Cherry Shallot Pork Chops

 Cherries are one of my very favorite foods, and I am so excited they are now in season! This also means that they don't cost a small fortune right now so I don't feel guilty buying them! In an attempt to use the food that I have, I set out to find a recipe that included cherries and the frozen pork chops in the deep freeze. I stumbled across this one and decided to give it a try, and I'm so glad I did! It did involve a little prep work (pitting and chopping cherries, chopping shallots) but it wasn't too bad, and the results were worth it!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil 4 (8 ounce) bone-in pork chops salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup butter (I didn't use this-I just added some extra olive oil, and it was perfect) 3/4 cup sliced shallots       Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.   2.Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, then brown in the hot oil until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the pork chops to the lined baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the pork chops are no longer pink in the center, about 20 minutes   3.While the pork chops are baking, melt the butter in the same skillet over medium heat, and stir in the shallot and cherries. Cook until the shallot has begun to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in the red wine and beef broth, and bring to a simmer. Season with rosemary, and simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper before pouring over the pork chops to serve.

1 1/2 cups fresh black cherries, pitted and halved 2 tablespoons red wine 1/4 cup beef broth 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crumbled    *This picture is from allrecipes.com. We ate way too fast to snap a picture :)

Oven Baked Meatballs

I've never been a huge fan of meatballs, mostly because I've never been a huge fan of beef. However, I'm slowly changing my mind and my husband loves beef, so I am trying to cook more with it. This meatball recipe was so good and flavorful! I served them over pasta and with some spaghetti sauce for the hubs, but I just ate them plain, and they were still SO yummy!


Original recipe makes 12 meatballs


1 pound extra lean ground beef


1/2 teaspoon sea salt


1 small onion, diced


2 teaspoons minced garlic


 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning


3/4 teaspoon dried oregano


3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes


1 dash hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's RedHot®), or to taste


1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce


1/3 cup skim milk


1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


1 egg (slightly beat)



Place the beef into a mixing bowl, and add all the other ingredients. Mix until evenly blended, then form into large balls and place them individually into a muffin tin. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes and dig in!

Lemon Caper Tilapia

We eat a lot of tilapia-mostly because we love fish and it's cheap (let's be honest). I find myself running out of ways to make it interesting though, so I've had a hard time getting excited about it lately. But, I tried this recipe tonight from the Taste of Home website, and it is definitely a keeper. Make a few veggies and throw together a salad and you are done! Easy and delicious!

 

Ingredients

 

• 4 tilapia fillets (6 ounces each)
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika

Directions

• Place tilapia in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the butter, lemon juice, garlic powder and salt; pour over the fillets. Sprinkle with capers, oregano and paprika.
• Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 20 minutes, or until the fish flakes.
• Top with a squeeze of lemon juice

 

Oven Baked Tacos

I've seen the idea floating around Pinterest for oven baked tacos, and I thought it was just an added step to something that was perfectly fine to start with. But I kept reading about people doing this trick and how it was "life changing" so I thought it was worth a shot. It's basically your regular taco recipe, but before you add any toppings, you bake them. You stuff the shells with your meat and cheese and line them up in an 8x8 pan and bake at 425 for about 10 minutes. When you take them out, the shells are toasted, extra crunchy, and delicious! Then you can add whatever toppipngs you like, and enjoy! It's super simple but makes a huge difference. I don't think I'll ever make tacos the old way again!

 

Stuffed Pepper Soup

I love the idea of stuffed peppers, but they always seem to fall short in the flavor department. I found this recipe at skinnytaste.com that sounded delicious though so I decided to give stuffed peppers another try, and I'm so glad I did!


Stuffed Pepper Soup

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 3/4 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups reduced sodium, fat-free chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot or dutch oven, brown ground meat on high heat and season with salt.Drain fat if any, reduce heat to medium-low, then add peppers, onions and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes on low heat.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, marjoram and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Serve about 1 1/3 cups of soup in each bowl and top with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice and a handful of shredded cheddar cheese.

Notes:
*I added 1 can of Rotel (it just makes everything better)
* I also added a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce and some crushed red pepper

(This picture is from skinnytaste.com. We ate this too fast for me to snap one!)

Oven Salmon

Tonight I wanted something healthy, quick, and easy for dinner. I also had some salmon that needed to be used. So, here's what I did:

• On a piece of foil, I layered salmon, spray butter, lemon slices, salt/pepper, and a dash of white wine.
• I wrapped the foil up to make a little pouch and baked for 30 minutes at 325 degrees
• Unwrap the foil and it's ready to go!

