First day of NaBloPoMo again!

That means National Blog Posting Month. I plan to post something everyday in November! Lets cross our fingers and hope I can do it this year. I made it almost to the end last year and didn't finish so my goal this year is to finish. I have lots of pictures to share from things going on the last few months and new ones still to be taken. Wish me luck!

By the way, I changed my back ground again. I've found so many cute ones at this new place. Can't wait to try some more.

Look I changed the back ground!

I've been seeing these cute back grounds on other blogs and wondered how to do it myself. I finally clicked on a link and it's easy peasy. Aren't they cute?

I guess this is going to count as my October blog because I sure haven't been keeping up with blogging. November is just around the corner and that means a blog a day. I have a ton of pictures I need to post from all the things we've been doing. I'll try to get on that soon. Just wanted to say hi and that we are still around!

It's National Blog Posting Month again

I plan to post everyday in November! It may be a picture or a quick little story but I will be posting daily. Check back to see what's going on!

I've been at it again!

I've been playing with the look of my blog again and finally think I have it how I want it. I've always liked this template but couldn't find a picture I liked for the top. I saw this one and it just fit. Maybe I'll keep this look for awhile.

I know, I know....

I said I would post every day in November but I haven't. I think I have done really well though. If you look at the list over to the right side you can see that November has been my most productive month so far. I pretty much have a post for every day but did not post every day. I'm counting multiple posts in a day towards my goal. Hey, it's my blog I can do that ;-)

Color changes

You may have noticed by now that I change the colors or template on this blog often. I was in an apple mood so I had a leafy green template, then in a pumpkin mood so a pumpkin colored template........now I'm in a cranberry mood ;-)

To tired to post

I should have been in bed an hour ago but can't seem to get there. I'm really tired because when Neal doesn't sleep well, I don't sleep well. His doctor prescribed some new pain medicine that will hopefully help him sleep tonight. Instead of posting a recipe or picture, I'm going to bed. Goodnight!

Internet problems

Due to a poor internet connection yesterday, I was not able to post. I'll catch up tonight.

Challenge to bloggers

There is a challenge out there for all bloggers to post at least once a day during the month of November. I am going to try and see if I can can meet that challenge. I may just post a picture or a quick snippet but I will be trying my hardest to post!

Printing recipes

If you would like to print a recipe open a blank page in your Word Pad or some sort of word processing software. Then you highlight the recipe (right click and pass over recipe), copy and paste (left click for menu) to the blank page then print that page. If you highlight something on my blog then hit print it will print the WHOLE blog--background color and all. My friend Carla found this out the hard way...lol! She now has a hard copy of the whole thing. ;-)

Enjoy the pictures Carla! Send me a piece of Pumpkin Sheetcake.

Should I change the name of my blog?

So I'm thinking I should change the name of my blog to "Cooking Healthy with a Crockpot" because I have been trying new recipes all week. I found 2 great recipes that are both tasty and healthy! I haven't been doing any baking because....well it's not not so healthy. It could be if I didn't scarf up all the cupcakes/cookies/pumpkin anything in the first 5 minutes but that's not going to happen any time soon. I'm an emotional eater and tend to turn to food when I'm happy/sad/everything. I'm trying to change that but after almost 37 years it's kind of hard. Are you wishing I would quit blabbering about my problems and just get to the recipes yet??? Here they are

SOUTHWEST STEAK AND BEANS

1-1/2 lbs. flank steak*
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz. jar chunky salsa
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed**
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
3 cups hot cooked rice***

Trim excess fat from steak. Place onions and garlic in bottom of 3-4 quart slow cooker and top with steak. Mix salsa, oregano, chili powder, salt, and pepper in small bowl and pour over meat. Top with drained black beans. Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 7-9 hours until meat is tender. Remove meat from slow cooker and slice into thin strips against the grain. Turn heat to high and return beef to slow cooker along with sliced peppers. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes, until peppers are tender. Serve with rice. 6 servings.

*I couldn't find flank steak at my little grocery so I used bottom round steak. After 8 hours in the crockpot it basically just flaked into chunks so I never got to slice it. It was very tender.
**I found out I really don't like black beans. I think next time I make it, I will use pinto or red kidney beans.
***We ate it more like a stew and put low fat sour cream and low fat cheese on top. We also each had a flour tortilla to scoop it up. Kind of like eating picadillo or green chili stew. Very yummy and filling.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

3 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
14 oz. can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning
6 oz. can tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1/4 cup dry red wine *
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

Place all ingredients in 3-4 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender. Serve with hot cooked pasta, if desired. 6 servings

*didn't add the wine b/c I don't drink wine.
This was very good! I served it over egg noodles.

I had a few tips for both these recipes. Since I know I'm going to be in a hurry in the morning when I start the crockpot, I try to cut any veggies up and put them in baggies in the fridge the night before. I also set any can goods, spices, etc on the counter with the crockpot. I always spray my crockpot with non-stick spray. It makes clean up so much easier. Lastly, since I'm using the bell peppers in the crockpot, I checked the discounted veggies section. Instead of paying $.89 each I got 2 red, 1 yellow and 1 green for $1.50!

Even though we are trying to eat healthier, I still want great flavor. This is why I found recipes that would give us that. I have also been making my lunches taste good. Today I made chicken salad with a can of chicken, 1 tbs of light mayo, 1/2 a small chopped Granny Smith apple, 10 grapes sliced, 2 tbs pecans pieces, salt and pepper. Mix and serve on a bed of romane lettuce or spinach leaves (if we can ever eat them again). I sliced the rest of the apple and put it around the edge of the plate and had a few thin wheat crackers with it. Arby's makes a similar sandwich filling that I love but they use tons more mayo. I got the same results with much less LITE Miracle Whip.
Stay tuned for more healthy crockpot recipes!!

I've been tagged!

A dear family friend tagged me so here are my answers....

What was your favorite thing about being a kid? The freedom to be or do whatever I wanted.

What was your favorite subject in school? band. Yep, I'm a band geek.

Who was your best friend when you turned 10? I have no idea

If you could be any animal what would you be? a cat

What would you change about your school, occupation, or life right now? I would go back to college. I have no idea what for though...early childhood education, chef, retail....who knows.

What's your favorite color? blue or green...depends on the day

What is your favorite type of crust and toppings? thick crust supreme from Pizza Hut

Playing around with templates

You may notice a different look to my blog. I have been playing around with templates. I'm not sure if this is the look I want so it may change again. I really want one with a food theme but am having a hard time finding one I like so for now I'm under construction!

FAQ's

So you may be reading my blog and wondering what those letters mean...DH, DD, LOL etc. When I first started getting on the internet, I chatted so I learned shortcuts for words to make typing faster. When I found out I was pregnant with Kinsey I joined a message board for Mom's of babies born in March 2001 and learned some more shortcuts. I forget people don't always chat or read message boards and don't know the lingo. So here's a quick little dictionary for you!

DH--dear husband or damn husband, depends on the situation
DD--dear daughter
DS--dear son
BIL or SIL--brother or sister in-law
FIL or MIL--father or mother in-law
LOL--laugh out loud
BTW--by the way

I can't think of any others that I use reguarly right now. If I think of others, I'll add them later.

I also want to add that I am a terrible terrible speller and do use spell check but sometimes I have problems getting the commas in the right places so please excuse the errors!

Check me out!

How fun is this! Thanks to Linda at All & Sundry I found this cute little doll to make. This is basicly what I look like except I'm a little "fluffier". I have a pair of capri pants just like these that I wear at least 2 times a week! This is a lot of fun to play with. Have fun!

All about me and my life

After reading so many food blogs, I decided to try one of my own. I love to read food blogs and to bake and cook. I have one of the smallest kitchens imaginable but still manage to cook great food in it.

I find that when I bake I have to adjust for the altitude. Not all recipes have those instructions so I have learned to add a little extra flour to any baking recipe and it usually comes out great. I live in the central mountains of New Mexico near a ski resort. We live at about 6500ft. The ski resort is at about 9000ft.

My name is Brenda and I'm 36 years old. I've been married to N for almost 6 years now. We have a beautiful 5 years old daughter I've nick named Pumpkin Pie (my favorite pie). I work part-time at a daycare. I cook lunch for 8 to 16 children every day.....now that's fun! Actually, they are really good eaters. I have tried out several new recipes lately and they have loved them all. I finally worked out a 4 week menu that is tasty and nutritious. We have state guide lines to follow that are a pain in the butt but ensure that the kids eat healthy.

I hope to share ideas, recipes, and life in general here........ENJOY!