Fried Rice

My friends and I love fried rice! Whenever we do a Mommies Night Out we usually go to a Hibachi place. Here is my version of fried rice-

1 egg
1 T. water
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
green onion or white onion-as much as you want, finely chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 cups of white rice, already cooked and cold
3 T. soy sauce
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or diced. (I usually just use a small can of chunk chicken)
optional- sprinkle with red pepper, my family is addicted to it!

1.In a small bowl, beat egg with water. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are soft.

2. Then add the cold rice, chicken and soy sauce. Fry for a few minutes. You might need to turn the heat up.

3. Make a well in the center of the pan and add 1 T. olive oil. Then pour in the egg/water mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Scramble the eggs and incorporate into the rice mixture. Continue cooking for a few more minutes. Now you have fried rice!

Serves 3 as a main dish or 6 as a side.

Mexican Pizza

Do not run to Taco Bell! Were making this from scratch. Well, sort of...I can not make good tortillas from scratch. So, I got the uncooked tortillas that taste really good after toasting up. I made the taco sauce using this recipe. I got the Mexican Pizza recipe from Good Eats n Sweet Treats blog. Delicious! Kinda time consuming but you could save yourself some trouble buy using already made tortillas and taco sauce. Cut some calories by using ground turkey like I did!

No, this is not really health food but I tried to lower the calories. Around 470 calories & 22 grams fat for my version and 540 calories & 31 grams of fat for Taco Bell version. Not bad.

Mirror, Mirror

These mirrors are so awesome! They flip open and have a magnifying side. Lined with mini lights! Similar to a hollywood style mirror. So neat. But 36.00. I most likely would not ever buy.

website-Les Tai Tai

Peaceful

There she is! My little girl. Yep, I still snap photos of her sleeping just like I did almost 3 years ago when she was a newborn. I love how quiet and peaceful she looks. She's usually on the go and playing. I'm so proud to be her mommy.


Isaiah 54:13
All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.

No Bake Cookies

No Bake Cookies- My mom made these for us when my sisters and I were little. I think we called them "dinosaur poop". I recently made a small batch. I like to pretend they are healthy cookies since your getting some protein and fiber from the oats & peanut butter. Try them next time you don't have any chocolate in the house!

Irish Dinner

(Soda Bread, Salad, Italian brats with mozzarella and Irish Cheddar)

We went with an Irish themed dinner for St. Patrick's Day. We made an Irish Ploughman's Platter. Which is according to Cooking Light - A traditional pub salad made with sausages or sliced meats, cheese, and any combination of mixed lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, coleslaw, or chutney, this dish is always served with soda bread.

It was fun! We had some of my family over and Reggie. Matt grilled the chicken and Italian brats. I made Brown Soda Bread and a honey mustard vinaigrette. The meal idea was from Cooking Light. The bread was excellent and a pinch to make. If your new to making bread I would say this was the perfect starter recipe.

I'm looking forward to the weekend. Hanging out with my sisters and my little family might be going to break in our Six Flags passes!

The Bird and The Bee

I just discovered this 2 person band on playlist. Their kinda different but I like it.

Week 8 Meal Plan

Now on Week 8 of cooking almost all meals at home and working out. This way of eating is starting to be a habit for me. On my most recent cheat day I felt so sick I had to take Tums to fall asleep. I think my body is used to going without fried food and junk. I also don't have to look at every label before putting food on my plate because I can usually guess how many calories are in it and how much would be a serving.

The menu for this week-

Spanish Rice Bake with ground turkey (350 cal)
Curried Coconut Chicken (375 cal)
Zippy Summer Shrimp (238 cal) and Roasted Potatoes with Greens (339)
Grilled Fajita Chicken with Calabacitas (148 cal)

and Irish Ploughman's Lunch for St. Patricks Day which will consist of Chicken Apple Sausage, Salad, Cheese and Brown Soda Bread! I got the idea from Prudence Pennywise. I have only made bread from scratch once before. It was french bread. I could not get it to rise. But anything is good hot with butter on it so we ate it anyway! I'm thinking the soda bread might be easier since it does not call for yeast.

On to week 8! Weigh in is on tuesday.

Twenties Girl

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella- I loved this book! I now have read 4 of Sophie's books and have enjoyed them all. Twenties Girl is about a woman in her twenties who is haunted by her Great Aunt Sadie who recently died at the age of 105. It's not a "scary" ghost story at all. The ghost of Sadie is a twenty something herself. So, there is lots of 1920s style and tidbits. I loved the ending. Great book about quirky people with a very interesting family history. I say 5 stars!

Right after I finished the book. I got on youtube and found a 1920s makeup tutorial. The makeup back then was all about dark eyes and small and shapely lips.

Here is a quote by Sophie Kinsella on Twenties Girl

"The book isn't a period piece though. It's a modern story about two girls and their sparky friendship, right here in the 21st century. One of them just happens to be a ghost from the 1920s. It's a quest, a romance, and a coming of age... and above all a comedy. It's no exaggeration to say that writing the character of Sadie made me look at life differently, and I hope some readers feel the same way. "

Jogger

Last night I got a surprise while cooking dinner. My hubby came home and asked me to go grab another grocery bag out in the garage. I opened the door and found a jogger stroller! I have been wanting one for a while now. I know were a little late in getting it since our daughter is 2 and a half. But the weight limit is 50 and she's 28. She loves it!

The two of us took it out today and went to the playground. Violet has been sick with allergies and a cold. So, she was very happy to get outside.

Losing

This is Week 8 for me. Since my first weigh in on January 20,2010. I have lost 11.5 pounds and 10.5 inches! I'm still cooking almost all my meals at home and working out as much as I can. Today Matt surprised me with a jogger stroller. I have been wanting one forever. Violet climbed into it right after he put it together. Looks like were going for a run tomorrow!

Violet is Purplicious!

Look at this new book my Violet got! It's really fun and adorable. The illustrations are very girly. We like it a lot. I think I need to order the first one, Pinkalicious off of amazon in the near future. There are so many good children's books out there. What are some of your faves?

Healthy Lunch

It's Week 7 for me of eating well and working out. I usually eat a turkey wrap with red grapes for lunch. Here's one I made up and it turned out so pretty!

Jill's Turkey Wrap-
1 tortilla
a few roasted red bell pepper strips from the jar (found at Dollar Tree), sliced thin
fresh spinach leaves
light sour cream
2 tsp. of feta cheese
2 slices of thin turkey breast

Warm up tortilla. Spread about 1 T. of sour cream on tortilla, add fresh spinach, turkey slices, red pepper strips and feta. Roll up and slice in half. Should be around 230 calories.

Bento

Sample Picture of Bento Box on Flickr. Very cute!

Here is my first Bento Box I made for my 2 year old. I know the turkey breast sea horses look a little scary! But she loved it. I've been fascinated with bento for a while and kept putting the thought aside. Because I want to buy official "bento" containers and cutesy items. But really you can use anything in your kitchen and try your best to make it look fun and attractive.

What's Bento? Bento boxes are lunchboxes, much like the type of box you take your lunch to school in. They are made out of plastic and come in many different shapes, like squares, circles, or ovals. The box usually has many smaller sections inside that keep different foods apart. In Japan , children bring their food to school in these boxes. In America, you will often see a type of bento box at Japanese restaurants and take-out bento boxes are available in grocery stores selling Japanese food. Typical bento box fare includes rice, meat, salad and pickles. Long ago in Japan, lunches were wrapped in oak, magnolia, bamboo leaves. Later, wooden boxes were used. More info here.

Bento has become such an art! There are so many beautiful and creative bento's on the web. Here is a large group on Flickr.

2 Little Girls Went Out One Day

2 little girls went out one day! Over the sidewalk and far away..any one remember that song about little ducks and the mamma duck? We had gorgeous weather this weekend. It was great! On saturday Matt's mom dropped my niece Brianna off so the girls could play while Matt helped his mom clean out her old house.

They went skating, played hopscotch (Violet says Hippy Scotch) and watched G Force. We also went on a long walk. Here's some pictures from our first Spring like day in a long time.