Healthy Holidays (Nov. 28-Dec.3)

Meal planning notebook-poor quality I apologize...

Did you survive Thanksgiving? I learned the art of homemade rolls, which was a blast. But now I'm REALLY needing to start eating healthy. I've made it a new goal of mine to keep to healthy eating as well as college-budget friendly.

Because of the stress I've been under the last month (don't worry, I think I can see the end of the tunnel), I have been eating my feelings away, resulting in not-so-fun weight gain. Now I am determined to lose this stupid weight and feel great in my body again.

M-baked potato
T-Spaghetti
W-Crockpot Chicken tacos
R-Ramen
F-grilled Pork chops and rice

Breakfasts:
oatmeal
eggs
smoothies
toast

Lunches:
sandwiches
leftovers
frozen veggies
soups

Snacks:
string cheese
clementines
crackers
chips and salsa

Groceries (I have no idea how much they will cost, but considering I haven't gone for two weeks and my fridge broke...we literally have nothing)

bananas
clementines
spinach
chicken breasts
string cheese
lunch meat
cheese
pork chops
taco seasoning
ranch packet
salsa
PB bites
spaghetti sauce
bread
eggs
yogurt
frozen veggies

I'm really trying to stay as healthy as I can. Who's with me? *insert hand raising emoji*

Chicken Fried Steak

With Thanksgiving over, and family headed home, we decided to opt out of family gatherings on Sunday and spend a little one-on-one time together just relaxing. Ok, just kidding. I was furiously writing an essay I have put off for weeks. But you know, cuddling with our space heater and watching Disney movies is always relaxing.

And today, a storm blows in with big giant snowflakes. My husband LOVES the snow because it means snowmobile season. I on the other hand want nothing more than to eat comfort food and read a book.

So, the biggest comfort food I have been craving is chicken fried steak, country gravy, mashed potatoes, good ole' comfort food:

Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs. of cubed steak
• 1 c. flour
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp Montreal seasoning
• S&P to taste
• 1/3 c. milk
• 1 egg. 
• 1/4 c. oil
• 4 tb. butter
• Use whatever spices you like, these are just the ones that we have found we like the best. 

Mix together the milk and egg in a shallow. Mix flour and seasonings in another bowl. Keep in mind you'll be dipping the cube steak in them so don't fill them too much.
Dip the steak in the flour, then the milk, then the flour. So the pattern is dry/wet/dry.
Heat the oil and add the butter. Once melted cook both sides of the cube steak until brown and crispy. Make sure the insides are cooked. 

 
Serve with mashed potatoes, country gravy and rolls. (At least that's what we ate it with)

 
What kind of comfort foods do you turn to on cold days? 

All the delicious ingredients! See my cute crockery?

I had to download these from my Instagram story...

Butter AND oil makes for great frying


The finished results! I did learn, however, that my basement is waaaay too cold for Rhode's rolls. Lesson learned.

Puff Pancakes & Sweet Syrup

One of my favorite breakfast foods to make on Sundays is German pancakes, or as I call them, puff pancakes. They are super easy and don't use a lot of ingredients:

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1 c. milk
• 1 c. flour
• dash of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 5 Tbs butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. As oven preheats, put the butter in an un-greased 9×13-in. baking dish and place in oven, just until melted.
Place the eggs, milk, flour, salt and vanilla in a blender; cover and process until smooth (or if you're feeling lazy, mix by hand). Pour batter into baking dish.
Bake, for 20-25 minutes or until edges are golden brown and puffy.

This is my favorite new syrup recipe. I wanted something different than maple one Sunday so I invented this: (well I like to think I invented it)

Ingredients: 

• 3/4 c. butter
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• dash of vanilla 

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Don't let it boil, just melt.
Slowly add sweetened milk until thick. Whisk in vanilla.
Simmer until it's the consistency of syrup.

So yummy! And perfect for a Sunday brunch.

When done, sprinkle generously with powdered sugar and syrup.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm writing this as my rolls rise. Ya, you read that right. I'm making homemade rolls. Thank heavens for Mom and her extensive knowledge.

 I have so many things to be grateful for this year. If you have been following me on Instagram you've seen just a few things. But for my Thanksgiving post, I wanted to write out 100 things I am grateful for. Here we go! (I've used this prompt from Daring to Live Joyfully to help me get going)

1. The sound of my husband singing in the shower
2. Rain falling on a tent
3. Horses winnying in the morning
4. Summer sunsets
5. Mud
6. Frost sparlking on trees
7. My soft blanket
8. Warm jeans straight out of the dryer
9. Roll dough
10. Tacos
11. Sweet potatoes
12. Chocolate cake and cream
13. Utah State University
14. Connor's blue eyes
15. Lakes
16. Bugsy our Yorkie
17. Pigs-think bacon
18. Deer
19. Friends
20. Coworkers
21. All my sisters
22. My parents
23. My parent's in law
24. Dawn - My only sister-in-law
25. Grandparents
26. Kitchen-Aid
27. Space heater
28. Bed
29. Cafe Sabor hiring me with no work experience what-so-ever
30. Anderson Seed and Garden- for teaching me and introducing me to a new passion
31. Duo Group- for putting me on the path to my future career
32. Jackson Hole/Yellowstone with my husband
33. Disneyland
34. Washington, D.C. my senior year
35. Running
36. Paddleboarding
37. Fourwheeling
38. Christmas
39. Fourth of July-I love BBQ
40. My birthday
41. Harry Potter
42. Gone with the Wind
43. O Pioneers
44. I'm grateful that I can forgive easily
45. My can-do attitude
46. The ability to change
47. The man who told me not to sweat the small stuff
48. The old ladies from the Knotty Knitters
49. The woman who picked me up after I got lost
50. SOCKS!
51. Cowboy boots
52. Gardening gloves
53. Iphones
54. My laptop
55. Christmas tree light fixer-seriously saved Christmas
56. My hands
57. My feet
58. Grandma's hugs
59. Babies
60. My primary children
61. Funny YouTube videos
62. Chuck
63. The Office
64. Once Upon a Time
65. Writing
66. School
67. Social media
68. March in Washington D.C.
69. Go to General Conference
70. Serve a mission
71. Bubble baths
72. LARGE brownies
73. Hotels
74. I've learned to not worry about making a mistake because it's the only way you can truly fail/learn
75. Everyone is different and that's ok
76. Happiness comes from Jesus Christ
77. Police officers
78. Check-out people at the grocery store
79. Gas station attendents
80. Hot chocolate
81. Reading a book by firelight
82. Smore's
83. A jewlery box from my husband
84. Heat blanket from my Mom
85. A guitar from Santa
86. Running a 1/2 Marathon
87. Seeing someone from my mission get sealed
88. Graduating with a 4.0
89. I love the memory of fourwheeling with my Grandma Nancy
90. 25 Days of Service in December
91. Star-gazing with my husband
92. The temple
93. Mtn. Dew
94. My husband's flirty texts
95. The Gospel of Jesus Christ
96. Instagram-for giving me a place to brag about all the food I eat
97. The ability to drive a car wherever I want to go
98. Shoes!
99. Thanksgiving food with family
100. The blog I stole this list from to get to 100. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

Spilled Black Beans

\\Guys, this might be a stretch of a parable but please, use your imagination//

This morning we woke up to a broken fridge and soured milk. Half of the food was ruined. We scramble to clean up before work and in my rush, I knocked over a can of black beans. The lid had been opened and I literally "spilled the beans." Small black pods were all over the fridge, all over the floor.

Piece by piece I attempted to pick up the beans. If you have never picked up beans, I don't recommend it. They squish easily making a bigger mess. Beans aren't super liquid so a paper towel didn't mop them up either.

Some choice words came out of my mouth as I spent the next five minutes picking up each individual bean.

As I sat picking at the small, squishy particles, my thoughts went to the language we used towards our spouses.

In a heated moment, sometimes words can be said that aren't meant. Or cruel, unnecessary things may fly out of our mouths. We never mean to treat our spouses with such distaste, just like I didn't mean to knock over the black beans. But just like those beans, our words, once out, are hard to take back. It's difficult to say a lump apology for a week of bad things said, just like I couldn't pick all the beans up in a large chunk.

One by one, we need to think of the wrongs committed against our spouse and ask for their forgiveness. Being specific in our apologies makes them more genuine and real.

So next time you are tempted to say not-so-nice things, remember the beans.

Bad Week (Nov. 14-17)

I don't normally do this, but I could really use some prayers. People always say that they "go through" a trial but right now I feel like I'm just "in" a trial. That I can't see the end, and I can't exactly pin-point where it began. Wow that sounds depressing...because I know I will be ok! Faith, trust, and a few bubble baths right? Maybe Netflix binge session? How do you cope with a bad week?

As I walked up Old Main today, I realized that once I got to the top, I could blog. Blogging is a way to forget about myself and just write. It helps me cope with wanting to eat every snack food item in the vending machine across the hall. Food blogging is my escape and I'd like to thank all 5 people who read my blog. *insert fist bump emoji*

Background info: last week was one of the worst weeks I've had personally in a long time. I had no appetite, nothing sounded good, and it was just easier to eat out. Note to self (and everyone else) don't let your emotions control your stomach.

Menu:

M-Shrimp tacos
T- Homemade mac'n'cheese
W-Hawaiian Haystacks
R-I have a RS activity so Connor is on his own (poor guy)
F- Burgers

Because of my crazy week, I totally forgot to keep my grocery list and receipt to finish out this blog post. I promise I will be on top of my A-game next week.

Thanks everyone!

Brrrr (November 6-12)

Lazy Saturday's call for meal planning in  bed

I am soooo not ready for the cold. Have I said that already?

I did a little revamping my apartment today adding in some cuter drawer vinyl and just getting rid of things I never use. It feels good to de-clutter and rearrange a bit.

Here's this week's menu:

Saturday: homemade burgers (can you say YUM)
Sunday: chicken cordon bleu, mashed potatoes, rolls, chicken gravy
Monday: shrimp tacos
Tuesday: broccoli mac'n'cheese
Wednesday: pot roast and potatoes
Thursday: baked potatoes
Friday: chicken teriyaki

Groceries: $50 this week. A bit more than I want to spend but I splurged a bit on the chicken for Connor. (:

clementines
broccoli
coleslaw
guacamole/pico
chicken cordon bleu
ground beef
pot roast
sharp cheddar cheese
corn tortillas
buns
cream mushroom soup
flour
milk
eggs
chicken gravy mix

If there is a recipe that you need or want, please let me know!

Shooting = free date! 

Easiest Chocolate Cake Evah

Guysssss. Ever have those days that make you NEED chocolate cake. You know that if you eat one piece of real chocolate cake, not the boxed kind, that every thing will be better. That was me today. I'm heading into the home stretch, my senior year of college and my classes are becoming harder and harder to work with. The subjects are fun but the classes are really hard to try and have a job with. My bosses are great and I know they'll work with me. Still hard though. 

So that was me this evening when I got home from school. I wanted chocolate cake so bad and pinned this beauty from I Am Baker. (Here's the original Chocolate Craving Cake)



I tweaked it just a bit to make it my own and adapt to missing a few ingredients.

What I loved about this recipe is that I just naturally have all the ingredients on hand, baking staples. And if you don't, they aren't expensive to buy.





Without further adieu, the easiest, most delicious cake evah. 

Cake 

• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt 
• 1 large egg 
• 1/2 cup whole milk 
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup boiling water 

Frosting

• 1 cup milk chocolate chips 
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray sides and bottom of glass pan. If using a metal baking pan, heat oven to 325.
Mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl of stand mixer.
Add in egg, milk, oil, and vanilla and mix on low until incorporated. When mixed in increase speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes.
Add in boiling water and gently stir- batter will be very thin. Like, watery. You might think you did something wrong.
Pour batter into prepared dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick is removed clean.
Cool for 10 minutes in pan. While cake is cooling, make the frosting.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips in the microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each heating, until they are fully melted.
Add the sour cream and vanilla and stir by hand until frosting is well combined, smooth, and fluffier.
Spread over cooled cake.

Delicious with liquid whipping cream.