Digi Day

Unfortunately my creative ventures are the first to be put on the backburner during busy times. We are heading into another busy time for us. The sweet hubsters took his last finals today. He is officially finished with his second year in medical school. I'm so proud of him. He has worked so hard. We are onto another adventure as we pack up our little house and head further East to Michigan.

Anyway, I've been pretty contemplative about life lately. I am so blessed to be where I am today. I've missed my family and "home" so much but I have met lifelong friends on this journey. My Grandma would occasionally tell me when I'd complain about this or that, "Bloom where you are planted". I love that and I hope I've been able to do that here in Missouri. I'm a better person today because of this whole medical school adventure. Sometimes you have to be thrown out of your comfort zone to really really grow.

I saw this on Pinterest and it home. Found Here.

Just a shout out to my K-ville friends. Thank you for helping me bloom. I'm going to miss those I'm leaving something fierce and am so glad a handful are heading to Michigan too. Love you lots. :)

Okay, cheesiness over. Back to the whole put aside creative ventures. I have done a few things that need to be showcased.

This is a template from the Photoshop 2012 series. They are a quick easy way to get some scrapping done and also learn a new technique. Check them out here. You can purchase a subscription and get a new one automatically each week or you can purchase them individually. So fun, so cute. Full Credits here.

I made this card for my Mother and one for my Mother-in-law. Hopefully they don't see this first, Ha ha. I purchased a used Silhouette machine and haven't had much of a chance to play with it. I love how easy it is to cut out and make custom cards. I used a digital paper kit by Carina Gardner. It's called Paris & Co. Provencial Plum Pack. Super pretty. You can find the full credits HERE.

Look how cute these turned out! I love making iron-on Onesies for baby showers. I have such a wonderful supply of super cute digital images. They make super fun, easy gifts. The little Bee and Bird are from the Echo Park Hello Summer Element Pack. Find it Here.

Have an awesome weekend. :)

Love, Monica


 

Chicken Divan

A big hit!  I thought i'd try something new on the family last night, and even invited the Pops over, because it makes a whole lot.  My husband had 3 servings, and my Dad 2!  My kids gobbled it up and even my toddler cleaned up his tray.  Yay!  I love finding easy dinners like this for my family.

Chicken Divan
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 c. half and half
1/2 cooking sherry or water, (I used water)
2 regular cans cream of chicken soup
1-1 lb package of frozen cut or chopped broccoli-thawed
2 c. cooked rice
2-3 c. cubed cooked chicken
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

In a small saucepan, melt butter.  Add flour, and stir until blended in.  About 1 minute to make sure the flour taste is cooked out.  Stir in cream and sherry or water.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir 2 more minutes.  Add soup and stir until smooth.  Remove from heat.  (I cooked my chicken while I did this.)

Place broccoli in an ungreased 13x9 baking dish.  Cover with rice and then half the sauce.  Top with chicken.  Stir shredded cheese into remaining sauce, and pour it over the chicken.

Bake it uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.

A. MA. ZING.  :o)  Hope your family enjoys this as much as mine did.  Happy Thursday!

Love, Erica*

Strawberry Fruit Leather

My sweet Mother in Law sent me home with a BUNCH of strawberries!  Tons!  I froze a lot of them, but I wanted to make a few strawberry things with the rest.  My kids eat them like they are going out of style, so I thought I'd make some fruit leather for them.  It was so simple and the end results were pretty great.  If you want it more sweet, then add more honey.  I like mine a little tart, so I didn't add quite as much.

Strawberry Fruit Leather

3 c. strawberries, with stems cut off

1-2 Tbsp honey

Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Line big cookie sheet with parchment paper.  In your blender add your strawberries and honey and blend, until nice and smooth.  Pour into pan and spread out with the back of your spoon, until nice and even.  Bake for 2-3 hours.  Mine took a little over 3.  It just depends on your oven.  Keep an eye on it.  When it's not sticky to the touch anymore, it is done.  I over did my second batch, but it still softened up, sitting over night.  Let it cool completely before cutting and rolling it up.  Enjoy!