Under the lemon slices the butter and wine make a little sauce that's creamy and yummy!

Here's the finished product.

Lettuce Wraps

I have a very black/white relationship with Chinese food. I'm either REALLY in the mood for it, or I want nothing to do with it. It's been awhile since I've had any though, so when I was planning my recipes for the week I started looking for a healthy recipe to satisfy my craving. I wanted something different than stir fry, and I stumbled across a lettuce wrap recipe that sounded delish!

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons peanut oil, divided
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1 can (8 ounces) water chestnuts, drained and diced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1-1/2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup julienned green onions
• 12 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions

• In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken in 1 tablespoon oil for 3 minutes; drain. Add the mushrooms, water chestnuts and ginger; cook 4-6 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink. Drain and set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and remaining oil. Stir in the carrots, onions and chicken mixture.
• Spoon onto lettuce leaves; sprinkle with almonds. If desired, fold sides of lettuce over filling and roll up. Yield: 6 servings.

I left out the gingerroot because I am NOT a ginger fan, and I used cooking oil spray instead of the peanut oil so that it would cut down on the calories. Otherwise though, I made the recipe exactly as listed (I did however marinate the chicken in a little teriyaki for about 24 hrs before cooking, which gave it a lot more flavor).

This was the finished product:

We had some hot and sour  soup from our favorite local place, and I steamed some edamame as well. It turned out better than I expected-I'll definitely make this one again!

Great Summer Recipe

I am always looking for new recipes to try, because I feel like I make the same things over and over. I eat primarily low fat, low carb, so that narrows down my choices sometimes. I also hate to cook a lot in the oven in the summer because it just adds to the heat, which is bad enough without any help! This morning though, I found this recipe online, and thought it sounded delicious, and it was!! This was seriously SO, SO GOOD!!

Grilled Pork Chops with Fresh Nectarine Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 nectarines, pitted and diced
• 1 ripe tomato, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 (4 ounce) boneless pork loin chops

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. Lightly oil grate, and set 4 inches from the heat.
2. To make the salsa, place the nectarines, tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and red pepper flakes in a bowl; toss to blend. Season to taste with salt. Cover, and refrigerate 30 minutes to blend flavors.
3. Stir the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Place the olive oil in a small bowl. Brush the pork chops with oil, and season both sides evenly with the cumin mixture.
4. Place pork loin chops on the preheated grill. Cook until lightly browned and juices run clear, about 4 minutes on each side. Place pork chops on serving plates, and top with a generous spoonful of salsa.

NOTES:
*I added garlic to the salsa mix, because garlic just makes everything better! But, I'm sure it'd be just as good without it.

*I also made the salsa several hours before dinner, so it would have time to sit. I also went ahead and put the chili seasoning on the pork chops, and let them marinate for several hours before cooking.

*I used olive oil cooking spray, instead of regular olive oil to cut down on calories and it worked great.

With a salad and corn on the cob, this was a perfect recipe for this HOT day! Now, if I just had some strawberry shortcake for dessert....

I'm Back!

Well, the last time I blogged was at the end of February, and then it just stopped, which makes perfect sense. That's about that time that my life kind of stopped....I got very exhausted, I got really sick-really, really sick, I got brain surgery, I got an extended stay at Baptist Medical Center, and I got a crazy few months of trying to heal and go back to work. But now, I've got summer vacation, so things are looking up :)

I had to laugh the other day, because this is what I was dropping off at the post office:

That would be medical bills for neurosurgery, radiology, anesthesia.....
sounds expensive!
(and it is-sheesh!)

Then, I got this in the mail the same day:

Newsletter for the Accoustic Neuroma Association. The most expensive, select club you never want to be a part of! :)

For my birthday, Tom gave me some money to get some new spring/summer clothes, since all of my old ones were way too big now (good problem to have, but still a problem!). But then about 2 days later I got really sick and all the craziness started, so I never got to use the money. Well, a few weeks ago I remembered about the money (I can't believe I had forgotten about it), and decided to let the shopping begin! There's nothing I love more than a good bargain, so I decided to see how far I could make the money go.

Here's some of the cuties I've gotten:

I've gotten lots more too, and none of them have been over $8! Love some bargains! Also, yes, all I'm shopping for is dresses (and a few skirts). That's all I wear when it's this HOT!

This is what's on my summer reading list:




Any other must reads??

Temptation calls

This seems to be all I'm seeing lately:

from little girls at my school selling them, tables set up outside of Kroger, Scout troops set up outside Wal Greens.....everywhere!

It is almost tempting, until I realize how long I'll have to run to burn off one of those things, and then they seriously lose their appeal.

In an attempt to be really nice, I did order Tom a box of Samoa's, because I was so sure that was his favorite cookie. Then, he points out that he really loves the peanut butter ones. Oops.

So now I have a box of Samoa's in my kitchen. I'm trying to stay focused on the new strawberries instead :)

Brilliant Thoughts from the Treadmill

I really, really would like to have long, lean legs like these:

Instead, the more I run, I feel like my legs look much more like this:

Ok, not quite that bad :)
I don't mind being barely 5-feet tall most of the time, but I would take some long legs any old day!

Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Tom and I celebrated last night by eating a delicious dinner at Bonefish.
Bang Bang Shrimp, Rainbow Trout, Creme Brulee....it was great, and worth every calorie.
This is Tom and I before dinner:

I never really thought a lot about it, but we do kind of look like brother and sister. Ha!
Blond haired, light skinned, blue eyed babies in our future??
Ummmm...DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH!! (Check with me in about 200 years on that one). Seriously though, maybe I should check and make sure we aren't related :)

In an attempt to be sweet and all for Valentines Day (not that Tom has time to read my blog), but here are the top things I love about Thomas: (yes, I call him Thomas, though no one else in the world does)

5. He is very passionate about things-big and small. I'm much more of a go-with-the-flow kind of person. I have strong opinions about very few things, but he has very strong feelings about most everything. I think I teach him to chill out, and he teaches me how to believe in things.

4. He has never met a stranger-this is fun and exhausting at the same time. He seriously makes friends everywhere he goes-standing in line at the grocery, the drive thru at Starbucks, the customer service person on the phone...everywhere!

3. He cracks me up every day! He does an impersonation of me that is 100% not me (or so I like to think), but it's hilarious!! Also, he is head-over-heels crazy about my cat. I always told him that once he got in with Mr.Max, he was in with me! Those 2 are like peas in a pod!

2. He loves to take care of me, and gets annoyed with me for not letting him do enough. I'm just used to doing things myself, and I never really think about it. But, honestly nothing makes him happier than helping me with something, which is good since my "love language" is Acts of Service. His is Words of Affirmation, so I guess I'm taking care of that one now :)

1. He is just easy to be around. He thinks everything I do is great (duh!), thinks I look pretty when I look my worst (poor guy), and tells me constantly how lucky he is to have me in his life (double duh!). Seriously though, our personalities are VERY different, but somehow we just mesh really well. We are not googly eyed teenagers-we are very realistic about things, and we make it a point to work at our relationship. It's worth it though, he makes life pretty sweet and lots of fun :)

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Beauty Secrets!

Kelly's Korner is hosting a Show Us Your Life-Beauty Secrets this week, and I've been looking forward to reading all of these for awhile now! I love reading about the great ideas that other people have that I have never heard of before. Though it's still up for debate about whether I'm high maintance or low maintance (Tom thinks it's insane that it takes me longer than 5 minutes to get totally ready to go somewhere, so he would probably vote high maintance. How do guys do that anyways?!?!). Knowing LOTS of girls way worse than me though, I'd say I'm somewhere in the middle.
Though it might take me awhile to get ready each day, one thing I'm pretty laid back about is the brands of the products I use. I'm not a "brand" person with most things, but there are a few things that I feel really strongly about!

Here are few favorites:

Regular Dove Soap! I've washed my face with everything under the sun, and this is by far the best! It's cheap, chemical free, and works great!!!

Since my skin is sensitive, I always have a hard time finding moisterizers that don't break me out. However, this moisterizing night creme from Arbonne is awesome. It takes the redness out of my face, and moisterizes, and never breaks me out at all. Also, the Arbonne FC5 redness reducer powder is great as well. You put it on under your regular powder, and it really evens out your skin. I have some rosasia on my cheeks, so it really tones that down. Arbonne products are natural, so they are very easy to wear. (And if you need someone to buy Arbonne from, I can hook you up with a friend of mine!).

These 2 products are great for moisterizing as well! Once you have tried Burts Bee's lip balm, you will never be satisfied with any other kind. It's a few dollars a tube, but totally worth it. I have them in my purse, by my bed, on my desk at work, etc. I can't live without this stuff. Also, Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Cream is the best thing I've found for dry hands. It's a miracle worker!

My BEST "beauty secret" is this stuff:

Johnson's Baby Powder-Pure Cornstarch
I use this daily as a dry shampoo, and it's awesome! As someone with oily hair, I've tried all kinds of dry shampoos, expensive and cheap, and this works better than ANY I've tried. It's cheap and you can pick it up anywhere, so that's even better. I sprinkle some in my hands, rub them together, and then rub it through my hair after I dry it (focus on the root area). It sucks up oil and gives your hair a lot of body. I use it daily, whether I've washed my hair that day or not, since it keeps hair looking full all day. This is probably best for girls with blond hair-dark hair might turn a little gray! I have found the cornstarch kind works better than regular baby powder.

Snow 2011 Take 2

Well, we have been out of school again due to the snow! School was actually out last Friday for snow too, but I missed it while we were in TX visiting. We got lots of snow yesterday, so my guess is that we will be out until Monday. Next week it's supposed to be in the 60's, so maybe this will be the last snow of the year (but who knows anymore!!).
Yesterday, this is what my world looked like:

With all of the snow, yesterday was a perfect day to make this yummy soup:

Tom taught me about this soup, and it's become almost a weekly staple. I used to make it with ground turkey, but since then I've convinced Tom that it doesn't really need meat, so now I can leave that part out.

Here's the recipe:
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can rotel
1 package Williams chili mix (Tom thinks I'm an alien because I had never had this before!)
Then you can add any beans you want-I like dark kidney beans, black beans, chili beans, black eyed peas, golden hominy

You open all the cans, dump the whole thing (do not drain anything) into the crockpot, stir it all together with the whole packet of chili mix, and cook on low all day long. It's that simple and healthy, and seriously GOOD!

With all of this snow and hot soup weather we've been having-I've been dreaming of Spring! I cannot stand being hot, so I'm not really the hugest fan of Summer (except for having a lot of time off work!), but I do love cool Spring days with lots of sunshine. My favorite part might be the beginning of sundress and sandals season! Here's what I'm dreaming of wearing right now:

(Dear Kate Spade, please send in a size 8 a.s.a.p.!!)

I'm burning this AWESOME candle right now too, which really, really makes me long for Spring!

If you ever are lucky enough to run across anything at Bath & Body Works in this scent,
GRAB IT! It's hard to find, but 1,000% worth the purchase!!

Tired but good!

Life has been seriously BUSY lately...I can't even tell you exactly what I've been up to, but I feel like I haven't stopped in forever. I feel like I am playing catch up in about every area of life, and it's exhausting me!!! I have so much admiration for teachers who are also mothers...I cannot figure out how they do it all. It's all I can do to take care of myself! When I get home at night, I am WORN out! I can't complain though, being busy means I'm taking care of myself, taking care of people I care about, have a job that keeps me (way) more than occupied, I have a house to live in that needs cleaning, etc.
I don't have a lot to complain about, but I could seriously use a nap :)

Mainly what I'm looking forward to though, is spending a few days with this precious face:
Perri! She's as smart, hilarious, and sweet as she is cute and beautiful! She has our entire family wrapped around her finger-we are a bit more than crazy about her!
(And getting to see her mom and dad, and my brother and Lauren, spend a few days with my parents, and even Emma the Angel Dog, who deserves an award for all she puts up with from this little girl!)

Here comes Auntie "Seduh!"

Tortilla Soup Recipe

I love pretty much all soups-there's nothing better on a cold night! I make a tortilla soup from one of my Mom's cookbooks (not sure why I have this cookbook? Sorry Mom!). It's healthy, easy, and YUMMY! You can see by the looks of the cookbook page that this one has been used a lot!

Here's the recipe:

2 chicken breasts
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 14.5 oz. cans of fat free chicken broth (I do low sodium too)
1 14.5 oz. can stewed, chopped tomatoes
1 clove garlic
4 oz. green chilies
1/2 package dry taco seasoning (They now make this in low sodium too!)
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
6 corn tortillas, cut or torn into about 1" pieces (this is really the only recipe I make that uses these, so when I buy a package I use the 6, then put the rest in the freezer for next time-works perfectly!)

Brown chicken pieces in large pot sprayed with cooking spray. Add onion and celery and continue to brown. Add all remaining ingredients, except sour cream and tortillas, and simmer 15 minutes.

Add sour cream and simmer 1-2 minutes. Add tortillas and simmer 3-4 minutes.
I usually squeeze fresh lime juice on top, and it's great topped with fresh avacado. I'm thinking of maybe adding black beans next time too.

Here's the finished product:
This stuff is seriously good!

"Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world."

Anyone who knows me well at all knows that I L.O.V.E. shoes. I know most girls like shoes, but I think my love is pretty serious. I have always loved shoes-I can remember being a little kid and getting a new pair of shoes. If it was a pair I really loved, I would sleep in them because I just could not stand to take them off. I don't exactly do that anymore, but the love is still there. That is hands down, my favorite thing to shop for. I design a pair of shoes in my head at least once a day-I'm always thinking that I could design the perfect shoes to go with whatever outfit someone has on. I just love shoes!!

I've had this magnet on my refrigerator for years, and it speaks the truth:

Today was just a normal Wednesday-nothing special whatsoever. But, it was cute boot day:

Shoes can make any day better! These are a few in my *love* file right now:


I realize that these are 2,000% inappropriate for an elementary teacher who stands up all day long, but that doesn't make me want them less!

Long Weekends Are the Best

I have had such a nice weekend-I am really, really sad to see it go (well, I'm always sad to see them go, but especially this one...). Tom's new semester starts this week, which means life is about to get a lot more hectic and crazy than it has been. It's been so nice the last month to have him around a lot more, but all good things must end. We've been trying to spend a lot of time together since we know what is coming...I'm really going to miss him being around so much. It'll totally be worth it in the long run though, and we've got this down, no problem-just adds a different, very busy dimension to life. SO proud of him!!

This weekend we actually watched 2 movies (which is a lot for me-not a huge movie's at home fan-I can never stay awake!) We also got some great runs in, and just hung out. We did make a stop at Red Mango for our favorite treat! This place is SO good, and actually healthy too! Of course you can make it less healthy with your toppings, but it's a good thing I love fruit so much!
That's Tom's on the left-he got strawberries, dark chocolate and graham cracker crumbs. Mine has strawberries, pineapple, and granola. I usually get mango instead of granola, but it just hasn't been ripe enough lately. LOVE this stuff!!

Today we had a great run at the gym, and I got to sport my sweaty band! My sister gave me this for Christmas, and this thing is a miracle worker! It has velvet ribbon on the back of it, and I'm telling you-This thing DOES NOT move! Even after an entire run-this thing is exactly where it started. I don't know how it does it, but it sure does. They also come in really cute patterns, which makes it that much better. Here is mine pre-run:
Saturday night I went to the annual Miss America party, and had a great time. I can't believe it, but I don't have a single picture from that! Just imagine about 15-20 girls, wearing p.j.'s, also wearing tiaras and sashes, watching the Miss America pageant, and competing for who makes the best guesses as far as who moves forward-FUN! I was so sad Miss Arkansas got 1st runner up. She was beautiful!

All in all, it was a great long weekend. Tomorrow it's back to the grind!

Love Saturday!!

I love Saturday's! Even though most of my Saturday's are so busy with errands, chores, etc. that they fly by, it's so nice to think that the weekend is just beginning. This morning I headed out to do my normal Saturday things, like grocery shopping. As I was leaving Sam's, I had to laugh at what the back of my car looked like:
That would be carrots, cherry tomatoes, grapes, bananas, blueberries, and a 24 pack of Diet Dr. Pepper. Ha! That's story of my life-eating healthy and drinking "Liquid Satan", as I heard it referred to the other day. I may or may not have been drinking a Diet DP from Sonic as this picture was taken....God help me.

Then I headed to Old Navy to look for some new pants since I've basically been wearing some new jeans, or dresses with leggings everyday since none of my pants fit. I found some that fit (2 sizes smaller than I was wearing a few months ago! YIPPEE), so I grabbed them. They are "short" length, and still too long (which I realize is totally pathetic). Good thing I love to wear heels!

I stopped by Michael's quickly, and saw these:
That's animal print duct tape!! I am racking my brain for things I can use this stuff on-it's too cute!!

Tonight I'm heading to the annual Miss America party with a group of girls I've been friends with for years. This is always a fun night. We bring our favorite snack food, wear our favorite p.j.'s, there are score cards, tiaras..it's the real deal! I can't believe this is the 6th annual party. When I think back to my life 6 years ago, it's hard for me to even recognize that person. Every single aspect of my life has changed I think. It's so cool to think we all met a job that long ago, and are still friends today. Pictures to come!
Happy Saturday!!