Healthy Broccoli soup recipe

Ok so I am a sucker for HOT soup on a cold day... Who am I kidding I love soup on any day! Since last Jan 2011 I have decided to become a healthier me. After 2 kids and gaining a total of 50 lbs, I had a terrible time getting the weight off! I need to get of 25 lbs BUT now I am so happy to say after 6 months of working out and eating right, I had lost 30LBS!!! I cleaned up my eating habits and thought broccoli soup would never be healthy. Well I was wrong. I came across a recipe from blentec and decided I could use a couple of those ingredients but make the rest up as I go!
Now I am no expert when it comes to food. I am definately not a nutritionst or anything like that, I am just a SAHM who likes to cook! So I am not saying "it is by far the healthiest thing you could EVER eat" no, I am just saying for all the ingredients I feel that it is a very healthy soup! Ok so here we go:

• 2 large carrots peeled and chopped
• 2 large celery chopped
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 or 3 Garlic cloves chopped (i like it pretty garlic tasting i usually add more!
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP whole wheat flour
• 3 or 4 red potatoes (optional)
• 2 tsp of  better than bouillon (add water as directed) or 2 cans of chicken broth
• 1 & 1/2 cup fat free milk
• 2 Cups of broccoli (chopped or cut up, your preference of chunkyness)
• 1/4 cup parmessan cheese
• salt and pepper

1. In a large pot add your olive oil, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Let saute for about 4 to 5 min
2. add flour into sauted ingredients and stir until smooth add salt and pepper ( i also add a little garlic seasoning)
3. add chicken broth or the better than bouillon with the water 
4. add milk
5. add potatoes (again optional) and brocolli 
6. Let sit over medium heat until potatoes and broccoli are soft
7. add parmessan cheese 

I like to take half of the soup and blend it in my blendtec ( a couple pulses) and then add it back in. Makes it a little thicker!

I hope your family loves it as much as mine does! I get my kids to eat those veggies with out blinking an eye! 

ENJOY!!

Time for a change in my little princess's room!

So my next project that's on my list, after the master bed and bath is my little girls room. I am loving the aqua, coral, and green and a splash of yellow combination but then there is gray and pink, then there is an orange and aqua... the list goes on. So it goes to show I have not decided what I am going to go with, but whatever it is going to be I am super excited to start!  I think that I have changed my daughters room 3 times in her 4 years of life, and keep in mind I ave only lived here in my home 3 YEARS..... you do the math! ha ha

Of coarse these are my pinterest ideas!! I am going to start calling my pinterest posts ideas..... PPI!!

Oh my little one would love this!

Maybe this might be a little too red?

I know it is way bright and a little over the top, but I love the aqua blue and coral together! 

 I cant tell if this is a orangy-pink or coral, but I like it :)

 Love the idea of making a 3D effect. This would be so cute in my daughters room. 

 LOVE this bed spread!! ($ 200) way too much!!

 Love the color scheme on this bedspread too! I would have it as a bottom of the bed blanket with a white down comforter as the main bedspread though. It is a little to busy!

Cute DIY art. canvas and fabric Viola!!

 Doors as a headboard..... Brilliant! Love the old but new feel. It beats having to buy a $300 or more bed set!!

 Again cute colors!

 Love the owls!

 See another cute color scheme!! Ugh this is just killing me! So much to choose from! Good thing I can change it again, and again, and again if I want to..... even though my Hubby hates it!

Now my little girl if 4 I want something that is not too teenagery (new word hehe) or too babyish. Decisions decisions!!  I will be having to make a decision soon, but until then......... What is your opinion?

Healthy Cinnamon bread!!

I found this recipe a while ago that I would like to share with you it is very healthy, but you will feel like you are eating something that is really bad for you!! I have been a HUGE fam of Jamie Eason from bodybuilding.com and she has made a delicious cinnamon bread. My kids LOVED it and the hubs and I cant get enough. It also has a good amount of protein in it too!! Who knew! Here is is:

Nutrition Facts:

Makes 16 squares
1 square (is a serving) = 55 calories, 1 g fat, 8 g carbs, 5 g protein

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Ideal (Xylitol)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups oat flour + 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Ideal (Xylitol) or ¼ cup Stevia in the Raw
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (Almond Breeze)
• 1/3 cup or 1 4oz jar of baby food applesauce and ¼ cup low sugar vanilla yogurt (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8 X 8 inch Pyrex dish with non-stick spray.
2. In small bowl combine: (set aside)

• 1/3 cup Ideal (Xylitol)
• 2 tsp cinnamon

3. In a large bowl combine: (whisk together)

• 1 1/2 cups oat flour + 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Ideal (Xylitol) or ¼ cup Stevia in the Raw

4. In a medium bowl combine: (whisk together & add to lrg bowl)

• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (Almond Breeze)
• 1/3 cup or 1 4oz jar of baby food applesauce and ¼ cup low sugar vanilla yogurt (optional)

5. Pour a shallow layer of batter into the loaf pan (about 1/4 of the batter).
6. Sprinkle heavily with half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining batter & cinnamon/sugar on top.
7. Draw a knife through the batter to marble. Bake for 24 to 28 min. Let cool for 10 min. Bread will be dense.

* I also made muffins from the same recipes I just took out the small bowl with extra xylitol and the cinnamon and instead added blueberries! So good!!

Wall Stencils & wainscoting

 So I am a PINTEREST addict (who isn't). I love love love that app/site!!! I have followed it and have so many WONDERFUL ideas and crafts I need to do. I had seen many master bedrooms with wallpaper so I was looking at wallpapers for my room and came across stencils for your wall to save some money!! Well I came across an amazing Website called  http://www.cuttingedgestencils.com/. Love their gallery and so many amazing stencils....Well I cant afford any right now so in the mean time I created my own stencil. I just drew it on card boards and cut it out with a exacto knife. Yes it took me a good 3+ hours to do one half of a wall but I LOVE the outcome!!! I also wanted the wainscoting look as well. First here was some inspiration that I leaned toward...

Ok so here is what my Room looked like before....

BORING AND DULL!!!!!!!!

so here it is now (still need to decorate of coarse )........

VOILA!!! love it! (don't mind the quality, took them with my phone :)

Price breakdown:

Paint around $65

Base board and little trim: $55

Bed spread and pillows: Target $85

Curtain (actually table cloths): $40

So pretty cheap for re-doing your master. Still have lots of work to do as far as decorating! I also am going to be making a headboard... stay tuned!!

Well here I go......

I was up all night wanting to talk to some women about some decor Ideas that I had, then I couldn't sleep because I wanted to chat about advice on some SAHM situations. I thought I could talk to some friends on FB but thought that it would be nice to get advice outside the friendship, FB world. I thought of blogging about all kinds of stuff, so I came up with Mrs. This and That. Its about all different kinds of things I can share and even get feedback on! I hope you enjoy this blog and I hope I can get to know more blogger friends!