Happy Homemaker Monday

Welcome to Happy Homemaker Monday hosted by Sandra at Diary of a SAHM! The weather in my neck of the woods:

Today was sunny, but windy and in the 50’s. 
Things that make me happy:

Birds at my feeders!

Book I'm reading:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

What I'm enjoying on TV:

I’m LOVING Dr. Who on Netflix right now – instant watch.  Also currently on the BBC!

On the menu for dinner:

Oven baked chicken, green salad, and roasted root vegetables.

On my To Do List:

It’s nearly 10 p.m. now, so I’m going to read and then go to bed!

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

I just bookmarked Black bean and corn quesadillas
Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers):

Silver Lining

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

On my mind:

Summer vacation up the East Coast! YAY!

Sherry

Menu Plan Monday: May 10th, 2010

Welcome to another Menu Plan Monday, hosted by the Organizing Junkie!  Check out this meme to find literally  hundreds of menus posted every week!

Now last week I said that I wanted to try and eat healthier this week – so that is the plan!  We’ll see how long I can do it! 

Here are a couple of random pictures from my kitchen:

This is my rooster I found at a 2nd hand store and just love him!

Trying to make apples more appetizing for the kids!

Monday:  Chicken dipped in Egg Beaters and then in breadcrumbs and Paula Deen’s Lemon Pepper Seasoning, baked in the oven along with roasted  vegetables.  (Red potatoes, parsnips, baby carrots, garlic, asparagus)  I used a recipe similar to THIS

Here’s what they looked like before they went into the oven:

Tuesday:  I am going out to Olive Garden and have already planned ahead.  I’m having the lunch portion of the shrimp primavera – and to figure out the calories, I went to Dottie’s Weight Loss Zone.

Wednesday: We are going to my parents’ house for dinner – so no cooking again!

Thursday:  I am going to base tonight’s dinner on a Rachael Ray recipe, Tilapia baked in couscous – except I am going to be making bulgur pilaf* instead!  I will be posting this recipe with pictures on Saturday if you are interested!

Friday:  I’m making whole wheat spaghetti with shrimp, diced tomatoes, asparagus, garlic – similar to this recipe here from Spark People

Saturday:  Going to Mom’s house again! Lucky me!

 

Sherry

No cooking three times this week!

Have a blessed time around the dinner table with your families!

*Bulgur Pilaf:  My good friend made this a few times when the girls would get together for dinner.  We kept forgetting the name of it (either cracked wheat pilaf or bulgur pilaf) so we started calling it “THE STUFF”.  Here is how it’s made:

Ingredients:

1 cup bulgur

1 can low sodium chicken broth/water/veggie broth/etc

1/4 cup vermicelli threads (or you can break up some noodles)

1 TBS EVOO or butter or (I use) I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter

Use a sauce pan and melt butter/evoo and put in vermicelli threads.  Cook until golden.  Add 1 cup bulgur and 2 cups (or 1 can) broth/water.  Bring to boil then turn down to a low simmer.  Cover and let cook for about 10 minutes.  Fluff with fork.

If you have never tried bulgur – give it a try!  It has a better texture and nuttier flavor than couscous!

And while searching – I found another great recipe for bulgur pilaf! 

Saturdays with Rachael Ray

It’s my very first time participating in Saturdays with Rachael Ray at Taste and Tell !  I came upon this meme last week and knew right away I wanted to join in!

I knew this meme was out and I wanted to cook a RR recipe but seeing as I normally go to my parents’ house for dinner on Saturday – I had nothing planned for today!  I had just posted how I want to be all healthy and eat less pasta – but since I didn’t plan a meal for today – I had to go with what I have in the pantry and freezer --- chicken and egg noodles. 

I Googled“Racheal Ray recipe chicken egg noodles” and found this:

Hearty Chicken and Noodle Casserole

Ingredients

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

1/2 cup milk

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables  ( I had frozen peas, corn, and spinach)

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

2 cups medium egg noodles, cooked and drained

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

And I get to use my Rachael Ray bubble and brown bakeware!  Woot!

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Stir the soup, milk, vegetables, chicken, noodles, Parmesan cheese and black pepper in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.

2. Bake for 25 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the chicken mixture. Top with the cheese. Let stand until the cheese is melted.

I added a little garlic salt and some paprika on top too. 

Just out of the oven:

And here is my plate:

 

I have to say that it was pretty darn good.  I’m not crazy about spinach, but it’s good for me so I put it in there to counteract the cheese!  LOL  My SO had two very large helpings and said it was delicious!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!  Please leave me a comment!  It gets so lonely!

Sherry

Changes Ahead with my Menus

Cooking for my family is one of my favorite things to do.  I take time to menu plan, make out my grocery list, match up my coupons, shop, prepare, plate, and serve meals.  Lately those meals have not been so healthful.  We do have lots of veggies and salads and very little red meat – however, our portion sizes are way too big and we eat too much starchy foods (rice, pasta), etc.

I am a member at Spark People (which I LOVE) and I decided to base my daily menu and our family dinners on the Spark-suggested menus.  It uses your calorie range and gives you a very balanced diet. 

Tonight I had a small piece of chicken I baked in the oven with McCormick Grinders Italian Blend (rosemary, parsley and black peppercorn, with hearty pieces of garlic, onion and tomato) and a mixture of whole wheat pasta w/ 1/2 cup white beans, tomatoes, garlic, and spinach topped with parmesan cheese.  I had a green salad, and a side of broccoli and cauliflower.  It was good!  And the chicken got rave reviews.  I got the spice for 15 cents after sale and coupon!

 

And when I was looking for that picture, I found on the website some great recipes!

Meals Under 30 Minutes

Recipe Finder – Put in your meat and one other ingredient and see what pops up!

So my point is – look for healthier, fresher, yummier recipes to come!

Sherry

My Favorite Recipe Posts of the Week

I follow over 100 blogs on bloglines and I save a LOT of posts that I want to get back to and generally forget about! I thought I’d list some of my favorite recipe posts of the past few weeks and have them here in one place!

Hopefully you will find them helpful too.

Falafel Recipe from Biggest Diabetic Loser

Diary of a SAHM’s Cooking Thursday

Eat at Home’s Pepper Patch Pasta

Good (& Cheap) Eats Spicy Hummus Wrap

Taste & Tell: Saturdays with Rachael Ray

Rachael Ray Sesame Noodles at Laloosh

What was your favorite recipe of the week?

Sherry

Cooking Thursday

This is the first time for me to participate in Diary of a SAHM's Cooking Thursday.

I’ve been trying quite a few recipes lately and found one that my whole family will eat without too much altering! It is a recipe I saw on the Rachael Ray show a month ago and decided to try out. It’s called:

Taco Pasta Toss

I made mine a bit different from the recipe. I used:

1 lb whole wheat penne pasta

1 lb lean ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning

1 can sliced black olives

And for toppings:

Tomato

Onion

Cheddar

Salsa

Everyone loves this! Even my picky son who changes his likes and dislikes every week and usually won’t eat anything not covered in mustard or bbq sauce!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Sherry

Who Am I?

Since this is a new blog for me, I thought I’d write a post for anyone who just might be interested in following me.  (Which I would SO LOVE by the way!) 

Obviously I just turned 40, like 2 weeks ago.  I also made a huge change in my life and have been trying to make the most of it.

I have three children, SweetPea who is 13, THE BOY who is 11, and Daisy who is 10. 

I love birds, flowers, trees and nature in general, so I will be posting about that.

I also love to cook new recipes and participate in Menu Plan Monday most weeks.

I’m an avid reader and plan to post more book reviews.  I read mostly historical fiction, Christian fiction, classics, and the occasional mystery/horror book.

I’m trying to lose weight, so I will probably complain – uh I mean DISCUSS exercise, weight loss, etc.

I am a fan of television – namely Biggest Loser, Glee, Clean House, What Not to Wear, Dr. Who, My Big Life (Kirstie Alley) Ruby, and anything that starts with CSI.  I don’t watch regularly, but I also like House, Dancing with the Stars, Grey’s Anatomy, Trauma, and Mercy. 

I LOVE NETFLIX!  I have Netflix set up through our Wii system and we watch lots of great tv series, movies, etc.  I’m really in to Dr. Who season 1 right now.  SweetPea has discovered Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel – she is addicted!

I talk daily walks – sometimes alone, sometimes with the kids.  We visit lots of parks to keep it interesting.  We bird watch while walking and also look for things to keep in our “Nature Jar” – feathers, eggs, bones, rocks, etc.

I homeschool Daisy.  She is in 4th grade and this has worked for us for many years.  I have another blog dedicated to this, but I’m sure I’ll be bringing it up here as well.

I work about 15 hours per week doing bookkeeping for a medical practice – Daisy goes with me and has her own school area there.  I work another 20 hours a week doing medical transcription at home – which I really love. 

Big girl or not, I love fashion and subscribe to several fashion blogs.  I love makeup, jewelry, perfume, lotions, potions, etc.

Other things I may (or may not?) blog about:

FlyLady

Couponing/shopping/deals

Random photos

Travel (we are doing a historical vacation this summer! Colonial Williamsburg, Liberty Bell, Washington DC, Plymouth Rock, etc)

Writing (I love to write but don’t do much of it anymore – I’d like to change that, but I am already at the computer much of the time between work and FB!)

Current events

Memes

Other reviews

Ok, I think that about covers it!  Me in a nutshell.  If you read all of this – you are just about the awesomest person ever.  If you skimmed, hey, that’s pretty awesome too. 

I hope you will subscribe to my blog or at least come back and visit me again!

Please comment!

(Am I starting to sound desperate?)

Sherry – 40 and daring to change…