Meal Plan!

This week I decided I would try a recipe out of my Eat Clean Cookbook every day of the week except for Saturday since we usually eat the leftovers all weekend.  Here is what I've come up with:

Monday: Eat Clean Spaghetti & Meatballs (we've had this before and it's SO good!)
Tuesday: Summer Roasted Salmon (probably my favorite, I make this often) with roasted asparagus & squash mixture
Wednesday: Chicken Stacks (these look so good, can't wait to try it out)
Thursday: Girls' dinner at my friend Heather's house!  I'll be bringing the dessert (of course).  I'm making The Days of Wine and Roses Cake.  I got this recipe from Leslie's Blog, you should check her out.  I love it!
Friday: Pork Tenderloin, broccoli & brown rice
Saturday: Chicken Spaghetti

This cake recipe is "semi-homemade", but from what I've read, it's a total crowd pleaser.  I can't wait to try it.

Hope you're having a wonderful Monday!
XOXOXO

Weekend Fun and a Little Catch-up

Going back to last Sunday night, I need to post about Olive's Solemn Assembly, but I haven't had adequate time to spend posting about this very important milestone in my faith.  We, as members, we asked to spend the month of January preparing ourselves for this event last Sunday night.  A book, more like a workbook, was recommended for us to read in preparation as well.  It's called Returning to Holiness written by Gregory R. Frizzell.  And boy-let-me-tell-you was this one powerful tool.  This book broke me down and made me get on my knees in repentance.  I still haven't finished it, but it was such an eye opening book for me.  It had been a loooooooong time since I surrendered like that before God.  I would highly recommend it to each of you.  It has helped me innumerably.  Two of my biggest problems, I will admit, are sins of the attitude and worrying.  Sometimes I just have a plain ole bad attitude about various aspects of things in my life and I've always been a "worrywart" (but that doesn't make it right).  That has totally changed since reading this.  Don't get me wrong, these are both personality traits about me that I still work on day in and day out, but what a difference!  I feel as though a weight has been lifted!  I want everyone to feel this way!  So last Sunday, all members of Olive were called to attend the Solemn Assembly.  It was the single handed most amazing thing I have experienced in my life.  There was not one dry eye in the church when all was said and done.  You could feel God's mighty presence in the building and in each person.  Many people were saved, many asked for forgiveness and chose to start walking with God, and many were brought to their knees in surrender because we, as humans, cannot make it alone.  These past 2 years of my life have been so significant in my walk with God.  I feel closer to Him now that ever and I pray that everyone can feel this way too.  Life makes sense and everything just seems so much easier knowing that I'm not in control...knowing that He wants whats best for me and for me to follow His will.  Ahhh, I'm blessed!

So currently...Whew, what a busy, but FUN weekend it has been!  We started off with dinner Friday night with a couple from our Sunday school class.  We had a great time, they are such good company :)  I feel so blessed to have met them and many other couples through our connection group at church.  I've mentioned our Sunday school class in an earlier post, but in case you're just now reading this, Jared and I attend a Sunday school class, also called "connection groups", at our church.  Our class is designed for engaged/newlywed couples.  It is the perfect fit for us!  We love our teachers and all the friends we've made.  It feels like one big family.  Each month, we generally have some type of event put on that we all try to attend.  Next Sunday after church, we're heading to a teacher's house for a big potluck lunch.  Other times we do game nights, go bowling, etc.  I look forward to all of our events & thoroughly enjoy myself.  Every time we leave, I always tell Jared that I feel so refreshed.  It feels good being around people who genuinely care for you.  I struggled for so long with the concept of Sunday school.  I used to attend when I was younger (middle school was when I stopped) and I'm actually a very shy person and some of the kids were not very nice to me.  Silly, I know, but I still had that complex even as an adult.  This class has made all the difference in my life and really giving a new meaning the "church family".

Saturday was filled with wedding showers!  So many of my good friends are getting married this year and I'm in 3 more wedding before July, whew!  Plus two more to attend.  This spring will be busy, but a good busy...what's better than love and sharing in someone's joy?!  So Saturday, my friend Lauren had her shower at one and then I was off to my friend Erin's shower (I'm in her wedding) at two.  I had such a good time at both of them & of course I love to have a reason to dress up ;)  LOL I'm such a girly-girl.  I love getting dolled up for stuff like that. Especially on Saturdays because most are spent in sweats.  Ha ha..

After church this morning, Rosalie and I headed off the the dog park while Jared prepared for some depositions tomorrow.  I was kinda nervous taking her since it was her first time and I didn't know how she would react.  But she loved it!  She had to greet every person and dog that came her way.  We spent about two hours out there, walked a WHOLE lot then came on back home where she went on another walk.  I wore her little butt out :)  She's sleeping on the rug as I type.



Here's Rosie on the way home from the dog park.  She's such a weirdo, I guess she didn't get the memo to sit facing the windshield, LOL  And yes, she rode like that the whole time.

When we finally got home, she was too tired to play with her ball (her beloved, she is obsessed)

And here's one more picture just because I think she looks cute.  So mischievous, can't you tell?!  She was trying to jump on the couch (a no-no in our house)

Stay tuned for Meal Plan Monday!
XOXO

Doggie Daze

I haven't updated in awhile, but lots of exciting things have been going on!  First of all, we got a dog!  Totally unexpected but super exciting!  She's a little mutt - vet says some hound, some doberman, etc. but we'll take her!  She was a rescue.  Honestly, she is so good that it amazes me.  I have never had a dog that I hadn't bought from a breeder, but there is such a difference.  She just seems so thankful and works extra hard to make her mommy and daddy happy.  She learned to sit in her first 5 days with us and already runs to the back door when she needs to go outside.  She had an accident in the house the 1st day (was our fault though) and that's been it!  She's doing excellent on a leash and is learning how to play!  We bought her all of these toys and for about a week she would just look at them and walk away, even terrified of balls or anything thrown.  Now she flings them all over and runs to catch them when we throw it.  She loves them & she definitely knows what it means when we say, "go get your ball!"  She's such a lover and cuddle bug too:)  She sleeps in her kennel all night long, without a whimper & gets up whenever we do.  Rosalie is her name.  Here's a picture of her after we first got her.  I think her nose has grown some since then, he he he.

Isn't she cute?!  I may be slightly biased ;)  She loves her cousins Jemma and Bo (Julie & Brian's dogs) and gets excited when we take her over to their house to run around!

I've gotten some feedback about my meal plans & people are starting to share theirs with me, love it!  Please keep it coming!  I've gotten some great ideas and new recipes along the way too.  But since it's Thursday, I figured it may be a little late to post my meal plan for this week since it's coming to an end.  So, that'll have to wait until next week.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

XOXO

Meal Plan Monday!

Hey y'all - hope everyone had a great weekend! I know we sure did. It was so gorgeous outside! Saturday we enjoyed doing a whole lot of nothing (I didn't get any house work done) then we went to dinner and to our 1st hockey game with some good friends. We had a blast! It was so intense, I loved it! Apparently the team in our area is #1 in their conference. If you want to find out more about them, you can check them out here. I don't know the first thing about hockey, but I thought that was pretty neat.  Sunday we went to church then out for lunch afterward at one of our favorite places, Cock of the Walk.  Best.Coleslaw.Ever.  Sunday nights we typically have dinner with my parents.  So, I did my weekly grocery shopping at my favorite place, Publix, then came home and made a buttermilk chocolate cake.  It will make you want to slap your grandma it's-so-good.  I've had a lot of requests for the recipe over the past few months so here ya go!  The icing can be a bit tricky and just an FYI, this is not a cake to make when it's very humid or raining outside.  The icing will not set and you'll have a big mess!  Trust me, I learned the hard way.



Carrie's Buttermilk Chocolate Cake 
INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE:
*1 cup of strong coffee
*2 sticks Parkay margarine
*1/4 cup cocoa
*2 cups sugar
*2 cups all-purpose flour
*1 tsp. baking soda
*1/2 tsp. salt
*2 large or jumbo eggs
*1/2 cup buttermilk
*1 tbsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS FOR CAKE:
1.  Preheat over to 350°.
2.  Bring coffee, Parkay and cocoa to a boil in a small sauce pan.
3.  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, sift the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt.
4.  Break 2 eggs into a 1 cup measuring cup.  Beat slightly and add buttermilk to 1 cup marker.
5.  Add vanilla to the buttermilk mixture. 
6.  Pour the butter/cocoa/coffee mixture into the flour mixture and whisk vigorously
7.  Pour in the buttermilk mixture and mix well until combined.
8.  Pour into 2 greased and floured 9 inch cake pans.
9.  Bake 25-30 minutes and let cool for at least 30 minutes before frosting.

INGREDIENTS FOR ICING:
*1 box confectioner's sugar
*1 stick Parkay
*1/4 cup cocoa
*1/3 cup buttermilk
*1 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS FOR ICING:
1.  Sift one 16 oz. box of confectioner's sugar.
2.  Melt stick of Parkay is a medium saucepan over low heat.  (DO NOT let it boil.)  When Parkay is completely melted, add cocoa and buttermilk.
3.  Add the box of sugar slowly, stirring until it's completely melted.  Make sure you keep the frosting at a very low heat.  If the sugar is not dissolving, you can turn it up a little.
4.  Add the vanilla and immediately remove from heat.  Frost the cake right away.

Here's a picture of the one I made last night.  It's not "pretty" because it was just going to mom & dad's.  You don't have to worry about presentation with this cake anyways, it's so good no one will even notice.  If you decide to make it, please let me know how you like it!  It is a total hit with my family.  They request it anytime a desert needs to be made.  I brought it over to my parents' house for Christmas Eve and it was literally devoured in 5 minutes, no exaggerating.   Half of it was eaten last night after supper.  It's sinfully good!

This wouldn't be "Meal Plan Monday" without my meal plan for the week so here it goes:

Monday: Eat Clean Meatloaf with mashed potatoes & steamed brocoli.  I got this recipe from here.
Tuesday: Tomato Basil Baked Chicken, steamed asparagus & my squash mixture* (SO delish!)
Wesnesday: Pork roast, cooked carrots, steamed brocoli
Thursday: Blackened fish of some sort (probably Amberjack since we had salmon last week), baked sweet potatoes and roasted asparagus
Friday: Baked pork chops & squash mixture*

*Squash mixture:  I start off by sautéing minced garlic and onions in about a tbsp of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil for those of you who don't know ;)).  Next, I add sliced and diced zucchini and squash (any kind, I typically use yellow squash and zucchini but you can use anything), add seat salt and pepper, and cook on med/high heat for about 7 minutes or until slightly browned on one side and softened.  I then slice and dice a tomato and add it to the mixture.  (Add extra EVOO if needed).  Cook down for about 2 minutes and add balsamic vinegar, about 2 tbsps.  Add more sea salt and pepper to taste.  Super easy, delicious and a healthy substitute for starchy sides!

I'm starting week 2 of P90X, one down, 11 to go ;)  Gotta get ready for summer time!  Hope everyone has a blessed day...

TGIF & New Year Resolutions

I've never made a New Year resolution, so why start now? I always thought they were silly & no one ever sticks to them, etc. But, I have decided to challenge myself. I am going to do this. It is something I have always wanted to do, attempted many times, but somehow fell short. I am going to read the Bible all the way through. So far, so good! I have really enjoyed it. During our counseling sessions with the Pastor before we were married, Jared and I both expressed our desire to do this so he provided us with a guideline to read the Bible through the year with daily readings from the Old and New Testaments. It really is quite neat. I've read all of Genesis and I'm almost done with Matthew. I can't wait to keep going! I've been devoting time to do my reading before bed and I always fall asleep thinking about what I've just read and/or praying and talking to God about it. Jared is also doing this, so we have many interesting conversations about passages. I love it! The more I read, the more I just "get it". If everyone would just live by these teachings (or try as hard as they can, which is what we're called to do), what a difference it would make. It really answers every single question you could ever have.

Since we're on the topic, I figured I'd share my daily devotional:

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, – Titus 2:11-13

What a wonderful passage. It's so easy to get lost on earthly items like nice cars, nice clothes, money, etc and I admit I am guilty of this. But what does any of that "stuff" matter anyway? It's just that - stuff. There's no substance to it. Just some food for thought :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I'm planning on doing a little early spring cleaning and Jared and I are checking out our local hockey team. It's my first time going to a hockey game, I'm kind of excited! But as for tonight, I can't wait to get home and have a quiet night in with my husband. I've made taco soup, which is perfect for a cold night like tonight.

Happy Hump Day!

Hey y'all! Woo, it's Wednesday already! We're halfway there, folks ;) I hope everyone has had a wonderful week so far, I know I have. I'm loving getting back into the routine of being healthy. It makes such a difference. I could have used an extra hour or so of sleep, but I'm thankful the Lord blessed me with another day to live and a job to wake up for each morning. So, I've heard a good bit of feedback about the meal plan (yay, I'm so happy people read my blog, lol!) and I thought I'd share this handy little tool that makes it a little more "fun" for planning your meals throughout the week:

http://printable.tipjunkie.com/menu-planner-free-printable/

Love this website! It's full of useful little gadgets like this!

Meal Plan Monday

It's been awhile since I've posted. We all know how crazy the holidays can be! We had such a great time, but it's nice to get back into the routine. We spent Thanksgiving in Jonesboro & had Christmas in Pensacola. Our first holidays as a married couple ran smoothly & we enjoyed every moment of them. The Lord has truly blessed us with one another and with great in-laws. We couldn't be more thankful!

Speaking of being blessed, our church has been implementing a Solemn Assembly anticipation the whole month of January. It is truly incredible, indescribable even. I feel so moved. I would encourage every single one of you to attend a service and come see for yourself, the Lord can definitely be felt! These past few weeks I have been reading "Returning to Holiness," which is really more of a workbook than an actual book and let me tell you, it breaks you down and makes to reassess yourself more than you could imagine. We all need to keep ourselves in check with our Lord and Savior and align our lives with his principles and teachings. As was said in church a few Sundays ago, the Bible is not a book to understand, it is a book to obey! Great stuff :)

Now onto food - another one of my favorite topics! :) Every Sunday I make a meal plan for the week. It helps my grocery shopping run smoothly so that I don't buy things that aren't needed. I'm a little OCD, I admit. Lists are my friend :) I like the structure and it makes my evenings more enjoyable because I'm not stressing over what to make for dinner. Here it goes:

Monday: Eat Clean Tacos with salsa, gluten free chips & refried beans
Tuesday: Spinach & Bacon Quiche (other ingredients to include mushrooms and zucchini)
Wednesday: Baked Pork Chops, steamed broccoli & brown rice
Thursday: Eat Clean Summer Salmon, steamed asparagus & mashed potatoes
Friday: Either chili or pot roast (since it's supposed to be cold outside)
Saturday: Cactus Flower...YUMMMM
Sunday: Ehh, Sunday's up in the air! Sometimes we go to my parents' for dinner :) And Sunday is also grocery shopping day so I can buy whatever...maybe we'll do Filet Mignon and sweet potatoes.

Being that I make everything homemade each night, this really gets my week started out right. Since Thanksgiving, we haven't been eating so clean & definitely not working out. That all changes tonight. Today is Day 1 of P90X ALLLLLLLL over again...AHH! Help me Lord, I need strength. I know I'm going to be so sore this week. But that's okay, got a lot of weddings coming up and the beach here soon so I've got to get myself back into shape!