The year that flew by...

Wasn't it just yesterday that we were ringing in 2013?? No? It sure feels like that to me. This year, my oldest kiddo started High School, my middle daughter turned 10 (TEN?!? *Sobs into pillow*) and my youngest turned 1 year old! I promise you, I only blinked! Siiiigh.

This has been such a busy year, full of football, and soccer, and school functions, overseeing homework, trying (sometimes not so successfully) to keep the house running smooth, team leading a monthly weight loss challenge... Sometimes it truly felt like we were constantly on the go go GO. We had our downs, fights with the teenager, fights between the hubby and myself, being broke more times than we can count, dealing with a few extra nasty bouts of depression, getting sued the week before Christmas over a medical bill that we never received!! That one was the icing on the cake. Having to scrimp and scrounge and beg and borrow to pay a bill right before Christmas when you haven't bought a single present yet. That my friends SUCKED.

But we have also had many many ups. Watching my youngest daughter J take her first steps, chasing said daughter around the house just a few days after that (because once she realized she could go, she went) watching my son M play High School football and then wrestling (and daaaayum he is good!) as well as becoming a more responsible kid, watching my middle daughter L play soccer, and actually throwing a (small) bday party for L where she could actually have friends over! That was the highlight of her year, I think. Being so close to Christmas, she always seems to get the short end of the stick. I have continued losing weight (tho have recently stalled something awful) but I am continuing to eat sooo much better than I had been the year before.

Some of our ups captured on pic:

L, ready for her Choir Concert

M, winning his very first wrestling match.

Enjoying lots of silly play time with baby J

Mr and I got dolled up for his company Christmas Party: (ok, this was pre-dolled up in the parking lot at the hotel. We hadn't put on our formal outfits yet)

Ohhhh yeeeah, and I fit my ass into a pair of size XL pajamas! That had coffee cups all over them. Can you say perfect? LOL

Things really haven't been that bad. And if I think about it, there really has been more good than bad this year, which seems rare lately. I am looking forward to 2014 and all of the things it brings. While I'm not doing resolutions per say, I plan on focusing more on life. Spending more quality time with my family, reclaiming my house from all this clutter, continuing to live a healthier more active life in general. This WILL be my healthiest year ever.  There are great things in store. believe that! Keep looking ahead and just you watch!

We wish for you nothing but the best of luck, the sweetest of love, and the greatest of friends in this coming year.

Sending you all lots of love and light!

So, what are your hopes for 2014?

Merry Christmas!!

For a while there, we really didn't think we were going to have much of a Christmas. Getting sued a week before Christmas over a medical bill that we never received really sucks. I'm still a bit bitter that it all went down the way that it did. The stress, ohhh gawd, the stress. But, by the grace of God, some very smart shopping, and a lot of help from some truly amazing friends (some of who I have never even met in person yet!) we were able to pull off not just a nice Christmas, but one of the best we've had in years.

I know that it isn't about material things, believe me I really do know this. I am one of the least materialistic people. I'd prefer to have nothing and be happy than to have everything and be miserable. But, the last few years have been really crappy money wise and my kiddies have been really great about it, and I had planned to make this one as nice as a could. Then all that shit hit the fan and blew that plan to smithereens. As parents, sometimes we just want to be able to give our kiddies some extras that they really want, ya know? My kiddies got a lot of stuff off of their wish lists, but it was I who received the best gift of all: I got the reminder that in this world, in this day and age, there are still good people left. People that go out of their way to help you out when you are down. I am still floored by these people. Each and every one of them will forever hold a special place in my heart. My cup absolutely runneth over! If you are reading this, I could never thank you enough. I'm posting these pics to share with you a bit of the happiness that you helped create. Love you all so much.

My penguin army is stroooong

This Christmas Eve, I built a mighty penguin army. It was strong and they were ready to help me fulfill my plan to take over the world. Victory was to be ours!

All night long, they served me well and kept watch over the festivities, just waiting for the right time to make their move.

  However, after hosting our big family dinner/present exchange, too many hours on my feet, constant go go go, without sleep and a couple beers later, my penguin army met a terrible fate. They turned against each other and the battle that ensued was just awful! Sooo... much... carnage. Penguin pieces and blood everywhere!

It was a brutal fight but in the end, there could only be one victor...

And I ate him. BAHAHAHA VICTORY IS MINE!!

Wordless Wednesday

Greek Quinoa Salad... nom nom nom!

To say that I enjoyed this, would be a massive understatement! Even the fairly picky hubby loved it. As a matter of fact, he couldn't get enough of it! He kept going back to the bowl and picking at it. I had to fight him off of it so that I could have leftovers for lunch the next day. Lol! And actually, I wound up splitting it up and sending half of the leftovers with him in his lunch the next day. See what an awesome wife I am? Sharing my food? My delicious, mouthgasmic, light but super filling food, nonetheless. ;) Enough rambling, let's get this show on the road!

● 2 chicken breasts
● 1 cup uncooked quinoa
● 2 cup English Cucumber, diced
● 1/2 cup black olives, sliced
● 2 tsp garlic, minced
● 1/3 cup reduced fat feta crumbles
● 2 Tbsp Olive oil
● 2 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
● spinach and lettuce to serve it all on

★Cook up some chicken breast in the oven at 350º. I had some fairly hefty breasts, so I sliced through them horizontally to make 1 breast into 2 (like 2 pieces of bread) so they took no time at all to cook.

★While that is cooking, cook up 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups of water til boiling. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes til the water is all absorbed. Uncover, fluff, and let cool a bit.

★While THAT is cooking, in a large bowl, add 1 cup English cucumber diced, 1/4 cup sliced black olives, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/4 cup reduced fat feta crumbles, 2 Tbsp Olive oil, 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Stir to combine.

★When everything is done cooking, and your quinoa has cooled a bit, add the quinoa to the mixture in the bowl. Toss it all together very well.

★Serve on a bed of lettuce and spinach and top with sliced chicken. Now go! Go on! Eat! You can thank me later! I'll still be here. ;)

Wordless Wednesday

Sloppy Tamale Bake

Ohhhh good Loooord, let me tell you folks, this... this... is delicious!! No joke, both times I have made this, it has disappeared very quickly. My teenage son's friends gobbled it up, too. I cannot urge you enough- tryyyyy iiiit!!

YOU NEED:

●1 and 1/2 lbs learn ground beef
●1 carrot, shredded
●1 zucchini, shredded
●1 onion, diced
●1 bell pepper, finely diced
●2 cloves of garlic, minced
●1 packet taco seasoning
●2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
●Mexican cheese, shredded

●This gets served on cornbread

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown ground beef, carrot, zucchini, onion and bell pepper with the garlic, until tender. Drain and cool.

2. Throw in crock pot with the tomato sauce and taco seasoning, stir, and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high 3-4 hours.

3. About 20 minutes before your meat is done, make and bake your cornbread. I usually take a shortcut here and use 2 boxes of Jiffy mix.

4. Top your cornbread with meat mixture and sprinkle on some Mexican blend shredded cheese. Bake at 350º for about 10 minutes.

5. Slice and serve. :)

Skillet Lasagna

Sometimes, I get a wicked taste for lasagna. And more often, I really don't feel like actually making lasagna. And furthermore, my Italian ass (*cough* I'm a mutt and only partially Italian *cough*) is quite picky with lasagna and only use the best ingredients I can afford when making one, soooo lack of money dictates that I don't make one very often.

Those are the times when I break out my recipe and whip up the bad boy. Every bit as delicious with hardly any work at all! Oh, and did I mention, this is actually a pretty healthy dish? Well, it is! Healthier and tasty. Winning combination, for sure!

YOU NEED:

●1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
●1 large onion, chopped
●3 garlic cloves, minced
●2 (14.5 oz) cans Italian diced tomatoes, drained
●1/2 cup tomato sauce
●1/4 tsp black pepper
●1 tsp sea salt
●2 tsp Italian seasoning
●1/2 cup skim ricotta cheese
●1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
●1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
●1 cup whole wheat elbow macaroni noodles, cooked
●2 tablespoons parsley (dried or fresh)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook til softened, about 4 minutes.

2. Add garlic and cook til fragrant, just about one minute. Add in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

3. Cook mixture til it thickens up a bit, about 5 minutes. Add noodles to skillet and stir into the mixture well.

4. Add scoops of ricotta cheese over the noodles and add your mozzarella and Parmesan. Now add the parsley and give that bad boy a good stir.

5. Cook for about 5 more minutes, or til mixture has thickened up a bit. Serve immediately with additional basil or parsley.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!!

Whew!! It has been a looooong and tiring day, but everything turned out very well, and a great time was had by all. I just finished cleaning up the mess in the kitchen and got my homemade turkey stock just a simmering away. My back is aching, my feet are throbbing, my eyes just want to shut and I am heading to bed! Just wanted to hop on here tho, and wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you all had a wonderful day making great memories with friends and family. Our love to all!

I even took a couple before and after cleaning pics. Proof that when I cook, it totally looks like I set a bomb off in my kitchen. ;)

Wait... Did I really just fit in this?

I received this outfit (the red and black outfit on the right of the picture) this evening from an awesome woman on a Pay It Forward Page. I needed something formal to wear for my Mr.'s company Christmas Party in December. I was really starting to freak out because the place that I always found my dresses (on deep Clearance) went out of business. NO WAY was dropping even 100 bucks on a dress for one night an option so close to the Holidays. I mean, I've got 3 kiddies, come on!

Anyways, I thought it was all a size 18 but I was confident I could fit in it and if not, I figured I would only have to drop a few pounds to fit, worst case scenario. I opened the box and just happened to glance at the size and my heart sank. The top was an 18 but the bottoms were a size 14/16. The problem? I wear a size 22!

Correction! I WORE a size 22, because after convincing myself to try them on, I realized that THEY FIT! They weren't too tight or anything. Can I get a happy dance? Lol All this time I've been wearing size 22's and wondering how in the hell  I stayed the same pants size after dropping so much weight. I could have been in a much smaller size! Who'da thought?

I am SO crazy excited and this just kicked my motivation into hyperdrive! I am so ready to continue forward on my journey, to continue strong.

I just... Well, I just don't even have the words to express my happiness right now! If you feel like giving up, I urge you, keep pushing forward! You will not regret it! I promise!

This NOWvember is dedicated to my Superman...

If you follow my blog you'll know that I have coined the month of November "NOWvember". As in NO EXCUSES and DO IT NOW!

I have been struggling with some vicious panic attacks and non stop bouts of crying. Feeling so tremendously alone and sad. It's coming up on that time of year that I lost my best friend and Superman. My daddy.

I can't believe it's almost been 8 years because sometimes, like now, it feels like I just lost him yesterday. And the heartache I feel this year only rivals in intensity with the heartache I felt when I first lost him. It's insane. What I wouldn't give to hug him again. To hear one of his countless (and endless) stories or just hear him tell me that he loves me.

So I'm redirecting my focus. As hard as this is, as much as I'm hurting, this WILL NOT BREAK ME. I'm using this heartache to fuel me. This month, that I have coined as NOWvember, is dedicated not only to myself but to my daddy. I WILL lose this weight and I will do this for him. 

Because he couldn't and I still can.

This month is for you, my Superman. 

I love you daddy, For forever and a day, 

To the moon and back, you light my way.

Pot Roast Soup

This was the perfect way to enjoy our pot roast leftovers from the night before. It was fairly chilly so this, with some grilled cheese sammies, warmed us up quite nicely!

Super simple to make!

You will need:

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 quarts of beef stock, low sodium
• 2 cups carrots, sliced thin
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp Itali seasoning
• 8 oz whole wheat pasta noodles, I used the elbow macaroni kind
• Leftover pot roast.

1.  In a large pot, heat the oil.
2.  Add your onion and carrots and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add your garlic and cook minute.
3.  Add the stock, tomatoes, and seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until carrots are tender.
4.  Add pasta and cook uncovered for another 10 to 12 minutes, just until pasta is done.
5.  Shred the pot roast, add to soup and top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
6. That's it! You're done! Now sit back and enjoy the delicious fruits of your labor! :)

Happy Birthday to the BEST friend a broad could ever have!

Today is a day that I am truly grateful for. Wanna know why? Because it's the day my best friend in the whole damn world was born!

Brina is one of the sweetest, kindest, most big hearted and generous people that I know. She has a wicked awesome sense of humor, just like I do. Just one of many reasons we get along so well, I suppose. She is an amazing mama and I honestly couldn't have dreamt up a better friend. She is more than my friend, she is my sister. Maybe not by blood, but what we have is stronger than blood. Can you believe in 16 years, we have NEVER had a single fight? No joke. 

