Bowtie Brocolli Pasta

One of my favorite dishes of ALL time, no joke, is this pasta. I found the original recipe at Favorite Family Recipes and their version, which is actually Bowtie Asparagus Pasta, is a little bit different but equally good. I decided to make my own version of this recipe for several reasons.

1: It was incredibly fattening! An entire cube of butter and cream... yowza. I could only eat a little, which was basically impossible. So I would eat a ton and get sick. No fun. My husband thinks it tastes better with the extra calories but I like it both ways.
2: Asparagus is expensive in the grocery store. It was $3.99 a pound at one point in my grocery store. If you have asparagus, I would recommend trying both versions of this recipe because they are both amazing. Also- pine nuts don't come cheap either so I omitted those.

Bowtie Brocolli Pasta
Adapted from Fav. Family Recipes

1lb. bow tie pasta
1/2 CUBE butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or I use a few shakes of garlic powder
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 cup corn starch
2 cups milk or half & half
salt & pepper, to taste
1lb. broccoli, or however much you like
6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Boil pasta until al-dente. Boil broccoli in separate pan until crisp tender. Melt butter in a large skillet, add the garlic and saute. Add Parmesan Cheese, bouillon, and 1/4 cup cornstarch. When the bouillon cube is dissolved, slowly stir in milk and salt & pepper. Add cooked pasta to sauce and toss until pasta is well covered. Add blanched broccoli. Sprinkle with bacon. Serve immediately. Enjoy! Everyone I have ever served this to loves it so I implore you to try it TODAY!

Healthy Living

I have long been absent from posting and although I know listing a bunch of excuses is not really sufficient, here are the main two:

I relocated 2,000 miles away to lovely Virginia and I had my third child! It is always a struggle to stay motivated and on top of life when I am pregnant but having a third child completely threw me for a loop! And then when we moved far away I continued to fall behind in all my crafting! But with the re-introduction of the new face of our blog I found a chance for me to turn a new leaf and begin posting again.

Today I wanted to focus on something that I am also returning to. Exercise. Growing up I wasn't a very active person but since my husband has joined the military it has become a necessary thing in our family. (Also the fact that I have a pool at my new apartment-if we're going to be swimming 3 days a week I better get into shape!)

I'm gonna skip all the Why and head straight into the How.

I've got three kids and my baby hasn't left my side since he was born. This makes it quite difficult to work out. I can't go to the gym because I also happen to be without a car. I'm not trying to garner sympathy here, I'm saying anyone can exercise. Not matter how much is stacked against you. I work out at 10 am. I'd love to be a chipper woman who could get up at 5 but lets just say we're not there yet. I'd like to work out for an hour a day and also go for a jog but that is also a slim possibility. But right now, today, I can do something. Currently I am following a work out video. If you like to go that route I would highly recommend P90X or anything Jillian Michaels. I have seen great results from P90X but I've also heard great things about Jillian Michaels work out videos.

For those of you that don't like work out videos there is always something you can do. Start by warming your body up. I don't recommend exercising without a good 5 minute warm up as you are more prone to injury. You can warm up but marching in place, alternating every couple minutes with jumping jacks (30 seconds) and lunges across the room. Keep in mind that your warm up should include pumping blood to the specific areas of the body that you plan to work out. If you are planning on a cardio workout concentrate on stretching the lower body and getting good blood flow to the legs. After a warm up begin a work out. Even if you only work out 10 minutes a day, it is better than nothing. Start with push-ups, sit-ups, (or crunches), and then lunges. Use any three variation of workouts and then repeat. Pick another three variations of workouts and repeat. If you have weights incorporate a bicep work out into the routine. End with a cool down session where you stretch the worked out muscles.

I personally prefer a dvd that plans a work out for me but if you're the kind of person who wants to put together their own workout then that is awesome!

Regardless of your choice you can get a good workout. Exercise can help you have more energy and can help you feel better about yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually. If you're not an active person don't let that stop you. Start small by going for a walk around the neighborhood or riding your bike. Park your car at the back of the parking lot when you go shopping. Make little choices that make you work harder physically. I promise it'll bring you more energy and happiness!

Next record your progress. Take a before shot of yourself. Get a tape measure and take note of your legs, arms and stomach. Don't get hung up on what the scale says. Concentrate on loss in inches. Keep in mind that starting small it will take longer to look in shape but you will feel better about yourself if you are continually working out during the week.

Lastly try to make small changes in your diet. Don't start a diet, just make healthier choices. Get the wheat bread instead of white. Cut back on the pasta. Increase the greens in your diet. Cut back on sugar. If you start making small choices and feel better it will motivate you to make bigger changes as you progress.

It is a lot to take in but I'm a firm believer in taking care of my body. If we are physically healthy it makes for a healthy mind and heart. I feel like I'm more use to my family and the world if I make sure I'm healthy. I am also prone to depression and this helps me maintain a happy attitude on life. I hope you'll make an effort to live healthy! If you already are doing good remember to take it easy on yourself!

GIVEAWAY!

Hey Everyone! We've made some changes with the look of our blog and we think that means we should CELEBRATE with a GIVEAWAY! Yippee!

There will actually be 2 WINNERS! That's right 2! We are giving away these adorable pinwheel hair clips, don't they just scream summertime! Clip them on a headband, in a ponytail, or on your purse!

Here is how you can win!

1. Leave a comment below with your email so I can contact you if you win!

2. Follow us, leave another comment. Already do? Tell us again.

3. Post this giveaway on your blog or Facebook, leave us another comment with a link.

Like is said there will be 2 WINNERS, so enter as many times as you can, this giveaway ends SUNDAY, June 19 at midnight and I will announce the winners MONDAY! GOOD LUCK!

Little Chair Makeover....

My Birthday was a few weeks ago, YIPPEE! While I was at soccer practice some one the ladies I work with  at church "redecorated" my house.... I came home from practice to find this:

 and this:

 And this (yes it is a giant wooden goose):

 and this:

and this: 

 Of all the lovely things they left for me I actually really liked this little chair and I thought with some love and new paint it would be really fun, besides my 1 year old fell in love and kept dragging it around the house.

So, the first thing I did was scrape, scrape, scrape.... then sand, sand, sand

then Prime and then I started to paint. I really wanted this to look nice, so I was patient (very unlike me) and put on thin even coates of paint and I waited until it was completely dry and I used paint I already had which made this cheap!

 Then, I roughed up the edges a little bit and now it is perfect.

***Just a note, watch for another GIVEAWAY coming soon!****