WIAW - Pregnancy Edition

It's been quite sometime that I've remembered to take photos of ALL my eats for the entire day for "What I Ate Wednesday".  I have been really trying to get the photos of my eats and then forget some lunch time because I am starving and all I can think about is how I want to stuff whatever lunch is in my face!  haha!  

Morning Drink

I've talked about my morning drink before, but let me all refresh you with my current love!

Iced French Vanilla Coffee

It's way cheaper than going to Starbucks everyday!  I have found this in my local grocery store, 6 packets (1 box) for $2.59.  Just add ice and milk (I use skim milk)

 Breakfast Number 1

A banana!  

I am loving fresh fruit and this really hits the spot!

 Breakfast #2

Yogurt with granola.

 Lunch

 

Leftover's from the night before, nachos!!!

I posted about the nachos yesterday and it seems like everyone who read my blog became instantly in love with the idea for nachos....LOL!  Nothing wrong with that!

 Snack

After lunch I am always wanting something sweet. 

I limit myself to 2 of these a day.

Dinner 

BBQ Pulled Pork, tater tots and coleslaw

Sometimes I do have an after dinner snack, but it depends on if I am hungry or not.  Most nights all I want is a bowl of cereal, Capt n Crunch is my favorite currently!  

On the coleslaw.....the husband deserves a gold star!

Yesterday he went to lunch with a friend and they went to Wing-stop.  I was sitting at my desk and all I could think about was their coleslaw and how good it was and then a light bulb went off and I called him.  "Uh babe....I have an odd request.  Can you get me some coleslaw?  Just get a to-go container of it.  It would go really good with the pulled pork for dinner and it sounds so good!"  He laughs and says not a problem.  He tells the lady who is taking their order, "So I have a pregnant wife and she is requesting some coleslaw to-go, would you be able to do that?"  Of course she says yes and that it's not a problem.  She chats with him about the pregnancy, etc.  They then receive their food and get a bunch more wings than they ordered....apparently she either felt sorry for him or she thought he was such a good guy for getting his pregnant wife the coleslaw that she is craving.  Either way, it was WIN,WIN for the both of us!!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

It's been quite sometime since I've posted a recipe up for What I Ate Wednesday!  Since last weekend was Easter, I made a delicious recipe that I just HAD to share with you all!  :) 



You read that title correctly, however; you're probably thinking that this is a salad (green) with strawberries and pretzel's in it.  If you are thinking that, then you are wrong.  But I will say, what I am about to post about, is something so delicious and amazing.  It sweet and salty and is the perfect amount of both!  To find the original recipe, click here.

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) container of frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 2 (3 ounce) packages of strawberry flavored Jell-O
• 2 cups of boiling water
• 2 (10 ounce) packages of frozen strawberries
• 2 cups of crushed pretels
• 3/4 cup of butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons of white sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup of white sugar

Directions

1. Get out a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Preheat over to 400 degrees F
3. Crush pretzels into crumbs (like you would with graham crackers), I like to leave the pretzels a little in tact, but mostly crushed.
4. Mix together crushed pretzels, butter and 3 tbsp of sugar.  Press this mixture into the bottom of your pan.
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until set.  Set aside to cool.
6. In a large mixing bowl cream together cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar.  Then mix by hand with spatula the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture.  Spread this mixture onto the cooled crust.
7. Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water (2 cups water).  Stir in still frozen strawberries and all to sit for a couple minutes.  When the mixture is the consistency of egg whites, pour and spread over the cream cheese mixture.
8. Place in refrigerator to set the Jell-O (takes about an hour)
9. Eat and enjoy the deliciousness of the salty and sweet mixture!

Layer 1, pretzel mixture

Layer 2, cream cheese mixture

Layer 3, strawberries and Jell-O mixture

Final product:

DELICIOUS!!

Homemade Mac and Cheese

Yesterday I decided that I wanted Macaroni and Cheese for dinner and not just the boxed kind, but the homemade kind.  I have never tried this before and thought why not.  If it comes out bad, there is always other options or fast food right around the corner.  

While searching with "Google", my "go-to resource", I found 2 recipes for this that looked good. One that used smoked paprika and the other from the Pioneer women that used dry mustard. Now if you know my husband, you will know that he is a picky eater and even though everyone said you cannot taste the dry mustard, I knew that he would have been able too.  So I decided to go with the Pioneer Woman's recipe, because lets face it, you cant go wrong with the Pioneer Woman, and substitute smoked paprika in for the dry mustard.

Ingredients

4 cups Dried Macaroni

1 whole Egg Beaten

1/4 cup (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter

1/4 cup All-purpose Flour

2-1/2 cups Whole Milk

1 teaspoon (heaping) smoked paprika

1 pound Cheese, Grated

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt

1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

 Preparation Instructions

• Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
• In a small bowl, beat egg.
• In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.
• Pour in milk, add smoked paprika, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
• Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.
• Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
• Add in cheese and stir to melt.
• Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.
• Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
• Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese and bread crumbs, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

I decided that a couple pieces of bacon would go well with the mac and cheese too, and boy was I right!!  

