Conversations With Women

  Growing up I was definitely not what you would call "housewife material". A self-proclaimed tomboy, with not much more than random t-shirts and jeans in my drawers. Girly-girls use to bug me and I just never got along with them. While I had a couple of friends who were girls when I was younger, they were never really the girly type either. And once I started getting older, it seemed that all of my friends were guys. I just found that I related to them more. I would have much rather played video games and climbed trees than do my makeup and sit around talking about boys while completely surrounded by pink things everywhere. (which is what I assume they all did when we were younger).

  And then somewhere along the line, something changed. I'm not sure if I could pinpoint an exact time or location because it was such a gradual process. But at the same time it seemed like an overnight transformation. Where one day I was talking about zombies and gore and the next I was talking about makeup and dresses. So I guess I'm either evolving (or devolving). Maybe it's just taken me this long to figure out that those girls when I was younger knew something that I didn't. Now this is not to say that I don't still enjoy talking about those things, but my focus has now shifted. And I guess more than anything, I find myself relating more and more to women. And in the process it's sparked some very interesting conversations.

  I sometimes still feel like Jane Goodall, studying these creatures and their movements and personalities. Learning how to live among them without standing out like a sore thumb (or a human among monkeys). But everyday I'm learning from them, these strong and amazing women that I surround myself with. I never knew that women were even having these conversations. Not only are they taking about things like makeup and hair (which is all I ever saw from a distance), but they are talking about these deeply personal things. And I was never one to have personal conversations, or really talk about myself at all. (Well that's obviously changed!) Now I find myself talking with women I just met about concerns and fears that I may have. Admitting things to them, that I've just barely started admitting to myself. But they get it. And they relate. And then they share their stories. Then we cry or laugh or just smile to ourselves and be happy with the fact that someone else understands what you're going through, or dealing with, or is excited about. (or maybe that's just me). And it's different than how a man gets it. The difference between sympathy and empathy. I know that this all must sounds so elementary to most of you, but I never really got it until now. And I'm really glad that I do.

  I am really happy to be a part of these conversations, and to be a part of something so special. This experience has really opened my eyes and really got me talking to people that I wouldn't have normally talked to. And I've been loving ever minute of it!
 Thanks so much to all of the amazing women in my life. I learn so much from you everyday! And I promise that tomorrow I'll go back to talking about my amazing husband. :P
 

Getting to Know Me!

  I know that most of you already know who I am, and what I'm about, but as I'm getting more and more followers (THANKS!) I thought that I would introduce myself formally. My name is Ashley, I'm almost 30 and I've been married for just over 3 months to my best friend, Ryan. I don't claim to be the best housewife, or have all of the answers, but I'm certainly trying, and learning and growing everyday. And my number 1 goal is to be the best wife for my husband.
  I've been collecting some questions today to help you get to know me just a little bit better, so without any further delays, I'll get right into them!

Q: Why did you start blogging in the first place?
A: Well, to be completely honest, I started blogging because of the movie Julie&Julia! As most of you know, it's a movie about a girl in her late 20's/early 30's who doesn't really get fulfillment from her job, has a really supportive husband and is just trying to find something to do with her time and learning to finish something that she started. I can relate to that. And I thought, I have a unique voice that I think people might be able to relate to, and if not then it's just a really fun journal for me. I love my husband, and just want to be the best for him and this was a way for me to learn and try new things and also hold myself accountable.

Q: What is your favorite food to bake?
A: Wow! Umm, so far it's probably cupcakes. It's not that they are anything special, but I love how much Ryan loves them. And he always gets so excited when he knows that I've made them. Plus, I LOVE decorating them. It's something that I've been teaching myself little by little, and I really enjoy it. It allows me to be creative and artistic, and also eat cupcakes!

Q: What is your favorite thing about being married?
A: EVERYTHING! (more specific?) I have always been kind of a people pleaser, so I like having someone around that I can take care of. And it's not because he can't take care of himself, he's fully capable, but he lets me. It makes me happy to serve my husband and do little things for him!

Q: Do you have a favorite website/cookbook for recipes?
A: I hate to kinda cop-out with this one, but I'd have to say Pinterest. :P There are so many new and fun things to try on there, and I've got some really good ideas from it. I also just use Google a lot. Ryan and I are on a diet where we eat 5 meals a day, and our 3 main meals have around 300-400 calories each, so I will literally just type in "400 calorie meals" in Google and just start clicking around. And mostly I just try and search for recipes that we both love and then experiment with ways that I can make them healthier and still tasty.

Q: What three things can always be found in your fridge?
A: And I can only pick 3? Well the first one is always water. I'm weird and I can't stand the taste of tap water in Utah. I've lived here for just over 3 years and I've yet to drink it. So we always have gallon jugs of water. The second thing would be our meats. Every Sunday I cook up a big batch of ground turkey and chicken and I keep it in containers in the fridge so we can just scoops out a portion (about 4oz.) whenever we need it for a meal. And the third thing would be liquid egg whites. I am a firm believer that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and every other day of the week I make either quick and easy breakfast sandwiches or omelettes. (great question!)

Q: What was the last thing that you ate?
A: We just finished up dinner a little bit ago and I made Chicken Tostadas. I bake some corn tortillas and we use refried black beans, diced chicken, tomatoes, olives, onion and lettuce (and usually a little salsa). They are quick and easy, which is the way I like my meals to be since we're both so busy.

Q: Shower or baths?
A: Well that's kind of a personal question :) but I really enjoy my baths. Just as important as it is for me to take care of my husband, it is just as important for me to take care of myself. I'm not a stay-at-home housewife, I too have a full time job and I love being able to spend some alone time with my scented bath salts, just soaking in a hot tub with a good book!

Q: What makeup could you not live without?
A: I would probably have to say my eyeliner, although I'm getting more and more into lipsticks. I haven't always been super girly and am still figuring out this whole makeup thing, but it's fun to just play around with it until something good happens.


  Wow! Thank you all so much for the awesome questions! (That was actually kind of fun!) If you didn't get your question in today, there's always tomorrow. You can always leave questions for me in the comments below and also on the Facebook fan page. And just a reminder that we're still working on getting 50 likes, so if you like what you've been reading so far, please share it with your friends!
  Thanks to all of you! NIGHT!
 

Really Early, or Really Late Spring Cleaning!

  Shortly after we moved into our townhouse a whole string of craziness started in our lives. It began with Ryan's birthday, which was also when his family came out for the week and it was the first time I had met them. Then all of the crazy planning and weekends figuring out favors, and flowers, and fittings for our wedding which was only a few short months away. And of course all of the stuff going on after the wedding! They don't tell you about that stuff. I always assumed that after the wedding everything would settle back down and go back to normal, but that's not how it happens at all. It's thank you notes and finding places for your gifts and a weeks worth of cleaning after the final house guest has left. In fact, I just found a box of stuff from our wedding that I hadn't even noticed before! Needless to say, we have now been in our place for just over 8 months and we're still not quite settled in.

  This weekend I really wanted to tackle a couple of rooms, our front living room area and the unfinished bedroom in the basement which has become designated storage room. Along with all of the normal and deep cleaning I do on Fridays while Ryan is at work, I decided to redesign the front room. We've got a couch that was left here by the owner, one that we had already, my big red chair, a coffee table and 2 side tables. There is nothing in the world that can quickly change the entire feel of a room more than a redesign. I know that that seems so obvious, but I just don't think that we always think of it as an option. So often, once we put something somewhere, that just becomes the place where it must be. But you should play around with your furniture. Every few months I like to redesign my bedroom. Even if it's something as simple as moving our bed up against a different wall. 

  The front room I've been wanting to do basically ever since we moved in and I set it up the way I had it. It just never felt quite right. The couches were facing each other with the coffee table in between them. Seemed great for if people came over to sit and chat in there. The problem was that we never really had anyone came over that just sat down in our front room to talk! So why was that the situation that I was creating the atmosphere for. Instead I wanted a room that was a little more closed off and personal. For the longest time I've been looking for a big "L" shaped couch, which I thought would really create the feel I was going for. And then, just this Friday, it hit me, I have 2 couches, why can't I just move them into an "L" shape? Yes, I know, I too fall prey to the notion that once something is put somewhere than that's where it must live until it's dying day. So I moved them! And in the process, 2 things happened: 1) I finally got the room to feel the way that I wanted it to! And 2) I saved us $1000 by not having to buy a new couch! (Ryan is really happy about the second!) 

  The second room that I've been wanting to work on is the unfinished bedroom in the basement where all of our storage is. Now, let's keep in mind that we have a good-sized townhouse, and it is just the 2 of us. Also, Ryan and I are really pretty good about not frivolously spending money on things that don't have a purpose or a specific place they need to be, so our "storage" is mostly things like a box of Christmas decorations and some of my old writings, art stuff, and our camping stuff that just doesn't get used that often. But we had it all just thrown down in the spare bedroom and what little we have seemed to be multiplying and taking over the whole room. So off to Home Depot we went to find some sort of shelving unit to contain the madness. $40 later and no tools required, we quickly snapped together the shelf and started organizing the boxes. The shelf had 5 shelves, which was a little too tall for the closet space, so we did 3 and 2 side-by-side and they fit PERFECTLY!! Now I am able to get to the Christmas decorations, when it's time, without having to take out everything else just to uncover it! 

  It truly doesn't take that long and it makes SUCH a difference! It is true that we should try to think outside the box, especially when it comes to our homes. It is where we spend the most time and where we should feel the most comfortable. Redesigning a room can change your whole attitude. It has certainly changed mine!

  Just a quick reminder that I'm still working on reaching 50 likes on the Facebook page so that I can give away any awesome prize (CHECK IT OUT HERE). I've also now added a link to the Wonder Woman Housewife Pinterest page so you can check out where I get some of my ideas! 

  Thanks so much to everyone! Night!

Return of the Dead

  Nope, not the movie, just me coming back to the land of the living.
  One of the things I love the most is taking care of people and doing things for them, so it's really hard for me to just relax and let other people take care of me for a change. My husband was completely amazing through all of it and does such a great job of taking care of me, but I am very happy to be feeling 100% again!

