Meal Planning Monday

Usually organizing junkie hosts MPM but she is on vacation so it is being held by the heavenly homemaker we went to the farmers market so we will be adding in some of the fresh veggies. We already did all our shopping on Friday so we are all set for the week (unless there some good sales that start on Wednesday.) Most of the stuff we already had here, we have a chest freezer and I stockpile like a mad person (thinking about posting pix this week, so watch for that) I found the taste fo home web site so alot of this weeks recipes are coming from there, so the links are provided.

So here is the plan for the week-

Monday- Meatloaf, pasta salad, and corn on the cob from the farmers market.

Tuesday- Thai Fettuccine

Wedensday- No Fuss Pork Chops with english peas from the farmers market

Thursday- Talapia with corn salsa with jalapeno cheese bread, from the farmers market

Friday- 4th of July no meal planned, prbablly hot dogs and hamburgers....

STOP THE STRESS!!

So last night brought a whirlwind of events, a very stressful situation came about and our little family was in severe turmoil, however in the light of a new day everything is much clearer and we are doing much better (I hope) but it got me thinking, in times like those what are a few things that we can do to not freak out.... I tried to find comfort in visiting some of my favorite web sites, tried online shopping (I couldn't find anything that I wanted, I know that's a tragedy in itself), I tried reading some of my Avon info that I have never looked at, but nothing was working so in came a yahoo search! Here's what I found,

-Try to avoid spending the evening slumped in front of the TV. Maybe you could revive an old hobby, or take up a new one.

-Relax! Sit or lie down, close your eyes, and concentrate on your breathing. Stay like this for 5-10 minutes.

-Set aside a regular time to relax in your own favorite way. Home is a place for rest and rejuvenation and you should give yourself time for it.

-Have a laugh. Whether it's watching a funny movie, or laughing with your family and friends, laughter is a great stress reliever.

-Cut yourself some slack! Don't beat yourself up thinking you need a showcase home, and if you burn the dinner, get takeaway!

-Make sure you get enough sleep. Try going to bed half an hour earlier and see whether it makes a difference to how you handle your life

-Treat yourself to a long soak in the tub. Envelop the senses with soothing smells, gentle candle light, relaxing music, and lots of bubbles.

-Give yourself a massage! Massage your scalp and face with your fingertips. Use small circling motions and a light pressure. Of course, if you can persuade someone else to do it for you, that's even better!

So when you get stressed out what is it that makes you feel better?

I know what I said....

I know I said that I was taking a MPM break, but it is too hot to have to run out to the store every other day so I am back to planning! (for now)

so here we have it...

Monday, pork chops and something....

Tuesday, Salmon Cakes and Salad

Wednesday, Crock pot chicken taco stew

Thursday, Mustard Crusted Talapia

Friday, Ravioli with french bread and salad

I feel so much better. be sure to check out the organizing junkie for great meal plans

here's a few recipes,

Crock pot Taco Chicken Soup/Stew
1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can baked beans

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 can corn

2 chicken breasts

Mix beans, tomatoes and seasoning and place in crock pot. Lay chicken over bean mixture. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to crock pot and add corn. Cook an additional 10 minutes.
Serve with sour cream, tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, or other toppings of your choice.

Mustard Crusted Talia

2 (6 ounce) fresh talapia fillets
1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon fine Italian bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray.
Place talapia fillets into prepared baking dish, and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder, oregano, and Parmesan cheese.
When fish has cooked for 10 minutes, spread with herb paste, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Continue baking for another 5 minutes until the topping is bubbly and golden.

Free Thomas Train up to 12.99

Okay we don't have any boys in the house, but I am sure this will make a good christmas gift of birthday gift for some of you out there. It is only valid 6-19 to 7-5 here is the link for it. Only one per person. I went to it and my stupod printer thought that it would be a good idea not to work... so I missed out on it...
thanks to A Penny Saved for this tip.

I'm Guilty

Okay where has this show been? or a better question where have I been! I just got done watching a marathon on E it was great, now I am not one for reality TV but this one is just so good! if you haven't watched it you should, if you hate it, then keep it to yourself because I love it, I now have it set to record on my DVR so that I will have something to do while L is at work, because I don't really think that its her cup of tea but you never know!

Okay that's all for now, I feel like I have to go put on a pound of lip gloss and just as much eye liner

My new Favorite Picture

The Utah Pride festival was June 6-8 it was so much fun! we went Saturday with some friends it was a great day to look at all of the booths and have some beers (some of us had too many) Sunday L and I went alone it was packed there was "fence to fence" people, it was nice to see the whole GLBT community OUT in full force! I kept asking L " where are they all any other time?" I really thought that L and I were one of like 10 lesbian couples here in Utah, boy was I wrong! any how I took this picture while we were there (yes I took it, in a past life I like to think that I was some sort of famous photographer, okay so its not that good but it wont hurt you to humor me)

and a few other random pictures from the weekend;

Sandee and L, thas Michelles boa by the end of the night it was MIA!

this flag was like 2 blocks long, everyone threw money into it it was so cool! I wish I could have gotten a pic from the sky!!
saturday after a few (too many) beers! but my hair still looks good!

Meal Planning Monday and and a whole lot of rambaling!

Meal Planing Monday is on hold for the time being, H's isn't around bugging me with the "whats for dinner?" every other hour, so I am taking a break from posting a menu, but I am starting to cook ahead, tonight we are having Lime Chicken Tacos (recipe at the bottom) made in the crock, since it is summer already, I am trying not to turn on the oven too much, its hot enough in here, so I wrapped up some potatoes in foil and they are cooking in the crock for tomorrows steaks (hopefully they will go on the grill!) I started to think about cooking ahead when I started watching Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller on the food network, she has good ideas but sometimes her food is a little too "fancy" for me, we are a meat and potato kinda family so I just use her technique. Also there is a once a month cooking site that I have been looking at, I am considering a few of their recipes, but right now i have a 12# Turkey in the freezer and I only have 1 freezer bag so that wont really work out, maybe in the winter when its not a million degrees out! hmmm I need to cook that turkey!
Here is the recipe for the chicken lime tacos, I got it from Real Mom Kitchen she has a few "fancy recipes" mostly dessert which Haagen-Dazs or Ben and Jerry always provides here! We are going to be making the Firehouse Chicken, Sausage Oven Pancakes, and Honey Glazed Chicken so stay tuned for those reviews and pictures!


Lime Chicken Tacos
1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup chunky salsa
12 flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed
Sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and shredded lettuce, optional

Place the chicken in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine lime juice and chili powder; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred and return to the slow cooker. Stir in corn and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve in tortillas with sour cream, cheese and lettuce if desired. Yield: 12 tacos.

Shopping trip!

So I am not as "hard core" as my friend Erin, but I do my best! I bought;

1 can of starch 1.69
2 Dial hand soap reg. 1.64 FV price 1.00 after coupons .70 each
2 Dial 3 pack bar soap reg 1.77 FV price 1.00 after coupons .40 each
4 Right Guard deodorant reg 2.49 FV price 1.00 after coupons .25 each
1 Pict Sweet frozen veggies reg 2.09 FV price 1.79
1 Jenni-O turkey tenderloin reg 4.39 FV price 3.99 after coupon 2.99

total 10.50
manufacture coupons savings 5.80

fresh value savings 9.92

MyPoints

I joined Mypoints.com in Dec. of 2007 today I cashed out 35.00 in gift cards that will be used for Christmas or birthday presents, 1 25.00 walmart and one 10.00 barnes and nobel. All I do is open emails that I receive, look at the offer and if I like it I sign up for it, if I don't like it, I still get 5 points. When I do any online shopping, I just go to mypoints.com and see if they have any deals, like at oldnavy.com if I order I will get 4 points per dollar I spend. Its really easy to get points, and if you start now you should at least be able to get 2 people crossed off your Christmas list by October! If you want a referral just leave me a comment with your email address and I will get one out to you!

Do You Have a RedBox?

Have you ever rented a movie from a Redbox? Its a great deal, usually we are already at the store and H sees something that she "has to see" So what better way to get a movie then Free! If you go to www.insideredbox.com you can get codes and get free rentaals! Not that 1.00 will break you but if you get 4 movies in a week, well thats a gallon of gas!
Some of the codes that are working right now:

DVDONME
MILLER
HIGHLIFE
BREAKROOM
BIGMAC508 (at mcdonalds)

Also Monday is there promo day so if you sign up for their site they will send you a code that is only good for that monday.
To use the code just touch “Rent with a Promocode” on the touch screen, after you selected your movie,at any Redbox kiosk and enter in the code.

Movies in the park

Last summer we had so much fun going to the movies in the park with L's mom, they show older and newer movies, we take turns bringing dinner, the movies start at 9 but we usually get there really early so that we can have time to eat, play uno, gossip whatever! The CW30 puts it on so there is free popcorn, usually free energy drinks, and a few games were you can win promotional stuff, last year L's mom won tickets to see one of the Harry Potter movies that was just coming out, its a lot of fun, oh and its free so that doesn't hurt anything either! I would suggest checking with your park and recreation dept. and see if they do anything like this. .

Our garden

We found out that the apartments sprinkler system is really close to our "pot" garden (as h calls it) so we really dont have to worry about watering which is good because I am pretty sure taht we would forget 85% of the time, anyhow, here some pictures of what we got going on so far. Cant wait till those strawberries are ready. And we are hoping no one comes and takes that bell pepper!