~What recipes have you tried out lately?  

~Have you ever tried to make a homemade mac and cheese?  If not, I'd HIGHLY suggest it! :)

Good eats, bad for me.

A week from today is Christmas day, 2 weeks from today is the first day of the New Year 2014!  Wrap that around your head for a minute.  :)  Haha!  As much as I would LOVE to tell you all how awesome I am at getting my exercise in, I would be lying.  So instead, I will admit that my exercising has gone away again....UGH!  Snap out of it Jess!!  

I've been really bad at eating too.....as much as I'd love to eat those green vegetables, it's just not happening.  No excuses, it just isn't.  I am getting in SOME veggies, but not as many as I should.  I'm actually really looking forward to the new year and starting 2014 off right!

For now, you can enjoy my eats as they are now.  I have planned (it's scheduled up so I can't disappoint) to post the Hot Cocoa Cookies recipe up for you all on Thursday.  So make sure you come back for the recipe.  I promise, you won't want to miss out on this!

Homemade biscuits made with Bisquick!

Who knew they were that easy to make!?!?!!

My favorite thing from Panera right now!

Fontina grilled cheese and tomato soup!!!

Baked Stuffed Shells

Blueberry pancakes and cheese scrambled eggs

Homemade beer cheese sauce for Andy

Shake n Bake chicken and fries

Side salad for me with a little bit of cheese and Newman's Raspberry and Walnut dressing.

Yes, you read that right, Hot Cocoa Cookies!!!

{This recipe is schedule for tomorrow, I promise!}

Thanksgiving Eats!

It's not Thanksgiving without documenting all the DELICIOUS food that I devoured and share with you all in "BlogLand"!  I am proud of myself for making sure that I got photos of all of the food too!!  :) 

Breakfast was at my mom's house.  On the menu:  bacon, beignets, cheese danishes, and breakfast tater tot casserole.  YUM!!

Dinner was at my in-laws house.  On the menu:  turkey, ham, carrots with a honey glaze, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, cheesy potato casserole, sweet potato duffle, rolls to make sandwiches from the ham and turkey, and tropical fluff.

(Don't worry, I put seconds of the green bean casserole and cheesy potatoes on my plate)

(I also had a nice scoopful of those delicious carrots on my plate that I scarfed promptly)

Dessert was the homemade Apple Crisp that I made.  I used a mixture of granny smith and honey crisp apples.  It came out very tasty, but I was so full from both the breakfast and dinner that I couldn't eat much of the apple crisp.  :( 

Keeping those portions small and include those vegetables!

Yes, the ever dreaded "diet" is being brought back up today.  I don't want to "diet" but rather I just want to eat healthier and get some cardio workouts back into my life.  I can enjoy those little things, like Christmas Tree Cakes from Little Debbie {addicting} and ice cream; but I need to remember the word MODERATION!!

At work we are provided with a free lunch.  I am all over anything that starts with the word free.  Especially lunch since I just give myself enough time to shower, get dressed, take the doggie outside and feed the cat and then it's off to a good 45 minute drive to work, so making lunch would cause me to get up even earlier, NO THANKS!  Our lunches are made out of a cafeteria kitchen {so you know the food isn't very healthy}, but sometimes it's the best choice to go with.  

Lately, I have been feeling "Fluffy" {Yes, I just called myself Fluffy} and not happy with myself.  Yes, I'd rather be pregnant right now, but I know that I have to leave that in the back of my mind and just remind myself that I am a strong individual who will get pregnant.  It's just going to take some patience on my part.  I decided that I wanted to get back to the gym on a regular basis and get my fitness going again.  

Last night was day one back at the gym.  How did I do?  I decided on Day one of Couch to 5K.  Start with a 5 minute warm up walk, run one minute, walk a minute 30 seconds, last 5 minutes cool down walk.  This lasts for 30 minutes.  Every run I increased my speed just a bit.  The fastest run I got out of me, 5.5.  That's pretty good for a girl who hasn't been the gym in over 2 months!  The goal, going to the gym every other day (3 days minimum).  

1. Today's lunch I decided on packing a favorite lunch of mine to take from home: Turkey and cheese roll up in a spinach tortilla (I only use half of a tortilla) and some baby carrots for the crunch factor and to get my veggies in.

2.  Oatmeal, my breakfast staple at work.  Right now I am loving this oatmeal from Oatmeal Revolution.

3. I still LOVE the Chobani Flips!  It's a great alternative for at night when I am craving something sweet rather than grabbing some ice cream or cookies.

4. I found this Bigelow herbal tea called "Perfect Peach".  It's perfect to sip on when we are having such cold mornings.  I love coffee but had the caffeine addiction I get from it, so this is a great alternative to my something warm to drink in the mornings.

5. Chobani Champions Tubes in Chillin' Cherry!  YUM!!  I highly recommend these for a quick snack or for them to be apart of your breakfast like they are for mine!

6.  The holidays would not be complete without Celestial Seasons Holiday teas!  I tried the Gingerbread Spice yesterday (so good) and had the Sugar Cookie flavor this morning!  I find these at my local Target, I can never find them in my grocery stores. 

