February Goals

We are one twelfth of the way through 2014, woot!

How was your January? Mine went by so fast, but was great. Disneyland was a blast! We were so exhausted each day and didn't ever stay til closing, but we did make it on every ride! I plan to post pictures and more about our fun adventures this month so stay tuned. :)

Once we got home and school started again it was go, go go. We finished the second quarter so the last two weeks I have been crazy busy with catching up on grades, report cards, half of my conferences, and trying to plan lessons at least a month out. My students finished their semester strong with awesome reports about an animal of their choice accompanied by a model of it's food web and a presentation. I love seeing what they are capable of doing!

When I haven't been stuck in teacher mode, I have been the videographer, biggest fan (read loudest screamer), and sugar supplier for my husband's basketball team. Last year, I started this thing where I would bake a dessert for the team whenever they won a game. This was a) my way to get involved and b) an excuse to bake and eat only 1 of whatever it was since my husband doesn't care for sweets and I could but shouldn't eat a whole batch of anything alone. Well, last year it was all fine and dandy. I baked every other week or so. This year...not so easy. They have been winning maniacs! They just finished the regular season yesterday and have a 11-3 win-loss record! They are second place going into the tournament next weekend. It has been SO much fun to watch and cheer for the team and they have played some amazing ball. However...all this winning has caused a bit of dilemma because I can't keep up with the baking! Guys, I'm 4 wins behind and the season is almost over. It has been a lot of fun to be involved more with the team this year. I've gone along on all the van rides, attended both out-of-town trips, and became a team favorite as made apparent by walking into practice with a plate full of warm cookies and not a single player can focus on what Coach is saying anymore. :)

Last night was senior night. It's so bittersweet (especially more so for my husband than me) to recognize the guys who won't be back next year. Two of them have been in the program since my husband started coaching so this year is even more significant as he says goodbye to his first batch of 4-year players. This year has just been so much fun and it will be hard to not have those four guys around. After a particularly rowdy game the other day where I had to sit in the other team's fan section for the best filming angle, I told my husband about how annoyed I was with some of their comments and cheers. I realized that it bothered me so much because I've almost adopted those 11 guys and feel protective and proud of them. When, I first met my husband, coaching and basketball was HIS thing. I had no desire or intention for it becoming MY thing. But it just goes to show that when your spouse is so passionate, invested, and good at something, you can't help but come along side them and support, cheer, and invest in it yourself. We are having the whole team over for dinner and a movie ("Glory Road") on Wednesday night and while I am a little bit daunted by the idea of cooking for 11 teenage boys (that's a lot of spaghetti!), I am excited to host them and know that the moments they spend with my husband and the other coach will remain as some of their favorite memories from basketball and even high school. We have high hopes for the tournament next weekend and a good end to this incredible season.

Well.....I certainly didn't intend to get all sentimental when I sat down to blog tonight. I was just going to tell you how I met and failed my January Goals and move on to this month. Ahh but that's the fun of writing...you never know where one thought will lead you.

So without further ado thought, let's recap on my January Goals:

1. Go to the gym 4 times
2. Read 1 book
3. Blog 2 times (other than this post)
4. Cook 1 new recipe

I barely accomplished the first goal, but made it for the fourth time yesterday morning. I read "Divergent" by Veronica Roth in 5 days (SOOO GOOD! I cannot wait for the movie). I (barely) got even 1 blog post in for the whole month (11pm last night). The new recipe was a cookie for the basketball team, which they loved so much they asked for it a second time. Thank you to Taylor at Trendy Schmendy for these easy and delicious cookies.

Here are my goals for February:
1. Go to the gym 5 times--with no report cards to worry about and the basketball season ending in one week, I think I can increase my presence in the gym.

2. Read 2 books--I'm already half way through "Insurgent" and have a few other books in mind to read.

3. Blog 2 times (other than this post)--since I didn't meet this one, we'll try again.

4. Cook 1 new recipe--I like cooking so I like challenging myself to try something new every so often

5. Get my Project Life out of the closet and start working on it again--I'm not setting a goal for how much gets done as long as SOMETHING gets done, I will be happy :)

6. Narrow down an idea for the curtains for my living room--I have NO idea what I even want

Did you have any goals for January? How did you do? What are your goals for February?

It's Better When...

Monday, Monday

Today was a good Monday.

You know those typical Mondays when you dread going to work, when you get there it's hectic, when you have a huge to-do list for the week, and when you are already looking forward to Friday afternoon?  Well today was kinda not one of those days.

Yes, I still groaned when my husband's (super loud) alarm went off 3 times. Yes, I still made a mile-long list to hopefully tackle this week, and yes I am looking forward to Friday already and our plans for the coming weekend.

BUT....this Monday was better than most because....

...getting out of bed is better when you make a hazelnut latte!

...doing your hair is better when you have a brand new cut and style that you love and feels heatlthy! (and getting many compliments throughout the day doesn't hurt either)

...an outfit is better when you include coral, such as adorable wedges and super fun dangly earrings both gifted from your great mom (not to mention the teal scarf as well!)

 

...teaching is better when you get to collaborate with your awesome team.


...driving home is better when you can roll your window down and open the sunroof!


...folding laundry is better when you watch "Friends" :)



....a house is better when it has a roof!

...working out is better when you have brand new, cute, work-out clothes to make you at least feel like you are fit and athletic when you really are gasping for breath and have terrible foot cramps

...biking for 7 miles at the gym is better when your husband encourages you and pushes you to finish strong during the last 5 minutes.

...chicken is better when you add garlic (a little brown sugar doesn't hurt either!)

...dealing with the politics of teaching is better when you have a husband that gives great inspirational speeches to make you feel better.

...and blogging is better when you have readers and comments!

So tell me, what are a few things that can instantly make YOUR day better?

A Blessed Week

What a week! Last Saturday, I blogged about making a dishwasher-safe Sharpie mug. I linked up to 10 parties and was then invited to link up at 3 more. This post became a record for my blog! 21 comments and 234 views is BY FAR the most my humble little blog has ever seen! I feel so blessed in this small thing. On top of the popularity of the post in those numbers, my post was chosen as a favorite from two of the parties. Thank you to the following blogs that featured my DIY project!

 

While this blog excitement has definitely been a highlight in my week, I have been blessed in several other ways!

On Sunday, we had some wonderful friends over for the first grilling of the season! The weather has started warming up and we all thought a little grilling would not only be fun but might coax summer to come sooner. We decided kabobs would be fun and then we could build our own. I prepped red onion, cherry tomatoes, green bell pepper, pineapple chunks, potatoes, kielbasa sausage, pork, and chicken and then we skewered away. Don't they look so summery?!

On Monday, we had a shocking surprise, which I will blog about this weekend! :)

Tuesday was my last day of school before spring break. We celebrated Easter by writing from the perspective of a bunny and sorting jelly beans! It was a fun day but also a little bit crazy as spring break is very much needed for all of us. That night, I tried a new recipe. I saw this pizza that looked so delicious! I adapted the recipe a bit for time and diet reasons. I used Pillsbury pizza dough from the can instead of making my own dough. I also cooked the pizza in the oven instead of a skillet. Finally, I did not use cheese as I don't really care for cheese and my husband is allergic to dairy. I did sprinkle just a bit of parmesan since it didn't seem like pizza without cheese but it didn't need it.

When it came out of the oven, my hubby was shocked at how good it looked. Then, after one bite, he said "you can make this again!" I love cooking and like to try new recipes. I feel so blessed because he both enjoys and supports this. He is fun to cook for and I love it when he loves the food. We both got to take some leftovers for lunch the next day. I had several other teachers eyeing it, asking if it was homemade, and asking for the recipe! Pizza success :)

Tuesday ended with an extra blessing in the form of a very TALL person---my "little" brother. He was driving from school to my parent's house and texted me after 10pm to see if I was still up as he was driving by and wanted to know if I wanted a hug. Isn't he so great? Of course I wanted a hug! I climbed out of bed, and tiptoed to the front door. My brother is 6'8" and gives wonderful bear hugs! He is 2 1/2 years younger than I am and we are very close. Because he goes to school six hours away, we don't get to see each other very often so a late night hug and 3 minute catch-up chat was awesome!

On Wednesday I had the majority of my parent/teacher conferences. I was blessed by several of my parents telling me how much their child loved being in school, loved learning, and enjoyed having me as a teacher. Those are the things a teacher needs to hear every so often to know it is worth it. :)

Thursday presented a new job opportunity for me! One of the 4th grade teachers at our school is not able to come back after break due to some personal reasons. They needed a long-term sub to take her class so they asked the ALP math teacher. That meant, there was no one to teach ALP math for 3rd and 4th grade in the afternoons. From previous conversations, my principal knew that I was interested in intermediate grades and that I loved math. Since I am a half-day AM Kindergarten teacher, she asked me if I would be interested in taking over those two math classes. While it does mean I have only 10 minutes to switch from Kindergarten to 4th grade math in a classroom at the other end of the school, no time for lunch, and giving up a good chunk of my spring break to develop lessons, I said "yes"! I do have interest in teaching an intermediate grade at some point. I think this is a great opportunity and  will give me a good experience to know if I do enjoy 3rd and 4th grade and teach some deeper math concepts. I think the hardest part for me right now is trying to transition my brain from adding and subtracting within 5 with my Kindergartners to very bright students. My frame of reference is a bit skewed as of now :)

I got to end Thursday with a great phone chat with my best friend. It has been a long time since we talked and it was so good to catch up. She has been my friend since we were 8 and no matter how long we go without seeing each other or talking, we pick up RIGHT where we left off and are laughing right away. She always has the best stories to tell. I am very blessed by her friendship and love the time we do get to spend together.

Today I was blessed by some quality time with my husband. We got to sleep in and get some much needed rest. Then we handled some business related to the surprise from Monday. :) We also went for a drive around the area. A little basketball filled the afternoon and evening although my bracket is totally dead now.

I am very much looking forward to this weekend and the following week of break. I hope to be productive and yet find time for relaxing as well.

Check back soon to find out what the surprise is :)

Preheat to 425

~How often do two things that you want to make for dinner both have to bake in the oven? Maybe once a month for me based on the types of meals I currently have in my repertoire.

~How often does that make you wish you had two ovens OR a convection oven? Every time! But...won't be too long before I have a convection oven :)

~How often do your two dinner items need to be baked at the SAME temperature and the problem is solved? Very rarely...tonight is an exception! So preheat to 425 and get ready for two yummy dishes.

I didn't menu plan for this week. I really should just do it every week. It makes my decision making so much easier. Oh well. Thank goodness for Pinterest right? :) I knew I had frozen chicken tenders and decided to look for an easy, tasty, baked recipe for chicken--one that also did not require me to buy any of the ingredients. I'm picky, I know. But Pinterest came through (as if often does) and I found one! The original source was from All Recipes.com for Garlic Chicken. Sounded good, looked easy, AND I had all the ingredients, good to go.

I needed something to go with the chicken. Now maybe you don't think this was the best pairing, and if I was on a Food Network competition, I would choose something different too, BUT, I saw these pesto scones first on Pinterest and knew I really wanted to try them. So there you have it. Or, if you think I'm weird for making chicken and scones, you don't have to have it. :)

Either way, it's what's for dinner tonight!

My husband offered to take pictures for me tonight so that I could focus on the cooking and not have to wash my hands twice as many times to grab my camera. I think he had fun with it...he took a lot of pictures!

As soon as I decided to make this, I defrosted 6 chicken tenders. My de-frost method is to put the meat into a Ziploc bag and then float it in a shallow pan half-filled with cold water.

Technically, one of the recipes called for an ingredient I did not have, 

but thankfully, it is one you can make yourself: buttermilk. 

1 cup of milk and 1T of vinegar sitting for at least 10 minutes works as a substitute.

Here are (most of) the ingredients for the garlic chicken: EVOO, garlic, and bread crumbs.

Put 1/4 C EVOO in a shallow dish and add the garlic. 

The recipe called for 2t, I did about 6 cloves and will use more next time. I love garlic.

Warm this up a little bit. I did about 20 seconds in the microwave.

 1/4 C breadcrumbs and 1/4 C of grated Parmesan cheese mixed together in a second shallow dish. 

(I only used about 1/8 of cheese since we both have a dairy intolerance and avoid using very much)

Coat each piece of chicken in EVOO/garlic

Then the breadcrumbs/cheese

Lay the chicken in a shallow baking dish

 Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the pink is gone and juice run clear.

Once I popped the chicken in the oven, I got started on the pesto scones, mmmmm

In a mixing bowl, add 3 1/4 C flour

 1 T sugar

1/2 t salt

 

1/2 t baking soda

2 1/2 t baking powder

 1/4 t pepper

Add the 1 C buttermilk

 1/4 C pesto (next time I would probably add more)

3/4 C butter cut into pieces

Mix it all together into a dough.

Then prepare a floured cutting board.

Knead the dough a little bit.

Form it into a circle

Cut into 8 triangles (these were pretty filling so next time I would make them smaller)

 I always use Parchment Paper for baking. I added them to the oven for the last 10 minutes of my chicken baking. Maybe it's because I don't have a convection oven, but I had to leave both the chicken and scones in for another 5 minutes. The chicken could have probably come out after 30 min, but I wanted it to be nice and hot so kept it in while the scones finished.

I cooked up some green beans as well and it turned out to be a delicious and filling meal!

Again, maybe not the best pairing--scones and chicken. But hey, it was fun to try two new recipes and both were yummy! Thanks to Rachel Schultz for the Pesto scones recipe.

Next time:
~I would add more garlic and probably use chicken breasts for a bigger piece of meat.
~I would add more pesto and make the scones smaller.

I can see serving these scones with a brunch! I actually created a possible brunch menu around these scones...hmm...now I just need a reason to execute it! Easter maybe?

Let me know if you try either of these recipes. What do you think?

Homemade Hummus

Hummus is one of my favorite dips. I use it for veggies, chips, and as a spread on turkey sandwiches. YUM! Bonus: it's cheap and easy to make.

Drain and rinse 1 can of garbanzo beans (chick peas)

I always roll my lemon a couple times while slightly 

pushing down--a trick I learned from Rachel Ray "to get the juices flowing."

Squeeze the juice of half a lemon. I love this lemon juicer. So worth the $5. It has a strainer, squeezing cap, pouring spout, and is a measuring cup. That Martha, she's a genius.

Another one of my favorite kitchen tools--my OXO garlic press.

Crush 5 cloves of garlic, or 6, or 7. In my opinion there's no such thing as too much garlic :)

Add some fresh ground pepper.

I don't have a food processor so I use my immersion hand blender. It works great!

Add a little bit of cold water at a time as needed to reach the right consistency. With an immersion blender, you need to add some right away to help get it going.

This makes enough for me to have it for two lunches on all my veggies! Let me know if you try it and how you like it!

I linked up to the following party:




Titus 2 Tuesday

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I have had a lot of frozen chicken that I have been planning to thaw and cook in the crockpot for tacos, burritos, and other Mexican dishes. When I saw this idea on Pinterest, I knew it was the perfect time to do it.

The pin led me to the blog Rachel Shultz for the recipe. I had all but two of the spices so I got them at the grocery store this morning and then got to making it this afternoon.

 I used the small Rubbermaid container to shake all the spices together. I looked at a package of taco seasoning at the store and the serving information said it contained 12t of mix. The recipe for my crockpot taco chicken said to use one packet. I did the math and realized Rachel's recipe made about 7t of mix so I doubled it. 

Here is the beautiful mixture of spices before I added the cumin, salt, and pepper. 

I added the taco mix and one can of chicken broth to about 15 pieces of frozen chicken tenders. Cook in the crockpot on low for 6-8 hours.

Take the chicken out and let it cool on a cutting mat. 

 Then use two forks to shred all the meat up.

You can save it in the refrigerator for use that week or freeze it for future use.

Thanks Rachel for a great (and healthier) substitute to taco seasoning!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

I love Pinterest! Have I ever said that? Well I do. I love it even more when I make something I find and it is a big success! And I love pinning delicious, easy dinners that I already have all the ingredients for because then I am way more likely to actually make it!

I had a bunch of leftover rice and wanted to find a good meal to go with it. I found a tasty looking recipe from Comfy in the Kitchen. You can get her recipe HERE!

I didn't follow her recipe exactly. However, I didn't marinate my chicken, I didn't use chick peas or feta cheese, and I used walnuts instead of pecans. I heated up our leftover brown rice and steamed some broccoli to go along with it. Doesn't it look tasty???

It's so fun to be able to make a great dinner for my husband and enjoy it together in our house!

My husband absolutely LOVED this dinner. He told me he would expect to see it in a restaurant! I love hearing that, especially when it was an easy meal to make. He rated this as a 9, saying you can never rate something as 10 so that there is room to grow. :) In other words, he told me he wanted it every night that week! Let's just say I will be making this again. Thank you so much Janelle from Comfy in the Kitchen for this wonderful recipe!

I Can Can

No, that wasn't a typo and no, I don't mean the dance. I mean canning food and now I can do it!

Ever since we planned on going to Green Bluff, I knew that I wanted to pick our own apples, make homemade crockpot applesauce and then can it. Sometimes my lofty homemaker plans come true, and this one did.

I had two different recipes pinned and kinda combined/spun off of both of them. Here are the two blogs I referred to: SkinnyTaste and Women Living Well. For my recipe, we used 5 varieties of apples: Jonathan, Jonagold, Gala, Honeycrisp, and MacIntosh. We used 2 crockpots, 26 apples, 3tsp of lemon juice for each crockpot, about 1/2 cup water in each, and I didn't measure how much cinnamon I sprinkled in each one. I did not use any sugar (hubby is anti-sweets haha). The applesauce is kind of tart so adding brown sugar might help with that but we both really like the tart flavor. I put the crockpots on high and it was done in 3 hours. I used an immersion blender to get the chunks out and then we canned 6 pints of our applesauce and had a bit leftover to eat now.

Here are the pictures of our applesauce adventure!

Attaching the apple peeler/corer/slicer to the counter.

Oh yah, tools in the kitchen! Hubby loved doing this!

Apple slinky

Apples

Peeling away

Adding lemon juice

Love having his help in the kitchen

Apples and cinnamon all ready to become applesauce

Adding a bit of water

Blending out the chunks

Nom nom nom

How many jars will we get?

6!

Applesauce takes a bath

Woo hoo!

We did it! We made our own applesauce and canned it!

I am linked up at the following blogs: