New House Pictures

They have in the windows as of yesterday morning. We have our frame walked scheduled for May 5th, which is Wednesday. We are really excited. Looks like the June 30th close date will be plenty of time. All the things that are supposed to be done before the frame walk are....foundation (check), framing (check), roof (almost check, just no shingles yet), windows & doors (almost check), bricking & siding, insulation, rough heating & air.... So basically all the layers of a home until the sheet rock. Then after the frame walk, the sheet rock is the very first thing they do.

Baked Chicken Tortillas

We made this last week for dinner and we really enjoyed it. Very quick and would be a great meal when you have friends over or you could double, triple the recipe for a party or small gathering. Cinco de Mayo is this week and it would be a great recipe for that. We ate a small serving of chips and salsa on the side. Other good dips with this would be guacomole or a black bean dip.

6 servings (serving size: 1 roll)

Ingredients
1 cup bottled salsa, divided
1 (8-ounce) carton low-fat sour cream
6 (10-inch) flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 3/4 pound)
1/3 cup chopped tomato
1/3 cup chopped green or red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
Cooking spray
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine 1/2 cup salsa and sour cream in a small bowl, and spread evenly over each tortilla. Divide chicken, tomato, bell pepper, and onion evenly down center of each tortilla, and roll up. Place rolls, seam sides down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with 1/2 cup salsa. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese; bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Nutritional Information
Calories:379 (26% from fat)
Fat:10.8g (sat 4.1g,mono 3.7g,poly 2.5g)
Protein:28.7g
Carbohydrate:38.9g
Fiber:2.8g
Cholesterol:64mg
Iron:3mg
Sodium:623mg
Calcium:284mg

-Compliments of Cooking Light, www.myrecipes.com

Mixed Fruit Cobbler

I decided last minute to make this last night for dessert. We love blackberry cobbler so I knew we would love this one. I was a little nervous because I have never made anything like this homemade. It turned out great though and we both loved it. The only thing I will change next time I make this is the sugar amount. I could not believe how much it called for but it was a lot. Cooking light is always very "light" about sugar and salt. So I think it must have been a mistake because it was waayy too much for us!

Serves 12

Ingredients
Filling:
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
4 cups frozen blackberries, thawed
4 cups frozen raspberries, thawed
1 1/4 cups sugar (I say only use 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Cooking spray

Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
2 teaspoons sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°.
To prepare filling, lightly spoon 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour and the next 4 ingredients (1/4 cup whole-wheat flour through juice) in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Let stand 10 minutes.
To prepare topping, lightly spoon all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flours and next 4 ingredients (flours through salt) in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and rind, stirring just until moist. Drop dough onto fruit mixture to form 12 mounds(don't make the mounds very thick); sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar.
Bake at 400° for 35 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information
Calories:268 (23% from fat)
Fat:6.8g (sat 3.8g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.6g)
Protein:3.3g
Carbohydrate:51.7g
Fiber:6.1g
Cholesterol:16mg
Iron:1.4mg
Sodium:183mg
Calcium:74mg

-Compliments of Cooking Light Magazine

Baked Stuffed Shells

Tried out this recipe for the first time Monday night and it was very good and hearty. The only bad thing I can say about this recipe is the preparation time. It took me about an hour before I was able to put the dish in the oven. So I will put a star by the ingredients that can be prepared before hand to make it easier to prepare dish. This dish make a lot so you can take it for lunch that week or this recipe would be great to make when you have company. You can eat a small mixed green salad on the side.

This recipe will serve 6 (serving size: 3stuffed shells, 1 cup of sauce)

Ingredients
Stuffing:
1/4 cup boiling water
6 sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (14-ounce) package reduced-fat firm tofu-optional, I did not use
1 egg, lightly beaten
18 cooked jumbo pasta shells *

Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 3/4 cups chopped onion (about 1 large), finely chop *
1 cup chopped green bell pepper (about 1 medium), finely chop *
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 medium), finely chop *
3 garlic cloves, minced
Cooking spray
3/4 pound low-fat turkey breakfast sausage, casings removed or lean ground beef (1/2 lb.)
1/4 cup red wine
2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (28-ounce) can organic crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare stuffing, combine 1/4 cup boiling water and sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl; let stand 20 minutes or until tomatoes soften. Drain and finely chop. Combine tomatoes, mozzarella, and next 6 ingredients (through egg) in a food processor; process until smooth. Spoon 2 tablespoons stuffing into each shell. Set stuffed shells aside.
To prepare sauce, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Place onion mixture in a bowl.
Coat pan with cooking spray; return pan to heat. Add sausage, and cook 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add wine; cook until wine is reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 3 minutes). Stir in onion mixture, tomato paste, and next 5 ingredients (through tomatoes); bring to a simmer. Cook 25 minutes or until slightly thick.
Spread 2 cups sauce over bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange stuffed shells in a single layer in pan; top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over sauce. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until bubbly.

-All the ingredients marked with a * means you can prepare them the night before if you have some extra time. I strongly recommend at least get all of your chopping done and even going ahead and cooking you shells the night before and just refridgerate them until needed.

Nutritional Information
Calories:391 (32% from fat)
Fat:13.8g (sat 4.8g,mono 5.2g,poly 2.3g)
Protein:27g
Carbohydrate:37.1g
Fiber:4.7g
Cholesterol:84mg
Iron:4mg
Sodium:892mg
Calcium:238mg

-Compliments of Cooking Light Magazine

Latest reviews.....

Over the past week and weekend Justin and me went to 2 movies. As stated in a previous post I told y'all Disney's new movie "Ocean's" would premiere on Earth Day, last Thursday. So we went to pay our respects to our planet. The second movie we saw over the weekend was called "The Loser's".

This movie was good. On the positive side it was amazing to see all of the creatures of the ocean. We saw many creatures we have never seen or heard of before and they were really cool. Also, they had some amazing footage I have never seen of some other ocean creatures that were truly fascinating. On the negative side, Pierce Bronson was the narrator and we did not like that. His voice made us want to take a nap. That was the only thing we thought they could have done better on.

"The Loser's" we thought was great. It was a good mixture of an action movie with a little humor here and there. It did not drag along either. It moved along at the perfect speed. It seems they might be making a sequel to this because they left the ending a bit open to lead to another story. We would definitely see this again.



We are very anxious to see Iron Man 2, which is coming out May 7, Robin Hood, opening May 14, and I really want to see Letters to Juliet coming out May 14 as well. Letters to Juliet is about a girl, played by Mamma Mia's (Amanda Seyfriend), who travels to Verona, home of Romeo and Juliet, where she is inspired to find a love story of her own. I love Romeo and Juliet, so I think this will be a great Chick Flick!

Last night's meal and dessert

Our Sunday, night meal was very easy and great. I had planned on us eating regular hamburgers but we forgot we already had some patties frozen from the last time we cooked hamburgers. I do not think I have posted this hamburger recipe but if so then oh well. This recipe is really and truly better if the patties are frozen first then thawed and grilled a day or so later. This was the second time we have eaten the left-over patties and they tasted a lot better after they had been frozen. Serve herbed asparagus and a mixed green salad on the side.

A Better Burger

Ingredients
1 slightly beaten egg white
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely shredded carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound lean ground beef
6 whole-grain buns
Shredded carrot, sprouts, mixed greens, tomato slices, and/or red onion slices (optional)

Directions
Combine egg white, water, bread crumbs, carrot, onion, sweet pepper, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add Parmesan cheese and ground beef; mix well. Shape mixture into six 1/2-inch-thick patties. Grill burgers on an oiled grill rack for 7 minutes. Turn and grill 8 to 11 minutes more or until no pink remains. Serve burgers on buns with vegetables, as desired.

Nutrition facts per serving:
Servings Per Recipe 6 servings
Calories 232
Total Fat (g) 9
Saturated Fat (g) 3
Monounsaturated Fat (g) 4
Cholesterol (mg) 49
Sodium (mg) 334
Carbohydrate (g) 19
Fiber (g) 3
Protein (g) 18
Vitamin A (DV%) 0
Vitamin C (DV%) 12
Calcium (DV%) 6
Iron (DV%) 13
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

-Compliments of Fitness Magazine

Roasted Asparagus with Herbs

Ingredients
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, such as a mix of basil, tarragon, and parsley (or all basil or all parsley)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Toss the asparagus in a bowl with the olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper and herb mixture. Spread the asparagus in one layer on a baking sheet. Roast until just tender, 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus (thinner ones will cook more quickly). Taste the asparagus and add seasoning if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition facts per serving:
Servings Per Recipe 2 servings
Calories 96
Total Fat (g) 8
Saturated Fat (g) 1
Carbohydrate (g) 3
Fiber (g) 2
Protein (g) 4
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

-Compliments of Fitness Magazine

I tried out a new desert recipe I had found on myrecipes.com and I enjoyed it a lot. Justin thought it was ok. He said he was not the biggest banana fan. So for you banana fans out there like myself this recipe is for you.

Banana Creme Pie Smoothies

Ingredients
1 cup sliced ripe banana (about 1 large)
1 cup vanilla low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
2 tablespoons whole wheat graham cracker crumbs (about 1/2 cookie sheet)
1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ice cubes (about 1/4 cup)
Graham cracker crumbs


Arrange banana slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, and freeze until firm (about 1 hour). Place frozen banana and remaining ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Serve immediately.


CALORIES 216 (12% from fat); FAT 2.8g (sat 1.5g,mono 0.8g,poly 0.3g); IRON 0.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 9mg; CALCIUM 315mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39.3g; SODIUM 145mg; PROTEIN 9.8g; FIBER 1.9g

-Compliments of Cooking Light Magazine

New house pictures

Here are some pictures of the house I took this morning before work. It is really coming along!

Grilled Steak with Baked Vegtables

This meal was easy and one of our favorites in a long time. It is a perfect summertime meal. It would be great for a cook-out or for just 2, like us. You can use whatever steak is your families favorite but, we used an Angus strip. A good way to save money on this meal is to look in your local grocer's ad to see who is running a special on steaks. This week I know our Publix, Piggly Wiggly, and Bruno's are all running there Boneless Ribeye Steaks for $6.99-$7.99 lb. Use whatever marinade you like best, or use Dale's, Worcester's, & lemon juice. It is best if you start marinading your steaks the night before, or the next morning. As for the side of baked veggies, you can use what you have, what's on sale that week, or your favorites. I planned for us red potatoes with herbs, fresh green beans, and fresh broccoli. We have done the baked veggies before with squash, zucchini, broccoli, and fresh green beans. This week Publix has Asparagus ($2.49 lb.), Fresh trimmed Green Beans (2/$5, 12 oz.-pkg.), & Portobello Mushrooms ($2.69, 6 oz.-pkg.). *Tip for the green beans-We only used half the pkg. so we froze then rest to keep fresh for later, so always keep that in mind.

Serves 2 people

Ingredients
2 steaks, your choice
3 sm.-med. sized red potatoes, washed, cut into small wedges
1/2 pkg. fresh green beans, washed, trimmed
1 bunch broccoli, washed, cut into florets
cooking spray (*canola oil or olive oil are the best cooking sprays)
3-4 shakes Tony Chechare's seasoning
**ingredients for the red potatoes
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 shakes basil leaves
2-3 shakes oregano
2 shakes chives
1 shake garlic powder
2 shakes thyme
2 shakes sage
2 shakes rosemary

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 450 F. Place cut potatoes in a medium sized mixing bowl, pour 2 tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil over the potatoes evenly. Then pour herb mixture over potatoes and mix with a spoon very well. Place potatoes on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Place potatoes on bottom rack of oven. Now you should start your steaks on the grill. Then place your trimmed green beans and broccoli florets on a sprayed baking sheet and lightly cover with the Tony Chechare's seasoning, and place in the oven on rack above potatoes. Check on the veggies while the steaks are grilling. The green beans and broccoli take about 15-20 mins., they are ready when tender. If they potatoes still feel hard and do not have a light golden brown look then after taking out the green beans and broccoli, set your oven to broil and watch very closely. This is what we did and it took them about 5-7 mins. on broil to be how I wanted them. Once steaks and all veggies are done divide out portions and serve.


**Tip: If you do decide to use squash or zucchini which is very good baked like this, then cut into 1/2 in. thick pieces, you can leave them round on slice in half.

A few things to add.....

I have decided to start posting my reviews for the latest movies, books, etc. that I have read, watched, or visited. Justin and me watch a lot of shows, movies, and we read a lot too. So we would like to share what we think about our latest entertainment.....

I think I may have mentioned this book before but I am telling you all again. I have been reading this book called "The Self Health Revolution", which inspired me to want to be healthier. I am still not finished because I have been reading it when I run on the treadmill. But, just the parts I have read have really been mind-blowing and the scary thing is it is so true. The author J. Michael Zenn is not this all you can eat is all healthy foods and nothing with sugar guy. All he is doing is telling us the truth about what we are putting in our bodies everyday. He is all about yummy cakes, etc. but he just tells us the scary truth about all the pre-made boxed batters we all are guilty of buying. So I just wanted to let you know if you are looking for a new read maybe you should buy this book and find out the truth about all the food we consume!

