January

Pretty self explanatory I'm jumping on and taking on this 21 day challenge. 

Since I do not drink Soda I'm giving up my Sweet Tea. The struggle will be real. 

I've already given up candy and fast food. 

I'm not much for chips (unless there's salsa or queso involved) or ice cream. 

Biscuits, Bread, Muffins, Cookies.... now that will be a struggle. But its only 21 days. I can do anything for 21 days right. The depressing part about the whole deal is I have a jar of really good queso in my frig right now. Oh the struggle. 

But I have a goal and I want to meet it. Sooner rather than later!!! 

NO SPEND JANUARY!!!! 

Basically there's no access spending during the month of January. One of my parents from Cola. does it every January. And she encouraged myself along with several others to jump on board and not do any access spending during the first month of the year. Of course you still have to pay your bills, buy grocery's and gas but other than that nothing else. Her family of 6 doesn't eat out, not even a coffee run, no trips to Target or the local Frozen Yogurt hut, not even a alcohol run during the month of Jan. Just the basic necessities. Her theory behind NO SPEND JANUARY is that you've gone out and spent a ton of money during the months of November and December in preparation for Christmas that this allows you to step back and relax on the stress of wants and needs from the store or random spending. I'm giving it a shot, can't be to hard right. Eeks, I suppose we will see. I have to say it will be much easier with it just being me at home, I'm a sucker and give in to the hubbs so much. I have a strong will power when I set out for something. 

I'll update ya at the end of the month to let you know how it went. 

Here's to the next month of no junk food what so ever and no spending. YIKES. Please pray for me. 

Spanish Chicken 'N Rice

Ingredients

1 TSP chili powder
3/4 TSP salt
1/2 TSP ground cumin
1/4 TSP pepper
12 oz boneless skinless chicken breast cut into strips
2 Tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice
1 medium onion sliced
1 1/2 cups water
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes undrained
1 small (1/2 cup) green bell pepper chopped

Directions

1) place chili powder, salt, cumin and pepper in a large ziplock bag ~ add chicken strips and seal tightly.
2) shake bag well till chicken is coated completely.
3) melt butter in a 12-inch skillet until sizzling; add chicken strips. cook over medium-high heat stirring occasionally, unit lightly browned 4-5 minutes.
4) stir in rice and sliced onions continue stirring occasionally unit lightly browned 3-4 minutes.
5) stir in water and tomatoes continue cooking until mixture comes to a boil 4-6 minutes.
6) reduce heat cover cook until all liquid is absorbed 18-22 minutes.
7) remove skillet from heat stir in green peppers, sprinkle with cheese. cover let sit till cheese is melted 2-3 minutes.

Irish Pie

Ingredients

3 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 cups seasoned stuffing croutons
1 ld bulk pork sausage cooked & drained
2 cups peeled cooked diced potatoes
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 3 eggs
1-1/2 cups milk

Directions

1) preheat oven to 325 f, in a greased 3qt baking dish, layer the first seven ingredients in the order given. whisk eggs & milk then pour over top of the cheese & meat mixture.
2) cover & bake for 55 minutes, uncover bake for 10 more minutes or until lightly browned. let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Popover Pizza Casserole

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper (sweet)
15.5 oz jar pizza sauce
1/2 of a 3.5 package sliced pepperoni, halved
2 oz can drained mushroom stems & pieces
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1 6 oz package thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1) preheat oven to 400 f, lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish
2) in a LARGE skillet cook ground turkey, onion, green pepper until meat is brown & veggies are tender. (drain off fat)
3) stir in pizza sauce, pepperoni, mushroom, oregano and basil to the meat mixture. bring to a boil reduce heat. let simmer for 10 minutes uncovered.
4) in a small bowl combine eggs, milk and oil, beat with electric mixer for about one minute. add flour beat about one minute or unit smooth.
5) spoon mean mixture into the 9x13 dish, arranging cheese slices over top. pour topping over the cheese slices, sprinkling that with the grated parmesan cheese.
6) bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until topping is puffed and golden brown. serve immediately.

This was a HIT with Gabe because be absolutely LOVES pizza!!!

Do-Ahead breakfast Bake

Ingredients

1 cup diced cooked ham
1 1/2 cups uncooked hash brown potatoes
1 cup green bell pepper chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup original bisquick mix
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups milk
4 eggs

Directions

1) lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2) in a small bowl mix together ham, uncooked potatoes, bell pepper and 1 cup of cheese, then spread evenly in the baking dish.
3) in a medium bowl mix together bisquick, pepper, milk & eggs with a wire whisk, then pour over potato mixture.
4) sprinkle with remaining cheese, cover; refrigerate for at least 4 hours but no more than 24 hours.
5) heat oven to 375 degrees F, uncover and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Ground Turkey Enchiladas

I have enough cookbooks to start a store with if I wanted to, and even more meal ideas in my head then I know what to do with. We've talked & we are going start going through all our books & making all new meals from here on out that we have not tried before. Some I'm sure we will add our own little twist on them like we did tonight with Ground Turkey Enchiladas. With a few changes we have implemented into our life style this one should fit just well. I'm sure there will be some here & there that we aren't crazy about but you never know till you try right ?!?!?!? I'm looking forward to this & venturing more out of my box.
I plan of keeping track of the meals here through my blog so I can remember the ones we like & changes we made, as well as the ones we weren't crazy about.



Ingredients

2 cups shredded Cheddar and Monterey cheese blend
1 onion, chopped
24 (6 inch) corn tortillas
1 (19 ounce) can red enchilada sauce ~ we used a homemade red salsa that Gabe made :)
4 cups cooked ground turkey
1 (12 ounce) can refried beans
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
cumin, garlic powder, dried minced onion, red pepper flakes

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2) cook onion & green chiles in a skillet for about 5 minutes, then transfer into small dish for holding.
3) cook turkey adding a little cumin, garlic powder, dried minced onion for seasoning to taste.
4) warm refried beans on stove top in a sauce pan adding a dash of red pepper flakes.
5) warm tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds 3-4 at a time
6) fill the tortillas ~ spread a small amount of beans on first, add meat, then chile onion mixture finally top with cheese mixture and then roll tight placing in the pan. repeat this till finished.
7) top with red salsa & remaining shredded cheese.
8) bake for 20 minutes covered.

21 DAYS

So my friend Crystal & I are taking on a 21 day challenge.
We are going to the track every evening & walking around at least 3 times and then jogging around once for the first week, & each week there after we will jog one more time around. I was so nervous the first night we went because I had both the pups. and well doing any kind of walking with them is a work out in its self. Thankfully be time we did our 3 walking laps they were getting warn out & semi calm. So the jog went very well. I felt so good about myself when we finish. I was a bit worried because of my ankles & not having a arch it tends to hurt very badly when I run however I did just fine.
I was excited about it & in my head I wanted to go again but my body was telling me to WAIT! We ended the evening walking around the track one more time to cool down. It was wonderful, just being able to talk with Crystal and enjoy the nice evening breeze. It took my mind off Gabe being gone for a bit.
We headed home with plans to do it all over again tomorrow after work. "Yeah Tiffany you can do this." I though to myself. After getting home & settling down a bit, I decided to challenge myself one more time. I jumped on Gabes Rower that we have up stairs and gave it a spin. Doing 15 minutes & sweating my booty off like crazy. Oh man I was feeling it.
I am excited about our challenge & continuing with it even after the 21 days with My Love. The only thing that sucks about it is that right after the 21 days I leave for Texas for 3 weeks. Meaning when I get back I am going to have to start all over.
Well, I guess I would rather start over than not start at all. We have a goal & I am sticking with it and once I reach that I will let you all in on it :), but until then back to the challenge we go.