Pita Pizza

Michael and I were both craving junk food for dinner tonight.  A bunch of thoughts went through my head after I mentioned this to Michael...  Golden Corral has fried chicken and then I won't have to cook...  Golden Corral is pretty expensive, we don't really need to be spending the money right now...  Andover has a KFC, that would be a little cheaper...  Michael doesn't really like fried chicken...  Maybe we could go to Dillons and I could get fried chicken, Michael could get pizza, and I could get Chinese food for the kids...  We just drove passed Dillons...  We could turn around...  Time to consult Michael...  So I asked Michael, and he was saying how he was at a lower weight than he's been in a while.  I, too, am down.  We decided it would be a better choice to make something healthy at home.  Michael wanted to go out and get pizza, but I remembered we had the supplies to make Pita Pizzas!  So we made homemade pizza instead of eating out or getting food to go and bringing it home!  Yay for good choices!  Always feels better after the fact than it does in the moment when you want fried chicken, a personal weakness for me.  Here's the recipe for what I did tonight!  Enjoy!

Pita Pizza
1 whole wheat pita
4 tbsp pizza or pasta sauce (I always have pasta sauce on hand, so that's what we had tonight)
Assorted spices
Assorted veggies
Meat, if desired (we didn't have any, or I was too lazy to brown hamburger)
2-4 tbsp shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 450.  Assemble pizza as desired.  Bake 10-12 minutes.  Enjoy!

Pretty straight forward!  I think next time we make pizza I'm going to try having a Flatbread crust.  :)  This one was, as always is, great!  Here are the combinations our family enjoyed tonight:

Jen - Garlic Powder, Italian Seasoning, Red Pepper Flakes, Torn Spinach Leaves, Sliced Red Onion, Chopped Green Pepper, Mexican Blend Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese

Michael - Garlic Powder, Oregano, Sliced Red Onion, Chopped Green Pepper, Mozzarella Cheese

Kids - Mexican Blend Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese

I'm pleased to say that everyone ate all their food!  This was a great recipe!  And now that I've eaten, I'm glad we ate healthy.  ;)  Although I would still take fried chicken if someone wanted to bring it over!  :P  Any takers??  No...??  Well, better luck next time!  ;)  Happy Tuesday, Friends!  Have a great night!  Luv ya!

Chocolate Chip Mug Cookie

Hey Friends!
I was craving something sweet after lunch, so I consulted my Pinterest boards.  I wanted a mug recipe that actually tasted good, and I wanted a different one that my Chocolate Covered Katie Coffee Cake Recipe.  I found one I'd piano that was supposed to be Paleo and a bunch of other buzz words.  But I don't have things like almond meal and coconut oil (Connor may or may not have an allergy to coconut) on hand, so I improvised!  I also didn't really measure...  Oops!  I didn't expect it to turn out terribly well, so I didn't measure or take a picture.  Then, it was delicious and I was kicking myself, lol!  Oh well!  I can approximate for you!  :)

Chocolate Chip Mug Cookie

In a Coffee Cup or Ramekin mix 1.5 tsp olive oil, 1 tbsp sugar (I'll try Stevia next time), 0.5 tsp vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.

Add 1 egg yolk to the sugar mixture and stir to combine.

Add 3 tbsp all purpose flour and 0.5 tsp baking powder to sugar and egg mixture and stir to combine.  I found that the mixture was just a little dry still, so I added an extra 1 tsp water and the consistency was better.

Fold in chocolate chips.  The more the better, IMHO, but I probably used about 1-2 tbsp.

Microwave mixture for 40-50 seconds.  Do not overcook.  For me, the 40 seconds was perfect!

This recipe was delicious and quick!  Not necessarily healthy (I haven't put it into MyFitnessPal yet to get the actual calorie count), but took care of my sweet tooth!  It made enough that you could share this tasty dessert with someone, but where's the fun in that?  ;)  If you try it, let me know what you think!

*Edit*
Made it again, this time for Michael, and took pictures!  :D  He approves!

Sweet Potato Chips

I remember growing up, my Grandma making apple chips in her dehydrator.  They were so delicious!  A sweet snack that I was way more anxious to eat than regular apples.  I also remember her telling me not to eat too many or I'm end up pooping a lot.  :P  Wise woman!  I'm now telling Avery the same thing about regular apples!  She loves them!  Well as Grandma and Grandpa have been moving and reducing their possessions, I was blessed to get the dehydrator!  I quickly got on Pinterest looking for recipes!  I love chips, so if I can make fruit and Veggie chips and have a healthier alternative to potato chips, I am all about that!  Yesterday I tried my hand at Sweet Potato Chips!  I had a large sweet potato in the fridge that needed used, so I got out my mandolin and sliced it as thin as I could.  I realized this summer I really like sea salt and cracked black pepper potato chips, so that was the flavor combination I went for.  I threw all the slices in a plastic bag with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  I shook the bag until all my slices were coated and seasoned and put them in a single layer in the dehydrator.  Actually, I used two dehydrators, because that's what Grandma brought over and I needed both to use up all my sweet potato slices.  The articles I saw on Pinterest said to dehydrate for 12-24 hours!  I thought to myself, surely that's a typo!  But as I ate chewy sweet potato chips 4 hours, 8 hours, and even 16 hours later, I realized that they were right.  :P  The longer they dehydrated, the crisper, and better they got.  Unfortunately, I didn't mind eating the chewy ones, so I only made it to 21 hours before I'd eaten them all.  ;)  Needless to say, sweet potatoes are on my shopping list for next week!  I really loved that these gave me something healthy to eat, the chewier ones took a little more work to eat, and they kept me from munching on unhealthy snacks throughout the day!  So I'm calling them a win!  :)  Stay tuned for many more dehydrator recipes to come!  Including apple chips!  :D

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Hey, Guys!  I have a great new recipe for you!  I wasn't sure if I was going to like this one or not.  I should have known I would, all my cauliflower recipes have turned out well so far, this one was destined to be great as well.  But, as always, I was skeptical.  Turns out I was crazy to be skeptical because this recipe was delicious!  It was creamy, cheesy, and amazing!  Michael and I each gave this recipe two thumbs up!  The kids even ate it with no fussing or fighting!  Win!  Go ahead and make this Cauliflower Mac and Cheese sometime soon!  We had it was dinner but it would make a great side dish as well!

