Day 19: A photo that makes you laugh

The things you can do with Bendaroos!

Cheesy Beef (Or Turkey) Stroganoff

A fellow blogger posted a super duper yummy recipe she took from Quickies in the Kitchen: 30 Minute Meals.  I stole the recipe and tweaked it up a bit.  Here is her post with pics: The Queen of Dilly-Dallying: Quick Dinner: "If you are interested in a quick and cheap dinner idea, just follow this simple recipe for Cheesy Beef Stroganoff. The ingredients you need ..."

Since I'm in weight loss mode (or attempting it anyway), I thought I would take the recipe and tweak it a bit. This recipe was cheap, simple and incredibly delicious!  Here's what you need:


1 lb. ground beef (I used ground turkey breast)
3 c. uncooked medium egg noodles ( I used whole grain egg noodles)
1/2 lb (8 oz.) Velveeta Cheese, cubed (I used 2% velveeta)
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup (I used fat free cream of mushroom soup).
1/4 tsp. pepper

Step 1:  Cube the cheese up pretty small to melt easier.
Cook your ground beef and drain the fat, keeping the ground beef in the skillet.  Stir in 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.

Step 2: Stir in egg noodles, reduce to low medium heat and cover.  Let it simmer for 8 minutes until noodles are tender.  (I added the 2 cups of water and 1/3 cup of Reduced Sodium chicken broth)

Step 3: Add the Velveeta cheese cubes, cream of mushroom soup and pepper.

Step 4: Stir until your cheese is melted and serve warm.

This recipe was so incredibly yummy!  I paired it with peas but you could pair it with any side you like.  My kids absolutely loved it.  Bon Appetit.

Day eighteen: a photo of your town.

Downtown Dallas.

Little Bee

Our February book selection was one that I've had on my reading list for quite a while.  To have finally chosen the book was a little exciting.  Is it possible to get excited over book selection?  If you are a book worm, it's completely acceptable.  If not, then you should probably crawl out from under that rock get to reading.  The book we chose was Little Bee by Chris Cleave.  I really liked the book with the exception of the ending.  Not quite what I was expecting.  The following description was taken from readinggroupguides.com.  

The story is about a young Nigerian refugee named Little Bee whom has just been released from the British immigration detention center where she has been held under horrific conditions for the past two years, after narrowly escaping a traumatic fate in her homeland of Nigeria. Alone in a foreign country, without a family member, friend, or pound to call her own, she seeks out the only English person she knows. Sarah is a posh young mother and magazine editor with whom Little Bee shares a dark and tumultuous past.

They first met on a beach in Nigeria, where Sarah was vacationing with her husband, Andrew, in an effort to save their marriage after an affair, and their brief encounter has haunted each woman for two years. Now together, they face a disturbing past and an uncertain future with the help of Sarah’s four-year-old son, Charlie, who refuses to take off his Batman costume. A sense of humor and an unflinching moral compass allow each woman, and the reader, to believe that even in the face of unspeakable odds, humanity can prevail.

Day seventeen: a photo of something that has changed your life

You are probably reading my blog thinking... wow these daily photo challenges are really neato and quite profound.  Then you stumble across this post and think... what tha what?  Yes, my bloggy readers my ASICS Women's GEL-Cumulus 12 Running Shoes have changed my life.  When I gently unlace and slip my feet in, I feel a little empowered.  Okay... a lot!  I feel like I could run for miles and miles.  I'm not your typical gal that gets a thrill out of cutie patootie pumps.  No sir, I get a thrill, a jolt... an electrifying sensation when I slip into my running shoes.  I run... they help... a lot.  Kind of like running on rubber cushions.  You know you want a pair. 

Day sixteen: a photo from your childhood

My cousin, Jess and I sitting in her front yard.  Growing up, we were two peas in a pod... she was the peanut butter and I was the jelly.

Oh Glorious Day!

I love to listen to music.  I love all kinds of music provided the lyrics are clean and the beat makes me want to raise my hands, belt out loud,  rock my head or shake my tush.  Music inspires me and keeps me going.  I listen to music with the hubs and kiddos, I listen when I'm going places, I listen when surfing the net and almost always listen while I exercise.  While working out the other day my I-pod shuffle mix played one song that I just can't get out of my head.  The lyrics are so beautifully poignant and capture my soul as I listen.  This song is my praise to my heavenly Father.  The song is called Oh Glorious Day by Casting Crowns.

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He’s ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One, bringing
My Savior, Jesus, is mine