Life Really is Good

This month our book club chose Life is So Good by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman.

Source

This book is a true story and it's about the life of Mr. George Dawson. He was born in 1898 in Texas and was still alive when this book was published in 2000. It's truly amazing to read the life this man has read because it's not a story you can imagine someone doing these days, times have changed.

A man who spent his younger years working to help support the family instead of attending school, spent 9 years of his young adult life traveling around the United States, seeing Mexico and Canada, and then eventually settling down to start a family back in Texas. 

A man who got by without knowing how to read a single word. It's amazing to see how he traveled around relying on the honesty of other people since he was unable to read. He managed to live with almost nothing financially but seemed extremely content with the life he lived, in his eyes, life is what it is. Essentially you make the best of your situations.

He's most well known for taking the initiative and going to school at the age of 98 and finally learning to read. Which if you read the summary of this book is a huge plot point of this novel. Honestly I was more interested in the parts before then. 

Don't get me wrong to learn such a key "function" in life at the age of 98 is amazing, but I felt that the rest of his life was so interesting to read about. It was just a different time and way of living, but so fascinating!

I won't give away much more because I feel everyone should read this book. It's fascinating, heart warming, and you might learn a thing or two.

Overall Grade - A-.

Weight Watchers Classic Corn Bread

As promised here is the recipe and review of Weight Watchers Classic Corn Bread recipe! I made it the other night with Skinnytaste's Turkey Chili Taco Soup and it was the perfect side!

You only need a handful of ingredients - Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Salt, Cornmeal, Lowfat Buttermilk, and 1 large egg!

 First up mix your dry ingredients - 1-1/4 cups yellow cornmeal, 3/4 cup flour, 4 teaspoons sugar, 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

In a separate container, I used a large measuring cup to make it easier, combine 1 cup + 2 tablespoons low fat buttermilk and your egg. Whip those together in the measuring cup or bowl, whichever you prefer.

Drop your buttermilk/egg into your dry mixture.

Mix until just blended. Do not over mix!

Then evenly distribute the batter between 12 muffin cups. Make sure to spray your muffin cups with nonstick spray before you put batter in.

Pop them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. These only took 20 minutes in my oven but I bet if you make them in an 8 x 8 pan (which is the other option to these) it will probably take you 25 minutes. Do not over bake them!!!

I chose to pair mine with the amazing Turkey Chili Taco Soup and it was perfect for "dipping".

Overall these are pretty good. A little dryer and denser than regular corn bread but being only 2 points per muffin I'm sold on them! Since they are super easy I recommend to try these!!

Chili Soup and Cornbread!

Despite the crazyness of our lives right now I was dying to try something new for dinner so I made that a priority last night and whipped up a couple new recipes!

And who better to rely on for ideas than Skinnytaste and Weight Watchers?!?!?

I ended up making Weight Watchers Classic Corn Bread and Skinnytaste's Turkey Chili Taco Soup! See how one goes with the other!

First up I want to share the Turkey Chili Taco Soup recipe cause it's so extremely EASY and DELISH!! I wish I had made this during the winter instead of now with the sunny skies we are getting!!

But still it's worth it and can easily be whipped up on a day when you might be getting off work late or have something to do right after work. This takes a total of 20-25 minutes!

Without further ado - here you go!

Ingredients needed - 1.3lbs 99% lean ground turkey, 1 medium onion (chopped), 1 bell pepper (chopped), 10oz can tomatoes with green chiles, 15 oz can kidney beans (Drained), 8 oz can tomato sauce, 16 oz can fat free refried beans, 1 packet of low sodium taco seasoning, and low sodium chicken broth. She technically calls for 15 oz canned or frozen corn (drained) but I hate corn so it got the boot!!

First up you will want to chop up your onion and red pepper, lucky me I have an awesome fiance who always offers to do that kind of prep work. Seriously takes him 2 minutes, while it takes me at least 5 if not longer, I'm a slow chopper! Then drain your can of kidney beans. And while your at it go ahead and get your 2 1/2 cups chicken broth ready to go.

Once you've got that prep work done toss your ground turkey into a large pot and get it nice and browned.

Once your ground turkey is browned toss in your onion and bell pepper, stir and then let that cook off for about 2-3 minutes. It will smell so good at this point!

Then gather all these items....

And dump into your pot! Stir and let simmer for 10 - 15 minutes!

Remove from heat and if you aren't super impatient I highly recommend putting some in a bowl and letting it cool for a few minutes. It is hot! 

Add a couple (2 points each) corn bread muffins to the side, a small amount of cheese (I used a taco seasoned style cheese for more spice, not that it needed it ) and a small dollop of sour cream to your chili soup...

And ENJOY!

This seriously is so amazingly delish!! It's filling but doesn't feel super heavy like chili! And you get get 1-1/4 cups of it for only 5 points!! And unless you are starving you probably won't want to finish the entire bowl! I ended up only eating one of the corn muffins with my soup cause it's super filling!

And for those of you wondering here's the Weight Watcher Points Breakdown for the whole meal:

1-1/4 Cup Turkey Chili Soup = 5 points
1 Weight Watchers Corn Bread Muffin = 2 points
1 tablespoon light sour cream = .5 points
2 oz the taco seasoned cheese = 1.5 points!

Total = 9 point dinner

Now I could definitely take out the cheese, but the sour cream adds such great contrast that it's a must! And if you "dip" your corn bread in the chili soup you won't need any butter or honey to top it with!!

Overall this dinner could be 7.5 points or less and it's so filling! A must try for everyone who loves Soup, Chili, and Cornbread!

Stay tuned for the Weight Watchers Corn Bread recipe...............

Get Your Bridal Basketball On!!

Since I've been knee deep in wedding plans (Only 16 days until THE BIG DAY!!!!!!) I haven't had much time for blogging, new recipes, and barely enough time for reading.

But I did have time a couple weekends ago to spend some non wedding related quality time with my scrapbook room! Granted it wasn't completely un-wedding related because I worked on a layout of when Chuck and I went to the Brides & Basketball Event last March (2011)!

This layout was so fun. I mean aren't they all?? I just loved it because I had bought the paper and stickers a long time ago and finally got to use them!!

I ended up having to redo my journaling three times!!!!!!! As you can see I had a lot to say :) But it all finally fit!!

This was a lot of fun to work on and it was nice to work on something other than wedding DIYs. I can't wait until my Scrapbook Room goes back to being my normal scrapbooking/craft room and no wedding to dos :)

So excited!! 16 Days!!!

Foodie Review!!

Since I've been doing weight watchers I am always on the prowl for healthier low in point snacks and I figured why not go check out Trader Joes one day on my lunch break

So I did!! And I picked up these snacks to give a try. I got the Trader Joe's Everything Bagel Chips, Trader Joe's Lightly Salted Crunchy Green Beans, Snapea Crisps, and few different Luna Bars - Smore, Peanut Butter Cookie, and Nutz Over Chocolate.

 

Let me first put a small disclaimer on this post - I have not tried the Peanut Butter Cookie or Nutz Over Chocolate Luna Bar, partly because they are high in points and I look at them as good bars for after a work out. With the weather we've had recently I haven't had many options to go running so I'm holding off on trying those two. I have however tried the Smores bar.

Let's go ahead and start with the Smores Luna Bar...I spit it out. I took 4 chews and had to get it out of my month! I had just went for a run, it was a Saturday morning and I was pretty hungry. I thought the Luna bar would make me feel full but it was pretty gross. I am hoping the other two are better but there was something wrong with the Smores one. I know that Luna bars are not everyone's cup of tea but I still would like to like them!! So we shall see!!

Why not just get the bad foods out of the way right? The Lightly Salted Crunchy Green Beans were HORRIBLE! Now I'm not a huge salt fan, in fact I hardly add salt to anything but I do get the salty cravings every once in awhile. Unfortunately these just won't do. They were way to salty and I just felt the flavor was quite off and I personally love green beans. I definitely won't be buying these again.

On to the Delish, Slightly Addicting Foods!!

I first tried the Everything Bagel Chips from Trader Joes and knew it was love! It was only 3 points for a serving and it was something to change up my normal baked lays or reduced fat cheez it's with lunch. They are perfectly flavored with the right amount of crunch! I really would recommend these to any chip lover!

And now for the most addicting, best tasting food out of this post!! The Snapea Crisps are AMAZING!! They are seriously the right amount of saltiness, the right amount of flavor, and while they are slightly fluff food I'd give up the three points for them! You get 22 of these babies for 3 points. For those of you on weight watchers I'm sure you think 22 is a lot, but these are pretty light, airy, and super addicting so be prepared to eat a whole serving! These are seriously becoming a staple in my house now and the great thing - you can find them at many different grocery stores!! I've found them at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Lucky's and Safeway!! Just look for them in the produce section!!

Even though I really didn't care for the Luna Smores Bar and the Salted Green Beans I was so stoked to have found the bagel chips and Snapea crisps!! I can't wait to throw the Snapea Crisps in a salad instead of croutons this summer!!

Clearing the Aisle

I originally started reading The Girl With No Shadow by Joanne Harris but quickly discovered that I needed a fluffier book. I just wasn't able to get myself fully absorbed in that book so I picked up this one! Since I'm getting married in less than a month (YAY) I figured this would be right up my alley!

 Source

If you are A. a Bride or B. Jewish or C. a Jewish Bride you will enjoy this book! 

The book revolves around Rachel and Dan and their journey through planning a Jewish wedding, complete with divorced parents who HATE each other, an insane Mother, a laid back groom, a best man who is against marriage, and of course that one bridesmaid who needs all the attention!

It's your typical wedding book but when you're getting married they are extremely fun to read! I thoroughly enjoyed this book but I was really kind of disappointed in how it drags everything out in the beginning of the book, about 80% of the way through, then it seems to suddenly speed up and rush through the wedding. Granted I'm sure that's how a real wedding feels and this book is told from the Bride's point of view, but I was still hoping for some more of the wedding details without them looking back upon it.

I really enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend to anyone who is getting married or who just enjoys wedding books.

Overall Grade = B!

Are You A Brunette??

I don't usually buy into the hype on using expensive shampoos and conditioners, but I do enjoy changing up my shampoo/conditioner routine randomly. It's not that my hair necessarily needs a change but more so that I want a change and what's easier than grabbing a different shampoo and conditioner than normal? 

This time around I was at Ulta (yes that's where I buy a huge amount of my products from) and they had their own brand of the color specific shampoos. You know like the John Frieda Brilliant Brunette (which I LOVE by the way), but instead this one is called Ultimate Brunette from Ulta :)

It's not bad, but not sure I'll buy again. It might work better if I were to use the conditioner with it but alas I was not even running low on conditioner when I bought this shampoo. Overall I'd recommend it but it's not going to become a regular for me. Just doesn't seem like it does much and honestly I love shampoos with a strong smell, whether it smells like a fruity drink on the beach or a salon, I just like scented products.

Any one have any good smelling, good for your hair shampoos? Actually does any one have a brand of shampoo/conditioner that really helps with broken hair? 

Every other day when I go running I pull back the front of my hair using bobby pins but it's seriously breaking my hair up top so it's not pretty. I could definitely use some help on getting those back to healthy!

New Evening Routine!

I've got another product review for you!! I recently revamped my night time routine and started out with the Neutrogena Wave, which I still love by the way, but I also tried out a few other night time products.

My skin tends to be super sensitive, as in oily through the day, but dry as a desert right after washing it. Of course I moisturize but since I can't wash my face every single night and morning, otherwise my face is like sand paper and there ain't no moisturize that can do the trick without causing huge oil problems for the rest of day......I digress...........

But since I can't (don't like to) wash my face every night I wanted to get some make up removing wipes. I scoured the shelves at Ulta, but I really wasn't sure. I wanted to get the most bang for my buck and I wanted something for sensitive skin. I found these babies on the bottom shelf!

Suitable for sensitive skin (yup taken right off the package), make up removing, soothing, pretty smelling, EVENING wipes!?!? Hells yes I am so on those.

You get a total of 30 wipes for  $5.49 if you get them at Ulta, which to me is a deal! I couldn't be happier with these make up removing wipes! I use them when I don't wash my face at night and oh lordy do they smell so pretty! 

It's probably just mental but I swear that scent will calm you down, add in a light candle like this one, and some sleep time tea and you are in for a night of relaxation!

I highly recommend these wipes to anyone but don't use them with a face wash, use them as a replacement for a face wash! You will not regret getting these, unless of course you don't like scented products, then steer clear.

Little Chapel on the River

It feels like it's been such a slow month when it comes to reading but I guess it has considering I've only made it through two books and its March 20th......Yeah well I blame it all on this one.

I am excited to share that I have finished reading Little Chapel on the River. I just started this book on Sunday and was pretty skeptical, however since it's Wednesday you must've figured out I loved it!

Source

The book is actually centered around a small town's locally owned (and operated) bar outside of New York City called Garrison, right on the Hudson River. It focuses on the authors true story of how she came to this small town, during the aftermath of 9/11 and the family she found there.

It's truly a story of an old Irish man and his bar, and so much more. It may center around the Guinan Family's store and bar but it really is story about forming life long friendships and relationships with people. The book is based on the author Wendy's true story of her time (which I discovered via Twitter she still hangs out at the bar) in Garrison and the people she befriends while there.

It's a feel good book, despite the 9/11 starting point of the book. I absolutely loved and adored almost every minute, could go without the details of some of the medical issues, but overall I really found myself engrossed in this book and of course wanting to go to this bar and meet this oddball characters! 

Overall grade - A. 

For being a book about a bar (think Cheers, yes the tv show) this was a page turner for me that I couldn't put down. Loved every single person in the book!!

Next up on my To Read - The Girl with No Shadow!

Beat This Panda Express!!!

For those of you who don't know Panda Express is a Fast Food Version of Chinese Food. Personally I really enjoy Panda, it can be hit or miss but overall I stick with what I know is good, chow mein, Beijing beef, an egg roll, and orange chicken.

But while perusing Pinterest the other day (yes I succumbed and am happy to report I am not as addicted as I thought I'd be YAY) and found an awesome pin for a crock pot orange chicken recipe! What a great idea! I much prefer cooking at home rather than going out so if I can get a replacement for Panda woohoo!!! Plus its bound to be A LOT healthier!!

After posting this on my Facebook, well a picture of the final product, I knew I needed to get it up on the blog asap as a few people were wanting the recipe! I have been trying to get it up sooner but you know how life goes....but without further ado here is the fabulous recipe for Crock Pot Orange Chicken!

You need Olive Oil, Vinegar (the original recipe calls for balsamic but I only had rice vinegar), Flour, Brown Sugar, Orange Juice Frozen Concentrate, Ketchup, Salt, and of course Chicken!!

Go ahead and cut up your chicken into whatever size pieces you want! I prefer smaller ones since I knew it'd be going over rice!

Then take those chicken pieces and cover in flour, set aside.

Grab a frying pan and crank up the heat on your stove. Toss in a little bit of olive oil and getting to cooking up that chicken. According to the recipe the chicken does not have to be fully cooked since it's going in a crock pot, me personally there is no way I'd chance it. Yes I know that sounds silly but I have this huge fear of raw food and getting sick...so I cooked my chicken all the way!

Next up put together the saucy mixture!! Grab your orange juice (if frozen pop it in the microwave - obviously put it in a bowl and not the container in the microwave- for about 45 seconds).

In another bowl combine orange juice concentrate, ketchup, brown sugar, and salt.

Toss your cooked (or slightly undercooked) chicken into your crockpot.

Pour the sauce over the top of the chicken and stir it up a bit to really coat the chicken. Put a lid on the crockpot and let it cook on high for 2-3 hours (or on low for 5-6). 

Your house will definitely smell like orange chicken after this but it's all in a good way, unless of course you are burning a fruity candle, then it's just strange, trust me I know.

And dump it over some white rice, add in a veggie and bam a healthier (and better) version of chinese food in your own home, no travel necessary!

This surpassed all my expectations! I was really unsure simply because I love orange chicken (and no not just Panda's)!! This was so delish, even Chuckles really enjoyed it and we decided it's a regular now! For those hot summer days when you don't want to turn the oven on, for those weekends where we don't want to cook, or even for entertaining purposes, this recipe will be enjoyed by all who love Chinese Food. 

Another must try - and of course to give credit to where credit is due - I found the recipe here.

P.S. No idea on the weight watchers points scale where this would be. I will find out though and as soon as I do I'll update this post :)

Are All Journalists This Boring?

For awhile there I was kicking some serious booty on my book list but then I chose this one.

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

Source

This book took me 2 1/2 weeks to read. No not because it's long, its only 306 pages long. But its 306 pages long of boring beyond boring text. When we rounded up book ideas last year for book club one of the members brought this one as a suggestion. Since it was a book based on journalists I was totally on board but it did not get chosen. So instead I added it to my 2012 list! Big mistake.

This book is about a bunch of different journalists (one person per chapter, meaning each person gets one chapter and that's it) all working for one paper. And I don't see the any point to this novel. It's filled with a bunch of depressing stories about a bunch of random people.

Overall grade is an F. I can't even say I liked this book for anything! Oh and be forewarned there is one chapter where there is a dog murder, yup someone murders a dog and it's not detailed in the book but they tell you how the dog was killed. Totally hated this book and don't even know why I finished it! Can you say a waste of 2 1/2 weeks?

Hopefully the next one is better, I just started Little Chapel on the River - our March Book Club Book!

Silky Soft

I promise not to focus all my reviews on "beauty" products but lately I've been on a beauty buying spree! I've gotten myself settled into a new skin care routine because of the wedding, however I have now found how calming and lovely it is to have a nightly routine that I doubt I'll ever go back to my old ways - you know sleeping in my makeup, not moisturizing at night, that whole deal!

First thing I did when I decided to start a new routine, which by the way my glow was to get smoother better looking skin, nothing to crazy just thought if I took a little bit more time I'd be able to get my super sensitive, acne prone skin to look clearer and smoother. Soooooo....the first thing I did was research, research, research! I'm a huge researcher. I hate making any purchases without getting to read reviews first and by reviews - I mean LOTS of them!

One of the first products that kept popping up was the Neutrogena Wave gadget. It's a smallish vibrating tool that you attach a cleansing pad to and it literally cleans your face while promising smoother looking skin...they promise it within the first use. My initial reaction - Yeah right, sure it does. But since it was only $10.99 at my local Ulta I figured if it did work I'd have a major score!

You can get it at Ulta!

Of course I read the directions before use and it's super simple to use. Just take one of the pads and attach it to the Velcro spot. Super easy, just press it on and it stays. Then run the padded area under water, just to get it a little wet, press the little on button and get ready for a gentle face massage. No joke this feels like you are giving your face a massage while cleaning it!!!!!

Oh and it's water proof so it can be used while showering - BONUS!

You probably won't believe me but yes it really did work on the first us! I seriously didn't want to stop touching my face cause it was so smooth!! I was SHOCKED!! And the "soap"/face wash that they use on the pads smells great, but is not too strong, and it really does get your face clean without over drying.

Because I was still skeptical, even though it really did work on the first use, I used it again that night before bed and holy wow! It was still amazing and felt so good. I even make Chuckles feel my face cause it was so soft! I mean it won't feel like a feather but I guarantee it will feel softer than any other face wash has gotten your face before!!

The only downside is obviously having to purchase more facial wash pads, but if you use this as a replacement to your normal face wash it won't really matter. However I will only use this at night. I still need my acne fighting face wash (yes at 25 my sensitive skin still gives me troubles) in the mornings, but what better way to end the night with a nice easy, cleansing face massage! 

I highly recommend!! Great job Neutrogena!!

Bathroom Shelf Overhaul!!

Goodness remember back when I posted that I wouldn't have anything new to post for awhile so I was thinking of doing reviews (don't worry those are still coming) but I've kind of been on organizing spree again! I reorganized my scrapbook room awhile back, and would totally show you but it's covered in all wedding related items so it unfortunately doesn't look as organized as it should! Once the wedding is over I will make sure to let you see my newly organized beautiful space where I spend my time creating!!

For now I will show off my newly organized bathroom shelves!! I have been struggling FOREVER with keeping these shelves organized. I didn't know what to do with my make up, the stack of workout clothes always ended up in disarray and of course my many bottles of hair products and lotions were constantly causing me troubles. But I found a solution!!

First up I moved all my make up into a little make up caddy that locks up nice and neat. This is stored next to our vanity and honestly I don't know why I ever stopped using it. It's not pictured but it's truly amazing. I have all my make up organized by type and this way I know exactly what I have to use!

Then I moved all my nail polish (that doesn't hang out in the fridge) into this adorable basket that I got in some sort of bath set. Moved my nail tools into the three drawer holder. I also filled an entire drawer of that with hair clips and bobby pins and another drawer with my headbands.You can only see the top drawer of my holder but it's three drawers. 

And of course I keep my baby wipes handy - baby wipes? what for? you might ask - they are amazing for removing make up at night or just for a refresher if it's hot! Love using them and my coworker Laura was the one who told me to use those when camping - oh yes it's so nice when camping cause you truly feel cleaner when you can't shower!!

And last but not least I finally got smart and threw my workout clothes in a basket!! Bra's, pants, and tops all fit nicely in that basket and when I am getting ready to get dressed I just pull the basket down, grab what I need and the basket slides right back into place. No falling clothes, no mess!! I love it!

 

 The second shelf I devoted to my beautiful jewelry boxes, my handheld mirror, and my make up brushes!! I wanted to keep those away from the sink area as they take up so much room!! It was just too cluttered for my taste and I prefer our bathroom sink area as cleaned up as possibly! And peeking out of the back is a travel kit! I originally bought that as a started kit for my mini emergency kit for work but haven't gotten around to updating my old one, so it sits patiently waiting!

 

And the final shelf is my pride and joy - my hair product and lotion collection!! I bought those two little trays at Target for $2.50 each. I honestly had no idea what to use them for but they were so damn cute I had to buy them. Totally had buyers remorse but then I discovered they worked perfect for this and added a little color to my boring white shelves!

On one tray I keep all my hair products that I use on a regular basis and you can't see them but I also keep my extra shaving gel, Veet (so excited to try for the first time), and razor blade refills.

Then of course my collection of lotions!! I love lotion and I love having a wide variety! My faves are from Bath and Body Works - you'll find out those are my favorite candles too -but I have quite a bit of variety! I also keep my Benefit cosmetics face products there and an awesome face spritz refresher from the Body Shop! I just love products!!

All in all this new system is amazing! Sorry for no before pictures but trust me it was a disaster!! The workout clothes were all just stacked on a shelf, my jewelry box was buried to the side of them, and all my lotions, hair products, and misc body items were in that big white basket. Can you say PAIN IN THE BUTT?? Trust me it was!

But for $5 I revamped my shelves and even Chuckles likes them much better. I think he just likes having all my make up and brushes off the bathroom counter cause it gives him more space but regardless he's happy and I'm happy!! 

Anyone else discovered awesome bathroom storage ideas?

Hello Freezer

This one should be a lot shorter since obviously my fridge is WAY bigger than my freezer!! Even still apparently we like to keep things full in our house cause it's packed! Granted we eat everything in here but still - I repeat - no worries about starving to death!

Let's just dive right in! 

We don't drink much but we do keep some alcohol on hand, we have a bottle of vodka and rum, as well as mini bottles of Red Rum, Hypnotiq, and another type of Rum that our friend gave us to try.  Orange Juice concentrate, Milk Chocolate Chips, Morningstar Garden Veggie Patties, Tilapia Tenders, Breyers Ice Cream Bar, Three Cheese Tortellin Meal, Egg Rolls, Burger Buns, French Fries, Dinner Rolls, and Sandwich bread!

Bottom Half - Ice cube trays and ice packs, bacon, steak, ground beef, chicken, and some ground turkey.

And now for the door!

 

And in the door we have our multiple bags of frozen veggies, some has browns, frozen berry mixture, and a Smart Ones meal! And peeking out below the veggies is another bag of chocolate chips!

That's all there is to our Freezer folks now go and do your own too!!

Hello Fridge!

Awhile back a few people were doing a "What's in my Fridge/Freezer?" blog posts and I loved them so I thought well why not? I know the popularity of it has died down a bit but hey I'm bringing it back!! If you want to do one too I would love it!! I love any type of "What's in my ____?" like purse, car, make up bag, shower, etc...they are just so fun!!

Without further ado here's my fridge!!

What to know the ingredients - are you sure your ready -
Top Shelf: Land O Lakes Cinnamon Sugar Butter, Pears in Juice, Caramel, Lowfat Cottage Cheese, Baking Soda (way in the back), Sugar Free Chocolate Puddings (behind the big tub of butter), Spicy Mustard (Behind the butter as well), Country Crock Butter with Calcium, Yellow Mustard, Grape Jelly, Strawberry Jelly, and Applesauce.

Deli Drawer: Turkey Hot Dogs, Salami, Turkey meat, and American Cheese!

Middle Shelf: Eggs, Pasta Sauce (in the Tupperware), Egg Beaters, Ground Beef (for dinner), Whole Wheat Bread, Fat Free Mayo, Fat Free Sour Cream, Guacamole (goes great on Burgers), Steak Sauce, Sriracha Sauce, 2 Regular Hot Sauce, Olives? and I have no idea what is in the bottom tupperware container - probably more sauce, and in the foil is a little chocolate cake that is to die for from Chuckle's work! I can't wait to eat that!!!

Bottom Shelf - Diet 7-Ups, 1 Beer (not sure why there's only 1), The amazing YoCrunch pie parfaits (only 3 weight watchers points, I highly recommend the apple ones, and I'll let you know about these berry ones), deli carved chicken (also low in weight watcher points and so delish), Orange Juice, Lettuce (in the Tupperware), and of course water bottles!

Bottom drawers - Biscuits, Tortillas, and Cheeses - cheddar and parmesan. Normally we have mozzarella but ran out! And in the other drawer it's pie crusts and garlic!

Next up the door!!

Instead of butter in our butter store spot we have nail polishes!! Yes I put most of my nail polishes in the fridge, makes them easier to apply in the heat!! Lemon juice, Lime Juice, and Ranch Packets (Chuck's mom always sends us home with these cause we are the only ones who put ranch on our salads), And there's our butter sticks!! It may seem like we have A LOT of butter in our fridge but the sticks are for baking and the above tub of Country Crock lasts us FOREVER!!!!!!!! Next to the sticks of butter are Weight Watcher cream cheese single serves and BBQ sauces from McDonalds.

Then we have Pizza sauce (we always have this on hand), Ranch, Coffee Creamers, and that's Parmesan Cheese in the back, Reduced Fat Buttermilk, Ketchup and 2% milk.

Then we have quite the array of dressings - Thousand Island (LOVE), Ranch with Bacon, and a 4 Cheese Fantastico. Then BBQ Sauce, Soda, Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth, More Soda, and Chocolate Syrup!!

I would definitely say that we won't go hungry any time soon. What's kind of sad about doing this is I realize how much food we have that we do not consume on a regular basis. Some of the condiments are only during summer and almost all of them I am the only one to use them cause Chuck likes everything plain. But I guess I like variety cause there are 4 different dressings in the fridge. However the 3 different hot sauces are all Chuckles. I'll use them once in awhile but he could put them on every meal!!

Since this post has gotten to be SUPER LONG, thanks to our overflowing fridge, I'm going to give you a break and I'll do the freezer in my next post!!

Now who's brave enough to share their fridge contents??

Mess of a Stir Fry!!

All day I was looking forward to getting off work because I was going home to try a brand new recipe!! I am trying to do as many recipes from my Weight Watchers Cookbook as well as from the Comfort Food Fix book because I want more and more healthy recipes to become regular recipes!!

I ended up having to go by the grocery store when I got off work so we kind of ate later than normal, but this recipe was worth the time it took to make it!!

You need quite a few ingredients actually: 

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons cornstarch

4 teaspoons canola oil

1lb skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

4 scallions, cut into 1-1/2 inch lengths

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger (I used ground ginger)

3 garlic cloves, minced (I used garlic powder)

1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce

1 orange, peeled and sectioned

2 cups hot cooked brown rice

 

 First step, combine your cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Stir until you get a creamy texture, than set aside.

Then slice up your chicken. Essentially cut them into strips like you would for a stir fry!

Turn up the heat on your stove and place a wok or deep pan on top of the burner. Pour your canola oil into the pan and let it heat a little bit. Toss in your chicken and cook them up just like you would a stir fry.

While your chicken is cooking take this time to slice up your bell peppers and scallions (a.k.a green onions). The next time I make this dish I will definitely be doing prep work the night before as it does take some time.

Once your chicken is cooked set it aside in a bowl, but keep it close by to your pan. DO NOT REMOVE YOUR PAN FROM THE HEAT!!

Toss your broccoli florets and red pepper slices into your frying pan. Cook it like a stir fry for a couple minutes, then place a lid over the top and let it cook for 4 minutes, or until your broccoli is tender.

In those four minutes you are waiting around you can A. start washing dishes or B. get your rice going. I'm a huge fan of the Boil in a Bag rices (props to my friend Laura for telling me about these) so I just need to get it to boil. 

You can also take this time to peel and section your orange. And then just set those aside on a plate and remember to wash your hands! If you are like me then you rub your eyes a lot at night and the sting from the orange is so not worth it, especially when you have contacts in!

After the 4 minutes or up, or for me it was closer to 6 because we don't have a lid that's big enough for our pan. Toss in your scallions, ginger, and garlic powder. Now we both absolutely LOVE ginger so I added a BUNCH of that!! You can never go wrong with more ginger!!

Stir fry that for about 1 minute. While that's cooking for a minute take this time to quickly re stir your cornstarch mixture. Mix together your orange juice, remaining water (1/4 cup) and your soy sauce. Dump the liquid mixture, the corn starch and your chicken back in the pan with your veggies. 

Keep this on the stove top just long enough for the sauce to bubble and thicken.

Be prepared for a strong aroma to fill up your kitchen! It's pretty amazing!! And just look at that mixture...can you say YUM?!?!?

Right before you are ready to serve this dish toss in your oranges and just let it warm up a little bit.

If you are following watchers go ahead and load your plate up with 1-1/2 cups of the chicken/veggie mixture and 1/2 cup of your brown rice. Seriously this is so much for food for only 8 POINTS!! Serious - it's only 8 POINTS for ALL THAT FOOD!!!! Crazy right? And super cool fact - it's so filling I didn't even finish that whole plate!!

This meal was so good and so worth the work! I mean look at that, how can you not think it's worth it?

The oranges are such an odd item to put in this stir fry, in my opinion but it really adds quite a bit of flavor. It really balances well with everything else! And I love soy sauce and ginger so I knew with those two flavors this recipe would be a winner, but seriously the orange caught me off guard with how well it went with everything else!!

I highly recommend every one try this recipe. Chuck cleaned his plate and he is definitely not on weight watchers. And it's really such a filling and low point dinner. I am still amazed it's only 8 points. 8 points!!!!!!!!!!! I know you weight watcher peeps are going WOW SERIOUSLY!!! Yes seriously!!

TRY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!