COOKIE POPS - GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT

My newest, delicious, most favorite thing in the entire world is {COOKIE POPS}. I am lucky enough to have the creator of these heavenly things not even a mile from my house.

I have no idea how they did it, but Aaron & Eunice have created something that is MAGICAL. These are a great treat to order for any baby shower, wedding, birthday party, tea party, whatever party! Just order them and watch everyone's face just lavish in the scrumptiousness of MAGIC.

My personal favorites are the Chocolate Peanut Butter (OMGOODNESS HEAVEN!) and the Chocolate Covered Strawberry.

If you want a party in your tummy {so yummy so yummy} then make sure that you join me on Monday, July 13, 2009 for the launch of my new carnival {Just a Motivating Monday}. We are having a giveaway party for the launch and this is the first giveaway I'm announcing!! The giveaway will have multiple winners, multiple prizes with multiple ways to enter!!!!

Made With Love is giving one of my readers a bouquet of cookie pops!!!! To see the different flavors and other things that Made for Love offers check out their site!! {HERE}

To receive reminders about the carnival you can subscribe to my RSS Feed {HERE}

OR you can follow me on {TWITTER}

Hope to see you joining me with my new carnival to inspire everyone and get them motivated on Mondays!!!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - All Natural... quick... tasty

Lately my blog has been centered around Wildtree. Yes, I'm a bit obsessed. I promise after this post I'm going to talk about life again! I promise.

It's Kitchen Tip Tuesday over at Tammy's Recipes and it's been a while since I participated, but thought this would be a great week to jump back in since I actually have a tip for the kitchen!

I recently found something that is working in my kitchen. I have been making the most delicious dinners these past few nights.... since Saturday to be exact, and every night my husband is shocked at the tastes that are tickling his taste buds. I think what shocks him the most is that what's entering his mouth is healthy, all natural.... there's absolutely no junk or crap about it. There's nothing in the ingredients that you can't pronounce, and I'm spending less time in the kitchen.

Shocking isn't it? So, what in the world would make all of this possible????

WILDTREE

I couldn't imagine ever going back after trying this food. I joined the company to become a rep just so I could sell this amazing food to others, announce this to the world, and be able to make enough money to get free food! Everybody eats, right? Why not eat healthy, save time and save money? Well, I've discovered that there's so many more possibilities than just selling the food to get free groceries.... you can go above and beyond that!

When looking through the Wildtree catalog you might look at a price at first and be like.... um, wow... no thanks. However, you get multiple meals out of the products... the Hearty Speghetti Blend only uses 1 tablespoon per 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, the Slow Cooker Sauce can be used 3 times! It's cheaper, it's healthier and it's shocking at how quick it is to cook! It's also a great thing for food storage if you're into that... I am :) You never know when something's going to happen when you're going to have to rely on your food storage.

My husband keeps saying, how could anyone ever buy a jar of speghetti sauce ever again? Or alfredo sauce (those are both of our favorites!).

Wildtree also has a great compensation plan for their reps. The sky is the limit and this company is growing FAST! If you're interested in making extra income, whether it's $500 or $5,000 every month... this is definitely the company for you.

I've written a long, detailed spill on Wildtree HERE, and if you're interested in checking out some of the products you can do so at www.amanda.mywildtree.com

If it's not for you, although I couldn't imagine how it couldn't be, and you know someone who doesn't like to feed their family foods with ingredients that you can't pronounce, or MSG, or preservatives, or dyes..... let them in on this! Send them to my Wildtree website, or to my blog. Our nation is trying to be healthier and this is great way to get there!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope that if anything I got you thinking about checking the ingredients on the items in your cupboard, you might cringe.... especially if you go and look some of those words up.

Refreshing Scent

It's just dawning on me that today is indeed Tuesday. I can't believe it! I've been going around all day thinking it was Monday. I actually even forgot to do FHE last night. I had a GREAT FHE planned and I'm just so backwards on my days.... oh well.

Tuesday means Kitchen Tip Tuesday. This is something that probably the whole world knows about, but it was news to me. Since it was news to me I'm hoping that it will be news to someone else. Whenever you peel an orange dropped the peelings in your garbage disposal and they will make a pretty orangey smell. You can also do this with lemon, but I prefer orange peelings.

For other great Kitchen Tips head over to Tammy's Blog ~ And have a beautiful week.

If you have a busy, busy day ahead of you....

Happy Tuesday everyone!!! It's Kitchen Tip Tuesday and I thought today I'd share a couple of quickies I do in the kitchen on days that I'm busy or just don't feel like putting much effort into dinner.

I know that a lot of people love crock pots, and I'm one of them!! There's a lot of great crock pot recipes out there that call for all these ingredients and sometimes, being a new cooker, it intimidates me.

So, here's a couple of things I do in my crock pot.....


I throw chicken breasts/thighs in the crockpot and pour over some Four Cheese & Roasted Garlic spaghetti sauce and a ton of Parmesan cheese and cook on high for 4 hours - or low for 6-8 hours. Serve over some fettuccine Alfredo and mmmmmmm mmmmmm!!!

