Fall collage

Everything I will be doing for fall this year!

                                                                      I'm obsessed with cheveron..

        

Just thought I'd throw that in there for ya :)

Beautiful Fall!

I find it ironic that I love fall but hate Halloween. I think it might be because fall makes my house look warm and welcoming and Halloween just makes it look weird and cheesy. But I also like fall because of the fun wardrobe that gets to come out of the back of my closet! I love sweaters because I can feel like I'm being modest AND fashionable. I'm fine with showing my arms off in a tank top for summer time but the new "haaave you met my ass?" shorts are ridiculous... Turrable... I feel dumb even calling those things shorts... And to anyone that just got the reference just then, pat yourself on the back :)  I also love sweaters because they are so comfy! I can feel like I'm lounging around and still look like a functioning member of society! And they don't even have to be cute sweaters! Like my sister in law Hannah bought this sweater that has several snow men playing golf on the front of it it's amazing! And she looks Soooo comfy in it!!

This year I'd really like to get some new stuff though. Because honestly I was SO into summer for such a long time I don't really have an amazing fall collection. I would like to get a few new sweaters, scarves, and boots. Not a ton, just a few. Oh and maybe some pants I can actually wear with boots...

                                          

                                            

Ahh! So cute! I'm so excited! :D And here in Cedar there are 8 months out of the 12 that are cold. It will probably be a good idea to invest in some warm clothes.

Healthy Tetrazzini with Chicken

I got this one from Tasha. Pretty good! I don't completely understand why it has healthy in the title... It has two table spoons of butter, and a ton of cheese, but it was still good.
I made a few modifications to the dish. I didn't have any mozerella,so I used what I had which was swiss, and cheddar cheese. I also cubed the chicken instead of shredding it. I know huge difference right? The big part i changed was the butter. I still have those sautee starters and used that instead. Gave it a very different flavor especially with all the spices. Oh! And I put mushrooms in it as well. Of course I did right? Anyways super good!

Healthy Chicken and Broccoli Tetrazinni

Ingredients

• 1 pound whole wheat thin spaghetti, broken in half and then cooked al dente
• 1 package frozen broccoli
• 2 cups cooked chicken
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 7 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and salt and stir to combine. Cook the butter and flour mixture for 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth to the butter mixture. Stirring constantly, gradually bring the mixture up to a boil, turn down the heat, and then simmer for an addition 2 minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk and Parmesan until the cheese melts.

When the noodles are done cooking, put the frozen broccoli in the bottom of the colander before you drain the water. Pour the hot water and noodles over the top of the broccoli and stir to combine.

Spread the cooked spaghetti and broccoli mixture in the bottom of a greased 9 by 13-inch baking dish and then pour half of the sauce over it. Top with the chicken or turkey pieces and then drizzle the remaining sauce over the top. Top with mozzerella.

Cover and bake until hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese is slightly browned. Let the tetrazzini cool in the pan for 10 minutes before serving.

Italian chicken, mushroom, and zucchini skillet

                                                      

Hooray for good food! I want to start doing low carb dinners! For several reasons,

1. Ethan is just a happier person when he eats good.

2. I have more energy when I eat good.

3. I don't feel like a fat blob.

4. I want to look good for a few wedding coming up. 

So low carb high protein it is! I was looking for things that are low carb but taste good so I don't feel like I'm wasting away. I came across a couple of things. I won't post them until I cook them so you can know if it's worth the effort.

This one I have to say is AMAZING! And it was nice to hear from mister "super chef" that it looked and smelled amazing. Score! I usually get "oh you should add this" or "you should make it the way my dad makes it!" Sigh. Don't get me wrong. I love Aaron's cooking! Anyways. This one was pretty simple to do. My only problem was that I didn't have skillet big enough so I have to improvise... (hint hint on the skillet) But it went down pretty well. You can the recipe on my "made it, and loved it!" page on my pinterest. I'll also put the link down below. What really caught my eye was the mushrooms mmmmmmmmmmm.... Mushrooms.... 

These are the kind I bought because I'm lazy and didn't want to cut up whole mushrooms. If you use canned mushrooms, I will come to your house and kick some butt. NO CANNED MUSHROOMS!

What else caught my eye was the sautee starters. I'd never heard of them before. And I wasn't quite sure where to look for them in the grocery store but I eventually found them and let me tell ya, this might have been the least healthiest part of this meal but oh my goodness did it make that chicken taste amazing! 

This is what it looks like. It comes in several kinds. I can't remember the kinds, but this is the kind you need. The Italian one.

It only took me maybe 45 minutes to cook the whole thing. I didn't do the oven part. It really doesn't need it. If you do the oven part and it turns out any differently let me know.

