Five Things

I was watching Ruby the other night and was inspired to change five things in my life in order to get through my weight loss plateau. I am still thinking but this is what I have decided:

1. Get to the gym at LEAST three times per week.
2. A fruit or vegetable at EVERY meal(Including breakfast).
3. Choose water first when thirsty.
4. Park farther away to get in extra steps.
5. switch to fat free milk for my coffee.

When I went to the doctor on Friday - I had already lost a pound. That was just contemplating and being more aware of my habits as I compiled my list! Lets see what these five small changes will bring.

No one is home today because they are in WV for Easter. I stayed home to take care of my poor allergic self. Tomorrow I will try a new recipe. It is chicken and broccoli with brown rice. I'll write about it then.

When in Rome Tortellini

I adapted a Tastefully Simple recipe this evening for dinner. It is the bruschetta tortellini recipe that is on their website. Only, I didn't have the brushcetta cheeseball mix like I thought. I had the When in Rome Cheeseball mix - which is now a discontinued item.

Here is the recipe:
Bruschetta Tortellini
Submitted by Rosemary (MN) HQ Resident Chef

Ingredients
Bruschetta Cheese Ball Mix
8 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
12 - 16 oz. prepared cheese or other filled tortellini
1/2 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan; stir with whisk over low heat until cream cheese melts. Stir in prepared tortellini and spinach; spread mixture in a greased 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbling. Makes 6-8 servings.

I used the When in Rome Cheese ball mix and then topped the casserole with Parmesan Cheese the the crumbs from the cheese ball mix.

This is a really good meal. Nice and hot, rich and filling. Its a do again type of dinner. Easy, too!

Snowed In

I have successfully tried new recipes just about every Sunday - much to the chagrin of my family. They would be happy to eat the same meals every week! Especially my daughter who could live off of chicken nuggets and pizza!

This weekend we are totally snowed in so, it looks like we will be scrounging something out of the freezer today and feasting on it. I am thinking about oven fried chicken breasts, green beans and homemade steak fries. Just an ordinary Sunday dinner.

I get to go to Myrtle Beach this week for a Paideia workshop. I am looking foward to it! Family won't get a new meal next weekend either. I guess they can survive ! LOL

First New Recipe of 2010

"You've never fried me a turkey." My husband informed me after I asked him what he would give a 4 out of 4 stars. Finally, my chicken and dumplings earned a 4 star rating.

Tonight we tried "Bruschetta Chicken Bake" from my Kraft Foods Recipe box. Rande gave it 3 out of four stars. The dish was relatively easy to prepare and very filling. I served it with steamed broccoli and brussel sprouts. Perfect for today's winter chill there in North Carolina.

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/bruschetta-chicken-bake-65546.aspx


I have promised to get back into the habit of cooking by trying one new recipe every Sunday evening. Unfortunately, we got into a habit of eating prepackaged or fast food meals the past two years while I was in grad school. So, I am trying to wean us from this habit. Hopefully, I will have a new repertoire of favorites by the end of this year and my family will be more likely to want to eat at home.

Well, honey, I may never have fried you a turkey - but at least we still have our back porch!

Setting Goals

I am one tired puppy! I have enjoyed the Christmas Holidays with family and friends but this chick is tired! I want to curl up on the couch with a good book and camp out there for at least two days! Alas, there is too much to do....

A couple of weeks ago, I was inspired by the song "Happy Christmas" which got me to thinking about the passing of a year and "what have I done". I do want to take time to reflect on my accomplishments over the past calendar year and set new goals for next year. Not resolutions per se, but goals to work toward.

Accomplishments
*lost 30 pounds
*obtained a Master's Degree in Middle Grades Education
*got a new job at the Middle College
*started my Tastefully Simple Business

Goals
*walk in a diabetes walk this spring
*begin PhD program
*cook my way through the Telephone Pioneer Cookbook and blog about it
*get training in the teaching of economics

I have always found that writing out my goals helps me to accomplish them. So, here we are a simple set of goals that are simple and obtainable. Lets see how things look one year from now...

At a party ranch in texas

Happy Birthday America

Sometimes I don't think we realize how lucky we are to live in a country that grants us such freedom. We take for granted our freedom of speech and our freedom to worship as we wish. We have the right to disagree with our leaders and to poke fun if we wish.

The recent election and ensuing violence in Iran should teach us that as Americans, we have never known, at least not in my lifetime, the violence that can happen when a government changes hands. We go to that little voting booth - at least some of us do- exercise our right to vote and then watch and see what happens. We are extremely lucky to live in a democracy that truly works.

As a special birthday wish, I want to include a Tribute to America from my daughter who sang our National Anthem at Hickory Motor Speedway.