Cilantro Lime Chicken with Kiwi Salad

This is a twist off a fajita quesadilla recipe I tried a few weeks ago.  I switched it up because I had some fresh cilantro growing outside my front door ;)

Laura's Cilantro Lime Chicken Quesadillas

Serves 3-4

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

1 packet taco seasoning (I used 3 tbsp of my homemade taco seasoning)

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

juice from 1 lime

1/2 c. shredded cheddar

3-4 tortillas

3-4 tsp butter

Warm olive oil over medium heat in large skillet.  Add chicken pieces and seasonings, cilantro and lime juice.  Stir often about 5-6 min or until no longer pink inside. 

In a smaller skillet, melt 1 tsp of butter.  Once melted and sizzling lay tortilla on butter.  Swish around so entire side is covered.  Fill one half with meat mixture and 1/4 of the cheese.  Fold over tortilla to cover meat and cheese.  Brown for 1 min.  Flip and brown other side for 1 min.  Repeat until all butter, tortillas, cheese and meat are used up.

Serve with sour cream or salsa!

My new salad creation has been given many doubtful looks and comments, but I LOVE it!  I was having a really hard time finding salad dressing without sugars, high fructose corn syrup, MSG or preservatives, but I still wanted to eat salad.  So I made up my own salad that doesn't need dressing.  Only two ingredients are necessary.  Kiwi and spinach.

I know it sounds crazy, but it is so full of flavor and has ZERO fat!  Plus kiwi and spinach are both super foods.  If you like kiwi then you will like this salad. 

Here it is.  I dare you to try it ;)

Jamberry Nails!

I am way excited today because of my new Jamberry nails :)  How cute are these??!!  I got a TON of compliments on them.  This picture was taken after spending an entire day cleaning in my classroom.  Pretty impressive isn't it?

So many times I just paint my nails and the first hour I get a chip or smudge.  Polish just doesn't seem to last for me, so this is the perfect solution!  They are high quality nail shields that are applied with heat and pressure.  The shields are pretty easy to apply. 

I'm so excited because I'm going to have a nail party where we are going to have a Relay for Life fundraiser with my friend, who is a consultant.  They are supposed to last 1-2 weeks on fingers and 2-3 weeks on toes.  Each person will go home with a full set of nails that we apply at the party for only $7.50!!!  Sweet deal!  If you want to be a part of our fundraiser/party contact me via Facebook and I will send you the details. 

I feel like I'm making a commercial...lol.  Sorry, but I just love these things! 
They are great for summer and most importantly they make me happy and I hope they make someone else happy too:) :)

Hawaiian Pork

Oh friends...today's lunch was spectacular.  Tom and I found a great buy on some amazing looking chops this weekend and found pineapple for $1.19 (ALDI-YOU ROCK AT PRODUCE) so in honor of Memorial Day and all the troops who risked their lives at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii I dedicate this amazing dish to you. 

Tom & Laura's Hawaiian Pork

2 butterfly pork chops
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. minced onion
2 thick pineapple rings

Mix seasonings together and then liberally sprinkle on both sides of chops.  Grill chops on medium-high heat for approx. 10-15 minutes depending on your grill.  Turn heat to low.  Grill pineapple rings for 1-2 min each side.  Partner with rice and the veggie of your choosing.  Delish!

Thank a soldier today.  Remember freedom isn't free!

Harvest

It's time.  After weeks of waiting it's time to taste the first vegetable from my "garden"...garden is in quotation marks because Tom and I never really decided on a place to put the garden so when it was time to transfer the baby plants from the seedling containers we just used pots.  I had a lot of doubtful people telling me that it would never work, but I figured we didn't really have a choice so we took a risk and guess what???  It worked! 

Here is my cilantro------------------------------------------->

I can't wait to eat my first harvest!  It's so exciting!  Going from seeds to food just amazes me.  I mean think about it...how incredible is it that we put these tiny little wisps of a lettuce seed in dirt, add water, set in the sun and you get gorgeous, nutritious food!  Okay I'm done with my hippy moment.  ;)

Vining vincas...these make me think of my mom cause she always planted these growing up.  So pretty.

This is our lettuce, green beans and some flowers that I just planted. 

We also have broccoli, snappy peas and basil.  Can't wait til those are ready to eat!

This is how much lettuce is still left after taking out enough for two salads for tonight's dinner.

