YUM

This morning K, Grandma and I made Deceitfully Healthful Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins which I found on a great blog called "Frugal Homemaking". They were easy to make and taste so good! I am going to freeze half of them for quick breakfasts/snacks later on. I did make a few simple changes to make them even healthier and think the results are rather tasty. :)

1.5 cups oatmeal (I used quick oats.)

2 and 2/3 cups flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat flour and the rest was all-purpose flour.)

2/3 cup sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs, beaten (I used Egg Beaters egg whites.)

1.5 cups milk

.5 cup vegetable oil (I used canola.)

6 oz. mini-chocolate chips (half of a bag)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 24 muffin cups. Combine the dry ingredients--oatmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and create a well in the middle of the mixture. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients--eggs, milk and oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir just until moistened. Add the mini chips until evenly combined. Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until tops are light golden. Remove from oven, and allow to cool for 5 minutes before handling.

Weekly Menu--April 5

My mother-in-law is coming tomorrow! I'm looking forward to having her with us for a week. We aren't on break so it'll be a busy week, but it will be fun to have her here. :)

Here's the menu for the week..

Monday--used an Entertainment coupon for Domino's Pizza
Tuesday--Zucchini, Carrot and Black Bean Quesadillas, baked potatoes
Wednesday--Pizza Rolls and cauliflower w/light cheese sauce (new recipes)
Thursday--Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken and brown rice
Friday--Eegees on the way to Chorale Fest in Phoenix (with carrots and chips)
Saturday--Absolutely Delicious Turkey Burgers and Tomato-Basil Pasta Salad (new recipe)


Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken
2 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup salsa
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 pkg taco seasoning (I make my own)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Place chicken in greased crockpot. Pour broth, salsa, corn, beans and taco seasoning over chicken. Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours or high heat 3-4 hours. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and place on serving dish. Stir sour cream and cheese into sauce in crockpot, then pour over chicken. Makes 3-5 servings.

Serve with warm tortillas and Spanish rice.

Insomnia

UGH...it's 3 AM and I'm wide awake--again! I hate my sleep patterns lately. I have no trouble falling asleep--often before 10 pm. Then I'm awake before 5:30, which isn't too awful. But, 2:30 AM? That just bites! I'll play on the computer a bit and then crawl into bed and fall back asleep until K wakes us up around 6. I wish I knew why I have these sleep issues. It's very frustrating...

Anyway, yesterday was my birthday and I had a really nice day with my guys. I had a few hours to myself in the morning and then we went to a nearby state park to hike. The wildflowers are in bloom so it was a pretty jaunt. :) I wish we could have stayed longer, but we had a full day of activities planned. After hiking we went to M*mi's Cafe for lunch. The whole restaurant resembles a French bistro so I love it there! Then we ran into the mall for a bit. I ended up buying stuff for K, but nothing for me. We all enjoyed the first "Chipmunks" movie so we went to the cheap theater to see the Squeakel. It was okay. We then went home to dye Easter eggs, give K a haircut and bath and then get him to bed early since it was Day #3 without a nap. (He was asleep by 6:30) Mike made homemade pizza for supper and we watched "The Informant"...interesting movie, I guess...

Speaking of birthdays...did you realize how awesome it is to sign up for restaurant e-clubs? You can really get lots of freebies on your birthday when you do! I think I got around 20 different emails for free dessert or appetizer, free meal, or money-off coupons. It's fun! We used the F*mous D*ave's email for a free rib dinner. I took K out for lunch and used my free dessert at Chili s. (SO YUMMY!) The best part is that you usually have about 2 weeks to use the coupons so you can actually have some time to use more than one, if you want. Just head to the website of your favorite restaurants and sign up for their e-club. It's so worth it!

It's Easter morning! It's so cool to talk with K about Good Friday and Easter. He understands so much better now that he's a year older. He knows that today is a very happy day to celebrate what Jesus has done for us. I LOVE Easter morning services--especially with the trumpet playing. I think singing "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" with the trumpet is the best. It never fails to bring tears to my eyes. What an amazing God we have! Happy Easter!

Relaxation

We are back from a quick jaunt up to Phoenix to really enjoy "Spring Break". While at home Mike was still busy with school stuff and we both were working on home projects so there was not too much relaxing or renewing going on. We went up to Phoenix yesterday and spent some time at Ikea. K had a blast in the supervised Kids' Area while Mike and I got some things to help with organization in the house. (I LOVE that store!!!) We then headed over to a huge park to eat some lunch and hike. Well, that was the plan anyway... It was warm and we ate late and I had not had much to drink all morning so I think that all contributed to me all-of-a-sudden feel horrible and just wanting to lie down on the ground. I drank some water and rested in the car a bit and started to feel better, but Mike didn't think we should try hiking when I had just felt like collapsing. So, we headed to the motel early and got checked in. I got a great deal on a suite in Scottsdale that had a full kitchen and allowed dogs! We were even right by the pool and it included a breakfast the next morning. (We are going to stay there again when we head up to Phoenix in May to spend time with relatives that are coming in from out east.) Mike and K went swimming and I relaxed in the room. The rest of the day was just spent chilling out and enjoying time together.

Today we had breakfast, another swim and then headed back to the park to attempt hiking again. The weather was perfect and we spent about 2 hours hiking, playing and doing a couple of geocaches. We then went to The Container Store and had lunch at Chik-fil-A...YUM!!! Then back to Tucson we went.

I am now enjoying my last moments of "vacation" since tomorrow I must tackle the messy house and hopefully get things back to order in the guest room. Mike did an awesome job putting in a new floor and now just needs to get the baseboards in! Hopefully tomorrow!! I'm so thankful for this past week of a break from the normal routine! :)

Weekly Menu--March 14

I'm slowly getting things organized this week. Tonight I am having a Ziploc House Party! Zipoc sent me a gigantic box of products to share with friends. Unfortunately, not a whole lot of my friends can come since it's spring break, but those that can make it will be getting Ziploc containers, Ziploc memo pads & sharpies, coupons and organizational ideas. I also found lots of great ideas for using Ziploc containers and bags so we'll be talking about those as well. It should be lots of fun!

So, here's what I'm going to attempt for meals this week...

Sunday: ordered pizza
Monday: South of the Border Wraps (Quick Cooking 1999) and brown rice
Tuesday: Potato Pancakes and Mediterranean Zucchini
Wednesday: Turkey Chili
Thursday: out
Friday: Portobello Mushroom burgers & roasted potatoes
Saturday: Minestrone Soup with Pasta, Beans and Vegetables

Since it's spring break we'll see if all these meals actually happen or not! ;)

Spring Break!

Aaahh...a whole week to relax and accomplish things...will it happen? I really hope so! I want us to have fun and spend time as a family this next week, but I'd also love to get some things done around the house.

*Taxes!
*Get the garage back to normal after the water heater fiasco
*Get the extra room/guest room organized and livable after the water heater fiasco
*Organize all my new recipes
*Make all the spice blends and from-scratch sauces I want to try
*Find a new satellite/cable provider and save some money
*Get caught up on TV shows that I haven't watched for weeks

So far the fun things we have planned...
*Book Festival at U of A
*Spring Training game?
*Overnight trip to Phoenix with a visit to Ikea, hiking at Papago Park and fun at Schnepfs Farm

Today Mike is working at school to get lots done so he can be at home most of the break. I actually have off of work during break as well so it's going to feel weird to not be typing every afternoon/evening.

I'll let you know what actually gets accomplished--I really hope it's a lot! We'd love the guest room to be completed for my MIL's visit next month and my parents' visit after that.

Weekly Menu--March 7

I am finally back! My father-in-law went home to be with Jesus on Valentine's Day so we headed up to MN for a bit. When we got home we found our water heater had been leaking for who knows how long and there was a mess to take care. (And still isn't completely taken care of yet.) Then my sister came for a visit. It has been crazy around here and I'm praying things are settling down for a little while now. :) One week until spring break!!!

Here's what I'm planning for this week...

Sunday: Sloppy joes and eggplant

Monday: Dinner at a friend's house!

Tuesday: Leftover homemade pizza (from the freezer) and broccoli with cheese sauce

Wednesday: Oven Fried Chimichangas and brown rice

Thursday: Crockpot Lasagna and homemade rolls

Friday: Eegees (local sub shop we have a coupon for)

Saturday: Homemade pancakes with syrup and home style potatoes