Asian Lemon Pepper Chicken

Today has been CRAZY.  Like I didn't eat "lunch" until after 2, but I'm not entirely sure you could actually call it lunch.  Honestly, if I hadn't already planned this dinner, we would have had like take-out or something.  This recipe is from a 2005 Kraft Food & Family magazine.  I cut the chicken into strips and thoroughly cooked it in the skillet with lemon pepper seasoning and fat-free Italian dressing.  Then, I added chicken broth, broccoli florets, red pepper, matchstick carrots, and zucchini (not in the recipe).  Brought that to a boil and added two cups of uncooked brown rice.  Brought that to a boil, reduced the heat, and covered to let sit for a while.  Some point after this, I decided to finish off a bottle of white cooking wine, so I added that in there.  Topped it off with Parmesan.  Delicious!

Just FYI, my internet connection is going to be questionable the next few days...so don't get too anxious for new posts.  I'll be back though! Enjoy the rest of your week :)

Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin

I thoroughly enjoy waking up to a delightful smell coming from the kitchen.  This morning, I woke to the wonderful smell of this apricot glazed pork tenderloin.  Last night I put a medium red onion, baby carrots, the pork tenderloin (frozen), and the sauce into the crock-pot.  It cooked on "low" through the night.  This morning, everything was cooked and smelled great!  I turned the crock-pot on warm, so it was ready to go when we got back from worship.  The sauce for this includes: thyme, chicken stock, apricot preserves, and Dijon mustard.  The recipe can be found on Paula Deen's website.  The pork was super tender, and the baby carrots and onions absorbed a lot of the flavor from the sauce.  Delightful!  We also roasted some Yukon gold potatoes.

For dessert, we enjoyed a "Dinette Cake."  This comes from an old Betty Crocker cookbook.  It's kind of a different cake--not super sweet.  I baked it in a 8x8 pan, cut it in half, and stacked it.  We cheated and used Whipped Buttercream Frosting from a can (NOT my favorite).  It looked pretty sad, so I added some pink and iridescent sprinkles to the top.  I am by no means a cake decorator, though.  I'll leave that to the Queen of Cakes! :)

Scrambled Eggs with Spinach, Tomatoes & Feta

On most Saturdays, breakfast is the highlight of the day...at least as far as meals go.  Lunch is practically non-existent, and dinner is random.  This morning I made scrambled eggs with baby spinach, Roma tomatoes, and reduced-fat feta cheese crumbles.  The inspiration for this meal?  "We need to use up the tomatoes and spinach, and I'm tired of seeing the feta in the fridge."  Conveniently, we had eggs.  It was delicious, filling, and decently healthy. 

The rest of the day consisted of fairly successful errand running and house projects.  I think we ran errands to 8 different places, one of which was feeding and watering a turtle.  The brother continued his electrical work at the house, so we have had varying degrees of electricity today--very exciting!  I think everything is done, except for the light in my bathroom.  For some reason only the light that's part of the fan is wired, while the light over the sink is not...makes getting ready fairly interesting.  I put together (with some help) and painted (by myself) a piece to go inside our entertainment center; it will make it possible for the U-verse box and game systems to be under the TV.  I also went to a lovely wedding this evening at OC.  It has certainly been a full day, and there's still plenty of things to do...including working out...Better get off and get to work!

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Well, I have to admit that I have not been to the grocery store this week, so tonight I had to scrape up what I could find.  As luck would have it, the brother did not eat all of the meat sauce from last night AND there was spaghetti in the pantry.  I cooked (and drained) the spaghetti.  Added in the sauce.  Decided it needed a little more.  After a trip to the pantry, I added a can of petite diced tomatoes.  I figured with the addition of the plain tomatoes, it would need more seasoning--sprinkled Italian seasoning into the mix.  It turned out tasty!  We had the steamable asparagus in the freezer along with some Parmesan.    

No worries, I WILL go to the grocery store tomorrow!  Also, in good news, I officially am not infected with TB.  I could have told you that without a test, but there's some rule for working in hospitals and such.  In case you were wondering, I recently discovered how well band-aids work for sun protection.  I have the best band-aid tan line ever, with a fresh pink scar in the middle!  Super, I know.  Now, I will stop rambling for the night and go workout.   

Italian Sloppy Joes?