Roasted Chicken and Veggies Continued

Michael and I had the Roasted Chicken and Veggies for lunch today.  As I mentioned yesterday, it turns out I've made this recipe before.  It was just as good as it was in the past!  The roasted cauliflower and broccoli were my favorites, the green beans were good too.  The only problem I have with this recipe is that it's pretty dry when it's reheated.  Adding salsa, soy sauce, or chicken broth to the recipe would have probably helped.  :P  Note to self for next time.  This is a tasty recipe that you should give a try!  If nothing else, at least try roasting veggies when you need a side dish!  Yum!

Breakfast Egg Wraps Continued

Good morning, Friends!  I came back to follow up on the breakfast wraps I posted about yesterday.  I had one for breakfast this morning and Michael had one at well.  Here's what we thought...

Fresh
When you eat the straps fresh, you'll be able to eat them as a handheld on your way to work or school.  You might have to watch the spinach that it doesn't fall out, but the wrap won't get soggy from the time you assemble it to the time you eat it.  The spinach will also be crisper.  You're also more likely to have cheese in every bite because you won't have reheated it and had it melt and distribute.

Reheated
Like so many of my wraps, this one got a little soggy when I pulled it out of the fridge.  If you have time to heat your wrap in a skillet with some coconut oil, it would probably help.  I reheated mine in the microwave.  I found that after being in the fridge and reheating, this was a fork and plate kind of meal, no longer a handheld.  The spinach was wilted, which didn't bother me any.  The cheese melted and moved after being reheated, causing some boss to not have much cheese at all and some of the cheese spoiling out the ends of the wrap.  This may have worked better off I had folded down the ends of the wrap, but I didn't.

Overall
I give this recipe 1 thumb up.  I thought it was a little bland and the soggy wrap want add great for me.  I think I could improve this recipe significantly with additional toppings.  I also think a stronger flavored cheese like Cheddar or American would improve the flavor or this recipe.  Michael gave this recipe 2 thumbs up.  He's not as critical of my recipes as I am, as long as they aren't Chinese food.  ;)  He added ketchup to his wrap, he usually does any time I make eggs, and didn't think there was a problem with it being bland.  If only I liked ketchup.  :P  The good thing about this recipe is that is easy to customize to your tastes!  Next time I may try a flavored wrap, American cheese, more veggies, and adding some turkey.  I'm not ready to give up on this recipe yet.  Don't be surprised if you see another rendition of it on the future!  ;)  Have a great Wednesday, my friends!  Stay tuned later today for a revisit of the Roasted Chicken and Veggie Bowls and a review of how they turned out.  :)

One Pot Mexican Skillet

Ok, Folks, this is the last one for today!  Tomorrow I'll have to clean up my messes that I made today, but for now, I enjoyed all the food I got to make!  I have so much fun making all these new recipes and sharing them with all of you!  I hope you guys are enjoying them as well and finding recipes that are working for your families.  This One-Pot Mexican Skillet was a big hit with my family!

I love one-pot meals because they reduce the amount of dishes I have to do in the end.  That's a win in my book!  I also think it's awesome when rice or pasta are cooked right there in the pan with my meat and veggies!  So cool!  This recipe ended up a little soupy, so I might suggest reducing the chicken broth to 1/2-1 cup.  Otherwise, this recipe was perfect.  My children nommed it up and Michael loved it too!  4 thumbs way up for this one!  Also, as with the other ground beef recipes I've shared, we used ground venison from my brother-in-law.  It was great and I know the ground beef would be delicious too.  Enjoy!  Let me know if you try any of my recipes and what you think of them!

I didn't use any cilantro on this recipe because it's gross.  I didn't use any avocado because mine went bad.  *Sad Face*  I'm sure the avocado would have made it even better!  This recipe made 8 servings.  :)

Skinny Double Chocolate Muffins

That title has all the right words, huh?!  I mean, how could you not make that kind of recipe?!?  It sounds perfect!  I let me tell you, these Skinny Double Chocolate Banana Muffins taste just as good as the name promises!  I had a bunch of bananas in the freezer, thus the ice cream and these muffins.  I'm proud to say that I used all of the bananas and my freezer is free of them!  This recipe is great!  The bananas make them super moist, the honey sweetens them without sugar, the Greek yogurt adds plenty of protein, and the whole wheat flour is great too!  I only used 2/3 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all purpose flour, because when I use all whole wheat flour my muffins also end up super dense.  When I do half and half whole wheat and all purpose flour I get much better results.  However, feel free to use all whole wheat flour if that's what you and your family prefer.  These are supposed to be for breakfast, but my family ate their dinners so well, they each got one for dessert!  They are delicious!  If you have any bananas left over after all those delicious ice cream recipes this morning, give these a try!

Also, the recipe said it made a dozen muffins, but I had to REALLY load the muffin cups full to use all the batter.  Then, they kind of overflowed when I baked them.  Perhaps my heart muffin cups are smaller than standard, who knows?  If they do hold the same amount as a standard muffin tin, this recipe should make closer to 14-16 muffins. 

