Thoughts on Thursday: Recipe Edition!

This past weekend I experimented with three new recipes! Two of them I sort of made up myself and the third was straight out of Bethenny Frankel's book, "Naturally Thin." I figured I would use my BB's THOUGHTS ON THURSDAY to share these great recipes with you all!

Stroganoff Meatballs
Ingredients:

-1 lb ground turkey
-Half an onion (chopped)
-1/4 cup Whole Wheat bread crumbs
-Garlic (chopped and to taste)
-2 large egg whites
-2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
-Whole Grain Rice
-2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
-1 cup Skim Milk
-1 cup Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt
-Salt and Pepper (to taste)
-2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Preparation:
-Cook Rice according to package

Meatballs:
-Preheat oven to 450
-Combine ground turkey, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, bread crumbs, egg whites and olive oil in to a large mixing bowl and mix well. I have found using your hands is the best way to combine the ingredients without completely mashing the meat (which you don't want)
-Take large spoonfuls of meat combination and lightly pack them in to round balls. *You don't want to smoosh them or pack them too tight or they get dry! I made 10 larger meatballs...make them whatever size you want!

-Bake the meatballs on 450 for about 15-20 minutes. Make sure to rotate them while they're cooking.

Sauce:
-Combine Cream of Mushroom Soup, Greek Yogurt and Skim Milk in a large saucepan.
-Heat until sauce us hot and has thinned

-Finally, add cooked meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes so the flavors get all mixed together! Serve meatballs and sauce over rice

*I'm sorry I don't have a finished picture for you....we were too hungry and I forgot. Also, this recipe made a ton of sauce. It worked out because I used the extra on some vegetables, but if you want less sauce I would do just one can of Cream of Mushroom and maybe reduce the yogurt and milk a little.


Bethenny Frankel's Cucumber Salad

*Whisk together:
-1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or less, if you want)
-1 tablespoon of chopped fresh dill (or your fave herb)
-1 teaspoon honey
-1 teaspoon lemon juice
-Salt and pepper to taste
(I made a double batch...so I just doubled everything)
*Pour over sliced cucumbers
This was so yummy (I served it with the stroganoff meatballs). It was really refreshing and is a great cleanser. It was a little too vinegary for us, so next time I think I'll use a little less.


Kristin's Amazing Chili!
Ingredients:

-I lb ground turkey
-1 can Kidney Beans
-1 can Black Beans
-2 8oz cans of Tomato Sauce
-1 packet McCormick Reduced Sodium Chili Seasoning
-Chopped Garlic (to taste)
-Frozen Corn (not pictured)
-Celery
-Carrots
-1/2 White Onion
-1 Red Bell Pepper
-1 tsp Olive Oil
-Cheyenne Pepper (to taste)
-Red pepper flakes (to taste)
-Chipotle Tabasco Sauce (to taste)

Preparation:
-Chop vegetables (I just chopped up everything but ended up using about half of the total veggies. So add as many or as few to your chili as you want....just make sure not to add too much or the chili will be super thick)
-Add all vegetables (except for onions) in to a large steamer. Steam for appx 20 minutes (or until veggies are soft). Again, I cooked them all but didn't use it all.

-Heat 1 tsp of Olive Oil and saute onions, garlic and red pepper flakes
-Drain and strain the beans....get rid of all that yucky preservative junk that it comes in!

-Brown the ground turkey

-Add steamed veggies and onions to the ground turkey (make sure to mix them up well)

-Add tomato sauce, McCormick's seasoning, cheyenne pepper, and Chipotle Tabasco Sauce. Mix well! Make sure to taste so you know if you've seasoned enough!

-I let the chili sit and simmer on low heat for about an hour so that all the flavors got incorporated.

You know I couldn't let Thoughts on Thursday go by without a couple random thoughts....

*Not to toot my own horn but this chili was GOOD! REALLY GOOD!

*I have been a terrible blogger in terms of reading and commenting on all of your blogs! My plan is to get caught up today! So I apologize for being so neglectful!

*I have quite a few new followers! WELCOME! I am so excited you care enough about what I have to say to follow this little blog! :)

*Finally, make sure you go to my BB's blog Life, Love and Puppyprints and link up with Thoughts on Thursdays!

Wedding Wednesday: DIY Card Boxes

A while back I saw these amazing card boxes on one of the blogs I follow, She Said Yes! Marni Gold who is the owner of Custom Card Boxes was guest blogging and I was blown away by her beautiful creations.

After seeing these I decided to look around and see what others have done in the way of DIY Card boxes. Here are some of my favorites.

The last one is my favorite! So I got to thinking, I bet I could make one of these! It will take some patience to get the ribbon to look that pretty, but I the rest of it would be pretty easy, at least I think it will be. I think I'm going to try it! Not sure when exactly I will take on this new little project of mine but I will most definitely take pictures and share the process with you!

And the nominees are......

I am like a little kid on Christmas morning! The 83rd Academy Award nominees were announced this morning and I was sure to set my alarm and watch to see who would receive this year's highest honor!

As I've mentioned before, I try every year to see as many of the nominated movies as I possibly can. I typically see the ones nominated for the "big" awards first and then go to the ones that are nominated for the most awards. Here's how this year's films broke down:

The nominees for the "big" awards are:

Best Motion Picture:

• “Black Swan”
  
• “The Fighter”
  
• “Inception”
  
• “The Kids Are All Right”
  
• “The King's Speech”
  
• “127 Hours”
  
• “The Social Network”
  
• “Toy Story 3”
  
• “True Grit”
• “Winter's Bone"
  

Best Actress:

• Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
• Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
• Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”
• Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
• Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

Best Actor:

• Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
• Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
• Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
• Colin Firth in “The King's Speech”
• James Franco in “127 Hours”

Best Supporting Actress:

• Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
• Helena Bonham Carter in “The King's Speech”
• Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
• Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
• Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

Best Supporting Actor:

• Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
• John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone”
• Jeremy Renner in “The Town”
• Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
• Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech”

Best Director:

• “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
• “The Fighter” David O. Russell
• “The King's Speech” Tom Hooper
• “The Social Network” David Fincher
• “True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Best Adapted Screenplay:

• “127 Hours”
• “The Social Network”
  
• “Toy Story 3”
• “True Grit”
• “Winter's Bone”
  

Best Original Screenplay:

• “Another Year”
  
• “The Fighter”
• “Inception”
• “The Kids Are All Right”
• “The King's Speech”

Best Animated Film:

• “How to Train Your Dragon”
  
• “The Illusionist”
• “Toy Story 3”
  

Here's the breakdown based on the number of nominations:

The King's Speech--12 nominations
True Grit--10 nominations
The Social Network--8 nominations
Inception (my favorite movie of the year)--8 nominations
The Fighter--7 nominations
127 Hours--6 nominations
Black Swan--5 nominations
Toy Story 3--5 nominations
Winter's Bone--4 nominations
The Kids Are Alright--4 nominations
Alice in Wonderland--3 nominations
Biutiful--2 nominations
Harry Potter--2 nominations
How to Train Your Dragon--2 nominations

And then there's a million with 1 nomination:
The Town
Rabbit Hole
Blue Valentine
Animal Kingdom
I Am Love
Tempest
Dogtooth (what up Greece!!!)
In a Better World
Incendies
Outside the Law
Barney's Version
Another Year
Hereafter
Iron Man 2
The Way Back
The Wolfman
The Illisionist
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land
Country Strong
Tangled
Tron: Legacy
Salt
Unstoppable

***I did not include nominees for any of the Short films (Documentary, Animated or Live Action) because if you live in Minnesota it is nearly impossible to ever see these films. So if you're the creator of one of these and you're reading this blog...I'm sorry. :)

Well, I have 33 days to see all of these movies! Wish me luck and I'll keep you posted!!!!

And, I have just one quick rant....I HATE THAT THERE ARE 10 BEST FILM NOMINATIONS! I hate it I hate it I hate it! I hated it last year, I hate it even more this year! I think it takes away from the prestige of being nominated and even winning. SO DUMB!

What are your favorite movies of the year? Who do you think deserves the best actor and best actress awards?! IS ANYONE ELSE OBSESSED LIKE ME AND BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS WITH EXCITEMENT?!?!?!?!?

Naturally Thin

I finished reading Bethenny Frankel's "Naturally Thin" in just under two days and I loved it! I loved and appreciated that this wasn't a diet book, she doesn't tell you what you should or shouldn't eat but she tells you how to eat (which is what I need help with). She has a ton of great advice, tips and tricks for eating healthier, eating less and becoming "Naturally Thin."

The first half of the book is filled with her 10 rules for being Naturally Thin, she goes in to great detail what these rules mean, how to follow them and what she personally does to make sure she's following her own rules. I started to implement these rules as soon as I started reading the book (which was last Wednesday) and I have already lost 3 pounds (as of yesterday!)

I have heard people say that following these rules is unrealistic, but I disagree. Bethenny's whole point is that you don't have to be on a diet, you can eat whatever you want. But, you have to do it in moderation and balance your food choices. For example, if you go out to eat and want a steak....get a steak. BUT, if you get a steak and a salad and a bowl of soup and a baked potato you need to only have a few bites of each, or eat the whole bowl of soup and have a few bites of everything else. OR, if you want the entire steak, EAT THE ENTIRE STEAK, but balance it with a side of broccoli or a small salad. If there's one thing I took away from this book it's BALANCE! Balance what kinds of foods you're eating (protein, carbs, fruits, veggies, sugar....) and balance when you eat them. If you want to have 3 glasses of wine, fine, but then don't get dessert. Or, get dessert and only have one glass of wine. Balance.

It's really quite simple, and just common sense if you think about it. For me, this book was eye opening because I always thought I'd have to deprive myself of what I loved and really wanted in order to lose weight, and that's probably why I've never succeeded. For the last 5 days I have been eating what I want or what sounds good but in smaller portions or with less "other junk."

There are a couple of tips that really stood out in my mind that I am trying to remember and use on a daily basis.

*Downgrade! Bethenny suggests using smaller plates and bowls while eating. If you have a small (or what should be normal) sized portion of food on a huge dinner plate it's going to look pathetic and you're going to think you're being deprived. But, if you put that same amount of food on a salad plate, it's going to take up the whole plate and look like more. Plus it will keep your portion size in check.

*Plan ahead! This is one of the things I really wanted to work on. I bought a bunch of smaller sized tupperware containers to pre-pack meals in. For example, I made some amazing food this weekend (more on that later this week) and I split the leftovers in to several small containers, this way I can just grab one of them and have a pre-made reasonably sized meal for lunch!

*Use what you've got! One of the things Bethenny mentions quite a bit is using leftovers to create new meals. I used this one this weekend and am super excited about it! I had a ton of leftover sauce from one meal, and normally I would have just tossed it. Instead, I saved it and figured I could find some way to use it later. Then, I had a bunch of leftover vegetables from a different meal I made....so I saved those and am going to combine them with that yummy sauce and make a delicious side dish!

If you're trying to make a lifestyle change and get healthier I highly recommend Bethenny's book. Even if you don't follow it to a T (which I'm not) there are some great ideas (and recipes!) that can help get you on the right path.

Naturally Thin

I finished reading Bethenny Frankel's "Naturally Thin" in just under two days and I loved it! I loved and appreciated that this wasn't a diet book, she doesn't tell you what you should or shouldn't eat but she tells you how to eat (which is what I need help with). She has a ton of great advice, tips and tricks for eating healthier, eating less and becoming "Naturally Thin."

credit

The first half of the book is filled with her 10 rules for being Naturally Thin, she goes in to great detail what these rules mean, how to follow them and what she personally does to make sure she's following her own rules. I started to implement these rules as soon as I started reading the book (which was last Wednesday) and I have already lost 3 pounds (as of yesterday!)

I have heard people say that following these rules is unrealistic, but I disagree. Bethenny's whole point is that you don't have to be on a diet, you can eat whatever you want. But, you have to do it in moderation and balance your food choices. For example, if you go out to eat and want a steak....get a steak. BUT, if you get a steak and a salad and a bowl of soup and a baked potato you need to only have a few bites of each, or eat the whole bowl of soup and have a few bites of everything else. OR, if you want the entire steak, EAT THE ENTIRE STEAK, but balance it with a side of broccoli or a small salad. If there's one thing I took away from this book it's BALANCE! Balance what kinds of foods you're eating (protein, carbs, fruits, veggies, sugar....) and balance when you eat them. If you want to have 3 glasses of wine, fine, but then don't get dessert. Or, get dessert and only have one glass of wine. Balance.

It's really quite simple, and just common sense if you think about it. For me, this book was eye opening because I always thought I'd have to deprive myself of what I loved and really wanted in order to lose weight, and that's probably why I've never succeeded. For the last 5 days I have been eating what I want or what sounds good but in smaller portions or with less "other junk."

There are a couple of tips that really stood out in my mind that I am trying to remember and use on a daily basis.

*Downgrade! Bethenny suggests using smaller plates and bowls while eating. If you have a small (or what should be normal) sized portion of food on a huge dinner plate it's going to look pathetic and you're going to think you're being deprived. But, if you put that same amount of food on a salad plate, it's going to take up the whole plate and look like more. Plus it will keep your portion size in check.

*Plan ahead! This is one of the things I really wanted to work on. I bought a bunch of smaller sized tupperware containers to pre-pack meals in. For example, I made some amazing food this weekend (more on that later this week) and I split the leftovers in to several small containers, this way I can just grab one of them and have a pre-made reasonably sized meal for lunch!

*Use what you've got! One of the things Bethenny mentions quite a bit is using leftovers to create new meals. I used this one this weekend and am super excited about it! I had a ton of leftover sauce from one meal, and normally I would have just tossed it. Instead, I saved it and figured I could find some way to use it later. Then, I had a bunch of leftover vegetables from a different meal I made....so I saved those and am going to combine them with that yummy sauce and make a delicious side dish!

If you're trying to make a lifestyle change and get healthier I highly recommend Bethenny's book. Even if you don't follow it to a T (which I'm not) there are some great ideas (and recipes!) that can help get you on the right path.

OMG, THEY'RE HERE!

When I was 16 years old my dad took our family to New York City for the first time. We did all the classic tourist sightseeing....we went to the top of the Empire State Building, did the Circle Line Tour, went to a Broadway show and went shopping down 5th Avenue.

First time in NYC

While on 5th Avenue I found myself wandering down one of the side streets, I saw a store called "Jimmy Choo." I had no idea what it was but I saw shoes in the window, and being a shoe enthusiast I decided I'd better check it out. I had no idea how much these shoes cost, but I was in love. I couldn't believe shoes so beautiful could exist and ever since I have been obsessed with Jimmy Choo. I mean, SERIOUSLY........................

JimmyChoo.com

When it came time to start thinking about wedding shoes, I knew I wanted something amazing. I knew I wanted a peep toe pump and I knew they had to be black (obviously). It never crossed my mind that I could wear designer shoes on my wedding day because how in the heck was I going to pay for that? A couple of months back my mom suggested that she would love to give me money for my birthday to put towards an amazing pair of wedding shoes! She was brilliant! I could use all my birthday money and get my first designer pair of shoes for my wedding. Unfortunately, because of my stupid car (read that story HERE) I had to spend all my birthday money on getting my car fixed. Thankfully I have an extremely generous family and when Christmas rolled around I once again had enough money to buy a pair of dream shoes! (A special thank you to my little brother for the Nordstrom gift card, my mom and step-dad, my grandma Alice, my grandma and grandpa K and my grandpa Dale for your generous monetary gifts!)

I found a shoe I loved almost instantly. I debated about whether or not it was "WOW" enough but decided that if I'm paying this much for a pair of shoes I need to be able to wear them again and love them enough to have them my entire life (and be buried in them, which I will be).

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to the
Jimmy Choo Quiet
Black glitter fabric peep toe sandal:

Photos compliments of JimmyChoo.com

When you're on the website and you click "About this shoe" is says this:

"This product is the result of extensive research, resulting in fine details synonymous with high quality luxury."

LOVE IT!

I have been waiting patiently to get buy these bad boys, but I needed to have my mom there with me for support and excitement and because she's a snowbird and gets to live in Scottsdale in the winter I had to wait for her to come back to town. Well, last Sunday we went Nordstrom so I could buy my babies. Unfortunately, the Minneapolis Nordstrom doesn't carry this specific shoe, so I had to order them from the Chicago store. BUT, they did have the exact style in suede so I was able to try them on, make sure they fit, I loved them and could walk in the 4.7 inch heel (thank goodness my man is tall).

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!

Please excuse the extreme paleness that is my legs


SO EXCITED!


Steve, the amazing salesman who was super excited to be a part of my first designer shoe buying experience. He didn't even think it was weird we were taking pictures!

PURCHASED!!!!!

Celebratory martini at Ciao Bella.

Then I had to wait.....................................................................

Steve (my wonderful salesman) informed me it would take 5-8 business days for my shoes to arrive on my doorstep. On Wednesday, I decided it had been 3 days and I should probably check on their progress. After a lot of phone calls to Nordstrom they tracked down my package and told me "they'd be delivered tomorrow!" O-M-G! Because Thursday is J's day off, I work from open until close, so I left J with very strict instructions to NOT LEAVE THE HOUSE UNTIL THAT PACKAGE IS DELIVERED SAFELY! He did leave the house, to bring me lunch (so sweet), but was back in plenty of time to wait.......

Then, yesterday around 2:15pm I was tagged (by my fiance) in a photo on facebook:

"shoes maybe?????"

Then I had to sit at work for 4 more hours before finally getting to go home and see my dream wedding shoes in person!

Omigosh you guys! They are the most beautiful shoes I have ever seen! But, unfortunately for you, you'll have to wait until the wedding day to see them on my feet! I will say, they are perfect! J even said "they're cute."

And, finally, the icing on the cake....I get to cross another item off of my "30 Before 30" list! WAHOO!!!

8. Own a pair of ridiculously expensive shoes (preferably Louboutins, Choos or Blahniks)

Whoop! Whoop!

Have a good weekend!

Thoughts on Thursday

It's Thursday, it's almost the weekend, I have used all of my "good" blog post topics up earlier this week! What should I do? I KNOW, participate in my BB's "THOUGHTS ON THURSDAY" and you should too!

First, I want to thank Lindsay from "My Happily Ever After" for giving me this wonderful award! Thanks chica!

I have a hard time following the rules with these awards, but since I've recently received a couple of them (and it goes along with Thoughts on Thursday), I will oblige.

So, random facts about me:

*I am deathly afraid of birds. Like I freak out!

*I have a "side" and always need to be on the left of people in pictures, showing the left side of my face....look back at posts with pictures of me, you'll see it.

*More and more I am realizing I am a television addict. I think I need to cut back! What do you think is an appropriate number of shows to watch each week?

*I finished "Little Women" and loved it. It took a little while to get going and it took some time to get accustomed to the language, but all in all it was wonderful and I can see why it's a classic. I'll be adding a full review to my "2011 Book Challenge" page above (if you care enough to read a review)

*I'm on to "Naturally Thin" by Bethenny Frankel and I LOVE IT! Seriously, obsessed. More on that once I finish it, which will probably be this afternoon.

*Tomorrow night is Date Night and J and I are going to go see "No Strings Attached." It's a PERFECT date movie....Natalie Portman is hot and Ashton Kutcher is even hotter. But they're both funny and talented so neither one of us will get jealous when we're drooling. Plus, it looks funny and dumb...perfect for us!

*Finally, here are some of my favorite bloggers who I think deserve this high honor of the "Stylish Blogger Award!"

Kelly from Keeping Up with Kelly & Co.

Miss K from Love, Lipstick, and Pearls

Ali from Golightly.

Ms. Emily Ann from My Heart Shaped Life

Nicole-Lynn from Seaside Smitten