Happy Wednesday!  Hope you are all having a great week!

Love, Erica*

Menu Monday

I feel like the weeks are flying by. Anyone else? I feel like I am shopping and menu planning every other day. Where's that pause button when we need it? :)

Monica's Menu

Monday
French Dips

Tuesday
Pizza Rolls

Wednesday
Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Thursday
Tofu Stir Fry

Friday
Mini Meatloaf

Saturday
Taco Casserole

Sunday
Chicken Rolls





Erica's Menu


Monday
Sweet and Sour Chicken


Tuesday
It's our 8th Anniversary, so we are gonna go out to eat!


Wednesday
Hot Dog Boats, seriously the easiest and one of my kids' favorites.  Slice hot dogs almost completely in half and fry them up a bit.  When they are done spoon in some mashed potatoes and sprinkle tops with cheese and bake until the cheese is good and melty!  Yum!


Thursday
Crockpot Beef Stroganoff


Friday
Tacos


Saturday
Taking the kids to the zoo, so who knows what we'll do for dinner.


Sunday
Coconut Shrimp with Pina Colada Dip-Recipe to come! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Have a great week!

Love, Monica and Erica

Birthday Girl Cupcakes

I was lucky enough to get to make cupcakes for my friends little girl. She turned two and needed some tasty girly cupcakes to celebrate.

I used my favorite One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes recipe, buttercream, and Marshmallow Fondant to make the decorations. If you've never made Marshmallow Fondant, you should give it a try. It really is simple to make, color, and manipulate into what you need. It tastes so much better than store bought fondant. You can use it to cover a whole cake or to shape into decorations. I posted the directions HERE.

Here are the recipes for the Chocolate Cupcakes and Buttercream Frosting. They are tasty. My fave.

Hope you had a wonderful week! Have an awesome weekend. :)

Love, Monica

Erica's Green Smoothie

This has been my go to recipe for smoothies since I started on my weight loss journey.  It helped out a lot when I was craving something creamy and sweet.  When I first started making it, I was adding a packet of Truvia.  Now if I add it, it is WAY too sweet. 

 

Yum!

Erica's Green Smoothie

1 c. Unsweetened Almond Milk

1 container of Fat Free Vanilla Yogurt

1 medium banana

2 Tbsp. Flax Seed

1 serving frozen berries, (I like strawberries or the mixed berries.)  1 serving is about 2/3-1 cup

1 HUGE handful of spinach

If you like it a little thicker add a handful of ice

estimated calories 381

Even my kids love them.  I have to pour them their own cup every time.  Hey...it's pretty much healthy, so I don't mind.  Yay for spinach!!!  Here, McCoy is waiting for me to give him his share.  Stinker.

 My diet so far has been very successful.  I'm down 18 lbs!  I have about 5 more to go to hit my goal.  So excited with the progress I've made.  Sticking to a strict 1200 calorie diet and exercise plan has been hard, but so worth it!!  I do cheat on the weekends, so I can get my junk food fix.  I think it's helped out a lot that way.  I can't cut it out completely.  NO WAY!  Love my sweets!

Happy Wednesday!!

Love, Erica

Mint Brownies

I love mint brownies. I guess I'm just a mint + chocolate fan. I've been meaning to make some mint brownies for a long time and finally had the occasion to do so. These turned out moist and yum and are really quite easy. Brownie anyone? :)

Brownies
1 cup butter

1/2 cup cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 cup white sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Melt butter and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

Mint Frosting
5 Tbsp. butter
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

Soften butter. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

Chocolate Frosting
5 Tbsp. butter
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4-1/2 cup cocoa powder

I used the same recipe as the mint frosting minus the peppermint extract and food coloring. Of course add the cocoa to make it chocolate. Use the same directions above adding the cocoa with the powdered sugar.

Spread mint frosting over brownies. You can put the pan in the freezer to let the frosting set up or just let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes or so. It will crust over a bit. Carefully spread the chocolate frosting on top of the mint. Enjoy!
 
Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything