Proof is in the Pin! {alternative title: oink oink moooo}

I’m linking up with Sarah for Proof is in the Pin again!

I have a crap ton of pins to share today, becaaaaause, well… as I mentioned in my post last night, I’ve been trying to make dinner at home more often and I’ve also been trying to make “healthier” dinners. I’ve been trying out food pins once or twice a week.

Without further adieu…
Pin #1 – Cream Cheese Chicken

Source: thehappylilhomemaker.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

 

Made this last night. It was time-consuming to make and while it tasted okay…it just wasn’t worth the time and dirty dishes to make.

Pin #2 – Tracy Anderson 8 minute arm exercise

Source: youtube.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

I’ve been doing some arm exercises because my arms look TERRIBLE and I will refuse to wear a short-sleeved shirt this summer with my arms looking the way they do now. So I’ve been doing some arm workouts with weight and I ran across this workout. I liked it a lot and have done it a few times!

Pin #3 – Asparagus and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken

Source: recipesquickandeasy.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Yes, please! This was easy and delicious. Going into our dinner rotation!

Pin #4 – Skinny Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Source: fooddoodles.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Stephen liked this a lot… I thought it was good. Changes for next time: scoop out my spaghetti squash and mix the noodles with the alfredo mixture and throw it in a casserole dish before broiling. Also, add some sautéed mushrooms. It was pretty rich and needs a good side dish to go with it. (I mentioned this in yesterday’s blog, but I made roasted broccoli and I thought it went perfectly.)

Pin #5 – Roasted Corn

Source: bevcooks.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Easy side dish that has a subtle taste difference from just steaming it.

Pin #6 – Black Bean Tacos

Source: endlesssimmer.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Easily my favorite food post for this blog. These were delicious and Stephen’s already requested them for dinner again this week!

Pin #7 – Cinnamon Sugar Crescent Rolls

Source: fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net via Stephanie on Pinterest

Uuuum, okay, please pretend that these are “healthy.”  Stephen and I both had a sweet craving and I really don’t keep sweets on hand…. because we lack self control. But I was really wanting something yummy and was scrolling through my desserts board and saw these and they called for things I almost always have on hand – crescent rolls, cinnamon and sugar, butter, and powdered sugar. I opened up a can of REDUCED FAT (which, in my mind, equals guilt free… ha!) crescent rolls in the fridge so I whipped these up in no time. I didn’t even measure, just threw on a little butter and cinnamon and sugar till it looked right. They were SO GOOD. I’ve made Paula Deen cinnamon rolls I don’t know how many times and they’re delicious (and easy) – but they just take so dang long to make and these crescent rolls were ALMOST as good and about a thousand times faster. You could use Truvia if you wanted to avoid the sugar but I do think that they probably need that glaze on top. It’s safe to say that I can no longer keep crescent rolls in my fridge because I will be wanting to make these now.

Pin #8 – Skinny Taste Cauliflower Fritters

Source: skinnytaste.ziplist.com via Kate on Pinterest

NO! Just no. These were not good at all. I don’t know if it’s something I did wrong or the cauliflower I used (frozen instead of fresh) but I did not like these at ALL. Stephen was able to dip his into ketchup and he ate them just fine but we both agreed they would go on the “do not attempt again” list.

ANNNND last but not least
Pin #9 – Eighteen25’s Subway Art Collection

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

 

I love these free printables from eighteen25! They have something for basically every occasion. I had most of these printed at WalMart as 8x10s for like $20 total and put them on top of my China cabinet. Fun and inexpensive way to decorate for basically any occasion of the year!

March Madness

I LOVE Daylight Savings Time. What’s with all the griping, people? I’m excited!

Our March is already looking busy! Which is crazy because I don’t feel like we lead very busy lives. We came to an agreement with someone who wanted to buy our house, so we’re supposed to close next Wednesday… yaay! I have mixed feelings but mostly I’m happy to have sold it (haven’t lived in it for over a year) and a little nostalgic to say goodbye to our first home. We will be busy this weekend moving out the furniture that we used to stage the house.

Other plans for March include a possible visit from my in-laws, our annual family Easter Celebration the weekend before Easter at my mom’s house, a schedule trip to Branson and SDC the last week of March, and of course Easter weekend to finish out the month. Plus a million things on our to-do list between now and then and the possibility of being called in to substitute teach at a moment’s notice.

I have several job applications in to schools hiring for my area of certification. I HAVE to get a job teaching somewhere next fall, otherwise I’ll have to start looking for some other type of job. SOOO fingers crossed for a good school district to hire me next year.

I’ve been doing really good with planning out a weekly menu. It’s so much easier if I can plan out our meals and do the shopping once a week and then I know I have everything on hand for dinner that night. I meal plan on Sundays (usually) and then make a grocery list and then we all three go eat dinner at the Subway in Walmart, then we do our shopping. I hate grocery shopping so it makes it more fun and I look forward to dinner on Sunday nights. I think once I have a job we’ll have to move this tradition to Saturday night.

Another thing I love about menu planning is trying out new recipes! Last week I tried out two new Pinterest recipes and they were both good! Asparagus and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken and Skinny Spaghetti Squash Alfredo. Which OF COURSE I paired with roasted broccoli, one of my favorite ever Pinterest finds.

I also love that I can plan healthy meals. When I don’t have a plan and it’s getting late or we’re out of food in the pantry, our back-up plan is usually Mexican food or pizza.  That being said, I’m back on the weight loss wagon and determined to lose some weight! I started the Couch to 5K running plan back up a few weeks ago. Pounding the pavement and listening to music at full blast is the BEST way to end a stressful day.

Other things I did last week include a last-minute subbing job 30 minutes away, a few trips to Cruizzers for caffeine, cleaning out our master closet, and making Play-Doh frogs with Christopher.

This weekend we were able to get a little work done in our yard (and assess all the damages from winter/dogs/time that need to be worked on and fixed before Spring/Summer) and then I cleaned out the dungeon.  I mean… the third bedroom.  It’s our catch-all room and hadn’t been touched since THANKSGIVING. I cleaned out a huge trashbag full of junk and organized all my craft/wreath making supplies. One thing I ran across was a box of some of mine and Stephen’s old music CD’s. After the room was finished (YOU CAN SEE THE FLOOR – HALLELUJAH!) Stephen and I sat down and imported our favorites songs off our old CDs into iTunes. I think I doubled my song collection! And we still have a big book of Stephen’s laying around somewhere that we need to find and import. Needless to say I’m glad to have that task finished, it’s something we had been meaning to do for awhile. I had a ton of those “Now That’s What I Call Music…” CDs from my middle school/early high school days and I’m pretty sure I’m going to be singing 90s pop songs for the rest of the week. Ha!

oh… hi there!

UUUM, oops.  I forgot about blogging. Once I go a few days without blogging it seems it’s just easier to keep ignoring it. I left off a few days before Valentine’s Day so I’ll do a quick recap. If you follow me on Instagram… most of these are going to be repeats.

Stephen got me a few different Valentine’s Day gifts but these flowers were my favorite. It’s the first time he’s gotten me fresh flowers since we were dating. I LOVE flowers for Valentine’s Day (or any day really) even though it’s cliché. 

We had a few days of sleet/snow/ice. It would come that morning then be melted by the afternoon. Christopher liked to walk in it and see his footprints afterwards.

Basketball season ending meant Stephen had to be gone for tournaments and championships… I was a single parents for a few nights. It’s exhausting! BUT I will say I think it was easier to keep the house picked up…which tells me that Stephen is more of a hindrance than a help in that area.

Christopher and I made a trip to Ft Smith for his second dentist appointment. He went back all by himself and they told me he did really well! He didn’t have any cavities, so yay for that!  We had a fun day together!

We had lunch at Arby’s…

Then I bribed him with ice cream (fro-yo) for a quick trip in Hobby Lobby. But really, I would have taken him for ice cream anyways.

This was waiting for his hair appointment later in the week. He’d gotten a sucker when we’d gone through the bank drive-thru and thought his blue tongue was funny.

I ordered this vinyl wall art from Etsy to go above mine and Stephen’s bed. I love it with our new bedding!

I’ve been in a Spring Cleaning mood, I guess. I’m working on the house one room at a time. Our master closet and the dressers/drawers in our room are all cleaned out and ready for spring/summer!

I have a few changes coming to the blog (like, um, updating my header? Less than 6 months until Christopher is four…the “2” pictures are a little outdated.) and I’m excited to start working on them! Hopefully by the end of the month. =)