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Oops. I was thinking that I could play Odd Shots any day of the week, but I think it’s a Monday meme, so, I’ll play on Mondays. This means that Thursdays are still open for something … dang it. Other than Thursday Thirteen, any suggestions on what I could post on Thursdays?

In the meantime, here’s my odd shot for this week:

MK drew this … about two or three years ago, for an art project at school. It’s a self portrait. My youngest son used to REALLY be into the whole Zelda/Link thing and fancied himself AS the fictional character on more than one occasion. Hence the reason he drew swords in the border. And note the blood-stained sword at the bottom. When I asked him why he drew that, he said, “I don’t know, it was fun.”

Well really, how can I argue with a FUN school assignment?

odd shots

Share your weekend snapshot.

I got my Turbo Jam DVD’s last week. As you can see, I was thrilled…

Actually, when I started reading about the various exercises I was all like, “you want me to do WHAT with my WHAT?!”

Okay, I’m kidding.

I’ve actually been enjoying Turbo Jam, a lot. And I love Chalene Johnson, that woman is a HOOT!

Anyhoo, I still feel awkward on the moves. In fact, I’m sure I look like a drunk clown on stilts, but I’m hanging in there. I can feel a difference in my abs and I’m looking forward to doing the more advanced class in a few weeks.

The hubs, curious to see what it was all about, made the mistake of walking into the room and watching me. DON’T DO THAT! I’m self-conscious enough of my body rolls as is, I don’t need to point them out to my man, thankyouverymuch. So, I paused the DVD and told him, in no uncertain (okay, snotty) terms, to get the hell out. He’s more than welcome to watch the DVD when I’m not sweating like a pig and trying to keep up with each shake, crunch and kick.

I get a bit cranky when I work out. I get downright mean when I have an audience.

Afterward, he asked me how it went.

“Great!” my tone of voice just a bit too cheery to be believed.

He arched a brow at me and nodded toward my soaked t-shirt. “How long did you do it?”

I glanced down at my wet torso and blushed. “Twenty minutes.”

He wisely didn’t say another word. Hey! You try jumping around and using all of your major muscle groups while trying to maintain your sanity and see if you don’t sweat. And like Chalene says, “If you don’t look terrible after a workout, you didn’t workout enough.”

Did I mention I love this woman?

I’m making myself get in the habit of doing the 20 minute Turbo Jam session and then walking several miles. I’m determined to look lean and mean for this summer. (That, and I just want to feel good about myself, overall). My determination is right up there with making myself get up at 4:30 in the morning, EVERY morning, and driving to the gym for an hour and a half to work out. WHY did I do this, you ask? Because we were planning a beach vacation in Sanibel Island, Florida that summer and I wanted to look hot.

I must say, I was in pretty good shape. And I maintained that schedule for over two years. Then I got burned out, BIG TIME. So … here we are, back to tight clothing and a jiggly belly.

I HATE having a jiggly belly.

In order to keep my energy up, I’ve been semi-following the recipe suggestions that came with the program. The program calls for an all protein, no carb diet for the first ten days you start Turbo Jam, and of course, you need to work out to Turbo Jam everyday as well. The protein helps you maintain your energy level so that you FEEL like working out.

I’ve been eating about four eggs (three egg whites and one whole egg) for breakfast, munching on dried fruit and yogurt for lunch and drinking a protein shake in the late afternoons. By the time dinner rolls around, I haven’t been that hungry. I haven’t really done anything special for dinners, I’ve been eating what everyone else is eating, but I have been cutting my portions in half. I’m still eating the occasional 3 Musketeer candy bar, but I’m really trying to cut down on my sugar intake overall. I have about 20 pounds I want to lose, my main beef is toning up, but I’m not planning on going overboard on the diet aspect of this program. Why? Because the more I deprive myself of the good stuff, the more I think about it and want it. So, a little bit goes a long way.

The protein is proving to be very important as it is indeed giving me energy. I went to the health food store the other day and bought some Bluebonnet “Whey of Life”, this is a dietary supplement and honestly, I’m not EVEN hungry after drinking it. It’s expensive though, $20 for a pound. But if it gives me energy to continue this exercise routine, then it’s well worth the money.

I measured myself. Of course, I’m keeping those measurements under lock and key because NO ONE is going to see those, both the before and after. I’ve always had a problem with anyone knowing how much I weigh or my measurements, but I want to see just how many inches I lose on this program.

I have found that working out at night works best for me. Though I prefer to work out in the morning just because it’s more convenient to clean up afterward, I tend to get hungry and eat more when I work out in the morning as opposed to just going to bed after working out at night. I wake up the next morning just feeling skinnier.

I’m keeping a log of my workouts if you’re interested in keeping track. If you want to leave a comment on your own workout goals/progress, please feel free to do so on my exercise progress page. I’m taking a before and after picture - I can’t promise I’ll post them, but if I make significant progress, then I just might.

So, that’s what I’ve been pouring my energies into lately. We’ll see if all of my efforts pay off.

The summer months are nearly upon us and the kids will want to go swimming. Is your body ready for a swimsuit?

Pick up more recipe ideas here.

I’m on a cooking kick. Which is really strange, considering I hate to cook. But you know, I HAVE to cook so this is something I HAVE to think about. And if I have to think about, then by golly, my readers will have to think about it, too. *big grin*

Ready?

Sunday: Coconut Chicken

(Sorry, I should have wiped the edges of the plate - I’m new to this photographing food thing, obviously. )

My husband is in charge of making all of our stir-fry dishes because, well, I suck. No, it’s okay, we can be honest here. I simply don’t have the instincts he has. He can eyeball a measurement and it’s just perfect. I eyeball a measurement and we all end up chugging Pepto-Bismal.

Coconut chicken is rather sweet, but it’s another really good stir-fry recipe you can find in the Betty Crocker’s New Chinese Cookbook.

Monday: Smothered Steak

I got this recipe from a gal I used to work with at Wal-Mart. It’s incredibly easy, and incredibly delicious.

Ingredients:

1 to 2 pounds of top round steak
2 cans of tomato sauce
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 green pepper
1/2 onion

Directions:

Brown top round steak in an electric skillet. (You can tenderize it, if you wish, but if you allow this to cook all day, then it’s really not necessary as it ends up being quite tender).

Turn the skillet down to simmer, pour both cans of tomato sauce and can of stewed tomatos (with juice) on top of steak.

Cut green pepper and onion into rings. Place green pepper and onion rings on top of steak.

Cover. Cook 8 to 10 hours on simmer.

I usually make yeast rolls (or as we call them, butt rolls, because they look like butt cheeks after they rise, LOL), either baked, or mashed, potatoes and some vegtable. A quick, and very good, dinner that you don’t have to stress about.

Tuesday: Spaghetti

Just straight, no-nonsense spaghetti. I usually serve this with hot-n-crusty bread and a broccoli and cauliflower vegetable combination.

Wednesday: Ham and Cheese Quesadillas

This recipe came with our Santa Fe Quesadilla Maker. I like quesadillas, but cleaning up the quesadilla maker is a pain in the @$$.

Ingredients:

4 (10-inch) flour tortillas (I use 6 shells because my guys eat a lot, that’s enough to feed the four of us).
4 Tbsp. mustard
1/2 cup (4 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese
12 thin slices ripe tomato (we use less tomato)
4 thin slices of Virginia ham (we use more ham)
4 Tbsp. pickle relish

Directions:

Spread one side of each tortilla with 1 tbsp. mustard. Evenly sprinkle half of the Swiss cheese on two of the tortillas, 1/2-inch from the edge. Cover each with tomato slices, ham, and pickle relish. Sprinkle cheese on top of each and cover with the remaining two tortillas, mustard-side down.

Place on preheated quesadilla maker, one at a time. Close lid and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until tortilla is lightly browned. Cut into triangles.

Makes 2 quesadillas, 12 pieces.

This might sound kind of gross, ham, tomato and pickle relish, but it’s great together and in fact, my husband CRAVES this taste so we usually have quesadillas a few times a month.

Thursday through Saturday - Eat Out.

I don’t plan on posting a menu next week. MK’s birthday is Tuesday night (the 25th) and we’ll take him out to dinner, which will screw up the entire week, cooking wise.

And I’m okay with that, quite honestly.

Pick up more recipe ideas here.

Salmon. I don’t know anything about it or how to fix it. However, we’re in the mood to try something different so here goes with this week’s menu:

Sunday: Beef and Broccoli

This is a favorite Chinese recipe of ours. In fact, we eat a lot of stir-fry recipes. My husband is usually in charge of the stir-fry recipes because he is a phenomenal cook.

We buy tenderized stir-fry beef from our local meat market. It’s a little more expensive but really, there’s no comparison. It’s so juicy and tender that it melts in your mouth. MK even likes it! And getting MK to eat anything is always a chore.

If you’re looking for some awesome Chinese recipes, then I HIGHLY recommend Betty Crocker’s New Chinese Cookbook. The Beef and Broccoli recipe is in there as well as:

1. Spicy chicken and broccoli

2. Sesame chicken

3. Coconut chicken - these are all absolutely mouth watering.

Monday: Santa Fe Chicken

I actually got this recipe from Stacy at Exceedingly Mundane. She has a database set up FULL of recipes.

We LOVE this recipe. Then again, I’m a HUGE Santa Fe fan and just love the taste to begin with. So I knew, before we even tried this recipe, that we would love it. And we do. We really do.

Tuesday: Bow-Tie Pasta with Salmon and Tomatoes

So, the salmon recipe. I’ve been wanting to try salmon, but I really didn’t know any recipes. I browsed cooks.com and the recipe above caught my eye. The recipe says to microwave the fish, but that sounds totally gross to me, so I’ll most likely grill it on the George Foreman grill and then proceed with the rest of the recipe. I’ll let you know how it turns out. I don’t even know if we like salmon, but there’s nothing like trying it, right?

Wednesday: Flying Saucers

This recipe is one my MIL came up with, though I’m sure there is something similar out there. She calls it flying saucers because well, they look like flying saucers when you get done with them.

INGREDIENTS:

Tortilla shells
Hamburger meat
Pinto beans
Lettuce
Tomato
Any embellishments desired: sour cream, olives, salsa, hot sauce, etc.

Deep fry the tortilla shells so they bubble and become airy.

While deep frying the shells, cook the hamburger meat, drain. Liberally sprinkle meat with taco seasoning. Drain pinto beans and put into meat mixture. (To save time, whenever I buy hamburger meat, I cook the whole package, divide it into thirds and then freeze it. A LOT faster and easier when you’re pressed for time).

When meat and shells are done, place a shell on a plate, spoon meat/bean mixture on top of shell and top with your favorite toppings. Voila! Instant meal and it’s absolutely dee-lish. Enjoy!

Thursday through Saturday: the family takes pity on me and we eat out.

Just so you know, I’m not a big cook kind of person. But, I have to feed my brood, so when I’m forced to think about menus I always try and pick recipes that are fast and easy. I’m all about cooking as quickly as possible because truly, I would rather spend my time doing anything else. I hope my little tips help make your lives easier.

A little planning? Really DOES go a LOOOONG WAY to making your life so much simpler.

Share your weekend snapshot.

It was all about Super Smash Bros. Brawl this weekend at our house.

Pick up more recipe ideas here.

My cooking week actually starts on Sunday. We eat out Thursday night because MK has saxophone lessons and we don’t get home until late - it’s just easier to grab something on the way home.

On the menu this week:

Sunday: Texan Chili

I couldn’t find a recipe online for this, so I’ll give it to ya. This is one of my guys’ favorites.

This makes 15 servings - I usually cut it in half for us. This recipe can be found in the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook.

Ingredients:
8 bacon strips, diced
2 1/2 lbs. beef stewing meat, cubed
28-oz. can stewed tomatoes
2 - 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
16-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups sliced carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chooped green pepper
1/4 minched fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:
1. Cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towel. (I usually use the pre-cooked bacon and just pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds.)

2. Brown beef in bacon drippings in skillet.

3. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. (Though I don’t usually add the pepper or the carrots until about three hours before we’re ready to eat - otherwise they get too mushy).

4. Cover. Cook on low 9 - 10 hours, or until meat is tender. Stir occasionally. (OR, if you’re running late and forgot to put this together in the morning, turn it on high for the first three or four hours and then turn it down to low the rest of the time. This will help speed the cooking time up).

Monday: Chicken Cacciatore

This recipe came from The Pampered Chef Main Dishes cookbook. But considering I don’t think they publish their recipes online, here’s a link to a similar recipe.

(I usually cook the chicken on a George Foreman grill first, then slice into strips and add to the recipe. This ensures the chicken is cooked and to me, it tastes LOADS better than allowing the raw chicken to cook with the rest of the ingredients).

Tuesday: Nachos Supreme

This is one of the hubs’ favorite meals.

All of the recipes I could find for this one said to fill a casserole dish and put in the oven. We prefer to simply brown the meat in taco seasoning, warm up some refried beans, and cut up some green onions. Over taco chips, spoon refried beans, sprinkle meat on top of that, and add toppings (green onion, salsa, olives, hot sauce, sour cream, etc). Super fast and easy.

Wednesday: Pork Chops

Not my favorite, but the guys love it. We usually cook them on the George Foreman grill (can you tell we use that thing a lot?) and just eat them that way (low fat!), but I think this time, I’ll actually bread them and see how the guys like them. Who knows? Maybe I’ll like them for a change. (I’m not a big meat eater).

ADDENDUM: I just clicked over to Laura’s blog and saw she posted a Maple Pecan pork chop recipe from last week. Talk about good timing! I think I’ll look into that for this week. Won’t my guys be surprised I did something different! lol

Thursday, Friday and Satruday we eat out. And we do this mainly because I HATE to cook and having to cook four days in a row just about kills me.

What’s on your menu this week?

Share your weekend snapshot.

We spent most of Sunday afternoon driving to my husband’s childhood hometown. We drove down to spend some time with his cousins, but we arrived a bit early and spent that time driving around the small, just-a-dot-on-the-map town. We first found the very first house his family lived in, and then we found the house his dad, uncle and grandfather built. (Pictured above). After that, we drove around the small town square and he pointed out various businesses he used to frequent. The place looks like a ghost town now. It was sad to see the small town in such disarray, but the sparkle in my husband’s eyes was well worth the trip down memory lane.

Our trip with the cousins went very well. They are all such nice people and make you feel right at home from the very beginning. He really enjoyed catching up with his cousins and I really enjoyed gossiping with the women in the kitchen. The guys went 4-wheeling while we chit-chatted and we even got GD to ride with them.

We’re very different - we (okay, ME) are city folk and they are country folk. And yet, it didn’t feel awkward or weird - instead, we embraced those differences and had a good time just being people from different backgrounds.

Family - it’s a good thing.

Share your weekend snapshot.

At first I wasn’t sure I liked this photo, Santa Claus is a bit blurry. But then I thought it was rather indicative of relationships in general. Even though Santa is allowing Mrs. Claus to steal the limelight, he’s always there to back her up if she needs him.

I think I’ve had too much eggnog.

This picture was taken at my in-laws’ house this past weekend. We went over there and had a mini-Christmas party with them since we wouldn’t see them on Christmas day. We had Chinese (our favorite!) and played a round of Scrabble, which I almost won. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever won a game of Scrabble.

The kids’ last day of school before winter break was Friday and I’ve been messed up ever since then. I keep thinking today should be Sunday, not Monday. And I can’t believe Christmas is tomorrow.

Enjoy this time with your families - there will never be another 2007 Christmas.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Need some questions to jump start your day?

Have you noticed? I LOVE these question and answer-type memes.

For the holidays, are you a last-minute shopper or do you shop well ahead of time?

One guess. No really, go ahead and guess … I’ll wait over there *points to the far corner* I’ll just be munching on my granola bar and waiting for your answer.

*munchmunch*

*swallows*

*wipes crumbs from mouth*

Done? If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you should have guessed the answer to this one. OF COURSE I shop well ahead of time. I like to plan, I like to be prepared, and I have nearly everyone done already. In fact, my mom is coming over later this morning and we’re going to do some marathon shopping (I can get my dad, my nephews and my in-laws done today! And then I’ll be done! Woot!)

Argh, I better get going, she’ll be here any minute.

If you had to pick a new first name for yourself, what name would you choose?

But not before I finish this meme …

Brooke. I LOVE that name. I have no idea why, it just sounds fun and sexy.

What’s worse, having expectations that are too high, or having no expectations at all?

Oooh, good question. In some ways, I think having expectations that are too high could be worse. What if you don’t live up to those expectations? Is it worth going through life depressed all the time?

But wait, if you don’t have any expectations, then you’ll never live up to your full potential. You won’t be disappointed in yourself, but others most likely will.

I’d have to say it would be worse to have no expectations because then people would have an excuse (or should I say another excuse) not to exceed in life.

Wow … I have a headache now. That’s too deep for a Monday. Have an excellent week, everyone.

Pick up more recipe ideas here.

On the menu this week:

Monday: Frito Chili Pie
(Beanless chili for me - for, um, obvious reasons. *cough*)

Tuesday: Tacos

Wednesday: Oriental Chicken

I really couldn’t find a recipe link for this one, so I’ll give you the recipe that I will be using (this will be the first time we’ve tried this particular recipe).

