Crock Pot Beef Tips

This is one of the BEST Pinterest recipes I've tried so far! The meat turned out REALLY tender and the gravy was AWESOME! I added Tony's, 4 oz cream cheese, and took out the can of mushrooms. We ate it with mashed potatoes and biscuits! And ate it, ALL haha :)

2 lbs stew meat
1 can cream of mushroom
1 packet brown gravy
1 packet onion soup mix
1 tsp Toney's
1 can of mushrooms
4 oz cream cheese
1 C water

1. Put stew meat in crock pot
2. Mix together soup, brown gravy mix, onion soup mix, Toney's, mushrooms (if you want them), cream cheese, and water until mixed
3. Pour everything over meat
4. Cook on low for the day, DONE :)

Super Easy Shrimp

While we were waiting on the sweet and sour chicken last night, I got hungry. So I decided to give this new shrimp recipe a shot. It was super easy and really yummy!!

1 lb. pealed deveined jumbo shrimp
1 stick of butter
1 pack of Italian seasoning
1 sliced whole lemon

1. Lay out shrimp on cookie sheet in single layer
2. Pour melted butter over shrimp
3. Sprinkle entire packet of Italian seasoning over shrimp
4. Lay lemon slices on top of shrimp
5. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes

Like I said easy and yummy!! :)

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ok I found this on Pinterest (go figure right?) and tried it out last night! It turned out pretty good. My little sister LOVED the chicken. I thought it was missing something. Just not sure what yet.

4 chicken breasts
1 can pineapples in JUICE
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce

Put everything in the crock pot on low for 8 hours or high for 4. My chicken breasts were frozen, so you may need to tweak the cook time a little. Serve over rice. ENJOY :)

Chocolate Chip Pancake Bites

Made these the other morning and they were absolutely fantastic!! And so much easier than regular pancakes!!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix pancake mix as directed on package
3. Spray wells in muffin pan
4. Fill wells with pancake mix 1/2 full
5. Drop a small handful of chocolate chips into each well
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean
7. Dip in syrup and enjoy!! :)

GIANT GUMMYBEAR

Oh my goodness. The is possibly the most awesome giant thing ever. Get it at Blockbuster!!

Homemade French Dip

Here's another easy recipe that's incredibly yummy!

What you'll need:

• 1 lb. thinly sliced roast beef
• 1/2 lb. thinly sliced Swiss or provolone cheese
• 6 Hoagie rolls
• 1 packet Au Jus sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Prepare Au Jus sauce as directed on packet and set aside
3. Slice open Hoagie rolls and place on baking sheet
4. Put roast beef on bottom Hoagie bun being careful that all meat is on the bun and use all the meat.
5. Put cheese on top of roast beef on bottom Hoagie bun. I normally use 2 slices for each sandwich.
6. Put the top bun on the bottom bun.
7. Put the sandwiches in the oven until buns are crispy and cheese is melty; about 5-8 minutes.
8. Remove sandwiches from oven and enjoy while hot! Dip sandwiches in Au Jus sause for super yummy homemade French dip :)

DIY Detox Bath Salt

I found this originally on Pinterest, and I'm HOOKED!!! I've tried lots of different herbs, salts, oils, ect. and have yet to find anything that I don't like! Now, if you have an allergy or super sensitive skin, you'll have to tweak these to meet your needs. But I'm telling you, your body and skin will so thank you for this!! I normally make these up ahead of time and keep them in jars so I can buy the bigger bags of Epsom salt and baking soda (find the big bag of baking soda over by the pool stuff in Walmart), but you can do it however you want.

Basic Detox Bath

What you'll need:

• 2 Cups of Epsom Salts (magnesium sulphate)
• 2 Cups of Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonates)
• 1 Tbs. - 1/3 Cup of Crushed Ginger or Fresh Ginger Tea

Warning: Ginger is a warming agent and the amount you use should be based on your sensitivity and tub size. Be careful using ginger and SLOWLY work your way up!

Directions:

1. Set aside at least 40 minutes for your bath. The first 20 minutes to remove toxins, the second 20 minutes to absorb the minerals from the water.
2. Fill bathtub up with comfortably hot water.
3. Add ingredients listed above and swish water around until their mixed in.
4. Get in the tub!! You should start sweating within the first few minutes. Like I said, you should aim for 40 minutes, but do AT LEAST 20 minutes.
5. Be very careful getting out of the tub. It takes a lot of energy from your body to detox and you may feel dizzy when getting out.
6. DRINK LOTS OF WATER!!!! Your body just did a super detox and needs to be replenished with lots of water! If not, you may get sick after, which kinda kills the mood! :)

Tips and Warnings:

• Dry brush skin before bath for better results
• Do not eat immediately before or after bath
• Drink water before, during, and after bath
• Before bed is the best time for a detox bath so your body can relax and restore itself
• You can rinse off after if you want, but it's not necessary

Ok, so now that we have the basics out of the way, we can get to the fun stuff!! There are lots of different baths you can take for different issues; stress, sleep, cellulite, ect. I love trying new mixes and ordering some pre-made organic mixes from Nature's Alchemy. I almost always add some bubble bath and lavendar essential oil. I'm almost out of everything right now, so next time I make a new batch, I'll put the mixes on here! :)

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Easiest cookies ever.

1 roll of peanut butter cookie dough
1/2 cup sugar
1 bag of Hershey kisses

1. Heat oven to 375
2. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside
3. Roll the cookie dough into 1" size balls
4. Roll the balls in sugar until well coated
5. Place on parchment paper about an inch apart
6. Bake for 9-13 minutes (until almost done)
7. Remove cookies from oven and immediately press on Hershey kiss in the center of each cookie
8. Put back in the oven for 1-2 minutes
9. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes
10. Get fat and happy :)

Fix Hormones, Feel Better

This is a great site with ways to fix your hormone levels naturally to help with sleeping problems, skin problems, PMSing, and lots of other things!!

Wellness Mama

How to lace your running shoe?

I love learning new things. Today, I learned that there are different ways to lace running shoes to sole different problems! Apparently, this is old news to a lot of people, but I'm mind blown. I have a SERIOUS arch, so my shoes always feel way tight across the top of my foot. Solution?? Re-lace those suckers! Tried it out a few minutes ago, and I can already tell a difference just from putting them on! Can't wait to go run and try it out! Check out these lacing techniques and some more running shoe tips at http://www.sierratradingpost.com/lp2/running-shoe-guide/

Give with All Your Heart

Give everything you're able. The things God has blessed you with aren't yours to keep, but to give away as he wishes. Trust that God will provide for you and give all that your are able to those who need it. You can never "out give" God. :)

 

Fun Foodie Fact

Maple Brown Sugar Banana Blueberry Oatmeal

Maple and Brown Sugar Banana and Blueberry Oatmeal - only 212 calories! Low sugar maple and brown sugar, half a banana-sliced, 1/4 cup fresh blueberries. So easy and yummy!!

Skinny Mocha Frappe

1 1/2 cup black coffee
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp sweetener
1/2 cup skim milk

Freeze coffee in ice tray over night. Put everything in a blender. Blend it up. Top with whip cream!

Makes 2 cups with only 44 calories! :)

Our first home shadow box

I got the basic idea off of Pinterest (where else?) and made it a little more simple! I've been looking around for a shadow box that I like and found this one at Fred's for $5! I removed the back, replaced the picture with a map of our town that I printed off of google and a star showing where we live, added a key to our first (and only so far haha) place, and presto! My very own "our first home shadow box" for only $6 :)

Vinegar for Longer Hair

So a few weeks ago while I was getting my hair colored, my hairstylist and I got on the subject of ways to make hair grow faster. While I was sitting under the drier, we both looked up various ways to make hair grow faster and one of the most popular things was vinegar. I've been wanting to try it for a while, but I was having serious doubts about putting vinegar in my hair. I definitely didn't want my hair to smell like vinegar, so I opted for the apple cider vinegar instead. I simply used it as a final rinse (after shampooing and conditioning) this morning before I got out of the shower. Thankfully, all of my hair didn't fall out like I was expecting!! My hair doesn't feel any drier, either. I'm not sure about the "growing power" of the vinegar yet, but I figured it's worth a shot! I'll keep ya'll updated on how well it works!!

Here's a link to the best info my hairsylist and I found:
Hair Care Tips

What do you use to make your hair grow faster?? I would love to hear some other ways! :)

Crunchy Cheddar Chicken Casserole

Crunchy Cheddar Chicken Casserole

Chicken:

• 4 large chicken breasts (or 8 chicken tenderloin strips)
• 2 sleeves Ritz crackers
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 Cup milk
• 1 egg
• 2 Cup shredded cheaddar cheese
• 2 Tablespoons Toney's

Sauce:

• 1   14 ounce can cream of chicken soup
• 2 Tablesppons sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons butter

 
1. Cut each chicken breast into 2 strips (or simply trim tenderloins). 
2. Pour Ritz crackers into gallon size zip lock bag and pound until crumbs. 
3. Pour the milk and eggs into small pan and beat like scrambled eggs.
4. Add salt and pepper to cracker crumbs and shake until mixed.
5. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray and spread thin even layer of cracker crumbs.
6. Spread thin even layer of shredded cheese in pan.
7. Dip chicken in egg/milk mixture and lay the chicken inside the pan.
8. Continue layering cracker crumbs and cheese over chicken until you run out or the pan is full.
9. Sprinkle Toney's over top of casserole. 
10. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the casserole are golden brown and crispy. 
11. Into a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the chicken.

Chicken Penne Rosa

Chicken Penne Rosa



• 12 ounces whole wheat penne
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes (about 1/2 lb.) chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• 2 large chicken breasts cubed
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 1/3 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cups grated parmesan cheese

1. Mince garlic cloves, cube chicken breasts, chop spinach, and chop tomatoes. Set aside.
2. Cook penne according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large skillet with a lid, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add in garlic, cook for 2 minutes or until garlic begins to soften.
4. Add in tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Turn heat up to medium-high and add in chicken. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until chicken is white.
6. Remove from heat, add in spinach and cover skillet. Let spinach wilt for 2 minutes.
7. Remove lid and place skillet back over low heat. Add the penne, Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, and marinara sauce. Stir until sauce is mixed well and everything is well coated. Heat until just warmed through. Divide into pasta bowls and serve topped with parmesan cheese.