Im still here!!!

Hello everyone! Sorry I have been MIA for a bit, its been a crazy week! I just wanted to let you know that I am still here. Stay tuned, I will be posting a review on a Kawaii cloth diaper I recently purchased and will also be offering you all an opportunity to win one! Im planning to post this in the next couple days. Im very excited about this, so be sure to check back!

Chicken Tacos w/ Black Beans and Wilted Spinach

     So, this is one of those recipes that accidentally ends up being really delicious. You start out thinking your about to make something that you know wont taste bad but will not be anything really good either. Then, you bite into your "make do" dinner and you  are beyond pleasantly surprised to find out that you want to eat this as often as possible. These are my favorite kind of dinners... They make me feel creative, like a domestic super star, if you will.
     It's not a from scratch recipe, however I am definitely going to work on a from scratch version! Before I get to the actual recipe, I want to give you a couple variations.  First off, I wanted to use my tequila lime marinade, but I didn't have any lime or tequila! If you do not have or cannot find the marinade I used, a home made or store bought tequila lime marinade will work just as good. Also, I made one with ground turkey and one with sliced chicken breast. Both were fantastic. Basically, this recipe was randomly thrown together because I didn't have any of the ingrediants I needed to make what I was orginally going to make. You can't go wrong! It can only get better from here!
Chicken Tacos

• 1 package Hard Shell Tacos
• 1 Can Seasoned Black Beans
• 2 Chicken Breasts, sliced OR 1 lb Ground Turkey
• 1/2 slice Munster Cheese, per taco (Sounds strange I know, but oh so delicious! Give it a try :)
• Mojo Criollo Marinade by Goya OR Tequila Lime Marinade
• Handfull of Spinach per person
• Avocado, sliced

I did all this in one skillet so it is super easy to clean up!
All you need to do is poor enough marinade to coat your chicken slices, let rest 10-20 minutes. Put chicken and all remaining marinade into a med-hi heat skillet. If your using ground turkey, put the turkey in the skillet and poor about 1/4 cup of marinade on top of the meat and let it cook into the it.

Once your chicken is just about done, start your beans. I just scooped some beans into the pan and heated them together. Toss some spinach on top of the chicken and let it just barely wilt. Slice your avocado.

I loaded mine chicken first, then munster cheese and then beans so that my cheese would be melty. Throw on some freshly sliced avocado and your spinach. No other toppings necessary. DELICIOUS!

The best thing about this dinner is that it's perfect for a salad the next day. Chop up your left over chicken, put some black beans, chopped red pepper, crushed tortilla chips and some salsa ranch. Two meals in one with almost no work whatsoever. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Weekly Menu - June Week 3

I'm really trying to get back to my normal healthy diet that I've sort of let go a bit since Little Man was born. The first few weeks I felt a little overwhelmed with any type of cooking and since my hubby had to re-deploy when our son was 3 days old, he hasn't been able to pick up the slack. Despite my efforts I still seem to have been living off canned soup and cereal. This week I have decided that I CAN take care of a baby AND cook good foods for myself! If you want any recipes, let me know! I will work to get them up as soon as possible.

Sunday

Breakfast:

Spiced Quinoa (cooked like oatmeal)

Lunch:

Chicken Taco Salad

Dinner:

Rosemary Lemon Chicken, Asparagus Basil Salad and Corn

Monday

Breakfast:

Smoothies w/ Peanut Butter Toast

Lunch:

Salad w/ Leftover Chicken or Chicken w/ Asparagus Salad

Dinner:

Veggie Skillet Nachos

Tuesday

Breakfast:

Black Bean Veggie Omelet

Lunch:

PB&J w/ Apple

Dinner:

Beef Tenders w/ Mashed Potatoes and Salad

Wednesday

Breakfast:

Smoothie

Lunch:

Leftovers

Dinner:

Crispy Chicken Ceasar Salad

Thursday

Breakfast:

Potatoes and Eggs

Lunch:

Turkey Sandwich

Dinner:

Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce

Friday

Breakfast:

Cereal w/ Fruit

Lunch:

Leftover Spaghetti

Dinner:

Salmon w/ Roasted Pepper Sauce over Wilted Spinach w/ Raw Cheesecake

Saturday

Breakfast:

Whole Wheat Coconut Pancakes

Lunch:

Cantaloupe

Dinner:

Salmon Pasta Florentine



1 John 3:1-3 KJV

I read this last night and it has been on my mind since. Since I don't post anything on saturdays, I wanted to share this with you all.
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."

