Heath, Tuna Spinach Salad.

I saw this recipe on the back of a tuna packet and said, "Why not?"  The only thing I switched out was mandarin oranges for grapes. Tuna and oranges just didn't mix in my mind.  However, I have seen grapes and cranberries for tuna salad.  It tasted great, but I would eat it right away.

Here is a pic of my salad:

Ingredients:
1/2 bag spinach
1/4 cup grapes cut in half
2 TBSP chopped red onion
2 TBSP shredded parm cheese 
1 packet of light tuna
3 TBSP of an oil based dressing.

Cooking, Peanut Butter Truffles

I am a big fan for chocolate and peanut butter... Who isn't?  Really, it is kind of hard to mess up these two when they are put together.  I am also a fan of minimum ingredients. 4-5 ingredients are some of my favorite recipes. Here is one to add to the books: PEANUT BUTTER TRUFFLES. 

Ingredents:

Room temp 16 oz Peanut Butter

1/4 cup room temp butter

2 and 1/4 cup Confectioner  sugar 

1 lb Melted chocolate

Directions:  Add the peanut butter and butter into a mixing bowl.  Cook it in the microwave for 30 sec.  Mix and add the Confectioner Sugar half cup at a time. 

It will end up having a dough constancy like like this: 

Projects, T-shirt Scarf

T-Shirt Scarves are fun to make.  Why not dress up an outfit with a cute recyclable scarf? I used a picture I found on a blog: http://psimadethis.com/ and ended it with my own touch.  It was very simple.  Here are the instructions and the end result: 

First, follow these steps.  Remember to use a LARGE t-shirt.  If you like what you get go ahead and keep it like that.  I wanted to add braids to mine. 

Heath, Chicken breast meals....

Here is a fun tip I did with chicken breast.  Why not cook two meals at once? I took a large chicken breast and sliced it into chunks, so it would be enough for four kabob skewers. You could add veggies, but I like mine on the side. I then pounded and sliced chicken breast into serving size to put UNDERNEATH the skewers. I just add my favorite seasonings (garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary) and baked on 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  We ate the kabobs right away for dinner.  I used the chicken breast the next day for a salad and also made my hubby chicken enchiladas with it.  You could also use it for sandwiches. Here are some pictures. 

                                                                           

Cooking, Cream Cheese Squares

I made Cream Cheese Squares  for my husband and my brother.  They loved them.  Really they are soooo easy and soooo yummy.  I had to put a lid on them so I would stop nibbling. Haha....Here are the instructions: 

Ingredients:

8oz room temp cream cheese

1 can of refrigerated crescent rolls

1 TBSP cinnamon 

1/2 cup white sugar 

1/8 cup melted butter

2 TBSP of white sugar

2 TSP cinnamon 

First, Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Open the can of crescent rolls and take out four.  Lay the flat rolls next to each other in a 8X8 pan. Press together flat.  Next, Mix the room temp cream cheese and 1/2 cup white sugar together.  Spread the mixture on top of the crescent base. Sprinkle the 1 TBSP cinnamon on top.  It should look something like this: 

Life, NYC

I'm Back!  I recently went to New York City with family and friends.  I got some new ideas for my blog.  I had a great time.  Here are some pictures of my little trip:

Waiting in New Jersey for our train....

TIMES SQUARE!  This place amazes me....

Organization, Man's Menu #2

I am leaving my hubby for a few days to go on a trip with family and friends.  I always feel a little guilty when I leave him, because I would never let him go somewhere without me! LOL... He knows this. :)  Anyways, I make all his meals ahead of time and throw some treats in there as well.  I have to make sure he won't starve while I am gone.  Everything must be easy to make.  PTL, for microwaves.  He is also going over his friends house for dinner one night and his father's house.  Here is the Menu: 

Cooking, Pizza Balls

My hubby loved these. The recipe made ten total. He ate five (half), but I would also serve this with a side salad.  I would also warm up spaghetti sauce for dipping. 

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Open a can of ten dinner rolls.  Flatten the rolls with your hand. Cut a sausage link and cheese into ten equal parts.  The cheese should be an inch square.  Place the cheese down on the dough and then the piece of sausage on top.  

Kids, Class party (Dollar Store)

I love the dollar store.  Of course you have to be careful what you buy, but for the most part it is good quality.  Not the best, but it what do you want for a buck?  Here are somethings I bought for my class party.  Yes, I did regret some purchases.

Decorations are a yes.  I got almost all the decorations here from the dollar store.  They held up nicely. 

The kids loved it! 

Bubbles were OK.  It was just hard putting the top back on.  Some of them spilled.  They had fun with them while they lasted.

The kite was a lot of fun.  Everyone got a chance to fly it.  It was pretty windy out that day so it worked out great! 

Health, May

Here is my exercising calendar for the month of May.  Each sticker represents 20-39 minutes. Once I hit the 40 minutes mark I will add another sticker for that day. I decided to do this every month to keep me motivated.  It is working out great!  

Organization, Produce

I bought these containers at the dollar store. It is just a comfort to know that these containers are sealed shut and nothing can get into the potatoes such as ants/bugs.  I store my apples in the fridge.  The bag always seems to be pushed to the back and forgotten.  There have been times when I bought another bag of apples and potatoes because I thought I was out.  Never again. 

I liked the containers so much I went back and bought two more.   I keep a steady supply of apples and potatoes, so for these they are a must.  BTW, I will be doing another blog post soon on the containers I use for my other produce to keep my fridge organized. 

Heath, Turkey Bacon Asparagus

Bacon wrapped asparagus!  This is a easy, healthy, yummy dinner.  The Turkey bacon flavor really mixes well with the asparagus. One of my new favorites! 

First, cut the end off your asparagus, and then boil your it for about ten minutes. Strain.  Put the pan back on the burner and spray some Pam on it. 

Next, sprinkle garlic and salt on the asparagus. Lay the asparagus on the turkey bacon then roll it up.  Do not over lap.  Let it go up the asparagus as your roll. 

Cooking, Peanut butter cookie dough cupcakes!

 Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cupcakes are simply amazing.  I don't normally eat my baking, but I HAD to have one of these.  I made them for a huge group of teen guys and everyone loved them.  The cupcake and the frosting is homemade.

  

This makes makes around 12 cupcakes:

1/4 cup butter (softened to room temperature)

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup sugar

 2 whole eggs

1 and 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup milk

3/4 cup peanut butter 

1/2 bag of chocolate chips. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream butter and peanut butter together in the bowl until smooth and creamy. Add half of the dry ingredients, and then mix together. Add the milk. Once mixed, add remaining dry ingredients and mix completely.  Pour into cupcake tins and fill 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350. Let cool, then frost! 

Kids, 3D hand

My kids did this fun 3D hand project in school today.  Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera so I can't give step by step instructions with pictures.  I will link the blog were I found it.  It gives clear step by step instructions.  Pretty simple! 

http://www.cometogetherkids.com/2012/03/optical-illusion-handprint.html

Heath, Perfect Party Salad

I went to a baby shower a a couple months ago for my sister.  My mother gave me 20 bucks and told me to buy a really good salad.  Here are some tips on making a great party salad.

1. Buy at least two dressings.  One should be a cream based and the other oil.  Make sure one is low in fat for the dieters.

2.  For the lettuce get a bag of roman for the basics.  You also want a spring mix to add texture and color.  Spring mix really adds class to your salad. :) 

3.  Sweet cherry tomatoes and red onions add color and sweetness to the mix.  Be sure not to add to many onions so people can pick around them with the tongs. 

4.  Croutons and shredded Parmesan cheese are a great salt source. These flavors mix well with the sweet ones. Plus the crouton give the salad a crunch. 

5. Sliced cucumber would be your first choice to put on top of the lettuce. It is a perfect base so the other toppings don't slip through to the bottom of the bowl.  You want to mix some toppings in the lettuce, but most should be on top. 

Hubby, cute idea

My Hubby loves to spoil me.  Here is a trick he does every week for an extra dose of love.  You could do this every week with your spouse or just once a month. He printed up a list of nice things he could do for me.  He then cuts up that list into even rectangles and then folded them in half.  He placed the list of kind things in a tin I gave him awhile back (It had a cookie in it.)  I draw from it and he decides if I can see it or not.  Sometimes he keeps it a surprise for a week and sometimes he asks me when I would want to do that certain thing.  

Here are somethings I already picked: Go out to eat, Go for a walk, Love note, Took me shopping, and slave for a day (that was fun). 

There are so many ideas you could throw in there.  Here are some that I found for men and women. 

Back massage

Write a love note telling why you married him/her 

Do something unexpected like clean the bathroom

Pray with him/her

wash the dishes

text him during work everyday that week saying something nice

buy her/him his favorite drink or food

Be right there when he gets home from work

breakfast in bed

clean the house

bake a special dessert 

Make a cup of coffee

Run an errand for him/her

Lets him/her sleep in

Watch a game with him

extra cuddle time

Flowers and candy

make him his favorite dinner

watch a movie

Play a board game

Cooking, Oreo Cupcakes

This recipe is so easy I am kind of embarrassed to put it up.  But every loves them.  My husband and others told me, "These are the best cupcakes I have ever had."  So here we go....

Preheat the oven and follow the directions on the chocolate cake box. Add whatever ingredients the box requires in the mixing bowl. Next, Place the Oreos in the cupcake holders in a muffin pan. It should look like this: 

Health, Chinese food

I love Chinese food.  I don't believe in giving up things you love.  I just think we should eat healthier versions of them.  Here are some tips on eating healthy Chinese food! I mix and match these a lot. 

This is my brown rice bowl.  All under 300 calories!  I had imitation crab meat, broccoli, pepper, salt, soy sauce, spray butter, garlic, and a cup of brown rice in mine.  YUM!

Sushi from Wegmans can be really low in calories. This brown rice veggie one is only 170 calories!  It is easy to stay under 200 calories with fish meat (shrimp or crab).  

Kids, Compasscare

I'm pro-life.  My beliefs on this are strong.  However, I don't think we should yell at women who had an abortion, mistreat those considering it, or burn down abortion clinics.  We need to win this battle with kindness and consideration.

Compasscare is a nonprofit, professional medical office, with staff dedicated to serving women facing unplanned pregnancies by transforming their fear into confidence.  Their Doctors and Nursing staff are committed to providing professional services to women in a caring environment.  They supply free ultrasound exams, information about pregnancy, STD testing, counseling, and a comfortable friendly atmosphere.  I met these people in person myself and they are so kind and caring.

Here is their website for more information:

http://www.compasscare.info/

I am asking for donations for this wonderful organization.  I believe in this charity and in everything they are doing.  I even took a tour and checked this place out for myself.  Over 90% of the women who use Compasscare's resources end up keeping their baby.  They are literally saving lives.

Please consider donating.  This is Kevin's and my donation page:

https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/kevinrickner/2012

Organization/Projects, Candles

Candles are one of my favorites things in life.  I have them going all the time and love the peace they bring to a home.  I had a drawer in my closet were I would store them.  I didn't like this because then I didn't know how many I had or what kind.  I find candles pretty and homey so I thought, "why not display them."  Now my apartment feels like a Yankee Candle Shop! :)

This is the before boring cabinet.  Kevin and I painted it black to match the rest of the furniture.

BEFORE: 

 AFTER:

Cooking, Oreo Balls

WARNING:  These are messy to make, irresistible to eat. 

My mother-in-law gave me the recipe for Oreo Balls.  THANKS MOM! :) All you need are three ingredients: Bag of Oreos, 8oz cream cheese room temperature, and one pound of dark melted chocolate.

The front three Oreo balls are the end result.  The back ones still need to be  chocolate covered.

Crush the whole bag of Oreos with a soup can or rolling pin in a bag.  You want the texture to be crumbs NOT dust.  Take room temperature cream cheese and mix/mold it together.  I always have to use my hands so wash them before doing this.    

Kids, Hand print flowers

Here is a fun craft we did in school today.  My students used their hands as the leaves and a flower stamp for the flower.  We also glued Popsicle sticks on for a picket fence. 

This is the end result.

They painted a stem up the center.

This is what it looked like after the first stamp.

Organization, Exercise Calendar

Ok, so I am really a kid at heart.  I think we all are (at least the fun people.) Stickers are a colorful way to keep track of your progress. I don't think I will ever grow out of them. ;) 

Here us what I do to keep my exercising organized.  I think this is important so you can see your progress.  I tacked a calender by my desk so I can see it every day.  Each sticker represents 20-30 minutes.  I write down what type of work out I did and how long next to the sticker.  I also draw a smiley face if I ate healthy that day and a sad face if I didn't.  It is good to have off days but not to many.  

Couponing, Big week

I spent $48.00 on groceries this week (last week I spent under$25.00).  There are some thing I didn't get a chance to put in these pictures.  In these pics there is $40.50 worth of merchandise. 

ALERT: If you go to Tops this week and buy a club pack of chicken breast (mine cost under$17.00) you get nine things free!  Those things are; two liter of pop, kabob sticks, bag of potatoes, bag of fresh green beans, package of flour tortillas, taco seasoning, a bag of cheese, Ice cream bars, and Kraft BBQ sauce.  Kevin and I had chicken tonight for dinner and will be having it a lot the next few weeks. ;)

My tower of produce. :) 

Non produce items. I didn't have enough room. 

Girly Things, Bangs

 I know it is kinda strange to do a blog about this, but I want to express the importance of styling your bangs.  I recommend all the time to girls to take extra time on their bangs. If I do not have much time to get ready I will have my hair up and my side bangs look nice. Even if you don't have any bands, the front hair pieces still really shapes your face. Remember this: Bangs and eyebrows are the frame to your face. Just like a picture frame they add so much!  I don't consider myself a model, but here are tips and pics. 

Here is a normal shot of my hair with side bangs.  I curl away from my face with the clip-less Infiniti by Conair:

Here is a shot with a part down the middle.  I curl the bangs away from my face (again).  Try the center part once in awhile to change it up.  It makes your face look longer. 

Also try a low bun in the back with a straight part to give the illusion of a cute bob without the commitment.  ;) 

Projects, furniture makeover

Kevin and I wanted to make all our furniture match.  We have black picture frames and a large black mirror.  I thought, "why not paint our coffee table and movie cabinet black to match?" Our TV trays and entertainment center are already black so I thought it would be a nice fit.  I love the results of the coffee table.  Cabinet makeover coming soon! BTW, we painted both our furniture pieces for under $15. 

Before:

After:

Health, challenged completed

I finished my challenge!  Whenever I finished a workout I would rip off a tab.  I had 10 workouts and two weeks to do it.  They had to be at least 20 minutes, but most of the time I would go over.  If I wanted to do more than one workout in a day I would allow myself. However, I could not do more than two in one day.  There were times I would work out for over an hour because I wanted to.

I am going to do this challenge again but each tab would represent 20 minutes and NOT a specific workout.  I want to change up my goals. In order to rip off two tabs I have to reach 40 minutes.  If I only do a half hour I can only rip off one.  

Going for a walk and ripping off a tab! 

Close up of the challenge paper :) 

My hubby and I after a bike ride.