WWW

The WW tip and recipe/photo are from the WW Magazine March/April 2009 issue.

WWW Tip:

Thinking of bypassing theatre tickets or vacation because of the economy? Think again! Why? Doing something is more satisfying than simply accumulating more stuff. You don’t have to spend millions…community theatre, new museum exhibits and other wallet-friendly and happiness-boosting experiences.

WWW Recipe:



Cheesy Potatoes
10 servings

16 oz fat-free sour cream
1 can low-fat cream of chicken soup
8 oz low-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
¼ cup light stick butter
1 tsp thyme
¼ tsp black pepper
32 oz frozen hash browns

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Mix the sour cream, soup, cheese, butter, thyme and pepper in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add hash browns, stirring until well blended.
3. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish. Bake until hot and bubbling, 50-60 minutes.

225 Calories
5 Fat grams
3 grams Fiber
10 grams Protein
4 POINTS

Show Us Your Life

Show Us Your Life: Favorite Dessert

I would have loved to make my TRUE favorite desserts like Kahlua Trifle Cake OR Cream Puffs, but I didn't have the ingredients and there is no way that Nathan and I could have resisted eating the whole thing by ourselves.

So, here is a great recipe to make at home with minimal ingredients, easy directions and sweet endings! (I guarantee people will ask you for the recipe and I guarantee that you'll laugh when you give it to them!)



I know what you're thinking...

"Popcorn? That's so easy and it's certainly NOT a dessert!"

Well, my friends (old and new), this isn't just any old popcorn! I first had this in college when I visited with Jill's family and her mom whipped up a batch. It's so simple but so delicious. The hardest part? Not eating it all before the bark hardens!

The cast of characters:



Simply pop one bag as you would normally:



And melt one of these in the microwave:



And mix the two in a large bowl. Allow the bark to set and then enjoy! Click on the photo to see the yummy sweet coating up close!!!



Now, if you think that was just too simple chew on this for a minute. Ha. Ha. I've made this for MANY an event. Sometimes I add pretzels, m&m's, almonds (SO delicious) and craisins. Seriously, you can add just about anything and it's delicious. When I add the "extra's" I usually add an extra half block of bark. So, when I'm making this for a crowd (more than two) I pop two bags, melt three bars and add in all the fixings. If you find it too sweet, just pop another bag of popcorn and mix it in!

BONUS RECIPE:

With Halloween coming up so soon I thought I'd refresh your memory of these cuties. Easy treat for the neighbors using the same bark as above! Click here for the simple directions!

Hearty Apple Sandwich

Doesn't this look delicious??? Find the recipe here.

For Jenny

I'm thinking about you...

WWW

The WWW tips and photo are from the WW Magazine March/April 2009 issue.

WWW Tip:

Regular breakfast eaters tend to be slimmer than those who skip it. BUT you can blow your diet if you make it too big, As breakfast calories increase, so do calories for the day. So keeping it simple with whole-grain cereal, skim milk and fruit to be safe!

WWW Recipe:



Mini-Meat Loaves
Serves: 6

1 slice whole-wheat bread, torn into pieces
1 shallot, quartered
2 cups baby spinach
1 lb. ground skinless chicken
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
6 T ketchup

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray 1 (6 cup) muffin tin with nonstick spray.
2. Finely crumble the bread in a food processor. Transfer to a large bowl. With the machine running, add the shallot through the feed tube and process until minced. Add the spinach and pulse until finely chopped. Add the bread crumbs, chicken, cheese, egg, paprika, salt and pepper; pulse until blended.
3. Fill each prepared muffin tin with ½ cup of the chicken mixture. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a mini-meatloaf registers 165 degrees, about 30 minutes. Top each loaf with 1 T of the ketchup. If making ahead, let cool. Wrap each loaf in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days. To serve, microwave one loaf at a time, about 1 minute.

170 Calories
7 grams of Fat
1 gram of Fiber
20 grams Protein

4 POINTS

Worship Songs

Kelly from Kelly's Korner is having a giveaway for the new David Crowder Band cd. I've never knowlingly listened to DCB, but I'm sure I've heard some of his songs through Christian radio stations and just didn't realize it was him. Anyway, it got me thinking about my favorite worship songs...the ones that comfort and inspire me.

I first heard this song on a mission trip after my senior year of high school. It still brings so many emotions to me because I think of my dear, dear friend Laura who introduced me to it as well as Jenn, our youth pastor on the trip.



When I was in college my roommates burned copies of these worship cd's for me to listen to. I Could Sing of Your Love Forever and 16 Great Praise and Worship Classics, Vol 4 I listened to them almost every day when I traveled to and from my student teaching site...a good 40 minute drive one way! I have listened to those cd's over and over and over since then. On long drives to Charlotte from my parents and most recently on the final drive to Cincinnati for our wedding.



I loved to listen to this while we were living in Ann Arbor. It was on a cd that the staff in Charlotte had made together and I used to just hit back over and over when I was driving to the store, etc. I think it's a beautiful tribute to all of the things in nature that we have NO control over...possibly my favorite song.



This is a new favorite of mine...



What are your favorites?

Eatzi's

If you live in Dallas, please go to Eatzi's.

Then let me what you ordered so I can live vicariously through you.

Pretty please??

3-0

Boo-ya

Show Us Your Life - Dinner Recipes

I'm finally taking part in Kelly's Korner: Show Us Your Life! I've been meaning to do it forever but this weeks topic is too hard to pass up...FOOD! :) Click here to see more dinner recipes from other FABULOUS bloggers!

Tonight for dinner I made a classic recipe, Poppyseed Chicken. It was so simple and delicious! I can't wait for tomorrow's leftovers...seriously!



