Menu planning Monday

More menu planning: visit: http://orgjunkie.com

Saturday
Peanut butter cookies
Mix 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter with 1/2 cup Crisco, 2 tablespoons of milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla and 1 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1 egg. Mix in 3/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Put on cookie sheet and press with fork. cook at 375 for 8-9 minutes.


Sunday
Baked chicken (I baked two for leftovers)

Cream of Broccoli Soup
Melt one stick of butter. Add one chopped onion and 1 chopped red pepper. Cook until tender. Add 1/2 cup of flour. Add 6 cups of chicken stock, whisk to avoid lumps. Bring to simmer. Add 3-4 diced carrots and 3-4 cups of diced broccoli including stems. Cook on low for about 1 hour, stir often. Add 1 cup milk, and salt to taste. Add Cheddar cheese if desired.

Monday
Chicken Salad Sandwich
Mix left over baked chicken with chopped green pepper, chopped onion and chopped grapes and mayo.

Tuesday
Taco soup (from freezer)
Brown 1 pound lean ground meat, add to crock pot. Add taco seasoning, 1 can whole corn drained, 1 can red kidney beans drained, 1 can black beans drained, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can water and 1 package of ranch dry mix. stir well. Cook on low for 8 hours. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips. This can be doubled. Left overs freeze well.

Wednesday
Chicken Pillow (the real name is chicken baseballs but I cant make the baseball shape- mine look more like pillows)
Preheat oven to 350. Mix together 4 Oz's of low fat cream cheese, 2 tablespoons margarine, 1/2 chopped onion,some chopped celery, salt and pepper. Add chopped chicken and a tablespoon or two of dry ranch mix. Stir well. Separate reduced fat crescent roll dough into 4 rectangle and seal perforations. Spoon 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture onto each rectangle. Pull sides over and seal the ends. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes.

Thursday
Left overs

Friday
Eat out

Our weekend plans

This is a snippet of an actual conversation my husband and I had Friday afternoon:

Me: What are we planning to do this weekend?

Husband: We're going to act like normal people

Me: We're not going to Home Depot four times on Saturday and twice on Sunday?

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for what sounds incredibly boring... that it was a good morning.

I got up early, made myself oatmeal and fresh, hot coffee, then climbed back into my bed, still warm! I was able to enjoy the silence of my home and the comfort of my bed a little while longer, while doing bible study. Then I got a few household chores done before leaving for a job I really like.

Good mornings are the start of good days.

See who else is thankful today, visit here:

Yes, thats my dog. Asleep on the clean towels.

I fell off the wagon... then got run over

I have not been participating in living well recently, because ... well... I have not been living well recently.

I have not even been making any real attempt to live well and I don't even have excuses and I cant even pinpoint what my problem is exactly... its just a vague, cant put my finger on it, general, failure.

I heard on the radio that when a baseball player is in a slump and nothing is working well for them and they are just not doing a good job, the solution is to go back to the basics, to re-learn and concentrate on the basics of the game.

This sounds like a man thing. I have never heard of this. I asked my husband about this and he seemed to be familiar with the concept, so I guess its a real tatic. If it works for major athletics, maybe it will work for me? I am going back to the basics. In a nut shell, its just common sense, the basics of the weight watcher's plan, among other things, drink 8 glasses of water each day and at least 5 fruits and veggies each day.

I have trouble with the veggies and fruit and have been averaging 2.

Don't judge.

Its a lot harder than it sounds. Seriously, how many fruits and veggies do you eat every day? It takes a conscious effort... and it is so easy to have some crackers or pretzels, popcorn, chips, chocolate... anything but that apple.

I have also started walking one mile a day, instead of trying to cheat by getting exercise unpacking boxes and cleaning the house, I am making an effort to actually exercise.

This week, I am not going to weigh in at my weight watcher's meeting. I am just not up to hearing the sad news. I will instead just listen, pay attention to the leader and the topic and hear what the others are doing.

Then I will go back to the basics and report in next week.

Who else is choosing to live well? Look here:

Quote of the day

Work while you have the light. You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you.
Henri-Frédéric Amiel

Happy Resurrection Sunday

"What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole." I Peter 1: 3-5 (The Message)

Good Friday

"Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don't feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?" Hebrews 12:2-5 (The Message)

Strangers in the night

Last night, we had a visitor. About 2;00 a.m., while my house was asleep, something came to visit in the back yard. They did not stick around long enough to introduce themselves, but the tracks in the yard look suspiciously like a deer- or a rabbit wearing deer's shoes.

I am sure they just stopped by to meet the new neighbors, see what has been done to this once abandoned house and then thought to themselves, well, since I'm here, I might as well have a drink out of the dog's water bowl on the porch. Yeah, the one that is so close to the back door.

This must have been when the dog awoke from his spot on the couch with a clear view out the back door, with a desire to go out and greet the visitor. RIGHT NOW. Because he was so eager, he ran full speed at the french doors, which were closed.

Which is when I woke up.

One of my husband's many good qualities is that he is very calm, even at 2:00 a.m. with an unknown visitor in the yard/porch, me screaming something that does not make sense, and a dog throwing himself at the back door.

By the time the screaming stopped, believe it or not, the deer -or rabbit- or whatever the visitor was- no longer had any desire to stick around to get to know the new neighbors, and, just in case it was not a deer, my dog has earned himself a permanent sleeping spot on the couch, looking out the back doors.

Menu planning

More menu planning: visit: http://orgjunkie.com

Sunday
Mexican Casserole
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook 1 pound of lean ground meat with 1/2 chopped onion until brown, drain. Add 1 package of taco seasoning, I can of re fried beans, 1 small can of green Chiles, 1 can corn, 1 can black beans and 8 Oz's. tomato sauce. Heat through. In a 9x13 casserole dish coat with cooking spray, spread out 1 can of low fat crescent rolls, sealing perforations. Spread meat mixture on top. Cover with 2% shredded cheddar cheese. Place second can of crescents on top. Bake 12-15 minutes or until crescents are golden.

Monday
English muffin pizza.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put a spoonful or two of pizza sauce on a toasted English muffin. Add pepperoni and shredded cheese. Add chopped breakfast pre-cooked sausage, chopped onion and chopped green peppers. Bake 5-10 minutes.

Tuesday
Chicken Baseballs
Preheat oven to 350. Mix together 4 Oz's of low fat cream cheese, 2 tablespoons margarine, 1/2 chopped onion,some chopped celery, salt and pepper. Add chopped chicken and stir. Separate reduced fat crescent roll dough into 4 rectangle and seal perforations. Spoon 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture onto each rectangle. Pull up opposite corners to center and seal.Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes.

Thursday
Chicken and cheese Enchiladas
Mix shredded chicken with 3/4 can of enchilada sauce, a handful of chopped cilantro, 1 can of corn, 1 can of black beans, and shredded cheese. Stir well and roll into flour tortillas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover. Add more cheese. bake another 5 minutes. Serve with sour cream and guacamole

Friday
Eating out

My little garden helper

Weekend flower gardening

Before: large brick planter of weeds by my kitchen door.


After: miniature gardenia, Spanish lavender and pink jasmine on a 5' trellis

Weekend cookie making plans

I love these cookies. They are a little bit of work... but oh, so tasty.

Chocolate Heath bar Cookies
(this is a variation of a cookie recipe from Paula Deen- but I change it up a little. She uses 3 different kinds of chocolate, and I just omit that part)

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 (12 ounce) package chocolate chip morsels
1 cup almond brickle chips (Chopped Heath bar in a bag)

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease baking sheets.

With an electric mixer, beat butter and shortening at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in chocolate morsels and almond brickle chips. Drop cookies by 1/4 cupfuls about 3-inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 11-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool.

Another Journey Magazine devotion on scheduling... hmmm....

Another Scheduling devotion from Journey Magazine. (I am not the brightest bulb in the box... but even I see a theme here.)

"Maintaining healthy boundaries also means being balanced in being able to say both yes and no. We need to preserve our own resources at times, making wise decisions that allow us to serve Christ and other people to the best of our abilities. However, part of being a disciple is realizing our own limits and loving others enough to be honest with them about issues and problems. Thankfully, God gives us His spirit to sustain and guide us in living in a way that glorifies Him. When we are walking with Him, we will be more tuned in to how we can help others as we organize our lives in a way that allows time to serve..."

Look what I found in my yard

"Instead of looking at fashion, walk out into the field and look at the wildflowers. They neither primp or shop but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives so much attention to wildflowers- most of which are never seen- don't you think he will attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I am trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving." Matthew 6:28-31 (The Message)



Happy Spring!

A tale of two china cabinets

This is my first china cabinet.

It was my grandma's and sat in her dining room:


I don't remember going with her to buy it, but I probably did. I know the store it came from. I know that it was purchased alone, not as part of a set. I do remember it being moved into her dining room in 1978, when I was 7 or 8 years old, and I remember her telling everyone that she intended this china cabinet to be mine one day.

It sat in the same spot in her house until I was 29 years old, when my boy friend moved it into my apartment, then 7 years later, the same man, my husband, moved it into his house. Now it has moved again. Now it sits in my dining room in my first house.

When I was a kid, my grandma kept her blue and white china (now lost) in the cabinet. Now, it holds my Spode Blue Italian wedding china, and a few plates and a tea set that was hers.

This is my second china cabinet.

It belonged to a woman I will never meet, my husband's Aunt Mary:



Aunt Mary was 15 years or more older than her brother, my father-in-law. She married young and then divorced, never had children. My father-in-law took care of her in the last years of her life, and he inherited everything that she owned, including this china cabinet that now sits in my kitchen.

I don't know where it was purchased or when. I don't know who she had intended it would go to. I don't know what kind of china she kept in it. My husband only remembers her keeping place mats in its drawers. But it now hold another set of old blue and white china, blue onion pattern.

Two different women with two different china cabinets.

But these two women had a lot in common.

Most importantly, their lives revolved around their church. I know this about my grandma because I watched her live it. I watched her host women's prayer meetings at home. I watched her read her bible by the window. Many people have told me how she was a leader in the early women's groups at Church. I know this about Aunt Mary because I have found Sunday School teaching material, bible studies and church bulletins in that china cabinet.

I know that each woman spend their life serving at Church.

I wonder what these women would think today about their cabinets in my new house, and if they knew that I think about each of them as I pass their respective china cabinets.

They are probably high-fiving each other in heaven now.

Brie kisses

Brie Kisses
Weight Watchers POINTS® Value: 2
Servings: 16

Ingredients
8 oz Pillsbury Reduced-Fat Crescent(s)
8 oz Président Brie light, cut into 16 pieces
16 tsp apricot preserves

Instructions

Cut each crescent triangle in 2 pieces. Put a piece of the Brie and a teaspoon of the preserves in the middle of each piece of dough, then fold the triangle pieces over one another so you have a puffy little triangle packet. Bake according to instructions on crescents

Live well Wednesday

No change. Did not lose. Did not gain. Which is something of an accomplishment since me and the Girl Scout cookies have been best friends for the past week or so.

Click here to see how others who are choosing to live well are doing this week:

Sunrise at Daytona Beach, March 5, 2008

Its been an Advil before coffee day

I know its a little hard to believe... but....I am not a bundle of energy at
5:00 am every morning. I usually stumble around, wondering what day it is, just trying to get to the alarm clock and then to the coffee pot.

But not this morning.

This morning, as I stumble through the living room, I trip over a couch pillow on the floor and fall. Yes, on the new floor- the new brick floor. And in case you don’t know...... a brick floor is really hard.

In my confusion and pain, I thought I had tripped over the dog, and now he was not moving. At 5:00 a.m., still on the cold brick floor, I am frantically talking to the pillow... "Butch! Butch! Are you OK?"

My 45 pound dog, finding me on the floor, thinks I want to play and takes a running jump right on top of me. I don’t have any energy to fight him off, so I just lay there. On the hard floor, hurt, with a big, happy dog on top of me.

It would be funny if it didn’t hurt so much.

Its not going to be a good day when you have to take Advil before you make coffee.

God has been talking to me

Doesn't it excite you when you read a devotion that you know was written for you? God has been talking to me about adjusting my schedule for some time. Now, this morning, I get this message:

This is a portion of the daily devotion today from Journey Magazine:

As a Christian, I am familiar with Matthew 6:33, in which Jesus says "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." I know God is suppose to be my number one priority, but sometimes I feel so overwhelmed and exhausted. I'm a busy wife and working mother, and I try to put God first. I pray. I go to church. I'm involved in women's ministry. I am not sure what else I could do with my schedule to carve out more time for Him. How can I give him first place in my life consistently?

Have you ever considered how much time you spend on your various activities during a typical day? While many activities are necessary, and we do need time to unwind and relax, some of our time may be wasted. For instance, according to USA Today, the average American spends 4.5 hours watching TV....But putting God first is not just about spending more time doing things for him. Its about being available, listening to Him and doing His will....While waiting in traffic, meditate on scripture. Talk to Him while you clean house.... If you don't feel you spend enough time in God's presence, ask Him to show you where your schedule can be adjusted.

How I turn 2 baked chickens into 4 meals

More menu planning: visit: http://orgjunkie.com

Sunday: Bake Chicken
Bake two whole chickens. While baking, throw in a couple of potato's. Serve with veggies and bread. Let cool and pick all left over chicken off bone. (I then prepare all other dishes below and keep in fridge for week).

Monday: Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Take one-third of left over chicken, 1 diced green pepper, 1 diced small onion, and a few handfuls of chopped grapes. mix with mayo, salt and pepper. Serve on bread or alone with fruit. (especially good with cantaloupe).

Tuesday: Chicken Pot Pie
Take one-third of left over chicken. Add 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can chicken broth, 1 can of drained mixed veggies and salt and pepper. Stir well and put into a refrigerated pie crust (top and bottom). Cover with foil. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Uncover. Bake another 30 minutes.

Wednesday: Chicken and cheese enchiladas
Take remaining chicken. Mix with 3/4 can of enchilada sauce, a handful of chopped cilantro, 1 can of corn, 1 can of black beans, and shredded cheese. Stir well and roll into flour tortillas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce on top. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover. Add more cheese. bake another 5 minutes. Serve with sour cream and guacamole.

Thursday: Red Beans and Rice in crock pot
Rinse red beans and add to crock pot. Add salt and pepper and one chopped onion. Cover with water. Cook on low for 10-12 hours. serve with rice. Freeze left overs for another day.

Friday: Eat out

Weekend break from house work

I did not paint one thing this weekend. I did not unpack a box, did not clean. Instead,I went shopping.

I now know why I usually don't spend all day at the mall. After a few hours, my hips hurt, my legs hurt and I am grumpy. But, I did last long enough to spend my birthday gift certificate. I got this at Ann Taylor Loft:

















And this with a matching green tank top to wear underneath also Ann Taylor Loft:













The house in dissary for another week is worth it.