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

I know, I promised this recipe 2 weeks ago; but you know, life got in the way.  But here I am, fulfilling my promise to you all.  :)  I found this recipe on good 'ol Pinterest by the way.  Click here for the original recipe.  I always make sure to give credit where it is needed.

Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 pound of ground pork breakfast sausage (or cubed ham or bacon, whatever you would like best) {I used turkey sausage and turkey bacon}
• 2-4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups of milk
• 4 eggs
• 2 pounds of frozen tater tots

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Spread the sausage, bacon, or ham evenly in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spread cheese over meat.
3. In large bowl, beat together milk and eggs. Pour over cheese (You may refrigerate this overnight at this point)
4. Top with frozen tater tots
5. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Some ovens may take more or less time. Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

• I made this is a 9" square pan.  I decided to cut all ingredients in half to make this recipe for our home.
• I topped my portion with a sprinkling of pepper to give it a bit more flavor.
• This is delicious and a must try in your home!  :) 

French Dip Sandwiches

French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients

• a beef roast (we make for the two of us 2 lbs of meat at a time. This will make 2 meals for the both of us)
• Au Jus mix, powdered  (You can also use canned)
• 3 beef bullion cubes

Directions

1. Roast beef in oven until medium.
2. Take beef out of oven and let cool.  Place in fridge for overnight (makes slicing easier)
3. The next morning take beef out of fridge and slice into thin slices
4. In the crock-pot mix the powdered Au Jus mix with water as directed on the package.
5. Add the 3 beef bullion cubes
6. Place sliced beef in the crock-pot
7. Let cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
8. DEVOUR the deliciousness!

We use a day old loaf of bread from Jimmy Johns.  Put provel or swiss cheese on the bread and toast.  Add beef onto the hot, toasty bread and ENJOY!!

Today is a new day

I don't know about you all, however; I was having a rough day.  I don't know if it was because it was rainy and gloomy or what, but man I was a CRAB!  Even my husband was stepping away to let me keep my sanity.  

I don't know what it is, but I swear people cannot drive.  We learn very early on in life, that we wait our turn.  In grade school we lined up and waited our turn.  In middle school we wait our turn in the cafeteria, not just walk up in front of someone and get your food before them. Lately, people driving just don't care.  I pride myself in the last 13 years of driving that I have never gotten into a car accident (knock on wood).  However, that is because I am a very aware driver.  I keep my eyes on the road, remember what cars are around me, look in my mirrors, yield to other drivers, merge into traffic when there is an opening, and not cut people off.  

Yesterday, while driving home from work, the 2 lane road I was driving in merged into one lane.  So here I am taking my time and slowly merging into the one lane road when someone lets me in.  Here comes these 2 cars who decide to drive all the way until the lane ends and cuts people off.  One of those cars, cuts me off.  I am not talking just cuts me off, I am talking, swerve car into mine without even considering that I am not going to let her in.  Being the defensive and smart driver I am, I slam on the breaks and hold my horn down for several seconds yelling at her.  I said some not so choice words.....  Yesterday was not the day to take advantage of me.  Yesterday was a day where you should have waited your turn and not cut me off.  The best is that she had no idea what she did wrong.  Some days I say, "I should have just let her hit me".  But who wants to deal with the police (not that there is anything wrong with the police), exchanging information, getting the car fixed, and dealing with insurance.  Not me!  People, please just follow the rules of the road.  When you see a "YIELD" sign, that means you are to "YIELD" to on-coming traffic!  When you see that traffic is having to merge into one lane, don't wait till the last second!  Be a polite citizen and merge when everyone else is!  GAH!  {END RANT}

So like my title suggests, TODAY IS A NEW DAY!

Sunday morning I decided to be a good wife and make Andy some breakfast.  In our household breakfast isn't a big thing on the weekends.  Normally we don't eat breakfast and just skip to lunch (because I love to sleep in....)  I decided to make the classic, "Bisquick Coffee Cake" since I haven't made that in quite some time.  Today, I will share with you all this classic recipe that I have enjoyed for years.  My mom use to make it all the time for us when we were younger.

Double-Streusel Coffee Cake

(via)

Ingredients

Streusel

• 2/3 cup Original Bisquick mix
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 TBSP cold butter or margarine

Coffee Cake

• 2 cups Original Bisquick mix
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 TBSP granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray bottom and sides of 9 inch round (or square) cake pan with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix 2/3 cup Bisquick mix, the brown sugar and cinnamon.  Cut in butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knifes through ingredients in opposite directions), until crumbly; set aside.
2. In medium bowl, stir coffee cake ingredients until blended.  Spread about 1 cup of the batter in the pan.  Sprinkle with about 3/4 cup of the streusel. Drop the remaining batter over top of struesel; spread carefully over streusel. Sprinkle remaining streusel over top.
3. Bake 20-24 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 30 minutes before serving (or just eat it warm out of the oven). Serve warm or cool.

Makes 6 servings.