Cozy Crock Comfort

One of the ladies on the Weight Watcher community boards had a collection of Crockpot recipes in a Word document that she would email out to people who asked for it. I asked for it, printed it out and binded it at Kinkos.

There are 107 pages of recipes with several recipes on each page. I'm slowly going through the book to find recipes that I want to try. So far I believe I've only made two of the recipes. Both were pretty good, but this one has to be my favorite of the two.

Cozy Crock Comfort

16 oz ground 90% lean turkey or beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cups diced raw potatoes

1/3 cup uncooked regular rice

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

1 cup finely diced celery

1 1/2 cups Healthy Request Tomato Juice or any reduced-sodium Tomato Juice

1 (10 3/4 oz) Healthy Request Tomato Soup

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried parsley flakes

1. Brown meat in skillet on stovetop. Place browned meat in crockpot.

2. Add onion, potatoes, uncooked rice, carrots, and celerey to crockpot. Mix well to combine.

3. Stir in tomato juice, tomato soup, black pepper, and parsley.

4. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

I suggest just slicing the carrots instead of shredding them. I used my food processor to shred them and after cooking them for that long, they dissolved and you couldn't see them or really taste them in the recipe. I did have to add a little bit of water during the cooking process because it looked a little dry and I didn't want it to burn.

This was a nice chili-like dish since it was chunky and an all in one meal.

Chicken Delicious

My mom gave me a few cookbooks that she hasn't been using that she thought I might like. One of them is the Rival CrockPot Slow Crooker Cuisine Cookbook from 1995. I love cooking in my crockpot and I'm glad Mom gave me the book because I can tell she wasn't using it.

The first recipe I tried out of this cookbook was really good. I made a few alterations to the recipe while I cooked it and after eating it I'd add lots of veggies to the pot to go along with it.

Chicken Delicious

4-6 whole chicken breasts, boned and halved

lemon juice

salt and pepper

celery salt

paprika

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of celery soup

1/3 cup dry sherry or white wine

grated Parmesan cheese

fluffy rice

1. Rinse chicke breasts and pat dry. Season with lemon juice, salt, pepper, celery salt and paprika.

2. Place in Crockpot.

3. In a medium bowl mix mushroom and celery soups with sherry. Pour over chicken breasts.

4. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.

5. Serve chicken and sauce over hot fluffy rice.

I used 1.5lbs of chicken that I cut into chunks since the chicken breasts now a days are huge. I also didn't add salt since I was using the celery salt and the soups. I didn't have cream of celery soup, so I used cream of chicken. The Parmesan cheese I used was out of the shake container we already had in the fridge. I also eyeballed the spices and lemon juice. I put a little in the crockpot, stirred, and then added a little more.

It was a really good recipe. Next time I make it, I would want to add some baby carrots or carrot pieces into the mix to give it a little more substance.

I really like crockpot recipes where the meat and veggies are all in the pot and you don't have to make anything else to go with it. :)

Day Zero Project-- Update

It's been awhile since I've posted and there's a lot of catching up to do. I've completed some things on my list and I'm working at getting others done. So far here's what I've been working on...

2. Get a day planner to be organized for myself and this project.----Check! The planner is coming in handing to make sure I'm doing things on a weekly basis.

5. Finish reading all my old magazines from subscriptions and then recycle.---I'm slowly working on this one. I've realized if I take a magazine to the gym with me, I can walk for 30 minutes and read a magazine (Rachel Ray's) during that time.

12. Make a to do list every week. (0/143) ---I've been making more to do lists, but I'm not sure if I've done one every week.

14. Start a blog.----Check!

57. Go to the movies once a month. (1/33) ---Saw 9 this weekend.

64. Weed flower garden once a week. (0/143) ----I've done this a couple of times since the list started, but I'm not sure if it's been every week.

65. Learn how to use a lawnmower that’s not a riding one. ---Check! This was harder than I expected AND my arm was sore the next couple of days.

79. Don’t buy shampoo, deodorant, body wash or lotion during this time. ---I put this on my list because whenever these items are on sale AND I have a coupon, I buy it. I have a ton of these things stashed in my bathroom. It's a little weird to feel happy when I finish using 1 deodorant or a bottle of shampoo. But it's good knowing that I'm making more space in my bathroom and not wasting money on things I don't need.

88. Try a new recipe 2 times a month. (1/66) ----It seems like I've been trying a new recipe every week. My crockpot has been used more the last few weeks then ever before. I'll be posting some recipes later this week!

In a few weeks I have 4 days off in a row, so I'm hoping to use that time to relax and get some of the bigger projects completed from the list. :)

Heather

Day Zero Project

Here is my list for the Day Zero Project and a little more about the project.

The Day Zero Project

The Mission: To complete 101 preset tasks in the period of 1,001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable, or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. represent some amount of effort on your part).

This list was difficult for me to make. I thought of things I could definitely get accomplished in this time period and things that it would take me a little more motivation to get it done.

Me

1. Read at least 25 books from my library at home. (0/25)

2. Get a day planner to be organized for myself and this project.

3. Learn how to drive a manual car.

4. See two concerts a year at minimum.

5. Finish reading all my old magazines from subscriptions and then recycle.

6. Take a vitamin everyday. (1/1001)

7. Get blood drawn every month. (0/33)

8. Great a cleaning schedule and stick to it for 2 months.

9. Sent a card every month to a different friend.

10. Spend a minimum of 15 minutes pampering myself once a week.

11. Unplug for one day a week, every week. (0/143)

12. Make a to do list every week. (0/143)

13. Star writing in my journal when it’s not appropriate for a blog.

14. Start a blog.

15. Write in the blog a minimum of 2 times a week. (0/286)

16. Eat vegetarian all day once a week for 2 months. (0/8)

17. Write a letter to my future self.

18. Try something new every week.

19. Have a spa day once a year. (0/3)

20. Start a new hobby/class.

21. Make time for friend(s) a minimum of 1 time a month.

Appearance

22.Expand my business wardrobe

23. Exercise a minimum of 3x a week at 24 hour fitness. (4/430)

24. Use the stationary bike once a week or get rid of it. (0/143)

25. Make lifetime member at WW.

26. Email WW buddies daily. (8/1001)

27. Each month set a new weight loss goal (ie: number on the scale, exercise goal, etc)

28. Go to a WW meeting every week. (2/143)

29. Try new exercises classes at the gym.

30. Flatter abs/stomach area.

31. Lose 30lbs and keep it off. (3.8/30)

32. Wear a bikini (even if it's just for myself in the backyard).

33. Wear short cheerleader/volleyball shorts.

34. Buy and wear a bandage dress.

35. Buy and wear an article of clothing that is a single digit.

36. End my relationship with LB. (no more mailing lists, credit card, or clothes).

37. Whiten my teeth.

38. Wear makeup 5 days a week for 2 months. (0/70)

39. Participate in another 5k or two.

40.Beat my old 5k time.

Finances

41. Don’t spend money for a whole week, once a month. (0/33)

42. Put $10 in savings for every task I complete

43. Donate $2 to a charity for every task I don’t complete

44. Expand emergency fund to $10k.

45. Expand my car fund to $10k.

Travel/Entertainment/Adventure

46. Ride in a hot air balloon.

47. Visit Corpus Christi.

48. Visit Philadelphia.

49. Take a cruise.

50. Go to a play/musical/ballet 2 times a year. (0/6)

51. Host party at the house once a year. (0/3)

52. Have my friends over to the house.

53. Try 10 new restaurants. (0/10)

54. Like riding on the back of a motorcycle

55. Celebrate the end of 1001 days in a big way.

56. Eat at Spindletop, even if it’s only for dessert.

57. Go to the movies once a month. (0/33)

58. Go to golf driving range once a month. (0/33)

59. Go to the Texas State Fair.

60. Dress up and eat at a fancy restaurant twice a year. (0/6)

Outdoor Projects-

61. Landscape the front yard.

62. Make vegetable garden bigger.

63. Plant vegetable seeds earlier than February 1^st

64. Weed flower garden once a week. (0/143)

65. Learn how to use a lawnmower that’s not a riding one.

66. Start a compost pile.

Indoor Projects

67. Make scrapbook for college years.

68. Make scrapbook for after college years.

69. Send coupons to troops overseas once every 2 months. (0/16)

70. Declutter the house room by room. Find a home for everything or get rid of it. (0/10 areas)

71. Donate unwanted things to charity.

72. Clean out my closet and stop using it for storage of random things.

73. Put laundry away immediately- no more wrinkle reducing products

74. Set aside 1 hour once a week on a designated day to clip/sort coupons.

75. Buy a filing cabinet to put both our files in

76. Put new pictures in all my picture frames.

77. Display picture frames throughout the house.

78. Load a thumbnail drive with photos for the digital picture frame.

79. Don’t buy shampoo, deodorant, body wash or lotion during this time.

80. Install better recycling bins at the house.

81. Hang up my artwork throughout the house.

82. Clean out my car, including vacuuming and wiping down everything once a month. (0/33)

83. Reinstall iTunes and my playlists on my new computer

84. Clean out my jewelry box

85. Buy/ask for a few new pieces of jewelry to add.

86. Finish collecting all the US Quarters and put on map.

87. Wear everything in my closet one time. Or get rid of it.

Kitchen

88. Try a new recipe 2 times a month. (1/66)

89. Learn how to make Red Curry similar to the Thai restaurant.

90. Learn how to make a dish in every cuisine

91. Reorganize pantry.

92. Use ingredients in the house to make meals for one week.

93. Buy less things at the grocery store, and only go once a week.

94. Organize paper recipes.

Other

95. Register my car in Harris County.

96. Change my address on my drivers license.

97. Find and buy artwork for the guest bathroom.

98. Make college tshirts into a quilt.

99. Buy a bigger/better shredder & get rid of my little one from college.

100. Take clothing in box to alteration place.

101. Turn bridesmaid dress into cute/short dress

Start Date: 09/01/09

End Date: 5/29/12

I'm hoping to use this blog to document how I accomplish or don't accomplish these things. Hopefully I can get everything done by the time the challenge is over. But who knows what life will throw my way. :)

Heather

First Blog!

Yeah!! I've finally set up a page on blogspot to chronicle my adventures and my Day Zero list.

My friend Morgan inspired me to start my own list. I need to make a few adjustments to my list and then it will be ready!

Can't wait to accomplish things on the list and be productive. :)