10/17/12 - Hamburger Helper

I really don’t have much to report on today. Work was work, the girls did great in school, we ate and did our usual evening routine. Nothing too exciting!

Today Amelia’s teacher had all of the kids “write” a note to their daddy. Amelia’s note said “I like my daddy, but I like mommy too. I wish mommy was home”. This made me LOL. My little mama’s girl, she knows what’s up!

Tonight, I had kind of a lazy cooking night. We had some good ol’ Hamburger Helper!

Dinner:

• Stroganoff Hamburger Helper – cooked according to the box
• Green Giant Veggie Steamer – cooked according to the package
• Bisquits – cooked according to the package

It’s a classic, and it’s nice to have some quick, no think dinners on hand!

10/16/12 - Mexican Chicken Casserole

Well, I was in a bit of a better mood today, PLUS, but work was a major pain in the butt all day, MINUS. It was just one of those days where it seems like everything you touch gets all out of whack or goes wrong in some way. Everything is an issue or has something that needs to be fixed. These kind of days seems to happen way too often suddenly!

Right before I left work, I checked my facebook, and thank goodness I did. A couple friends posted about a huge backup on the highway I usually take home – a ton of cop cars had a portion of the highway blocked off for something, so there was a major gawker slowdown going on. I ended up taking a different way home and was able to get home at my usual time – YAY technology! Turns out, a somebody robbed a bar down the street, and was trying to hide under a (super high) bridge. I did have to pass the area on my way home, and there really were a TON of cops and troopers. Must have been a pretty big deal.

Once home, it was just the usual. Dinner, some play time, baths and bed. Far less exciting than the rest of the day.

Tonight’s dinner was Mexican Chicken Casserole.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium Chicken Broth
• 2 4.5oz cans of Diced Green Chiles
• 1¾ Pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 cup Evaporated Skim Milk
• 1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
• ¼ cup tub-style Cream Cheese
• 1 10oz  can of Enchilada Sauce
• 12 6” Corn Tortillas
• ½ Cup Shredded Reduced-Fat Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 oz Tortilla Chips, crushed

Sides:

• We had some leftover refried beans from this past weekend

Directions:

1.      Preheat the oven to 350.

2.      Combine the broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet, and bring to a boil.

3.      Add chicken, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until chicken is done, turning the chicken once.

4.      Remove chicken from the liquid (reserving the liquid), cool chicken and shred the  meat with two forks. Note, our chicken still wasn’t quite done, so I threw it back in the pan with a little more broth, covered it and steamed it for another 5-10 minutes.

5.      Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles, and sauté for 3 minutes, or until soft. Add the reserved cooking liquid, milk, Monterey Jack cheese, cream cheese and enchilada sauce; stir well. Stir in the shredded chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

6.      Place 4 tortillas in the bottom on a 2-quart casserole, coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2 cups of the chicken mixture over the tortillas. Repeat layers two more times, ending with the chicken mixture. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese and finally the crushed chips.

7.      Bake for 30 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. Let stand for 10 minutes.

This casserole was actually really good. The girls loved it!

10/15/12

Today wasn’t really the best day. It was most definitely Monday, and I was sporting a case of the Monday’s ALL.DAY.LONG. It seemed like everything everybody did just rubbed me the wrong way. I suppose it’s good that I at least noticed, and accepted that! That’s the first step, right?

I did decide today, that we are going to try some potty training action this weekend. Friday is my day off, but my mom will have Olivia, so I’m going to work with Amelia all day without distractions. I’m really not sure how she’ll do. I’m honestly not interested in potty training at all. I know, that sounds ridiculous. But, diapers really don’t bother me right now, and we use so few, that it’s not really a financial burden or anything. And, I am not in the mood for one more kid I have to take on a bathroom trip EVERYWHERE we go yet. I feel like she’s still young enough that it isn’t a huge deal. BUT, she is getting to a good training age, so I figured we’ll see how it goes. She does show some interest in the potty, and she gets the whole process of it, but she’s never shown a hatred for diapers, or real interest in using the potty, so I’m not really holding my breath.

Since I didn’t make it to the store this weekend, and I didn’t feel like leaving work early today, we decided to take a family trip to the store tonight. The girls love going shopping (well, Amelia gets over it REAL quick), and it was nice to get out as a family. We gave the girls a quick dinner when we got home, played for a while, and called it a night. Hopefully I wake up on the correct side of the bed tomorrow!

On our way out the door tonight, the girls found my sunglasses and had to try them on. LOL...

10/14/12 - Chicken & Rice Casserole

Today was another super busy day for me, but in a different way. My mission today was to get our house back in tip-top shape. My plan was to send the family away, out of my hair, and tackle the disaster. After the girls woke us up, I took a few minutes to relax and wake up, and then got to work. I started getting all of the dirty clothes together to wash…I gathered my clothes, the girls’ clothes and all of the bedding in the living room, hoping Christian would take the hint and gather his clothes as well (since, you know, the entire house is his dirty hamper). He FINALLY got the hint, went into the room and got everything together…really, just in a pile on the bed. To me, that doesn't mean “wash me”, so…his stuff didn't get washed. It stayed right there, on the bed. Tonight, before bed (when I had him put the few things that did get washed away) he said to me “Oh, all of this needed to get washed too. Are you done?”. Yup, in fact, I am. Too bad, so sad. They never learn.

While I was gathering everything up, and picking up the bedrooms, Christian got the girls dressed, packed them a bag and was off to his parents’ house. I wanted him to STAY there with the girls….I knew if he was home, he would either just sit around and do nothing, while I ran around like crazy all day (which would drive me nuts), or actually help me, but I didn't want him to help because I wanted to clean by myself, MY way. It was a double-edged sword, so I just wanted him to stay with the girls (which, he knew). Of course, he didn't do that. He dropped them off, and claimed the girls didn't want him to stay there. Really, he just knew I didn't want his help, and it was his opportunity to “relax” all day. So, of course, that didn't sit well with me. Men!

Nonetheless, I just went about my business. I finished cleaning the bedrooms, did some cleaning in the bathroom. Picked up the living room (one major disaster zone) and got to work on the kitchen. The kitchen actually wasn't too bad… I've been good about keeping up on the dishes (I just had some bigger, non-dishwasher-appropriate dishes to wash) and keeping the counters clean and cleared since I've been on my fresh cooking kick. I just had to do a little picking up, drawer organizing and sweep the floors. Not horrible. I swept the entry way and organized the closet then, then it was time to tackle the toddler-tornado zone…the basement. We've been so busy the last few weeks, I've totally let the basement go. The princess area was in shambles, I had clothes, coats and spare bedding all over the living area and the toy room was completely torn apart (thankfully, the downstairs bathroom doesn't get used too much, so that didn't need cleaning – and the laundry room, “under the stairs” storage and spare bedroom are NOT on my cleaning radar right now). It took me forever, but I got everything back in order. If I can do a little picking up in the laundry room this week, I should be able to get the coffee table and media storage out to finally finish up the downstairs “remodel”…but we’ll see.

Amidst the cleaning, I managed to finish and put away the laundry, remake the beds and made tonight’s meal. I pretty much felt like a rockstar by the end of the day! Christian picked up the girls around 5:30. Olivia didn't take a nap, so she was pretty tired and crabby. They watched a show while I finished making dinner, and were off to bed shortly after we ate.

I finally settled in to watch a couple of shows and relax for a while before bed. Feeling very accomplished, that’s for sure! The only issue is that I didn't make it to the grocery store (of course), so I’ll probably have to leave work early tomorrow (of course) to do that. But, all in all, it was a successful day!

Tonight’s meal was a Chicken and Rice casserole.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups, Uncooked Rice
• ½ Cup of Water
• 14.5 ozs of Chicken Broth
• 2 10¾ oz Cans of Reduced-Fat Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
• 2 Cups of Fat Free Milk
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• ½ tsp Salt
• 4 Cups Cubed, Cooked Chicken Breasts
• 2 Cups Chopped Celery (I only used a little over a cup, 3 stalks)
• ¾ Cups Sliced Almonds

Side:

• Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (baked according to the package)

Directions:

1.      Mix the rice, water and broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce and simmer for 15-18 minutes – until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

2.      While that is cooking, mix the soup, milk, Worcestershire sauce, salt, chicken, celery and ½ cup of the Almonds in a large mixing bowl. Adding in the rice once cooked.

3.      Add the entire mixture into a greased, 9x13 pan. Cover with foil, and bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

4.      Remove the cover, add the remaining almond slices, and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until heated through.

Note: When I as preparing this, I completely missed the “COOKED” part of the chicken ingredient, and just put the chicken in, cut in small pieces, raw. I was really nervous about it, and not sure if I should serve it, but I tasted it and it was perfectly fine and cooked through. I think because the pieces were small enough, it cooked fine during the baking process (vs. a whole chicken breast or something, which probably would not have cooked through). I’d say you could do it either way. If cooked, I would probably shred it (I’m always a bigger fan of shredded vs. chunks).

10/13/12

Well, another busy Saturday has gone down in the books.

I had a hard time sleeping this morning, so I was up bright and early. I hopped in the shower and started getting ready before the toddler whirlwind took over the house. Christian was off to get his tires realigned. The truck has been pretty shaky since getting his new tires put  on a few weeks ago, so hopefully they just weren’t aligned correctly, and it isn’t something more serious. Of course his warranty LITERALLY just expired, so that would be horrible.

While he was gone, the girls and I finished getting ready for the day and packing our bag. We had a quick breakfast, and as soon as Christian got home, we were off. Today’s events, TWO costume birthday parties!

First up, my cousin’s little girl, Lucy, turned 3. They had her party at a local rec center, with a little carnival themed party in the gym. The girls had a blast playing games and running around. It’s always fun catching up with family you don’t see too often too, so that’s just a wonderful bonus!

Since both parties were in St. Paul, not far from each other, we didn’t want to waste time running home between. So, we wasted some time stopping to get Christian a haircut. I swear, it’s ridiculous how fast that mans hair grows!

Next up, our niece’s birthday party at my sister in law’s apartment. It was just a family party, so fairly low key. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins. We had a big Mexican dinner, watched some movies, and the girls were sent home with LOTS of goodies! They definitely made a haul today.

We left the party around 6:00, and the girls passed out before we hit the highway. I always worry about how they’ll react to no naps, but they did great.  Amelia went straight to bed when we got home. Olivia woke up when I was bringing her inside, so she watched a couple of videos to wind down, then was off to bed. Christian was off to meet his friend Lorenzo for the UFC fight, so I had the house to myself tonight! I caught up on some shows and my blog, and got plenty of relaxation in. Love my alone time!

Even though our outings are always BEYOND fun, I’m looking forward to a day of no plans tomorrow! I plan on sending the family away for a while so I can get caught up on some much, MUCH needed cleaning around the house. Not exciting, but oh so necessary!

10/12/12 - Sweet & Sour Chicken with Fried Rice

This morning was my weekly weigh in, and, as I kind of expected, I was up. I gained a pound this week. I decided to take the week off from exercising, so I’ve been pretty lax, just giving myself a little break. I plan on starting back up on Sunday, so hopefully I’ll be back on track next week. Everybody needs a little break here and there!

While not my usual Friday off, my mom is away at a work conference, so I just HAD to take the day off work to stay home with the girls. Oh, darn! I was actually a little nervous about it. The girls have been at each other’s throats lately, worse than usual. I just had no idea how they were going to do.

Olivia woke up whining really early this morning, so I brought her into bed with me. While Christian was getting ready for work, Amelia woke up. He actually convinced her to lay back down and go to sleep. So, we slept in! Like, REALLY slept in. Olivia woke me up around 9:00, and we watched some TV in bed. Amelia finally came out of her room around 10:00. Wow!

We had some breakfast, and were off to do some shopping. We stopped into the dollar store so we could each get a little treat. The girls did great, and I think it started their day off on a happy note. Next up, we stopped into the party store to get their costumes. They were a little creeped out by the spooky décor all over the store, but they were really excited to try on their costumes and bring them home. Another successful stop, and we were on our way home. We picked up some lunch, ate and it was already nap time!

I started dinner as soon as the girls were up from their naps, and they fighting finally started up. It wasn’t as bad as it can get, but they would not leave each other alone, AT ALL. They certainly know how to push each other’s buttons….already. We ate dinner as soon as Christian got home, had some ice cream for dessert and had a little family time before bed.

Once the girls were down, Christian and I settled in for a movie night. Tonight, we watched “American Reunion”. It was definitely what you would expect from the “American Pie” franchise, but we had a lot of laughs. That was the only movie we could make it through, so we were off to bed after that. All in all, a good day!

