Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Home Ownership Smonership

We've begun the process of looking for a house. It's supposed to be fun and so far it hasn't really been.  Everybody says looking at houses is the most fun part, but so far it just leaves me feeling way more confused and unsure about what we're doing than before.

I'm definitely finding things I don't like (double wide trailers in the yard....I'm looking at you showing #1) and I'm definitely finding things that I do like (fun artsy stuff....I'm looking at you showing #3), but overall I don't really feel any clearer than I did when we first started looking.

I don't really understand what's going on with the whole mortgage process, but luckily KB is handling most of that and we seem to be squared away.  It's such a huge purchase and I'm so scared that I'm going to jump on the first house that I really like and then end up hating it once I live in it for a few months.

I'm having a hard time figuring out exactly what I want.   We've done the whole "wants vs. musts" thing and I have lots of wants but not a lot of musts.  That just makes it harder.  I just want something affordable, with a good bit of land, closer to work, a good amount of square footage, an area for the dogs, cool architectural things and a wood stove.  Is that too much to ask?  Probably.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Weekly Work It Out

I'm still plugging away on the fit train.  Judging by the half gallon (ok maybe not that much) of ice cream I ate last night I need it more than ever.  This week I'll be doing this:


I'm also excited about getting to use this a little bit more....

KB got me a stability ball and some resistance bands for my birthday.  I've used the resistance bands a lot, but the ball not as much.  I'll definitely be doing some planks and ab stuff on it.

What will you be working out this week?

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Menu Sunday

Here's what the Browns will be eating this week....

Mon:  Huevos Rancheros




We're in the beginning phases of buying a home (a whole other post to come!) so we're trying to save as much money as we can right now.  Because of this, we're seriously cutting down our grocery bills and trying to eat what we have in the freezer.  Eggs were on sale and I already had some black beans and tortillas.  I actually really like huevos rancheros so this isn't that big of a sacrifice for me.

Tues: Crock Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken


We have a ton of frozen chicken so I'm trying to find recipes to use it up.  We also seem to have a weird assortment of half used BBQ sauces.  It could be a little weird with combining them all, but I figure BBQ sauce is generally the same....it can't be that bad.....can it?

Wed: Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup


This is another cheap meal since I already had some of this stuff for the huevos rancheros.  I'll also be using up some more of the frozen chicken.  I'll probably add in some black beans and salsa just to give a bit more umph.

Thurs: Tuna Cakes with Red Pepper Sauce






KB eats a lot of tuna....a lot, so we end up buying it in bulk at Sams because it is a lot cheaper.  These look pretty easy and tasty.  I'll probably serve these with some pasta salad or some type of 3 bean salad.  We'll see.

What goodies will you be eating this week???

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Pinteresting Wednesday

It's time for Pinteresting Wednesday!  I'm linking up with The Vintage Apple to play along.

Here are some of my favorite Pins of the week...






Source: google.com via Rachel on Pinterest



What are your favorite Pins of the week?

Monday, January 23, 2012

Weekly Work It Out

I'm still on the fit train and am happy to say that I have worked out everyday for the past 3 weeks.  Most days I have worked out for about 15 minutes in the morning and then another 30-45 minutes in the evenings.  Some days I get lazy and sleep instead of working out.

This week I hope to keep it up!  I ended up not getting this workout last week and instead got the worst Ryan Gosling movie of all time (don't watch Blue Valentine....just don't).


I'll also be getting this....


I seriously cannot profess my love enough for the 10 Minute Solutions workouts.  They are challenging without being too crazy.  I like to do them in the mornings because while I feel like I get a good workout in I don't get all sweaty and nasty before going to work.

What workouts will you be up to this week???

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Menu Sunday

Here's another round of what the Browns will be eating this week....

Mon: Breakfast Braid


I love bacon and eggs any time of the day and this looks especially yummy.  I will be subbing out the crescent rolls for pie crusts.  I'm hoping it will have the same effect.  I seem to have amassed a large quantity of refrigerated pie crusts that I need to use up.

Tues: Weight Watchers Chicken and Cheese Casserole


I'm not really sure what is "Weight Watchers" about this casserole.  It has cream of chicken AND cream of mushroom soup, pasta and cheese.....I'm not getting it.  Anyway, we're eating it because it looks good not because we want to look good.  I'm going to be subbing in spaghetti instead of penne because I needed spaghetti for something later in the week.

Wed: Slow Cooker Lettuce Wraps


Both KB and I have recently eaten at PF Changs and we are now craving the deliciousness that is there lettuce wraps.  KB really only likes the meat and not the lettuce part, so I'm thinking of wrapping mine in cabbage leaves.  I feel like they will stand up to the sauce a little bit better.  I'm excited to try these, but I'm really scared that mine won't hold a candle to PF Changs.  Oh well...

Thurs: So Easy Spaghetti

This recipe is from my slow cooker cookbook that I got for Christmas so there's no fun picture.  It's basically crock pot spaghetti sauce that you put the noodles in so they cook along with the sauce.  I'm still trying to figure out if I want to put some of the ground turkey from the lettuce wraps in there or not.  I may make it a vegetarian meal since the sauce looks pretty hardy.

Bonus Round!  I made this recipe yesterday and it turned out really well.  It was super easy and quick (for a slow cooker meal) and KB really liked it.  It made a ton, so I froze the leftovers and I have a feeling we'll be eating them sooner rater than later.

Crock Pot Mexican Lasagna Stack Up


I left out the chicken and even KB couldn't really tell.  There's so many other things in it I don't think you really need it.  I also used low sodium tomatoes, corn, beans and tortillas.  We gotta watch the high blood pressure around here.

