Salsa Roast Tacos- EASIEST Crock pot Recipe Yet!

Thank you for all of the sweet comments from my LEAST fun post to write so far, HA.  Of course I can count on my blog readers to encourage and inspire, you guys are the best!  

We have 25 and counting in our challenge group so far and would love for you to join us if you hate breakfast, are on the go, need to lose a few pounds, or need energy!  If you are looking for a way to supplement your income or praying to find a way to stay at home with your children, 

I have a friend that made $12k last month.  

I'll certainly help you if this sounds like something for you. 

 Just email me or comment below.

Here is the challenge we are doing- won't you join us?

My mom said my dad stole hers this morning.

Back to food.  HA. 

Since I still am on a quest to cook for my family, 

I am sharing with you, 

THE EASIEST CROCKPOT RECIPE EVER!!!!

SALSA ROAST TACOS!

They are so good, I barely got a 'mini' taco!

HUGE hit with my parents, husband and even little K!

All you need is a sirloin tip roast, salsa, tortillas, sour cream and shredded cheese (add taco toppings to taste)

Here is a close up of the meat.  I went small because we are a small family!

Put the roast in the crockpot, dump the jar of salsa on top.  Set on high for 5 hours!
HOW EASY IS THAT?????
The roast shreds and is so moist (that word makes me cringe)!

I cut a little pie corner of a tortilla and then loaded mine up with the roast (it shreds in the crockpot) and sour cream and cheese! YUM!

I served some of these yummies as a garnish to the plate, my husband and I are obsessed with everything they make.  Food SHOULD taste good, right?  


Needless to say, there were no leftovers.  Good sign, right?

The Fat Stops Here- A 90 Day Challenge

Last week I posted on my personal facebook page,

"I wish I was thinner"

I really should have lost all of my baby weight by now.  I mean, hello, she's 2, right?

But...I haven't.  

I'm still living in chubbyville.

In 2009, I looked like this.

Then later that year, this happened.

I had placenta previa and had every symptom of pre eclampsia except the protein in the urine and was a puff ball of fluid. Bed rest.  So, I ate.  And slept.  And ate.  And gained 60 lbs.  And had a c-section.  

And this little piece of perfection.

8lbs 9 ounces, born at 39 weeks
and yes, worth EVERY pound gained.

She's so cute in this pic I wanna gobble her up.

(I meant that less weird than it sounded)

Oh, and then I quit a huge career.  And moved out of state.  And lost my trainer.  And became a stay at home mom.  And felt clueless.  And lost my identity.  And didn't know how to feel successful.  

And became depressed even though I was IN LOVE.  

I literally just got off Lexapro, an antidepressant, last week.

How's that for throwing it all out there?

And you thought I was just a blogger.  HA

I wasn't joking when I said that this blog 

saved me in many ways!

I'm sick of being a chubbo.

I cannot TELL you how much that I wish THIS was ME in sweet Megan's post.  Talk about jealous!  And I'm so proud of her journey!  It made me cry I wanted to be her so badly.  
So I gotta start somewhere, right?

I'm going to do a 90 day nutritional challenge.
Why THIS challenge?
Because I SWEAR there is crack in these shakes, 
they taste so good.

My trainer first told me about these shakes but I blew him off.

Vinny from The Biggest Loser is using them at our gym and that is why my trainer wanted me to try them

(insert evil eye to trainer for mentioning me and Biggest Loser in same sentence- HA)

Do you KNOW how many shakes, etc I've tried? UGH

But then I got a hold of a sample, and now I'm hooked.

Wanna do it with me?

I'll be blogging my journey.  Keepin it real.  

If I can crossfit, surely I can do this, right?

(look at my cute new mini blender!!) (Its the little things people...lol)

I told my therapist last week,

"I would NEVER treat you like I treat me."

So today it ends, 

no more beating myself up emotionally.

no more hating my body.

I'm going to continue to make healthy choices and exercise!

Say a prayer for me please.....

*I signed up a' la mode to be a distributor for the shakes to make it easier if you'd like to try them too 

(have I lead you astray yet?)

click here if you wanna try my new addiction.

*I've created a facebook group for those of us participating so we can have support for each other and share tips and thoughts while on the challenge...email me if you'd like me to add you to the group!

*I have tried a LOT of programs in my day and would NEVER endorse any of them but this one has me hooked so I wanted to share (just like everything else on this blog)

------------------------------------------------------

***EDIT***

(I got a bajillion emails requesting info so here's a little synopsis on the shakes for you)

1. What is unique about the Vi-Shape® Nutritional Shake mix?

There are so many unique benefits, and ingredients, so here are a few:

a. It tastes amazing. We call it the “Shake mix that tastes like a cake mix”. If you do a blind taste test vs. other

shakes, you’ll see that many have either a gritty texture, can have a bitter or metallic after taste that lingers.

Other shakes can smell bitter, or like chemicals. Ours is different because of the unique, high quality

ingredients that we use.

b. Our shake is lower in sodium, fat, and carbohydrates than other shakes. Many companies will use sodium

to make the bland ingredients taste better, fat to make flavor carry, or add sugar to mask bitter notes. You

can see from our comparison chart that we surpass the competition, due to our high quality.

c. Our shake is diabetic friendly. Many shakes use sugar, fructose, or other sweeteners that can spike blood

sugar. This may result in low energy, hunger, and more. Ours has no added sugar, and is diabetic friendly.

d. We use 3 specially processed proteins. This provides fast, and long lasting hunger control, and can also

help maintain lean muscle while targeting fat. Our shake has been specially processed to remove lactose,

remove fat, remove carbohydrates, and remove isoflavones from the soy that can impact estrogen.

Therefore, body builders, those sensitive to hormones can use our shake.

e. We include ingredients that other shakes don’t. We include digestive enzymes to help maximize protein

absorption, prebiotics to support the bodies detox process and digestive health, vitamins, minerals,

calcium, and more.

f. Affordability. There is simply no other shake that matches what we offer, for the price! By having a shake a

day you can not only help fuel your body with powerful nutrients, but you can save money too.

2. What are the primary benefits of the Vi-Shape shake mix?

›› The shake mix provides complete nutrition – fast

›› Helps control appetite

›› Provides bone-healthy calcium

›› Provides heart healthy, low fat protein

›› Helps promote & maintain lean muscle mass

›› Supports protein digestion and nutrient absorption

›› Helps support healthy energy levels while cutting calories

›› Provides non-gassy fiber benefits for digestive health

›› Includes two unique fibers for health, and for hunger control

›› Supports a low glycemic lifestyle

›› Supports healthy metabolism

›› Gluten free. Lactose free. Low sodium, diabetic friendly. Low sugar. Tastes amazing

Stroller Crack- Uppa Baby G-Luxe

I love a deal.

I've been stalking looking every week at Essex for this stroller that my good bloggy friend Julia told me about!

(She has amazing taste and is funny to boot, if you don't read her blog, you should!)

Seek and your husband ye shall find!

Uppa Baby G- Luxe

I love the fact that is it SUPER light weight, reclines, basket underneath for shopping,has the cup holder attached and folds and unfolds SO easily!

Trust me when I say I have some experience with strollers.  We also have the Bugaboo Bee (nice but kinda clunky for the trunk in my opinion) and also the Bob jog stroller (perfect for places like the zoo, park, neighborhood strolls).

This stroller is PERFECT for the car!  

(and I am super picky)

I'm in love and I know thats sick and wrong people.  Ha

You can buy it here for $189

but I wanted to pay less, so I went to Essex every week when I could, and on Saturday my husband walked it over to me and said, 'here you go!'  LOVE HIM!  

He bought it at Essex for $100.  

Now thats more like it!

We tried it out shopping later that day, and K loved it. 

Yes, I just blogged about a stroller.  

I love it that much!


PS- I got an email saying that there is a nursery in Parenting magazine baby years edition page 84 that looks a heck of a lot like baby k's nursery- I don't have that mag- if you do, will you take a pic for me and show me????
alamodemaven@gmail.com

Lunch At The Taco Truck- Taqueria el recondo

Yesterday was gorgeous.  

75 and sunny with an amazing breeze.

Met the hubs at our favorite taco truck.

(How cute is he?  Love that man.)

Taqueria el Recondo Taco Truck

(98% health rating too)

Hubs usually gets 2 of each and we just share.