Roasted Chicken and Veggie Bowls

I made this recipe today, not for us to actually eat today, but for our lunches the rest of the week.  With this and the breakfast wraps, breakfast and lunch is covered for the rest of the week!  Woohoo!  :D  But, that didn't stop me from making even more!  I have TWO MORE RECIPES in store for you today!  I guess I didn't feel like cleaning today, so I spent most of my day in the kitchen.  ;) 

I was working on this recipe that I found on Pinterest.  It wasn't until I was about halfway done with it that I realized, I've made this recipe before.  :P  Fortunately, we liked it!  So the repeat won't be a problem.  I always pick different veggies to roast when I make it.  Today I roasted broccoli and cauliflower, which are pretty standard for when I make this recipe.  I also toasted green beans, which I haven't done before!  I'm anxious to try them!

As always, I'll attach the link for the original post, but I have to tell you, she has so many different links to redirect you that it will make your head spin!  I'll try to condense the recipe here for your convenience.

Taco Chicken
Marinate 2-4 chicken breasts in:
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic salt
Juice from 2 limes
You can marinate it for up to 4 hours or grill immediately.  I only marinated mine as long as it took to heat my pan up.  I grilled my chicken on our George Forman Grill until cooked through, a grill pan or an outdoor grill would work as well. 

Rice and Quinoa Mixture
Cook 1 cup of Quinoa and 1 cup of rice (I used Jasmine, but the original recipe called for brown rice) according to package directions.

Roasted Veggies
Choose 3-5 different veggies to roast to add to your bowls.  I used Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Green Beans.  In order to roast veggies, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Put veggies in a gallon sized ziplock bag (I did them one at a time so all the veggies could be cooked for appropriate times), drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (the original recipe called for garlic salt, but I found that made the veggies too salty).  Shake bag until veggies are well coated.  Pour into a parchment lined baking sheet.  Roast for 10 minutes, flip veggies, and roast for 10 more minutes or until veggies are fork tender.
Cauliflower needed 30 minutes total
Green beans and Broccoli needed 25 minutes total
Asparagus and Brussel Sprouts would be great in this recipe too, the original recipe said the asparagus roasts very quickly, in about 8 minute total, so when you try a new veggie, keep a close eye on it.

Divide rice/Quinoa, chicken, and roasted veggies into 8 servings.  Enjoy!

My Delicious Sandwich

Ok, this isn't really a recipe, but I had all the things I needed to make a delicious sandwich, and it totally hit the spot today!  I even spoiled myself with avocado!  :D  Here's what my amazing lunch consisted of...
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 slice swiss cheese
2 slices deli turkey
1/8 avocado (it's what was left over in the fridge)
1/2 Roma tomato
1 slice red onion
Small handful spinach
Olive oil mayo

Yum!  And then, to top it all off, I toasted it!  I dry toasted it because I didn't want to add more calories by buttering the bread.  It turned out just fine!  You just have to be super careful and watchful when dry toasting your sandwich.  I think the onions are my favorite additional to this sandwich!  Yum!  What do you have on hand to add to your sandwich today?

Breakfast Egg Wraps

I love having meals pre-made and ready to Michael to grab in the morning when he leaves for work.  I don't usually get up until 7am each morning and the thought of losing precious sleep to get up and make my wonderful hubby breakfast is less than appealing.  :P  Poor Michael!  So when I can make a batch of something, or a casserole that I can divide into individual servings and load the fridge with easy to grab tupperware, I do it.  Today I made a batch of Breakfast Egg Wraps.  I found a recipe on Pinterest (Who's surprised?!?!) that Michael and I both thought looked good, so I whipped it up!  I love making wraps in bulk too, because, again, they're easy to grab and I don't have to cook something new (and dirty a ton more dishes) each day (because I've done it before and it's a lot of work).  Neither Michael, nor I have actually tried these wraps yet.  I made them this morning after Michael left and after I'd already eaten breakfast.  But as soon as we try them I'll get back on here and let you know how they turned out.  :)  My only concern is whether they'll reheat ok with the spinach in the wraps.  I guess we'll find out soon enough!  ;)

Breakfast Egg Wraps
1 whole wheat wrap
1 slice of cheese (use your family's favorite, we use swiss)
1 egg
A splash of milk
Salt and pepper
A handful of spinach

Lay out wrap, cut slice of cheese in half and lay across wrap.  Scramble egg with milk, salt, and pepper.  Cook egg mixture until firm, flip and brown on the other side.  Transfer egg to wrap.  Add spinach on top of egg.  Roll wrap.  Enjoy!

It would be super easy to add other ingredients to this wrap!  Add whatever you have on hand or whatever your family likes to go with their eggs or breakfasts.  It's kind of like a deconstructed omelette!  Very customizable!  My favorite! 

Oops!  Forgot to add the link to the original recipe!  Here ya go!

http://homecookingmemories.com/easy-breakfast-roll-ups/#comment-28969&_a5y_p=1513785

Frozen Banana NiceCream

For those of you who are on Pinterest, I'm sure you've run across a recipe for Banana Ice Cream.  You take your overripe bananas, freeze them, and puree them in a blender or food processor until they resemble the texture of soft serve.  I've made this stuff several times before and I've gotta say, it's great!  Guilt free ice cream?!  Yes, please!  Plus, you can add all sorts of flavors to it to customize it!  I got an email today from Chocolate Covered Katie featuring 10 new NiceCream recipes!  I am soooo excited!  I want to try them right away, but I need ingredients that were bought for other recipes, so I'm going to be doing a lot of cooking today!  We'll Probably end up worth 3 or more blog posts and recipes today!  Hope you're excited for some healthy new recipes!  I'll get to work and will post pictures once everything is done!  Love you all!  Happy Tuesday!

**Edit**
Just finished making 3 new flavors of ice cream!  They are based off the recipes from the Chocolate Covered Katie article that I mentioned above.