And out of all those 16 years, she has been there with me through it all. Thick and thin, happiness and tears. She has gotten me through Hell, and instead of leaving me- she took my hand and walked through it with me. Through my absolute darkest days, she was my light. There were a few times that if it wasn't for Brina, I can say that I would not still be here. 

 So to you Brina, thank you so very much for being there for me, for always staying my my side- giggling "someone's gonna get it!"- and never judging me!

 I got nothin' but love for ya, girl. I hope you have a truly awesome birthday. You deserve it. Sorry I can't be there with you today, but you and me and some beers? That's going down real soon! Love you, sister, with all my heart! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRINA!!!

Mouthgasm alert! You've been warned!

When I was dealing with Gestational Diabetes with my last pregnancy, I had found that surprise surprise- pizza spiked my sugar levels. Lol I know, it should've been obvious that it would, but I was well over 300 lbs and my eating habits weren't good at all. So I truly was surprised. And very upset. Not my pizza! You can't take away my pizza!

So I started making tortilla pizzas. Tortilla, sauce, lots of toppings. Just as good! But recently, I didn't have sauce and had a taste for pizza without wasting all my calories. (not to mention all that grease and fat!)

What's a broad to do? Simple! Just don't use sauce. That was a real "duh" moment for me. Haha!! Guess what? I didn't even miss the sauce! Neither did my kiddies, hubby, or my mom. SCOOOORE!!! I'm not listing amounts here, because I don't measure for this. It's really about how much of each ingredient you like.

You Will Need:

● Large whole grain tortillas
● Large tomato sliced on the thin side
● Mozzarella cheese, shredded
● Fresh Spinach, chopped
● Garlic Powder
● Dried (or fresh) parsley
● Nonstick cooking spray or olive oil spray

Check out how crazy easy this is!

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.

2 Spray a cookie sheet with your spray. Place a tortilla on the sheet and give the top side a quick spray. Sprinkle lightly with garlic powder.

3. Lightly sprinkle some cheese on the tortilla. This is to keep the juice from the tomato from soaking through.

4. Place tomatoes across the tortilla. Top with more cheese. Sprinkle on the chopped spinach on and top with parsley. Sometimes I sprinkle a little parmesan on top, too.

5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

That's it! How freaking easy was that? Now taste it... I'll wait. ..

.... I know, right??  YUM!!! You're welcome! ;)

Back on track! All abooooard!!

I had fallen off the Clean Eating wagon for a while and maaaan is it hard to get back on track after going back to eating crap. We weren't doing fast food, and we weren't eating as bad as before, but we were eating a lot of processed crap.

It still amazes me how much eating the wrong or right foods can affect your body. You eat like crap, you feel like crap. You're tired, sluggish, crabby, bloated...etc. But you eat the right foods to fuel your body properly, and you feel like you can move mountains!

Just one day back on track and I already feel great. It was hard  to have those cravings and not automatically give in to them. But in resisting, my eyes were again opened to the fact that I CAN do this. I can resist. I may not always want to, but I have the power to say "no". Somewhere along the way, I had forgotten that. It all comes down to good old mind over matter. You have to want the end result more than you want the momentary satisfaction a craving, or worse, a binge, will bring. And I want that end result. I want MY end result.

Some of my food today:

Breakfast: Homemade Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Muffin with 1 Tbsp of natural peanut butter and cottage cheese with grapes.

Snack: an apple, sliced, with a Tbsp of warmed natural peanut butter drizzled over it, topped with granola.

Lunch: a salad with lettuce, spinach, chicken breast, feta, shredded carrots, grapes, and a few pine nuts with organic balsamic vinaigrette.

Dinner: Pumpkin  Chili. Ohhhh Lord that stuff was DELICIOUS! And I'm not a big fan of pumpkin. Lol

Pumpkin Chili... wait... WHAT?

I had been seeing a lot of pumpkin chili recipes floating around for a while now. I always just shook my head. Pumpkin in chili?? YUCK! I'm not the biggest fan of pumpkin flavor. I don't like pumpkin in my coffee, I don't like pumpkin pie. I know, I know, I'm a freak. Tell me something I don't know!

Something just kept nagging at me to try it. So tonight, I had planned on making my chili and I threw caution to the wind and threw in some pure pumpkin and some pumpkin pie spice. Holy crap did it turn out delicious! The flavor is quite mellow, not overwhelming at all.

I cannot recommend it enough! Try it! I'll bet you'll be just as pleasantly surprised as I was!

You will need:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 and 1/2 lbs of  96% lean ground beef
• 1 lb lean steak, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 package of chili seasoning of your choice (or make your own!!)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes, in juice
• 1 can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp parsley
• 1/2 cup pure pumpkin
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1. In a large pot, brown your meats with the garlic.

2. When the meat is almost completely  cooked through, add remaining ingredients, stir well, and bring to a boil.

3. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 1 hour.

I served it topped with a little parmesan cheese, a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese and a couple crispy tortilla strips. Mmmm Mmmm Mmmmm!

Clean Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Muffin

I found this recipe while surfing the web and thought surely it was too good to be true. It was not! Tho it said it was an english muffin, the texture is most definitely has more of a regular muffin texture. Which is fine by me. It was still beyond scrumptious. And clean! Woooo Hooooo! This makes 2 muffins.

You Need:
2 Tbsp almond flour
2 Tbsp ground flax
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp pure pumpkin
1 Tbsp raw honey

Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray two 4" ramekins with non stick spray or olive oil spray.

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl til well combined.

Pour half of the batter into each ramekin.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or just til done.

Remove from oven and let cool. Remove from ramekins, split in half, toast if desired, top with your topping of choice and eat! :)

NOWvember.

How many times have you planned on making changes to become healthier? How many times have you said "I'll start Monday"? Or you'll wait till the first of the New Year? Or you start on your journey and slip up and eat something you shouldn't have and you say to yourself "Well, today is blown to hell. Might as well eat what I want and restart tomorrow".

Here's the problem with that. Tomorrow never comes in those terms, does it? You plan to start tomorrow and tomorrow becomes today and then you plan to start tomorrow. See what I'm saying? It's a vicious cycle.

And waiting for Monday? You don't need to wait for a Monday! Every single day of the week is equally great for committing to a better you!

Waiting till tomorrow to start fresh after a screw up is not necessary either! Guess what? There are 86,400 seconds in each day. That means you have 86,400 opportunities EACH DAY to start fresh and do better!

I'm guilty of much of this myself, but NO MORE! I am reclaiming November. I'm coining it NOWvember. As in NO more EXCUSES! DO IT NOW! I'm grabbing the bull by the horns and making this month my bitch! Are you with me??

Cauliflower? Rice? Where have you been all my life?

Growing up, I was never a fan of cauliflower. It really wasn't until today that I found a love for it. If you are watching what you eat, doing clean eating, or paleo eating, or weight watchers, and I'm sure even more than that, then you've probably heard about Cauliflower Rice. It is super easy and quick to make and is rather mild in taste.

So of cooourse that meant I had to tweak it. ;) The result? Garlicky Spinach Feta Cauliflower Rice. Oooooh yeeeah!

You will need:

•  1 head of cauliflower, outer leaves and the core discarded.
•  1 tsp butter
•  1 tsp coconut oil
•  1 clove of garlic, minced
•  2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
•  2 to 3 Tbsp feta cheese, chopped into smaller pieces
•  2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

1. With a box grater/cheese grater, grate your raw cauliflower into pieces that are about the size of a grain of rice. For me, this was the section on my grater with the next to biggest holes.
2. In a large pan over medium high heat, add your butter and coconut oil. (I use a mixture of coconut oil and butter because, well, I like a little taste of butter. Sue me. lol You can use all butter, no coconut oil, or you can use all coconut oil, no butter. Whatevs. Do you. :)
3. Once melted, add your garlic and cook a minute or til fragrant.
4. Add your cauliflower to the hot pan. Cook over medium to high heat for about 4 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't burn.
5. Toss in your spinach and give it a good mix. Let cook for another minute or two until the spinach starts to wilt down. (I usually hit it with a lil garlic powder at this point to, but that's just me.)
6. Add your feta and parmesan cheese. Stir well and cook for just another minute or two. This is your dish that you have to eat. Don't be shy! Dig in there and taste a piece!! Is it tender enough for your liking? Seasoned enough? Great! You're done. If it's not tender enough for you (I like mine quite tender and it's usually done by now) then cook til it is! If it's not seasoned enough for you, season it up some more! Make it yours. :D

Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies That Actually Taste AMAZING!!

This one is no joke, folks! While they may not be healthy, they are much healthier! I took a very popular choc chip cookie recipe (NOT the one on the yellow bag- think more along the lines of a big name newspaper) I cut the sugar in HALF and used raw sugar instead of regular, used 1/2 coconut oil and 1/2 butter, instead of just butter, and used half white flour 1/2 whole wheat flour.

They were good fresh from the oven, but after cooling and sitting for a couple hours, let me just tell you- they were freaking DELICIOUS! I couldn't tell the difference between this and the full sugar, white flour, butter version! My family is kinda chocolate chip cookie snobby. It has to be one hell of a cookie to impress them. They went NUTS for these!

Even my youngest, J, finished her cookie, looked down at her empty hand and exclaimed "ohhhhhh noooooo!!!"  Cute and true story, folks!

 

You will need: 

• 1/2 cup refined coconut oil, room temp
• 1/2 cup butter, room temp
• 3/4 cup raw sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp vanilla
• 7.5 oz all purpose flour (I measured this on a food scale)
• 7.5 oz whole wheat flour (also measured on a food scale)
• 1 and 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 lb of chocolate chips

1.  In a large bowl, beat together the coconut oil, butter, and sugar with an electric mixer until very well combined.
2. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla. Beat for another minute.
3. Beat in the rest of the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips. The mixture will look very crumbly. Just keep on beating it, it WILL come together into a firm dough.
4. Add the chocolate chips and mix them in by hand. I almost had to knead them in. The dough really is a bit tough, but don't let this deter you!
5. Scoop out about a Tbsp at a time and roll into balls. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet with a good two inches between them and place in fridge to chill for 2 hours. This step is super important! Do NOT skip this step!
6. Preheat oven to 350 F. Go straight from the fridge to the oven and bake for about 12 minutes. You want it slightly undercooked. After you remove them from the oven, they will continue baking to perfection while they sit on the cookie sheet. 

That's it! You're done! Like I said earlier, they are yummy when they first come out of the oven, but the texture is a bit crumbly and you can taste that they are whole wheat. After about 2 hours or so tho, they get softer when you bite into them and they are chewy and just ohhhh so delicious!

You simply must try them and if you do, comment back and let me know what you think! :)

Freezer Prep For Crock Pot Meals

 Who couldn't use a few extra meals in their freezer, assembled and all ready to thaw out and pop into the crock pot? I spent yesterday doing just that. Lots of chopping, bagging, and washing dishes later, I was left with 11 meals (plus one in the crock pot cooking away so I didn't have to cook after all of that. LOL) and 3 bags (9 cups) of chicken stock.

The meals I chose were fairly easy to throw together, were fairly inexpensive, and only one required cooking anything ahead of time. (Tho the pot roast I had simmering away in the crock pot also served as lunch the next day after I transformed the leftovers into a delicious pot roast soup)

I wound up with:

• 2 meals worth of Sloppy Tamale Bake
• 2 meals worth of Enchilada Wrap Fixins'
• 2 meals worth of Italian Style Sausage and Peppers
• 1 meal worth of Steak Fajita fixins' 
• 1 meal worth of Chicken Tortilla Soup
• 1 meal worth of Chicken Salsa
• 1 meal worth of Chicken and Quinoa Skillet
• 9 cups of homemade Chicken Stock
• And the batch of Pot Roast Soup from the leftovers

What I used/did:
**For Enchilada Wraps, please click the name and it will bring you to the site where the recipe is located. Great stuff on that site, too!** I also stored everything in gallon sized Ziploc Freezer Bags. I recommend removing the bag you want to cook from, the night before, and placing it into a bowl in your fridge to thaw overnight. It helps when doing this to do everything "like" at once, so you aren't running around, going back and forth like a chicken with it's head cut off! (chop all veggies at once, slice any meats needed at once, etc)

Italian Sausage and Peppers:

• 3 lbs of sausage (I used chicken sausage because it's what I had on hand, but I usually use Turkey Sausage), sliced into rounds
• 2 jars of Organic Spaghetti Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
• Parmesan Cheese to top with when cooked

1. Take TWO of the gallon freezer bags and place into each one, 1/2 of the sausage, 1 jar os spaghetti sauce, and 1 Tbsp of Italian Seasoning. 
2. Squish it all together, squeeze air out and seal bag. Freeze.
3. When ready to cook it, simply take it out of the freezer and put the bag into a bowl in the fridge to thaw overnight. 
4. Pour contents into the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours.
5. Serve on rice, noodles, or cauliflower rice and top with parmesan cheese.

