Menu Plan Monday - I'm back!!!!

You didn't miss me did you? Did you know I was gone? I was eating out ALL WEEK in Florida. Eating out should be against my religion, not just from the money that I spent and the pounds that I gained, but the sheer fact that I just felt lazy.

Oh well, so much for a week of slovenliness (yes, I looked that up and it is a word). We need this week to be light and simple. Light as in not only easy to make but light in calories.

Monday - whole wheat spaghetti, salad and breadsticks. My incredible husband tried whole wheat spaghetti the other day while I was gone and says it tastes fine - almost normal. I wish I had a penny for every moment that I think about how awesome he is.
Tuesday - ball games at 5:30 and 6:00; BLT sandwiches on whole wheat toast
Wednesday - roast/carrots and potatoes in crockpot, greek salad, dessert: blueberries with lemon yogurt
Thursday - ball games at 6:00 and 7:30; pancakes and bacon (not so light, but easy!)
Friday - crunchy baked chicken and Zucchini with Corn and Cilantro (from Cooking Light Super Fast Suppers cookbook by Southern Living)
1 tsp olice oil
3 1/2 cups cubed zucchini
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1 T fresh cilantro
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and corn; cook, stirring occasionally 7-8 minutes until zucchini is crisp and tender. Remove from heat and add rest of ingredients. You can use this as a substitute for salsa or guac or as a side for tex-mex plate.
Saturday - dear, sweet friends coming from Texas! may not be here for dinner

Black Bean and Poblano Tortilla Wraps
(from Cooking Light Super Fast Suppers cookbook by Southern Living)

1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 tsp cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup diced ripe avocado
1/2 poblano chile, finely chopped 1/3 cup
1/4 cup finedly chopped red onion
1/4 cup cilantro leaves (we have these growing out of our sidewalk!)
3 T fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
4 8 inch flour tortillas
Combine sour cream and cumin in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Combine beans and next 6 ingredients in a bowl. Spoon equal amounts of black bean mixture down center of tortilla. Roll up, cut in half and secure with wooden picks if necessary. Serve with sour cream mixture.
Sunday - Tacos, black bean salsa and
Black bean/Cream cheese dip
1 package of cream cheese spread out on the bottom of 8 X 8 baking pan
drain black beans and spread on for next layer
drain can of rotel (tomatoes and green chilis) and spread on for the 3rd layer
sprinkle with cheddar cheese
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Great with tortilla chips or cucumbers if you are low-carbin it!!
Monday - homemade pizza and breadsticks, salad, cookie salad
Tuesday - grill out hotdogs and hamburgers, s'mores by the firepit (boy do we have lots of wood!!. . .more details to come on this)

Want to try in upcoming weeks list:
Chicken n Spinach Pasta Bake
Chicken and Mushrooms with Lemon White Wine Sauce

Happy frugal cooking and planning!

Celebrating My 200th Post

Little did I know that when I started Clappy Shoes I would love it so much. I have enjoyed getting to know other bloggers, thinking about subject matter and recording famous moments in our home. I have been blogging for about a year and I have had over 10,000 visits from people from all over the world. It is such a fabulous world that we live in.

To celebrate my 200th post I am giving away a $10 gift card to one of my favorite drink spots (especially during the 2-4 pm half price drinks time). Please leave a comment with your favorite Sonic snack! I will choose a winner (randomly) on Sunday, May 25th and will contact you to get your address to send your card to you. Thank you for making Clappy Shoes your cyber friend! Have a great day!

Lucky Comment Number 6 is the winner of the $10 gift card to Sonic! Sara at Momma Findings and My Sippy Cup Runneth Over is the lucky gal. She has a great blog and you should check it out! I found myself having a hard time staying focused on emailing her to let her know she won because I got into reading her blog.

All seven of you, thanks for playing and being faithful readers :) I'm serious, I do appreciate you! Thanks for helping me to celebrate my 200th post. Cheers to 200 more posts!

Great Paint Palette for Kids

I discovered this handy dish a few years ago at my all time favorite store, The Dollar Tree. Since then, I have seen them at different dollar stores. We use this when we dye eggs at Easter, as well as, daily when we are painting our various masterpieces. I think it's "meant to be use" is for boiled eggs, which it works fine for that too.

Simple, easy and cheap!!!

Check out some other great posts about Container Planting, getting rid of magazine clutter ( I do this too.), and don't forget to go back to the ever-coolest blog, Rocks in my Dryer.

Because this is my 199th post, please come back tomorrow and leave a comment with your favorite Sonic food because I am giving away a $10.00 gift card to celebrate my 200th post.

Observations from the Beach

I have been sitting on the beach in Destin (woah is me) so lots of time and emotional energy to have deep thoughts. These are a few things that I observed about my time just sitting there. Note the odd phrase from a mom "just sitting there."

Observation #1 from the beach: While my kids were out in the water, I kept having to get my kids to refocus their attention to where I was on the beach. As you probably know, the ocean has its way of re-orienting you when you are not careful. The waves move you side-ways, backwards and forward all the while being un-noticed by the participant. I kept saying, "Hey, look at where I am at (in my chair, reading my book) and make sure you stay lined up with me." They would veer off and then they would suddenly look up and scramble back to the place where they need to be.

Ok, here is where it ties in. . .I think this happens a lot in life. The world has a way of dragging us this way and that. Sometimes we look up and realize we are off course. It takes us looking up or someone to say, "Hey! You need to look at me and re-align yourself. " Guess who moved? It was not the gal in the chair with the book or the God who created us. . .it was the one in the middle of the waves. We need to be realigned with God's truth and Word.

Did you like that one? Ok, Observation #2 from the beach: My gal was out in the waves and she kept getting knocked over. Do you know where this is going? Yes, maybe so. The thing was she would have to get up pretty quickly or she would get knocked over by another wave. I would find myself pleading with her (from my chair with my book :)) to hurry and get up because I saw the next wave coming towards her. Yes, life is that wave and those troubles that come. The "waves" are inevitable. They are going to come, but if you keep getting up between them they will not carry you to the bottom of the ocean.

I was surfing around on one of my favorite blogs the other day and I ran across an article about WWII. It was during WWII that Britain offered reassurance to its citizens by posting signs everywhere, "Keep Calm and Carry On." It is a reminder that during the dark days, when the waves are crashing around us and keep knocking us down that we need to get up, keep calm and keep moving. There is no other way around it in this world.

Last observation, I promise. . . is that beach friends are awesome. Beach friends are these friends that come along for a short time and by the time you leave the sands you are so sad to see them go. Like yesterday, Molly left and we were sad. We had shared so much. We had a plethora of things in common and it is so fun to share that time together. Beach friends are seasonal friends. You know, I heard this phrase once, "friends come for a reason, a season or a lifetime." I love all of the various friends that the Lord brings us. . especially the seasonal ones! By the time that you get to know them, it is time for them or us to leave, but they were there to meet a need in your life for a season.

It is a fascinating world, this beach. Worries, chores and burdens are on the shores of home. Thank you, Lord for the break from the waves.

Fun Florida Times

I am only four posts away from my 200th post!! Do you think we should celebrate? Leave a comment if you would like to celebrate with some Sonic goodness again! :)

Anyway, I am wasting away in Florida this week. Life is treating me bad on the sands of Destin. My kids and I took in some serious rays today. We are having lots of fun playing in the sand and swimming our little tails off! :)

I have some great ponderings to post on later this week. I am too excited about watching some HGTV to take the time to post my thoughts right now. Will catch you up on my great brain waves soon.