New Recipe. . . . It's a Winner!

I tried one of my new recipes over the weekend, Mexican casserole, it was a big hit with the hubbs.  I used a recipe off of Pinterest but I tweaked it and made it my own.  I always like to tweak recipes to fit my taste and of course fit what I have in my cabinets.  No sense making extra trips to the grocery store.  This recipe is quite versatile and could be a dip, casserole or even used as a filling in an enchilada.  I have some left overs so I think I may try the enchilada option for work this next week.
Here is what I used to make Mexican Casserole:
2 cans black beans
1 can Mexican corn
1 can sweet yellow corn
1 cup rice (I used basamati brown rice) cooked
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 can enchilada sauce
1 lime juiced and zested
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 small sweet orange peppers chopped
2 sweet red peppers chopped
1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
1/2 block cream cheese,
3 tsp cumin
1 tsp caynne
2tbsp cilantro

cheese and sour cream to serve

Put olive oil in bottom of dutch oven and saute garlic, then add peppers and saute,  6 minutes then add corn and black beans, rotel tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and stir and cook on medium 10-15 minutes, add your seasonings, rice and lime juice, then add your cream cheese and cover.   I add my lime zest last stir and serve with cheese sour cream and chips or use it for enchilada filling.

This is the middle of the process of cooking this casserole 

This is the end result and it was yummy

We will have this again. 

Upside Down Week and True Love. . .

It has been a horrendous week and a half, I had a migraine for four days straight and then got a stomach virus when I was finally getting over the migraine.  In all of that I was trying to work and maintain my family.  I could use a couple of days off here.  I am very thankful for my dear husband and son, bless them for taking care of themselves during my week of craziness.  I soaked in a milk bath last night and I feel somewhat human this morning. My very sweet husband came home from work the other night and I was still not feeling well and he fixed me pancakes so I could get ready for work.  I love this man to the moon and back.  The Lord truly blessed me when he lead me to my dear hubby.  I only hope that my boys turn out half as good as their daddy and they will be a blessing to their mates as well.
With my stomach and my head being so out of whack, I decided I would revisit my 100 days of real food adventure and clean my diet up.  I am looking at more recipes for real food and options for packed lunches for work and school.  I try not to use plastic when packing lunches for myself especially if it is something that I have to reheat at the office.  Big T has been eating the hubbs chicken and rice soup almost everyday for dinner and that is a change up from sandwiches for a lunch option.  I just need to find a way he can take his soup and I had rather not use glass.  I will be searching hot food transportation options in the next few weeks for Big T's lunch. 
I will be trying some new recipes in the next few weeks and I will share my triumphs and fails because, let's face it, there will be fails. 
Stay tuned for Massachusetts updates and college visit updates. . . . 

My Youngest is an Adult. . . . What?? No Way??

My oldest is turning twenty this week, it does not seem real, could I really have  a twenty year old child.  Wow!!  Who let that happen??  I am so excited for my son.  As a parent you want to tell them everything you know so that they do not make the same mistakes you made or could have made when you were their age.  Of course he is bull headed, he would not be mine if he was not, and does not want to take any advice from dear old mom or dad for that matter.  My hubby and I made our share of mistakes when we were teenagers but we survived, the only difference is that there was no internet or social media when we were growing up.  Thank the good Lord for that one. Whew !!!  Catastrophe escaped!! 
I am very excited for my son and all of the things he is going to get to do and for the things he has already done.  The world is open for him and I pray every day that he will take advantage of all of the opportunities that are offered.  He text me the other day to tell me how much he likes it at this new school.  He said his classes are very interesting and that his professors are good.  I have not heard how the food is, so it must be good also.  They have a Dunkin Doughnuts right on campus, thank goodness he does not like sweets that much.  The lacrosse team had their first community event on Saturday.  They helped set up for a fundraiser 5K Stary Night run to help raise money for pediatric brain tumor research.  I do not know what the set up consisted of but they worked most of the afternoon to get it ready.  I love that the lacrosse team does things for the community and is involved in community out reach but, it is not just the lacrosse team, all of the teams at his school do these things.  I think it makes the kids see they have an investment in the community they live.   They had their first player lead workout on Sunday afternoon and poor Sprat text me to tell me how sore he was.  I told him to take a hot shower and rest. 
Stay tuned more updates from Massachusetts to come and Big T' first true college visit. . . . 

Inflammation, Diet, Food, Smoothie . . .

I have been drinking smoothies or a protein drink for breakfast since I was in high school.  My mom used to sell Shakley vitamins when I was little and that is where it all started.  They had a protein powder and mom always had some on hand.  As a child I hated eating breakfast, my mom tried everything to get me to eat something anything for breakfast.  I just could not do it, it was all about texture.  When mom brought home the protein powder I gave it a try, and that I could handle.  That was the start of my new breakfast routine. 
My routine has since shifted to smoothies with protein powder.  Over the years I have noticed some inflammation and joint pain in my knees and hands.  I researched what I could do, without medicine, to help relieve my inflammation.  There is  a great deal of information on the web about this subject and  I read most of it.  I found there are many fruits and veggies that aid in reducing inflammation.  I found pineapple, cherries, and blueberries to be the most flavorful for a smoothie.  I know this all sounds "witch doctory" but, I can really see and most importantly feel a difference in my knees and hands when I drink my smoothies. 
Here is my recipe for my breakfast smoothie:

1 cup coconut water
1/4 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
1/4 cup frozen cherries
1/2 fresh banana sliced
4 pieces fresh pineapple
1 tbs chi flax mix


blend in mixer or nuribullet and drink up.
They sell these little cans of pineapple juice and I work them in late in the afternoon.  I know it sounds like crockery that changing eating habits or adding something as simple as a smoothie would make  difference in how you feel but in my case it has.  Maybe it is all in my head and if that is true please keep that to yourself  because right now it works for me.   I also eat my fresh pineapple and blueberries when I want something sweet. 

Boys, Cell Phones, Destruction. . .

These days every child starting in elementary school has a cell phone.  I have never been a fan of  children having cell phones. Not only do they have cell phones but they have the newest iphone or whatever.   I think it is silly to start with and I do not think it is good for their eye development.  My oldest did not get a phone until he was a Sophomore in high school.  I am reminded of this fact quite frequently by him.  The only reason he got one then was because he was going to be driving and should something happen I wanted him to be able to get in touch with me.  Big T got a phone when he was in seventh grade but, only because I had started working and I could get called in and would have to communicate to him how he would be getting home. I am reminded of this one too, by Sprat.

I share all of that to say this:  Sprat has gone through 4 phones since his Sophomore year of high school.  I am sick of buying phones.  This last one he complained about not working and he wanted a new one and I put my foot down!!  He worked this Summer and I told him if he wanted a new phone he would pay for it him self.  So he did.  I also made him change phone providers because his bill was more than mine and Big T's put together.  He bought his new phone and I am paying for his service and I made him go with my service that is much less than what I was paying. 

With that my phone bills are going to go down dramatically.  Wheww!!!!

If anyone is reading this that is techie, I will give you something that desperately needs to be developed.  Someone needs to develop a teenage boy proof cell phone.  This phone should be indestructible, now there are phones out there that claim to be sturdy and durable but I am seriously talking about indestructible.   

Bless Big T he has had the same phone since seventh grade and has never had problem one with his.  Sprat is like that gorilla you used to see on the Samsonite commercials banging the luggage around showing how durable it is.  The only difference is that with Sprat he destroys all the phones. 

Teenager proof phone, the most needed tech item ever.  

The Incentive I Needed . . . Mortgage Pay Off Here We Come . . . .

So the company that has had our mortgage since we refinanced seven years ago has sold our loan to an unknown company.   My old established company allowed me to pay online, check my balance, and pay extra principal payments with no fees.  The new company has a fee for everything except just snail mailing your payment and we all know how reliable snail mail is when it comes to getting things to where they are suppose to go in tact.  I sent my sister a Christmas card one year with the boys Christmas picture in it with Santa.  The post office delivered her a giant plastic bag with the words "We Care" printed all over the bag and inside that bag was a mere corner of the envelope which I had placed the Christmas card.   Does that say anything about "we care" to you?  I think not!!
Now the new unknown mortgage company wants me to mail my very precious loan payment to them via snail mail or pay a fee to send it any other way.  To say that I am a little perturbed is the understatement of the century. 
I know why the more reputable company sold my loan, they are not making enough money off of me.  They are still making money just not as much as they were before because we are paying our house off early.  You know what a big Dave Ramsey fan I am and I have been Gazelle intense these last several years at paying our house off.  So the amount of interest that they were making on us had decreased dramatically.  I have voiced my displeasure and complete and utter dissatisfaction with all of this to my old mortgage company and of course they do not care every thing is about the bottom line and I am not contributing enough to their bottom line so I do not matter.  Apparently I do not matter to this new company since they are going to FEE me to death in order to pay my mortgage.  What ever happened to customer service and taking care of the customer even if they are a small customer?   I hate to inform this new company but, I will not be with you long, I am more determined than ever to pay my mortgage off.  Debt Free Baby!! the only way to be!!

College Drop Off. . .

Sprat is back in MA and set up in his new dorm with new roommate.  We got to meet the roommate and his family during the move in process.  They are very nice folks from Vermont.  Sprat has gotten to meet some really great people since he has been in MA in college.  The roommate is a volleyball  player for the school and is a nuclear medicine major.  I enjoyed talking with him and his family, they were very sweet and I think he and Sprat will get along great. 
The hubbs and I drove to Hagerstown and spent the night and then drove the rest of the way home on Monday morning.  Sprat is taking some difficult classes this semester and will be adjusting to all the new things at this school. 

Sprat and the hubbs on campus 

We celebrated Sprats Birthday early

Birthday dinner request was steak and shrimp.

Mom always tries to accommodate on the birthday dinner. 

Sprats wall beside his bed in the new dorm. 

I am excited for what awaits my boys.  I have been planning a college visit for Big T in a few weeks so stay tuned for that update.  He wants to go to school in Florida.  Could my boys pick schools further apart????

Stay tuned as we work through this college stuff.