Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Recipe Of The Week



This week's recipe is Banana Split Pie. This is a very simple recipe and dessert! It is low in fat/calories and no one will ever know that you are indulging on something that is actually good for you. I do not have a picture this week, because we gobbled every last bit of this up for dessert!

Banana Split Pie
A classic favorite that's completely guilt-free.

Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients

* 12 graham cracker squares
* 1 medium banana
* 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
* 1 small box low-calorie vanilla pudding (prepared per package instructions)
* 1 cup fat-free whipped cream

Instructions

1. Place crackers in bottom of pie plate
2. Layer remaining ingredients in order listed
3. Place in refrigerator until pudding sets

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Love is Patient


I am sure many of you have heard of the Love Dare. What is it and how can it really help me? Well, I'm going to be posting at least once a week on what I have learned. I am going to put these dares in to practice in my own life.

Most of you know I have a hard time letting go. I am a guarded person and don't let many people in. I tend to not love or let myself be loved by many people. Instead I turn to anger or judgment. I pick at relationships until they fall apart.

I have been trying to lead more with my heart and choose to love rather then letting anger lead me. I have a responsibility to protect and guide my heart, not just protect it.

This week I'm working on Patience. This is something that I have very little of. I tend, to jump to conclusions and not think things through. The verse that I have been coming back to over the last few days has really spoke to me. It is short and to the point. "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. " (Ephesians 4:2)

In the book I've been reading it says "Love will inspire you to become a patient person. When you choose to be patient, you respond in a positive way to a negative situation. You are slow to anger. You choose to have a long fuse instead of a quick temper. Rather then being restless and demanding, love helps you settle down and begin extending mercy to those around you." *Love Dare*

I know that nobody likes to be around an impatient person, you feel like you are always walking on pins and needles waiting to be judged. Being impatient is something that not only annoys others, but let me know you, it bothers that person too. I don't like to be impatient. Sometimes it blows up from out of nowhere. The majority of the time, I do blow up in anger mostly. I can tell you it is almost always regrettable.

Proverbs 14:29 "He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly"

Thessalonians 5:15 "See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another"

The last thing that really has been poking at me in this first chapter was when it talked about can your husband know that cheering for the last of a sports game won't invite a loud-mouthed laundry list of ways he could be better spending his time! This was a HUGE stab at me! I am always telling Jeff, you could be doing this or that instead of wasting your time watching that stupid game. Then I turn and look at myself, would I rather be doing those things then shopping, or blogging??? I should not judge him for something when I do the exact same thing on a Tuesday night watching one of my shows.

Some of you may be wondering, why are you putting this out there? I'm telling everyone how impatient and angry I am, so I have others to hold me accountable. I am trying to be more patient, but I am human. I have faults I am not perfect by any means. I am however, not afraid to admit that either.

Now, I do have to tell you since my husband NEVER reads my blog, I think it is good for me to use this to get my progress out there. It's like I have a million (okay maybe 1 or 2) people out there that I am confiding in.

I want to leave you with one last verse:
James 1:19 - "Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger."

A HUGE thank you to my sources for this post. The Bible, The Love Dare

Holiday Challenge #1


I am participating in Hip2Save's holiday challenges. This week’s challenge focuses on preparing breakfast foods (i.e. breads, muffins, and pancakes) that can be placed in your freezer and used at a later time. I'm love to cook, but am not much of a baker, so this one was interested for me. I still was not 100% satisfied with how it turned out, but this kids LOVED it! :)

Collin did 3 different recipes. Now, we did not have to use her recipes however I did use the ones she found for the blueberry muffins and zucchini pumpkin bread. I will post all the recipes I used.

I made a mixture of blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes, apple and blueberry muffins, 3 mini-loaves of pumpkin zucchini bread, and I also made 12 mini pizza kits to freeze for later. I made 6 whole wheat and 6 white.

I also had an adorable helper! She LOVED cooking!



The recipes are:

1. Zucchini Pumpkin Bread

2. Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

3. Apple Cinnamon Muffins


The next portion is some freezer cooking tips. I did get these all from Collin over at Hip2Save!

Need some tips on freezing bread, muffins and pancakes? Check out these tips and tricks below…

* Allow breads to cool completely before placing them in the freezer.

* Be sure to press out as much excess air from the bag.