YUMMY and CHEAP!  It really doesn't get better than this.

Oh Yeah! Chicken

Today was "Walk to the park field trip day" at school.  It was way fun and no injuries!  YAY!  However, the 30 minute walk there, kickball, relay races, playground, and the 30 minute walk back with a stop at another little park on the way home did us all in.  Let's just say the kids, parents and teachers will all sleep REALLY well tonight.  No running for me tonight! 

For the past two weeks I've been taking run/walks about every other day.  The other night I hit my highest running time!  I ran 9 minutes to our friend's house, let their dog out and then ran another 15.  It felt AMAZING!  I had no idea running could be this enjoyable.  The next night I attempted to run again just because I had the itch, but ran for shorter periods of time...3 min walk/8 min run/5 min walk/8 min run/2 min walk.  I decided it was time to invest in a running watch because I have a regular old phone with a keyboard for texting (no frills here...been there, tried the smart phone and found out it wasn't worth $30 a month to check FB and play Fruit Ninja) So anyway, it's got a stop watch on the phone, but it will only work with the phone open.  So here I am running around the neighborhood carefully holding my phone open so I don't lose my time.  Silly.  Just plain silly.  So I got this sweet new watch that has a built in stopwatch.  Love it!  Oh and it's purple too, which makes it even cooler. 

Since I'm all tuckered out, it's time for an easy recipe.  It doesn't get any easier than "Oh yeah!" chicken.  Mix sour cream and parmesan together.  Spread on boneless, skinless chicken breast.  Top with bread crumbs.  I really don't know the measurements. Equal parts sour cream and parmesan.  Bake at 350 for 35 min.  DONE!  (This is where you get the name I guess cause when it's that easy you just have to say, "Oh yeah!") 

I know it looks kinda bland paired with the rice, but we did have a big bowl full of colorful salad.  Lettuce courtesy of my Uncle's garden :)

Red Door

It's always been a dream of mine to have a red door in my house.  I think it gives the decor a little character and just enough punch of color.  So today I'm making it happen.  Tom and I got the paint last month along with the bathroom paint.  Tom already painted the outside of the door and trim white and now it's my turn to paint the inside.  I can't wait to see how it turns out.  It's kinda scary painting with the color red.  It's way more intense than cocoa, blue or even green like the bedrooms.  Here we go!

I'm getting really excited about this color!!! 

1st coat done!

Wait, wait, wait for paint to dry...

Finished product!

I'm really happy with how it turned out.  Next project: landscaping!

Couch to 5K

This girl was the LAST to finish the mile in high school and hasn't run since....until 2 weeks ago. 

My friend asked me to join her running group and explained that they not only run, but also have a walk/jog group.  I thought to myself, "I can definitely walk and maybe I'll try a little jog." Well, I was at the front of the walk/jog group the whole time and we did a lot of jogging.  90 seconds walk/30 seconds jog/repeat for 2.4 miles!  Wowzers!  I did it!  I ended up with a migraine from pushing too hard at the end, but I did it (with the help of my inhaler)  I was diagnosed with Exercise Induced Asthma last year.  My inhaler has made SUCH a huge difference in my exercise. 

I've always secretly wanted to be able to run a 5K, which is 3.1 miles I think.  Runners please correct me if I'm wrong.  It's running for about 30 minutes and I think that's a good healthy amount of time to exercise.  So I surfed the Internet for a couch to 5k program that I would like and I found one that seemed pretty user friendly here http://www.fromcouchto5k.com/articles/training/the-couch-to-5k-training-plan/

I am on Week 2 :)  I cannot believe how easy and how fast my body has adjusted to running.  Last night I walked 5 min, ran 5 min, walked 5 min.  It felt so good!  I can't believe how much energy I have after I finish!  Grab a good pair of running shoes, a stopwatch (or your choice of advanced technology) and join me! It's always great to have accountability :)

Quesadilla Casserole

Well I'm back.  I can't believe it's the middle of May already!  This spring has flown by.  Still no results from my saliva hormone test, but the longer I deal with these migraines, the more I am convinced they are hormone related.  I've had 6 so far this month.  SIX!  What the heck is going on??  So frustrated.  Yesterday I had to go home early from our Mother's Day celebration because I felt one coming on.  But I am counting my blessings and praising God for my medication that takes them away.  So here's the stats:

The Migraine Battle Rages On...
Jan. 4
Feb. 4
Mar. 12
Apr. 5
May to date 6

Overall, still better than 8-10 a month of my old average, so I must be doing something right. 

Pounds lost: 23
Inches lost: 22

Those numbers are VERY encouraging for me and are definitely a nice bonus to the no sugar eating plan.  :)

Tonight's dinner was thankfully very easy and delicious!  I had originally planned to make chicken fajita quesadillas, but I forgot to defrost the chicken so....onto Plan B.  There was some ground turkey in the fridge so I decided to try out a new recipe. 

Quesadilla Casserole
1 lb. ground turkey or ground beef
1 tbsp minced onion (or 1/4 c. fresh chopped onion)
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
16 oz. tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) black beans drained and rinsed
1 can  (8 oz) corn
1 can (4.5 oz) diced green chilis
4 flour tortillas (8 inch)
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Brown turkey or beef with onions in large skillet.  Drain.  Add tomato sauce, corn, beans, chilies.  Mix well.  Add all spices.  Bring to boil and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 5 minutes. 
Prep 9x13 pan with cooking spray.  Pour 1/3 meat mixture into bottom of pan.  Lay 2 tortillas on top of meat.  Then add 1/3 cheese.  Repeat starting with 1/3 meat, 2 tortillas and 1/3 cheese.  Top with remaining 1/3 of meat and remaining 1/3 of cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes at 350.

I hope you enjoy!  I'm off to do Day #4 of Couch to 5K!  I'll post more about this later in the week :)

One Skillet Chili Mac

"Yes, hello!  I'll have the Chili Mac Supreme- no onion please."  Wow, I have no idea how many times I've said that phrase.  Steak n' Shake is my FAVORITE fast food sit down restaurant.  Oh baby I love that place.  Unfortunately, it always has a huge icky puddle of grease at the bottom of the bowl when you are done (unless you use enough parmesan cheese to soak it all up with and I would not suggest it...speaking from experience)  Well, the other day I was rummaging through my recipes in order to have some semblance of organization and came across a Chili Mac recipe from WW.  It sounded pretty easy so I gave it a shot tonight.  The recipe is at the bottom of this post. 
Holy guacamole! It claimed to make 8 servings, but I can never quite believe WW of what they consider a serving, but this time they were right.  Here are my leftovers!! 

Then for dessert I could have had these bad boys...

Yeah, those are my famous Rolo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Still haven't tasted them, but no one and I mean NO ONE can stop me from SMELLING them...and oh do they smell like heaven.

So since it's a no go on the cookies I opted for this as my dessert.

Yes, I know.  Definitely not the same, but still pretty tasty. 

So tomorrow I'm going to a running/jogging/walking club with my friend from work.  I've never been a runner.  NEVER.  Not kidding.  Who was always the very last kid to finish running the mile in high school??  This girl.  I was even on varsity tennis sophmore through senior year and I STILL came in last. 

 Anyway, that was before I knew the absolute freedom of an inhaler.  I was diagnosed with "Exercise Induced Asthma" last year and wow, one dose of that inhaler really makes a difference.  So I'm going to give this club a shot.  I mean they accept walkers and I can certainly walk...maybe we'll even try a jog ;)

The Great Migraine Battle Rages On.....

Jan. 4
Feb. 4
Mar. 12
Apr. 5
May 0

Pounds lost : 19.4
Inches lost : 20.5

No refined sugar, no nuts, no MSG, no high fructose corn syrup, no cane juice <----this is SUGAR silly health food makers!  You can't fool me! 

I was finally able to do my saliva test.  It wasn't bad at all.  Remembering not to eat or drink anything 2 hours before each test was the tricky part.  Also, I couldn't wear chapstick.  But it's all good and it's now flying off to the lab.  I'm really eager to get my results!!!  Maybe this is the next piece to the migraine curing puzzle!

Chili Mac Recipe
Serves : 8
Old Points Value : 5

1 lb. ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
29 oz. diced tomatoes
4 oz. canned green chilis
2 tsp chili powder
2 1/2 c. canned tomato juice
1 1/2 c. uncooked macaroni
31 oz. canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Spray large skillet with cooking spray.  Brown turkey and onions until fully cooked.  Stir in diced tomatoes, green chilis, chili powder, and canned tomato juice.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in uncooked macaroni and pinto beans.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Mmm.....mmm good!