Dear Blog...I still love you.

Dear Blog, I still love you even though I have ignored you for over a week. Dear readers, I greatly apologize for the long gap between post and for being late on the recipes for the week. This week has been rough. We believe sweet baby a is going through a growth spurt and that has equaled little sleep and lots of crying and screaming. Let's just say mom has been exhausted this week! But we will get though this! :)

Here is the menu for this week. Again, I apologize for being late and remember we are being budget friendly and I am eating the dreaded left overs! (really...it has not been that bad...just don't tell Mr J I said that)

White Chicken Chili

Adapted from Spark Recipes

Sorry..there was no picture and I was too excited about eating this to take one. I will try to do better. We had jalapeno cornbread with this. It was AMAZING!

Also, I made a few adjustments. I accidentally used real beans instead of can. Let's just say we ate a later that night than we thought we would. Also, I put two cans of green chilis instead of the chili peppers. And for the salsa I used salsa verde. It was so yummy!

Crock Pot Country Style Ribs

Once again no picture. This is something I just made up.

• Rub ribs down with your favorite seasonings. I stuck to garlic, salt and pepper.
• Place ribs in crockpot.
• Add a bottle of your favorite BBQ Sauce.
• Add a good handful of brown sugar.
• Cook those little bad boys for 6 hours on low
• Enjoy! :)

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

And for the third time...no picture! (sorry. i will work on this! this is what happens when i use my own recipes!) This is one of our household favorites!

• Chicken, cooked and shredded (I normally use two to three breast)
• 2 cans cream of chicken
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 1/2 sleeves of Ritz Garlic Butter crackers
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 baking dish (or your favorite casserole dish). Stir together soup and sour cream. Add Chicken. Crush crackers in a bowl and add poppy seeds. Pour melted butter in cracker mixture and mix well. Pour chicken mixture in baking dish. Sprinkle cracker mixture over the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Enjoy! :)

Wingless Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Adapted from: Rachel Ray

On this pizza I use a store bought crust. You can use your favorite but I use a thin crust from Walmart. It is in a purple package and there are two crust in a pack. I am sorry I do not know the name of the brand. Also, I do not use blue cheese. I hate that stuff. And make sure to use Frank's Hot Sauce. That is the key!

Conquering the Hate for Leftovers

I hope everyone has had a great week! Our week in camelot has been kind of crazy, but it has been a very great week! We had some huge decisions to make this week but I believe God totally revealed His will and we I believe we made the right decisions. But...I am so glad it is the weekend.

With me being an official stay at home mom, I am also finding ways to cut the grocery bill again. I am not a fan of leftovers. Hate may be a better word than the phrase "not a fan". I blame it on my mom and dad. Dad did not like leftovers growing up so mom made something new for dinner each night. Mr. J on the other hand loves leftovers. The 4 years we have been married I still have not been able to scale back my cooking portions for 2. I cook more for like 20. And we always have leftovers. We were being so wasteful and it seriously was convicting me in more ways than one. So...this past week, I have eaten leftovers. The meal plan had 4 recipes with 3 nights of leftovers. It was not that bad. Actually one of the meals was better the next day. With that being said, the weekly menu will be down sizing. I apologize if you dislike leftovers as much as I do, but I promise that if you try you will learn they are not that bad and they also allow you more money in your pocketbook! :)

This is a week I am so glad that I am a week ahead on the menu schedule. We had an epic fail for Pad Thai Ramen Noodles. I love Pad Thai and was so excited that this meal would only cost a total of about $2.00 to make. But it seriously was the worst thing Mr. J and I have ever eaten. We ordered pizza after the first taste. So I apologize. There will only be 3 recipes this week. But here they are! And they are all very yummy!

Chicken and Mushroom Stir-Fry

Source and picture: The All American Chinese Cookbook

CrockPot 5 ingredient Roast

Source and picture: Keeper Worthy Recipes

Chicken Teriyaki

Source and picture: A Sweet Pea Chef

I hope you all have a great weekend! The weather is going to be great here in camelot!