I love Chelsea Handler and I watch Chelsea Lately when I can. She has 3 books she has written about her life and they are all laugh out loud funny. Her first one is called "My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One Night Stands", the second one "Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea", and her latest "Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang". If all of these stories in her books are true then she is NUTS, and has the most outrageous life ever. I hope they are true!

We all love Nicholas Sparks of course, who does not? After seeing the movie previews for The Last Song, I decided to read it. Two days later I finished it, and of course it was amazing like all of his other stories. Also, very sad but a great story and meaning behind it.

Jumping into another subject! As some of you may know Justin and me usually go to the movies almost every weekend. We are movie buffs and it is something we love doing together. So since we see most movies the day they come out I decided to also start giving you reviews on the latest movies we've seen. So here are our reviews for the last ones we have watched....

Alice in Wonderland was a big disappointment, we had been looking forward to seeing it too. It was very slow, but the movie was cool just to see all the characters, etc.





I had already read this book, which was amazing but, I had heard mixed reviews about the movie. I was so afraid I was not going to like it. So after seeing the movie I am so glad to say it was GREAT! I thought it was so much like the book, which is rare, and that everyone playing the characters were perfect! Two thumbs up!


So the next movies we will be going to see is Ocean's by Disney, for Earth Day, and Iron Man 2 which we are both excited about. If you have not seen the first Iron Man then it is a must because it was awesome!

**Do not forget that April 22 is Earth Day, really try to do something for our Earth on Thursday even if it is something very small.

Justin and me have a show just about every night. We have to record everything so we can watch it all. Here are some of our favorite shows this season and the shows we are dying to start back this summer.....


Yes, we are suckers for Vampires. We love all the Twilight craze, and the two other vampire t.v. shows that come one. Our absolute favorite t.v. show is Vampire Diaries, on the C.W. It is so good, we can not get enough of that show. It is on Thursday nights and it is in it's first season. I you are ready for some drama, action, and lots of really beautiful people then this is your show. Our other vampire show is True Blood. Some of our friends have been watching it from day one before Twilight hit us. So they told us we would love it and we did. We had to catch up on the seasons we had missed. It comes on HBO and I am not sure when it starts back but it needs to hurry up! Of course since it is on HBO it is going to be wayyy more raunchy and violent. We still love it though.

Some of our other favorites are Gossip Girl, which is filled with so much drama, spoiled rich kids, love, and all sorts of stuff. You can always guarantee something crazy to happen but it is so good. Desperate Housewives, love it. A new show on the C.W. called, Life Unexpected, is a good show that has it all. It is about 2 adults, Kate and Baze who had a one night fling in high school and never really spoke since. Kate, became pregnant and gave the baby up for adoption. Baze knew Kate was pregnant but was popular and did not care. Sixteen years later there daughter, Lux, who was never adopted shows up back into there lives. It is definitely one of my favorites right now. If you do not watch How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, Rules of Engagement, and Modern Family, then you are missing out on the four funniest shows I have ever watched. Justin and me laugh the entire time we watch these. They are beyond hilarious. We of course watch Gray's Anatomy, I think just about everyone does. We did watch American Idol this season but it just was not good to me, so we have stopped watching it. Justin has a list of shows he watches that I will catch an episode here and there. He loves Lost, Justified, a new show and I really like it, The Pacific, very good show on HBO that is a mini series about WWII, V, it is OK to me, and Flash Forward, which I enjoy sometimes. Our last show we watch which is my all time favorite show on right now is Glee on Fox. They are beyond genius in my eyes for coming up with a musical for a t.v. show. As some of you know musicals are my absolute favorites! I love singing and dancing and Glee does both. The other perks to the show is that it's so funny. Yes, Glee is cheesy but that the whole point of the show. They are making fun of high school and everything about it. If you have not watched it before then it is a must see!

Those are all of my reviews I have for now but will post more in a few weeks!

Lime-Cilantro Pork Tacos

A delicious recipe that is very filling and very fulfilling to your taste buds. It does not call for a lot of ingredients so it is not bad price wise either. We ate the tacos with a small side of organic salsa and tortilla chips. It would also be great with a black bean salsa dip as well. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as Justin and me did. Happy Cooking!

