Menu Planning and Beef Stroganoff

I haven't done this in awhile, and since we actually did meal plan this week, I thought I'd share what's cookin'! I'm not home a lot this week, so we have lots of quick and simple dishes coming up:

Monday: beef tacos and yellow rice

Tuesday: soup and sammies

Wednesday: YoYo (Your on Your Own- I'm headed to a GNO!)

Thursday: Chicken Stir fry and white rice

Friday: YoYo- going to a Bachelorette Party!

Saturday: raviolis

Sunday: Easter Dinner at C's parents

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Beef Stroganoff

Have I mentioned how much I love my crock pot? This recipe was so easy, even a non-cook like me was able to make it without any difficulty!

Ingredients: 

1 lb of beef stew meat, cubed

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can of condensed Golden Mushroom soup 

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup water

4 oz. cream cheese

Directions:

Cube the meat.
Chop the onion.
Throw everything EXCEPT the cream cheese in the crockpot for 8 hours on Low, or 5 hours High.
Mix in cream cheese right before serving.

Enjoy!
(We served it over egg noodles.)

What's cookin in your kitchen lately?

Where I've Been/ The Green Eyed Monster

You may have noticed that I've been a bit quiet in these parts. I apologize. Really, I do. Not only have I not written for awhile, I confess I haven't read your blogs either. I'm a bad blogger. And I have some major catching up to do. But let me explain...

I hit a bit of a low on Tuesday night. And then I disappeared from here.
You see, this lil blog of mine is my happy place. I try not to bring any dramz in, because I like to keep it upbeat  sharing the good things going on. But Life doesn't always work out that way. I try not to dwell on negative emotions, because well... what's the point? There are so many more things to be happy and grateful for, and dwelling on the negative doesn't do anyone any good (and it's not especially fun writing or reading material either). And rehashing just makes me sads. But, I digress.

So what had happened was...
Tuesday started as a normal, somewhat boring day. Nothing of note. I went to work, came home, had dinner, and started watching TV with C. And then I was like "Ooh... TV! I need my phone to get points for watching!" so I grabbed my phone which was sitting on the charger. The first thing I noticed was a missed call from one of my best friends from college... we shall call her Banana... and this was odd because I  talk to her just about every day on the Gchats. We don't really call each other. And then I saw this text...

And I lost my shit, to put it bluntly.
I showed the pic to C, saying "Hey. 'Banana' got engaged. See." [shows pic]
C: Oh, good for her!
me: Yeah, great. [full o' sarcasm]

And I proceeded to rush outside with my half glass of wine and cell phone.
And, for about 2 minutes, I cried. And then I felt super guilty for crying. So I pulled myself together, forced a smile on my face (I heard somewhere that others can "hear" when you're smiling on the phone), and called one of my best friends.

Please don't get me wrong- I am SO HAPPY for her and her man. Genuinely happy. They are one of my fave couples. I'm happy that she found someone who loves and supports her, and he's a fun guy who truly brings out the best in her. And she brings out the best in him- she motivates him and supports his goals and honestly they fit together so perfectly. And this wasn't completely out of the blue- she told me they went ring shopping about a month ago. He moved into her apartment over 2 years ago, moving from Georgia to PA, where he knew absolutely no one and had no job prospects. They bought a house together back in October. So obviously, things were serious. And moving pretty quickly in the last year.

Obviously, she was elated. I could practically see her walking on clouds. Which in turn made me happy, but also sad.

You see, I want that happiness. I want my turn. Is that so wrong?

I was jealous... and not just a little bit, but a whole lot. 

Banana was one of my last two "single" friends. And now she was engaged. Meanwhile, I have been sitting on the sidelines for about two years watching all of C and my friends getting married. During that time, I was never jealous of anyone else's happiness. For some reason, this one just hit me... hard. 

I shut down. I came back inside (after having the whole "Ahhhh! OMG How did he do it?! Awwww! Congrats! talk) and wouldn't talk to C. I didn't care what he put on the damn TV. We watched one of "our shows," New Girl, and I didn't laugh once (though it was pretty damn funny). I couldn't. I felt almost numb. I say almost, because I remember a certain distinct sadness/hopelessness.

I felt... sad. Defeated... by who? Life? And a little bit angry. Not at C, just in general. And, of course, jealous.

And then I started comparing. "Well, we've been together almost the exact same amount of time. Why am I not engaged? What's wrong with me/us?"

And then of course over-thinking. Over-analyzing  "Maybe C doesn't want to get married. Or worse, maybe he doesn't want to marry me."

And the whole time this was happening, I knew it was wrong. So I felt guilty for even having these thoughts. Talk about a negative cycle. And I felt pretty stupid... I know how C feels about me. I know why he says we can't get engaged yet. So I went to bed.

Of course these feelings didn't just disappear overnight. Luckily, I had a few other friends who completely understood what I was going through. And they didn't judge me in the least for having those feelings, which I think I feared almost as much as telling them how I felt. So talking to them definitely helped. As did refocusing on things that I do have control over- work, my side gigs, events coming up.

Anyway, I think I'm back to normal now. Maybe it was just the shock factor. Either way, I'm fully "in" now, and hoping she'll let me help her plan her wedding... I am trying to get into event planning here! And if not, I'll just enjoy attending and watching them make those vows... I mean, one of my best friends is getting married! And I can't wait to celebrate with them.

The Happiness Report #25

Source: swimming010.blogspot.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Things that made me happy this week:

- My friend K had her baby! On St. Patty's Day! Can't wait to meet him!

- My friend Banana got engaged!

- planning a baby shower

- helping to plan a bridal shower

- making headway on the side gig

- book club!

- baking goodies

- good hair days

- FREE anti-bac gel, and 20% our candles at BBW

-coming back to bloggyland :) 

What's making you smile this week?

Mid-March Goals Update

After my review of February, I realized how poorly I was doing with some of my goals, particularly the financial ones. So I decided to make a few changes.

1. I got my taxes done. Woohoo! I will be putting the entire sum in the Emergency Fund.

2. I started giving myself a bi-weekly cash allowance. I chose bi-weekly because that's when I get paid, so it was easy to keep track of. I emphasize that it is cash because I have read in lots of places that the physical act of parting with your money usually triggers something in your brain to make you stop and reconsider your purchase. So I figured it can't hurt to try it!

3. After looking at my actual usage, I decided to downgrade my cell phone plan, cutting my bill in half.

4. I opened a savings account. It's just too easy to access your "savings" when you keep it "hidden" in your house. I'm sure not having that cash readily available will help me rethink my choices, as it will take at least a  day to get the monies from the account.

5. I will be starting a part time gig on Saturdays in April.

6. I joined several mystery shopping sites. Mystery shopping doesn't always give out cash payouts, but you could score free stuff, likes clothes or a nice dinner out, while reviewing the store/restaurant. I've also been racking up survey money and TV points that are good for gift cards to multiple stores I currently shop at.

7.  The hunt is on! Job hunt, that is. I have been diligent about checking the job boards and applying to jobs that 1) are closer to home (commuting costs are a B, don't even get me started!) 2) have room for growth and 3) are actually a job I want to do.

I know this doesn't portray how I've been doing with all my goals, but learning to save and budget is by far the one that is most important to me and hardest for me to accomplish, so I'm focusing on that for now. Hopefully I'll stay on this positive track- full update coming at the end of the month!

The Happiness Report #24

Source: buzzfeed.com via CeLia on Pinterest

- Bromley Estate Tea

- this song (Thanks Nikki!)

- friends apologizing when they're wrong

- good music, a glass of wine, and a DIY mani to change your mood

- this snowglobe that we got from C's parents, currently adorning our mantle

- planning a vacation... again! [deets coming this week!]

- taking care of business

- this lil monkey, who has finally started to deflate. You did good Monkey, hanging high since Valentine's Day!

- getting yourself a little treat

-And as a special St. Patty's Day treat, I give you this song, which I've had on repeat for about a week!

We put our glass to the sky and lift up
And live tonight 'cause you can't take it with ya
So raise a pint for the people that aren't with us
And live tonight 'cause you can't take it with ya

What's making you smile this week?

What's Cookin: Chicken, Spinach and Bowties

If you are anything like me, sometimes you fall into a dinner rut. You want something new and different, but also something you're comfortable with. And something relatively quick and easy to make, because weeknights are busy, and ain't nobody got time for some elaborate, multiple course dinner. 

I was trying to meal plan last Sunday, and found a great, easy, and seemingly delicious meal in a cookbook that I've had, but never cracked open. But then I went to the grocery store, and forgot one of the main ingredients... argh. So I found myself with chicken, spinach, and pasta. I took to the interwebs to find something I could make with these ingredients, and found this, which turned out really well. 

Chicken, Spinach and Bowties
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
10 2/3 ounces bow tie pasta
2/3 lb chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 small onion, chopped
2/3 cup chopped red pepper
1 1/3 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 teaspoon salt
2/3 to taste pepper, to taste
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/3 lb spinach, rinsed and chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 1/3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Directions:

1 Boil the pasta until done.
2 Meanwhile, cook the chicken in oil over medium-high heat.
3 Add the onion, red pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper with the chicken.

4 Continue to cook and stir 5-7 minutes until chicken is almost cooked through.

5 Add the broth and spinach then cook until spinach is wilted and chicken is done.

6 Combine chicken mixture with hot drained pasta and toss well.

7 Top with cheese and parsley then serve.

To see this and more recipes, check out them out here! 

Insta-Lately Weekend Update

My weekend was pretty lame. Well, really just Saturday and Sunday, because I stayed inside all of both days, when it was finally nice out, blowing my nose and sleeping. I actually left work early on Friday because I was feeling so crummy. But let's start with Thursday, since that was fun.

Thursday: My girl was feeling pretty down, so another friend and I took her out to dinner and the movies. We went to Houlihan's, which I haven't been to in forever.

my friend's Asian-style wings, with two different sauces

my other friend's grilled shrimp salad

My flatbread buffalo chicken pizza- sooo good!

Dessert: Snickers pie. Oh.Em.Gee. It was SO thick, but so yummy!

This was a cute movie. Definitely a good choice for girl's night. Could have held off until it was avail on DVD though. 

Friday: Went to work, left early, around 3. Came home, and saw that there was a book sale at our library, so I got 3 books for $1! uploaded some pics, and slept. 

Why yes, Foursquare, I AM a nerd! Thanks for noticing!

Nerd loot.

Saturday: C had to take his car to the shop, so I took advantage of the quiet and slept half the day. Then when he came home, I took a shot by myself. I hate taking shots. Seriously, I suck at it. I can't just throw it back like you're supposed to; I wind up tasting the entire thing. Ew. And we didn't have any lime or lemon, so I chased it with orange juice. Why was I taking shots when I was sick, you ask? Because my great aunt said the best way to kick a cold out of your system was to take a shot of tequila. My family: using any excuse to drink! I'm feeling much better now, so maybe it did work!

Sunday: Woke up late and snotty again, turned on the TV, and found myself sucked into a Braking Amish marathon. I've never seen the show. I think I watched an entire season (is there more than one?) while eating ice cream. Ya know the #1 way to keep your man from eating your ice cream? Eating it straight from the pint, while sick. TAKE THAT SUCKA!  

How was your weekend?