Tonight we tried something new: Italian Sloppy Joes.  Well, I guess that's what you would call them.  The original plan was for meatball subs.  So, this morning, before work, I made the sauce and the meatballs and put them in the crock-pot... Technically, they would be done by the time I got home, and all I would have to do is put the rolls with cheese in the oven on broil and heat up some frozen veggies.  Right?  Wrong.  I took my time when I got home going through stuff...opening my Scentsy warmer and scent of the month (the scent totally smells like cake = amazing)!  Anyways, around six, I thought I would start the bread and cheese in the oven and pop the veggies in the microwave.  Fortunately, I checked the meatballs first--not even warm.  For some reason, the crock-pot was NOT plugged in all the way.  (Which, considering how my morning went, isn't THAT surprising.) So, in desperation to get the meat cooked quickly, I poured it into a skillet and broke up the balls...thus, no meatballs.  It still tasted good...just not quite what I had planned!

I did finish reading "An Echo in the Darkness," the second book in a series by Francine Rivers.  I would definitely recommend the series, if you haven't already read them.  Or at least the first two books, seeing as I haven't read the third yet...but I'm guessing it's good too.  I was pretty frustrated with the way the first book ended.  So much so that I almost refused to read the second.  However, once I started in on the second, I could hardly put it down!  Also, it ended much better.  Way more closure.  Well, I should go to bed so I don't give the story away.  Have a goodnight everyone! 

Tilapia with Grapefruit Salsa

I found this recipe among the mass of cooking magazines.  I thought it was pretty good.  The brother says, "it's better than the other tilapia."  Mom thought it was good, but a little "hot."  The tilapia marinates in a mixture of grapefruit juice, minced garlic, cumin, and cayenne.  The salsa has chopped grapefruit sections, black beans, red onion, jalepeno (seeded), and cilantro.  The tilapia turned out very tender and did not have that fish-y taste.  The salsa was very flavorful and fresh.

So, what else is going on?  I have been working on this online math thing we have to do before beginning nursing school in the fall.  I thought it would be short and quick, but no.  They are like long, drawn out modules with their own practice drills and tests at the end.  It's driving me crazy because it's like 5th grade math.  And, it's the same process over and over again.  There is SO much else I could be doing...

The brother made some progress on getting light switches changed out today.  In the process, he figured out why the "medium" speed on my ceiling fan hasn't been working...it wasn't wired.  Now it's fixed!  Fabulous.  Well, I should stop rambling and get back to work! Have a good evening!

Orchard Chicken Salad

After a few days of "heavy" foods and eating, I decided that we needed something light and refreshing for lunch today.  The salad base is a "spring mix."  I added red onions, pecan halves, gala apples, and grilled chicken.  It was very refreshing.  I must say, though, that salad is very frustrating to eat.  I feel like it takes a long time.  Like getting the lettuce-y stuff on the fork just right, so it doesn't get dressing all over your face.  Am I the only person with this problem?  Or trying to get two or three different things on the fork at one time so you're not just eating grass by itself.  As time-consuming as it was to eat, it was fast to make.  And, really, it was tasty! 

 After lunch, I decided it was time to get the entertainment center in the house.  I'd waited long enough.  It was time to get things organized.  (We waited so long because we thought we were going to have to have some guys come over and move the thing, but never got around to asking anyone.)  Anyways, our efforts today prove that P90X works.  Chris and I moved the thing (about 6' wide and a little over 6' tall, solid wood) all by ourselves.  (Although, once it we got it inside, we were able to put it on a piece of carpet to slide it--really helpful.)  We also had to move the credenza (that was containing our "entertainment") from the living room to Mom's room; it's smaller, but easily as heavy.  

Stars, Stripes, and Scentsy forever!  This is the warmer of the month for June, and it's just $27 through the end of the month.  Not a fan of red, white and blue?  There are over 80 full-size warmers (plus the campus collection) to choose from!  Some are even on closeout!  Please help me make my goal this month (I'm about $100 short).  Order online at www.catchic.scentsy.us and I will send you a bar of Peach a la Mode for FREE! Thanks :)

The Celebration Continues

I don't know why exactly it is, but it's not just happy birthDAY anymore.... It's like happy birthWEEK.  Kind of like the 12 days of Christmas.  Anyways, my point is, my brother's birthday has been going on since Thursday.  We had a special dinner that night.  Then, last night, we had pizza and cookie cake and he had some friends over.  So, this morning we made doughnut hole skewers.  Then tonight, we had a big family celebration.  We went to Flat Tire Burgers (good, but over-priced), opened presents, and ate strawberry cake.  My metabolism is going into shock, I'm sure. 

These doughnut hole skewers are supper easy.  Just use canned biscuits, cut into fourths.  Heat up some canola oil (try to keep it between 370-380).  Drop the bits of biscuits in and let them cook...some will even turn over themselves!  You can make a glaze or just sprinkle powdered sugar over them.  I like these because they're not quite as sweet as "real" doughnuts.  

The strawberry cake was AMAZING!  Best of all, it was Bobby Dean's LIGHTER version of Paula's "Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake."  I honestly don't know if there are words to do this cake justice.  It was fresh, moist, flavorful, wonderful, delightful, and you just need to try it for yourself.  I have to say I was surprised that the boy wanted strawberry cake because it is, after all, very PINK.  But, I'm SO glad he wanted it!  I will be keeping this recipe for sure!

Poppyseed Chicken

Today is my brother's 16th birthday! (I'm getting old, I know.)  I told him that he could decide what we had for dinner.  His original thought was poppyseed chicken and biscuits.  I asked him what kind of vegetable, and he said, "cheesy potatoes."  Needless to say, I didn't exactly make that.  The poppyseed chicken was a done deal.  He decided green beans and mushrooms would suffice instead of cheesy potatoes.  And we topped it off with chocolate pudding cake.  

 Poppyseed chicken is a very easy and simple dish to make. (Also delicious!) You basically cook about 6 chicken breasts and chop them into cubes and place in the bottom of a baking dish, cover with a mixture of sour cream (I use light), cream of chicken, and cream of celery, and top with a sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers (I used reduced fat), poppyseeds, and melted butter.  I do take the extra time to shred the chicken instead of just chopping it.  For some reason, cubes/chunks of chicken really gross me out.

I modified the recipe for the chocolate pudding cake.  It's inherently low fat, but full of sugar.  I didn't totally replace the sugar with fake stuff.  Instead, I used half "real" sugar and half Ideal sugar substitute.  I don't think anyone noticed a difference...and I haven't told them.  We topped it with light vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Navy Bean Soup with Ham

Tonight we had navy bean soup with ham.  Kind of weird for summer, I suppose, but it's a crock-pot thing...and crock-pot things are fabulous for Wednesdays.  Also, we had a ham bone and some ham left in the freezer from the Sunday before last.  So, this morning I speed-soaked the beans and put them in the crock-pot on low with the ham bone, water, and salt.  When I got home, I turned it on "warm" and added some minced onion.  Shortly before serving, the bone was removed and chunks of ham, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper were added.  It tasted good, but the color leaves something to be desired... So, I added fresh baby spinach to mine!  Problem solved.  

I promise I meant to post much earlier, but when we got home, my brother turned on the TV and "Enchanted" was on.  I don't know why it is, but every time that is on, I HAVE to watch it...even though I own the DVD.  It is my favorite.  I definitely recommend it.  To be quite honest, I originally saw it when it came to theaters because "McDreamy" was in it.  I didn't think the storyline actually looked that appealing.  Wrong.  It is fantastic.  Especially if you know the other movies it kind of mocks.  It is definitely worth your time, if you get the chance to watch it!

Tiger Safari

Today I was a subbed in the field trip class at Sonshine School.  I was actually pretty excited about it because we went to Tiger Safari.  And now, apparently, I am a "tiger-hugger" so it was entirely appropriate that I go.  How did I end up a tiger-hugger?  A while back I tweeted something about how all the tigers in the wild were going to be extinct by like 2015 with the hash tag, "#savethetigers."  Really, I just don't want tigers to go extinct in my lifetime because that would make me feel old.  It's bad enough my own brother doesn't even know what a floppy disk is.  Anyways, I'm a tiger-hugger, on a mission to save the tigers.  Feeding them snacks is part of that, right?

As far as Tiger Safari goes, it was decent.  There were lions, tigers, and a bear (oh my!) and many other "exotic" animals.  It was hot and windy, and we all kept getting dirt in our eyes and mouths (yuck...not diva-appropriate).  Fortunately this was not a problem for me but, there are like only two toilets in the whole place and water isn't super accessible.  So, keep that in my if you want to go.

My First Roast

This is the first beef roast that I have actually "made." I put it in the crock-pot (frozen) last night (before bed) with some liquid and seasoning.  This morning (before Bible class) I added in Yukon gold potatoes, baby carrots, and a small white onion.  So, by lunch (after worship), everything was juicy and tender.  It turned out wonderfully!

 The rest of the meal included a salad of baby spinach, Roma tomatoes, cucumber, and reduced-fat feta crumbles.  I also made some kind of orange Jell-O salad, which contains orange Jell-O (obviously), a can of pears (pureed), cream cheese, and mandarin oranges.  You can use sugar-free Jell-O and fat-free cream cheese, if you wish...I did.  Admittedly, it does not look very appetizing, but I assure you, it's good stuff.

