Baked Rigatoni
6 oz lean ground turkey
1 cup cooked whole wheat pasta (rigatoni)
1 cup tomato sauce
½ cup part skim ricotta cheese
½ cup shredded fat free mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 400º
2. Spray a 1 ½ or 2 quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.
3. Spray a skillet with nonstick spray and heat; brown turkey meat.
4. Add pasta and sauce, mix well.
5. Transfer mixture into casserole dish, spreading evenly. Drop teaspoonfuls of ricotta cheese evenly over pasta mixture.
6. Bake until mixture is heated and ricotta cheese melts, 10-12 minutes.
7. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella, bake until cheese is melted and mixture is steaming hot, 10-12 minutes longer. Makes 4 servings.
Zero Point Soup (Weight Watchers recipe from Getting Started book)
SERVES 6 -8 , 1 cup
3 cups nonfat beef broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups chopped cabbage
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
salt & pepper
Directions
1.Spray pot with non stick cooking spray saute onions carrots and garlic for 5 minutes.
2.Add broth, Tomato paste, cabbage, green beans, basil, oregano and Salt & Pepper to taste.
3.Simmer for a about 5-10 minutes until all vegetables are tender then add the zuccini and simmer for another 5 or so minutes.
(I omit garlic, onion and zucchini and I add celery)
As always, go check out Org. Junkie for more meal plans! Have a great week guys!
Did you ever have certain hiding places as a kid? What about special places where you weren't really hiding, but transforming it into whatever your mind came up with?? They are doing all kinds of construction on our building at work, and it got me thinking about places I used to play. It seemed totally normal back then, but these places sound crazy now! Ha! I want to share some of my favorite places to play as a kid:
Did you guys have any fun "play" places when you were young that sound crazy today??
Salsa Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1 pkg reduced sodium taco seasoning mix
2 cup salsa
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup fat free sour cream
1. Spray the crock pot with cooking spray. Add the chicken and sprinkle with taco seasoning.
2. Top with salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. When ready to serve, remove the chicken from the pot.
4. Place the cornstarch in a small amount of water and stir well.
5. Stir the cornstarch mixture into salsa sauce. Stir in ¼ cup of sour cream then add chicken back in.
** I serve over shredded lettuce like taco salad, with tomatoes and shredded cheese etc.
“The Giver” is a futuristic science fiction novel set in a utopian society. In Jonas’s community, there are no feelings, no hunger, no inequalities, and no pain. Everything is created to be equal. Every family unit is uniform and prescribed according to the community leaders. Each member of the community is given their profession when they turn twelve. Jonas is selected to become the receiver of memory. As he trains with the Giver, he realizes the truth of the community he lives in. The people of the community do not get to feel love, true happiness, of any of the god qualities of life. On the other hand, they do not feel any of the negative aspects either. They live in a colorless society. Those who do not live up to the standards of this Utopian society are quickly “released”. Jonas later finds out that this release process is equivalent to that of death. He decides that it is up to him to return what has been taken from the members of the community. With the help of the Giver, Jonas escapes from the community, which will result in the release of all memories to the community. This memory release process initiates the community members to previously unfelt feelings of pain, famine, war, as well as human differences, love, and happiness. The resolution of this science fiction novel is up for debate and ultimately depends upon the discretion, opinion, and interpretation of each individual reader.
Review found here.
Can you tell what's different in this room?? I would love to post a before and after... but the only other picture I have of my living room has alot of different things so the point would be lost! Anyhow, here is a close up of the "different":
No Guilt Chicken Pot Pie
1 can (10 ¾ oz) Campbell’s 98% Fat free Cream of Chicken Soup
1 package (about 9 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup cubed cooked chicken
½ cup milk
1 egg
1 cup reduced fat all purpose baking mix
1. Preheat oven to 400º.
2. In a 9 inch pie plate (or a smaller baking dish) mix soup, vegetables and chicken.
3. Mix milk, egg, and baking mix. Pour over chicken mixture.
4. Bake 30 minutes or until golden. Serves 4.
What are you going to be doing EXACTLY at your new job?? (And a duplicate: What is your new job title, and what will you be doing?)
I will be the Office Associate for the Health and Fitness Lab, which is part of the IM-Rec Sports Department in the Preston Health and Activities Center on WKU's campus (That helps right? ha). I will hold down the front desk of the office, greeting people and answering the phones. I will handle the schedule, organize the office, handle deposits for the department, take minutes at the staff meeting, and do special projects for the staff in the office as needed.
Will you have time for meals and game nights with your friends?!?! <---I'm not joking!! Interested party! :)
YES! This job will actually free up my schedule compared to my last job (although all summer I have been "free as a bird"). The only way to do campus ministty is nights and weekends, but my new job will be a Monday to Friday, eight to four thirty job mostly. I am so excited about this change, because I will have more time for my hubby and church and family and friends!
why did you leave your last job?.....
I loved my last job (for those that dont know, I worked at the Baptist Campus Ministry on WKU's campus). It was an amazing opportunity and I got to work with such amazing students and faculty and coworkers. But that job was not very family friendly. Now, I know plenty of campus ministers who make it work great- but majority of them are men. And I may sound very conservative or old fashioned for alot of you, but I feel my husband and home are two of my most important priorities. I feel like creating and up-keeping a home that is a relaxing and rejuvenating place for my family is my responsibility (justin does help alot!). So keeping up with cooking, cleaning, shopping and quality time was a difficult task when my job required alot of nights and weekends. That was reason number 1 I felt it was time to leave and get a less consuming job.
Reason number 2 was that unfortunately my job at the BCM paid very little in monetary terms (although very well in spiritual terms!). Last year, mr.pate had three jobs because my one job didnt contribute much in money and contributed none as far as medical benefits. So I had to leave in order to let mr.pate have only two jobs and I could see him! I just hate money!
Anyhow, reason number 3 was that I really wanted mr.pate and I to focus on ministry together. With him on staff at a church and me on staff at a campus ministry, I always felt divided. I was trying hard to invest in both my college students at the B and my youth at church, and felt like I was doing a poor job at both.
I love the B so much, it is a very special place to me bc of the impact it has had on my growth both when I was a student and staff member. It was hard to leave. But I knew that for now, leaving was the best decision for my family for several reasons. My family is my first and foremost on this earth. I believe thats how the Lord wants it.
...and why did you really want this new one?
The BCM never paid me during the summers, so two summers ago I worked in the IM-Rec office. I grew to love this department. They are fun and inspire you to be healthy, which is not the case in alot of offices on campus. I love the people in this department, and already have a great relationship with most of them. So working here was an obvious fit. Because of they didnt post this job until late in the summer, I was afraid it was not an option for me (I assumed I would have a job by then- ha! naive little me). But the Lord had His perfect plans, and I am thrilled this office will be my new work home!
What do you feel that you learned about yourself through your time of not working?
I am trying to figure that out! haha! I think I will be gleaning wisdom and lessons from this season in my life for a long time to come, but I do have a few big lessons already.
I think it had to take me this long to get a job because I needed to learn to more fully rely on the Lord, understand that ALL I have is the Lord's and not mine, and how much my life needs to reflect Him at all times. If you had showed me a list of these tree things four months ago, I would have told you I knew all of this... but I was not truly living in a way that reflected these things.
Not having a job for 4 months meant mr.pate and I really had to depend on the Lord completely. During this time, the Lord brought several studies into my life that focused on money and giving (click here if you are interested). He has taught me so deeply that to follow Him means I will have radical priorities. My new job will pay me alot in my eyes (compared to what I was making), but not in the world's eyes. It is more than I was expecting. We will face many new decisions on how to budget and spend this new money. The Lord new this would be happening, and He needed to prepare my heart adequately. I spent alot of time this summer committing my head and heart to giving and spending all my money with the understanding that the Lord's Kingdom was a first priority. I know it sounds strange, but I really feel like this is one reason it had to take so long for me to get hired.
I have learned alot about myself, but more importantly I have had time to re-prioritize my life. This time was a blessing. Instead of rushing into the next job, I got time to spend with mr.pate, family, and friends. I had time to myself. And I feel recharged, refocused and ready to go back to work with a stronger commitment to me, my family and the Lord amidst it all.
And now its time to stop talking about it and go live it! If you think of anything you truly did want to talk to me about or that I didnt answer, feel free to comment or email me.
And now, your turn! Name one great things about your job! It is important not to get bogged down with the daily grind, and instead to give thanks! So leave a comment letting me and you know what you are thankful for on the job-front!
So I finished The Duggar's book last night, again it took me under a week. (Before you guys start to think I am a great and fast reader, tearing apart these books like a pro, let me remind you that the last two books were really easy reads. They were written simplistically without deep thoughts or meanings.) So without further ado, my review:
Things I liked about the book: