Challenge Weekly Update: Week #2

So after two weeks on my new health and fitness kick, I am officially down 6 lbs. Can I tell you how excited I am?

Things I learned this week:

• Don't forget to eat
  I have a tendency to get so wrapped up in what I'm doing that I forget that I haven't had breakfast or lunch yet.
  
• Add a protein rich snack to my afternoons
  Yesterday I was feeling dizzy, weak, tired. So a friend suggested to have a protein and carb snack. I had some peanut butter and a few triscuits and I felt so much better. Protein, it does a body good.
  
• Starchy, fatty, fast food will affect the way you feel for more than 24 hrs
  On Saturday I just REALLY needed to get out of my house. So the girls and I went shopping and hung out on the North side of town. We went to L&L Drive-inn for lunch and let me tell you that Chicken Katsu, rice and mac salad with a Spam musubi chaser was great but... I felt it during Saturdays and Sundays workout. Won't be doing that again anytime soon.
  
• Buying a new stability ball is cheaper than buying a new pump
  Strange but true. I went to Wally World to pick up a new pump for my stability ball (because I can't find my old one) and that sucker was $10. Curious, I walk over to the stability balls and find one for $9 that not only comes with a new pump but also an exercise chart. So being the cheap-o that I am, I save a whole dollar and bought a new stability ball.

So all in all a good week. I'm only down 2 more lbs but when I set up my challenge, I was aiming at 1 lb a week. So I think I'm doing pretty well for now.

What did I eat this week? Salads, sandwiches, cereal and whole wheat spaghetti. Not very interesting. A new goal for myself for this coming week is to actually plan out my meals and stick with them so that way at 6 pm I'm not scrabbling to figure out what to make for dinner.

Twi-Hard or Why I Love Twilight

So I have been meaning to write this post for a while. I just didn't know how to reconcile the 16 year old groupie within to the 29 year old woman I'm supposed to be...



I LOVE THE TWILIGHT SAGA

Why do I love Twilight do you ask? It's a classic star-crossed love story with a twist. And please it has vampires in it. :) I love Stephenie Meyer's version of vampire lore. I absolutely love the underlying theme of redemption and salvation. I love her "vegetarian" vampires, the Cullen Family. The Cullens, strive to live a "good" life by ignoring their core desires, their evil vampire ways. In essence they are rebelling against their natural instincts (to hunt humans) in order to not be "monsters". I know lots of quotations right. But really isn't that what we all strive to do. If we all acted out of our own selfish desires and natural instincts where would we be? Add to this a sensual yet innocent kind of love story with a love triangle thrown in for good measure and the never ending battle between good and evil, and you have a winner in my book.

My favorite book thematically has to be Eclipse. I have to say that I am a total sucker for love triangles. But in the subtext category I have to say that I love New Moon. New Moon is all about true love and sacrifice and the theme of redemption is heavy in this book.

Plus and this is very sad, but I have to say that I have totally fallen in love with a fictional character. Oh Calgon and Edward Cullen take me away. :)



This is what happens when your husband leaves and all you have left is the fantasy world of books to keep you company late at night.

But in all seriousness I am totally Team Emmett.



I love his character in the book and I just love the actor who plays him. Emmett just seems like he would be a great guy to hang out with and so does Kellan. Have you watched his interviews? He just seems so down to earth. Plus he usually puts in some sort of shout out to the TwiMoms. Btw, I have joined Twilight Moms. So sad. I have a sickness I tell you what.

I don't own any of the images posted here. All images will link back to the original sites.

30 by 30 Challenge UPDATE

Okay so week one is behind me and I'm down 4 lbs!! Can I tell you how excited I am?!

I have been working out daily on my elliptical and doing some ab crunches on my stability ball, that combined with making better choices with the foods I put into my mouth, are definitely making a difference. And that difference is not just noticeable on the scale but also in my skin, my attitude and my sleep patterns. I find that if I don't get my daily workout in, I'm crabtastic the next day.

So what have I been eating you ask? Well a lot of salad and brown rice for one. My husband says that I'm not Asian because I love my brown rice. :)

But also I have been trying some new recipes. And these recipes are not only good for you but good for your wallet as well, if you are shopping smart (watching your sale flyers).

Here are some that I have been trying lately:

Turkey Burgers/Patties
This was really good as a burger. I served it on a whole wheat bun with mixed greens and sliced tomatoes. The girls enjoyed it for the most part. I also had leftovers the next two days with brown rice and a salad. These were flavorful enough to hold up on their own. So good!

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken
I thought this was really good but my oldest liked it and my youngest (Ms. Picky) did not. I used regular yellow mustard instead of the dijon that reviewers recommended and I thought it was nice balance of tangy and sweet.

Spinach Quiche
I wouldn't nessesarily classify this as "diet" food. But it was good. I used light mayo and light cheese (a combination of cheddar and mozzarella). If I had used egg substitute it probably would have been even better and more diet friendly but I have to say that this made a really nice light dinner with a salad served on the side. My youngest even asked for seconds!

I've also been doing a lot of baked dinners. Baked chicken, baked salmon, baked tilapia. Again, all served with brown rice (white for the kids, they are true Asians), and salad. Breakfast is normally a bowl of cereal. I'm really liking raisin bran crunch and lunch is typically a very large salad. I'm feeling satisfied and not uncomfortably full which is good.

So 4 down 26 more to go!!

Now I better get in my 30 minutes worth of exercise before my oldest gets home from school!

My 30 by 30 Challenge

So I have this new goal for myself right now. I want to lose 30 lbs by my 30th birthday which is about 6 months away...

I think I can do it. But then again, I have a tendency to start things but not finish them. Maybe that's why I'm blogging about this, to hold myself accountable.

For the last week or so I have been concentrating on eating well. And so we've (or I should say I) have been eating a lot of lean meats and fish, brown rice and salad. I have been attempting to satisfy my sweet tooth with fruits instead of sugary sweets. Well, unless that chocolate craving hits and then there really is no substitute for a chocolate chip cookie. I have "cheated" a couple times this week and my skin is paying the price.

Today I started my workout routine. Which I have to say I'm pretty pleased with. I got maybe 30 crunches in on my swiss ball and about 7 minutes worth of workout on my elliptical. Now that may not seem like a lot but for someone who hasn't worked out practically at all in the past several years, that is monumental. ;)

So join me. I'll be posting some of my frugal diet recipes and my weekly accomplishments. But right now, lunch is calling me.

I Wonder....

This year will be the year that I turn 30. This impending event and the multitude of gray hairs I have been finding lately have me reflecting on my life.

I have to say that 12 years ago, as a senior in high school, I had lofty dreams for myself. I was a graduate of a very prestigious high school looking at my future as a theater major at the University of Hawaii (I was supposed to go to DePaul but I didn't feel ready to leave home yet). I never ever imagined that a year later I would meet Jeff. That a year after that I would be married. That three years after that I would be having our first child while my husband was off fighting a war in a distant country. I never thought this is the course my life would take. I never really saw myself as a mother. I knew I would get married someday but going through high school without anyone showing a hint of attraction my way, I guess I never imagined that I would be married at 20, having kids at 23. I always saw myself on stage. I saw myself performing. I saw myself under lights and in front of cameras. Ahh to be that starry-eyed girl again.

But lately my mind has been wandering toward those teenage dreams. As I watch movies or read books, I imagine exactly how I would portray a particular character, how I would direct a scene. I have been wondering what if... What if I went to DePaul? What if I followed through with my theater major? What if I had really pursued the dream instead of giving up because I thought I wasn't good enough? Would I be a typical starving artist now? Where would I be? I'm not saying that I regret the path my life has taken but I just can't help but wonder...

I have been toying with the idea of community theater. I don't know even if such a thing exists here in Colorado Springs, but if it does I'll find it. I may have to take some acting classes first. I'm sure acting is NOT like riding a bike. I may have to brush up on my mad skillz before even attempting an audition.

An Observation...

"If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her"
John 8:7b (NIV Translation)

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Matthew 7: 1-2 (NIV Translation)


I had a friend post something on Facebook the other day that got me thinking...

A lot of people, myself included tend to see fault in others but not ourselves. We nit pick at the things that people do or say and take unneeded offense to it. Then because we are so affronted by an action or a word, we judge that person probably too harshly than they deserve.

