Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

Fat Quarter Picnic Quilt

2013-06-17T22:14:00.003-05:00

Using fat quarter cuts is one of my favorite ways to mix fabrics for these simple little picnic quilts I've been making. I've made several now, though I've only managed to keep one for myself. I absolutely love all the fabrics I used in this quilt, I think it's my favorite one so far...

(It's quilted straight, I promise... It only looks crooked because of the way my son is holding the quilt up.)

These fabrics are just a random selection of fat quarters and yardage I bought from my local fabric shop during one of their 99 cent fat quarter sales.

I just cut the fat quarters into fourths and arrange them in whichever way looks best, and sew them together.

We gave this particular quilt to my son's 2nd grade teacher as a teacher appreciation gift. I really wanted to keep it for myself, but I managed to give it up... (I have already cut enough rectangles to make a 2nd quilt for myself, but I just haven't gotten the motivation to put it together yet...)

This orange birdie fabric was my favorite fabric cut and inspired the color theme of the entire quilt...

It's so hard to look wide awake at 6:30 in the morning!

If you like this type of project and want to see more, you can follow along using the Google Friend Connect widget, through a reader, or signing up via email. Just click on one of the icons below:

I will be linking up to some of the linky parties listed here.

Black Bean Sliders

2013-06-16T23:03:00.001-05:00

I have a food bucket list...

It sounds kind of silly, but there are just so many recipes I want to cook! The difficult part is just finding the time (and energy) to make them.

As I was going through the recipes of my assigned blog for the Secret Recipe Club I noticed Jennifer, of Mother Thyme, had a recipe for Black Bean Sliders. (She has a crazy amount of recipes on her blog, you should check them out if you have time.)

Black Bean Sliders are definitely on the food bucket list. I frequently buy the spicy Black Bean Burgers from Morning Star Farms and my family loves black beans, so I knew this was the recipe I wanted to make.

They were so good! The consistency was a little different than the store bought versions (softer in the middle) but they were just as good. My daughter ate two, and my son (who had strep throat) ate his entire slider!

I made the sliders almost like Jennifer's but I omitted a few of the spices and did not make the Avocado Mayonnaise (I am not a mayo person.) We did have some leftover guacamole, so we topped our burgers with that.

This is what the cooked patties looked like up close...

Black Bean Sliders Adapted from Mother Thyme

(Makes around 12 sliders)
Ingredients

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup white onion, diced
2 15.5oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup sweet corn
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (or cilantro paste)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until onions are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large bowl mash black beans using a potato masher until desired consistency. Add in corn, ketchup, soy sauce, cumin, cilantro, salt and pepper, onion and garlic and until well combined. Fold in bread crumbs until mixture holds together. Form into patties and chill for 10-15 minutes.
Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook burgers until crispy, about 5 minutes per side.

Enjoy!

Be sure to check out all of the Secret Recipe Club creations for the month of June here:

If you like this type of recipe and want to see more, you can follow along using the Google Friend Connect widget, through a reader, or signing up via email. Just click on one of the icons below:

I will be linking up to some of the linky parties listed here.

Skinny Chocolate Pie Cups

2013-06-11T11:21:00.001-05:00

Most of the time, I'm not a very adventurous cook (or eater.) I know what I like and tend to stick with dishes made with my preferred ingredients. I'll sometimes step out of my comfort zone, but that doesn't happen very often.

On occasion though, I will stumble across a recipe that just seems so intriguing that I have to try it out, and this recipe for Skinny Chocolate Pie Cups certainly falls in that category.

I loved that the only cooking required for this recipe was the melting of the chocolate chips (in the microwave of course.) The Chocolate Pie Cups came together so easily and the kids loved them. They were so creamy smooth and rich tasting, you would never be able to guess the secret ingredient if I didn't tell you what it was!

Looks good doesn't it? (if you need this to be 100% dairy free, be sure to use the dairy free chocolate chips.)

Skinny Chocolate Pie Cups (from My HEB Texas Life - this is the magazine put out by a local grocery store)
Serves 8

1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 pkg silken tofu (12 oz)
1 tbs pure maple syrup (I just used regular)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup sugar (the original recipe calls for sugar substitute - but I didn't want to feed that to my little guys)
1/2 cup of graham crackers

Instructions:

Microwave choc chips for about 1 minute in a microwave safe bowl or until melted. Stir till smooth.
In a food processor or blender, add melted chocolate, tofu, syrup and vanilla. Process until smooth, scraping the sides as necessary.
Add berries and sugar, process til smooth.
Serve in small cups and top with graham crackers. (and fresh berries if you have them)

Enjoy!

If you like this type of recipe and want to see more, you can follow along using the Google Friend Connect widget, through a reader, or signing up via email. Just click on one of the icons below:

I will be linking up to some of the linky parties listed here.

Water Feature Inspiration and Hometalk

2013-06-10T11:18:00.000-05:00

Have you guys heard of Hometalk? Hometalk is an online community devoted to all types of home and garden projects. What I enjoy most about Hometalk is that it combines visual inspiration similar to Pinterest (but without all the clutter of other topics) with the social aspect of Facebook.

You can follow topics and people that interest you, and it's a great place to upload your own DIY home related projects and share solutions to various problems. (I got a ton of traffic from Hometalk when I uploaded my DIY Bubble Fountain.)

You will find your favorite Home bloggers already on Hometalk and of course you can follow them there and see what they are being inspired by. I'm on there too and you can follow me here.

Are you researching a project or have a home related problem you need help with? You can ask questions and interact with hundreds of thousands of Hometalk users. Hometalk has successfully created a community of people who love to share their own projects and will take the time to help others with their specific challenges.

You can create "Boards" and "clip" project to your boards so you can easily find them later. I created a Board of DIY Water features. (It's crazy how creative some people are...) Check out my board on hometalk for some awesome outdoor pond and fountain inspiration...

For Mother's Day, I received the gift of labor and yard work. We are so close to finishing our little side garden, I can't wait to get it done and post the project on my blog and upload the photos to Hometalk. I did share a sneak peak on instagram. (You can see it here - we caught a mama and her two baby deer checking out the garden for edibles...)

Now, go find some inspiration!

If you like this type of project and want to see more, you can follow along using the Google Friend Connect widget, through a reader, or signing up via email. Just click on one of the icons below:

I will be linking up to some of the linky parties listed here.

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Menu Plan Monday - 6/10/13

2013-06-10T08:15:00.003-05:00

Happy Monday everyone! Turned out to be a pretty busy week last week. We had our last week of school, my oldest was home for 4 days with strep throat and I found out on Wednesday evening that I would be able to attend the BlogHer Food Conference here in Austin.

Luckily my mother was visiting, so I had childcare taken care of, but still had tons to do on Thursday to get ready for the conference. I drove downtown to the conference hotel very early on Friday morning, stayed Friday night at the hotel and got back home very late Saturday night.

Needless to say, it was a very whirlwind trip! (I am still recovering.) I had a great time, met lots of new people, learned a couple of things, found a few new blogs to follow, and came home with 2 huge bags full of swag from all the vendors. I even won a weber grill in a giveaway from Dole foods!

For the menu this week, you will see a couple of repeats, since I didn't cook Thursday through Sunday. I just pushed that part of the menu over to this week. (You may also notice that most of the meals on this week's menu are"skinny-fied" - I also brought home a couple of extra pounds from the BlogHer Food Conference.)

Monday: Lasagna Skillet (lightened up)

Tuesday: Quinoa and Turkey Taco Salad w/ Avocado "Dressing"

Wednesday: We are still doing gymnastics on Wednesday afternoon, so we will probably eat while we are out and about running errands

Thursday: Taco Stromboli

Friday: Skinny Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Saturday: Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo

Sunday: Hamburgers and Hotdogs and maybe some more Texas Caviar to go along with the burgers.

I'll be linking up over at orgjunkie.com

Black Bean and Corn Salsa (aka Texas Caviar)

2013-06-06T22:18:00.000-05:00

I tried a Black Bean and Corn Salsa recipe for the first time at a New Year's Eve party a few years ago. (The black eyed peas make it a perfect dish for New Year's.) I had one little nibble of the salsa and was hooked. Could not stay out of it! My friend that brought it told me it was called Texas Caviar. Being from Texas, you would've thought I'd heard of this before, but ... nope, never heard of it.

Her version was slightly different. She used chopped tomatoes, a diced firm avocado and Italian dressing. (If I had any avocados, I would definitely have added them.)

I think this version, made with a sweet oil and vinegar dressing, is even better. The crunchy chopped veggies absorb the sweetness of the dressing, so the longer the salsa marinates, the yummier it is...

We had a potluck scheduled with the Boy Scouts for their crossover ceremony last weekend. The main dish was Hot Dogs and our den was assigned side dishes. I jumped at the chance to make the Texas Caviar again. The recipe makes a ton and is excellent for summer potlucks. I also thought it would be a great semi-healthy complement to the Hot Dogs. (For the adults anyway, I can't picture a bunch of little 6, 7 and 8 year olds eating this willingly.)

Texas Caviar is always better the next day, so I got to choppin' and prepared the dish a day early.

Well... Guess what? (You've heard of Murphy's law, right?) My little boy came down with a terrible case of strep throat and we missed the festivities!

It's a good thing I love this recipe, because I have been eating it all week. After we ran out of chips, I added it to my lunchtime salads. (A little chicken, cheese, diced avocado and Texas Caviar makes an excellent salad, I promise!)

Are you ready to take this to your next potluck? You will love it, I promise!

Texas Caviar adapted from food.com

10 oz frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped green onion
1 cup chopped white onion
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
1 cup sugar
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together everything except the oil, vinegar and sugar.

2. Add the vinegar, oil and sugar to a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Remove from heat and let it cool.

3. Add cooled oil/vinegar mixture to the chopped veggies, stir and make sure everything is well coated

4. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Serve with scoopable chips.

Enjoy!

If you like this type of recipe and want to see more, you can follow along using the Google Friend Connect widget, through a reader, or signing up via email. Just click on one of the icons below:

I will be linking up to some of the linky parties listed here.

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Summer Activities, Plus Chore, Fun and Exercise Jars

2013-06-06T21:05:00.001-05:00

I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of school!!! Whoo hoo, I am so happy, no more 6 am wake ups!

With summer vacation starting next week, I've been thinking a bit about how I am going to handle our chores, reading and other fun activities this summer. I want to keep them on a schedule and make sure things get done, but I want it to be fun for them. (As fun as a chore can be, anyway...)

The kids do have a certain chores that I have them do almost every day. The chores do get done, but not without a lot of crying, complaining and whining. I get it, I don't like doing chores either, be everyone still has to pitch in.

I'm going to try a new little system this summer. Activity "jars." I made one for chores, one for special activities and one for exercise. (Ha ha, the exercise one is more for me, but how "fun" will it be if we all do them together...)

How cute are these little jars? You could really use them with any theme or activity.

The plan is: every day, each child will pull a stick from the chore jar and we will all do a chore. (If a certain chore doesn't need to be done, I will remove the stick.) We will also pull one exercise stick and do whatever it specifies and on Tuesdays and Thursdays (or any other day we need it) we will have extra fun that day by pulling a fun stick.
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White Cloud & Children’s Network Hospitals®

2013-06-03T15:01:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of White Cloud. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm sure you have heard of White Cloud, a family of budget friendly paper products made with cloud-like softness and has the high quality of performance you and your family deserve. White Cloud products are available only at Wal-Mart, which is perfect for me and many other familes that do the majority of their grocery shoppinng at Wal-mart.

White Cloud had teamed up with the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® back in January and asked the kids receiving treatment there to design the new White Cloud Facial Tissue boxes. The top 10 submissions were posted to the White Cloud Facebook page where fans had the opportunity to vote for their favorite design.

Well, the voting is complete and the White Cloud Fans have chosen three winners! The 3 winning designs have been printed on White Cloud Facial Tissue boxes, and will be available for sale for a limited time beginning May 24.

These specially designed tissue boxes are adorable. Designed with bright colors, polka dots, sunshine and lions, and are only available in a select number and markets, and only at Wal-Mart, so visit the White Cloud Store Locator to find yours. White Cloud is also making a $15,000 donation to each of the winning artist’s hospitals.

If you would like to help support White Cloud in their Mission to making a difference in the lives of kids everywhere, you can connect with them via their social media sites:

White Cloud Facebook Page

White Cloud Twitter Page

White Cloud Pinterest Page

Be sure to keep your eye out for the July issue of All You magazine, where there will be a $0.75 off coupon on White Cloud Products.

Menu Plan Monday - 06/03/13

2013-06-02T22:32:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday Everyone! I got all my shopping done over the weekend and here is what I have planned for the week:

Monday: Baked Tilapia

Tuesday: Oven Baked Fajitas

Wednesday: We have gymnastics this day, if we run errands afterwards, we may just go out. Otherwise we will have Chicken Sliders. The kids thought these were the bomb!

Thursday: Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo

Friday: Meatballs and mashed potatoes

Saturday: out (I hope)

Sunday: Taco Stromboli

I will be linking up over at orgjunkie.com

Dear Bloggers, More proof on why you should watermark your photos...

2013-06-02T12:19:00.000-05:00

Are you watermarking your photos? If not, you should be....

I did not start watermarking on a regular basis until I had been blogging for about a year. I've gone back and watermarked a few of my more popular posts and tutorials, but didn't bother with everything. There were just too many and some of the photos weren't great. I never would have thought someone would want to steal a photo that was taken in bad light or just not very good.

Well, I was wrong! People will steal anything! Case in point, my meatloaf stromboli recipe. It was an original and semi creative idea, and I guess that is what the thief was looking for...

I came across my photo on pinterest and noticed it was linked to something else, though that link was dead. So I used google's reverse image search to track down the thief.

Look at how many comments, likes and shares this guy got off my picture:

The worst part is, this guy just made up a similar recipe to go with the photo and quite a few of the comments were that the recipe failed. Of course it is going to fail if you don't follow the right recipe. (I used refrigerated pizza crust and leftover meatloaf.) I know he made it up, because he thought the dark things in the picture were olives, but they were actually lentils I had hidden in our meatloaf.

Of course this is nothing compared to some of the stories I have heard, but I am still very annoyed!!! I am going try to figure out how to report this to facebook, but we all know how facebook is...

Anyway, I use photoshop elements to edit my pictures and I have created a brush to add my watermark. Here is the tutorial I used to figure out how to do that.

