12/31/14 Chicken Roll-Em Ups

Chicken Roll-Em Ups is the recipe of the day! We usually just have chips with this quick meal.

Chicken Roll-Em Ups

1/2 cup spreadable chive and onion cream cheese

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

4 whole wheat tortillas (8 inches)

1/2 pound sliced cooked chicken

2 cups shredded lettuce

1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon

1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese (5 ounces)

1 medium tomato, chopped

 In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and mustard. Spread over tortillas. Top with chicken, lettuce, bacon, Swiss cheese and tomato. Roll up tightly. Yield: 4 servings.

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Clean Assignments:

• Water plants

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Meal Planning:

• Make ingredient list for checking grocery list

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Today’s Challenge:

Today we will continue in the bedroom with a challenge to clean out your closet. I usually start by going through with a  garbage bag in hand and placing anything that I haven’t worn in a while or I no longer like or fits in the bag to donate to the thrift store. Then I work on the floor of the closet and do the same thing with shoes, purses, etc. that may be on the floor.

Only spend 15 minute on this we will spend another day there on Saturday for those who need additional time!

 

 

12/30/14 Chicken & Egg hash

Chicken and Egg Hash is the recipe of the day! Some toast is all you need with this dish.

Chicken and Egg Hash

4 bacon strips, diced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

4 eggs

 In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. In the drippings, saute onion until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the chicken, potatoes and oil.

 Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink, stirring once. Stir in the peas, corn, parsley, salt and pepper.

 Make four wells in the hash; break an egg into each well. Cover and cook over low heat for 8-10 minutes or until eggs are completely set. Sprinkle with bacon. Yield: 4 servings.

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Clean Assignments:

• Mop rooms that require mopping
• Clean mirrors
• Do laundry– if you are a once a week laundry person

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Meal Planning:

• Choose meals for next week

Beef – Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-Ups, potato chips and cole slaw

Chicken – Best Ever Fried Chicken, French Fries and green beans

Pork – Asparagus Pork Stir Fry

Pasta – Baked Tortellini with red & white clam sauce and salad

Soup – Corn & Crab Chowder

Breakfast – Eggchilada’s, and tomato slices

Other – Cheese Puff Crescent Pizza and salad

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Today’s Challenge:

Today we will continue working in our bedroom to make it a calm and peaceful hideaway. Today I want to challenge you to spend just 15 minutes cleaning your dresser. First start with the top and clear off anything laying on it, dispose of or put away any items that don’t need to be there. Dust and replace only the necessary items. Then go through each drawer one at a time and make a pile of donate, throw away and keep. Then return only the keep items to the drawer. Put any donate items in a bag and place them in your car to remember to take to the thrift store next time you are in town.

That’s it for today. I hope you are keeping up with your daily morning, afternoon and bed time routines to make your days go better!

 

 

12/29/14 Ham & Corn Chowder

Ham & Corn Chowder is the recipe of the day!

Ham & Corn Chowder

2 Potatoes, Peeled and Cubed Small

1 C Water

2 tbsp Butter

2 tbsp Flour

1 1/2 cups Milk

16 Ozs Whole Kernel Corn, Thawed

1 can cream-style corn

1 C cubed fully cooked ham

2 tablespoons dried minced onion

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

6 Ozs Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

 

In a large saucepan bring potatoes and water to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 5 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add butter and melt. Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in milk. Heat through, stirring frequently. Stir in the corn, ham, onion and parsley. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add sour cream and cheese and heat/stir until cheese is melted.

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Clean Assignments:

• Vacuum entire house
• Dust large surface area’s

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Today’s Challenge:

This week we are going to focus on our bedrooms. This room should be our oasis of rest and relaxation! So today I want you clear off your bedside tables. Throw away or put away anything on there that is not needed. Once cleared dust surface, if your table has drawers clean them out as well. Now only put back on the tables things that are necessary! Alarm clock, lamp, Kleenex, cell phone charger, telephone, note pad,  ink pen and a coaster for my nightly water bottle are all that I have on my stand. Now I know some people don’t think you should have your cell phone or tv in your bedroom but I do charge my cell phone every night and have it on my bedside table so if we get school delays or cancellations I see them before getting out of bed and can then just go back to sleep! And I don’t have a tv in my bedroom but if you do that is your choice and I don’t want to hear anyone say how terrible having one is! Now all that aside just spend 15 minutes on this challenge and we will work more in the bedroom tomorrow!

 

12/28/14 Shrimp & Tortellini in Tomato Cream

Shrimp & Tortellini in Tomato Cream is the recipe of the day! A salad and some gralic bread are great with this dish.

Shrimp & Tortellini in Tomato Cream

1 package refrigerated cheese tortellini (9 ounces)

1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1/4 teaspoon pepper, divided

6 Green Onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

14 1/2 Oz Petite Diced Tomatoes

12 Oz Chicken Broth

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 Tsp Thyme

1/2 C grated Parmesan and Romano cheese blend

1/4 cup half-and-half cream

1/4 Tsp Basil

2 tablespoons minced chives

 

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook shrimp in 2 teaspoons oil until shrimp turn pink. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, cook green onions in remaining oil over low heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, vinegar, thyme and remaining pepper. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese, cream, basil, chives and shrimp. Drain tortellini; stir into shrimp mixture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12/27/14 Teriyaki Pork

Teriyaki Pork is the recipe of the day! This recipe makes a meal all by itself.

Teriyaki Pork

3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided

1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 pound boneless pork loin chops, cut into thin strips

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 cups fresh broccoli florets

3 medium carrots, sliced

3 celery ribs, sliced

4 cups shredded cabbage

6 green onions, sliced

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Hot cooked brown rice, optional

 

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup broth, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and garlic powder. Pour 1/3 cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the pork. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.

 

Drain and discard marinade. In large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry pork in oil for 2-3 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.

 

In the same pan, stir-fry broccoli and carrots in reserved marinade for 2 minutes. Add celery; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add cabbage and green onions; stir-fry 2-3 minutes longer or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

 

Combine cornstarch and remaining broth until smooth; stir into vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened. Return pork to the pan; heat through. Serve with rice if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

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Clean Assignments:

• Change & wash sheets
• Pay bills
• Clean out purse

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Print Weekly checklist for next week – attached

Weekly checklist

12/26/14 Bacon & Rosemary Chicken

 Bacon & Rosemary Chicken is the recipe of the day! We usually have steak fries and carrots with this chicken dish.

Bacon & Rosemary Chicken

6 Chicken Thighs, Boneless or Chicken Breasts

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

5 bacon strips, chopped

1 tablespoon butter

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

 

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken in flour to coat both sides; shake off excess. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Cook chicken in butter and bacon drippings 4-6 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 165°. Remove and keep warm. Add garlic, and rosemary to skillet; cook and stir 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Cook until liquid is reduced by half. Return chicken and bacon to skillet; heat through.

 

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Clean Assignments:

• Grocery shop and run errands
• Clean out car

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Today’s Challenge:

For today’s challenge we are going to do another mission in the bathroom. Today I want to challenge you to clean your toilet inside and out! I know probably the grossest job there is but somebody has to do it sometime so don those rubber gloves and get scrubbing. Use cleaner and brush to scrub the inside, then use cleaning solution of your choice to wipe down the under side of the toilet seat, and the entire outside of the toilet! Don’t forget to also wipe down the floor around it and behind it well with disinfectant cleaner!

And after this gross job I’m going to give you a break from cleaning challenges for the weekend. Use the next couple of days to finish any area that you didn’t get done in the 15 minutes each day this week and next week we will move on to another area of the house!

 

12/25/14 Pan Broiled Steak Smothered in Mushrooms

Merry Christmas!!

Pan Broiled Steak Smothered in Mushrooms is the recipe of the day! We have creamy make-ahead mash potatoes and drum roll mixed salad with Dill Pickle relish dressing.

Pan Broiled Steak Smothered in Mushrooms

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 beef tenderloin steaks

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon butter

1 Sm Onion

8 Ozs mushrooms

1/2 C beef broth

 Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add steaks sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook steaks until of desired doneness, turning once. Remove steaks from skillet cover to keep warm.

 Add butter and onion to skillet cook and stir until onion is tender. Add mushrooms and 1/4 cup broth cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add other 1/4 cup broth cook until thoroughly heated. Serve over steaks.

 

Drum Roll Mixed Salad with Dill Pickles Relish Dressing

1 head iceberg lettuce, core removed and lettuce chopped

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 vine-ripe tomatoes, halved and thinly sliced

3 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (eyeball it)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

3 tablespoons dill pickle relish

Salt and pepper

 Combine the lettuce, onion and tomatoes in a salad bowl.

 In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and vinegar. Whisk in the EVOO in a slow stream. Stir the relish into the dressing, then pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Season the salad with salt and pepper and serve.

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Clean Assignments:

• Clean out refrigerator – throw away leftovers, etc.

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Meal Planning:

• Check ads and make grocery list

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Today’s Challenge:

Today’s challenge is again in the bathroom, we will hopefully have this room looking great by the end of the week! Today we are going to work on the cabinets and drawers under and/or beside the sink. Remember do just one at a time and only spend 15 minutes! Remove everything from these cabinets/drawers. As always throw away anything old/out of date or unneeded. Wipe the cabinet/drawer out and then place only the necessary items back in the cabinet/drawers.

12/24/14 Braised Pork Chops in Sour Cream Sauce

Braised Pork Chops in Sour Cream Sauce is the recipe of the day!  We usually have steak fries with this deal.

Braised Pork Chops in Sour Cream Sauce

6 boneless pork loin chops

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup beef broth

1 tablespoon barbecue sauce

1/3 cup Barbecue Sauce

1/3 cup Sour Cream

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

 

Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add pork chops; cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

 In small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the broth and 1 tbsp barbecue sauce; mix well. Pour over pork chops; cover tightly. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 to 10 minutes or until pork is no longer pink in center. Remove pork chops from skillet; cover to keep warm.

 In same small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup broth, 1/3 c barbecue sauce, sour cream and flour; beat with wire whisk until smooth. Pour into same skillet; cook and stir over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until bubbly and thickened. Serve sauce over pork chops.

 

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Clean Assignments:

• Water plants

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Meal Planning:

• Make ingredient list for checking grocery list

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Today’s Challenge:

Today’s mission if you choose to accept – Is your bathroom closet clean off one shelf at a time and throw away any thing that is out of date or that you don’t need/want. Then place everything back in a neat/orderly manner.  Do one shelf at a time and only work on this for 15 minutes. Don’t forget to clean the floor of your bathroom closet! Throw away anything in there that you don’t need/want and then give it a quick sweep and mop. If you don’t get all the shelves done today you can do more tomorrow or on the weekend!

 

 

12/23/14 Crazy Crust Pizza

Crazy Crust Pizza is the recipe of the day!

Crazy Crust Pizza

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1/2 lb bacon

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 Dash salt and pepper

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 can sliced mushrooms (4 ounces) drained

2 C pizza sauce

2 C shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

 

In a skillet, brown beef and bacon; drain and set aside. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, eggs and milk; beat until smooth. Pour batter into a greased and floured 12-in. or 14-in. pizza pan. Spoon beef, bacon, onion and mushrooms over batter.

Bake at 425° for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven. Top with pizza sauce and top with mozzarella cheese. Return to oven and bake 10-15 minutes longer. Yield: 4-6 servings.

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Clean Assignments:

• Mop rooms that require mopping
• Clean mirrors
• Do laundry– if you are a once a week laundry person

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Meal Planning:

• Choose meals for next week

Beef – Tangy Barbecued Beef , parmesan noodles and salad

Chicken – Bacon & Rosemary Chicken, steak fries and carrots

Pork – Teriyaki Pork

Pasta – Shrimp & Tortellini in Tomato Cream  and salad

Soup – Ham & Corn Chowder

Breakfast – Chicken and Egg Hash and toast

Other – Chicken Roll-Em Ups and potato chips

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Today’s Challenge:

Today’s challenge is your bathtub and/or showers. I only have a shower in my house so I think it is easier to clean than having to get down on my knees to scrub a tub! I use the “Works” brand toilet or tub/shower cleaner. If you don’t want to use strong chemicals use whatever your favorite cleaner is or search the internet for a natural cleaner. We have iron water so the “Works” is the fastest way to clean off the iron stains and then I can just spray the shower down to clean out the chemicals.

 

 

Seafood Broccoli Stir Fry

Seafood Broccoli Stir Fry is the recipe of the day!

Seafood Broccoli Stir Fry

3 Tbsp oil

1 Lb Medium Raw Shrimp, thawed and shelled

3 Swai Fish Filets, thawed

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup water

1 pkg. frozen broccoli florets

1 small onion, chopped

1 teaspoon grated gingerroot

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 Small Head of Cabbage, thinly sliced

 

Heat 2 tbsp oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add cabbage and about 1/2 cup water. Steam/stir fry until cabbage is tender crisp. Remove cabbage from skillet and discard remaining water. Add 1 tbsp oil and reheat – add fish filets and cook for 2-3 minutes then add shrimp and garlic; cook and stir 5 to 6 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, stirring constantly. Remove seafood from skillet; cover to keep warm.

In same skillet, bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in frozen broccoli, onion and gingerroot. Cook and stir 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add warm shrimp.

In small bowl, combine cornstarch and soy sauce; blend well. Stir into hot shrimp mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until glaze has slightly thickened and covers all ingredients. If desired, serve over stir fried cabbage.  *You can serve over rice or pasta if you don’t like cabbage*

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Clean Assignments:

• Vacuum entire house
• Dust large surface area’s

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Today’s Challenge:

Bathroom countertop is today’s challenge, if you chose to accept it! Take everything off your bathroom countertop – throw away things that you don’t need anymore as you go. Wipe the entire countertop down with your choice of cleaning solution. Then place items back on counter one item at a time deciding as you go if you really need the item out on the countertop all the time or if it can be placed in a drawer or cabinet to make the bathroom look neater! 

Work quickly – this should take 15 minutes or less!