Another Dinner Recipe from Chelsea!

The Best BBQ Chicken EVER!



This is my favorite BBQ sauce:
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
2TBS vinegar
2 TBS brown sugar
4 TBS lemon juice
1 cup ketchup
3 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. prepared mustard


Mix everything together in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Use boneless chicken breasts, cut into smaller pieces, or bone-in legs,thighs, etc. Baste the chicken with the sauce and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes (longer for bone in meat)
Always check before you eat to make sure its done inside. You can turn and baste the meat throughout baking. You can also cook on the BBQ, unless of course its covered with snow!

Dinner Tonight

Veggie Lasagna

I love the veggie lasagna from Stouffer's but it is kind of expensive and makes a ton, we usually eat it for two or three days after. so here is a recipe that seems very similar, I will add some notes of ways to make it easier!

Ingredients:
12 lasagna noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
3 cloves garlic, minced(or go by a bag of mixed veggies from the freezer section)

Sauce:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper(or buy a can of your favorite alfredo)

1 (8 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
24 ounces ricotta cheese
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided(this actually sounds like it might be an adequate amount of cheese! but hey, throw in some extra just for fun)

Directions:

These are for making your own sauce and cooking the fresh veggies, you can probably just use the frozen ones without cooking them first, also if you by sauce skip the sauce instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
(I have never boiled lasagna noodles prior to baking in my life. I realize some people do this but it seems silly when you can just add some extra water to the sauce and add the dry noodles. they cook up just fine in the oven this way! and it saves you a half hour of cooking time!) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot add broccoli, carrots, zucchini and garlic. Saute for 7 minutes; set aside.
Place flour in a medium saucepan and gradually whisk in milk until well blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, or until thick, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in spinach. Reserve 1/2 cup spinach mixture. In a small bowl combine cottage and ricotta cheeses; stir well.

Spread about 1/2 cup of spinach mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer noodles, ricotta mixture, vegetables, spinach mixture and 2 cups mozzarella cheese, ending with noodles. Top with reserved spinach mixture, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Cool for approximately 10 minutes before serving. (if you want to make it with dry noodles, build the lasagna like normal then pour about a 1-1 1/2 cups water over the entire thing! you can make this in the morning and leave it in the ridge till your ready to cook as well!)

Mother of the Week!

I'm excited to present to you our very first Mother of the Week!

Meet Chelsea K, a busy mother of two boys ages 2 and 4. On top of wrangling these energetic little guys, she runs her own business doing digital scrapbooking and making crafts to sell. She loves to plan and host parties and would like to one day own a party-planning business. She is the branch president of the Happy Moms Club in Cache Valley, Utah and has coordinated and hosted several Happy Hours and Guilty Pleasure Days. Her ideas for Happy Moms Club are fresh, new and awesome!

Happy Mom Goal

A Moment of Silence. The other day I was sitting in the living room, I was on my laptop Face-booking my husband who was downstairs on the computer, my kids were watching TV and my cell phone was ringing. It was loud. We are moving into the holiday Season which means that soon there wont be much chance of slowing down... we get so busy with all that we do and there is so much noise! My challenge for you is this: Plan a day this week to turn everything off. Shut the computer down, send the cell phone to voice-mail, unplug the tv. Do it on a day when you can all be together. Spend time with your family outside (if its still warm enough) or go for a drive (leave the radio off) and sing silly songs with your kids. Sit on the front porch. Enjoy the quiet. It will amaze you how relaxing it is to take a break from technology.

Happy Kid Goal

Cold Weather Fun. As we head into the winter season, I find myself dreading the days when I can't send my kids out of doors without spending hours bundling them up. With the help of your kids, put together and "Indoor Kit" filled with fun things to do inside. This could include construction paper, scissors and craft supplies, fun music you can dance to (they still need to get some exercise) bean bag games, puzzles, etc. Make the items appropriate for your child's age. You can use a box or a plastic tote, spend an afternoon decorating the box, the package is half the excitement later when they are bored and need something to do!

Happy Husband Goal

Ok I am going to take some inspiration from my own Husby, he has been so funny lately. I don't know if he feels like we're losing the spark or what, but the last few weeks he has been working really hard to make his appearance like it was when we first met. Lol! He finally shaved his scruffy beard back to a neat goatee, he got his hair cut, and frosted...etc. So the goal for this week, think back to the time you were dating or were a newlywed and pick out something you used to do that you have forgotten about, and throw it back into your relationship. For instance, i used to wear feathers in my hair...just randomly, but Dave always tells me how i never do crazy things like that anymore. So bust out the marti gras beads, put on an old cd you used to listen too, or go on one of those dates where you had crazy fun without spending any money because you were so poor!

Happy House Goal

Sort and store clothing! Go through clothes for your kids as well as you and your hubby, pack away anything that still fits but is out of season, and pack up the things that have been outgrown and pass them on to a friend or family with smaller children, or take them to good will! I am a huge believer in Pay it Forward, I have been on the receiving end and I love to pass it on. Another awesome way to pass on, especially this time of year is freecycle.com. This is a free website where you can post and recycle any usable items! You can post for things you need and things you have. I know there are a lot of people who are struggling this year with all that has happened with the economy, and im sure we can all use some good karma!

Dinner Tonight

Homemade Mac and Cheese

Not only will your kids love it, but you will too!

Ok, so if you read the last recipes i submitted, you know i don't actually adhere to recipes very well. If this is really hard for you, im sure you can look one up online to find some proportions...sorry!

Ingredients:

Elbow Macaroni

Sharp or Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Milk

Flour

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Boil the Macaroni till its just underdone- it finishes cooking when you bake it. I use a whole bag to make a 9x12 pan of mac n cheese.

Drain the noodles and spray with cold water (this stops the starches from sticking together). Spray a pan with cooking spray and make a layer of noodles on the bottom (about half the noodles)

Sprinkle the flour evenly over the noodles (a light dusting), salt and pepper, then cheese. (If you're me, you use lots of cheese!)

Then repeat the process, noodles, flour, salt pepper, cheese. Then you pour the milk over the whole thing. (You pour enough so you can start to see it through the noodles.)

Bake at 350 for 15 minute, then stir. It should start to thicken. Bake another 10-15 minutes till its crusty on top. yum. Don't eat it all at once. Share with the kids. If you want to get a little crazy you can use a combination of different cheeses....Parmesan, assiago, Gruyere, whatever strikes your fancy.

Have a great weekend!!

Dinner Tonight

Okay, this recipe sounds a little unusual, but trust me... it's incredible!! Chelsea and I recently served it at a big dinner party and it was a huge hit!

Cheddar Soup with Granny Smith Apples



3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 onion, diced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dry mustard
4 cups chicken broth
2 granny smith apples
1 cup apple cider or apple juice
10 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 3 cups)
Hot pepper sauce (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender and aromatic, 5-7 minutes.
2. Sprinkle flur and dry mustard over onion and stir to evenly coat. Continue cooking, stirring often, for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add broth, stirring until well blended.
4. Peel, quarter and core 1 of the apples and finely chop it. Add apple to the soup, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the soup is thickened and the apple is tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Stir in cider and grated cheese and cook a few minutes longer, stirring constantly, until the cheese is fully melted.
6. Puree the soup in a blender. Stir in a few drops of hot pepper sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
7. Quarter and core the remaining apple and cut in 1/2-inch dice. Ladle the soupe into warmed bowls, sprinkle with diced apple and serve immediately. Makes 4-6 servings. Serve with warm bread or rolls.

Dinner Tonight

Meatloaf... Southwest Style!

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbeque sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt

Directions
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Mix the ground beef, eggs, onion, bread crumbs, salsa, ketchup, barbeque sauce, salt, pepper, and celery salt together in a bowl; transfer to a loaf pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown on top, about 1 hour.

Dinner Tonight

Grilled Chicken in Coconut sauce

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 can unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted

cornstarch

pineapple tidbits

chicken baste

chicken broth

salt

pepper

Mix together a bit of chicken broth, salt, and pepper and bullion to make a paste. Baste chicken and grill until cooked through. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, heat coconut milk and sugar until boiling. Slowly add cornstarch 1 teaspoon at a time until the sauce reaches desired consistency. Add toasted coconut to sauce. Remove from heat.
Spoon coconut sauce over chicken. Top with pineapple.

Serve with rice cooked in water, lime juice and sugar.

Rice:

2 cups minute rice

2 cups water

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup sugar

Chelsea and I kind of made this recipe up last night. I made it for dinner for my family, and it was soooooo good!

This Week's Goals

Happy Mom Goal

The first big holiday of the season is over...time for a breather! Go treat yourself to a mani or pedicure, maybe even a facial or a massage. Not in your budget?? Buy some inexpense massage oil and ask your husband to give your tense muscles a rub down when he has some time this week.

Happy Kid Goal

November is another great month of fall. You're likely to have a bunch of fallen leaves in your yard (or at least somewhere near your home) and a leftover pumpkin or two.

Here's a cute idea: (I did mine a bit differenlty than the above pic.)

Have your kids walk around the yard and gather some fallen leaves that they like. Using basic school paste, let them brush some on a medium-small pumkin (pie pumpkins work well) and glue each leaf to your pumpkin making a sort of collage. After the glue has dried, try taking gold glitter glue and outlining the leaves with it. It's a fun spin on pumpkins after Halloween is over and done!

Happy Husband Goal

Break out a funboard game sometime this week after the kids have gone to bed. The one above is mine and my husband's favorite! Board games lighten the mood and give you some time to goof off while you're together. Throw in some ice cream as well if you'd like!

Happy House Goal

Do you have a storage freezer in your house? We just recently got one, and really love having it. But, is it just me, or do they get cluttered ridiculously fast? Here are some great ideas for freezer organization that you should try this week:

A. Collect each food category in its own basket. This way, you can take a basket out to look through it without freezing to death and wasting energy.

B.Label baskets using plastic luggage tags that are easy to read and easy to change.

C. Label your food containers and freezer drawers and shelves so things are put back where they belong.

D. Straigt sided, stackable bins make the most out of door space. Their artight, locking lids help prevent freezer burn.

E. Get a tiered shelf meant for dishes and use it in your freezer store frozen pizzas, casseroles and desserts without them being crushed.

F. Freeze soups flat in plasic bags on a baking sheet, then "file" them in a bin. They take up less space and thaw faster, too.

G. Keep a list of what's in the freezer right on the door. When you take something out, erase that item. Keeps pens and labels handy in a magnetic box.

Voila! A wonderfully organized and efficient freezer!

Dinner Tonight





Taquito Enchiladas

(kids love it!)



12-14 Chicken Taquitos

1 19-ounce can green or red enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 2&1/4-ounce can sliced black olives, drained

Sour cream


1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

2. Arrange taquitos in a shallow casserole dish in a single layer.

3. Cover with enchilada sauce.

4. Sprinkle with cheese and olives.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve with sour cream. Makes 4 servings.

This Week's Pep Talk

Whew! I don't know about you, but halloween is one of those holidays that, as fun as it is, totally wipes me out. All the planning and prep work, decorating, baking, throwing parties....not to mention the completely wound up children on a sugar high! It's enough to put any mom out of commission for at least 3 weeks! Unfortunately, there's no such thing as a mom being out of commission, so it's back to work for all of us. But, with more holidays coming up fast, make sure you give yourself a little down time. It's really okay. Moms are the glue that hold everything together, so without you, there's no fun. You are amazing and I'm sure your kids really do appreciate the work and money you spent on their costume and makeup, the candy and decorations you bought, and putting up with their ornery-ness afterwards! Haha!

YOU GO MOMMIES!!

Sunday Dinner

On the menu tonight:






Lemon Rosemary Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons no-salt seasoning
2 lemons, thinly sliced
8 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine (substitute with cooking wine.)
1/2 pre-crushed garlic


1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2.Trim any excess fat from chicken and rinse under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.
3.Use pastry brush to brush both sides of chicken breasts with olive oil and season with no-salt seasoning. Set aside.
4.In a baking dish, lay 2-3 slices of lemon and a sprig of rosemary for each breast. Place chicken breasts smooth-side up on lemon and rosemary. Top each chicken breast with another sprig of rosemary and 2-3 slices of lemon.
5.Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through.
6.Remove chicken to a platter and tent with foil. Place half of the rosemary from the baking dish in a small saucepan and scrape in any browned bits. Add chicken broth, wine and garlic. Bring to a boil over meduim-high heat and cook until reduced by half. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer.
7.Serve chicken hot with sauce, garnished with a fresh slice of lemon and a rosemary sprig. Serves 4.

~Have a wonderful Sunday!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Dinner Tonight:

DINNER IN A PUMPKIN!
1 lg. pumpkin

1 1/2 lbs. hamburger

1 med. onion, chopped

1/4 c. soy sauce

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 c. cooked rice
Clean strings and seed from pumpkin. Brown burger and onions. Add soy sauce, sugar, mushrooms, and soup; simmer 10 minutes. Mix in rice, then put entire mixture into pumpkin. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (until pumpkin is soft enough to scoop some out with each serving).

*
*
*
*

....And a cute dessert too!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. devil's food cake mix

1 container prepared vanilla frosting

12 Nestle Crunch Fun-Size Candy Bars

white decorator icing

1 Nestle Butterfinger Crisp Candy Bar

1 pkg. Sweetarts Gummy Bugs

Directions:

Prepare cake mix according to package directions using one 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Cool completely in pan. Invert cake onto serving platter. Frost cake, using a little more frosting than usual on top ("tombstones" will be pushed into frosting). Write spooky words such as"BOO" on Crunch bars using tube icing. Press Crunch bars into cake to create "tombstones". Sprinkle chopped Butterfinger Crisp bar next to tombstones to create "dirt". Creatively place gummy bugs over top of cake! Super easy, and way cool.

~The fence is made out of sharpened popcicle sticks painted black.

Dinner Tonight

Pistachio and White Bean Chili

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter

1 tbsp minced garlic

3/4 cup diced onions

1 1/2 cups chopped green chiles (fresh or canned)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, finely chopped

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp dried oregano

1-2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

Pinch of red pepper flakes

2 tsp sugar

1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped

1 15-ounce can white/navy beans, drained

6 ounces shelled pistachios

Sour Cream

Cilantro sprigs for garnish

1. Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions and chiles and saute for 5 minutes.

2. Add chicken, chicken stock, cumin, oregano, black pepper, white pepper, red pepper flakes, sugar and cilantro. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 30 mins.

3. Stir in beans and pistachios. Cook for 20 more minutes.

4. Top each serving with a scoop of sour cream and a cilantro sprig.

Makes 6 servings. Serve with cornbread, if desired.

Goals for the week of Oct. 26th

Happy Mom Goal

Sit in a cozy place in your house and curl up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate or cider. I love this time of year!

Happy Kid Goal

Find out some local events in your area for the Fall/Halloween season that would be fun for your kids to participate in. There are usually lots of fun things going on: haunted houses, corn mazes, pumkin festivals, etc; Tonight, I'm taking my kids to a local "Pumkin Walk." It's free, and it's something for you and your kids to enjoy together while getting into the holiday spirit!

Happy Husband Goal

Make some time to ask your husband about how his week is going at work and/or school. Allow him to go into details and get it all off his chest. It's good for them to know that you are interested in what they spend most of their time doing. This week, I also plan to take a trip into my husband's office with a few plates of goodies for he and all his co-workers. It's actually really fun to get involved a little bit.

Happy House Goal

This week, take some time to go through your Halloween decorations. We all have a few things we never put out on display anymore, things that need to be fixed up a bit, or some things that just need to be thrown out. Organize your halloween decor and clean it up. Sew up the things that have popped seams or glue back on some buttons. There's no better time than right before the holiday!

Dinner Tonight:

Boneless Pork Chops with Apple Cream Sauce

4 boneless pork chops

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp granulated garlic

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Sauce:

4 tbsp butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 16 slices each

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Prepare charcoal fire or gas grill

2. To prepare the sauce, melt butter and brown sugar in a medium saute pan over medium heat until the mixture starts to caramelize.

3. Add apples and turn frequently until the whole mixture is caramelized.

4. Stir in cream and cinnamon

5.Cover and remove from the heat, stirring occasionally.

6. Rub pork chops with olive oil. Sprinkle chops with salt, pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes.

7. Grill chips over a medium-hot fire for 7 minutes per side, or until cooked to taste.

8. Serve the chops with cream sauce. Makes 4 servings.

This Week's Pep Talk

Well, it's here ladies....that wonderful holiday that our kids dream about for months. You've no doubt spent the last month or two arguing with your kids over their costume choice, searching for or sewing the perfect costume, decorating your house, buying candy and hiding it from your kids till the big night, planning parties, talking to school teachers about how you can help in the classroom this week, making cookies and caramel apples, talking with other parents to make trick-or-treating group arrangements, and trying to stay sane through out it all!

It's almost over! And after Saturday night, you'll get another year before it starts all over again. You're all awesome. Moms are part of what make this holiday so magical to kids! Keep it up, but don't over-do it. Make sure your kids stay safe this weekend!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Ready to be "Mother of the Week?"

I'm working on some changes for the Happy Moms Club blog. Although I really enjoy sharing my ideas and recipes with everyone, I'm running low on them! I'm looking for moms who want to share their ideas with other women through weekly goals.

I need your ideas on the following:
1.Ways to pamper and spoil yourself as a mom
2.Fun activities and other things to do with/for your children(any age)
3.Ideas of how to make your husband/boyfriend feel loved and appreciated
4.Ways to clean your house; tips, tricks or advice
5.Dinner recipes and ideas
6.Mother to mother words of encouragement

If you are willing to be a featured "Mother of the Week" on the Happy Moms Club blog, email me one idea for each of the above areas and include your first name and last initial only! (I don't want to share any of your personal information publicly on the web.) If you would like to include a picture of yourself, you are welcome to do that as well.

Email this to:thehappymomsclub@yahoo.com

I will notify you when you have been chosen to be featured on the blog so you can tell all your friends to check out your own personal ideas!
I'm looking forward to hearing all your great advice and recipes!

~Karyn

Don't forget to vote on the poll at the top right of this page!

I've returned from the dead!

Hello Ladies!

I've missed you all. I feel I owe you all an apology and a serious explanation. I finally got my family moved to our final destination, my house unpacked and decorated, my kids in school, my husband to his new job, and settled into life as I now know it.

During the first few weeks here I kinda got a tiny taste of how life was for women just a few decades ago. Sometimes I think we forget how spoiled we all really are.

I recently moved into an old house that was built in the 1860's. It's been added on to and updated throughout the years, but when we first moved in things were a bit "old school."

I didn't have a dishwasher, so all dishes for every meal were done completely by hand for about 3 weeks. The clothes dryer wasn't working, so I hung all my laundry out to dry on the fence in the yard. High speed internet isn't offered where we live because it's a rural area, so I had to wait a while to get my computer going (the main reason for my long absence.) We didn't have the time to get cable or dish set up at first and decided during that time that we don't mind not having TV... it's actually freed up a lot of our time! Then our refrigerator broke and we had no way to keep our food cold for about 2 weeks. Luckily everything is back to normal now, but I'll admit it- I wasn't very excited to be a housewife during that time. After a few days though, it really wasn't that bad - it's just how things were and I got along just fine.

We live in a time where half the work of being a wife, mother, and homemaker is done for us with machines and help with any problem is just a mouse click away. We are extremely spoiled and I think we need to take a moment to acknowledge that.

I'm grateful to be in this day and age....

it makes me a Happy Mom!!!

I'm going to pick back up where we left off with the posts and I'll still post four goals, a dinner idea and a pep talk. This will start at the beginning of next week, Oct. 26th, so make sure to start checking back in!

Also, make sure you vote on the poll at the top right of this page!

Thanks ladies!!

P.S. Logan Branch is having an activity. Details are on Facebook.

Wednesday Goals

Happy Mom Goal

Have a friend or sister do your makeup for you today. It's fun to have a change, even if it's just for an afternoon.

Happy Kid Goal

Watch your child's favorite tv show with them today. Ask them questions about it, and be genuinely interested. It helps to make them feel important.

Happy Husband Goal

When your husband gets home tonight, let the evening be completely up to him. Whether he chooses long boarding down the canyon, or simply going to bed early.

Happy House Goal

Use some liquid plumber or another pipe maintanance substance on your sinks and/or toilets today. It's always good to keep up on that!

Dinner Tonight

Mini Meatloaves

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground beef
2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine the egg, milk, cheese, oats and salt. Add the ground beef, mixing well, and form this mixture into eight miniature meatloaves. Place these in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
In a separate small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Stir thoroughly and spread over each meatloaf.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes.

Last Guilty Pleasure Day

What a success! We all met up a local lounge called Spark, had drinks and laughed a lot. It was so fun. It's taken me way too long to get this posted, but there you go!

Thanks for all the fun, ladies!

I'm back...for the moment!

Hey there ladies!

So sorry I've been away for so long. I'm in the process of moving; first to my in-law's for a month until our house is finished, and then we'll actually move in.....so it's basically a double move. Needless to say, I've been a bit stressed and extremely overwhelmed. I feel the need to share with you a little personal information...if you don't care, that's fine. You don't have to read it =) I am a sufferer of manic depression as well as obsessive compulsive disorder. Things wear on me in a very powerful way, and the HMC is my way of dealing with the stress of motherhood. I've had a rough few months (hence my absence of blogging) and I feel that it's time for me to get back on the band wagon and get back into my routine. Sorry to leave you all hangin for well over a month. I just needed some time to get a grip on my life. One thing I did do during my break was realize (again) the importance of taking care of ourselves. Today, my goals will focus on celebrating women - particularly mothers - and making sure that we are all taking a few moments every day to focus on ourselves.

Happy Mom Goal

*If you've ever noticed, I put this goal first on every post. This is because I truly believe that it's probably the most important goal. We must first take care of ourselves so that we can take care of our other duties!

Today, I want you to list all the qualities that you have that make you wonderful. It's not cocky...it's true! It will help you to remember just how amazing you are, and give you the strength that you need to be the great mom that you are. Take your list out frequently to review and add to it. Keep it in a safe place so that you will always know where to find it.

Happy Kid Goal

Today, spend some time just enjoying your child(ren). Play with them, read to them, sing with them... whatever you want to do that will help you and your kids grow closer together.

Happy Husband Goal

Write your husband a letter. Tell him all your thoughts and feelings about him, your hopes and dreams for your future together, and what your relationship means to you. This letter can be given to him now, or you can put it somewhere for him to come across some time in the future (like his closet.)

Happy House Goal

Sort through your old photographs. Pull out some that bring back happy or fun memories of your family (particularly photos that haven't been seen for a while.) Put them in some frames or even just up on your fridge. These will add something new to your decor, as well as bring more smiles and happiness as everyone looks at these and remembers.

Dinner Tonight

Delicious Hot Chicken Salad

*SO good!!

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
2 cups chopped celery
3/4 cup creamy salad dressing, e.g. Miracle Whip ™
2 tablespoons orange juice
3/4 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 (4 ounce) jar diced pimento peppers, drained
1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups crushed potato chips

DIRECTIONS
Boil chicken in lightly salted boiling water for 40 minutes. Drain, cool and cut into medium size pieces.
In a large bowl combine chicken, celery, eggs, salad dressing, orange juice, soup, seasoning, onion salt and pimentos. Mix well and spread mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with almonds, cheese and potato chips. Refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bake casserole in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Well, there you go. That's today. That's how I'm going to take it - day by day. Isn't that how we all need to do it? I can't promise that I'll be back every day, especially during this crazy move. But I'm planning on it! Love you all, thanks for your awesome support!

MIA

Hi there, ladies. I'm sorry I haven't been posting, but things are a bit crazy right now. Let's just say that I'm trying to take care of myself for a little while, and hopefully I can resume blogging in a couple of weeks. Thanks for your support and emails!
~Karyn

Cache Valley Movie Night Recap!

To tell you how much fun we had, let me say that many of us agreed we needed Guilty Pleasures day at least twice a month!

The movie was so funny I cried. Plus it helped to be with a bunch of great friends! I could not find whatever website it is that will give you a short rundown of the film, but you can find the trailers online if you haven't seen them. I even think the men in the audience enjoyed it!

After the show we headed to Casper's for some great ice cream, much more laughing, some crazy stories, and a spectacular view of a full moon (you know who you are)! We tried to take some pictures but we were all laughing so hard we couldn't get any good ones. Seriously, it's like ghost faces...lol.

Ok, well so much fun! Go see the movie!

Just For Laughs

How is a busy mom of 3 little ones able to get so much blogging so done??

Confessions Page

It's the weekend!!

Have a great weekend, everyone!! Enjoy your kids!

Friday

Yay! It's almost the weekend!

Happy Mom Goal

Head off to a cheap close-out store, like Ross or TJmax, and pick out something cute for your house. Could be a flower pot, a vase, or even a new cooking pan! It's simple, but you'll get a little bit of the wonderful "high" that comes from spending money on something fun. Plus, your hubby can't complain when you're new item costs less than $20!

(The pitcher is my new find from Ross...$9.99)

Happy Kid Goal

Draw a chalk racetrack on the sidewalk or driveway so your speed racer can zip around it on her trike or other ride-on.
OR
Create a backyard obstacle course for a toy lawn mower or set one up in the living room for a play vacuum cleaner.
My girls love both!

Happy Husband Goal

Okay, I lifted this idea from Cher over on Love, Actually. But it's a super cute idea!

"I was just thinking back to the days when my husband and I were dating in college. We both had apartments full of rommmates and none of them were dating. We didn't think they'd appreciate our lovey-dovey-ness, so the park became our place. Often, after dark, we would pack up the laptop, a DVD, a blanket, and a few snacks and head to the park. This is us...except, we were in a park, not a meadow.And we didn't have a logo in front of our faces. :) Oh, and my husband is WAY better looking!
Okay, let's be honest here...movies in the park could be translated into makeout in the park. Perhaps you can relate? Now, I'm sitting here wondering,"WHAT HAPPENED to those days? Did we grow out of that? Are we too old now?"It's not like it's hard to do or expensive...nor does it require much planning. (Okay, if you have kids, your babysitter might think it a little weird that they're being paid while you two go to the park, of all places. And your kids might hate you for going to the park without them....but, someday they'll understand.)"

Happy House Goal

I don't know about you, but my magazine piles certainly know how to stack up fast! Some of them I save (like my church magazines) but most of them - like clothing catalogues - I'm eventually going to throw away. Seriously, magazines seem to put themselves into piles all over my house: the office desk, the living room end table, the rocking chair side pocket, even my kitchen counter. Today, go through and organize your magazines and store catalogues. Throw out the ones you don't need and put all the others "away-away" in a spot out of sight. (Keeping household surfaces clear of clutter is the number one way to have a tidy house!)

Dinner Tonight

Steak in a "Mole" Rub

This is a recipe for a totally bold flavor for your meat!

Mix together equal parts:
chili powder
grated orange peel
chocolate shavings (you heard me; chocolate!)
Apply rub evenly over surface of meat, cover and refrigerate for 30 miuntes. Grill steak to desired done-ness.

Today's Pep Talk

Whew! We made it through another week! I just wanted to remind you that if you are a mother, you are amazing. I truly cannot say it enough, but I honestly believe that it is the hardest, most demanding job in the world. My husband, who is the oldest of 9 children, agrees with me - having helped his own mother raise kids for nearly 27 years. It takes so much out of us each day, even if we don't let anyone in on it! Yet, we still continue to do it every day - we HAVE to! But the best part is, we all love it. And that ladies, is what makes us SO AMAZING!

Scroll down for Thursday's goals!

So Sorry ~ it won't happen again!

Okay, so I've been a terrible slacker on the recipe page! It's been a good month and a half since I caught up the Dinner Recipes. But you'll be happy to know that I just spent nearly 2 hours (including my kids' nap time!) updating the recipe page! You better all go use it now! Lol!

HMC RECIPE PAGE

I'm Back Again! Thursday Goals

Hope you all had a fun 4th of July! I sure did!

Happy Mom Goal:

Watch your favorite movie this afternoon when the kids are down for a nap. Enjoy your favorite snack along with it!

Happy Kid Goal:

Teach your kids a new game or song today. Something you did as a kid!

Happy Husband Goal:

I threw this together the other night when my husband was on his way home from work. When he walked in, there was a candle-light picnic on the living room floor and a fun movie ready to play. I made italian food and we watched "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," a great one for both husbands and wives!

Happy House Goal:

Pick a bed to clean under. Throw away as much as you can!

Dinner Tonight:

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.