This was the perfect discovery for a delicious drink on this OH so hot night. Being pregnant I am on the look out for great “indulgences” that are big on sweet and little on the calorie bank. Frozen Watermelon holds onto flavor well and cooled my drink perfectly! In seltzer or a non-cola these little guys are perfect! Here’s to cooling off 
Dinners:
Slow cooker BBQ Chicken
Mini Meatloaf, baked potatoes and broccoli
Caprese Salad and homemade bread
Farfalle Pasta and sauce with baked chicken
Chicken fajitas
Chicken salad and roasted sweet peppers
Lunches:
Cottage cheese, salad and fruit x 3
Ham and cheese wraps
Left overs x 2
Lunch out x 1
Breakfasts:
Healthy omelets- egg whites, tomatoes, spinach and mushroom x 3
Oatmeal x 3
Cereal
Snacks:
Homemade yogurt and fruit parfaits
Fruit
Homemade bread and honey
Tomorrow Chic-fil-a will be handing out free food to those that sport cow duds! The details can be found here.
How fun!
I’m so excited about this week’s menu!
Dinners:
Baked chicken sandwiches
Taco salad
Homemade pizza
Crock pot BBQ wings over biscuits
Salad, cottage cheese and fruit
Fruit pancakes
Tuna casserole
Lunches:
Left over baked chicken in salads and sandwiches
2 x lunches out
Burritos and rice
Breakfasts:
Oatmeal done 7 ways!
Snacks:
Red velvet cake
Homemade granola
Fruit parfaits
Last week’s goals were a breeze! I didn’t have a chance to get my Red Velvet perfected but I must say it was a wonderful week wishing hubby bye for another departure. Being a military wife can, at times, be so romantic! Distance makes the heart grow fonder.
Onto goals. I had an easy list this past week. I am going to rev it up this week.
1. QUILT! The challenge of continuing to work on my first quilt is huge. I take it out whenever the mood strikes so I am dedicating 30 minutes a day to sewing to teach myself greater discipline!
2. Red velvet cake.
3. Hand print art. Pictures to follow soon!
(there catching up to take priority)
4. Purchase new crock pot I adore this invention! I made crockpot BBQ chicken in it for shredded BBQ sandwiches that were a huge hit. The hubs devoured three!
Crock pot BBQ Chicken recipe:
chicken pieces, I used 3 boneless, skinless breasts
bottle of any flavor BBQ sauce
10 oz coke
Place ingredients in pot on low setting until chicken is cooked through. I did 6 hours. Then shred chicken in pot with forks. Continue to cook about 45 minutes. Serve on buns. This would be delicious on potato bread but I used Hawaiian buns and it was wonderful.
I think I might add pineapple and Hawaiian BBQ sauce next time to make a Hawaiian BBQ. Mmmmm…
5. finish purging the house for new baby We made it really far in this realm. Still much to do!
6. go on a date with hubby! We had a wonderful Japanese dinner outing. New baby loves Mochi!
Goals for week beginning 7-9
Family Goals:
1. Take my sweets to a play group every week.
2.Read out loud to him for an hour a day.
Personal Goals:
3. Finish Life on Planet Mom
4. Work 30 minutes daily on quilt.
Pregnancy Goals:
5. Do Yoga 30 minutes daily.
6. Start piecing together baby’s room.
Marriage Goals:
7. Create separation and welcome home traditions. (We don’t have our own yet!)
Household Goals:
8. Continue to cut down on clutter!
9. Red Velvet Cake recipe perfection.
What are your goals this week?
An inspiring sale lead me to this delicious concoction! A short while ago I found Instant Hot Chocolate Packages on sale for $.25 a box! Granted the store was severely overstocked from the holidays still and looking to purge, that did not stop my elation. I bought 4 boxes for $1.00 and they are set to expire after next season. So…score!
However, today while cleaning the pantry they eyed me temptingly. “I would love one of those frozen right now!” Here is what I came up with:
Frozen Hot Chocolate items
any type of semi sweet chocolate
instant cocoa mix
milk
ice
-Melt chocolate on lower setting until fully melted. 
