Shredded Chicken Tacos WIN!

Shredded Chicken Tacos
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/3 c. chopped onion
1/2 jalapeno, minced (optional)
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tsp. dry parsley
1/2 tsp. each cilantro and cumin
S & P to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
6 corn or flour tortillas {I homemade my tortillas using this Excellent recipe}

1. Place everything through salt and pepper into crock pot. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
2. After crock pot cooking time is up- Add olive oil and bell pepper to a large skillet and saute until tender.
3. Transfer chicken mixture to skillet, discarding juice. {I use tongs to eliminated as much juice as possible}
4. Stir until mixed and any juice has simmered off.
5. Serve in warm tortillas with: Cheese, sour cream, salsa, lettuce & EXTRA napkins these tacos are messy :)

Nutritional Info: Recipe makes 4 servings (4 tacos)
Chicken filling only= 2 pts per serving
Tortillas= Use points value on package or if you use the same recipe I used they are 4 pts a piece!
Don't forget to calculate your points for garnishes like sour cream and cheese too!

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods: Sunny, high of 70= Perfect

Things that make me happy: Getting together w/ my Mom's Life group (tomorrow)

Book I'm reading: Chazown (It's a 10 week series)

What's on TV today: Morning News

On the menu for dinner: Grilling out- maybe the last time for the season

On my To Do list:
1. Laundry
2. Put closet back together
3. Pay bills for the week
4. Make snacks for get together tomorrow!

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon: Parsnip & Potato Gratin from ToH
 

Looking forward to this week: More visitors

Tips & Tricks: Wrap gifts in comics from the newspaper. I got this idea from my Grandma :)

No words needed:

On my mind: I really don't want to go grocery shopping today! Do I have everything I need to get us by for the next couple of days....

In the craft basket (B/c I don't do crafts- This question will usually be involving food): Make another batch of Homemade Yogurt!--I did not get to it last week!

Devotionals, versus etc.: God has called you to do something you cannot do on your own- Chazown

Traditional (Lamb) Shepherd's Pie Wins!

I've always made Shepherd's pie with beef or turkey and it is more like a meatloaf topped with mashed potatoes. But when we got a half lamb butchered w my in laws I decided to do a more traditional Shepherd's pie. This has more vegetables in the meat and has a loose consistency. This is a pheasant dish. Veggies and a sauce is meant to help small amounts of meat go a long way, and it did. Ken and I were stuffed and always have leftovers for the next day.This meal was even a hit w MaeMae :)
*Swap out the veggies for your family's favorites. Onions, celery, parsnips and/or mushrooms could all be used.
*This time I didn't have tomato paste so I used tomato sauce and just added an additional Tbsp.
*You can top w cheese or bacon. I didn't want any extra calories

Lamb Shepherd's pie=
Meat mixture:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 c. peas (frozen)
1/2 c. corn (frozen, canned or fresh)
1 lb. ground lamb
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. each: pepper, rosemary & thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
 -Heat olive oil in a large skillet of over medium/high heat. Add carrot, peas and corn. Cook for about 3 minutes just to start to soften
-Add ground lamb, garlic and herbs. Cook until brown.
-Drain off grease. Remove meat mixture from skillet into a 2 QT. baking dish

Pan sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 c. fat free chicken or beef broth
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
dash of Worcestershire sauce
S&P to taste
-Melt butter in the same large skillet used to cook meat. Stir in flour and allow to become light brown in color.
-Whisk in broth slowly. As it thickens you may not use the entire cup if gravy like consistency is reached early.
-Allow to simmer for 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and S & P if desired.
-Pour over meat mixture
-Top w 2 c. mashed potatoes. (Use your own recipe or mine is below)
-Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until potatoes start to brown

***If Freezing: I do not top w/ mashed potatoes. Make the meat mixture & pan sauce. Transfer to a freezer friendly container. Allow to cool completely. Cover & freeze. When ready to use allow to thaw overnight in fridge. Top w mashed potatoes & bake!

