Sunday, March 30, 2014

Pioneer Woman's Potatoes

We are trying to reduce our gluten intake at dinner so I've been experimenting with non-gluten carbs to go with meat and veggies. We love orzo and rice and I wanted a good potato recipe. I bought a tri-colored bag of potatoes at Trader Joe's and looked around online for an easy way to make them. 

Aren't they pretty! These are Pioneer Woman's Crash Hot Potatoes and they tasted as good as they look! They are soft with a little crunch and have lots of flavor choices based upon what spices you put on them. Plus, cooking them this way, you eat the skin which is the best part for you! 


I'm sure we will make these again with one change. Purple potatoes are pretty dry and flavorless. I recommend being white or yukon golds for this recipe. 

Friday, March 28, 2014

Gluten Free and Low Fat Breakfast Cookies

My friend Tiffany shared these cookies with me and they are easy, low fat, gluten free and yummy (as long as you like bananas!)


Gluten Free Breakfast Cookies

2 ripe/brown bananas
1 cup rolled oats (the dry kind that come in a can)
1/4 cup extras

Preheat the oven to 350.

Mash the bananas up real good. Add in the oats and stir. Add 1/4 cup extras.... we did raisins with a little cinnamon and honey. Play with options- chocolate chips, coconut, peanut butter.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

These are great warm and have a strong banana taste. The second day, they turned a little brown, but had a more cake-like consistency. I don't think they'd keep after one day.

Enjoy!


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Grateful- Week Twelve

Being more grateful is my word for 2014 and keeping track of photos each day is really helping me turn my eye from wanting to appreciating! 

I am grateful for TOMS. I love that in a simple (and I'll admit sometimes selfish) purchase I can also provide shoes to kids elsewhere. Can you imagine your child being barefoot all the time? I love wearing them and remembering kids who go without. I also love that I can tell Abby about how blessed she is and pray about others. I love that they are having success as a company that gives back in a major way.


Both Thursday and Friday I was grateful to have time to enjoy the NCAA tourney. I don't watch any basketball expect March Madness. I loved having the games on all day Thursday and enjoyed a long lunch date with my husband on Friday.


Saturday we drove about 45 minutes out to a BBQ place I'd heard a lot about and never tried. It was so good- you could cut the brisket with this cheap plastic fork! I am grateful to live in Texas and enjoy good BBQ!


Sunday morning walking to my class, I looked in a kids area and saw this. Our church kids program is really amazing. I can't wait for Abby's mind to experience it in 1st grade. I am so very grateful to have a church that takes lessons like out in the wilderness to this level! 


Last November, I had all of my highlights covered up. I went all natural for the first time since high school. I discovered a few things- all dark brown is boring, it washes my pale skin out, and I have more gray coming in than I had ever imagined. So, last night, I was really grateful to have some low maintenance highlights put back in. My hair was red and blonde striped for years and that requires upkeep. So, I went with smaller "stripes" and a lighter brown. I am hopeful I can highlight less often and still enjoy pretty hair! 


If you see me in real life, you will likely see a Venti Starbucks Iced Black Tea in my hand. I drink tea all day long. It is my drink of choice and I have spent way too much money on it in the past. So, I made it a goal to find an at home alternative to $2.50/day. I think this is it! Two tea bags in my pretty hobnail pitcher, 3/4 full of water. Wait five minutes, remove tea bags and enjoy! I've even bought some lemon and home to have with it. I'm grateful to enjoy yummy tea and save money!


See you next week!

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Pioneer Woman's Enchiladas

I make Chicken Enchiladas pretty regularly, but not beef. I like beef enchiladas, but really hadn't found a recipe for them that I just loved. Knowing how many people love Pioneer Woman and that she hasn't ever steered me wrong, I decided to try hers. They are way more steps that I usually take, but they are so worth it. All those steps lead to so many different flavors inside each bite.


You can find her Simple Perfect Enchiladas here

And because I am always looking for shortcuts... I didn't even bother frying up my corn tortillas. Just dip them in sauce and roll them full of meat. They will do just fine! 

Friday, March 21, 2014

New Favorite Shoes for Spring

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that I bought two new pairs of shoes recently. I used to buy shoes once a week, but staying home means a different budget and I haven't bought shoes on a whim in ages. 

Here are my new favorites for Spring...

These Converse are great! I have wanted a pair for ages, but didn't want them to be traditional shoes that require socks. I love that these are more like a flat. They don't come in half sizes, so I went 1/2 size down.


I have seen this style of shoes in multiple stores this season. I loved these from DSW because the leather is really soft and they show the right amount of toe. They also come in brown and a metallic gold. 


Finally, I am a TOMS girl! I just love them year round. I bought these new chevron ones from Jonathan Adler while on vacation in Dallas for Spring Break. Lots of cute new styles for Spring from TOMS!


Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Grateful- Week Eleven

 What a great week I've had including a fun 3 day trip to Dallas with my Mom and daughter. Grateful to have a girl trip with these two!


SUPER grateful that trip included my favorite place for BBQ! The potato salad and sausage at Red, Hot and Blue is the best!


Spending part of Thursday at the Dallas Arboretum reminded me how grateful I am of the many colors in God's box of crayons. He made the world full of color and gave us the eyes to see it. He didn't have to :)


Friday night I sure was grateful this guy returned home from a business trip. He doesn't travel much and we sure miss him when he does!


I bought fresh cut daffodils at Trader Joes and was grateful they bloomed on Saturday! 10 daffodils for $1.29 was a steal in my book.


Sure am grateful this girl has a queen sized bed for all the things she sleeps with. No doubt she'd fall out of a twin nightly to make room for her babies that she sneaks in after dark.


I received this AMAZING wedding invitation in the mail for a dear friends from junior high. I am so grateful I was asked to be part of her long awaited special day!


Finally, today is a new day. Yesterday was hard on a family I love and I'm so glad to turn the page and start fresh today with sunshine, the park and a Spring candle. I love the Renew & Refresh candle out for Spring from Bath & Body works.


Have a great week!

Saturday, March 15, 2014

$10 and 10 Minutes Bow Organization


I need to admit something- my five year old has well over 100 bows. We have big bows, tiny bows, solid bows, animal prints, polka dots, made to match one outfit, big flowers, little flowers, pinwheel and curly qs, over the top bows, and dainty ones. And, I'm out of storage and sometimes still can't find the right shade of pink! Are you with me on this?

We have used this cute little dress form to hold bows since before Abby was born. I love it, but we have filled it and I can't find bows in it. So, I needed another option.


Money is tight and a project like this is annoying and not budgeted, so I racked my brain for an easy way to hold her bows and make them more visible. Enter the over the door coat rack!


To each of the hooks, I simply tied in a really tight knot a long piece of ribbon. I made it match her bathroom but should have used cheap white ribbon- it is all covered up with BOWS! 


Voila! After donating a gallon baggie full, selling a lot of 30 on Facebook, I am left with this pile!

They are semi organized- flowers, fabric flowers, solid colors, giant, poofs, multi-colored, etc. It is so much easier to grab a bow... $10 and 10 minutes later!


Tuesday, March 11, 2014

St. Patrick's Day Kid Treats

 I love cute little printables that you can find free online so often now! These little free tags from Lauren at Every Day Cheer inspired me to spend a little time crafting with my 5 year old. We had all of the supplies on hand so this project was free! I love that!


I printed the tags on cardstock and punched them out. Then, Abby signed her name on each tag. With all the little preschool goodies we like to do, thank goodness her name is short! She really should have it mastered by kindergarten.


We filled small treat bags with Skittles, a gold or green coin and then tied them off with the tags. They would be super cute with Lucky Charms inside or raindow twizzlers and chocolate gold coins. Just think of all the colorful treats out there!


I don't normally celebrate St. Patrick's Day beyond wearing green, but am happy to have this fun free little project to share the luck of the Irish with friends on Monday.


Monday, March 10, 2014

Grateful- Week Ten

I am grateful for many things this week!

I am grateful she looks like me and has the personality of her father. My husband is funny and she got that. She quotes movies, sings songs out of the blue, does impersonations, and makes me laugh all day long. 


