Last night we had Turkey Meatballs, Brown Rice Pilaf, and Steamed Broccoli (with Parmesan cheese on top).  The Turkey Meatballs were really good.  They had a lot of flavor, but the Rice Pilaf was very bland.  It tasted healthy, but needed a whole lot of flavor added to it.  Mixing it with a bite of the Meatball helped.  I will definitely make the Turkey Meatballs again, but the Rice Pilaf probably won’t make the “have-soon” list.

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This morning we had French toast (the eat-clean way). We both liked them, but would make them differently next time. My change would be to swap the measurements of cinnamon with nutmeg. I thought the nutmeg flavor was a bit too strong. My husband didn’t mind it at all though. He would not use the banana yogurt syrup next time, which I thought tasted really good. Adding the strawberries was a great added touch, although it was almost like eating strawberry banana smoothie French toast.

I will definitely make these again, but try swapping the measurements for cinnamon and nutmeg and see what I think. They were easy to make and very filling (whereas I would normally eat at least four pieces of French toast, smothered with butter, syrup,and powdered sugar). Next time, I might also try making the banana yogurt syrup with using only half the ingredients it calls for. We had a TON left over and I’m not quite sure what to use the rest of it on. We didn’t even use a fourth of it and put quite a bit on our two pieces of French toast.

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Have you ever received an envelope in the mail that wasn’t just plain white? Are you more excited to open it? It seems so much more personable and even makes you feel special. I received an envelope, like described above, about a year ago. I was so excited and felt so honored that the person sending me the note chose to send it in such a beautiful envelope. This person could have just thrown the note into a regular old white envelope.

I searched everywhere to find decorative envelopes so I could send something to brighten up someones day when opening their mailbox, but either found a solid color (other than white) or they were way too expensive. That’s when I decided I was going to start making my own. I’ve since given several away and received some great compliments on them, including this one…”Beautiful envelopes! I don’t want to use them because they are so pretty! Thanks!”. I plan on making more sets, but this is the first one I’ve created to sell on Etsy. More sizes (when I have time) will be sold there.

I’m listing my first item on Etsy.  It’s a Stationary Box.  A friend showed me the instructions on how to make it and I quickly thought, “This could sell on Etsy”.  I looked to see if there were any for sale already on Etsy and didn’t see this exact one, so I’ll put mine out there to sell and see if I get a bite.

You can find the original artist and directions for this Stationary Box at Jackie Topa’s blog.

I enjoyed making this, but it took far longer than I had expected.  I’m thrilled to be finished with it and doubt I’ll be making another one soon (due to the time involved).  Great gift idea though.

This Stationary Box includes:

• 4 cards with envelopes
• 4 gift cards with envelopes
• 4 tags
• An address book
• A place to put stamps
• A pen

The box closes up and held closed by Velcro.  Place the lid on and it has a finished look.  I used Stampin’ Up Prints Designer Series Paper in Soft Sky.  Let me know your thoughts.

This morning we had Breakfast Burritos and if you know my husband (after looking at the recipe), you’ll know that he did not eat the same breakfast burrito as I did.  I made mine per the recipe, but had to alter his.  He hates black beans and cottage cheese and he’s a meat guy, so pork sausage had to be added for him.  I liked the wrap concept, but wasn’t loving the egg mixture.  It wasn’t bad, but wasn’t my favorite.  I will make it again, but will add more spices for added flavor.  I also would like to try the Omelette recipe I made weeks ago and try that in a tortilla.  This recipe was very filling.  Neither of us could finish our breakfast.
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These were pretty good and definitely were filling.  I’m not a huge fan of the Natural Peanut Butter (obviously it’s healthier than the normal peanut butter, which is probably why).  It’s good though and I will make it again.  It’s just not going to be an everyday favorite.  It’s great for a nice change though and I do like the combination of peanut butter and bananas.
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This week I’ve done amazing!  I’ve worked out (well, twice, but I’m out of shape and was in a ton of pain, so needed to give my body some rest….yes, that’s my excuse).  I’ve eaten so well this week.  Everything has been “clean” for the most part, although I did indulge in the neighbors baked goods (I actually called twice to get some…..how sad is that?).  I had three toffee cookies, three chocolate chip muffins, and added to that a few pieces of licorice (maybe 4) and some pretzel rods (and this was spread out over the week).  I didn’t eat out (and I so wanted some pizza this weekend).  We even had a neighborhood party and I made sure to eat before we left the house so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat all the goodies there (and to my surprise, I ate absolutely nothing there, which is why I called my neighbors to get a “fix” from them).

So, I jumped on the scale today (not expecting anything too big, but after such a great week (compared to normal for me), I thought for sure I would have lost at least two pounds) AND….nothing.  I’m the same.  How frustrating!  All that work this past week, not indulging in the many things I really wanted to indulge in and for nothing…..until I decided to take my measurements (which I’ve heard is always good to do when you are not seeing the results you want on the scale).  The results….I’ve lost 3 inches in my waist, 1.5 inches in my hips, and 1 inch in my chest.  Not too bad.  It’s something and I’ll take it!  I just need to find something to motivate me to continue on this week and hopefully see something on the scale next week (or in the measurements again).  Wish me luck!

The other night we had Moo Shu Chicken and Green Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad.  Both were very good!  The Moo Shu Chicken will be a standard in our house.  I had thought we had fresh green beans on hand, but we didn’t, so I opted for canned green beans (which is why the color of the beans is not the vibrant green, which certainly looks more appetizing).  I will definitely make the Veggie Salad again, but my husband wasn’t too fond of the vinegar taste.  I didn’t mind it, but would like it better without as well.  The next time we make the Green Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad, I will not add the red wine vinegar and we’ll see how it tastes.
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I love these cookies and have made them twice this past week already. My husband is not a huge fan of chocolate and peanut butter mixed together, so he said he liked them, but they’re not his thing (he could take them or leave them). In my opinion, if you like the chocolate and peanut butter combination and are in the mood for a sweet treat, this is definitely a quick and very tasty one.
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Last night I finished working on a journal for my Swap Bot partner.  This is for the “Altered Journal” swap.  I had the choice of buying a journal and decorating it or making something from scratch (which I’ve never done before….until now).  I normally alter the Composition notebooks (and I had considered doing this), but decided I would stretch my creativity and create something myself.  I haven’t used my sewing machine since making my niece a quilt (almost 2 years ago), but did use some fabric from her quilt and a another quilt I’ve made in the past. My partner loves groundhogs, which is why you’ll see groundhogs featured on this journal.  I printed the images out on fabric and am very impressed with how the images printed out.  I used regular paper on the inside and cut it to size, folded it over and stitched three mini journals together.  I stamped each page with a flower stamp (12 different flower stamps used) and then stitched the three mini journals to the cover of the journal.  I have no clue what I’m doing and honestly need to take a class to figure out how to actually make one of these, but for my first try and not having a clue, but looking at a picture and trying to duplicate style, I think I did pretty well.  If anyone knows me well, they know my favorite color is green, but this is not why I chose green for this journal.  Green is also a color that my partner likes.  She also mentioned pink, so the inside of the journal is pink.  I sewed some ribbon and a button to the outside for the closure.  It’s not perfect, but it is one-of-a-kind.