One Pot Wednesday...Spicy Sausage Pasta

Another one pot meal for you and yours on a busy week night! I love any dish that is in the same family as a Cajun pasta, and this dish fits right in! Plus it has smoked sausage in it, who doesn't love smoked sausage! I actually used a smoked turkey sausage to health it up a bit, ha! Actually I won't use an ingredient no matter how healthy if it doesn't taste good. These sausages are amazing, please give them a try! You would really try them with this dish! 

Warm, spicy, comforting, quick, this has it all

Spicy Sausage Pasta

1 tbsp EVOO

1lb smoked sausage sliced

1 1/2 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic minced

2cups chicken stock

1 can Rotel

1\2 cup cream

8oz short cut pasta

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese

1/3 cup slice green onion

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet add sausage and onions, cook until browned about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for until fragrant, don't burn.

Add stock, Rotel,cream, pasta and salt and pepper, stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is done, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of cheese. Top the dish with green onion and remaining cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly. Enjoy!

Asian beef and noodles

As I have been talking about for a few weeks now, one of my goals this year was to be better at meal planning. Well I have been at it for about a month now and I am falling I love! This has also helped me actually try some of those zillions of recipes I have pinned. Last nights meal was one of those! I found this recipe a few weeks ago and I couldn't resist basically because I love love love beef lo mein. Love it. Even with my love, I don't eat it real often due to it not being the healthiest of options. But this version was weight watchers friendly! I'm not on weight watchers but I thought well it has to be a bit better than the classic version! Man alive was this delicious, quick and easy, yes yes and yes! Now I did edit the recipe a bit which was supposed to be 9 points, I added a bit of peanut butter, and siracha to the sauce for more of a Thia feel. So if there is anyone out there that wants to do the points over that would be a great thing! 

Oh and one more amazing thing!!! The dish makes quite a bit, but the 9 point serving size is for half the dish! So my math said that we made this into four serving so it would be 4.5 points right? Regardless of the points or your plan this dish is great for a hearty healthy weeknight supper!

Asian Beef and Noodles

8oz rib eye steak

2 tsp sesame oil, divided

1 cup green onion, sliced into 1in pieces

2 cup packaged carrot and cabbage coleslaw

2 packages beef-flavored ramen noodles

1 1/2 cup water

1tsp creamy peanut butter

1 tsp siracha (or any hot sauce would do) 

1 tbsp soy sauce

Trim fat from steak, cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Heat 1tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add steak and onions;stir fry for 1-2 minutes,or until meat is browned. Remove steak mixture from skillet, sprinkle with a bit of salt and keep warm. Heat remaining 1 tsp of oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add slaw; stir fry for 1 minute. Remove from skillet and keep warm. Remove noodles from packages; reserve 1 seasoning package for another use. Add water  and remaining seasoning packet to skillet; bring to a boil. Break noodles in half add noodles to water. Cook noodles for a few minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir peanut butter, siracha, and soy sauce, together. Once noodles are done stir steak, slaw, and soy sauce mixture into the noodles, cook until thoroughly heated. ENJOY!

The Things She Says…Continued

Do you ever have those moments as a parent when you just have to walk away and either laugh, cry or pray? Oh that’s just me too! Well great! The following are just two small stories (of several that I will share eventually) from our adventurous weekend. I will warn you one contains bathroom talk…she is four there are few boundaries with her. I promise I am trying, I really really am!

Saturday morning we just got home from grocery shopping. I am standing in the living room talking to her.

Momma: “Charlot can you play for a few minutes while momma unpacks the groceries and gets lunch together.”

Charlot: “Sure, what’s for lunch?”

Momma: “Leftover pizza.”

Charlot: “Momma I think I have decided something.”

Momma: “Really, what’s that?” (I am assuming that it is what she is going to be when she grows up, we had had that discussion earlier)

Charlot: “OK, I have decided that I want a brother and a sister.”

Momma: “Oh huuuuummmmmmm.” (As I choke and cough uncontrollably)

Charlot: “Is that ok?”

Momma: “Well, we don’t really get to choose, God will decide if you get and brother or a sister, and Momma and Daddy will decide if we are going to have any more babies.”

Charlot: “So God will decide…I can talk to God about anything, right?”

Momma: “Yes and yes.”

Charlot: “Ok”

I head off to the kitchen thinking I had dodged that bullet and we were done with that. Then suddenly I don’t hear anything coming from the living room…silence and a child normally means trouble. I look in there to see her with her little head bowed, hands folded, and eyes closed.

Charlot:”God, if its ok could you PLEASEEEEE let me have a BROTHER and a SISTER. Oh and help me be good. Amen.”

I couldn’t help but be so proud and so panicked all at the same time.  

Just when she has a moment like that one this next one happens and I have no real words. Yesterday the Hubs didn’t go to church with Charlot and I. He stayed home to take care of some of the home remodeling things. We had a church dinner after service yesterday so I took Charlot up to the sanctuary to sit with my dad and brother, while the committee my mom and I serve on prepared lunch. So I wasn't present for the conservation but it was confirmed to me by both my dad and brother.

Pap: “Charlot where’s your Daddy”

Charlot: “whispers something that my dad can’t hear”

Pap: “Charlot, Pap didn’t hear you where’s your daddy.”

Charlot: “He was at home in the bathroom when we left, and IT STUNK!”

Pap: “Oh hum ok”

Zach and Pap: Laughing uncontrollably

Then when they come down stairs for lunch we are all sitting at a table with my grandparents. My grandma asks where the hubs is? I said at home working on a few projects. My dad and brother proceed to start laughing.

Zach: “You don’t want to know what your daughter told us.”

Me: “What did she say?...(about that time realizing what she probably said) NEVERMIND do not tell me!”

Zach and Pap: Laugh uncontrollably yet again.

I just wanted to crawl under a rock and CRY.

Heaven help me with this kid. Happy Monday!

Train Park in January...I think so!

 I just couldn't keep from sharing this pictures. Most are not that good the light was fading my phone was being weird but you know what...I really don't care. Because to me these pictures captured some of the best moments.

 How many kids who have Birthday's in the middle of January get to go to the park? Not many so when I told Charlot on Monday that it was so nice we were going to the park she was super excited.

 I told her to enjoy it because God must have wanted her to have an extra special birthday present this year and gave her some warm weather and sunshine,

 We love this park! Seriously it is only a block from our house but I would bring her here regardless. It is little and well taken care of but the best thing is the child sized train. Charlot loves to jump on the first car and ring the bell as she shouts "All Aboard!!!"

 Oh the memories we have made at this park are ones I hope last a lifetime. And I pray for more warmer days soon so we can visit again soon.

 The joy on and child's face...oh it just makes my heart sing. I didn't have much to say today about these pictures, they just reminded me to be thankful for the small things in life because they really are the big things!

Happy Thursday!

One Pot Wednesday

I don’t know if it is just me being lazy or not wanting to be a slave to the dishes but I love one pot meals. Everything goes in and cooks together beautifully for an amazing meal. Isn’t that every mom’s dream? I see tons of these one pot meals on Pintrest, and typical of me I pin it and forget it! But not anymore!!! I have decided to do a new series on the ole blog, one pot Wednesday’s! Each week will feature a new one pot recipe. So if you have had some recipes that you have wanted to try but haven’t had the time or aren’t brave enough, send them my way! The hubs just loves when I make him try new recipes all the time!

                                       

                                        

Today’s recipe has been on my Pintrest board for quite some time, a lovely chicken, pea and mushroom pasta pot! Super easy and delicious! I made this on Monday night for Charlot’s birthday, it was a beautiful day so we didn’t exactly come inside real early, but with this dish I still had supper ready to go by a little after 6!

Chicken, Pea, and Mushroom Pasta

1 12 oz box fettuccini

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast diced (raw)

1 ½ cups frozen peas

10oz mushrooms sliced

5 cups Chicken Stock

2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning

2 Cloves Garlic minced

Zest of one lemon

½ cup Heavy Cream

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

In a large pot place all ingredients except cream and cheese. Bring to a boil use tongs to break up noodles and to prevent them from sticking. Low heat to where pot is still bubbling but not a heavy boil. Continuing stirring with tongs  for 15-20 minutes until noodles are done to desired tenderness. Remove from heat and stir in cream and cheese. Top with a bit more cheese and serve. 

Tea Party Birthday...

This little nugget is four today! Four years old today to be exact, ouch that kind of hurts for Momma to hear. I never imagined how much this little bit would change my heart but she has, and I am so thankful for that!

No clue why this is blurry but hey we tried 

Grandma Linda and Nanny Sandy trying out the dress up station

We celebrated yesterday with family and friends in high tea style. I asked Charlot several months ago what kind of party she wanted instantly she said a TEA PARTY and she never changed her mind like I figured she would. So a tea party fit for a four year old princess it was.