INGREDIENTS:
2 to 3 lb. chicken (we’ll just use boneless chicken breasts. Whole fryers gross me out)
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. oil
6-oz. can lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. cold water
2 Tbsp. cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine flour with salt. Coat chicken. Brown chicken in oil in skillet. Transfer to slow cooker.

2. Combine lemonade concentrate, brown sugar, ketchup, and vinegar. Pour over chicken.

3. Cover. Cook on high 3 - 4 hours.

4. Remove chicken. Pour liquid into saucepan. Return chicken to cooker and cover to keep warm. Skim fat from liquid.

5. Combine water and cornstarch. Stir into hot liquid. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly.

6. Serve chicken and sauce over rice.

Serves six.

Thursday: Pot Roast (with homemade yeast rolls)

We’ll store the left over pot roast and use it Saturday. The guys will heat it up, mix it with BBQ sauce and have sandwiches for lunch.

Friday: Go Git (weekend tradition)

Share your weekend snapshot.

An ornament from our tree. I positioned the camera on a tripod, put a star lens on, opened the aperture as far as it would go and zoomed in - natural light.

Our tree is what I affectionately call our “hodge-podge” tree. We have a little bit of everything. Mostly, our tree consists of ornaments the kids have made, ornaments I bought when the kids were little, ornaments I bought throughout the years for various reasons, ornaments that people have given me and of course, apples, colored glass balls, red bows and icicles. Though it’s not the fanciest tree you’ll ever encounter, it’s special to us because every branch holds some sort of memory.

We decorated our tree last weekend. The tradition in our house is to put our decorations up the day after Thanksgiving and take them all down the weekend after Christmas. I put the tree together (because we prefer a fake tree to a real tree - are you kidding me? With my track record, our tree would be dead inside a week), the hubs strings the lights, the kids put on the ornaments (while I sit by and put hooks on them), and then I finish the tree by hanging icicles. I sometimes catch the kids, draped across a piece of furniture, listening to Christmas music and staring at the lights.

It’s good to have dreams.

_________________________

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My oldest niece taking a snooze on our couch (notice our new print pillows!)

So, we survived the Thanksgiving dinner. For those of you that don’t know, it was our turn to host Thanksgiving dinner for my husband’s family - which worked out to be 22 people.

We cooked our turkeys the day before and ended up buying a very expensive Honeybaked Ham (but MAN, that thing was worth it; it tasted like candy and we will definitely do that again). We also cooked the stuffing, the potatoes (tip: add a couple of chicken cubes to the water for a delicious added taste), the yeast rolls and deviled eggs. Everyone else brought a fruit salad, a vingerette salad, a pea and cauliflower salad, corn on the cob, green bean casserole and 14 pies; and we had just enough food to feed everyone.

We rented a 10 ft. table and 10 chairs and I’m so glad we did, there’s no way we would have had enough seating otherwise. After everyone ate, we stored the table and chairs and played Last Word.

Basically this is how you play:

Players think up words in a given category that start with a given letter
Players race against opponents to get in the last word
Random-interval timer keeps everyone guessing
The player with the last word in before the timer sounds advances

I quite literally yelled myself hoarse. And I discovered that I quite suck at that game. I couldn’t think of anything. But it didn’t matter, we laughed and debated so much over answers that I didn’t care that my orange peg was going nowhere.

After we worked up a sweat (you think I’m kidding?), the guys went outside to play some football and I dragged out the Christmas ornament craft kits.

I think everyone had a good time putting them together (at least I hope they did, I hope this year doesn’t go down in history as “that year that Karen made us do those stupid Christmas ornaments”) and it was very entertaining to listen to both sisters (the gal with the short blonde hair and the gal next to her in the black on the right-hand side of the picture) bicker back and forth, all in good fun you understand. *koff*

After we crafted ourselves out, we dragged out the remaining turkey and ham and had leftovers for dinner. Everyone stayed until 8:30 p.m.

And as you can see in the very first picture, we tuckered our guests out. It was a really fun holiday and I’m really glad it’s over and we aren’t expected to host another dinner until 2010.

Share your weekend snapshot.

It’s official. We now have a tropical bathroom. We found this picture, and two others, at Hobby Lobby over the weekend. We really like how the colors pop against the mushroom-colored (oh yes, you read that correctly, mushroom) paint.

The hubs put the white trim up as well and I must admit, I’m liking it a lot better. I have finally decided what to put on the wall by the mirror - a basket full of tropical foilage with one large orange flower and one large red flower to offset the pictures we just hung.

My in-laws came over for pizza Saturday night and I could tell by my MIL’s reaction, she truly liked what we had done. This made me feel a tad better about where we were going with this bathroom and I have to admit, it IS different.

I think I can live with this mushroom-colored bathroom - at least, until we host the next Thanksgiving dinner.

So folks I’m curious - what did you do this past weekend? Do you have a picture? Let’s see it!

Feel like being funny?

Is anyone else thinking a young George Constanza here?

His chubby arms kill me!

Pick up more recipe ideas here.

On the menu this week:

Monday: Smothered Steak

I got this recipe from a gal I used to work with at Wal-Mart. It’s incredibly fast and easy and the guys love it.

Ingredients:

Round steak
1 Green Pepper (cut into rings, don’t dice it)
1/2 onion (cut into rings)
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce

Brown round steak, (don’t add oil. It makes it’s own juices), both sides, in electric skillet. Turn heat down to simmer. Pour stewed tomatoes (with juice) on top of steak. Pour can of tomato sauce on top of steak and tomatoes. Place green pepper and onion rings on top.

Cover skillet and let simmer all day.

And that’s it. The meat will soften and fall apart when you pick it up, it’s so tender. And the flavors … YUM.

We usually have this with mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes and hot, fresh yeast rolls. It’s a favorite in our house and I love it because it’s so gosh-darn easy to fix.

Tuesday: Nachos Supreme

Wednesday: White Chili

Thursday: Beef & Broccoli

Friday: Go Git (family tradition)

Saturday and Sunday, we usually either go out for lunch or dinner and whatever meal we go out for, we eat in for the other meal. For example: Saturday we’ll stay home and eat frozen pizza for lunch and then go out to dinner. Sunday, we’ll out to lunch and have tacos for dinner (something fast and easy because you know how I feel about the whole cooking thing). We do this to save money and time. Who wants to slave over a hot stove all weekend long? Not me!

Pick up more recipe ideas here.

Ya’ll know I’m not a big cook, but considering I live in a house full of guys, I don’t have much choice, I have to cook; I’m out numbered three to one.

And considering I hate cooking and never spend a lot of my time thinking about cooking, I force myself to make a menu for the following week every Friday (I grocery shop on Fridays). But I don’t stop there. When we cook anything, we usually “tweak” it and make it better - or at least, we tweak it to our tastes. So, a lot of these recipes I link to, we don’t actually follow to the letter. (As I’m sure a lot of you don’t).

This week, I’d like to give you an exact recipe of one of the dinners below so you can see how we adjust it to suit us.

Here is what’s on the menu this week:

Monday: Beef Stew (which I just finished putting together. I like to brown the meat before adding to the crockpot because it seals in the juices. I also drain the meat on a paper plate/paper towel because the thought of consuming all of that grease makes me ill).

Tuesday: Stir-Fry Chicken w/ Zucchini

Now for the recipe we actually use, it’s one of our favorites, well, it’s one of me and the hubs’ favorites, the kids aren’t crazy about the zucchini.

Ingredients:

Three large pre-cooked boneless chicken breasts (we prefer the frozen kind at Wal-Mart. I then cook it in a George Foreman-type grill because I’m super paranoid about eating under cooked chicken. I’m paranoid for a reason - I’ve had salmonella poisoning one too many times).
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp soy sauce (the recipe actually calls for additional salt, but we love soy sauce so much and use so much of it that adding additional salt makes it way too salty).
3 medium zucchini
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. water
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove (or adding a pinch of garlic powder also does the trick if you don’t want to mess with the clean up, which I usually don’t).
1 tsp. ginger powder (again, you could chop gingerroot, but … why?)
One handful of mushrooms (the kids don’t like them - why cook extra?)
1/2 cup chicken broth
More soy sauce

My Directions:

Mix together the 2 Tbsp. cornstarch and 2 Tbsp of water in separate bowl and set aside for later.

Score zucchini on three sides (just to make it look pretty). Cut lengthwise into halves; cut each diagonally into 1/4-inch slices.

Heat olive oil up on wok.

Dump in (like how I just tell it how it is as opposed to saying, “add”), onion, garlic powder, ginger, and zucchini; cook and stir until veggies are slightly browned (this goes fast and watch that you don’t allow your veggies to get too mushy).

Stir in chicken (remember, it’s already cooked so shouldn’t take that long to heat up), chicken broth, mushrooms (we add mushrooms last because we can’t stand mushy mushrooms) and 2 Tbsp. soy sauce; heat to boiling.

Stir in reserved cornstarch mixture (to thicken the brew); boil and stir for one minute.

Serve with white rice, sprinkle with more soy sauce (see why I don’t add additional salt?)

This would probably serve six, but considering I have three hungry guys, we usually eat all of it - just the four of us.

And of course, enjoy.

Wednesday: Chilighetti

Thursday: Pot Roast (we like having pot roast late in the week because we use the left overs to make BBQ sandwiches for lunch on Saturdays)

Friday: Go git (we eat out on Fridays - it’s a tradition).

**Bonus: I can’t eat bananas, but I LOVE bananas. (Doesn’t that just figure?) The hubs’ is allergic to them, and MK doesn’t eat fruit. This leave GD. So whenever I buy bananas (which isn’t often), he’s usually the one to eat them. Only this go-around, he wasn’t “in the mood” for them, so now I have a ton of over-ripe bananas. What’s a mom to do?

Why, make banana bread, of course.

I eat banana bread, even though I shouldn’t, and the boys LOVE banana bread and considering this is the only way I can get MK to eat fruit, by disguising it, I make banana bread quite a bit. Here’s a low-fat recipe for banana bread. It’s from the “New Dieter’s Cook Book.”

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
2 slightly beaten egg whites
1 cup mashed bananas (that usually works out to be 2 over-ripe bananas - mash ‘em good!)
3/4 c sugar
1/4 oil

(My) Directions:

Separate egg whites, beat slightly. Mix in mashed bananas, sugar, and oil. Mix well. Pour in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

(It calls to mix together dry goods in separate bowl and then add to banana mixture, but why? You dirty up a bowl for no reason. Just pour the dry ingredients in on top of the banana mixture and fold in - works just as well and is twice as fast. Remember, I’m all about efficiency here. In and out of the kitchen, that’s my motto *grin*).

Spray bread loaf pan with nonstick oil; pour in batter. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes or till toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Enjoy.

And we will. We love banana bread. My intestines won’t enjoy it, but tough. I’ll suffer through it. *grin*

And that’s what I’ll be doing this afternoon, making two loaves of banana bread. Want to come over and share a slice with me? Bring coffee.

Pick up more recipe ideas here.

HAPPY LABOR DAY! Get some rest and enjoy your families.

Here’s what the kitchen is serving this week:

Monday - Chicken Pot Pie

Tuesday - Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

Wednesday - Lasagna

Thursday - Chicken Alfredo (Even though the cream version is DE-LISH, substitute the cream with sour cream - it’s just as creamy and a lot less fattening).

Friday - Go Git (We eat out every Friday - gives everyone a break. )

What is this?

Free association is described as a “psychonanalytic procedure in which a person is encouraged to give free rein to his or her thoughts and feelings, verbalizing whatever comes into the mind without monitoring its content.” Over time, this technique is supposed to help bring forth repressed thoughts and feelings that the person can then work through to gain a better sense of self.

Babble-schmabble, I’m not a big fan of repressed thoughts/feelings. However, verbalizing feelings ARE fun, so let’s see where this takes us:

1. Darling ::

Little Rascals, little dark-haired girl, loveable, partner, 50’s-type mother and wife who entertains a lot and calls people darling in an overly sweet tone of voice.

2. Majesty ::

King, prince, husband (*snort* in his dreams), a subservient girl

3. Pebble ::

creek, pond, lake, shoe, hard, small, troublesome, something to knock against the window to gain a lover’s attention

4. Fate ::

controllable, destiny, resigned

5. Instant ::

moment, now, urgent, coffee, fast, immediate, convenient

6. Screen ::

dressing room, shield, small holes, necessary to keep bugs out, barrier, mysterious

7. Unplugged ::

powerless, crazy, uncontrollable, wild, uncensored

8. Dairy ::

indigestion, cow, cheese, curds, stink, farmer, got milk, delicious, yogurt, creamy, unnatural

9. Benefactor ::

sugar daddy, peace of mind, inheritance, upon death, trustworthy, legal

10. Market ::

flea, super, wares, goods, selling, buying, variety, booth, handbasket, browse, stocks, stress, unpredictable, money pit

Your turn. What’s the first thing(s) that comes to mind when you read the following words (feel free to copy and paste the words in the comment section):

Darling ::
Majesty ::
Pebble ::
Fate ::
Instant ::
Screen ::
Unplugged ::
Dairy ::
Benefactor ::
Market ::
____________________________

Need a chuckle? Click here.

Want to play?

Well. These questions are timely considering my computer is acting funny this morning. I’m doing my normal routine, checking emails, the sites I check every day when *BAM*. I get a pop-up about cleaning off all of the porn site information stored in my memory.

*snort* Yeah. Like I visit these types of sites EVER.

So, I’m in the process of scanning right now. I’ve emptied my cache, files and cookies and am awaiting results of the scan. Let’s hope it comes back clean because dang it, I don’t even have time to reformat my hard drive. However, I can’t connect to any servers until I know everything is on the up-and-up, so I’ll play it safe, I’ll make backups and move files to my laptop, just in case.

Why do people have to be so evil? Why do low-lifes have to sit around and program viruses in the first place? Boredom? Unhappiness? Devil spirits?

Seriously. Grow up. Get a life. Leave the rest of us decent folks alone.

Anyhoo … moving on …

1. How many desktop computers in your home?

Brace yourself. Six. We have six desktops. There’s one in my husband’s office, one in the kitchen, I have two, MK has one in his room and GD has one in his room. Did I mention we’re a geeky-sort of family? We heart our computers.

In fact, and don’t tell the boys this, the hubs just bought two more desktops from uBid two days ago. uBid is a computer site that sells refurbished computers for dirt cheap. We have bought several computers from them in the past and have never had any problems. The computers he bought are incredibe.

They are identical and are Gateway DX420 Desktop Pentium D 3.0ghz 512MB 160GB DVD CDRW’s. They both come with Windows Vista. (Which I’m not exactly thrilled about, but GD will be ESTATIC because he’s been wanting to upgrade to XP for like forever now). Don’t worry. I know a lot about computers and even this looks like gibberish to me. But I had to grab a napkin and swab up the hubs’ saliva when he ran across these babies on uBid. The boys don’t know they are getting them yet. They are going to be so surprised! We’re hoping this will motivate them to do well in school. How, you ask? Because if they don’t keep those grades up, they will will not only lose computer time, they will lose these awesome computers as well. (By the way, did you notice I spelled it lose and loose? Loose means not rigidly fastened. Sorry, MAJOR pet peeve of mine).

2. How many laptops?

Just two. The older one is on a shelf above the treadmill and I use it to watch DVD’s while I’m walking. (Which for those curious - I’m currently watching Sex in the City, season four [MAN. There’s been a lot of nudity so far!!], and CSI, season one).

The other one I use on a regular basis and is my “business” notebook. I usually cart it off to the library when I feel the urge to write and/or when I really need to get some stuff done because staying home is too distracting and unproductive sometimes.

They are both Toshibas. I heart Toshiba.

3. What kind of internet service do you have? (i.e. phone modem, dsl, etc.)

DSL through Sbcglobal. Our Internet connection rocks. We were having all sorts of trouble getting kicked off until we replaced the modem and now it’s a steady and reliable connection. Whenever we’ve had problems in the past, sbcglobal has been absolutley amazing in getting us back up and running. Considering I work from home and NEED a reliable Internet connection, this great customer service has been particuliarly important to us.

4. Do you tend to use more than one email account regularly?

I have six email accounts. My regular one friends and family use. My professional one clients use. One for this blog. One for the Write Stuff blog. One for the Blog Talkers blog. And one for the Creative Carnival. (A Blog Carnival for writers).

I have my personal and professional accounts on Outlook and check every twenty minutes - I check the others at least twice a day.

5. Do you use email as a main source for communicating to your family and friends?

Yes. In fact, I will email anyone and everyone just to avoid the phone. I hate talking on the phone. HATE. IT. Besides, considering I’m on the computer every day, all day long, it really is the best way to “talk” to me.

My blog is also another form of communication with my family. In fact, whenever I get together with my mom, I will start to tell her something and she’s all like, “Yeah. I know. I read it on your blog.”

*sigh* Me thinks I tell ya’ll WAY too much about my life.

6. What kind of computer monitor do you own (flatscreen, or other)?

We all have flat screen monitors, except for MK. He still has one of those monster monitors. We recently bought him a new desk (he was using a crappy throwback from twenty years ago) and he now has a lot less room because of his monitor. He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s also getting a flat screen monitor this week - again, another incredible deal through uBid.

Well. My computer has stopped scanning and it’s not showing any viruses. Hhmm … I find that a little suspect. Whenever pop-ups appear like that, it’s not usually a random act. I’m pretty sure I know which site prompted the pop-up, so I think I’ll avoid that site for a bit in case they have something and aren’t aware of it right now.

I think I’ll run a few more tests before I resume business as usual. Considering I access so many servers, I want to be doubly sure I don’t accidentally transfer something nasty. If you haven’t run a virus scan in a while, OR made backups, this might be a good time to remind ya’ll that now is the time to do it.

Have a great Monday!

Pick up more recipe ideas here.

Here’s what the kitchen is serving this week:

Monday: Enchiladas

Tuesday: Chicken Hash

Wednesday: Cowboy stew with corn bread (Yeehaw!)

Thursday: Chicken Chalupas

Friday: Leaving for one week vacation in Colorado!! Woohoo!!

Laura’s post inspired me to share with you all my cooking routine, er, what there is of it.

I do not enjoy cooking. I cook because I have to. I cook because I live with three (growing) boys who have to EAT and EAT right now. If it were just me, I’d be more than happy to eat salads and sandwiches every night.

So, I’m forced to think about food. A lot.

I used to be the world’s WORST at getting dinners ready. I’d put off thinking about dinner until about 30 minutes before the guys started grunting like cavemen and then I’d be frantic because I wouldn’t have anything to make dinner with. So, we ended up just grabbing something quick most nights or having tacos. We used to eat tacos all the time.

And then I read, somewhere, someone who actually planned her menus and I thought, HELLO! Why haven’t I been doing that? So, for the past few years, I’ve been planning our menu out a week in advance and it’s worked beautifully.

My husband I used to go grocery shopping every Sunday. But it was starting to eat too much time out of his weekend, so now I go on Fridays. Thursday nights, when we’re all sitting around the dinner table (we eat dinner as a family every night!) I take suggestions for the following week’s dinner and plan the menu. Then I look up the recipes, make a grocery list and when I go shopping on Friday, I buy just what I need. Not only am I saving money by doing this, I’m not buying a bunch of junk food, either. Believe me, my hips thank me every day.

Also, I pre-cook hamburger meat. I buy a package at our local meat mart (because folks, Wal-Mart meat is nasty. If you have a meat mart close by, spend the few extra dollars and buy quality meat - it makes a HUGE difference!), and cook the entire package. (I also rinse our meat - sure it’s a little dryer, but we’re not clogging our arteries with grease either). I divide the package up into thirds, bag it, and then freeze it. When it’s time for a hamburger recipe, I pop the frozen meat into the microwave for two minutes, just long enough to break it up and toss it into my recipe. Saves a TON OF TIME!

I too have a folder of tried and true recipes. We keep track of “winners” and routinely rotate them. I know it’s time for something new whenever my family groans, rolls their eyes and says, “We’re having that again?!” whenever they see what’s on the menu board (oh yes, we keep a dry erase/menu board, too). So, I’m especially grateful for Laura’s Menu Plan Monday meme because it’s given me new recipes to try out - my family thanks you, too!

So tell me, do you plan out your meals?

__________________________

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Funny Monday meme.

There is a mute who wants to buy a toothbrush. By imitating the action of brushing one’s teeth, he successfully expresses himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase is done.

Now if there is a blind man who wishes to buy a pair of sunglasses, how should he express himself?

Think about it first before scrolling down for the answer…

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He opens his mouth and says, “I would like to buy a pair of sunglasses.”

What is this?

Free association is described as a “psychonanalytic procedure in which a person is encouraged to give free rein to his or her thoughts and feelings, verbalizing whatever comes into the mind without monitoring its content.” Over time, this technique is supposed to help bring forth repressed thoughts and feelings that the person can then work through to gain a better sense of self.

Babble-schmabble, I’m not a big fan of repressed thoughts/feelings. However, verbalizing feelings ARE fun, so let’s see where this takes us:

1. Partner ::
mate, husband, cowboy, co-conspirator, bed fellow, friend

Your turn. What’s the first thing(s) that comes to mind when you read the following words (feel free to copy and paste the words in the comment section):

Partner ::
News ::
Foam ::
Paycheck ::
Me ::
Eight ::
Dairy ::
Exciting ::
Hockey ::
Socialite ::

____________________________

Need a chuckle? Click here.

Want to play?

1. In your opinion, what is the perfect summer daytime temperature?

I’d have to say about 77 degrees. We have a lot of humidity here in Missouri and 77 tends to be a perfect mix of warm, cool and low humidity.

But 77 degrees can be a little cool for swimming (which we do a lot of in the summer). So, for swimming, I’d have to say 83 degrees and up is perfect for swimming. Any hotter than that and that’s ALL you want to do because of the sticky, heavy moisture that hangs over us like a wet blanket.

2. What is the perfect nighttime temperature?

You know, it’s funny, but when I’m awake, I’m constantly hot. I don’t know if it’s because I have overactive sweat glands, or if I burn calories in fifth gear, but I’m either always sweating, or on the verge of sweating - and nothing is more embarrassing than walking around with tiny beads of sweat on my upper lip (which I’m constantly having to wipe off). But when I sleep, my core temperature drops like 20 degrees. Seriously, it plummets into single digits and there’s rarely a morning I get up NOT cold. So to make a long answer short, the perfect nighttime temperature for me is about 55 to 60 degrees. I like it cool, but not so cold that I have ice crystals embedded in my nostrils. lol

3. Do you plant many flowers around your yard?

Absolutely not. I ABHOR gardening in any form. I simply can’t stand to get on my knees and dip my hands in dirt and worms. However, I love flowers - well, LOOKING at flowers. This means, I like to walk by, take deep breaths and simply enjoy their colors but when it comes to taking care of them - I tend to forget about them and they die.

The boys recently dug up the grassy area next to our house (in between the sidewalk and the house) to put rocks there; the boys were earning “money” to buy a new Gameboy DS game.

The hubs requested this so he wouldn’t have to mess with that section when he mowed. Though I respect the fact that he is trying to streamline the whole taking care of the yard process, I’m not crazy about the rocks. Now there’s no contrast between our house and the sidewalk - it’s all rocks.

So, we’ve been looking at putting some colorful scrubs in that area instead. My only stipulation? They must be hardy shrubs because there is no way I’ll remember to get out there and water them. I love having a nice yard, I’m just not going to be the one taking care of it. Why? Because I’m spoiled … read on.

4. How much lawn do you have to mow? Do you enjoy mowing lawn?

I don’t DO lawns. See? I’m spoiled rotten to the core. I’ve never mowed a lawn in my life. Which isn’t to say I can’t, (I mean, how hard is it, exactly?) I just choose to boot my three guys out there to do it for me; this would be yet another advantage to living with three men, hehe. GD helps the hubs mow the grass every weekend. We tried to get MK out there to help, but he’s still too short to comfortably reach the riding mower’s pedals, so he’ll have to wait until next summer to do that part. However, he picks up limbs and trims the hedges, so it all works out.

The guys work on the lawn every Saturday. We (as in they) don’t really have to mow more than once a week unless it’s been a particularly rainy week (which we’ve been having lately). All of our neighbors use this one older gentlemen to mow their lawns - we’re (as in my guys) are the only ones who still take care of our own lawn anymore. However, if I didn’t have the hubs around, I would most certainly hire someone to take care of it for me. As I mentioned, I don’t DO lawns. (I’m such a yard snob).

5. Of the summer months, which is your favorite?

Hhhmm, I was going to say June, simply because the weather is still pretty decent and it’s neither too hot, nor too humid. But I’m going to have to say July instead. Why? Because of 4th of July (we always buy a butt-load of firecrackers and then mooch of the country club’s firework show, make homemade ice cream and drink ice-cold lemonade), and that’s the month we usually take our family vacation in. Though the weather is pretty sticky by this time, I’ve usually resigned myself to looking like crap and I don’t really care how the pictures turn out - I can always doctor them later (thank GOD for PhotoShop. lol).

6. Do you take a long vacation each summer?

Yep, usually a week. We’ve been to Florida four times over the past summers. And though the beach is fun and all that, we’ve gotten burned out. We spent a week by the lake down in Branson last year, mainly to replenish our savings account, and that was fun and all, but it gets boring - fast.

This year, we’re heading to Estes Park, Colorado. We’ll be driving our camper/trailer there. It’s about a 13-hour drive, which means we’ll have to stop in Wakeeney, Kansas on the way up there, and Salina, Kansas on the way back. Estes Park is in the southeast portion of the state, just at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.

We’re really looking forward to it. Though it will be a long drive, it will be worth the inconvenience once we see the mountains and can breathe in that fresh mountain air. We plan on hiking, bike riding, visiting quaint shops and possibly a ghost town; I’d also like to attempt a horseback ride - we’ll see how brave I feel once we get there. And no, I’ve never ridden a horse in my life. All in all, I’m predicting losing about ten pounds by the time we get back, lol. And hey, that’s the best kind of vacation, right?

7. Is summer your favorite season? If so, why? If not, why not?

No, I’d say Summer is my second favorite season - Fall being the first. I LOVE the crisp, cool air in the Fall, and of course, all of the turning leaves. Not to mention the fact that the kids go back to school. *grin*

Winter would be my third and Spring my last. Why? One word: allergies.

What’s your favorite season?

What is this?

Free association is described as a “psychonanalytic procedure in which a person is encouraged to give free rein to his or her thoughts and feelings, verbalizing whatever comes into the mind without monitoring its content.” Over time, this technique is supposed to help bring forth repressed thoughts and feelings that the person can then work through to gain a better sense of self.

Babble-schmabble, I’m not a big fan of repressed thoughts/feelings. However, verbalizing feelings ARE fun, so let’s see where this takes us:

1. Acoustic :: guitar, a lone voice, beautiful, haunting
2. Sanity :: necessary for a successful life, a state of mind, controllable
3. Mambo :: hot sexy guys, beautiful women, flowing skirts, perspiration, sex
4. Session :: therapy, expensive, group, helpful, co-dependent
5. Hound :: bother, annoyance, irritating, dog, slobber, dumb
6. Cat :: snooty, furry, slang, black beret, long thin cigarettes, snap
7. Coward :: wuss, afraid, pathetic, cautious, small
8. Trunk :: car, body, hiding place, spare tire, tire iron, flashlight, rear-end
9. Hold me :: affectionate, comfortable, suffocating, clingy
10. Psychological :: imaginary, too important, crazy, possessed, confused

Your turn. What’s the first thing(s) that comes to mind when you read the following words (feel free to copy and paste the words in the comment section):

1. Acoustic ::
2. Sanity ::
3. Mambo ::
4. Session ::
5. Hound ::
6. Cat ::
7. Coward ::
8. Trunk ::
9. Hold me ::
10. Psychological ::

Pick up more recipe ideas here.

Here’s what the kitchen is serving this week:

Monday: Chicken and Broccoli stir fry

Tuesday: Naked Burritos (a Qdoba Mexican restaurant recipe)

Wednesday: Chicken Hash (Pampered Chef recipe - one of our favorites!)

Thursday: Tilapia Fish

Friday: Go-Git BBQ chicken at Rib Crib (yum!)
(We eat out on Fridays - it’s a tradition)

Don’t forget to make meal time family time! It’s important!

**Update: By the way folks, I HIGHLY recommend checking out other Monday Menu participants - I’ve already printed off two new recipes and can’t wait to try them! Believe me when I say, MY FAMILY THANKS YOU!

Seriously, if you’re stuck in a rut menu-wise, this is the place to find tried and true recipes.