I'm fairly self-deprecating by nature and overly sensitive. I tend to read between the lines a lot when the implications aren't necessarily there. But I think that a lot of this offense and judgement could be overcome with just a little empathy. Sometimes a person is going through a situation, a season, a moment where they aren't really themselves. They have given themselves over to their emotional state and just need space. Sometimes that makes them make decisions that may not be the best for themselves or others but that doesn't mean that anyone has the right to judge them for it. I'm sure each one of us (as the first passage indicates) has had a time in our lives that we weren't the nicest, most pulled together person. For me this is a frequent occurrence when I'm just driving around the city.

My point is, people are just people. We all make mistakes. We are fallible. We are imperfection. Should we judge others because of something they did when in our heart of hearts, we know that it's probably we have done ourselves in the past or could do in the future?

I think one point the second passage is really trying to make on judgement is not just about how we will be judged by our Father. But how we will be judged by the people around us as well. If you judge someone for something and you turn around and do the same thing, what does that say about your character?

I'm not really one for New Years resolutions or New Years goals. I don't always stick to things like I should, I'm a rebel after all. Ha-ha. But I think that one goal I will have for myself this year is to try to really put myself in another persons shoes before I take offense, before I judge. To try to see the world from their perspective.

Adjusting...

At the start of this new year I find myself in familiar and not entirely welcomed territory. I am a single parent...AGAIN.

Don't get me wrong, I am so very very thankful for the job that Jeff has. It will provide for all our needs and some of our wants too. He had been out of work for so long and was lost and rather depressed. He had a hard time sleeping at night and because of this was rather irritable during the day. But for all of that, he was home. After years of deployments, I had him here and he was able to get to know his kids again. But...

Because I had him home for 2 whole years, I feel sort of lost right now. Because our relationship was going so well before he left I feel really lonely and now I am the one thats having a hard time sleeping (1 or 2am seems to be the usual bedtime for me now). I feel all befuddled and cornfuseled. Right now I have a deep, deep desire to just hide with a good book for a while and with two small children, that's not going to happen.

I struggle even with the day to day of just running this household and not going brutally insane. There are two small girls here who are having just as rough a time if not more so of adjusting to our new living situation. I know they miss their Daddy as much as I do.

Right now I just need to find some kind of balance to all of this. I need to find new ways of dealing with my stress and frustration. Maybe that's why I'm now turning back to this blog.

I am feeling utterly antisocial right now. I don't even really want to spend time with my kids (I know horrible thing for a mom to say right). I just feel like I can't breathe.

Despite all of this, I find myself trying to put on a brave face again to those around me so they don't see the true extent of my emotions. It's a skill I learned all to well in my years as an army wife. But I know that after the adjustment period the sun will break through the clouds again, I will feel more like myself. I know I just need time. And once that time is over, I'll finally be able to breathe again...

New Year, New Life

I know, I know. It's been a LONG time since I last posted. There has been much going on in the past few months. So much that it left my head swirling. My oldest started her first year of REAL school, my husband and I repaired our relationship a point where we are better now than we have ever been. I have watched God move in my life and use my circumstances to move in the lives of others. I have watched relationships grow and strengthen, while at the same time my pride, stubbornness and pigheadedness fell apart.

This last year has been interesting to say the least. There are been more downs than there have been ups. With job loss for both of us, a tanked credit score, a notice that our house was about to go into the foreclosure process, and a rocky marriage (to put in mildly), this has been a year of unending challenges. But it has also been a year where I watched God move. Where He changed me and my outlook. Where he broke down my pride and showed me that I HAVE to depend on Him. Where He used people to mister to my spiritual and physical needs. Where we never went without. Where we still have our home. So has this been a good year? Yes. Has it been an easy year? No, not by a long shot.

But now that we have ushered in a whole new year. 2010, I know that I have climbed this mountain, this season is coming to a close. What a relief that is for me. I am excited and nervous about this new season that 2010 is ushering in. My husband finally got a job. The job he had been wanting since he got out of the Army. He was finally hired on as a defense contractor. He has been doing training (and a lot of waiting) in Georgia the past three weeks and headed out to Kuwait this morning. This job will provide us with a lot of financial stability. Heck more financial stability that we could have asked for. You know how in Job, God gave Job back everything he lost 2 fold, well thats what this job is pretty much going to do for us financially. It will be like 3 years of Army salary all rolled into one. So it has me excited that we will get to do so many things that we haven't been able to do like travel to see family, enroll the girls in a sport or other extra curricular activity, pay all of our past due bills off, etc. But all this still comes with a price tag, Jeff has to leave for a year...

So my new season comes with it's own set of challenges, it's own mountain to climb. But I know that God has really good things in store for us this year. He used my situation to make me a better person, to make me see that EVERYTHING in this life comes from Him. To ask (as he commands). Because if you don't ask, how can you receive.

One of my favorite sayings goes like this:

A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong she is until she's in hot water.

God showed me that I'm strong like a double shot of espresso, but only that strong when I put my faith in Him.



Now I must warn you that I'm probably going to be rearranging the blog a bit. With this new year and new season, I think my blog needs a face lift. What I come up with should be interesting. ;)

Lots and Lots going on...

So there has been a lot going on around here.

• Kylie started school and she's loving it.
  
• We've had a family trip to Miller Farm with our church.
  
• AWANAs started last week.
  
• I had been running around like a crazy person to find someone to help with the utility bill.
  
• We went to a parade
  
• I have been experimenting with new frugal money saving recipes. Beetroot Hummus anyone?
  
• I'm taking a dicipleship prayer class at my church. In other words how to pray more effectively.
  
• And we have been getting our socks blessed off by the wonderful people that God has put into our lives.
  

I know this is not much of an update. But I will have more soon to include pictures and hopefully some recipes.

I have been out of it lately but I have some wonderful things to share. So check back with me soon!

I Miss You, My Hawai'i

Do you know that song? It's by Na Leo Pilimehana. Probably if you're not from Hawaii, you have NO clue who I am talking about.

I have been feeling extremely nostalgic lately. Thinking about the "good 'ol days" and remembering growing up in the lush island paradise known as Hawai'i. I am and always will be a Hawaii girl at heart. Being so far away from the seashore is just killing me. Maybe that's part of my problem, part of the reason why I have been in so much of a funk lately.

I haven't been home in 4 years!!! I have not seen the ocean, smelled the salty air, or inhaled the intoxicating fragrance of ginger or gardenia. I miss seeing the palm trees and feeling the trade winds on my face. The feel of the sand between my toes and the warm clear ocean water lapping at my thighs. My soul longs for the shores of Waimea and Waikiki. My heart longs to see my family and hug my Gramma one more time. My tongue longs for the flavors of home. For poke and laulau, haupia and Okinawan sweet potato, malasadas and manapuas.

So what can you do when you are thousands of miles away from home and feeling so incredibly homesick that you can't stand it? Well for me, I dig out some old cookbooks. I can't go to Hawai'i right now but I can bring some of the flavors from home into my kitchen.

This cookbook was my Grandma's.



My Dad gave me a whole bunch of her cookbooks when I was home in 2005 (she passed away in 2001). I have no idea exactly how old this one is because there is no copyright date in it. I do know that it was given to my Grandma as a gift in 1966.



And I do know that it is old. Well old to me. Just look at the funky graphics.



Anywho, I tried two recipes from this cookbook tonight. We had the Chinese Beef Tomato and I attempted the Malasadas recipe. Notes on the Malasada recipe to come.



Doesn't it look yummy? And before you ask, yes I did take a huge bite out of it before I took a picture. That is the reason why the fork is dirty. I had to make sure that it wasn't poison before I posted the recipe right?

Chinese Beef Tomato

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp canola oil
3/4 lb sirloin tip, thinly sliced and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/8 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 C water
2 stalks celery, cut on the diagonal
1/2 onion cut into chunks
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into chunks
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into chunks
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tbsp water

Brown garlic in oil and then add your seasoned meat and brown lightly.
Add sugar, salt, soy sauce, ginger, vinegar and water into the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add celery, onion, green bell pepper, and tomatoes, simmer for 2 minutes.
Add your cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with the 1 1/2 tbsp water) and cook another minute or until sauce is thick and glossy.

Serve over rice.

Now a note about the malasadas. I have been craving malasadas since the Punahou carnival in February. All my friends and classmates were posting about how they were working the Malasada booth. And being unemployed, I can't exactly go out and buy some though there is a Vietnamese restaurant up the street that makes a pretty decent knock off.

Anyways there is a recipe in the cookbook for malasadas so I decided to try it. I followed the directions, got the oil up to 375 like the directions said and well...they cooked to fast leaving the outside nice and brown and the inside like goo. So once I get the recipe right, I will post it with some pics.

Just Breathe...

Well it's been quite an interesting last few weeks...

• I lost my job
  
• Jeff got approved for a job, but can't get hired right now because they are on a hiring freeze.
  
• Kylie starts Kindergarten (real school) on Monday and will be riding the bus home...2 guesses on the part I'm most nervous about.
  
• I feel like I haven't had a minute to myself in 5 years and I am in desperate desperate need of a vacation.
  
• I've been calling around to different assistance groups and we don't qualify either because A. Jeff and I have no current job and therefore can't produce a workable budget for next month, B. Jeff is no longer active duty military, or C. Jeff is not "wounded enough" to qualify for assistance.
  

So what does this woman do when pushed up against a wall and feels like she can't breathe? Chop all her hair off!!



Oh yeah and did I mention that my camera is not working right. Go figure!

Do you like it? I do. What I didn't like was getting made fun of when I got home. Not like I haven't been having a crappy enough time the past couple of weeks but I had to come home and hear Jeff start in on me about "Dude" this and "I'm married to a man" that. What a way to pop someone's bubble not to mention hurting their feelings. Plus to top it off, he takes a subject and rolls with it until someone is on the verge of tears and then doesn't feel bad about it because it was "just a joke" and "not his fault if you take it the wrong way".

But I digress...

Just please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers these next few weeks. I'm a little tired of my situation and a LOT frustrated. I need deliverance NOW or I might just leave (by myself) and hop the next flight to Hawaii and camp out on the beach for the rest of my life.

After writing this post, I went to my living room to vacuum up the cereal crumbs from this morning and wouldn't you know it, my vacuum stopped working. Chock it up to another perfect day!

Recipe Review: A Year of Crockpotting's Brown Sugar Chicken

I have been rather lazy lately and not wanting to cook so what does someone on a budget with no air conditioning do? Break out their crock pot!!

I have been making all kinds of stuff from garlic studded pot roast to slow cooker "roasted" chicken. So good and perfect for the lazy chef. You just throw everything in the slowcooker and let it cook all day! Well in my search for even more crockpot goodies, I remembered that Brown Sugar Chicken recipe over at A Year of Crockpotting. She says that her kids call it "Candy Chicken" because it's so sweet. The original recipe calls for a WHOLE CUP of brown sugar. I firmly believe that I feed my children enough sugar what with all my baking escapades and all so after reading the reviews I cut the amount of sugar in half but pretty much did nothing else to the recipe and you know what? OMG it's so good!! It reminds me of my Grandma's Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs. That's exactly what this sauce tasted like.

So for those of you who don't feel like venturing over to A Year of Crockpotting, here is the recipe that I used. Also, I think the term "Sweet and Sour Chicken" is more appropriate. There wasn't much of a brown sugar taste left after I cut the amount of sugar in half...

Sweet and Sour Chicken


10 bone-in skinless chicken thighs and drumsticks
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (it's good and essential I promise!!)
2/3 cup vinegar (I used half white and half apple cider vinegar)
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 T soy sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper


Use a 4 quart crockpot for this recipe.

Plop the chicken into your crockpot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It will bubble!

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be.

Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth.

I promise that you will want to ladle the broth over the rice. It's so yummy!!

This is something I will DEFINATELY make again.

Incidentally I served this with Jasmine Rice and Cucumber and Onion Salad. My Cucumber and Onion Salad recipe will be coming soon. It's a perfect use up for all those summer cucumbers and so yummy too!!

For Sale! Get it while you can!

Just thought I would throw this out there but I have some things for sale right now and I don't know if anyone is interested but here goes...

http://s910.photobucket.com/albums/ac301/kristi-proverb31/

Leave a comment if you see something you like. The Punchbowl is already spoken for.

Contentment? What's that?

"I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern form me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances, I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Philippians 4:10-13 NIV

This morning I got up early and I was still feeling the effects of yesterday's heat exhaustion (don't work in the yard during mid-day when the sun is blazing). So I called in to work and said that I wasn't going to come in. The idea of driving to work with a mind splitting headache was just not a happy thought. The house was quiet early in the morning so I went to the kitchen grabbed a cool wet cloth, a tall glass of ice water and an Excedrin and plopped myself down on the couch with my iPod. While checking email and looking at Facebook I had an urge to check my bible verses app and see what brilliant quote it would bring me today. The past couple of days it hasn't brought me anything inspiring or relevant to what I have been going through lately but this morning, it was like a slap in the face (in a good way, if there is such a thing). This morning it brought me Philippians 4:13, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Most days I will get my quote and find it in the bible so I can read what comes before it and what comes after it. It's extremely important to understand not just the quote but also what precedes and follows it. What precedes that quote is powerful! Being content no matter what.

It is no secret that I am not content. I was doing some self examination after reading this quote. Why am I not content. Well there is the obvious my husband being jobless, having virtually 0 dollars in our account, creditor calls everyday. But I think I could handle all of that. I think I could be content if I didn't... have kids. It hurts me to see my kids going without things. They have food and a roof over their heads but apart from Church we don't really go anywhere. They don't get to get out and see the world. We have the occasional hike or trip to the park but that's about it (cause gas costs money too you know). When my friends are talking about swim lessons and mutton busting my heart hurts for my children knowing that they can't have that. I realize that stuff is material. I realize that stuff is not important in the grand scheme of things but I feel as if my children are deprived on some level because I can't afford any of that, no summer programs, no T-ball, no soccer, nothing. I mean we don't even have grass in the backyard for them to play on. To me it's sad, it makes me feel like a bad parent and leaves me with a feeling of discontent. But I sit here and imagine what it would be like to just feel satisfied all the time no matter what life throws at you. What a dream that would be! To just be okay all the time, not worrying about anything because you know that at some point anything you need or have ever needed will be met.

I remember the days of plenty. I remember not having to struggle and that makes this period in my life even harder. I remember being able to take trips and not just to the zoo but back home to Hawaii, Las Vegas and Oregon. I remember vacations and eating out and even just the basic of paying my mortgage on time. And it's hard to put all of that out of my mind and just live in the moment and be satisfied with what today holds and not think about what tomorrow will bring.

The flesh worries, the flesh stresses out but when you live in the spirit the worries of the flesh disappear. I want to live in the spirit. I want to be like Paul and feel satisfied no matter what life brings to me. Most days I can. Some days are easier than others to be satisfied and content, but recently I have been growing more and more frustrated with my husband. And it's been harder and harder to feel content and satisfied. I have been feeling very angry and resentful and I know I shouldn't but I do. I don't talk about it with him and that's mostly the reason why I haven't blogged in so long cause if you can't say anything nice... But I'm trying to deal with it. I'm clinging so hard to my faith that God will deliver me and I keep telling myself that it will be soon. Realistically I know that everything happens in God's time and not mine but lately I've been feeling that God is trying to do something good NOW but Jeff is holding it back. I'm probably projecting, but that's how I feel.

Pray for me!

Summer Veggie Casserole

See that? That right there. That picture. That is just a big cake pan full of YUM I tell you what!

I bought some really nice looking zucchini and yellow squash today at the farmer's market and I wanted to do something different with them. I really do like sautéed zucchini and yellow squash and "buttered" noodles are great but I just wanted something different. So I was over at AllRecipes.com and I found this recipe. It looked good but I was concerned that there was no meat in it. Don't get me wrong "I" like a good meatless meal. It's the husband that has issues with meatless dinners. He claims that he needs more protein in his diet because his poop is green. TMI? So sorry. Well no I'm not. If I had to hear it so did you. You're welcome. :) Anyways... I made some adjustments to the original recipe and O.M.G. So yummy! Kylie just asked for seconds and I received much praise for being "the bestest Mommy ever" for making a "delicious yummy dinner". I'll take any praise really even though I know she's just buttering me up because she was in trouble earlier today for breaking the towel rod in the bathroom...

So the recipe Kristi, get to the recipe! Right, so here it is. ENJOY!!

Summer Veggie Casserole

1 zucchini, sliced thin
1 summer (yellow) squash, sliced thin
1/4 yellow onion, sliced thin
1 ripe tomato, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
3/4 C mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 a 3 oz package of sliced pepperoni
garlic salt
pepper
onion powder
dried basil

Layer your veggies in a greased 8x8 pan. Between each veggie layer add a little bit of chopped garlic, some of your mozzarella cheese, and a sprinkling of your salt, pepper, onion powder and basil. I did zucchini, then tomato, then onion then summer squash.

