I'm back, but I've changed...

So, after a L-O-N-G break... I've decided that I do still want to blog, but I need a change. I've started blogging again. I've changed blogging platforms (I'm now over on Wordpress) and my blog theme. I'm now blogging here about my daily smile inducers. I'm going to try to blog daily, but not going to kick myself if I miss a day, a week, or even a month here and there. This new blog is pretty empty right now, but I do have a handful of posts already. I'm still fiddling with the new place... settling in. Anyway, if you're still coming here... go check me out there instead! This blog will not be updated any longer... it just stopped working for me. Hope you visit!

Wordless Wednesday -June 4

For more Wordless Wednesday, head on over here!! :)

Menu Plan Monday - June 2

The beginning of this week is totally kid-friendly eats! Mr. Wonderful will not be dining with us for supper this week... busy at work and won't be able to make it. Instead of making something that I'm pretty sure The Kids won't want to eat or will take 5 years to eat... I decided on a menu that they would LOVE!! This takes some of the stress off me... and it's a nice treat for them, especially since they won't get to see their Dada much this week.

Last week we tried out an Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken recipe. It was simple to make, pretty cheap to make, and tasted pretty good... The Kids even ate most of it. It was nothing amazing (although it looks like something you'd get in a restaurant... Mr. Wonderful brought leftovers to work and one of his co-workers asked him which restaurant he had gone to the night before), but it was a nice alternative pasta recipe. For it's ease and fairly cheap ingredients, I've included the recipe below to share with whoever might be interested!

So, here's what we're doing this week...

MONDAY: Pigs in a Blanket, Snap Peas, Applesauce

TUESDAY: Chicken Nuggets, Corn on the Cob, Fruit in Pudding

WEDNESDAY: Pancakes, Breakfast Sausage, Eggs, Bananas

THURSDAY: Barbecue-Glazed Turkey Meatloaf, Sweet Potatoes, Carrot-Parsley Salad

• This is a Crockpot/slow cooker recipe that we've had a couple of times now. It's quite tasty, The Kids love it, and it's VERY simple to make. I often have ground turkey on hand, so this is quickly becoming a staple recipe in our house. I'm including the recipe below...
  

FRIDAY: Homemade Pizza, Salad

SATURDAY: Eat Out!!

SUNDAY: Mr. Wonderful's Fish Night

RECIPES:
Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken from Easy Everyday Cooking (Pasta card 4)
Serves: 4
Ingredients:

• 2 TBS olive oil, divided
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes (can substitute 1 cup chopped cooked ham)
  
• 1 carrot, sliced diagonally in 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen broccoli florets, thawed (can substitute frozen peas)
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 ounces angel hair pasta
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  

Directions:

1. Heat 1 TBS oil in a medium skillet over medium heat; add chicken. Cook, stirring, until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.
2. Heat remaining oil in same skillet. Begin heating water for pasta. Add carrot to skillet; cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add broccoli and garlic to skillet; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes longer.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, add chicken broth, basil and Parmesan cheese to skillet. Stir to combine. Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes.
4. Drain pasta. Place in a large serving bowl. Top with chicken and vegetable mixture. Serve immediately.
   

Barbecue-Glazed Turkey Meatloaf from "Everyone Loves Chicken" (Weight Watchers)
Serves: 6
Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds ground skinless turkey breast
• 1/3 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 TBS ketchup
• 2 tsp packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp spicy brown mustard
  

Directions

1. Fold a 24-inch length of foil in half lenthwise. Fit into bottom and up the sides of a 5-6 quart slow cooker insert.
2. Put the turkey, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, egg, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; mix with hands until well combined. Shape the mixture into a loaf and place on the foil in the slow cooker.
3. Cover the slow cooker and cook until the meatloaf juices run clear or an instant read thermometer inserted in the center of the meatloaf registers 165 F, 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
4. Combine the ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard in a small bowl. Spoon the mixture over the meatloaf, spreading it smooth. Cover the slow cooker and cook until the glaze is heated through, about 30 minutes longer. With the help of the foil, lift the meatloaf from the slow cooker and transfer to a platter. Discard foil and cut the meatloaf into 6 slices.
   

PER SERVING (1 slice meatloaf): 162 calories, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 2 g total fat, 99 mg cholesterol, 332 mg sodium, 8 g total carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 25 g protein, 71 mg Calcium. POINTS value: 3

For other MPM participants, go visit Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie... so many yummy plans, many with recipes!! :)

Wordless Wednesday - May 28

...AND one from The Boy's growing collection!! ;P
For more Wordless Wednesday participants, go here!!

How does your garden grow?!

The garden has been started!! The Kids are super excited about watering and watching the new plants pop out of the ground as they grow. We don't have much of a yard in our backyard... lots of cement and very little dirt, so we decided to start a container garden. I have a couple BIG tubs that you usually buy to put ice and drinks in during summer parties that I thought would work well for our first, little container garden. So far, it's looking good. Here's a picture of the kids showing it off...
They are proud!!! The Boy loves to point out all the changes everyday. They both love to water it. A great summer project for the family. Here's a close-up of the garden...
We've got two types of tomato plants in the back (they're starting to look a little yellowed, perhaps we're watering too much); a red pepper plant in the back; a row of onions (in front of the tomato plants); a row of green squash (dwarf bush variety); a row of yellow squash (vines); and a few lettuce patches on the front, left side. We bought starter plants for the tomato and red pepper plants, the rest of them were started from seed 1-2 weeks ago. I think if we use this container again next year, we'll have to rethink the design... I think our onions are going to get lost in the squash plants. Oh well, this year is a test year. If we yield anything... it'll be a success! And if The Kids eat any of the vegetables we get... it'll be a HUGE success!!!!

We do seem to have a mold problem... at least I think it's mold. I'm starting to do a little research on it to see if it's something that I should be worried about. If you happen upon this post and know something about it... PLEASE leave a comment to let me know what I should know about it. The first photo is stuff that I dug out yesterday... just 'cause I didn't know what else to do with it. The second photo I found this morning... so it's still growing. The Kids don't mind, but the perfectionist in me wants it to work at least a little, so I'm not happy about whatever it is!!

Menu Plan Monday - May 26

An easy week for me in the cooking department. Have a carryover meal and a leftover meal. A perfect week for a holiday week!

Last week we tried out a few recipes. The Slow Cooker London Broil was very tasty and very easy to prepare. The Kids enjoyed it to... so it's definitely a keeper recipe in our rotation! I added 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce, and 1 TBS red wine vinegar to the mix for a little extra flavoring. The potato pancakes were so so... nothing spectacular, but the carrot-parsley salad that I served alongside the potato pancakes was delicious and light and very easy to make. The Kids weren't totally impressed, but they did eat some and The Boy had a lot of fun helping make it! The recipe is below.

So, here's what we're doing this week...

MONDAY: Grilled Brats and Dogs, Snap Peas, Pudding w/ Pineapple

TUESDAY: Carryover Meal: Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken, Green Salad

• Didn't get around to trying out this new recipe from last week!

WEDNESDAY: Black Beans & Rice, Applesauce, Green Salad

THURSDAY: Leftovers: Slow Cooker London Broil over Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Veggies

FRIDAY: Asian Grilled Tuna Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries, Corn on the Cob

• We tried this a couple weeks back and it is such an improvement over regular tuna burgers! I've added the recipe below.
  

SATURDAY: Quesadilla Night, Green Salad

SUNDAY: Macaroni & Cheese, Fish Sticks, Corn on the Cob

RECIPES:
Carrot-Parsley Salad from Good Housekeeping March 2004
Ingredients:

• 10 oz. carrots, shredded
• 1 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
• 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. In bowl, toss all ingredients
2. Serve!!

Asian Grilled Tuna Burgers from "Cooking Smart for a Healthy Heart" (Reader's Digest)
Serves: 4
Prep Time 25 minutes, Cook Time 5 minutes
Ingredients:

• 2 (6-ounce) cans water-packed albacore tuna, drained
• 1 large egg
• 4 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 3 tablespoons plain dried bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
• 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into matchsticks
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Directions

1. Combine tuna, egg, scallions, cilantro, bread crumbs, mayonnaise, ginger, sesame oil, and salt in a large bowl and stir until well combined.
2. Form mixture into four 4-inch patties, a scant 1/2 inch thick. (Patties can be made ahead and refrigerated for several hours.)
3. Meanwhile, combine bell pepper, cucumber, soy sauce, lime juice, and sugar in medium bowl.
4. Preheat the broiler. Broil patties 4 inches from heat, carefully turning once, until firm and lightly golden, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Top the finished burgers with pepper-cucumber relish.

PER SERVING: 216 calories, 33% calories from fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 8 g total fat, 38 mg cholesterol, 862 mg sodium, 13 g total carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 24 g protein

For other MPM participants, go visit Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie... so many yummy plans, many with recipes!! :)

Book Meme

I'm stealing this from Serina at Laughter, Love, and Madness. She posted it a million years ago and I snatched it for use at a later date. Well, now at this MUCH later date, I've decided today would be perfect to use it!! Since I'm reading again... and LOVING every minute I get to do it... I am quickly getting through my to be read (TBR) pile and looking for new books to inspire/lose myself with/in. I remembered I had this list and I thought I'd go through it again and see if I can find some books to start looking for to add to my reading list!!

This is pretty simple. From the list below:
-Bold the ones you’ve read
-Italicize the ones you want to read
-leave the ones you aren't interested in as they are.

1.The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)-have this one on my TBR pile right now!!
2.Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3.To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10.A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11.Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12.Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)-I'm behind!!
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16.Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees(Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)-considering this one...
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible - Parts, but have never read the whole thing...
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolsoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Helen Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100.Ulysses (James Joyce)

I have read 46 of the 100 books here... not too shabby. After checking the other titles out, I've decided I would be interest in reading 35 more. The others I am just not interested in reading... at least not today!! Luckily, many of these Mr. Wonderful has so they are already within my reach for easy reading. The others, I'll be looking out for them on PaperBackSwap.

This was a good list... I'm excited to have a nice, long list of books on my TBR pile!! Now, I'm off to go read... well, actually I'm off to watch the finale of Grey's Anatomy, but after that I'll be reading myself to sleep. Happy reading!!