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Sunday, October 31, 2010

Chicken Florentine

Florentine in a recipe title means the dish features spinach, but you could also make this with kale, broccoli rabe, escarole or other greens.  This is a family friendly dish!




Recipe from: Weight Watchers Success

Ingredients:

*2 teas olive oil
*4 (3oz) thin-sliced skinless chicken breasts
*1/2 teas salt
*1/4 teas pepper
*1 small onion, thinly sliced
*1 (10oz) bag triple-washed spinach, cleaned
*1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
*1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese

Directions:

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil.  Saute the chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes.  Turn over adn sprinkle with 1/4 teas of the salt and 1/8 teas of the pepper; saute until cooked through, about 3 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a plate.

2. In the skillet, saute the onion until tender, about 3 minutes.  Add the spinach, in batches if necessary; cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes.  Add the wine; cook until most of the liquid evaporates, about 1 minute.  Return the chicken to the skillet; sprinkle evenly with the cheese.  Cook, covered, until the cheese melts, about 1 minute.

Weight Watchers: 5 POINTS
Serving Size: 1 chicken breast

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Friday, October 29, 2010

Weekly Menu Plan

Friday- Out to dinner

Saturday- Chicken Florentine, Recipe
               Oven Roasted Potatoes
               Broccoli

Sunday- Cheesy Shell Lasagna, Recipe
             Salad
             Garlic Bread

Monday- Ultimate Chicken Sandwiches, Recipe
             Mac & Cheese
             Veggie

Tuesday- Italian Chicken
              Creamy Noodles
              Veggie

Wednesday- Mexican Stuffed Shells
                   Veggie

Thursday- Roast Chicken
                Baked Potatoes
                Veggie

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Kroger Steals & Deals!

I don't generally visit Kroger too often, it's usually only when they have the "Mega Events" that I shop there.  I forgot to take a picture of my items purchased, but I went to Couponing to Disney to get my list compiled and everything was under $1!

The "Mega Event" this time is Buy 10 participating FROZEN foods and get $5 off instantly!

*1 Healthy Choice Steamers (Used $1/1, October All You)
*2 Eggo Waffles ($1/2 Kroger Home Mailer)
*4 El Monteray Mexican Snacks (Used 4, .50/1 coupons, when doubled each coupon was worth $1 off each item)
*1 Hungry Man Dinner (Used $2/1 Facebook coupon, made this FREE!)
*2 Kid Cuisines (Used $1/2, October All You)

*Not a participating item, but the Mini Raisin boxes, 14ct are on sale for $1.  Use .50/1 from Kroger home mailer, makes these FREE!

Totals:
Spent: $13.62
Saved: $16.24

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FRIDAY FREEBIE


Today's freebie is a sample of Head & Shoulder's shampoo.

Click here to get yours!

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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Publix Totals-Saved 41%, LINK UP!!

I'm really pleased with my week at Publix.  They have great B1G1 deals!
See the "Under $1" match-ups at Couponing to Disney and the "Full ad" match-ups at Southern Savers!

Here is what I bought:

*4 boxes Ronzoni Garden Delight Pasta (All 4 were FREE!)
*4 bags Mahatma Rice (Not B1G1, but with the .50/1 makes it just .19 a bag!!)
*2 Perdue fully-cooked chicken nuggets, $1.19 each after $1/1 coupon (These are in the refridgerator section, not frozen)
*1 Publix sour cream (on sale for .99)
*Publix foil (on sale for $2.39 for 50 sq. ft.)
*2 boxes Excedrin Tablets (On sale for $1.99, use $1/1 get it for .99 a box!)
*2 Pillsbury Grand Biscuits (On sale for 1.25 each, use .30/2 and get it for .95 each!)
*2 boxes Cascadian Farms Organic Granola Bars (Use 1 publix coupon from Harvest booklet, and $1/1 printable, makes each box FREE!)
*1 box Bisquick Mix (Not on sale)
*4 boxes Uncle Ben's Rice Mixes, .37 each, after .75/2 coupon
*1 Publix cream cheese
*1 Barilla Pasta sauce, $1.29 each
*1 bag of fresh Spinach, $2.00 each
*1 can black olives
*1 Lender's bagels, .90 each
*1 bag Sargento shredded cheese, $2.19 after $1/1 coupon from home mailer
*3 loaves Cole's Garlic Bread, .49 each after $1/1 coupon
*1 Publix fresh pizza dough
*1 Deli sliced cheese
*1 Taco Bell Dinner Kit, .35 each after .50/1 coupon
*1 can of tomato paste
*2 packages of fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts ($2.99/lb, cheaper at Kroger this week at $1.99/lb)
*1 package fresh ground beef
*2 boxes Pillsbury Savorings, .91 each after $1/1 coupon

Totals:
Paid: $36.52
Saved: $62.50 or 41%!




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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Aveda Birthday Program

Join Aveda's Birthday Program and you'll get a 3-piece Smooth Infusion Sample Pack which includes, shampoo, conditioner and Style-Prep Smoother!  Then on your birthday they'll send you a FREE GIFT valued up to $24!

Go here to sign up!


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WEDNESDAY FREEBIE

Tom's Of Maine is giving away 100,000 samples to the first to request today of their new Wicked Fresh! toothpaste.  It's an all natural toothpaste, I'm excited to try it!


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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

30 Days of Truth-Day 8

Day 08 → Someone who made your life hell


Okay, so for the 4th time, I could say my EX from years ago...but I'm really sick of talking about him.  If I allow him to occupy my thoughts, then I allow him to win and have control still to this day over me. 

I do not remember anyone specifically who made my life hell on a continuous basis.  There have been many people I have come across in my life who have the ability of making my life hell, but graciously back down.  Reading these daily questions, it gets me thinking about if I have ever impacted someone elses life whether good or bad over the years.  I don't think we realize how much other people do affect us on a daily, weekly or yearly basis. 

Basically to close out this day, no one has yet to really make my life hell.  I hope that I am strong enough to not allow them to determine how my life will be!

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3 Bean Turkey Chili

I found this recipe on Gina's Skinny Taste.  She has a great website full of WW recipes, every recipe I have made so far has been awesome.  This chili is, yes I will say it...better then my own recipe! 

Ingredients:

*1 pound ground turkey breast
*1 small onion, chopped
*1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
*1 (16oz) can tomato sauce
*1 (4.5oz) can chopped chiles, drained
*1 (15oz) can chickpeas, undrained
*1 (15oz) can black beans, undrained
*1 (15oz) can small red beans, undrained
*2 Tbsp chili powder

Directions:

1. Brown turkey and onion in a medium skillet over med-high heat until cooked through, drain off fat

2. Add the beans, chiles, chickpeas, tomatoes, tomato sauce adn chili powder, mixing well

3. Cook on high 6-8 hours

Toppings:

*I used green onion, yellow onion (Yes, I LOVE onions), and reduced fat cheddar cheese.

Weight Watchers: 3 Points
Serves 12
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Spider Cookies


Such a good addition to any Halloween Party!!


Ingredients:

*1 pouch cookie mix (any flavor), I used "Funfetti Cookie Mix"
*30 Rollo Carmel Candies
*Black or Red string licorice
*Mini M&M's
*Black gel


Directions:

*Bake cookies according to directions on the pouch

*Immediately after baking, place a Rollo in the center of the cookie.  Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks

*Cut licorice into 2-inch pieces for the legs.  Attach legs by sticking into the caramel.  The Rollo will be melted enough to easily do this.  Use the Mini M&M's and place on for eyes, use black gel to make pupils in the eyes.
Those pull apart licorice is not easy, you have to have patience with these!

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Tuesday Freebie: 2011 Oriental Trading Calendar


You can still get your FREE 2011 Oriental Trading Calendar, by going here


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Monday, October 25, 2010

Free Natura Advantage Dog Food

Go here for a free 5lb. bag of Natura Advantage dog food.  This is a high quality dog food, so a free bag is amazing!! 



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FREEBIE: Food Should Taste Good

Head on over to Food Should Taste Good's facebook page for a free bag of these chips, all you have to do is "like" them!  Whooo Hoooo, I love anything free!

I have never heard of or tried these, has anyone and what are your thoughts?



Thanks I Heart Publix!!

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30 Days of Truth-Day 7

Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.
There are obvious people who make my life worth living and that's Jackson and Julianna.  But what exactly led me up to this point in my life of being able to have those two precious babies is someone who truly made my life worth living.  That someone is Jey.

As I posted in Day 3, I was in an abusive relationship that had me questioning every aspect of my life.  When things finally ended, I was at a loss, confused and a completely different person.  I honestly wasn't sure where to go with my life, do I move back home to Virginia and leave everything I had worked so hard to accomplish here in Georgia behind?  I wanted a different life, the one I had created for me here in Georgia was not worth living.  I remember going home to visit my family and still was not 100% certain if I was going to move back home even when I left.  It still remains to be one of the lowest points of my life.

A few short weeks later I met Jey, and slowly but surely things finally started to fall into place.  Jey was a breath of fresh air, supportive of my situation(s) and loving.  The road that was taken along side of Jey has been and continues to be the best direction my life has gone.  I believe that people come into your life for a particular reason and there is one person that is meant to be your life long companion; I was lucky enough to have found him and he makes my life worth living each and every day!


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General Mills Steal-Kroger

Ran out first thing this morning to stock-up on the General Mills Promo.  Buy 4 participating products get $6.00 off instantly!! I love these types of deals!

Spent: $8.39, Saved: $37.10

My Steals:

*2 Boxes Honey Nut Cheerios (SS 9/19, or printable)
*2 Boxes Lucky Charms (Needed a fill in and didn't have any coupons out)
*2 Boxes Reeses Puffs (printable)
*2 Boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch (printable)
*4 Bags Chex Mix (printable)

Grand Total:
Spent: $8.39
Saved: $37.10

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GRAND CHEF: 10 Piece Mixing Bowl Set $5.99!!!

Fellow Cookers and Bakers this deal is for you!!!
JUST $5.99 + $3.99 shipping!!

This is a great deal brought to you by Tanga, and a great buy for Christmas gifts for those of your family and friends who are cookers and bakers.  Each 10-piece set is just $5.99, but the great thing is you can order up to 4 sets and still only pay $3.99 total for shipping!  Thanks Who Doesn't Love Coupons?

Go to this link and snag one!
Tanga

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Sunday, October 24, 2010

30 Days of Truth-Day 6

Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do.


I hope that I never have to endure the loss of any one of my kids.  Just the part of typing this right now makes me sick.  I'm not sure what I would do with myself if something ever happened to them. 

I often hear on the news or different blogs about people going through the loss of a child.  Reading their stories makes my heart ache for them, I'm not sure how I would go on or if I ever could.  I have even told Jey before that the kids are NOT driving until they are 30!  So many teenagers lose their lives to driving and I think that I can protect them from that if they just don't drive.  I know it's unrealistic but, at least I can control that until their 18 and even then, I will make sure Jey has one of those cool little GPS gadgets on their cars that tells me everything including the speed they are driving.

Ugh, I seriously have to stop writing about this...I'm so anxious and just sick right now thinking about it.

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Chicken with Red Sauce

We had company over last night and I decided instead of trying a new recipe, I would just make something that I knew was good and easy to double for multiple guests.  This is my Moms recipe and it's a crowd pleaser!  I'm going to give the directions for a single batch, which serves 4.

Ingredients:

*4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*1 tsp salt
*1 Tbsp sugar
*1/2 garlic clove, minced
*1/2 cup chopped onion
*1/2 cup water
*1 cup ketchup
*1/4 cup lemon juice
*2 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp melted for sauce, and 1 Tbsp for browning chicken
*2 Tbsp all purpose flour (For browning chicken)

Directions:

1.  Flour chicken and brown in 1 Tbsp of butter in a dutch oven.

2. Mix together all other ingredients and pour over chicken in dutch oven.

3. Simmer on med-low until chicken is cooked through, usually about an hour to an hour and a half.  Lower, slower cooking is better.

**I usually serve this with rice or baked potatoes!

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30 Days of Truth-Day 5

Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.

I could sit here and write everything that I hope to do in my life; bungie jump, go to Europe, have 4 kids, live into my 80's...there's a ton.  But I'm not going to simply list things that I know will eventually and hopefully get accomplished.

Something I really hope to accomplish in my life is to be a good mom.  I can strive for that each day with my kids, but it's not until my kids get older that I will realize if I really and truly am a "good mom."  I hope to be able to raise my son to be a strong, independent, loving and caring man like his father, a hard worker full of self motivation.  I hope I am able to raise my daughter to be loving, unselfish, confident and most importantly a strong woman able to succeed on her own without needing a man in her life. 

For now I will always question whether I am a "good mom."  All I can do is continue to do my best with loving, supporting and teaching them everything I know and hope that one day I will get the label from my kids as a "Good Mom!"

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30 Days of Truth

I've had a few friends recently email me regarding the "30 Days of Truth" series that I've been blogging about.  I wanted to post the list in its entirety on here so you all could see exactly what will be written.  When I write about a specific topic, I am as brutally honest as I can be and it's all real and all me.

THE LIST:

Day 01 → Something you hate about yourself.
Day 02 → Something you love about yourself.
Day 03 → Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 04 → Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 08 → Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.
Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11 → Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12 → Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13 → A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)
Day 14 → A hero that has let you down. (letter)
Day 15 → Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16 → Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17 → A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18 → Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19 → What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20 → Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21 → (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22 → Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23 → Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24 → Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)
Day 25 → The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26 → Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27 → What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28 → What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29 → Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30 → A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself

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Friday, October 22, 2010

Spaghetti with Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs

This recipe is amazing and such a nice change to your every day spaghetti recipe, plus the bonus..it's quick and easy!!

Recipe Courtesy of:  Every Day with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

*1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
*1/2 cup milk
*1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
*3 garlic cloves, minced
*2 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes
*Salt to taste
*1 pound lean ground sirloin
*2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
*1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
*1 large egg
*4oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 20 1/2-inch cubes
*1 pound spaghetti

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, soak the bread crumbs in the milk

2. In a large, wide saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add 2 garlic cloves (minced) and cook until golden, about 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, season to taste with salt and let the sauce simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the beef, the last garlic clove (minced), parsley, cheese, egg and 1 teaspoon of salt to the soaked bread crumbs and stir with a fork until combined.  Place about 2 Tbsp of the mixture in your hand and press a mozzarella cube into the center.  Shape the meat around the cheese, forming a ball.  Repeat with the remaining meat and mozzarella.

4. Stir the sauce and raise the heat to medium-low.  Carefully place the meatballs in the sauce, submerging them completely.  Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook without stirring for 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the spaghetti, cook until al dente, about 8 minutes and drain.  Toss the spaghetti with the tomato sauce and meatballs, sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese and serve.
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30 Days of Truth-Day 4

Day 4- What I have to forgive someone else for:

Honestly, I do not forgive easily.  I'm not sure that I ever have fully forgiven anyone and it's probably why I'm the anxious, and worried person I am today, because as stated in Day 1 of this series, I cannot let things go.  Naturally forgiving someone for me is going to be extremely difficult.  So what I'm going to do here is simply write about what I should forgive someone for. 

One of my biggest pet peeves about people is selfishness.  I was raised with a Mom who is never selfish, and always thinks about others before herself and I think that I have taken that with me throughout my adulthood.  It just seems to be rare to come across people that do things for others not looking for something in return.  I have had many friendships come and go throughout my 20's, and I generally was the one who pulled back because I saw a side of selfishness.  It's just one of those traits that I personally do not like and it can make or break a friendship for me. 

Looking back I wish that I maintained some of those friendships and was able to forgive them for being selfish.  I may have been able to have loyal and true friendships.  Maybe I was the one being selfish after all.

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Thursday, October 21, 2010

I Just Won 7 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

I Just Won 7 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

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My Publix Buys-Saved 63%!!!

I had to buy a few items that were not on sale this week at Publix, so my total may seem higher than normal.  Here's what I bought:


*2 Kibbles & Bits bagged dog food
*1 Keebler Fudge Coconut Cookies
*1 Hawaiian Bread (Not B1G1)
*1 Box Playtex Tampon (Free coupon from mail)
*1 Pepperidge Farm Cookies
*1 Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Dough
*1 Can Black Beans (Not B1G1)
*1 40ct. Advil Liqui-Gels (Free Coupon from Facebook)
*1 Box Cottonelle Wipes (Free Coupon from Facebook)
*1 Knorr Side Dish
*1 Can Chickpeas (Not B1G1)
*4 Glade Candles
*1 5lb bag potatoes (Not B1G1)
*1 bag yellow onions (Not B1G1)
*Ground Beef (Not B1G1)
*Ground Turkey (Not B1G1)
*2 Bottles Juicy Juice
*2 Bourbon Salmon (This alone totaled $14.00!)
*4 Arnold Whole Wheat Bread
*2 Oscar Meyer Premium Hotdogs (I love when the "premium" ones are on sale, they have NO nitrates!!)

Total Saved: $65.37
Total Spent: $47.23
Percentage of Savings: 63%
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30 Days of Truth-Day 3

Day 3- What’s something you have to forgive yourself for?

When I think about what this question means to me, it's what had a big impact on my life that I must forgive myself for getting involved in.  The one event that I forgive myself for is getting involved in a past relationship many years ago that turned abusive and remained abusive up until the very end.  It changed a lot of things in my life and my present relationships with people.

For the 5 years that I was in that relationship, it changed who I was.  I let myself get caught up in the drama, allowing myself to stay in a situation that was not safe, emotionally healthy or supportive because I was weak.  I allowed someone else to tear me down and have control over who I was when I was with him.  I allowed him to isolate me from my family, friends and every place that was comforting to me.  I allowed him to change the fun, caring and loving person I am today.  Over those 5 years, I lost a sense of who I was and what I loved.  I began a cycle of highs and lows and fell into a deep depression, which now I know is the cycle of abuse. 

I still remember the day that I finally was DONE, it was June 14, 2003.  It took awhile to fully "recover" from all the emotional abuse, but meeting Jey in August of 2003 showed me what a real man, friend and supporter was.  It's safe to say that it didn't take long for me to realize that Jey was perfect in every way.  I went from one extreme to the next, having been with someone so abusive to someone that would never say anything hurtful to me was such a nice change.  I have to be honest and say that it took me awhile to fully trust that Jey wasn't going to hurt me, but when I started to realize that he was there for me 100% it all fell into place.

So in conclusion, I forgive myself for staying in such an abusive relationship and allowing "HIM" to take me away from my family and change who I was many years ago.  I often think about if I didn't stay within that relationship where would I be today?  I definitely wouldn't be where I am, and that's with an amazing husband and two amazing kids...so I believe going through that and staying for so long was destiny and I'm right where I'm supposed to be; happy, safe and in love with my family!

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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

30 Days of Truth - Day 2

Day 2- Something you love about yourself

I honestly am having a difficult time with this one.  I have even been stressing about this post since yesterday when I read my topic for today.  It seems to be easier for me to write about all the things I hate about myself rather than pick something I love about myself.  So, in my trying times I turned to Jey.  I asked him to be completely honest and tell me the main thing he loved about me hoping it would trigger something I loved about myself, and of course it did.  He said he loved that I was fun, energetic and a good mom.  I questioned him on the whole "good mom" thing because many times, I question whether I am really a "good mom."  That topic was definitely not something I could honestly write in this topic of "something I love about myself." 

Then I began to think of the other two things he mentioned about me, and I felt like there was something great about myself that I did love, and it too was that I am fun!!  I love dancing, singing, and just being plain crazy at times.  I'm loud, and even at times funny. ;)  I will try anything at least once and I tend to believe I get this free spirited attitude from my father, who is extremely witty and the life of the party. 

Growing up, my parents always took us places that were "fun;" what I mean by that is we would go do active things, Disney World, Busch Gardens, water parks, just things that as a kid you would think would be good ol' family FUN!  I hope that as my kids get older they realize how super cool and fun their mom is :), even if I'm not the "best mom" at times. 

Wow, I'm glad I wrote that.  It made me feel really good, and I realized that I do love something about myself!  I'M FUN!!

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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Layered Mexican Chicken

So not much to say about this recipe, it was bland and just plain boring!!  It's definitely not blog worthy, but since it was on my weekly menu plan, I wanted to post it.  I will not be making this again for our family, but maybe you fellow foodies can adjust some things and make it really good??  If you do take on this challenge, let me know how it goes!


Recipe Courtesy of: Weight Watchers: "BEST EATS"
Weight Watchers: 6 POINTS

Ingredients:

*2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
*3 cups fat-free sour cream
*2 (14oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
*2 (4oz) cans chopped green chiles, drained
*2 cups shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
*2 teas ground cumin
*1/4 teas black pepper
*12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 2-inch strips
*1 cup salsa

Directions:

1. Combine the chicken and enough cold water to cover by 1 inch in a large saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, 15-20 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

3. Shred or cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces and return to the bowl.  Add the sour cream, beans, chiles, 1 cup of the cheese, the cumin and pepper; toss to combine.

4. Place half of the tortilla strips in an overlapping layer in the bottom of the pan.  Spoon half of the chicken mixture on top.  Place the remaining tortilla strips over the chicken mixture in an overlapping layer; top with the remaining chicken mixture.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of the cheese.  Bake until heated through and the cheese is melted, about 30 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes, then cut into 12 portions and serve with the salsa.

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30 Days of Truth-Day One

Let's be honest here, shall we?  I'm a new blogger and it's extremely hard to get my blog out there to the internet world for just the lack of "blog marketing knowledge!"  So, I'm starting this 30 days of truth thingy, that seems to be going around this blogging world.  Likely, I won't be doing it 30 days in a row, but I will do 30 days of truth!  So here we go....

Day 1-Something you hate about yourself

I have a hard time letting things go.  I am a good friend and loyal to a fault, you can screw me over a lot but once I reach a point, there is no coming back.

In some ways it's good because of the whole "fool me once" thinking.  But in other ways it's not so good.  I'm mad about stuff that happened 5 years ago with people that I still have to have a relationship with for whatever reason...I just can't let it go!!

Another issue is fully accepting the words "I'm sorry."  I feel like I can say "I'm Sorry" and truly mean it when I hurt someone I love, but hearing those words directed at me and fully accepting the apology is virtually impossible.  Like it would kill me to just let it go and start over....hmmmm, as you see this is definitely something I'd like to change about myself, holding onto grudges is just not healthy.
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Monday, October 18, 2010

Parmesan Red Potatoes

I make these potatoes regularly and they are good with anything, so please do try! :)


Ingredients:

*1-2 pounds of red potatoes, quartered
*1/4 cup lemon juice
*1/3 cup butter, melted
*Parmesan cheese, shredded or shaved

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Cut potatoes and put in glass baking dish

3. Melt butter in bowl; add lemon juice and mix

4. Pour over potatoes, and cover baking dish with foil, bake approximately 30-40 minutes until tender

5. Sprinkle cheese on top and put back in oven (foil off) and bake another 5 minutes to melt cheese.

ENJOY!

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Chicken Marsala

Recipe Courtesy of:  Weight Watchers: "Make it in Minutes"
Makes 4 servings
Weight Watchers: 4 POINTS


Ingredients:

*2 teas olive oil
*4 (4oz) thin-sliced skinless, boneless chicken breasts
*1/2 teas salt
*1/2 teas coarsely ground black pepper
*2 cups sliced mushrooms
*2 teas all-purpose flour
*1/4 cup dry Marsala wine
*1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
*1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat.  Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.  Add to the skillet and saute until cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side.  Transfer the chicken to a platter and cover to keep warm.

2. Add the mushrooms to the skillet; saute until browned, about 3 minutes.  Sprinkle the mushrooms with the flour, stirring to blend.  Add the wine and broth; bring to a boil.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes longer.  Stir in the parsley.  Spoon the mushroom mixture over the chicken.

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Sunday, October 17, 2010

How to Make: Halloween Cookie Pops

Here I will show you how to make these cute and easy halloween cookie pops!  They are so easy, and perfect for favors at a halloween party!
 
Which ever color chocolate you are going to dip your cookie pops in, take a little chocolate and cover the lollipop stick and place the other half of the cookie back on top.  Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Melt your chocolate, I used the Candy Melts from Michaels.  Big reminder here: DO NOT PUT ANY LIQUID IN YOUR MELTED CHOCOLATE TO THIN IT OUT.  YES THE CHOCOLATE IS A LITTLE THICK.  IF YOU DO YOU WILL END UP RUINING THE CHOCOLATE AND IT WILL END UP LOOKING LIKE THIS!  THANKS JEY FOR YOUR BRIGHT IDEA!!
Finished one, with the choclate being thicker than just using the "dip and WOW you're done" because that method doesn't work well with these chocolates, I used a cake decorating spatula and just covered them that way, place them on wax paper so they are easily peeled off when cooled.  Oh, make sure if you are going to use sprinklers or anything like that put them on right way you are done covering them in the chocolate.


All wrapped up and ready to be delivered to Jackson's School tomorrow!

 

These are the molds, all you do is melt the chocolate, pour the choclate in the molds and put a stick through the bottom!  Simple and oh, so cute!!



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