~Under the Big Oak Tree~

Buffalo Chicken Pizza with Pillsbury Artisan Crust ~ and a Giveaway!

2013-05-11T02:47:00.000-04:00

Ever since I was a kid, pizza has been one of my favorite meals. We didn't eat pizza every week, but when we did it was always takeout and always on Friday nights. Pizza delivery and a video rental was always a perfect start to the weekend!

After I moved out of my parents' house, Friday night pizza was still a tradition. The only difference was that we didn't always do takeout pizza. Occasionally, we would pick up a pizza crust and add our own toppings. Store bought pizza crust and leftovers for toppings made preparing our own pizza easier than finding the menu for the local pizza place!

Now that we're trying to eat healthier, I was super-excited to hear that Pillsbury now offers a whole grain Artisan Pizza Crust with 16 grams of whole grain per serving! Thanks to General Mills, Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark, we had the opportunity to try the Artisan crust along with a bunch of other great gifts (but we'll talk about those later).

Since we've both been in the mood for Buffalo Chicken Pizza from our local pizza place, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to save some cash and make our own at home.

I started by making a crock pot full of Shredded Buffalo Chicken. When it was time to shred the chicken, I reserved about a 1/4 cup of the sauce.

After unrolling and pre-baking the crust, I used a silicone brush to coat the top of the crust with some of the reserved sauce. I then topped with some reduced fat mozzarella cheese. The shredded buffalo chicken is next. Once the pizza was assembled, I poured some of the reserved sauce over the top of the pizza, being careful not to add too much. I wanted to make sure the pizza was full of buffalo flavor without getting soggy.

The result? A deliciously crunchy, whole grain crust topped with ingredients that suits our family perfectly! I mean, what pizzeria is going to use reduced fat mozzarella on your pizza delivery? Let me tell you, that pizza didn't last long either! The two of us polished off that 6-serving pizza in no time! It was soooo good!

I am very pleased that we bought a spare crust when we picked up the one to review! I'm thinking our next pizza will be a Cheese Steak Pizza like the ones we used to get when we lived in Philly! I'll be sure to let you know how that one turns out, too!

For more pizza making ideas and flavor combinations, check out Farmer's Market Ideas from Pillsbury.

As I mentioned earlier, along with the coupon for the Pillsbury Artisan Crust, my prize pack (shown below) included a bunch of great kitchen items perfect to help with making great pizzas!

What's even better is that I've been given the opportunity to giveaway one of these awesome prize packs to one lucky reader! It's easy to enter! Just follow the instructions on the rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills and Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.

100 Day Weight Loss Challenge ~ Starting Over at Week 5

2013-05-06T10:54:00.001-04:00

So much for my plan of eating healthy while the hubs was home last week! Too much leftover pizza and birthday cake, along with a lot of meals on the road both added up to a non-diet-friendly week. Boy! The scale sure did reflect all of those bad choices!

Rather than hang my head in shame or kick myself for doing badly, I'm starting this week with a positive attitude and going back to the things that worked for me in Week One. I mean, I might as well since the scale is (almost) right back where it was that first weigh-in.

Shredded Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken was my friend that first week! Low in calories and full in flavor, Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce is a great condiment to have in the fridge/pantry at all times! I'll be enjoying guilt-free Buffalo Chicken Wraps and Buffalo Chicken Pizza. I'll probably add some Buffalo Chicken to a bed of lettuce and other salad fixings for a restaurant style salad. One that I can control the ingredients and keep the calories low!

We picked up a lot of produce last week. We still have plenty leftover and I'll be using it as much as possible this week to help get in those veggie servings!

Other than week one, water has not been a strong point for me. While I know I feel better when I drink water, I just find it so difficult to skip over the Diet Pepsi that I love so much! This week, I'm starting off the week without any Diet Pepsi in the house. I drank the last of it over the weekend and didn't get to the supermarket yet.

I plan on getting some exercising in this week and am on the look-out for a used (cheap) treadmill since I don't have a walking buddy to walk with me.

I'm not making any huge goals for myself this week. Just really trying to get back to where I was that first week...mentally! I was so determined and showed some decent will power. I allowed treats and sweets but didn't over do it. I need to get back there. That's my goal for this week.

Menu Plan Monday 2013 ~ Week of May 6th

2013-05-06T09:56:00.004-04:00

Monday

Steak Fajitas
We have lots of fresh veggies that need to be used.
Fajitas are my favorite way of using up a lot of vegetables
and I can't wait to give this recipe a try!
I already have the meat marinating in the fridge.

Tuesday

Buffalo Chicken Wraps
I've been having a tough time with the 100 Day Weight Loss Challenge.
I lost almost 4 lbs. the first week.
Looking back at the foods I ate that week,
I see that I ate a lot of shredded Buffalo Chicken.
Only makes sense to go back to what worked that first week!
Plus, this shredded chicken is so delicious and simple to make,
I don't really need an excuse to add it to our menu!

Wednesday

Steak Salad with Horseradish Dressing
I bought a new cookbook this weekend.
There are quite a few recipes that I want to
add to future menu plans,
including this easy dinner salad!

Thursday

Leftover Night

Friday

Buffalo Chicken Pizza
I haven't decided if we'll have individual pizzas
using tortillas and flatbreads
or if I'll use a store bought pizza crust.

Saturday

Taco Salad
A taco salad sounds like the perfect weekend food!
The flavors of take-out without the guilt,
especially since I don't add a lot of cheese
or sour cream to my tacos!

Sunday

Crock Pot Beef Barley Soup
This recipe and photo is from my other, long-forgotten blog.
I make this soup whenever I stock up on beef from Costco
or find a really good deal at the supermarket.
So easy, so delicious!

