=tasty tuesday=

Beef Stew

Prep: 5-10 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes

1 lb stew meat
2 small beef bouillon cubes (or 1 big one)
1/4 tablespoon oil
2 cups water
flour
salt
pepper
1 small sweet yellow onion
1 small bag of baby carrots
1 can diced tomatoes, italian style, undrained
1 can corn, drained
1 can green beans, drained.

Preparation: Cut stew meat into bite sized pieces. Salt and pepper to taste then dredge in flour. Slice onion and cut baby carrots into 3rds.

Directions:

1. Heat oil in bottom of stew pot. Place meat in pot and brown.
2. Once meat is brown, pour in water until it is just barely covered (about 2 cups). Add carrots, onions, can of tomatoes and beef bouillon cubes. Cover and simmer for about 30-35 minutes.
3. Add can of corn and green beans, simmer for 5-10 more minutes.

We love this recipe! It is so easy and makes a large pot of food. The three of us can eat off of it for a few days...or we can feed a large group of about 5-6 people. LOVE IT!

=grumpy=

It's been hard for me to blog lately. Not really sure why though, but I haven't really been feeling it. I want to...and I get ideas about what to write about...then I just don't. I don't have access to this at work and that's when I tend to be on the computer. When I'm at home, I don't really do anything. The weekends, I rarely even check facebook. I just don't. I'm lame...

I don't have much to say other than I'm grumpy, Hailey is in bed, Michael is out with a friend and I have nothing to do. We only have a few channels now and I guarantee there's nothing on...so I think I'll get comfy, make some tea and either read a book or watch a movie. Not sure, but I'm kind of looking forward to my time to relax by myself. I don't get that very often. It's funny, when Michael worked UPS, he was never home and this is all I did....evenings were to myself and I hated it. Now, I long for it. Weird. Not all the time, just occasionally. Hmm...

Well, I'm off. That's it for now. I leave you with possibly one of the cutest pictures of Hailey taken this year...


My beautiful baby girl....she's so gorgeous!

Gavin

That’s right; my 3 year old has a “boyfriend” at preschool. His name is Gavin. I realized that they were really good friends several weeks ago when he would come running up to the door in the morning when I would drop Hailey off. He would come and say “you’re my friend right?” I come to find out that they are more than friends. Gavin’s mom said that he talks about Hailey ALL the time! Preschool had to tell them to save their hugs and kisses for family. Hahaha! I love it! Apparently Gavin hugs her so tight that she can’t get away and he plants a kiss wherever he can. I have asked her if she kisses him often and she said no, just Gavin. Lol…so I say, only on the cheek right? She said yes so I gave her the lecture of not kissing him on the mouth. J

The other day I got a phone call from preschool telling me that Hailey fell down during playground time and had a pretty good size bump on her knee. She was fine, so I let her stay and play. I ask her about it later that night. Here is our conversation:

Me: “your knee feeling better sweetheart?”

Hailey: “yeah”

Me: “how did you hurt your knee Hailey?”

Hailey: “I was running from Gavin.”

Me: “oh really?”

Hailey: “yeah, he kissed my ear.”

Hahahaha! I love kid romances! It makes me think back on my first “boyfriend”. I was 2 and he was in my Sunday school class with me…his name was Drew. I always used to say “he’s my boyfriend, but he doesn’t know it..

We better get our shot gun now....

=yummy chicken=

Happy New Year everyone! Hope 2010 is treating everyone well so far!

So, with the new year comes eating healthy for both Michael and I. I'm excited, I love healthy foods but never bought them much. But now I have an excuse. I have been receiving emails from Eat Better America for a long time but had not tried anything until tonight. Let me tell you, it was AWESOME! So I thought I'd share.

Honey-Glazed Chicken Breasts

6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup Orange Juice
1/2 cup Honey
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/4 teaspoon Salt

• Heat oven to 375 degrees, grease 13x9 inch pan with olive oil cooking spray. Place chicken in pan.
• Mix orange juice, honey, lemon juice and salt in a small bowl. Pour over chicken.
• Cover with foil; bake 20 minutes. Turn chicken; back uncovered 20-30 minutes longer or until the juice from the chicken runs clear.

I served this with rice and asparagus. YUMMY! Michael took a bite and said "oh my gosh!" When I asked Hailey if she liked it she said, "It tastes like candy." She's cute.

So, there you have it...a great, EASY chicken recipe that is only 260 calories per serving (40 from fat). Not too shabby.

I'll post again soon with a few pictures from Christmas and New Years Eve.

Off to bed! Night!

=my favorite things=

Got this from my buddy Melissa. Here are a list of her favorite things.

Now, for my 2009 list!

Slipper boots! I love mine and wear them ALL the time! MAC eye shadow. This color even...stays on all day and makes my eyes POP. Everyone should own at least one MAC eye shadow! A sexy pair of snake skin pumps, pointy toe of course. I have a brown pair, but would LOVE to have them in green!
I am obsessed with my red purse. Makes me feel amazing to carry it around. GET ONE!

A good book that makes you think and keep guessing the entire time.A comfy bathrobe! I wear mine ALL THE TIME!
Leaves Candle from bath and body works. The best scent ever!

There you have it! A few of my favorite things!

=best friends=

There is one thing I’ve notice about Hailey in the past few weeks. She has become my best friend. When she was going through her terrible twos, I called my mom to cry to her about it. Complaining about her tantrums, not understanding why they were happening and telling her that I didn’t think I could handle it anymore. In one of our conversations, she told me, “sweetie, it’s just a phase. After this one is over, she’ll become your best friend”. At the time, I didn’t think that was possible. There was no light at the end of the tunnel for me…or maybe there was, but I just saw it as the next train coming. Don’t get me wrong, I love Hailey and we had some fun together in between tantrums, but I never thought that our relationship would become what it has. She makes me laugh, tells me unbelievable stories (really…unbelievable, such an imagination), we play princesses, she shares every toy, food and lip gloss with me, gives me random kisses on my forehead and randomly tells me she loves me and thinks I’m pretty. My mom was right, like usual. I’m having the time of my life with Hailey. I love our time together and love the days we have just the two of us to do nothing but play, imagine and snuggle. I'm loving where we are in our relationship. I just hope we can continue to grow closer in the years to come.

=the tenth circle=

Recently, I've started reading again. It is something I have always enjoyed but never really made time for. I have found that it relaxes me and helps me forget about what's going on in my own life and focus on the lives of the characters. It all started with the Twilight Series. Lame, yes I know, but that's when I realized that I love to read. My book list since Twilight consists of:

The Last Song - Nicolas Sparks

Dear John - Nicolas Sparks

The Time Traveler's Wife

My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult

I would highly recommend the last two books listed. By far the best books I've read in a long time.

My current read is The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult. One thing I've noticed about this particular author is that she is surprising. My Sister's Keeper constantly kept me intrigued because I never knew what was coming next. The Tenth Circle is doing the same. It's not my usual read, that's for sure. My normal read are romance books...of course. Girls love romance :) Anywho, this author amazes me. I can't really grasp how someone can think the way that she does. Amazing.