-Stir in instant cocoa and allow to cool.
-Slowly add milk until smooth.
-Place in blender with ice and added milk. Blend until smooth. ( make sure to fully blend ice)
Can be eaten now or for a truly tasty treat poor in mugs and place in freezer for an hour. Enjoy!
So I tried to clean out the cupboards tonight and had luck. I used a Kikkoman stir-fry mix (that I bought with a coupon for free of course) added chicken, carrots and frozen peas over white rice. It was delicious, simple and budget friendly.Other things on the menu this week!
Dinners:
Tonight- stir fry and rice
Chicken fajitas and beans
Dinner out x 1
Onion burgers, salad and corn
miniature meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas
steak on the grill, mashed potatoes and fruit salad
Lunches:
Pasta and sauce
Left overs x 2
Sandwiches and fruit x 4
Breakfasts:
Bacon, eggs and bagels x 2
fresh fruit smoothies
oatmeal x 3
cereal
Snacks:
Fourth of July fruit cones
Cheddar and apple bake
Red Velvet cake!
I am trying a bunch of new recipes this week and will post links soon to my results!
Today was a great day of getting out of the house. We had a play date that ended in melt down city so when we came off to bed little one went to bed. I had an unusual amount of energy today though so decided to tackle this simple “recipe”.
Pretzel sticks Ingredients:
- Pretzel Rods
- White chocolate mmmm
- sprinkles
That is it yay.
You will also need wax paper and a baking sheet to set them on to chill.
1. Melt Chocolate in microwave 30 seconds for each square. Stir to smooth consistency.
2. Lick spoon.
3. Dip pretzel sticks in chocolate and let drip excess.
4. Sprinkle with super festive colors.
5. Lay on wax lined baking sheet and let harden in fridge. 30 minutes.
After they are hardened you can decorate. I used saran wrap and ribbon so they were easy to hand out.
Total time spent dipping, sprinkling, chilling and decorating about 2 hours. Total money spent around $9.00.
It is here! The reason for floppy hats, indulgent ice cream desserts and Fourth of July themed foods. The family and I decided to venture out and find some great deals.
First is was an Amish Farm Stand with the most beautiful tomatoes I have seen. The hubs does not enjoy tomatoes, eep I know, so I bought an amazing onion. It must be the growing baby in me but I wholly, maybe a little too much, enjoyed the smell of this onion. I am planning on creating some rings Sunday night to go with burgers on the grill. This baby appreciates quality!
We also found an abundance of pies and breads that were calling to me but I held back. Once the gentleman told us of watermelon coming next week I knew we’d be back! My husband picked out some honey in his unending quest to find real good honey for his tea. Over the course of our marriage I have gotten quite the giggle out of the varieties of the sugary substance that have graced our home. So far no winners…here’s hoping.
So that was our big purchase at the stand. We also stopped by Walgreens for a great deal they are currently having on select Suave hair products. They are priced a $1.00 each and if you buy 2 you get $2.00 register rewards. So I paid $2.00 and tax for the original purchase of shampoo and used my coupon to get to more free. There was a limit of one reward. I also scored free polish with a $1.00 off coupon! So goes my adventures of living in simplicity. 
Since my family and I have learned/continue to learn to cut spending and limit wasteful purchasing the weekends are all that sweeter. Peace is found in the simplicity of life now instead of the excess. It also does not hurt to indulge in a snow cone once in a while…
now THAT’S living!
My husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy and during the summer we adore grilling out. Here is a simple way to change up your typical potato options. Instead of mashed or baked try crisped!
For two people:
Three medium sized baking potatoes
Oil
Season-I used season salt and black pepper but also love sea salt, black pepper and garlic powder
Slice potatoes thinly. My husband and I differ here. I like mine a little thicker so I use varying cuts.
Drop potato slices one at a time, so they do not stick, in batches into preheated oil over medium high heat. Mmm love that sizzle sound…
Cook for 1-2 minutes flip and cook until browned.
Yummy! Remove each from oil and let dry on paper towels. Season and allow some to make it to the table. We had these with grilled tenderloin and corn on the cob and it was a delicious summer treat.