Apparently, the orange Jell-O stuff was not going to cut it for "dessert," like I had intended.  My mother wanted "real" dessert, so she made this "Cherry Float."  It is one of her mother's recipes, similar to a cobbler.  No fat-free or sugar-free business here!  (Well, except the cool whip IS sugar-free.)  I hope my metabolism is working well today!

French Toast & Lighter Bean Salad

Okay, obviously we did not have the French Toast and Lighter Bean Salad together!  That would be gross.  We made french toast for breakfast and used "real" french bread...so much better than making french toast with sandwich bread.  I topped mine with blueberries and sugar-free syrup.  

Yesterday, I made a lighter version of my grandma's bean salad.  This is one of those things that you make a day ahead so all the flavors blend and settle.  I basically only changed three things from her recipe.  First, I went from 1 cup of oil to 1/2 cup.  Second I went from 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar to 3/4 cup.  Lastly, I traded out 1 1/2 cups sugar for 1 cup of Splenda...I'm sure my grandma is rolling over in her grave over this one.  It did of course turn out a little differently, but the lighter version is still quite delicious.  Best part, one recipe makes about 8 1/2 cups, so it can be snacked on throughout the week.

Lighter Bean Salad:

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 small jar of pimentos 

1 can shoepeg corn

1 can french style green beans

1 can Le Seur young peas 

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil (original = 1 cup canola oil)

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar (original = 1/2 cup)

1 cup Splenda (original = 1 1/2 cups sugar)

Drain corn, green beans, and peas.  Combine in a bowl with green bell pepper, celery, and pimentos.  Bring the latter five ingredients to a boil; let cool.  Combine with everything else in the bowl.  Refrigerate.  Enjoy.

In other news, the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers all have knobs and pulls, respectively.  Until today, only the top cabinets had pulls.  (The top cabinets are the originals, so they already had the holes for hardware.  I had to measure, mark, and drill holes for the bottom cabinets.)  It was one of those things where I'm glad we have a smaller kitchen.  Same will be true when I get around to the back splash.  Did some other random organizing.  Saturdays are so much fun around here...

Watergate Salad

Tonight we enjoyed ham paninis on french bread with cheese, baby spinach, and tomatoes.  On the side we had baby carrots and "Watergate Salad."  Until a few days ago, I had no idea this was the name for the fluffy pistachio goodness I like to eat, but apparently it is.  Am I the only one who did not know this?  Do you call it something else?  I substituted sugar free cool whip for regular, and I would have done the same with the pudding mix, but we already had the regular.  It is amazing how many calories you can cut by using the sugar free products.  Most of the time, I find, it really doesn't make a horrific difference in taste.

Watergate Salad:

1 cup mini marshmallows 

1 can (20oz) crushed pineapple

1 package pistachio pudding mix (sugar-free works)

1/2 cup chopped pecans 

1 1/2 cups cool whip (sugar-free works)

Mix it all together and enjoy! (Makes about 8 servings)

Cheater's Chicken Fajitas

Okay, so you know that Wednesdays are CRAZY at the house, but even more so this week... This was actually last night's dinner (tonight will be leftovers, sorry).  I'm calling this dish "Cheater's Chicken Fajitas" because there really isn't much to do at all to get it together.  I used pre-cooked (frozen) fajita chicken strips and a frozen mix of peppers and onions.  So we just heated those up on the stove and put some kind of frozen southwestern corn thing in the microwave.  Obviously, there were tortillas, sour cream, salsa, and cheese involved, but nothing really special.  They were good though!

  My brother's birthday is in one week, so I asked him what I should make... His reply: "chicken poppyseed casserole, biscuits, and cheesy potatoes"...  We'll see about that. Not much color there!

Mini Greek Burgers

Tonight I tried something new, Mini Greek Burgers.  The "burgers" are made from ground turkey and mixed with onion, parsley, salt, and pepper.  (I guess to be truly Greek, I should have used lamb...but I could not bring myself to do that.) I made the patties "slider" size (wishing I had one of those slider makers from the infomercial) and grilled them on the George Foreman.  I served them in pita pockets with tomato, cucumber and a special sauce (plain, non-fat Greek yogurt, dill, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic).  They were totally delicious!  A great way to use ground turkey.

Pineapple Chicken

I uncovered a bunch of cooking magazines the other day, and found several recipes to try.  Tonight's Pineapple Chicken was one of them.  Basically, you marinate the chicken in a mixture of crushed pineapple, reduced sodium soy sauce, cider vinegar, and pepper.  Then you pop it in the oven to cook.  Mom and the brother thought it was good...I thought the flavor of the marinade was good, but the chicken tasted too much like chicken, if you will.  If I was to do it again, I would let it marinate longer and grill it.  I served it on a bed of brown rice with Bird's Eye Asian Vegetable Medley on the side.

Today marks the first day I've spent by a pool this summer!  I'm super lucky that the kids I watch like to swim and have a neighborhood pool.  It's so nice...especially when it is this hot outside.  Hopefully, I don't get too red since I forgot to bring my special sensitive skin sunscreen along.  It's interesting that I used to never ever burn, but since I got sick back in middle school, I burn.  Really lovely, don't you think?  Hope everyone's week is off to a good start!

Honey Glazed Ham

I scored some spiral-cut, honey glazed ham from Target a while back for just $0.79/lb.  Today, we cooked it up and had apricot glazed green beans, tropical fruit salad, and a reduced-fat crescent roll on the side.  It was a super easy and tasty Sunday meal!  For the beans, I used frozen Pict Sweet whole green beans.  The apricot glaze is simply some apricot reserves (I used sugar free) warmed with a bit of butter (or margarine) and a dash of salt.  I'm not sure the tropical fruit salad really counts as a fruit salad...it's probably more of a dessert.  It's just the canned tropical fruit salad mixed with coconut flakes and mini marshmallows.

Been busy at the house this weekend!  I personally got the curtain rod installed (and curtains hung) in the living room, organized the pantry with some Itso cubes and bins (check them out at Target), worked more on the trim (a thorn in my flesh).  Chris has been trimming trees, and Mom's been going through boxes in her room.  "Big Trash Day" is tomorrow, and I think we'll live up to that expectation.  Better get back to work!

Hamburgers & A Special Preview

Tonight we had hamburgers with yellow squash  and sweet potato fries.  We were going to break out the real outside grill, but it didn't work... It was in the shed when everything flooded a year ago, and I guess too much water got in it!  So, we used the George Foreman grill for the burgers, sauteed the squash, and popped the fries in the oven.  

A Special Preview:

This is a super cute, three-piece warmer that Scentsy is releasing on July 1st as "The Warmer of the Month."  It will be just $22.50 during the month of July.  Better yet, you can host a party in July and get this for FREE with your hostess rewards.  It's a must-have for cupcake lovers like myself (you betcha, I'm getting one)!  Contact me for details, to book a party, or get on my order list: https://catchic.scentsy.us/Contact.  Thanks!

Veggie Pizza & Grilled Chicken

Tonight we had grilled chicken with veggie pizza on the side.  I marinated the chicken with Paula Deen's vidalia onion and peach grilling marinade (this comes in a jar...I think we got it at Wal-Mart).  I topped the chicken off with cinnamon-sprinkled grilled peaches.  The veggie pizza is something from Pampered Chef (kind of).  I don't actually have the official Pampered Chef recipe, so I just kind of made it up.  I used reduced-fat crescent rolls (crust), fat-free cream cheese and 1/2 pack of Hidden Valley Dips in dill flavor (sauce), and topped with fresh vegetables.  It was pretty good!

The wall shelves in the living room are finally up! It turns out the wall is like curved... Obviously, they are not decorated yet, but I promised a picture:

Tilapia in White Wine & Lemon Sauce

Tonight we had a dish that I found on Kraft's website (www.kraftfoods.com) probably a few years ago.  We love this recipe, and I hadn't made it in quite a while, so I brought it back tonight.  You basically coat (lightly) the tilapia filets in flour and cook in a hot pan until golden.  Then, add finely chopped onions...wait around until they are translucent.  Next, you add butter, lemon juice, capers, and white wine (real or cooking, whichever you prefer)...wait until the sauce is "silky." Add some fresh parsley and enjoy!  We had a salad of baby spinach, field greens, mandarin oranges, craisins, and feta on the side.

I'm still fighting with the wall shelf.  On the bright side, I scored FREE ground turkey at the grocery store today!  Not that the wall shelf and ground turkey are related...at all.

Salsa Chicken

Tonight's menu was salsa chicken, brown rice, and whole green and yellow beans with baby carrots.  This meal is super easy! I just threw some chicken breasts in the crock-pot with salsa (we usually use some kind of pineapple something or another, but any kind works) just before noon and turned it on low.  Six hours later we had wonderful, tender, juicy salsa chicken.  I used Minute Rice and the steam-in-the-bag vegetables.

After Bible class, we had double fudge pudding (Jell-O instant mix) with sliced strawberries and sugar-free Cool Whip.  Yum!

I'm still at war with a wall shelf.  If it ever gets up, I will be sure to share it with you!