Now that you know what we're eating this week, let us know in the comments what's for dinner at your house this week! Or, if you need more menu planning inspiration? Follow me over to Menu Plan Monday hosted by I'm an Organizing Junkie! Or, if you like what you see here, you can check out my past menu plans.

You can also find this week's menu plan linked to On the Menu Monday hosted by Yvonne at Stone Gable. If you haven't checked out Yvonne's blog before, I suggest you drop everything and head on over to check out her delicious recipes, inviting tablescapes and stunning photographs!

Not-So Wordless Wednesday ~ Grace's Pink Ice Cream

2013-05-01T12:03:00.001-04:00

Grace is a picky eater and rarely tries new foods. A few weeks ago, she surprised us by wanting to try a few new things. Most of her new choices were junk food, but we still encouraged her since she's been getting bored with the handful of foods that she does like.

Ice cream was one of the foods she wanted to try and that was only because she saw a commercial for a new gadget where kids can make their own single serving size of ice cream! Honestly, I didn't even realize the commercial made any sort of impression on her. Normally, she's very vocal about letting us know what items she would like us to buy her when she sees them on TV. She never even made a peep about the ice cream shaker.

On a day out at the mall with my Mom, Grace suckered me into getting the ice cream maker. It was $9.99 and I had a gift card in my wallet that I was wanting to use. We made the ice cream after dinner and Grace loved it!

Just yesterday, while running errands, Grace requested pink ice cream. This, again, was something new as she has only tried vanilla when we made it at home. Since we were out, we stopped by one of the local farms that also has an ice cream parlor. I was shocked when Grace recognized the farm as the pumpkin patch we went to in October!

I ordered Grace a kiddie cup of strawberry since she was still insisting on pink ice cream, but I worried that she wouldn't like the strawberry chunks. She looked like such a big girl carrying her cup over to a table. She took very small bites at first. I thought maybe she wasn't pleased with her choice, but then Joe realized the texture of the hand-dipped ice cream was different than the less solid ice cream we made at home. He stirred it up for her a bit and made it more like the ice cream she was used to. This resulted in bigger spoonfuls and some pink ice cream on her white leggings!

Also, just as I suspected, Grace did not like the frozen strawberries in her ice cream! She spit it right out, said it was yucky and wiped her tongue on her arm! (The camera was already in my bag, so I didn't get a picture.) We'll have to try pink sherbet the next time, since I don't think she will want to eat the strawberry again!

As we were leaving, Grace spotted some picnic tables outside and requested that we have an ice cream picnic the next time we go out for ice cream!

Menu Plan Monday 2013 ~ Week of April 29th

2013-04-30T08:31:00.000-04:00

I've been having some trouble with menu planning the past several weeks. Even now, I'm a day late in getting my menu posted. We had a busy weekend getting ready for Grace's birthday that we celebrated on Sunday.

Sorry for the lack of photos and links this week. I promise to post a more creative menu plan next week!

Monday

Leftover Pizza
We have a whole pizza leftover of Grace's
birthday party, so dinner is easy for tonight!

Tuesday

Salad
After so much birthday cake and pizza this weekend,
I'm looking forward to a healthy meal.
I'll chop some lettuce and serve with bacon,
tuna, hard boiled eggs and some baby carrots.

Wednesday

Navy Bean Soup
Still trying to fit in a couple more soups
before the warmer temeratures arrive.
With the crazy spring weather we've
been experiencing, I don't think I'll
have too much trouble serving up
another pot or two of our favorite soups!

Thursday

Leftovers
We'll need something quick and easy for this meal
since we'll be away from home for most of the day!

Friday

Crock Pot Ravioli, salad, garlic bread

Saturday

Taco Salad

I've been wanting tacos for a few weeks now
and since I've been trying to watch my weight,
a taco salad seems like the best option to satisfy
the craving!

Sunday
Leftovers

100 Day Weight Loss Challenge ~ Bring on Week Four!

2013-04-29T09:28:00.001-04:00

I've been meaning to write a check-in post for the 100 Day Weight Loss Challenge, but it's been crazy busy around here. I can hardly believe that three weeks are over already!

Week one was a great week for me. I counted calories, drank lots of water and even managed to get in a bit of exercise. At the end of that first week, I recorded a 3.8 lb loss! I was ecstatic!

Week two was more of a challenge. The bad points definitely outweighed the good points and the scale reflected those bad days with a 2 lb. gain!

I've mentioned before that I tend to snack when I'm stressed and I've been super stressed lately. I haven't been practicing this new healthy lifestyle long enough to break the habit of using food for comfort. As a result, I've been eating all the wrong things and not in moderation either.

Week three is not going to be a good scale week. I'm considering keeping off the scale this week. I worry that getting on the scale and seeing another gain (as much as I know I've did nothing to deserve a loss) will cause me to just give up completely.

This week, we're on vacation. Really, it's a stay-cation since we pretty much gave up vacations when we took on a mortgage payment six years ago! Either way, we'll enjoy having Joe home with us for a few days! Plus, I tend to be more mindful of what I eat when Joe is home. I don't stuff my face with junk as much when he's here so maybe that will help. I'm also hoping that I'll have more time to exercise this week while he hangs out with Grace.

My goals for this week:

Drink water. Aside from that first week, I don't think I've had even a gallon of water total! I really need to get back to drinking more water. I felt so much better when I was drinking water and cutting way back on the soda.

Exercise. I'm so out of shape that I need to start off small in the exercise department. Ten minutes here and there seemed to really help my mood in week one....still, I found it difficult to get motivated in weeks two and three. I really need to force myself to get in a few 10 minute cardio workouts this week. I'll also be doing some squats and arm exercises this week. (Something I did great with on week one...but really didn't even consider doing in weeks two and three.)

