Gotta Love a Good Pizza

I'm thankful for...

#26 - Having such a handy husband. My superhero picked up and installed our new super quiet dishwasher this evening after work. 

Which leads me to... 

#27 - Dishwashers! I'm pretty sure that if I had to hand wash all of the dishes all of the time, we would just use disposable everything...  

Phelps Family Pizza Pics...

The perfect touch...

Hmmm, this looks tasty.

Little Dude's finished product.

Say "Cheese"!

My masterpiece "Before" picture

Serving up some yummy goodness...

Being a silly boy!

My masterpiece "After" picture

Thanksgiving Has Come & Gone

Well, folks that wraps up Thanksgiving. Next up - Christmas.

WAIT - wasn't it just Halloween? The older I get, the faster my life goes by. Truly amazing. I continue to be in awe of God's work in my life and the lives of those around me.

Spending time with the family is always wonderful. Smaller group this year, but still nice. Each of us brought a side dish or two so it wound up being quite the feast!

I even did my fair share of Black Friday shopping. Which brings me to my next topic... Macys.com. I was sitting around at, oh a little before midnight, doing a little online shopping. I found two great deals so I picked out my colors and put them in my shopping cart. Then I went about shopping for other things but didn't see anything else I just couldn't live without, so I went to the online checkout. Then, what to my wondering eyes, should appear? Big red letters saying: "Please remove this item from your cart. It is no longer available."

Are. You. SERIOUS??

Apparently I was supposed to pick my Black Friday deals and checkout one at a time... I wouldn't get to take advantage of the "Free Shipping on Orders $99 or more" and I would actually have wound up paying for shipping TWICE. Really? Lucky for me, I was still able to get one of the deals at Macy's at the mall before 1 pm but the other deal is sold out - trust me I keep checking the website. Boo on you Macys.com.

Ok, that's my Black Friday rant for this year... on to better things, my Cricut.

Have you seen the results that come up on Amazon.com when you search for Cricut? I feel like there's this whole new Cricut world out there that I'm just now stumbling into. Apparently scrapbooking - and Michael's Black Friday sale - to satisfy my paper addiction is the gateway to getting me hooked on the Cricut. So naturally, I found things that I didn't even know I needed, like the Cricut tote bag, cartridge case, and of course cartridges that I didn't even know existed... oh the possibilities. 

Time to play catch up on Thankfulness List: Things I am thankful for...

#22 - Beautiful weather. The weather was fantastic on Thanksgiving Day. It was nice enough to not need a jacket during the day, and we were able to open the windows and let in the cool air in the evening because cooking the Thanksgiving Feast warmed up the house.

#23 - That I am NOT a crazy Black Friday shopper. Don't get me wrong, I do my fair share of shopping with the locals on Black Friday, but Black Friday news stories are crazy! From the man who left his girlfriend's child in the car while he bought a big screen TV at Best Buy and then took the TV home and left his car in the parking lot of the store. To the Black Friday shoppers that were nearly run over in the parking lot by a drunk driver. And of course, the regular parking lot campers who are intent on being the first one through the door. Most of the time these news stories have me shaking my head...

#24 - My family and friends are safe this Thanksgiving. I was shocked and sad after hearing about the crazy pile up outside of Houston, 2 people died and 80 injured. Yes, I probably found out about the story a little late, but at least I finally heard about it. I'm pretty much burned out on the news after the pre-election, during-election, and post-election crazy-beyond-crazy frenzy. Definitely praying for those involved and their families. 

#25 - Four day weekends. This little break really gave me some time to hang out with the family, get some much needed rest & relaxation, and get some cleaning done. It was starting to look like squatters were living here. Ok, maybe it wasn't that bad but it sure did feel like it. Now, if I can stay focused and get the Christmas tree up and decorated tomorrow before heading back to work on Monday...

Thanksgiving is near...

More things I'm thankful for...

#20 - Listening to my daughter talk to herself while she plays in the bathtub. It's very entertaining and makes me wish that she would stay this little forever. It also reminds me that she soaks in everything that she sees and hears around her. From "Shoo-wee that diaper stinky!" to "SHHH! I'm talking on the phone..." to "Get a bite" in her southern belle accent I can recognize the people who she spends the most of her time around.

