Yellow Planters Will Kill Your Plants

I could not wait to start planting our veggies because of the cute yellow planters that are Wal-Mart is offering this season. But that is as far as the cuteness lasted. In no time every plant was swarmed with those pesky little fungus/fruit gnats/flies and they were multiplying SO QUICKLY!!! Turns out, fungus flies eat your roots, the larvae casings keep the soil from draining properly, and they SUCK!!!

Here's the kicker . . .LISTEN UP. . .THEY ARE FREAKISHLY ATTRACTED TO YELLOW!!
We have 6 yellow pots for out veggies that are ultimately KILLING the veggies.

WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD COMPANIES PUT OUT A YELLOW POT WITHOUT KNOWING THIS MUCH NEEDED INFORMATION FOR CONSUMERS!!!!????? WE TRUST THESE COMPANIES TO LOOK OUT FOR US. . . OH, THE DELUSIONAL, DELUSIONAL MIND!!!

After several internet searches, we tried a few things.

Apple Cider Vinegar in a Jar - caught maybe 3 gnats
Slice of Potato on top of soil (attracts larvae) - cleaned up the dirt
Sandalwood Incense - All bugs/flies/gnats seem to stay away when I light Sandalwood -- Keep a pack in the car for the ballfields. Just light and stick in the ground. . . bye-bye gnats!!

the tricks reduced the gnats, but the damage had already been done on the soil. We chose the local nursery and purchased some blakc pots for super cheap and their locallly made fertilizer. . . SHAME ON US FOR NOT DOING THAT FIRST!!! Good-Bye Wal-Mart gardening department, I temporarily lost my mind.

To recap, If you want to refrain from adding stress to your plants and your wallet, NEVER PURCHASE YELLOW PLANTERS/POTS!!!

Have You AWESOME'D your house today?

Although I am very proud of making our household cleaners, face wash, laundry detergent, and any soap or cleaner in the house (I Brag), I cannot seem to conquer a linoleum floor cleaner! The floor always ends up looking dull and just as dirty when I started; not to mention that it gets equally dirty in a matter of seconds. IF YOU HAVE ANY TIPS, SUGGESTIONS, ADVICE ON THIS MATTER...PLEASE SHARE THEM WITH ME!!
In my quest to locate a cleaner that I can feel good about buying I found a cheap and effective all-purpose cleaner. It is called LA'S Totally Awesome Cleaner . It doesn't  smell too strong or 'piney' and the bottle itself is only $1 and you have to DILUTE it!!! So it's SUPER budget friendly.

Because of the dilution, I was able to mop the entire house, make 2 spray bottles, and still have some TOTALLY AWESOME left!!!

I know what you're thinking, the ingredients must be horrible and it won't work. . . WRONG!!! The BENEFITS are: No Ammonia, No Bleach, No  Acids, Septic Tank Friendly, and MADE IN THE USA! It cleans, degreaser, and acts as a spot remover! The dilution chart is right on the bottle!! What more do you need?

You're AWESOME, why not make your house AWESOME too?!?!

Homemade Chicken Parmesan

This is the BEST and EASIEST chicken parm I have ever eaten and made!!! Josh and I had just moved up here to Hattiesburg and were low on funds, so I got creative! The bag of chicken from Wal-mart, Pilgrim's Pride EatWellStayHealthy has been the BEST investment and only chicken we will eat. Anyways, the bag cost about $6 and comes with about 6-8 good sized chicken breast. It is lean, minimal fat, and takes about 25-30 minutes to thaw out! And they take no  time to cook!! Fajitas, salad night, sandwiches, crock pot pulled chicken of any flavor sandwiches :), chicken nuggets, CHICKEN PARM, you name it, you can make some good dishes in about an hour (THAWING TIME INCLUDED)...I promise I do not work for the company. . .just sharing the love!

Also, the pack of bread, STONEFIRE NAAN BREAD, I use to make garlic bread or cheese sticks with them...super easy and tastes like papa john's bread!!! To make the delicious bread, I brush it with Olive Oil, sprinkle with garlic powder (NEVER GARLIC SALT) or use minced garlic; I used which ever is available, both are good. Cook as instructed on the bag and serve!!!! Add cheese or whatever topping you want on them!!! Perfect with homemade hummus!!Also good price for the quality ingredients! We strive to keep HFCS and PHO's, among nitrates and phosphates from entering our home...lol, those vicious ingredients!!

ANYWAYS... here we go . . .sorry about the ramble ;)

EASY PEEZY CHICKEN PARM-Z
(recipe for 4)

Preheat oven to 350

• 4 Chicken breasts - thawed
• 1 jar of Bertolli Sauce (I use Organic, but all their flavors are delicious. The Vineyard is excellent with wine)
• 2-4 cups Italian breadcrumbs
• Angel Hair Pasta - I either use the YELLOW or PURPLE box of thin/angel hair...full of fiber &  omegas
• Parmesan Cheese (I like to use shredded parm, Josh likes the kraft parm...either way..lol)
• Olive Oil
• Naan Bread
• Mozzarella Cheese - Shredded

Preheat oven to 350

I did not take pictures of the process last night, but I will update it when I make it again!

I basically set up a dipping station. I work form left to right.

1. Bowl of raw chicken
2. Bowl of olive oil for the  dipping (I know, you want to know where you need to put the egg 
    at?? NO EGGS!!! The oil gives it an awesome flavor!). If you have ever wondered about Olive Oil and what the 'virgin' means and if you really are getting 'virgin' oil, check out this link
3. Plate of Italian Bread Crumbs (here's a recipe to homemade Italian Bread crumbs
4. Glass baking dish - coat or spray with oil/nonstick spray

Dip - Coat - Place in the oven and cook for about 25-30 minutes.

Start Boiling Water/Noodles during the last 15 minutes of cook time.

 Once the chicken is done all the way through, Turn the oven to 500 and crisp them up for about 3-5 minutes!

Heat sauce during the 3-5 minutes you are waiting for the chicken to finish crisping!!!

While you are preparing the plates, this is the perfect time to throw your bread in the oven - see above for my suggestion of Stonefire Naan Bread!

ASSEMBLY

Pasta - Scoop of Sauce (I use a 1/4 measuring cup) - Chicken on Top - 1/2 - 1 scoop of sauce - parm cheese on top. Add a side salad and your bread...DELICIOUS!!!

Grinch Punch, St. Patty's Day Drink, Green Drink

Yummy Green Goodness
Hawaiian Punch single serving packs...the only green flavor stuff I could find that sounded good with ice cream. Well, I actually purchased yogurt, some green sugar crystals...First, Dip the rim of the glasses in sugar. Secondly, mix 1-2 packets of mix with 1 bottle of water (I wanted it to be as green as possible). Then mix the green water with 1-2 scoops of yogurt. Mix it up so that some of the yogurt melts into the water. Fourth, pour in the glasses, maybe some extra ice cream, and DRINK!!! :)

Simple Ingredients
The yogurt is healthier than full flavored ice cream!! Good flavor without some of the nasty stuff!

The Boys Approved :)

DIY Homemade Terrarium

I made these fairly quickly and easily. I picked up the containers at Hobby Lobby for around $3 each. To personalize them, I went to the Dollhouse section and purchased mini items that fit each person's personality. I purchased the succulents from Wal-mart. Put some soil (make it a little moist) in the container, moss on top from around the neighborhood during my afternoon walk. Planted the succulent and hot glued my pieces onto the moss. Voila!

Cute, easy, simple!! Will last longer than a bouquet of flowers!!

Skinny Girl's Frito Pie

I do not have the caloric count on this. But all ingredients are low calorie, high fiber, reduced fat. I threw this together from the left overs in my pantry. I have to admit I was worried it would not taste very good, but it is hearty and filling!!

Ingredients:
1 can - Bush's Black Beans (seasoned recipe)
1 can -  Hormel Chili Turkey, No Beans
Baked Lay's Tortilla Bowl Chips
Reduced or Fat-Free Shredded Cheddar cheese
Salsa - homemade recipe below or use store bought (Santitas is the best!!)
Jalapenos
Shredded lettuce, sour cream, whatever extra toppings you would like

Directions:
Mix the beans and chili together and heat up on the stove or microwave.
Spoon heated mixture over chips, sprinkle cheese, lettuce, jalapenos, and whatever else you decided to use.
EAT and ENJOY!!


Salsa Recipe:
 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (10 oz.) can Ro-tel tomatoes, undrained
1/4 small onion chopped or I put about 1/4 cup ( I don't like to bite into chunks of onions)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. honey (or sugar/stevia)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
Juice of 1 lime (about 1 tbsp.)
If you wish to add cilantro, you can add a handful. I don't like it, so I omit it
Throw in some jalapeno for spice. or just add some jalapeno juice!

Combine all ingredients in a blender (or large food processor). Blend until all ingredients are finely chopped and salsa is the desired consistency. Adjust seasonings to taste. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Christmas Tree made with Ornaments made at School

Here is a tree that I made for all the ornaments that Dirk brought home from school.

Materials Needed:

- 1 branch

- Can of spray paint (I used red)
- Green Tissue Paper
- Vase
- White ball ornaments
- homemade ornaments and hooks

I found a cool branch in the yard and wanted to do SOMETHING with it!!! And to my surprise, Dirk came home with a baggy full of ornaments he made at school!!! IDEA!!!!

I sprayed the branch. Stuffed my vase with tissue paper. Maneuvered the paper and branch to stand up exactly the way I wanted. Put some white small ball ornaments at the top of the vase for extra support for the branch. Finally, I hung Dirk's ornaments.

My version of the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree! Love it!