I snapped this picture of Rico and Chuy today. The animals fight over the "sun spots" in the kitchen all day long, especially when the sun starts going down, and space in it is limited...

Tonight’s dinner was Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken with Fried Rice.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (I used 4, and made sure not to cut the pieces too small)
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 Cup Cornstarch
• 2 Eggs
• ¼ Cup Canola Oil
• ¾ Cup Sugar
• 4 tbsp Ketchup
• ½ Cup Distilled White Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Garlic Salt

• 3 Cups Cooked White Rice
• 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 Cup Frozen Peas & Carrots
• 2 tbsp Minced Garlic
• 2 Eggs
• ¼ Cup Soy Sauce

Directions:

Chicken

1.      Sprinkle the cut up pieces of chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the canola oil in a shallow pan.

2.      Put cornstarch in one bowl, (2) beaten eggs in another bowl. Coat the chicken pieces in cornstarch, then in egg, and add it to the shallow pan of oil to cook. Do not cook completely, just until browned all around. (I did have some excess egg cook off of the chicken that I removed.).

3.      Meanwhile, mix the sugar, ketchup, white vinegar, (1 tbsp) soy sauce and garlic salt in a bowl, and whisk until blended. 

4.      Add cooked chicken to a greased 8x8 casserole dish, pour the sauce over the chicken, and bake at 325° for 60 minutes, stirring the mixture every 15 minutes.

Rice

Note: this can be made a day or so ahead of time, I used freshly made though.

1.      I cooked some white rice, according to the package (including some butter and salt for taste). Except, I use Chicken Broth instead of water.

2.      Heat the sesame oil in a pan. Add the peas, carrots and garlic and cook until tender.

3.      Push the veggies to the side, and scramble 2 eggs on the other side of the pan.

4.      Mix together, add the rice and (¼ cup) soy sauce, mix everything together and heat through.

Honestly, I would highly recommend this recipe. It definitely rivals any takeout we’ve had, and even though some steps are tedious, it’s super easy. This is by far our favorite meal so far this month.

10/11/12 - Chicken Parmesan Burgers

Well, this week FLEW by. Today is my Friday at work, and I can honestly say this was one of the best weeks I’ve had at work in a long time. It was stressful and chaotic at times, but I was so busy, I couldn’t believe it was quitting time, every day. I feel like so many issues I’ve been dealing with for so long (actual WORK related) came to a close this week, and that’s always a huge relief. I really made huge strides towards catching up at this week, and I feel like I’ll be starting out next week at a NORMAL pace. We’ll see how long it lasts though!

Christian has been working a TON of overtime. As I mentioned before, it will basically be that way through the holiday’s now. He’s been working at least 7:00-5:30, sometimes 6:00 or so. He COULD start at 6:00AM, but I can’t see him ever consistently getting up early enough to actually do that. That, plus all of his weekend work should definitely help us out financially.

The girls are doing great in school. They had another successful week. Olivia is getting better and better at actually telling me how her day goes and things that she goes. They are working really hard to separate Bella and Olivia a little bit during the day when they’re both there. They certainly still get their play time together, but I think the teachers were starting to notice Olivia didn’t really have much interaction with the other kids, which was actually starting to bother me and I was planning on talking to them about it. It wouldn’t bother me as much if Bella was always there when Olivia is, but 1) she is only part time, 2 days a week, and not always 2 days when Olivia is there, and 2) Bella is actually going to be a year ahead of Olivia in school, so I don’t want them getting TOO dependent on each other, knowing they aren’t going to be together for much longer. I notice Olivia being more friendly with the other kids lately, and talking about them, so hopefully she’s starting to get to know them better. Amelia is doing great. She’s spending a majority of her days in the “older toddler’s” room with Miss Eva, getting ready for pre-school. Miss Eva has been working a lot with her on going potty (like a broken record, I know we need to start working on it at home SOON), so it’s fun reading her update sheet every day and seeing what she’s up to.

After work today, I had to make one last stop into Walmart to pick up a few last ingredients I need for this weekend’s recipes. Then, I picked up the girls and started dinner. We had to start dinner without Christian tonight because he was so late, but he joined us before we were done. The entire house was pretty exhausted tonight, so we all pretty much made our way to bed shortly after dinner time. Our busy schedules are really catching up with us, that's for sure!

Tonight, as I cuddled into bed to relax, I was surrounded by these furry creatures...

Tonight’s dinner was Chicken Parmesan Burgers and Tater Tots.

Ingredients:

• Ciabatta Rolls (I just used regular hamburger buns because we had some on hand)
• 2lbs Ground Chicken
• 2 Cups Marinara Sauce (split)
• 1 tsp Dried Thyme
• 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
• ½ tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Pepper
• 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella

Side:

• Frozen Tater Tots (cooked according to the package)

Directions:

1. Mix the ground chicken, ½ the marinara sauce, thyme, red pepper, salt and pepper in a bowl, and form into burger patties.
2. Heat a pan with non-stick oil, and heat each patty through until no longer pink.
3. Heat the rolls/buns, and add a cooked patty to each, topped, with the remaining marinara sauce and cheese, and serve.

10/10/12 - Cheese Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf

Today was a pretty typical day. Work went well, and I ended up leaving a little early today. I had to stop at the store on my way home, and tonight’s dinner was going to take a little longer than I originally thought, so I had to get that started.

After getting dinner prepared and started, I was off to pick the girls up from school. We arrived home just as Christian was (SUPER early compared to his recent schedule). I finished up dinner; we ate and had plenty of family time. We colored and played for a while, and tried to keep the girls from driving each other crazy. After baths and the usual bedtime ritual, Christian and I weren’t far behind. We’ve been beyond tired this week; we need some R&R!

Tonight’s dinner was Cheese Stuffed Turley Meatloaf, with Potatoes & Green Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Ground Turkey
• 1 Egg
• ¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Parlsey
• ¾ Cup Dried Bread Crumbs
• ½ tsp Adobo Seasoning
• Pinch of Salt
• Pinch of Pepper
• ½ Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• ¼ Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (optional)

Side:

• Bag of Green Giant Potatoes and Green Beans Steamer (cooked according to the package)

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients (except the cheese) in a bowl.
2. Add ½ of the mixture into a loaf pan, coated with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle the ½ cup cheese in a mound down the center of the pan, and the top with the remaining mixture.
3. Bake at 350° until browned and cooked through, about one hour. If desired, sprinkle the optional ¼ cup cheese during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
4. Let loaf stand for 5 minutes before serving.

I've never been a big meatloaf person (one reason I chose a Turkey loaf), but this one was REALLY good. The girls at it up, no problem. I would definitely make it again.

10/9/12 - Bowtie Pasta with Italian Sausage

Work was super busy today. The day actually flew by…it was quitting time before I knew it, and that rarely happens. Christian is basically working until 5:30 or 6:00 now, so he doesn’t get home until pretty late. Then, we had a pretty rough evening.

The girls were doing really well when we first got home…they played downstairs for a while, no audible fighting or major issues. But, at dinnertime, everything fell apart. Amelia wouldn’t eat, Olivia was just instigating fight after fight with her, and then the injuries began. First, both girls have this horrible habit of putting their feet on the side of the table, and rocking their chairs. We have the argument daily with both of them to stop, or their going to get hurt. Sure enough, while I was washing our dinner dishes, Amelia finally bit the dust and her chair went crashing backwards to the ground. She hit her head on the top of the chair and was pretty scared. We of course had that mixture of anger for her not listening, fear that she was REALLY hurt and pain seeing our baby girl hurt. She sat on the couch with me, nice and calm for a little while, and seemed to be doing well. Then, she and Olivia started getting into it over everything and fighting non-stop, even after several timeouts. Finally, Olivia was chasing Amelia around the house, giving her little pushes as they went along. I warned her to stop pushing Amelia, of course she did not listen, and she ended up pushing Amelia too hard. Amelia lost her balance and fell right into the coffee table (rounded, thank God), and she took it right in the eye. Olivia was immediately sent to bed at that point. I got Amelia ready for bed and sat with her on the couch for a while to make sure she was OK.

I swear, I’m going to go crazy with these two one day! I don’t understand why they can’t EVER listen. I know they’re toddlers, so those natural toddler tendencies are going to be there. And, I know they are siblings, so that sibling rivalry is always going to be there. But it just seems SO extreme, and I have no idea what to do about it. It’s BEYOND frustrating!

After they were both down for the night, Christian passed out (I think those long hours at work are starting to take a toll). I watched a few shows, edited some pictures and took it easy. I’m taking the week off from my video and getting some much needed rest! Hoping for a better day tomorrow!!

Tonight’s meal was just a standard pasta dish with sides.

Ingredients:

• Box of Bowtie Pasta
• Salt for Boiling
• Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (I just use Market Pantry Traditional)
• Seasonings to Jazz It Up (I just use whatever I have on hand, tonight Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary and Chili Powder)
• Italian Sausage (I use the whole package; we like our pasta meaty)

Sides:

1. Green Giant Mixed Vegetables Steamer Bag; cooked according to the package (I use the Baby Bullet to grind some up and mix it in the girls sauce)
2. Texas Toast; cooked according to the package

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of salt water to a boil, and boil pasta according to package.
2. Cook Italian sausage in medium saucepan. Once cooked through, add the pasta sauce and seasonings, stir, cover and let simmer until ready to serve. 

10/8/12 - Breaded Pork Chops & Lemon/Garlic Green Beans

Monday, back to reality. Still SUPER exhausted from our chaotic weekend.

My mother in law came to our house to watch the girls today, so that saved me some time in the morning, which was nice. Too bad our house is a DISASTER right now (well, just the basement really, but still). I just couldn’t bring myself to care enough to clean it up though (and, when was I going to do that anyway?!).

Work went well. I was pretty busy catching up from being off on Friday. I actually had a ton of work that was just sitting around waiting for something else to come in, or some issue to be cleared up, or just being held up for some random reason, and most of it seemed to come back in today and Friday so I was able to do a lot of “inbox clearing” which felt good.

The weather is still pretty cold. I’m guessing we’ve seen the last of our warm days, and I’m pretty sad about it. I used to welcome winter with open arms, but with kids, we can experience so much more life in the warmer weather, so it’s kind of a bummer now. Hopefully we’ll actually get some snow this year so I can take the girls sledding and stuff, and really experience winter.

I left early, of course, to do our weekly shopping. I’m finding that my grocery bills seem to actually be a little cheaper the last couple of weeks…less expensive processed stuff, a lot of the seasonings and stuff needed to “cook from scratch” I already have, or now have and will be set for a while. So, that’s going well. I had to buy birthday gifts for a couple of parties this upcoming weekend, so that was fun…I love shopping for presents! Then, I made my way home. The girls had just woken up from their naps, so they were a little tired/crabby still. My mother in law left right away, I unloaded the groceries and started dinner. Once the girls were a little cheerier, the evening went pretty smoothly. After dinner, Christian vacuumed out the heating vents, got the girls ready for bed and put them down while I got to work folding the MOUNDS of laundry I washed yesterday. It seriously took me forever. Laundry, ugh. It was most definitely bedtime by the time I finished! I was able to watch my Sunday shows while I did it though…my now favorite overall night of TV…Once Upon a Time, Revenge and 666 Park Avenue. Good times!

I did get our CD from our family pics this summer this weekend, so I can finally share more of those with you. LOVE THEM!

Tonight’s meal was Breaded Pork Chops, Stuffing and Lemon/Garlic Green Beans.

Ingredients:

• 4 Boneless Pork Loins, 4ozs Each (I used 3 larger, boneless pork chops, the total package was 15ozs)
• 2 Cups Orange Juice (really, I think 1 Cup would do)
• 1 ½ Cups Bread Crumbs (again, I think 1 Cup, or even ¾ Cup would do)
• 2 tsp Seasoned Salt
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil

• 1 lb of Fresh Green Beans
• 2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
• 1 tbsp of Lemon Juice
• ¼ tsp of Pepper
• 1/8 tsp of Salt

Side:

• Stovetop Stuffing (cooked according to the package)

Directions:

Pork Chops

1. Fill a small bowl with the orange juice. Mix together the seasoned salt and bread crumbs in another small bowl.
2. Soak each chop in the orange juice. Then, coat each chop with the bread crumb mixture.
3. Heat the Olive Oil in a shallow pan. Once warm, cook the chops, 9 minutes each side.

Green Beans

1. Heat the Olive Oil in a pan, add the garlic until browned.
2. Add your washed and clipped green beans, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Mix in your Lemon Juice, Salt and Pepper, and keep on low until ready to dish.

This was actually REALLY good. The girls devoured it too. I would recommend this one.