Single Word Journaling...

Another homework assignment!  I'm actually caught up on my journaling class BEFORE the next assignment posts (in a few hours...but still...caught up!).  One of the things this class talks about is doing pages with the STORY first instead of pictures first.  Point being, there are lots of things that probably wouldn't make it into the scrapbook if you were scrapping only from pictures.  If you think of stories that you want to include, then you can go looking for a picture that reminds you of the story, or somehow relates to it, AFTER you journal...or maybe even do a page without pictures.  Anyway, since I'm coming up on another fabulous scrapping weekend at Heather's, it seemed appropriate to do a page for weekends past.  We always have a good time, but there's not always specific scrap-able events, plus we're awful about taking pictures when we get together.  Sooooo...I just wrote up some words that made me think of those weekends and yanked a picture from Facebook (with permission, of course), and here we are...a cute page to commemorate scrapping and bitching and drinking too much wine...woot!  (P.S.  I'm obsessed with the camera template I misted/inked into the background...ah-ma-zing).  Plus, in the name of my OCD-ishness, it's a little matchy-matchy with yesterday's page in the colors and the friend theme, so it makes a complete layout for my homework album :)  Happiness is a place for everything and everything in it's place...lol! 

Anyway, that's all for tonight.  T-minus 20 days till I'm in Michigan...woot!  G'night all :)

Journaling With Numbers...

Well, part of this week's journaling homework was journaling with numbers.  I've gotta say, this workshop is giving me tons of ideas to scrap old pictures I've had laying around for years...pictures that I've always liked, but never found a place for, because they didn't really go with anything else.  Anyway, so I've had this pic of my friend Ryan for ages (probably almost as long as I've known him), and when I was flipping through my box of pictures, I just knew it was the picture for this assignment.  Weirdly, while I'm a numbers-oriented person as far as math/statistics go, I had a really hard time reconciling that with my crafty side for this project.  I think maybe I need to put more stock in that whole left-brain/right-brain dominance thing.  I must've went through a dozen scenarios with different numbers, and they just didn't seem to relate to each other enough, or seem important enough to go on the page...I finally settled on a less-is-more approach, and I think it turned out pretty good.  I added another handlettered title and a doodled band/border for my doodling workshop.  I'm sort of obsessed with the doodled band...I'm going to be doing that one on everything for a while, I think ;)   Here's the end result:

Also in this journaling workshop, our teacher keeps talking about a favorite pics album that she keeps.  I'm thinking that's a brilliant idea.  Pictures that aren't necessarily in chronological order...or that don't go with any particular theme, location, date, etc...just pictures that you like, and you want to keep in one place to enjoy.  I think that's sort of what my "homework scrapbook" is going to turn out to be, because I've just been gathering up pictures that I like that have been homeless thusfar.  Anyway, I best be getting to bed...more homework tomorrow unless I'm totally slacking!  :)

Journaling Homework...

Well, thanks to a snowstorm that got my store closed early, I had extra time to scrap tonight and work on my homework for my journaling class.  Woot!  Hooray for snow days!  (Note: I probably won't be feeling that way when I'm digging my car out in the morning, but alas...I'll enjoy it for the moment.)  Anyway, this first one was for journaling in the style of a quiz.  I had the hardest time thinking of what to do.  I finally wound up writing the quiz first after stumbling across a "Would You Rather..." reference on TV the other day.  I took a few applicable questions (that weren't too ridiculous or inappropriate...as that game is prone to being), and then dug through my bin of random pictures and found a picture of myself from a couple of years ago at a work meeting (yes...I'm wearing a tiara and wand at a work meeting...I work at a scrapbook store people...it happens...lol).  I'm still doing my doodling/lettering for my handlettering class too, so that's featured again.  I think it turned out pretty darn cute...I don't even hate the picture of myself (which is weird, cuz I NEVER scrapbook myself). 

