I can't believe it's not Potatoes???

Omgoooodness!

If you have not tried Idahoan Real Premium Mashed Potatoes- then you don't know what you're missing! That's all I have to say about that!

Well, no, actually I have a lot to say about them!!! Welcome to my world little red  box of potatoes! If I had a list of favorite things, you'd be at the very top!! I NEVER, allow me to repeat myself, NEVER EVER would have thought I would EVER turn to a box of potatoes- but these are the gold standard! 

I bought this exact box at Sam's to give'r a try. I made them just now and tasted them and to my surprise they were EXCELLENT!!!! If you had blind folded me and served me two dishes of mashed potatoes I probably would never have been able to pick out which was from the box. And if you think you could- try these and see for yourself! No powder feeling on your tongue whatsoever. Creamy as can be with not one lump. Buttery. Just melt in your mouth perfect.

While watching the show "Unwrapped" the other day I saw a product called "Pop Chips". They took whole potatoes and cut them in to tiny, and I mean tiny, little balls. They then put a ball into this circular device and put it under lots of pressure until it popped like a kernel of corn! No kidding! And it came out just like potato chips- only NO oil, NO frying necessary! What a good idea right? And plus they got like a million chips out of one potato- very efficient!

So when I laid my eyes on these potatoes I kind of wondered if they be powdered or not. NOPE! To my pleasant surprise they were exactly like those little "balls". The recipe on the box says 1 1/2C water, 1/2C milk, 2Tbsp butter. Well I used 1C Water and 1C Milk and 2Tbsp butter. Perfect! I added a little S&P and voila! Mashed potatoes in under 5 minutes!

Feast your eyes on this meal I made just now:

Last night I made the Salisbury steak patties and stuck them in the fridge. So all I did was pull them out and brown them and add the gravy. 

Once the water/milk came to a small boil the potatoes were done in 1 minute! 

So how long do you think it took me to make this meal? 

Would you have guessed ~15 minutes?!

No kidding!

I'm serious as a heart attack!

Don't get me wrong- I love love love to cook. But the days I work it's too hard and takes too long and too much effort on my part to peel, cut and boil potatoes. After working at a very fast pace all day all I want to do is come home and sit, not slave over a hot stove and then finally eat an hour later!

The box put me to ease when it said, 

"No peeling. No guilt. Some people feel they haven't made mashed potatoes unless they've cleaned the potatoes; peeled them; boiled them; stood over a steaming pan and mash them....So don't feel guilty any longer. Serve Idahoan Real Premium mashed potatoes and enjoy the time you save."

Believe you me Mr. Box- I SURE WILL!!!! :):):):)

God's Grace...

I've learned this month, once again, that God is so good. He takes care of me everyday- months and years down the road, when I don't know what lies ahead, He does. And He takes me by the hand and walks down each path with me.

Last December I had a crazy feeling that our life in 2011 would change; a better change. I had a very happy emotion about the new year; and I have never said aloud to anyone during any other new year weekend, "Something good is going to happen next year. I don't know what and I don't know when, but I feel like God has given me a little bit of insight into what lies ahead for us..."

And how I got my job is nothing short of God answering prayers and directing paths; working all together for good, and taking my burdens away because His yolk is easy and His burden is light...I am ever so humbled and honored that God cares so much for me that He comes to my rescue time and time again and never lets me down.

Hind sight is funny. It lets you see everything so clearly! And sometimes you just wish you would have had more faith and trusted in God in the first place because you knew he was never going to let you down and you wouldn't have worried so much had you just believed Him when He said He'd never leave you nor forsake you.

Well, I always believed it and never forgot it, but sometimes Jeff does when he's in the middle of a great battle- but that's why God gave me to him. To pray for him when he's too weak to pray for himself. And God gives Jeff strength that I could only dream of. And he takes care of us...

I'm glad God directs our paths and I'm so glad that I'm usually smart enough to recognize it and just walk down the path He laid out for me. It's so much easier when you just let God do the work and take care of the things you've asked Him to take care of!!! Instead of getting in the way...just let God be God!

Project 52- Week 2

So this week is starting February- the month of love (and dental health, but we'll stick with love) and so I thought, Week 2 should be Red! After wracking my brain a bit, I still liked the one idea I came across from last years archive for Red...call me a cheat or a copy cat- but I really thought it was a cool idea! And after all, it WAS taken from the greatest love story ever written! So, here's to love and red!

Winter...

It's the 1st of February. It's snowy and icy and cold. I guess that's why they put Valentine's Day in February- because it gives you yet another reason to snuggle with someone ;). 

Once Christmas is over (and it flew by this year, we barely had time to enjoy it; it seems like the tree came down just as soon as it went up, but I digress...) there's just no need for ice and snow, anymore. You can't enjoy it; there's no time off from work, no holiday visits from friends and family, you have nothing to enjoy...instead, you worry and hope your husband gets home safely and with Jeff's job, hope he is safe from harm while AT work, because this cold weather and ice makes working conditions very difficult for him.

