Monday, October 31, 2011

Crafty Monday #1

Welcome to my first installment of "Crafty Monday!"  Since today is Halloween, I thought that it would only be fitting to feature some Halloween crafts.  Below are a few of my favorite Halloween-themed crafty finds from Pinterest.  Enjoy!




Have a fun & safe Halloween!!


*hugs*
Michelle

Friday, October 28, 2011

Foody Friday #3

Welcome to the 3rd edition of Foody Friday!  It has been an incredibly busy week here - which has lead to some really bad food choices. :(  Unfortunately, quick & easy doesn't often equal healthy.  Sad, but true.  The problem is that I often don't get home from work until 6:30 or 7:30 at night; and, by the time I walk through my front door, I'm usually ready to chew my fingers off.  (Not literally, of course! ;)  Taking the time to fix a healthy, balanced meal is usually the last thing on my mind at that point.  I wracked my brain, trying to come up with a possible solution.  So, of course, I went to my favorite website for suggestions - Pinterest!  I found a pin with a very helpful tip attached: to prepackage slow cooker recipes in gallon-sized bags and store them in the freezer until needed.  How smart is that?  All you have to do is throw the contents of the "freezer meal" bag into the slow cooker before you leave for work, and it's ready for you when you come home that night.  AWESOME!!     


Happy cooking!

*hugs*
Michelle
 

Friday, October 21, 2011

Foody Friday #2

Hello, Everyone!  Welcome to another "Foody Friday!"  I hope that you've all had a fantastic week!  (Wow, that was a lot of exclamation points! ;)

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I ab-so-lutely {heart} fall!  Well...usually.  I have to admit that this week has turned into the exception.  It has been so incredibly rainy this week, and I would give just about anything for just a glimpse of a blue sky!  On the flip-side, the yucky weather has gotten me thinking about warm, yummy soups and chowders.  There's just nothing like a bowl (or mug) of warm soup on a wet, gloomy day!  With that in mind, I decided to share a Weight Watcher-friendly chowder recipe that I found on Pinterest.

Points Plus+ 5 per serving


 Ingredients:
 
1 1/2 tsp. canola oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 bay leaf
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 potato, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 12-ounce can nonfat evaporated milk

salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
pinch of cayenne pepper


 Directions:
 
Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan over low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add celery, bell pepper, garlic, and cumin and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 more minutes. Add broth, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Add corn and potatoes, return to a simmer, and cook until all the vegetables are tender, for 5 to 10 minutes. Place cornstarch in a small bowl and slowly add the evaporated milk, stirring until smooth. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the soup and return to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Makes 6 Servings (1 cup per serving)

Nutritional info per serving:  200 calories; 2 g fat; 5 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbs; 10 g protein;
4 g fiber; 208 mg sodium

 
Happy cooking!
*hugs*
Michelle


Friday, October 14, 2011

Welcome to my first Foody Friday!


TGIF and welcome to my first Foody Friday!  I absolutely {heart} everything about fall - especially all things pumpkin!  So, to celebrate this wonderful season, I wanted share one of the pumpkin recipes that I found on Pinterest.


(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces white chocolate (roughly chopped)
pinch of salt

Directions:
1. Heat the milk, pumpkin puree, and spices in a sauce pan until the mixture starts to simmer, then remove it from the heat.
2. Add the chocolate, then stir until it has melted.
3. Pour the hot chocolate mixture into mugs.  Top with whipped cream and garnish with cinnamon.


Have a great weekend!

*hugs*
Michelle

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Midnight Rooster October reveal

Hello again!  It's time for the newest Midnight Rooster monthly reveal.  I absolutely {heart} this kit!  Here is a picture of October's kit, Cuckoo's Nest.



  And, here are the projects that I created using it.





Be sure to stay tuned for a "foody" post on Friday - compliments of Pinterest!

*hugs*
Michelle

Monday, October 10, 2011

Midnight Rooster sneak peek

Happy Monday, All!  It's almost time for another Midnight Rooster reveal.  So, in anticipation of that, I wanted to share a couple of sneak peeks at my October projects.  (I'll be making another post tomorrow night with a full project reveal.)





There are all kinds of goodies in this kit!  I can't wait to show it to you tomorrow!!  :)

Have a great night!

*hugs*
Michelle