Monday, March 21, 2011 3 comments

Friend Making Monday!!


Friend Making Monday!! I'm so excited to announce that FMM is back! I had been searching and searching the blog I used to do FMM with, but after some personal problems she's stepped back from blogging as much as sue used too.

But I did find FMM in another blog! So excited!!

1) copy this weeks questions and answer them in your own blog
2) come here and comment with a link to your blog, or go to Kenz's blog and link through here.
3) come back every monday to see what this weeks prompts are!!

This week is:
Giving the Boys A Chance

1. Who is your pick for the Final Four?
To be honest, as much as I love the NBA, I really don't follow college ball. I watched the championship football game (I don't even know if its a bowl, or whatever) only because Oregon was in it. And I hope that Washington State Huskies make it all the way, but again thats only because their a NW team. Other than that, I have no opinions.

2. What is your favorite workout/fitness activity?
Does sex count?... no. alright then.
Then I'd have to say its kind of a tie. I really enjoy cardio, but The Jillian Michaels 30DS is also really really good!
Squats/Lunges I love to hate.


3. Do you have a favorite healthy snack? Something that REALLY hits the
spot?
Grapes, I don't know why but I love grapes!!

4. What is your dream car?
I want a Mazda 3. Omg! I want!

5. Have you set any goals for yourself this month? What are they?
I have a PT test I HAVE to pass next month!!!
I dislike running. but I have to get out and do it... as soon as I quit throwing up!

What say you?

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Sunday, March 20, 2011 0 comments

Menu Planning Monday!


Pizza Casserole
Betty Crocker recipe

8 ounces uncooked wheel-shaped macaroni (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 pound bulk turkey Italian sausage
2 3/4 cups meatless tomato pasta sauce
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
1 can (4 ounces) Green Giant® mushroom pieces and stems, drained
1 cup shredded fat-free or part-skim mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)

1.Heat oven to 350º. Cook macaroni as directed on package; drain. Cook sausage in skillet, stirring frequently, until no longer pink; drain.

2 Mix macaroni, sausage, pasta sauce, olives and mushrooms in 2 1/2-quart casserole.

3 Cover and bake about 30 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with cheese. Let stand about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

1 Serving (1 Serving)
• Calories 410o (Calories from Fat 120),• Total Fat 14go (Saturated Fat 4 1/2g,o Trans Fat 0g),• Cholesterol 30mg;• Sodium 1040mg;• Total Carbohydrate 54go (Dietary Fiber 4g,o Sugars 10g),• Protein 18g;Percent Daily Value*: Calcium ;Exchanges:• 3 Starch;• 0 Fruit;• 1 Fat;


Fiery Fettuccine (lighter recipe)
Betty Crocker recipe


8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
1 cup evaporated fat-free milk
1 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning
1 jar (7 ounces) roasted red bell peppers, drained
1/2 pound fully cooked smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

1 Cook and drain fettuccine as directed on package.

2 While fettuccine is cooking, place milk, Creole seasoning and bell peppers in blender or food processor. Cover and blend on high speed until smooth.

3 Pour pepper mixture into 12-inch skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens. Stir in sausage; heat through but do not boil.

4 Serve sausage mixture over fettuccine. Sprinkle with onions

1 Serving (1 Serving)
Calories 330 o (Calories from Fat 65 ),• Total Fat 7 go (Saturated Fat 2 g,• Cholesterol 80 mg;• Sodium 650 mg;• Total Carbohydrate 48 go (Dietary Fiber 2 g,• Protein 21 g;Percent Daily Value*:• Calcium ;Exchanges:• 3 Starch;• 1 Vegetable;• 1 1/2 Lean Meat;

Whole Wheat Angel Hair Pasta with Sautéed Multicolored Peppers
Bethenny Frankle Recipe

• 2 cups of peppers: a combo of red, yellow and/or orange, sliced in thin strips
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 8 ounces of whole wheat angel hair
• ¼ cup fresh basil chiffonaded
• ¼ cup parsley
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
• large handful of baby spinach, optional

1. Bring pasta water to a boil, seasoned with salt.
2. In nonstick pan, over medium heat, saute onion and peppers in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. When tender, add tomatoes. With tongs, remove pasta from water and add to pan. (The pasta water is good for thickening sauce.)
4. Add spinach and crushed red pepper.
5. Add more salt and pepper if necessary.
6. Top with parmesan to taste and sprinkle basil on top.
Incredibly Easy and Low-Fat Chicken, Pasta, Peppers & Onions
Bethenny Frankle Recipe

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 box whole wheat fusilli pasta
• 16 oz jar or can of favorite tomato sauce
• 1 ½ large red onions, sliced
• 1 ½ large red, orange or yellow peppers, sliced
• 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 ½ teaspoons of salt
• 2 ½ teaspoons of pepper
• 3 teaspoons of Italian seasoning
• 3 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley

1. Begin by poking the chicken with a fork and adding seasoned salt and pepper on both sides, then cut the breasts into large bite sized pieces.
2. In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil over high heat and add chicken.
3. Cook chicken until lightly brown on both sides (OK if not fully cooked through).
4. Remove chicken from skillet, reduce heat to medium and in the same skillet add the onion, peppers, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and dried Italian seasoning. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
5. In a separate pot, begin to boil water, lightly salted, for the pasta.
6. Add the tomato sauce to the skillet with the vegetables and add the chicken back in. Let simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
7. Once water is boiling, add pasta, after 11 minutes, or desired tenderness, drain the pasta.
8. Add pasta to skillet with sauce.
9. Serve and garnish with the chopped parsley.
Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained, rinsed (cannellini or navy)
• 3 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
• 1 oz chunk of good Parmesan cheese rind
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• salt and fresh pepper
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups chopped fresh or frozen (defrosted) spinach
• 2 cups cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbows (al dente)
• extra parmesan cheese to top (extra pts)
Rinse and drain beans. Puree beans with 1 cup of the broth in a blender.

In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, Parmesan cheese rind, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Add cooked pasta, cook 10 minutes more. Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with extra parmesan cheese.

Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups Old Points: 4 • Points+: 5
Calories: 215.7 • Fat: 0.7 g  Protein: 8.7 g  Carb: 42.0 g  Fiber: 6.7 g


Italian Herb Baked Chicken

My Recipe

Chicken breasts
Green peppers
Red onion
Italian dressing (roasted red pepper)


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Friday, March 18, 2011 1 comments

The interwebz has made me paranoid

So last week on Tuesday I had a really bad headache, so I missed my morning class
I was finally able to function and make it to my afternoon class.

I saw one of my class mates in the parking lot and she said "hey rotty"
I immediately thought, is this a internet crazy? Do I have a stalker?
hahahahaha.

then I remembered my backpack has Rotty stitched on it. and I laughed at myself. hahaha
I should of had a v8 that day. WOW

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Thursday, March 17, 2011 1 comments

So I made my self look like an ASS this weekend

I got served a BIG old case of humble pie yesterday.

So this weekend we had drill, and I was the ONLY supervisor on shift. So I had roughly 15 ‘kids’ to watch. I was a glorified babysitter this weekend, but all in all it wasn’t bad. The one thing that I’m a stickler for more than anything else is theirCDC’s (career development course).

So I knew one of the other new Airmen was in his CDC’s. So I asked him about them, and when he would be done with his end of course test for this volume. They are expected to have each volume completed when they come in on Saturday morning. Saturday was CRAZY busy (I did over 47 evaluations).

So on Sunday I asked him where he was with it. He said he wasn’t completed with it, which honestly I’m happy he was honest. He’s not my normal troop, and I know that his supervisor is more lenient. So I told him I needed it by sign out.I go back into the class room where I tell my Airmen to ‘study’. I don’t care if your doing homework, or cdc’s. As long as your where I expect you to be, and are doing something productive, I can’t be do mad… anyways, I go back there and he’s MIA. I go back several times, and he’s still gone. Right now I’m PISSED! So I tell one of the other Airmen to call him and to come see me ASAP! So I pull him a side and I lay into him. I don’t yell but I talk really sternly.

Come sign out (over 4 hours after I told him to work on them), he still isn’t completed. He says “XX told me that I didn’t have to, I have till the end of the month.” WHOA WHOA WHOA! So I take off to go talk to XX, only to learn that this Airmen that I have been harping on all damn day is AHEAD OF SCHEDULE! He’s working on NEXT months CDC!

::insert head straight up ass::

Wow.

I apologized in front of EVERYONE!I was wrong, and I knew it. I apologized from the bottom of my heart for doubting him, for not looking at his contract (which says what volume he should be on), I apologized for scolding him.

I’m so used to my problem children that I just assumed he was behind. Boy was I wrong. I felt like a complete and total ass!!!

The worst part is... this kid (he's 27) is the SWEETEST fella! I swear to god. He's the kind of person you want to protect from everything. I hate myself for scolding him. Ugh!


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3 comments

Well... This is interesting

So we got briefed this weekend that the Air Force is OUT of money. They are seriously OUT.

We have enough to get paid for this weekend, but all extra duty is canceled. Deployments are getting delayed, orders are being canceled.

Our sister units are unsure about if they are going to be able to be paid.

They've canceled the rotators flight that goes from base to base picking up reservists. This is devastating news for a LOT of people that depend on it to get to the base for the weekends.

They've grounded missions and cargo flights because the Air Force can't afford to fund them.

This is insane. I have never seen it this bad. It’s just crazy.

My friend shared THIS LINK with me. OMG!

My career field is one of the few that still has primary enlistment bonuses.

We've closed bases too, thats why we had to switch to drilling over 150 miles away from home. They even made our old base is now a 'super base' to help save money in both the Army and the Air Force.

Its crazy. We're SO understaffed as a whole. both as a reserve unit and on the Active Duty side, and we keep shrinking.

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Tuesday, March 8, 2011 1 comments

Menu Planning Monday

Yep, It really is(was) Monday again. Time for another round of Menu Planning Monday (even though its almost 1am on Tuesday)

This is what we're having in the Rotty House this week.
I've quit assigning days, because they always get messed up.

Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 6 servings (1/2 pepper)  Time: 55 minutes  Old Points: 4 • Points+: 5
Calories: 184.7 • Fat: 2.3 g  Protein: 20.8 g  Carb: 20.2 g  Fiber: 1.6 g
• 1 lb lean chopped turkey meat
• 1 garlic, minced
• 1/4 onion, minced
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• salt to taste
• 3 large sweet red bell peppers, washed
• 1 cup fat free chicken broth
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
• Olive oil spray
• 1/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheese

Heat oven to 400°. Spray a little olive oil spray in a medium size saute pan and heat on a medium flame. Add onion, garlic and cilantro to the pan. Saute about 2 minutes and add ground turkey. Season with salt and garlic powder, and cumin and brown meat for several minutes until meat is completely cooked through. Add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of chicken broth, mix well and simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Combine cooked rice and meat together.

Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, and remove all seeds. Place in a baking dish. Spoon the meat mixture into each pepper half and fill it with as much as you can. Place all stuffed pepper halves on the baking dish and pour the remainder of the chicken broth on the bottom of the pan. Cover tight with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 minutes. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy.

Baked Chicken Parmesan
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 8  Serving Size: 1 piece • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 6 pts
Calories: 224.5 • Fat: 8.6 g • Protein: 25.1 g • Carb: 14.2 g • Fiber: 1.3 g
• 4 (8 oz) chicken breast halves, sliced in half
• 3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (I used 4C whole wheat)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 3/4 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese (I used Sargento)
• 1 cup marinara or Filetto di Pomodoro

• cooking spray
Preheat oven to 450°. Spray a large baking sheet lightly with spray.

Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a bowl. Melt the butter in another bowl. Lightly brush the butter onto the chicken, then dip into breadcrumb mixture. Place on baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Lightly spray a little more cooking oil on top and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn chicken over, bake another 5 minutes. Remove from oven, spoon sauce over chicken and top with shredded cheese. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups Old Points: 4 • Points+: 5
Calories: 215.7 • Fat: 0.7 g  Protein: 8.7 g  Carb: 42.0 g  Fiber: 6.7 g
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained, rinsed (cannellini or navy)
• 3 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
• 1 oz chunk of good Parmesan cheese rind
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• salt and fresh pepper
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups chopped fresh or frozen (defrosted) spinach
• 2 cups cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbows (al dente)
• extra parmesan cheese to top (extra pts)
Rinse and drain beans. Puree beans with 1 cup of the broth in a blender.

In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, Parmesan cheese rind, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Add cooked pasta, cook 10 minutes more. Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with extra parmesan cheese.

Creamy Taco Mac
Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
1¼ lbs. ground turkey
8 oz. dry pasta shapes
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
4 tbsp. taco seasoning
3 oz. cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
Salt and pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground turkey over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the turkey is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the turkey is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. Remove from the heat and top with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.


Fajitas

Ingredients:
2-4 Chicken breasts
2 peppers
1 onion
Fajita seasoning
Mexican cheese
Sour cream
Taco shells


Crock pot salsa chicken

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
2 jars salsa
1cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup pepper jack cheese
Brown rice

Put 2 jars salsa, and chicken breasts in a crock pot on low for 8 hours of on high for 4 hours.

right before you are ready to eat add shredded cheese to the crock pot

Cook brown rice

Serve chicken and salsa-cheese sauce over brown rice

I have no idea the calories. but it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!




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Saturday, March 5, 2011 0 comments

Talked to my husband

About whats been really bugging me.

I told him that I'm really struggling with being so far away from my family and my friends. and that I'm not sad that I stopped being friends with the two girls here, but its just difficult.

I told him that I get that he needs to get out of the house. and so it doesn't bother me that he goes to the gym to play basketball with the guys. but that leaves me home for another 2 hours alone.

He said, why don't you go home for spring break. and to be honest. for a weekend it would be great. but I don't want to be gone all week.

He asked about the girl I talk about in my math class. I told him that she seems down to earth. we've just become FB friends. lol. He told me to set up a "girl date"! haha.

I cried. but he was really understanding.

I had to tell him that my school is different then my school. He went to class with the same people for several classes.

I go to 3 different classes and see 60 different faces. i'm lucky if i make a connection with 1 person.

He said that hopefully when I transfer schools it will be a bit more structured so I can make a little more connections between people.

I'm hoping to get out of the house together maybe go hiking for a couple hours or something like that.

I'm still not 100% mentally, but I feel loads better getting it off my chest.
I've been super clingy lately and today he got really annoyed at me (to be honest if the tables were reversed, i would be too). so i just told him how i was feeling.

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0 comments

Its been rough

first its p-week so i'm overly emotional as it is. So the things that got me so upset seem kind of minor, but when added all up it was just more than I could handle.

I called my mom last night and just cried.
It just hit me how hard it is to be so far away from home and have no friends.

The whole school situation is hard. And I think that I don't get to see B much now, whats going to happen when my school is over an hour away?

I feel like I don't really get to spend time with him because he's on nights, and when we are home together. I spend a lot of time in my office doing my homework. I have to stay on top of it because if i take a day off I just drown in it.

We try and stay on top of the chorese, he's been trying to help. but it just got over whelming.

The landlord is a dirt bag and I just want to get out of this place. but we still have about 6 months on the lease.

My head aches are out of control. I have one about every 3 days now.

My headache meds don't help my sleeping. They make me drowsy, but won't actually let me get sleep. so the first 2 hours i'm actually asleep Its that awkward half sleep where you have wicked vivid weird dreams.

I'm still struggling with my re-enlistment bonus. I still don't have the last payment from my first bonus.

I had to call my old state DMV again because they never got me the documents to get my license renewed from here. I do NOT want a drivers license in this state.

I had to call the VA because my school still hasn't been paid off. but they show that its been paid, so now i have to go to my school and figure out why they haven't posted it.

I'm just spent.
I'm tired
I'm sore
I'm over it.
I just want my mommy

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