Crock pot recipes

It has been awhile, so here I am, back in action. :-)

As my girls get older and we get more week nights booked up with things like Swim Team, Church, and Gymnastics I am always on the look out for new recipes, in particular crock pot ones.

I used to think Crock pots were only for soups, or roasts or all things comfort food during the winter months. I received a new crock pot for Christmas that is much more reliable and have slowly been experimenting and coming up with all sorts of things to cook.

Here are a few that I am itching to try......

http://funnyisfamily.com/2012/11/crock-pot-thursday-french-dip-subs.html

http://funnyisfamily.com/2015/03/crock-pot-cheesy-tortellini.html

http://funnyisfamily.com/2014/03/slow-cooker-roasted-turkey.html

http://funnyisfamily.com/2014/12/crock-pot-spaghetti-and-meatballs.html

http://funnyisfamily.com/2013/07/crock-pot-thursday-slow-cooked-whole-chicken.html

Let me know if you try them before I do and how they are. I tend to stick to few ingredient and non-spicy recipes for the girls, but I am sure you could vary most of these to suit your tastes.

Happy Cooking!
~H.

Anxiety, it's real.

(Part of this is someone else's writing, but I loved it and had to use it and paraphrase around it some).


My house lays still with asleep, of course, because it’s midnight and our children are young and we live a life of early mornings and quiet nights. I am awake because I watched a good movie and folded some laundry. Now all of the lights are off. I have whispered I love you over my sleeping big girl and  un-tucked her from the suffocation of her blankets, turned off her night-light and brushed back her hair with my fingers. Harper is asleep too, her duvet already kicked off the bed, her body warm with sleep and from cuddling with her stuffed kitties. It’s hot outside, so our windows are open and the ceiling fans are on, each turn of the blades pulling in the night air and making the house smell more and more like outside, like grass mulch and smashed plums dried to the warm sidewalk, like clean water, like summer air that heats up so quickly each morning.

My house lays still with sleep and I want to remember this moment, so I’m writing it. Here is a moment, I say to myself. When Avery is still 6, and Harper is still three. When our house is still small. When our lives have not yet shifted with a new season, when we are still here, together, the four of us under one roof and one starry summer night, our lives tightly wound around each other like string on a spool. Things will change; I know that. The kids will grow up. We will buy a different house. Tragedies will come, healing will follow. I can’t help but think of all this because I am a person who feels very much, very deeply, and the pain of this world has an easy way with making me panic. I worry, you know? I worry about my kids, I worry about your kids, I worry about our parents, I worry about my friends, I worry about my future. I worry about tragedy. I worry about injustice. I worry about what people think about me, what my face is doing as I age, what my work will mean in the end.
And all of these feelings, so constant and close to the surface, often paralyze me. I don’t write. I don’t answer my phone. The anxiety consumes me.
It is scary to love.
It is scary to be known.
The most effective maneuver I know, in this life of pain and worry, is to pray. There is a simple kind of prayer that I am learning, lately, and it is merely to pay attention and let it go.
The bad stuff is loud. It is frightening. It is real.
But the good stuff is too.
The good stuff is real. And it’s happening. All the time. 
This moment, right here? With three hearts beating in three sleeping bodies, three dreamers just a few steps away from me, three people I love in such an expansive manner that it actually changes my very being?
This is the good stuff.
I pray by paying attention and saying thank you. I pray by opening my eyes and letting the good shine like it should, letting the light wash over me and through me, and saying thank you. I will remember this. 
Fresh air settles around me as I write by this open window. The ceiling fan clicks with each rotation, a breezy rhythm above. I am tired, and pressed to pay attention, insistent with myself that I remember this moment of good. And quiet. Full with midnight wonderings, full with contentment and full with an ache that knows
not all will always be well, 
yet may all be well with my soul. 

My anxiety issues are finally settling back into the fathoms of my mind. Finally after a year, well over a year of being my most consuming thoughts. I chose prayer and church to help me with these feelings and it helped. Maybe I should have seen a counselor, maybe I still will. I am just happy to be out of the dark and finally able to enjoy sleeping, eating and life. Just being. Anxiety, its real and something I never thought I would have to deal with. Something I always thought that those that did live with it were just not doing something right, or maybe they had other issues that brought on the anxiety (depression, ect). To this day, I still don't understand it, nor do I know what triggered mine, but as a lesson take it one day at a time, get some help and reach out to those you think can help. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!!

~Heather

Take care of you!

Take care of you!

As a mom, we all know this isn't always possible. We have kids to take to soccer and swimming, meals to prep and laundry to fold. The "to-do" list most days is impossibly long. Let me tell you my recent lesson.

I had a scare from the OBGYN this week. The dreaded abnormal pap...... With my family history of my mom having passed from Ovarian cancer these appointments are done with due diligence every year. This was the first abnormal for me, but along with this my doctor and I discussed my border line high blood pressure, and my inability to lose the last of my weight gained from having Harper.  I walked away from this appointment feeling disappointed in myself.

Those of you that know me, know I work hard and don't sit still. I love working out and I eat a balanced diet of protein, veggies, and fresh fruit. Apparently, its not enough. Who knew that hitting 35 and a second pregnancy would make such drastic changes. I didn't, but my doctor confirmed it and as much as I felt alone she reassured me that she too was going through the same. It was meant to make me feel better, and it didn't. 

After a week of awaiting my lab results, my cancer blood test was negative, as was all other tests , my cells just looked abnormal. This could be from a number of things, some they tested for (all negative) and some they just have to wait out. Great news?!  I don't know, but I am grateful and humbled by these results! I will go again next year for a repeat appointment and hopefully everything will look okay.

My point is, besides voicing my frustration,is that I am blessed with good health, and strong muscles that allow me to do the things I enjoy, every. single. day.  I am trying to repeat this mantra as necessary while at the same time I beat myself up for not doing better, not being better about my health. I don't know at this point where my path will take me but I will continue to pray about some direction and maybe you can do the same for me? I need all the help I can get.

Take care of you first so that you can be there for those that depend on you!

~Heather

Shrimp with aspargus, cherry tomatoes, and Goat Cheese

What you will need:

1 cup of whole wheat penne
6 large jumbo shrimp (uncooked). Fresh or frozen
Mrs. Dash seasoning
1 teaspoon  coconut  oil
5 asparagus chopped
Cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves , minced
1/4 tsp. Of red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp.crumbled goat or feta cheese (optional)

* Remove shells or tails from shrimp and season with large pinch of Mrs. DASH.

* Cook penne according to package directions

* Heat 1 tsp coconut oil over medium heat. Add chopped asparagus. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the halved tomatoes, minced garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 1 more minute.

* Add the shrimp and squirt of lemon juice. Cook for 2-3 minutes until shrimp is pink and fully cooked.

* Drain penne and add to skillet.

* Top with crumbled goat or feta cheese.

* Makes 2-3 single servings.

My style

My style...... or more likely to be referred to as "no style is in some desperate need of attention." I tend to gravitate toward all things comfortable, plain, versatile, and cheap. My wardrobe consists of a lot of skirts and workout clothes, minimal jewelry and some jeans.

I would love to be one of those moms you run into on the weekend that look like a million put together bucks. If you are one of those moms (and yes I have several friends that are) I dislike you, a lot. Please please send me your secrets. Do you tie your kids down in the morning while you take two hours to get ready, or do you have personal shopper and seamstress so that everything fits perfectly ? Not to mention that perfectly colored hair and nails fresh from the salon.  I think it could be these things but more than likely its that you have a love for shopping, and you spend some time at it. I have to say this is my biggest downfall. I have no patience when it comes to trying on numerous items, fighting for dressing rooms or trying to hurry to find the right size before your toddler has a meltdown..

I digress..... My point is I need some help and have recently signed up with Stitch Fix which has some super cute stuff that I can't afford. Has anyone tried the below ? If so, let me know what you think..

https://www.thredup.com (like new clothes from brands you love)

Low fat meatloaf

I can't help myself and had to post another recipe! I am in LOVE with meatloaf and love mine with fresh green beans from the garden.

 

Low fat meatloaf

This is the ultimate rainy day comfort food. It is for when you want something traditional and family-friendly that's also crazy healthy!

• CourseMain Dish
• CuisineAmerican

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

55 minutes

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

Meatloaf

• 1 lb 98% lean ground beef You can use 96% too, but try 98% if you can find it!
• 1/3 cup quick rolled oats
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 5 tbs egg beaters Any egg substitute will work!
• 3 tbs low sugar ketchup Regular ketchup will work too.
• 1 tbs stone ground mustard or yellow mustard
• 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt

Topping

• 3 tsp packed brown sugar
• 1 tbs stone ground mustart or yellow mustart
• 1/4 cup low sugar ketchup Regular ketchup will work too.

Servings: 1 loaf

Instructions

1. Line baking dish with foil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, oats, chopped onions, egg beaters, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Using your hands, put the mixture on the baking sheet and create a loaf that is about 11 inches by 4-5 inches. In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Spread the ingredients over the top of the loaf. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Let it sit for about 8-10 minutes before slicing and serving. I cut 10 slices and each serving is two slices.

   
2. 

Recipe Notes

Paleo Zucchini Chips

Can't wait to try these little beauties this weekend. Happy Cooking friends!

http://vittlesandbits.blogspot.com/2012/03/baked-zucchini-chips.html