This Salad is Fantastic!

Once again, I've picked up a recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  This one caught my eye as a break from the norm.  Really awesome.  Not sure how good it is for you with all of the bacon grease, but it might just be worth it : )

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

Weight Loss

Someone once told me that if you don't lose your baby weight by the time the baby's a year old that you're not going to.  I think it's a bogus statistic.  But, coming up on the 1 year mark freaks me out anyway...  so, I've been working really hard to lose weight.  Let me back up.

About a month ago I was convicted to pray about the daily, small things in my life that I try to handle without talking to God.  The first thing that came to mind was my weight.  I'm not going to share any numbers or anything, but I knew I was overweight.  Obese according to the Wii.  :/  What's more is I knew I was unhappy with my weight.  So, I shared that with God and asked him to help me.  I don't seem to be able to control my choices/emotional eating on my own, I told God.

A couple of weeks later I went to a friend's house (a friend who is extremely fit and health conscious) for a swim party.  She made mac n cheese and watermelon and so on for the kids and put out salad options for the adults.  And I thought to myself, I can't just eat a salad for lunch!  I'm starving!  And the thought embarrassed me.  I thought, I bet she probably eats ONLY a salad as a meal all the time.  Well, I stocked up on different types of lettuce and lots of different toppings to make all kinds of salads.  And I bought  lots of healthy snack options.  And I started eating salads for lunch.  And I pretty much just stopped snacking in between meals.  And I made regular evening meals but I didn't eat as much and I didn't go back for seconds.  And in the last two weeks I have rarely had dessert, but when I did it was a small portion.  I also started making smoothies and shakes occasionally for a meal.  Not everyday, but occasionally.  And I've never been someone who steps on the scale very often.  Actually I haven't even owned one until we got the Wii.  But I saw a very slow gradual drop, and it was all I needed to actually keep going.

I've lost just a few pounds in the last couple of weeks.  And I had started to make somewhat better choices over the last couple of months - which resulted in a few pounds over an 8 week period that I hadn't even realized I'd lost.  So, in the last 2-3 months I've lost 14 lbs.  It's not that much, but it's a huge start, considering I've not really stuck with a concerted effort long enough to make a difference before.  And the big thing for me is that I'm probably at the lowest I've been in the last 6 years. 

All of that to say, I'll be posting a few more salad recipes and a couple of shake recipes.  Might seem weird considering what I normally post.

Also, if I continue to lose weight I'll get to post about it.  If I don't, I probaby won't!

strawberry poppyseed salad

If you're eating salads a lot - which I have, lately - it's nice to have a lot of recipes to choose from.  This is my rendition of the salad at Panera (love that place!).

Strawberry Poppyseed Salad

2 heads romaine lettuce
1/2 cup blueberries
8 oz. quartered strawberries

1 cup cubed pineapple

1 small can mandarin oranges drained
Poppyseed Dressing

Clean and cut/tear up lettuce, add fruit and top with dressing - enjoy!

Slow-Cooker Swiss Steak

1 1/2 lbs round steak, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 (8 oz) pkg sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup sliced onion
1 cup sliced celery
1 T minced garlic
1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 (.87 oz)pkg brown gravy mix
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground black pepper

In a 4-6 qt slow cooker, combine steak, mushrooms, onion, celery, and garlic.
In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1/2 cup water, gravy mix, salt, andpepper. Pour over steak mixture. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Serve over mashed potatoes with a mixed green salad.

We loved this. It was so hardy! I cannot wait to serve this on a cold evening this fall. I also made rice a few days later and served it over that as leftovers. Also delish : )

Hearty Meatless Taco Salad

1 head iceberg lettuce, torn into 1 inch pieces
1 head romaine lettuce, forn into 1 inch pieces
1 (15.5 oz) can chili beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.25 oz) can corn, drained
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8oz) pkg shredded Mexican Cheddar Jack cheese blend
1 tomato, diced
1 (9 1/4 oz) bag corn chips
Light Catalina salad dressing

In a large bowl, combine lettuces, chili beans, corn, black beans, cheese, and tomato.

Just before serving, add corn chips and desired amount of salad dressing; tossing gently to coat. Serve immediately with fresh orange wedges.

This was pretty good, although not unlike the salads we throw together around here all the time. I do recommend swapping the catalina for one of my new favorites - spicy ranch. No one tell me what that does to the carlorie count. I don't want to know.

Jumping Jack's Sloppy Joes

2 lbs ground chuck
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopping celery
1T minced garlic
3 (8 oz( can tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T firmly packed brown sugar
2 t yellow mustard
1 t ground black pepper
1/2 t salt
6 hamburger buns

In a large skillet, combine ground chuck, onion, celery, and garlic. Cook over meduim heat until beef is browned and crumbply; drain. return beef mixture to skillet.

Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve over hamburger buns with fries and pickle spears.

I have a sloppy joe recipe that works for me. It's a slow-cooker recipe that is just super-duper easy. Or uber easy. Whatever you prefer. However, if you want a really hearty sloppy joe recipe that will make plenty and makes you think of a filling fall meal, this is the recipe for you. i served it with sweet potato fries and salad rather than regular fries and a pickle (but, we were having company : )

Five Days of Paula

I'm getting ready to try Paula's Mon-Fri. menu. I'll let you know how it goes. The menu includes...

Monday: Orange-Tarragon Chicken Linguine and Steamed asparagus

Tuesday: Onion-Smothered Pork Tenderloin Wild Rice and Steamed green beans

Wednesday: Hearty meatless Taco Salad and fresh orange wedges

Thursday: Jumping Jack's Sloppy Joes with Steak Fries

Friday: Slow-Cooker Swiss Steak with Mashed Potatoes and green salad

Here's a few pics to update you on the last few days. My mother's birthday dinner here last Sunday. Yummy : ) I must, must, must share this icing recipe and the mashed sweet potato recipe. I'm not a huge sweet potato fan and this is one of my new favorite dishes.

Lo put my brother's size 14 shoes on and had herself a gigle fit : )Popsicle break!

What to Say

Well, I have nothing to post about food, because I'm keeping everything VERY low maintenance right now. :-) Frozen rigatoni, frozen chicken nuggets and frozen tator tots, chicken salad, blt sandwiches. Let's just say I'm not Betty Crocker right now. And to give credit where credit is due, much of the time My Man comes home from work and either prepares the meal or does the clean up. By the time dinner rolls around I'm pretty much done. And the queasy is much, much better. It's the tired and the smells and the tired and the food aversions and the tired. And again, I hate to complain, complain, complain but it's all about choosing the priorities for the day and taking care to not overdue it. For me, but for everyone else too.

I try to keep up with the house the best I can, but also take care to make sure that the kids are getting what they need. And I don't mean food. They need attention from me and I'm afraid we're having to make up a little bit. Being couped up with the weather for so long and my not feeling well combined really showed up in their behavior. But once I got to feeling a little better and they started getting more storytime, playtime, one on one time it was noticeable immediately. It certainly doesn't hurt that the weather has been gorgeous and they have been running around outside. We even got the kiddie pool out yesterday. Things are looking up. I'm very excited about this summer. I'm very excited to enjoy food again. Maryanna will be graduating from preschool soon. :-) We have a zoo trip planned. Now to get my energy back up.

Spinach Salad

My mother-in-law introduced us to this salad one weekend at the lake. And I discovered that I could eat salad like nobody. The homemade dressing makes it.

Spinach Salad

Strawberries (about 20 large) cleaned, cut in half or quartered
Red grapes (washed, halved)
Almonds (slivered) 1/2 cup
Bacon (fried crisp, crumbled)
Sliced red or vadalia onion - 3-4 slices (I often leave this one out)
1 bag baby spinach

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Worcestershire

We're So Close!

Well, our big move is in 3 days. And there's so much going on in those 3 days. I feel like it will never get here, I've been so excited! Most everything is packed and we're about to be eating off paper. There isn't a whole lot more that we can do to prepare... I think that's what's got me counting off the seconds. What a transition! Please pray for us that everything goes well on moving day and falls into place as we get settled!


The kids are excited and liked the house a lot when they got to visit. Maryanna is most impatient to spend the night at Grandma's the night before. I'm excited to get up Friday morning and be able to put all of this planning into action!


Poor Lola is teething though. And she's broken out on the backs of her knees. I'm trying to treat it but I thought it was eczema and Hubby seems to think it's more like a heat rash. She's working on her eye and stomach teeth (which are the worst ones in my opinion) which usually causes an eczema upset, but this heat... and she's so chubby... You get my confusion? We'll keep working at it until we figure it out.


Meanwhile, I think we'll try to get a few errands run and whatever last minute packing we can do.


Tomorrow I'll post my favorite spinach salad.

Happy Father's Day!

What a day! To my Dad, I love you and am so thankful for you! To my Hubby, I love you and I can't imagine my life or our family without you.


Hubby did a rare thing yesterday. When I asked him what he'd like for dessert on Father's Day HE ACTUALLY TOLD ME. So! We had Strawberry Pretzel Cake today - which I'm not sure I've ever really had before (I tend to opt for the chocolate dessert) - and it was delicious. (Can you say it's delicious if you made it?) Anyway, apparently it's one of Hubby's favorite summertime dishes and I've never made it in the 10 years that I've known him!


Good stuff.


And I actually have a picture to share with you this time! But, next time I'll put cool whip on top to make it prettier - just so you know.


Also, I got this from allrecipes.com. I'm sensing a theme here.


Judy's Strawberry Pretzel Salad


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
4 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 ounce) package frozen strawberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mix together the pretzels, 4 1/2 tablespoons sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or lightly toasted. Set aside to cool completely.


2. In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.


3. In a medium bowl, stir together the gelatin mix and boiling water. Mix in frozen strawberries, and stir until thawed. Pour over cream cheese mixture in pan. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 1 hour.

Best Ever Pasta Salad

This recipe I hounded my sister's boyfriend's mom till she relented and told me she got it at allrecipes.com. She added a couple of things that I included for you here (don't you love me). So, thanks, Connie!

BEST EVER PASTA SALAD (allrecipes.com)
1 (16 oz) pkg dry penne pasta
2 large cucumbers, peeled and cubed (I like using European cucumbers)
2 roma (plum) tomatoes chopped
2 cups mayonnaise
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
3 tablespoons dried dill weed
2 tablespoons lemon pepper

Connie adds black olives, which I think is de-lish.

Directions:
1. Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Combine pasta with other ingredients. Serve as is or chill for 45 minutes.