Change is coming….

It happens. It does.

New Years Resolutions are being made…. or not.

You have to learn how to write 2014 instead of 2013.

A new social media website takes the world by storm. (Just when you think you’ve got the last 12 mastered!)

I get a year older.

I finish another semester of school. Whew…. almost there!

The seasons change – unless you live in Florida.

Plans change.

My plan for this year was to get back into blogging a lot (because I love it), and cook healthy a lot (because I love that too!).

I faired half and half on both I think.

You see, Ima working momma machine, a gone back to college kid, and a fulltimer with a big commute twice a day.

My plate is generally overloaded but come next year things will be a changin.

I’m excited. I’m nervous. I’m ready for things to get back to some kind of normal. Those are things that I want. I think God may have other plans for me waiting in the wings. I feel a shift coming. I feel like I need to be prepared for something. I feel like what I want might not be what I end up doing. I feel the door opening to a whole new world and I’m scared to walk through it. It is a good walk. Nothing scary. Well I’m scared but not in a –the boogie man is after you kinda scared.

Yes I just said boogie man. You believed in him right?

Life changed a lot in 2013 and its gonna change even more for us in 2014. I can’t wait really!

I have ideas for the blog and ideas for encouragement – myself and y’all.

I have plans and I’m making moves. It will take time. Things will be hectic for me in the beginning of the year but believe you me, before the calendar hits December again, we will be having a whole new conversation here at Skinny on a Dime! Just you watch and see!

Happy Thanksgiving (because I missed it)

Merry Christmas (its 2 weeks away!)

Happy New Year! May all your dreams and wishes for the new year come true!!!

Cook a meal, read a good book and I’ll be seeing all y’all real real soon! Maybe with a recipe or two  =)

(Buffalo) Chicken Wraps

Buffalo – Not everyone likes Buffalo sauce or hot sauce. I do. I can’t get enough of it.

I tend to make my own buffalo sauce though….. but it’s a secret (that I share) =)

Generally I get my recipes from other blogs, tweak them, eat them and post them but this one comes courtesy of The Wing House!

Yeah, yeah we frequent the wing house. They have a killer chef salad too that we tweaked with Mahi Mahi Fish. We will talk about that later.

I couldn’t get enough of their buffalo chicken wraps at the wing house. Well wait, I did get enough of the chicken wraps at the wing house because I gained like 50lbs and couldn’t bring myself to eat them anymore. I wanted to still eat them, but at home, without the fried chicken tenders, and butter filled buffalo sauce. Without the full fat ranch and yummy potato chips.

So I improvised, I planned, I tried, and I baked my own.

They left me feeling like I’d been at the wing house, minus the wings, the grease, the servers, the boobs and the bill.

You can feel like you are eating at the wing house too. Even better, mine includes potatoes – not chips!

{Printable Link}

You will need:

• 3 4oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into strips
• 2 cups Progresso Bread crumbs – or any brand bread crumbs
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1/8 cup of seasonal seasonings or Slap yo mama mild seasonings – if you dare :)
• 4 Large Flour tortillas – you can also use whole wheat
• Non stick cooking spray
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup Shredded lettuce
• 1/2 cup Reduced fat shredded cheese
• 1/2 cup Diced tomatoes
• 4 1/4 cup Individual servings of Fat free ranch dressing for dipping
• 1 Cup buffalo sauce or homemade hot sauce mixture to your liking (recipe below)
• A batch of Onion Roasted Potatoes

Directions:

1. Turn your oven on and preheat to 425.
2. Rinse and cut your chicken into strips.
3. Beat the eggs, adding the milk and stir together. (Like your gonna make scrambled eggs, but your not)
4. Pour the breadcrumbs and seasonings into a zip lock back that you trust when it is closed.
5. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, then in plastic bag and shake, shake, shake! (You will have to do this in a few batches)
6. Place the covered chicken strips on a baking sheet that you’ve covered with aluminum foil and sprayed with Non stick cooking spray. Repeat this until all of your tenders are covered in bread crumbs and on the baking sheet. Spray the top of them with non stick cooking spray to give them a little crisp as they cook.
7. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, turning them over half way through. Cook until done and golden brown.
8. Once the tenders are done, dip them into the hot sauce/buffalo sauce mixture.
9. Warm up your tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Cover them in damp paper towels. This helps keep them moist.
10. Begin layering your wraps. First chicken tenders, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.
11. Roll them up and grill them on both sides in a skillet. Just so they melt the cheese and the outside of the tortilla is a little crisp.
12. Cut in half and serve them up with Onion Roasted Potatoes! Best part – they both cook at the same temp so you can cook chicken and potatoes at the same time!

Hot Sauce – Sauce

I do not have a recipe for this. I repeat I do not have a recipe for this. It is just one of those things that I’m gonna give you the ingredients. Tell you how I make it and you just test the waters for yourself. Sorry….. it happens to the best of us.

You will need:

• Franks Hot sauce
• Honey
• Butter (I use Land o lakes with Canola Oil – the spreadable kind)

Directions:

1. Add about a cup to a cup and a half of Franks Hot sauce to a small pot.
2. Add about a tablespoon of butter.
3. Add about 2 tablespoons of honey.
4. Let it come to a boil on the stove and dip your chicken tenders right on in.

If you don’t want to fuss with all of this just buy a bottle of Buffalo Wing Sauce, warm it up in the microwave and dip your chicken tenders right in there before adding to the tortilla.

Lastly don’t forget to prepare yourself a recipe of Onion Roasted Potatoes!

Serve Dinner and enjoy your night!

Breakfast Burritos

There used to be this little place about 20 minutes from our house that made the BEST breakfast burritos.

It closed down. Well let me back up. It got hit by a car. It was remodeled. It changed owners ~ and names, raised its prices ~ then closed down.

We were devastated. Our late night, early morning runs to grab a burrito were crushed. They are that good y’all.