And if you don't use photoshop or photoshop elements, here are a few other tutorials and methods you can use to watermark your pictures:

Using Picmonkey

Watermark all your photos at once using free software

Using ipiccy

Using a program called Visual Watermark

Using Picmarker (I don't know about others programs, but this one will watermark your facebook photos too)

Now, go watermark your pictures!!! (Let's be sure to help others, spread the word by pinning this or give it a tweet or + on google!)

If you like this type of project and want to see more, you can follow along using the Google Friend Connect widget, through a reader, or signing up via email. Just click on one of the icons below:

I will be linking up to some of the linky parties listed here.

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Sponsor Spotlight: Southern Fabric plus a $60 giveaway!

2013-06-01T23:32:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone! I have a fabulous new sponsor I would love to introduce you to, Though you have most likely already heard of them, Southern Fabric.

If you've never visited their shop, you you definitely need to visit their online fabric store to see all of the gorgeous fabric lines they have in stock.

There are loads of pre-cuts, a few of which I am currently drooling over...

Like this layer cake from Simply Color by V & Co.

Or this Mini- Charm pack of Snap Pop by Sandy Gervais. (Have you seen the mini charm packs? They are 2.5 x 2.5 square cuts of the entire collection.)

Of course, if pre-cuts aren't your thing, don't worry. Southern Fabric has a fantastic selection of the most popular designer cotton fabrics.

I would love to have these two from Heather Bailey's line Freshcut:

Or how about these two from Joel Dewberry's Aviary Saffron:

Now how would you like the chance to win a $60 gift certificate to Spend at Southern Fabric?

There are no limitations and the gift certificate is good for anything they have in in stock. (Thank you Southern Fabric.) Just fill out the rafflecopter form below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Skillet Lasagna {Lightened Up}

2013-05-31T15:43:00.001-05:00

I love a rich and delicious homemade lasagna. I'll admit though, I rarely make it from scratch because it can be a time consuming dish to put together.

This Skillet Lasagna Recipe is an excellent alternative for those times you are in the mood for lasagna, but don't want to deal with the mess or have time to make it from scratch. And of course, I have used lighter ingredients to help counteract my ever expanding waistline...

Skillet Lasagna (Lightened Up)

Ingredients:

3/4 lb of lean ground beef turkey
3/4 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 jar of your favorite lower calorie spaghetti sauce
small jar of mushrooms
1 tsp dried basil
½ teaspoon oregano
12 oz of your favorite shaped pasta
3/4 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup lowfat mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Instructions

Cook pasta according to directions.
While pasta is cooking, cook the ground meat, onion and garlic together in a large skillet until meat is no longer pink.
Drain off any excess fat.
Stir in pasta sauce, mushrooms, basil and oregano. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Add pasta to skillet and combine well. Add small spoonfuls of ricotta cheese over the pasta mixture.
If you have picky eaters like I do, use the edge of your spatula to gently mix some of the ricotta into the lasagna mixture. (Otherwise you can leave it in spoonfuls) over the top of the lasagna.)
Cover and simmer another 5 minutes or so. Top with grated mozzarella, parmesan and pepper.

Serve and Enjoy!

If you like this type of recipe and want to see more, you can follow along using the Google Friend Connect widget, through a reader, or signing up via email. Just click on one of the icons below:

I will be linking up to some of the linky parties listed here.

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DIY Knit Sundress with Pre-Ruffled Fabric

2013-05-29T20:55:00.002-05:00

I confess, I am a Fabric Stash Addict. I can't help myself, I like pretty things... (I was the same way with scrapbook paper, when I was heavy into scrapbooking.) If you follow me on instagram you may even have caught a glimpse or two of some of my stash. (I will not be showing it here... it's too embarrassing.)

I don't typically come up with a project and then shop for fabric, (which may be the root of my problem.) I mostly just buy what appeals to me and then when I get the idea to make something, I just shop my stash...

In the case of this Knit Ruffle Sundress, I bought this pretty striped ruffle fabric on a whim last fall. I usually get my ruffle fabric with a coupon at Hobby Lobby, but they don't carry ruffle fabric that looks anything like this one. I love the stripes and the larger ruffles. (When you think about how much time it would take to sew all these ruffles, the pre-ruffled fabric is definitely worth a bit more money.)

I've been staring at this fabric on my shelf and I swear it has been calling to me. It seemed so sad and neglected that I decided it would be my next project...

At first, I thought I would make a skirt with super wide elastic. It is skirt week after all. (Did you know I won readers choice, last year? By a thread, no pun intended- well, maybe just a little pun...) I didn't care for the way the fabric looked with white elastic and I was too lazy to make the trek to the fabric store.

So I made the next best thing... a sundress!

I had a RTW tank top ready to go for the top of the dress, but then noticed a magenta knit shirt hanging out of my recycle box that was an exact match to the striped fabric. (Yes, I have a stash of these too. They come from our closets, garage sales, thrift stores and the $2 and $3 clearance rack +Walmart.) - OK, I must comment on this walmart link, I am so used to typing "@" instead of "at" that I did it automatically and the G+ link to walmart just popped into my blogger composition screen. I am leaving it in because it was kind of a cool discovery - think of the possibilities when we want to link to others if we mention them!)

So for a super simple quick and easy project, just use a store bought tee. But I must say, making the top was really easy and the coordinating top ruffle absolutely made the dress! (I did make an error with the binding, which added a significant amount of time to rip out and fix. I will share my mistake so you can avoid it.)

Ok, this next photo is completely gratuitous, but I love it so much, I am including it anyway...

This time around, I used a different method of gathering for the skirt.

Lately, I've been gathering the waistbands of our leggings with elastic instead of inserting the elastic in casing. (I showed the method in this tutorial.) I thought I would use the same method to gather the skirt, using some clear elastic I bought a couple of years ago. (I bought it when I first got my serger, I just never quite got around to learning how to use it.)

Using the clear elastic really made the gathering easy, and I am looking forward to using this method in other applications. I will demonstrate this method in the tutorial below, but I will refer you to the tutorial I made for a similar dress if you feel more comfortable using the traditional method to gather.

One word of caution when sewing with the ruffle fabric, you do have to be extra diligent in keeping the ruffles in place and pointing in the right direction when sewing... You can see in the photo below where I made a boo boo on the skirt... (This post is starting to get long and will be photo heavy, see the rest and get the actual tutorial after the jump...)
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Family Night at the Movies #mealstogether

2013-05-28T17:17:00.000-05:00

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client. © 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

Our family loves movies and we go to the theater whenever we get the chance - and when there is a good movie showing. (Shoutout to Nana, who makes date night possible!) Most of the time, it's just me and my hubby that goes, though he will take the kids on an occasional Saturday afternoon. (That's kind of his special thing with them.) On a very rare occasion, we all get to go together.

I received 4 tickets to Epic The Movie and when I told the kids we would all go see it Friday night, they were thrilled!

We planned on the 7pm showing, and since it was opening night, I figured we should get to the theater by about 6:10 to get tickets. We were in a time crunch, so for dinner I made the Barbecue Chicken Sliders w/ Tyson Chicken Nuggets and Del Monte green beans I picked up at Sam's the other day. (I really appreciate that the Tyson Nuggets are 100% natural and adds quick protein to any meal that my kids love them...)

Off we went! Don't they look happy?

Now on hindsight, I should have picked up the tickets earlier in the day since it was opening night and maybe checked the weather before leaving the house...

While standing in line for the tickets, a downpour of rain started (and we were not standing under cover.) Then when we got to the window, our movie was sold out! After a brief discussion, we decided to stay for the 8pm 3D version.

The movie was worth the wait! Everyone really enjoyed the show. (I had actually planned on closing my eyes and catching a little snooze during the movie, but it was a great little movie.)

Epic, the Movie is from the creators of ICE AGE and RIO. It's about "a teenage girl who finds herself transported to a forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group characters in order to save their world -- and ours." You will recognize several of the voices, Beyonce, Colin Farrell, Aziz Ansari, Josh Hutcherson, Steven Tyler, Jason Sudeikis and Pitbull just to name a few.

Be sure to check out the movie if you have a chance! Epic is on Instagram, so you can tag them in any photos you upload when you see it!

2 Minute Omelette in a Mug

2013-05-27T19:58:00.000-05:00

Did you know that May is National Egg month?

Our family eats eggs several times a week. They are great for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even for snacks. Besides the fact that eggs are relatively low in price they are very good for you too. Eggs are loaded with high-quality proteins, vitamins, minerals and good fats.

One large egg contains has about 77 calories, 6 grams of protein and all 9 essential amino acids. They are rich in iron, selenium and vitamins A, B12, B2 and B5. One egg contains 113 mg of Choline (an important nutrient for the brain, among other things.)

As I have grown older and had children, I have developed a healthy fear of food borne illnesses and that is why I like to use pasteurized in the shell eggs. I use Davidson's Safest Choice Eggs. They are pasteurized using an all-natural water bath that destroys bacteria and viruses. The best part of using pasteurized eggs is that I don't have to worry about my kids eating raw eggs when we bake together. These eggs also stay fresh longer stay fresh longer because the pasteurization process eliminates the bacteria that causes spoilage. (If you would like to try them too, here is a link to a store locator and coupon.)

Ever since I stumbled across this weight loss study that looked at eggs versus carbs for breakfast, I have been trying to kick my morning cereal habit and eat more eggs. (Basically the study says that after 8 weeks of eating eggs vrs bagels the egg eating diet group had 61% greater reduction in BMI, 65% more weight loss, 34% greater reduction in waist circumference and 16% greater reduction in body fat.)