Nutritional Info: Recipe equals 6 servings (aprox. 1 1/2 c.)
B/c everyone makes their mashed potatoes differently you might want to use just the meat mixture's pts value which was 7 WW pts and then figure up your version of potatoes pts.
I did figure my mashed potatoes as another 2 pts per serving. I thought that was pretty low!
Here's how I made mine:
2 c. mashed red potatoes w skin
1/2 c. skim milk (aprox. I didn't measure)
2 Tbsp. fat free sour cream
1 Tbsp. butter
salt, pepper & parsley

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods: High of 60 & sunny :)


Things that make me happy: Staying home w my adorable baby girl

Book I'm reading: Chazown (It's a 10 week series)

What's on TV today: Nothing! It's pure silence this morning!

On the menu for dinner:  Butternut Squash Risotto

On my To Do list: 1. Put my closet back together. It's our attic access so my closet has been toren apart for 2 weeks due to insulation work being done!
2. Go grocery shopping
3. Finish laundry I started yesterday 
4. Organize coupon binder
5. Make treats from Mom's Life tomorrow (which is the sausage breakfast pockets below & Lemon Blueberry bread if I have time)

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon: Sausage breakfast pockets from ToH

Looking forward to this week: Visitors this weekend.

Tips & Tricks: Add 1 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to coffee grounds just before brewing for a great, fresh flavoring.

No words needed:

On my mind: My very busy week ahead of me...

In the craft basket (B/c I don't do crafts- This question will usually be involving food): Make another batch of Homemade Yogurt!

Devotionals, versus etc.: "For every minute of Anger-You lose 60 seconds of happiness"

Friday's Freezer Friendly Food

Sorry, No freezer ideas this week. I am still fighting with Sears/Kenmore over our freezer that died on us. Until we get a new one I do not have room to freeze anything more than necessary. But stay tuned b/c I have some things I want to freeze: pumpkin, onions and breakfast burritos! Hopefully we get our new one soon...

Brussels Sprouts Win!

If you think you do not like Brussels sprouts; please try them prepared this way! I personally do not like steamed or boiled Brussels sprouts, which is how my lovely grandma used to make them. ICK! Then I learned that way of cooking them intensifies the crucifer  flavor. (The strong cabbage like taste)
This is an easy way to prepare them that masks the usual strong flavor. I "Julified" them but if serving to kids or a picky husband add more cheese and/or prepare with whole milk or heavy cream to give more flavor. I promise the small amount of red pepper flakes will not make it too spicy but just enough!
Comment on this post when you try these :)

Brussels Sprouts Au gratin: 4 servings
1 lb. brussels sprouts
1/2 c. skim milk
1/2 c. reduce fat cheddar cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 c. bread crumbs
1 Tbsp EVOO (olive oil)

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bring water to a boil in a medium pan.
2. Cut off the bottom core of brussels sprouts & then cut in half long ways. (Some of the outer leaves will fall off-I use them) Place in a colander and rinse in cold water. Blanch in boiling water for 4 minutes.
3. Transfer blanched brussels sprouts to a greased baking dish.
4. In a small bowl mix: milk, cheese, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Pour over brussel sprouts.
5. In another small bowl mix bread crumbs and EVOO. Sprinkle on brussels sprouts.
6. Bake for about 15 minutes or until browned.

4 WW pts. per serving

Brussels Sprouts Win...Check back tomorrow!

Thanks to all who voted on last week's recipe. Brussels sprouts au gratin Won! I plan on posting the recipe Wednesday.
I have had an insulation crew here working on our home all day Monday and Tuesday so I wasn't able to go grocery shopping to get brussels sprouts---the necessary ingredient :) 

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods: Sunny, high of 79!!!


Things that make me happy: Blogging

Book I'm reading: Chazown


What's on TV today: Today show

On the menu for dinner: Braised pork chops w/ apples


On my To Do list: unpack & laundry


New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:  Braised pork chops (from All You magazine)

(ps- lasts week's recipe, buffalo sloppy joes, were excellant)

Looking forward to this week: All the work on our house being DONE!!!



Tips & Tricks: A carrot/potato peeler also works great on apples :)

No words needed:

On my mind: Halloween- should I dress Mae up? What should she be? I just don't get all into it and I hate spending money on silly costumes....

In the craft basket (B/c I don't do crafts- This question will usually be involving food): Make homemade applesauce then can it!


Devotionals, versus etc.: "I thank my God every time I remember you." Phil. 1:3

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods: Sunny & warm! High 70s-low 80s

Things that make me happy: This weather! Planning on taking a LONG walk when Mae wakes. I just love the colors of the leaves!

Book I'm reading: Chazown

What's on TV today: I'm using the TV as a radio. Non stop country today :)

On the menu for dinner: Leftovers= Tamale pie

On my To Do list: swiffer & mop floors

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon: Buffalo Sloppy Joes from Taste of Home

 

Looking forward to this week: Audrey coming to visit & Seeing Joe, Jen & kids

Tips & Tricks: Since I've been doing laundry all morning: 1. use half the amount of detergent suggested (Or make your Own!!) 2. wash in cold water (with a few exceptions) 3. cut dryer sheets in half 4. I set my kitchen timer when clothes will be dry b/c I can't hear it buzz and this prevents a wrinkled mess!

No words needed:

On my mind: Christmas! Excited to pick names this weekend, working on ideas for Mae, I think I have Ken's gift planned....

Devotionals, versus etc.: 1 Peter 4:10-11 "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ"

She's 18 months!

My baby is 1 1/2 years old!

She's totally into Elmo, books & babies!

She weighs 19lbs. and wears 12months clothes.

She likes chocolate milk, juice, cookies, cheese and fruit snacks!

She has 10 teeth!

She goes to bed around 7:30 and wakes around 6:30- 7.

She takes one 2 hour nap after lunch.

She talks A LOT!!!!

She loves to play outside and go for walks!

She is absolutely adorable!!!!!

PB & J for lunch!

This might just be my favorite picture to date! So sweet!

Rotisserie Chicken in crock pot Wins this week!

Whole "Rotisserie" Chicken in the Crock Pot
1 4-5 lb. whole chicken
1/2 onion
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. parsley
1/4 tsp. each: thyme, sage, rosemary, pepper, garlic powder & paprika

1. Rinse chicken in warm water, place in crock pot and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Combine all the spices in a small bowl and mix well.
3. Rub dry spices all over chicken. I like to pull the skin back and force the spices in between the skin and the meat. This helps keep the herbs on the chicken allowing to really penetrate the meat.
4. Roughly chop onion and place around the chicken.
5. Place breast side Down, put lid on and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8.

-When I prepare chicken this way Ken and I eat just the breasts with some sides on the first night. The following day I shred/chop the leftover chicken and use in a soup, tacos, enchiladas (tonight I am making "Lone star enchiladas" from the new Taste of Home!)

Fits perfectly in my crock pot. This is after it is rubbed down w spices. You can not see them b/c they are in between the skin and the meat!

All done. This is as I'm peeling the ICKY skin off. Now you can see the spices!

Dinner is served!

Nutritional Info: I had trouble coming up with the WW points for chicken prepared this way. Since I just ate the breast I considered it 4 pts.

Working Moms need to try this!

Apologies that my "Friday" freezer idea is coming on a Monday; I hope you'll be forgiving since this past Friday we left early for a trip to Indianapolis to celebrate Kenny's sister's wedding! Welcome to the family, Greg :) We had a great family weekend.

Here is the set up for this post:
2 weeks ago I got into my chest freezer to find it half thawed, not cold at all!!!! Thinking I left the lid open or maybe it came slightly unplugged; I cranked the temperature gage up and hoped it would get cold quick! Well it didn't! Something was wrong. To save ALL my meat, 25 lbs. of blueberries and Lord knows how much corn; I had rearrange my other 2 freezers to make room for my thawing food. Thankfully, 4 pounds of ground beef was the only totally thawed food. It couldn't be refrozen so I had to do something with it quick...

~The first 2 lbs. I made into meatloaf that we ate for 2 days. The other 2lbs. I made into taco meat.
~I added green pepper, onions and all the seasonings I add when making tacos: cilantro, cumin, chili powder, S & P etc. and browned until everything was cooked through!
~Next, I let it cool completely and transferred into 2 air tight containers, labeled "taco meat" and stuck it in my freezer. (Where it stayed for about 2 weeks)
~Yesterday, before church I took 1 of the taco meat containers from the freezer and put it in the refrigerator. Because it was already in a crumbled form it thawed within a few hours.
~When we got home from church I warmed it in a skillet for about 5 minutes (warm slowly and with a lid to prevent drying out) and added a little bit more spices to taste.
~Lunch was served from start to finish in about 7 minutes and with only 2 dirty dishes (freezer container & skillet). I loved the ease of this. Right away I wanted to share this idea with working/Busy moms. Spaghetti meat sauce and/or meatballs would work perfectly too.

Note: A repair guy came out and our chest freezer is ruined. Some part went out! Thankfully, it is still under warranty since it is ONLY 6 months old! A new one should be delivered soon…

I had a facelift....

Ha, No not me personally. I'm too young for a face lift. My blog is the one that had the cosmetic surgery. Did you notice?
This is the official launch of my NEW blog! I've got a New web address, New name and a New design!
A special Thanks to GrassGreenDesign.blogspot.com for creating Exactly what I had in mind!
Also, Thanks again to everyone that voted on the new name a few weeks back. I am ready for more followers- so share my site with others! Remember my next give away will be when I reach $1,000 in savings by using coupons. I am less than $200 away....
Thanks for the support!

Mae's 18 month check up

Last Monday I took Mae for her routine 18 month check up (2 weeks early, since she won't be 18 mo. until next Tuesday).

• She has grown some, now in the 10th percentile for weight at 19lbs!
• She had to get 2 shots at 2 separate times because the nurse forgot 1 dose! :( I felt so bad for lil Mae. When she saw the nurse came in the second time she starting crying because she knew...and those crumby shots made her sick that evening. She came down with a slight fever and the chills. (But nothing that Tylenol, rocking and sleep couldn't fix.)
• The hardest part of the appointment was when the doctor told me MaeMae had a heart murmur and I needed to see a pediatric cardiologist! I wasn't overly worried but was more than willing to have her checked out.
• So the next day, Tuesday, we had to go to another appointment for a chest Xray. Picture this: she sat on a bicycle type seat, a big plastic tube came around her chest and her arms were raised above her head. She was screaming "Mommmmmy" Thankfully, it didn't take long and they got good pictures.



Chest Xray from Tuesday! Aren't her lil bones the cutest?

• The third day, Wednesday, we went to see the pediatric cardiologist. When her name got called and she saw the nurse she started crying. She had just about had it with nurses and doctors. Praise the LORD this doctor did not hear a murmur! Since she is a specialist she mentioned to me that often times children with extra thumbs can also have heart defects. (It's a pure miracle how we are formed in the womb) So she ordered one last test, an echo cardiogram, which is an ultrasound of the heart. Scheduled the following Wednesday.
• By Thursday, MaeMae and I were both woren out and tired of running around. We didn't do anything except walk down to the park 1 block away. We passed on a few get togethers and stayed home! It was fantastic! We also had a great weekend celebrating Kenny's birthday.



Celebrating Dad's birthday at the Pumpkin festival!


• So now it's Wednesday the day of the ECHO. She did great considering she couldn't have anything but apple juice past midnight. What a crazy week---Glad it's over---Praising the Lord for my beautiful baby girl's precious heart! Just as I thought, her heart is healthy and perfect. Made of pure Gold ;)

Friday's Freezer Friendly Food~ A peek inside my freezer!

This week is a simple post on things I commonly freeze. Some are pretty obvious to most- other items you might be surprised by. I often buy items that are on sale and freeze them. Examples: cheese, bread, milk, coffee....
Two things in my freezer right now are All purpose flour and corn meal. In late July, while I was visiting IN we took a day trip to Shipsewana. We stopped at a bulk food store and two of the many items purchased were 25 lb. All purpose flour and corn meal. Now I won't have to buy either for a year!

I just pictured my upright. I also have a chest freezer and of course the one with my fridge!
See my peaches and zucchini?

Items normally in my freezer but not pictured for various reasons:
-Milk
-Meat (all meat goes in my chest freezer)
-Jam (all jam is in my refrigerator freezer)
-Homemade chicken broth
-Homemade bread crumbs
-Homemade yogurt
-Cream cheese