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?