Taco Ring

I tried a Taco Ring the other day. It was pretty simple and a great way to break up the monotony.
Here are a couple of pictures. It is pretty self explanatory.

Afterward I added Lettuce, Salsa and Sour Cream to the middle. It was a yummy simple meal that the kids loved.

Waffles with the Most Amazing Strawberry Sauce.

I have to apologize for the lack of posting. Between having my computer down for the last couple of days and having morning sickness, little has gotten done around my house.

Yes we are expecting baby number 3.

I have not wanted to cook at all. I got a new cookbook yesterday from William-Sonoma called Cooking Together. My 5 year old LOVES it (to say the least). She was so excited to pick a recipe and help me cook dinner last night. She was oh so helpful.

Here is the waffle and sauce recipe that we Loved.

Waffles Sticks with Strawberry Sauce

Ingredients For Sauce:
2 c. hulled strawberries
2 T. Brown Sugar
2 T. Orange Juice
1/4 t. Vanilla

Directions for Sauce:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside or Freeze for Future use.

Ingredients for Waffles:
1 1/2 c. Flour
2 T. Sugar
2 t. Baking powder
1 t. Baking Soda
2 Large Eggs, Separated
2 c. Buttermilk
1/4 c. Milk
1/4 c. melted butter
1/4 t. Vanilla

Directions for Waffles:
1. Combine all dry ingredients
2. In a separate bowl combine Buttermilk, milk, butter, vanilla and egg yolks.
3.Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. With an electric blender blend egg whites until white and fluffy forming soft peaks. Then fold egg whites into the flour-buttermilk mixture and stir until blended.
5. Pour on waffle iron and cook. When the waffle is ready, transfer it to a rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in the over. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding each finished waffle to the baking sheet without stacking the waffles.
6. Cut the waffles into sticks or wedges and serve with the strawberry sauce for dipping.

My kids loved the strawberry sauce and even wanted to drink it.

I don't blame them. It was delicious! The orange juice adds the perfect touch.

This is a life long recipe that we will use over and over again. Not just on waffles, but over ice cream, on crepes, pancakes, cake, etc.

Meatballs or Chicken Sauce

(Family Favorite Recipes)

I found this recipe this week on one of my favorite recipe blogs. I looked at the meatball sauce recipe and thought it would be great on Chicken as well, so last night I took 3 chicken Breasts and seared them over high heat in some Olive Oil. Then I placed them in a pan and Baked them at 375 for 20 minutes. After 20 Minutes I poured the sauce over the chicken in a casserole dish and baked 15 more minutes.

Talk about delicious! My husband loved it and said that it was a meal that we need to keep around. We used the extra sauce to pour over our mashed potatoes, which was delicious.

So here is the Meatball recipe that I hopefully get to try soon...Anything to get my kids to eat some veggies. Supposedly the kids don't even know what is in the meatballs, they just love them.

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef
2-3 carrots, shredded
1 large potato, shredded (raw)
1 yellow onion, grated
1 egg
1/2 c. bread crumbs
red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1/2 c. sour cream
1 can milk
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Preaheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix meatball ingredients together. Roll into fairly large meatballs and place in a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish or large casserole (you will have to put them pretty close together and that's ok). Bake for 25-30 minutes (you can also brown them in a skillet instead of baking them but I am all about putting in the least amount of effort). Mix sauce ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl and mix with a whisk until creamy. After meatballs are browned, pour sauce evenly over the meatballs and place back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes (or until sides are hot and bubbly). Serve over rice.

Vintage Sports Room

One day I want to have a 'Man Cave' for my hubby. Somewhere that was meant for watching sports.
The picture that I have in my head has a vintage feel.

Leather Couches.

Warm Colors.

Multiple Televisions...

Get the idea?

Okay, so here are a couple of inspirations that I am going to use when I actually have the space to create something like this.

Vintage Art..

Sports Decor...

Oh, and the multiple TV thing...I think Eric would be in heaven!

Eating For Life

I recently used the excuse of not wanting to share my menu because we are doing the Eating for Life Diet and the recipes really are not that exciting.

One reader said, 'What is Eating for Life?', so after a couple of weeks of contemplating whether I should share or not I thought I would.

I might also share some of my Eating for Life Recipes in a new section called 'Healthy Eating'.

What is Eating for Life?

The Eating Portion of Body for Life. Body for Life is a diet that many people (including myself and many of my family/friends) have been successful on.

The diet was created by Bill Phillips and you can find more out about it here.

The Goal:

Eat a combination of lean protein and healthy carbohydrates every few hours throughout the day to speed up fat loss and maintain stable energy levels.
For best results, eat six times a day.

Approved Foods:

Protein

Chicken breast
Turkey breast
Lean ground turkey
Swordfish
Orange roughy
Haddock
Salmon
Tuna
Crab
Lobster
Shrimp
Top round steak
Top sirloin steak
Lean ground beef
Buffalo
Lean ham
Egg whites or substitutes
Trout
Low-fat cottage cheese
Wild-game meat
Turkey Bacon

Complex Carbohydrates

Potato
Sweet potato
Yams
Squash
Pumpkin
Steamed brown rice
Steamed wild rice
Lentils
Couscous
Kashi
Bulgur
Whole-wheat pasta
Oatmeal
Barley
Beans (black, kidney)
Corn
Strawberries
Melon
Apple
Orange
Fat-free yogurt
Fat-free milk
Whole-wheat bread
High-fiber cereal
Whole-wheat tortilla
Whole-wheat pita bread
Whole grains

Vegetables

Broccoli
Asparagus
Lettuce
Carrots
Cauliflower
Green beans
Green peppers
Mushrooms
Spinach
Tomato
Peas
Brussels sprouts
Artichoke
Cabbage
Celery
Zucchini
Cucumber
Onion

Vegetable Proteins

Tempeh
Seitan
Tofu
Texturized vegetable protein
Soy foods
Veggie burgers

Healthy Fats

Avocado
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Cold-water fish
Natural peanut butter
Low-fat cheese
Low-sodium nuts
Olives and olive oil
Safflower oil
Canola oil
Sunflower oil
Flax seed oil

If you are looking for some great Body for Life Recipes, Go here.

Kitchen Inspiration

I have been wanting to change my Kitchen for a while now. It is a little outdated. I also want to update it so that when we want to sale it, people are attracted to it.

When you walk in my front door, you immediately see the living room, dining room and kitchen (Yes that is how small it is).

Here is a pictures of what it looks like now.

I am still dreaming of changing it all.

The other day I found a perfect inspiration picture.

This is what I want to do with our Kitchen...

Okay, so here is my breakdown of how I think I can get it done for fairly inexpensive...

Sanding Sheets : $20 for two different set
2 Small Cans of Stain: $18.00
Polyurethane Spray : $10.97
Metal primer and Spray paint (Spray Hardware): $12
New Lighting Fixture: $30

Total: Less than $100

Now if I end up being able to tile the backslash that I LOVE in this photo, that is another $600 or so. But that is if my dad will help me get the job done (which I know he will).

What do you think of my ambitions? Do you think I can do it?

Wrap Around

Hubby and I always take time dreaming of future homes as I am sure many people do.

One thing that we actually agree on is to have a large or wrap around porch.

Here are a couple of pictures that are right out of my dreams.

To our continued dreaming...