Playing Video Games

Easy Mocha Latte

This isn't really a latte but it tasted just as good and didn't cost $4.

6 cups coffee
1/2 cup sugar
 1/3 cup coco powder

 Stir the coco powder and sugar into a hot pot of coffee. Add milk or creamer and top with some whipped cream if you like. Now I'm going to curl up with mine and watch Weeds on Netflix.

Chocolate Sugar Cookie Bars

1 bag of sugar cookie mix
1 stick of butter, melted
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup coco powder

 Mix all ingredients together. Press dough into a greased 9inch baking pan. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Let them cool at least 15 minutes before cutting or they will fall apart.


I made these last night and they are almost gone. So easy and delicious! These would be great with ice cream.

Beach Day!

Michael and his friend, Zach

Little Rockstar

This pretty much sums up the day

Crazy Weather

A few days ago it was so hot we couldn't be outside now it is cold and rainy. Last night we had tornado warnings and terrible thunder storms. Our electricity was off for 24 hours...what a hot and boring night....and this happened 2 doors down from us:

Officially a Zumba Instructor!

I haven't posted in a while because I am still recovering fro the 10 HOUR Zumba training I did on Saturday. It was lots of fun and I met some great people. Now I can teach Zumba and Zumba Gold Classes. Now all I need is to find somewhere to teach!

Chobani Bread

1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
 3/4 tsp. baking soda
 1/2 tsp. baking powder
 pinch of salt
 3 tbsp. melted butter
1 egg
 12 oz. your favorite flavor of Chobani Greek Yogurt (I used strawberry)

 Mix egg, butter, Chobani, and sugar together. Stir in the dry ingredients. The batter will be thick. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

In the summer I like to bake bread in the crock pot...follow the same directions but put the loaf pan in a large crock pot and heat on low for 2- 3 1/2 hours depending on the bread. Check it after 2 hours.

Another anti-abortion group grasping at straws...

New anti-abortion rights website targets Girl Scouts

By Sofia Resnick | 05.16.11 | 5:41 pm

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A new anti-abortion rights website has emerged, its aim focused on the Girl Scouts of the United States of America.
Speak Now: Girl Scouts is the product of two Texas-based teen sisters, Tess and Sydney Volanski, who claim to have recently quit the Girl Scouts after eight years because they discovered the organization has a “pro-abortion mindset.”
The homepage of the all-pink website begins with the following introduction (emphasis in the original):

We refuse to remain silent while this organization’s unscrupulous principles mislead over 2 million girls in the United States alone. We created SpeakNowGirlScouts.com in order to spread the truth to others who have no idea what GSUSA’s [Girl Scouts of the United States of America's] true intentions are. This website is our way to speak now and we hope it encourages you to do the same!

The Volanskis claim the Girl Scouts USA has an “anti-life, pro-abortion agenda.” As evidence, they point to “controversial content” in various GSUSA printed materials, wherein the national Girl Scouts organization provides links and references to organizations such as the Women’s Media Center, Media Matters for America and discusses high-profile feminists and female authors such as Marjane Satrapi, who authored the graphic novel Persepolis.
The Volanskis also point to an edited news clip on YouTube in which Kathy Cloninger, chief executive officer of GSUSA, says Girl Scouts partners with church communities, the YWCA and Planned Parenthood organizations to bring sex-based education programs to girls. The girls also frequently cite Abby Johnson, who traded her career as a Planned Parenthood clinic director to travel the country speaking against Planned Parenthood and abortion rights. The Speak Now website includes a section titled “What Does Abby Say” and links to several of Johnson’s recent Facebook comments, such as “FACT: Girl Scouts of America supports Planned Parenthood. Support Girl Scouts = Support Abortion.”

Link to the full article  I was a Girl Scout until I graduated high school and was very involved with many GS projects. While there may be some troop leaders who push their agendas on girls, GS as a whole is an organization that strives to make girls, strong, intelligent, and independent. If being pro-choice makes a person strong, intelligent, and independent then I am glad I am pro-choice. I believe there are a very small number of people who actually think abortions are great. Most people that believe in abortions know that they are essentials to keeping women safe and healthy...as well as future children and existing children. Nothing makes me more angry than when I hear someone saying a woman shouldn't have an abortion even if it is going to harm her physically or even kill her. Why is an unborn baby more important than a woman who already has a family and friends? I don't usually like to get into political/ideological discussions but seeing someone accuse the Girl Scouts of saying "Yay abortion!" made me furious with the stupidity of the world.

Baked Ziti with Pumpkin

2 1/2 cups cooked rotini
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 can pumpkin puree(not spiced)
1 lb italian sausage or ground beef
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt(like Chobani...My favorite!)
1/2 a medium onion, chopped
2 cups shredded cheese

 Remove the casings from the sausage and cook like ground beef. Saute onion for a few minutes until tender. While that is cooking boil your pasta and drain it. When the meat is cooked through add in the pumpkin, spaghetti sauce, and greek yogurt. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese and the rotini. Place in a 13x9in baking dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

This can be made in the morning and put into the oven at dinner time. I also didn't use any spices in this because the sausage I used gave it a lot of flavor. If you are using ground beef make sure you season it well with salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, and any other italian seasonings you like. You can't taste the pumpkin at all, it just adds some great health benefits like: Beta-Carotene which may lower cancer risk, Vitamin C which helps your immune system, and Potassium which keeps your blood pressure regulated.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

At the Beach

Great start to the day..

Now the whole house smells like burnt chicken and the plate cracked.

She thinks my tractor's sexy

and then I got run over...

Reading the Paper

Crockpot Pumpkin Cake

1 cup flour
3 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Spray your crockpot liberally with cooking spray. Spread mixture onto bottom of crockpot and cook on high 2 hours. About 4 servings with 192 calories each.

 We ate this for breakfast with syrup. It comes out sort of like a custard...firm on top but very moist inside. Mine stuck to the crockpot a bit so make sure you grease it very well. I mixed the batter last night and this morning when I got up to exercise at 7:30 I put it in the crock and we had a filling breakfast at 9:30 with some frozen sausage thrown in the microwave and strawberries.

Cars!!!

John gave Michael his old collection of toy cars. He is in heaven and has been playing with them all day.

Chobani!

I love this stuff!

Walking the Dog

It was a nice day until...Michael fell on his face, John and I yelled at each other, and it started to rain.

Mock Whipped Cream

1/4 cup liquid non-dairy creamer(I used Coffee Mate Vanilla Caramel)
1 egg white
1 tbsp. granulated sugar(I used Z Sweet no calorie sugar)

Beat all ingredients together in a bowl for about 5 minutes until soft peaks form. You can use any flavor of creamer you want and if you use the sugar free kind it will be a lactose free, sugar free, low calorie whipped cream...You can't get any better than that. It is a bit more foamy and light than whipped cream but still tastes delicious. John and Michael both loved it on their chocolate pancakes.

Nap Time

Vegetarian Burrito Casserole

John was not too thrilled when I said dinner was meatless but he ended up eating way too much. Michael on the other hand ate all the beans and left soggy tortillas on his tray.

 I used two 8inch tortillas and one cut in half to cover the bottom of a 13x9inch baking dish. Spread refried beans on top of the tortillas...

 

add shredded cheese and salsa...

 

 add another layer of tortillas, beans, cheese, and salsa. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes...

And you get a gooey plate of deliciousness.

Chocolate Monster!

70 Degrees and Loving It!

Sushi

Using a spoon!

Monday's Adventures

Michael's new race car bed.

Michael loved the glow sticks I brought home from a 90 minute Zumba party.

Moving Furniture

I got so fed up with our old, junky chair and Michael pulling the stuffing out of the back that I took it apart and threw it in the yard. Then I had to figure out how to get the chair from Michael's room down the tiny hallway and into the living room. Now that the anger adrenaline has wore off I could die, but the living room looks nice.

The sad, old chair. Good riddance.

Luckily they were the same color.

Cuddling his teddy bear

Of course today it has been neglected and thrown in the lego pile.

Cheesy Italian Chicken Pasta

Sorry no pictures...this gets eaten too fast.

 If you are rushed for time this is a great, quick and easy recipe. All you need is:


3 or 4 chicken breasts, cut up
 half an onion, diced
 1 can diced tomatoes
 1 jar Ragu Double Cheddar sauce
 spices like salt, pepper, garlic, oregano
1/2 lb rotini noodles

 Season the chicken and saute it with the onions until thoroughly cooked. Add in the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until some of the liquid cooks off. Stir in the cheddar sauce and the cooked rotini. Throw some garlic bread in the oven and dinner is ready in about 20 minutes.

New Kitchen Gadget!

Pasta N' More microwave cooker. So far I have only made rotini and chicken in it but I love it. It comes with steamer baskets, a straining lid, and a recipe booklet.

 To make 2 cups of rotini I just put the noodles in the pot and fill to the 4 servings water line. You can't see it in this picture.

 Then put it in the microwave for 23 minutes. I stir it halfway through and...

...perfectly cooked pasta! I used this batch of noodles to make Cheesy Italian Chicken Pasta so I could get everything else ready and not have to worry about a pot of water boiling on the stove. I think this will be great in the summertime. I also cooked 3 large chicken breasts in it to use for tacos. It only took 12 minutes.

I feel like...

the days just melt into each other. I haven't been posting as often as I would like but it never seems like it has been a whole week and then I look at my last post and well...its a week. The weather has gone back to cold so we haven't got out much. I haven't made any interesting recipes lately either. Tonight I have Zumba so the boys get to have Stouffer's Chicken Lasagna which is delicious and so mush easier than making one myself.

My new obsession is Zumba. I have started going to 2 classes a week and I do it in the living room on the other days. I would go more but babysitters and the class cost money that I don't have. I am hoping to take and instructor course in the next couple months so that I can start teaching Zumba. I have some great ideas for it and John has some grand ideas that may need to wait. The goal right now is to work out a lot, practice my Zumba moves, and get into good shape for the training course.

Mud Puddles!

Day at the Park