So excited that today is finally here. This has been a crazy busy week with work and football. Tonight I'm meeting up with some of the best friends a girl could ask for. We're going to one of my favorite restaurants downtown, Fong's Pizza. I know what you're thinking, "That's a strange name for a pizza place." and you're right, but it is so darn delicious! http://www.fongspizza.com/ After we have some yummy drinks and a slice of pizza we'll be heading to Wells Fargo for the BEP concert!
The Iowa Thunder are still continuing their fundraising efforts with Wells Fargo, so, I'll also get to see my teammates while I'm at the concert :) couldn't ask for a better night. Speaking of the Thunder, I've been asked to write a blog about our season. It's supposed to be written from a captain/player/female athlete perspective. I'd love having you check out that blog as well, http://iowathunderfootball.blogspot.com/, and keep track of our progress this year!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Why do you hate me daylight savings?
This is the time of year when I struggle the most. Take an hour of sleep away from me and it takes me a week to recovery. Should be interesting when we finally decide to have kids! I couldn’t seem to get myself out of bed this morning. It could be due to the fact that Parker’s alarm went off every 15 min. between 6:15 and 7:00 this morning. Not to mention there is a good possibility that the entire neighborhood heard said alarm, it’s a wonder I could even fall back asleep between the glaring noise of it all, but I did and it only made for a worse case of the Mondays.
After finally pulling myself out it was time to head to the office. Walked downstairs and pulled up to the table, I love work from home days, normally. This turned out to be an exceptionally busy day. Sophie, conveniently, slept the entire morning and afternoon in our bed. Every hour I thought about joining her for a quick snooze to get away from it all. Here I am, it’s almost 9:00 in the evening and all I can think about is sleep.
Food journal entry is going to have to wait another day because I simply can’t stay up to write it all out. New recipes we tried this week:
BBQ Ranch Sandwich, Egg Bake (super easy and awfully yummy) and last but not least – vanilla bean strawberry cake with homemade frosting. I would have eaten the entire cake had I not felt like I was developing type II diabetes. I’ll hopefully get around to posting pictures tomorrow.
Another big work day ahead and preparing for St. Paddy’s day! Good Night <3 The Parker’s!
After finally pulling myself out it was time to head to the office. Walked downstairs and pulled up to the table, I love work from home days, normally. This turned out to be an exceptionally busy day. Sophie, conveniently, slept the entire morning and afternoon in our bed. Every hour I thought about joining her for a quick snooze to get away from it all. Here I am, it’s almost 9:00 in the evening and all I can think about is sleep.
Food journal entry is going to have to wait another day because I simply can’t stay up to write it all out. New recipes we tried this week:
BBQ Ranch Sandwich, Egg Bake (super easy and awfully yummy) and last but not least – vanilla bean strawberry cake with homemade frosting. I would have eaten the entire cake had I not felt like I was developing type II diabetes. I’ll hopefully get around to posting pictures tomorrow.
Another big work day ahead and preparing for St. Paddy’s day! Good Night <3 The Parker’s!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Finally Feel Energized
For the first time in a long time I woke up feeling completely energized and it’s absolutely fabulous! I can’t remember the last time I felt this good. Surprising too since Doug got a new phone and his alarm sounds like a nuclear weapon is being fired. It about shot me out of bed the two times it went off.
Anyways, got up and ready for work and was on the road by 7:15. Got into the office early and made my Chai Latte, thank you to our fantastic single serving coffee maker, and now I’m currently participating in our monthly team conference call….well, maybe not so much participating as multi tasking. Have to pick Doug up in an hour for his six week follow-up appointment from surgery. I cannot believe he’s been on crutches for the past six weeks. It will be so wonderful when he can finally walk without all of the hassle with the crutches. He’s really looking forward to getting back into a normal routine. We’re planning on joining a new gym, preferably one with a pool since it would help with his rehab.
Last night for dinner we tried a new recipe – Salsa Burgers and Creamy Cheese Corn, yum!
Salsa Burger:
1 lb ground beef or Turkey
1 cup favorite salsa
¼ cup water
Chili Powder
Hamburger Buns
In medium skillet brown ground beef and drain. Return meat to pan and stir in salsa, water and chili powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Serve on hamburger bun and add sliced cheese if desired.
Cream Cheese Corn:
16oz package frozen corn
½ stick of butter
4oz cream cheese
In medium sauce pan and all ingredients and heat stirring occasionally. Cook till corn is thawed. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Tonight is my monthly book club meeting and we’ll be discussing the book The Help. Highly recommend reading this book if you haven’t done so. Dinner is going to have to be quick tonight so I can finish up laundry before heading to the meeting. Tonight’s recipe is Tomato Soup with Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.
Anyways, got up and ready for work and was on the road by 7:15. Got into the office early and made my Chai Latte, thank you to our fantastic single serving coffee maker, and now I’m currently participating in our monthly team conference call….well, maybe not so much participating as multi tasking. Have to pick Doug up in an hour for his six week follow-up appointment from surgery. I cannot believe he’s been on crutches for the past six weeks. It will be so wonderful when he can finally walk without all of the hassle with the crutches. He’s really looking forward to getting back into a normal routine. We’re planning on joining a new gym, preferably one with a pool since it would help with his rehab.
Last night for dinner we tried a new recipe – Salsa Burgers and Creamy Cheese Corn, yum!
Salsa Burger:
1 lb ground beef or Turkey
1 cup favorite salsa
¼ cup water
Chili Powder
Hamburger Buns
In medium skillet brown ground beef and drain. Return meat to pan and stir in salsa, water and chili powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Serve on hamburger bun and add sliced cheese if desired.
Cream Cheese Corn:
16oz package frozen corn
½ stick of butter
4oz cream cheese
In medium sauce pan and all ingredients and heat stirring occasionally. Cook till corn is thawed. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Tonight is my monthly book club meeting and we’ll be discussing the book The Help. Highly recommend reading this book if you haven’t done so. Dinner is going to have to be quick tonight so I can finish up laundry before heading to the meeting. Tonight’s recipe is Tomato Soup with Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
TGI - The WEEKEND!
I can’t believe how busy the month of March has been! Thank goodness for the kitchen, it’s become my sanctuary with all the chaos going on. With Doug being on crutches since his knee surgery he’s left unable to do….just about everything. I try and have as much done around the house for him before he gets home as possible. I was able to sneak home over my lunch break a few times this past week and get dinner made ahead of time. My crock-pot just might be my favorite cooking friend. It’s so nice to leave in the morning and “POOF” dinner is ready when you walk through the door. The crock-pot recipe this week was: Ham & Potato Goodness
Servings: 4
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High
Total time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients:
6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 pound of ham, cut into small pieces.
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 onion, diced
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
paprika
Directions:
In your slow cooker layer half sliced potatoes, ham, cheese, diced onion and one can of soup. Then layer the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker. Sprinkle a little paprika on the top.
Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours
Parker review: BEST DARN SCALLOP TATERS
Servings: 4
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High
Total time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients:
6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 pound of ham, cut into small pieces.
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 onion, diced
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
paprika
Directions:
In your slow cooker layer half sliced potatoes, ham, cheese, diced onion and one can of soup. Then layer the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker. Sprinkle a little paprika on the top.
Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours
Parker review: BEST DARN SCALLOP TATERS
Thursday, March 4, 2010
March 4th
I've found another website that I've fallen in love with - http://www.mixingbowl.com/ - I've gotten some great recipes from not only the website, but the magazine as well. yesterday I made the Chicken Nugget Casserole Dish. Super easy adn didnt' tast too bad. I would however recommend pairing this with some angel hair pasta. The casserole by it's self is good but would be even better with a little pasta!
Ingredients:
Ingredients:1 PKG (13 1/2 oz. frozen chicken nuggets)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 can (26 1/2 oz) spaghetti sauce of your choice
1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Directions:
Place chicken nuggets in a sprayed 11x7x2 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Top with sauce, shredded cheese and Italian seasoning. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or till chicken is heated thoroughly and cheese is melted.
I've managed to find a small amount of time to look through new recipes, get to the store for the food and meal prep, however, havent' found time for a run. Hoping to get that in tonight before it's time to get back home and take dinner out of the crock pot. Trying a new recipe this evening - Potatoe & Ham Goodness - I'll let you know how it is tomorrow after we've tried it!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Hello March!
March is shaping up to be a very busy month for the Parker’s! Doug is enjoying his new job with Great Southern Bank and I think he likes the fact that we only work five minutes apart. Makes it really convenient for me to drop off lunch for him, which I enjoy doing!
We are adjusting to living together and still have many, many boxes left to unpack. The other guest bedroom is slowly coming together and in a few more weeks Doug should have his “man cave” all put together. We only suffered one major catastrophe during the move….I managed to break his prized possession, the TV. Technically, this wasn’t really my fault. The guys didn’t do the best job packing it in the Pathfinder and it was on the very last turn of the drive home when we heard a huge crash come from the trunk. I managed to put a giant sized gash in the middle of the screen. Us girls thought we would be sneaky and run to BestBuy without the guys noticing. I came home with a new 50” flat screen plasma TV to try and smooth things over. Too bad it didn’t work as well as I had expected. The new TV was too large for the entertainment unit that just got moved into the basement and no one wanted to move it out. So, back to BestBuy we went to make a return. Maybe we’ll get a new TV for down there once the basement is finished.
Football (www.iowathunderfootball.com) is now two months into practice. We have seven weeks left till our first game and things are coming together. I really enjoy the group of women we have playing this year. Everyone is putting in a lot of work and we should have another successful season. Hoping to make it into the post season with the main goal of making the National Title game. I will be taking on two new roles this season, one as team captain, two as a wide receiver. I’ll still be playing free safety and will remain as the kick-off and field goal kicker.
I’m starting to find more time now that Doug is back for working out and cooking. My goal is to keep an update of my workouts and new recipes on here so keep checking back! Maybe this will help keep me motivated if I’m held accountable for updates.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010: Ran two miles today and feel like my legs are about to explode. Apparently my body disagrees with me taking two months off after the honeymoon for some R&R. Hope to get in another mile or two tonight and then it’s on to push-ups and sit-ups. Nothing like an old school workout to get me back in shape.
Recipe of the day: Ham & Potato Goodness
6 – medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 pound boneless ham, cut into small pieces
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
1 onion, chopped
1 – 10.5 ounce can cream of celery soup
1 – 10.5 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
Paprika
(1) In a 3 ½ or 4 quart slow cooker, layer half of the sliced potatoes, half of the ham, 1 ½ cups of the cheese, half of the chopped onion, and one of the cans of soup. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Sprinkle a little paprika over the top.
(2) Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Makes 4 servings
Make it a complete meal with a simple salad of spinach, chopped apples and walnuts + frozen cooked carrots glazed with coarse mustard and honey.
We are adjusting to living together and still have many, many boxes left to unpack. The other guest bedroom is slowly coming together and in a few more weeks Doug should have his “man cave” all put together. We only suffered one major catastrophe during the move….I managed to break his prized possession, the TV. Technically, this wasn’t really my fault. The guys didn’t do the best job packing it in the Pathfinder and it was on the very last turn of the drive home when we heard a huge crash come from the trunk. I managed to put a giant sized gash in the middle of the screen. Us girls thought we would be sneaky and run to BestBuy without the guys noticing. I came home with a new 50” flat screen plasma TV to try and smooth things over. Too bad it didn’t work as well as I had expected. The new TV was too large for the entertainment unit that just got moved into the basement and no one wanted to move it out. So, back to BestBuy we went to make a return. Maybe we’ll get a new TV for down there once the basement is finished.
Football (www.iowathunderfootball.com) is now two months into practice. We have seven weeks left till our first game and things are coming together. I really enjoy the group of women we have playing this year. Everyone is putting in a lot of work and we should have another successful season. Hoping to make it into the post season with the main goal of making the National Title game. I will be taking on two new roles this season, one as team captain, two as a wide receiver. I’ll still be playing free safety and will remain as the kick-off and field goal kicker.
I’m starting to find more time now that Doug is back for working out and cooking. My goal is to keep an update of my workouts and new recipes on here so keep checking back! Maybe this will help keep me motivated if I’m held accountable for updates.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010: Ran two miles today and feel like my legs are about to explode. Apparently my body disagrees with me taking two months off after the honeymoon for some R&R. Hope to get in another mile or two tonight and then it’s on to push-ups and sit-ups. Nothing like an old school workout to get me back in shape.
Recipe of the day: Ham & Potato Goodness
6 – medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 pound boneless ham, cut into small pieces
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
1 onion, chopped
1 – 10.5 ounce can cream of celery soup
1 – 10.5 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
Paprika
(1) In a 3 ½ or 4 quart slow cooker, layer half of the sliced potatoes, half of the ham, 1 ½ cups of the cheese, half of the chopped onion, and one of the cans of soup. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Sprinkle a little paprika over the top.
(2) Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Makes 4 servings
Make it a complete meal with a simple salad of spinach, chopped apples and walnuts + frozen cooked carrots glazed with coarse mustard and honey.
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