Why I Have Been So Scarce...

I promise to start blogging daily again (if not more) about everything going on and what I am cooking, but life has been B-U-S-Y this past week. Below are some of the reasons why I have been so busy:
1.
School is out for the summer! This was my first year in Greenville County and boy there is much more to do to finish out the year than my previous district. Not to mention I wanted to get my room cleaned out some and get some junk gone so it isn't there next school year.
2. You know, I maintain my 4.0 GPA by doing work, LOL. This takes more time than you would think so I have been busy working on Grad work as well.
3. David's combo Anniversary/Father's Day/Birthday present is pictured above. I finally caved and let him get one. Needless to say....I like it too!
4. A Wii would not be complete without Wii Fit. This thing is awesome. I have been doing it for 3 days now and I can tell my muscles are getting a work out because they are sore!
5.
I read Ever After first and now I am reading A Thousand Tomorrows. Ever After was great and so far A Thousand Tomorrows is great as well.
6. And last, but not least....this little guy has kept me busy!

Beef Stroganoff Over Egg Noodles

Sorry....no pictures....but this was delicious!

-1 lb ground beef, browned
-1 medium onion, chopped
-2 tablespoons flour
-1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
-1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-2 pkg. fresh mushrooms
-1 Tbsp butter, melted
-10 3/4 oz can of mushroom soup
-8 oz sour cream
-egg noodles

1. Cook beef with onion, mushrooms, and butter until mushrooms are tender.
2. Stir in flour, garlic salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute
3. Stir in soup; simmer 10 minutes
4. Add sour cream; simmer until mixed well and warm
5. Serve over noodles

Beef and Bean Tortilla Bake

The ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 can black beans, rinsed, drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed, drained
1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
2/3 cup water
3/4 cup cheese
3 spinach flavored flour tortillas cut into strips
1. Heat oven to 350. In 12-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Stir in black beans, pinto beans, tomatoes, taco seasoning mix, and water. Cook 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese.

2. In 8-inch square glass baking dish, spread 2 cups of the beef mixture. Top with half of the tortilla strips. Spoon half of the remaining beef mixture over tortilla strips. Add remaining tortilla strips; top with remaining beef mixture.
3. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake about 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Cut into squares. 6 servings.

Nutritional Info
Calories: 395
Fat: 9 g
Cholesterol: 45 mg
Sodium: 890 mg
Carbohydrate: 56 g
Fiber: 13 g
Protein 35 g
Vitamin A: 18%
Vitamin C: 10%
Calcium: 24%
Iron: 36%

Zesty Chicken and Pasta

The ingredients:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) fusilli pasta- I used tri-color rotini
1/2 cup Italian dressing- I used more because I like things with more dressing
1 lb. chicken breasts
2 cups broccoli florets
1 large red pepper, chopped- I used green because they cost 1/2 as much
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. chipped fresh parsley- I didn't use this
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook the chicken. I boiled it, but you could grill or bake it.
2. Cook pasta.
3. While pasta is cooking, put 1/4 cup Italian dressing in a skillet. Add chicken. Let this cook about 5 minutes.

4. Add broccoli, pepper, onion, and parsley to chicken and cook 5 more minutes or until vegetables become tender.

5. Drain pasta. Mix chicken mixture with pasta and remaining Italian dressing and parmesan cheese.

Makes 6 servings, 1 cup each
Calories: 440
Fat: 9g
Cholesterol: 75 mg
Carbs: 52 g
Fiber: 4 g
Sugars: 7 g
Protein: 36 g
Vitamin A: 50%
Vitamin C: 90%
Calcium: 15%
Iron: 20%

Slip and Slide Fun!

Landon's new love is the Slip and Slide. Yesterday was his second time on it and he had so much fun. Here are some pictures:

Update on May goals

1. Lose 5 pounds- Didn't do this, but did maintain my current weight.
2. Complete my current Master's course with an A to maintain my 4.0 GPA- Done!
3. Begin my new Master's course organized and ready to learn- Kind of started.
4. Send as much money as possible to our 2nd mortgage to keep chopping that thing away- Done, sent $1200!
5. Wind down the school year with as little stress as possible- Doing this with 4 days left!
6. Take a month off from TTC and heal emotionally before gearing back up in June- Done and plan to start temping soon!
7. Spend more time with David and Landon and less on working while precious time is passing me by- Still working on this
8. Water my flowers every other day to keep them alive- Done! I have even started to give them fertilizer to make them prettier.
9. Cook as many meals at home as possible and quit eating out so much- Did so so. We still ate out more than I wanted.
10. Finish up some incomplete house projects- Hope to get to these this month

Ham and Cheese Loaf

The ingredients:
pizza crust
ham
cheese
mayonnaise
egg
parmesan cheese

1. Spray a baking sheet and spread pizza dough out.
2. Layer ham slices in the middle of the pizza dough.
3. Mix 1 cup cheese with 1/2 cup mayonnaise. Spread this mixture on top of the ham.
4. Fold over sides and seal the ends.
5. Brush egg on top and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
6. Bake at 350 until brown (about 30 minutes).

A Night at the Farm!

Tuesday night we had a picnic at Papa Bruce's Farm in celebration of the end of 4H at school. I brought Landon and David along for the fun. The farm is owned by the father of one of our teachers at school. The farm even inspired her to write a book called Papa Bruce's Barnyard. Check the book out, it's a really cute book and talks all about the farm! Here are some pictures mostly of the animals since Landon was a little afraid of them.

Wordless Wednesday

Balloons Everywhere!

This weekend was Freedom Weekend Aloft at Heritage Park kind of back away from our house. It's basically a festival with bands performing concerts every night over Memorial Day Weekend. They also have hot air balloonist who come from all over to launch. The great thing about living so close is getting to see the balloons. Here are some shots I got from our house and my parent's house: