Friday, February 17, 2012

Taco Soup & "lighter" Mexican Cornbread

This taco soup and mexican cornbread is one of favorite meals right now! The hubby loves it too, which means we hardly ever have leftovers. 
I combined a few recipes to get the taco soup recipe. Here it is:

1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can chili beans
1 can rotel
1 can whole kernel corn {drained}
1 can tomato sauce
1 can water
1 packet taco seasoning
squirt of ranch dressing {you could use a ranch packet but I didn't have one on hand. The squirt worked the same for me}
1 1/2 lbs LEAN hamburger meat {hubby likes a lot of meat--- you could also use ground turkey or chicken!}
chopped onion {however much you like}

-Cook hamburger meat and onions together until done. Drain.
-Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Stir. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours. 

It is SOOOO yummy :)

And now for my favorite part- mexican cornbread. I found the original recipe here. 

We are trying to eat healthier so I make some changes to it to save some calories. This recipe makes 8 servings at 355 calories for each serving {I did the math}!!! Ouch..... So I cut out the butter completely, no cheese and used egg whites instead of eggs and saved 174 calories per slice!!! Which brought us down to 180 calories each. That's what I'm talking about :) Those calories add up so it makes a big difference when you cut some things out. 

What made me cut out the butter completely??? Well, I had a recipe for corn pudding that I made for a Christmas dinner we went to. It was the kind where you use Jiffy. Well, it called for a whole stick of butter that I completely forgot to put in there until AFTER I made it....And guess what? It was still SO good without the butter! Everyone at the Christmas party loved it. I know there are a lot of recipes where you need the butter and other things...but hey, if you can cut it out and it is still good, then great :)

Here is the recipe:

1 cup egg whites {I buy the egg whites in the carton at the grocery store}
3/4 small curd cottage cheese, low fat
1 box jiffy corn muffin mix
1/4 milk {I use 1%}
1 7 oz. can diced chiles
1 can whole kernel corn {drained}
{the original recipe also calls for 1 medium chopped onion but since I put onion in the soup I didn't put it in the cornbread also.}

-Stir all ingredients by hand in large bowl until just combined. Spray 9x9 inch square casserole dish {I used my cast iron skillet} with cooking spray and spread the batter in evenly. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until cornbread is done and golden.

Enjoy!


Linking up to:

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday! I canNOT believe how fast the weeks seem to go by. The only good thing about that is that Spring will be here before we know it! I am really needing some retail therapy and I have seen some really cute springy/summery outfits on Pinterest lately that I am loving. Here are a few...





















Wow. By looking back at these pics it is very obvious what my favorite colors to wear during spring/summer are-

CORAL and TORQUOISE!

Oh, and I am in L O V E with these Toms :) They will be making their way into my life very soon!
Source: toms.com via Rachel on Pinterest

I am also loving these cookies I made today. I cannot stop eating them. I made myself get off the couch tonight to do my Brazil butt lift video......and then I sat right back down and ate a bunch of these......
They were SO easy to make! Here is where I found the recipe.

Lemon Burst Cake Mix Cookies

ingredients:
1 box Lemon Cake Mix
1- 8 oz container Cool Whip
1 egg
1/3 cup powdered sugar (for rolling)

directions:
Preheat oven to 350°
In medium bowl, beat cool whip, egg and cake mix until well blended. Dough will be thick and sticky.
Drop by teaspoonfuls into a bowl of powdered sugar and roll to coat.
Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10- 12 minutes

And more than anything I am L O V I N G my sweet hubby! Yesterday I woke up to the prettiest flowers and the sweetest love letter. Josh rarely ever buys me cards at the store. He loves to write them himself and I love it too :) :) :)

Monday, February 13, 2012

Nightstand Makeover (take 2)

So I gave my nightstands another makeover!! Actually my whole bedroom is getting a makeover and I am loving it all. I am just about done. Josh is slowly learning that this is my hobby. He has his hobbys...fishing, hunting, any kind of sports, FISHING.....ha ha. I love making things. Whether it be sewing, any kind of craft, trying new recipes. And I love painting furniture and makeovers. It is very obvious around here :)

So back to the nightstands. You can read about the 1st transformation they got here. This is what they looked like when my mom first gave them me.
I painted them a pretty blue color...
I loved them! But now I am pretty obsessed with YELLOW :) :) :) Yellow makes me happy! Our bedroom makeover consists of dark teal, grey and yellow. So I painted them yellow.
It is called Elevator Button by Valspar. I left the tops of them the natural wood & I LOVE THEM!

