Meal Planning Monday-vol. 3, wk. 16

April 5-19

Monday-old chicago tax day pizza prize
Tuesday-baked chicken chimichangas
Wednesday-baked pork chops
Thursday-cowboy casserole
Friday-confetti chicken and pasta

I don't know about you, but my fb feed has been blowing up lately with all sorts of recipes that people are sharing. Sometimes I just scroll right through them, but occasionally, the name or picture catches my eye and I and I'm lured in. That happened a few times last week and the result of that, will be the meals on Tuesday and Thursday. I'll let you know next week if they were as good as the recipe sounds. Friday's meal came from Pinterest.

mouth watering goodness

saw these on pinterest. thought they looked yummy. and easy. i made them. they were delicious.

***Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza Bites***

ingredients

chicken

cheese

bacon (i used 'real bacon' crumbles)

pillsbury pizza crust

Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package. Usually it's 400-425 degrees. Cook/chop bacon and cook/shred chicken. I just eyeballed the amount, add more or less to your liking.

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough so it's about 12" by 8". You're going to want to cut it into 12 squares. I used a pizza cutter to slice the dough.

Place cheese, chicken and bacon on each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch opposite corners and make sure seams are closed completely.

Then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed muffin tin. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle a bit of the dry ranch powder over top.

Place your rolls in the oven. Set your timer for 10 minutes and check on them after that. They may take up to 15 minutes to be done. (Mine baked about 12-13 minutes) Take them out when they're lightly golden on top.

Serve them warm with a side of freshly made ranch dressing for dipping...sour cream and ranch powder mix (made ahead of time). Adam and I didn't use the homemade ranch, but rather the salad dressing ranch. They were still delish.

*and the beer was quite delightful too.

meal planning monday-vol. 2, wk. 17

monday-grilled pork chops, pasta salad, spinach salad
tuesday-adam's in charge...sushi and bingo for me~it's girls night
wednesday-just me and the kids~pbj, veggie straws and fruit...maybe ice cream too
thursday-grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe
friday-pizza

Check back later today for a review on the braided spaghetti bread we had on Friday.

meal planning monday-vol. 2, wk 16

and because my family has to eat again this week, i give you, meal planning monday.

monday-*teriyaki, orange and ginger fish, rice and mixed veggies
tuesday-**grilled cheese, veggie sticks, apples and peanut butter
wednesday-cheesy chicken enchiladas verde, mexican rice
thursday-kielbasa, sauerkraut, bread and butter, fruit
friday-**braided spaghetti bread, fruit

*the fish is starkist seasations. we've tried all the other marinade flavors and this was our least favorite. pretty much guaranteed you won't be finding this in our freezer again.
**adam is working late. when this happens, i plan easy meals for the kids and i.
***this is a pinterest pin that sounds too fun not to try. i'll be sure to let you know next week how it turns out and our final decision on the concoction.

meal planning monday-vol. 2, wk 10

monday-6 inch turkey on honey oat, pepper jack, all veggies accept jalapenos with a little honey mustard (adam's working late)
tuesday-cajun chicken wraps, homemade applesauce, spinach salad
wednesday-grilled pork chops, roasted cauliflower, apple cherry dessert
thursday-crispy southwest chicken wraps, mexi-corn, strawberries
friday- grilled shrimp skewers, grilled veggies, brown rice

meal planning monday-vol. 2, wk 9

monday-taco salads
tuesday-teriyaki chicken and hawaiian rice
wednesday-tortellini vegetable bake
thursday-philly cheesesteak sloppy joes  and spinach salad
friday-lemon tilapia and mushrooms

pinterest dids-vol. 3

so, pinterest is still one of my favorite time wasters. i don't even want to admit how long often i was 'pinning' today. there are so many good ideas, recipes and diy projects that i want to do. if only i actually accomplished 1/8th of what i pin, i would be happy. anyway, here are some of the latest things i've done/attempted/made/etc. 