My favorite is asada and pastor.  

Hubs loves barbacoa and carnitas.

Tacos are $1.25

This how we roll.  

Lift the hatch on the SUV and sit and eat.

Keepin' it classy at the taco truck.

My friend Mandy says there is a mac and cheese truck here in Nashville and my inner fat girl says

"Lets find it! STAT!"

Here is a great roundup on Nashville's Taco Trucks.

Do you enjoy the food trucks?

I wish Nashville had more!

KK and I had a fun afternoon at the park 

in this gorgeous weather too!!!

Crockpot Chicken Burritos!

Do you crave mexican food often?

like me? WAAAY too often...

Crockpot Chicken Burritos!!!


Easy, peasy, recipeasy!

All you need are these goodies, 3 frozen chicken breasts and tortillas and/or rice

Shack it all up in here.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours!

(I bought some of the slow cooker liners, no mess!)

Let it cool for 30 minutes and it will thicken.

Scoop it right up and put in your tortilla

(or serve over rice)

My sweet neighbor Jill is a foodie and she loved it.  

She also said it could use some taco seasoning for a kick.

I agree!  My mom added it to her batch and they loved it.

YUMMY!

The hubs ate three!

Even K ate a mini burrito, but she likes to call them tacos!

I give it a BIG thumbs up and thanks to my friend Kristen (she is my BFF's SIL) 

for the recipe 

(on facebook of course)

GIVE IT A TRY 

(and let me know if you like or have modifications, etc!)

The Everygirl Launches Today!

I am so excited to announce the launch of The Everygirl, the newest online resource helping shape creative, career-driven women. The hub of the site is to feature career profiles of female entrepreneurs, businesswomen, and bloggers. The purpose of the site is to feature relatable content for everygirls everywhere, with topics ranging from career profiles and financial advice to home tours and cooking guides. So if it's an interview with a successful entrepreneur, we'll ask her what she did when she was 23 years old and how she made the leap to start her own company. If it's a fashion piece, we'll place budget caps on all of the items highlighted. If it's a travel story, we'll suggest affordable but fun and safe destinations, hotels, and transportation options. By presenting attainable examples of this wide range of content, The Everygirl will help inspire readers toward living a well-rounded life.

The Everygirl will also include: 
- Budget-friendly fashion and interior design features. How women turn real apartments into lovely, liveable homes
- City guides outlined by stylish women who reside there
- Quick, easy, and affordable recipes
- Tips on budgeting, investing, and making the most of your paycheck
- Detailed guides on starting a blog, writing a resume, job hunting, using Photoshop, etc.
- Life, finance, small business, and nutritional advice columns written by certified professionals

What the co-founders have to say:

"I have wanted to do something like this for a few years now, so to see it come together and to be able to share this with all of you is a dream come true!" - Danielle Moss

(Danielle is my blog designer and I love her!!!)

"In all honesty, The Everygirl is a site I wish I had when I was 22, graduating from school without a single connection to call on, and wondering: Wow, what next? Where do I begin?" -Alaina Kaczmarski

Yummy Mocktails Turned Cocktails?

Have you seen these?

I can't wait to try them!

Is it wrong that I'm thinking it might make a nice low-cal cocktail to share with girlfriends?
Add a little liquor and viola!

I'll let you know if they are gross... or great!

If you have tried them, tell me what you think!

Crockpot Honey Chicken

I might start cooking.  Might.
My girlfriends told me to start with the crock pot.  
They keep telling me I can do this.  
So I tried.
My BFF may or may not have had to walk me through making this while ON the phone with me last week.

CROCK POT HONEY CHICKEN

Uncooked chicken gives me the heebie jeebies, but here ya go

(my mom says I walked into the kitchen one time when I was little, and said "I don't EVER want to see chicken like that again"  - it was uncooked, guess I took that to heart for too long)

Okay, thats better.  Chicken on lock down in the crock pot.

Here is my cheat rice....complete with WW points written on the front - you're welcome.  Ha.

I let mine cook too long in the crock pot.  

I TOLD YOU I'm an  AMATEUR!  

I put it in on low from 11-3:30pm. Don't do that.   I should have only let it cook for 3 hours on low.  Not 4 1/2.

My husband said it was really good (he ate the leftovers too so I guess he wasn't lying) but by cooking it too long it was a soupier sauce and not the consistency of honey which would have been better.  Oh well, I tried.  Next time, right?

My BFF says when you make it right it is AMAZING and she's made it several times and it is a favorite.  Thanks BFF.

Here is what it is supposed to look like

(I forgot to take an after pic of my honey chicken soup)

3/4 pound chicken (of your choice)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/8 cup chopped onion (or 1/16 cup onion flakes)

1/8 cup ketchup

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3 hours or on high 1 1/2 hours. Chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce. Serve over rice or noodles.

To bake chicken as a 30 minute meal:

Dice chicken and season both sides with salt and pepper, place in 8x8 pan. Pour sauce over chicken and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.

Serves 2.

Go check out this blog 

I'm going to see if can try one recipe a week!

Don't hold me to that.

In other news,

We had a pretty snowfall on Sunday, but it didn't stick.

It was fun while it lasted, but it ain't no fun no more.

HAPPY MONDAY!!!

Current Obsession- Anti Age Eye Cloths

My latest beauty/skincare obsession:

Have yall tried these?

I use them ALL THE TIME.

They are awesome for taking off your make up, refreshing your face after a butt kicking work out, re doing your make up before you go out, etc.  They are great for travel too (and on the airplane when you feel kinda icky). I LOVE that they have anti aging properties (I need all the help I can get)

I get mine here

(here is the link for the eye cloths)

If you use them, let me know how you like them too

or if you have a use for them that I didn't mention!

Chloe Sunglasses at TJMaxx

My TJMaxx find of the week

Chloe Sunglasses

Chloe Striped Sunglasses

Chloe Caramel Sunglasses

Chloe Birch Sunglasses

They were all marked $12.99 a pair. 

So yes, I bought them all.  

A girl can never have too many pairs of sunglasses right?

I like to tell my husband,

"I'm photosensitive"

(I learned that at the eye doctor, lol)

Now, if I could only find a Chloe bag at TJMaxx.

Tory Burch Flats And A Meltdown

Well, I hope you all had the sweetest Valentine's Day!

(Now I'm a chubbo and have to go work it all off today.)

St.  John was super sweet, treating me to breakfast in bed!  That night I got a card, a bottle of prosecco (my fav!) and 

oh, how I LOVE that man.

(the eddie flats have memory foam and they rock my world)

In other news, earlier that morning.....

The goody basket was a hit!

"Moh pwesents momma?"

(she got a little spoiled from her birthday a few weeks ago)

"No, baby, just the one"  LOL.

Uh oh, meltdown......

(codename: I'm 2)

VERY angry with momma.

But I was trying to get her adorable dress!

well, here it is hanging on the wall right before I put it on her and we had the 4 alarm meltdown.  The ribbons on the side tie in bows and that extra bow is a hair bow that we didn't use.  If you ever want custom dresses made, tookie tots makes a lot of ours and she does beautiful work!  I just email her the design I am thinking and she brings it to life!!!  

Apparently when the hubs took K to school she ran right in and hugged the teacher.....maybe she was just having a meltdown over my papparazzi mode.  *sigh*

Valentines Day- Monogramming, A Tablescape and A Goody Basket

So last night I was 'that mom' monogramming this valentine chair backpack for K's party today....

turned out pretty cute, no?

(good thing, because my machine was driving me nuts)

see, you slip the little valentines in the top, so stinking fun!

aaaand....k thought it was a backpack for HER.  

(yes, she's half naked, thats how we roll sometimes...)

It actually did fit her pretty well, ha!

All in all, not a bad $19 item from Pottery Barn Kids!

I decided to set a cute little valentine party tablescape 

(with stuff I already had)

I think we will have fun eating here tonight!

Maybe we'll order one of those heart shaped pizzas...

The cookies are SO good and are from 

Piece de Resistance, The little cake I just randomly picked up at Publix yesterday (good thing I took a few pics, as my husband snagged it and ate it all up!)

K's valentine goody basket

(I collect stuff on sale/good deal whenever I see it, some of it is half off after Vday last year, I'm crafty like that)

I can't WAIT for K to wake up!!!!

(I'll post her outfit later today!)