Oatmeal! Have You Had Yours Today?

Good Morning!

I have found a new love for oatmeal over the past year or so. It all started back when Starbucks started serving it. I could grab a healthy bowl with fruit and nuts, be on my way, and not feel guilty about my "fast food" breakfast.

Chloe loves oatmeal. Always has. We eat plain Quaker Oats. Suits us just fine.

Nash hates oatmeal. Always has. I couldn't even get him to eat those highly sweetened fruit and cream oatmeal packets.

Come in, Better Oats.

On sale today. 5 boxes for 5 bucks! 5 packets in each box. I bought 5 different kinds.

We taste tested all but one and here is our review:

1. Oat Fit-Cinnamon Roll- At 100 calories per serving and no sugar this is a great option. However, I found it to be too sweet tasting. It had a kind of artificial sweetener taste to me. However, Nash loved this! So it's a keeper!

2. Oat Heads-Berry Blast- This was very aromatic when we cooked it. It had floral aromas of violets and a sweet strawberry scent. I thought it was good, I liked it better than the Cinnamon Roll and Chloe had two bowls for an afternoon snack! Keeper!

3. Raw-Spiced Chai- This is the one we didn't get to. When I bought it I thought Raw implied it was plain, however, Raw means it's made with organic ingredients. 

4. Muffins-Blueberry- Heaven. Not too sweet for me. I really dug it and I will buy it again, definitely a keeper and my favorite of the three I tried. It was hearty and nutty-like. Much larger oat's compared with the Cinnamon Bun. See photo below.

5. Lavish-Dark Chocolate- I thought for sure this would be the big winner. Chloe said it was bland and Nash ate half a bowl...only. He said it was "good." He didn't rave about it and simply said it tasted like oatmeal with dark chocolate. Gee, thanks. Unless I taste this and go crazy for it, I won't buy this flavor again.

All in all, so far, 3 out 5 isn't bad! It smells great when your making it, it's full of whole grains, fiber, potassium, and flaxseeds. It comes in convenient measuring packets (you'll see when you buy it), and it's easy enough for my eight year old to make! It's perfect for breakfast or an after school or after game snack. I wonder if I can get them to trade in their dessert for it???

I know there are so many choices for Oatmeal out there. Instant, Steelcut, Starbucks, Jamba Juice ($1 Oatmeal Wednesdays), and even McDonalds. But I would recommend this for sure. Especially if you're trying to turn a non-oatmealer into an oats lover!

Add A Cute Post Divider Like I did!

I've been working on changing up the blog a bit, and today I added this cute post divider. You will have to change your HTML code a bit, but it's really not hard. If I can do it you can too! The only problem I ran into, is that I use Flickr to store my photos. The code and direct link they give just never seems to work. So I finally caved and signed up for a Photobucket account. It took all of three minutes to set up the account, upload the image, get the code, and have it work the first time! Woo Hoo!

I found the post divider and tutorial at Shabby Blogs.

I have been forever trying to add a custom font for my post titles. I have the perfect tutorial, it just looks like a lot of work and I just don't think I can do it. I will try (again) though.

The other thing I saw once on someone's blog I loved was in her comments section. Everytime someone left a comment on her post, it showed the title and link for their last blog post. Has anyone seen this or know anything about how to do it?

Stay tuned, tomorrow I'm doing a review on a new oatmeal I found. Oatmeal seems to be all the rage right now, and I am definitely on the oatmeal bandwagon, so I want to share some of my favorites with you.

Next week, I will be posting a detailed tutorial on how to make a lamp from your favorite wine bottle! I promise they are so easy and you will love it!

Finally, also next week I will show you how I organize my recipes and plan my meals.

Top Ramen: Do You Or Don't You? Review

I want to begin by sharing my Ramen story with you. Seriously, though. Of course, I'm sure I had Ramen when I was a kid. Although it's not really something I remember having in our pantry. My Mom was a fabulous cook, I suppose Top Ramen would have been an insult to her talent and her upper class social status.

One day, my Dad left on an eternal business trip and shortly thereafter my mom also disappeared. There was no more money, no parents around, and certainly no food in our pantry. I remember going to the pantry and the fridge repeatedly hoping I could figure out something to make from nothing. I was only in 6th grade, and only knew how to cook a few things. My point is, I would loved Top Ramen back then.

When I had my own children, I never bought it. I suppose it never occurred to me. Perhaps I found it full of unnecessary empty calories and shunned it aside as junk food I wouldn't buy. But then, my kids got older. They went to school. They made friends. They went to friends houses. That was it. One day they went to my girlfriends house to play. When I picked them up, she practically scolded me. "I can't believe your kids have never had Top Ramen!" she said. After that it was over. It's a staple in our house now. A go to snack, perfect for warming a tummy in a pinch, especially when we're sick. For me particularly. No mom wants to cook her own chicken soup when she's sick! But, whipping up Ramen can be done in an INSTANT!

I wanted to share this flavor. I ventured from our norm and dished out a whole 25 cents to try it. Let me tell you, it's AWESOME! Sweet and spicy chili flavor, perfect for clearing the sinuses and encouraging hydration. I went back to the store to stock up on them. Next time your too sick to cook and hubby is out of town and can't bring you chicken soup on his way home, reach for this!

What's your favorite Ramen flavor, recipe, or story?

My First Tasty Tuesday! Leftover Turkey: Recipes x 3

So I made a turkey a few days ago, okay, like 4 or 5 days ago. Seriously, I don't know why I don't make them more often. Other than the fact that I have to tend to it while its in the oven, it's so EASY to make and feeds us with such versatility and ease for several days thereafter. Besides a plethora of turkey sandwiches on soft white french rolls (my absolute favorite kind of sandwiches!) I made Turkey Tortilla Soup, Biscuits and Gravy, and Turkey Tettrazini! Even if you are paying full price for your turkey, I think it is soo worth it!

All three PRINTABLE recipes can be found here!

Island's Tortilla Soup

Adapted From: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes II

By: Todd Wilbur

Ingredients:

4-5 lb. roasted or rotisserie chicken (I used 3 c. turkey and entire turkey carcass)

16 c. water

1 Spanish onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 carrots, peeled, diced

2 Anaheim peppers, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of 2 large limes

1 tbls. salt

1 tsp. California chili powder

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4-1/2 tsp chipotle powder

3 tbls. minced cilantro

Garnish:

Bag of spicy Doritos, crushed

1 c. Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

2 Avocados, diced

Bring water and salt to a boil in a large pot. Discard skin from poultry. Clean meat from bones, coarsely shred, and set aside in a medium bowl. Toss meat with chipotle powder. Add carcass to water pot. Simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Meanwhile chop veggies and shred cheese. In a separate pan, saute carrots, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in EVOO or poultry drippings. Saute for 10 minutes.

After 30 or so minutes, remove bones, etc. from broth. Discard bones. Add sauteed veggies, meat, lime juice, chili powder, and cayenne to broth. Simmer soup for one hour, adding cilantro in after 30 minutes.

To serve, ladle soup into bowl, top with avocado, cheese, and Doritos, in that order!

Biscuits and Gravy

Okay, so I've never made this before! Can you believe that? This was so easy. I wrote down how I made it and now I can't seem to find it. Go figure! But I did use Texas Biscuits which I think really added greatness to this dish. They were just the right firmness and density to stand up to the thickness of the gravy. They're sold right by the Pillsbury biscuits, come in a can, and are in the refrigerator section.

So anyway, I baked the biscuits, chopped some (a few cups) turkey, and made the gravy with my turkey drippings. I strained the drippings, added them to a pot, and heated to boiling. I then added a well mixed concoction of about 3 Tbls. flour and 1/2 C. of water to the boiling drippings.(I'm guessing on this water measurement). Add salt to taste.Whisk to a boil, then reduce heat, and cook until thick. Add turkey to warm. Spoon over baked biscuits!

Turkey Tetrazzini

Ingredients:
1 box Fettuccine noodles
1/4 C. flour
1/4 C. butter
1 can chicken broth
1 C. (pint) heavy cream
1/2 C. shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 C. grated Parmesan
3 C. chopped turkey or chicken
3/4 C. sliced mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
Salt and Pepper


Cook and drain pasta. In a separate pot, melt butter, then add flour and whisk until smooth. Gradually stir in broth and cream. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Add veggies, meat, and Parmesan, cook until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the Swiss cheese and serve over pasta immediately.

  

Farewell 2010-Welcome 2011

Happy New Year!

Ten Reflections on 2010

10. I entered the blogging world, new information and new friendships blessed me.
9. We traveled and traveled and traveled.
8. I organized and organized and organized. Photos and videos were preserved in a new form.
7. Nash appeared on several media outlets making him somewhat of a local celebrity.
6. Chloe got braces.
5. Chloe played her first year of Little League and started at a new school.
4. We were blessed with the arrival of a new niece.
3. Nash entered the blogging world.
2. We spent Christmas at home.
1. Relationships helped me realize that moving may not me such a bad idea.

Ten Goals for 2011

10. Lose 10 pounds by eating better and exercising more.Help my family to become more active and outdoorsy.
9. Add new recipes to my repertoire.
8. Spend less, save more and become more financially responsible.
7. Blog better.
6. Travel and move.
5. Make new personal friendships.
4. Finish projects.
3. Read more.
2. Find Nash a great high school.
1. Live, laugh, and love to the fullest.

I just love reading all my favorite blogs. I have learned so much in the few months since I started blogging. I feel I have gained much more from the blogging community than I have given. I hope to live up to my potential this year while still blogging for my original intended purpose. That purpose is intended for my children. In Dec of 2011 I intend to print out my blog and gift it to my kids. And I hope to do so every year thereafter. I will still include our personal journeys and achievements, while chronicling the events that took place. I also intend to share with them the recipes and how-to's that they may want, as perhaps they will have had some sort of impact on their memories. I can't imagine what a gift it would have been to have something like this from my own mother. I feel as though she gave up on being a parent before I knew that it was happening. I had to learn everything from folding a sheet to hard boiling eggs to roasting a turkey from someone else. I learned how to be a wife and mother, not from her, but from my own trial and error. It was at best, frustrating and heartbreaking. I can only hope my children never have to feel that void. I hope to be able to guide them in the choices and their everyday life far into their adulthood. So it is to them, I dedicate all of my writings. Nash and Chloe, I hope this blog can serve you well when you call upon it.

Thank you Nash and Chloe for inspiring me everyday. Thank you to my friends in the blogging community who have made this journey easier and better. Thank you for taking the time out of your life to share all of your wonderful ideas that have made their way into my home. It is with great unselfishness that you share your world with us. I am so grateful to have found you! Have the most happy of New Years in this 2011!