Homecoming

Along with being a teacher, I am a softball assistant coach and Student Council sponsor. Being Student Council sponsor was not something I wanted to do, or even really enjoyed last year, but this year has proven to be a different story. I love it! And I love working with the best students in the school. I mean, seriously, who wouldn't? 

We just completed out winter homecoming events, and for the first time in 2 years, I took a few pictures.

Bubble Gum Calculator Race

Me and my fellow teachers who were brave enough to participate in the Twinkies throwing contest.

My sweet sophomores who volunteered to throw Twinkies at me.

Sharon, Becky, and Me

B-Martz in the Twinkies Game! (His team won)

Let me introduce you...

to my favorite pair of shoes.

My Chacos. Actually mine are green, but you get the picture. And why would I post a picture of my shoes you ask? Because it's snowing. And I hate snow at this point. I am ready for Chaco Weather.

Quote of the Day

" We can do great things if we focus on the great God who created us!"

Greek Vs. Regular

I was first introduced to greek yogurt by a "Health Nut" friend who said it was better for you. I immediately took his word for it and was planning on trying it. When I got to the grocery store, I discovered that it cost almost 3x's as much, so I passed it up. And stopped thinking about it.
When I began training for my first half marathon in late summer, I realized my body was needing more than what I was giving it. Not calorie wise, but protein and nutrient wise. I remembered the greek yogurt and decided to try it, despite the cost. And boy did I fall in love!
I don't eat it everyday. It's just too expensive. I eat it three times a week based on work out. I eat it after body pump and after my long run. The main reason I choose Greek Yogurt over regular yogurt is for the protein benefit, in hopes that it is helping to restore and rebuild my muscles.
For days when I am not working out and crave yogurt, we keep te regular stuff in the fridge, because I love the pie flavors! :)

The nutrition basics are as follows:

Dannon Greek Yogurt (plain)- 80 calories, 0 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbs, 15 grams of protein, and 50 mg of sodium

Dannon All Natural Yogurt (plain)- 80 calories, 0 fat, 12 grams of carbs, 8 grams of protein, and 150mg of sodium

Benefits of greek over regular (all natural): Lower sodium, lower carbs, more protein, much better taste and texture (in my opinion)

Benefits of regular over greek: more calcium, and often times less calories and fat, more flavor options

Menu for the Week

The menu plan is working wonders in helping stay in our grocery budget. It's amazing how much less we spend on food every week, and how much food we are not wasting! It also makes for easier dinner preparation every night. I love it!

Monday: Eggs, Sausage, Biscuits, Gravy

Tuesday: We grilled on Saturday because it hit 40 degrees! :) We made an extra chicken breast so we could have chicken paninis one night. We will also have fruit.

Wednesday: Spaghetti with sauce (using the extra sausage from Monday) and rolls that I made last week.

Thursday: Italian Breaded Pork Chops, Rice, and Asparagus.

Friday: We are babysitting, so we will eat dinner with the kids.

Saturday: Deer Burgers, Homemade Hamburger Buns (new recipe), and whatever fruits and veggies need eaten.

Donkey Basketball

For a prom fundraiser the students play donkey basketball. The teachers get their picture taken and then placed on a jar. The two jars with the most money at the end of the week win. Unfortunately, I was one who won. So folks, this is Donkey Basketball.

This is a very serious game.

Some of them are pretty blurry, but oh well. I should mention that I am terrified of horses, so this was a big deal. I got "bucked" off the donkey and bruised my bum, but overall it was fun!

Pull-Apart Garlic Bread

Again this recipe is by The Frugal Girl. These make for a great dinner roll. They freeze nicely so I put them in a bag in the freezer and we  take a few out for dinner when we want them.

http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2009/11/wedneday-baking-pull-apart-garlic-bread/

Birthdays

The last two months have been filled with birthdays, and we have another coming this weekend. Which is always fun! So, here's a recap:

My Personal Pan Pizza at Ben's Pizza Party

Up close.

Alyshia's super fun sushi party. I think we brought cucumbers to this. They knew better than to ask me to come up with sushi something.

I also contributed my charming personality.

About a month ago, our good friend Hailey celebrated her birthday. We were in AR for the actual day, but celebrated it late with cake and Rock Band!

Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake

Yay!

Buttery Bubble Bread

My new hobby and official way to gain weight is making bread. One of my favorite sites to find recipes is http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/.

This is her Buttery Bubble Bread Recipes. And let me tell you- it is the best bread I have ever had. Seriously.

She uses a tube pan, but I used two cake pans. I froze 1 1/2 and I (notice no one else helped) ate half a pan. Whoops. :)

Before the oven.

After the oven.



Absolutely delicious.



My Broken Hand Mixer

This is my old hand mixer (number 4 actually):

The motor also died.

 So my husband let me buy this:

It's my new favorite thing.

Options

Chris graduates in a few months, so he's been madly applying for jobs. We haven't heard anything, but only one has actually closed. Here are a few of the places he's applied:

Jonesboro, AR
There are no pretty pictures, so this is one from Campus.
Katie's the only good thing about Jonesboro.

Syracuse, NY
Looks awesome.

Cincinnati, Ohio

Only 3 hours from West Lafayette!

He applied for a job that had 10 locations all over the country. They don't even tell you the options, which is fun! The problem he's having is that he is not female. If he was, jobs would be everywhere. :)

Menu for the Week

Sunday: Superbowl Goodies at a very sweet, new friend's house! We are taking guacamole.

Monday: Italian Breaded Pork Chops, Rice, Broccoli, Spinach Salad

Tuesday: Leftover Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, French Bread

Wednesday:Oregano Chicken (this is a new recipe; it looks interesting so I had to try it), salad, rice, fruit

Thursday: Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

Friday: Pizza (with my new favorite crust recipe, of course!)

And the best part of this is that my shipping list is super short. :) Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Early Morning, Tea, and My Bible

I'm not going to lie, one of the goals I am struggling with most this year is Quiet Time. I have nothing to blame but my inability to prioritize my life.

The gym comes first in the morning, then school, then softball, then home, then dinner, grading/ planning, and then sleep. I make no time for a little one-on-one with my Lord and Savior. I keep saying, "I don't have time." Which we all know isn't true. I am just not making time.

So here's to day 1 of making time.

And of course I should share this verse with you because it hits home.

1 Corinthians 9: 24-27
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it a slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

and

Psalm 36: 10-11
"Continue your love in those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away."

Cornbread and Wheat Bread

This recipe is delicious. I usually just make Jiffy cornbread because it's cheap, sweet, and delightful. I thought I would try this one since I have a snow day. It doesn't take much longer than using Jiffy, but it does dirty an additional bowl. I don't think it's as sweet as Jiffy. I do believe it's worth it though. Very yummy!

http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Sweet-Corn-Muffins.pdf

On another note, Chris and I have officially gone 1 month without buying bread! I have made all of our sandwich bread, rolls, and pizza crust. My new favorite Wheat Bread Recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Instructions:
1. *Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.

2. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes. (An hour at my house; I guess it's cold...)

3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover.  Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.

5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm!  Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.
Recipe from http://www.tammysrecipes.com/ under "Homemade Wheat Bread".

Im Late.

We are in the midst of a snow ice storm at the moment, and going on day two of being out of school. Who knows what tomorrow will hold weather wise. Purdue closed for the first time since 2007 today! Chris and I spent the morning doing homework/ grading papers, watching Psych, I cleaned a tad, we went and got smoothies, and went sledding. It was wonderful. I love days at home with the hubbs.

Saturday night Chris and I made our first homemade pizza. We have been wanting to do this for a while now because it's so much cheaper than frozen pizza. It turned out fabulous, so here's the recipe. You should make it this weekend. Seriously. :)

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
Ingredients
◦1 teaspoon white sugar
◦1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
◦1 tablespoon active dry yeast
◦1 tablespoon olive oil
◦1 teaspoon salt
◦3 1/4 Cup Wheat Flour
◦Italian Seasoning (add to your taste)

Directions
1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.

2. Stir the olive oil, italian seasoning, and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.

4. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Roll a ball of dough with a rolling-pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled pizza pan. Cook for 5-7 minutes.

5. Take crust out of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 425 degrees. Top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats, or vegetables.

6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.

You can find the original recipe on allrecipes.com under Amazing Whole Wheat Pizza Crust. This recipe calls for a mixture of wheat and white flour. I chose to omit the white and use only wheat.