Finally Friday {Take 12}

We're bringing back Finally Friday!!!

If you have no flippin' clue what I'm talking about, you can get caught up here.  
And as in caught up, I mean the last Finally Friday post was a year and a half ago!!!!  ooops.  

Emily

1)  Me and the girls at my office started a work out session during our lunches on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.  One of us brings a healthy lunch and we work out together.  It's awesome.  And it hurts.  Hurts so good.  Follow along on Instagram to see what we're up to each day. 

2)  We're planning a little getaway around some training I have coming up.  We'll be in Nasvhille, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and then finally Atlanta.  Any tips on what we should see while we're there???  (More info on Facebook, too.)

3) We're almost finished with our master bedroom. FINALLY. And, I cannot wait to show y'all.  Charlie gave some sneak peaks in his previous post.  Just a little more work on the trip and a few more finishing touches to the fireplace and it will officially be done!  You can't tell I'm excited, right? 

Charlie

1) My parents live in Northern Illinois and this past week they had 10 inches of snow. Have to admit I was kind of jealous.  I like snow. 

2) With that being said, I am really looking forward to spring getting here. This year I plan on planting a larger garden, since my girls absolutely love fruits and vegetables........And of course fishing season starts!!!!!!!!

3) Our little girl Guthrie is 10 months old and is seriously only a couple weeks away from full out walking. Just this week she has been standing straight up off the ground and staying there without holding onto anything. I'll have my hands full once she's off walking. An almost 3 year old and almost 1 year old running right past their dad. 

Favorite pin of the week:

Source

Because seriously.  

Y'all know we have like a huge, huge, huge gun safe taking up way too much room in my house, right?  

It's big and bulky and ugly.  

But, this.  

THIS is surrounded by gold itself.  

gold = barnwood.  

THIS is a safe I could get on board with! 

Printable of the week:

This was part of our "Year of Printables" gift post.  

See the rest HERE. 

Favorite meal of the week: 

Our Healthy CrockPot Chicken Enchilada Soup!  We took a few recipes we found online, made them healthier and quicker, with less ingredients! Nothin' easier than throwing a bunch of stuff in a crockpot! Am I right!? 

Thanks for hanging out with us today! 

We hope you stop by again soon! 

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CROCKPOT Chicken Quesadilla's

If you follow along on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you probably saw this photo.  

You might have also read that this was Charlie's plate.  It totally got cold while I was photographing it….  

Sorry, Charlie!  

#bloggerproblems

What I didn't mention, Is that while photographing it, I forgot that mine was on the stove top and it definitely burned.  

They're still good crispy in case you're wondering…

I'm queen of opening the fridge, grabbing whatever I see first, throwing it in the crockpot and hoping and praying it's edible at the end of the day.  

I'd say I'm successful about 80% of the time.  

I'll take that.

It's almost time for me to go back to work, so the more recipes I have that can be thrown (literally) together the night before or morning of, the better for my sanity! 

So here's how the CROCKPOT Chicken Quesadilla's went down y'all…

Ingredients

2-3 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Cup Salsa

1/3 Cup Queso Cheese Dip

1/2 Packet of Ranch Dip Mix 

Tortilla Shells

Shredded Cheese

Yep, that's all. 

Here comes the hard part…

Throw the first four ingredients in your crockpot and turn it on….

I stirred it up, turned it on high and put the lid on.

I started this in the morning and we were having it for lunch so I cooked it on high.  You can definitely slow cook it all day on low for a dinner meal instead. 

Once the chicken was cooked, I shredded it and let it simmer in the salsa/cheese/ranch mix for another 30 minutes or so.

Then, I put my tortilla shell in a pan and filled it with my crockpot quesadilla chicken and shredded cheese.  I cooked it until the cheese was melted and it was slightly (or burnt in my case) browned on each side. 

It turned out really, really good!  

It had a little kick (I used Medium salsa and cheese), and really great flavor! 

I plan to double or triple this recipe once I go back to work so I have some lunches for the work week, too! 

A great big spoon full of sour cream on top and these babies were ready to go!  (after they were photographed….and cold)

So glad you stopped by today.  Have a great weekend y'all!!!

Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp and Fried Zucchini

If you're following along on Instagram or Facebook, you might have seen this yummy photo show up on your newsfeed last week.  It was even better in person, y'all!  

