Wordless Wednesday:Birthday Cake Fail

The cake she does have on her was because I put her hands in it.

Toddle Along Tuesday: Favorites

I have to admit, I was a little nervous for secret Santa with my family this year. Who would get me? Would they get me a gift card or something lame? Well, it turns out my brother is the most awesome person ever! (and his fiance too!) They got me the best kitchen electric on the face of the planet: The Cuisinart Multicooker . This slow cooker has changed my life, I am really not kidding. It allows you to brown meat in the slow cooker before you "slow cook" making chili, pot roast, short ribs a cinch and they taste amazing. No more using a pan to brown the meat and then put it in the slow cooker.

It's really difficult cooking dinner these days when I get home from work- toddler in tow and a husband who won't be home to help until 6:30, usually when the baby is in bed. This slow cooker makes my old one look like a food warmer (it's pretty too!).

In addition to browning/sauteing and slow cooking this thing also steams and roasts- you can make a small chicken in it or a roast beef without covering both in liquid like you would have to in a slow cooker. The non-stick insert is amazing. It is so easy to clean and dishwasher safe. You do have to be careful not to use metal utensils so as not to scratch the surface though. My *only* small complaint is the size, we had to create some pretty significant space for it in my cupboard. That being said, I haven't really put it away much since I got it- I use it that much.

I know for some, the price tag is a little hefty- but, I promise you it is worth it.

I will leave you with a recipe for Chili that I made over the weekend

Sandy's Porter Chili

1lb ground turkey
1lb ground beef (90/10 if possible)
1/2 a Vidalia Onion
2 cloves garlic- smashed and minced
2 roasted red peppers- sliced into strips
1 poblano pepper- de-seeded and diced
1 16 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
3T of tomato paste
1/8C of chipotle in adobo
1/2 pint of a porter beer
2 cans of black beans- rinsed and drained
1 can of pink beans- rinsed and drained
2T of cornstarch mixed with 1/4c of water
1T Cumin
1T Ancho Chili Powder
1T Mexican Chili Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
1C Sharp shredded cheddar cheese


Directions:
Brown turkey and beef, drain if desired but not really needed with a low fat beef.
Add onion, poblano pepper, garlic and spices- saute for a few minutes constantly stirring
Deglaze pan with the porter
Add tomatoes, sauce and paste
Add rinsed and drained beans
Add chipotle in adobo
Add sliced roasted red peppers
Stir together
Stir in the cornstarch slurry

Slow cook for at least 4-6 hours- 3 hours on high finish on low.
Top with Cheddar and serve!

It's The End of The World

Well, Friday at 3pm it seemed it to me. I got a call from The Parks and Rec Department in my town. I thought it was just to confirm the space for my daughter's first birthday party. The woman answered the phone- I said I got a missed call. She says "Oh, you are supposed to be having a birthday party here tomorrow" I said "Supposed to? ARE having" Well, she then informs me that they are closing due to the snow forecasted. Angry, was an understatement. I mean how do you tell a mother that she can't have a first birthday party for her one year old? I had over $500 in food ordered- ready to go! They kept transferring me until I got to a man who was so nasty to me that I will never step foot inside that center ever again, at least not in the very near future.

I immediately picked up the phone and called my mom (for the record, I did call my husband first but he didn't answer) and just opened up the faucet and started crying. She calmed me down and suggested I have people over in the afternoon for cake. So, I set about ordering a smaller cake (luckily, they didn't bake it yet!) cancelling all the food (luckily I was able to do that too) and contacting people to let them know there would be no party.

In hindsight, it was almost a blessing in disguise- I saved a lot of money and only 20% of the people actually showed up for cake- that would have been a lot of wasted food. We had a fantastic time with our family and friends and Anneliese won't even remember it. I feel like January is going to prove difficult for any future event I do plan for her- I see a lot of sleep-overs in our future for grammar school.

Tasty Thursday: Chicken Enchilada Soup

This recipe lasted me and my husband 3 days of meals, I even brought it for lunch. Very satisfying yet light. I was mad he forgot to pick up sour cream at the store but you know what? I didn't even miss it.

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

Points+: 7 pts

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low sodium fat-free chicken broth
8 oz can tomato sauce
1-2 tsp chipotle chili in adobo sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen corn
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chipotle powder
2 tsp ancho chili powder
2 8 oz skinless chicken breasts (more if you want it meatier)
1/4 cup chopped scallions, for topping
3/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese fat free sour cream (optional)


Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium non stick pan over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce and chipotle sauce and bring it to a boil. Add cilantro and remove from heat. Pour into crock pot.

To the crockpot, add drained beans, diced tomatoes, corn, cumin, chipotle powder, ancho powder and stir. Add the chicken breasts; cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.

Remove chicken and shred with two forks. Add chicken back into the soup, add salt to taste. Serve in bowls and top with fat free sour cream, cheese and scallions.



Adapted from skinnytaste.com

Feels just like Yesterday!

One year ago today, I was lying on my couch like a beached whale waiting for the phone to ring from the hospital telling me I could come in to be induced! A call came in the afternoon but it was them telling me there was no room and they would try again tomorrow. By this time, the snow had already started. We were having a major blizzard; 2+ feet of snow was predicted and did fall.

By the next afternoon, the snow stopped and the phone rang, "several nurses and doctors had stayed overnight because of the blizzard and they were-----bored. Did I want to come in for my induction at 5pm or 8pm?" I opted for 8pm so I could eat something. But, I couldn't eat, I was so nervous/excited! We got to the hospital and checked in, I was brought up to the room where I would sleep (loose term!) and there was a comfy couch for my husband. We watched TV for a few hours, taking some fun pictures to post on Facebook and then I told Ed to get some sleep; it was going to be a long day tomorrow!


Much to my surprise and happiness, I was allowed to have breakfast the next morning. I opted for eggs and toast so I could have the energy to potentially make it through until tonight without food. The next 12 hours were pretty much boring with spurts of craziness mixed in; a lot of clock watching but towards the end some exciting moments.

I don't think it really hit us that we were parents until we were in the car with our newborn. She was in the NICU for the entire time I was in the hospital and I think that had a lot to do with it. I just remember looking at my husband and saying "she's ours".

Happy Birthday to my little girl, it's been an amazing year and I am looking forward to every moment here on out!

Wordless Wednesday: My goofball Daughter

Daycare sent me this picture today, it says it all, my daughter is going to be a goofy girl. I love it!

Frugality?

So, being new parents and having to tighten our budget has been hard. We've definitely had our share of financially "tight" moments this year. I think we're in denial that we can live like we used to while paying for daycare and baby needs; we can't.

Over the last few months, I have been trying to see where we can cut some costs. First, I refinanced my car. I had an ugly interest rate because when I bought the car my credit was in the shitter and the car was going to rehab it (which it did, I was able to get a mortgage because of it and now my credit is close to immaculate). I was able to get it down to 5.9% and reduce the payment to $350/month saving $150 a month- win!
Next, the decision that was the hardest for us- switching cable providers. We are HUGE TV people, so while it may not be a big deal to some people, trimming our cable channels is painful. We decided to cut the cord on Comcast because I was sick of spending $200/month on TV, phone and internet. We called around some other places and were able to get all the channels we wanted for $79/month and $54/month for internet and phone. We also will not keep any premium channels unless a show we watch is on. So, unless True Blood or Dexter is playing, we won't order the channel.

Between refinancing my car and changing cable companies, we're saving $215 a month, almost $2600 a year. It's amazing what 2 little changes can do! We decided we could do more though and we are actively cutting down on our Starbucks consumption. There have been weeks (we're not proud of this) that we have both gotten Starbucks every day, that's like $10/day. To save a considerable amount of money, we've been making our own 2 gallons of iced coffee for the week. I found this recipe that uses a cold process method that really turns out well. No acidic taste at all. There is another $100/month.

I think we're on our way to being more conscious about spending. One thing we need to do more of is weigh need vs want when we make a purchase. It's hard because we haven't had to do that in the many years we've been together. I guess it will make us easier to shop for during holidays though!