But it's great for pictures! ;) 

There's tons to photograph and if I had someone to sit with the boys I'd lace up my gym shoes and go hunting for great photo ops! I'd love to get a great shot of a bird like Architect and Photographer Rod Sidley who gave Dr. Kinlaw a great photo of a blue jay snatching a red berry as giant snowflakes fall! "Quiet Flight" is what I named it. He took 200 photos before he captured that shot. 

Anyway, with digital photography it's easy because you're not wasting film, you can just delete bad photos. I am saving up for a normal lens, one that doesn't change focal lengths. It blurs the backgrounds and make portraits clear and crisp. So, as much as I take photos of my boys- it'll be a great investment!! :)

Project 52- Week 1

Week 1 was "Self Portrait". 

Although this photo is not just a picture of me- it is SO me! 

I am a mom of two awesome boys and I love my sleep(bed)! :)

When Charlie fell down on the pillow and smiled-

it made the picture!

It could not be any better in my opinion!

www.project52.net

Project 52

   


    So while searching for wedding photos on line I came across this Project 52 and thought it to be very interesting! Basically, you have a category every week for the whole year. You have the whole week to take your photo and then post it. I am thinking to do this on my own as something fun, to help me practice my hobby so that I can get better, and so that this time next year I will have wonderful 52 pictures! I am also thinking that if I do this on my own and post them here that I can make up my own categories. I was thinking of doing something random each week, but I think many will have to include my boys, as you know I cannot exclude them while camera is in hand... ;)

    And, well, they have already started as they are on their 5th week. Too bad I didn't find this 4 weeks ago! I have taken some pictures so far that I could include to get myself up to date, but I think I will just start where I am and call it Week 1 for me...and I think starting in February will be nice since Valentine's Day is coming up!

    If you would like to join me in Project 52 you are more than welcome! Feel free to share your photos on my wall as I'd love to see what you've come up with! For more info you can click Project 52 and it will take you right to the site! I love to look at inspiring images- it helps me to kick start my own creativity and shoot something I never even thought about! I think this will be very cool to look at at the end of the year, don't you?! You can also check out the archives from 2010!

Excuse Me, Is My Diet Showing?

JuMp FoR JOY!

I have been thinking very long and hard about exercise and eating healthy.  Let's face it- I LOVE food so eating healthy really is not a problem for me, well, except for all things "deep fried and smothered in chocolate"! (thanks Fairy Godmother on Shrek2).  It's the exercise part that's hard to stick with.  However, I have 2 kids and one of them keeps me on my toes and extremely busy! If you are ever curious and want to track your calorie burning, click here and you can track everything from caulking bathroom windows to running down toddlers! It's that detailed! :) 

And from that website I gathered some pretty great insights to weight management and just being healthy day to day! I just want to make sure I'm fit enough that if there is ever a fire in the middle of the night that I have the ability to grab my kids, my camera, my video camera and my external hard drive and get out of the house! Jeff should be running out of the house on his own, I can't carry everything! ;)

Here are some tips that I have read and memorized for my personal use and you can take these if you need some inspiration!

1. Living an active lifestyle is a commitment. Plain and simple!

2. The diet mentality is never going to produce the lasting changes you seek.

3. Knowledge is Power! (Thanks School House Rock and my college Nutrition class) In order to eat foods that make your body healthy and beautiful you have to be informed of what foods provide what nutrients and vitamins that your body needs; to burn calories and fuel your body for daily activities.

4. Never forget the basic weight loss equation.  Calories expended must be greater than calories ingested in order to lose weight.

5. Rule number 5 is supposed to say "make small changes a little at a time." But if I'm being truly honest with myself, I'm a "go hard or go home" kinda person. I either do it all at once and make the change and be done with it or I just slip back into the old lifestyle...but that's just me.

6. You won't be perfect everyday. Staples has the "Easy" button- so give yourself a "restart" button and start over the next day- it's ok to eat cookies and enjoy them every now and then! 

7. Dump the internal critic. Just say to yourself from the beginning that eating healthy and being active is a positive thing in your life- and you have no room for criticism! Positive talk will help you reach your goal- not making yourself feel like a failure! Refer yourself back to rule number 6! ;)

8. Lose only 1-2 lbs a week. Don't over due it! Have fun and really, don't sweat the number on the scale! Heck, my number changes every day, I don't even know how much I weigh, really! It's not the number on the scale or on your pants that matters. It's whether you are healthy and you feel good about yourself.

There are SO many more tips and secrets and things to think about such as  dieting and metabolism, healthy eating habits, refining your style, stress management, and why the scale lies! There's much much more! I'd suggest this website to anyone that wants to change their lifestyle! It's so positive and informative that you can't take it all in in one sitting! 
It's just great! 

So get up and go! Do something active and fun and make sure to laugh along the way- we're living life here people! And we only get one! And unlike Methuselah, we're not going to live to be 969 years old! So live your one life as happy and full as it can be this side of Heaven!

Love ya'll and I'll be posting more about this from now on to keep myself accountable! :))))) So make sure to tell me how good I look when you see me and I'll be sure and do the same ;)