enchiladas

When we had dinner guest last week I made two different types of enchiladas. The sauces are different, but they are prepared and cooked the same way.

Sour Cream Enchiladas

Chicken Breast (cooked and chopped into pieces)

Cheddar Cheese (grated)

Flour Tortillas

2 can of Cream of Chicken soup

8 oz of sour cream

1 can of chopped green chillies

1 tsp of chili powder

Ranchero Enchiladas

Chicken Breast (cooked and chopped into pieces)

Cheddar Cheese (grated)

Flour Tortillas

1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Pace
2 tsp chili powder

Mix all ingredients except the chicken, cheese and tortillas in a mixing bowl then pour into a pie pan or shallow dish.

This is the Sour Cream mixture.

This is the Ranchero mixture.

Put the chicken and cheese on plates.

Dip the tortillas on both sides in the soup mixture.

Put a handful of chicken and cheese in a tortilla, wrap up into an enchilada, and place in a 9x13 pan.

Put any remaining sauce on top then sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until warm!

**Unfortunately I can't take any credit for either one of these recipes. The Sour Cream Enchilada recipe came from my Mother in Law and the Ranchero Enchiladas came from a college friend.

grocery budget

Another one of my resolutions for 2010 was to spend less than $300 a month on groceries. I would love to spend under $250, but I set $300 as my goal so I could always reach it.

My January grocery bill was just over $250!!

Matt and I eat breakfast at the house, pack our lunch, and I cook almost every night. We try to go out to eat as little as possible.

If you do the math of that. We are eating for...

about $62 week

or

about $8 a day

Each one of us is basically eating for $4 a day. Where can you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner for $4? That would be like breakfast for $1, lunch for $1, and dinner for $2.

No where.

The only way I'm able to stay within my grocery budget is because I coupon. Last night I went to the grocery store and spent spent $75. My original bill without my Kroger card and coupons was $188. I saved $113, which is a 60% savings!!

I'm so glad that couponing is helping me stay within my monthly grocery budget each month.

bowling starbucks pappasitos

Last night we got to hang out with 2 sweet couples from our ABF. Our plans didn't go quite as expected, but we still had a great time.

The girls

{Me, Brittany, & Jenna}

The guys

{Trent, Ryan, & Matt}

Our original plan was to go bowling, but it was league night and they didn't have open bowling until 9pm.

Our second plan was to hangout at Starbucks, but they were super crowed and didn't have a good spot for 6 people to sit.

We finally decided on getting some dessert at Pappasito's.

Matt and I split Tres Leches cake.

It was absolutely divine. We ate every single bite of it.

Next time I eat at Pappasito's, I'm going to have to save room for some dessert because it was delicious!!

We definitely had a sweet night, with sweet friends, and some sweet dessert!!

dinner guests

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to have people over for dinner more often.

So.....Saturday night Matt and I had dinner guests over at our house for the first time. We have had family over for dinner plenty of times, and we have had friends over to hang out many times, but we had never had friends over for dinner until Saturday night.

The Zellners {Ray & Alica} joined us.

And The Hoopers {Jonathan & Tammy} also joined us!!

I served Ranchero Enchiladas, Sour Cream & Cheese Enchiladas, Corn Casserole, Taco Salad, Homemade Hot Sauce, Guacamole, Queso, & Chips. I thought it was a delicious meal if I do say so myself!!

After dinner we decided to play a friendly game of guy/girl Cranium.

It was a close game until the end when we just let the guys win!!

We of course had to take some in action (not really) pictures before the night was complete!!

We ended the night with some girl chat time while the guys played Wii and almost beat the entire sword fighting game on Wii Resort!! Before we knew it, it was 1am. I guess time flies when your having fun.

Thanks for coming over and being our first "dinner guests"!!

february desktop

You can grab this adorable February desktop at Shabby Princess for free!!