Food. With Joe home this week, we'll be heading to the local produce market where I'll stock up on some healthy snacks. I'll bring it home and arrange several on-the-go containers of fruits and vegetables. I'm considering having the calorie count written on the containers to make it easier to track my calories without having to constantly weigh and measure. I'll be keeping my calories at 1200 per day.

Sleep. I'm a night owl. I have such a difficult time getting myself motivated until very late in the day, which often results in me being up until the wee hours of the morning. Since Grace has been getting up bright and early, I've been having a tough time finding any energy at all during the day. This causes me to crave sugar and not really care at all about healthy options and calorie counts. This week, my goal will to be in bed by midnight at the latest and see if that helps me at all.

I know my fellow challengers are doing much better with their goals and I am so proud of them! Keep up the great work everyone!

Menu Plan Monday 2013 ~ Week of April 15th

2013-04-14T11:24:00.002-04:00

The weeks have just been flying by so quickly that I haven't been able to keep up with menu planning and shopping lists! After Easter, we ate leftovers the whole week! Last week, I started a new weight loss challenge and was totally unprepared but managed to put together a bunch of low calorie meals that worked for me, mostly with items we already had in the house.

This week, or at least today, I feel like I'm in a better place mentally and have been able to think ahead into the current week and what I'll be serving for dinners.

Monday

Hamburgers and salad.
Today is our errand day, so I'll be keeping it simple for when we return home.

Tuesday

Beef Pot Pie and salad
The last time I made Katie's Spicy Shredded Beef recipe (one of our favorite meals),
I used the leftovers to make a pot pie!
It was AMAZING and I've been craving it ever since!
It's so delicious, I just know I'm going to have trouble sticking to a single portion!

Wednesday

Taco Salad
I'm trying to increase the amount of vegetables that we eat every day.
Personally, I'm eating a lot of salads and I really want to keep switching up the flavors
to keep from getting bored with all that lettuce!

Thursday

Enchiladas and salad
I'm going to really have to eat my salad first during this meal!
It's so easy for me to over eat when I serve enchiladas for dinner!

Friday

Spaghetti & Meatballs, Rolls, Salad
Moving some things around in the freezer,
I found a bag of meatballs in sauce
that I froze after dinner a month or so ago.

Saturday

Leftover night!

Sunday

Ham, Baked Beans, Potato Salad
We bought a ham for Easter that we didn't end up using.
Since it needs to be frozen or used and I don't have any room in the freezer,
we're going to enjoy it for dinner tonight and use most of the leftovers next week!

100 Day Weight Loss Challenge Week 1 Friday Check-In

2013-04-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

So far this week is going great! Well, great as far as the challenge is concerned. Personal stuff is causing me some stress and Grace is having trouble adjusting to the change of seasons and keeping us up all night. Usually, things like this cause me to shut down and lose focus of my goals. I am so proud of myself for not giving in to my usual habit of stress eating. Not to say there won't be any stress eating in the future, but I just want to focus on now.

Calories:

With the help of My Fitness Pal, I've calculated and set my calorie limit at 1200 per day. This is less calories than I am used to with past challenges and I've found myself going over each of the first three days (that includes eating the exercise calories that I burned off). In the past, I would have given up after so many days of not keeping within my limit. This time, I'm not being so hard on myself. I know that lowering my caloric intake is going to take some getting used to and as long as I am eating less than I have been in the days/weeks/months leading up to this challenge, than I know that I am on the right track.

On Day 4, I stayed within my calories by 1 calorie! And only with the help of those exercise calories (58 calories) !

Drinking Water / Cutting Back on Diet Pepsi:

If you've followed along during past challenges, than you know that I hate water. It's a chore for me to drink just water and have a hard time resisting the urge to drink Diet Pepsi in place of my water each day. So far this week, I have reached my daily goal of 64 oz. of water. On Day 1, I gave up soda entirely. On Day 2, I had such a horrible headache. I couldn't open my eyes or move without feeling like my head was going to explode! When nothing else worked, I had 2 very tiny glasses of soda. While the headache didn't go away completely, I felt so much better! And I still managed to get in the rest of my water for the day!

I have no illusions that I'll give up diet soda completely. I enjoy it too much to say goodbye forever! But I do want to cut back. As mentioned above, I'm doing pretty good with that. I'll have to do a photo comparison to show you the difference in the size glass I was drinking from prior to the challenge and what I'm using now!

Exercise:

I wasn't planning on adding exercise to this first week. I've mentioned in the past the obstacles, or shall we say EXCUSES, that prevent me from exercising. It's really difficult to exercise with an almost 4-year-old under foot, we don't have exercise equipment, and we lack a DVD player in the only room large enough to do any sort of work out.

Well, on Day 2 I was scrolling through the OnDemand menu through our cable provider and found myself checking out the Sports & Fitness section. I saw a 10 minute beginners Walking Basics. Kind of like Walk Away the Pounds. I decided to shove my coffee table out of the way and do the 10 minute work out! I'm embarrassed to say that for this couch potato, 10 minutes kicked my butt! I was so ready to give up after the first few minutes, especially when my daughter started getting in the way.

On Day 3, I decided to do the same 10 minute workout adding 1 lb. weights to each hand! So, while walking, marching, kicking and moving my arms I was carrying an extra 2-pounds! Not much, but it's a start!

Day 4, I almost didn't work out at all. On Tuesday, I hurt my shoulder and must have pulled a muscle. It didn't actually hurt until two days later. But no matter how I moved, it hurt. Last thing I wanted to do was exercise. But that decision was really making me feel down in the dumps and I really just felt like giving up on the entire thing. At 10:30 pm, I ended up doing the 10 minute walking workout again. This time without the weights, partly because of the pain in my shoulder and partly because I couldn't find them!

Food:

This week, I ate a lot of wraps. I found it was easier for me to figure the calories for my wraps than if I cooked a big meal. While I love the recipe builder program on My Fitness Pal, sometimes I run out of time get overwhelmed. That's when I decide to give up. Eventually, I'll have the time to cook and calculate the calories, but for now I just want to keep it as simple as possible!

I've also been eating a lot of hummus. Both on my wraps and as a dip with baby carrots! Mmm! So good!

Don't get me wrong, while I'm enjoying the healthier options and the smaller portions of my favorite meals, I'm still craving a hamburger.

I'll probably post more about food as soon as I feel a little more in control of this whole weight loss thing!

Attitude:

My attitude was so positive for the first three days. I didn't mind weighing and measuring my food to determine calories for each item.

Day 4 was not so positive as I mentioned above. I did not want to weigh and measure my food and was feeling resentful. I wanted to eat whatever the heck I pleased and while I resisted, I'm still wanting a big, juicy burger!

100 Day Weight Loss Challenge Begins Today! Wish me luck!

2013-04-08T10:50:00.000-04:00

Is it really Monday already? It must be, since it definitely feels like a Monday. I'm just surprised that it's already here. After a very busy weekend full of lots of errands and full of a wide range of emotions, I am worn out and also feel like I may be getting a cold. Or maybe it's just allergies.

Grace has been having sleep issues lately, too. Which means Mommy has sleep issues. This kid has been waking up several times a night and I just cannot figure out how to solve this problem.

Aside from the usual Monday morning blues, today is no normal Monday morning. Today is the start of the 100 Day Weight Loss Challenge over at Colie's Kitchen. (There's still time if you want to join-in!)

To say I am not prepared for Day 1 is an understatement. Between being both physically and emotionally exhausted and also feeling sick, I'm just not ready. Not to mention the fact that we didn't grocery shop this weekend and the healthy options just aren't in abundance at the moment.

All that said, if I don't begin this today, then when? From past experience, I know I am guilty of pushing things off until the following Monday over and over again. Until weeks, months, even years pass without me doing anything to help myself out of this fat situation.

Today, as Day 1 of the challenge, I am supposed to weigh in. Sigh. This is going to be dreadful. I just know it. I fully know that I am at my highest weight I've been in my life and the thought of seeing that number today just scares me! To know that I let myself get this heavy and risking my health is very upsetting.

I'm also supposed to share what my goals are for this week and the challenge overall. For me, that's the easy part. Much easier than that moment of truth when I finally step on the scale. Easy because my goals have been the same for each and every new diet or weight loss challenge I begin.

Overall, I want to lose weight, cut back (way back) on my diet soda consumption drinking more water as a result, kick my sugar addiction and lead a healthier lifestyle. I want to be able to still eat the foods I love, just not as much of them. I need to teach myself portion control. For example, I want to allow myself to eat a brownie and not inhale the entire pan of brownies in one day. Boredom and sugar addiction combined with a total lack of self control all contribute to that problem and it's something I want to work on through these next 100 days.

At the end of the 100 Day Weight Loss Challenge:

I want to be able to move more comfortably. I'm too young for all of these aches, pains and creaky bones! Not to mention being out of breath from one flight of stairs!

I want to feel good about myself. While I know that appearance isn't everything, feeling confident about how I look in an outfit would help me enjoy myself more when we're out and about. I spend so much time fidgeting and adjusting my ill-fitting clothes while we're out that I forget to have fun.

My ultimate challenge goal is to fit into my wedding rings by the end of these 100 days. It's been about 5 years since I've worn them. I refuse to get them re-sized and a new ring just isn't in the budget.

I think that about covers it. I'm reluctant to choose a goal weight. I'm a perfectionist and if I see that I'm not reaching my assigned goal, I'll end up quitting the challenge. So, instead I need to focus on the other goals and not a set number. As long as the weight is coming off, I'll be happy. 5 lbs, 10 lbs, 20 lbs. lost will all be a step in the right direction!

It's 10:30 and I haven't eaten breakfast yet since I've been trying to work up the courage to step on the scale. Monday morning before breakfast will be my weigh-in day.

After breakfast, I'll be planning out my game-plan for the week. This will include a shopping list of healthy options as well as a meal plan for the week. Having a list of healthy meal options posted to the fridge will help me stay on track when I'm feeling hungry.

In addition to posting here each week, I will also be tracking my success over at MyFitnessPal which is a free online program where you can track your daily calories, log in your weight each week, enter recipes to find calorie count per serving, etc. My profile name there is Fitmomma613 if you want to follow along over there, too!

Good luck to my fellow challengers and many thanks to Nicole for setting this up! It's definitely the kick in the pants that I needed! Well, that and the fitting room disaster I had to deal with on Saturday! I won't go into detail as I'm sure you can all relate in some way!

Chocolate Hummus

2013-04-03T08:55:00.000-04:00

I have wanted to try Chocolate Hummus ever since Debbi shared her recipe almost 2 years ago! I just never got around to making it since I knew I'd be the only person in the house that would eat it. I really didn't want to make the entire batch of it for myself. I probably could have cut the recipe in half, but that thought never occurred to me until just now.

Tuesday morning, I had the perfect opportunity to whip up a batch of delicious Chocolate Hummus. We had company coming over and I wanted to offer a healthy snack to our guests.

I set out a bowl of veggies with some store-bought roasted red pepper hummus for a more savory snack along with a bowl of fruit with the Chocolate Hummus for dipping.

Mmm! So good! I'm so glad I finally got around to trying it!

