download books anytime I want . G, have you started it yet??

Okay enough with all the randomness I'm calling it a night....enjoy yours !!