Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal

I stumbled upon The Better Baker's Blog yesterday and NEEDED :) To try this recipe. Original credit goes to her!

You need:

1/2 cup oats

1 packet reduced cal hot cocoa mix

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup water 

EITHER: 2 tablespoons PB2 (with an extra tablespoon of water) OR 1 tablespoon Reduced Fat peanut butter

( I USED PB2!)

Bring water to boil on stove. Add cocoa mix, PB2 then oats. Cook to desired consistency.

6 PointsPlus! I bet this would be great with a mushed banana in it! :)

Yumtastic Smoothie

I still had more carrots left over from the other night so I decided to try them in a smoothie :)

I took about 1 cup of carrots and put them in a steamer bag to soften them up some more and cooked them for about 5 minutes. Allow them to cool for a bit, then added about 1/4 cup homemade apple sauce, a frozen banana with some frozen peaches, and a pineapple ring. Add enough water to get it all smoothie-fied in the blend and you are all set :)

Now turn your head sidewaysssssss :)

I love this cup :) My Granny gave it to me. It was my Pappy's :)

Loverly :)

Spring Time: Wear it or SHARE it!

Spring Time: Wear it or SHARE it!

You ever look in your closet at all those clothes but have nothing to wear? Been there done that! With it getting to be spring time, almost time to hide the winter clothes and pull out somethings to help get some sun on this pale body, I love it. Sometimes :) I have a severe dislike of going through my clothes. But I had some inspiration that I have been meaning to share for sometime that I need to personally harness and hopefully will strike a chord for some of yall out there to get you started :)

We will call this Amy's boots.

I found this super cute sweater dress at goodwill and had been putting off getting some leggins until I found some cheap ones. I finally found some for $3 at Walmart (SCORE!) so I decided to break the outfit out for work. I work it with some flat Mary Jane shoes. Cute enough. It was after lunch-ish when Amy and her mom, Lisa said "why dont you try these boots on?" They were cute, black, slouchy leather. And about 2 sizes too big. (nothing that can't be fixed with some of Ed's socks!)  I started to protest then said "Sure, Why not?" I loved them. They made me feel awesome. And they completed my outfit!! So you can imagine my heart when she said "You can have them if you want." "Really, I can have them? Are you sure?" It is hard to explain what exactly happened then, but I can only describe it as a new sense of confidence. Since that day, I have found my self getting back to my "roots" so far as trying not to wear the exact same things every day, and even getting a tad more...stylish? than I have been in a good long time.

So the moral of this story, If you aren't using it, share it with someone who can. Whether that be a friend, or goodwill! Clear out some stuff and make room for some more, even if you really only end up with the warm and fuzzys. You never know when one small act can make a big difference to someone else.

I challenge you! Wear it...or share it!!!

From the Box Dinner: Freezer Queen Baked Beans with Pulled Pork BBQ

I normally avoid the large family size freezer meals like the plague. But when I was browsing the freeze aisle at Bilo, I saw this and thought "Why not at least FIGURE the PointsPlus?" And I was VERY excited. 1/2 cup = 3 PointsPlus. Not too bad!
So I bought it, cooked it, ate it. Very good! It has a nice smoky flavor, so I am excited to have leftovers! :)

I paired this with some leftover carrots from last night. I put them in a steamer bag and nuked them for about 3 minutes and mushed them up. Sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar and a spray or two of spray butter. Not too bad :)

Not the prettiest plate of food but tasty nonetheless

Grilled Hawaiian Ham and Cheese Sandwich

I love how you add pineapple to ANYTHING and all of a sudden, it's hawaiian. :) This is a quick, tasty little thing :)

Grilled Hawaiian Ham and Cheese Sandwich Serves 1
2 slices light wheat bread
1 serving of ham deli meat (Oscar Mayer Brown Sugar Ham is 1 PointsPlus for 6 slices!!)
1/4 cup shredded 2% milk cheese
2 slices of pineapple, packed in its own Juice

Assemble sandwich, add any seasonings you desire ( I used garlic pepper seasoning grinder)

put in Snack Master or however you prefer to grill it. Cook til Melty.

Serve

5 PointsPlus for this yummy thing!

Linked at: Recipe of the week: Ingredient CHEESE!

Manwich Steaks and Crockpot Carrots

I decided today needed to be a crockpot day. Had better things to do than stand around and watch food cook :)

Manwich Steaks: 4 servings
1 lb beef round steaks ( I am ghetto and had 1 pack .5 lb cube steak and 1 pack .5 lb steak, so I used both)
**after discussing with Ed, he said he much preferred the cube steak to the regular round steak!**
1 can beef broth
1 can manwich sauce
1/2 can of mushrooms (totally optional!)

In a 6 qt crockpot (or smaller if you have and want to use it and your steaks will fit. Mine were frozen so not able to be mushed around!) Layer Steaks. Put one layer down, cover with about 1/2 of the can of manwich sauce, top with other steaks and top them with the rest of the can. Around the edges of the meat, pour the can of beef broth in. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon onion powder & mushrooms.
Cook on low heat for about 4.5-5 hours or until meat is tender.

1 steak = 7 PointsPlus


Crockpot Carrots: 6-8 servings
2 lbs baby carrots
1 1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Put carrots in crock pot ( I used my smaller one) with other ingredients. Stir and cook on low until they are tender. I let mine cook for about 4.5-5 hours but I really think the could have cooked a bit longer. Next time I cook them, I think I will slice them first.

1 PointsPlus per serving (just the sugar really!)

Dinner:

10 PointsPlus for all of this (adding an additional 2 PP for the instant potatoes ;) ) ! I used some of the "sauce" left in the bottom of the crock as a dipping sauce for the steak and gravy for the potatoes.

Served on my saucer-plate. The carrots would be
giants if this was a full sized plate :)

I have added this recipe to the
Melt in your Mouth Monday Blog Hop!!!, Newly Weds Recipe Linky
What's New Wednesday

and

Cajun Spiced Tilapia

I have been harassing Dart for Tilapia recipes and she sent me some fabulous ones, I just need up upgrade my kitchen some. So I went with one of her dry spice suggestions: Cajun. I had bought it in a container, just as it is and it was yummy!

Basically what I did was, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. While that is warming, take 3- 4oz Tilapia fillets (mine were frozen) and open them up, rinse them off and pat them dry with a paper towel. Once the pan is warm enough, spray with PAM and put the fish in the pan. Sprinkle with Cajun Seasoning. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, flip, sprinkle more and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes!

4 oz Tilapia @ 2 PointsPlus
Betty Crocker Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes @ 2 PointsPlus per 2/3 cup serving
Birds Eye Steam Fresh Lightly Sauced Broccoli 1 @ PointsPlus Per 1 cup serving

Total for this meal:
5 PointsPlus? HOLY COW! (Fish)

Linked at : Amee's Fit and Fabulous Friday