*i have been on a smoothie kick lately. i made this and even made a few of these to put in the freezer for quick smoothie making. 

*one of the hubs new favorites. here are a few other recipes that have made a regular showing in the kitchen.

*going to make these for baby girl's birthday party, only with cupcake picks instead of the hearts.
*the theme for baby girl's party. brother's was the same, but blue and green. 

*saw this and am so going to make it for little boy. i think he may have to wear it on the first day of preschool. 

*been doing this a few times a day, along with my kettle ball/bell workouts. ugh!

*in december i made these advent calendars with the boys. we also made these, these and these. 

*these are little 'tips' i've found. they work. spoon  berries  makeup  hair

*i made two of these that will hang above the tv once the rest of the walls are painted. 

happy pinning!

a week late

so here is the quick list of resolutions i have for 2012. i would like to stay with them all year, but really, most of us quite at some point. if i make it through the year, following through with one of these, i'll call it a successful year.

*exercise more-this won't be hard since there was pretty much NO exercise in 2011. the only thing is sticking to it.

*make wise(r) choices-mostly regarding food/drink. little-no pop. smaller portions. healthier snacks.

*get organized and stay organized-i can already tell this is going to be a hard one. trying to get organized causes a mess with everything that needs to be organized. i hope i can tackle this organized things my mid-march and stay there. 

*learn to drink wine and like it-i'm a beer girl at heart. i'm loyal, but i'm not against stepping away from my go-to alcoholic drink.

*go on more dates with my husband, kid free-i just need to find a sitter that lives close and that i trust. 

*spend less, donate more-i'm thinking about making all of those homemade cleaners that are floating around pinterest to save money. i want to plant a garden and grow my own produce. spending less time at target would help too, i'm sure.  i have tons of totes in the basement full of clothes that are begging to be donated. i just need to load 'em and get 'em out of here. 

*pray more-i know this is doable, but i also know that there were a lot of prayers said last year for one particular little girl, close to my hear, to be healthy again. my prayers were answered. i have no reason to stop now. i know God follows through!

*be patient and breathe-the kids really get me with this one. i've gone so far as to have it permanently placed on my wrist. since having it (late september) it has done its job.

pinterest dids-vol. 2

here are some more of my pinterest finds. i did some more and have been fairly happy with the outcomes of what i've done.


1. we went here. honeymooned here, here and here-i want to go back.
2. made something similar to this for my friend's 30th.
3. made these. we didn't care for them. these and these are next.
4. i've cooked this, this, this, and this. all worthy of being eaten again.
5. i've attempted this. yellow isn't a color to try.
6. hardwood floors requires a little skid proofing.
7. baby girl has a few of these i've made.

i'm still pinning some great ideas and thinking about tackling a few of them at the moment. what have you pinned and did?

pinterest dids-vol. 1

i've attempted to write a few posts about the things i've pinned and did, but it always seems like more work than i want to do at the time. i've started by taking pictures and doing a few step by step posts, but the pictures aren't great. i take pictures of the final product, but then they just sit on my camera forever. by the time i upload them, i have about 5 pinterest posts needing to be done, and then i'm back at 'more work than i want'. so, i'm going to link to the original pin i pinned from. please keep in mind that i am a perfectionist and all of the dids are much better than the pinned picture...okay, maybe not, but anyway, i pinned and i did-so there.

1. my huge zucchini became this. it was good.
2. i made this, minus the water and less cinnamon.
3. i made this for the boy. do you know how hard it is to find plain sponges with out the scrubby thing?!?
4. i've made a few of these. the boys love them. they squish them and throw them. super easy.
5. bought a clearanced pencil bag and made this, cheaper. little boy doesn't 'get it', but my nephew enjoyed it when he was here.
6. i've stenciled a few things.
7. i've done this and plan to do a few more.

i'll leave you with that for now. i have a list of at least 20 more things and by the time i post those, i'm sure i'll have 20 more things to share. what have you pinned and did?