So, in honor of National Egg month, I wanted to share one of my favorite quick breakfasts with you. A two Minute Omelette in a Mug.

Seriously, this recipe really only takes 2 to 3 minutes to put together, and the best part is that it is very flexible based on what you have in your fridge...

2 Minute Omelette in a Mug

Ingredients:

2 to 3 eggs
1 Tbsp of meat, diced (I used ham in todays omelette, but I sometimes use a frozen turkey sausage link)
1 Tbsp of salsa
1 Tbsp shredded cheese
olive oil or cooking spray
salt and pepper
mug

Directions:

Coat your mug with olive oil or cooking spray.
Add eggs to mug and whisk together with a fork
Add diced meat, salsa, cheese, salt and pepper. Whisk till all ingredients are completely mixed together.
Microwave on high for one minute. Stir and break up any large chunks of egg.
Cook for another 45 to 60 seconds or until eggs are set.
Top with a bit more cheese, salt and pepper

Enjoy!

If you like this type of recipe and want to see more, you can follow along using the Google Friend Connect widget, through a reader, or signing up via email. Just click on one of the icons below:

I will be linking up to some of the linky parties listed here.

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( I am a brand ambassador for Davidson's Safest Choice® and a member of their Darling Dozen. This post is sponsored but all opinions are 100% my own.)

Menu Plan Monday - 05/27/13

2013-05-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday everyone! I'm a little late getting my post up, we've had a busy weekend and I fell asleep on the couch last night instead of typing up my post...

My mothers day gift was yard work. Specifically re-doing and enlarging the little garden on the side of our house. (We jokingly refer to this garden as the bird sanctuary, but that really is what it is. We have so many cardinals, titmouses, chickadees, painted buntings, hummingbirds and other unidentified yellow birds and they love this little spot.)

We have been shoveling rock off and on for a couple of days now... Almost done! Now we can start planting.

We also have this little guy that has been hanging around. Unfortunately we left the gate open one night and he payed us a visit and ate all the blooms off my watermelon plant and petunias.

Anyway, that is what has been going on around here...

On to the menu!

Monday: Barbecue (we were too busy/tired to smoke anything our self, so we will "make do" :) with Smokey Moe's...)

Tuesday: I hope to have enough leftovers for tonight, but if not I will defrost something from the freezer

Wednesday: Quesadillas and Salad

Thursday: Lasagna Skillet, lightened up (I am so behind on posting new recipes, but this one is at the top of the list. I should have it up by Wednesday at the latest...)

Friday: Red Beans and Rice

Saturday: Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Skillet

Sunday: Creamy Chicken Verde Tacos

I will be linking up over at orgjunkie.com. Be sure to check it out for tons of meal ideas!

Flashback Friday: Mom's Taco Salad w/ Fritos and Catalina Dressing

2013-05-24T08:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! I hope you have something fun planned for the weekend.

We have a family get together planned on Sunday at my sister-in-laws house and have been asked to bring a dish. I decided my Mom's Taco Salad recipe will be perfect. It is such a yummy salad, it always gets polished off whenever I take it to a potluck.

With the holiday weekend coming up, I figured I'm not the only one trying to come up with a dish to bring to a potluck, so I thought my taco salad recipe would be a perfect post to re-share as a flashback Friday Post.

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There is something about Fritos, Catalina dressing and taco flavors that go together just perfectly. My picky 6 year old even asked for seconds. (Yes, on a salad!)

This salad is a long-time family tradition as our go-to meal for potluck dinners. It is traditionally made with ground beef, but I sometimes substitute turkey or even shredded chicken.

Mom's Taco Salad with Catalina Dressing and Fritos

Ingredients:

8 to 10 cups of romaine or iceberg lettuce, chopped. (I have never measured, just whatever looks like enough...)
3/4lb to 1lb of lean ground beef (or turkey)
package of taco seasoning
1 can of black or pinto beans, drained
1 cup of corn
2 tomatoes, chopped
1.5 cups of shredded cheese
2 cups of Fritos
Catalina Dressing (use your judgement on the amount.)
(optional: chopped green onions or black olives)

Directions:

Brown the ground meat, adding the taco seasoning in towards the end. Remove from heat and drain if needed. Add your beans and corn to the meat, mix well.
In a large bowl, mix everything together, adding the the Fritos and dressing last. Combine well, making sure everything is coated with the dressing.

Hard to get a good picture of a salad in a bowl...

Enjoy!

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Chevron Quilt (the easy way...)

2013-05-22T16:51:00.000-05:00

I am sure you have all been waiting on pins and needles to find out who the winner of this quilt was!! The winner was Leanna O. She has claimed her prize and hopefully is having picnics on it already... Congratulations Leanna!

I have had a few people ask about the pattern I used. Chevrons are surprisingly easy, you don't need a pattern! (Though if you want to make a quilt to a specific size you will have to do a bit of math.)

Since this was my first chevron quilt, so I figured it would be easiest to use precut fabrics. I used 2/3 of a layer cake form Moda called Hello Luscious and 1/2 a layer cake of solid white from Moda's Bella Solids line. Using precuts can make a project expensive, so on my last trip to the fabric store I picked up a 10.5 inch square ruler to use with my next project.

I wanted to demonstrate how easy to is to piece together a chevron quilt....

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Easy Family Meal Ideas w/ Tyson Chicken Nuggets #MealsTogether

2013-05-22T15:01:00.000-05:00

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

Spring has definitely arrived and the end of the school year is almost here. We've been extra busy with baseball practice, games, gymnastics, school activities and parties. With all this going on, I am still trying to fit in fun activities for the entire family.

We all love movies and the kids have seen the trailers and are very excited to see Epic The Movie, (from the creators of ICE AGE and RIO.) coming out this weekend (5/24.) Epic is an environmental story of good vs. evil. (You can see the trailer here.) I've made plans to surprise them and we will all go see the movie on Friday night.

With such a busy schedule, I often rely on food from the freezer to help me put together quick and easy meals that everyone will enjoy. (A kid can only eat so many bean and cheese quesadillas...) While on my last trip to Sam's Club, they were having a demo for Tyson Chicken Nuggets and Del Monte green beans. We had a quick sample, (gotta love Sam's club and all the demos and free samples they have on the weekends) and I added both to my basket.

Earlier this week, I put together these quick Barbecue Chicken Sliders made with the Tyson Chicken Nuggets and added the green beans as our veggie. We all loved it! (Luckily green beans is one of the few veggies my kids will eat without any complaints.)

Since we will be in a hurry to get out the door on Friday, I've decided to nix the meal I had planned for Friday and will be serving this again...

These Barbecue Chicken Sliders are so easy. All you need to make this meal is:

Rolls (even quartered hamburger buns would do)
Tyson Chicken Nuggets
Barbecue sauce
Cheese
Del Monte Green Beans and fruit

Cook the nuggets as directed. Split the rolls and layer the barbecue sauce, nuggets, and cheese. Serve with green beans and fruit for a quick and healthy meal.

Free Art Printable... My Wish

2013-05-20T12:32:00.000-05:00

I've been working on some low cost "artwork" to help finish up the decor in my kids rooms. I used Photoshop Elements to put together this little printable for my daughters room. It's so pretty and the quote comes from one of my favorite country songs. (How many of you know this one too?)

I actually made a scrapbook page several years ago using this lyric, you can see it here. (I haven't done any scrapbooking in at least 5 years, but I did pick up a Project Life set a month or so ago when it was the daily special on hsn. Working on the project life scrapbook is one of my goals for the summer.)

If you would like a copy of this printable, I have uploaded a pdf version to google docs here. If you just want the rainbow background so you can add your own quote, the background is here. (It is cropped to 8x10.)

Enjoy

If you like this type of project and want to see more, you can follow along using the Google Friend Connect widget, through a reader, or signing up via email. Just click on one of the icons below:

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Menu Plan Monday - 5/20/13

2013-05-19T22:42:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday everyone, here is our Menu for the week:

Monday: Cheesy Chicken and Yellow Rice

Tuesday: Quesadillas and salad

Wednesday: Out

Thursday: Cowboy Hash

Friday: Grilled Burritos

Saturday: Barbeque Chicken Pizza

Sunday: Creamy Cajun Pasta with sausage

Linking up over at orgjunkie.com

Giveaway from Shabby Apple, $50 Gift Certificate

2013-05-17T11:51:00.000-05:00

Do you love Vintage clothing? Then you probably love Shabby Apple. Shabby Apple creates "clothing that is artful in design and crafted with a vintage-style flare. Each piece is carefully constructed to both flatter a woman’s figure and maintain her mystery."

They have some gorgeous dresses right now that are perfect for spring. Here are a couple of my top picks:

They are all just so pretty!

To enter for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate from Shabby Apple, just fill out the Rafflecopter form after the jump. Giveaway open to us residents only. If you are reading this via email or RSS feed reader, click here to see the rafflecopter form.

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Double Chocolate Pudding Parfaits

2013-05-14T23:06:00.001-05:00

I was organizing my pantry recently and stumbled across a can of evaporated milk that had a recipe for chocolate cream pie on the back label. I was so in the mood for something sweet, creamy and chocolatey, I had to make this pie!

I had everything I needed to make the pie except the chocolate cookies. I made a quick call to my hubby, and as luck would have it, he was about to pass the grocery store on his way back to the house. I asked him to pull in and pick me up some chocolate cookies.

In the time it took him to get home, I decided instead of pie, I would make a layered chocolate parfait.

These pudding parfaits were unbelievably good! So worth the extra effort to make the pudding from scatch and having to let the pudding cool before layering everything together. They were even better the next day.

The recipe I used is below, but if you don't have time to make the chocolate pudding from scratch, you could always use the instant pudding and cool whip.

Double Chocolate Pudding Parfaits

Ingredients:

Filling

1 can Evaporated Milk (370 ml- this is around 12 oz)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 eggs
2/3 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

1 cup whipping cream
3 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Crust:

1 cup chocolate-cookie crumbs
3 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions:

Bring milk to a boil in a saucepan. Turn off heat.
Combine sugar, cocoa and cornstarch in a small bowl. Beat eggs in a separate bowl. Whisk the sugar mixture into the egg and then whisk in the warm milk.
Return mixture to saucepan.
Cook on medium heat until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chopped chocolate and stir until melted. Stir in vanilla.
Chill for pudding for about an hour or until cool.
Combine cookie crumbs and melted butter until crumbs are coated and sticking together
Whip cream for about 45 seconds. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until stiff and cream holds its peaks.
Spoon over chocolate filling. Sprinkle with shaved chocolate. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Serve Pudding parfaits in individual glasses: layer a couple of spoonfuls of the cookie crumb mixture at the bottom of the glass. Follow with a layer of the whipped cream mixture, and a generous amount of the pudding. Top with another spoonful or two of the cookie mixture and a final layer of the whip cream. Garnish with leftover cookie crumb mixture or chocolate shavings.

Enjoy!

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Sweet Summer Sundress Tutorial - You can make it in any size!

2013-05-13T17:11:00.003-05:00

I've had this cute black and white chevron fabric sitting in my stash for awhile now. I only had one yard, so I didn't think I could make anything for myself. (Actually, I could have squeezed a top out of this since the fabric was around 60 inches wide, but I probably wouldn't wear a top with chevron stripes running side to side, it is much better suited for my daughter who would look cute no matter what...)

My little Missy has been requesting a strapless dress. I've tried explaining to her that a strapless dress wouldn't stay up! I thought this fabric would make a perfect little sundress or tunic top so I made her the next best thing to strapless and added skinny spaghetti straps.

When I first had her try it on, she resisted a bit because of the straps, but I showed her that I made the top extra tight and she could tuck the straps in when we were at home, but when out and about, she had to keep the straps on to avoid wardrobe malfunctions...

How cute is this outfit? We already had these pink leggings, so I decided to to make a tunic top instead of a dress and use pink fabric for the straps and belt.

The best part of this dress (or top) is that you can make it in any size! It's so easy and doesn't require a pattern! I totally want one for myself. My only recommendation is if you are busty, you may want to leave off the ruffle, especially if you are using a stiff cotton fabric. I'm top-heavy. So for me, I plan to use a slinky jersey or stretch knit. By using fabric that lays close to the body, I could keep the ruffle, but add a few inches to its length so the bottom of the ruffle hits below my bust line, but above the belt/waistline. (To get the perfect length on the ruffle, I would probably cut it a little long and hem it last, so I could ensure the perfect length.

(I just love shooting into the sun!)

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How Do You Meal Plan? Menu Plan Monday: 5/13/13

2013-05-13T07:18:00.000-05:00

How do you menu plan?

Do you shop based on your menu or do you shop and then plan your menu based on what's in your pantry?

I actually do it a little of both ways... When I grocery shop, I have a standard list of items I like to keep in stock. Things like chicken, black beans, green chilies, rice tortillas, eggs, potatoes, pasta, shredded cheese, sour cream, plain yogurt, the list goes on...

I have a big list of meals everyone likes to eat. (Some easy and not some so easy.) I usually plan my meals out about two weeks at a time based on what I have in the pantry and freezer.

I leave little gaps in my plan for easy nights or in case I want to try something new, then when I grocery shop, I add the items needed for anything new to my list.

I keep my menu plan on this little dry erase board that is supposed to hang on my pantry door (but most of the time just sits here on my desk.) I feel like this dry erase system keeps prepared yet at the same time I don't feel pressured to make what's planned if I'm not feeling good or if I decide to make something else. I just erase it and rearrange it or move it to the end of the list. (Ok, I really need to invest in a fine tip dry erase marker - do they even make those?)

One other thing I like to do to make meal prep easy is to batch cook the meats (mostly chicken in the crock pot or oven, or when rotisserie chickens are on sale, I'll buy 2 and freeze the meat for later.) I also double the recipes for some meals, then package them up in the freezer to eat on another day.

I would love to hear about your meal planning methods, be sure to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

On to the meal plan, here is our menu for the week:

Monday: We have a makeup Baseball game today, so something easy from the freezer, Meatballs and mashed potatoes.

Tuesday: Sausage w/ Yellow Rice and veggies

Wednesday: Out with the kids this night

Thursday: Hamburger Bun Mini-Pizzas

Friday: Steak Fajitas

Saturday: Frozen Lasagna (I picked several of these up on sale a few weeks back)

Sunday: Pot Roast (recipe coming soon)

I will be linking up over at orgjunkie.com