Salsa Chicken:

• However many chicken breasts you need for your family (I usually use 4 large ones for this)
• 1 large jar of Organic salsa
• Mexican Blend shredded cheese to top with when cooked

1. Place chicken and salsa in ONE of the gallon freezer bags and squish it all up. Remove air and freeze.
2. When ready to cook, take out the night before to thaw as mentioned above.
3. Place contents into crock pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high of 4 hours.
4. When the chicken is done, shred the chicken and place into a baking dish. Top with some shredded Mexican (or Cheddar Cheese) and bake at 350 F for about 10 minutes or just until cheese is melted.

Chicken Tortilla Soup:

• 1 lb chicken breast
• 1) 15oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 6 cups of chicken stock
• 1 cup of onion, chopped
• 1 cup bell peppers, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese

1. Add everything to ONE freezer storage bags. Let out air and squish it up a bit to combine. Freeze.
2. When ready to cook, take out the night before and place in fridge to thaw.
3. Pour contents into crock pot and cook on Low for 8 hours or on High for 4 hours.
4. When done cooking, shred the chicken in the crock pot.
5. Serve it up and top each serving with a little shredded Mexican Blend cheese and crispy tortilla strips

Easy Steak Fajitas:

• 1.5 to 2 lbs of steak, sliced into strips
• 1 onion, sliced into strips
• 2 bell peppers, sliced into strips
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1.5 oz package of Fajita seasoning (I use an organic mix)
• tortillas to serve on
• cheese, lettuce, tomatoes or whatever you like to eat on your Fajitas

1. Place everything into ONE freezer storage bag. Let out air, seal and squish to combine.
2. When ready to cook, take out the night before to thaw in fridge.
3. Place contents of bag in crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours. 
4. Serve on tortillas with desired fixins'.

Chicken and Quinoa Skillet:

• 4 to 5 chicken thighs
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp Mrs Dash Extra Spicy mix
• 3/4 cup of chicken stock
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup of pre rinsed, dry (uncooked) quinoa
• parmesan cheese to top with

1. Place all ingredients, EXCEPT the quinoa, into ONE freezer storage bag. Let air out, seal and squish a bit to combine. Freeze.
2. When ready to use, take out of freezer the night before to thaw. Place contents of bag into crock pot. Add the quinoa and give it a little stir to mix.
3. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4, until chicken is done.
4. Top with a little parmesan cheese and serve.

Wordless Wednesday

The scenery while camping last weekend

The Dinner That Makes Itself...

Imagine this: You pour yourself a nice hot cup of coffee, sit back and kick your feet up, and watch as the chicken marches itself over to the pan and jumps right in. The can opener opens up the can of tomatoes and black beans and escorts them to their final destination before waving goodbye and retiring itself back into the drawer. The quinoa giggles as it measures itself out and joins the pan party... That would sure be amazing. But it's just not gonna happen. Close enough tho! Minimal ingredients that all come together beautifully, everything cooks up in one pan, which means less dishes for you to wash. Even better, right?

This dinner turned out so damn delicious that everyone went back for seconds. Everyone except for me. Because when I went back for seconds, it was all gone. Sheesh!! Do I need to start cooking less delicious meals so that I can walk away with a nice full belly? LOL

Chicken and Quinoa Skillet

 

You will need:

• 6 chicken thighs, skin removed
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1) 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes (NOT drained)
• 1/2 can black beans, rinsed well
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup of dry quinoa (pre rinsed)

1. In a large pan, heat up your olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes on both sides. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels.
2.  Add onion to skillet and cook for a couple minutes, until they start to soften up. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Return the chicken to the pan and add all of the remaining ingredients, making sure to kinda smoosh the quinoa down around the chicken so it has more access to the liquids.
4. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
5. Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese and serve it up! :)