  Today is my mother-in-law's birthday (Happy Birthday Mom!!), so while Ryan and I were making breakfast and getting ready this morning we though it would be fun to call and wake her up. We don't talk to them nearly enough (and I'm not just saying that because I know she's reading this). We, like many people, get caught up in our day to day things and we forget how important it is for us to make time for things like that. It's obviously a little different with my side of the family, because most of them live within a half an hour of us, so we see and talk to them on a fairly regular basis. In fact tonight we are babysitting one of the nephews which we are both completely looking forward to. Although, I think Ryan is more excited about the fact that I told him since we were babysitting that we could splurge a little on dinner tonight, instead of having our regular diet meal. :P
  Today is also a run day (Monday, Wednesday and Friday we work on the couch25K program). We are into week 6, so not only is it getting more intense, but I missed my run on Wednesday due to the plague, so today was especially rough. But I did it (just barely) and that's what matters. It would have been so easy to use the excuse that I've been sick and not run today, but then I just feel worse. Not in the pukey way that I've been feeling, but the disappointed in myself kind of way. Although, the stomach flu that I just had dropped me down another 2 lbs! (15lbs total so far I've lost!!)
  As for the rest of the day, I've got errands to run. Gotta go change the oil in my car, grab a couple of things from the store, pay some bills, clean the house, and (most importantly) figure out what new recipe I'm going to attempt this weekend to share with all of you. Sundays are our "cheat days", so I try and plan something special on those days. Something that's still healthy, but more calories than we would probably normally consume. Or maybe even a treat of some sort. I've been wanting to attempt a real pie (as oppose to the super easy banana cream pie I always make), one that requires making a crust and actually baking!
  I'm glad to be back and fully functioning! I hope all of you are well and ready to enjoy this weekend ahead of us!!

Surviving-Day 2

  Day 2 of death dwelling inside me and not letting anything else in there is going just about as good as it sounds. My head is swimming and I have no strength left in my body. I plan on spending today the same way that I spent most of yesterday, either in bed, on the floor of the bathroom or soaking in the bathtub. In the bath I used about 1/2 cup of epsom salt (eucalyptus and spearmint), which is so relaxing. Too relaxing in fact, since I actually fell asleep for a little while in the tub! Oopsy!
  The other thing that I tried yesterday was a face mask. Made up of 1 tbsp baking soda and 1/4 cup of milk. I didn't really think it was doing anything, since it was mostly just dripping all over my face, but then it started hardening. I left it on for about 10 minutes and then washed my face off and my skin was so incredibly smooth. Even today, it is still the only part of my body that feels good!
  Last night when Ryan got home from work, he was amazing and helped me make soup and let me crawl back in bed and eat it there, and then he took the dishes back downstairs to the kitchen when I was done. And he even lied next to me in bed and didn't complain once about the cheesy romantic movies that I was watching. I watched the 1979 movie A Little Romance, that stars Diane Lane (who had to have been about 13 at the time and whom I absolutely adore, and made me really want to watch Must Love Dogs) and Laurence Olivier. And the next movie I watched was Roxanne, The 1987 movie with Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah.
  All right, back to bed for me. I hope that you are all feeling better than I am and having a good day. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll be all better by tomorrow, or even a little better, I'm not greedy!

It was bound to happen

  I missed posting anything yesterday and today I woke up with some nasty stomach flu that's been going around. I'm trying a couple of home remedies for detoxing, which I will be sure to write about as soon as I'm feeling up to it. But mostly just relaxing as much as I can between trips to the bathroom. (Yeah, I know, TMI!)
  Being sick is no fun at all. If I'm going to be quarantined in my house all day, trust me, I'd much rather be cleaning, than being stuck in bed (or sleeping on the bathroom floor). Blah! That's enough for now. Just wanted you to let you know what's going on. Let's just hope I get over this soon! Any home remedies that any of you might have to flush out this bug would be appreciated! Otherwise I hope you all have a great day. As for me, I'm going back to bed.

50 LIKE GIVEAWAY!!

  Thank you to each and everyone of you for checking out my blog and for your amazing amounts of support! As a thank you I have really been wanting to have a giveaway. I will do a random drawing when we reach 50 likes!! I know that it might seem like a small goal to reach for, but I don't think there's anything wrong with setting attainable realistic goals to start with. This is SUPER EASY! All you have to do is share the Facebook Fan Page with your friends and get the page over 50 likes!  I told you, it's super easy!

  Now some of you may be wondering what I will be giving away once we get to that point, well that's the fun part! Obviously my blog is about being a great housewife, and what is a great housewife without her kitchen gadgets! Out of all of the fun little gadgets I have in the kitchen, there are a few that I love and use the most. And I want to be able to share with you some of my favorite things. This is by no means an “Oprah's Favorite Things” thing, but these are tools that I use every single day in my kitchen, and I think that you will too!

  First up is the mix and chop tool! As odd as this little gadget looks, it is SO handy! I make big batches of ground meat once a week and this little baby works like a charm! We were given this as a wedding present and it took me a little bit to warm up to it (and to figure out what to do with it), but once I started using it, I haven't been able to stop.

  The next tool I use on a daily basis is the switchit all-purpose silicone spatula. I cannot even begin to express how highly I feel about this spatula. I use this EVERY SINGLE DAY! And I would be totally lost without this tool. I love making omelettes and this is the only spatula I've ever used that works perfect for them. 

  And last, but certainly not least, is the Microplane Grater. I'm one that loves to cook with a lot of garlic, but don't always want bit chunks, or even little minced up pieces. So I now just grate it into everything.

  And now back to how you could win all 3 of these amazing gadgets! Like I said, it's really easy. All you've got to do is spread the word about the Wonder Woman Housewife blog and get all of your friends to like the Wonder Woman Facebook fan page! Now, we're shooting for 50, but that doesn't mean we need to stop there!

  I look forward to shipping of this great package to one of you lucky folks!!

Healthy Eating on Vacation

    By far, one of the hardest things about being away from home (and my kitchen) is trying to hang on to somewhat of a resemblance of a diet. But healthy choice don't have to be hard. The first tip is obviously bringing as much of your own food as possible. If there isn't a little fridge in your hotel room, like ours doesn't, make sure to bring your own cooler. I always make sure that I have plenty of drinks and healthier snacks to munch on. The other tip I have is, go to the grocery store. There is always one at least kind of close by. And I like the option of a grocery store because I still feel like I'm eating out, but with healthier options. So instead of swinging through fast food, we headed to The Store (yeah, it's literally called The Store) and tonight we each got a huge salad from the salad bar and a couple bottles of water. I know, not very exciting, but it's a treat for us! 

  I also made a fresh batch of salsa and grabbed a bag of chips and we're currently snacking on that while I'm finishing this article up and we're getting ready to settle in for the night and watch another movie. It will be our 3rd movie today, actually. So far we've watched The Three Stooges (eh), The Lorax (my pick, and I really liked it), and we're just about to start What to Expect When You're Expecting (another one of my picks, obviously). Day 2 of relaxation has been a complete success! 

  I hope you're all having a great weekend yourself! Oh, and don't forget, tomorrow is National Wife Appreciation Day! (I told Ryan that, and he said, "Isn't that everyday?") I'm totally spoiled! Make sure you spoil the ones that you love EVERYDAY! 

Surprising my Husband!

  Three months ago, from tomorrow, I married my best friend. And since we had basically paid for so much of the wedding and reception ourselves, we weren't able to go too far away for our honeymoon. So instead we went to a place that wasn't too far away, but certainly felt like it. And today I surprised my husband with a relaxing weekend away at the exact same place.

  So here we are in Midway Utah, determined at all costs to stay in pajamas all weekend and completely relax! I know what you're thinking, "Can't you just stay at home and do nothing?". Yeah, we probably could, but who really does nothing when you're at home? Okay, men do. But I certainly don't. In fact, if I really thought about it, I've got a load of laundry to do, a dishwasher that needs emptied, and then of course we'd have to eat. All while we obviously still need to eat while we're here, I don't have to make it! And more importantly, clean up from it!
  My goal is to avoid all of that for a few days. Don't worry, I'll do it when I get home. But it's easy to let those things get in the way of genuine time with your significant other. Even if we end up spending all weekend lying around in pajamas and watching tv, that's okay, because at least this way I don't feel guilty for not doing any of the other stuff. Plus, the other HUGE plus side of staying in a hotel is the pillows! Yes, I love room service as much as the next girl, and this resort also has one of the best spas in the state, but come on they're pillows! I'm currently lying on a huge soft bed, surrounded by about 10 pillows. 10 PILLOWS! 10 glorious, fluffy pieces of heaven for me to swim around in! (I'm a little obsessed) But it's one of my favorite things.
  Now that I've got myself thinking about pillows, I'm going to go curl up with a few (all) of them, and I might even let Ryan join me! Nothing more to report from here, at least nothing that I'm going to post about!

Good night everybody!

My Husband Feels Loved!

  I cannot express enough how important it is to tell your husband how amazing he is every single day! And not in a "blowing smoke up his skirt" kinda way, but taking 1 minute from everyday and tell him 1 positive thing about himself. It makes all the difference in the world! You married this man for a reason (well hopefully for more than one) and it's nice to remind him, and you, what they are. 

  Ryan is one of the smartest, most caring, the most loving and most generous people that I have ever had the privilege of even knowing, and I am lucky enough to be married to him. Why wouldn't I want him to know how I feel about him or what I think about him. Now, let's not get too carried away, because as we all know, Ryan is still human. Sure he makes mistakes and he doesn't clean off the counter or hang up the clothes the way that I would. But he tries. And that is all that really matters. 

  Tonight Ryan and I got home from work and after a quick meal of steak and veggies, we both hopped on our computers! We have our office set up in such a way that we have one big table and our computers on opposite sides so we are facing each other. He's podcasting with some of his friends tonight while I'm writing this and I can't help but smile when I look at his face. (I know, this is horribly cheesy, and it's only going to get worse. Don't tell me I didn't warn you.) I first fell in love with Ryan by listening to his voice. As some of you may know, our relationship started out long distance, myself in Utah and Ryan in New York. And it all started when I heard his voice on this podcast that I used to listen to. I learned so much about him from listening to their conversations. Before I had ever even talked to him I knew that he was super passionate about music, Highlander, and zombies! Tonight reminds me of that. I use to wonder what he looked like, and now I get to sit across from him and catch his eye every once in a while and we share a smile.  (I warned you.)

  I love him, and I want him to know that and to feel that everyday. He is the most important thing in the world to me. Why wouldn't I want him to know that I feel that way? And it reminds me to keep perspective on what's really important. So I encourage you all to tell those you love that you love them. EVERYDAY! Taking a sincere moment everyday to express gratitude, love, forgiveness and understanding. It does a body good! It's so good to express emotions! It seems simple, I know, but it's not always easy. With our busy schedules it's so easy to push those things aside. We make excuses all the time, and we take those people in our life for granted. And that's just not fair to them or you. 

  I just realized that this might not be making sense to any of you. I just sorta start writing (usually about one thing) and it always ends up somewhere totally different. Well, all aboard my train of thought! You ready for the caboose? Because to end this, I am going to jump to an entirely different track! (Anyone following this at all!!)

  In closing, I'd like to thank my mom (I know, TOTALLY RANDOM), she is super amazing and thoughtful. And while sometimes she can be a little crazy (calm down mom, we're all a little crazy, it's okay. I'm pretty sure we all get it from Grandma) I love her so much! Today I received a text from her that just said, "a present for wonder woman" with this picture: 

  EXACTLY what I had been wanting! How thoughtful and sweet was that, and it completely made my day!! And even after I texted her back to say thank you, I still took the time later to call her and thank her again. It's something that takes 3 minutes of my time and makes everyone involved feel better! Again, why wouldn't I! 

  With that, I think I am going to call it a night (or at least the end of this article), for my bed and Mary Poppins (I've been really wanting to watch that movie lately) are calling my name. I love you all and am so thankful for all of the support that you've shown me in my new journey. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

  

TOMATOES!!!!!!

  I've never seen so many tomatoes in my life!!
  Last time I had an adventure with Fred (my 10lb zucchini), and now I've got tomatoes coming outta my ears (no, not literally). My brother and sister-in-law have the most amazing garden with an overabundance of produce that I'm lucky enough to be able to partake in (Thanks guys, you're the best!).
  The last batch of tomatoes and jalapenos that I got from them was the source of the best salsa ever! (check out that recipe here: BEST SALSA EVER) But I had something a little different in mind for this next batch I received.
  When I use to work at the Olive Garden (yes, I actually did, and not just in my dreams) I use to love the Bruschetta. While most of the recipes I end up making have a Mexican feel to them, I thought I might try my hand at Italian. It seems easy enough!
First up is the Bruschetta! I love the taste of Balsamic vinegar with tomatoes, so I make mine with a little twist.

Balsamic Bruschetta:

8 roma tomatoes, diced

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

2 cloves of garlic, minced (or grated)

1 Tbs. Balsamic vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

SO SO YUMMY!!!

  I'm not normally big on carbs, but we bought a loaf of french bread last night that I cut into slices, covered with a little bit of olive oil, garlic powder and mozzarella and threw under the broiler for just a couple of minutes. My oven and I still working on becoming good friends, because the first batch that I put in turned into a tray of the world's blackest doorstops! I have never used the broil options before and didn't realize that "high" meant "holy crap this is really high". The next batch went in on "low" for about 5 minutes and came out a wonderful golden brown. Topped off with the Bruschetta and it was tasty! (Sorry for the lack of pictures of the final product. They got eaten up so fast I didn't have time to grab the camera!)
  I still have a whole bag full of tomatoes and trying to figure out what to do with the rest of them. Any suggestions?? You know me, I'm always up to learn a new recipe! Leave a comment below here of on my new Facebook Fan Page that I created! (check out the Fan Page HERE)!
  And tonight for dinner is another round of Tex-Mex Turkey (which you can find HERE).

I hope you're all having a great day!! See ya tomorrow!!

Cleaning out the Closet

  I wasn't always such a clean freak. In fact, I can recount years upon years of my life when I didn't clean at all. Oh, and I kept everything!! Yep, quite the pack rat, but not so much anymore. I now love the whole organization process. If Ryan let me, I'm sure that I could spend hours upon hours and dollars upon dollars on organizational products! But I've now been doing such a good job at clearing away extra clutter and storing away or getting rid of things we don't need or are not using right now, that I no longer have anything to put in all of the things that I have to hold things. Let's just take a moment to enjoy these photos of containers:

  I mean COME ON! Now it's bad enough that I've got an Ikea a half an hour away, but I'm pretty sure that Ryan wouldn't even let me out of the house if we had a Container Store here! MMmmm, things to put things in, I love it! (yes, maybe a little too much)
  What was I talking about? Oh yeah, organizing. So anyway, I made Ryan help me clean out the closet the other day. Well, technically I already had my side cleaned out and we just needed to go through some of his clothes. My rule of thumb is if you haven't worn it it 6 months, or you're not going to wear it in the next 6 months, it's gotta go. So, one by one, I held up each shirt and each pair of pants and made him make split decisions on each article of clothing. If you think too much about it you can justify everything. Never allow more than a few seconds when making these types of decisions. We split them into three categories. Keep'em: which I immediately placed on a hanger and hung up in the closet. Then a pile to donate/trash, and a third to box up and store away until  we lost a little more weight and they fit again. The goal with the stored boxes of clothes is that once we both achieve our goal weight we can throw out/donate the clothes we currently have in the closet and pull out those boxes and it's like buying a while new wardrobe (but A TON cheaper!).
  We've got a big walk-in closet, but didn't have a dresser for some of the smaller clothes items (i.e. socks). So we actually went out to Ikea and bought a little bookshelf and some inserts and it works perfectly! And for around $60 for all of it, it was totally affordable!
  Now I am far too embarrassed to show any "before" pictures, but as for the "after" pictures, well here you go!
  It really didn't take that long, and it feels so much better to be able to look in the closet and not see pile of clothes everywhere. I guess we'll just have to wait and see just how long it lasts!


                                                                                               
                                                     

Crab Rangoons

  One of Ryan's favorite things that he use to get at the Chinese Restaurant were the crab rangoons. Since we have started our dieting and working out, we can no longer afford the salt and calories that are poured into those recipes. But me, being the good wife that I am, promptly found a healthier alternative so that my husband can still enjoy the things that he likes. This recipe was SUPER easy and they tasted AMAZING! And for the record, I do not/will not ever put a recipe on here that I have not personally tried and absolutely love. I will let you know when one doesn't turn out so well, but won't include the recipe for it. As for the crab rangoons, you will not be disappointed!

Crab Rangoons:

What you will need:

2 diced scallions

½ tsp garlic, grated

4 oz krab

¼ cup reduced fat cream cheese

2 laughing cow wedges

1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce

wonton wrappers

375 degrees for 12 minutes (flip over at 6 minute mark)

 

The sauces that I ending up using for dipping were a sweet chili sauce (right out of a bottle), and a spicy mayo that I love making and have started to do a little differently. It's about 3 parts light mayo, 1 part Sriracha (or rooster sauce), and recently I've been adding about 1 tsp lime juice. It's pretty fantastic! ENJOY!!!

How I Tackled the 10 lb Zucchini!

I love this time of year! Not only do I not have the space nor the time required to have a garden, I am fortunate enough to have many friends and family members that do. I love this time of year, because they all have heaps of heaps of produce (that would normally cost me heaps and heaps of money) that they are begging me to take! The other day my best friend Autumn gave birth to a 10 lb zucchini (that I have since named Fred) that she gave to me since I'm currently not able to have one of my own. :P
 Meet Fred!

  While most of the insides were a little to mushy for my taste, I was still able to salvage about half of it. Fred has now turned into this:

Oven Baked Zucchini Fries:

3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
about 1/3 of Fred cut into fry shapes (:P)
1 egg

coated in egg, then dredged in bread crumb and cheese mixture. baked at 425 for about 15 minutes

       2 cup grated that I ended up making Zucchini Spice Bread with. (My first ever bread from scratch!)

Zucchini Spice Bread

½ cup canola oil

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

pinch of ground cloves

½ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

about 1 ½ cup grated zucchini

350 degrees for about 50 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean)

  It turned out so yummy! And Ryan loved having fresh baked bread when he woke up! (Oh yeah, I was up hours before him this morning.)

  And the rest of Fred now looks like this:

Diced up and in the freezer to be added to various meals in the future!

  Like I said, I am very fortunate to have friends and family that are so happy to share the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor! I like to think that I make up for it by taking the time to turn their hard work into beautiful, healthy food, which I then turn around and share with them! 

Aw! You thought I forgot about you!

  Well that could not be further from the truth!
  I have been thinking about you guys all day, but this is the first chance I've had to sit down in front of my computer. (Which I would say is the sign of a very good day. Good and productive!) Trust me, I've got a week's worth of blogs just waiting to be written and I promise that first thing tomorrow morning I will get cracking on them. But for now, my bed, the recently made one with freshly cleaned sheets, is calling my name. ("Ashley . . . Ashley . . . Where are you?!?) I didn't want to go without an article today, but I now must answer the call of my bed. ("Yes Bed? I'm right here. I will be there very soon.")
  As for the rest of you, I hope that you too have had a wonderful day and sleep well. I hope that you are looking forward to hearing about my weekend as much as I am looking forward to sharing it with you!

Night!

I had the craziest dream last night . .

  Every once in a while you have a dream so real that you can still feel it long after you've woken up. Well last night was my turn for just that.
  I was the me I am now (i.e. married, my age), and had gone back to work for the Olive Garden. Ryan was currently out of town for work and I was doing fine with that. So, my first night back to work at the Olive Garden and my first and only table was Ryan's entire family. Not just his immediate family, but EVERYONE! There was close to 50 people sitting around all of these tables pushed together to make one big enough for their party, and I was serving them all by myself. (Anyone who knows anything about serving/waitressing knows that for roughly every 10 customers there is another server. So, basically I should of had about four other people helping me out, but no, it was all me!)
  Everything started out just fine. As in they got there, found the table and all found a seat. It pretty much went downhill from there. I started with collecting their drink orders. Not a hard task (in reality), but for some reason I couldn't understand anything they were saying. (You know how you just stop asking someone to repeat something after the 4th time and just pretend like you've heard them? Well it was kind of like that. Fine in normal situations, not so fine when taking someone's order.) I was nervous in front of the table. It was the first time that I was meeting so many of his family and they were all watching me so closely as I fumbled through my little welcome speech and wrote down their drink orders (or as close as I could figure their drink orders were).
  The problem being with so many of them, was that by the time I got from one end of the table to the other just trying to understand what they wanted to drink, the other end was ready to order! So, back to the beginning to start all over again. I had no problem hearing their food orders (thank goodness!). After getting through that as quickly as I could (which in reality was not the quick, as I could tell by the eyes already being rolled in my general direction and water glasses already empty) I was off to get their order into the computer. I wanted to get the food order in first since that would obviously take longer, so I wanted to time the meal just perfect. After another 15 of putting in their food orders, I finally ordered the drinks. The bartender calls me over because he can't even understand what I've put into the system! It's one big hot mess! The head cook is already calling me into the kitchen to have me help decode the order and it seemed like they were staffed with all new people because no one else really knew what they were doing either.
  I finally go over and pick up the drinks and take them over to deliver them to the table. The second I'm in sight of the table I see "the look". As my eyes slowing work their way down the never ending table, along the way every face is showing signs of patience lost. Heads shaking slowly side to side, eyes rolling, whispered conversations and then my eyes make it to the opposite end of the far table. And sitting right at the end is Ryan's dad, and he gives me "the look", the look of total disappointment. (And even as I write this line it brings tears to my eyes). I slowly start handing out the drinks, trying to get them to the right people, but nothing that I ordered was right, and of course as they were telling me this time what they had wanted I heard them just perfectly. But as I'm only half way down this endless table, THE FOOD IS BEING DELIVERED! Trays and trays and trays of food are pouring out of the kitchen and I'm trying to direct the other servers (who apparently are around only to help with deliver the food) where the meals need to go, but I still have the drinks in my hand, it hits me that I totally forgot all of their soup and salads, and his dad from the far end of the table (from hell) is still giving me "the look".
  As soon and the food was on the table and in front of the right person, they already had their credit cards in the air and they were just ready to leave and get out of there. Everyone seemed to be paying separately (which is so confusing). So I start making my way down the table, collecting credit cards, and going at a snails pace because I am dreading reaching the other end of the table. Where Ryan's father is. (yeah, you guessed it). Still giving me "the look". I don't remember exactly what he said to me when I finally reached him, but I'm pretty sure that it was something about how basically I should end up "comping" or "writing off" some of the balance on account of everything going horribly wrong which resulted in the worst dining experience in the world. (in not so many words, but that's how I felt after what he said. Although now, I just like to think that he said it because he's "basically a cheap bastard", his words, not mine!). As I walked away from him, I made it about half way back down the table when one of Ryan's cousins (that I've never met before) grabbed my arm, and guided me down to the seat next to him. He asked me how I was doing and I just kind of looked up at him from under my brow in that sarcastic way that I do, and he just laughed and said that it would be fine. That taking care of that many people would be difficult for ANY one person to do, and timing a meal of that size would be almost impossible in almost any circumstance.
  And then instead of feeling better, I lost it, and just started crying. Harder than I probably ever have in my life. More than his entire family already hating me, and the disappointment from his father, all I could think about was how much I missed Ryan and just needed him there. That it would make everything okay. I told his cousin that I might not be able to serve 50 people, but I knew exactly how to time breakfast for Ryan in the mornings to make sure that he's not late for work.

  And then I woke up.

  My face still wet with tears, I curled up next to Ryan and wrapped my arms around him. And everything was okay.

Things I realized from my dream:
* I know Ryan's family doesn't hate me, and that his father couldn't be more proud of me and I'm pretty sure isn't even capable of a disappointing look. I know that this is about my own insecurities and not ever wanting to ever disappoint anyway or let anyone down.
*  But the biggest thing that I've realized is that I need my husband. I know that I can be a little too "independent" sometimes in my marriage, and having someone around all the time that I have to compromise with is taking some getting use to. And that, yeah, I'm not meant to serve 50 people. I only need to serve 1. This is EXACTLY where I am meant to be. (Even though the dream was a pretty messed way of teaching me that!)

 So, Ryan, party of one, your table is ready!

pretty uneventful day

   Overall, a pretty normal day in my life. Woke up, made breakfast (quick and easy smoothies), lunch was brought in by a sales rep. today and dinner was leftovers. Other than that it was a busy day at work, which always makes the day go by super fast. The winds of change are blowing through my office, so there's been stuff on my mind about that. I know that the changes will be for the better (overall), but change can still be a very scary thing. I'm just so blessed to have such a supportive husband. He is my rock.
  I won't go into anymore work stuff until there is more to reveal. For now I'm still trying to get my focus back on my online course that I'm enrolled in. For those of you who don't know, I've recently started a Medical Billing and Coding course. It's been going really well, and I'm really enjoying it. I took a little break when my sister had her baby and when family was in town, but I'm back at it now.
  I guess there's not really too much else to talk about for now. I'm really looking forward to getting a little reading in before bed, and my run in the morning. A good run always seems to help clear my mind! I hope that you all had a great day!
 Until tomorrow! (I promise tomorrow to be more productive so I have more fun stuff to share!)

Whew!!

 Well I have already had quite the productive day, and I haven't even gone to work yet!

  One of the areas of my life that I am blessed is that fact that I don't actually start work until 1pm on Wednesdays. I love having this morning off to run errands or get things done around the house. Wednesday is also one of my "run days". (Ryan and I are currently working our way through the Couch 2 5K program). Needless to say, there is no sleeping in for me even on mornings off. So I got up this morning and for breakfast made turkey sausage omelettes.


Turkey Sausage Omelette:
3tbsp liquid egg whites
1 turkey sausage patty, diced
1tbsp fat free shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp homemade tomato salsa

 After breakfast it's time to get Ryan off to work! A few minutes later I am back at the house and head straight downstairs and hop on the elliptical. I'm into week 6 now of the Couch 2 5K program and it's definitely more of a challenge, but one that I'm still enjoying. I find that the mornings I dread running the most are the also the days that I feel most rewarded once I complete the run. I was definitely not feeling it today, and I am normally really looking forward to my runs. And I definitely felt over minute of today's run, but like I said, that makes finishing it so much more worth it.
 Once I'm done with the run, it's back into the kitchen for this little housewife! Lunch has already been prepared by my wonderful husband, and since I won't be at home for dinner tonight I want to make sure he's got something waiting for him! While it is nice to have to morning off, the turnaround is that I work until 7pm. Also at the same time I am working on a batch of carrot cake cupcakes! (I know, I know, I'm crazy). Now, I have never claimed to be Betty Crocker, but I do use her stuff! Yep! Cake mix right out of the box. In my opinion it's not "how" you do it, it's just that you do it! My one little secret weapon that I have for making cupcakes is this:

 Not only are these little bottles totally cheap, they are great for salad dressing and also cake mixes! Because we are on a diet in our house, I don't like keeping a lot of treats lying around, so this is a great way to store it (I never store it longer than a week as there are raw eggs in it), and make a cupcake or two at a time. Ryan also recently purchased me a mini muffin tin, and so the bottle is also perfect for filling the little spaces without dripping the batter everywhere! Now I must warn, that while I was smart enough to think this up, I was not smart enough to think about that fact that the tip is very narrow and carrot cake mix has little pieces of carrot in it which like to get stuck in there and completely block it up, but a quick snip to the end and we're back in business!
 While the cupcakes are in the oven I start on dinner. (I'm getting tired all over again just listing out everything I do in a day!!) Part of the diet we are on is protein at every meal and portioning everything! So to make it a little easier on ourselves and our busy schedule, at the beginning of the week we create a menu and then cook up and portion off the meat that we'll be using. It's so easy and convenient to be able to grab a portion and go! So tonight for dinner, even though we won't be together, we'll both be having Tex-Mex Turkey!

Tex-Mex Turkey:

4 oz lean ground turkey 

1/4 green bell pepper, diced

1/3 can whole kernal corn (no salt added)

1/3 can black beans (50% less sodium)

1/2 cup homemade tomato salsa

And I've mentioned my homemade salsa a few times, so I guess I should give you the recipe for that too. Now, I want you to keep in mind that I am somewhat of an addict when it comes to salsa, I pretty much put it on or in everything that I make. I'm pretty sure that Ryan has never had so much salsa in his life. But this, my friends, is THE BEST SALSA I've ever had (and so incredibly easy to make)! You can thank me later.

Best Salsa EVER:
1-10oz can Rotel (I use the one with green chilies)
1-14oz can diced tomatoes (or I use fresh ones)
1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely diced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 tsp honey (this is the magic ingredient!)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
handful of cilantro (I would put more if Ryan let me)
juice of 1 lime (I do about half of that since I don't really like a bold lime flavor)
Then just throw all of it in a blender and give it a few really good pulses to bring it all together, and I promise you will not be disappointed.

  Most of the recipes that I give will be one person's portion, because that's how I have them all written out. And I also wanted to let you know that while there will be a cupcake waiting for my husband for when he gets home, this first batch of treats is already promised to the girls that I work with. But I will be reaching out to others on the next batch of treats as I continue my way through the world that is baking, as I really don't like the treats in my house (they will be eaten with a vengeance!) So if you're interested in any homemade goodies, just let me know in the comments below and I'll see what we can do about making it happen!

  Well now that I've given you some of my best secrets, I better jump in the shower and get ready for work! I hope you are all enjoying this as much as I am! Have a great day!