key lime chicken

Another grilled chicken recipe.... this one is great too!  

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4-6 chicken breast or 6-10 chicken tenders

Directions:
1.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl or plastic bag. Whisk well to get the honey to combine.
2.  Add chicken and marinate for 30 minutes - a couple of hours
3. Grill chicken 6-7 minutes per side for breast or 3-4 minutes per side for tenders.

grilled island chicken

I always have frozen chicken around.  It is so easy to defrost some and throw it on the grill.  This marinade is really good and was so easy to make.  I use chicken tenders since they cook faster and they are easy to serve to the kids because they are smaller.

Grilled Island Chicken

Ingredients: 
1/3 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2-4 chicken breast or 6-10 chicken tenders

Directions:
1) Combine all ingredients except chicken in a bowl or plastic bag.  
2) Throw in the thawed chicken.
3) Let marinate for at least 3 hours, can also be done overnight.
4) Grill on the charcoal or gas grill, or inside on the grill  - 6-7 minutes per side for breast or 3-4 minutes per side for tenders

Serve with baked potato, green beans and a salad!

a reminder

All around our house, I have scriptures as well as other inspirational quotes and sayings.  Mostly they are to remind me of the blessings I have but also to remind me of who is with me all the time.   My grandmother was a worrier.  I am a worrier and now my daughter is a worrier.  Some things I can control and some things I can't.  I try not to worry but life circumstances make it hard.  I found a verse that especially hits home and I wanted to have it as a daily reminder.   I wanted my daughter to have it too...  I put it in our bathrooms and we can read it each morning.

My verse:

Don't worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  Phillipians 4:6-7

What you need:
Computer
White Paper
Scissors
Scrapbook Paper
Frame (whatever size you want to use) I used a 4x6

Directions:
1. Type up or write out your verse, saying or quote (keep in mind the size of your frame). You may need to adjust your spacing to make sure it will be the right size.
2. Use the glass in the frame to trace the size of scrapbook paper you will need.  Then cut it out.
3. Cut out the saying. Making sure it is small enough you can see your scrapbook paper as well. 
4. Adhere the saying to the scrapbook paper. Use either double stick tape or a scrapbook tape. Don't use glue as it will leave a mark.
5. Put the glass back in the frame along with your saying.
6. Place somewhere you will see it everyday!

a family favorite - million dollar spaghetti

Last fall, I came across this blog as well as this recipe.... Million Dollar Spaghetti has quickly become a family favorite.  I do things a little differently than she does and I also do mine in the crockpot to save some time during the crunch part of my day.  You can also do it in the oven.  This recipe is so good!  You have got to try it!  The creamy cheese mixture in the middle make this recipe extra yummy.

This best part of this meal is that I can make it early in the afternoon and it is ready when we get home from our activities.  If I have it on by 2pm, we can eat it anytime after 5pm. Talk about a time save.  We can walk right in from our activities and dinner is ready.


Million Dollar Spaghetti - Crockpot Style

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 can/jar spaghetti sauce (whatever your favorite is)
Cream Cheese Mixture:
       5 oz Italian Herb Cooking Cream OR Philadelphia Cream Cheese
       1/4 cup sour cream
       8 oz cottage cheese
4 tbl butter
spaghetti noodles, cooked and rained

Directions:
1.  Brown your meat and cook your spaghetti.
2.  Add your spaghetti sauce to your meat and let it simmer for just a few minutes
3.  Mix up your cream cheese mixture (**money saving tip for future recipe below). 
4.  Now it is time to layer, so get out your crockpot
         -- put a couple of teaspoons of butter along the bottom of the crockpot
         -- layer half the spaghetti noodles on the bottom of the crockpot
         -- put a couple of teaspoons of butter on top of the spaghetti
         -- spread the cream cheese mixture over the noodles
         -- layer the rest of the spaghetti noodles over the cream cheese mixture
         -- put the rest of the butter on the spaghetti noodles
         -- top the spaghetti with all of the meat sauce
5. Turn the crockpot on low for 2-4 hours, whatever time you need
6.  Serve with some yummy crusty bread!

Money Saving Tip:
When combining your cream cheese mixture, dump the entire container of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of sour cream and 16oz container of cottage cheese in a bowl. Stir it all together.  When done, use half for your current recipe. Then put the leftover back in the cottage cheese container.  Mark it with "million dollar spaghetti" on top, put the container in a freezer bag, and store it in the freezer. Next time you make this recipe, set the cream cheese mixture out in the morning and it will be thawed by the time you need it!

Oven Cooking:
If you want to cook this in the oven, here are the other steps.
1.  preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Do all the layering above, but do it in a 13x9 pan instead of the crockpot.
3. Cook in the over for 40 minutes.

 spaghetti sauce & my frozen then thawed cheese mixture

Butter, Noodles, Cheese layers so that you can see

Top layer of noodles 

Complete with the meat sauce layer

I have some who like more of the cheese mixture, meat mixture 

and some who want a little of both!

perfect for fall - pumpkin cake

This is a cake recipe that was shared with me a few years ago.  It was a different flavor then and oh so good. I decided to try some different flavors and came out with this.  This is one of the moistest cakes you will ever have. It is so delicious!  No icing is necessary but you can serve it with some ice cream!  We eat it all year around here....  Stock up on your pumpkin pudding this fall why you can.  You won't be sorry! I may or may not have purchased somewhere around 20 boxes last fall. I am down to 6 and am on the lookout for when it comes back out this year.

Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients:
1 yellow cake mix
1 3oz box Pumpkin Pudding
1 8oz carton sour cream
3/4 cup oil (veggie or canola)
3 eggs
3/4 cup water
1 package cinnamon chips (like chocolate chips but cinnamon)

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Spray a bundt pan with a pretty generous amount. I use Pam but you can use whatever kind of spray you have. Or you can grease and flour it, whatever you are used to.
3. Combine all ingredients except the cinnamon chips.   Mix with hand mixer or in stand mixer for 3-4 minutes until well combined.
4. Once combined, add in the cinnamon chips and stir well.
5.  Pour cake batter into prepared bundt pan.
6. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.
7.  Once done, let cake cool completely (will take a couple of hours).
8.  Remove cake from pan. Slice and serve.

Make this cake on a Friday and eat it all weekend long!  This is also a great cake to take to a potluck or a party. It is so good everyone will want the recipe!  I have tried with a couple of different pudding and chip combos. I'll share those soon!

my binder

I mentioned my binder in yesterday's post.  I used to have a drawer that housed all of my recipes. But I needed an easier way to get at them.  I bought a 2" binder and some sleeve protectors.

 Of course, it is pink.  I love me some girly pink!

When I find a recipe I want to try, I print it then add it to the pocket on the left.  The sleeve protectors are reserved for recipes that I have tried and like.  Every month when I do my monthly menu, I pull this baby out.  All in one spot I have what I want to try and what I know we like.  I can easily flip through the recipes and right down what we are going to have on the calendar. Then I can easily add it to my grocery list.  When I am ready to cook the meal, I bring the binder back out.  The sleeve protector's keep the recipes nice and clean.

My storage spot is by the microwave, only takes up 2 inches.

So next time you head to the store, pick up a binder and some sheet protectors. It will make you feel so much more organized!

my monthly menu

Last August, I started a monthly menu. I was trying to be more organized and make limited trips to the grocery store.  I sat down with an empty calendar and my recipes and started planning.  The last year of doing this has been awesome for our family. I rarely have to wonder what's for dinner which is absolutely awesome. I make one big shopping run towards the end of the month/beginning of the month.  I can make adjustments as needed AND we are saving money because I can buy in bulk.

So here is how I do it....

1. Print out (or write in your planner) a calendar.  (www.calendarsthatwork.com)

2. Look at your current calendar and put any times that you all will be out of town or have an out of the house dinner commitment.  Mark all of these on your calendar.

3.  Pull out your recipes. I keep mine in a binder by the microwave.

4.  Start plugging in the meals you want to make.

      (I know that on certain days we have extra curricular activities that run late, those are my    

         typical crockpot days.)

5. Once you have your calendar filled it's time to make your grocery list.

6. I look at the recipe and write down everything I will need.  I do this for each one. I make tick marks when I need one pound of meat or chicken. Then I add it all up at the end.

7.  Once you have your grocery list, go to your pantry and fridge and see what you have.  You probably have most of your spices.  I mark off what I have on hand.  

8.  Take your grocery list that you now have. I look at it and see what can be bought at the bulk store and what I can just get at my grocery store.  Like if I need 6 packages of spaghetti noodles, I know that they are cheaper for a box of 6 at Sam's then buying 6 individual packages at the regular grocery store.

***All of the steps above might take 30-45 minutes. 

9. Then I add the menu to my calendar that is in my phone/laptop.  This is great because I can always look to see what's for dinner.

10. If I don't use a meal that month, I just put it at the first of the next month.

Then on one day, I go to the bulk store (Sam's in my case) then head over to Walmart or Target. I get everything that I need. Then each week if I need fresh foods or bread I go early in the week.  I write on the calendar what I will need that's fresh for that week (see the Sundays below).  Hope this helps some of you!  It definitely was a time saver for me as well as taking away the stress of wondering every day "what's for dinner?"