#21 - My son's helpfulness. Sometimes this preteen thing is about to kill me but most of the time he's still my sweet boy. The age difference between my mini munchkin and my not-so-mini munchkin really comes in handy sometimes. He's always willing to help out, sometimes it is building lego structures so that she can tear them apart, and other times it is setting up the Jenga game so she can just knock it down again. He can also help with the laundry and vacuuming and other household chores. Super big help and I'm sure I don't thank him enough!

Gearing up for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I've mixed up the fruit salad and pre-baked the green bean casserole. Now I'm ready to spend some time relaxing and pretending that my house is clean... I'll admit it - I just don't feel like cleaning! Big surprise? No, not really.

Thank Heaven For...

#10 - Teachers. I am thankful for teachers, the GOOD kind, the kind that care about our children and want to see them succeed in life. Good teachers are hard to find, great teachers are one in a million.

#11 - Autumn. The changing colors of the leaves (even though Texas autumns are 3 weeks long) sometimes if you pay attention, you can catch the leaves changing from green, to orange, red, yellow, and brown.

#12 - Weddings - particularly the cake part. Watching two of your best friends tie the knot is really special. Also knowing that they really wanted you there is icing on the cake. Wedding cake is absolutely the best ever! Always rich and creamy with icing and makes you feel like you need to swim in a pool of milk. My tummy is grumbling as I speak...

#13 - Heaters. Traveled to Pittsburg for business and it was COLD. The daytime highs there are what the lows are in Texas. I love snow, but I think I just love to look at it. In pictures. The longer I live in the south the less tolerance I have for cold weather.

Coconut Rice & Red Curry Shrimp

Made this as a "Something Different" dinner... wasn't too sure how it was going to turn out but it was great! I'm sure the calorie count isn't diet worthy. The curry sauce nutrition facts were in Thai so I can't read them. Next time I think I will sub some low fat coconut milk but I didn't have any handy.

Coconut rice:
I have a rice cooker so I measured out 3 scoops of rice and put it in the rice cooker.
I opened one 13.5 oz can of coconut milk and poured it in.
Then I used water to fill the liquid in the rice cooker to the "fill line" for 3 scoops.
Added a dash of salt and a dash of sugar and mixed it all up well.

Push the "Cook" button and wait for the yummy smells of coconut to fill the air!

If you don't have a rice cooker, you can follow this recipe here:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/asian-coconut-rice/detail.aspx

While the rice is cooking, lets prepare the shrimp.

Red Curry Shrimp:
We bought already cooked and peeled 26-32 count per lb. large shrimp. Give them a quick rinse under cold water and set aside.

Chop up two medium yellow onions and sauté in medium sauce pan.

While the onions are sautéing, I opened two of these red curry sauce packets purchased from the local asian food store. Mixed in a small bowl with 1/2 - 1 cup of water.

Pour sauce in with onions and cook on low heat until onions are tender. You can cover for 5 - 10 minutes to speed the process up a little.

Mix in shrimp at the last minute and heat through. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp... unless you like the gummy kind.

Put a generous heap of coconut rice on a plate and top with red curry shrimp mixture. Garnish with chopped parsley (we were out) or whatever suits your tastebuds.

~ ENJOY! ~

Sweet & Sour Skewers

This is great to have your family make together! Simple, fun, and fast to make!

Originally a recipe from Kraft, but we changed it up to fit our family preferences. I've included a link to the original at the end of this post for your convenience.

What you need:

32 - 1" fully-cooked meatballs approx 1 lb -thawed

1 onion, cut into 1 inch squares

1 green pepper, cut into 1 inch squares

1 tomato, cut into 1 inch chunks

1/4 cup apricot jam

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

approx. 12 skewers

Start by soaking the skewers first if using the wood variety - you can pick these up at the local grocery store. 

Chop your veggies and assemble on skewers, alternating between veggies and meatballs. Try leaving a little room between the veggies and meatballs to let them cook evenly.

Heat the jam in microwave safe bowl for approx 15 seconds.

Mix the apricot jam and barbecue sauce in a small bowl and brush half of the mixture over the assembled skewers.

Ta-Da! Ready for the grill...

