Recipe 9: Old Fashion Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup chopped Vidalia onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, tomato paste, onions, green pepper, oats, egg, salt, and pepper. Shape the mixture into a loaf and place it in a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard. Slather the glaze on top of the meat loaf and bake until the meat loaf is firm and cooked all the way through, about 1 hour. Serve hot.

This has been one of my favorite recipes so far and I think it deserves 4 stars. My husband loved it, and my kids thought it was okay, but considering it was made with red meat, that was a huge win! It is so easy, its silly and it only takes a few minutes to prep, although it takes an hour in the oven. It is really inexpensive to make and I love that I had everything in my kitchen already (except green peppers, but I would have left them out anyway). And I think it was pretty healthy, it has oatmeal instead of bread crumbs, and a full onion. It was simple and tasty and I will definitely make this again.

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I am linked up at WhipperBerry, Tatertots and Jello

Recipe 8: Sole Meuniere

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 fresh sole fillets, 3 to 4 ounces each
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Have 2 heat-proof dinner plates ready

Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large shallow plate. Pat the sole fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle one side with salt.

Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium heat until it starts to brown. Dredge 2 sole fillets in the seasoned flour on both sides and place them in the hot butter. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes. Turn carefully with a metal spatula and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. While the second side cooks, add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to the pan. Carefully put the fishfilets on the ovenproof plates and pour the sauce over them. Keep the cooked fillets warm in the oven while you repeat the process with the remaining 2 fillets. When they're done, add the cooked fillets to the plates in the oven. Sprinkle with the parsley, salt, and pepper and serve immediately.

I am giving this recipe 3 stars. I think it was pretty healthy because it includes fish, which is almost impossible to get my kids to eat, but you do have to cook it in butter and flour. I am also giving it a star because my whole family actually liked it, I had to call it "fancy chicken" in order for them to even consider trying it, but once they did, they seemed to like it. As far as being easy, I think that it was an easy recipe if you want to feel like you are eating something a little more gourmet, but I did kind of mess up the sauce part of it so there were parts that were not as simple as I like. I am not giving it the last star for being inexpensive, because I don't usually have parsley and fish stocked in my kitchen so I had to buy most of the ingredients to make the dish. Although, overall it isn't terribly expensive. Bottom line: if you want to try your hand at a gourmet dish, this is an easy one to start with, but it probably won't be a weekly staple in our house.

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And The Winner Is....

Congratulations!!!

I Don't Wanna!

I don't like change, I don't want to do it!

I don't want to move from my sweet little cozy home

I don't want to leave my happy neighborhood

I don't want my husband to be looking for a new job opportunity

I don't want my child to be missing part of her 5th chromosome

I DON'T WANNA!!!!

And I already know that disliking changes is one of my major flaws. My parents tease me relentlessly about my dislike for change, and apparently I cried for days after our first move when I was 4 years old. Maybe its not disliking change that is the flaw, maybe its the way I deal with it. Instead of embracing change, I begrudgingly go with it, kicking and screaming the whole way!

But.......

I know that we are supposed to be experiencing these things and I know that Heavenly Father has a greater plan for us, a plan that will make all of these changes so worth it! So, I am working on my own pride and I am trying to be a little more humble (this talk helped),

But I still don't wanna do it!

The giveaway is still open, so don't forget to leave a comment!

Recipe 7: Coconut Cake

Don't forget to enter the giveaway, it will stay open until March 27th!

Ingredients:

1 (18oz.) white cake mix

8 oz. sour cream

1.5 cup sugar

3 (7oz.) packages of sweetened, flake coconut

1. Prepare cake mix according to package directions, using 2 8in round pans. Once cakes are cool slice in half to form four layers.

2. In a bowl, mix together sour cream, sugar and 2 of the packages of coconut. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Ice the top with the coconut mixture. repeat with the next two layers. Place the last layer on top and cover entire cake with remaining icing.

3. Sprinkle some of the coconut from the third package on the top of the cake. Apply the rest to the sides. Patting it on with the palm of your hand. Keep the cake in a cool place or refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

I am giving this recipe 3 stars! Other than it not being really healthy, it fits all of my requirements. So as far as a really fancy dessert, this is a keeper. It only calls for a few ingredients (most of which I already had) so it did not cost a lot to make, and it is so easy! Anything that starts with a cake mix is already going to be simplified. I was also skeptical about the sour cream being the main ingredient in the topping, but it is really good and does not taste like sour cream at all, but it does cut the sweetness down, so I thought it tasted pretty good.

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I am linked up at Whipperberry, Alli'n Son, Grocery cart challenge, Sweets for Saturday

Favorite Things... And a Give Away!

Remember what it was like to be a first time mom? Your diaper bag looked something like this:

Well this is how my diaper bag looked anyway (except not as well organized). It was stuffed with everything possible and sometimes I still wouldn't have room for my wallet. But as you learn with each additional child, you don't always need the whole diaper bag, sometimes you just need a few diapers and wipes and your good to go.

This leads me to one of my favorite things... a diaper clutch! A friend (thanks Amy) gave me one when I was pregnant with Lily and I swear this ingenious product changed my life. Okay that may sound dramatic, but it is amazing and my shoulders thank me every time we have to run out the door. Not only are these handy little clutches super cute, but they are also super affordable too ($10-$12). So if you are looking to upgrade from diaper bag mayhem then you should check out the website Mud Puddles and Daisies and see all of the cute products there.

Isn't this the best idea ever? (I also think this would make a great baby shower gift)

The best part is I get to give one away to a very lucky reader! All you have to do is enter to win. Here's what you have to do:

You can enter up to 4 times ( please leave a separate comment for each entry)

1. Leave a comment with your first name and last intial

2. Become a follower of my blog

3. Become of follower of Mud Puddles and Daisies

4. Post something in your own blog about the give away and link back to this contest.

(Give away ends march 27, 2011 at 8:00 pm MST)

The lucky winner will get to choose between these two prints (both clutches are extra large):

Good Luck!

This Giveaway is now closed

The Value of a Dollar

The other day I was at the store with Ella and she saw a doll that she REALLY wants! Usually when she gets a case of the "gimmes", I just tell her she can always ask Santa and then she will have something to look forward to, and that usually ends the conversation and she moves on. But I realized with Christmas and her birthday being almost a year a way, it was a little cruel to expect her to patiently await her turn on Santa's lap for a chance at a la la loopsy doll! So I thought this might be a really good chance to teach her a lesson about the value of money and that sometimes when you really want something, you have to work hard to earn it, and that we don't always get what we want right away. I told her that if she really wanted the doll we could go home and we could come up with some jobs that she could do to earn this doll. Right away she got excited about coming up with a list of things she could do and as we walked out of the store she turned to me and said, "mom, I get it, we don't get what we want right away because we have to earn it. But if I work hard then I can get it later". I was so excited to see the wheels turning in her head, and I knew she was starting to understand the value of a dollar.

As soon as we walked in the door, Ella wanted to get this list made and she wanted to get to work! We came up with about 8 different little jobs Ella could do that were not already considered part of her daily chores (that would also take a few weeks to accomplish) and we were set. This last week Ella has been working really hard to complete her list and she is also frustrated that she can't do everything right now! (but thats life, right?)

Anyway if Ella continues with her determination and hard work, she will be the proud owner of one of these (the mini version):

And for me, the $5.99 that it will cost will be well worth the lesson!

How do you teach your kid's important life lessons? I would love more creative ideas!

Lily is Awesome

Lily is awesome! She is practically crawling and I could not be more proud of this little go-getter of mine. She is up on her knees and she pushes and scoots her little body all over the place. She has been doing this now for almost a month and I don't think it will be long before she is really cruising. I think she is doing so well for only 8 months old and I can't wait to see what else she is able to accomplish! I LOVE this girl so much and watching her grow and progress is a real privilege.

Recipe 6: Apricot Oat Bars

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• Filling
• 1 (13-ounce) jar apricot jam or preserves (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 8 dried apricots, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1/3 cup)
• Crust
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 packed cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup (4 ounces) coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 egg, at room temperature, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 13 by 2-inch metal baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with vegetable oil cooking spray and set aside.

Filling: In a small bowl, mix together the jam and the apricots. Set aside.

Crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Stir in the oats and walnuts. Add the butter, egg and vanilla and stir until incorporated.

Using a fork or clean fingers, lightly press half of the crust mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Using a spatula, spread the filling over the crust leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the pan. Cover the filling with the remaining crust mixture and gently press to flatten. Bake until light golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 1 hour. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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I am giving this recipe 2 stars. My kids thought they were okay but didn't love them and I don't think you can count them as being a healthy snack. Maybe a healthier dessert, but I was looking for something that was similar to a granola bar. It didn't cost too much to make, but it did call for a whole jar of apricot jam and dried apricots which I had to buy especially for this recipe. It was really easy to make and not complicated at all. I thought it was pretty good, but I felt that it was more of a dessert recipe than a health snack recipe (which is what I was looking for).

Go here to see more recipes!

Love This Kid

Ella has gotten really into face paint lately and she wants to do it every day! This is what a typical day at our house looks like.

I love this kid! Ella is such a good kid and I am constantly amazed at how wise she is. Ella is so fun to be with and I often forget she is just 5 years old. She talks to me like we are old friends and I can't help but wonder if we will always be able to talk the way we do now. Here is a conversation from last night:

Ella: Mom, who do you think I should like? Hudson or Tyler?

Me: Hmmm, who do you think you should like?

Ella: Well Hudson really likes me and Tyler doesn't like me as much, so maybe I should Like Hudson.

Me: How do you know if they like you?

Ella: Well Hudson always wants to be around me and play with me, and Tyler doesn't really like to play with me.

Me: Ok well I think you should like whoever you want

Ella: Yeah I think I will marry Hudson....

Part Golden Retriever

Let's play a game. I am going to describe some different traits and you guess what/who I am describing:

Loves to catch balls and run them back to me

Jumps on the furniture

Can destroy anything in our house in under a few seconds

Jumps on Ella and knocks her down

Has a ton of energy and always wants to go outside for walks or to play with balls.

Nooooooooooo...

I am not describing a Golden Retriever puppy, I am describing none other than Hunter!

Recently Hunter has become obsessed with playing catch, he could play catch for hours at a time and finally in the midst of a move, I started to throw the ball far down the hallways and in different rooms to buy me a few seconds of time (so I could pack boxes) and I soon realized that he was running the ball back to me, as if he were fetching it. This cracked me up, and made me wonder, is my boy part Golden Retriever?

New Nephew

Crosby Jude Robert Brown was born

March 4, 2011
19" long

7lbs 9oz

Mom and baby are doing good. Congrats McCall and Ryan, his cousins can't wait to meet him!

Spreading The Word

Today is national Spread the Word to End the Word day. I had never heard of this until I was reading a post from a fellow mom of a cdc child. The idea is to end using the word "retarded" in every day language in a derogatory way, as in "thats so retarded". This is actually a word I have always been uncomfortable using in that kind of way, but it wasn't until Lily that I started to notice how often I hear other people saying it. I know most people don't even realize they are saying it, and I also know that most people don't say it intending to be mean, but I do think words have power and I also think that when we know better we do better (did I just quote Oprah?). So lets all make an effort to stop using derogatory words to describe something we don't like! (I think this should also include words like gay, or any other words that put groups of people down)

Go here if you want to sign the pledge and learn more about it!

Stepping off my soapbox now.......