* If you are planning to leave your bread in the freezer longer than a month or two, wrap the bread in heavy duty aluminum and then place it in a plastic bag (you can then leave the bread in the freezer for up to 4 months).

* When you are ready to use the bread, take it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw on the counter at room temperature (this usually takes about 3 hours).

* Stack pancakes between sheets of wax paper and slide them all into a plastic bag for freezing (consider using an old bread/bagel bag versus a new Ziploc bag). Store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to use them, take them directly from the freezer to a preheated oven and bake 2-3 minutes.

* Place trays of muffins in the freezer until firm and then transfer them to a Ziploc bag for freezing. Muffins can be stored in the freezer from 6 to 12 months. Muffin batter can be frozen right in the tins for up to 3 weeks for later baking.

* Consider flash freezing muffins (i.e. place individual muffins on a tray in the freezer, freeze them until they are firm and then store them in more space-efficient freezer bag).

* Always label bags with the date.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Walmart Trip

I still have to admit, I am NOT a fan of using coupons at Walmart. They are NOT very friendly about you using them, and they try to make up excuses why you can't! My total today should have been 53.00 I watched as the guy "scanned" all of the coupons then told me my total 51.00. HE only scanned 2 coupons!!!!!! So I politely pointed this out, and he called over the up front manager, and then 1/2 hour later they figured out and scanned all the coupons! My total was $33 and some cents!

Again, for those just learning to coupon make sure you are watching when the cashier "scans" them to make sure they are being scanned! Secondly, do not be afraid to speak up and let them know they are not scanning! I had over 17.00 in coupons and was not going to pay for that 17.00! Mostly because 3 of the items were things I wouldn't normally buy however I had a coupon for a FREE one! (I'm a brand snob) Anyway, my trip ended up being a success!

ALSO, if you want a free movie rental from redbox tonight text TREAT to 727272. TODAY ONLY!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

RECIPE OF THE WEEK


GARDEN QUICHE

1 chopped zucchini
1c. diced tomatoes
1/2c. diced onions
1/3c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1c. Heart Smart Bisquick
3. large eggs
1 1/2c. FF milk (fat free)
1/2t. salt
1/2t. pepper

Spray a 9 inch pie dish and sprinkle chopped veggies into bottom to form 1st layer. Combine cheese, Bisquick, eggs, milk, and salt and pepper. Slowly pour over veggies. Bake 30 minutes at 400. Divide into 6 servings. 3Pt's each!




A few notes: There are only tomatoes on half, Jeff and I are not fans, but the kids LOVE them! :) I have onions on my side but not the kids'! :) We are a difficult family! :) This recipe actually said to serve with a spinach salad on the side. I am NOT a fan of spinach, so we did Canadian Bacon. We each had 2 slices for 1 points. You have to buy the kind that is already cooked you just heat up! Otherwise you may want to check the points value!

Weight Loss update!



As I promised NO pictures, but little updates! Doing well, in the eating healthy department, just need to stay on track with the workouts! :) I am in week 3 of the c25k program, and it's not bad. Today will be day #1! Yes, I still have to go do it! I had a bunch of errands to run this morning and now can go workout before cooking lunch for the husband and going to get my kiddo's from preschool!

I have lost a total of 7.6 pounds so far, and am pretty impressed with that! It is not exactly where I want it, but it's a work in progress!

Eating is going good, Jeff and I have a new goal of eating out only once per MONTH until we go visit some good friends in Illinois. We are going to save all that money to use there, which should end up being a lot (you all know how much we eat out!) so that should help in the eating healthier end of it! :)

It's still a work in progress, but we are getting there! :)

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

What are you going to do with all that ground turkey?

From my purchase below you can see that I am now stocked up on ground turkey! What are you going to do with all that you might ask. Well, I am going to use 3 pounds to make turkey burgers for the freezer. Then I researched online and found 2 recipes that look fabulous. The first being Turkey Tacos, these are low in fast and BIG in taste, so I'm really excited to try them! The second is Turkey Chili Pie. THis one is a combination of a soup/casserole idea. It will have the same ingredients as chili, however, it will be made in a casserole dish!

I am excited to try these out this week, and hope one of them become my new recipe of the week! :) Will report back later!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Safeway trip!

It has been far to long since I posted a see me shop! :)I decided to go today to see what deals they had and this is what I came away with.



4 cans of progresso soup
3 boxes of Hamburger Helper (usually not a fan, but they were 20 cents each and they had some yummy chicken ones I wanted to try)
1 loaf of bread
2 boxes of Scalloped Potatoes
4 1.25pound packages of ground turkey
1 box of granola bars

Now, I left my purse with the receipt in it at my husbands school, however I spent roughly 11.00 on all this, PLUS I received a Catalina for $1.50 off my next chicken or hamburger purchase!!! Making the total after Catalina's just over $9.00~

To some of you that may seem like a lot however, the ground Turkey alone was originally 4.99 and I got them for 1.99! Not bad!!!! Some have coupons on them as well, making them only .99 cents! I only got 1 peelie, but was still happy to be saving an extra dollar! :)

Plus for those of you who are locals, I had been noticing in some bigger blogs that Safeway had coupon books around the store and that I should be watching for them. I spent about 20 minutes wondering the store looking for them, and finally I asked the cashier. He said you have to ask for them!!!! So, I also received a coupon booklet with over $70 worth of savings!!!! I was pretty pumped!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Emergency Phone Numbers

Sometimes we forget who we can call when we need help! NO I'm not talking about ghost-busters either! :)This was an e-mail forwarded to me from a very good friend. It was to good not to post as a story!

Emergency Phone Numbers:

When in sorrow................................................call John 14
When men fail you.............................................call Psalm 27
If you want to be fruitful....................................call John 15
When you have sinned..........................................call Psalm 51
When you worry................................................call Matthew 6:19-34
When you are in danger........................................call Psalm 91
When God seems far away.......................................call Psalm139
When your faith needs stirring................................call Hebrews 11
When you are lonely and fearful...............................call Psalm 23
When you grow bitter and critical.............................call I Corinthians 13
For Paul's secret to happiness................................call Colossians 3: 12-17
For understanding of Christianity.............................call II Corinthians 5:15-19
When you feel down and out....................................call Romans 8:31
When you want peace and rest..................................call Matthew 11:25-30
When the world seems bigger than God..........................call Psalm 90
When you want Christian assurance.............................call Romans 8:1-30
When you leave home for labor or travel.......................call Psalm 121
When your prayers grow narrow or selfish......................call Psalm 67
For a great invention/opportunity.............................call Isaiah 55
When you want courage for a task..............................call Joshua 1
For how to get along with fellow men..........................call Romans 12
When you think of investments and returns.....................call Mark 10
If you are depressed..........................................call Psalms 27
If your pocketbook is empty...................................call Psalm 37
If you are losing confidence in people........................call I Corinthians 13
If people seem unkind.........................................call John 15
If discouraged about your work................................call Psalm 126
If you find the world growing small and yourself great........call Psalm 19

Alternate Numbers:
For dealing with fear....................................call Psalm 34:7
For Security.............................................call Psalm 121:3
For Assurance............................................call Mark 8:35
For Reassurance..........................................call Psalm 145:18

Emergency Numbers may be dialed direct. No operator assistance is necessary. All lines to Heaven are open 24 hours a day! Feed your faith, and doubt will starve to death!

Recipe of the Week!


CHICKEN TERIYAKI WITH MIXED VEGGIES (6 servings at 5 points each)
Ingredients:
1 1/2lbs. boneless/skinless Chicken Breasts(cubed) (I did then whole)
2 tsp. minced garlic (I used 2 fresh cloves)
4 Med green onions chopped
3 T. Teriyaki sauce
3/4c. Fat free Chicken broth
1 package of mixed veggies (caulif, carrots, and broccoli)
3c. cooked brown rice

Heat a large sprayed skillet over med heat; add garlic and brown chicken on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add green onions and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Add broth and teriyaki sauce; simmer 5 minutes until chicken is done and sauce is slightly reduced. Divide into 6 servings and serve each over 1/2c. rice and 1 c. mixed veggies.

SIDE DISH:
Apple/Cranberry Salad: (6 servings @ 2pts. each)
4 med. apples chopped or diced
1/2c. dried cranberries
2T. chopped walnuts
6oz fat free vanilla yogurt

Toss all ingredients together and divide into 6 servings!

The kids gobbled up the salad, and even liked the chicken! :) I was incredibly impressed with this recipe and will be adding it into our monthly rotation! :)