I just love teal and red together, don't you??

meal planning monday

Monday: Leftover Enchiladas (I'm planning on sharing this recipe this week)

Tuesday: Roast, Carrots & Potatoes & Crescents

Wednesday: Swiss Stuffing Chicken, Salad, & French Bread

Thursday: PW's Chicken Spaghetti & Veggies

Friday: Crockpot Chicken & Spicy Black Bean Tacos

Saturday Breakfast: Matt: Men's Breakfast w/ ABF Me: Cereal

Saturday Lunch: Pizza

Saturday Dinner: Chicken Noodle Soup & Crab Triangles

Sunday Lunch: Toasted Whole Grain Apple Cheddar Paninis & Chips (I think I might add bacon)

Sunday Dinner: Super Bowl Party w/ Matt's Family

Don't forget to link up, and be sure to link to your actual Meal Planning Monday post, not just your blog address. Thanks so much for participating. I really do love seeing you meal ideas each week!!

i have 3 excuses...

I have 3 excuses for not blogging since Tuesday.

Excuse 1: I've been a bit under the weather. Not really sick, but just congested and feeling kind of cruddy.

Excuse 2: I was busy finishing three decorating projects. (I'll blog about these later this week!!)

Excuse 3: We had dinner guest Saturday night and I had lots of cleaning to do!

I'll be back to normal this week with lots of blogging, but for now I'm off to meal plan so I can it ready for you to link up to tomorrow!!

veggie quesadillas

Every time I make Veggie Quesadillas Matt always asks me if there is meat in them.

You would assume that there wouldn't be meat in them since I call them Veggie Quesadillas. Not true though. I put chicken in them to make my husband happy, but I actually like them better without meat.

Veggie Quesadillas

Tortillas

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Chicken Tenders

Spray Butter

1 Onion

1 Carrot

1 Zucchini

Frozen Corn

Season chicken tenders with fajita seasoning, grill in a pan and set aside. Season sliced onion with fajita seasoning, saute in pan and set aside.

Put sliced zuchinni, sliced carrots, and frozen corn in a microwave safe bowl filled with water.

Microwave vegetable for a couple of minutes or until softened up. Drain and set aside.

Spray one side of the tortillas with spray butter. Layer half of the non-buttered side with cheese, chicken, onions, veggies and more cheese.

I grill mine on a griddle on a medium heat, but you could definitely grill over the stove.

Grill until they are crispy on both sides.

Serve with homemade hotsauce and a dollop of sour cream!!

Enjoy!!

Every time I make these Matt always asks me if there is meat in them.

I call them Veggie Quesadillas because I think you could just do without the meat. I put chicken in there to make my husband happy!!

meal planning monday

My goal for the next few weeks is to try one Pioneer Woman recipe, one Crockpot recipe, and one of your recipes. So keep posting/linking to your recipes in your Meal Planning Mondays. I love it!!

Monday: PW's Penne Alla Betsy, Salad, & Parmesan Foccacia Bread

Tuesday: Crockpot BBQ Roast Beef Sandwiches & Chips

Wednesday: Chicken Poppyseed Casserole, Broccoli, & Rolls

Thursday: Basil & Mozzerella Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Salad, & PW's Twice Baked Potatoes

Friday: Spicy Garlic Chicken (in a bag) & Egg Rolls

Saturday Breakfast: Hobo Pancakes

Saturday Lunch: Corn Dogs & French Fries

Saturday Dinner: Sour Cream & Chicken Enchiladas, Rice & Beans, & Homemade Salsa

Sunday Lunch: Last Sunday Lunch w/ our ABF

Sunday Dinner: Dinner @ our Leadership Meeting

Don't forget to link up your Meal Planning Monday and join in on the fun!!

happy birthday mom!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

I hope your day was as fabulous as you are!!

I love you!!

broomball

Last night our ABF rented out the Galleria Ice Skating Rink to play some late night broomball. We had the rink rented out from 11:15-12:15, so it was a very late night for me. Normally I don't stay up late on Friday nights, but this was well worth it!!

It was a lot harder than it looked, but I some how managed to score one goal. Matt, on the other hand, scored a plethora for his team.

A fun night was definitely had by all!!

favorite shopping spots

Show us Your Life Friday

{Favorite Shopping Spots}

I have always been a quantity vs. quality kind of clothes shopper. I would much rather have a closet full of clothes that I will get rid of after a few seasons, than have designer clothes that last forever. I get tired of my clothes and I like to change it up.

That's why I shop at...

and

and anywhere there is a clearance section.

I love a good deal!!

Where you do shop??

finger lickin' good

I decided to bust out my Pioneer Woman cookbook tonight.

I made chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy.

I love her cookbook because she gives pictures for every step of the recipe. Her tip for the chicken fried steak was to have four plate stations.

Here are my four plates:

1. the seasoned meat

2. the egg/milk mixture

3. the flour mixture

4. the ready to cook meat

In her cookbook she says, "You're doing it right if you're hands get really messy."

I guess I was doing it right!!
Frying food has always scared me. I had never fried anything until tonight.
My husband posted on Facebook & Twitter that I make a mean chicken fried steak, so it looks like this won't be my last time to fry something!!

If you don't have the Pioneer Woman's cookbook, it's worth the investment just for this recipe!!

january desktop

Here is my desktop background for the month of January.

Every month Shabby Princess has a free desktop calendar template.

It is so quick and easy to download, you should check it out.

I just love my cute little desktop background each month!!

top ten reasons i meal plan

And, ten reasons why you should meal plan too!!

(in no particular order)

10. It makes my Sunday afternoon grocery store trips so quick and easy.

9. I can come home from school late and still get a great meal on the table by 6:00.

8. I don't have to think when I come home what we will have for dinner.

7. I save money because I rarely have to make random trips to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things at full price.

6. We don't go out to eat much because I always have something planned.

5. We never end up eating crap for dinner because I always have something planned.

4. It helps me try new recipes.

3. It's one less thing I have to think about during the week.

2. I actually think it's fun!!

1. It gives me something to blog about each Monday, and now that I've added a MckLinky it gives me some great new ideas!!

Join in on the fun next week for Meal Planning Monday!!

i forgot the jelly

Tonight I made spaghetti for dinner and it just didn't taste right.

Matt thought it tasted fine, but I just ate my bread and called that dinner. It just wasn't even worth eating to me.

I couldn't figure out why it didn't taste right until I remembered that I forgot my secret ingredient.

GRAPE JELLY!!!

Yup, grape jelly. I forgot to put grape jelly in my spaghetti sauce.

All you have to do is mix a can of Hunt's Traditional Spaghetti Sauce, a spoonful of parmesan, ground beef or meatballs, and a heaping spoonful of grape jelly.

You'll never want to eat spaghetti without grape jelly after you try it!!

meal planning monday

Thanks to those of you who linked up last week. I enjoyed reading what some of you were making. I plan on trying some of your recipes in the next couple of weeks. Sometimes I get in a rut of what I make, so it's nice to get fresh new ideas from other people!! Feel free to link up again this week!!

Monday: Spaghetti & Meat Sauce, French Bread, and Salad

Tuesday: Crescent Chicken and Veggies

Wednesday: Veggie Quesadillas & Homemade Hot Sauce

Thursday: PW's Chicken Fried Steak, PW's Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans

Friday: BLT Sandwiches & Chips

Saturday Brunch: Eggs & Sausage Crescent Wraps

Saturday Dinner: Out or Something Quick & Easy

Sunday Lunch: Chili Cheese Wraps

Sunday Dinner: Mom's Birthday Dinner @ Our House

And a big thanks to Ricci for letting me steal your cute little button this week. I have plans to make my own button that matches my blog, but I don't have photoshop loaded back onto my computer since the crash, so who knows when I'll get around to it. For now I'll be using Ricci's cute button!!

dating groups

Our ABF does a thing called "dating groups." Every two weeks we are paired up with two couples. We have two weeks to get together with them and go out on a "date." Just like we all dated to get to know our spouse, we are dating other couples to get to know them as well. This has really been a fun way to get to know all the people in our class. And it sure is fun to always have a group date on our calendar every other week!

This round we were paired up with....

The Davis': Eric & Julie (and Toby the dog)

and The Hutchison's: Michelle & David

Eric and Julie are huge Colts fans so they invited us to their house last night for desserts, games, and of course the Colts game. A great time was had by all!!

skatin' with peyton

Yesterday we headed down to Sherman for our nephew, Peyton's 9th Birthday Party.

The party was at a Sherden Roller Rink. Matt said it hadn't change one bit since he was a kid.

Our other little nephew, Preston, was quite the little entertainer on his skates. He couldn't quite figure out how to stay on his feet.

Our niece, Emma, somehow talked Grandaddy into skating with him. He was a brave man. Matt and I didn't even roller skate.

We were too busy loving on our sweet little nephew, Ethan.

Too cute!! Doesn't my husband look good with a baby??