Cutie Clippies!

I had a few minutes to do a little something while I was waiting for my husband to get home from work. I remembered that my neighbor gave me a bunch of alligator clips to make my little girl some hair clippies! I didn't realize how EASY they are to make. I had some scrapbook ribbon that was just a tad wider than the clip, some hot glue and a few minutes and I just made these!
They are some of the easiest little things to make. Just line the ribbon up with the clip and squirt a line of hot glue down the middle of the prongs and fold the ribbon over the top. Add a little more glue to the ribbon and wrap around the hinge.Do the same on the bottom side and press together again.

**if you want, you can tie a cute bow with the ribbon and glue it to the top to make it a little more dressy or add whatever you like to them!

Voila!!! YOU ARE DONE!!!
I made 2 in each of the ribbon prints that I had and I think they turned out pretty darn cute and sooooooo much cheaper than buying them at the store.

A taste of Summer!

Today has been such a beautiful day!!! I made me think about summer and being outside, which led to my choice for dinner tonight. Barbecued Turkey Burgers. My sister makes these all the time in the summertime and even in the off season on her indoor griddle, so I called her for the recipe and shortly after, I was eating a picnic outside with my kiddos! The flavor in these bad boys makes for a great change from traditional burgers!
Zippy Turkey Burgers

1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
1/2 chopped yellow/red/orange bell pepper
1/2 cup grated cheese (tonight was pepper jack!!!!)
1 Tbsp A1 steak sauce


I mix all these together in a bowl and it makes about 5 average sized burgers.

Then I toss them onto a hot bbq and cook for about 7-10 minutes on each side or until they look good.

A good bun idea is using those orowheat or whatever brand sandwich thins. They have less calories than a traditional bun and a different flavor.

Under $5 and 15 minutes!

Ok...my husband usually works until 11:30 at night and I don't like to go to bed by myself, so I try to find ways to pass my time. I was at the dollar store about a week ago and got a small round wreath form and a couple of loose silk flowers.
I got to crafting around 11:15 because I was cleaning and just lost track of time. I decided that this was something that I wanted to get done that night and sure enough....I did it in 15 minutes and under $5!!

Step 1: Cut flowers off of stems (leave about 1-2 inches to stick in wreath form.
Step 2: Place same color flowers a few inches apart on the ring.
Step 3: Fill in all the way around the ring with as many color/variety flowers that you like (I used blue and fuchsia hydrangeas and mini while calla lilies) I also saved a few of the leaves to use as a filler in sparse areas on the ring.
Step 4: Cut a piece of cardboard about 1/2-1 inch longer than inner diameter of the ring.
Step 5: Cut scrapbook/craft paper to fit cardboard ( I even used some thin scraps to accent the sign on top and bottom) and adhere to the wreath with crafter's glue or hot glue.
Step 6: Using a sharpie or nice pen, write a fun spring saying on your sign.

THAT'S IT!!!!!
How much simpler could it get??

Green Enchilada Chili

Tonight I went to my sister's house and hung out with her for a bit. I brought homemade rolls and she made a new Chili recipe!

Melt in your mouth rolls

3 cups hot water
1 1/2 tbsp instant yeast
4 cups flour (starting) adding up to 8 cups - of course I used whole wheat
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup gluten
1 tbsp salt
1/4 cup powdered milk
1 crushed up 1000mg vitamin C

in a mixer, combine hot water with yeast. Add about 4 cups of flour and mix to paste-like consistency. Add oil, honey, salt and gluten. Turn the mixer from low to medium and add powdered milk. Gradually add more flour (I do 1/2 cup at a time) until dough starts to clean the bowl. Let knead in mixer for 5 minutes. Add crushed vitamin and mix 1-2 minutes more.
Slather hands with shortening to keep dough from sticking to your hands and break dough into abt 36 pieces and shape into rolls. Place on baking sheet and let rise in a warm area until doubled in volume (abt 15 min for me today). Bake at 350 for 19-22 minutes or until toasty brown.

Green Enchilada Chili
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 large can green enchilada sauce
2 cans chicken broth
2 cans black beans
2 cans white beans
16 oz sour cream ( I prefer fat-free for less calories, but do what you like)
8-16 b0z grated pepper jack cheese

combine chicken and sauce in a large pot at medium heat. Add broth and beans. Simmer 10+ minutes. Add sour cream and let the chili get nice and hot. Gradually grate cheese into chili (if you add it all at once, you will have gooey chili instead of creamy). Serve and enjoy!

Long days = quick and easy dinners = Chicken Rice Ole'

So I decided to make cookies with my 2 year old before dinnertime and forgot to take care of dinner until dessert was done! What was I to do. Luckily, I freeze rice when I cook too much of it. This is one of my easiest and fastest recipes for those nights when theres a lot going on and not a lot of time to make dinner.

Chicken Rice Ole'

3 cups cooked rice (i like brown rice)
1 cup sour cream
1 10 oz can of cooked chicken
1 cup Salsa
a sprinkle of grated cheese

So for this, I just put everything in a microwave safe dish and stir it together. I pop that in the microwave for 3-5 min or until everything is heated thoroughly. Thats it!!!! It takes me less than 10 minutes to prepare and serve this when the rice is already cooked. Definitely a time saver and oh so tasty. My kids like it too!

An easier night with a boost of veggies!

I have a 2 year old that DOES NOT eat rice. Last night, he willingly ate some and asked for more. I was shocked. He ate all of his dinner so that warranted a trip to Cold Stone after my healthy dinner so it was a good night.
I made a goal this week to try a new recipe every day. So on Sunday I made my breakfast skillet and last night I tried a rice pilaf recipe from Doubly Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. I love the recipes in this cookbook because they are simple recipes that have added veggies hidden in them. If you are not familiar with Jessica Seinfeld's cooking approach, she sneaks veggies into her kids foods by cooking them up and pureeing them or by adding whole grains. I really am a "wannabeskinny mama" so this book really helps. I have noticed that as I eat more veggies every day, I lose weight easier. Here is the recipe for enriched rice Pilaf. As usual, I made a few modifications to fit me better.

RICE PILAF
prep: 5 minutes
Total time: 50 min
Serves 5

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup brown rice (I used 1 1/4 - 1 1/2)
1/2 c cauliflower puree ( I used about 3/4 cup)
1 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth (I just used a whole can)
1/4 tsp salt

In a saucepan, saute the garlic in the olive oil until is just starts to brown on the edges. Add the uncooked rice and toss to coat (abt 30 seconds)
Add the cauliflower puree, chicken broth, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to a simmer with the lid tightly in place. Simmer abt. 45 min. or until rice is tender.DO NOT STIR!!
Let rice stand for 5 min and fluff with a fork. Serve. Enjoy!

The nutrition breakdown is:
Calories = 154
Carbs = 30 g
Protein = 4 g
Total Fat = 2 g
Saturated Fat = 0.5 g
Sodium = 140 mg
Fiber = 2 g

Country Breakfast Skillet

Another Sunday, Another Breakfast....
So since I am back on this blogging kick, I decided I should try new things. I had a Gooseberry Patch Breakfast and Brunch cookbook that I got for Christmas. I tried the first recipe in the book, which was a "Country Breakfast Skillet". Honestly, it wasn't the best looking meal, but it tasted quite yummy. I did improvise a little bit, but I think it turned out GREAT!!

5 C. frozen, shredded, hashbrowns (thawed) - used tater tots
salt, pepper, garlic salt to taste - I used Morton Seasoning Salt
6-8 eggs (I used 6 whole eggs + 2 egg whites)
1/3 cup milk (1 Tbsp Morning Moo's + 1/3 cup water)
1/2 tomatoes, Chopped (1/2 c salsa)
4-6 green onions thinly sliced (i used the salsa)
1/4 lb thinly sliced deli ham, diced
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese (I used 3/4 cup)

Cook hashbrowns in a skillet according to package directions. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Set aside.
Beat eggs with with milk. Stir in tomatoes and onions (or salsa). Add ham. Stir egg mixture into hashbrowns over medium heat. Stir quickly to scramble. As eggs begin to set, add cheese. Continue to stir until eggs are cooked and set.

Like I said, these are not the most pleasing to the eye, but they are loaded with protein and fill you up quickly. The recipe feeds 4-6 people and it freezes and thaws well if you have leftovers.

Good luck and happy cooking!

Breakfast for Dinner!

So when I first got married, my husband decided that Sunday nights we should have a dinner tradition. We both concluded that Breakfast for dinner was the best idea and we have been sticking to it ever since. We usually have german pancakes or regular pancakes, but last night I decided to to make some french toast. I had forgotten how good it was!!! I wanted to share the recipe in case anybody out in blog world wanted to try something new!

Fabulous French Toast

8 1 inch thick cut slices of french bread (or just whatever kind of bread you have)
4 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup honey (heated until runny)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange zest

Mix the ingredients in a pie plate. Heat skillet on medium/high and butter the pan. Dip the slices of french bread into the egg mixture on both sides and place on heated skillet. Cook until both sides are browned and serve with syrup, applesauce, fruit or whatever you like on your food!

Another common breakfast for dinner that we have at our house is soooo simple that when I am running late and my husband wants to surprise me, this is what he makes.

German Pancakes

1 Cup milk
6 eggs
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter or margarine

heat oven to 425. Place butter in bottom on 9x13 pan and place in HOT oven for 5 minutes to melt butter.
Whisk all ingredients (except butter) and pour on the melted butter. Cook for 20 minutes. The german pancakes will rise in hills and valleys and be nice and golden brown.
Serve with whatever toppings sound good to you! (I like applesauce and whipped topping)

Tasty homemade pizza!

I thought I would throw a fairly quick dinner recipe your way in hopes that somebody will try it and like it! ITs fun for the kids to help with and super fast!

Fast and EASY pizza~

1 can Pilsbury Grands Biscuits ( I got mine for 80 cents a can at the local ASSOCIATED FOOD STORE)
1 can Tomato Sauce
Italian seasonings
1 cup Monterrey Jack CHeese
16 pepperonis

put biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet. Poke the dough with a fork several times. Spoon 1/2 tbsp (or however much you like) of sauce-mixed with seasonings- on biscuit. Sprinkle with cheese and place 2 pepperonis on top. Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes.

My little guy loves making his own pizzas and hes more likely to eat stuff that he helps to make!
HAPPY EATING!!!

Quick and Yummy

So the other day I was making some brown rice for my little boy. As it was cooking, I realized that I was feeling pretty hungry myself. So I tried thinking of the quickest, easiest meal that I could make with rice. I remembered an easy dish that didn't require a lot of work or ingredients. So here is the recipe for my haystacks.

1 can cooked chicken breast (or 1 breast boiled and shredded)
1 cup chicken gravy (or to make it a little easier, use cream of chicken soup)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can pineapple chunks
1 1/2 cups peas (or other cut up veggies)
chow mein noodles (the crunchy ones)
3 cups rice, cooked

Make the gravy according to package directions. Assemble the haystacks with rice on the bottom, then chicken and gravy mixed together. Add cheese to top, followed by veggies and desired amount of pineapple. Sprinkle chow mein noodles over the top and enjoy. This should make about 4 servings.

I actually forgot about the cheese until I had finished the meal, but doing that kept the meal pretty healthy. I even fed it to my little 11 month old boy without the noodles and pineapple. He just loved it, and so did I... a nice balance of sweet, salty, and creamy...not to mention healthy!