Yumi-licious

Where I live, we don't have any fun places like Pink Berry.  We only have ONE ice cream place.  So, this week when Mom and I were out shopping while I was home, she suggested that one ice cream place.  I wanted something different.  I had heard of Pink Berry and we had passed another yogurt place, so that's what was on my mind.  I looked around the shopping center and this is what I found.  

It took a while but I finally convinced Mom that this would be better than ice cream.  Inside, there were about 15 different flavors of self serve frozen yogurt.  There were normal flavors like vanilla and chocolate, but there were other things like avacodo and red velvet.  Next, there was a bar of add ins.  There were fruits, cereal, candy, toppings and more.  There were so many choices.  I chose New York cheesecake with blueberries, strawberries and granola.  It was delicious. 

So good, infact, that the next day we decided to make the 45 minute drive back to get more.  (And there might have been a cute lamp involved too.)  I stuck to the same as before, but added in the blueberry tart yogurt with the cheesecake.  It was even better!  (I really wanted to red velvet cake, but just couldn't figure out what to mix in with it.)

Menu Monday

A while ago I noticed other people posting menus for the week.  At the time, I wasn't cooking anything exciting, so I didn't blog about it, but I did start making a menu.  I come up with 2 weeks worth of food (only 8 days with Anthony's work and bowling schedule) and then head to the commisary.  Then, every weekend, I plan out the menu for the week.  I try to cook foods that will end up with microwavable leftovers (casseroles, shredded chicken, hamburger meat things) early in the week so I have things to take for lunch or eat while Anthony works.  Well, now I'm trying out 1-2 new recipes every couple weeks so I thought I'd share my menu and recipes.

Sunday-Stuffed Bell Peppers from Kimmie

Monday-Tortellini w/ Alfredo Sauce (Bertolli's)
Salad
Roll

Tuesday- Mexican Lasagna (recipe below)
Fiesta Corn (DelMonte with a sprinkle of Cayenne pepper)

Wendesay-Anthony bowls, so we at at the bowling ally

Thursday- Hawaiin Chicken Kabobs (directions below)

Friday-whatever I decide to heat up since it will just be me

Saturday-Peppered Steak
Rice
Salad


Recipes from above:

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 (15-ounce) can jalapeno ranch-style pinto beans, drained

2/3 cup canned diced tomatoes and green chiles (AKA Rotel)
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of celery soup

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce

9 (6-inch) corn tortillas

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 medium tomato, seeded and diced (I left these out)
4 green onions, chopped (didn't have any, so I used about 1/8 c white onion)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 medium avocado, chopped (didn't use these)



Preparation

1.Cook sausage and ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in beans and next 5 ingredients; cook until thoroughly heated.

2.Stir together soups and enchilada sauce in a saucepan; cook until thoroughly heated.

3.Spoon one-third of sauce onto bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish; top with 3 tortillas. 4.Spoon half of beef mixture and one-third of sauce over tortillas; sprinkle with half of Cheddar cheese. Top with 3 tortillas; repeat layers ending with tortillas. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese and next 3 ingredients.

5.Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
 
Hawaiin Kabobs
 
1 lb Chicken breast
Hawaiin marinade (we like McCormick's Grill Mates)
1 bell pepper
1 red pepper
1 onion
mushrooms
Kabob sticks
 
1.  Cut chicken into cubes.  Marinate for 2-4 hours.
2.  Cut up peppers and onions to desired size.
3.  Put peppers, onions, mushrooms and chicken onto the kabobs.
4.  Grill or bake until chicken is done.
5.  Serve over rice!

My Favorite

Oh, how I love these Oreos!  It all start many, many years ago.  My grandmother used to buy me White Fudge Covered Oreos every year around Christmas and we would eat them when I stayed the night with her.  Back then, they would come in a tin instead of a box.  Now, whenever Christmas time nears and I see the White Fudge Covered Oreos on display, I get so very excited!  I found my first box this year a few weeks ago at the commisary (and I think they've started putting less in the box).  I've already consumed two boxes (but there's only twelve in a box, so really I haven't had TOO many cookies) and plan to buy more.  If you haven't tried them, I think you should.  But definately, whatever you do, DO NOT look at the nutritional information.  I might of looked this year.  But thank goodness I have a bad memory!

Mexican Food

I've been on a Mexican food kick lately.  I just can't get enough.  I love Mexican food.  Since I obviously can't eat out every night, I searched for some recipes that would give me my Mexican food fix.  Here are a couple I found from Southern Living. ( I also grabbed the pictures off of Southern Living, as mine don't look near as pretty, and by the time I get done cooking, I just want to eat!)

The first one we tried was the chimichangas.  We enjoyed them so much when we Anthony made them a couple weeks ago that we made them again last night.


Chimichangas

Ingredients

• 1  (16-ounce) jar picante sauce or salsa, divided (I used a can of Rotel)
  
• 7  cups  chopped cooked chicken
• 1  small onion, diced
• 2  to 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 20  (8-inch) flour tortillas
• 3  cups  (12 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
• Toppings: guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced tomato (we chose Queso)
  

Preparation

1.Combine 1 1/2 cups picante sauce and next 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven; cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, 25 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates. Spoon 1/3 cup mixture below center of each tortilla; top with 2 tablespoons cheese.
2.Fold in 2 sides of tortillas to enclose filling. Fold over top and bottom edges of tortillas, making rectangles. Secure with wooden picks. Place, folded side down, on greased baking sheets. Coat chimichangas with cooking spray.
3.Bake at 425° for 8 minutes; turn and bake 5 more minutes. Remove picks; top with remaining picante sauce and desired toppings.

We loved these.  And it made a ton.  There were atleast 2-3 extra meals. Meaning I didn't have to cook the next night!

The next one we tried was Mexican Lasagna.  This one I was a little more hesitant to try, but it was really easy and really good.

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1/2  pound  ground mild pork sausage
• 1/2  pound  ground beef (I omitted the sausage and used all beef)
  
• 1  (15-ounce) can jalapeno ranch-style pinto beans, drained
• 2/3  cup  canned diced tomatoes and green chiles (AKA Rotel)
  
• 1  teaspoon  garlic powder
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  pepper
• 1  (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of celery soup
• 1  (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1  (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 9  (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 2  cups  (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1  medium tomato, seeded and diced (I left these out)
  
• 4  green onions, chopped (didn't have any, so I used about 1/8 c white onion)
  
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
• 1  medium avocado, chopped (didn't use these)
  

Preparation

1.Cook sausage and ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in beans and next 5 ingredients; cook until thoroughly heated.
2.Stir together soups and enchilada sauce in a saucepan; cook until thoroughly heated.
3.Spoon one-third of sauce onto bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish; top with 3 tortillas. 4.Spoon half of beef mixture and one-third of sauce over tortillas; sprinkle with half of Cheddar cheese. Top with 3 tortillas; repeat layers ending with tortillas. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese and next 3 ingredients.
5.Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Top with avocado.

What Mexican recipe do you enjoy?

My Very Own Mini Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich

We LOVE Jack in the Box. After a night out, we often stopped by Jack in the Box on our way home. We both did this before we ever met. They have such a wide variety of foods. It's great! Well, since moving to the middle of nowhere, Texas, we aren't so close to a Jack in the Box. It's a twenty minute drive. And the worst part is, their new commercials make us want them even more.

Anthony especially found the mini sirloin burger song to be extra catchy. When we drive home and pass a Jack in the Box, I hear "Way out west, where the west was won...Yippee Ya Ay Mini Sirloin Burgers Yee Haw! I always laugh so hard. We always stop at some point on our trip and have both acquired a love for their Mini Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwiches. Too bad we have to drive 20 minutes to enjoy them. So, I came up with my own Mini Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwiches.

1. I cut the chicken breasts up into smaller portions to fit on my mini buns I found at Wal-Mart. Then, I dipped them in a combination of flour and seasonings and then into a bowl with milk and eggs and then back into the flour bowl. I then threw them (very carefully) into a skillet with heated oil. (sorry there were no pictures of the coating, it got a bit messy).

2. When the chicken was done, I sat it on papertowels to drain the grease for a couple minutes and then dipped them in buffalo sauce. It was just a sauce that we had picked up at the store for wings. I put them back on the paper towel for a few minutes to absorb some of the sauce.
3. I toasted the mini buns with some butter for about five minutes before making the sandwich.
4.Place the chicken on one side of the bun and then put the ranch on the other side. Place them together. I ended up adding more ranch because this just wasn't enough!
And...the finished product! I took them up to the station and Anthony was truly impressed. So, I succeeded!
They were really pretty simple to make. I'm not a big fan of frying chicken, but other than that I had no problems! They were great! And cute!

Random Eating Habits

With Anthony's current job, I am left to fend for myself 3 days out of the week, leaving me to figure out what to eat on my own. This was never a problem before I got married, not sure why it's such a problem now. If he's at work, I find myself eating the most random things.

Today:
Breakfast...powered sugar donuts and milk
Lunch...chips and a glass of tea followed by an oatmeal cream pie
Dinner...leftover stir fry

Not so crazy, but very little nutritional value. Some days I'll skip lunch all together. Sometimes I'll have fish sticks, bagel bites, or corn dogs. Some days dinner is chips and salsa. Graham crackers with peanut butter make a great dinner. My dinner of mushrooms with cream cheese was fillling. Sometimes I like to eat lunch meat, cheese, and chips. I love lunchables too. We have plenty of food in the house, it's just that I don't like cooking just for me. And I usually send leftovers to work with Anthony.

Am I the only one that eats all crazy when my husband isn't around. So, what do you do if your husband's gone? Do you continue your normal routine or do your eating habits totally change?