In honour of Pink Shirt Day, here are some fabulous quotes:
“When
people hurt you over and over, think of them like sandpaper. They may
scratch and hurt you a bit, but in the end, you end up polished and they
end up useless.” ― Anonymous
“Some
people won't be happy until they've pushed you to the ground. What you
have to do is have the courage to stand your ground and not give them
the time of day. Hold on to your power and never give it away.” ― Donna Schoenrock
“Knowing what's right doesn't mean much unless you do what's right.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
I have been obsessing over dark nails lately. This one is up there with my favourites. It's OPI's My Private Jet. I like the subtle shimmer in this dark shade; it's almost a brown shimmer or silver in different lights. The colour pay-off, longevity and over-all look are aces in my book! This is two coats and about three days old.
Happy Sunday! I am still in my pyjamas writing this and it feels oh-so-good! We have started to pack all our weekend errands into Saturdays so then come Sunday we can either lounge around or do something fun as a family. I am loving it! We are just about to leave for the pool and then this afternoon Jer will be watching the Red Wings game, followed by the Oscars! It's my holy grail television broadcast. I can't wait!
For the show tonight I am most looking forward to:
- the fashion (of course!)
- watching Adele perform
- seeing if Seth McFarlane can fill the big shoes of hosting
- learning who wins what category (I am rooting for Argo, even though I haven't seen it yet!)
The only Oscar-nominated movies I had a chance to see were Flight (amazing!) and Silver Linings Playbook (also very good). Usually I try to see as many as possible, but failed miserably this season what with having to go to bed at eight every night and Thomas not being old enough to go to the movies yet:)
Have you seen my latest video? It is another Products I've Used Up one, showing you items I have emptied and whether I like them enough to repurchase. These are some of my favourite YouTube videos to watch.
I am hoping to film a couple book reviews today as well as my February Favourites and a review of the daily planner I've been using. Are there any videos you'd like to see?
Last night I had a fun girls scrap-booking session where we made tiny books. I have only ever done a 12x12 and so this was a fun new challenge! I decided to make a little book for Thomas so he can flip through pictures of himself and family. It turned out really well and I can't wait to show him. Scrap-booking is one of my favourite hobbies but I just don't make enough time for it. Getting together with some friends was an excellent solution:)
Oh my word. I am in love. I love this colour by Revlon more than I expected I would! It's aptly called, Girly. There is no base coat or colour under this polish. It just adds a hint of baby pink to your nail and then on top is this confetti of pink, purple and blue. I love Girly so much I left it on for a solid week and I can't remember the last time I had one colour on for more than three or four days! Yes it is a glitter polish so yes, it did do some damage to a couple of my nails. But in my opinion, well worth it!
A friend of mine suggested we try this experiment that has been floating around. The premise is that you prepare a bunch of slow-cooker meals ahead of time and save a ton of money. Count me in! We ended up making ten different recipes and freezing them. Now, a disclaimer, I haven't actually eaten any of these recipes. But I can vouch that it is an inexpensive way to make a lot of portions!
Here's the vlog I did of the day to explain it better and to show you the finished product:
RECIPES:
BBQ Pineapple Pulled Pork
one 4 – 6 pound pork shoulder
all purpose seasoning
one bottle of barbecue sauce
one 15 ounce can of diced pineapples, undrained
Directions:
Rub pork shoulder all over with all purpose seasoning and place in freezer bag, adding pineapple and BBQ sauce. FREEZE.
Thaw bag overnight before the day you want to cook.
Cook on high for six (6) hours or low for ten (10) hours.
Shred in the pot and mix with the juice. Serve on a bun with some veggies!
Lemon Garlic Chicken
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast
2 T. butter
1/4 c. water
3 T. fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 package cream cheese
Directions:
Place all ingredients EXCEPT cream cheese in the freezer bag. FREEZE.
Thaw bag night before in the fridge.
Dump all contents of bag into slow cooker. Cover, and cook on High for 3 hours, or Low for 6 hours.
About 15 minutes before you’re ready to serve, remove the chicken and place on a serving platter. Add the cream to cheese to the juice in the slow cooker, and whisk until smooth.
Ladle the sauce over rice or pasta, then place your chicken on top
Chicken and Spinach
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar any pasta sauce
Onions, bellpeppers, etc.
Cajun seasoning to taste
Sliced zucchini & squash
mushrooms sliced (fresh or can)
Bag or container of fresh spinach (I used a frozen box)
Directions:
Put all ingredients except pasta into a bag and freeze. Thaw.
Cook on low for at least 7 hours. Serve over pasta or rice.
Taco Soup
- 2 cans of kidney beans (I only used one)
–2 cans of pinto beans (I only used one)
2 cans of corn (I just eye-balled and used frozen)
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 lb browned ground turkey or hamburger
Directions:
Brown meat
Drain and rinse the beans and add all ingredients into freezer bag.
Thaw bag the night before. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5. About 20 minutes before serving, add desired amount of crushed tortilla chips into the slow cooker. Serve with a handful of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.
Crock Pot Pizza Soup
1 jar (14 oz) of pizza sauce
3 empty jars full of water
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cooked Italian sausage (I used four small sausages, whatever was cheapest)
1 cup sliced pepperoni
1/2 T dried basil
1 T dried oregano
Directions:
Cook sausage. Add everything to freezer bag.
Thaw overnight the night before.
Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours.
Thirty minutes before serving, add half a cup of dry pasta, and turn to high.
Garnish/top with shredded mozzarella cheese
Slow Cooker San Francisco Pork Chops
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 pork chops, about 1-inch thick
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
Directions:
Put all ingredients in a freezer bag.
Thaw in fridge the night before.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours until the meat is tender. If using bone-in pork chops, fish out the bones from the slow cooker. Serve over rice or with mashed potatoes.
Apple, Cheddar, and Turkey Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds extra lean turkey (I used beef)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 green apple shredded
1/2 cup sharp cheddar shredded
1/2 cup dried unsweetened cranberries
Directions:
Mix all ingredients, make golf ball size balls, freeze, thaw, and cook for 8 hours on low.
Brown Sugar Chicken
12-14 chicken thighs (I used four chicken breasts)
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup Sprite
Mix all ingredients, freeze, thaw, and cook for 6-9 hours on low.
Sloppy Joes
1 pound lean ground meat (I used beef)
1 1.5 ounce packet sloppy joe mix
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 cup warm water (added morning of)
Directions:
Mix all ingredients, freeze, thaw, and cook on low 6-7 hours. Serve on buns with vegetables on the side.
Chicken and Corn Soup
1 lb red potatoes
1 lb sweet potatoes
4 lbs chicken thighs (I used four chicken breasts)
4 cups chicken broth
4 scallions
4 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
1 bag half ears of frozen corn
2 red peppers chopped
Directions:
Mix all ingredients, freeze, thaw, and cook on low 6-7 hours.
Grocery List (Double check recipes, some things I omitted or substituted for ingredients I already have)
As tomorrow is the Official Day of Love, I decided to post a few lovey-dovey quotes today for Wise Word Wednesday. (But for all of you who are recently-single, or are single-and-loving-it, perhaps you would enjoy this list of the best break-up songs. I think it is a fab compilation!)
I realize with the cool kids and hipsters, I am soooo late to this party! But I finally listened to this album and wanted to let you know what I thought of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' The Heist.I was intrigued to hear the whole
album, wondering if all the songs were of the novelty nature, like Thrift
Shop.They aren't.This is a smart album, with a real message,
unlike other rap albums recently.Also,
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis wrote, produced and recorded this album all on their
own, without a major label.They want to
prove that you don't have to give in and use the big companies to make music
(as you can hear about in the song Jimmy Iovine).It works.The Heist doesn't feature one sample, which is virtually unheard of in
the rap game.I particularly like Ten
Thousand Hours, which is a testament to putting in countless hours of hard work
to gain success.They have been quoted
saying they work at least an 80 hour work-week.The Heist proves that there are creative artists who can stay true to
themselves, have fun and put out music unlike anything else.The Heist went to number one within hours of
being released and Thrift Shop currently has more than 96 million views on YouTube(video shot, produced etc by the artists themselves).Also a stand out track on The Heist is SameLove, a tribute to same sex marriage, another testament to going against the
grain in the rap game.The result is a
beautiful track I have had on repeat.
Overall this is a rap album unlike anything else I have heard. If you aren't a rap fan, or have a tough time to questionable language, it's probably not for you. But I am blown away!
Today's Nail of the Day is Revlon's Fashionista. I've had fun wearing it this week. I like a dark nail that is a bit more than just black. This went on well, super opaque and easy to apply. Revlon typically has easy to wear and use polishes and Fashionista is no exception. (I am not sure if the sale still exists, but I found this very cheap at Superstore!)
This is what I look like after a crazy workout! Follow me on Instagram: redheadmare :) I thought, now that we are into February and had more than a month to work on our new year's resolutions, I would check-in. How are your goals going? Did they drop off four days in? Are you still going strong? Do you need some help? Let's chat! I wanted to share with you how my goals for the year are progressing and what's working:
Feel free to leave comments below and let me know how your goals are going. Or, start fresh today and set some goals! Here is a link to my New Year's Resolution video. It explains why I chose the goals I did. To me, the key is setting goals that are attainable. Let's not set ourselves up for failure! Also, this is the Zumba class I talked about in the above video. Good luck! Let's help each other:)
