Disney on Ice and still Lo Mein!

So, between church and Sunday School this morning, and taking the kids out to lunch and to see Disney On Ice with some of our bestest friends, I didn't get home until after 6PM. Believe me, I was way tempted to order out a pizza.... but I, once again, drank some coffee and got my cook on. I made two things tonight. First was the ham and cheese biscuits that I have been meaning to make for over a week now. I had to do it tonight before the ham went bad. They turned out really good, a little bit dry- but still yummy. Austin and Is both liked them, and Is said she was going to have one for breakfast- which I think is a great idea! (good way to get some protein in the morning!) Then the main course was Pork Lo Mein. I have never made ANY Lo Mein before- assuming Lo Mein just means stir fry with noodles? It was very delicious with a ton of flavor. The recipe called for red peppers and pea pods, but I also added yellow peppers and asparagus. YUMMY! I am excited for Erick to get home from soccer to see what he thinks about it, but I think it was another hit! NOW, it is time to lay on the couch and get ready for my shows. Is it REALLY Sunday night already?!?!

"A Perfect Piece of food"

Okay, so tonight's menu was Tex Mex Lasagna.... from the title I am sure you can gather how amazing this meal was. That was an actual quote from Erick. He explained how he loves Mexican AND Italian, and this being a combination is perfect! It really was a delicious combo. It had ground sirloin (you could use turkey) black beans, corn, tomato sauce, salsa, green chilies(you could use jalapenos), and spices. It was layered with lasagna noodles, and of course reduced fat cheddar and Mexican blend cheeses. We topped it with lettuce and sour cream, and I KNEW I was missing something. When Erick mentioned it could use some avocado on top- I flipped out because THAT was the one thing I forgot to prepare!! I even bought the avocados today! Bummer! Anyway, we are going to top off dinner with some of the banana cup dessert (we couldn't wait.. just HAD to have that again!!!) and then off to the Lakefront Living show at Rock Financial. Have a happy Saturday everyone, until tomorrow...

(The kids were fighting over "crushing" the

graham crackers for the dessert!!! LOL!)

Crab cakes and Bowling Later

That title was for my teacher friends! And..... yummmmm now I know why they always wanted to go out for crab cakes in that story!! They were delish!.... I had no idea.... and very low fat! Erick and Grandma Diana really liked them too. Even Isabelle ate one- she gave it an 8. I forgot to gather data from the adults. :-) It was a very long week, but after a nap and some relaxing I was excited to try my hand at this new dish. It had crab, 1 egg, fat free mayo, green onions, parsley, ground mustard, salt, and pepper- sauteed in canola oil. I am thinking, however, that it is probably more of an appetizer, as I am not really full. Well, at least I am heading to bowling and to a couple of drinks! Happy Friday everyone- Until tomorrow...

Ham Casserole and Book Bingo night

Ok, so I made the casserole last night. This seems to be my best option these days. It was nice to be able to throw it in the oven when I got home and still eat by 5:15. Isabelle loved this dinner... she said it is her first 10. Elliot refused to eat it- I am realizing he is really not playing this little game with the rest of the fam! Austin said the pasta tasted weird, and decided to just eat a couple slices of the leftover ham (hope I still have enough for Saturday's ham and cheese bisquits). Erick and I enjoyed the casserole as well, and we added some peas to ours. Once again I am exhausted tonight, and we are leaving soon for Isabelle's school bingo night. I am wondering if I have a little bug or something, as I have been extra tired ALL week. Thank God it is Friday tomorrow... and since it needs to be "meatless" I am trying my hand- for the first time- at crab cakes. In fact, I think I just ate my first one ever a couple months ago. Will let you know how it goes tomorrow- hoping I have enough time (and energy) before bowling.

There are starving people out there

... therefore we wouldn't want to waste all those yummy leftovers in that fridge, right? So.... sorry to disappoint, but I didn't cook tonight. Well, I take that back, I actually cooked TOMORROW'S dinner at 8:30 tonight... Ham casserole. I will tell you about that tomorrow. I knew that this little endeavor of mine would be a lot harder when teaching too, but I didn't realize it would get this tough 2 DAYS into working again!!! Walking in the door at 6:30 I realized there was NO possible way I could whip together a new meal. I am thinking I will have to have a "leftover" night at least once a week... and gulp.. I MAY even have to order out now and again. Guess what?? I am NOT superwoman!!! I am still excited about the cooking and the blogging, but I HAVE to put things in perspective. I am thrilled that I have 15 followers now, and humbled that friends are actually trying out the recipes I endorse!! Carrie- how was the taco soup? And Adina- how was the jambalaya? Until tomorrow...

Erick gives the Chicken Jambalaya a 10

So, I actually made this last night so that we could eat at a decent time tonight since I went back to work today. I think it might have made it taste even better by sitting overnight. This dish had a TON of flavor, but was a bit spicy for the kids. Isabelle ate a little bit, but the boys opted out and had mac and cheese and leftover chicken and crescent rolls (is it cheating that they went back to the old staples?) Erick LOVED this meal- jambalaya is one of his favs at restaurants- so I was actually thinking he may not be impressed by this lower fat version, but he said it was delicious. I am going to put the recipe right in the blog today, because I think you should definitely try this one!

CHICKEN JAMBALAYA

3/4 pound boneless chicken breast, cubed

3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice

4 ounces reduced fat smoked turkey sausage, diced

1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

1/2 chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

2-3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

1 to2 garlic cloves, minced

1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

1. In a large, nonstick skillet, coated with cooking spray, saute chicken. Stir all the ingredients except the tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 50-6o minutes.

2. Stir in the tomatoes; cover and simmer 10 minutes longer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from the heat, let stand for 5 minutes.

*** Tastes wonderful reheated the next day ***

Snow Day Casserole

Ok, so I feel totally exhausted today, and after making TWO meals I feel really really beat. I am praying I am not getting sick after all this time off of work! I made Chicken Dressing Casserole for dinner tonight and then Chicken Jambalaya for dinner tomorrow. Erick came down while I was cooking to ask what smelled so amazing... unfortunately it was TOMORROW'S menu. He said it was alright, now he would have that to look forward to tomorrow night. The casserole tonight was just ok. I felt like it seemed a little too salty- I used healthy request cream of mushroom as well as cream of chicken, so not sure why it tasted SO salty. Isabelle and I gave it a 7 (Is said it would be an 8 without the bread crumbs on top), Erick gave it a 6, and Elliot ate plain chicken and bread and butter... which scored a 95 in his book. Erick tried to tell him about the 1 to 10 scale and how 10 is the best, but he wasn't having it. He was like, "nope, it's a 95- see... 9....5..!!!" (As he drew a 9 and a 5 in the air) Austin is still skiing with Grandma Diana, so we will see when he gets home what he thinks. For dessert, Isabelle made some low fat peanut butter cookies. This is the first thing from this cookbook that I thought there was no mistaking that it is LOW fat. Of course I still ate 2 of them, but not like the peanut butter cookies that I love! Going to go rest on the couch, until tomorrow....

11 followers and Tortilla Pie!

Ok, so... needed a walk outside AND coffee to motivate myself to cook tonight. This girl just isn't used to being out til 2:30am! SO glad I cooked tonight though. On the menu was "Tortilla Pie". It was basically a pie of Mexican yumminess!!! (is that a word? ) It had ground sirloin (used my brand new Pampered Chef meat chopper!- Isabelle used it too!!!), with diced tomatoes, green chilies, other spices, also a cheese mix of ricotta and mozzarella and some low fat Cheddar on top. I will put the recipe on the recipe page- because this one is a must try! It was both easy, and delicious- would make a fun appetizer at a party! I was thinking as I was making it that I should make it for my "spring is here" party. (Haven't planned one.. but SO should!) Austin and Is helped some with dinner again- this is really turning into a great family project. It is funny how food brings people together.. love it! I even spent a bit of time organizing my spices and cooking supplies. Not sure anyone else could find stuff in there, but at least I can now! I had to buy a few different spices yesterday for the recipes I chose for this week. Feel good that I am gathering more cooking supplies. Will be excited when my grocery bill isn't so big once I get more of the staples stocked! Looking ahead for the week, some items on the agenda are: Salsa Chicken Skillet, Ham noodle casserole, Chicken Jambalaya, Chicken dressing casserole, and crab cakes for Friday! Trying not to do desserts much, but going to try cream cheese brownies and maybe some peanut butter cookies. Until tomorrow...

Pizza burgers and entertainment

Ok, so tonight was one of those meals where you are not sure weather to laugh or cry. Erick and I thought the mushroom pizza burgers were very tasty, however a certain little girl couldn't disagree with us more. She took one bite and started to spit out pieces of it and pick through it. She continued to complain about the "hard stuff" ( GRILL marks) and basically could not believe I was expecting her to consume that! Where it got good was when Erick had had enough and he said, and I quote, "You would think we were trying to feed you sand, or poop or something." That husband of mine--- always knows how to lighten up the mood. So, needless to say, we sent a couple of kids to Nana's for the night that will probably be raiding her pantry 60 seconds after arrival. A few curly fries, a cheese stick and a banana are not what I would call DINNER. Overall though, it was a good evening. It was so nice outside that I cooked the burgers on the grill outside.. in my shorts and boots. Now THAT would have been a good pic for the blog! Thank goodness I am the photographer. Until tomorrow.....

Leftovers and guacamole

So, I went shopping Monday and I am already out of eggs and nearly out of bread and milk. I have a new list for the things I need for the recipes I have chosen for next week, but I am so not motivated to drag the kiddies to the store right now. Seeing as it is Friday, that means no meat today, and since Erick and I are going out to dinner tonight, I decided to try a simple guac recipe in my book. There are several leftovers in the fridge that the kids can eat for dinner. I like doing leftover days anyway, as I hate throwing away food. When choosing recipes for next week, I tried to stick with things that will take a little amount of time as I get back into my work routine. What is hard for me sometimes, is that I like to wait to see what I "feel like" eating some days. I tend to change up the menu some nights just based on what I feel for. So... I picked out 5 basic meals, and figure I will just see how the week plays out. I will say one thing that is getting old already is all the dishes and pots and pans I have been doing. I need someone to clean up after me! Erick has been good about helping with the dishes after dinner, although he is really into "soaking" the pans, so guess who ends up washing them the next morning? Ok, ok, getting off topic and starting to complain. Going to go enjoy this sunny afternoon with my kiddies! Later....

JUST CRAZY

...How good this zucchini bread is! I am going to have to give the second loaf away or I am in big trouble! I mean, it IS healthy... but after a loaf... NOT so much! Dinner was good too- the turkey pot pie tasted just like turkey and dumplings to us. ( I have only had chicken and dumplings before) But you get the idea! In fact, Austin makes a wonderful chicken and dumpling recipe he got from his Rachel Ray book. Years ago he was a cooking and baking fool!! I miss that! I am REALLY enjoying taking photos of my food ... maybe THAT is my real calling? I am also considering integrating cooking into all of my lessons for my 3rd graders (thanks Meg) Wouldn't THAT be a great way to continue cooking and blogging when I go back to work? My class would LOVE it, and I could totally cover math, science, reading and writing all while cooking! I need to go figure out what I will make tomorrow. It is Friday- so no meat again. Although, Erick and I are going out, so dinner will just be for the kids. Maybe I will make a recipe for lunch, or just a dessert. Until tomorrow...

Breakfast fun!

As I finally take a break from cleaning, and sit down to have some lunch (guac and leftover spaghetti squash) I figured I would take a second to write about how breakfast turned out this morning. First, Isabelle had to WAKE me up at 9:30 to make it - the "break" is finally catching up to me! :) We made ORANGE CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST. It is the type you bake in the oven- similar to a type I have made before, but this one had orange juice in the egg mixture. It also called for a little honey, which we didn't have (Matt was the one that used to buy honey!) So we went without it... I think it may have made the recipe a little better actually, but Erick loved it. He gave it an 8, Isabelle a 7, Me a 6, and Austin a 6 - he said he didn't really like the orange. I am more of a fan of egg breakfasts since I really need the protein, but this was pretty good. For dinner, I am cheating a little. I put a turkey breast in the crock pot with all the veggies as the "start" to a recipe out of the book called "turkey biscuit potpie". Erick says he doesn't "like" potpies.. but I told him this is really more of a "turkey and dumplings" type thing--- it doesn't have a crust like you would normally think of when eating a potpie. One of my favorite childhood meals actually was a chicken potpie over rice. Those were the days! :) Going to go finish my lunch, and then lay down for my afternoon nap--- HOW am I going to make it next week working ALL day? Have a great sunny day everyone!

Ash Wednesday; meatless meal

Ok, so it took 3 cups of vanilla coffee to get me motivated to cook dinner tonight. I really wanted to pick up the phone and order out.. so glad I didn't. Tonight's menu consisted of: Broccoli Rice Hot Dish and then the old standbys- tuna melts and spaghetti squash. Love them both!!! The rice bake turned out very yummy as well. It has mushrooms, red peppers, onions and egg beaters in it as well as the rice and broccoli. Erick ate a few helpings! Austin refused to try it and Isabelle gave it a 6 (she just at the cheesy rice part) Isabelle helped cutting cucumbers for the tuna melts, and Austin cut up a cantelope. The kids are really enjoying this new endeavor. I think Isabelle is going to be my motivator when I want to quit! She is going to a sleepover tomorrow night and asked if she can go AFTER dinner so she doesn't miss a thing! Awwwww... I promised her I would save her some of whatever I make! She has even taken to reading the cookbook and sticky noting the recipes she wants me to try soon; including a french toast recipe and fruit kabobs. I am feeling tired tonight and a bit lazy, but I promised Isabelle we would make the Peanut Butter Chocolate Pudding dessert. Will let you know how that is- not that peanut butter, pudding and cool whip can be bad!!! Oh, and by the way, the new camera has a "food" setting... so more pictures to come!

We ate at 4:45!!!!!

Ok, so I decided I really really love being at home during the day- it makes me a much better cook! I started just before 4 today and we were sitting at the dining room table at 4:45 eating our first bites! The kids ate much better as they didn't have those before dinner snacks.. and it was nice to eat with the light coming in from the doorwall and looking out at the snow covered lake! Anyway, tonight's meal ended up being pretty darn delicious as well. Getting worried after three great meals that I am just getting lucky and will be really sad when something goes terribly wrong! We ate Fettuccine Italiana. Ingredients: Fettuccine (of course) light-smoked turkey sausage, asparagus, mushrooms, onions, garlic, thyme, olive oil, flour, chicken broth, and topped with shredded Parmesan cheese. I felt like I was at an Italian restaurant- the flavors totally complimented each other and there wasn't a heavy sauce so it felt really healthy(and my stomach doesn't ache after eating it) For those of you who KNOW me--- that is a big deal! :-) It had 285 calories and 8 grams of fat per serving. Pretty darn good for a pasta meal!Isabelle helped me make dessert as well: Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins. They actually called for grated orange peel- Isabelle thought that was funny grating an orange peel! I have never actually done that before either. The muffins just got done, and we are going to eat them later after I get back from the gym. As dinner was ending I asked everyone what they rated it. Erick, Austin and Isabelle were throwing numbers and reasons out there as Elliot just looked around. He said a 23 at one point, and then all of a sudden he said- "WHAT are you guys TALKING ABOUT?" Love that kid! Here are the ratings for the pasta: Erick 8 (said it would be a 9 or a 10 with shrimp instead) Austin and Isabelle gave it an 8 (although neither of them ate the asparagus) I thought an 8 1/2 again. Another great experience! Austin said tonight , "Mommy, I am not sure you can keep this up when you go back to school next week." We shall see... maybe I will have to do 2 recipes one night and take a break in between. I think that is okay? After all, I am the one making the rules here, right? Until tomorrow....

A few pics

So.... there are a few pics, I will get better at putting them in the right spot in the blog soon!!! The first one is our wonderful stacked refrigerator (all prepared for the week!!!) - 200 bucks later, the second one is the fish tacos with a side of rice and avocado/tomato, and the third is my favorite little girl and her double decker banana cup dessert!!!!

And the verdict is....

Out of 10- my family rated dinner as the following:

Fish Tacos:

Erick: 8
Me: 7
Austin: 6
Isabelle: 4
Elliot- no rating- he ate a melted cheese tortilla!

Double Decker Banana cups:

Erick: 9 (said only bananas foster could beat it)
Me: 8 1/2 (seriously amazing for a dessert without any chocolate-- AND lowfat!!!!)
Austin: No rating-- ate ice cream instead- claims to not like Cool Whip
Isabelle: 9
Elliot: again no rating- he ate ice cream- choked on the chocolate chunks- almost threw up- and let the rest melt - Luckily he is running around playing ball with Erick as I type! :=)

So as you can see dinner was pretty much a success. The sauce that went on the fish tacos was fantastic... and I also added chunks of avocado which, lets face it, makes ANYTHING better. Throw in a glass or two of Pinot Grigio and this was an amazing evening!!!

Going to try to post a couple of pictures... for you Laura.. but not sure I know how? :)

Until tomorrow... happy Bachelor night all!

