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www.jennifersbowtique.com

Belated pic...

My sweethearts on their first day of pre-school!

Chicken Cacciatore...(even the kids liked it!)

Can italian diced stewed tomatoes
boneless skinless chicken breast (on sale at publix right now for 1.99)
chopped garlic
italian seasoning
white cooking wine
olive oil
tomato paste

add a couple of tbsp of olive oil and a couple tbsp of white cooking wine to pan, season chicken with salt and pepper, add to pan and cook until browned on both sides, if the pan starts to dry out add a little more olive oil/cooking wine. when the chicken is done add the chopped garlic and can of tomatoes (do not drain) and 2 tbsp of tomato paste. stir to mix and cover allow to simmer for at least 1/2 hour ( i flipped the chicken a couple of times to make sure it flavored on both sides) and served over whole wheat penne noodles. It was really good and tasted very fresh!

quick meal, taste like you slaved over it...

Ravioli in tomato basil cream sauce

Jar of spaghetti sauce
small block of cream cheese (3 oz)
Bag of frozen ravioli/tortellini
Jar of chopped garlic
Onion
Basil

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil, add spag sauce and basil. Chop the cream cheese into cubes and add to the sauce cover and simmer on low, stir occasionally. In the meantime boil a lg pot of water when it's at a full rolling boil add ravioli/tortellini and turn heat to low. When the ravioli starts floating it's done. strain and put in a baking dish (i used a foil pan to avoid dishes to scrub later ;)) add sauce, sprinkle with parsley and serve. OR cover with foil and put it in the fridge to use as a make ahead meal! Hugs to All!

apple cinnamon muffins

I got this recipe from 5dollardinners.com but I made a few changes to make it more healthy.

1 cup of flour (i use a flour i get at publix that's a mix of whole grain wheat and white)
3 heaping tbsp applesauce
1/3 cup of sugar
2 eggs (I used 1 egg and 3 tbsp egg whites to cut the fat content)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon (i used a little more in my apple cinnamon muffins)
1 cup of grated/mashed/chopped fruit (1 lg apple peeled, cored, grated equals one cup)


mix eggs, applesauce, fruit, and sugar
stir in dry ingredients
bake @ 350 (8-10 min for mini muffins or 15-18 min for full size muffins)

blueberry cake recipe...

This cake is sooooo good and I have made a few minor adjustments to make it even healthier but it def taste sinful...

It is good as a dessert with a blob of lite cool whip or for breakfast as a coffee cake!

1 cup fresh blueberrys
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cook oats
2 tst baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon ( i always add a little extra)
1 cup gran sugar OR splenda (I actually add a little less than a cup and havent noticed the diff)
2/3 cup of vanilla yogurt (I use fat free lite vanilla and it taste exactly the same and is a huge calorie and fat saver!!! I am tempted to try a diff flavor yogurt one day but for now its perfect!)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup milk ( I use skim)
2 lg eggs (I use 1/3 cup egg whites)
Cinnamon sugar/splenda for topping

mix blueberrys,flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar in lg mix bowl. then in smaller bowl wisk yogurt, lemon juice, milk, egg. then gently blend all ingredients together. i reccomend doing the entire recipe by hand as the blueberrys will smush and it's not as pretty plus its super easy! put in a loaf pan sprayed with pam and sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar then bake at 350 for 35-45 min!

the kids love helping with the recipe and ryan thinks its yummy! Picky Paige however says the blueberrys look "melted" and won't even try it!

so much fun...

The four of us had so much fun making homemade pudding pops today! I got the recipe out of the Kraft magazine! We took a large box of pudding and three cups of milk and mixed it with the hand mixer for two minutes then folded in 1 cup of cool whip thawed. The we let the kids make individual pudding pops and mix in whatever they wanted. I set up all these little bowls with things to mix in..m&m's, oreos crushed, chopped up marshmallows etc they mixed it up and it was put in paper cups and we stuck plastic spoons in the middle and now they are freezing! I'll keep you posted but they looked soooooo yummy!

For Mindy...

Mindy I hope the layered dinner turned out well for you, I love it because there is no dishes and I don't have to think of a side dish, it's all there! I forgot to post that you can also take fresh green beans (ends snapped off of course!) and wrap them in a foil packet and use them in place of corn!

The pork tacos are super easy!

I used a 1 lb boneless pork loin, add about 1-2 tsp taco seasoning or seasoned salt, sprinkle it all over the meat, then add about 1/2 cup lowrys tequila lime marinade and crockpot for 6-7 hrs until shreddable. Shred with a fork and serve with taco fixin's. yummy!

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers Day to all! I love my children very much! Today and Everyday!

The kids first Rays game...

We also went to the Rays game the other day! It was Ryan and Paiges first game and we all had so much fun! Paige would stick her tongue out at the umpire when we didn't agree with his calls, and screamed "that's not very nice!" when the Orioles pitcher hit one of our guys! It was great and the kids loved screaming and yelling and waving their foam fingers! The Rays won so it made for a great night out with the family! I just don't understand parents who don't love doing things like that with their kids! We enjoy our family outings immensely!

