A year and then some

January 22, 2010. The BEST day of my life!!!!
I got to marry this guy:


Here:


Surround by these people:


And got to party the night away in this:


Life could not get much better, or so I thought. It has been a year and life keeps going and is full of surprises. We have had our ups and downs and been mad and happy, but we still love eachother. We took a week off and just spent time with us. We went to Sundance, Vegas, and St George. We had way too much fun, got little sleep, spent time with friends and probably spent a little too much money. But it was well worth it. I love being married and cant believe that it has already been a year. Cant wait for a million more!!!
* I have tons of pics from the trip but I am too lazy to post them all, hopefully one day soon I will get the motivation to do it and write about it. But until then they are all on facebook.

I love this man!!!!

Lovers day

Even though I dont really care a whole ton for Valentines day, I do want to put out there that I do have the BEST Valentine in the WHOLE WORLD!!! He is my everything, I dont know what I would do without him. He makes life so much better and helps me feel as if I can do anything that I want.
Here is to you Lover Boy!



Who would not want this in their life?

Oh please!!

I am not one to vent on the internet, I prefer to keep it in, tell a person or two, be told its all good and move on. But tonight, it just aint happen. I am ready to punch something!
I really do love my job, I promise, but sometimes, I just want to take some parents and knock some sense into them. I know that being a parent can be stressful, and when you have a sick little one it can be even worse, but that does not give you the right to take out your crabbyness out on the staff that are trying to help your child get better. Granted at 3 AM we are all not in top shape and feeling as chipper as when we started 10 hours ago, but we are still helping you and your family. All we ask is for a bit of appreciation for the work that we are doing to help you get home quicker. I don't appreciate being told that I need to have an attitude adjustment when I am not the one throwing a fit over every little thing and yelling at everyone that comes into the room. I am sorry your child is sick and we cant give you the answers that you want to hear this second. I am sorry that you are sick of having a sick child and you are probably tired and just want a break. I am trying to do all I can within my power to make your stay pleasant. If you dont want help, then why the heck did you come at one in the morning if you know we wont do anything?!??! I mean really!

Some people really need to take a step back and see what is really causing the problem before they go yelling and pointing fingers at others. Totally not cool in my book and I do not appreciate it at all! If you dont like the service, go somewhere else!!

*Photo courtesy of goggle*

Soup anyone?

The last day or two I have loved the weather, highs in the 40's and only a light jacket required. But unfortunatly, winter is not over yet. Today it is getting a bit cooler and snow is on the way. What better way to warm up then by having some soup? I will be honest, I am not a big fan of soup, I dont really know why, but I just dont really care for it. I will eat soup out of a bread bowl on occasion but that is about it. I know I know, I am weird, but oh well.
One other food that I dont really care for is steak. Yes you read right, I dont really like steak. My family has been trying to convince me for years to like it, but it just wont happen. When my mom would make steak for dinner she would make either a piece of chicken or a hamburger for me bc I would not eat it. My husband is a lover of steak and I feel bad that I dont cook it for him. Every once in awhile he will buy a steak and eat it when I am not home. Poor guy, depriving him of some good meat apparently. :)
So with not being a fan of soup or steak, one would think I am nuts for trying this soup, but lets be honest, I am 25 and need to start expanding my palate, or so my husband tells me I need too..... Well I decided to take a chance of liking it and made the soup, and it was actually not too bad.

Slow Cooker Steak and Pasta Soup

1 lb boneless beef round steak, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 jar (26 to 28 oz) marinara sauce
2 1/2 cups water
1 package (9 oz) refrigerated cheese-filled ravioli
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix beef, marinara sauce and water.
Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.
Stir in ravioli. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes until ravioli are tender. Sprinkle individual servings with cheese.
Makes 5 servings

**** So I didnt use the marinara sauce like it calls for, I just did a can of spaghetti sauce that had some basil seasonings added to it. I did the full amount of what it called for, and we will have leftovers but not too much that we wont eat.**
I
I am not going to lie, I liked the soup. I added probably more cheese than I should have to my bowl but I do love me some cheese! I think when I eat it again I will have a nice piece of garlic bread to go with it. What do you think?
Enjoy!



I didnt take a picture of mine, it didnt look very pretty so I borrowed a picture again from Betty Crocker.

Dinner and Dessert!!!

Does this not look AMAZING and make you want to eat it all right now?!?!?!?!

So trying to eat healthy can be hard sometimes. One thing that I totally love is fresh hot gooey chocolate chip cookies. The best part is the cookie dough!! So as I am trying to be good I was bound and determined to find a recipe for cookies that were somewhat more healthy than my favorite recipe. I searched the web for a recipe and they were all the same, use sour cream and applesauce. I have used applesauce before and they were not too bad. So after some convincing from my husband, I made them late one night a few days ago. And really, they are not all that bad. They are lacking a little bit of the sweet taste of the cookies that I love, but they do the job. I must say I think that next time I will not use so much of the sour cream, but they totally work and curb my craving for the sweet cookie.
Here is the recipe I used, try it and let me know what you think

Better for you Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 egg whites
12 oz chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine applesauce, sour cream, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and egg whites. Then add flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Place teaspoon sized cookies on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

** These cookies worked for my needs. I cooked mine just about 10 minutes and the edges were crunchy and the centers nice and soft. The recipe suggest adding walnuts and pecans but neither I nor my husband are fans, so I left them out. Not bad for being called low fat!

Here is one more picture to tempt you.........



So for dinner tonight I made another Crock-Pot meal. I tell ya, I am loving it!
This recipe combines some of my favorite things, meat, bread, cheese, and pasta sauce! Perfect for a day when I want something warm and gooey.

Slow Cooker Open-Face Turkey Parmigiana Sandwiches

4 turkey thighs (about 3 1/2 pounds), skin removed
1 can (6 ounces) Italian-style tomato paste
1 can (15 ounces) Italian-style tomato sauce
14 slices frozen Parmesan-flavor Texas toast from two 11.25-ounce packages
2 cups shredded Italian-style cheese blend (8 ounces)

Place turkey in 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker. Top with tomato paste and tomato sauce.
Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.
Remove turkey from cooker; place on cutting board. Remove bones using 2 forks; discard. Pull turkey into large chunks; gently stir into sauce in cooker.
Set oven control to broil. Place Texas toast on broiler pan rack. Broil with tops 4 to 6 inches from heat 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. To serve, spoon about 1/2 cup turkey mixture over each toast slice and top with about 2 tablespoons cheese.

Makes 14 sandwiches

**** So a few things that I did a bit differently. I could not find turkey thighs anywhere. When I asked around it seems like I had to buy a whole turkey. So I spent a bit more money and bought some lean turkey breasts. I also didn't use all that they called for since I am only cooking for 2 people. I used just regular spaghetti sauce in place of the marinara.
Even though I only used 4 small turkey breasts and half the marinara sauce called for we still have a TON left over. Good thing it is so delicious!
The recipe also suggests that instead of putting it on bread use it over noodles. I am sure that would be amazing as well, might have to try it with leftovers.****

Here is a pic I took before I totally devoured it! SOOO good!



Dinner recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker

What are you having for dinner tonight?

Meals 3 and 4

So I have made two more new things for dinner but have not found the time or the motivation to post either of them. I would rather go to the gym and work out of spend time with my husband than blog. But I am going to be better, I promise! I have at least 4 more recipes that I want to try in the next week or so and I cant wait to share them!
So last night I had an unexpected day off so I decided to try this pasta recipe. I LOVE any kind of pasta. Growing up the favorite thing to eat for Sunday lunch at my house was noodles with butter and a little bit of grated cheese. I still eat this now, sometimes a few times a week. My husband things I am totally weird, but who cares! The top shelf in one of my cupboards is all pasta...... what can I say, I cant live without it! So with that, here is what I made last night.

Penne with Mushroom-Tomato-Cream Sauce


2 2/3 cups uncooked penne pasta (8 oz)
3 oz pancetta or 4 strips bacon, chopped*
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 can (28 oz) Muir Glen® organic crushed tomatoes with basil, undrained
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves

Cook and drain pasta as directed on box. Return to saucepan; keep warm.
Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven, cook pancetta over medium heat until crisp. Remove pancetta to paper towels to drain. In same skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook garlic and mushrooms in oil 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender. Stir in tomatoes. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in whipping cream; heat just until hot. Stir in pasta.
Add spinach; toss until spinach is wilted. Sprinkle individual servings with pancetta.
Makes 5 servings of 1 1/3 cups each

*** So I did not use mushrooms, not a huge fan of them or the texture, but if you love them, I am sure it would taste great! I used bacon because it is cheaper and instead of putting it on top I mixed it in with the pasta and sauce. If you want more of the bacon taste, I would use a few more strips of it. I also didnt have any spinach which I was sad about, but it still tasted good. I really like this recipe, it didnt take much time at all to make and we have tons left over for leftovers! Hooray!****

I took a picture of this meal. I know it doesnt look amazing, but I promise, it tastes amazing!!



Growing up my mom loved her crock pot, at least once a week we had a meal from it. It is so easy and I am starting to try more recipes that involve the use of the crockpot.
This recipe was super easy and only took 5 ingredients, a double hooray

Slow Cooker Meatball and Gravy Sandwiches

2 medium onions, sliced
2 packages (12 ounces each) frozen cooked Swedish-style meatballs
2 jars (12 ounces each) beef gravy
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 hoagie buns (about 7 inches long)

Place onions in 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker. Add frozen meatballs and gravy.
Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.
Stir nutmeg into meatball mixture. Cut hoagie buns horizontally almost in half. Place 6 meatballs in each bun. Top with gravy.
Makes 8 sandwiches

** With only having to cook for 2 people I only used one bag of meatballs and I and one and a half jars of the gravy. Make sure to mix all of the ingredients together before you start cooking or your onions will all end up on the bottom and you wont taste them. We found that toasting the buns made the sandwiches a bit easier to eat, and adding a little cheese makes is great! Even though I used half of the meat we still had a ton of left over. We have used the meat and sauce over rice and noodles and it is super yummy.**

I didnt take a pic of this one, so I borrowed the picture that is one the Betty Crocker website.

Cooking day two

So dinner number two turned out pretty well. I invited my friend and her two girls for dinner for this meal and the girls ate it up! I made a huge pan and by the time we were done eating there was only a small portion left over. No leftovers for us! This recipe is easy and so good!

Creamy Chicken and Ham bake


1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 lb chicken breast tenders (not breaded)
1 package (2.5 oz) thinly sliced smoked ham, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon parsley flakes

Heat oven to 325°F. Spray 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix soup and sour cream. Arrange chicken in single layer in baking dish. Top with ham. Spoon soup mixture evenly over the top.
Bake uncovered about 1 hour or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Sprinkle with parsley

***So the recipe said it serves four, but I think it could feed at least 6 people maybe 7. I used frozen chicken tenders and used a 9x13 pan. I am a cheese lover so after the ham I put some shredded cheese on. I also used deli style ham and just cut it up. On the top of mine I also used some bread crumbs to soak up some of the moisture. It turned out well, I think next time I will use a little bit less sour cream, I found that mine had too much liquid.***

Again I did not take a pic of mine as I was pulling it out of the oven as my guests came to the door so here is a picture for the Betty Crocker website. Try it tonight, you wont be sorry!