Here's the finished product. What's REALLY good on it is balsamic vinegar! We always have some at our house but I've never really liked it. But it makes this taste amazing. Don't ruin it with cheese. There is enough combination of flavors going on here without cheese getting thrown into the mix. Seriously though. Super easy, super fast, and super good :) I'll be posting more dishes that I've tried when I get around to making them :)

http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2013/04/italian-chicken-skillet-dinner.html?_szp=353026#_pg_pin=535016&_pg_pin=553730

My Major To-Do list.

So my wise older sister Tasha laid some major truths on me the other day. I haven't told ANYONE this in fear that it would start riots, good and bad on both sides of our family, but I've been a little baby crazy lately and Ethan a little bit too. I feel like there is more babies around me now. Well maybe it's the same but I've just noticed more now. I talked to Tasha and told her about my secret. She didn't riot like some people would have, she just asked me if I was ready for my life as I knew it to end? She asked if I had made a list of things I want to do before we have kids. No. I hadn't even thought about it! I'm really glad I have her there to put things into perspective for me and pull me back into reality. Because when I thought about it, there is A LOT of things I want/need to get done before I have kids. Here's my list. This is partly for Tasha so she can see that her sister heart to hearts are being heard.

#1. Get my CNA certificate.

This is going to be a good start. Considering it's like less than a fourth of what the next one is going to cost. We were told I do not qualify for help because we make "way too much" right....

#2. Get my Medical Assistance certificate. This will be fun :) And hard. And expensive. And it will take a long time. BUT i'm super stoked because I get to go through Medical Anatomy again, and Medical Terminology again. I was a good egg and kept EVERYTHING I did when I took these classes the first time :) Including all flash cards, assignments and tests. I put them in my (as my family knows it as, or maybe just Whitney...) My great big book of everything Medical. Does anyone remember that cartoon where the kid has his great big book of everything? I know it wasn't pb&j otter... It was a animal show.... Anyways I don't remember. But that's where the name came from.

#3. I would LOVE to go to all these amazing places. Seattle, because that's where Ethan was born and it would be SO fun to go there. I'd even like to take Avis and Aaron with us! 

Disney Land. This one I might save for when we do have a child. It just seems funner that way....

This is the zip line in Park City Utah. It's right next to the Alpine Slide. I've been on the Alpine slide which is very very fun. My mom wouldn't let me go on the zip line. So of course that means I'm going to make sure that we go! My family has a condo there and so I don't see why we couldn't swing in a couple times :) I love Park City. :) It was the only other place we went on vacation other than camping. Lots a fun memories :)

Cruise to Bahamas. This WILL happen dammit! 

#4. New Volkswagen Jetta. This is going to be difficult. Because I have requirements for the car and so does Ethan. Some of them clash...
My list is: 
1. It can't be an ugly color. So any red, yellow or white cars is a no go. I'm thinking this color gray, a dark blue. Not a stupid "holy shit that's blue!" but a nice dark blue where you can't really see the brilliance of it unless it's in the sun, or black.
2. It HAS to be a 2007 or above. See Ethan wants to get me a 2002. NO! If I'm going to be driving this thing around for the next 8 years, it's going to be a newer car! And honestly, anything below a 2006 is ugly anyways. just... no...
3. It has to be a four door. To anyone who has ever tried to put baby carrier in the back seat of a 2 door knows just how big of a pain in the ass it really is...
Ethan's list:
1. "We're not spending more that $6,000 dollars on a car!" Seriously? Do you want a piece of junk?
2. "Why does it matter what it looks like?!"
3. It has to be a diesel. (I argree with this)
4. It has to be a manual transmission. (And I'm not referring to a transmission made in Mexico) Har. Har. Har! *ahem* anyways....
And here is where I find fault in his price range. You can't find a turbo diesel Jetta, with a manual transmission and four doors for under $6,000. If you can 1. there is something wrong with it. 2. WAY too many miles.
But I figure I'll get my way with the car and he will get his way with his truck. I'm not going to say a damn thing about his truck. You guys should hear what he wants to do to his truck. He wants to get the truck, It has to be a 2006 (because that was the best year of what ever truck it is a Cummings? idk...), with a manual transmission. Once he has the truck itself he wants to spend about $15,000 on "fixing it" So it's a real truck. So i figure in the long run, everyone is happy :) 

#5. Be in a house with a back yard. Now. This will only be temporary. We WILL not be buying a house here. EVER. We were looking at this house just the other night and it was 4,000 sf. And maybe 200 of it was the kitchen... Seriously?! I'm not going to spend a 200 grand on a house that doesn't have an amazing kitchen. So we will be renting a house until we can build a house....

There is my list. I'd LOVE to see this all done before we start poppin kids out. But honestly... I don't think Ethan will be gettin that truck ;) Just kidding! We're going to do all of this without going to far into debt. The schooling I REFUSE to go into debt for. And the car and truck will come one at a time. That is when we get our blasted trailer sold....