Menu Mania

I am LOVING making weekly menus. I'm enjoying new recipes and trying for healthier options. I haven't quite mastered the "combine-different-recipes-to-create-your-own" technique yet (I'll explain later). So for now, I'm sticking to the exact measurements.

Last week's menu:

• Monday night: Monkey Bread and Sausage/Egg Quiche - I know Monkey Bread is NOT healthy but it's so delicious!! This turned out great. And it makes great leftovers for breakfast for the next few days :)
• Tuesday night: Curry Lime Chicken, Sauteed Asparagus, Wild Rice - I created the curry lime chicken idea! Lime Chicken sounded so good to me but I wanted to add something. So, with my love for Indian food....I pulled out the Curry Powder. It turned out really great! I just poked holes in the chicken, put it in a ziploc, poured in Lime Juice and Curry Powder and marinated it in the fridge all day. Then, I grilled it on the George Foreman (incredible option for single people!) and it was delicious. I also marinated the asparagus in Kraft Tuscan Italian dressing and then sauteed it in a pan over the stove. This is a great, easy, quick option that I'll definitely add to my rotation!
• Wednesday night: Cameron, Andi, and Chandler came over because Youth group was cancelled due to the snow. It was so fun to make dinner for them! (Cameron was in the kitchen too - it's impossible to keep  him out). I made Lemon Pepper Tilapia and Green Bean Bundles. Cameron and Andi brought over homemade bread and chicken and made Cameron's signature "Mayonnaise Bread Chicken". I also made chocolate chip cookies and added peanut butter. These were yummy! (I hope the snow is over because it just makes me want to bake!!) We hung out for a while and had fun as siblings with the future sib/wife!
• Thursday night: White Chicken Chili and cornbread: [Disclaimer - I don't like broth-based soups. I only like cream-based soups.] This is a winner. It's my aunt's recipe and I LOVE it! It's super quick and easy and it makes for great leftovers (I cut the recipe in half and still had it for 3 total meals and froze some).

This week's menu"

• Monday night: leftovers. I ran some errands that night (that didn't include the grocery store), so I just had leftovers. I treated myself to a workout, tanning, and relaxation since it was Valentine's Day.
• Tuesday night: I made some baked Cajun Tilapia and had it with leftover Green Bean Bundles and Wild Rice. Fish is so good and it cooks so much faster than chicken! This is the night I went to the store so I made quick dinner before I left.
• Wednesday night: Potato and Corn Chowder. This is where I learn I am not good at the combining-different-recipes technique. Let's just say...it took a lot longer than I wanted to and it only tastes okay, not excellent. It's definitely edible and I'm freezing it for leftovers (I'll probably pull it out on the random day Arkansas decides to be cold again - let's be realistic, we know it will happen in like April). So, for next time, I'll definitely stick to one recipe and hopefully it will be better.
• Thursday night: Fiesta Chicken Casserole and guacamole. Tonight I am having 2 girls over that I discipled last year. They are super sweet! I am trying out a new recipe so hopefully it will be good. What can't be good about chicken, pasta, cheese, salsa, guacamole, and chips? I'll keep you updated!
• Friday night: My great friend Christy is coming over for a girls' night so we will probably make homemade pizzas and something sweet!
• Saturday night: Burgers and Fries. Cheeseburgers are easily one of my favorite foods. I am not one of those girls that goes out to a restaurant and orders a salad. My go to food at most restaurants is a Barbeque Bacon Cheeseburger cooked medium. My favorite ones have onion rings/straws on them. YUM! (I'm salivating just thinking about it). So, this Saturday, I'll  be pulling out my George Foreman, grilling me a burger, and baking me some fries! I even have seasoned salt to put on the fries. I think this will be my favorite meal this week.

Saturday night I'm having a Wedding Invitation Assembly Party for my friend! She lives in India and won't be home for a few more weeks but her invitations need to go out Monday. So, I'll be baking a cake and hanging out with friends to get these assembled!! I'm so excited to be helping with this (and it will give me great practice for if I get married one day ;)

If you have any delicious dinner ideas, I would love some feedback! :) I'm always looking for new recipes. And, if any of these sound good to you and you want the recipe, leave a comment and I'll get it to you! Happy Cooking!!

The Nights Fly

Before moving into my apartment, I often wondered what I would fill my time with and if I would get bored living by myself. I've found this is FAR from reality. I get home from work, cook dinner, do a couple things, and before I know it, it's time to get ready for bed. (I admit, I normally get in bed around 10:00 or 10:30.This is not when I go to sleep - I get in bed and read. I like to get in bed though because it helps me relax from the day and I fall asleep better.) Anyways,  I'm finding that I don't have enough time to do the things I want to do at night. I know you're probably thinking, "go to bed later. duh!" Well, I can't do this. I like my sleep and I like to get up in the mornings to spend time with Jesus and not feel rushed getting ready. If I go to bed any later than 10:30, I will not want to get up when I should in the morning. Believe me, I've tried. Trial and error shows I need 7-7.5 hours of sleep. I've got it figured out. So, this week, my nighttime to-do list is chock full. I am going to push myself this week to get most of it accomplished (including working out every night (last week I failed at this) and still get in bed at my normal time. Last night, I did a pretty good job! After work, I ran 4 errands (including an oil change), cooked dinner, cleaned the kitchen, worked out, tanned, showered, and got in bed when I wanted to. Tonight will include, working out, cooking dinner, going to Wal-Mart and the dollar store, and a few other items from my list. This week, the implementation of true discipline is coming out full force.

[side note]: I'm a firm believer in the power of sleep. Our bodies need sleep to be refreshed and restored. I think sleep needs to be a discipline/habit that we put more emphasis on. Too many people have so much going on that they put sleep on the back burner. These people get sick more often and burned out quicker. Also, if God allows me to have kids one day, I know I won't get much sleep so I'm going to get it while I can!

Dinner Guests and Fun with Friends

 With Sunday night being my first night in my apartment, Monday night was my grocery store night. Tuesday night, I had my first dinner guests!!! One of my best friends, Megan Bertin, and her husband, Nick, came over. I loved hosting friends and practicing hospitality! Can't wait to have more and more people over as I get into a routine. When I got home from work on Tuesday, I started dinner. We had fajitas, cheese dip, and homemade guacamole. Everything turned out really good. It was fun getting used to the timing of cooking and when to start what so that everything is ready on time. Dinner party #1=success.

Fajita Chicken with Peppers and Onions

Homemade guac and cheese for cheese dip

Wednesday, I made dinner for myself. Cameron told me about a recipe for Spinach and Ricotta Manicotti and it sounded great! So, I found the recipe online and made this Wednesday night. It was super easy and pretty quick! Not much prep - the cook time was the longest part. I didn't have all the spices it called for yet so I had to improvise a bit. It turned out a little bland, but now I know better for next time!

Manicotti and Salad

Thursday night, Allie (co-worker and friend) and I headed over to our friend Sarah's house to cook and hang out! I was looking forward to this all week and it was so fun!!!! We made General Tao's Chicken (another recipe Cameron found - he is really good at finding recipes). After quite a bit of prep time (the recipe was a little hard to follow but we figured it out!), the chicken was ready! Let me tell you....this was a restaurant quality recipe! It was absolutely incredible - definitely a keeper! We talked over dinner and then Sarah got the urge to make scones (kind of like my cookie urge tonight). She made some blueberry scones and I am definitely getting the recipe from her. They were so great.

General Tao's Chicken over Rice

Week 1 of apartment life has been better than I could have imagined. I've had some sweet times with the Lord in the mornings being grateful that He provided this place. I've had some great times of Bible study at night when I'm home alone. I'm excited for next week - I'm going to start working out and getting into a more normal routine. Looking forward to this journey!!

Snowed in on Friday Night

As I type this, homemade cookies are in the oven :) This afternoon, I got off work around 1 because of the snow (it wasn't too bad but I knew it was going to get heavier and start to freeze). After about 5 hours inside, without a car, I got the urge to bake and cook. (Who am I?! It must be this goal of domesticity I have!).  I called Chandler (he took my car because it's 4-wheel drive and he'll actually drive in this stuff!) to see if he would want to take me to Wal-Mart to get the necessary ingredients for cookies. He whole heartedly agreed (I told him I would make some for him too). [Side note: I like Wal-Mart SO much better than Kroger for some reason. This will be where I do most of my shopping.] I got home from Wal-Mart, ate dinner, and finished a movie then started the cookies. I am a messy baker! Batch 1 is finished and they look great! I used a pizza stone to bake them because I don't have cookie sheets yet. I've decided I like the way they cook on a pizza stone better than cookie sheets too - I highly recommend it! Instead of plain chocolate chip cookies, I decided to add some white chocolate chips and some butterscotch chips in there too. DELICIOUS! (I just ate one - SUCCESS!) So, my Friday night is spent at home, snowed in, with homemade cookies in the oven, and coffee in the coffeepot. I could get used to this apartment life!

Chocolate Chip Cookies for Chandler

650 sq. feet of JOY

I'm moved in and I LOVE it! Saturday, my mom, brothers, and future sister-in-law helped load up the trucks and trailer and unload it into my apartment (if ya'll read this, thank you so much for  your help!!!!!) After the unloading, mom and I stayed to unpack and organize. My co-worker and friend, Allie stopped by to see the place, helped make my bed, and helped in some decorating choices. After 11 hours of packing, loading, moving, unpacking, and organizing, we came back home to LR for dinner and bedtime! Sunday night, I took some more stuff up and I spent my first night in my new home. I love everything about  my apartment: my walk-in closet, my ceiling fans in every room, my bedding, my living room decor, my plates, everything! This morning was a glorious morning with God as I thanked Him for his provisions and offered my apartment to Him as a place for ministry. I'm excited to see how He will use me and this place for His glory!

Tonight is my first grocery store run. As I've started making my list, I've kind of been overwhelmed by all that I need to get. I know I'm going to forget something basic but I can always go back to the store! I plan on making fajitas and spinach manicotti this week, so look for posts on those dishes :) This weekend, mom and I are going to hang the pictures and make a huge wal-mart run for more necessities to finish up the decor. I'm ready to get it completely decked out and finished. I'm excited to have a place to call my own! This week will be the first week of adventure, discipline, and domesticity in my new place. In the posts to come, I hope to have pictures of my place and meal updates. Here's to becoming a well-rounded woman!

Crafty

Most of the time, I'm a logical, organized, facts type person. But, sometimes, the creative side comes out and I have the tendency to come up with some creative things. My newest bout of creativity comes in the form of crafts. I have come up with some lofty craft goals that I want to accomplish during my journey to becoming a well-rounded, disciplined, domestic woman.
Goal #1: My apartment. I want to decorate my apartment and make it cute. I don't mean to be vain about it, but I want people to think my apartment is cute (isn't this the desire of every female who gets to decorate their own place?!).
Goal #2: T-Shirt Quilt. I've wanted to do this for a while but I've never had time or a strong enough desire. However, now that I'm venturing out on my own and will (hopefully) have more free time, I want to make this happen! I have so many t-shirts from high school cheerleading days (football, cheer camp, homecoming, basketball, etc) that I want to make them into a quilt for memory sake!! (No, I'm not living in the days of high school, I'm simply making a blanket from my fond memories.) I'm also obsessed with blankets, so this will allow me to add another one to my collection! Here are some examples I've found so far that I'm going to choose from. Which one do you like best? Better yet, have you made one before? If so, leave a comment with some advice!!

This one has the fabric in between each shirt.

This one has no fabric between but it does have a fun border.

I think this one would be way too hard but it's really cute!

Goal  #3: A map to put into my office. I want to emphasize the 10/40 window on this map and have Revelation 7:9 on it. This will be a great daily reminder in my office of why I do my job and why I'm working in the states, instead of overseas, right now.
Goal #4: Art projects. I have a decided that I would like to try my hand at painting. After I decorate my apartment and see what type of wall space I have left, I might be painting some canvases to add to the space.
I know all of these are extremely lofty craft goals for a logical person, but I'm excited to try them! To me, being crafty is a skill of the well-rounded woman I want to become through my disciplines this year.

2 Months in Bullet Points

I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've last blogged. It's been a busy 2 months and it's staying busy! A lot has happened in the last 2 months so this will be a long post! Hope you enjoy hearing what's been going on :)

November:

• We had Thanksgiving at my grandparent's house. I helped my grandmother cook all the sides and desserts. I don't remember everything we had...I just remember it was so good and we had tons of it! The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Cameron proposed to Andi!! Chandler and I got to go to the location early to hide and take pictures. It was a fun day for our family and I'm excited to be getting a sister-in-law! :)

December: Christmas month!!! For some reason, I was majorly in the Christmas spirit this year and loved everything about December! I watched every Christmas movie I own over and over again and listened to Christmas music all day, everyday!

• On December 6th, we had a Office Christmas party. Everyone brought a side dish and a white elephant gift to the party. I made corn souffle (and I got a million compliments on it! domesticity...check). I also walked away from the party with huge ornaments! I know they were a gag gift, but I loved them!
• The next day, I made my way to Kansas City, KS for December Staff Training. I stopped in Fayetteville on my way up (to cut my drive in half) and had tons of fun hanging out with friends! Once in KC, I went to lunch with fellow Conway-staffer, Allie! DST was great. All meals went smoothly and as planned (I was pumped about this because this was my first event to plan for!). Friday night the 10th, the guys took us girls out on a date in KC! They did such a great job planning and making us feel special. It was wonderful!
• When I got home from DST, I had the Conference housing list in front of me. This took days and days and days to get worked out, but it finally got turned into the hotel.
• Then, it was time for Christmas! We celebrated Christmas on the 23rd at my grandparent's house. I love spending time with my family!! I got lots of great gifts for my apartment and for my goals of being domestic! We stayed in Hot Springs until the night of the 25th just eating and spending time together. It was the perfect level of laziness to relax before the next few weeks of work.
• On December 28th, I headed up to OKC, OK to prepare for the Conference. We had over 1300 students signed up this year so I knew it was going to be huge! On the 28th, we had a meeting with the hotel execs to go over last minute info. The 29th-31st, I worked in the Region 2 Norman office to prepare for Conference Bonnie and I finished work around 7 on New Year's Eve so that we could go out for New Year's and have fun! We went over to another staff girl's house for dinner and then over to the Points' house for New Year's festivities! I loved bringing in 2011 with so many friends! Looks like 2011 is going to be a great year! (If I can judge it by New Year's eve:) 

January:

• The first few days were consumed by the Conference. We started setting up on the 1st and stayed until the 7th. Overall, it went well with very few glitches (after registration). I never felt stressed and I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with other staff.
• I get home from the Conference to a huge chance of snow! I didn't believe it would happen at all because, let's face it, it rarely does. However, I was hugely surprised and it snowed 4-6" in LR! I was off on Monday and Tuesday, which was a great time for me to relax and catch up on sleep from the Conference.
• When the snow melted, I came back to work and started on everything for the spring semester.
• Saturday the 15th, my mom and I came to Conway to go apartment hunting. Great news - I FOUND AN APARTMENT! It is so cute! This apartment community has just been built in the last year or two and it's tucked away from major traffic. The apartment has everything I wanted (including ceiling fans in every room, a walk-in closet, and a huge workout facility! bonus - FREE tanning!!!)
• Today, I signed the lease! This is a huge new step in my life but I'm excited to take it and excited to grow during this semester of adventure. I start moving in this weekend and will finish next weekend and will post pics asap!

I will try to do a better job of blogging :) Once I get moved in, I will be cooking and practicing more discipline. I'm not getting cable which will give me more time for reading, personal development, cooking, working out, and updating this blog. Stay tuned for pics and updates of moving in!

Working!

I started working full-time a week from yesterday!! Yay! I am LOVING it. This job fits me perfectly. As a result of working, I have failed to update my blog in way too long. I am sorry (not that there are that many people out there that read this...still, I don't even like that it's been as long as it has). I am working on setting up/organizing/decorating my office so pictures will be coming soon of my office!

Last week, I was craving banana pudding so I made some :) Most recipes have vanilla pudding mix as an ingredient and vanilla pudding mix has milk in it. So, I used the recipe on the back of our Vanilla Wafer bag. The only dairy it called for was milk and I had some soy milk. My pudding was delicious! I cut the recipe in half to make 3-4 servings. I layered banana slices and vanilla wafers on the bottom of the dish and poured the pudding on top. I topped it off with cubes of banana and crushed vanilla wafers. It was so good!!