Anyway, last week we took the kiddies on that (some say dreaded but I love it) annual before school shopping spree. I had a game plan.

I gave each of the kids a budget and a road map to savings! They did good! I was one proud (and exhausted) mama at the end.

On the way home my husband remembered that there is sister restaurant (probably the original) to our beloved Mexican joint that closed down. They are/were both little holes in the wall but their food is good and authentic!

So around 9:30 when we were dragging our heals we headed to the on nearest the outlet malls and all ordered the infamous breakfast burrito!

Our week has been a rough one folks. We are doing our best to get rounded up and all in bed by 10 but we are still working on that one…..

The food schedule is all out of sorts, only because I am just as tired as the kids this week, so yesterday was breakfast day.

I made my own breakfast burritos! Oh and homemade hash browns. They were both yum!

You should make these…. kinda like right now!

{Printable Link}

You will need:

• 4 soft flour tortillas
• 8 strips turkey bacon
• 3 slices 98% fat free ham
• 6 sausage patties (any brand) – I use Jimmy Dean
• 3 Eggs, scrambled
• 1 Cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 3 Red potatoes, peeled and shredded
• Olive oil for cooking potatoes
• Olive oil spray
• Salt and pepper
• Salsa (optional)

Directions

1. Begin cooking your turkey bacon. I like my crisp but cook to your desired likeness.
2. In a separate skillet, cook your sausage until done.
3. In the same skillet you fried the turkey bacon, cook the ham.
4. Once the meats were done, dice them all up and separate them into bowls, so to create an assembly line for creating the burritos.
5. Crack 3 eggs and scramble them, using butter flavor Pam, salt, and pepper.
6. Spray a medium size skillet with olive oil spray, add your olive oil, shredded potatoes, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes until they begin to get soft. Remove lid and continue cooking until they are browned and done.
7. Warm tortillas in microwave by covering them in damp paper towels. Heat for about 1 minute. This will make them soft enough to work with.
8. Begin layering each tortilla with cheese, potatoes, eggs, ham, bacon and sausage.
9. Wrap them up tight and the heat from the food will melt the cheese inside. Turn them seem side down on the plate and let them sit for about 1 minute so it can all melt together. Really as you are making the other three the first ones will be ready to serve.

I topped mine off with some salsa (and held on the sausage – not a huge fan of sausage)! Mmmmm.

At the restaurant, I added Pico de Gallo but being that I didn’t have any on hand, I just used salsa =)

You will love them. I promise, and you won’t feel guilty! Eating healthy or healthier is easier than you might think. It just takes a few adjustments but it makes all the difference!

Today is Monday……

 

Photo Source

Today is definitely Monday.

It is the first back to school Monday for the teens.

It is the first Monday of a long long year.

It is a Monday.

This is Menu Monday without a Menu.

I know we will eat - it is a Monday.

The Menu is drafted - it is a Monday.

Check out my Favorite Recipes page or my Pinterest Page for some really really yummy recipes until my eyes and body have recovered from the 4:50 wake-up call xxxxxxxxx

I have some new recipes to share and an update on my 30day challenge so stay tuned, we’re coming around…..

It’s Monday!

Summer is not over yet….have a dessert

One of the best parts about summer time is that the produce section is full of berries.

Red berries, blue berries, black berries, strawberries…… Berries, berries, berries!

This is my quick go to sweet fix in the summer time. It’s like a strawberry shortcake but so much better than that!

You will need:

• 1 dessert shell
• 1 handful of blueberries
• 1 handful of raspberries
• 1 large spoonful of sliced strawberries with its juice
• 2 TBSP of fat free cool whip

Directions:

Simple…

1. Prior to this you’ve already taken your strawberries, sliced them up and poured just a tad bit of sugar on them so they could form their own juices.
2. Place a dessert shell in a bowl.
3. Top with all listed fruit and the juice from the strawberries
4. Top it all off with cool whip and dig right in!

Happy hump day y’all!

Current favorite food log/fitness apps

I am an app hoarder, I will admit it. (that's the first step right?) I see a new app, I can’t help it. I go into full download mode. Even if there is a chance that I will not open that app again, I struggle with deleting it. But when I find a good one, one that I like and does everything I need, I keep it around and it moves to my favorites page. Here is a run down of a few of my favorite fitness apps that have made it to my home page.

1.  Pts. Plus Diary

 

This is by far the one I use the most. It is very similar to the way I counted points when I originally participated in the weight loss study. Even though I know point values without needing to look them up, this is a new electronic way for me to keep up with how many points I’ve used for the week. There is an option for daily points too but since I never learned that system, I couldn’t tell you how to use it. I only use the bonus points section and the workout log section.

2.  My fitness pal

I see so many people use this app that I had to download it just to see what it could offer me. I eventually became a fan and now I use it almost daily (unless I forget) to log what I eat. My favorite part of this app is to add my own personal recipes to it so I can see the nutritional information of that recipe and calculate points for it. I also like to see how many calories I am eating daily and my percentage of certain nutrients I am getting daily.

3.  C25K free

About two years ago, I think, I wanted to try my hand in running. I would read blogs of women finding this thing called a runners “high” and it caught my attention. I signed up for our local Susan B Komen Race for the Cure, which is very dear to my heart, having cancer survivors in my family, some here and some gone. I needed a program to get me started so I came across this app and it worked beautifully. I have bad knees so it allowed me to gradually work up to running a 5k successfully. I’ve ran in several since my first one. My next challenge is a half marathon…… but lets finish school first :)

4. RockMyRun – hands down my favorite!

This is my favorite app to work out to even if I am not running. The DJ’s mixes kill any work out! It tells you bpm per mix and there are several different varieties of music, styles and times. So whatever you need to get you going, this app has it! Oh and I won a summer prize pack from them a few months ago too, so that just solidified my love for the even more!

I was not paid to give a review on any of theses apps, this is just my wonderful opinion. Whether there is anyone out there reading or not, I wanted to share what I’ve found to be affective and helpful. There are tons of fitness apps out there. Explore a few, read the reviews and find the ones that will be the most helpful for you in your fitness journey. Smart phones have taken over everything so why not use them to your advantage. You can pretty much do everything you used to do on paper, on your smart phone. Even if you don’t have a handy dandy smart phone, most of the apps have websites you can also use on your home computer.

Enjoy your day guys!

Mondays, oh Mondays…..

As sad as the kids are that summer is coming to a quiet end, I am shouting from the rooftops ~ Hip Hip Horary!

God I love ‘em but have mercy on my pantry! As quickly as I can fill it up, it is emptied. If you don’t have teenagers yet, just way my friend, just you wait!

Alls they do is eat, every question of the day begins with “what is there to eat?”. They see NOTHING. I see a fridge full of fruits, veggies, sandwiches in the making, and yummy leftovers just to name a few.

Also, the countdown to the first day of school has begun along with the nerves of a new 9th grader! We are keeping it simple again this week because mama bear is still enjoying her vaca from school! Woohoo!

Our menu is light and easy. Have a great week guys!

• Monday - Spaghetti/Salad/veggies/bread
• Tuesday – Leftovers
• Wednesday – Tacos
• Thursday – Breakfast for dinner
• Friday – French Bread pizza (didn’t make last week)
• Saturday – Grilled burgers and hotdogs/grilled corn on the cob/homemade potato salad

Mexican Pizza

I don’t know how it ended up being Friday so quickly. I feel like it was just Monday, like yesterday.

I’m sure glad we are here though – so to all my fellow Friday lovers – Happy TGIF!

I feel so accomplished this week because I finished my second semester in my quest to finish school! I cannot tell you how excited I am to have a break, even if it is only for 2 weeks! I’ll take what I can get right! Being the fact that I cannot believe it is Friday should just tell you how oddly busy my week was. I don’t even remember day to day what happened really. Except for the fact that Wednesday night we had no electricity until 3:30 in the morning! Odd power outage that only affected 8 houses in my neighborhood…… the kids said “Um did you forget to pay the bill?'” Me – No (giggling but now second guessing whether I actually did or not…..)

Anyway one day this week, or last week, now they all run together, I made this Mexican pizza.

Oh my word! I was in heaven when I read Mexican and Pizza and they were together in the same sentence! I promise you that this recipe will not leave anyone at the table disappointed, unless they don’t like Mexican food, or pizza.

So go gather up your food lovers, sit down at the dinner table and enjoy a good meal!

{Printable Link}

To do this you need to go get the following…

• 1lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 packet taco seasoning
• 1/3 cup of water
• 10 fajita size soft taco shells
• 1 can fat free refried beans (or you can make your own)
• Old Elpaso mild taco sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 green onion, diced
• Olives –totally optional (you see I didn’t use them)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Spray 2 baking sheets with non stick spray. place 5 tortillas on each sheet and place in the oven for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes flip the tortillas over, while still in the oven and cook for another 5 minutes until they are slightly golden and crisp around the edges. Remove and set aside when done.
3. In a large skillet, brown your ground beef. Add your taco seasoning and water, bring to a boil, let simmer and stir for about ten minutes.
4. In a medium bowl, warm up your refried beans in the microwave until they are warm all the way through.
5. Spread a thin layer of refried beans on 5 tortillas, add a layer of ground beef mixture and top off with another tortilla shell.
6. Spread 2 TBSP of the taco sauce on top of each tortilla shell. Next add cheddar and mozzarella cheeses on top of that. Sprinkle each with tomato, cilantro and green onions (or olives if you like those).

Enjoy your dinner!

Enjoy your weekend!

Enjoy your shopping if you have kids going back to school!

Original recipe adapted from here!

Happy Monday, Happy Week

Happy Monday fellow Readers!

The fact that it is Monday means that I’m two days closer to Friday again :)

I’m not one of those ugh I hate Monday kinda girls but I wouldn’t say I’m its biggest fan either. It just begins another weekly routine, another weekly meal plan and another chance to have a slammin super duper week!

Finals are coming up for me this week then I have a two week break! WAhoo!!! The kiddos start back to school in 2 weeks so I put one of them on school supply list duty…… I have no doubt that the list will be larger than it needs to be =l

We have a quick meal kinda week again this week. I did make a few new recipes last week that I will share with you

Oh and oh my biggest event was that the A/C went out on what seemed to be the hottest weekend in July. Somehow, by sheer miracle, it started working again just before the sun went down but we did head to the pool during the time we thought the a/c was not going to ever work again!

So here’s to my super quick meal plan for the week -

• Sunday – Buffalo chicken Wraps
• Monday – Breakfast for dinner
• Tuesday – Taco Tuesdays  (probably with chicken)
• Wednesday – Hamburger Helper (bleh-but I know the kids will eat the heck out of it)
• Thursday – Hot Dogs and Chips
• Friday  - French bread pizza with Salad
• Saturday – Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

I plan on making me a large pot of Hot Tortilla Soup again or maybe a large bowl of Garden Vegetable Soup! Either one I could eat more than once!

Have a great week y’all!

PS – Two weeks until school starts!!!! Somebody help me, help me!!

Instalife – weekly snapup

Ever have those weeks where you think back and say how is today Saturday? This was my week.

I really feel like it was just Friday….. but a week ago. When you live by a routine, your days seem to smash together to all be one big lumped up day.

Let’s see….. I worked out, tracked my food, did homework, went to work, did yard work, was followed all around my house by my lovely snoodle (son of a poodle) tried 3 (yes 3 new recipes this week) and had one heck of a wine and nails night on Thursday.

So maybe this week really wasn’t all that routine as it seemed going through it. Thursday was fun! I have this new found love for nail polish. It’s wicked and weird. I used to think nail polish made my fingers look fat but oh contraire……. I cannot get enough of painting my nails! It’s a good thing I have mastered painting my right hand because this addiction could get expensive if I had to take it to a salon! Nails on the cheap I say! I’m all about saving a buck so learning to do fun, funky things on my own is wonderful!

This is my week in a snap. Keep working, keep running and keep on moving up the ladder of success!!! Happy weekend y’all

Bacon, Egg n Cheese San’ich

My weekly routine is rearing its unicorn head again.

Every Monday we cook breakfast for dinner. Unless you were with me this past Monday – oh wait none of you were the fuming teenagers sitting in the back seat so no I guess you weren’t. We ate dinner at Mickey D’s. I have a love/hate relationship with this place. I love that it is easy on my wallet because they have their infamous $1 menu but I don’t really like anything on it. Let me take that back, I do love their fries, oh and the nuggets and I love their sweet tea, so I guess I can eat some of the clown food I like but not when I’m watching what I’m eating. Anyway we ate our nuggets, drank our tea, watched the storm roll by then headed back out on our destination.

Another place, I loved to eat at (no love/hate here just pure natural love of fat food) was (some say Aweful)Waffle House. I would always order a Bacon, egg and cheese sandwich with smothered and covered hashbrowns! Oh my -  someone please take my hand. I cannot stand it!

This is my favorite breakfast for dinner meal. There aren’t too many options you can make for breakfast that aren’t warm, sugary and fluffy. Sometimes I just don’t want warm, sugary and fluffy sitting on my plate waiting to be scarfed up for dinner. It just doesn’t gel well with my after dinner beer (just jokin ya).

You can make a leaner, healtheir version of this san’ich yourself and not feel like you just swam in a tub of lard.

{Printable Link}

You will need to grab:

• 1 – large egg
• 2 – slices of reduced calorie bread
• 2 – cooked slices of turkey bacon
• 1 – slice of your favorite low fat cheese
• 1 – Tblsp of butter for the bread
• Non stick cooking spray
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions are simple

1. Spray a skillet with non stick spray. Crack your egg in the skillet (or you can beat the egg in a bowl first if you prefer it that way), adding salt and pepper to taste.
2. Cook egg to desired doneness, making sure you flip it over to cook the other side. Salt and pepper the other side also.
3. Toast your two pieces of bread, buttering it each piece when they are done.
4. Add your slice of cheese to your toast.
5. Add your strips of bacon (already cooked and ready to eat)
6. When the egg is done, place it on top of the bacon and cheese. This way it melts the cheese and makes it even better.
7. Cut in half and serve.

If you like whip you up some hashbrowns, smothered and covered to your liking and serve it along side the best bacon, egg, n cheese san’ich you’ll have all day! My favorite hashbrowns to use are Simply Hashbrowns in the refrigerated section – possibly in the same case as the eggs. (or at least it is in my store).

Grilled Portabella Mushroom – as a burger

One thing I love about living in Florida is that we pretty much have grilling weather all year long.

We grill at least once a week.

Simple stuff.

Grilled Chipotle Lime Chicken Sandwiches, Balsamic Pork Tenderloin, Corn on the cob or my fave Stuffed Cheddar, onion, bacon burgers!

We like to grill on the open flame even though gas is faster, there is nothing better than charcoal.

I’d seen other people use mushrooms as an alternative to meat for a burger so since I love mushrooms and I love burgers, it just seemed fitting to try.

I grilled it. I liked it. I would definitely make these again and again and again.

Now I know I could’ve used a fancy shmancy bun but when you do things on the fly, this is what happens. Real life stuff!

They were full of flavor, hearty and fulfilling.

I shook things up a bit and nothing but the bun was traditional on this burg….. er mushroom!

{Printable Link}

You will need:

• 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Red wine Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Sprinkle of salt
• 3-4 Portabella caps
• Roasted red peppers – to top the burger off
• Guacamole (instead of mayo)
• Munster cheese
• Anything else you wanna throw on top

Directions

1. Mix the balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, garlic, soy sauce and olive oil in a bowl.
2. Poke a few holes in the mushrooms that go all the way through.
3. Place mushrooms top side down in a rectangular container (preferably one with a lid) and pour the mixture evenly over all the mushrooms.
4. Turn the mushrooms over, letting them marinate at least 2 hours.
5. Prep your grill to a medium heat. Cover a section with aluminum foil and place mushrooms top down on the grill.
6. Flip mushrooms about every 5 minutes so that you cook it for a total of 20 minutes.
7. Grill your bun, if your into that kinda stuff!
8. Top off your burger with all the fixins’ and enjoy!

Original recipe found here

Enjoy your dinner!

Homemade Corndogs – State Fair worthy!

 

Unless you don’t like corndogs or the state fair, then these are not up to your standards.

But really there are people out there that don’t like corn dogs and State fairs?

That is un-American!

I like ‘em. I like ‘em a lot.

I know, I know, they are by no means healthy but the kids wanted more corndogs.

I wanted to make my own instead of spending $8 a box so I spent $2 on a package of hotdogs instead.

I only took a bite of one but can I just say that if you ever – ever get the notion for a corn dog, make these!

I’d already made myself a batch of Hot Tortilla Soup!

You will thank me!

They are the perfect blend of sweet and crunch!

The hardest part was getting the batter to the right consistency.

I found this recipe on one of my current blog crushes – Life as a Lofthouse. Everything I’ve made from her blog I am in absolute love with.

They are easy everyday recipes that are versions of things that you would normally either

go out to buy frozen or at a fast food place – at least the ones I’ve tried.

One adjustment you could make to these lovely’s would be hot dogs lower in points or calories – depending on what you are counting.

Since I wasn’t eating them I just made straight up Ball Park hot dogs (the best!).

The kids are still half n half – half good for them half I’m a kid and I don’t want that healthy stuff.

So most days we compromise. You gotta pick your battles……

{Printable Link}

Homemade corndogs

You will need:

• 1 cup yellow corn meal (any brand)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbls baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups milk, (I used 1% milk and it worked fine)
• 1 Tbls Vegetable oil
• 1 Tbls Honey
• 1 8 count package of hot dots or no more than 10
• 8 or 10 wooden skewers
• 2 Quarts of vegetable oil for frying (I used peanut oil – worked great)

Directions:

1. In a large pot, add your oil for frying. Turn heat to medium and heat to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix it all together.
3. In a smaller bowl combine the beaten egg, milk, vegetable oil, and honey. Mix it all together then add to the dry ingredients.
4. Stir all ingredients together. They will have a little thicker consistency than cornbread or pancakes. If it is not thick enough, add a little more flour until it is. (This was my problem)
5. Pour the batter into a tall glass or cup that will be deep enough to have the batter cover the entire hot dog.
6. Pat dry each hot dog and stick a wooden skewer in each one.
7. Dip the hot dog into the batter. Pull it out letting some of the excess fall off back into the cup. Place batter dipped hotdog into the hot oil frying it about 2-3 minutes. Holding the stick and turning it to make sure all sides get evenly cooked. Repeat this for all hotdogs.
8. Remove and place on a paper towel covered plate to absorb the excess oil.

Serve it up with mustard (yuck) or ketchup! Yum!

Menu Mondays

Here’s to hoping everyone had a great weekend!

We broke out the volleyball net and played well into the night.

Today my arms and ankles are screaming – go back to bed!

For us, the weekly menu will be an easy one. I’m finishing the last few weeks of summer school so easy foods are my friend!

Sunday – Grilled mix of chicken wings, Chipotle Lime Chicken Sandwiches and Grilled Portabella Mushroom Caps (recipe this week), grilling baked beans and fresh grilled corn on the cob.

Monday – Breakfast for dinner

Tuesday – Taco Tuesdays – Osborne style – with the best homemade corn tortillas

Wednesday – Good ole fashioned Spaghetti with a side salad and maybe fresh corn

Thursday – Left overs

Friday – Fish Fridays – Catfish oven fried and onion roasted potatoes

Saturday – Mexican Pizzas (new recipe)

Have a Great Week y’all!

P.S. only - Only 3 weeks left until school starts…….. yikes!!!

Instalife - Snap it to remember!

At first I was excited about Instagram having videos since I’d recently become a quick fan of Vine but in reality, I am a lover of photos.

There is a mystery to a photo. It tells a story without sound or movement.

Just in case you can’t solve the mysteries, here is a quick run down……

1. I think we all know where this is – can we say Yum in unison!
2. Exercise, exercise, exercise.
3. Free movie rental - what what!!
4. Um well the table gave up on holding all those totes in the garage ={ and it was hot and they were heavy trying to move them.
5. I got spanked – spanked I tell ya from a 14 yr old that ran the board in Monopoly! Glad it wasn’t real life. I went b-r-o-k-e!
6. Loved the contrast of the sunset in front of and behind me.
7. Lastly, what I do best like no other – injure myself!

And there it is – my week in a snap! Happy Weekend Y’all!

Weekly regimen…

Here it is. I’m laying it all out for ya, my plan for working out this week and pretty much the next several weeks in the future.

I work out in the evening. I already get up to dang early so I don’t want to set myself up for another level of failure. If I’m home and I sit, I can easily think, Get up Sara – you could couch potato (I honestly never get to do this but for sayings sake) for 30 minutes or get in a work out.

I like running. My knees don’t, but I do. I hear a good shoe will do a body good so until I can get a pair of those, my knees will hurt….when I run.

I don’t run everyday, only 3 days a week and right now only 3 miles. So I will log it, update it, and share it – with you.

I am held captive by my own schedule at times and because of this I limit my workouts to around 30 minutes. After careful (meaning I googled highest rated 30 minute workout – big stuff here) review, I decided on Gillian Michaels – Ripped in 30. Not that I will be ripped in 30 (maybe) but it is a powerful workout in 30 minutes.

She yells at me.

I’m done and can move on to the next item of business. 

So here it is – what I’ve done this week so far and how I plan on wrapping it up.

Sunday – Rest day

Monday – Ran

Tuesday – Ripped in 30

Wednesday - (honestly planned on running) – One of those life gets in the way days

Thursday – Ripped in 30

Friday – Run

Saturday – Ripped in 30

What I really, really want is T25 by beachbody. I hear this is awesome. Anyone out there use this? What are your thoughts?

I have two friends that have and they both love it. Neither live here or I’d be on it!

As some say  - Git ‘er done!

Healthy Breakfast

Lets kick things off with one of my versions of a healthy breakfast. Everyone has their own in mind but this is mine.

I love grits. I didn’t used to but I sure do now. I like “fried eggs”. I didn’t used to but I can take them from time to time.

I am a carb girl. I love carbs. I like bread so I like reduced calorie Honey Wheat bread.

You could substitute the grits for homemade hash browns, we like those too.

Fried egg, grits and Toast Breakfast

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• Non stick spray
• 1/3 cup grits
• 1/2 cup water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 TBS shredded cheese - optional
• 2 slices reduced calorie bread (any kind, any brand)
• 1 TBS real spreadable butter

*Optional Starbucks coffee made at home – So good!

Directions:

1. Spray skillet with non stick spray. Crack egg and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook to desired doneness – is that a word?.
2. In a microwave bowl, add grits, salt to taste and water. Cook for 1 minute. Add shredded cheese if you like that kind of stuff :)
3. Pop 2 slices of bread in the toaster. When they are done, spread on the butter.
4. Plate it all up and vuala – you have breakfast. Now if you wanna get a little frisky, cook up some turkey bacon to go with that.

