~Live Simply, Give More, Expect Less~

Corn Lime Salsa

2012-08-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

Fresh Friday!

What a great way to start my weekend, I made a fresh (minus the corn from a can) corn lime salsa. This is my first time making it so I hope it tastes good. Now I normally wouldn't blog about a recipe I have not tried yet. Technically I have tried it...a friend of mine made it for a girls night she hosted and her salsa was very delicious. I usually taste test my food on the spot but I don't have any tortilla chips. So I will let my salsa chill and let the flavors marinate until I get some tortilla chips. It does smell very tasty. lol Hopefully this recipe will find its way into your kitchen and you will let me know how you like it.

Corn Lime Salsa

. 4 cups ( 30 oz) cooked sweet yellow corn

. 2 diced tomatoes

. 1/2 red onion

. 1 scallion, diced

. 2 jalapenos, diced and deveined

. chopped cilantro(add to your liking)

. 2 limes, juice of

. chipotle chili powder, to taste

. salt and fresh pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill for at least one hour.

Hope you enjoy!

CHOLULA!!!!!!!!

2012-06-28T21:22:00.001-07:00

I LOVE this stuff!!! It is so GOOD! I wish I had this sauce YESTERDAY! lol It would have been so good on my ground turkey lettuce wrap. From now on I'll be using this on EVERYTHING! I know there are several other flavors but this is the first one I have tried. I will definitely be trying the others. Its always good to have variety. Especially when you need to different ways to enhance or change up the taste of chicken, ground turkey, eggs or whatever it is that you eat. I definitely recommend this hot sauce. YOU WILL BE HOOKED too! lol

Let me know what you think. Im sure you will love it just as much as I do. :-)

HOOKED on...

2012-06-28T20:43:00.002-07:00

LETTUCE WRAPS! lol

This is SUPER DELISH! It is ground turkey seasoned with garlic powder, paprika, pepper, oregano and a few others I can't think of at the moment, diced boiled egg, and sharp cheddar cheddar cheese wrapped in Romaine lettuce. Normally, I would have had rice in the mix but since I'm on this low carb meal plan for the next week I had to do without the rice. And its actually just as good without it.
I also did a egg salad type lunch yesterday. But instead of using bread, I used romaine lettuce. It was very tasty. I could get used to doing this low carb way of eating. The first day was the hardest. But it definitely gets better. Im sure I will have a day where I have a weak moment but, until that day comes, I will try to remain strong and stick to low carbs.

Try it out and let me know what you think! If you have any suggestions I would be more than happy to hear it. Thanks for taking the time to read and don't forget to comment with words or encouragement or wisdom!

Limiting CARBS!!!!!

2012-06-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I started keeping my carbs in check. I am trying to limit myself to 20g of carbs each day. I never was a label reader until Monday. I was in shock at how many carbs are in the things I had been eating daily. My friend Julie told me about how she had a good experience with this type of diet change.

I know most health conscious people will say that you cant do a diet and expect long term changes. But I have exercised and exercised only to see minimal results. I know I do need to eat healthier. So this was my way of starting. I got the exercising part down. Im hoping that by trying the Atkins way of eating and continuing to exercise, I will be able to loose this extra weight I've been lugging around for the past few years.

In the long run I hope that by eating healthier, exercising and keeping track of my progress, I can motivate or help my family and friends to make healthier choices in their lives. If I can motivate or inspire at least ONE person I would be so happy knowing that I was able to have an impact on someone's life.

I will try to post recipes of my journey on starting out on this new way of eating less carbs. Wish me LUCK! lol Chocolate is my weakness!

So far I have been eating a lot of eggs. lol Eggs have 0.6g carbs.

A lot has happened...just a little recap.

2012-06-26T15:53:00.001-07:00

www.beachbody.com/valeriesmth
www.myshakeology.com/valeriesmth

I know its been too long so here you go...

