Crafty Me Monday

Remember how I was trying to learn to be crafty a while ago and I decided to make something with this? Well, I painted it right after it was taken apart. A lovely yellow. The plan for it was that it was going to be a magnetic make up holder like this one. The magnets I bought weren't strong enough to hold my make up onto the washboard, and I never got around to getting a piece of sheet metal to replace it. The washboard has been on the wall in my bathroom for almost a year. Well, this evening I was trying to organize my bathroom and I got a brilliant idea, why not use it for something useful?!

So, I did. I put nails in to hold my necklaces. The nails aren't in straight...at ALL! Luckily, you can't really tell once the necklaces are hung up. Then I put some pretty ribbon on with my hot glue gun to hold my hair clips and what not.

Looks pretty good for 10 minutes of work, wouldn't you say? 

Chicken and Black Bean Nachos

I didn't end up going grocery shopping on Monday. I somehow didn't realize that it was my anniversary that day. (Isn't that the guys role?) I did, however, do laundry. Fun way to celebrate, huh? Anyway, laundry has nothing to do wish grocery shopping or cooking. I ended up doing my shopping after work yesterday, which left little time to prepare one of my bigger meals, so I ended up making BLT Lettuce Wraps. 

BLT lettuce wraps just don't have much to them, so we decided to put them in tortillas. I know that kinda defeats the purpose of a lettuce wrap, but we wanted them to sustain us a little. I also put avocado on mine, since I bought enough. 

Tonight, however, was way better! I made Chicken and Black Bean Nachos. They were fabulous! I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I don't like chopping cilantro, seeing as I don't have very good knives for chopping (I only own steak knives, sad huh?). And, rather than buy it and use it once, I just mixed in some dried cilantro into the sour cream, along with a little salsa. I didn't use any more salsa when I was eating it either. I thought they were great without it. Hubby on the other hand LOVES salsa, so he used a lot. 

As far as the chicken goes, the recipe didn't say how much to use. I boiled 2 chicken breasts and then shredded them. It was really easy and they are super yummy! I know they are really an appetizer, but they work for dinner! 

Even if you're not great at cooking, which I am not, this is a super easy recipe and you can do a lot with it too. I put tomatoes on them, even though it wasn't in the recipe. You could put avocados, black olives, and tons of other things I'm sure. 

I highly recommend these Nachos!

Confessions and a Menu

I have a serious problem when it comes to making dinner for my hubby and I. If I don't have anything planned, 9 times out of 10, he ends up cooking. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that he was a bachelor for so long (compared to most LDS men) and cooking for himself the whole time. He has an amazingly talented mother who, on top of everything else, knows how to cook exceptionally well and taught him most of what he knows when it comes to the kitchen. He can go into the kitchen and in 30 minutes have cooked a tasty meal. I, on the other hand, cannot. I have to know exactly what my options are.

Hubby and his parents (excuse the squinting, it was really bright after we got married). This is the amazing woman that taught hubby how to cook (and is teaching me now too since my momma is across the country) and so much more. 

When we first got married, my amazing hubby was the one cooking most nights. I would go into the kitchen when I got home from work, look in the cupboards and fridge, and come out to him saying, "We have no food in our apartment!" to which he would say, "Yes, we do," and he'd go make something fantastic.

I have been working on making dinners for a while now, and I'm starting to get better! I am still not good at making recipes with the same ingredients so that I don't have random ingredients sitting in my fridge forever (or if fresh, going bad before I can use them). I am trying though, so that's what really matters right?

On top of trying to cook, I am also trying to cook healthier! Something about getting married made my husband and I gain a little wait. I think it's something to do with the fact that we don't do as much as well as being brought up thinking that cheese and bacon are healthy foods! ha. Don't get me wrong. I am not cutting out two of the most amazing foods, but cutting back.

This week, I am planning for 8 meals. I know, I know...there is only 7 days in a week. I don't like scheduling what I will make on what day. I mean, lets face it, sometimes you just crave something, right? I want my menu to be flexible, so that if I don't spaghetti, it's not the end of the world if I change it. Does that count as being spontaneous? I think that's as spontaneous as I get to be honest...sad. Anyway! Here is what my plan is for the week!

(In no specific order)
1. Chicken & Black Bean Nachos - I have never made these, but I am excited to!

2. Pasta w/ Garlic Bread Crumbs - Same as above.

3. Cheesy Quinoa Mac & Cheese - Hubby says he hates quinoa, but he's never really had it. I haven't either, so I figure, it's covered in cheese, how bad can it be? (I know, I just finished saying that I was going to make healthy meals, but come on...Mac & Cheese is a classic, right?) We'll work up to no cheese. At least this way he'll eat it.

4. Pasta Salad
Tri-colored rotini with Italian Dressing. Then you can put in whatever you want. Some of my favorites are:

• Shredded Italian cheese mix
• Carrots
• Mini pepperoni (normal size work too, you just need to cut them up)
• Celery
• Avocado
• Tomato
• Black olives

Other options:

• Yellow, red or green peppers
• Onion
• Broccoli 

Pretty much anything that sounds good to you. Just make sure you don't smother it with dressing though! You want to taste the veggies and other ingredients, not a mouthful of dressing. Yuck!

5. Avocado Grilled Cheese - Never made, but it sounds amazing.

6. Pan-Roasted Chicken w/ Lemon-Garlic Green Beans - Never made.

7. BLT Lettuce Wraps - For lazy nights.

8. Slow Cooker Parmesan Honey Pork Roast - This is going to be my second time making this. I made it once before and I didn't even get to eat it. I used pork chops instead of a roast and by the time I got home from work, it was black. Not a little black around the edges. COMPLETELY black and dry and I was so ticked. I had been bragging at work how I was going to get an amazing dinner when I got home. We ended up going to Taco Bell. Not so amazing. This time, I will be home the entire time this is in the crock pot! It will be good! Then I will go back to work and brag. :) Is that wrong? 

Well, this is what's planned for this week. Hopefully I'll be able to go buy all the ingredients tomorrow! Wish me luck!

Our Trip to NC

Dustin and I got back from our trip to NC on Tuesday. It was really sad leaving, but I am so glad to be home and sleeping in my own bed. It was especially nice being able to stay for Monday and be there when most of the family had left to go back to their lives. When I think about going "home" to see family, I always think of everyone being there and having fun all the time. Obviously, that isn't realistic. On Monday I got to go to my sisters house to hang out and be around her kids. She was off doing Visiting Teaching for church, her husband was working, the boys were fighting, and the oldest was getting in trouble for being on the Wii for 3 hours. And on top of that, my best friend is a "grown up" now and has a real job. I can't just drag her away to go play. Normal life right? So now that I think about it...what am I really missing now that I'm not in NC? 

It was REALLY hot the whole time we were there. Not 90's hot...it was in the 100's the majority of the time we were there. We were really excited to come home to cooler weather, except that my father informed us the morning we were leaving that it was 104 in Salt Lake and it was in the 70's that day. Rotten luck, huh? 

Here are some cute pictures from when we went to a kids park/play ground/wild life center that we went to. Excuse the grossness and sweat...like I said, it was in the 100's. 

My niece is gorgeous! I just love her! 

I honestly don't know what I was thinking. I didn't want the littlest in the back where I couldn't grab here, just in case something happened. So the 9 year old that could help was in the back while I did all the work to go around the pond. I apparently didn't think that one through very well. :)