Since I work full time, I'm all about a quick and simple, but tasty and healthy dinner.  My evenings seem to get shorter and shorter by the day! By the time I get home from work, cook and eat dinner, it's time for baths and bedtime.  I'd rather spend less time cooking and more time with my family any day.  Thankfully, I have a superstar hubby who not only helps take care of the kids and the house but will also help with dinner!  So while I've been at home on maternity leave with Baby G, Charlie and I have been trying out some new recipes.  And, these two, will be on my list for sure once I return to work!

Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp and Fried Zucchini!   

I'm no chef and most of my meals come from Pinterest!  (You can see our meal planning with Pinterest post HERE.)  These awesome recipes are no different!  

Go HERE to check out the recipe for Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp.

(I omitted the green onions on this recipe, just because we're picky and don't like them!)

Go HERE for the Fried Zucchini recipe we used.  

(I admittedly made this recipe a little less nutritious by adding in some seasoning salt, garlic powder and pepper.  They just needed a little more flavor for me to convince Charlie to try something that was green in color!  He loved them…just as I knew he would!)

Do you have recipes that are quick and easy and make your nights run a little smoother?  I'd LOVE for you to share!!! 

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!

No Bake, Healthy Energy Bites {Recipe}

I don't know about you guys, but I'll take all the energy and boost I can get! I feel like I'm tired on a daily basis!  I attempt to accomplish things once Paisley has gone to sleep every night and most nights, this results in me staying up way too late.  

And, I am not a morning person.

Just ask my husband.
Actually don't.  Let's not get him started on that please.

So as I was browsing Pinterest one night (when I obviously should have been sleeping.  Maybe Pinterest is my problem?) 

Ok, so browsing Pinterest....I came across these tasty looking bite size pieces of ENERGY! WHHHAATT???!!!  

Wait...and they're healthy!?!?  
Score!  

So, you can check out the original recipe here, at Smashed Peas & Carrots.  Hers looked delicious, but I knew I wanted to add a little and make these my own.  

Here's how it went down..

1 cup oatmeal - (I used instant, because I had it in the cabinet)

1/2 cup Almond Butter

1/2 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed - (Found this at our local Krogers by the flour)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup raisins

1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything together in a bowl.

Until it's completely mixed together.

Let your mixture chill in the fridge for about 30 - 45 minutes.

Once chilled, roll into bite-size balls and enjoy!

Store in a container, in the fridge.

I was so surprised at how good they really were! 

I mean, I know they looked good, but they really tasted even better!

And HELLO! This is a healthy snack that doesn't taste like cardboard! Woop Woop!  It has great flavor and really is a great go-to snack! 

I'm no nutritionist or professional.  

Like, AT ALL!

BUT, my friend Dr. Oz shares some great info about the benefits of flaxseed. 

You can read about that HERE. 

I was also wondering if this would be considered somewhat or close to "clean"???  Anyone? Help me out here...??

I used all natural, organic honey. natural almonds and almond butter.  I'm just not sure about the other stuff?  Maybe by using regular oats instead of instant?  Surely someone out there can give me some feedback on this!?  I'd love to make this an even better snack option if that were possible! 

Ok, that's all for today!  

I'm off to eat more energy bites....

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Sweet Summer Sangria

Who doesn't love a nice cold glass of sangria in the summer!?!?

We've mentioned this before (plus it's the title of this little ol' blog), but we kinda like wine.  
It helps that we live in the middle of wine country.
We're so close, we've even rode our 4 wheeler to the winery.  
Yes, we're THAT CLOSE...

We really live in a beautiful area and the wineries around us are so scenic and relaxing!  We even had our wedding reception at a winery just about 2 miles from our house. 

One of our favorite things about wineries is the SANGRIA!
Can I get an "AMEN"???!!!

This past weekend we whipped up a batch of our very own Sweet Sangria.  

You just need a few ingredients.  

You can really pick any kind of wine you want.  We used Flip Flop Moscato this time, but we love using our local apple flavored wine too!

We mixed ours up in a glass pitcher so our amounts are based on what would fill that baby to the rim!  :)

2 1/2 bottles of your favorite wine
1 cup of Pineapple Juice
2 cups of 7up or Sprite
Fresh Fruit 

Ok here's the hard part...

Throw it all in your pitcher and stir. 

NOW, DRINK IT UP! 

No, seriously. 
It's that easy.  

Try it out and see what you think.  You can always add more wine if you want it stronger or more juice or sprite if you want it lighter.  You can't mess this up, folks.

It's got a great sweet flavor and perfect for these hot, humid, sticky, summer days! 

Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Do you have your own Sangria Recipe??  
You do!?!? 
Ummm....why haven't you shared it with us yet???  
You should get right on that...

Have a great day y'all! 

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BBQ Bacon Ranch Pork Chops

Who loves BBQ sauce?  

And, bacon?

And, ranch?

EVERYONE, RIGHT????

The occupants of the B&W household sure do!  So, the other night Charlie and I decided they needed to come together.  They needed to come together all over our pork chops!  

It turned out amazing!  But, who was second guessing that combo anyways??? :)

This is how it went down. 

It's far from rocket science, but I'm sure Rachel Rae and Paula Dean would approve!

I'd been shopping at Aldi's last week and these just happened to be what I found in my fridge. 

In an attempt to make healthier choices, I had purchased turkey bacon.  This recipe without a doubt, would have been even better with regular bacon! Next time, I may not let health override...

I threw my porch chops in a container completely covered in BBQ sauce and put it in the fridge while I got everything else ready.  

Sprinkle half of the ranch packet over your BBQ chops.  Then, wrap with bacon and secure with tooth picks.  

I put a little extra sauce over the top of the bacon and then sprinkled just a little more ranch over the top before heading to the grill.

Then, off to the grill...

Grillmaster Charlie kept our chops on foil until they were almost done.  We didn't want the bacon to burn to a crisp!  

When we moved them off of the foil, we basted them with another layer of sauce and another sprinkle of our ranch packet.  After a few minutes on the grill grates, they were ready to go!

Then...we devoured them!  

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Corn Casserole {Miranda Lambert Style}

So I have this friend named Miranda Lambert.  Heard of her?  

Well, one day she called me up and said "Hey, Em!  I've got this new recipe for you to try out! I'll text it to you!"

Long story short, I made it and IT. WAS. AWESOME!!!

.................................

Ok, so as in "friend", I mean I've seen her in concert. 

As in "she called me up", I mean my mom emailed me a photo copy of the recipe from a magazine.

Regardless, IT. IS. AWESOME!!! :) :) :) 

It's basically a buttery, cheesy, macaroni and corn, dream come true!  We make it a lot.  Especially for family get togethers and when we have company.  Everyone always asks me for the recipe.  So I start with "so I have this friend named Miranda Lambert...."

Here's the recipe she "texted" me....

Important Bonfires and Wine Tip #1:  I always drain the corn regardless of what it says in the recipe above.  

Important Bonfires and Wine Tip #2: I always double the recipe.  Believe me, it's worth it.  You probably won't even have left-overs.

Important Bonfires and Wine Tip #3:  I use my crock pot most of the time!  (instructions below)

First, I boil water and cook my noodles about half way.

Spray your crock pot, then, toss everything in!

I use salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste.

I cook mine on high for about 2 hours, stirring regularly. Then, switch it to low or warm right before serving.

Let me know what you think and I'll pass it on to my friend, Miranda! :)

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How to make a box cake taste homemade with two simple steps!

Who doesn't love a nice big slice of Chocolate Cake!?!?  If you say you don't like cake, you're straight up lying!  That would be un-American!

But, really who has time to slave away in the kitchen and make a 29-step, homemade, from scratch, cake anyways???

Not this girl!

That's why I begged and begged for my Great-Grandma (Ingie, as we like to call her) to let me in on her secret of making a box cake taste like it came straight from a high-end bakery.  I was beyond surprised when she quickly rattled off two very simple steps, like it was no big deal.

What? Two steps? Are you kiddin' me???

Coffee and room-temp eggs.  That's the big secret, folks.

Make sure your eggs are room temp, NOT STRAIGHT FROM THE FRIDGE.
And, add a teaspoon of INSTANT Coffee.

These two mind-blowing steps take a box cake from dry and blah, to moist and amazing!

Here's a little other hint.  My Great-Grandma must endorse Duncan Hines or something because she swears by ONLY their cake and icing...

So, start with your boxed cake mix.

(Source)

And, follow the directions as directed on the box.  REMEMBERING TO USE EGGS AT ROOM TEMP!!!

Then, before you mix everything together, add one teaspoon of instant coffee.
Then mix and bake as directed.

(Source)

I did two separate round cakes and layered them with frosting in between. :)
Because more frosting doesn't add anymore calories, right?

Again, my Great-Grandma will only use the Duncan Hines frosting...
She prefers the Whipped Chocolate so I follow her lead (always).

(Source)

This is by far the best cake EVER. And, no one will ever know it's a box cake mix!

The eggs are supposed to make it extra moist and homemade-like.  And, the coffee just gives it an added touch of flavor and richness that it needs!

Now if only we could make this fat, calorie and carb free....

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