Good Morning Sunshine

One of the ways I show my husband love and respect is by making him breakfast in the mornings. (he gets up at 4:30am!!.....I'm not crazy....I usually go back to bed when he leaves) He loves it and means the world to him. It's just a little way of mine to say thanks for working so hard and a chance to send him on his way with a kiss and hug. He never has time to sit and eat so I have the opportunity to get creative.

We love these breakfast sandwiches. I try to make smart choices and save calories for dinnertime ;) I use a real egg for him, egg beaters for me. Today, I used sundried tomato and basil cheese but I must say our favorite is applewood bacon cheddar. I cook the egg for 30 sec in the microwave, top it with cheese for another 20 sec, heat the turkey sausage for 25 sec and assemble. TA DA!

Library Stack

Hi. My name is Shelby and I'm addicted to cookbooks. whew, that feels good. Seriously though, I love cookbook. I read cookbooks like they are novels. I have a whole collection of them and then I still go weekly to the library to read more. :) We love going to the library. It's a great place for my kiddos to learn a little self-control......no running (we're workin on this one).....no yelling (workin on this one too)....no fighting (ok, you get the point). I worry about my kids growing up with no desire to simply read a book. They are bombarded with tv, games, internet now....can you imagine what it's gonna be like 20 years from now. (lets not go there....that would mean I'm 20 years older too....yikes :/ )

So here is my library stack:

The Big Book of Fish & Shellfish by Fred Thompson
~I've been skimming through this book. I'm excited to try some crab cakes and various sauces out of here. Stay tuned :)

Diabetic Living Cookbook from Better Homes and Gardens
~No one in my family is diabetic but I would like to educate myself. *sneak peak (I'm hopeing to add more variety to meal plans soon)

The Big Book of Diabetic Desserts by Jackie Mills
~Same as above.....just education. I do plan on making some of these though.

Short & Sweet by Melanie Barnard
~This book is about sophisticated desserts in 30 minutes or less. Something to look forward to....I'm planning on making Raspberry Lemon Layer Cake, Warm Mocha Truffle Cake, and Chocolate Thin Mint Triangles....all recipes found in this book.

Rachel Ray's BIG Orange Book
~This is a collection of good recipes from many of her books. If you love Rachel, you'll love this one. I plan on making her Tandoori Chicken. Yum-o (can't believe I just said that)

The Gluten, Wheat, & Dairy Free Cookbook by Antoinette Savill
~To be honest, I haven't even cracked this one open yet. It's another education book for me.

Southern Living 40 Years of Our Best Recipes
~I'm most excited about this one. Lots of pictures, lots of recipes, lots I can't wait to try! Nuff said. :)

What did you get from the library? OR What is your favorite cookbook? Leave a comment.

Inspired by Lynn's Kitchen Adventures

Thirsty Thursday - watermelon cubes

Pretty simple. I froze some watermelon balls and used them as ice cubes in my hard lemonade. Of course you can do this with just about any drink. The watermelon tasted fizzy but didn't add much flavor to my drink. Maybe it would if your melon was really ripe....leave a comment....tell us what variations you try!

Which Blog Wednesday?!?!

Every couple of weeks I plan on featuring a blog that I personally like and use.

My first feature is Mom Saves Money by Nicole!

Nicole is a personal friend of mine but that is not why I like her blog so much. It's AWESOME! She blogs everyday about useful tips and free stuff!! (who doesn't like free stuff!!) I check her blog daily like my e-mail! My favorite feature about Mom Saves Money is the local weekly price matching for Omaha. HELLO! This saves me sooo much time when making out my grocery list. I also love the giveaways. She has coupon giveaways pretty frequently.....we're not talking 20 or 30....we're talking 200-400!!! Visit her blog, be inspired to save money, leave her a comment on what you love about her blog. If you don't already, become a follower so you can get the latest and greatest from her fast.
Thanks Nicole for inspiring us and working so hard to motivate us to save money!

Here are some questions I asked her:

Blog: Mom Saves Money http://www.momsavesmoney.net/

What is your blog about: Money saving ideas, coupons, freebies, giveaways, reviews and much more.

What is your passion in doing this blog: We became a one-income family after our daughter was born in April 2006 and it became absolutely essential that we budget and save money to live within our means. At first, we didn't do so well and wracked up credit card debt, but now we've successfully payed off our debt and are much more financially secure. I took an active role in saving money for the family, by couponing, requesting freebies, and budgeting. I also follow several money saving blogs and learned I could make money sharing my passion for frugality. I want to contribute to the family finances and blogging is a perfect fit for my lifestyle. Last month, I received my first big check and was so excited to see all my hard work finally pay. ( http://www.momsavesmoney.net/2009/04/my-first-big-check.html )

Best tip(s) you have for saving money: Budgeting is so important to saving money. There are many budgeting systems available and find the one that works for you and your family and follow it. Budgeting can allow you to enjoy life without stressing about money. Budgets aren't only about sacrifice, but also planning and setting aside money for fun. Another great way to save money is by following money saving blogs. Why research all the money saving ideas yourself when you can find them all on a blog.

Anything else you'd like to share about you, family, or blog: I am a married SAHM with two kids, ages 3 years and 9 months. I served in the Navy for seven years before deciding to stay home with my children. I am a military-trained financial counselor and recently completed a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Marketing.

Nicole
Mom Saves Money

Leave a comment and tell us your favorite thing about Mom Saves Money!

If you would like your blog featured on my blog, leave a comment with your blog address! I'll be in contact. :)

Under Construction

Ok, so now that I've been blogging for a month and have kinda gotten the hang of it, I'm changin it up. Hopefully when I'm done it will be much more user friendly. Please be patient with me. :)

Tuesday's Tip - Display Fresh Herbs

Instead of hiding your fresh herbs in the refrigerator, display them in a bottle or vase in your kitchen. Enjoy the smell and I bet you'll use em more too. :) Make sure to fill your vase with water just like flowers and change the water every day.

Meal Plan 7 - low cal

This week I focused on low calorie meals. There are some yummy recipes here and I have a few snack items to post about as well. This meal plan will require you to spend a little more on grocerys because of the little things you are not used to buying (ex. egg substitute, butter spray...), but your saving in calories and not eating out!! Enjoy!

Meal Plan 7 - low cal

Fajita-Dilla

Crispy White Pizza (we added mushrooms to ours)

Click here for more meal planning ideas.