Serves 4
Ingredients

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into thin strips
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped plum tomato
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (I added a little extra)
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Directions
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and black pepper. Add oil to pan. Add pork, and sauté 4 minutes or until browned. Remove pork from pan; place in a bowl. Add onion and jalapeño to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add broth; reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in tomato; simmer 2 minutes.

Return pork and accumulated juices to pan. Stir in cilantro and lime juice; cook 1 minute or until pork is done.

Heat tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/2 cup pork mixture into each tortilla; roll up.

Nutrition
Calories:416 (28% from fat)
Fat:13.1g (sat 3.6g,mono 6.8g,poly 1.6g)
Protein:30.2g
Carbohydrate:43.1g
Fiber:3.6g
Cholesterol:75mg
Iron:3.8mg
Sodium:569mg
Calcium:101mg

-Compliments of myrecipes.com, Cooking Light Magazine

April coming to a close

We are aproaching the end of April so quickly. I just can not believe it is almost May. Our year anniversary will be here before we know it. Just so crazy to think about. It sure does not feel like a whole year has almost already gone by. We had another great weekend. I can not say it was relaxing because we were hardly home to relax.

We all know the term "when it rains, it pours". Well that was true for us on Friday. My tire last week found a nail that it allowed to call home. Luckily it was caught fast enough that we only had to patch it up. But, in the meantime Justin's car decided it did not want to start so he took his car and got a new battery. We thought it was back good as new but guess what it was not! Car would not start again a few hours after being fixed and so we had to have it towed Saturday back to the people who originally "fixed" it. He picked it up today and it is back working again. It had gotten moisture in something under there and that caused it to not crank. Luckily they fixed it free of charge, YAY! On Saturday after the car deal we went and started getting prices on the stuff we will be buying for the new house. We got to go ahead and order our new couch! We picked out all the rest of our furniture we are having to buy and luckily they keep all the other stuff we want in stock at the local warehouse so they will be able to deliver it in 2 days or notifying them. We picked out our refridgerator, washer, and dryer as well. We were glad to get that all done. So now we will just continue to wait. We thought we had some potential buyers but it turns out none have made an offer. We have had 3 different showings in the past week but no takers.

The shower Saturday night was great. We had a great turn out, and they got some great stuff. We were so happy for Brad and Mary. They now have only 2 weeks left until they get hitched.

The parentals are coming for a visit this upcoming weekend. We are real excited because it has been a few weeks or so since we last saw them. So another great weekend ahead of us. Some relaxation should be able to happen for us so that is great.

That is all for now and wishing to everyone a great week!

BBQ Stuffed Potatoes

I made this recipe for the first time last night and it was SUPER EASY and we both liked it a lot! This recipe is very very filling. We both were so full from it. You can serve this with a side of mixed greens. I modified the recipe to only serve 2 but I am putting the original recipe so just modify it however you need to feed however many people you will be serving. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 potato, about 1/3 cup chicken, about 2 tablespoons sour cream topping, and 2 tablespoons cheese)

Ingredients

4 (6-ounce) baking potatoes
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 green onions, finely chopped and divided
1 1/3 cups shredded barbecue chicken (such as Lloyd's)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Pierce potatoes with a fork; arrange in a circle on paper towels in microwave oven. Microwave at HIGH 10 minutes or until done, rearranging potatoes after 5 minutes.

2. While potatoes cook, combine sour cream and 2 tablespoons onions; set aside.

3. Place chicken in a microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap (do not allow plastic wrap to touch food). Remove potatoes from microwave; place chicken in microwave. Microwave at HIGH 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

4. Slice potatoes lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side; fluff with fork. Top each potato evenly with chicken, sour cream mixture, cheese, and remaining onions.

Nutrition

Calories:367 (22% from fat)
Fat:9g (sat 5.3g,mono 2.4g,poly 1.2g)
Protein:16.5g
Carbohydrate:57.6g
Fiber:4.2g
Cholesterol:43mg
Iron:3.2mg
Sodium:619mg
Calcium:117mg

-Compliments of myrecipes.com

Southwestern Chicken Stir-Fry

This recipe is easy and so so so good. Justin and I both love this recipe. We have eaten it a couple of different ways. I am putting the original way to eat it but if you want to try it another way then here are the instructions. We will sometimes eat it over rice instead of in a tortilla. We use brown rice which is healthier than white. Just cook rice as directed and then pour stir-fry over rice and viola! Or sometimes Justin just eats it by itself which is just as good as well. This will serve 4 people so we usually take the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Ingredients
1- to 1-1/2 ounce envelope fajita seasoning mix
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
12 ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
Cooking oil spray
1 medium yellow or green sweet pepper, cut into squares
1 small zucchini, sliced on the bias
1/2 small onion, cut into thin wedges
2/3 cup salsa
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1/2 cup cooked or canned black beans, rinsed and drained
8 8-inch flour tortillas (optional)
6 cup mixed greens (optional)
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Co-Jack cheese (optional)

Directions
Combine fajita mix, water, and oil in a medium mixing bowl. Add chicken to marinade; stir to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Preheat a large wok coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add peppers, zucchini and onion; cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Set aside.

Drain chicken; discard marinade. Add chicken to wok. (Add additional cooking oil if necessary to prevent sticking.) Cook and stir for 4 to 5 minutes, or until no longer pink. Return vegetables to wok. Stir together salsa and chili powder. Add salsa mixture, corn, and beans to wok. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes.

Nutrition
Nutrition facts per serving:
Servings Per Recipe 4 servings
Calories 191
Total Fat (g) 6
Saturated Fat (g) 1
Carbohydrate (g) 18
Fiber (g) 2
Protein (g) 20
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

-Compliments of Fitness Magazine

House update

We have house updates! Here are the pictures we have taken over to past 2 weeks. As I said in my last post they poured the foundation and they starting framing the house. As of yesterday the whole house was almost completely framed. So things are moving along really good. Let's hope the weather continues to be good as well so they can keep working on the house at a good pace.

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Chicken Jambalaya

This recipe is so easy and wonderful! Jambalaya is one of Justin's favorite things to eat and he gives this one 2 thumbs up. You can change it up a bit to make it healthier. Sometimes we will do both chicken and sausage and other times we will just do chicken. Either way it is still great.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves
• 16 ounce package frozen bell peppers and onions
• 8 ounces smoked turkey sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 cups water
• 14.5 ounce diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers, undrained
• 8 ounce package jambalaya rice mix (we use Zatarain's)

Directions

Cut chicken into 1/2-inch strips and cut up sausage as directed above. Cook chicken and sausage together in a pan until done. Then set them aside and follow the directions on the back of the Zatarain's box. You will add in the bell pepper's and onions when you add in the rice and seasoning as directed on the back of the box. Add in the chicken and sausage about 10 minutes before the rice is done.

Old-fashioned Sloppy Joes with Homeade Fries

This recipe was amazing. Justin loved it and so did I. It does take a little longer in prep time because of the fries but it is so worth it! Just make sure to start the fries first because that is what takes so long. If you go ahead and get all of the cutting, peeling, and chopping out of the way first then everything will go much more smoothly. Also, always remember to turn the oven on before you do anything else!

Baked Potatoes Fries
Serves 6

Ingredients
3 russet potatoes
2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Tony Chachere's
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven with a baking sheet inside to 450° F. Cut potatoes lengthwise into steak fries, about 3/4 by 1/2 inch, and toss with oil, seasoning and salt. Place seasoned potatoes onto the preheated sheet in a single layer. Bake potatoes, 15 minutes. Flip them and cook another 10 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 5oz/161g-wt.): 210 calories (60 from fat), 7g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 430mg sodium, 33g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 2g sugar), 4g protein

-Compliments of Whole Foods recipes

Old-fashioned Sloppy Joe's

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds 85% lean ground beef
1 yellow onion, chopped
Sea salt, to taste
Ground pepper, to taste
1 cup tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
4 burger buns, toasted

Directions

Brown the beef in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, 5—7 minutes. Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook until onions soften, about 7 minutes. Add ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sugar and mustard. Stir to combine. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Spoon over split toasted hamburger buns.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 9oz/264g-wt.): 470 calories (200 from fat), 22g total fat, 8g saturated fat, 95mg cholesterol, 990mg sodium, 38g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 20g sugar), 30g protein

-Compliments of Whole Foods recipes

Chicken Taco Pizza

Serves 4 and we had leftovers for lunch the next day!

Ingredients

1 whole wheat pizza crust, thawed**
1/2 cup organic salsa or homemade
1/4 lb. part-skim mozzarella, shredded
1 cup no-salt added black beans
1 cup frozen yellow corn, thawed
1 chicken breast, skinless, grilled & chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange crust on a pizza stone or large baking sheet. Spread salsa over crust and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Top with beans, corn, chicken and remaining cheese and bake until crust is crisp and cheese is bubbly, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, cut into 8 pieces and serve with more salsa on the side.

-Compliments of Whole Foods Recipes

**If you like a little kick then add some jalapenos randomly over pizza. I sprinkled parmesan and garlic powder over ours to just add extra flavor. We also had a little ranch on ours as well. Get fat-free ranch or regular ranch and use the serving size. You do not need to use a lot!

Busy, Busy, Busy......

WHEW! Is all we can say right now. It seems like we are going and going. Wait, we are! We've had two baby showers we hosted back to back and a wedding shower we are hosting this Saturday. After this one it is our last for now. Until, someone else we love has something going on I am sure! So far they have all been very successful! Great turn outs and a great time with friends. We have not had many weddings yet but no worries that will all really start May 1st. Our good friends Brad and Mary are getting hitched that day, so we are looking forward to celebrating that special time with them. So between babies and weddings that is all we have been up to this month.

Our new house update is they FINALLY poured the foundation. WHOO HOO!! That was very exciting. They are "supposed" to start framing this week. I went by yesterday and they had the wood out there so I hope they make some progress this week on it. We have had a little excitement finally with our current home. Two different couples came by between Sunday and Tuesday to look. The first couple had just started looking but loved our home but they were still looking at some others as well. The second couple loved our home but wanted a garage and so they made an offer on the town home across the street! Real bummer! But Jennifer, our realtor really thinks things will pick up since it is crunch time with the tax credit. We will see....

I do not know if anyone checked out any of my recipes I posted on the last post or not but I am going to start posting more recipes we have tried out. We are really enjoying all of them and the GREAT factor is they are all under 500 calories. I will be posting some cooking healthier tips and what not's. I am also going to try to start really getting into the coupon clipping world so I will be posting some good links to good deals as well. This week will be the first week I am looking for some deals so I will report back on how that went.

As some of you know I love the planet and love Earth Day! It is coming up so you should really check out things in your neighborhood that might be going on for Earth Day. Also, you could always plant a tree in your yard or something like that. I have not made our plans yet but I will let you know what we do. It is April 22nd this year so do not forget. Here are some things going on here in Birmingham for us B'ham people to check out! Oh and one thing I know Justin and me are doing is going to see the movie "Ocean's" by Disney. It is going to be really cool and a portion of your ticket will be donated to Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, Disneynature and The Nature Conservancy who are helping establish new marine protected areas in the Bahamas. So you can see a movie and be helping out! For more information here is the website, Disney movie Oceans

Earth Day at the Gardens
Earth Day Parade and Celebration
Earth Day at the Botanical Gardens


Here is a really good recipe I made last weekend. Friday night we cooked out at Amy and Scooter's and I made a Bacon Cheese Dip for an appetizer and it was YUMMY!

Bacon Cheese Dip

Prep Time: 15 min. Cook time: 10 min. Ready In: 25 min.

Yields 16 servings

Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon

1 (8 oz.) package, low-fat cream cheese, softened

1 cup light mayo

8 oz. Swiss cheese, shredded

2 green onions, finely chopped

4 ritz crackers, crushed

Directions:

1. Place bacon in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese with mayo until smooth. Stir in Swiss cheese, onions, and bacon. Place bowl in microwave, and cook 2 minutes. Remove, and stir well. Return to microwave, and cook 2 to 4 minutes more. Sprinkle crushed crackers on top. Serve warm with crackers.

**Ritz crackers were very good with this dip. Also pita chips could be a very good with this as well.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving Calories:239 Total Fat: 23.1 g Cholesteral: 38mg

-Compliments of allrecipes.com

Jumping into Spring!

Is it really the first of April already? I think someone has to be playing an April Fool's joke on me....hummmmm????

Well, here we are the first of April and like always our lives are running rampid all around us. We have been very busy these last few months. Still no progress on the house besides we have gone to our plan review, and both decorator meetings. Everything is offically picked out for our home. Now all we need is for them to start building it! Our close date is still set for June 30, but we are sure that will change since that is not that very long and like I said we don't even have a foundation yet. So we will see. We are just ready to see what it will turn out like. Now we know what we "hope" it will look like but you know it is nerve racking in the meantime because all we can think is "did we make the right choice?" But, we are hoping to see some progress soon though. Still no offers on our house but we aren't that concerned since signature will be buying it at closing of our new home if we still haven't sold our current home. But, it still would be very good if we could sell it on our on.

Justin has been very very busy at work lately. Working like a busy bee besides the fact he did get to play golf yesterday.....haha. Everything with his job seems to be going great still which is a blessing! My work is still going great! The boys are getting so big now and it's so much fun.