And then the other assignment was journaling in a single sentence.  I've had these pics hanging out on my computer for a couple of years of my sister and I from a trip to St. Louis.  I never had much in particular to do with them (besides post them on Facebook, obviously), because they didn't tell much of a story...except that we're dorks and spend too much time taking pictures of ourselves making ridiculous faces at the camera when we're bored in a hotel room.  lol :)  Anyway, I'm liking it, I think...even if that does mean I'm featured on TWO whole scrapbook pages in recent history...weird!  I'm particularly obsessed with the little Maya Road houses on the bottom...I colored them with some Slick Writers and I'm in love with them!

So that's it for the craftiness tonight.  In other news, I'm a sucker, and when I got an email this morning, reminding me it's the last day to sign up for the Technicolor Doodling workshop on Creative Passions Classes, I clicked right on through and signed up.  Argh.  I promised myself I wouldn't sign up for another one till I was done with the first two!  Whoops :) 

House Mouse Monday Challenge (HMFMC138)...

Well, after much talking about blog challenges at work, I got to thinking it was a pretty good idea to start getting my creativity working by trying one out.  All this crafting with prompts with my scrapbooking workshops has been a new experience, so why not apply it to cards too?  Anyway, I'm obsessed with House Mouse stamps, so I figured that was as good a place to start as any!  So I'm starting with the House Mouse Monday Challenge - HMFMC138 - I Love You *Sew* Much, in which you're supposed to either use stiching, faux stitching, or a stamp that relates to sewing in some way.  I went to dig out my stamping supplies tonight, since I've been doing mostly Project Life stuff for the last few weeks, and nearly had a stroke thinking I lost my FAVORITE acrylic block for stamping.  Nevermind that I don't actually need an acrylic block for this project, since the stamp's mounted on a wooden block already.  Don't worry...the crisis was averted when I found it hiding with some washi tape in the wrong drawer of my craft center...tsk...bad acrylic block! So yeah... I think it's possible I may have a bit of a crafting problem...soon I may need an intervention of some kind...but until then, here's what I came up with for my first challenge!

Okay, so I haven't decided yet if I'm totally in love with it, but it's cute and it was fun to get out my colored pencils and gamsol for the evening. I can't ever seem to get House Mouse stamps to look right with Copics...the lines are too fine, and I'm apparently a bit of a bull in a china shop when it comes to coloring fine line images. But I love the results I get with pencils, so I'll stick with that. I used random scraps of paper I had lying around (hooray for using up scraps!), gems, twine, and some buttons from my gigantic stash that I hardly ever use. All in all, a productive use of supplies that I haven't touched in a while. Everyone have a good night!

Journaling Workshop - List Style...

Another combined homework assignment!  In this one, I combined the list-style journaling assignment from my Grammar Free Journaling workshop (on Big Picture Classes) and the embellished title assignment from my Hand Lettering workshop (on Creative Passion Classes).  I wanted to make yesterday's page into a full layout with all the pups, so I did a page with Daisy May, the newest addition to the family.  Her name was a helpful inspiration for the embellished title.  Aside from that, I did it in a similar style with doodling so layout all feels like it goes together.  The paper is Studio Calico Snippets.  I gotta say, these doodling pages are a lot cheaper to do than my other pages...lol :)  Anyway, that's all for tonight.  Catching up on Project Life tomorrow, and maybe submitting a card for a challenge on the House Mouse blog!  Woot!  Yay crafty-time!

Inspiration Strikes...

I'm bringing craftiness back to the blog!  Obviously, I've been doing random crafty stuff since I last posted anything on here about it.  However, it's been a bit of a struggle for a while.  I hadnt had motivation to scrapbook in ages and I'd even lost momentum on my stamping projects (on the actual stamping...not on the buying of stamps...lol).  The good news is, since I moved to Iowa, I've been getting more involved in scrapbooking and crafting again.  My friend Heather inspired me to actually start my Project Life scrapbook (for real this time), and I've actually been doing a good job of keeping up.  I went and took a workshop about doodling at Memory Bound (another local scrapbooking store), and had so much fun.  And now, thanks to Teresa (one of the gals at work), I'm getting involved in some online classes too.  Right now, I've got a handlettering workshop and a journaling workshop that I'm participating in.  Because I've got all that, plus St. Patrick's Day cards that I'm working on, I decided to combine a couple of my assignments this week.  This page has a handlettered title for my handlettering workshop, and it has comparative lists for my journaling workshop (plus doodling, because I'm a little obsessed since I took that class a couple weeks ago).  I'm pretty happy about how it turned out :)

Anyway, that's all for tonight.  I'm excited that I'm getting motivated and inspired again, so you can expect to see more soon! 

Oatmeal Banana Breakfast Muffins...

Well, it's been a while since I've cooked with oatmeal.  I saw these muffins and they looked pretty delicious, so I thought I'd give it a go.  The comments on the original were full of people that substituted half of the ingredients and then were irritated that it didn't turn out right.  Aren't those people annoying?  I mean, someone tested a recipe, discovered it worked, and posted it as they made it for your convenience.  Please do not complain when you changed the ratios and ingredients and then it didn't turn out...that was NOT what they posted.  *sigh*  Anyway, I made it as posted, and it turned out just fine.  I always try to make it as posted at least once, and then I can tweak from there the next time I make it, since I know how it's SUPPOSED to turn out.  Maybe next time I'll use the vanilla greek yogurt...or add some honey...we'll see.  Anyway, the original can be found at c&e if you want to check it out.  Here we go:

Oatmeal Banana Breakfast Muffins
12 muffins - 157 calories each

Ingredients
2 1/2 c. old fashioned oats
1 c. plain greek yogurt
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 ripe bananas

Directions
Pulse the oats in a food processor till they get to a more flour-like consistency and then pour into mixing bowl.  Pulse bananas in food processor until smooth and then pour into mixing bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until well-mixed.  Divide into greased muffin tin and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  And that's it :)

Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins...

Holy chocolatey goodness.  This recipe has been making the Pinterest rounds for a while, and I've had it bookmarked for ages.  It's pegged as being healthy...in my case, they're really not any better or worse for you than the just-add-water muffins I usually make.  HOWEVER, it's hard to find a just-add-water variety that is chocolate.  Blueberry...yep.  Cranberry-orange...you betcha.  Banana nut...sure, why not?  Chocolate...NO!  The added bonus of this is that it doesn't take eggs (which I sooooo rarely have either a) on hand, or b) that aren't expired).  And it DOES take pumpkin, which I almost always have on hand (those of you who know me, know that I keep it on hand for my dog...but who says I can't borrow some for muffins, right?).  Anyway, this was super easy, and EXTREMELY moist and delicious (yeah, I snuck one when they got done cooking...they looked/smelled to good to pass up, and it was all I could do to not scarf down 3 more...yeow!  You really can't taste the pumpkin at all...just delicious chocolatey goodness).  The original recipe can be found at Sweet Verbena if you're interested.  Here goes:

Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
12 muffins - 172 calories each

Ingredients
1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 - 15 oz. can pumpkin
1/4 c. milk

Directions
Mix all ingredients together.  Divide into cupcake tin.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  And that's it!  Enjoy :)

Confetti Mac & Cheese...

Why don't we just go ahead and say this recipe wasn't exactly what I expected.  I'm notoriously awful at estimating appropriate serving sizes for pasta when I'm looking at a dry quantity.  So, I mistakenly expected that based on the measurements in the original (they didn't have servings listed), that this would  probably get me 6 servings or so (silly me...usually I err in the opposite direction... i.e. spaghetti for one?  Go ahead and invite the army, cuz I made way too much!).  Anyway, when I got going, I realized there's no way in hell that this is going to make 6 servings.  In actuality, it's really only enough for 4 max (in my opinion), but I stretched it to 5 on account of keeping the calories semi-reasonable.  And honestly, I'm not even totally sure about the calories as they're listed, since I had to add way more milk than I expected.  The cooking times were also pretty whacked out...which may or may not have something to do with altitude and/or cooking on electric instead of gas.  All in all, it was a bit of an ordeal.  On the bright side, it smells amazing and the spoonful I snuck when I was portioning was delicious.  The original recipe can be found at Peas and Crayons.  Here it is:

Confetti Mac & Cheese
5 servings - 490-ish calories each

Ingredients
12 oz. evaporated milk
1/2 to 2 c. regular milk (you'll be adding it a little at a time, as you need to.)
2 c. small shells pasta (according to comments in the original, this can NOT be substituted for other pastas without major ramifications in cooking time and liquid content)
1 c. vegetables of choice (I used half and half of petite frozen peas and shoepeg corn)
1/4 lg. onion, diced
2 T. bacon bits
1/4 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/4 tsp. garlic flakes
1/2 c. gouda, shredded (I used apple smoked gouda)
1/2 c. sharp cheddar, shredded
1/4 c. parmesan, shredded
Seasonings, to taste

Directions
You really need to prep everything first on this one, because once the pasta goes in, you'll need to be dealing with that pretty much non-stop until it's done.  Soooo....saute vegetables with bacon bits and seasonings, then set aside.  Make sure all cheeses are shredded and ready to go, then set aside.  Make sure your regular milk is on the counter next to the stove, ready to go.  Put pasta and evaporated milk in a pot and turn heat on medium-low (the original suggested a setting of 4 on a numbered dial...I think if I do this again, I might crank it up a little, because oh.my.god. this took forever).  You'll need to stir the pasta nearly constantly to keep the milk from burning, adding regular milk as needed to keep the sauce from getting excessively thick.  The original recipe said it should be done in 10-15 minutes...in reality, I was at my stove for almost 35 minutes, stirring away.  When pasta is tender (try a piece to make sure!), add vegetables and cheeses.  Stir to melt and add milk as necessary to adjust consistency of sauce.  When everything is heated through, you're all set and ready to serve.  I'll let you know how it turns out when I do the recipe update in a week or two!

Cheese and Nut Stuffed Shells...

Well, I'm back to giving a vegetarian option a shot.  I do that once in a blue moon.  And once in a blue moon out of THOSE blue moons, I actually don't miss the meat.  I have a feeling this is gonna be one of those times :)  I found this on...drumroll please...Pinterest.  I know, I know.  Shocking, isn't it?  I've never made stuffed shells, because I always thought it sounded like a major pain in the butt.  In reality, it was an extra step, but it really wasn't all that much hassle...I'd deal with it again if this winds up tasting as good as it looks :)  The original recipe for these stuffed shells can be found at Better Homes and Gardens.  Here goes:

Cheese and Nut Stuffed Shells
6 servings - 549 calories each

Ingredients
24 dry jumbo pasta shells (make a few extra, in case some tear when you're cooking them)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 - 15oz. tub ricotta
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella
1 c. shredded parmesan
1 c. walnuts
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Seasonings, to taste
1 - 26 oz. jar pasta sauce (I used a Vodka sauce...yum!)

Directions
Cook shells according to package directions.  When shells are done, drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.  In a separate bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, 1 c. mozzarella, 3/4 c. parmesan, walnuts, and seasonings.  In the bottom of a 9x13" pan, pour about 1 c. of the pasta sauce.  Fill each shell with a heaping tablespoon of filling, and then place in pan.  Pour remaining sauce over shells, and top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, uncovering for the last 5-10 minutes.  This looks soooo good...can't wait to actually have some.  I'll make sure to let you know how it turns out when I do the recipe update in a couple weeks!

Spicy Tuscan Soup...

Okay, I love Olive Garden.  Reasonably priced Italian with portions big enough to save for another meal when you get home and breadsticks to die for.  (If you can do bread right, you pretty much have my vote anyway...lol).  Anyway, when I was scrolling through Pinterest, I saw this soup that looks suspiciously like Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, that I adore (unlimited soup, salad & breadsticks anyone??).  So, I decided I must make it.  The original recipe can be found at Tasty Kitchen if you wanted to check it out.  It was pretty easy to make, and should reheat pretty well, since there wasn't much cream in it.  The recipe is as follows:

Spicy Tuscan Soup
6 servings - 522 calories each

Ingredients
1 lb. breakfast sausage
1 med. red onion, chopped
2 slices bacon, diced (I just used bacon bits...yep...lazy)
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 russett potatoes, cut in half lenghwise and then in 1/4" slices
4 c. water
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1/4 bunch kale, roughly chopped (I wound up getting a box of baby kale, because I couldn't find the regular anywhere)
1/2 c. heavy cream
Seasonings, to taste

Directions
Brown sausage in pot over medium high until done.  Drain and set aside.  Add onion, bacon, and garlic to pot and cook until onions are tender.  Add water, potatoes and bouillon cubes.  Simmer 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are nearly done.  Add kale, cream, and the sausage you set aside earlier.  Simmer another 5-10 minutes until potatoes are done and everything is heated through.  And that's it...easy peasy, right?  Looks like Olive Garden!  I'll let you know the final result with the recipe update in a week or two :)

No Peek Beef Tips...

Finally!  New meals again!  Things in Des Moines are finally settling in...I've got some semblance of a routine, I'm figuring out where things are, I'm getting my budget locked in...we're gettin' there.  So I've finally had some time to devote to Pinterest again to find some new recipes!  Woot!  First up, No Peek Beef Tips (the original recipe is at Mommy's Kitchen ).  So the big added bonus of this recipe was that it literally took 5 minutes to throw everything together and get it in the oven.  I'm pretty sure it took longer to preheat the oven than it did to put it together.  And it would've taken even less time than that if I hadn't decided to add half an onion that needed to be chopped up.  PLUS, it easily made an extra serving more than I anticipated, and probably could've been split up to get a total of 10 servings if you wanted to add a crescent roll or something.  Here's the details:

No Peek Beef Tips
9 servings - 408 calories each

Ingredients
2 lbs. stew meat
1 packet dry brown gravy mix (I used low sodium)
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 - 4oz. can of mushrooms, drained
1 c. ginger ale
1/2 onion, chopped
Seasonings, to taste
1 lb. pasta (I used Farfalle)

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Put meat in a 9x13 inch pan.  In a separate bowl, stir together gravy mix, onion soup mix, mushroom soup, and ginger ale.  Put chopped onion and mushrooms on top of meat.  Add soup mixture and seasonings.  Stir until meat is coated.  Cover with foil, and bake 3 hours (do not open foil during cooking!).  When beef tips are done, cook pasta per package instructions.  Serve tips on top of pasta (or mixed in, if you're going to be freezing and thawing...it makes reheating a little more predictable).  I'll be doing a recipe update with how everything turned out this month in a couple of weeks.  That's all for this one!

February Menu Plan...

Alright people...it's time for cooking again!  Theoretically, I'm grocery shopping after work tomorrow (ummm...tonight at this point, I guess), and then cooking on Saturday when I'm off.  We'll see if all that really happens, but as of right now, that's what I'm aiming for.  The menu plan is as follows, and I linked the ones I've already made.  Calories (for the ones that didn't have them on the original) are calculated on CalorieKing.com.  Here we go:

Spicy Tuscan Soup - 6 servings - 522 calories each
Cheese & Walnut Stuffed Shells - 6 servings - 549 calories each
No Peek Beef Tips with Fettucini - 8 servings - 459 calories
Confetti Mac & Cheese - 6 servings - 408 calories
Sausage Rolls (6 servings - 334 cal.) with Cauliflower Pancakes (8 servings - 123 cal.) = 457 calories

BONUS - Making new breakfast items this month :)

Oatmeal Banana Muffins - 6 servings (2 muffins each serving) - 314 calories
Devils Food Pumpkin Muffins - 6 servings (2 muffins each serving) - 354 calories

And that's all for now...recipes coming after the weekend, hopefully :)

Winter 2013 Driving Mix...