Mint Chocolate Chip
2 frozen bananas
A pinch of salt
1/8 tsp mint extract (the recipe called for peppermint extract, but I had this on hand, it is a spearmint/peppermint mix, I think the straight peppermint would be a little better)
A splash of milk
A handful of spinach
A handful of chocolate chips

First, sorry for the not-so-precise measurements.  I hate when people give me recipes that way.  Please forgive me.
Add bananas, salt, extract, and spinach to blender and begin blending.  When ingredients stick to the side and stop mixing properly, scrape the sides of your blender, pushing the tiny banana chunks to the bottom.  Add a splash of milk, blend again.  Blend until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream.  Add another splash of milk if needed.  Add the chocolate chips at the end.  You can leave them whole or blend them.  I like blending them because then I get a taste of chocolate in each bite.  Put in a container, freeze, and enjoy guilt free the next time you get a sweet craving!

Mocha Chip
2 frozen bananas
A pinch of salt
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp instant coffee granules (I have instant coffee granules on hand just for baking, smoothies, and ice cream.  I have never used them for actual coffee.)
A couple shakes of cinnamon
A splash of milk
A handful of chocolate chips

Same steps as above, blend, scrape, splash, blend, scrape splash.  Add chocolate chips at the end and leave whole or blend.  Mini chocolate chips are perfect to be left whole!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl
2 frozen bananas (I only had 1.5 left after the first two recipes, so I made do)
2-3 tbsp peanut butter (I used 2 tbsp)
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
Splash of milk

Same steps as above, blend, scrape, splash, blend, scrape, splash as needed.  I added a couple squirts of chocolate to the jar before I added the ice cream, and drizzled a little more on top.  I didn't have much, so it kept me from adding too many calories.  ;)

Enjoy!  I tried all 3 as I was making them!  They were all great!  My favorite was the peanut butter, second favorite was the mocha chip, and third favorite was the mint.  They were all delicious!  If I had more frozen bananas I would make more flavors!  Guess I'll have to try the others another time!  :D  Hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I do!

Fantasy Football!

It's almost that time of year, Ladies and Gentlemen!  It's Fantasy Football time!  I started doing my research today and I am pumped!  I am the commissioner in both of the leagues I play in, so I have a little extra work cut out for me here at the beginning of the year.  One of my drafts we do online remotely.  The other draft we do is offline at The Fox and Hound with a big draft kit!  We had so much fun last year we're going back again this year!  The biggest draw to doing our draft parties at The Fox and Hound is FREE FOOD!  Last year we got $50 in free food to spend on whatever we wanted.  This year we get two cheese pizzas and 2 dozen wings for free.  Plus, each of our fantasy team members get discounts at The Fox and Hound each month that football is going on!  Pretty cool, huh?  Best of all, they give us a trophy at the end!  And can you guess who won last year?!  It was me!  I won $60 ($10 buy in, 8 people in the league, 1st in the regular season won their buy in, 2nd in the playoffs won their buy in) and a trophy!  Going for a repeat this year!  If you've got any tips for me, feel free to share!  I'll let you know throughout the season how things are going.  ;)  Hopefully at the end of this season I'll have 2 trophies!  Well, I have to be off now, time to start my first mock draft of the season!  :D  Hope you're having a great Wednesday!

Almond Joy Oatmeal

I usually use other people's recipes, but when it comes to oatmeal, I can get creative and hold my own.  ;)  The kids and I frequently do Oatmeal Bar for breakfast.  I let them pick a nut, a dried fruit, a sweetener, and a "booster".  They love being able to customize their breakfast and make so many choices!  I failed to put eggs on my shopping list this week for some unknown reason.  They are my go-to breakfast food.  Unfortunately, we're out, and I won't go grocery shopping again until this weekend, so I had to make do.  Oatmeal was my next choice.  One of the reasons I think oatmeal is a great food is because it fills you up.  I haven't even eaten half my bowl and I'm getting full!  And it keeps you full as well!  I will easily make it to lunch time without feeling the urge to snack after this breakfast.  I actually paid attention to how much of everything I was adding to my recipe this time, so I could pass that information on to you!  If you're craving chocolate for breakfast I think this breakfast bowl will really hit the spot!  Enjoy!

Almond Joy Oatmeal
1/2 cup quick oats
1 tbsp sliced almonds
1 tbsp shaved coconut (mine is sweetened because I wasn't looking close enough when I bought it, but unsweetened will work fine too)
1 tbsp pecan pieces
1 tsp Chai seeds
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (this ended up being a lot, you could probably get away with 1-2 tsp)
2 packets no calorie sweetener (or 1 tbsp Stevia)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (mine is vanilla flavored)
1/2 cup water

Add all ingredients to bowl and stir to combine.  Microwave to desired consistency, stirring every 30-60 seconds.  Approximately 2-2 1/2 minutes.  Enjoy!

This recipe clocks in at a healthy 326 calories and is packed with 10g of protein and 39g carbs!

Adjustments
Like I mentioned before, a tablespoon was a lot of cocoa powder.  You could probably get away with 1-2 tsp.  If you like a stronger coconut taste, up the coconut to 2-3 tbsp.  It wasn't very pronounced in my bowl.  I added one more packet of sweetener after everything cooked because I love super sweet stuff.  Feel free to adjust the recipe to suit your own tastes!

As I mentioned at the beginning, we love doing breakfast bar at our house.  I simply use what I have in my pantry (which is usually leftovers from baking season).  I get most of my nuts, dried fruit, and boosters at Aldi's.  I love the items that have zipper tops (they were saved, thank goodness) from the darn moths in my pantry.  If you get a bag without a zip top I strongly recommend storing in another zip lock bag (that's what I have to do with my coconut, I folded the bag down and stuffed it all in a ziplock sandwich bag.  Here are some examples of things you can make your own oatmeal bar at your house!

Begin with 1/2 cup quick oats.
Nuts (1 tbsp-1/4 cup)
Almonds, pecan, walnuts, sunflower seed kernels, pistachios, or peanuts (are what are usually around at my house)
Dried Fruit (1 tbsp-1/4 cup)
Coconut, craisens, raisens, Cherries, dates, prunes, mango, bananas, strawberries or pineapple (The Dollar Tree has a great assortment of different dried fruits, next to the trail mix, if you want to try some different things out)
*Fresh fruit would also work, but I would add it in after cooking your oatmeal*
Sweetener (1 tsp-2 tbsp)
Splenda, Stevia, sugar, brown sugar, Maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar (I have sugar free maple syrup, 1/4 cup has 30 calories as opposed to 240 with regular maple syrup!)
Boosters (1 tsp-2 tbsp)
Chai seeds, flax seed, cinnamon, nut butters, or protein powder
Liquid (1 cup)
Water, milk, coconut milk, soy milk, coconut milk, or coffee

There is so much more that you can add in, but this more or less covers what I've got, have used, or think might be good!  If you've got a flavor combination idea, try it out!  Let me know what combinations you've tried and loved!

Capsule Wardrobe - New Top

It's been a bit since I've posted about my capsule wardrobe, but I've added a couple of new pieces and I wanted to share them with you! 

First of all, I have to tell you about this great app I found called Vinted.  It's available in the Google Play Store (sorry iPhone users, no clue if it's available for you).  It's a second-hand app where people sell clothes, accessories, purses, shoes, all sorts of things!  I was looking for a Little Black Dress on there, but the seller I tried to buy from backed out because she couldn't find both of the pieces I tried to buy (another story for another day).  I have also looked for shoes and a trench coat on there.  I know these things can be expensive, so I was trying to find a deal on a "like new" item.  Many sellers also offer "bundles" where they discount things if you'll buy more than one item, so that's what I did!

I bought a khaki trench coat and bundled it with a new top.  It ended up costing about 5 cents less to get the top with the coat!  It made the top free!  With the two items and shipping I ended up paying $21!  Not bad, huh?  I was pretty excited!

I get nervous buying things online.  What if they don't fit?  When you buy from a private seller there are truly no returns, all the more reason this had to be a great deal, and I had to be positive about my size.  Fortunately, despite the fact that my brain does not comprehend,  the small top and jacket fit!  And I think they look great!

I didn't really need another top, but these colors look like they'll be great for the fall!  And I love the jacket and think it will be a great addition to my capsule wardrobe!  It's been a while since I totalled things up, but here's what my capsule wardrobe consists of at the moment...

Dresses -
Green high-low dress
White eyelet dress
Black dress with white flowers
Chevron Striped Dress
Neutral Color Block Dress
Little Black Dress

Tops -
Black t-shirt
Teal 3/4 sleeve blouse
Gray leopard print tank top
Blue t-shirt
White spaghetti strap top
Black sleeveless blouse with lace
Teal elbow length blouse
Black and white striped tank top with lace
Navy and White Striped Tank top
Gray t-shirt
Beige Leopard Print tank top
Green cap sleeve blouse
Black "Cold Shoulder" sweater
Coral, Brown, and Khaki "fan" blouse

Layering -
Chambray shirt
Gray Racerback tank top
Black Racerback tank top
Black and White Knee Length Cardigan
Khaki Trench Coat

Bottoms -
Boyfriend jeans
White shorts
Denim cuffed shorts
Skinny jeans
White Capri pants
Blue shorts

Accessories -
Black belt
Thin brown belt (stolen from a coral dress, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from a white skirt, no longer in wardrobe)
Thick brown belt (stolen from Chevron Easter Dress)
Black sunglasses
Brown belt

Shoes -
Black Chucks
Nude Wedges
Gray Braided Sandals
Gray Flats
Cognac Quilted Boots
Black Decorative Sandals
Black Pumps

44 Capsule Items

One Pot Lemon Orzo Shrimp Skillet

So many recipes today!  Anyone else a shrimp eater in the crowd?  I LOVE shrimp!  I also love pasta!  Orzo pasta is great because it's tiny and feels like you're eating a lot more food per serving.  If you don't know about one-pot meals head on over to Pinterest now and check them out!  They are awesome because they minimize your dishes and mess created during your meal prep.  Who doesn't love that?  This meal cooks your shrimp, pasta, and frozen peas all at the same time!  It's great!  Michael and I gave this recipe 4 thumbs up!  If you like shrimp and pasta, you should give it a try.  I didn't notice a strong lemon flavor in this recipe, but maybe I just got a mild lemon or didn't juice it enough.  Either way, great recipe and worth a try!  Hope you like it too!

Crispy Baked Fish and Homestyle Lima Beans

Trying to catch up on some of the yummy recipes we've had lately.  We had two new recipes last night, Crispy Baked Fish and Homestyle Lima Beans.  This might seem like an odd combination, but I had them both in the freezer, and thus a meal was created.  ;)

This recipe had some really delicious flavor!  The mayo and Herbes de Providence made it almost taste like the fish already had tartar sauce on it.  The flavors were really yummy together!  The fish I used was Bass from my grandparents' pond.  Each filet is on the smaller side, 1.5-2oz.  Any time my recipes call for white fish, I use this fresh Bass if I have some on hand.  It cooks up delicious!  I use Tilapia if I don't have any that we caught ourselves.  I thought there was WAY TOO MUCH mayo mixture for this recipe.  Maybe it was because I used small filets, but I think you could cut the mayo mixture in half and still have more than you need.  Even so, it was delicious!  There was also too much of the bread crumb mixture.  I only used 1 cup of Panko and it was still too much.  I would say when you make this recipe, evaluate how much fish you have and adjust your ingredients accordingly, because as is, it makes too much.  IMHO.

Lima Beans are not my favorite food, but this recipe was really good!  I had an opened bag of them in my freezer and wanted to finish them up.  I adjusted the recipe because I only had 8 oz of beans instead of 12 oz.  Michael told me he likes Lima Beans.  Who knew??  Even though they aren't my favorite, I thought this recipe was a winner too!  Yay!  I love when the recipe proves me wrong and surprises me with being better than I expect!

Michael and I gave this meal 4 thumbs up!  The kids took their time eating it, but they ate it up too.  They weren't as crazy about the Lima Beans, but Avery ended up eating all of hers and Connor ate most of his (at 9pm when he was suddenly hungry and couldn't possibly go to bed without some food).  This meal was created because I had the supplies on hand, but each recipe was tasty and we'd happily eat either of them again!  Hope you like them too!

PS - Sorry the picture isn't that great!  I was too excited to dive in and forgot to take a picture at the beginning!

Hidden Veggie Sloppy Joes

Hey Friends!  Sorry it's been a while!  I'm back now and I have a great new recipe to share with you!  Hidden Veggie Sloppy Joes!  Enjoy!

First, let me be honest with you, I was a little concerned about how this recipe would turn out.  I've never purposefully hidden veggies in my food.  Some recipes "call for" hidden veggies, like my Shephard's Pie, but on the whole, I just make whatever the recipe tells me and it either does or doesn't have veggies.  So when I saw this recipe I worried about whether it would really "hide" the veggies, specifically the mushrooms.  Now, don't get me wrong, I have used mushrooms effectively and had many recipes turn out great, but I have years of "I don't like mushrooms" mantras in my brain and sometimes it's hard to give a recipe a chance when I see them on the ingredients list.  Nevertheless, I put them in and this recipe was great!  I am so excited!  It has probably been 11 years, Camp Good News, since I've had Sloppy Joes.  I was under the impression they were just ok, not something I actually wanted to seek out.  Well let me tell you friends, this is going into our regular line up, because, YUM!  Here's how it all went down...

To see the original recipe click HERE or the link above.  My variations are below.

Now I've said before, we always make recipes the first time the way the recipe says, because you'll never know if you like a recipe if you change it before you start.  However, I'm cheap, and when I have similar ingredients on hand I tend to reach for them first.  Instead of 1.25 lbs ground beef, I used ground venison because I had it in the freezer (Thanks again, Sis and Adam!).  Instead of 10 oz of mushrooms, I used 8 oz (because that's what size a package is).  That's all the alterations I did!  Pretty by-the-book!

Seriously, Guys, so good!  Michael and I gave this recipe 4 thumbs up!  We each ate 2 sandwiches also!  Another great review is that my kids gladly ate their dinner with no complaining or arguing!  Yes!  Win!  This recipe was a little sweet, although it only had 1.5 tbsp brown sugar.  I thought it was great!  I hope you try it and enjoy it as well!

Plateau

Hey Friends, sorry I've been quiet for a few days.  During the weekends Michael and I tend to go out and do things with the kids and I'm bad about remembering to blog.  Also, I haven't been feeling extremely motivated to motivate all of you.  For a week now I've been hovering at 136.2-136.4 lbs.  On one hand, it's good that I'm staying consistent, not gaining, and maintaining my weight.  On the other hand, it's frustrating because I'm doing what I think I need to do to continue to lose weight.  However, like I mentioned before, muscle weighs more than fat, so this could be part of the plateau I'm experiencing.  I've been active in one way or another almost every day.  But getting back on the blog to check in will keep me accountable every day.  I've been struggling in the water department lately.  I don't like drinking water or peeing all day, so I've been skipping the water or not getting as much as I should.  Sounds like, once again, I need to practice what I preach and drink lots of water to get over this plateau.  My DietBet has one more week and I still need to go down 0.3 lbs.  I got down below the required number a week ago, but I think it must have been a fluke, because I went up the next day and haven't seen that number again.  *sigh*  Yeah, so I'm just not feeling terribly motivated or motivating.  Sorry.  But, this is real life.  As much as I'm excited to be healthy, it doesn't mean I don't have rough days too.  A couple days ago all I wanted to eat was junk food.  Fortunately, we don't really have any in the house, thanks Past Jen for trying to keep me on task.  So yeah, that's where I am.  If you've got something to motivate me or give me energy to clean my house, I'd love to hear about it.  :\  (But not if it's a supplement that's going to cost an arm and a leg, sorry Xyngular people, I believe we're all capable without such supplements.)  Have a great day, Guys!  Love ya!

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

***No Spoilers***

Dear Friends, I am an emotional wreck right now.  Just finished Harry Potter and The Cursed Child and it was wonderful.  J.K. Rowling wowed me again with another captivating portrayal of the Wizarding world of my childhood.  I cannot tell you how much I loved this book.  To revisit these beloved characters was a true treat for this girl who never liked reading in the first place.  While The Bailey School Kids held my interests as a child, and Anamorphs kept me reading through my middle school years, Harry Potter is the series that made me love reading.  Harry Potter is the series that I'd stay up late to read because I simply couldn't put it down, I had to know what happened next.  Harry Potter is the series that taught me that I could truly love reading, and I have LOVED reading them as I've grown up.  I feel like I've grown older with Harry Potter and in this new installation with him as a father, I feel like I see the other side of the story in my own eyes, as I too now have children that I love deeply and passionately.  It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you pen a letter to J.K. Rowling, begging for more.  I cannot rave enough about this book.  If you are a Harry Potter fan like I am, you will not be disappointed.  I hope that one day I can see this brilliant work on stage.  I think it has so much potential and I can't wait!  What a happy day for this Harry Potter fan!  I am even more convinced now that one day I'll get a Harry Potter tattoo!  Love love love love love!  A good read, my friends!

August Health Goals - Day 6 Check-In

Weight: 136.4 (up 0.2 lbs)
I didn't figure I'd be up after eating so well at B-Dubs, but the scale fluctuates.  I will not let it keep me from making good choices.  I will not let it discourage me.  So much of this is in your mindset, I will continue to choose to be positive.
Activity: None to speak of. 
I did some light housecleaning, picking up, vacuuming, etc.  I knew I was sore after several days of various activities and I didn't want to be wiped out before the wedding last night.  So I gave myself a day off.
Water: 3 glasses (approximately 48 oz)
Didn't work very hard on getting my water done today.  Took still got a bit though.  Will have to do better today.  I enjoyed a little more coffee than I planned on yesterday.
Healthy Breakfast: Blueberry Muffins and 1 Fried Egg
I decided I wanted a little protein with my breakfast this morning.  It was delicious.  I love fried eggs!
Lunch: Turkey and Cheese Sandwich
Had to eat on the run today, so I threw together a quick sandwich.  Even spoiled myself with a couple drops of ranch.  ;)
Dinner: Pizza, Cupcake, and Wine
OK, so dinner wasn't healthy.  We went to a wedding and I just enjoyed myself.  It's good to do that now and then.  I had 3 small pieces of pizza, which was probably 360-450 calories; a cupcake, which was probably 120-200 calories; and a glass of wine, which was probably 120-200 calories.  Overall, not the absolute best choices, but it probably could have been worse.  And budget-wise, free food is always good!  ;)  (And, since I'm posting this the morning after, I've already done my weigh-in this morning and I am at the same weight, 136.4, so I guess I didn't do too bad!)

Michael and I had a great, child-free evening last night!  Big shout out to my mom for babysitting (again)!  That's 2 evenings in a row.  We really appreciate it!  Love you, Mama!

Success!

Good Morning, Friends!  I just wanted to post a quick report because I'm proud of myself for my food yesterday!  Especially dinner!  We went to Buffalo Wild Wings and I ordered the 4 piece Naked Chicken Tenders (grilled chicken).  I even ordered carrot sticks instead of french fries (though my soul cried a little doing so).  I got my Asian Zing Sauce, but only used about half of it, because it's spicy.  Best of all, I didn't order or use any ranch!  It was an excellent eating out experience, filled with good choices, including water to drink, and when I left I didn't feel like I had missed out on anything!  The chicken was actually really good and seasoned well, which was good because I ate some plain bite in between bites with sauce because, like I said, it was spicy!  I wish I could say I made good choices more often when we go out to eat, but I often cave, which is why I'm so excited today!  Thanks for the inspiration, Guys!  Love you all!  Have a great Friday!

Eating Healthy Eating Out

Can it be done?  Is there anything on that menu that isn't going to ruin the hard work you've been doing?  Do you have to choose between celebrating your friends' birthday with her and sticking to your goals?  Well, those are great questions that I hope I can shed some light on in this blog.  Please know, these are just my own experiences.  I will share links to articles I've read, but I am not a dietician, nutritionist, or trainer.  I'm just a girl trying to live a healthy life and sharing my thoughts and observations.

Can it be done?
Yes, at most restautants it can!  The bigger question I find that I'm asking myself is Can I do it?  I can know the information, know what's healthy and what's not, know what the best thing to order is, but if I get there and don't make the right choices in the moment, it doesn't matter how much I know.  One thing I really like to do is look up the restaurant online and see if they have nutrition facts.  This usually helps me steer clear of the things with the most calories, and guides me towards healthier choices.  However, caloric values are not available for all restaurants, so it helps to know what to look for on a menu.  You might not know the exact caloric value, but you can see healthy meals and avoid the ones loaded with calories.

Is there anything on the menu that isn't going to ruin the hard work you've been doing?
Yes!  More than likely there is!  You just need to know how to spot it!  Look for grilled or baked meats, avoid the fried stuff as well as entree that come with heavy sauces like cream sauce or gravy or ranch (my personal kryptonite).  Get the veggies!  They are basically free calories!  You guys have no idea how hard it's going to be for me tonight to ask for veggies instead of fries when we go to Buffalo Wild Wings, but this is the will power I was talking about before.  If you don't think it's hard, teach me your ways!  Because I struggle daily!  Some restaurants have healthy choice sections to their menu, which can make ordering easy as well.  The other thing to keep in mind when eating out is serving size.  I LOVE Chicken Carbonera at Olive Garden!  It is literally the worst thing on the menu.  I don't have the exact numbers, but one meal could easily be over 2500 calories when you add breadsticks and salad (or soup, like I prefer!  Zuppa Toscana, anyone?).  It's crazy!  But if I don't eat EVERYTHING IN SIGHT, I can still enjoy my most indulgent meals and not break the bank.  I'll try to post some serving size articles later if you're interested in learning more.  A K-State nutritionist did a study to show that you can eat bad food, but still lose weight, if you stay unset your daily caloric needs.  Now while a whole diet like this is not advised, it just goes to show that you can have not-so-good stuff as long as you don't overindulge.  This is super hard for me to stick to.  So it's easier for me to stick to grilled chicken and veggies and eat a lot than limit myself on my favorite things, that I want to devour in their entirety.

Do you have to choose between your people and your goals?
No way!  Tell your friends about your goals!  They can help encourage you to make good choices!  The more accountable you are, the more likely you are to stick to things and make good choices.  Case and point: I have had several opportunities to cheat this month, but because of my challenges to myself, a DietBet, and blogging to you all about it, I am sticking to it!  I hope to make good choices at dinner tonight because you guys inspire me by reading and I want to live up to your expectations.  :)  So thank you for keeping me accountable!  Another reason not to ditch your friends is opportunities to practice looking for healthy choices on the menu.  The salad is a great choice if you don't drown it in dressing.  Don't worry, I'll post articles later.  ;)

Well, I hope I haven't confused you too much.  Sorry I don't have the links ready yet.  But I will do more research and get you the research that is the basis for my opinions.  :)  Don't take my word for it!  *Cue the Reading Rainbow music*

Wish me luck at B-Dubs tonight!  Time to practice what I preach...  :\

August Health Goals - Day 5 Check-In

Here's how today went...

Weight: 136.2 (Down 0.2 lbs)
Not much, but still going down.  If I believe what my articles, magazines, and blogs tell me, muscle weighs more than fat, so this weight loss may slow a little as my body converts some of my flab into muscle.  We shall see.  I honestly don't care if the weight comes off slow as long as it keeps coming off.  So hopefully it will.  However, as long as I look and feel good, the number on the scale does not matter at all.  ;)
Water:  5 glasses (80 oz)
Activity:  Walked around Botanica with my mom and the kids for an hour in the heat and did a light 60 minute workout in the WiiFit
Healthy Breakfast:  Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
So I read an article that said to start your daily metabolism off right, you should eat breakfast within an hour of waking up.  I usually try to do that, but this morning Avery and I had dentist appointments, so I waited until after 10 to eat breakfast (I get up at 7).  Not ideal, but I ate my healthy food, so I'm still calling it good.
Lunch: Zucchini Pork Chop Skillet
Tomorrow Michael agreed to eat this for lunch too, so it's almost gone.  Good to the last bite, though!  And it's been awesome not having to assemble lunch all week!  Ate lunch late too.  My mom and I took the kids to Botanica, so I didn't eat lunch until we got home and got the kids down for naps between 2 and 230.  Let me tell you, my stomach was rumbling!
Dinner: Naked Chicken Tenders w/ Asian Zing Sauce from Buffalo Wild Wings
If you haven't read my other blog from today yet, about eating healthy while eating out, go check it out.  If you've got the will power to stock with the healthy choices, you can eat out and not undo all your hard work.

Today was a good, healthy day.  I'm proud of myself!  Tomorrow Michael and I are going to Jeremy and Jordi's Wedding (two of his co-workers).  I'm glad to have had such a good food, water, and activity day the day before.  I know I'll be feeling thin and fit tomorrow as I rock my new Little Black Dress to the wedding and reception!  Thanks, Beth, at Aspen Boutique for letting me know about the great sale you were having, and for picking out clothes, jackets, and shoes and having them ready for me to try on when I walked in the store!  That's service!  Stay tuned for pictures of the new dress!  :D

Had this typed out last night, but hit save instead of publish!  Oops!

August Health Goals - Day 4 Check-In

Hey Guys, sorry I didn't get this written and posted last night.  I went to sleep instead.  But since I don't have a breakfast recipe to post this morning (leftover muffins), I figured I'd take some time now to explain how yesterday went.

Weight: 136.4 (Down 1.2 lbs, I told you, things fluctuate.  You just have to keep persevering no matter what number the scale shows one day to the next.)
Water:  5 glasses (80 oz) - Target achieved again!
Activity: 1 hour on the WiiFit (30 minutes of training, 30 minutes of steps while I watched TV.)
My calves and abs are killing me today.  Guess that reflects well on my activity yesterday.  :\  As a girl who generally does no physical activity I am unaccustomed to this ache.  I suppose if I keep this up I'll get used to it by the end of the month...
Healthy Breakfast: Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins and Coffee
No, the coffee isn't THAT healthy, especially once I add the creamer and sugar, but it tasted good with my muffins!
Lunch: Zucchini Pork Chop Skillet
I love all the leftovers of this!  Soooo yummy!  The onions are especially good!
Dinner: Steak Kabobs and Rice
I love the marinade on the steak!  Will definitely have to scour my freezer for more leftover steak hiding in there!  I always have peppers and onions on hand and usually (until yesterday, grr!) have rice on hand, so it's easy to whip this meal up in no time.

I also had 1/2 a glass of wine because my mom came by (after the moth fiasco) and took the kids out for dinner and ice cream and the house was quiet and relaxing for over an hour.  It was glorious.  I love my children, but a little peace and quiet is nice too.

And that's it, that was my day.  I think it was a pretty good day, overall (health-goal wise).  Stay tuned for my next post, I don't have any new recipes today, but I am going to talk about making smart choices when eating out, and how not to let a friend's invitation to go out for her birthday spoil your hard work.  :)  Happy Thursday, Friends!  Have a rockin' day!

Steak Kabobs

Tonight's dinner was easy, thank goodness, because we had other issues going on in our house.  Apparently the Great Value Brown Rice in our cabinet had moth eggs or larva or something in it, which turned into moths infesting our pantry.  We threw out half our food, which was extremely frustrating.  But I won't gross you out any further, here's how dinner went...

We had steak Kabobs because I found a steak in the freezer.  I knew it wouldn't be enough food for both of us, so I had to figure out a way to split a bit of steak between us.  I ended up doing what I usually do, adding more veggies.  But first, I marinated the steak.  I only had 8 oz of meat, so I decreased the marinade to 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp minced garlic, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.  I marinated that between 30 and 45 minutes.  Then I threaded the meat with green pepper and red onion on skewers.  Michael grilled them and, fortunately, I had some minute rice in the pantry that was still good, that we had for a side.  It was all really good, which was good, because otherwise the evening was pretty frustrating.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day, right?  Hoping it goes a little better.  Otherwise, today was not too bad of a day.