Chocolate Hummus
adapted from Debbi Does Dinner...Healthy & Low-Calorie

Ingredients:

1 can chick peas, drained/rinsed
2 Tbs. coconut oil
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 Tbs. honey
salt, to taste
2-4 Tbs. warm water

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in food processor.
Add more or less water to get desired consistency.

I really loved this healthy snack! It was especially delicious on strawberries! I'm just sorry it took me so long to make it!

{Not So} Wordless Wednesday ~ Healthy Snacking

2013-04-03T08:48:00.000-04:00

Last week, Grace and I had friends come for a visit. I knew my friend Merry has been cutting out the junk food as much as possible and really watching what she eats.

With so many people with food intolerance or allergies and others following different diets, I tend to panic when it comes time to host guests that keep away from certain foods. This time, instead of panicking, I decided that I'd just put out some fruit and veggies for us to nibble on rather than preparing a full meal.

I filled one bowl with strawberries, grapes and pineapple chunks. The other bowl had cucumber slices, celery sticks and baby carrots. I opened a tub of Roasted Red Pepper Hummus for the veggies and whipped up a batch of Chocolate Hummus for the fruit. I also set out a bowl of mini pretzels to dip in the Chocolate Hummus! mmm! So good!

Chocolate Hummus

I have forgotten how much I enjoy snacking on sweet fruits and crunchy veggies throughout the day. These days I tend to snack on a lot of junk food. Something that I really need change.

Soon, the farmers' markets in our area will be opening. I'm looking forward to picking up some super-fresh produce to snack on each week!

Crock Pot Potato 3-Bean Soup

2013-03-27T13:25:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, I read an article about a blogger (and her family) that lives on a $14,000 a year income. Being a food blogger, I immediately had to check out the recipe section of Danielle's blog, Blissful and Domestic. Of course, I wanted to find some frugal meal ideas to add to my weekly menus!

Since we love beans and I'm always looking for new meatless meals, I knew right away I'd be trying this crock pot soup recipe! I made a couple of small changes based on what we had in our pantry and since I'm not too fond of cilantro, I left it out.

Potato 3-Bean Soup
adapted from Blissful and Domestic

Ingredients:

1 can cannellini beans, drained/rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained/rinsed
1 can black beans, drained/rinsed
4 cups beef broth
4 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
4 Tbs. taco seasoning
1 small can diced chillies

Directions:

toss all ingredients into crock pot, and allow to cook on high for 3-4 hours.

Notes:

This soup was delicious! I'll admit that I wasn't sure about the combination of beans with the potatoes, but I loved it! So tasty and filling at the same time!
Dry beans, cooked ahead of time (as Danielle suggests) would make this recipe even more frugal.
This was a super-easy soup to throw together. I decided to make it on a very busy morning and had it assembled in no time! My only problem was that I forgot to plug in the crock pot and didn't notice until 2:00. My crock pot had this soup ready by 5:30 when set on high!

Spring: A New Season Brings New Changes

2013-03-20T11:28:00.002-04:00

Happy first day of Spring, everyone!

I don't know about you, but I sure am looking forward to some nice weather! We've had snow TWICE this past week! Not the weather I expected leading up to the first day of Spring!

But, as much as I am looking forward to the new season ahead, I cannot help being reminded that the first quarter of the year is almost over. What have I accomplished since the start of the year?

With every new year, I make the same three resolutions:

Lose weight/get healthy.
Get Organized.
Save Money.

Every year, I fail miserably.

This year, I've only followed through with my third resolution. Thanks to this 52 Weeks of Savings plan, I've challenged myself to put a few bucks into our savings account each week. So far, I've succeeded.

Getting organized and getting healthy? Not so much. Aside from considering my options, nothing else has even been attempted to bring myself closer to these goals. How depressing!

I'm overwhelmed with the clutter in my house and just don't know where to begin. I have a feeling I'll be purging another 500 items (maybe more) from our home. I'll try to do better at documenting my progress once I start. Last year, I succeeded in removing over 500 items in a month's time. I just failed in reporting back here each week.

Would anyone be interested in doing the 500 Item Challenge with me this year with a weekly link-up? April 1st would be a good day to start.

While I sit here, snuggled on the sofa with the dog, I find it difficult to believe that Spring and Summer will be here soon. As much as I won't miss the cold, grey and dreary weather, I find comfort in my bulky, warm layers of clothing. Spending many months as a couch potato, I am in no way ready for short sleeves, shorts and let's not even talk about bathing suits!

Over the weekend, I picked up two books,The Digest Diet: The Best Foods for Fast, Lasting Weight Loss and The Digest Diet Cookbook as they were recommended to me from a friend. Each week, she's been checking in with her results and she is doing great!

I'll be spending the rest of this month gathering my games plan (and my courage) to tackle the clutter and the calories that are keeping me from achieving my goals for 2013 as well as making plans for our vegetable garden. I'll be trying my best to come back here with updates as well as tips and tricks along the way!

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I will receive a small compensation if you purchase the books linked in this post.

Menu Plan Monday 2013 ~ Week of March 18th

2013-03-18T16:27:00.002-04:00

Due to a variety of different reasons, one being that I was knocked on my butt by a stomach bug, we didn't get to most of last week's planned meals. This week, you may see a couple of the items repeated, but some will appear at a later date.

Although, it's only Monday, I really feel as if the week is almost over. I guess since there's so much that needs to get done around here for my HP Wake Up Your Walls House Party for this weekend and then, of course, there's Easter just right around the corner.

The house needs a good cleaning. I've been slacking around the house for the past several weeks while I focused on other things. Grace is anxious to get the house decorated for Easter (or as she says: "Let's decorate for Spring!") but we can't decorate an already messy house! So, tonight I plan on getting some cleaning done after Grace goes to bed. Then hopefully tomorrow we can pull out the "Spring" decorations!

