Tacos.

So I know tacos aren't rocket science, But I will tell you that they can be healthier. Here's how we do tacos.

Extra lean turkey breasts.

Whole wheat tortillas. You can find the recipe here.  ( I grind my own wheat,) Or you can just buy them at the store.

Homemade Taco seasoning (If I'm in a pinch I use the target brand packet because it doesn't have any nasty stuff in it.)

2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon onion pwd
1/4 teaspoon garlic pwd

ALWAYS use 0% Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. It tastes identical, But its nutritionally superior to sour cream. { And just a little tip, so you dont just have a huge glob of "Sour cream" in one spot, put it in a zip lock bag and cut a corner off, Then you can use it like a piping bag, and have "sour cream" in every bite, not just one big glob in one bite}

Use shredded spinach, They will never know the difference. Seriously. It's got more nutrients. Iceburg lettuce is basically worthless vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant wise, And spinach is a powerhouse.

If you have to have cheese {and yes, I HAVE to have cheese} Use 2%.

Use black beans instead of refried beans. They taste way better anyway.

And of course load up on avocado, tomato, onion, salsa... Just be sure to check the sodium content of your salsa, Sometimes they sneak a whole bunch of that in there. 

Okay, go eat some nutritionally superior tacos. MMMMMM...... TACOS!

I seriously can't find 2 seconds to catch my breath. Here's a peek at what we've been up to. Along with a million other not so fun things, Here are some of the fun things.

There's been a TON of sewing going on in this house. Halloween dresses have been made for my girls. And I helped a few friends make dresses for their girls. I also helped make a few Halloween shirts for some friends. Then there was the Orphan Annie dress for my niece. This was an adventure. I didn't have a pattern at all, And was up until the wee hours of the night finishing it. I've never been so happy to put my sewing machine away. And my sweet buby cleaned up the house for me that night...Dishes vacuuming and all.
We've been trying to get into the Halloween spirit. So we made these cute little pumpkins out of rice krispy treats, And some cupcakes. The kids had fun decorating, but didn't really have a huge desire to eat them. Blake came and asked me for some Brown rice and fish...Go figure. And last night he was lecturing nana on how hamburgers are not healthy. {That's what she served for dinner, Although they were whole wheat buns and organic angus beef, We couldn't convince him otherwise.} Anywho, We're busy, and I don't know if things are going to slow down any time soon. So until they do, I am making no promises on how often I can post. I wish I could be back at it everyday, But there just isn't time right now. There's a season of life for everything, And as I am learning, This is basically my season to do nothing but change diapers, feed kids, and clean up messes. Blogging now has to take a back seat. Well, Maybe not a back seat, maybe a middle seat. Because I do enjoy it, and it makes me happy. So, I am off to feed a baby.

These will be the death of me.

HOLY CRAP THESE THINGS ARE GOOD!... I mean, If I had tasted any, I'd bet that they'd be good. You know, because I'm still on 40-30-30, and I don't cheat. Okay, So I took a little taste. It was teeny though. And it's the first time I have cheated in 4 weeks. My kids ANNIHILATED the pan of them in about 2 seconds.
I can't take credit for this recipe. Pinterest is going to be the death of me... Or the death of seeing 123 pounds on the scale. Will power has been taken to a whole new level folks. I LOVE LOVE LOVE sugar cookies. {As if I hadn't made that clear before} And I KNOW sugar cookies. I've tasted DOZENS of recipes made by a variety of people. And yes, I have my favorites, And no, I'll never tell whose cookies are my favorite. {Probably at least 12 of you reading this are wondering if it's yours... Wouldn't you like to know. It just goes to show how many awesome friends I have that brought a crazy pregnant lady cookies. Thanks guys. I really love you.} However... This recipe might be my new favorite. The texture is perfect, The icing is amazing... It's just LOVE in your mouth. And it's SO SO SO easy and fast.
I hate rolling and cutting sugar cookies and having to wait and refrigerate the dough. They are too much work and too time consuming. Problem solved. This recipe. And if you still really want cut out cookies, you can cut them out after they bake and cool. That's what I did.

Sugar Cookie Bars

Source: BreeAnn Fankhauser

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla {I used a Tablespoon. I like vanilla okay}
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp lemon zest (optional) {I did not use it}

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Add vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda and stir with a whisk to combine. Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined. Spread on a greased baking sheet (use a 13 x 18 pan). Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 min, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean (they won't look done so do the toothpick test). Cool completely and frost.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 of an 8 oz block) softened
1 tsp vanilla {I used almond extract and vanilla}
¼ tsp salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk
food coloring (if desired)

For frosting combine butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk a little at a time and mix until smooth and spreading consistency. You may not need all the milk! Spread over cooled cookie bars.

My favorite protein shake

The Orangie Porangie. That's what my kids call it.

1 cup orange juice
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 almonds
8 ice cubes. (I like mine thick)
2 packets of truvia

That's it. Blend all that up in the blender and deeeee-lisssshhh.

I am not paying $100 for a t shirt...

So I found this shirt while daydreaming at Anthropologie.  But it was $100 freaking dollars. FOR A T-SHIRT!!!
It's cute, But it ain't worth $100 bucks! So I got to thinking, I could make that so easy. So I did.

First I bought a plain long sleeve T-shirt from Target. They are on sale this week for $10.

Then I pulled out some leftover black jersey knit fabric I had in my fabric bin. (Maybe 3 inches wide, and about 6 yards long, I wanted a lot of full thick ruffles, You don't have to use that much) And ruffled it with my ruffling foot. You can ruffle it by hand but it will take a while. And if you do use a ruffling foot, Just be warned that stretchy knits are harder to ruffle with the foot and take some patience. But it's still faster than doing it by hand.

Then I pinned it where I wanted the ruffles. And Yes, I tried it on with the pins before I stitched it because I wanted to make sure they fell where I wanted them to, And yes, I did get stabbed several times.

So for $10 I have a ruffle shirt that I actually like better than the one at Anthropologie. Because I got to determine how full I wanted the ruffles and where I wanted them. And if you can't see the pictures really well, Sorry, I'm too cheap to buy a nice camera. So I just use my Iphone.

Another way to save money and feel pretty.

I have a ton of things I want to blog about, but I just can't find the time right now.

I think that it's really important to do things for yourself, especially right after you have a baby and aren't quite feeling like yourself. Well, one thing I love is to have my nails done. Not so much being at the salon, but just having them look pretty. But it is SO expensive. Well, I had gotten around it being so expensive by having them just paint my nails instead of a full mani or pedi.  Well, The problem with that is that they chip so fast. So... Here is my solution.

Yep, Did those myself. I found a french wrap kit at Sallys.

A french wrap is just a little piece of white plastic that you glue to the tip of your nail. No chipping and it lasts about a week and a half and then they just peel off. The kit cost $30... Hear me out. You're thinking for that price I'll go to the dang salon... The kit has enough tips for 12 times. Thin and thick whichever you prefer. Plus the salon top coat that you can never find...The super awesome kind that is really shiny and dries super fast. You know what I'm talking about right? Plus the glue, and 2 nail files. So, Long story short, It takes like 10 minutes from start to finish, You don't have to go to the salon, and pay for a babysitter, and its way cheaper. It comes out to about $2.50 each set. I pointed out to Mike, I went from spending $40 for a full set, To about $12 to just have them paint my nails, and now, down to $2.50. I'm finding that I really don't have to give up any of the luxuries of life while being on a super duper don't spend money budget. I just have to be a bit more creative and try new things.

Halloween crafts with the kiddos!

So in celebration of Halloween month, {Yes it's a month long celebration in this house, Not just one day} I've picked a few crafts to do with the kiddos.

Yesterday we decorated cupcakes. I made green cupcakes and orange frosting and let them go crazy with sprinkles, Autumn mix, and Halloween peeps. I put the frosting in little ziplock bags and tied a twisty tie, So that it didn't spill out the top. They LOVED frosting them by themselves.

So on the list of projects...

Sucker Ghosts.

Pumpkin bracelets. You can find the tutorial here.

These cute little Q tip skeletons.

How stinking cute are these footprint witches?

Ghost pizza for dinner!

Chocolate dipped ghosts! My kids are going to go CRAZY for these things.

And of course, you all know my sugar cookie fetish.

If y'all have any other cute ideas I'd love 'em!