Friday Favorites

It is the end of another week and I am so glad the weekend is here!  I am linking up my favorites from this week.

We had an extremely busy week last week, so we kicked off the weekend with pizza and movie night on Saturday.  Click HERE for my homemade pizza crust recipe.  It was so nice to just relax with the girls and not have to be anywhere.

Family game nights are the best!  I love a good game of Life!

I am a huge bachelor fan.  Another favorite is Pinterest Told Me To's Bachelor recap on Wednesdays.  If you are a Bachelor fan, and even if you aren't, click HERE for her recap that will have you rolling.

My last favorite, is just spending time with my girls!  Homeschooling can be exhausting and challenging, but at the same time the most rewarding thing you will ever do.  I love having them home with me every day and the ability to learn along with them.

I hope you have an amazing weekend!  I am looking forward to slowing down and relaxing with my family.  I will be back on Monday!

Meals and more

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!  We enjoyed a relaxing weekend at home.  After an extremely exhausting week, the girls and I spent Saturday at home on the couch.  It was exactly what I needed and so nice to be able to do absolutely nothing!   Once again, I was not disappointed in my meal choices for the week.  I pinned this recipe on Pinterest.

Clean Eating Chicken Marsala

2 (6-8 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced in half and pounded thin  

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used a gluten free flour blend)

2 tablespoon  olive oil, divided

3 cups sliced, fresh mushrooms

3/4 cup Marsala wine

1 cup organic chicken stock

salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Coat chicken with flour and tap off excess.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet until hot and saute the chicken breasts for about 3 minutes on each side. They will be golden brown.
3. Put the chicken breasts on a plate and set aside.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the pan and add the sliced mushrooms.
5. Cook the mushrooms until they are beginning to brown around the edges.
6. Add the Marsala wine and cook until the wine is reduced by half. Add the chicken stock and cook about 3 minutes more. The sauce will thicken slightly.
7. Lower the heat to medium and add the chicken breasts back to the pan. Cook a few minutes more until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
8.  Serve with pasta, quinoa or brown rice.  I served mine with mashed potatoes. 

AMAZING, amazing, amazing!  There are no other words to describe this recipe!  It was a crowd pleaser as well and I'm pretty sure it is a close tie between this and the Maple Crusted Chicken for their favorite so far. 

Friday nights are usually homemade pizza and movie night in our house if we don't have any plans.  It's been a while since we've done this and so Saturday night we had a pizza and movie night.  I make my crust recipe and divide it into fourths and make four small crusts so everyone can make their own pizza.  Everyone enjoys making their own pizza and it adds to the fun.  I have done this for birthday parties.  I will also make extra crust and put in the freezer for a quick and easy meal or our next pizza night.  

Homemade Pizza Crust

2 cup whole wheat or white flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1-1/4 teaspoon instant rise yeast

2 teaspoons sodium free Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons honey

3/4 cup warm water

2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Mix first 5 ingredients. 
2. Add the wet ingredients and mix well until dough leaves the sides of the bowl.
3. Knead dough for 5 minutes on a floured surface (I put my dough in my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook and set my timer for 5 minutes) or until smooth and elasticity.
4. You can use immediately or let rise and then roll out.  Roll out dough on a floured surface 12-inch crust or four small crusts.
5. Bake at 425 for 5-6 minutes until dough is partially cooked (you can freeze dough at this point if you aren't using immediately).
6. Add your favorite toppings and bake until done, additional 10-15 minutes.

I have been using this recipe for my homemade pizza for 7 years and it is the best I have found.  You can make it in a bread machine.  Place all your wet ingredients in first and then add your dry ingredients.  Add your yeast last.  

I make a separate gluten free crust for myself.  Click HERE for my favorite gluten free crust. 

Completely off the subject, but I came across this shirt yesterday and I think I need to put it on my wish list. :)

Have a great Monday!

Friday Favorites

Today, I'm linking up my Friday favorites.

ONE:  We kicked off our long weekend with dinner out as a family.  We thoroughly enjoyed spending the evening as a family.  It was so nice to have an extra day, I wish all weekends were four days.

TWO:  Monday morning, I became an aunt again, this time to a nephew!  I can't wait to get my hands on him!!!!!

THREE:  I ordered this scarf a couple weeks ago and absolutely LOVE it!  I wear it a couple times a week.  The leopard print is so easy to pair with any shirt, plain or patterned.

FOUR:  I am so in love with this cardigan.  It is so soft and the inside is fleece.  I will definitely be wearing this a couple times a week.  It is still on sale so snatch it up!!!!

Have a great weekend!!

What I'm reading...

I love to read.  I made it a goal this year to read at least 2 books every month.  This month I am ahead of the game as I have already finished 3 books and I am working on my 4th.  I thought I would share what I read and maybe you can find something to add to your reading list.

The Best of Me

I want to see the movie, but before I did, I wanted to read the book first.  I know the movie is never as good as the book.  It is a Nicholas Sparks book, so I figured I would like it.  I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy the book based on some comments I had read on Facebook about the story line.  However, I was surprised and I really enjoyed it.

Raised By Strangers

I heard the author speak at a women's event at my church.  The book iss her story on how God gave her the strength to overcome abuse, poverty, eating disorders, tragedy, and much more.  She talks about how our past does not define our future and how we can find deliverance and forgiveness in God.  A great read for everyone!

For any of my local friends, I own this book and will willingly lend it out.

Unspoken

I loved this book, in fact, I pretty much love every Dee Henderson book I read.  She writes amazing mysteries/suspense books, most of which have a romance woven in.  If you like a mystery/suspense, I encourage you to read Unspoken.  I found this really neat trailer below while I was browsing last night.

My husband bought me an iPad mini last year for Christmas and I love it.  I downloaded the Kindle app and I read most of my books on my kindle.  It is so much easier because I can rent books from the library without having to worry about returning it on time and late fees.  I highly encourage you to check out your library's online ebook resource. 

I am constantly looking for new books and authors to read, what do you recommend?

Meal Planning Monday

Happy Monday!!  We had an amazing weekend and enjoyed spending it with family and friends.  

It was so hard to decide what meals to try this week.  I used to be really good with sitting down and making a meal plan every week, going to the store, and sticking to my plan.  I have thoroughly enjoyed getting back to meal planning the last two weeks.  It is such a huge stress reliever to not be standing in my kitchen at 5 p.m. trying to figure out what I can I pull out of my hat to make for dinner that night.  

The first meal I tried this week was Maple Crusted Chicken.  For those who don't know, I have a wheat allergy, so I had to make a few modifications to the recipe so I could eat it.  Click HERE for the original recipe.

Gluten Free Maple Crusted Chicken

1 chicken breast per person (I cut mine in half so they were thinner or you could use chicken tenders)

3/4 cup Gluten Free Flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Baking Flour)

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

1 egg beaten

4 tablespoons maple syrup (plus a little more to drizzle at the end)

Coconut oil

In one shallow dish or bowl, combine flour and pepper.  In a second bowl, beat your one egg. Take each chicken breast and pour one tablespoon of syrup on each one (I didn't use a measurement for this, I just drizzled the maple syrup over the chicken breasts), coating both sides.  Then dip it first in the flour mix, coating well, then dip it in the egg mix coating both sides, then dip it one more time back in the flour mix. 

Here is where I changed the recipe.  Heat coconut oil in a skillet, place chicken in the skillet and brown on each side.  Once browned, put on cookie sheet or dish and bake in the oven.  Bake 8 minutes, flip chicken over finish cooking another 8 minutes. Your chicken should be brown and kind of crispy with the juices running clear.

Serve each chicken breast with a drizzle of syrup.  We used honey instead of maple syrup drizzled over at the end.  

Amazing!!  The only word to describe this was AMAZING!!  You MUST try this recipe!  

The second recipe I tried this week, wasn't truly a new recipe.  I had another recipe on my menu and then realized the night before I was missing two ingredients, so I decided to put a new spin on an old recipe.

Chicken Lime Tacos

1 pound chicken breasts (I only used 3 chicken breasts this time)

1 cup chicken broth

3 Tablespoons Chili Powder

3 drops doTERRA Lime Essential oil* (or 3 Tablespoons lime juice)

Favorite toppings cheese, tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, sour cream, etc.

Place all ingredients in your crock pot.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.  When your chicken is done, shred your chicken.  You can use for tacos, make a rice bowl, make a taco salad.  The options are endless.  

We made tacos.  I love this recipe because it is so versatile and I have all the ingredients on hand to quickly make this.  I can make extra and throw it in the freezer for a quick meal one night if need be.  

Today is my meal planning today and I will be back next Monday with a new recipe or two.  

*If you are going to use essential oil, please make sure you are using 100% pure essential oil with no fillers.  I only use doTERRA essential oils.

Bikini Body Mommy....

I get asked often what I do for my workout.  I love working out.  I love how I feel afterwards and even during (I know kind of weird).  It can be so hard to find the time to exercise, especially if you have younger kids.  Whether you are a mom or not, daily life can just get busy.  Last May I was introduced to Bikini Body Mommy and I fell in love.  I started her 90-day 2.0 challenge.  Her workouts are under 20 min and they change weekly so you don't get bored with doing the same thing over and over.   The best part is, she offers her workouts completely free.

She started a new challenge, 3.0, on January 5th and it is not too late to start.  I've seen more results with her workouts than any other workout I have done in the past.  She is a mom to three kids who struggles through the workouts just like us.  She posts her workouts to YouTube daily.  You can subscribe to her YouTube channel and her website.  If you subscribe to the website the workouts are emailed to you daily.  If you are looking for something to do at home without a lot of equipment (all you need are a set of dumbbells) and time, I highly encourage you to checkout Bikini Body Mommy.  She is constantly switching things up and adding new exercises and she will definitely make you laugh.  She also has a meal plan and plans out all your meals for you.  I signed up for her meal plan because I was looking for some new recipes.  She has a family friendly plan and my family and I loved every recipe we tried.

Happy Sunday!  I hope everyone has enjoyed their weekend and enjoy your extra on Monday!  I hope you jump on and try a workout (or six) this week!  I would love to hear what you think.

 

Friday Favorites......

Yay, it's Friday!!!  I am so excited we have a three day weekend and I am looking forward to lots of family togetherness.  I am linking up and listing a few of my favorite things from this week.

A fresh manicure.  I love my nails painted, but my favorite is freshly painted nails.

One of my favorite times of day is my morning quiet time.  I look forward to getting up early and having some peace and quiet to myself before everyone else is up.

I love this necklace my mother-in-law got me for Christmas.  I haven't taken it off yet.  It's engraved with my anniversary.  

Enjoy your Friday and long weekend!  

A little bit of everything.....

Most of you have probably noticed I changed the name of my blog.  I'm not just blogging about essential oils and health related topics, so I figured it was time for a name change and new look.  I am planning on blogging about a little bit of everything.

Just a few thoughts on this Wednesday.  I have talked with many of my friends lately looking for leggings.  I have spent the better part of the last year looking to replace my black leggings.  However, I had a few conditions.  First and foremost, I didn't want them to be sheer.  Every single pair I would find you could see straight through.  I didn't want tights, I wanted leggings!  Secondly, I wanted a wider waistband.   I like how a wider waistband does not roll and gives you a smoother look.  A few weeks before Christmas I stumbled upon Pinterest Told Me To's blog and she had a post with her MUST HAVE leggings.  I decided I had to give them a try.  I loved my black pair so much, I placed a second order for the graphite heather.

Ladies, I am tell you these are my absolute favorite leggings EVER!  I ordered them in an x-small and they fit perfect!  They are so soft and comfy I would live in them everyday!  Click HERE for these MUST HAVE leggings!  You will not regret giving them a try.  

Today we woke up to a light dusting of snow on the ground.  It was so pretty and now it is all gone.  I have to say that is my kind of snow, it never sticks around long!   It did make me miss our gorgeous views of Pikes Peak.   I enjoyed the view of a snow-capped Pikes Peak. 

I hope everyone has a happy Wednesday!  Stay warm, it is awfully cold outside today!

Meals

I have really struggled to meal plan consistently since we moved back in March.  I decided last week I am trying at least one new meal every week if not two.  We have become so bored with eating the same thing over and over and I decided it was time for a change.  So this week, I tried not one, but two new recipes.

The first recipe I tried was Mix and Match Mama's Sausage & Corn Chowder.  My family loved this recipe.  I made a few changes.   I used 4 potatoes (they were small) instead of just two and to offset the extra potatoes, I used 4 cups of milk instead of two.  I also did not use a can of cream corn because I did not have it.  Instead, I used frozen corn and it turned out just fine.  If you are looking for a new soup for your winter rotation give this a try.

The second recipe I tried was One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese.  This recipe was so quick and easy to make.  She says it is a 30-minute meal and it absolutely is!  The only change I made is I did not put the cheese on top of the entire pot of soup.  Everyone was able to add their own cheese to their bowl.  I loved how hearty this soup was.  It was definitely filling and I loved how it put a new twist on two classics.   Out of both recipe this was my kids favorite.  Unfortunately, I can't choose.  I loved them both and I will definitely be making them again!

I am currently still working on my meal plan for this week.  I will be back next week to share what new recipes I tried.  Please comment below if you have any recipes you think I should try.  I hope you have a great Monday!

Happy New Year!!

Wow!  I can't believe it has been almost a year since I last blogged.  I don't know where the time went.  It has been a busy year and one of my New Year's resolutions it to blog a couple times a week.  I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's.  It was great to be able to spend Christmas with our families.  New Year's we spent with friends bowling and the kids had a blast!  Stayed tuned and I will be back next week with a couple new posts!