Tough Decisions

As I mentioned in a previous post...Mr J and I had some big decisions that we would be making. Before precious baby a came along I had dreams and aspirations to climb to the top in the corporate world. I had a great job at a bank. I loved what I did, I loved everyone I worked with and I could not imagine doing anything else. But then baby a came along and turned my life upside down. The thought of leaving her at daycare made me sick. The thought of someone else seeing her roll over, speak her first words, take her first steps before I did made me cry. My dreams of climbing the corporate ladder dissolved and my only dreams and aspirations now were to become a stay at home mom. Mr. J and I knew that we could not do it on his income alone. But...God has started revealing his plan for us. He has provided in ways that we could never imagine. And as of today I will be a stay at home mom. I have very mixed emotions at the moment. I am beyond excited to be the one raising my daughter. I am the one who can see her roll over the first time, hear her speak those first words, and see her take her first steps. But at the same time I worked with the greatest people in the world, loved my job and will miss it. But I also know this is the right decision. God has made that very evident in our lives. God is good...no...God is great...no...God is downright Amazing! This week he has taught me that when I truly rely on Him and not myself, He makes himself known. He makes His will known. Why do I try to do things on my own?!?!?! Haven't I learned my lesson!?!?!

Now I need to go love on my sweet baby girl. We had more shots today! :(

Long Over Due

I have neglected my blog for over a week now! I promised myself I would stay on top of this...but life just happened this week. I did finish my first home improvement project of painting the bathroom. I will post pictures later after we finish the final little touches. Also, sweet baby a turned 2 months this past week! I cannot believe that she is 2 months old. I also cannot believe that I will be going back to work in 2 weeks! With being 2 months old also comes 2 month shots. I hated every minute of the day we took her. It hurt me so bad to know she had no idea of what was coming. She took them like a trooper though! I did ask them to space them out so we have to go back this week to get another round :( . I hate the thought of them having to stick her again, but at the same time I feel better knowing that not all of that medicine is going in her little body all at once.

I know I normally post my menus on Thursdays, but as I said, life just happened this week. And I greatly apologize if anyone actually reads/uses the menu. But...here is this week's (well last week's menu)...

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

(These were amazing and I did make the Cilantro Sauce she suggest on the blog as well)

Source and picture: Brandy's Baking

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplins

Source and picture:BubbleCrumb

Baked Ham and Cheese Sliders

(I have had many different versions of these and these may be my favorite. I did use American cheese though)

Source and picture: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Honey Kissed Chicken Sandwich

(Buy good buns/rolls!)

Source and picture: Life's Ambrosia

Coconut Chicken Strips

(I made a really yummy pina colada sauce to go with! It is below)

Source and picture: Our Best Bites

California Cheeseburger pie

(This is a favorite of Mr. J's! But it is not a favorite for the waistline so it seriously is a once a year recipe. Also, I leave out the pickles. Mr. J hates dill pickles.)

Source and picture: Pillsbury

Pina Colada Sauce

4 oz Pina Colada Mix

3 oz Sour Cream

3 oz Crushed Pineapple (drained)

Mix together and chill until ready to serve! :)

Tasty Thursdays

I have a confession to make about next week. I will not be cooking along with you. I will actually be cooking a week ahead. But this will allow for me to review the recipes before I recommend them to you! Mr J and I have had all but two of these recipes and we would highly recommend them. I hope you enjoy! :)

Island Chicken

Source: Annie's Eats

Chicken Gyros

Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Toasted Ravioli

Source: What's Cookin, Chicago?

Light Spicy Lemon Chicken

Source: Babble

Baked Pesto Chicken

Source: Kayln's Kitchen

Chinese Honey Chicken

Source:Blogchef

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

Source: Can You Stay For Dinner

Big Decisions

Mr J and I have some major decisions to be making in the next couple of months. One of those being what to do about a new house. I love our little home and it will always be special to me as it is our "first house" (not first home). But with the addition of baby a...we are quickly running out of room! Our once living room has now turned into a play room. We know a larger house is in our near future but the question is...where do we purchase this home? Closer to Mr J's work, closer to my work, or in the middle (or where we find the best house for the best price).

With the thought of selling our house soon, also comes the thought of some diy home projects. We do not have anything major to do, mainly just painting. I love color but understand some buyers cannot see past paint. So with that being said...I will be doing some painting in the weeks to come. I would love to finish it all before I go back to work (am I dreaming?) I thought I would start with our bathroom. I will show you the before pictures and hopefully be posting the after this weekend!

(Please do not judge my photography. I am learning...well plan on learning.)

Happy Tuesday everyone! :)

Next Week's Menu

I hope you guys have been enjoying the amazing weather as much as our household has! It has been filled with lots of running and walking! Here is our menu for next week! I hope you find something that sounds yummy to your family!

Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta

What's Cookin', Chicago

Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs

Allrecipes.com

Lemon Chicken

Barefoot Contessa

Taco Pasta

The Girl Who Ate Everything

Apple Maple Turkey Burgers

Food Network

Slow Cooker Angel Chicken

Cleverly Inspired

Mongolian Beef

Pink Bites