Tree Down....

This tree bordering our property fell over into the neighbor's yard last night. Thank God that it didn't land on their house. I'm praying that none of our trees do the same with the current high winds we are experiencing here.

~peace and blessings~

Lisa

Crispy Peanut Butter Cups

I found this recipe on Lauren's Menu . They are very good! I did change the recipe a bit and used reduced fat peanut butter instead of regular peanut butter. With regular peanut butter each is about 2.5 points, I haven't plugged in the recipe at WW yet, but I'm guessing it is a bit less with reduced fat peanut butter. Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

2 T unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 cup JIF reduced fat peanut butter

1/2 cup powder sugar

1 t vanilla

3/4 Rice Krispies

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray. Sprinkle about 12-15 chocolate chips in each muffin cup and place in the oven for 3-5 minutes, careful not to burn them. Once they come out set aside.

In your mixer, cream the butter and peanut butter until smooth, about 2 minutes. Then add the powder sugar and the vanilla, mix until combined. Finally add the Rice Krispies and stir to combine.

Add about 1 T of the peanut butter mixture to the tops of the melted chocolate chips. Spray the back of a spoon with non-stick spray and press the peanut butter mixture down on top. Place in the fridge for about an hour. Store covered and in the fridge.

Enjoy!

~peace and blessings~

Lisa

Sunday Brunch

I hosted a brunch today for my parents' 41st Anniversary. In the photo above they just opened the gift of a new roaster from us. At Christmas my dad was going on about how they needed a new roaster while doing the dishes, since their 30+ year old one was chipped, so I thought it would be the perfect gift. ;0)

I did a love theme, using hearts and snowflakes. The menu included French Toast Casserole, Egg and Sausage Casserole, Apple Cinnamon Muffins(ww) and Fruit Salad. I had coffee, tea, and juices for beverages as well.

I also decorated the house this weekend for Valentines' Day. I found this printable via Pinterest. I mounted it on red paper and framed it for the buffet area. Of course, I forgot to take pictures of the food!

Thank you for stopping by!

~peace and blessings~

Lisa

Crescent Chicken Make Over

Photo from Comfy in the Kitchen

Crescent Chicken has become one of our family favorites. If you visit Comfy in the Kitchen you can view the regular version there. In order to make it a bit healthier, and keep in tune with WW, I "remade" the recipe using low fat/no fat versions of most of the ingredients. Remade it is worth 7 points a roll. I made the recipe serve 6, but actually have 8 rolls, so the points could be a little less.

Crescent Chicken Remake

1 package low-fat refrigerator crescent rolls

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

1 cup low fat cheddar cheese

1 can Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup

1 can of fat free milk (using soup can)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare soup using milk and set aside. Separate crescent rolls. Spoon chicken and cheese onto each crescent roll and seal to enclose filling. Place in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour soup over rolls. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

~Peace and blessings~

Lisa

Low Fat Chocolate-Chip Cookies

I started Weight Watchers Online 8 days ago. I have lost 4 lbs. so far. I'm eating better and exercising more than before. I've been on the hunt for "made-over" recipes and have found some great sites. Two of my favorite are http://www.skinnytaste.com/ and http://www.laurensmenu.com/ .

This recipe is from skinnytaste. I only made two changes. I only had whole wheat flour, not whole wheat pastry flour, so I used that. I also used cinnamon applesauce because that is what was on hand as well. The cookies are good. I like that they are crispy outside and chewy inside.

Skinny Low-fat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings:12
• Size: 2 cookies
• Old Points:4 pts
• Points+:5 pts

Calories:170.7
• Fat: 5.0 g
• Protein: 1.4 g
• Carb: 34.5 g
• Fiber:1.4 g
• Sugar:25.4 g

Sodium:113.1 mg


Ingredients:


1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 egg white
2 tbsp apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:


Preheatoven to 350°.
Linetwo cookie sheets with non-stick silicone baking liners such as
Silpats(I highly recommend for best results) or
lightlyspray cookie sheets with cooking spray.

In a large bowl,
combinethe flour, baking soda and salt and stir to blend. In another bowl,
whiskthe sugars, butter, egg white, applesauce and vanilla together until light and fluffy.

Whiskthe dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions until the batter is very well blended. If the batter looks more “crumbly” than smooth,
addjust a drop of water at a time (ONLY if needed) until it smooths out.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by level spoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto baking sheets.
Bake 8 - 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven, and let them
stand 5 minutes before removing the cookies from the pans to cool on wire racks.
Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

~peace and blessings~

Lisa

Scrapbooking Calendar 2012

I spent this afternoon making my annual scrapbooking calendar. This year I used a kit from Recollection. The theme is devoted...love that for my family!

~peace and blessings~

Lisa

General Tso's Chicken

Yesterday was my first attempt at home cooked Chinese. I made General Tso's Chicken since the entire family will eat it. It's my favorite Chinese dish. Here's the recipe that I found at Tasty Kitchen. There are step-by-step photos here. The only thing I changed was that I substituted dried ginger for the ginger root. I used 1/4 tsp. for the 2 Tbsp. of grated ginger.

General Tso's Chicken

FOR THE CHICKEN:
1-½ teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 whole Large Egg White
¼ cups Plus 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 pound Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
Canola, Peanut, Or Vegetable Oil For Frying
FOR THE SAUCE:
1 Tablespoon Peanut, Canola Or Vegetable Oil
2 cloves Garlic, Peeled And Minced
2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Fresh Ginger Root
1 cup Chicken Broth Or Stock
¼ cups Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 teaspoon Chinese Chile-garlic Sauce
3 Tablespoons Raw (turbinado Or Demerara) Sugar
FOR SERVING:
4 whole Scallions, Thinly Sliced
Steamed Rice
Steamed Broccoli

your chicken:In a mixing bowl, stir together the sesame oil, soy sauce, egg white, and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch until a thick slurry forms. It will look gummy but smooth.
Add the chicken pieces and stir until all are evenly coated. At first it may appear that it will not come together but it does!Set chicken aside, covered lightly with plastic wrap, at room temperature for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Begin the sauce:Add the tablespoon of oil to a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Stir the garlic and ginger into the oil and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining sauce ingredients until smooth. Pour into the garlic and ginger, stirring, until the sauce becomes thick and shiny. Once the sauce thickens, lower heat and keep the saucepan over a low burner partially covered to stay warm.
To fry the chicken:Heat 1/2-inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed, high-sided frying pan or skillet over high heat.
When the oil is shimmering, add one piece of chicken at a time, taking care not to crowd the pan. Cook chicken for 4 minutes on each side, or until deep golden brown and crisp on both sides**.
Transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel lined plate and repeat the process until you’ve cooked all the chicken.
Then slide all of the fried chicken into the prepared sauce and toss to coat. (If desired, add some steamed broccoli to coat with the sauce also.) Increase the heat to medium, stir and cook just until hot all the way through.
Sprinkle with sliced scallions and serve immediately over white rice.

Enjoy!

~peace and blessings~

Lisa

31 Days to Pray for Your Spouse Challenge

Join me in this challenge praying for your spouse. The e-book is available on Amazon for the Kindle or you can dowload it by visiting the site above.

~peace and blessings~

Lisa

Happy New Year!

I'm not one to make resolutions. I tend to set goals for myself in the areas of spirituality, family, friends, marriage, self, and home. These reflection questions were posted at (in)courage. I'm going to take some time today to reflect on these questions with my husband. There's also a download at simplemom.net of the questions.

20 Questions for a New Year’s Reflection
1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
4. What was an unexpected obstacle?
5. Pick three words to describe 2011.
6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2011 (don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you).
7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2011 (again, without asking).
8. What were the best books you read this year?
9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?
11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?
12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?
13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?
14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?
15. What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
16. What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?
19. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?
20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2011 for you.

~peace and blessings~

Lisa