I'm keeping the menu super-easy this week:

Monday

Turkey Corn Chowder
A busy afternoon at the mall,
then back home to do laundry
calls for some leftover soup!

Tuesday

Ham & Cabbage Skillet
I need to make room for the leftover Easter Ham,
so this is a good way finish up the ham from Christmas.

Wednesday

One Dish Chicken Dinner
This is one of the dinners that didn't make it to the table last week.
I'm looking forward to enjoying it this week!

Thursday

Leftover Night

Friday

Crock Pot Ravioli
Just a couple more meatless Fridays
until Easter.

Saturday

HP Wake Up Your Walls House Party
As of this moment,
I'm still undecided on the menu for the party.
I'm pretty sure I'll make use of my crock pot, though!

Sunday

Hamburgers, Baked Beans,
"Grilled" Potatoes

I'm longing for some "summer" foods!
This dinner should do the trick!

Turkey Corn Chowder

2013-03-17T00:14:00.003-04:00

I can't remember where I first had my first taste of Chicken Corn Chowder. It could have been at a local deli when I first started working at the flower shop oh-too-many years ago to count. Or, it could have been on a day trip to Lancaster, PA when I first started dating my hubby. Either way, I was hooked ever since!

While the trips to Lancaster didn't happen too often, I could always count on the deli to serve up my favorite chowder at least once (sometimes twice) a month. Soon, that wasn't enough to satisfy me! I decided I'd try to make it myself. Someday.

Looking through my trusty Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, I was excited to find there was a recipe for corn chowder without the chicken. Of course, I had to have the chicken, so I always added it near the end of the cooking time. A few other small changes led us to our favorite Chicken Corn Chowder recipe...or in today's case, Turkey Corn Chowder!

Turkey Corn Chowder
adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

Ingredients:

3 slices bacon, diced
1/2 c. onion, diced
1/2 c. red bell pepper, diced
1 medium potato, diced
2 cups chicken broth (canned or homemade)
3/4 cup diced turkey breast
2 T. all-purpose flour (or Wondra)
1 1/2 cups milk
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Chipotle Tabasco sauce, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

In a dutch oven, cook diced bacon until crisp.
When bacon is done, remove from pot with a slotted spoon.
Drain all but 1 Tbs. bacon grease from pot.
Add the onions and peppers to the hot oil in the dutch oven, cook until tender.
Stir in broth, potato and corn.
Bring to boil.
Stir in the turkey.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes (until potatoes are tender).
In a small bowl or glass, mix together the flour and milk. Once well combined, stir into the chowder.
Season to taste with the salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes while allowing to cook uncovered until thick and bubbly.
If desired, use an immersion blender to lightly puree the chowder to desired texture.
Stir in crumbled bacon.
Once chowder is thick and bubbly, allow to cook for one minute longer before serving.

Notes:

You could easily use bacon leftover from the morning's breakfast or from the BLTs you enjoyed for lunch, just be sure to reserve some of the grease to cook your veggies. It brings that wonderful smokey, bacon flavor throughout the entire pot of soup!

I make corn chowder several different ways, but this recipe has continued to be our favorite even after all these years!

Lazy, Snowy Saturdays and St.Patrick's Day

2013-03-16T11:38:00.001-04:00

Grace and I are enjoying a lazy Saturday morning on the sofa. Looking out the back window, we're watching snow fall. As pretty as it looks, I really do hope it's the last of the snow before spring arrives.

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, so later today Grace and I will whip up a batch of Irish Potato Candy and tomorrow Joe will enjoy some Corned Beef and Cabbage that will cook in the crock pot while we run a few errands.

Later in the week, I'll make my favorite Ham and Cabbage Skillet with the last of the Christmas ham from the freezer. That should make some room for the leftover Easter ham I'll be needing to freeze in just a couple of weeks!

How are you spending your weekend? What's on your St. Patrick's Day menu? Share with us in the comments!

Inspired by Pinterest ~ Sesame Soy Pork Chops in the Crock Pot

2013-03-14T09:15:00.000-04:00

I don't cook pork very often. Personally, I'm not a huge fan. I do add it to our menu every now and again just for a change from our usual beef or chicken dinners. Especially, when it's on sale cheaper than chicken at times.

Talking to a friend a few weeks ago, I wanted to try a recipe for Maple Glazed Pork Chops. For some reason, I assumed that the recipe was for the slow cooker. Instead, it was a grill recipe. Not the cooking method I was prepared for today.

While the kiddos played nicely together, I decided to search Pinterest for Crock Pot Pork Chop Recipes and came up with quite a few options. This recipe for Peking Pork Chops seemed to be the easiest for the time frame I had to throw it together and get it cooking.

Sesame Soy Pork Chops in the Crock Pot
adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

4 bone-in pork chops
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 heaping tsp. minced garlic
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Place chops in bottom of crock.
Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
Pour over meat, flipping chops to cover both sides.
Cover, set on low for 4 hours.

Notes:

To toast the sesame seeds, I just sprinkled them into a nonstick pan over medium-high heat and shook the pan to toss the seeds a bit until they turned golden brown.

Oh, goodness! This dinner was so delicious! The pork was so moist and tender, not dried out which is usually how pork chops turn out when I cook them! The meat fell right off the bone as I served up our dishes! I do think this will be our go-to pork recipe.

I've linked this recipe to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

Menu Plan Monday 2013 ~ Week of March 11th

2013-03-10T14:26:00.000-04:00

Monday

Corn Chowder
We love corn chowder and make it often throughout the year.
This is our favorite version of the hearty soup!

Tuesday

One Dish Chicken Dinner
Such an easy and delicious dinner.
Perfect dinner for a busy weeknight!

Wednesday

Leftover Night

Thursday

Corn Dog Casserole,
Oven "grilled" Potatoes
It's been a while since we've made this meal.
Leftover baked beans is the perfect excuse
to serve this dinner favorite!
Comfort food at it's best!

Friday

Crock Pot Spicy Cannellini Soup
I can't wait to give this meatless, crock pot soup a try this week!
It's budget friendly and looks delicious, too!

Saturday

Pasta with Easy Bacon Tomato Sauce
Bacon! Need I say more?!

Sunday

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Inspired by Pinterest ~ One-Dish Chicken Dinner

2013-03-08T09:07:00.002-05:00

I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. I love that I can find new decorating tips, craft inspiration, new recipes, etc. all in one place! I hate the fact that I lack the self control it takes to limit my pinning time, resulting in hours and hours browsing through all of the wonderful tips and tricks shared by other "pinners".

Every once in a while I manage to drag myself away from the computer screen and actually prepare one of the delicious recipes that I've pinned. Sometimes, like this time, I need a nudge from a friend! The recipe I am sharing with you today was highly recommended by a friend of mine. Kristen has made this recipe for her family several times already and it was especially loved by her two year old!

Kristen told me that the original recipe called for a pack of Italian Dressing Mix but said the recipe works well with Ranch Dressing Mix or Onion Soup Mix. Since I already know that Joe and I LOVE making our roasted potatoes using the onion soup mix, I decided to use that for this meal. I was not disappointed! This recipe is a keeper!

One-Dish Chicken Dinner

Ingredients:

3-4 russet potatoes, scrubbed and diced
4 boneless chicken breast
frozen green beans
stick butter, melted
1 packet onion soup mix

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350
Place chicken in a line in the center of 9x12 baking dish.
Arrange potatoes in a line on one side of chicken and green beans on the other side.
Sprinkle onion soup mix over the entire dish (as evenly as possible).
Pour melted butter over the top.
Cover with foil and bake for one hour.

Notes:

The original recipe called for canned green beans, I used frozen since that's what we had on hand.

This was good! Really good! The aroma from the kitchen while this was cooking for an hour was torture! It smelled so wonderfully delicious that I just had to sneak a bite before getting this to the table for dinner. As a result, I burned my tongue! It was well worth it! I really loved how easy it was to put this meal together. I have a feeling that I'll be preparing this meal a few times in the weeks ahead as we'll be a bit busier around here than usual.

Menu Plan Monday 2013 ~ Week of March 4th

2013-03-05T14:37:00.001-05:00

While I'm not one to wish my days away, especially when I'm already feeling like Grace is growing up too quickly. But after a pretty rough day around here yesterday (the reason I'm late posting this week's menu plan) and another not-so-great day today. I'm really looking forward to snuggling up on the sofa tonight to watch some TV. Quiet time for mommy is very much needed and I'm counting the hours until Grace's bedtime. Seven and a half hours until the peace and quiet I need so very badly. Of course, I may have just jinxed myself and she'll be awake all night...much like the past 2 nights. sigh.

So with that said, I'm trying to keep this week's menu pretty simple while also trying a couple new recipes.

Here's what's on our menu this week:

Monday

Cheese Steak Wraps,
Oven-baked Fries,
pickles
Yesterday was a disaster of a day.
Nothing major, just a bunch of little things
that added up to a very exhausting day.
Something simple was needed for dinner.
Good thing I thawed a package of
shredded steak the night before!

Tuesday

Braided Spaghetti Bread
This was on last week's menu,
we just didn't get around to it.
Another easy meal for another long day!
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Wednesday

Ham Steak
Baked Beans
Pierogies

I'm looking forward to summer meals.
Burgers and dogs on the grill.
Corn on the cob, potato salad, baked beans
and all that good stuff!
For now, we'll have to settle for just the beans!

Thursday

Creamy Black Bean & Salsa Chicken
over rice.
While looking for dinner inspiration,
I came across this recipe.
I love this combination of flavors,
so I'm sure this recipe will be a keeper.

Friday

Veggie Fried Rice
Vegetable Stir Fry
I've never made fried rice before.
I'm hoping to have the chance
to give it a try this week.

Saturday
Pizza Night
We've been wanting to try Papa John's
Steak and Cheese Pizza
ever since we first saw it advertised
a few weeks ago.
We're hoping it will be similar
to a Steak Pie we miss from Philly.

Sunday

undecided

Inspired by Pinterest ~ Banana Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips

2013-03-01T10:15:00.000-05:00

I ate cookies for breakfast this morning and I don't feel the least bit guilty, thanks to a recipe I found on Pinterest last night!

The base of this fabulously easy recipe contains just two ingredients (bananas and oats) plus whatever add-ins you want to include to jazz them up a bit! I added chocolate chips to the batch of cookies I whipped up this morning, but there are so many great ingredients that you can add to personalize them to your cravings! I'm thinking raisins, coconut, nuts!

To find out more about not-so-precise measurements and cooking times, check out the original idea over at The Burlap Bag.

note: I know I already shared an Inspired by Pinterest post earlier today, but I am just so darned excited about this one, I didn't want to wait until next week to share it with y'all!

I'm linking this post to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

Inspired by Pinterest ~ Heart Shaped Carrots

2013-03-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

My almost-four-year-old (I cannot believe she is almost 4 already!) is an extremely picky eater. I mean, really picky! There are only a handful (maybe two) of foods that I can get Grace to eat. I serve those foods to her over and over and over again. Every couple of days I try to sneak something new onto her plate but she never tries anything new. It's frustrating.

She won't even try carrots. I was a picky eater when I was a kid (this must be karma) but even I remember loving carrots when I was a kid. But nope, Grace won't even consider giving them a try. Sigh.