Once you have added your last layer of veggies with the garlic, spices and cheese, top the casserole with your pepperoni and a little bit more cheese.

Bake your casserole, uncovered, in a 375 oven for 25 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

I served this with apple slices and garlic toast.

**A couple quick notes. I baked this in my toaster oven. Also, next time I may add some baking mix between the layers too. I think the baking mix would make the casserole a little more filling and it would help to absorb all the yummy juices that form at the bottom of the pan. If I try that, I will post an update.

Helen Hunt Falls 6-8-09

For my birthday last month we headed for a family day at Helen Hunt Falls. My goodness is it gorgeous out there! If you are in Colorado Springs and the surrounding area and have never been out there, you must must must take a trip out there. First of all the drive to Helen Hunt Falls is just gorgeous. You drive through Cheyenne Canon to get there. Cheyenne Canon is green and lush and beautiful. Jeff just loved the winding drive up there. He said that the park reminded him of being back in Oregon. He grew up off of a US forestry road so the smell of the trees and the towering pines took him back to his childhood. I REALLY need to take another trip up there.

Please Excuse Me

It's been a difficult 6 weeks for me so please excuse me for not updating my blog regularly.

I will start updating it again on a regular basis soon.

There are some family issues going on right now that have taken over my thoughts, dreams and every waking hour. My mind has been a blur and I haven't been myself. So as soon as I can get my head screwed on straight, posting will commence again.

Thank you all for your patience.

The Frugal Gourmet, Oh My!

I found a recipe this morning on The Pioneer Woman's website for homemade egg pasta.

You must must must try this recipe! It's easy. It does take a while though because you really have to knead the dough. I think next time I'll use my Kitchen Aid mixer. I'm sure it will make my life much easier. :)

To the basic dough recipe on the website, I did add just a little salt probably a 1/2 tsp full and a palm full of dried parsley flake (This was to 3 eggs and 1 1/2C of flour. If you read the original recipe, you'll see how you can gauge the ratios you need). Yes, I measure ala Rachel Ray. I really only use measuring spoons when I'm baking.

To go with this yummy yummy homemade pasta, I made a tomato cream sauce. Who says you have to spend a fortune to eat a gourmet meal!

Here is the recipe for my tomato cream sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp garlic, minced <--- no that's not a typo! I like garlic.
3 tomatoes diced
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 C pasta cooking water
1/4 C half and half
1/4 C grated Parmesan Cheese

• Heat your pan to medium high heat.
  
• Add your olive oil and butter to the pan. When the butter starts to bubble add your garlic. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and lightly browned. Add your diced tomatoes and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, salt and sugar. Cook about 2 minutes so the tomatoes can soften.
  
• Add your pasta cooking water. Turn your heat down to medium low and simmer your sauce for about 5 minutes.
  
• Add the half and half and Parmesan cheese and simmer for another minute. Taste your sauce and adjust your seasonings as necessary.
  
• Toss with your cooked pasta and serve with additional grated Parmesan cheese.
  

ENJOY!

Note: Jeff even ate two servings of this and it has no meat! Ms. Picky Kaitlynn ate this with a declaration of "Num, Num" "Num, Num".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay so a note on the frugality of this recipe. You know how I like to calculate how much something really cost me so here goes.

The homemade pasta:

1 C Flour is approximately $0.10 (1 5lb bag of flour is about $2.00. There are 18.75 C of flour in one bag. So to make it easier to calculate lets say 19C. So each cup is about $0.10)

1 egg is about $0.07 (I just bought eggs on sale for $0.88 a dozen)

Total for homemade pasta is: $0.46 (I ended up using about 2 1/2 C of flour total after kneading some in.)

The pasta sauce:

3 tomatoes, $1.00 (purchased in a 3 pk at Walmart)
garlic, nominal
butter, $0.06 (32 tbsp in a lb and I pay $2.00 for a lb of butter)
Olive Oil, $0.16 (I purchased a bottle of olive oil for $9.99, there are 133 Tbsp in the bottle)
Spices and water, nominal
Half and Half, $0.08 (there are 31 servings in the container of half and half I purchased for $1.12. I used 2 servings)
Parmesan cheese, $0.25 (I purchased a 24oz container of parm cheese for $3.00. I used probably about 2 oz)

Total for the pasta sauce: $1.55 (if you use fresh tomatoes from your garden, it would only cost $0.55! Can't beat that!!)

Total cost for the meal for 4 people, $2.01

SwagBucks!

Have you heard about this? You search online, you win points and you can redeem those points for things like gift cards, video games, even airline miles!

It's simple, you sign up and download their toolbar. In no time, you're searching the internet and earning points. Their search engine is powered by Google btw.

I have been using SwagBucks for a couple of months now and have racked up about 94 points. With those 94 points, I could get a ton of stuff, including MP3 downloads, gift cards, video games, books, etc but I'm saving up my points for the end of the year. I'm going to try to see if I can pay for most of my Christmas presents with SwagBucks. Wouldn't that be cool? To have a FREE Christmas?

There are other ways you can earn points on SwagBucks:

• You can send in your old cell phones, MP3 players, video games or consoles and earn more points. I just found a bunch of video games from Jeff's old PS1 that I'm going to send in to get more points.
  
• You can also get points when you shop online. There are partner sites like Hot Topic, Walmart, Lane Bryant and many others. For every $5.00 you spend, you get one SwagBuck.
  
• You can also get your friends to sign up. When your friends earn SwagBucks you do to!

So yes, if you sign up I will earn some SwagBucks. But the main bonus to you, would be to earn your own SwagBucks and invite your friends to earn SwagBucks. How great will you feel when you can get yourself something nice FOR FREE all for searching and shopping online!

If you are interested in signing up for SwagBucks just click on the image above and get yourself signed up!

Confessions: Why I Don't Like Mother's Day

Mother's Day is always a day where I try to keep my expectations low. After all, I try to tell myself, it's just another day. Another day in this mad and crazy house. I tell myself that if things don't go the way I want to, that's okay. I tell myself that I don't need to be celebrated...again it's just another day. It's just another day, an ordinary day. Nothing special about this day. I build myself up to think that way every year. And every year...When I wake up on Mother's Day...I'm still upset and disappointed.

People say that if you keep your expectations low, you'll never be disappointed. I think for me, I try to keep my expectations low but there is something at the back of my mind tugging at my heart saying, "what if..." What if this year it will be different. What if this year I will have my ideal Mother's Day. It is that very thought that raises up my expectations and then brings my world crashing down upon me every single Mother's Day.

This morning I wake up to a filthy kitchen and a filthy living room. I have been so busy the past couple of weeks. I have been working extra hours, shuffling the kids back and forth, drafting patterns, preparing and opening my girls boutique, stocking us back up on groceries and trying to do enough around the house so that we don't get too far behind on things. But no matter how much I do around here, I never seem to get caught up. While I'm running around trying to be super mom on 4 hours of sleep, my husband sits on his computer and plays games or looks for jobs. Sometimes he'll clean the living room. Sometimes he'll do a half load of dishes and sometimes, he'll actually pay attention to the kids like he's supposed to. Most of the time, I'm hurrying to do a load of dishes while I'm trying to cook dinner or yelling at the kids to pick up the living room when it's not all their mess or walking into the house after a day at work and then errands to find that Kaitlynn has marked her entire body with Kylie's pens and is drinking of of a cup that only God knows where she found.

I'm tired, I'm exhausted and I desperately need a break. More than that, I need a clean house. My mind is so unfocused because I'm thinking of all the 50 million things that need to get done around here on top of what I have to do for work (I still need to write this month's newsletter article). I just deep cleaned the kitchen 2 weeks ago and now it's trashed again. I go to work and come home and the dishes are piled to the faucet (one of my biggest pet peeves) and I know that it didn't look like that before I left...

So I guess this rant is really about two things:not feeling very appreciated and a husband who is being awfully self centered right now.

So now I'm off to do a load of dishes, make the girls breakfast, get them ready for church and head out the door. And when I come home, I know that the house will look exactly the way I left it. And when I come home, I know that I'm not going to want to be here. And when I come home, I know that I'll probably have to start making my own Mother's Day dinner or we will be eating at 10 o'clock tonight.