EASTER 2014

Levi's birthday!!!

Little man turned 4 on the 25th.  He had cookies at school with his class and then had a party at Chuck E. Cheese. Man did he soak it up!!

OH HOW I LOVE HIM
His favorite color is green. He still LOVES tomatoes, all fruit, and chicken. His favorite breakfast is a toss up between vanilla yogurt and strawberries and cinnemon raisin bread. He LOVES to be outside, asks me to take him to the golf course daily, only game he will play on the wii is golf. He talks and asks questions nonstop. If I ask him to stop saying MOM?! He starts calling me Lisa. He continues to be his dad made over!

So Ive got some catching up to do!- First, I turned 40!

I have the entire Spring and half of summer to which I need to share! This is going to have to be broken up into many posts!

So THIS happened=

My MIL took me to Cracker Barrel, surprised me with balloons, a turtle bundt cake (Nothing Bundt Cakes) OH MY WORD if youve never had it! AND a spa gift certificate that I still have yet to use! This woman made me feel so special.

 and when I arrived at work.... the kitchen was decorated and I even got to wear some!

Had a lil celebration with some of my closest friends at my parents house. My friend Jenelle and the girls ordered fajitas and treats from On The Border and my friend Tana made these INCREDIBLE DELISH Espresso bisccotti high heels for all of us! We just sat and gabbed, and drank wine and it was wonderful

My sweet friend Denise brought me this basket to make the most delicious ck crockpot dinner.

Hit the spot!

 

My hubby bought me my first SPENSIVE purse that I LOVE. Tory Burch.... 

This  one now rests on my arm! 

It was one of the most blessed birthdays Ive ever had. I didn't get to spend it with my parents but of course got to talk to them and saw them later that month.  Turning 40 wasn't so bad, although five months later, some things are changing! Another post for another time!!!

Cheap Easy Healthy Part Three

Chicken Spaghetti

1/2 pkg Whole Wheat Spaghetti Noodles
1 can Great Value Fat Free Low Sodium Crm of Ck
1 can Great Value Fat Free Low Sodium Crm of Msrm
4 cans Great Value White Chunk Ck
3 cans Great Value Chopped Green Chiles
2 sleeves Whole Wheat Ritz Crackers
1 sm pkg Great Value Parm Chs. blend
1/2 can milk
Italian Seasoning and pepper to your liking


Cook Noodles
mix all soups, milk, ck, green chiles add seasoning
place in large baking dish add noodles slowly
add half pkg shredded chs to top,
blend 1/2 stick butter to crushed ritz
cover top with crackers

Bake 350 for 30 min until bubbly, add remaining cheese for last five min in oven

Chili

2 lb Harvest Lean ground turkey
1 pkg Great Value Mild Chili seasoning
2 cans Great Value Chili Beans
1 can Great Value Dark Red Kidney Beans
2 lg cans Great Value Tomato Sauce
1 can Great Value chili chopped tomatoes
1 cup Chopped Frozen Onions
1 pkg Great Value grated sharp Cheddar Cheese

Brown meat with salt and pepper to taste, I usually add garlic powder too
add onions to brown with meat
Pour all other ingredients into large stock pot
add meat mixture
add chili seasoning packet
bring to a boil and then leave on low

Serve topped with cheddar cheese, My husband prefers saltines with it to corn bread but I always make corn bread with it

Pizza Roll Ups

2-4 pkgs Great Value crescent rolls (2 fed our family) can sub whole wheat biscuits for healthier opt
1 lb Harvest Lean Ground Turkey Meat
1 bottle Great Value Pizza Sauce
1 pkg Great Value Mozz/Parm shredded cheeses
Italian Seasoning

Brown meat with seasoning
blend meat w/sauce
spoon into patted out crescent triangles- I usually make little pockets with the top open
spoon cheese and either roll up or top pockets with cheese
Bake at 350 til brown on edges

Serve with a side salad

Sunday Evening Nachos
1 Large pkg of tortilla chips of your choice
1 can Great Value Fat Free Refried beans
1 pkg Great Value Mild Cheddar grated cheese
Sometimes we add pre-cooked fajita meat or ground turkey

Bake 350 for 10 minutes and then switch to broil for 5 minutes

Cheap and Healthy Meals part two

See previous post for what I base this on

Veggie Not Beef Stew

Buy All unsalted canned or fresh veggies
all Great Value brand under a dollar:
1 15 oz. Large Can Tomato Sauce
1 can carrots
1 can greenbeans
1 can corn
1 can potato
1 lb ground lean turkey meat
Great Value box Beef broth
1/2 cup chopped frozen onions
Garlic Powder
2 small cans chopped green chilles
2 pkgs Mexican corn bread

Do not drain, combine all cans and start to warm in stock pot
1/2 cup beef stock
brown meat with onions and add 1 tbs garlic powder
add meat to soup
Bring to a boil, then simmer 20-30 minutes
make corn bread as directed but add green chilles in batter

Kids make mini pizzas
2 pkgs whole wheat english muffins
1 jar Great Value Pizza Sauce
1-2 pkgs Great Value Italian shredded cheese
Chopped vegetables of your choice or ground hamburger
I have also done the mexican version with hot sauce instead taco seasoning in the meat and cheddar cheese

Hamburger Steak
1 lb Harvest Lean Ground Turkey
2 Tbs Great Value Worsteshire sauce
1 pkg Great Value dried onion soup mix
Salt and Pepper
1 box Great Value Brown Rice

mix in worsteshire sauce  and half a packet into into raw meat and form patties in your hands. Sprinkle just a bit of pepper on top
I like to use my George Foreman grill for this but have also done them in the oven
They are done within five minutes on the grill but more like 20 in the oven
Make rice as directed and serve meat on top and pour juices with it. My husband likes to add more worsteshire in his rice.
Serve with salad or vegetable. I do green beans a lot with a hair of garlic salt in it and have done broiled asparagus but found I am the only one that appreciates it.

Quesadillas Healthy Style
Use Great Value Cardio Light Butter for everything.
2 packages whole wheat tortillas
1 pkg Great Value Fiesta shredded cheese mix
Sometimes I buy the prepackaged grilled chicken and add but mostly we just do cheese and have chips and hot sauce with it

Mac n tuna
1 pkg Whole Wheat Elbow Macc
1 pkg either velveeta or deli cheaddar and shred or cube.
Add Cheese to boiled pasta
when well mixed add a large can of white albacore tuna in water, of course Great value brand everything.
My kids think the tuna is chicken, I just let them be Jessica Simpson on that one.

Beef Not Stroganoff
1 lb ground lean turkey
1/2 cup frozen chopped onions
1/2 pkg dried onion soup mx
1 family size can fatfree low sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 1 pkg whole wheat noodles
1 can 2%, skim if you can handle it milk
Brown meat with onions
mix soups and milk and then add in cooked meat
boil pasta as directed
serve mixture over pasta

Chicken Pot Pie
1 Premade pie crust in pie pan
1 family size great value fat free low sodium cream of ck
2  cans large great value white chunk chicken
2 cans great value mixed vegetables
1/2 can milk
2 Tbs pepper
1 refrigerated cut pie crust
Mix all ingredients
place in pie tin
top with ref. crust
spread butter on top
place foil or pie guard on the edges
bake at 350 for 30 minutes
You can also use great value grands biscuits just on top for less bread, I just prefer the crust

Ive got more coming and a whole different list just for summer, I may wait til then to post those.
I also want to add that we only drink milk or water at dinner unless its friday night pizza night. We were gifted a soda maker we use for those nights. I don't by cold drinks. I send v8 fusion for lunch with my kids and we sometimes use that at breakfast on the weekends. I am somewhat of a food natzi. I don't buy sugar cereals. We have whole grain waffles, yogurt and granola, wheat toast, or eggs and bacon for breakfast. I also buy smart snacks and always have fruit on hand. I have learned it is also cheapest at walmart and we eat it too fast for it to ever go bad. I can do a whole post on snacks. Hope some of this helps!

Cheap and Healthy Meals

I try to make it a rule not to spend over $10 a meal on my family of five. I have a husband, ten year old boy who eats like an adult, an eight year old daughter who eats about half of what he does and an almost four year old boy who eats more like the eight year old, and then there is me.  I do small portions. I switched my family over about two years ago to all ground turkey instead of beef, or ham, and to all multi-grain and/or whole grain for snacks and breads. I mostly shop at Walmart. I find that their brand is cheaper than using a coupon on most items but for some  I do take an ad to price match.  I want to share a few recipes that we do often which are very inexpensive as well as healthy and easy to fix.

Tonight we are having Cream Garlic Chicken served over Bow Tie Pasta

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c Great Value Cream of Ck
1 c Great Value Cream of Mushroom
1 c 2% milk
1 cup Great Value brand frozen chopped onion
3 Tbs Garlic Powder
2 Tbs Italian seasoning
Barilli Multigrain Bow Tie Pasta
1 pkg Great Value Grated Parmesean cheese

Combine all ingredients in crockpot
cook five hours at 2nd setting
Boil Pasta as directed
Stir in 1 Tbs butter and 1/2 c grated parm with 1 Tbs Italian seasoning
Serve several spoonfuls over pasta

Cheese crust Chicken
4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1  box whole grain goldfish or whole grain cheese nips
1 small carton fat free Great Value brand sour cream
2 cans Great Value Green beans as the side along with buttered whole grain bread

Coat ck in sour cream
add cardio great value butter melted to a quart size ziplock of crushed crackers
spoon over chicken, flip and spoon over top
Cook at 350 for approx 40 min, check to see if crisp
Serve with a side veggie or salad

Ham and veggies
1/2 Harvest Turkey Ham
1 pkg cloves
1 can Great Value Pineapple chunks or rings
1 box whole grain maccaronni
Cubed chedder cheese

poke ham with several cloves and cover in pineapple juice and pieces
warm in oven for about 30 minutes
boil pasta and drain
add cheese
serve together, sometimes I do a green veggie like green beans or with bbq red beans

Healthy Spaghetti
use whole grain pasta and cooked ground turkey in a a low sodium sauce

Dill Salmon and Potatoes
1-2 pkgs frozen Salmon at Walmart
1 bottle lemon dill sauce
1 bag red potatoes

slice and or cube rinsed potatoes
add 1 stick butter
stir in italian seasoning and garlic salt to taste
bake 30 minutes t 350
Broil for 10 minutes and

defrost in warm water
cover in sauce and bake according to directions on pkg. It is not a long time maybe 15-20 minutes
until it is flaky


More to come..... gotta go serve the first one listed!

My Mothers Birthday

   

We went to Arlington the weekend after Christmas. We had a little family celebration that Saturday evening with my aunts and Uncles and then Sunday evening on my mother's birthday eve, we went to the mall, shopped around, and then met aunt mimi and celebrated her birthday at the cheesecake factory. It was cold and drizzly but still a nice evening. 

And So this is Christmas......

Here are some home decor pics from this year. I actually only have one pic from Christmas day. We did things a bit different this year. We discussed how blessed they are throughout the year and especially after two of them just having had birthdays, that maybe we should let Santa do the bigger things on other kids who don't have very much all year. Instead Santa just did stockings and mom and dad got them three gifts each to unwrap.  It was really fun to actually unwrap! The idea is to slowly take the focus away from gifts. Eventually I would like to make it just one gift and instead do acts of service with the money we would have otherwise used for their gifts. They are still young and I want them to enjoy the magic of Santa but I don't want them to grow up thinking Christmas is about getting.  They got up long before us and opened their stockings so I have no pics of that! We went to Trent's parents the night before and had a wonderful meal followed by gift opening there and lots of sitting by the fireplace :) Christmas Day we stayed home all day and just played games and watched movies! It was wonderful!

bakers rack in kitchen, new baker santa from my mother

olivias tree in her room

Tybo at 10

My blonde blue eyed freckle face precious boy. Where did he come from? Looks wise he is other people in my family, personality, all me- bless his heart. He is a slob. Takes the easy way out every time, wears his heart on his sleeve. Dramatic, extremely sensitive, wants to make sure you know his feelings about everything but especially on how much he loves you.  He absolutely hates morning and getting up on weekdays. He is not like me in that he is eager to try new things, likes to be alone, do his own thing, and is one of the most secure people I have ever met. He is drawn to people that others are not. He does not enjoy reading but does it. He LOVES basketball and is pretty good at it! He loves to make people laugh, especially younger kids. He has an incredible love for The Lord and is really into His word. His favorite person is our preacher. He sat by him every chance he got at camp this past summer. He chose to be with him over other kids. A lot of people were concerned about him because of this but I was not, its who he is. He says he wants to be a preacher when he grows up. I have no doubt that he will be if he continues that desire. He has a significant stutter. He goes to therapy and others have reached out to him because of it. He loves to write and draw, and is talented in both. His favorite thing to play is legos and 'Percy Jackson' when outside. His favorite game is Mind Craft on his ipod- I do not understand it at all but he loves to show me what he has done on it! He is an INCREDIBLE big brother. His best friend by far is Olivia and they do great together. He loves to help Levi and get crazy with him too! Ty is someone I would want to be friends with if I were not his mom. I pray that he never changes and holds on to who he is in adulthood. I love that he is not of the world. I hope he never is.

Michael Ty turns double digits!

My first born. 

He chose Der Weiner Schitzel, fast food hot dog place for his birthday meal! We went for ice cream afterward at Baskin and Robbins. It was actually the night before his birthday. We also took him food to school for lunch, our same ensemble. I know I say this every year but I really can't believe he has been around  decade!!! Weird. He was the best pregnancy, hardest sleeper, yet most sensitive person in our family.  

Olivia at age 8

My girl. She is loving dolls, getting dressed up, picking her clothes, loves to wear lipgloss, has developed a real joy of cooking, and has such a giving servant heart. I love spending time with her. She is so easy to be around. We have fun just going to the store. She is the one who keeps me grounded in what is really important. God uses her to remind me of how to really be blessed by Him in this life.Her humor and logic remind me so much of her dad. She plays so well with both of her brothers in completely different ways. I think she will end up being close to both of them as adults. She does well in school and has many friends. There is a little boy who gave her a homemade birthday card with $5 in it to buy her something nice! His name is Gage, just precious.  She has become close friends with Carsynn Lawrence who we go to church with. They are great together. Carsynn is very similar to Olivia in her likes and personality. She still loves her best friend Rylan who moved to central Texas, we still see her when she visits her family here and hope to make a mother daughter trip to see her sometime this summer. He mommy is my friend too!

I can truly say that I feel honored to be Livi's mother. She is beautiful inside and out and that has absolutely nothing to do with me! I thank God for her everyday and pray protection over her as well as the blessing of being surrounded by Godly people throughout her life to be examples of His Love and Character and to help keep her accountable when I am not there. I also pray that others see His light in her and are blessed by His spirit in her.

Olivia's 8th birthday

Olivia's 8th birthday was November 11th. It was on a Monday, Trent and I, and Trent's parents came to school and took her, her favorite Taco Villa at lunch. Meme and G brought her cookies. That night she had dance and her daddy worked late so we had an impromptu party with our dance friends at Chick Fil A. I got red velvet cupcakes and a fun time. Two weeks later we had a combined party with Ty at Body Works Adrenaline City. They each invited 5 friends and we had cupcakes there as well. Although they are 23 months a part but actual dates are just a month a part. 

Trent and I's gift to her was a desk I found on Craig's List that I painted and got accessories. She now can do her homework in her own room and not be bothered by her little brother. I am slowly bringing her room to a bigger girl look, one used upcycled item at a time!

Halloween

 our traditional pappa murphys jack-o-pizza

this year with the Hanks

 Levi the shark, Livi the owl, and Ty as Robin

 the neighborhood gang and cousins

We were back by 9 so these two passed out candy while the lil shark passed out on the couch.  

I absolutely love our neighborhood and especially at this time of year. We have two families that are close to our hearts and houses who our close to ours that we have trick-or-treated with for the last four years! Our cousins, twins Avery and Sidney are closest to our kids age come as well and it makes for such an enjoyable evening. The only tradition that did not happen this year was for my parents to be here passing out candy :(