"What's That?" Wednesday

Well, I don't really know how to start today's post or how to exactly word everything.  So I'll just jump right in... I am taking the rest of this week and next off from my blog.  I'm going to do a trial separation I guess you'd say....from Daily Cup of T.  I really do like having a blog. It's kind of fun and motivating for me, but truth be told I have a little too much on my plate right now to be dealing with my daily cup.


This blog has been therapeutic for me since my health ordeal this past summer. It has given me something else to focus on.  I have enjoyed my weekly missions, sharing recipes, and blabbing on and on about whatever. However, having a blog takes time and energy, and I really need to put that elsewhere right now.  We have some possible changes coming up for our family...a possible move...the holidays...and honestly housework alone gets backed up when I am blogging away to you all.:)  I may find a way to keep it going and that's why this is a "trial separation" for me.  If I miss blogging too much, I'll be back.


Thanks for reading everyone!  Have a great rest of the week and I'll let you know when I know if I'll be getting back to my blog. Thanks again!


:) Tasha 

Tasty Tuesday

Kale Chips
I have been hearing about these more and more lately.  I figure kale has probably been around forever, but it is kind of "in" right now. Who knew that vegetables could be a fad? I heard kale chips mentioned in two television shows last week alone. Thought I'd give them a whirl.


Well, they're awesome! Chad and I devoured them.  I will for sure have to buy more than one bunch the next trip to the grocery store. So this week here are some bite sized healthy treats to balance out those bite sized fun bars from Halloween!:)

Easy and entirely gone in less than five minutes!

Kale Chips
recipe from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

For more kale facts, click here.

On A Mission Monday

Whew!  A couple of hurdles jumped! My mission last week was more of a personal challenge than anything.  I finally called a babysitter and set up a time to meet with her.  I then met with her and set up two future dates to have her babysit our daughter. Yay!!!!  Everything went better than expected and I did not have a panic attack. Yay again!!! I have to admit it felt good to just take these first few steps.  We'll see how I feel when the actual day arrives.  I'll keep you all posted!


Meanwhile, we finally took our 5 year wedding anniversary pictures that I posted about before.  Here they are:

Woo hoo!!!  5 years!!!!

We added one little cutie.  Wonder what the years to follow will look like?

It feels good to finally get some major (babysitter) and minor (picture) tasks off my to-do list.  As you can see though, these pics are still slightly fuzzy.  We again used our phone camera.  My reason now is that I have misplaced our  regular camera!  I could have sworn it was in my camera yesterday morning before church. Ugh!!! Where, or where could it be?

This week's mission.....find our camera stat.  Also, I have boxes and boxes of pics that are pre-digital camera. Walgreens and Walmart envelopes full of them.  Not in any order or album.  They are all over the place.  Need to get camera back and pictures organized.

Have a great week everyone!!!

Family Friday

Well, another October is in the books!  Time is just flying by!  We had our fun with pumpkin patches, Fall activities, and trick-or-treating. Now it's into November we go.  I cannot believe how quickly Christmas is approaching.  This mom needs to get it in gear!  Here are a few shots from October.  This mom also need to use our camera more. Phone camera shots turned out a little fuzzy.  I am envisioning clearer pictures for the upcoming holidays already! Have a good weekend everyone!

Growing faster than a pumpkin in the pumpkin patch!

All three of us squeezed into a little train seat. 

Getting her first official trick or treating in at the mall.

First time trick-or-treating house to house!

Thoughts for Thursday

Thoughts for Thursday....just when I thought I had lots of ideas to pull from, I draw a blank!  Thoughts for Thursday is tough when I can't think straight!  Ever feel like your mind is just jumbled?  It's full of what if's and unknown answers to questions spinning around in your head.  We worry.  We stress.  We think we are having a bad day, then it gets worse.


Don't worry, I am not having a nervous breakdown or anything.  It's just the only thing consistent in life is change, and today is just one of "those days".  So I googled solutions for when your mind is jumbled, and this is what came up. Interesting.  I have never really done anything they talk about here to help clear my mind.  I mean usually when I hear the word meditation, I just feel like you just sit and breathe and waste time when you could be doing something more productive.  Hmmm.  I have a feeling I am wrong on that.


Anyways, I promise this blog won't just turn into a "video sharing" blog. Although today I am going to share this because I can't think of what else to do.  Check it out if you get where I'm coming from...or if you are having one of "those days" yourself......


TGIF tomorrow!


http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-clear-your-mind

"What's That?" Wednesday

What's that?  Did you notice my Wednesday title change?  "Wonderful Wednesday" sounded a little too cheesy to me.  Mid-week I have enjoyed just writing about something I have found worthy of sharing.  It may be a good book, product, idea, or website.  In other words, it's a little like show-and-tell, and it's usually something new that has caught my eye.  Something that has made me look twice and say "What's that, again?"  Voila!  So I now have "What's That?" Wednesday.


Anyways, some friends told me about a couple of great ideas on what to do with all that leftover Halloween candy.  I had heard of ideas here and there, but now I have sites for reference.  This year, my 2 year old did not hit up too many houses trick or treating, but I know in years to come our candy stash will only get bigger. We'll be hitting up more houses and we'll hopefully have more kids of our own out there gathering the sweets. More kids. Older kids. More candy!

• If you decide you just can't fork over the candy, then maybe try one of these leftover Halloween candy recipes here.

• If you need to get it out of your house pronto, then check out these programs ..........................www.halloweencandybuyback.com. Here you can find participating nearby dentists willing to "buy back" your candy with either money or toothbrushes, etc.  The candy is sent on to Operation Gratitude. Two awesome programs!!! Who knew we could turn Halloween into something better for our teeth and something so patriotic?

I found this video posted below to show you more about Operation Gratitude. It's worth a watch! My husband is in the Navy, so I do have a soft spot for all those serving our country. Whether you have a family or friend in the military or not, I hope you also appreciate all that these men and women do for every one of us everyday.  After watching this, I am in the mood to send a care package!  I also now know what I'll be doing with my leftover Halloween candy for years to come!

What's That?  
It's Operation Gratitude, and it's awesome.




Thanks to Eva, Julie, and Jeanne for my Wednesday inspiration!

Tasty Tuesday

Baked Turkey Egg Rolls
Tried these last week and fell in love. My first attempt at egg rolls and they were great! I loved that they were baked and not fried.  This is mainly because I have never really been a fan of fried foods, and it's just easier to stick them in the oven and be done with it!

Easy ground turkey mixture.

Not picture perfect, but my taste buds did not know the difference.
Really good recipe find!

Baked Turkey Egg Rolls
As found on the cool blog, Iowa Girl Eats.


Ingredients:
1 celery stalk

2 cups coleslaw mix

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic

1/2 inch peeled, fresh ginger

1/4 medium onion

1/2 lb. ground turkey

2-3 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

8 egg roll wraps

Directions:
1. Chop celery into small chunks in food processor. Combine in a microwave safe bowl with coleslaw mix and microwave for 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic & ginger to food processor and chop until fine. Add onion and chop until small. Move mixture to skillet over medium heat and sauté in 2 teaspoons oil for 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to burn garlic.

3. Add ground turkey to skillet and cook until no longer pink. Drain turkey/onion/garlic mixture and return to skillet. Add cooked cabbage and celery, soy sauce and red chili pepper flakes. Stir until combined and allow to cool.

4. Heat the oven to 400 degrees, spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and get out a small cup of water.

5. For best instructions on how to roll an egg roll, and an awesome side to go along with this, check out Iowa Girl Eat's picture tutorial here. Once rolled up, bake at 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Also, don't forget a little extra soy sauce for dunking! Hey, the baked part may be healthier, but I still have my weaknesses elsewhere! Can't wait to have these again soon!

Enjoy!!!!