Thankful Thursday: Week 3

Linked up at the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop

Another week already? Time flies when you are having fun!

This weeks "thankful" item seems to be an appropriate pick for this time of year. I am ever so thankful for my husband. Halloween will be our second wedding anniversary. I can hardly believe it has been 2 years! We have been "together" for nearly 9 years and through the ups and downs, it is sometimes hard to believe just how far we have come. If you do the math, I was barely 19 when we first started dating. And he is eight years older than me. I am so glad that we worked though any issues and gave each other the time necessary to grow and learn that growing together is even more beautiful than growing apart. He helps keep me strong and focused. I just cant say enough how much I love him and how much he means to me.

Thankful Thursday {Week 2}

I realized last night that I forgot to so this yesterday. OOPS :)
After some thought ( I am trying to save some "good ones" for up and coming week :D ) I have realized that another thing I am thankful for is our house. I mean this with sincerity and not bragging or boasting.
 Our house, the fact that is is OURS makes it special :) This is our sanctuary. Our place to cook food, have fun, watch birds and bugs. Invite friends over to make memories. This is our home. Our foundation for what ever the future may bring. <3 Moving to South Carolina has been one adventure after another. It is really hard sometimes missing friends and family, but we have more close now and I have comfort in the fact that most of the others are just an 8 hour car ride (or less!) away.  It has been almost 5 years since we have been here and those have been pretty awesome overall. Weddings, babies, friends getting houses of their own. I am excited to see what the next 5 bring. YAY HOUSE! :)

The only improvement I can think of would be a poofer machine, to make it easier to give visits and receive visits from dear friends and family who live further away.

Secret Recipe Club: Jalapeno Popper Chicken Burgers

Hello and welcome to my newest installment for the Secret Recipe Club! For those who may be unaware, this is a group of food bloggers that are "secretly" assigned a special blog each month to choose a recipe and recreate it in their own kitchen. Sounds like love, doesn't it? :)

I was so excited for my assignment this month. I was given The Lady Behind The Curtain. I had been following her blog for a little while and she always has such great ideas and recipes. You should check her out!

After a long decision, I finally decided to do my version of her Jalapeno Popper Burgers, delicious looking in their own right, but hubby doesn't like cream cheese. I went with a different cheese for the filling and the results were yummy.


Ingredients:
Burger:
1 lb ground chicken ( you could use 100% ground chicken breast to lighten it up some more)
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 tsp garlic pepper grinder seasoning
Filling:
4 tsp diced jalapenos, jarred with juice
1/2 cup shredded Colby and Monterrey jack cheese
Coating:
33g (or 3 servings) shake and bake coating (optional)

Preheat oven 400.
Mix Burger ingredients together, combining well.
Mix the filling ingredients in a small bowl, mixing well, breaking cheese in to small pieces, until it begins to stick together.
Measure burger mixture in to 5-6 equal size portions; do the same with the filling. Make flat patties out of the burger mixture and spoon one serving of the filling in to the center of each. **if the burgers don't see to want to close around the cheese, set aside some of the filling. you can place it on top of the burger when you bake it**Wrap meat around cheese and pepper until well sealed. Set aside. On a plate or something :) spread out the coating and coat each side of each burger. Place each burger on a baking sheet, sprayed with pan spray and bake at 400 for 20 minutes, turning halfway. Serve and enjoy :)

Makes 5 burger @ 5 PPV each
Makes 6 burgers @ 4 PPV each

Salsa Egg Bake

Need a new breakfast recipe? I know I did.
This was simple, yummy and filling. And Ed liked it; SCORE!
Use Egg Beaters to slim it down if you want.


Ingredients:
6 large eggs
2.2 oz (63 g) Oscar Mayer Smoked Ham Lunch Meat
4 tbs hot salsa
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup (28g) Colby Jack Shredded Cheese
1 tbs water

Preheat oven to 375; spray 8x8 glass pan with pan spray.
Beat eggs in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add water and salsa. Beat until well combined. Slowly mix in the flour until most lumps are gone. Pour egg mixture in to glass dish. sprinkle with ham, top with cheese.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and inserted knife comes out clean.
Serve and Enjoy :)

makes 4 servings @ 5 PPV
makes 6 servings @ 3 PPV
or if you are a hearty eater (Ed I am looking at YOU!) 2 servings @ 10 PPV

Something a Little Different: Thankful Thursday {Week One}

See below for full details.

Since my first is early in the day, I will make this an easy and related one. I am thankful for Weight Watchers. As trite as it may sound, the balance and support offered by the program, meeting and people I have met is amazing. It has helped teach me to control myself (most times!) and to push to be what and who I want to be. Pure inspiration. Three years at goal and holding strong. I don't wanna go back!

Around 12/2007

Summer 2011

Original Premise:
Do you remember on Facebook last year how we were suppose to put, in our status, something we were thankful for each day up until Thanksgiving?

Well, we have 8 Thursdays {including Thanksgiving Day} left until Thanksgiving. So, I thought it would be fun to have a "Thankful Thursday" Blog Hop. Every week we each type a post telling one thing we are thankful for. If you want to put more than one that is okay too.

Just explain in your blog what you are thankful for each week for 8 weeks {8 posts}, link up your post(s) here, and then link it back to this post, in your post. Add if you are following my blog and I will be sure to follow you back! (Put *Follows* or {Follows} in your title.) And don't forget to add which "Week" each post is ~ 1 through 8!

So what are you thankful for? Can't wait to hear!

**Just please remember this is a family-friendly blog. Thank you!**

Skinny Monkey Bites

We have been trying to find "better"snack alternatives for both Ed and myself and in the process stumbled across this recipe at Once a Month Mom. The ingredients are basic and the prep is easy enough. Definitely a winner for me!

Ingredients:
3 bananas, mushed (mine weighed 406 g total, without peel)
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (I used skippy natural)
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa powder
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat over to 350. Mush banana in a large bowl. Once smooth, mix in the peanut butter, apple sauce and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl combine the oats and the cocoa til well combined. Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients thoroughly. Let mixture stand for 15-20 minutes ( I skipped this step, impatient me!) Spoon out by teaspoon fulls on to cookie sheet, bake for 10-12 minutes.

Original recipe states yield 30, I got 33 out of mine.
based on 33 bites:
1 is 1 Points+
2 is 2 Points+
3 is 4 Points+
4 is 5 Points +

I enjoyed these; Ed said they are very banana-y.