Shrimp Pasta in Tomato Herb Sauce

If you're in an Italian mood but don't really want spaghetti or alfredo, I have a recipe for you.  This was something I threw together when I discovered I had no tomato sauce in my pantry (that's when you know it's time for me to go grocery shopping).


What you'll need:

• 12-16 oz medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 large tomatoes, diced (keep all of the juices with it)
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 tbs parsley
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano 
• lemon juice from half a lemon (or a capful of the bottled stuff)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 box (8oz.) small shells
• grated parmesan

What to do:

Combine tomatoes (and juice), olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper, and herbs and spices into a large skillet. Bring to a low boil. Cover and let simmer on medium low heat for about 5-6 minutes*.  While this is happening, start the water for your pasta.

Add shrimp and re-cover.  Continue to simmer on medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until shrimp is bright pink (about 10 minutes).

Add shrimp and sauce to cooked pasta.

Sprinkle with some parmesan and enjoy!

Total cook time: About 25 minutes

Serves: 4

*If you want a more fresh taste, you can skip this step. I strongly dislike the taste of raw tomatoes, so I let them cook a little longer.  If you're not sure, you can cook the shrimp in the sauce first and taste it when the shrimp are done.  If you don't think the tomatoes are cooked enough, remove the shrimp and cook the sauce for an extra 5-6 minutes.

The Easiest Chicken and Dumplins You Will Ever Make

Not only are they easy, they are super yummy!

Total cook time: About 35 minutes.

What you'll need:

• 3lb bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Large can of cream of chicken*
• 1 can of large biscuits (homestyle original or buttermilk)**
• Salt
• Pepper
• Basil
• Garlic powder
• Parsley (not pictured)

*You can mix it up and use 4 small cans of cream of whatever else. I've mixed cream of celery, mushroom, and chicken, and it turned out really good.  I experimented with the Healthy Choice this time, but it is not nearly as flavorful as the full fat one. I solved this by adding more basil.

**Do NOT use flaky or butter flavored biscuits. They will not turn out.

What to do:

• Place the whole bag of chicken breasts in a medium to large pot, and fill with enough water to submerge them. (You can also cut the chicken beforehand, but it makes straining the fat out more difficult later.)
• Season with salt, pepper, basil, parsley, and garlic powder.
• Bring to a boil, and cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked through (about 15 minutes).
• Pull the cooked chicken out of the broth and set on a plate to cool a little. 
• Using a large spoon, scoop and strain the fat out of the broth. You will not be able to get it all out, which is perfectly fine.
• Keeping the heat on medium high, stir in the cream of chicken.  Heat and stir until all of the lumps are gone.
• While your cream of chicken is heating up, begin to tear or cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces. Set aside. (I like to set mine in the microwave or stove to keep it from losing too much heat.)
• When your broth mixture is smooth, turn down the heat begin tearing the biscuits into dumpling size pieces and dropping them into the broth. (Note: the biscuits will expand as they cook, so keep the pieces smaller than you would normally want them to be.)
• Let them cook for about 5 minutes, then add the chicken back to the soup.
• Enjoy!

Christmas DIY: Button Wreath

This one is a lot like the button trees I did.  I just got a styrofoam ring out of the craft section at Walmart, spray painted it red, and pinned a bunch of buttons to it.  Then, I added a pretty red bow.
I think I did better as far as coverage on this one.

You can also make one for fall with different colors!

10 Things to Remember when You're Losing Weight

Let's face it.  Losing weight sucks.  I mean... you read all of these motivational posts about how good it feels, and how "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels," and you think, "Bull crap."  Sure, the closer you get to the end result, the better you feel, but that doesn't make the process any more appealing.

I have compiled a list of what you should be reminding yourself frequently throughout your journey.

1. In order to lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit.  That is, you must burn more calories than you consume.  The easiest way to make sure you're doing this is to keep track of everything you put in your mouth.  I've heard people say, "I've tried counting calories; it doesn't work for me."  Maybe because you have to train yourself to see it through.  There are websites and apps that do the counting for you.  MyFitnessPal is my favorite.  They tell you how many calories you should take in a day to lose your desired amount of weight and give you get an estimate of how many calories you burn during certain activities.

You do not have to do this during your entire weight loss journey.  However, I do recommend that you use it every day for at least a month to get an idea of how many calories certain foods have.  I used it for several months, and it helped me be more conscious of what I was putting in my body.  Just because something seems healthy, does not mean you can eat too much of it.  You might wonder why you haven't lost any weight, even after you start eating healthy.  It's all about the math.

2. 80% of your weight loss is in the kitchen, which means that you can lose weight without stepping foot in a gym.  It also means that you cannot afford to eat like crap just because you exercise.  You can use exercise to help you create that deficit, but you still have to eat in order to refuel your body after a hard workout.  You have to find that balance, and be careful not to take in excess calories when refueling.  

By no means am I tell you not to exercise!  Please, exercise!  It's good for your heart and tightens your body.  When you lose weight, your body will stay soft if you do not do some sort of toning exercises to compliment your weight loss.  Also, don't forget that toned muscles burn calories when at rest.

3. Carbs do not make you fat!  Excess calories make you fat.  Your body needs carbs for energy, and they should include around half of your diet.  Remember that many foods have carbs, not just bread.  If you're using an app to track your calories, it should also tell you have many essential nutrients you are taking in.  MFP keeps a pie graph for you to see where your calories are going.

All of this considered, mind the oils and butters that you choose to flavor your bread with.  Also, try whole wheat bread as an alternative to white, sugary breads.

4. Fat does not make you fat!  Again, excess calories make you fat.  And while you want to limit the fats you take in (because they do have a higher calorie count), they are not all that awful.  Plus, foods with fat taste much better than foods without fat.

5.  Mind the alcohol.  I went through bottles of Hydroxycut with no success before I realized that I was drinking all of my calories.  I went out with some girlfriends one night and consumed (please, don't judge) five lemon drop martinis.  (I'm not even going to mention the boudin and frito pie I ate afterwards...)  A few days later, I did some math and realized that those drinks were my entire calorie budget for a day.  Now, I at this point, I had already been having 1-3 drinks at least 3 nights a week.  After that, I opted for vodka and water with a few lime slices squeezed in.  Yummy and effective.

6. Men lose easier than women.  As much as it sucks, it's a fact of life.  Something is programmed in our DNA that says we need those extra inches on our hips and thighs.  Something about childbearing and breastfeeding, or some crap.  Well, guess what, Mother Nature?  I'm done bearing children, and I'm done with these thighs.  Deal with it.

Basically, try not to get discouraged when your husband, who is also dieting to make you happy, starts losing much more weight than you.  There's not much you can do about it.  Forget about him and his disappearing mass.

7. Set realistic goals.  Numbers are the devil.  Seriously.  Unless your doctor tells you to lose Xlbs, you probably shouldn't set a number goal.  Hell, you might want to get down to 135, but realize that you look absolutely fab at 140.  Why stress about those 5 pounds if you look awesome?  Or, you might find that you're still not happy when you reach your number goal.  Why would that be so?  Because all it is is a number on a scale.  Not much satisfaction in that.  Try setting goals that are realistic and satisfying.

• "I want to fit in my wedding/ graduation dress."
• "I want to look good in a bikini."
• "I want to wear a certain brand of jeans."
• "My goal is to have abs."
• "I want to eliminate junk food and be healthy inside and out."

These are all realistic and attainable goals.  At one point, my goal was to weigh 125lbs.  It seemed realistic at the time.  There are people taller than me who weigh 115 and are healthy.  I got to 128lbs.  I could not seem to lose those last few pounds, and I was miserable from trying.  I could not eat less without starving, and I could not accept the progress I had already made.  Plus, I had lost most of the mass in my butt, which I was also unhappy with.  I have since decided that being fit is so much more satisfying than being a number on a scale.