This party was so much fun to plan. I didn’t to a ton of decorations, I let the desserts and their trays be the decorations for each table. We did all the food in pretty much bit sized versions, PB&J finger sandwiches, ham and cheese roll-ups, veggies, strawberries and grapes, mini-cupcakes and sugar cookies. I set up a special table for the little girls who attended the party, they felt so important and grown-up it was too cute. We also had a trunk filled with feather boas, beads, head bands, and rings for the guest to dress up if they wanted. Each little girl also took home her own tea pot necklace, they were so cute.

Little ones table

Thank you so much to everyone who came and celebrated it was a “tea”riffic time!

By the way this was all the loot she needed to take to the sitter's today!

Fakeout Takeout...Broccoli Beef and Crab Ragoon

In an effort to keep to my resolution, that I talked to you about last week, about not going out to eat as much including takeout I came up with this yesterday. Making your own fakeout takeout, plus it is done in the crockpot! YUM! Now this is not one of those recipes that you can throw in the crock at 6a.m. and come home to at 6p.m. and expect it to be perfect. But it is ideal for those weekend meals where you know you have a crud ton to do and getting dinner on the table probably isn’t going to happen. Throw this together after lunch and it will be perfect for supper or think Sunday morning before church for lunch!

I was kind of skeptical of this when I started basically because most of my attempts to make Chinese food at home never satisfy my need for CHINA INN (our local place). But I will say this did, so flavorful and not too salty but rich and hearty. Plus it is pretty darn healthy because you are controlling the ingredients. Plus the crab ragoons, though not as creamy as the restaurant ones, only have 1 WW point per ragoon! Please enjoy these recipes and let me know what you think I would love to hear from you!

Crockpot Beef and Broccoli

1lb Beef Arm Roast cut into thin strips

1 cup Beef Stock

½ cup Soy Sauce

3 cloves Garlic minced

1 TBSP Sesame Oil

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

2 TBSP Cornstarch

4 TBSP Cooking Liquid

1 package frozen Broccoli Florets

White Rice (I cooked mine in beef broth and a splash of Teriyaki sauce)

Cashews sprinkled on top for some added crunch

Combine in your crockpot insert stock, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and brown sugar. Once mixture is well combined and sugar has dissolved add in your strips of meat and stir to coat. Cook on low heat for 4 -5 hours (don’t go much longer or you will have shredded beef.) Take 4 TBSP of your cooking liquid and combine with cornstarch pour back into the crockpot and add the broccoli, allow mixture to cook for 30 minutes longer. Serve over white rice and crab ragoon on the side. YUMMY!

Baked Crab Ragoon

15 wonton wrappers

3 oz Cream Cheese at room temp

4 oz Imitation Crab meat diced

1 green onion sliced thin

¼ tsp Worcestershire Sauce

¼ tsp Garlic Salt

Preheat oven to 425. Combine cream cheese, crab, green onion, Worcestershire, and garlic in a small bowl. Have a baking sheet that has been sprayed with pam ready. Take one wonton and place 1 tsp of the cream cheese mixture in the center, then using water dampen the edges of the wonton, bring up the sides to near fold the wonton in half, then bring up the other two sides and press together. Once all wontons are filled place on baking sheet and spray all the filled wontons with cooking spray. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

 

I am always taking pictures of food so last night Charlot wanted her plate in on the action!
BTW she cleaned her plate!

Popovers...

I am kind of a lover of bread not so hot for my hips but oh so delish! HA! And popovers are so amazing for my love. What exactly is a popover? Well Wikipedia says a popover is a light, hollow roll made from an egg batter similar to that of Yorkshire pudding, typically baked in muffin tins or dedicated popover pans, which have straight-walled sides rather than angled.

There are several things I love about this recipe in particular #1 being that it is a type of bread but we have already established that! I also love that these do not require yeast so I can actually make these with little stress on a weeknight. Reason three is that they this recipe only makes about six popovers so there aren’t a bunch left over staring at me begging me to eat them. Lastly I love the versatility of this eggy dough, you can add to it make it savory or sweet. When I made these last night to go with our supper I decided to add some green onion and parmesan cheese to them, that was a winner. But I have made them with a bit of cinnamon and sugar, then drizzled with honey after baking oh that hits the spot on a cold night as well. The possibilities are endless. This is the basic recipe, adjust as you see fit. Mostly just enjoy!

I told you I love bread!

Popovers

2 eggs

1 cup Milk

1 TBSP Cooking Oil

1 cup Flour

1 TSP Salt

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease your pan (either a popover pan or muffin tin).Whisk together you egg, milk, and oil. Add in your flour and salt stir to smooth, don’t over mix. Fill tins ½ full of batter. Bake in pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes. Popovers will be golden brown when done. Remove from oven and prick each popover with a fork to release the steam. Enjoy with butter!

Oh This Kid...

 Do you ever have these thoughts in your head as a mom, “whose kid is this and where in the world did she come up with that?” No? Now seriously? Never? Again I guess it is just me. I am a bit dramatic and slightly silly/crazy I will admit, some would say more than a bit but hey this is my blog I’ll admit what I want. But the things this kid says and comes up with WOW is all I have for them.

The following is just from last night and this morning’s activities. I was showing her the new snow boots that my parents bought her and said that when it snows these boots will be really warm. What was I thinking! Well instantly she fell in love these boots were the best thing EVER!!! As she politely told me. Just before bed time each night we pick out the next day’s clothes, well last night she I grabbed a shirt and picked up two pairs of pants to see which ones she wanted to wear. Instantly she grabbed one and starts dancing around going “FUN Pants! FUN Pants!” I have no words.

 That was most of the excitement for the evening. Then this morning as I was wrestling her to wake up and get dressed she must have remembered the boots, jumps up runs into her room (we were in my room), grabs them and says “It is sooo cold I better wear these” Why not snow boots with your FUN Pants perfect combo! Well after getting dressed as we were gathering all her needed things for the sitters she decided I needed to take her picture. Yes these picture are from this morning. Then as we are literally walking out the door she shouts “I need a blankie for Trumie (Truman the Tiger that goes everywhere).” Ok go get one. I think at this point we are ready, WRONG! Sidenote my hands are full of things she then drops this bomb. “Momma it is too cold I can’t walk will you carry me?” For real kid!

Please pray for the hubs and I!

New Year’s Resolutions…

I would say I have never really been one to have New Year’s Resolutions…but…that wouldn’t exactly be true. I every single year since high school probably would tell myself in my head that I was going to lose a crud ton of weight and have a bikini body by summer. Hardy har har!!! What a joke! And because I never actually said it out loud it didn’t really matter if it never came true. Guess what! It never did and probably never will! Me and the word bikini just aren’t meant to be together and guess what I really don’t care. But I do think that starting new habits is awesome and having resolutions really helps with this you just have to have a plan. I found these picture in this post really funny and so true of most resolutions, but the last one that is my plan for this year!!!

Last year in 2014 I decided to quit drinking pop and to really focus on a healthier lifestyle. I feel that I have accomplished this I have not drank a coke since January 3^rd 2014, sometimes I still just have to smell them when the hubs is drinking one. And I know that the healthier lifestyle is a forever change that some days are going to be better than others and that is ok. Yes I have lost weight, yes I would still like to lose more but more than anything I feel better.

So this year I have decided to in addition to continuing to strive for a healthier life I am going to do a few other things. See I am saying (well blogging) them out loud so the whole world will know! I am going to be a better meal planner/grocery shopper. The next one sounds so simple and I stole it from a friend, when I get something out I am going to put it up. Third and final one is to eat out less often this one is a goal of the hubs and I both.

The being a better meal planner/grocery shopper has been something I have been working on for quite some time but now I am really buckling down and I am doing this!  I hate seeing food go to waste; I buy something it rots in my fridge, leftovers that never get eaten. I also hate not being semi-prepared when it comes to meals. So I have cleaned out the fridge and organized the pantry, made a three week meal plan with an organized grocery list. I feel I really can do so much better at this than I have in the past!

The if I get something out I put it up. This really just comes from a simple philosophy that we were taught as kids, put your things away. Hopefully this helps keep my home more organized a clutter free. Plus with this the hubs and I are renovating several rooms in our home so I am decluttering as we go and this will help things stay that way!

Lastly going out to eat less! I am really guilty of not knowing what I am going to fix (see #1) and just saying let’s go out or just grabbing lunch in town while grocery shopping. Yes I LOVE going out to eat but I know it is terribly expensive and if I am cooking the meal I can control what I am eating as well!  The hubs and I would like to in the near future purchase or build a new home so saving money for this is really important. And the small changes really can add up! Our goal is to keep it once a month, now we are aware that there will be times this isn't possible but we are committed!!!

How about you guys? Any advice on my resolutions? Are you making resolutions? What are they? Happy Tuesday!