Fish Tacos and Double-decker Banana cups

Ok, so today is our first official day of Mid-winter break from school. That gave me more time to finish my shopping list and prepare before heading out to the gym and grocery store. It took me a little longer to shop : had a hard time finding the zucchini and cilantro, had to go run back and forth a bit after forgetting things on the other side of the store- stuff like that. BUT, surprisingly, I didn't get too anxious like I sometimes do at a packed store (YES-- it WAS packed being President's Day and all--- I didn't plan that very well!) Anyway, my trip was pretty pleasant, and I felt good about getting a variety of healthy things and excited about trying out some new recipes this week. I am happy about the fact that I feel like I have to keep up with this since the world knows.. or at least 3 friends. But still! Upon arriving home I was greeted by the 3 cutest kids ever and a hubby with a very sore neck. Austin and Isabelle were both asking me what we are having for dinner tonight. They were looking through the bags and asking what certain things were for. I was shocked that they both agreed to try the fish tacos tonight. Isabelle even said they sounded GOOD, as she was eating the leftover taco soup from last night! She said, "I really like that we are trying different foods, Mommy, it gets boring eating the same things over and over." Jackpot! I thought I would make the banana cups this afternoon for dessert tonight , but the recipe says to "eat immediately" after putting together, so I guess I am on hold for now. I will let you know how everything turns out tonight. Let me know if you ever want a recipe! Before I go- a quick story about fish tacos.... years ago I used to make fun of my neighbors (dear friends of mine) for making "fish" tacos.... Since then I have had them in restaurants, and Dreg- if you are reading this- you are RIGHT, they are a fabulous invention. NOT that I think that mine will hold any water next to yours... but... Until later....

Valentine's Day and Taco Soup

Ok, so I went for it and made my first official recipe today. Never fear, however, we WILL still be making the banana chocolate smoothies for dessert. After spending the afternoon alone with my hubby : Lunch at Bar Louie (hummus was AMAZING) and to Emagine to see Valentine's Day (very cute flick) - we arrived home and I had some guilt that I needed to cook SOMETHING. So.... I chose the first item that I had all the ingredients for, and that Erick had chose as something he likes in the book. (There were several things I read out loud last night that he cringed at.... what do I do when I get to the end of the book?? Do I still make the things we think we don't "like".. or what??) Anyway, I made the taco soup in 22 minutes.... 11 minutes to spare!!! It looks decent and is bubbling away on the stove. Austin came in and asked what it was and when I asked him if he was having taco soup for dinner.. he said, "Um, anything BUT." Lovely encouragement huh???? So here I sit with a dinner half of us MAY eat, and a grocery list in front of me that is pretty massive...(what did I get myself into?) At least tomorrow I don't have to work!!! Some of the things on the "plan" for this week include: ham and cheese muffins, orange chocolate chip bread, broccoli rice casserole, mushroom pizza burgers and tortilla pie. Nothing TOO crazy... we shall see..... Happy Valentine's Day everyone- until tomorrow....

Seriously??

OK. So.... I have been considering doing a blog for a while now. The problem is, I never knew exactly what I wanted to blog ABOUT, and I didn't really think anyone would be that interested in anything I may post. Then the second problem was that if I started to post my feelings, I knew it would quickly get too emotional, and I didn't know if I was ready yet to share my past and open up to anyone in such a public way. Anyway, since we finished our new "dream" kitchen, I have been a lot happier cooking.... and I bought a new book called Guilt Free Cooking (356 homestyle recipes for healthier living).. and BINGO (as Elliot would say) I knew what I should do. I should cook my way through this cookbook. In doing so, I can learn a variety of healthy foods to switch up our eating at home (always end up making the SAME things) and maybe have some fun in the process of this blog? So, I posted on Facebook today my idea, and actually some friends thought it was a good idea- I can be like Julie in Julie and Julia... I thought it over today, and when I mentioned it to Erick (my loving husband) he laughed at me. Literally. He said, and I quote "You can NEVER rip on me for playing videogames again if you do this" He said- why would people want to read about cooking? He also told me I should wait until summer when I am not so stressed and have more time.... Well... I HAVE to prove him wrong, don't I? He also asked WHAT I could even WRITE about cooking.... he said "What , do you write , well that was good." LOL.. he should KNOW I have A LOT to say by NOW, shouldn't he? So, anyway- here goes. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, so I was thinking I need to make something that is easy and that I already have the ingredients for since we are going out to lunch and a movie. Sooo as LAME as this is, I am going to start with the BANANA CHOCOLATE SMOOTHIES- from the snacks and beverages section. Gotta start somewhere right?
Until tomorrow.....