I am grateful we can afford a maid every now and then. She doesn't come every week and we've gone without her many months, but when she comes my house smells so good! I clean in stages (dust one day and mop a different day) so I never get that whole house clean effect or smell. It also forces my child to clean up her playroom which only looks like this on those days.


We lost our first tooth this week! I am grateful it was a good experience and not too scary!


I never thought I would say this, but I am grateful for leftovers! It makes Saturday lunch so easy and is a good sign that we ate in during the week. We used to eat out all the time, but now we do it typically twice on the weekend only.


This seems like a no-brainer... I am thankful for clean running water in my home. Can you imagine not having it? Seeing pictures online of people walking miles for dirty water is heartbreaking. As we discussed first world problems in Sunday school this morning, I thought about all the basic things I have that so many others don't.


I am grateful for free printables all over the internet. These made for a fun little craft this morning. I'll share the link and details tomorrow.


What are you grateful for?

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Raspberry Muffins with a Lemon Sugar Glaze

Blueberry muffins with orange zest are one of my favorites, so when I saw this recipe from The Food Charlatan for Raspberry Muffins with a lemon glaze, I knew I would love them and I did!


I shared them at a women's brunch at my church recently and they loved them, too!

A couple of shortcuts I took...

I used frozen raspberries. They worked just fine. No need to rinse them or coat them in flour.

I didn't heat up a lemon glaze. I just mixed powdered sugar, milk and water until it was what I needed to brush on. I didn't measure at all.

Finally, I used clear sugar sprinkles instead of dipping them in sugar and lemon zest.

Enjoy!


Thursday, March 6, 2014

Happy Mommy Box

Have you heard of the Happy Mommy Box? I saw it all over Instagram recently and had to check it out! It is a monthly subscription that sends you a box of goodies and includes a treat for the kids! You can subscribe for 1 month or 3 months at a time. It is $29/month which includes shipping. 

There is a wait list as these boxes have gotten pretty popular! So, you get on the wait list and an email is sent telling you when the site is open and you can sign up for the following month/3 months.


Here is my February box- my first one! The box always includes a print (the chalkboard moon 5x7 print), a magazine, coupons and then treats for Mom and child. They do ask your child's age. Abby received play-doh and some robot tattoos and vitamins. 

One of the best parts- they try to feature small Mommy based businesses in the boxes, like the two bracelets I received. Super cute and fun to support others in the working Mom arena.


I can't have a Happy Mommy Box every month, but I'll certainly do it every now and then!

If you aren't looking for yourself, this would be super fun to gift to a friend who is a new Mom!

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Grateful- Week Nine

 I have so much to be grateful for! 


I am grateful I work indoors, live in a warm house and drive a reliable car. We've had some crazy weather and while it effects my day, I realize how much more it effects others. 


On Thursday, I left this sweet girl for a work event for a few days and she didn't handle it well at all. I am grateful I don't leave her often. Ten hours a day at daycare would have been so different for her. We did it for a few years and I can't imagine having done it for her first five years! 

It is just a teeny bit nice to know she misses me. When you are with your child most days, you don't know how much they love you. She always misses Daddy when he goes to work. 


After a long day working an event, it was nice to have a king sized bed, room service and a remote control. I almost always order a grilled cheese and fries from room service and this night, I had warm cookies to go with it. 


Saturday night I was grateful to make it home in time to tuck this sweet thing in the bed. She wanted a few extra snuggles!


On Sunday, while my people were at church, I enjoyed a day of rest. No shower, no real clothes and no running around. I did laundry, dishes, a little email catch up, and enjoyed a long nap! The before 5 AM alarms caught up to me! 


Monday was back to normal and my house needed food! I love a well stocked kitchen and was happy to be back to full by Monday evening. I promise there was produce and healthy foods in there- they just didn't make the picture! :)


As silly as it sounds, I am really grateful for Chick-fil-A. I have spent many hours doing work, reading books, and surfing the web while Abby plays. We are getting really close to being too old and bored in the playground and that makes me a little sad. Luckily, today she played for a while since she had a classmate there also. 




Saturday, March 1, 2014

March Desktop

I love March- Spring is coming and it is my birthday month! Hooray for that!


Made using a digital kit, A Fresh Start by Erica Zane