It's time for a new playlist, my friends!  On New Years Day, they had a whole concert series from Napa Valley on my very favorite satellite radio station (The Pulse, in case you're wondering).  They had a bunch of great artists on, singing new music that I wasn't familiar with, and it got me in that iTunes-obsessed mood that means it's time for a new driving mix!  Grace Potter made it on the CD twice, which is sort of unheard of (unless you're Maroon 5...they show up all the time...lol).  I love her...and she was AWESOME live.  You know who was NOT awesome?  Alanis Morrisette.  I was so disappointed by her.  As someone who grew up on Jagged Little Pill, I was pretty excited that she was going to be singing a bunch of songs live on my 4 hour drive back to Des Moines.  It didn't start out on a positive note...the host asked her what music inspired her, and she said she was really busy with her own music and that she really didn't have time to listen to anyone else...so her music inspires her...and sometimes her husband's music.  What?   Lame answer, lady.  That's like the most anti-music lover answer in history.  And then she went on to "sing" some of the songs from Jagged Little Pill, and it honestly seemed like she had forgotten a bunch of the words and was just mumbling nonsense words, which was disappointing.  Anyway, I wouldn't bother buying a ticket to see her live.  Also, on my short list of pet peeves about live music, it annoys the hell out of me when artists get up there and sing two lines of the song, and then wait for the audience to sing the next 4 lines.  I mean really...people are buying tickets to hear YOU sing...if I wanted to hear the drunk guy next to me belt out an off-key version of your song, I could go to a bar for that.  Blah.  Anyway, we're off topic...back to the new driving mix.  I love it, you may or may not love it, but either way, here it is:

Winter 2013 Driving Mix

1) Tonight Tonight - Hot Chelle Rae
2) Mermaid - Train
3) Put the Gun Down - ZZWard
4) So Beautiful - The Dunwells
5) Fallout - Marianas Trench
6) Thinking of You - The Maine
7) February Seven - The Avett Brothers
8) Picking Up the Pieces - Paloma Faith
9) Stars - Grace Potter and The Nocturnals
10) Try - Pink
11) Good Time - Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen
12) Man Like That - GinWigmore
13) Paris (Ooh La La) - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
14) Bottom of the River - Delta Rae
15) Stubborn Love - The Lumineers
16) Carry On - Fun.

That's all for now...enjoy!

Spicy Sausage Pasta...

Well, I found this recipe on one of my recent (and incredibly brief) visits to Pinterest.  The picture looked beautiful, and I gotta say, I'm a sucker for beautiful food.  I can't help but think my blog would probably be more popular if I bothered to learn anything about food photography, but hey...I'm busy...maybe someday when I retire...when I'm 105 or so.  So yeah, don't hold your breath for that :)  Anyway, the original recipe can be found at kevin {&} amanda.  I adjusted to get a little more out of it, because as a general rule, I like to get 6-8 servings out of a meal for the month, and the original only made 4.  Plus the original called for a pound of sausage in 4 servings...I like smoked sausage, but yeow...that's a lot.  So, there were a few adjustments.  The recipe as I made it is as follows:

Spicy Sausage Pasta
8 servings - 412 calories

Ingredients
1 T. olive oil
1 package smoked sausage
1 med. onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. chicken broth
1- 10oz. can Rotel (Tomatoes and Green Chiles - Mild)
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 lb. pasta (I used Penne)
1 c. shredded Colby Jack cheese
1/3 c. diced green onions

Directions
Saute sausage and onions on medium high for 4-6 minutes until onions begin to soften.  Add garlic and saute an additional 30 seconds or so till it gets fragrant.  Add broth, tomatoes, cream, and pasta and bring to a boil.  Turn down to low/med. low and simmer for an additional 15 minutes until pasta is cooked through.  Add cheese and green onions and stir as cheese melts.  And that's it...voila!

I'm serving mine with a crescent roll for a total of 512 calories.  Also, I forgot to take a picture of the portioned out servings before I ate one for lunch (whoops!), so no pic for that...sorry!  You get the idea :)

January Menu Plan...