Since my last post I became a Beachbody coach and finished the Insanity program! Yay me! I ACTUALLY finished it. I'm usually really good at starting something but not finishing it. I lost 8 lbs in the first 3 weeks of starting. I lost a few inches. I feel so much stronger these days. I'm not just saying that because I'm a Beachbody coach but because its the truth. I can do 10 push ups in a row whereas before I could not do a single push up to save my life. LoL Yea that's pretty sad.

Now before you make any assumptions, I just want to let you know that I am all about trying anything at least once. I took a pole exercise dance class in April. This was by FAR one of the most challenging exercise classes I have taken. You have to have a ton of upper body strength! Which I lack a lot of. But it was interesting and fun to have the chance to get the inside scoop on how "Exotic Dancers"(or whatever they are calling them selves these days) have to practice to get their strut looking sexy and not land flat on their ass while doing all that in heels. Oh yea did I mention did not do any of the exercises with heels on...yea can you imagine how much harder it would have been with them. I would have twisted an ankle or had a very badly bruised bum with a side of a bruised ego. lol

Ace partied like a ROCK STAR for his 2nd Birthday! He celebrated with the HOOTERS Ladies. LOL It was a fun pre-party to his real Birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. We went back to Denver, CO to visit with family so we had the chance to finally celebrate a birthday with family. Ace is growing way too fast! In no time he will be 3!

12 days after Aces birthday.....

I became an AUNTY!!!!!!! I never thought this day would come! But I am so happy and excited! I am a little sad, only because shortly after she was born the kids and I had to return home to North Carolina after being away for 1 month. But Aleena such a doll. She is now 4 months and sooooo BEAUTIFUL!!! Congratulations to my little bro and Jessi! You are both great, loving , responsible parents. Aleena is so lucky to have both of you. I love you guys!

Just in case you want to stay updated, VOTE, and see updated pics of my beautiful niece, checkout her mamas blog: Little Lady of Mine
www.hopefullittleone.blogspot.com

MIA....

2011-05-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

Where do i start?...its been so long since i last blogged. Ok so I did start out trying to be a healthier me. lol I know I've been gone for a while. I have actually been quite busy. I finished my Pharmacy Technician program and got my certificate, started the Physical Therapy Aide program, joined a volleyball league and my baby boy turned 1!!! Ok so it doesnt sound like a whole lot but it is. I do have my slack days where I dont want to do anything...so I dont, actually thats a lie...aside from my school work and going to the gym, I still have my motherly duties to tend to as well as my household duties.
I have been taking a break from my school work and concentrating on being a mommy and taking care of our daily living. My school work has definitely been put on the back burner. But I need to get back in the swing of things and get going with my school work and studying for the Pharmacy Tech state certification. Lucky for me i take online courses with Penn Foster so i dont have any set deadlines from the school which makes my life a bit easier and less stressful.
I hope to be back up and blogging more but until then I will be keeping busy with my 3 year old Chatter box and my 1 year old trouble maker. lol I love them so MUCH!

The start 2 a healthier ME!!!! yay!

2010-10-10T20:58:00.000-07:00

OK so 2day I am SUPER happy that I finally just didn't make an excuse and I got my lazy butt outta the house to go exercise. It felt so good to do it. I definitely need to make this a habit. Along with eating more healthier. But I'm gonna take baby steps and just start with working out and drinking more h2o. I have an android phone T-Mobile which has tons of FREE applications. I got the Cardio Trainer app and let me just say IT IS AWESOME!!!! This app keeps track of the time you started and ended, distance, calories burned, google map of your route, speed, average pace, average speed, minimum speed, maximum speed and the date. It also lets you share your results with FaceBook and upload your stats onto your google account. I can't say enough about this app. It has definitely kept me motivated today. Did I mention that you get to see all these stats for FREE?? LOL The makers of this app, Work Smart Labs, has a few other very helpful and useful apps pertaining to staying fit and leading a healthier life style which cost a few bucks.

I will definitely try to keep my blog more updated. I have been and I am busy with my babies, school, maintaining my household and of course trying to fit some "ME" time into my everyday life. I hope you will continue to follow.

Thank you for reading! Stop by often and don't forget to leave me comments, ideas and words of wisdom. Please subscribe if you haven't already!

Chocolate Nut Clusters

2010-10-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

I LOVE CHOCOLATE!

This recipe is soooo QUICK and EASY!

Chocolate Nut Clusters

Ingredients:

3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (add more or less...depending on how much you

want to make)

3 tbs peanut butter (the original recipe called for peanut butter chips, I didn't have any

so I had to improvise)

1 cup nuts ( I used peanuts, almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, hazelnuts & pecans)

1. Combine chocolate chips and peanut butter in top of double boiler.

I do not have a glass bowl so I just used a glass pie pan.

2. Stir frequently over low to medium heat until melted; add nuts and stir.

3. Drop by teaspoonful on parchment paper. ( I once again had to improvise, I just buttered a cookie sheet because I didn't have parchment paper.) Place in the refridgerator to cool.

EnJOY!!!! They came out soo DELISH!!! It seriously did not take long to make! It took me longer to write this blog then it did to make the nut clusters. lol Hope you enjoy making these and don't forget to comment and SUBSCRIBE!!!

Thanks for reading!

Apple Dumplings

2010-10-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

OK so since the Fall weather has finally kicked in and it has been a lot cooler I thought I would start the season off with these DELICIOUS warm delights! I know its not the classic apple pie but it sure is close and it is easily edible for those days when your on-the-go and would love to sit down to enjoy it but just don't have the time.

Crust or Dumpling

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup shortening

8 tbs cold water

Directions:

In a bowl, combine flour and salt: cut in shortening until crumbly.

Gradually add water tossing with fork until dough forms a ball.

Set the ball of dough aside or in the refridgerator.

Apple Filling

4 apples

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbs butter

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tbs lemon juice

Directions:

1. Core and pare apples, place apples in a bowl. Pour lemon juice over apples to prevent them from

browning.

2. Melt butter and pour over apples then sprinkle the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg over the apples and mix

and mix until evenly distributed.

Now, roll out the dough and cut out 7 inch squares. Place a few apple slices in the middle of the dough. Fold one corner over to the opposite corner to form a triangle. Pinch the edges together to seal up the apple dumpling. Continue to roll dumplings until you run out of filling or dough. Place the finished dumplings in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden.

EnJOY!!!! This is the finished product!! Top it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it is so so YUMMY! I actually liked the way it tasted the next day. I had it without ice cream and it tasted so much better for some reason. lol I dont know why but maybe I'm just weird like that but sometimes some foods just taste better the next day. lol

I hope that you enjoy this dessert and be sure to leave a comment letting me know if you did like it or not. Suggestions are always welcomed. Thanks for reading! Oh yes, dont forget to SUBSCRIBE!!!!!!

Fall is HERE...mmm...PUMPKIN SPICE!!!!

2010-10-04T18:24:00.001-07:00

OMg fall is FINALLY HERE! I love FALL! I cant get enough of this cool weather. I also cant get enough of this PUMPKIN SPICE CAPPUCCINO!!! It is so DELISH! Luckily I was able to get my fix for the day. My wonderful husband brought one home for ME! Brownie points for HIM! LOL

Whats your drink of the season? Or maybe your everyday drink?

Blog GIVEAWAY

2010-09-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

A fellow blogger is doing an

Awesome Giveaway at

http://Pearlslaceandruffles.blogspot.com

CHECK IT OUT!!!!

This PLUS more to be given away!!!!!!

Rubbermaid Reveal Microfiber Spray Mop REVIEW...

2010-09-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

Live Simply...now some might say, " Live Simply?? Now that's just BORING" But for me, Living Simply means that I can enjoy some of the simple, efficient, quick, and easy to use products offered. Living Simply helps me to be a little more organized and gives me more time with my family or for myself.
Luckily for me, I was randomly chosen during a free GIVEAWAY. The giveaway was done by www.todaysmilitaryspouse.com, www.mymomfessions.com and www.armywife101.com. I received the Rubbermaid Reveal Mop.

Let me just say that this mop is AWESOME!!! I did not expect it to be so easy to use. It came with 3 interchangeable microfiber pads and 2 refillable bottles. The microfiber pads are reusable and washable. In my opinion this is definitely a money saver. The refillable bottles can be cleaned by hand or in the dishwasher.

So I tried it yesterday and I was very surprised. I always had a hard time getting into the corners of my kitchen, but with the Rubbermaid Reveal it gets in the corners very easily. The microfiber pads clean the floor very well. I will never go back to using any other mop. And NO I am not getting paid to advertise for Rubbermaid. This is my very own honest opinion of the Rubbermaid Reveal Mop. Products that I believe to be very reliable, efficient, and inexpensive will get a review with my honest opinion.

Thanks for reading and I hope tat if u decide to try this product, you will enjoy it as much as I did!

Bad start, Good Ending.

2010-09-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

Ok so if you read my last post...I had a bad start to my weekend. My ipod got wet so I could not use it for our trip. As the day went on I 4got about it and enjoyed the rest of my day and weekend.

Crappy start...already!

2010-09-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

OMG I'm tired and still gotta pack our stuff for out trip to Charlotte today. I was thinking OK just let me wake up a bit more and I should be good to go. Right when I'm starting to feel more awake and ready to start packing...I find my IPOD in the damn washer! OMG there just went my day. I need my music to make this 2 1/2 hour drive! Ugh...I'm so mad at myself right now! WHY??? Of all days...why today? Oh well lesson learned...I guess. I'm still mad. Not a good way to start my day, or my weekend at that. Gotta go old school now....Burn some Cd's. LOL

Marriage retreat!

2010-09-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

Yay!!!! I am so EXCITED! I don't think many people would think a marriage retreat could be FUN. In my case I am very excited to go because my husbands work pays for us to attend this retreat. OK before we move on...let me just say that this is not mandatory for us to attend, but it is voluntary. So with that said...here we go. When I say pay for...I mean they pay for lodging at The Great Wolf Lodge, we attend a couple sessions of a marriage seminar, and for those of us with children they provide free child care, they provide meals between marriage sessions, they pay for the seminar, they give us time as a family to spend together to explore what the town has to offer AND on the second day of the retreat after the sessions are over, they give the couples 4 hours of FREE child care so that we can go out on a DATE!! As far as dates go for my husband and I, well lets just say that we Never go out on dates. Yea we will go out as a family but never just the 2 of us. So this is a real treat for us.
I'm not sure what many people would think when they hear "Marriage retreat". But the 1st time I went to a marriage retreat, someone close to me said, "I didn't know you guys were having problems in your marriage." Now to me this was a surprise. I never thought about a retreat meaning that you had problems. So let me just say that just because you decide to attend any kinda of marriage seminar or retreat does not mean u have to have PROBLEMS. We go because it is a way for us to IMPROVE our relationship. Now I'm not saying were perfect, because I don't think any relationship is perfect. And if you say your relationship is PERFECT, then you are LYING! I believe that every relationship has disagreements and both people will not always see eye 2 eye on every thing. So anyway I believe there is ALWAYS room for improvement, whether its in your marriage or yourself.
Another reason we go is of course because of the obvious, It's FREE!!!! This is definitely an opportunity for us to enjoy a place we would not normally visit.
So, if you ever have the opportunity to attend a marriage seminar by Mark Gungor, DO IT, GO! You will not be disappointed!

Blog GIVEAWAYS

2010-09-21T21:54:00.000-07:00

Ok so one of my fellow bloggers is doing a HUGE GIVEAWAY!!! Check out her BLOG!!!!!

Tell me 1 thing about yourself GIVEAWAY!!!!

by: http://afullbeat.blogspot.com

ell me 1 thing about yourself GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Grand Prize Winner will get ....

