Beef: It's What's for Dinner - Again

One of my goals for 2010 is to be more efficient in my kitchen by using up leftovers. Last night was one of those nights when all we had was leftover pot roast and neither of us felt like eating it again. I happened to find a great recipe for chicken and rice burritos over at Mission Menus and thought I’d substitute the chicken with my leftover beef. Here is the recipe:

•8 Mission® 10 inch Large Flour Tortillas warmed
•Mission® Chunky Salsa, Medium
•2 1/2 cups cooked Chicken shredded
•3/4 cups Long Grain White Rice (uncooked)
•1 1 ounce package Taco Spices and Seasonings
•1 3/4 cups Water
•1 8 ounce can Tomato Sauce
•1 large Tomato chopped
•1/3 cup Green Onion chopped
•Guacamole
•Cheddar Cheese shredded

•Recipe Instructions:
1. In a large skillet, place chicken, rice, seasonings, water and tomato sauce. Bring mixture to boil, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.
2. Add chopped tomato and green onion to combine evenly.
3. Place 1/2 cup of filling in each tortilla, roll burrito style and serve with optional garnishes.

I slathered the inside of my tortillas with refried beans, added the meat and rice filling, topped with shredded cheddar and rolled ‘em up. I garnished with salsa, chopped cilantro and shredded cheddar cheese. They came out great and were definitely a hit with the hubby!

Reading List for 2010

About two weeks ago, I made a reading list for the very first time! I’m a little embarrassed to admit that but I’ve never ADORED reading. I enjoy it but will rarely make time for it. Well, since disconnecting our cable last week, I’ve discovered the perfect time to read…in the evenings after Bri is in bed. So far, it has worked out extremely well, considering I’ve already read one of the books on my list and am working on my second.

Here is what I hope to read in 2010. I’m especially looking forward to reading # 7-9, which I found on Life as Mom.

1. Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom, by Stephanie Nelson
2. Reunion, by Karen Kingsbury
3. The Great Eight: How to Be Happy (Even When You Have Every Reason to be Miserable) by Scott Hamilton
4. The Principle of the Path, by Andy Stanley
5. Stop Acting Rich, by Thomas J. Stanley
6. The Millionaire Next Door, by Thomas J Stanley and William D. Danko
7. The Hidden Art of Homemaking, by Edith Schaeffer
8. The Complete Tightwad Gazette, by Amy Dacyczyn
9. The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, by Susan Wise Bauer, Jessie Wise
10. Raising Kids for True Greatness: Redefine Success for You and Your Child, by Tim Kimmel
11. A Life That Says Welcome: Simple Ways to Open Your Heart & Home to Others, by Karen Ehman
12. The New Dare to Discipline, by Dr. James Dobson

By the way, if you have a favorite book or author, let me know because I’d love to either add to this year’s reading list or start 2011’s list! I have a terrible time randomly picking something to read and love suggestions from others.

Crafty, Crafty

I love doing crafty projects because I like having something to keep my hands busy. I don’t often come up with crafty ideas myself, but I love to replicate what others have made. Knitting is a hobby which permits me to do just that. I started knitting last year (or was it year before last?) but didn’t have much time to pursue it while adjusting to life as a mommy. I picked it up again a few months ago and have fallen in love with it! It’s crafty, keeps my hands busy and the end result is pretty and functional.

This is Emmersen's baby blanket and below is her matching baby hat. I'm actually knitting another one in hot pink, but am not finished with it yet.


Another crafty project I tackled this week was making a "pretty envelope system." I got the idea here and loved it, since we are also following Dave Ramsey's cash envelope system. I improvised on her design a little since I made this project with supplies I already had on hand. I was happy with the result for a first time effort :)

There are several other envelopes and categories but I won't bore you by posting all of them ;)

Goals v. Resolutions

I have no desire to make resolutions this year. I’ve made resolutions in the past and it’s never worked out very well. I usually do well until mid-February when the resolution becomes boring or tedious and I give up. I do, however, have a desire to set goals this year. As Nick and I looked back at 2009, we marveled at how quickly Brianna has grown and how much we’ve grown in being her parents. There were, however, a few areas of life in which we were somewhat disappointed, such as finances and personal development. So this year, we’ve decided to make some changes.

Our financial goal this year is to try to pay off our van, or pay off as much as possible, by the end of the year. In order to do this, we cut off our cable (gasp!), reduced our monthly grocery fund, and revamped the rest of our budget. The only things we weren't able to part with were our iPhones...sad but true. Other than our cell phone luxury, we made up our minds that this coming year will be one of frugality and penny pinching in order to meet this mammoth goal. It won’t be easy, but hopefully in January 2011, we’ll be able to look back and say, “Wow, look what we accomplished!”

We also set goals in our personal lives. Nick decided to resume college classes to continue making progress toward a degree. I’m proud of him for tackling school this year, considering Emmersen will arrive at the end of March. I, on the other hand, have set smaller goals, knowing that a newborn will turn my little world up-side-down for at least three months. So with that in mind, here are my goals:

1. Read a minimum of 12 books this year. I’m sure I can read more than 12, but I thought it wise to set a realistic goal instead of shooting for 36 books and failing miserably.

2. Become proficient at using coupons.

3. Become more efficient in my kitchen by planning weekly meal menus around grocery sales and using up all my leftovers.

4. Nurse Emmersen. This is a big one for me. I wanted so badly to nurse Brianna and was only able to do so for about four weeks. Nursing just didn’t work out for numerous reasons. I’m hopeful my body will cooperate this time around so I can nourish my little one, bond with her and save money on formula.

Hopefully, setting goals for 2010 will be more productive than making resolutions!

This post is linked to Frugal Friday.