Saturday Sneak Peak

Listening... to Pandora and my boys playing together.

Loving... this cool weather. Love me some sweaters, boots, and scarves!

Reading... Divergent and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Excited about... next weeks trip to NY with friends!

Today... taking kiddos to birthday parties and school roller skating party.

Planning... holiday gifts, traditions, and yummy treats.

Grateful... for my family!

Chicken Ranch Burgers

I tried a new recipe tonight...Chicken Ranch Burgers. I originally found the recipe here. I took the original recipe and made a few changes. (Mostly because I didn't have what the original recipe called for in my cupboards.) My husband and I found the burgers to have great flavor and definitely a recipe I would will use again. Remember you can check out the original recipe here, but here is the one I used:

1 lb. Ground Chicken
1/2 c. Bread Crumbs
1 T. Onion Powder
1 t. Seasoned Salt
1 t. Garlic Powder
2 T. Franks Red Hot Sauce
Ranch Dressing

1. Preheat your broiler on your over or your grill.
2. In a large bowl mix together everything except the ranch dressing.
3. Form chicken mixture into 4 patties.
4. Place on grill or greased broiler pan.
5. Broil/Grill for 4-6 minutes on each side or until internal temp reaches 160 degrees.
6. Serve with ranch dressing.

YUM!

Still here...

It's been awhile a LONG time since my last post. Defiantly longer a lot longer then I would have liked. Life has just seemed to get in the way.  It seems as if time just seems to fly by and I just don't know where it goes. Anyone else find themselves with the same problem? Don't get me wrong I am enjoying loving each and every moment of it! My goal is to be more regular with my post from here on out, but I'm not going to lie my first priority will be that crazy life of mine that I enjoy so much, the juggling of taxi driver, school schedule, orthodontist appointments, and whatever else my family needs me to be or do.

Although I do need to keep in mind the following quote by David Allen "You can do anything, but you can't do everything!"

Time to go enjoy some Grammys. Until next time...

Potato Cakes

2 cups mashed potatoes
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup all purpose flour
salt to taste
1 pinch of garlic salt

*** Works great to have these the night after I serve the Garlic Mashed Potatoes, because I can just use the leftovers. :-)

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

3 medium baking potatoes peeled and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature (I didn't use this much butter)
1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon (or more) milk

1.  Cook potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain potatoes.
2.  Add the butter, sour cream, and garlic. Mash the potatoes.
3.  Add the milk, a little at a time until the potatoes are the desired consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper as/if needed.

***I found this recipe on pinterest and is from Paula Deen.

Low-fat Tuna Salad

2 cans light tun in water, drained
1/2 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt
3 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 Tablespoons mustard
Fresh cilantro (optional)

Mix all ingredients well. Makes 4 servings.

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

I got this delicious dessert from Taste of Home and you can find the recipe by clicking here.

1 fudge brownie mix (13 x 9 pan size)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) peanut butter chips
2 pkgs. (13 oz. each) miniature peanut butter cups
4 cups cold 2% milk
2 pkgs. (5.1 oz each) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 teaspoons vanilla
3 cartons (8 oz. each) cool whip

1.  Prepare brownie batter according to package directions; stir in peanut butter chips. Bake in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack; cut into 3/4-in. pieces.


2. Cut peanut butter cups in half; set aside 1/3 cup for garnish. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes (mixture will be thick). Add peanut butter and vanilla; mix well. Fold in 1-1/2 cartons whipped topping.


3. Place a third of the brownies in a 5-qt. glass bowl; top with a third of the remaining peanut butter cups. Spoon a third of the pudding mixture over the top. Repeat layers twice. Cover with remaining whipped topping; garnish with reserved peanut butter cups. Refrigerate until chilled. Yield: 20 servings (1 cup each).

One of My Favorite Times of Year

My FAVORITE farm stand has opened for the season! I just like LOVE getting fresh produce from them to eat and feed to my family. I CAN'T wait until they have their strawberries ready...they have the BEST I have EVER had!

Buffalo Chicken and Potatoes

1-1/4 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" strips
1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce
6 cups frozen (thawed) southern-stype has brown potatoes
1 cup of ranch or blue cheese dressing
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs
2 Tbs. butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Heat over to 350. Spray 13"x9" baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In medium bowl, stir together chicken strips and wing sauce.

3. In large bowl, stir together potatoes, dressing, cheese, and soup. Spoon into baking dish. Place chicken strips in single layer over potato mixture.

4. In small bowl, stir together crumbs and butter. Sprinkle in baking dish.

5. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; uncover and bake 20 to 25 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and juice of chicken is no longer pink. Sprinkle with green onions.

***When I made this yummy dish I used ranch dressing and did not use the corn flake crumbs, butter, or green onions.

Easy Crockpot Potato Soup

Easy Crockpot Potato Soup

1- 30 oz. bag of frozen, shredded hash browns
42 oz. Chicken Broth
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
½ cup Onion, chopped
¼ tsp. Ground Pepper
1 pkg. Cream Cheese (don’t use fat free, it won’t melt)
2 tsp. Basil
Salt to taste

In a crockpot, combine everything EXCEPT for the cream cheese and basil. Cook for 6-8 hours on low heat. About 1 hour before serving, add cream cheese and basil and keep heated until thoroughly melted. Serve with cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, green onions, or whatever else you think would be good!

Asian Chicken Salad

Asian Chicken Salad


1 pkg. (3 oz.) Ramen Noodle Soup Mix
1 pkg.  (14 oz.) Coleslaw Blend
2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken
4 green onions
1/3 cup Peanuts
1/2 cup Lite Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (I used Kens Lite Asian Seasame w/ Ginger and Soy)
1 Tbsp. Creamy Peanut Butter

1. Break noodles into small pieces in a large bowl. Add coleslaw blend, chicken, onions, and nuts; mix lightly. You can discard the seasoning packet from the soup mix or use it for something else.

2. Beat the dressing and peanut butter with a whisk until well blended.  Add to salad; toss to coat.

* To add some zip add 1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce to dressing mixture before tossing with the salad.

Time...Where does it go?!?!

Time...Where does it go? Has it really been almost two months since I last blogged? Apparently so, because that is what blogger tells me. It really doesn't seem like that long ago. Let me give you a quick update on the last two months...

I have been training for the 10 mile race that I signed up for...as you can see by my mileage on the right side of this blog. That is one thing that I have not been slacking on. Four weeks until the race...oh boy! Went on vacation with extended family to Turks and Caicos, traveled to WV to visit family for a long weekend, and am getting ready to travel again with friends to celebrate 10 years of marriage! Plus regular day life of being a mom....soccer, baseball, boxing, karate, gym, etc.

With our busy schedule I have been slacking a little on the whole Menu Plan thing. We have been doing a lot of dream dinners and whatever happens to be in the house. However, this week I do have three new recipes that I found on pinterest that I would like to try. (Easy Crockpot Potato Soup, Buffalo Chicken and Potatoes, and Black Bean Salad with Red Peppers, Avocado & Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette) If they are a hit I will be sure to share with you!

Happy Monday

Mexican Cabbage Soup

6 cups beef broth
14 oz. diced tomatoes with green chillies
1/4 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey (can add more if you like)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
2 teaspoons oregano
3 cups cabbage, shredded
3/4 cup black beans, canned (I usually just use a can)

Cook ground beef/ground turkey until no longer pink. I also like to cook it will my onion and garlic.

Add all other ingredients and let simmer for awhile. (I usually let it cook for an hour just to get all the flavoring in.)

Freezes well!

Be Confident

Be Confident. Too many days are wasted comparing ourselves to others and wishing to be something we aren't. Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses, and it is only when you accept everything you are -- and aren't -- that you will truly succeed.

2012 Goal

One my goals that I set for myself in 2012 is to run in a 10 mile race...WHAT was I thinking??? No, this will be good for me. It will MAKE me run, make me get into shape, and help with another 2012 goal...lose the holiday weight and KEEP it off. :)

I am going to be running with 3 of my friends which is helpful in keeping me accountable. For those of you who know me personally feel free to ask me how things are going when we see each other as I am going to need to be kept accountable if I am going to do this...and I WANT to do this and I WANT to do this right!

So, with a little over 15 weeks until race day I think that it is time to start getting serious and do some training. A friend of mine suggested Hal Higdon's training guide. On the right side of my blog you will see that I am tracking my miles on DailyMile. So, as the year goes on that number should will be going up.

Do you have any goals for 2012? Are any of you runners?

Menu Plan Monday

Its that time again...Menu Plan Monday! So, I am linking up to The Organized Junkie's Menu Plan Monday. Go check it out because there are LOTS of recipe ideas for you and inspiration to keep you cooking for your family.

Dinner:

Monday- Tacos

Tuesday- Dried Beef Casserole

Wednesday- Out

Thursday- Beef Stroganoff

Friday-Sunday- OUT

What are you having for dinner this week???

Beef Stroganoff

1-1/2 lbs. thinly sliced steak
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1 envelope Onion Soup mix
1/2 cup Sour Cream
Noodles

1. In a large skillet, stir fry beef in oil until no longer pink.

2. Stir in soup, water, and onion soup mix.

3. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Stir in sour cream and heat through (do not boil)

5. Serve over noodles and garnish with parsley.

Whole Wheat Chili Mac

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 medium onion
can of Mexican-Style stewed tomatoes
1-1/4 cup of canned tomato sauce
2 T. canned green chili peppers
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup whole-wheat elbow macaroni (or any pasta)
can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is browned, drain off fat.

2. Stir in undrained stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili pepper, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil.

3. Stir in uncooked  macaroni and kidney beans. Return to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until macaroni is tender, about 15 minutes.

My kiddos like to top with cheese and sour cream.

I found this recipe here.

Menu Plan Monday

I am participating in Menu Plan Monday. You can read all about Menu Plan Monday here. This is a fun way to get lots of new recipes to try.

My Weekly Meal Plan:

Monday- Dream Dinner

Tuesday- On the Border w/family

Wednesday- Chili Mac

Thursday- Crockpot Santa Fe Chicken

Friday- Pizza out

Saturday- Family Christmas Dinner

Sunday- All You Can Eat (aka leftovers)

What are you having for dinner this week?

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

Doesn't that look yummy? Let me tell you from experience it is DELICIOUS! I think that this may be my new favorite dessert! This photo and recipe were found at Taste of Home.

Ingredients:

1 fudge brownie mix

1 pkg. (10 oz) peanut butter chips

2 pkgs. (13 oz each) miniature peanut better cups

4 cups cold 2% milk

2 pkgs. (5.1 oz each) instant vanilla pudding mix

1 cup creamy peanut butter

4 teaspoons vanilla

3 cartons (8 oz each) frozen whipped topping, thawed (I only used 2)

Directions:

1. Prepare brownie batter according to package directions; stir in peanut butter chips. Bake in a greased 13x9 pan at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs (do not overbake). Let cool; cut into 3/4-in. pieces.

2. Cut peanut butter cups in half (when I do this again I am just going to crumble them) and set aside 1/3 cup for garnish. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Add peanut butter and vanilla; mix well. Fold in 1-1/2 cartons whipped topping.

3.  Place a third of the brownies in a 5-qt. glass triffle bowl; top with a third of the remaining peanut butter cups. Spoon a third of the pudding mixture over the top. Repeat layers twice. Cover with the remaining whipped topping; garnish with reserved peanut butter cups. Refrigerate until child.

*I did not use the whole pan of brownies and when I added the brownies I crumbled them somewhat.