I'm also thinking of possibly making these this week.  KB really likes sopapillas and I think I have all of the ingredients for these laying around.

Sopapilla Cheesecake



What goodies will you be making and eating this week???

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Thoughts on a Thursday

It's time for Thoughts on a Thursday!  Link up with Carolyn to play along.




  • I've recently gotten into herbal teas.  I've always been a tea drinker, but normally it was fun things like lemon zinger or apple cinnamon.  This year I'm bringing out the big guns.  I've been drinking 3 cups of green tea every day so far along with another herbal tea at night.  So far I've tried these two and while they don't taste exactly the best, I feel pretty good.
  • It's almost Valentine's day and I really want to make some type of fun goodie, but we still have so many sweets left over from Christmas, New Years and birthdays.  KB's birthday is the week after Valentine's so I'm sure we'll get goodies from that too.  Maybe I'll look into something heart shaped that isn't chocolate or candy.  These heart shaped hot dogs seem more our speed.

  • I've gotten a few Ulta gift cards from my birthday and Christmas and I'm looking into getting some really good shampoo.  In the past couple of months I haven't really been loving my hair, but I don't want to get it cut.  I'm hoping with some good shampoo it will just be smooth and silky and not nasty and frizzy.  Any suggestions?

  • I got this movie in my Netflix today.  I've heard that people either love it or hate it.  I'm actually not a huge Ryan Gosling fan.  He's okay, but I don't have Pinterest boards devoted to him.


What are your Thoughts on a Thursday???

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Pinteresting Wednesday

It's time for another installment of Pinteresting Wednesday!  I'm linking up with The Vintage Apple.

Here are some of my favorite Pins of the week...










What are your favorite Pins of the week?

Monday, January 16, 2012

Weekly Work It Out

I'm still doing my EA Sports and Wii Yoga fitness games and so far have made some real progress!  I've gotten all kinds of medals and awards for weird random things.

I did this workout yesterday and it was okay.  It was kind of easy and boring, but sometimes that can be good.  I liked how it was broken out into 15 minute segments so it was easy to stop and start.


I should be getting this later on in the week and I'm excited to try it out.  I really like the 10 Minute Solutions DVDs.  It's really easy to put segments together or just do one at a time.  I like to do them in the morning when I really only have time for one or two.  I've gotten into Pilates here recently so hopefully this will be challenging and not boring.


Sunday, January 15, 2012

Menu Sunday

It's time to see what KB and I will be eating on this week....

Mon: It's a surprise!
KB doesn't have to work because of MLK day.  I do.  It sucks.  KB is going to make me dinner but I'm not really sure what it will be.  I feel sure it will involve some weird game meat.

Tues: Spicy Beef and Cabbage Stew


Cabbage and ground beef were on sale this week so this is an automatic score.  It's also made in the crock pot, so it's an even bigger score.  This looks like it would be really good and easy.  We love cabbage and soup in this household so I'm thinking it'll be a winner.

Wed: Cheeseburger Crescent Bake


This is not the healthiest of meals, but I seemed to have amassed a large amount of crescent rolls that I need to use up. I can also use up some of the cooked ground beef from Tuesday's meal too.

Thurs: Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Salad


I love chicken salad and my crock pot and this recipe combines the two.  You basically let the chicken cook in the crock pot all day and then shred it and add in your chicken salad type stuff.  I'm thinking if this method actually works I'll be using it a lot.  I really like chicken salad, but I hate having to come home and cook the chicken for it.  With this method the chicken cooks while I'm out doing fun things....like working....NOT.


What goodies will you be eating this week???

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Pinteresting Wednesday

It's time for another installment of Pinteresting Wednesday!  Link up with The Vintage Apple and her awesome new look to play along!



Here are my favorite pins of the week!













Monday, January 9, 2012

Weekly Work It Out

After all the holiday craziness I'm finally back on the weekly work it out.

This week I'll be doing these...

This lady looks and sounds crazy, but some people I work with swear by her.  It should be entertaining just watching her craziness.

A friend of mine let me borrow this game and so far I really like it.  The mediation exercises on there are great.  I did a 25 minute deep relaxation mediation tonight and my body feels like jello.

I'm also of course still doing my EA Sports 6 week challenge on the Wii and getting up in the morning to stretch and do some pilates.

I haven't weighed myself since before the holidays.  I'm a little nervous to see what Christmas, New Years and my birthday have done to me!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Menu Sunday

Here's what we'll be eating this week....

Mon: Spoonable BLT Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches



I love soup and grilled cheese.  I could eat it every day, but KB might want some variety in his life so I don't.  This recipe looks like really good tomato soup, but amped up.  I can use all the amping up I can get these days.

Tues: Scandinavian Beans and Cornbread

This is another recipe from my slow cooker book I got for Christmas.  KB loves pintos and this recipe has a few different things in it than the recipes I normally use for pintos.

Wed: Creamy Carrot Soup


It's a week full of soup!  I've had this recipe pinned for a while, but I keep putting off making it.  I love carrots and I love soup, so this will be a winner for me.

Thurs: Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff


This is kind of a bad picture, but the recipe looks really good.  I like beef stroganoff, but in the past I've never really been able to get it quite right.  Hopefully this is fool proof enough for me.

What goodies will you be eating this week???

Friday, January 6, 2012

Happy Birthday to Me....Again

These lovelies will be waiting for me when I get home....





My skin has been doing some wonky stuff recently so hopefully this will help to work out its issues.