Navajo Taco

2010-09-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

MMM...this has to be one of my favorite meals...aside from a Roast Mutton sandwich with green chili. lol I love lots of cheese on my taco. Hope u like...

Ingredients:

2 cups kidney beans or pinto

1lb ground beef

2 packets of chili bean seasoning

2 cans stewed tomatoes

1 pinch salt

half of a small onion

Topping:

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups diced lettuce

2 cups diced tomatoes (optional)

Fry Bread:

4 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup hot water (approximately) may need more or less

1 cup shortening

First put your beans on to boil or put them in the crock pot first thing in the morning. Add the salt. When the beans are almost done brown the ground beef in a separate frying pan, halfway through add the diced onion. Then add the packets of chili bean seasoning. Remove from heat. Add the 2 cans of stewed tomatoes into the beans, do not drain. Finally add the cooked ground beef into the beans and stir. Then let simmer until beans are done.

While the beans are cooking make the fry bread dough.

First add the flour, salt, and baking powder. After you have mixed the dry ingredients add hot water a little bit at a time. Between adding water be sure to mix.You will use your hand to mix. After you have your dough mixed set aside and cover. Let rise for a few minutes. Add the shortening to a frying pan and let it heat up over meduim-high. The shortening is hot enough 2 cook the bread when you drop in a tiny piece of dough in then it starts to sizzle and brown.

While the shortening is heating up, dice the tomatoes, lettuce and shred the cheese.

Finally, take a hand full of dough, place it on a flat surface and flatten it out with your palm. Then place it in your palms and flatten by flapping back and forth. This will make the dough bigger. Try not to make it too thin. Place the round flattened dough into the heated shortening. Once you notice the bread is changing color turn it over and let the other side cook. If your oil is heated good it will not take the bread long to fry. After its done place it on a plate with paper towel on top the plate. The paper towel will soak up the excess oil dripping off the bread. Continue until all the dough is finished.

Now that your all done, you will prepare the Navajo Taco by placing the fry bread on top a plate, 1st place beans on top of the bread, then the cheese and finally the toppings.

EnJOY!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Gabby!

2010-09-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Gabby! We had a low key celebration here at home.I made Navajo Tacos for dinner and baked Gabby a strawberry covered chocolate cake. Now cake is the one thing I have not made from scratch. Everything I bake I make from scratch. But since I was the only one cooking dinner tonight I decided it would be faster to do it the good ol' Betty Crocker way...the store bought box of cake mix.
We actually celebrated at Chuck E Cheese earlier this month because Gabby's Grandpa was in town visiting. We had not seen him in a year. So there was definitely reason to celebrate early. lol She got all her gifts and such on Labor Day weekend. I still can't believe she is 3!!! WOW!

@ Chuck E Cheese

Happy Birthday 2 my 1st born!!!

2010-09-19T22:06:00.000-07:00

Happy 3rd Birthday 2 my beautiful, smart,crazy GABBY!!!! I love you! You have changed my life!

Wow!! I can't believe how fast these past 3 years have flown by! Its like last week she was a 7 lb 14 oz baby in my arms screaming at the top of her lungs...and now she is a 32 lb 3 year old yelling "Mommy, come catch ME!" It has been quite the experience though and were still going strong. lol I don't want my baby to grow up.

Where 2 start....

2010-09-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have so much to share yet I don't know where to begin...

I started this blog page a few months ago when I really started getting into watching tutorials on YouTube. I didn't really plan on blogging. I had thought about it, but that is as far as i got. So my blog page sat here plain and lonely with no words to entertain. Luckily, my good good friend Maria decided to start a blog which then got me thinking that I should give it a try.
Hopefully all this creativity that has been brewing up in my kitchen and with my sewing machine will give my blog LIFE! I love to cook (most days) bake, and sew ( I'm a beginner).
As far as cooking goes, I'm gonna say I have 3 solid years under my belt. lol I only say 3 because I have been married almost 3 years and prior to being married I really did not cook a whole lot. Yea i cooked the typical college student food, but nothing like the way I cook now.