We have literally had something every single weekend here lately and our social schedule is not slowing down one bit until somewhere around June. WHEEWWW! I will need a vacation by then that's for sure. We have 5 people in our lives pregnant. Three gave birth within a week of each other and now we have 2 left. We have 7 or so friends getting married and we have only been to one wedding so far the rest are to come! So between actual weddings, wedding showers, baby showers, birthdays, and actual baby births we might have a day just to be lazy but not much. We are very blessed to have so many great friends in our lives so we do not mind being there for them at this time.

So as you can tell everything around the Rolling household has been great the only bump we have encountered lately happened to me last week! As some of you might know I, Kala Bass Rolling, has been WORKING OUT in the mornings before work, I repeat WORKING OUT! You all know I am not the most motivated person when it comes to excerise but I still haven't figured out where all this motivation has come from but I actually like it. :) So anwyays, back to the point of the story. So like I said I had gone to the gym that morning around 5:30 a.m. worked out for an hour and was getting ready for work at the gym when a girl came in and asked for a Kala Rolling. So I said, "Hey, that is me." She went on to say a police officer was up front and needed to speak with me. I started panicking immediately in my head. Why would a policeman need me? Has something happened to Justin? What could I have forgotten about that would cause police to be involved? So I went to face him and that's when I learned I had been the latest victim of a crime! Yep, some thug busted out my front passenger window and snatched my purse! I know I know, why in the world would my pruse be in the open for anyone to grab? I felt stupid because that is one thing my family has always said DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING VALUABLE IN SIGHT! Which I always follow this rule and the one day I'm not thinking striaght I slip up and BAM it finally happens to me! :( I always have said I would not care if someone stole my purse because they would be very disappointed because I never have cash. Well that is still true except I did have $2 in my wallet. Haha. So ends up the criminal went to wal-mart used our credit card to purchase a t.v. immediately after stealing my purse and also went and filled up his car tank with gas. Luckily we got to everything else fast enough and our credit card company new something was weird so they were already in process of contacting us by then time we called them. Bad part was we had to pay $150 insurance deductible for my window to be fixed and I was without everything!!!! But this story does have a good ending at least! The thug stole a car the next day and got in a high speed chase with Vestavia police. He abandoned car and ran away. But, luckily for some reason he had my purse with my wallet still in it! Which is now still at police department. We should be able to pick it up today and keep your fingers crossed that everything is still there! We were informed yesterday that the low-life was arrested and now is facing 16 different charges, one being he resisted arrest and pushed an officer. So of course they had to beat him down with baton. HA! The officer thought we would like that! So he should be going to jail for a little while! YAAYY!

So that's our latest excitment. As I mentioned above I have been working out 3 times a week for 2 weeks now so keep thinking about me and hope I will keep it up. We also have been trying to eat healthy during the week. I will post the links to some of our favorites. I am reading a very good book right now called "The Self-Health Revolution", it's very good and really opens your eyes about what you eat. I know you are thinking it's one of those health nuts right? Actually it's not like that at all. Yes, they talk about healthy eating but it just tells you the scary truth about what we are putting in our bodies. It just encourages eating all natural food. If you didn't know you can still get good and eat snacky type food too. And that is what this book informs you about. What things are good and what is not. So you should read it, but beware you will get freaked out!

Have a great weekend and below are those recipes you should try out!

http://www.glamour.com/bbg/2010/turkey-chili
(I add bush's chili beans or kidney beans)

http://www.glamour.com/bbg/2010/spicy-chicken-skewers-and-roasted-vegetables

http://www.glamour.com/bbg/2010/turkey-burger-and-green-bean-fries

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/quick-recipes/dinner/6-quick-chicken-recipes/?page=6

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/quick-recipes/dinner/healthy-pizza/

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/quick-recipes/dinner/healthy-burrito-recipe/

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipe/turkey/caesar-turkey-wrap/

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipe/chicken/chicken-jambalaya/

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipe/chicken/spicy-chicken-pizza/

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipe/chicken/southwestern-chicken-stir-fry/

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/quick-recipes/dinner/easy-healthy-beef-recipes/?page=7

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/quick-easy/twenty-minute-meals-00000000028853/index.html

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/nutrition/the-you-can-do-it-diet-dinner-choices/?page=17

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/nutrition/the-you-can-do-it-diet-dinner-choices/?page=16