Do you have a whole chicken laying around? Last night I threw a whole chicken in the crock pot and poured some Teriyaki marinade over it, made white rice and steamed some broccoli and mmmmm mmmmm!!!!

Sometimes I just throw whatever I have in there, cross my fingers and say a quick prayer, and so far it's turned out all good ;)

If you have any easy crock pot recipes that you'd like to share with me please do!! I heart the crock pot!

For other kitchen tips, which are probably a lot better than mine (I'm new in the kitchen! Give me a break here) head over to Tammy's Recipes!!

Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins

I'm participating this week!!! It's Kitchen Tip Tuesday.

Jayden's school put together a Family Favorite Recipes book. Sold each little booklet for $10.00 and probably made a killing. It's a really cute idea though, and the kids got to draw a picture on whatever page they submitted. They also threw in some Kid's craft ideas, household tips, Measurement charts and all kinds of cool little things. Here's a recipe that I found in the book ~I wonder if I can trick Jayden with these.....
You will need:

- 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups of sugar
- 1 cup of chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup of quick cooking oats
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
-4 Eggs
- 1 Med. zucchini shredded (about 3/4 cup)
- 3/4 cup of vegetable oil

What you do:

In a mixing bowl, combine first seven ingredients. Beat eggs and then combine the eggs with zucchini and oil. Pour over dry ingredients stirring only until moistened. Butter will be lumpy. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 400 Degrees for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool & Enjoy!!

For other Kitchen Tips make sure you head over to Tammy's Recipes to read other's tips.

TO ENTER IN THE BLOGGY GIVEAWAY CLICK HERE

Kitchen Tip Tuesday......

I'm about to get really real on ya'll ;) I have no kitchen tips lately. I think I've shared everything I've discovered in the 6 months I've actually been in the kitchen. If I learn anything new I'll pick this back up.

Steaming Veggies - and so many more things!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday is back!!! This weeks tip is something I have found a life saver in my home. It's simple. It's quick. And it makes my veggies DELICIOUSLY PERFECT! I'm one that can eat veggies w/no seasoning, no butter so I might do mine a little differently than you might. I finally went out and bought myself glad steaming bags I toss my veggies in the bag... sometimes I mix it up with baby carrots, broccoli, squash. Then I seal it, stick it in the microwave for 4 minutes and waalaa my veggies are perfectly steamed. I don't add butter in w/mine, because I don't need it. But you could. Sometimes I put a little bit of Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil seasoning. You can also cook 2 medium potatoes in only 8 minutes. I LOVE THESE BAGS! You can put eggs, cheese and ham - throw it in the microwave and have an omelet. Seriously... there is so much you can do w/these things. Hope this helps, hope you try it and HAPPY TUESDAY!!!

Head over to Tammy's Blog to check out other Kitchen Tips.

Tin Foil

Can you believe that Kitchen Tip Tuesday is already here? This week I'm sharing something that most of you might already know, but there might be a possibility that there are people like me out there. I learned this about a year ago. I had covered something with foil while baking and when I took it out of the oven the foil was already cold. Then it dawned on me that if I'm baking pizzas, fish sticks, chicken nuggets - basically anything that you would normally pull a cookie sheet out - just put some foil on the oven rack and put whatever it is that you're cooking on top of it. Then when it's done you don't even need oven mitts to pull it out because as the tin foil comes out of the oven it's cold.

So, that's my little lazy tip in the kitchen I do. For other tips head over to Tammy's blog.

Help Me Lower My Husband's Blood Pressure

Gino (my husband) got diagnosed with high blood pressure. So for this Kitchen Tip Tuesday I'm going to reverse it and ask for any recipes that could help us. His doctor has decided that he is going to give Gino 4 weeks to lower it on his own or Gino's going on blood pressure medicine for the rest of his life. We went out and bought a ton of fruits & veggies and we've recently started using Mrs. Dash seasonings. I have the basic idea of what he needs to stay away and what he needs to eat, but I would love some recipes that we might be able to try in our home.

For other Kitchen Tip's head over to Tammy's Blog.

Dinosaur Bites - Fun Recipe to do w/kids

Jayden's school made a cookbook that all the students were able to participate in. I found one that is pretty cool and am sharing it with everyone for Kitchen Tip Tuesday

1/4 Cup Dirt (Cocoa)
1/2 Cup swamp water (Milk)
2 Cups crushed bones (sugar)
1/2 Cup fat (butter or margarine)
2 Cups dead grass (Oatmeal)
1/2 Cup squashed bugs (Peanut Butter)

Combine dirt, swamp water, crushed bones and fat in medium sauce pan. Boil for 3 minutes. Add squashed bugs and dead grass. Stir until melted and mixture starts to thicken. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper. Stand on hind legs, eat one and ROARRRRRR!!!!!!

For other Kitchen Tips please visit Miss Tammy's Blog and I hope everyone has a fantastic Tuesday!!

Quick, Tasty, Easy Chicken

It's Kitchen Tip Tuesday and I'm letting the world in on our secret, yummy chicken we make a lot.

