Poppin' good!

We are huge popcorn fans around our house so when we got the chance to try Kettle Brand popcorn I had to pick up as many flavors as possible. We got White Cheddar, Sriracha and Maple Bacon popcorn. We all rated them based on two thumbs up or down.

White Cheddar: Two thumbs up from everyone!

Sriracha: Two thumbs down from everyone!

Maple Bacon: Two thumbs up from the husband and kids, none from me since I don't do bacon.

It's so nice to have pre-made popcorn ready to go so I don't have to watch the microwave and make sure ours doesn't get burnt.

Which flavor do you want to try? Kettle Brand popcorn and real potato chips can be purchased at Kroger.

*All opinions are mine and my family's but I was provided with free product and coupons to try the varieties from being a BzzAgent. 

 

My year in books - 2014

I'm pretty sure I did a post like this last year, let me check. Oh yep there it is! I set a very pie in the sky high goal of reading 65 books this year. And well I certainly didn't make that goal! But that's ok. I read so many books last year because I was traveling back and forth to work with nothing else to do and spending an hour of my lunch break doing nothing in that tiny little town so I read a lot. This year though, I got my new job in March so I haven't had as much travel time and no more boring lunches. I am happy to report that I managed to read 39 books this year! Here's a quick look.

Now let's talk about five of my favorites:
1. Eat & Run - loved the insight into long distance running and the role that food plays on that journey.
2. The Husband's Secret - I couldn't put this one down, must-read for sure!
3. Year of No Sugar - I was on a bit of a food kick this year - I don't think I could go a year, but this was a really interesting read.
4. Big Little Lies - There was a bunch of hype here and it certainly lived up to my expectations.
5. Orange Is the New Black - I read this and then I started the Netflix series. I'm not addicted, ok I am.

And here were a few that disappointed me:
1. The Interestings - So many good reviews, I just couldn't get into it.
2. Let's Pretend This Never Happened - I love her blog, but the book just wasn't the same.
3. Nadia Knows Best - I've loved so many of Jill's books, but this just wasn't one of them.
4. I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell - Just no. Don't even waste your time looking up a review for this one.
5. A Mile In My Flip-Flops - It was just average, I wouldn't rush out to read this one.

Read any winners that I should add to my list for 2015?

Try, try again

How many times will I try? I keep asking myself this every time I start to eat better and maybe start to work out. It never lasts long and I know I'll have to try, try again later. 
I spent most of today helping the girls clean their rooms and being pretty lazy. Suddenly I came across the kids Zumba game for the Wii we had gotten A for her birthday ... in June. We've never played it. What a waste. So I immediately gathered the girls and put it in and we got our Zumba on until dinner (20 minutes). It felt good. Even though I've been pushing off being sick for the past couple of weeks. Maybe some extra oxygen flowing through my lungs will do me some good. After dinner we got out the Just Dance and danced it out (25 minutes). Why can't every day be like this?

It seems like I always have good intentions to make good choices when it comes to eating and working out. But somehow my lack of effort always wins out. 

Here's my list of things that would make my fit lifestyle achievable:

• Personal Chef - healthy meals on demand, yes please!
• Calorie-free Chocolate - I can't live without my chocolate, let's make it healthy
• Fitness Classes in my Home - I don't have time to go to the gym, let's just do all the classes I want at my house.

  

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• Fitness Wardrobe - you need cute clothes to work out, it's like a rule

  

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• Skinny Mirrors - those mirrors that make you look really good even when you don't
• Daily Massages - I'm going to get sore with all these fitness classes, I'll need a good rub down every day
• Good Weather - I would go running daily if it was about 70* and partly cloudy

  

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• Magic Pills - you know, some pills that make you lose weight while you sleep

  

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• New Clothes - all this fitness and good eating will make me look so good that I'll need a gorgeous new wardrobe to go with it all

I guess I'll keep on dreaming, or I'll just keep trying.

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Easy recipe week

After 5 brand-new recipes last week we are only doing 1 new one this week and the rest are easy family favorites. If you want to know how the new recipes turned out check back to last week's post and see our ratings!

MONDAY: Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

TUESDAY: Tacos
WEDNESDAY: Ham & Cheese Croissant Roll-Ups
THURSDAY: Chili & Grilled Cheese
FRIDAY: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans

I'm looking forward to this easy week of cooking. As we are trying to wrap up all the Christmas shopping and wrapping the presents. And then we have our annual Christmas party on Saturday where everyone can sport their ugliest Christmas sweaters and play games to win white elephant gifts. 

New recipe week!

After this week's dismal performance of a meal plan. I made a real dinner on Monday and then deemed Tuesday-Friday each person's choice. So Tuesday was me, Wednesday was A, Thursday was the husband and Friday was J. Basically that person just got a say in what we had for dinner that night. It was usually all over the place and I was disappointed we didn't have a meal plan to go along with our busy week. We are headed toward the holidays so it's back on track this week. Since last week was a free for all (no new recipes), I've decided this week will only be new recipes! All recipes are coming from my sorely neglected Pinterest boards. Here's the plan ...

MONDAY: Skillet Lasagna (3 out of 4 stars)
I love lasagna, so do the kids, but it's such a chore to make. This skillet version is easier and healthier, sign me up!

TUESDAY: Mexican Lasagna (4 out of 4 stars)
I know it sounds like I'm on a lasagna kick, but this one is made with tortillas and not noodles. And since it's Taco Tuesday we needed something Mexican food related for tonight's dinner. I'll probably need to make another batch of taco seasoning as I'm about out - check out this easy way to make your own!

WEDNESDAY: Ranch Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes (2 out of 4 stars)
This recipe looks super easy and so delicious. They recommend making with garlic mashed potatoes but I know that won't go over well with the kids. I'll save time for the potatoes and cheat with instant (shhh!). And it's a crock pot recipe!

THURSDAY: Grilled Cheese Pizza Sandwiches (4 out of 4 stars)
Pizza and grilled cheese together - shut up!

FRIDAY: Beef & Potato Stew (4 out of 4 stars - This was awesome!)
Two slow cooker meals this week! I've been wanting some beef stew so I hope this one is a winner.

Got any new recipes I should add to my boards? Let's hope this turns into a successful meal plan week!