79. Find a fabulous Spice Rack

My Dad has this spice rack that he's had my entire life, it fits right above the stove and it's huge. I love it. And I've been hunting for one like it since I moved out of the house ten years ago! Unfortunately, I've never found one I just love - at least not one that's within my price range.

I finally found one that will fit in my cupboard, it isn't pretty - but it's functional so that's all that matters!

It's an "As Seen on TV" brand, so it's double cheesy! But again? It works, it hides everything neatly in the cupboard and it's organized so I don't dread pulling out my spices!

64. Fly a Kite with Skyler

Kite Flying? A HUGE success!! In fact, the little $3 kite we bought at WalMart was not enough - we're going to have to hunt down a fun canvas kite so we can do it more often!! After nearly an hour of running with the kite Skyler was finally exhausted enough to head home!! But only after I assured her we'd go to the park again soon to fly them :)

14. Lose 15 Pounds

I lost my first 15 pounds on March 25, 2012!!

One thing that's helped me is cooking healthier options at home -  Cheeseburger Cupcakes, Baked French Fries, Strawberry Doughnuts, PB&J Doughnuts are a few that I'd found! (And I'm sure as I continue this journey I'll be posting more recipes here!)

As of today (4/10/12) I am down almost 22 pounds, so hopefully I'll be back soon to update #15 - lose an additional 15 lbs :)

3. Try 30 New Recipes :: Pizza Bites

I love pizza, but for some odd reason? My daughter does not! So I decided to try it a little differently - we made Pizza Bites, and they were absolutely delicious!! (And surprisingly not messy.)

They only take a few minutes to make, and bake and then they are a great little snack for a road trip, a picnic or just lunch at home!

Ingredients
13.8 oz can of refrigerated pizza dough
½ c pizza sauce
1  c shredded Mozzarella Cheese
17 Pepperoni (or your favorite pizza filling)
Oregano

Directions:
1.    Pre-heat the oven to 400. Line two baking sheets with Tin Foil.
2.    Unroll the pizza dough and flatten into a large rectangle. Spread the pizza sauce evenly across the surface of the dough and then spread the cheese over it. Sprinkle the Oregano over the pizza and follow with the pepperoni. 
3.    Starting with the long side, roll the dough, with the toppings inside, until you reach the other end. Pinch the seam to seal. Cut the roll into 20 even pieces.
4.    Place the pizza buns on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese is melted. Let cool for 5 minutes. 

You can also stick Skewers into these while they cool and enjoy them on a stick! (All food is better on a stick, after all!)

The Original Recipe is from EmilyBites!

3. Try 30 New Recipes : Doughnuts

Again, using Emily Bites, Katie and I decided to try our hand at homemade (baked) doughnuts! These cake doughnuts are hands down, THE BEST doughnuts I've ever had. Think cake doughnuts, only fluffy and moiste and melt in your mouth delicious. They are perfect to fit your sweet tooth, without the sticky sweet frosting!!

The two recipes we made are Strawberry Doughnuts (which can be made with ANY fruit, really) and PB&J Doughnuts!

Ingredients:
1 c white whole wheat flour
1/3 c sugar
1 t baking powder
1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/3 cup skim milk
1 egg
1 T melted butter
1/3 c diced strawberries
1 T agave nectar

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425. Lightly spray a doughnut pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine strawberries and agave/maple syrup and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add milk, egg and melted butter to the dry ingredients and mix until just combines. Stir in berry mixture.
4. Fill each space (6) in your prepared doughnut pan about 2/3 full. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from the pan.

Ingredients:
¼ c peanut butter
¼ c sugar
1/3 c plus 1 T skim milk
1T fat free Greek yogurt (I used Fage 0%)
½ t vanilla extract
1 egg
1 c white whole wheat flour
1 t baking powder
¼ t salt
2 T sugar free preserves (I used Smuckers Raspberry)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325. Lightly spray a doughnut pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, add the peanut butter and sugar and blend with an electric mixer until combined. Add the milk, yogurt, vanilla and egg and mix again. Add flour, baking powder and salt and use mixer again until just combined.
3. Using a spoon or piping bag, evenly distribute the batter mixture into the spaces in the doughnut pan. Put the two rounded tablespoons of jelly into a small dish and microwave on high for 10-15 seconds. Drizzle a teaspoon of melted jelly over the batter in each doughnut space. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in comes out clean. Cool before eating.

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We did find that the PB&J donuts were just a bit rich, although they would be DELICIOUS with milk to dunk in! The strawberry were by far our favorite, and with a bit of extra cinnamon they were extra yummy.

Again, both recipes are property of Emily Bites and only pasted here for my personal storage and to share with my family and friends! I definitely think you should check out her blog and make a few of her delicious recipes! They are healthy and everything we've tried has been delicious!

3: Try 30 New Recipes: Cheeseburger Cupcakes & French Fries

On my most recent trip to Nebraska, my sister and I were both trying to find healthier ways to make some of our favorite foods and we stumbled upon the website Emily Bites. She has a lot of healthy recipes, mostly Weight Watchers themed. And they are all yummy. Every one of them that I've tried.

Today? I bring to you, the Cheeseburger Cupcake! I've since made these multiple times, each time better than the last and with rave reviews from everyone who has tried them! (Although the recipe below has a few tweaks of my own...) And what better way to get a 3 year old to eat than to give her a cupcake for dinner?

Ingredients:
¼ c onion, finely chopped
½ lb Ground Turkey (or extra lean ground beef)
1/2 T Garlic Powder
1/2 T Your Favorite Mrs. Dash Sodium Free Hamburger Seasoning
4 oz mushrooms, chopped
4 Laughing Cow Queso Fresco & Chipotle wedges, chopped (Swiss also works GREAT!)
3 T ketchup
1 T mustard
16 wonton wrappers (typically found in the produce section)
½ c tomatoes, chopped
4oz (1 cup) reduced FF shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 375. Lightly mist 8 cups in a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Mist a large skillet with cooking spray and bring to medium heat. Add chopped onions and sauté until cooked. Add ground beef and Hamburger seasoning and cook until meat is browned. Add mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until mushrooms are browned as well.
3.    Add in cheese wedges, ketchup and mustard and stir frequently until meat mixture is fully coated.
4. Push a wonton wrapper into the bottom of each of the eight sprayed cups in the muffin tin. Using about half of the meat mixture, spoon evenly into the wonton wrappers. Follow by sprinkling some of the chopped tomatoes into each cup (using about half the total tomatoes). Sprinkle about half the cheddar cheese evenly over the top of each cup. Press another wonton wrapper on top and repeat the layering steps with the remaining ingredients.
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin.

And what Cheeseburger is complete without some French Fries? I have to say, this recipe for (baked) Fries? One of the best I've ever had - and so simple!!

Ingredients
2 large potatoes, russet
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp herbs (your choice - I used Rosemary and Thyme)
1/4 tsp oregano
1 tsp  paprika
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 475°. Line baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up. Lightly coat with cooking spray.
Cut each potato lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices; cut each slice into 1/4 inch fries.
In a large bowl, combine cut potatoes and oil; toss well. Add  seasoning. Toss to coat.

Place in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes or until tender crisp, turning once half way through.

53. Send a Postsecret

I've been following Post Secret for a long time - since before I was pregnant. But not long after Skyler was born, this secret was posted. (If you somehow stumbled upon this blog and don't know - my daughter has a hand similar to that little girls, a small ball for a thumb and no other fingers.)

I saved it. 

It was somehow a sign to me. A realization that my little girl is far from alone. And I've looked at it when I've needed to know that through the past three and a half years. I've gotten a lot of comfort from it - although I haven't really noticed big problems with people staring at Skyler's hands. (In fact? I've known a few people who hadn't even noticed until I said something - other mom's from our playgroup, etc.) 

That said? This particular secret has helped me. And I realized, maybe one of my secrets could help someone else. So, I've sent my secret to postsecret. I mailed it this morning (Saturday - February 11, 2012) and I promise to update if it's ever posted on the website. But no, I will not tell you what it is. That's the point!