8. Do not deprive yourself.  This goes for desserts AND food.  Cravings are completely normal.  Losing weight is about discipline and self control.  However, if you find yourself absolutely needing chocolate, give in a little.  One candy bar is not going to undo all of your progress.  If it makes you feel better, find a way to work it into your calorie budget.  If you deprive yourself of a tasty treat (or food in general), you will make yourself crazy and end up binge eating, which is so much worse than eating one Snicker's bar.

9. Don't forget about the food groups!  In your quest of keeping track of calories, don't forget about nutrition.  Every food group has different things to offer, and you need all of them every day.  You won't get it all right at first.  You have to find the right balance of calories and nutrition through trial and error.  But once you have it down, it will be effortless.

10. Be positive!  Losing weight takes time.  You will not see results immediately, but you will start seeing them soon enough.  You have to wake up in the morning and say, "I got this."  You cannot mope around.  Being mopey makes you sluggish and will probably lead you to start eating your feelings.  If you're having an off day, remind yourself of the progress you have already made and how awesome you are doing!

*                              *                              *                              *                              *                              *

Losing weight is not easy.  Changing your lifestyle is not easy.  At times, it can turn into an emotional roller coaster.  Times like that, we need reminders that it is all going to be okay.  You are awesome, and you can do this!

Note: I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or trained fitness expert.  Although, I could be.  I did take a nutrition class.  Anyhow, my blog should not be substituted for professional medical advice.  (But, c'mon.  Really.) 

Christmas Button Trees

Here's a little Christmas DIY if you're feeling a little crafty and have some time on your hands. While this is a super cute project, it is a little time consuming.

What you'll need:

• Foam craft cones
• Pearlized straight pins (lots of them)
• Lots of buttons! (Sometimes you can find jars of them at antique shops.)
• Spray paint (red or green)

First, spray all of your cones the desired color. Because of how porous the foam is, the color will not be even. Don't worry about that. It will be covered in buttons. 

(I did not spray my cones, and I regret it because you can see tiny bits of the white foam peeking through. I have another button project I'm working on that is painted.)

When the paint is dry, you can lay out your buttons and start pinning! As you can see, all 3 of mine have slightly different color themes. I think a pale blue and white theme would be pretty on one...

Tip: As you get closer to the top, angle the pins downward to avoid penetrating the other side... and your finger. 

Recipe: Easy Homemade Chili

It's starting to get cold outside!  It's the time of year for soup and chili, and I could not be more excited!  Here's an easy recipe for super yummy chili that only takes about 35 minutes start to finish.

What you'll need:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 small sweet bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped (I only used half)
• 1 can red beans (undrained)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1-3 tsps. chili powder (optional, depending how much of a kick you want)
• basil
• pepper
• parsley

Instructions:

Drizzle some oil in the bottom of a large saucepan or soup pot.

Add onion and bell pepper.

Saute for about 3-4 minutes. 

Add ground beef, pepper, basil, and parsley, and cook until brown. (If you are making rice or cornbread, now is the time to start it.)

Drain.

Add beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chili powder.  I also added more parsley and basil.

Bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The end result should look something like this:

Serve in a bowl with rice, cornbread, or crackers. It also makes an awesome lunch the next day! 

Serves about 6. 

Be a Fashionista, not a Matchinista

I. Love. Fashion.  I don't necessarily have the money to spend on the fashion I love, but I love it nonetheless.  I have in my posession an Express credit card, and that little bastard gets me in so much trouble.  I only buy designer purses, and I am a firm believer in "you get what you pay for."

Recently, I discovered that I have an obsession with Michael Kors bags.  Can you guess my first purchase with my student refund money?

Beautiful.

Naturally, once I selected this fine specimen, I needed to find a matching wallet.  Unfortunately for me, Nordstrom only had the small wallet, and I wanted the large one.  They offered to order one for me and ship it to my house, but I declined.  I am in the process of closing on a house, and I did not know if it would arrive before our moving date.

I was stuck with an old wallet in my new-car-smell purse.  I immediately got online to see if I could find a matching wallet (hopefully on sale).  I found one on eBay, but I was outbid.  Fine.  Whatever.  I didn't need that wallet.  And for some reason, I could not bring myself to pay full price for the wallet, especially after what I spent on the purse.

And then I came across this beautiful thing:

Pink. Ostrich. Omg.

It was priced below retail.  It was probably in one of those outlet stores because of some cosmetic defect or something, because it was brand new, with tags.

My first thought:  It doesn't match.  And then:  So what?

When it came in, I inspected it thoroughly.  It is authentic MK, and is in perfect condition.  I couldn't find anything wrong with it.  Maybe it's not in season anymore.  Oh, well.

My new ensemble.

Who says it has to match?  I have a purse I love, complimented nicely with a wallet that I also love.  Pink is my favorite color, by the way, and I love Michael Kors for making this stunning wallet.  And I love eBay.

Grammar Lesson

I recently came across this picture while scrolling through Facebook:

It's pretty basic stuff.  However, there are still so many people who just don't get it.  So, being the hero that I am, I decided to give some examples - you know, use each word in a sentence - for people to use as a references.

1. You're going to bring your dog to the vet tomorrow.
2. They're setting their things down over there.
3. We were going to go to the movies, but now we're not sure where we want to go.
4. First, look in the box.  Then, determine the contents of the box. 
5. Six is greater than five.  I would rather have six dollars than five dollars.
6. I, too, spend too much time at Walmart.  I was there for two hours.

Like I said, it's pretty basic.

Recipe - Goulash with Chicken and Rice

There are so many variants of goulash recipes, it's ridiculous.  If I am correct, it is basically just a medley of ingredients thrown together into a soup.  If it's not that, whatever.  I call this dish I make "goulash," so there.  I always make enough to last for a few days, and it's a great use for leftover chicken or Thanksgiving Turkey.

I should probably mention, before I get started, that I never measure anything when I cook.  If you're looking for a recipe that has exact measurements, you will be sorely disappointed.  Also, I never make this dish the same way twice, so I will include different options.

I will start off with how I made it on this particular evening, and then offer different options for you to adjust to your personal taste.

What you will need:

• chicken (I usually use 3lbs of boneless skinless breasts)
• instant brown rice (4 servings)
• 1 can of cannellini beans - drained and rinsed
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can drained corn
• 1-2 zucchini and/or yellow squash - sliced
• chicken broth (optional)
• marinade (optional)
• very large mixing bowl or stock pot

Having this for dinner was a last minute decision, so I didn't have time to marinate my chicken.  I made the decision to boil it in the marinade (hooray for executive decision making!).  You can cook your chicken however you want (boil, bake, use leftovers), as long as it ends up ripped up or cut up in your dish.  For the purpose of the recipe, I will let you in on what I used for a marinade.

Marinade:

• honey
• soy sauce
• red wine vinegar
• lemon juice (about 3 capfuls)
• garlic powder
• salt
• pepper
• dried diced onions
• parsley

Instructions:

• Combine marinade ingredients in the pot with your chicken.  Fill the rest of the way with water, cover, and boil on medium heat until chicken is done.  Remove the chicken and let sit on a plate until it is cool enough to rip apart.  Save the broth.
• While the chicken is cooking, put zucchini and/or squash slices in a buttered skillet.  Saute on low until cooked through.
• Combine beans, tomatoes, and corn in a large skillet and heat on medium low until tomatoes and beans are done.  Season with salt and pepper.
• Rice: follow the directions on the box.
• Combine all cooked ingredients in a very large bowl or stock pot and stir together.  If you boiled the chicken, use about 1.5-2 ladle-fuls of the broth in the mixture to moisten the rice.

And this is what you get:

Well, this is what I got.  It looks funny.  It tastes awesome.

Now of course you're wondering about variations.  Like I mentioned earlier, I don't think I have ever made this the same way twice.  Here are a few ways to vary it up a bit:

1. Use leftover chicken or turkey.  You can pull it apart and warm it up in a skillet.
2. Steamed broccoli instead of zucchini.
3. Black beans (or any kind of beans) instead of cannellini beans
4. Pasta instead of rice.
5. Use whatever vegetables you want (example: leftover Thanksgiving veggies).

Enjoy!

Reheating Tip: Put some water in a microwavable cup and leave it in the microwave while reheating the food.  It helps prevent drying out of the food. 

Social Media is not Real Life

I love social media.  I am very active on my Facebook and Instagram accounts and post random crap almost every day.  I love catching up with people I haven't seen in a very long time (and, likely, will never see in person again), browsing through people's profiles to see how they've been doing (I enjoy this part because having conversations is very painful for me), and even shoving my nose in places it probably doesn't belong.  However, just because I love all things about it, does not mean I cannot recognize it for what it is: a shield.

Social media is such a good place to hide and pretend.  We can be whoever we want to be.  At least we can make people think we are the person we want to be.  We can pretend like we have our shit together, and everyone will think we're as happy as can be.  Or, on the other side, we can cyber bully anyone we want.  Who is going to stop us?  We can be mean and hateful with no consequences (other than a stream of angry comments).

My favorite, and probably the most common, are the healthy people.  They post all over social media about how they are going to the gym, how long they worked out, how much weight they've lost, and the super yummy salad they had for lunch.  In fact, it is actually very inspiring for other people who are trying to do the same thing.  However, what people fail to post about is the giant slice of cake they ate, Friday night's binge drinking, or how they vegged out on the couch all day.  I am way beyond the point of being guilty of this.  I used to log my calories where everyone could see, and if I didn't log it, it didn't count.  No wonder I didn't lose much weight.
Anyhow, many people actually are very healthy.  It was because of watching people on Facebook and pinning frenzies on Pinterest that motivated me to change my lifestyle.  However, I cannot in good conscience post about my healthy decisions when all I basically do is sit on the couch all day.  You know you're guilty of it.  And kudos to all of you who are actually succeeding! :D  Please don't stop posting! Even if you eat chocolate afterwards, you're still keeping me motivated.

Another situation is when people pretend to be super happy just so people will shut up.  I have seen women over and over again vouch for their significant other after people start talking about how he cheated, they fight all the time, he hit her, etc., etc.  They post things like, "It doesn't matter what you think, we are still in love and so happy", "I have never been happier", "We've worked things out and have never been better."  And then a week later they are changing their relationship status.  It makes me sad when that happens.  But what is even more sad is when we, as a society, feel like our relationship has to be validated by social media.  Personally, I don't really care what anyone thinks of my marriage.  I only post happy things about it on social media, because I know I will regret calling my husband a no-good-son-of-a-bitch-motherFer on a public forum.  Also, no one wants to know about all of the stupid crap we fight about.  (If you must know, we fight when he eats the last of the chocolate or watches movies without me.)

I also see a lot of passive aggression and not-so-silent cries for help happening.  I mean, it is easy to say something mean when you're hiding behind a computer.  "I love it when people invite you to go out with them, and then bail on you at the last minute," or  some other hurt and angry post right after a tiff with a loved one.  That person knows who they are, and now they're hurt that you posted all about it on Facebook, and they reply with a snarky comment.  Now the whole world knows who you're talking about.  Way to be subtle.  And then there's my favorite: "I want to just die right now. Don't ask.  I don't want to talk about it."

Personally, I am one of those people that likes to pretend my shit is all together.  I don't post unflattering pictures of myself, I brag about how happy I am about every single thing, yadda yadda yadda.  Also, I refuse to update any picture, no matter how flattering, if there is clutter or laundry in the background.  My Facebook/ Instagram life is perfect!  In reality, my laundry is never folded, I hardly ever cook dinner anymore, I don't exercise, I am ALWAYS stressed about something, and I spend lots of quality time feeling sorry for myself, and I'm almost always broke.  That is real life.