Alrighty...the January Meal Plan!  Woot!  As I said in my last post, we're running a little short on new recipes due to time constraints, but I did manage to get one in there.  I went ahead and linked the ones that I've already made so in case you're feeling like you couldn't live without making one of them, you don't have to sift through a bunch of stuff to find it (I know, I'm pretty thoughtful sometimes).  By the way, have you noticed I'm in a much sassier mood since I've moved to Iowa?  People who know me keep pointing it out...I'm gonna go ahead and say that equates to me being in a BETTER mood, so get used to it!  :)  lol.  Here goes:

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Baked Chicken Panzanella (6 servings - 290 calories) with Garlic Bread (153 calories) = 443 calories

Chicken Pillows (8 servings - 335 calories) with Potatoes ala Boulangere (117 calories) = 452 calories

Lazy Sunday Casserole (6 servings - 195 calories) with Biscuit (170 calories) = 365 calories

Sweet Potato-Topped Shepherd's Pie (8 servings - 250 calories) with Crescent Roll (100 calories) = 350 calories

Spicy Sausage Pasta (8 servings - 412 calories) with Crescent Roll (100 calories) = 512 calories

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And that's all for now!  Recipe and photos to come for the Spicy Sausage Pasta!

The Big Move...

Yeah, so it may seem like I gave up on this blog.  That's not actually true though, so hooray for that, right?  :)  In actuality, I literally haven't made any new food since the last menu plan.  And on top of that, that last menu plan was made three weeks later than planned...in Iowa...because I moved!  So yeah, the last two months have been crazy.  There's really not a less convenient time to move than the weekend after Thanksgiving.  You end up right smack dab in the middle of family time, Christmas chaos, and oh yeah...I work in retail too...so not a great time for taking off a week or two to move.  Sooooo...I took off 5 days.  Yep.  5.  To move 7 hours away to Iowa.  And let me tell you, by the end of that 5 days, all boxes were unpacked, pictures on the walls, groceries in the fridge, and furniture delivery was scheduled for the new couch, AND the new bed (because I now have a SECOND bedroom...that's right folks...you know you're movin' up in the world when your guests don't have to sleep on an air mattress in the livingroom anymore!).  Why on earth would all of that be done in five days, you ask?  Because I'm just that crazy.  It took a week and change to pack (because I actually PACKED this time...like, put stuff in boxes...with bubble wrap and everything.  I know, right?  Normally, I'm throwing shit in laundry baskets and garbage bags the day before I leave).  And let me say, I literally cannot focus on my day-to-day life when all of my worldly possessions are in a pile of cardboard in my diningroom.  So it was priority number one to not start my new job (actually, the same job I already had...just 7 hours away from where I had it before) before that cardboard nightmare was eradicated.  So yeah.  Unpacked.  The saving grace for this move was...drumroll please...I hired MOVERS to load and unload on either end of the move.  It was a-ma-zing.  I'm never carrying my (excessive amount of) shit by myself again!  I drove the UHaul myself, which was pretty miserable, but we made it (Note to self:  Get a boyfriend before you move again, so he can drive the UHaul). 

Anyway, so yeah...I live in Des Moines now, which is actually pretty great, if you ask me.  It's sort of weird...it's like a real city, with tons of stuff to do, BUT it's also sort of country.  People like, say hello and hold the door for you instead of avoiding eye contact and thinking you're a suspicious character for waving at them.  There's a mansion of a house right in the middle of everything...that constantly has a tractor sitting in the driveway!  That's what you get when you move out of Chicagoland, I guess.  As a girl who's from a farm just outside of the middle of nowhere (I know it's hard to believe with how anti-outdoorsy I am, but it's true), I can appreciate that.  I'm from the land of waving at strangers you meet on the highway on your way to work...and subsequently wondering what their problem is if they don't wave back.  Yeah.  So Chicagoland was a bit of a disconnect for me.  I obviously made great friends there and loved my apartment there and it was a great experience and I will DEFINITELY be going back to visit.  However, Des Moines just feels more like...home, I guess.  Oh yeah, AND it's a college town, so there's actually young people here and nightlife (ha...like I'm part of nightlife anymore!), which is cool.

Soooo...it's been crazy, but things are finally all settling in.  Cooking begins again today...I apologize that I'm only making one new recipe.  I literally have not had time to browse Pinterest for new recipes and figure out calorie counts and all that nonsense.  So...one newbie, and the rest of the plan will be old favorites.  NEXT month, my intent is to get back more newness.  No promises though.  I've got a lot going on here, people!  lol :)  Anyway, that's all for now!  Hooray Iowa!  Recipe plan coming shortly...  :)

November Menu Plan...

Alas, it's time for a remix month...I just can't even think about dealing with anything new right now.  I have too much to do, and I was too underwhelmed with half of my dishes from last month.  We're going with old favorites.  Here's the plan, and we'll get back to posting new recipes next month:

November Menu Plan

Tuna Noodle Casserole (6 servings, 321 calories each) + Crescent Roll (100 calories each) = 421 calories per serving

Pasta Alfredo (6 servings, 405 calories each) + Crescent Roll (100 calories each) = 505 calories per serving

Taco Cups (12 servings, 203 calories each) + Cream Cheese Corn (12 servings, 120 calories each) = 323 calories per serving

Sausage Rolls (6 servings, 334 calories each) + Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes (8 servings, 123 calories each) = 457 calories per serving

Meatloaf (8 servings, 250 calories each) + Mashed Potatoes (8 servings, 237 calories each) = 483 calories per serving

So, no more meal plans till next month, but I'm making bourbon balls and a feta dip for a work party, so I might post those recipes sometime prior to that. Have a good one everybody!

Chunky Potato Crab Chowder...

I've had a thing for chowder lately.  I had a couple bowls of it in New England when we were there for vacation, and it was so delicious.  I thought this one sounded interesting and decided to give it a show.  You can find the original on myrecipes.  Here goes:

Chunky Potato Crab Chowder
6 servings - 265 calories each

Ingredients
2 T. butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 cloved garlic, minced
3 1/2 c. cubed red potatoes
3 T. flour
2 1/2 c. milk
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 - 14.5 oz. can corn
1 - 14 oz. can chicken broth
8 oz. lump crab meat, shell pieces removed
Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste

Directions
Saute onion and garlic in butter for 4 minutes.  Add potatoes and saute for 1 minute.  Add flour and saute for another minute.  Stir in milk, seasonings, corn, and broth.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Reduce temperature, cover, and continue to simmer another 20 minutes until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.  Add crab and cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Recipe Recap
Eh...this was alright.  I think I liked the concept better than the end result.  And it doesn't help much that I had delicious chowder in Maine just a week before this...that's what I really wanted, afterall.  The taste was fine, the texture was a little off, it was just okay.  I probably won't be making it again, at any rate.  Better luck next month, I suppose!

Provencal Beef Stew...

Ahhh, crockpot recipes...I actually set it and left the house this time...I never do that.  I hate having stuff on in my apartment when nobody's home...especially things that produce heat.  I may be a little over-cautious, but it makes me nervous.  To be fair, I wasn't really planning on being gone more than an hour or two...unfortunately, it turned into a $700, 6 hour, trip to Midas...ouch...I actually barely made it back in time to take it off before I passed the cooking time.  The original can be found at myrecipes.  Here's how I made it:

Provencal Beef Stew
6 servings - 271 calories each

Ingredients
2 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lb. boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 T. flour
2 med. onions, cut into 8 wedges
8 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 c. dry red wine
1 c. beef broth
2 T. tomato paste
1 - 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
3 c. (1-inch) slices zucchini
2 c. (1-inch) slices carrots (I just used baby carrots)
Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, to taste

Directions
Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper, dredge in flour, and place in med-high skillet for 2-3 minutes, browning on all sides (not cooking through), then place in crock pot.  Add onions and garlic to pan you just removed beef from and saute 4-5 minutes until tender.  Add wine to loosen browned bits.  Pour entire mixture into crock pot.  Add all other ingredients to crock pot, and set on low for 8 hours.

Recipe Recap
Holy texture issue...I like zucchini, don't get me wrong...I just don't like it cooked for 8 hours in a crockpot...ech.  Between that and the fact that the sauce was super thin, it was more like a weird soup than a stew.  I could probably tweak it to make it again...thicken up the sauce, take out the zucchini, etc...but at that point, I think I'd rather just default back to my tried and true stew recipe.  Won't be making this one again.