Grill on low flames until you have the right amount of charr and grill flavor. Or approx. 8 - 10 minutes, until the meatballs are heated through, turning occasionally.

Brush the remaining sauce onto the skewers during the last two minutes.

Remove from grill and serve warm with your favorite sides! (Kraft recommends grilled corn on the cob.)

Original recipe can be found here: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/sweet-sour-meatball-skewers-113530.aspx

Chili + Cheese + Kraut Coneys

This was something we threw together quickly and the kids loved it. We had homemade (thanks to my awesome husband!) chili on hand but you can use whatever kind of chili you have handy. 

P.S. Sorry, as of the time of this writing - at my husband's request - we are not releasing the world famous, award winning "No Beans, Just Bud!" super secret Phelps family chili recipe.

Warm up chili and hotdogs... um, usually separately unless you're trying to cut down on the amount of dishes you have to wash later...

Eating healthy? Pick up some turkey dogs, low fat cheese, and low fat chili.

We added sauerkraut - Kosher brand straight from the jar...

Assemble the bun and hotdog, scoop on some chili, add some kraut, and finally top with a generous heap of cheese. My husband suggests adding diced onions and mustard if you like that sort of thing...

~~ENJOY!!

The Hunger Monster

So I've been tracking my calories with My Fitness Pal app... and it's HARD! (By the way my username is sphelps115 if you want to look me up.) I'm hungry ALL the time. I even searched "How to diet and not be hungry"... sad, I know. I was always hungry when I wasn't counting calories... can you imagine me now? Torture... 


Anyway, back to my adventures in Google-ing... All the articles seemed to have the same theme: more protein and more fiber. One article said eat something every 3 hours, sounds like a good one. A different article said eat foods that give you more bulk for the same calories, another good one.


Let's put the two together more bulk, more fiber, more protein! Back to Google to find these foods... and I'm crossing my fingers that they taste good. I'll paste the fiber and protein food lists below for your, er... my reference. 

Somebody please tell me this gets easier....


Lists courtesy of CommonSenseHealth.com

HIGH FIBER FOODS LIST with TOTAL FIBER GRAMS (g)

Fresh & Dried Fruit	Serving Size	Fiber (g)
Apples with skin	1 medium	5.0
Apricot	3 medium	1.0
Apricots, dried	4 pieces	2.9
Banana	1 medium	3.9
Blueberries	1 cup	4.2
Cantaloupe, cubes	1 cup	1.3
Figs, dried	2 medium	3.7
Grapefruit	1/2 medium	3.1
Orange, navel	1 medium	3.4
Peach	1 medium	2.0
Peaches, dried	3 pieces	3.2
Pear	1 medium	5.1
Plum	1 medium	1.1
Raisins	1.5 oz box	1.6
Raspberries	1 cup	6.4
Strawberries	1 cup	4.4

Grains, Beans, Nuts & Seeds	Serving Size	Fiber (g)
Almonds	1 oz	4.2
Black beans, cooked	1 cup	13.9
Bran cereal	1 cup	19.9
Bread, whole wheat	1 slice	2.0
Brown rice, dry	1 cup	7.9
Cashews	1 oz	1.0
Flax seeds	3 Tbsp.	6.9
Garbanzo beans, cooked	1 cup	5.8
Kidney beans, cooked	1 cup	11.6
Lentils, red cooked	1 cup	13.6
Lima beans, cooked	1 cup	8.6
Oats, rolled dry	1 cup	12.0
Quinoa (seeds) dry	1/4 cup	6.2
Quinoa, cooked	1 cup	8.4
Pasta, whole wheat	1 cup	6.3
Peanuts	1 oz	2.3
Pistachio nuts	1 oz	3.1
Pumpkin seeds	1/4 cup	4.1
Soybeans, cooked	1 cup	8.6
Sunflower seeds	1/4 cup	3.0
Walnuts	1 oz	3.1

Vegetables	Serving Size	Fiber (g)
Avocado (fruit)	1 medium	11.8
Beets, cooked	1 cup	2.8
Beet greens	1 cup	4.2
Bok choy, cooked	1 cup	2.8
Broccoli, cooked	1 cup	4.5
Brussels sprouts, cooked	1 cup	3.6
Cabbage, cooked	1 cup	4.2
Carrot	1 medium	2.6
Carrot, cooked	1 cup	5.2
Cauliflower, cooked	1 cup	3.4
Cole slaw	1 cup	4.0
Collard greens, cooked	1 cup	2.6
Corn, sweet	1 cup	4.6
Green beans	1 cup	4.0
Celery	1 stalk	1.1
Kale, cooked	1 cup	7.2
Onions, raw	1 cup	2.9
Peas, cooked	1 cup	8.8
Peppers, sweet	1 cup	2.6
Pop corn, air-popped	3 cups	3.6
Potato, baked w/ skin	1 medium	4.8
Spinach, cooked	1 cup	4.3
Summer squash, cooked	1 cup	2.5
Sweet potato, cooked	1 medium	4.9
Swiss chard, cooked	1 cup	3.7
Tomato	1 medium	1.0
Winter squash, cooked	1 cup	6.2
Zucchini, cooked	1 cup	2.6

BEANS

FOOD	AMOUNT	CALORIES	PROTEIN	CARBS	FAT
Black beans	1/2 cup cooked	113	7.6	20.4	.5
Garbanzo (chickpeas)	1/2 cup cooked	134	7.3	22.5	2.1
Kidney beans	1/2 cup cooked	112	7.6	20.1	.4
Lentil beans	1/2 cup cooked	115	8.9	19.9	.4
Lima beans	1/2 cup cooked	108	7.3	19.6	.4
Navy beans	1/2 cup cooked	129	7.9	24.0	.5
Soybeans (edamame)	1/2 cup cooked	127	11.1	10.0	5.8
Tofu	1/2 cup fresh	94	10.0	2.3	5.9

DAIRY

FOOD	AMOUNT	CALORIES	PROTEIN	CARBS	FAT
Cheddar cheese	1 ounce	114	7.1	.4	9.4
Cottage cheese	1/2 cup	110	14.0	3.1	5.0
Cottage cheese, lowfat	1/2 cup	90	16.0	3.0	1.0
Egg	1 large	75	6.3	0	5.0
Milk, lowfat	1 cup	121	8.1	11.7	4.7
Milk, skim	1 cup	86	8.4	11.8	.4
Muenster cheese	1 ounce	104	6.7	.3	8.5
Swiss cheese	1 ounce	107	8.1	1.0	7.8
Yogurt, lowfat	1 cup	144	11.9	16	3.5
Yogurt, nonfat	1 cup	127	13.0	17.4	.4

FISH

FOOD	AMOUNT	CALORIES	PROTEIN	CARBS	FAT
Anchovies, in water	1 ounce	37	5.8	0	1.4
Halibut	3 ounces	93	17.7	0	2.0
Mackerel	3 ounces	180	15.8	0	11.8
Salmon	3 ounces	121	16.9	0	5.4
Sardines, in water	1 can	130	22.0	0	5.0
Tuna, tongol	1/4 cup	70	16.0	0	0

GRAINS

FOOD	AMOUNT	CALORIES	PROTEIN	CARBS	FAT
Oatmeal, rough cut	1 cup	145	6.0	25.2	2.4
Pancake, buckwheat	1 4" diameter	54	1.8	6.4	2.2
Pancake, whole wheat	1 4" diameter	74	3.4	8.8	3.2
Popcorn, dry	1 cup	54	1.8	10.7	.7
Quinoa, cooked	1/2 cup	115	4.3	21.5	2
Rice, brown, cooked	1/2 cup	108	2.4	22.8	.8
Rye bread	1 slice	56	2.1	12	.3
Whole wheat bread	1 slice	56	2.4	11	.7

POULTRY

FOOD	AMOUNT	CALORIES	PROTEIN	CARBS	FAT
Chicken breast	4 ounces	193	29.3	0	7.6
Chicken, light meat, no skin	4 ounces	196	35.1	0	5.1
Chicken, dark meat, no skin	4 ounces	232	31.0	0	5.1
Turkey, light meat, no skin	4 ounces	178	33.9	0	3.7
Turkey, dark meat, no skin	4 ounces	212	32.4	0	8.2