Last night for dinner I made a mini pizza. We had crusts at home so I made one for dinner last night and one for lunch today. I put tomato sauce, mozz cheese, pepperoni, jalapenos, and some cheddar cheese. I also sprinkled it with a little garlic powder to add some extra flavor. It turned out great! Now that I am working full time I can tell that it is going to be harder to cook when I get home...but I look forward to the challenge!

Thanksgiving is next week! I hope to help my grandmother cook Thanksgiving dinner so I'll probably have some good cooking stories after that. I know I am for sure making a Peanut Streusel Pie which I'm really excited about!! :) I'll share the recipe soon.

Soy Products

       I am trying very hard to stick to soy products to prevent the hives that come with dairy products. As I set out on my domestic journey, I am replacing any dairy product in a recipe with soy. Sometimes this is difficult to do and sometimes it is easy. Yesterday morning I made muffins for breakfast. I just used the mix that you add 1/2 cup milk too. So, I used soy milk. The muffins have a slightly different taste, but they are still good. I was satisfied. Last night, I made chicken enchiladas. I used soy sour cream and soy cheddar cheese in the recipe. I couldn't use cream of chicken soup to make the sour cream sauce so I had to improvise and make my own sauce with flour, chicken broth, chili powder, and cumin. It was okay for my first try. By itself, it had no flavor but with the chicken, onion, chiles, and salsa it was pretty great. Later last night I was craving a shake. I put my soy mint chocolate chip ice cream and some soy milk in a blender. It was good too!

        Tuesday night mom made Monte Cristo sandwiches. We alternate cooking sometimes. Tuesday I was out holding signs for my uncle's campaign, so mom cooked our sandwiches so it could be ready when I got home. She used soy milk in the egg/milk mixture for the bread and she used soy swiss cheese. There was NO taste difference in this dish. Chandler was even home with us and ate a sandwich. We didn't tell him until afterwards that we used soy products :) I know, that's probably kind of evil, but he wouldn't have eaten it if we told him before. He enjoyed the sandwich and only complained a little bit when we told him, not because it tasted weird, but just to complain! :)
      
        I've concluded that dairy products in any recipe (at least that I've tried so far) can be replaced with soy products. There might be a slight taste change or the cheese might not melt quite right, but for the most part, my life with soy is easy and enjoyable.

So Refreshing

       This weekend was wonderfully refreshing! I stayed in Conway Friday after staff meeting to have a sleepover with Allie!! Friday afternoon I just hung out at the Riners' while Allie had appointments with some students. That afternoon was very refreshing for me. I sat on the Riners' back porch which is one of my fave places ever. It's so peaceful and has a beautiful view. I spent time with God while being in the middle of His creation. It was glorious. I chose Search for Significance for my next book. The copy I have has a workbook in the back with some great thought-provoking questions for each chapter. Friday afternoon, I started this book and I think I'm really going to like it!
      Friday night, Allie and I went to MarketPlace with Kelsey :) love both of these girls! Dinner at MarketPlace was delish. After dinner we just laid around the house, watched TV, and Allie and I went to bed early so we could get lots of sleep. Saturday morning we went to breakfast together and then came back to the Riners'. We made some coffee and went to the back porch to spend some time with God. Another great period of time with God in His creation!! After that, we got ready and went tailgating at UCA Homecoming. After tailgating, watching the crowning, and hanging out, we went back to the Riners' to hang out and watch the rest of the game on TV. Saturday night, we went over to Adam and Merritt Hambrick's to play board games with a bunch of people. Let's just say I'm not that great at Battle of the Sexes or Trivial Pursuit but I definitely have fun with them! :)
      This weekend was one of the best I've had recently. I got to relax, hang out with some incredible people, be in a different place, and spend some wonderful time with my Maker. I love times like these. I hope that your weekend was also wonderful! If you don't go outside very often to spend time with God, I encourage you to try it. There is something about being in His creation while spending time with Him that makes that time extra sweet.

                                                Tailgating!