my new baby

I officially joined the 21st century today.  Here's my new baby!!  :)

quinoa

I tried quinoa yesterday for the first time and really liked it!  Originally I was excited to try it in a new curry chicken salad recipe I found online.  However, said recipe turned out to be not so good and I threw it away. So, instead, I used some of the left over quinoa I had cooked earlier in the day as a side to some leftovers I had for dinner and liked it.  It doesn't really have a taste, per say, it's kind of like rice.  Sort of.  It's just a bland little grain that picks up whatever flavors are in the other dish you pair it with.  Now I'm on the hunt for some good recipes to use it in to expand my quinoa palate!

creamy buffalo chicken bake

OMG!  Tried another recipe this weekend and I LOVED it!


Creamy Buffalo Chicken Bake

4 thin cut, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 c. reduced fat Sargento's shredded cheddar jack cheese
1/4 c. + 2T Frank's Buffalo Hot Wings sauce
1/2 c. Hidden Valley Light Ranch dressing
4 oz. fat free cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Bake chicken breasts for about 20 minutes, or until cooked.  Remove chicken breasts from pan and chop into small pieces.  Place chicken inside of a baking dish.  Set aside.

In a small sauce pan, combine hot sauce, ranch dressing and cream cheese.  Heat over medium-high heat, stirring until cream cheese is completely melted.  Once melted, pour the sauce mixture over chicken.  Then sprinkle with cheddar jack cheese.  Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Serve with lots of celery sticks, or your favorite veggies.

4 servings
310 calories/servings

green chile chicken "enchilladas"

Here's another new recipe that I tried tonight.

Green Chile Chicken "Enchilladas"

4 thin cut boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cans (4 oz) diced green chiles
1 can (4 oz) mushrooms, draines
1/2 c. diced onion
1/2 c. diced celery
6 oz 0% fat plain Greek yogurt
1 can (4 oz) sliced black olives
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/8 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. seasoned salt

Cook and shred chicken breasts.  In a large skillet combine chicken, onion, celery, chilies, mushrooms, seasonings, and yogurt.  Mix together and cook over medium heat until onions are tender.  Pour into a 3qt greased casserole dish.  Sprinkle cheese on top, then add olives.  Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

5 servings
223 calories/serving

green bean lasagna

Oh my goodness!  Just made something SO yummy for dinner tonight!  What was it, you ask?  Green Bean Lasagna...

1 1/2 c. green beans (frozen or canned), cooked
1/8 t. garlic salt
1/4 t. basil
A little over 3/4 c. or 3.35 oz 2% part skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. fat free cottage cheese
3 T. Ragu Chunky Tomato, Garlic, and Onion pasta sauce
1/2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare green beans and place in a baking dish.  Mix the garlic salt and basil with the cottage cheese.  Spread over green beans.  Spread pasta sauce over the cottage cheese mixture.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and then broil cheese is lightly browned.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Serves 1, calories = 387.

Enjoy!

Hot out of the oven!

And literally 10 minutes later...

So good!

the three nephites

This semester I've been taking an Book of Mormon institute class with Julia on Thursday nights.  For those of you who know me and my TV viewing habits, you know that giving up Thursday nights (Vampire Diaries!) is VERY hard to do.  But I did it and I haven't regretted it.

Until tonight.

Tonight we were supposed to be talking about the end of Third Nephi and then Fourth Nephi.  However.  We got MAJORLY sidetracked by the topic of "The Three Nephites."  Now, lest you all think I'm a heathen, I am not.  I know what the scriptures say about them and I have complete faith and believe that they are still alive and are here on the Earth (somewhere, wherever they're needed) and they do what the Lord needs them to do.  But my testimony is not based on what they look like, whether they can be shot, or if they can appear to us as adults or children.  (Those were all questions that were asked tonight in my class  #headesk)

This class was completely unnecessary.  This information is not relevant to my testimony or eternal salvation. Why does it need to be discussed at length and hypothesized over for an hour and a half?!

quilt crazy

So I went over to Mom and Dad's this weekend to watch General Conference and to put together the baby quilt I'm doing for Katy.  Well, I got the top put together (I'm waiting for a week or so to get the batting and back fabric I need to finish it) then ended up putting together three other baby quilt tops for Mom (she does a quilt for each of the sisters in the ward when they have a baby as a gift from her and Dad - the bishop)! And this is all on the sewing machine.  Which I have a love/hate relationship with.  Mostly hate.  And which I haven't actually used in probably 10 years.  I'm pretty proud of myself if I do say so myself!

This is Katy's quilt

The other three

30 pounds lighter

Not sure if it's really noticable yet, but...here I am 30 pounds lighter so far!

otters

I love them.  I want one.