Thrifty Thursday's: AmazonMom

As wives and mothers we are always trying to get everything our families need for the best prices. Diapers and wipes can be enough to break the bank on a tight budget! Not to mention formula, baby food and other baby supplies. While I was pregnant I was on the search for ways to save money. Not just a few dollars here and there, but a significant dent in costs. This was particularly important for me because I have a strong preference for natural and organic products.
I came across a program on Amazon called AmazonMom. It is free to sign up and you get 15% off and free shipping for diapers and wipes, as well as 15% off of several other mom/baby/child related items. The only stipulation is that you make one order every month but this is not hard if you have a child in diapers. If you aren't able or don't need to make an order every month, you just sign up again when your ready. It gets better. If you sign up for their "Subscribe and Save" program, you can save an additional 15% off and gaurantee yourself free shipping on that item. This means that you sign up to have an item auto shipped to your home every 1 to 6 months. If you don't want to actually have that item auto shipped to you, no problem! You simply go into "My Account" and click on "Manage Subscriptions" and cancel it. There is NO obligation to keep your auto ship subscriptions for any ammount of time.Now, what's beautiful about this is there are so many venders on Amazon that you can search out the lowest price and get your 30% off on that. I just purchased 700 Nature Babycare EcoSensitive wipes for 11 bucks! No shipping charges whatsoever. This is an almost $20 savings. I also purchased 160 Huggies Pure and Natural diapers for $27, free shipping. This was a $10 savings when compared to what I could get them for at Walmart or Target. This is just diapers and wipes! Make sure to check their grocery section, I just paid $17 for a 32oz jug of Coombs Organic Maple Syrup Grade B, free shipping. That is a $10 savings when compared to the price at our local health food store!There are many items that constantly go on sale for AmazonMom subscribers allowing you an aditional 10% off of your already 15% - 30%.  Another way to save even more through this program is to be on the look out for AmazonMom coupons. You can find these in various parenting magazines for an additional 10% off of diapers or wipes. Or you can google "free AmazonMom coupons". Many people will list their unused coupon codes as well as share which coupons are stackable. Make sure to check their grocery section, I just paid $17 for a 32oz jug of Coombs Organic Maple Syrup Grade B, free shipping. That is a $10 savings when compared to the price at our local health food store!In 3 months I have saved nearly $100 since ordering through AmazonMom and Subscribe and Save. Check it out, you will be pleasantly surprised at not only how much money you can save, but also at the lovely convenience of having your supplies delivered to your door.Do you subcribe to any money saving programs?

Timi&Leslie 2-in-1 Backpack Diaper Bag Review

One of the purchases I spent a LOT of time deliberating during pregnancy was a diaper bag. I figured it was going to become my purse, carry all and baby luggage. That meant that I wanted something attractive, durable and versatile. I immediately fell in love with a Petunia Pickle Bottom but was disappointed when I realized it was nearly $170. I finally settled on the Timi&Leslie 2-in1 Backpack that has all the features I liked about the other one for $69.99. This was still a bit more than I wanted to spend but I needed a bag that was going to make my money go as far as possible. There is nothing wrong with what you can get at Walmart or Target, however from what I've seen these usually don't last long and have to be replaced by the time another baby is on the way if not sooner.
Here are my favorite features:
The interior has several pockets! This means I don't have to purchase a diaper bag organizer! It hold everything I need and it is easy to find because it's not all swimming around at the bottom of the bag. The bag is deep. I can fit everything I need in here and still have a bit of room to spare depending on my packing skills.

There is a key clip! This can be such a life saver! I use this not only for my keys but also for pacifiers. When your baby is fussing or your in a hurry, you don't want to dig around in your bag looking for either of those.

There are 3 pockets on the outside. These are "my" pockets. I put my nursing cover and my wallet in these. Say hello to my claw.

My absolute favorite feature is that it can transform into a backpack! You simply unzip the back pocket, pull ot the straps and clip it into the hooks on the bottom. This is perfect for a trip to the zoo or other outdoor day trips.

A few other features that I like are the firm bottom with studs that prevent it from tipping over, it comes with straps that hook to your stroller to keep it out of the way and it has snaps rather then velcro.The fabric is very sturdy and the stitching is strong. It is not too big, but big enough that when I have a toddler and baby I wont need to buy ANOTHER bag. I have no doubt this diaper bag will last me several years!

Weekly Menu

I'm one of those weird people who feels like Sunday is the first day of week, so all of my menu's start with Sunday not Monday. Hence, no "Monday Menu" day! I like to walk against the grain, make my
own path, walk to the beat of my own drum... What? You don't think what day I put up my menu is that controversial? Sometimes I get a bit carried away. So, back to the food! If you would like any recipes for any of the foods listed, simply leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you!
Enjoy!

Sunday

BREAKFAST

Veggie Egg Scramble w/ Whole Grain Toast and/or
Fruit

LUNCH

Fruit Salad and Sandwiches

DINNER

Veggie Pesto Pizza and/or Mexican Pizza

Monday

BREAKFAST

Smoothies w/ Egg and Toast

LUNCH

Leftover Pizza and Large Salad

DINNER

Grilled Chicken w/ Fresh Green Beans and Summer Squash

Tuesday

BREAKFAST

Fruit Salad w/ Turkey Bacon

LUNCH

Leftover Chicken made into Chicken Veggie Lettuce Wraps

DINNER

Falafal!!!!!! OH YA!

Wednesday

BREAKFAST

Banana Berry Muffins

LUNCH

Pita Sandwiches

DINNER

Chicken and Veggie Ceaser Salad

Thursday

 

BREAKFAST

Banana Berry Muffins and Eggs

LUNCH

Leftovers w/ Annies Mac and Cheese or Soup

DINNER

Veggie Stir Fry w/ Rice or Noodles

Friday

BREAKFAST

Smoothie and Peanut Butter Toast

LUNCH

Leftovers made into oriental wraps w/ chicken

DINNER

Chicken Cacciatore, Large Salad and Raw "Cheesecake" (Recipes to
follow!)

Saturday

BREAKFAST

 

Whole Wheat Pancakes w/ Cooked Apple and Blueberry Cinnamon
Topping

                                                                                    LUNCH

                                                                          Cantelope

                                                                           DINNER

 

Leftover Cacciatore w/ Whole Wheat Pasta and Salad