Fun at Busch Gardens...

We had so much fun at Busch Gardens with the kids the other day, and as you can see Ryan and Paige made a new friend! The kids thought it was hilarious that I was so scared on the skyride, I was clutching the pole in the center for dear life! We rode the flume ride twice so each of the kids could have a chance to sit up front they thought the"flu ride" was the best thing ever!

Another recipe...

Another crockpot recipe...

Layered Steak Dinner

4 round steaks
4 sm-med baking potatoes
4 ears corn on the cob
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp liquid smoke
choice of seasoning



Season steaks with your choice of seasoning, lay in the bottom of the crockpot and pour water mixed with liquid smoke over the meat. Then wrap each baking potato and each ear of corn individually in foil. Layer first the potatoes then the corn over the meat. Close the lid tightly then cook for 8-9 hrs on low!

Just for Erin...

I told my newlywed friend Erin that I would post some of my favorite crockpot recipes for her(EVEN THOUGH SHE IS NOT OFFICIALLY FOLLOWING MY BLOG YET!) so here is one...

Crockpot Rotissere Chicken

The leftover chicken is phenomenal the next day in chicken and blackbean quesadillas!


1 whole chicken, skinned (4-5 pounds)
3 tsp salt
1-2 tsp paprika (I like a little more)
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme (optional)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
pinch of chili pepper (probably not necessary doesn't nec make it spicy but adds flavor)
4 whole garlic cloves (optional i used 2-3 tsp of the chopped garlic that comes in a jar in the prod section)
1 yellow onion, quartered (optional i only used about a half of an onion)

Skin the chicken and get rid of the neck and other stuff from the cavity. This takes a while, and is gross. You have to do this to keep the chicken from being slimy and greasy and gross. .In a bowl, combine all of dried spices. Rub the spice mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Plop the bird breast-side down into the crockpot.If desired, shove garlic and onion inside the bird. Do not add water. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8. The meat is done when it is fully cooked and has reached desired tenderness. The longer you cook it, the more tender the meat. so yummy!

please pray...

Please pray for a very special family who are near and dear to my heart. They had a devastating loss, a family member who took his own life and left a wonderful woman and two beautiful children. Please keep them in your prayers.

a new job...

So excited i found out i got a new job today! Three big pluses: so close to home (live 5 minutes) days WOO HOO!) and it's six to six so i can be home for dinner every night!! of course the new job apprehension is always there! they are letting me off for our already planned family vacation but will i be able to get off for the little stuff? either way so excited!

btw P doesnt want to live with us anymore I didnt think they were supposed to start that until they were like fifteen and she's only four! she's hilarious she wants to live wherever she will never get a spanking or a time out! they say the funniest things at this age!

a nice weekend off...

This weekend I was actually off the whole weekend and we had a very nice relaxing weekend. Saturday mike golfed in his company's annual golf tournament and the kids and I attended cooking class at Young Chefs Academy, too cute! They made strawberry slushies and soft pretzels. The pretzels they liked but the slushies both kids said were to spicy! I think they meant icy as in cold, but it was cute so I didn't correct them! Then Sunday we all went to the beach as a family! Mike and I reminisced about the days when all we needed for the beach was a towel! It was a good time none the less! My children love the beach! It is the one place that they don't fuss and fight! They don't need to be entertained, there is no whining! They just play and play! It is soooooo nice!

Crazy weekend crammed with quality family time...

I wasnt feeling to well at the beginning of the weekend so I wasn't really sure how it would go but we ended up having a very nice/busy weekend. We did the traditional dye the eggs thing with the kids which they loved! See above!

Then Sunday of course the easter bunny had come so we had basket time, then church where the kids were moderately good. Then we traveled to brandon to mimis (yummy!) for breakfast with mikes family. Then home to change clothes and pick up my baked treats to take to my moms for lunch and an easter egg hunt! By then we were exhausted but made a last minute decision to swing by my aunts house to see my cousins and aunt and uncle. whew! so tired the kids conked out by seven and i wasnt far behind them! overall it was nice but I am beat!

So over the night shift...

Here I sit at work struggling to keep my eyes open (again!) battling a horrendous upset stomach from my 5th cup of coffee which has done nothing for the tiredness but has given me a very concerning racing hear with the occasional palpitation! my large caffeine consumption has also increased my anxiety level ten fold! I am thinking about switching to days...
any thoughts?

On the plus side I made spagetti and meatballs for dinner tonight and Paige enthusiastically informed me that it was "the best zasketti and meatballs ever!" I love my little monkeys they brighten my day! and apparently my nights too as I just smiled thinking about them! <3

Count your blessings everyday...

I just read the saddest story and broke down and cried. I could not imagine, this womans is pregnant with her second child and her husband has a few strange symptoms and died 14 days later of non-hodgkins lymphoma. I could not imagine being able to carry on. Please pray for this family and count your blessings everyday!

Another crazy day...

I really didn't have anything terribly interesting to blog about today buy it's been awhile so here we are...

let's see today I did my dress fitting for the wedding I am in in April, it's being taken in and the seamstress said the color did wonders for me. Compliments are always nice!

but before that I took my wild monkeys to international mall to attempt (ATTEMPT) a little shopping. we made it to one store and half way thru the store mike called to see where to meet me I said "Forever 21 and hurry" the kids were insane they literally climbed and crawled all over the dressing room then loudly informed me that they could see my "boops" and laughed hysterically when I took my shirt off to try on the dresses! it was so much fun!!

on the plus side I got two cute sundresses and 1 fabulous pair of lucky jeans (50%off!!!) yay!

I also cooked fajittas in the crockpot today and they smell yummy! anyone who knows me knows I am a crockpot fanatic! just in case you were interested here is how you do it..

cut 1 lb FROZEN chicken breast into strips throw into crockpot add 3/4 pack fajita seasoning packet and stir, then on top of the chicken i put 1/2 onion, 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper all cut into strips added the rest of the fajitta seasoning packet and stirred the veggies to mix ( but they need to stay on top of the chicken) then I took 1/4 cup tequila lime marinade and mixed w/ 1/4 cup water and poured it over the top and set to low...I just set it to keep warm at six hours because it looked done so next time I will start this a little later but will keep you posted ! :)

So thankful for everything I have...

So here I sit at work (surprisingly not busy) thinking of all that I have, where usually I think I focus on all that I do not have.

I complain that we can't sell our house and buy a larger one on a larger piece of property, while that would be nice, I am greatful that my family is happy and healthy and all together.

I complain that I don't have time to run everyday and can't get my pace any faster, that would be nice as well, but I am grateful that I have two legs that work and a body that is healthy enough that I am able to run and the main thing impeding my running is my two children who are also healthy and able.

I complain that I don't have enough time to get things done, that there are not enough hours in the day, but I am grateful that I am not lying in a hospital bed staring at a clock wishing the time would not move so slowly.

Remember on this day of love while gifts and such from your loved ones are nice, the loved ones themselves are what are really important. Try to stop and focus on what you already have! Happy Valentines Day Everyone!

how it all began today...

I woke up this morning to Ryans face about 1/2 inch from mine asking if I was awake, I think I mumbed something and lifted up the covers to let him in and then passed back out! I work tonight so I tried to sleep as long as possible with one ear on the kids...APPARENTLY one ear is not enough. They seemed to be playing quietly (no screaming, no crying, no crashes, no dog yelping for dear life) so I stayed in bed dozing on and off when suddenly I awoken by Paige telling me they couldn't watch a movie because the "player" was broken. I went out to the living room where approx 20 dvds were scattered all over the floor and the "player" was indeed broken it is now stuck in the open position it won't close and when forced closed it pops back open. I spanked both children and sent them to their rooms so I could do damage assessment on the dvds all over the floor and attempt to fix the dvd player. Now keep in mind this is the THIRD dvd player my children have broken since they have been in existance!!!!!!!! The last time it wouldn't open both children of course denied any wrong doing and when I pried it open I found a plastic cookie shoved inside!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love my children but I think they are making a very good attempt at shoving me over the edge! :-)

why am i so hungry?

I can't stop eating!!! Why am i so hungry?!?! NO i am not pregnant before anyone even asks!! So far today I had breakfast (2 pieces of raisin toast w/ light crm cheese and a coffee), a piece of banana bread, some milk, a healthy choice panini and baked chips, a pudding, a biscotti and it's only one thirty!!! my only saving grace is that i am about to do a biggest loser dvd and running for two hours tonight! but for crying out loud i want to lose weight not just exercise to work off the massive amounts of food i'm consuming! Does anyone have any tips? I would very much like to lose about 5 lbs by my bridesmaid dress fitting...any advice? Grrrrr!

First blog...

So Mindy...
Hope you don't mind, in fact I hope you're flattered...I decided to start blogging. I am hoping that this will be somewhat of a stress reliever, help me to unload my mind and sort my thoughts in a sense!

Today my goal was to go thru Paige and Ryan's closets and dressers and remove all clothing I no longer want them to wear (to small, stained, just can't stand to see them wear it one more time. etc) because inevitably I send Mike to dress them and oneo f these items will end up on their bodies!

So I made it thru the clothes and ended up with two entire trash bags, one containing items for the trash and one containing items to either be consigned at once upon a child (which is a fabulous childrens consignment shop!!!) or donated (probably/hopefully the first as a little extra cash is always fun!!)

So I came to two realizations today:

1. my babies have grown way to fast, it seems like yesterday we brought them home from the hospital and stared at my tiny little twins completely bewildered as to what to do next and now...well we still stare at them in bewilderment not sure what to do next but now they aren't precious infants, they're naughty sassy toddlers!

2. my children have strangely disproportionate bodies Paige wears a size 3t shorts and needs a 4t pants (but strictly for lenght issues the waist needs to be adjustable and set to the smallest size) and a 5t top, Ryan wears a 2t/3t shorts, same issue with the pants and also wears a 5t top! weird huh?

so as exciting as that was, that's it for now time to work out, (gotta get bikini ready!)