(I wish I could take credit for the photo...but I just snagged it from bing.com)

Poppyseed Chicken

2 or 3 chicken breasts, boiled and cut in small pieces
1 16 oz sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken
2 T of poppyseeds
Ritz crackers
1 stick of butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the first 4 ingredients and put in a baking dish. Cover with crushed up ritz crackers. Melt a stick of butter and pour on top. Bake for 20-30 minutes. I halved this recipe which is easy and just perfect for our "Table for Two." :)

Reigning Champion

No, that's not liquor. It's Diet Coke and Diet Rite. The hubster swears DR tastes the same as my alltime favorite, Diet Coke. So we did blind taste tests.

I lost.

And he won.

Twice.

Surprise Package

Who wouldn't love getting a sussy like this in the mail? What a nice surprise! Thank you, Kristie!

I know something you don't know...

We just found out yesterday that someone we know is expecting this April/May. We are so excited for her and her hubby. Babies are such a blessing...more information to come once they hit the second trimester!

Recent Read

This was a great book! I started it on my way to Dallas and found myself greatly annoyed when anyone tried to interrupt me from reading. Ha!

The story itself focuses on the relationship between two best friends over the course of many many years. Both of the characters drove me CRAZY because of their major flaws - selfishness for one of them and being a big weenie for the other. However, I didn't want to put it down because I just knew the next drama was going to result in each of them waking up and changing their "ways" if you know what I mean. It deals with many "heavy" topics but I never felt that it was too overwhelming. I also loved that the book took place in Seattle...

WWW

The WW tip and recipe/photo are from WW Magazine May/June 2009 issue

WWW Tip:

Clean out your closet! After you've reached a new weight goal, clean out your old (bigger) clothes from your closet. Not only will you earn money (from consignment sales or tax rebates!) BUT you'll also cleanse your living space of clutter and highten your awareness and pride over your weightloss!

***I was SO excited to do this! I can still remember being S.H.O.C.K.E.D. when my old favorites fit again. I was all too pleased to "cleanse" my closet of old clothes...especially since we were moving!

WWW Recipe:



"Fried" Onion Rings
Serves: 4

2 T all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup seasoned dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup fat-free egg substitute
2 large (8 oz) onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick and separated into double rings

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a nonstick baking sheet with nonstick spray. Mix the flour and salt on a sheet of wax paper. Put the bread crumbs on another sheet of wax paper. Put the egg substitute in a shallow dish.

2. Coat each double onion ring on both sides with the flour mixture, shaking off the excess; dip into the egg substitute, then into the crumbs. Transfer to the baking sheet; spray with nonstick spray.

3. Bake until browned on the bottom, 10 minutes. Turn and bake until browned, 5 minutes.

Per serving:

108 Calories
2 grams Fat
3 gram Fiber
4 grams Protein

2 POINTS

Someday...

We'll have a photo wall like these...





My parents have one in their bedroom that used to be in our hallway. It featured everything from great-grandparents to their wedding to us as babies. Nate's mom has great photos of his grandparents, etc. so I know once we're in a house we'll be able to create something just wonderful with all sorts of frames shapes - circles, squares and rectangles!

Anthropologie

Snowdrop Shift

Bold Boutonniere Dress

Betine Dress

Denim Shirtdress

Poplar Branch Dress

Serene Showers Blouse

Scalloped Clouds Skirt

Letizia Cardigan

Gentle Current Cardigan

Anka Jacket

Gamine Chemise

And I could go on and on and on... :)

Fall Favorites...

Well, it can't hurt to shop for amazing Fall Finds if you never put them in your "shopping cart"...right? Here are some of my absolute favorites...

Ann Taylor

Ann Taylor Loft

Athleta

Down East Basics

Tabeeze

Title Nine

Old Navy

Boden

Etsy




And the sweetest piece to sleep in...after all that hard shopping of course!

Pine Cone Hill

Tomorrow I have my Anthro finds...oh Anthropologie, how I love you...

2 - 0

It's GREAT to be a Michigan Wolverine...

Saturday Night Live

Last Saturday we went to see Tommy Emmanuel with Andy and Becky in Cincinnati. He is an amazing guitarist. Seriously. Watch this clip below and you'll see. Plus he's from Australian so listening to him was extra fun! :) My dad watched him on the local PBS station in Cincinnati and bought tickets for the four of us once the show was announced. It was so interesting to watch him play.

Tommy playing Nine Pound Hammer

What Would You Buy?

We've been loving HGTV lately (specifically the "What's Your House Worth" where they show three houses that cost the same in cities across the country)and it had me thinking...what would we buy if we had $250,000? I researched homes in all of the cities that I've lived in from Minnesota to North Carolina. Sure wish we could actually buy some of these!

Burnsville, MN

2786 sq ft
one car garage
5 beds
3 baths
.26 acres

Reading, PA

2228 sq ft
4 beds
2.5 baths
2 car garage
.29 acres

Cincinnati, OH

4 beds
3 baths
2 car garage
.61 acres

Perrysburg, OH

2174 sq ft
4 beds
2.5 baths
2.5 car garage
.75 acres

Knoxville, TN

2264 sq ft
3 beds
2.5 baths
3 car garage
1 acre

Decorah, IA

$169,900 (the closest I could get to $250,000)
1393 sq ft
3 beds
2 baths
2 car garage
1/2 acre

Evansville, IN

2223 sq ft
3 beds
2.5 baths
2 car garage

Charlotte, NC

2600 sq ft
4 beds
2.5 baths
2 car garage
.36 acres

Ann Arbor, MI

2550 sq ft
4 beds
3.5 baths
2 car garage
.36 acres

The next two are houses in our dream locations...

Dallas TX

2771 sq ft
4 beds
2.5 baths
2 car garage
.29 acres

Austin TX

2371 sq ft
4 beds
2 baths
2 car garage
.17 acres