Ingredients:

Chicken - legs, thighs, breasts, basically whatever chicken you want to eat
Olive Oil
Garlic Salt - or not if you're doing no salt I just LOVE garlic salt
Soy Sauce
Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy (I promise it's not spicy - just tasty) Seasoning
Mrs. Dash Chicken Seasoning

Here's What You Do:

Line your pan w/Olive Oil - not thick, just enough to cover the bottom.
Put your chicken in the pan - then sprinkle all of your seasonings, soy sauce and olive oil (just a little of olive oil) over the top of the chicken. Cover and cook on medium. After it's cooked on the one side, flip over and once again sprinkle all of your seasonings, soy sauce and olive oil (just a little of olive oil) over that side of the chicken. Cover and continue to cook on med-low until done.

Okay, I know I suck at explaining recipes, but I hope you get the idea here. If you have any questions just let me know in my comments and I'll reply in my comments. There's flavor in every bite!

For other Kitchen Tip's visit Tammy's Blog

Rock Hard Brown Sugar

It's Tuesday, which means Tammy is hosting another Kitchen Tip Tuesday This week I'm going to let you in on a little trick that I just recently learned about brown sugar and how to make it back into soft sugar after being rock hard. All you do is add a slice of soft bread inside of the bag and close it tightly. After a few hours it will be soft again. For other kitchen tips head over to Tammy's Blog

Enchilada Pie

It's Kitchen Tip Tuesday!! Today I thought I'd share my favorite recipe with you. This recipe is perfect if you're having a dinner party, because it feeds many and makes their mouths water.

14-16 White Corn Tortillas
1 1/2 Large cans of refried beans
1 Packet of Lowry's Enchilada Sauce (it comes in a white packet where the taco seasoning packets are)
1 6oz can of tomatoe paste (Enchilada Sauce requires this)
2 1/2lbs of hamburger
2lbs of Cheese (I use Colby-Jack)
Olive Oil (or whatever oil you use)

Preheat oven at 350

1. Cook enchilada sauce according to the directions on the back of the packet
2. Fry your tortillas by placing them in the oil flat and getting slightly hard (very important that they're still soft.
3. Take each tortilla and dip in enchilada sauce and after you dip lay it on the bottom of your casserole pan - what's left over after layering the bottom is for the top :)
4. Cover the tortillas with the beans
5. Cover the beans with cheese
6. Then comes the hamburger that you've cooked
7. Then dip the remaining tortillas and put on top of the meat and then cover with the rest of the cheese and pour the remaining sauce all over

Bake on 350 for 30-45 minutes and then serve ~ goes great w/a nice green salad w/red wine vinegar and oil.

For other Kitchen Tip's visit Tammy's Blog

Get rid of that icky sponge!

It's another case of Kitchen Tip Tuesday Last week I asked for advice on cleaning my oven and I'm proud to say that I have been back to baking w/out starting fires!! What I did was soak the burnt apple drip on the bottom of the over w/White Vinegar and then scraped the bottom w/a metal spatula.. then I got the remaining off just by cleaning it w/a White Vinegar & water solution. Thank you everyone for all of your advice. And Tammy, thank you for the recent tip on using baking soda to put the fire out next time (but there won't be a next time LOL) Okay! Now on to this week's tip:

Do you have that icky sponge in your sink still? The one that seems to reek of mildew... well, then you need to go to the baby section and buy this! It has a suction cup on the bottom and so the water drips down and it doesn't get that mildew smell. If you have a baby - you can color code it. Pink for baby, blue for dishes. Or however you want to do it.

For other great kitchen tips visit Tammy's Recipes

Cleaning the Oven

This is my first time ever participating in Tammy's Kitchen Tip Tuesday. This week instead of giving a tip we are requesting a tip on something in the kitchen we need. I need a tip on cleaning the oven. Over the Thanksgiving holiday my mom's boyfriend cooked an apple pie. And I guess it dripped down onto my oven. I then went to cook chicken one night and there was smoke coming out of my oven.... NOT GOOD! So, I ended up eating at Subway that night. Then one night I was hosting a dinner party. I was having some friends and the missionaries over for dinner and I was making Enchilada Pie. I had prayed oven off on the bottom of the oven earlier and tried cleaning it off, but I guess I wasn't as successful as I thought I was because while I was putting the Enchilada Pie together with my oven preheating I looked down to see flames in my oven.......HOLY $*&^% If my husband was not home my house would be burnt down. At the sight of flames I screamed, turned around grabbed my baby, ran to the stairs and yelled for Jayden to get his butt down here the house was on fire... grabbed the phone and was getting ready to dial 911 while running out of the house... when my husband says, "Amanda, calm down I put it out." So I guess my husband grabbed the water hose thingy on the sink and sprayed the fire and put it out.... I've heard that's not really a smart thing to do, but whatever it worked. I called a friend of mine that was coming to dinner at my house and she came and picked up my enchilada pie and baked it for me. So, that was a few weeks ago and I have yet to use my oven. So, somebody please tell me what a good way to clean the bottom of your oven.

And for other Kitchen Tip Tuesday ideas (this week it be you giving advice to others) please go here Tammy's Recipes