After seeing the idea on Pinterest, I thought maybe some heart-shaped carrots would help get her to taste just one crunchy carrot coin. Nope! Didn't work. She's brutal.

But they sure were cute floating around in the Chicken Noodle Soup that I made last week!

Sugar-Free Chocolate Coconut Pudding Pops

2013-02-28T14:35:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine gave me a smoothie recipe a couple of weeks ago. The recipe called for coconut milk, so in one of my daily texts to Joe, I asked him to pick up a carton on his way home. It was good timing, too, since it was on sale for $1.00 off that week.

I have a bad track record when it comes to milk. It doesn't matter if it's soy milk, coconut milk or my usual skim milk, I have a habit of forgetting about it until it has passed the expiration date. Resulting in pouring the spoiled milk down the drain. So, after seeing the high price of the coconut milk, Joe told me if I didn't use every last drop, he would not buy it again!

When I realized we had a half gallon of the stuff and the recipe only called for 1/4 cup, I was sure there was no way I'd finish it all before it expired. I tried it in my cereal and was not a fan at all.

I then decided to make some pudding using a box of sugar free Jell-o pudding mix and the coconut milk. I measured out the coconut milk, added it to the pudding, mixed it well and put in the fridge to set.

It didn't set.

I checked the box thinking maybe I used too much milk. Nope. I measured correctly. I just failed to see the note at the bottom stating that the pudding would not set when using soy milk. Apparently, it won't set when using coconut milk either.

Sigh. I really didn't want to waste both the 2 cups of the coconut milk AND a box of pudding mix, but I really didn't want to drink the pudding either.

After chilling it overnight in hopes that it would eventually thicken (it didn't), I remembered that I've been wanting to try to make my own pudding pops. Those oh-so-yummy frozen treats I enjoyed when I was a kid. No better time then right then! I pulled a chair up to the cabinet that's above my refrigerator and dug out my popsicle mold. Cleaned it up, filled it with pudding and popped it into the freezer. And waited.

The result? A perfectly simple, oh-so-tasty low calorie snack! Mmmmm! So good!

Sugar Free Chocolate Coconut Pudding Pops

Ingredients:

Silk Coconut Milk
Sugar Free Instant Pudding Mix

Directions:

Mix the pudding mix with the required amount of coconut milk as direction on the pudding box.
I chilled the pudding/milk mixture overnight before eventually pouring into the mold, but I'm sure you could just pour into your popsicle mold at this point and freeze.

I'll be making these again once the weather warms up a bit! I'll have fun trying a bunch of different flavor combinations, too!

I am linking up and sharing this post with the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

Saturday Show & Tell #52

Menu Plan Monday 2013 ~ Week of February 25th

2013-02-26T08:37:00.002-05:00

Yes, I know! I'm late with this week's menu plan. We were very busy running errands this weekend and I found myself away from the computer for most of the time we were home. I've been bit by the spring cleaning bug and spent most of Sunday cleaning, although you can't really tell!

In an effort to keep the grocery bill low and make room in the freezer, I'll be cooking (mostly) from the freezer and pantry the next couple of weeks.

Here's what's on the menu for this week:

Monday

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, garlic breadsticks
We have some ground venison in the freezer
that I think will be perfect for a big pot of sauce.

Tuesday

Sauteed Cabbage with turkey bacon and pierogies
I planned on making the cabbage and pierogies over the weekend
with kielbasa from the farmer's market, but we never did make it
to the farmer's market.

Wednesday

Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
We enjoyed this soup so much last week,
that it's making another appearance in this week's menu!
I think I'll make it with rice this time, instead of noodles.

Thursday

Leftover Night

Friday

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup
and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

With another week of watching my friend's little boy coming to a close,
I'm sure I will appreciate the simplicity of this dinner.
I've already taken the soup out of the freezer to thaw in the fridge,
so aside from reheating in the microwave,
all I'll have to do is make a few sandwiches!

Saturday

Crock Pot Beef Barley Soup
I love beef barley soup, but rarely get around to making it.
Mainly because anytime I have beef cubes in the house,
I end up making a pot of chili or beef stew.

Sunday

Braided Spaghetti Bread
It's been a while since I've made this braided spaghetti bread.
I usually make it without cheese,
but since I have a lot of shredded mozzarella cheese in the fridge,
I think I'll add it this time!

Inspired by Pinterest ~ Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

2013-02-22T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today's post is about a recipe that I stumbled across last week while browsing Pinterest and just couldn't wait to try. In fact, I almost prepared it last week, but was missing one of the key ingredients for the recipe. I probably could have searched Pinterest for a replacement option, but I really wanted to keep things as simple as possible and picked up the missing ingredient while running errands over the weekend.

This soup was as delicious as it was simple! I followed the recipe almost exactly, only making a couple of small changes based on the ingredients I had on hand and the leftovers available in the fridge.

Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
adapted from Creatively Domestic

Ingredients:

4 cups homemade chicken broth
10.5 oz can condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 cups frozen corn
salt & pepper, to taste
2 cups rotisserie chicken, diced
1-2 cups leftover buttered noodles

Directions:

Whisk together the chicken broth and cream of chicken soup.
Stir in the celery, onion, carrots and frozen corn.
Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
Cover and set crock pot on high for one hour.
Stir, adjust heat setting to low, and allow to cook for another 4 hours.
Add in the diced chicken and pre-cooked noodles. Cover and allow to cook for another hour or until chicken and noodles are heated through.

Notes:

Since I started with frozen corn, I started out with the crockpot on high for the first hour. If using thawed, canned or fresh corn, cook on low for the entire 4-6 hours.
This recipe is a keeper! I think next time I will double it!

I'm sharing this recipe and linking up to the following blog carnivals and linky parties:

Salt Tree Social #43