Taco Rolls

Jarrod commented the other night that I never make the same thing twice so last night for supper, I fell back to an oldy but goody with a little tweaking to it... Taco Rolls (originally taco ring or taco pie but I kinda combined the two).

 

- 1 can reduced fat cresent rolls (yes I know these are not 100% clean and nutritious but I have to have a little compromise for the famliy and I haven't had time -or want to-  to whip up my own dough)

- 1 lb ground beef (I used Kirkland Organic from Costco)

- 1 cup shredded cheese

- taco seasoning (I made this)

 

Heat oven according to cresent roll package.  Brown meat and drain fat.  Mix in taco seasoning.  Lay out crescent rolls and place a spoonful of meat and a little cheese in each one and roll up.  Bake about 10-15 minutes.  (Sorry I am a terrible recipe writer but hopefully you can figure it out).

 

Each roll is about 270 calories so I had 2 with a side salad.  The girls each had one and Jarrod had the other 4 so they must not have been too bad!     

Veggie Vinegar Salad

I love this beautiful and delicious salad.  It is super easy to make and tastes great!  I originally made it to take as a side dish for Thanksgiving but I made another batch just for me to take for lunch this week.  The whole recipe is less than 500 calories so you can have a ton of it if you want or add a little something to go with it.  I divided mine into 4 storage bowls so I would have a quick lunch action to grab out of the fridge. 

 

 

 

- 1 can each or 2 cups each of carrots, green beans, and niblet corn.

- 1 red onion sliced.

- 1 green bell pepper chopped

- about a cup of apple cider vinegar

- about a 1/2 cup of sugar (You can just kinda test the sugar and vinegar to your liking)

 

Mix together in a bowl and chill for about an hour!  It is soo yummy!

Ebates

One of my best new discoveries is Ebates!  You get cash for just shopping online!  In the past 3 months, I have received about $30 just for going through ebates to buy things that I already buy online anyways.  It is super easy and there really is no negative side to it that I have found so far. Did I mention that this is FREE MONEY!!

 

All you do is:

- Sign up HERE

- Search for the site you want to shop from and click it.

- Shop online like your normally do.

- And then get money back.... for free!  Ebates mails you a check every couple of months plus you can get bonus cash for referring friends! 

 

 Like I said I haven't found the down side to it yet! So click the link and go check it out!

 

Weight Watchers!

So I have about 10 pounds that I would love to lose that I just can't seem to get rid of!  I feel like I constantly live on a diet with a lot of cheats.  I always try to be conscious about what I eat but I just need a little something to get the scales moving (down that is)!!

 

I have always loved Weight Watchers because I always do well on it and it is easy to stick to because you can eat whatever you want as long as you track it!  Everything in moderation, right?  So I am excited and motivated about starting back on Weight Watchers.  I feel like all of our suppers have been pretty bland lately trying to eat more clean so I feel like Weight Watchers will give me a few more options... plus I have a ton of delicious recipes pinned on my Pinterest that I have been meaning to try!

 

Getting skinny with it... nah nah nah nah nah nah nah!!

 

 

Today I Stop Keeping Up With the Joneses

"Keeping Up With The Joneses"

 

I honestly don't really know where that came from but we hear it all the time!  And sadly, I feel like live it...

 

I feel like I am THAT mom who is constantly trying to keep up with everyone else.  We have to have the nice house and the nice car and the nice clothes... yes very sad I know... but just being honest.  Don't we all want the best?  Don't we all want what our friends (or even more our frenemies) have?  It's just human nature.  And especially with social media, and everyone displaying their best things and their new toys and splattering all over our news feeds how wonderful and lavish their lives are (even though we all know most of it is not near as good as they make it seem).. it's hard not to want that to.

 

But today I stop!  I am comitting myself to stop comparing what I have to what you have.  It doesn't matter.  It doesn't matter who makes more money or who has nice furniture or a fancier car... it just doesn't.  My family is clean and clothed and fed.  We are healthy and have way more than we could ever need!  Very sadly, I have put what my family has and does above other more important things.  Just being honest here... I am so ashamed of what a priority I have made it to keep up with everyone else!   

 

So today I make a concious effort to stop!  I honestly believe I will be much happier and content when I decide to stop doing that.  Just because you have a nice leather couch, doesn't mean I need one to.  My soft warm brown couch with marker and yogurt stains that we bought new two babies ago with cash is just fine.  So is my non-stainless steel fridge and my 100k miles Honda.  And it's really okay if we don't attend every single kid event that comes to town.  I don't think my girls will ever know that they only went to 3 Disney on Ice Shows this year instead of 5!

 

1 - Stop browsing Facebook so much.

2 - Stop comparing everything I have to everything you have.

3 - Stop... just stop!

4 - Be content... I have WAY more than I ever need and I actually do like the things I have!

5 - Christmas is coming... we don't have to have every toy and a bigger "Santa spread" than your kids! 

 

I know it will be way harder than just saying I am going to stop but I am definitely going to try and stop myself.  My goal is a happier, healthier, more frugal life! 

 

So today I stop Keeping Up With the Joneses.... they are broke anyways!

 

Confessions of a Preschool Mom

So I was reading Kelly's post over at Kelly's Korner this morning about her confessions of a new Kindergarten mom and I totally feel her pain... except for preschool which is probably not even as near as intense as K stress!

 

I feel so lost when it comes to preschool... is this okay to wear?  Did I send the right shape or the right special item to share?  Did I send the right form and money?  Is their a field trip today?  Does she have friends?  Am I the only mom who doesn't drop their kid off?  The list goes on and on and on....

 

I never knew I could be so lost when it comes to being a preschool mom!  I have to be at work early so my dad takes her and picks her up.  I feel like I am missing out on so much by missing out on that.  I feel like I don't really know what all is going on and so wish I could just be a little fly on the wall one day and watch how she interacts with her teacher and classmates.  Thankfully, Hadley has a very sweet teacher that keeps us updated pretty well and we get cute little calendars each month with all of the special activities on it but I still just feel so lost!  Maybe I will get the hang of it before next year...

 

 

 

 

My Girls

I recently read another story about another sick child struggling for her life.  I can not imagine the pain and struggle that a family with a sick child goes through.  It just breaks my heart to even think about it.  But what always amazes me about these families is the faith they have and share.  Faith that God will take care of them and heal them.  And the confidence that God has a plan for that little life.  I pray that I never ever have to experience that but if I ever do, I pray that my faith shines through!

 

I am sooooo thankful for two healthy children.  I saw one mother post about her sick daughter and she said that she is not hers.  She is God's child and she is just the one chosen to raise her for this time.  I need to remind myself of that often.  God gave me my girls to guide them and teach but truly they are his children!  He has just trusted me to take care of them for awhile.  I pray that they both live long after I'm gone and face as few struggles as possible in life but I know one day those struggles will come and I just pray that I can help them through it with God's strength!