January Recipes!

So one of my goals this year is to try a new recipe each week....well, now that I'm only working one job I have a lot more free time than I use to so I've been baking a lot! All of my recipes are Paleo friendly which includes: Here are my creations:

Sunflower seed butter and jelly cookies: http://taylormadeitpaleo.com/2013/05/20/peanut-butter-jelly-bars/

Chocolate Tarts: https://bsweetdreaming.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/dark-chocolate-ganache-tart-vegan-paleo/

Chocolate chip cookies: http://taylormadeitpaleo.com/2013/09/20/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Yuca Root empanadas: http://predominantlypaleo.com/paleo-empanadas/

Almond Joy Bars: http://detoxinista.com/2014/08/no-bake-almond-joy-bars-vegan-paleo/

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip pancakes: http://healyeatsreal.com/grain-free-pumpkin-spice-pancakes-dairy-free-nut-free/

Caramel Cheesecake Bites: http://cleaneatingwithadirtymind.com/2013/08/19/incredible-edible-paleo-salted-caramel-cheesecake-bites/

Brownies with Chocolate frosting: http://paleomg.com/soft-chewy-double-chocolate-cookies/

Cheers to me!

Has it really been 4+ years?C

Ok, welcome 2015!
Here's what I'll do-
1. Try a new recipe every week
2. Be able to do pull ups, ring dips, DU
3. Compete in my first Crossfit competition
4. Go back to pole
5. Enjoy myself a little bit more :)

2014 was a big year, here's what I did:
1. Graduated nursing school
2. Got my first nursing job on the unit I really wanted
4. Celebrated my 5 year anniversary with hubs!
5. Went on our first cruise...to St. Thomas, St. Marrteen, and Nassau
6. Got a new puppy! Murph...he's a handful
7. Quit my second job..yay more time for me!
8. Competed in a pole competition
9. Hosted a Friendsgiving
10. Technically the last week of 2013, but consistently went to Crossfit
11. Started, loved, and will continue to do Paleo..when I'm good

2014 was a big year for me...here's to a big year and a new year coming up! Let's see what 2015 can hold!

scalloped potatoes

So, I wanted scalloped potatoes today. Something cheesy, creamy, and delicious. I didn't find a recipe that fit exactly what I wanted. So I combined a few of them with my mom's mac-n-cheese recipe. Yeah, sounds good right? Here it is:

Yield: 3-4 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour

2 baked potatoes, skinned and thinly sliced
2 tbs butter or margarine
1/4 c diced onion
2 tsp. flour
1/4 tsp. ground mustard
3/4 c skim milk
1 1/2 c low fat cheddar cheese
1/2 c low fat mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350*
1. Slice potatoes and bring to a boil in a pot of water
2. In a sauce pan, melt butter in pan, add onions and stir
3. Add ground mustard, salt and pepper, stir
4. Add flour and stir. This mixture should now be paste like.
5. Add milk slowly, stirring in. Let warm.
6. Drain potatoes and spray the inside of a 6x8 glass pan
7. Layer pan: potatoes, cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese, potatoes, cheddar cheese and mozzarella, cheese. Pour milk mixture over the top.
8. Cover with aluminium foil and cook for 45 minutes
9. Remove foil, top with extra cheese and cook for an extra 10 minutes
10. Cool and enjoy

1 year down

One year ago I had just walked down a beautiful isle and promised to love and cherish my bestfriend for the rest of my life. I didn't know what our new life together would entail, but I knew that we would back each other through every adventure.

This year had been full of life changing and challenging events. We had a police academy graduation, a college graduation, bought a new house, and bought a new car. We never planned on buying a new house or car this early in our marriage, but when the opportunity presented itself we realized that together, we could make it happen.

I can't wait to see what each year together holds.

Spinach- Turkey Lasagna

Made a yummy low-fat lasagna tonight! It was a turkey-spinach lasagna and it definitely hit the spot! I love spinach, so I put quite a bit in there. I looked at a few recipes and then put my own twist on it and made my own. I know Chris wasn’t going to eat it, so I just made a half size. Here’s the recipe I did:




Makes: 4-6 servings

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 1 hour 5 minutes



Ingredients:

6 lasagna noodles

1 jar spaghetti sauce

2 cloves of garlic

½ lb of lean ground turkey

1 tablespoon of fresh parsley

1 egg

1 container (15 oz) part-skim ricotta cheese

2 cups fat-free mozzarella cheese

1 cup cooked spinach

½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of oregano, salt, pepper, and basil

Cooking Spray



Prep:

o Preheat oven to 350*

o Boil 6 lasagna noodles in water until al dente, dry on paper towel

o Chop up garlic, sauté in pan with extra virgin olive oil

o Add ½ lb of turkey to pan and pinch of spices to pan. Cook until turkey is done.

o Add the jar of spaghetti sauce, bring to a slight boils then simmer.

o In a separate bowl, mix together container of ricotta, egg, 1 cup of mozzarella, and spinach together

o Spray pan with cooking spray

o Layer with spaghetti sauce mixture, 2 noodles, spaghetti sauce, ricotta cheese mixture, 2 noodles, spaghetti sauce, ricotta cheese mixture, 2 noodles, and spaghetti sauce

o Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes

o Uncover, top with remaining mozzarella cheese, cook for an addition 20 minutes.

o Let cool for 10 minutes, serve.

Busy week

This past week was a busy one! I started classes and my internship started, also the hubby graduated from the police academy. During this next semester most of weeks will be 12 hour days, from 8am-8pm- can you hear my excitement? My husband has eight weeks of supervised field experience, so his schedule is rather random. But for the next four weeks he is following a 3pm-12pm shift. So we won't get to spend much time together.

As far as my classes go, they seem as though they will be challaging, but hopefully I will learn a lot of useful imformation. I'm excited that this is my last semester of "real" classes!

Alright, enough for now! Time to make a yummy Sunday morning breakfast!

dresses

Going shopping today to find a dress to wear to my hubby's graduation! It's in two weeks so I guess I should have already been prepared. But I saw a dress I liked at Target last week so I'll go today to see if they still have it. I've decided that I want a wrap dress about knee length. Nothing too fancy, definitely something I could wear again, with some sort of sleeve. Not too picky, but at least I know what I'm looking for!

The New Year has been good to us. We're looking forward to all the new mile stones we will be reaching this year and are thankful for all the love and support from our family and friends. This year will be very busy for us, but we are hoping for some positive outcomes. All we can do is try, right?

Alright, off to Target while my man sleeps away his Sunday afternoon!