It’s quick. It’s easy. It’s healthy. It’s yummy!

Good morning (er afternoon) and good day to you! Another day we will make an egg san’ich.

We fall off…..

It seems lately that I’m falling off more than I’m jumping on – the wagon that is. My mind has been in a strange place lately. One day I am on top and then before you know it I am right back smack down on the hard tiled floor.

I am scrambling. I am not a scrambler. I am a planner. I work best with a well thought out, organized, pre-determined plan. Sure I take into account the unexpected, while I am willing the forces of nature to never let that be an actual possibility. I am a planner. I am an organizer. I am a go getter. I fight with fierce compassion to the very end. When I run out of steam, I have an internal generator that keeps me going.

I’m not quiet sure how my days became so gelled together over the past 3….4….5 months but they did. I walked in a haze sometimes blissfully unaware that I was out of sync with my natural state as a planner. If you’ve hung around during my state of unawareness, I say thank you. Thank you for not deserting me. Thank you for still reading my little place in cyberspace.

With a new light comes a new direction. I do have new things for the future that I am really excited about and I hope to get going soon, some things involve that great husband of mine so that takes time (whole other topic), so while I still plan on passing along great recipes of yumminess and great tips and ideas that I think you might like, I am going to start to use my blog to keep me accountable. I need this. I am a planner, if I plan I will succeed. Along with weekly meal plans, I am going to lay out my weekly workout plan too. Of course life happens but if I have a place to keep me accountable I will work hard to not fail.

Menu Mondays – among other things

What a way to fall off the wagon Sara….

Geez could you wait any longer in between blog posts!

Sorry folks. I get bogged down with life sometimes and getting back into the swing of things is easier on paper then in real life.

I’ma trying I promise.

I have made some really good food lately that I cannot wait to share.

Maybe some of you spotted it on facebook, maybe you didn’t either way your gonna get it :)

So I bought this new workout video that the jury is still out on but I do kinda like the push it gives me.

It’s Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30. She is tough……

Besides the rambles this is what I plan to cook this week.

Sunday

New - Roasted Chicken/Roasted onion potatoes/salad

Monday

New – Grilled Chicken burgers/chips

Tuesday

Taco Tuesday =)

Wednesday

Homemade Spaghetti/Salad/Garlic bread

Thursday

Planning on leftovers…..

Friday

Fish & Chips

Saturday

Baked Chicken Fajitas

 

We also have a Diet Bet going on in our office. It’s kinda cool. You earn money to loose weight. I was suppose to blog about this to see if anyone wanted to join but again – the life thing happened. Check it out if you get time. It is too late to join our team but there are lots of teams that you could join. I will try to keep y’all updated on what is happening and I’m in a corporate 5K this Thursday so woohoo! Hence the leftovers that night. I hope y’all have a knee slappin kinda week and I will get to posting those great recipes I mentioned earlier.

Happy Monday y’all!

Happy Monday – Happy Winner (announced)

(photo source)

Well it’s Monday folks. I don’t particularly care for Monday’s but I don’t entirely hate them either.

It is just the beginning of another work week but that also means I have future weekend to look forward to.

The days go by so quickly lately that I kind of like to see everyone of them – even the ever doomed Monday.

For one lucky person though today is an especially great day because one of you won my first ever giveaway!

Thanks to everyone who entered! This was really fun and I hope I will have more in the future!

Without further wasting your time……..

The winner is ~

16. ShellyMom February 14, 2013 at 3:12 PM

PW Stuffed shells, duh!

Congratulations!! Email me to claim your prize!

Happy Monday y’all! Come back later for some sure fire food recipes!

I made Muffins y’all…

Banana Oatmeal muffins (with chocolate chips) to be exact!

I don’t bake which is why this is a big deal.

I like to bake but it never turns out good, which is why this is a big deal.

I like to eat baked goods, which is why this is a big deal!

There was something about this baked goods recipe that grabbed me and said

“You will bake me tonight and it will turn out good”

I was kinda scared when I heard a muffin recipe speak to me, kinda like those creepy Pier One commercials that have things talk to you in the store

O^O  

I was afraid that if I didn’t make these I would have creepy nightmares….. wooo hahahaha.

I’m probably creeping y’all out with this creepy post.

Muffins

Sorry, here they are.

Ok first of all. These are healthy, not in I wanna throw them in the trash healthy, but as in no flour, sugar or butter healthy :)

Second of all, my teenager had seconds :)

And third of all, my first attempt at a recipe of this type and score :)

Make a batch for your bunch and see if they reach for seconds.

{Printable Link}

It makes 12 muffins.

You will need:

• 2.5 cups old fashioned oats 
• 1 cup plain low fat greek yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 TBSP ground flax seed
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 ripe bananas
• ½ cup of Semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chopped nuts if you prefer those instead)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray tin with non-stick cooking spray or line 12 muffin tins with muffin liners and spray them so the muffins will not stick.
2. Place the oats in the food processor and pulse for about 10 seconds.  Add remaining ingredients to the food processor. (Now I don’t have a food processor so I used my small chopper to grind the oats and then mixed it all in a large bowl with the mixer and it worked fine. The processor would’ve probably given me a smoother texture but mine were just fine.)
3. Process until everything is mixed together and oats are smooth.
4. Mix in the chocolate chips. (or nuts or whatever you want to add really.)
5. Divide batter among cupcake liners, and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
6. Let them cool on a wire rack for just a few minutes and then dig in. They are amazing when they are warm!

All I can say is yum! My second batch is coming up soon!

Recipe adapted from here.

Happy Monday to you!

OH and don’t forget to enter in my first ever giveaway here!! You still have time to enter and win!

Okra ~ Two ways

Growing up, I had the pleasure of having my Great Grandmother and Grandmother in my life daily. I didn’t realize how much I would grow to love and respect this relationship until I was much, much older.
Much older….. (With age you gain wisdom, they say)
My Great Grandma was the one that taught me how to make my her famous Chicken and Dumplins. Oh how I wish she was still here to call and have long conversations with on days when I miss her tremendously. She was our afterschool care taker, our sickday care provider and our make every wish come true maker. I loved her, I love her and miss her still and its been 12 years. Her house was ground zero for our family. Every Sunday was dinner at her house, every birthday was shared there, and every holiday that had a reason to cook was spent around her kitchen bar or at the dinner table. Her house was even the place of a few weddings in our family and a few fancy family portraits. It has a lot of history and if the walls could talk I’m sure a lot of stories.
Every year my Great Grandma would always ask “Honey what would you like me to cook for your birthday?” She already knew the answer before I gave it to her because every year it was the same thing ~ “Grandma I want you to make fried chicken, fried potatoes, fried okra, macaroni and cheese and banana pudding!” EVA RE YEAR!
When something is good, why mess with it.
I also have the pleasure of almost sharing my birthday (short by 2 hours and 45 minutes to be exact) with my Grandma (Great Grandmas only child and daughter). Her birthday is one day before mine =)
So not only did I get my favorite meal on my birthday, I got to spend it with my favorite person, My Nana. I love that woman. We are so much alike without even knowing, that it is scary at times.
So every year, I got my favorite meal and shared a cake with my favorite lady. Best of both worlds, BEST!
I decided to add that same best of both words flare to one of my most favorite veggies – okra. Love me some okra!
Try okra two ways and see if you can choose a favorite, I can’t!
We have the roasted version.
Then we have the old fashioned southern fried but ah ha baked version.
Roasted Okra:
{Printable Link}
You will need:

• 18 fresh okra pods, cut off ends but leave the tips (not frozen it doesn’t work right with frozen, just trust me on this one)
• 1 Tbsp Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake in oven for about 10 – 15 minutes.

Original recipe found here.
Southern Baked “fried” Okra – Not that frozen stuff
{Printable Link}
You will need:

• 18 fresh okra pods, cut in about 1 inch pieces. (not frozen it doesn’t work right with frozen, just trust me on this one)
• 1 Cup plain corn meal
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Spray a baking pan with non stick spray and add the olive oil to the pan.
3. After you've cut up the okra, add your corn meal, salt and pepper to a plastic zip lock bag or a bowl with a lid that can be used for shaking. Add the okra to that corn meal and shake shake shake. Making sure that the okra is coated well.
4. Add the coated okra to the baking pan and spread out evenly so there is no clumps.
5. Bake in oven for about 15-20 minutes or until nice and golden brown.

And there you have your Southern fried okra. Just like my grandma used to make but without actually frying it in the oil in a cast iron skillet on the top of her stove in the kitchen in January on my birthday or any day I needed good ole southern comfort.  I can smell it now……..
Ahhhh, okay distraction sorry.
I made ours with Eggplant Parmesan and Baked “fried” mushrooms, mmmmm. (We’ll talk about this later)

Enjoy your Monday!
Oh and don’t forget to enter into my very first giveaway ever here! Good luck!

Friday and a Giveaway! Italian Days at Publix and a $25 gift card giveaway….

My giveaway is now closed. I will announce a winner soon! Excited!! Thanks for all who entered!

Today is Friday!

Today is Friday!
I live for the weekend! Well really I live for shopping for shoes but for now I’ll take the weekend :)
It also is my very first giveaway ever! I am so excited about this one because I love, Love I tell ya, to shop at Publix.
Life just doesn’t get any better than shopping at Publix. Ok I’m weird I know. I’ve learned to accept this fact.
It’s the small things that make my day, the small things that add up to make the day grand!
So what could be better -  I love Italian, I love Publix I couldn’t be more excited!
Ok on to the reason you are here.
There is this grand prize below followed by my mini Prize so stick around to the end, you just might win something!

Italian food is always a huge crowd pleaser. Whether you’re feeding your hungry family or hosting a household of friends, everybody loves the taste of al dente pasta, a rich sauce or a delicious pizza.
At the Italian Days – Taste the Tradition event at Publix® from February 11th through March 1st, you can get great prices and coupon savings* on some of your favorite General Mills brands like Green Giant and Progresso. Plus, get great savings on many ingredients for great Italian recipes like Alfredo pizza and stuffed chicken manicotti.
And that’s not all! During the event shoppers will be able to enter for a chance to be 1 of the 500 shoppers that will win a $100 Publix® gift card! To enter for a chance to win and to download great coupon savings and delicious recipes, look in-store or visit www.clickcallmail.com. (Coupons are valid from February 11th through March 1st, 2013.) (No purchase necessary to enter. Open only to legal residents of AL, FL, GA, SC and TN. Void where prohibited. For Official Rules and how to enter go to clickcallmail.com.)
******************
For my first giveaway ever –
One reader is going to win a $25 Publix Gift Card!
You will have three chances to enter!

1. Required Entry – Leave a comment giving a shout out of your favorite pasta dish? You can even share the recipe if you’d like! **This first entry is required to participate in the giveaway.**
2. Bonus Entry #1 - Go like my page on facebook and come back leaving me a comment that you did.
3. Bonus Entry #2 – Follow me on twitter and come back leaving me a comment that you did.

I will end the giveaway on Friday, February 22nd at 5pm EST!
Disclosure: "The information, products and General Mills gift pack were provided by General Mills and Publix® through MyBlogSpark."

Baked Chicken “Fried” Steak

You read it right guys and gals!

Baked! Chicken “Fried” Steak!
According to the Roadmaster (aka hubs) this is the best meal I’ve Ever made!
P.S. I highly doubt that.
P.S.S I bet he will have a new best meal fave next week! He’s such a mind changer =)
Anyways, I must say that this recipe was extremely easy to make and extremely easier to eat.
It is a double dipper so your hands get messy and so does the kitchen but when your belly is full, you just forget.
Lately it seems all the good recipes I’ve come across have been from a blog I found on Pinterest even though I’m pinning something else from that blog I shop around and see what else is out there :).
That is exactly how I cam across this lovely masterpiece, on this cute blog here.  I was actually looking at this recipe but my eyes wondered to the one in this post.
Below is the recipe that you can whip up for your crew tonight or whenever you feel like getting messy in the kitchen.
{Printable Link}
You will need:

• 6 - 3oz Cube steaks, tenderized (The original recipe calls for 18 oz Beef Eye of Round Steak, Divide Into 6 Pieces At 3-Oz Each but lets be honest, cube steak was so much easier here!)(But if you wish to stick to the rules by all means go right ahead)
• 1/3 c All purpose flour
• 1 t Lawry’s season salt
• 3/4 c Seasoned bread crumbs (your choice on brand)(I used Progresso because that is what I had)
• 2 Eggs beaten
• 2 T 1% Milk
• 1 package of White Gravy Mix (just add water) (The original recipe calls for Campbell’s Chicken Gravy Fat Free but I couldn’t find any in the store)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. While your oven is heating, tenderize your steaks to about 1/8 inch or to desired thickness. (I skipped this part by mistake whoops and my steaks were huge)
2. In a bowl combine the flour, season salt, bread crumbs and mix together.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together.
4. Coat your meat in the crumb mixture then dip in the egg mixture then back in the crumb mixture. See you double dip :)
5. On a covered cookie sheet or baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray, place your coated steak. Once all meat is complete and on cookie sheet spray the top of the meat with the cooking spray to help it get a nice browned topping.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes, then turn the meat over and back for about another 10 minutes. Because mine were so thick I baked them for a third round of 10 minutes but you should just bake them until the meat is done and no longer pink in the middle.
7. Once they are done top each steak with about 1/4 cup of gravy or more or less to your liking. I was less, the boys were more!
8. The gravy you will cook according to the instructions on the package. If you do find the Campbell’s chicken gravy, just warm it up in the microwave for about 2 minutes and serve on top of steaks.

I also made my homemade mashed potatoes and oh my this meal was complete, healthy and yummy! Bet you never thought chicken fried steak mashed potatoes and gravy would fit in that category now did you!
Enjoy a movie and a meal tonight!
Happy Friday folks!
SaraKayO so glad you came by!
The original recipe can be found here at Living a Changed life.

Strawberry Icebox Cake

Do you need a cool refreshing dessert?
No? Well how does this look?

This cake is not entirely bad but its not entirely good either. I mean it has strawberries and cool whip for goodness sake!
Maybe I should rename this cake to half n half! Half good for you and half just plain good to eat!
My Aunt gave me this recipe last summer and I instantly fell head over heels in love with it.
I love the simplicity.
I love the capacity it has to make my tummy smile.
I love that I only feel half guilty about eating a second piece.
I love that it is an all season dessert. Spring – yes, Summer – oh yeah, Fall – of course, Winter – bring it!
I love that it is a hit everywhere I take it.
I’ve made this cake 1…2…3…4 times since Thanksgiving. I’ve also given out the recipe 4 more times than that each time I made it.
Make this cake today so others can bug you for the recipe.
{Printable Link}
You will need:

• 1 box of Dunkin Hines French Vanilla Cake mix (or any white cake mix that you prefer)(or if your just that good, you can make your own cake). I’ve also used a strawberry cake mix before and it was good as well.
• 1 Can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 Package of frozen strawberries (when in season fresh are the best!)
• 1 16oz container of Fat Free Cool Whip

Directions:

1. Bake the cake according to the instructions on the package.
2. As the cake is baking, dice up the strawberries into bite size pieces.
3. Once the cake is done and cooled, use the round handle of a wooden spoon to poke or “dig” holes into the cake. These will allow the sauce and the strawberries to take over the insides of the cake, YUMMO!
4. Pour the condensed milk over the cake letting most of it fall into the holes you created. Pour the rest around and over the top of the cake to make sure it is all covered.
5. Spread the pieces of strawberries over the top next letting pieces fall into the holes as well. Sometimes they need a little extra push to fall in :)
6. Lastly spread your cool whip evenly over the top of the strawberries.
7. Cover and refrigerate over night if possible. But if you cannot wait that long, at least give it two hours to chill!

Hello (tap, tap tap….)

It’s me! I promise I still exist!
I have no words for the last several months of my life so in a nutshell I’ll spill it…
3 major elections in Florida
3 major semesters of school
Teenagers
Highschoolers
Basketball games
Husband
Dog
Homework
Papers
College Graduation =)
Groceries
Coupons
Budgets
Meal planning
Laundry (blah)
Some running (I did say some)
I've missed blogging. I've missed normal. I've missed cooking and taking photos.
I still cook but not regularly.
I still eat but not regularly.
I still work out but not regularly.
I need regular. I miss regular. I have to have regular to feel regular!
My New Years Resolution is not typical I guess in a new years resolution sense.
Of course I want to eat better, save more money, stay healthy, work out more and yada yada but really what I want to do most is -
Blog more. Cook more. Save more and Share more!
My New Years Resolution is to YOU!
Blogging keeps me on track and motivated. You keep me motivated, so I dedicate this blog post to you and our future together.
This year has already proven to be on the laid back track.
I mean I haven’t gotten dressed in anything other than pj’s since Sunday.
Unfortunately it will come to an end Monday morning but hey for now I’ll pj it out!
So Happy New Year to you!
Happy New Year to us!
I can’t wait to cook, save and share!
Happy Wednesday! Happy First Week of 2013! Happy whatever you want it to be!
Have a great day or what is left of it!