I love how paint changes the whole look of something and it didn't take long at all to do. I am all for painting and re-doing the furniture you have instead of buying new furniture. Or atleast looking on Craigslist or yard sales/thrift stores and finding cheap furniture to re-do. It is so much fun and makes them one of a kind :)

The only thing left to do in our bedroom is make a couple of throw pillows, cover the lampshades and get a big rug for under our bed. Eventually I want to make a ruffle bed skirt but that is not something on my to-do list for right now. Can't wait to get it all done!

Linking up to:
Crafty, Scrappy, Happy
Tidy Mom
Tatertots and Jello
I Heart Naptime
Positively Splendid
The Girl Creative
DIY Showoff
Classy Clutter

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Date Night

Last night we went out on a date! :)

We went out to eat at our favorite restaurant- Carrabba's. It was soooo good. I am so glad we did call ahead seating because when we got there there was an hour and a half wait. We only waited 20 min thank goodness because I was starving! I have been looking forward to seeing The Vow ever since I first saw the previews. Rachel McAdams is one of my favorite actresses & I love a good girly love movie. Well, we saw it last night and I was SO disappointed :( It was really good but I was not happy with the ending. I do not like movies that kinda keep you hanging.. Oh well. We had a fun night together anyway! Here are a few pics we took before we left the house..

Kobe was SO sad he couldn't go bye bye with us. Can't you tell by his sad puppy dog eyes. Breaks my heart :(
 This picture is the funniest picture I have ever seen!!! CRACKS ME UP! We are not really sure what kind of dog Kobe is but he has this beard that we always laugh at and we love his lips! You can see them very clear in this picture. Hahahaha.
Our little family :)
I love them both so much!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

New Hair!

I have been blonde my whole life. When I was little it was really blonde... but as I have gotten older it has turned into a dirty dishwater blonde so I always keep it highlighted. I have been wanting a change for a while now and I looooove red hair. Like Emma Stone red.


Well, I finally did it. And I LOVE IT!!! :)
Mine is not at red as hers (more like a red brown) but next time I think I am going to go even more red. If you know my mom then you know we look just alike now. Which is a huge compliment!!

I know I will go back blonde for the summer but a girls gotta have a change every once in a while :)

Thursday, February 2, 2012

What I Love Wednesday :)

It has been a while since I have done this but there are alot of things I am loving right now so I thought I would share :)

First of all, I am L O V I N G the weather the last few days!!! It has been in the 60's and I love it! It is crazy because it is February and feeling so good. One year ago today we were on our cruise! How time flies.....
We both have lost some weight since that trip...... Josh has lost 25 lbs and I have lost about 8 lbs! Wooo Hooo! We just started eating healthy and working out.

Another thing I am  L O V I N G right now is the Beach Body Brazil Butt Lift videos. Oh. My. Word. So good. I have never burned so bad while working out. That means it is working, right? :)

Another L O V E of mine right now is my new mascara. They make my eyelashes look amazing!!!! Yes, a little more pricey than the mac I usually buy but it is so so so good! I do one coat of Dior Iconic mascara (this mascara has vitamins in it for your eyelashes)....

And then one coat of Dior Blackout and this stuff is amazing!! Really makes them stand out. No clumping at all. And it stayed good all day!!

I am working on a picture gallery wall in our bedroom with just our wedding pictures in black and white. I can't believe we have been married 3 1/2 years already! I have seen so many cute gallery walls on Pinterest lately that I am L O V I N G. Here are just a few:


I love everything about this room! I have the same exact stripes in my salon bathroom (same colors too!!). Love the white frames, white mats, and black & white pictures.


Again, white frames & mats with black and white pictures. I love it! Really makes the pictures just POP!


Ahhhhh :) Stripes and gallery walls make me happy.

If only I had stairs like these....
Well, time for bed. Good night!