Tequila Lime Chicen & Fiesta Rice

           

 

TEQUILA!

lime chicken!

looooove tequila lime chicken! Best chicken eva!

I got the basic recipe from Pioneer Woman. The only problem with her recipe is you have to marinate the chicken and grill it. I don't have a grill and I can never remember to marinate anything so..... this is the lazy woman's tequila lime chicken!

Ingredients:

 

6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

4 limes

1 cup tequila

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

5 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno, sliced

1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

12 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups grated Monterey Jack

 

Directions:

 

Add a little olive oil to a heavy bottomed pan or frying pan and brown both sides of your chicken breasts. 

Squeeze lime juice into pan, add the tequila, olive oil, salt, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro, reduce heat, cover and let simmer until chicken is done all the way through (about 20 minutes).

 

Melt some Monterey Jack cheese on each breast and that's it! Yummy! Obviously marinating the meat overnight would be better but if you're forgetful like me, this is a quick and delicious meal. I also make fiesta rice to go along with it.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

6 servings of cooked rice

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 tomato diced

1/2 a bag of frozen corn (or fresh) cooked (I usually use leftovers)

1 tsp garlic powder (more or less to taste)

chopped fresh cilantro

 

Mix all ingredients together and serve alongside your Tequila Lime Chicken!

 

check out my PARTIES page to see where I party and for even more great ideas!

 

 

 

 

No More Dino-SNORE

We all snore......sometimes. But my husband has sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome so...basically it's like a song and dance every night!

Enter essential oils! I already gave you my "Magic Sleep Potion" which thankfully helped MY sleeping, but when there's a grizzly bear in bed with you it's difficult to get a good nights sleep! So, after some research I made up a roll-on for my Dino-SNORE husband.....

Here's what you will need:

Roll-on bottle (I buy these)
Carrier oil of your choice (I like Coconut)
10-20 drops Basil essential oil
10-20 drops Valor essential oil
10-20 drops Lavender essential oil

(I say 10-20 drops depending on the size of your bottle)

Here's what you do:

Mix all essential oils in your bottle, fill the rest up with carrier oil. Apply the concoction to the tip of your Grizzly Bears right big toe and enjoy a snore free night.




Why the bottom of the foot? The foot has the biggest pores so it's absorbed quickly and in the theory of reflexology the tip of the toe reflects the brain. I'm no expert, all I can tell you is hubby's snoring has decreased 10 fold, he no longer donkey kicks me in the night and we are both sleeping much better!

Go to my ESSENTIAL OILS page to find out how to get your own essential oils!

I'm partying at Coastal Charm, to see where else I party check out my PARTIES page!

*snoring can be serious! please see a doctor if you or a loved one snores regularly!!

It's in the Details Darling

It's all in the details darling. Wednesday I shared  the tutorial for the towel holder, today I'm going to show you the toilet paper holder and what I did to the "90's oak" frames on the walls.

First the TP holder, pretty simple....here's what you will need:

floor flange
nipple (this isn't pictured because I added after it was on the wall to add a little more space between the roll and the wall)
elbow
4" pipe
end cap

 

That's it! Told you it was simple! But it's just enough of that industrial chic I was looking for!

 

Another small update with a lot of impact was the picture frames. I have a collection of paintings from local artists (local to my home town) that I had framed years ago. They just needed to come into this decade!

 

 I just did a little bit of dry brushing on the frames with some white chalk paint and voila!

 

Small things like paint, new throw rugs and a couple accessories make a room look brand new!

 

For more "Industrial Chic" check out my DESIGN BOARD-INDUSTRIAL on Pinterest

 

Go to my PARTIES page to see where I'm partying for even more great ideas!

 

 

 

A Touch of Industrial

Did you notice the towel holder next to the sink in my last post? I made it! And I have the tutorial for you! This is so easy and industrial/rustic chic you're going to want to make 100, but don't, a small bathroom only needs one towel holder, and besides what would you do with the other 99?

Here's what you need:

3/8" Rope (20"long piece)
1/2" Pipe fittings: Floor Flange, Tee, Nipple
Glue gun
Scissors or sharp knife to cut the rope

Step 1:
Screw the nipple into the floor flange

Step 2:
Screw the tee into the nipple

Step 3:
Slide one end of the rope through the tee and hot glue the ends together one on top of the other. I then wrapped the twine that held the roll of rope together around the glued ends, just to help it stay together a little better.

Step 4:
Push the glued ends into the tee so you can't see them
Step 5:
Hang your towel holder.
Step 6:
Stand back and admire your super cute new towel holder you made all by yourself!

For more great "industrial" ideas check out my "Design Board-Industrial" on Pinterest


Also go to my PARTIES page to see where I'm partying and find even more great ideas!

Math Makes the Bathroom

1-1+2+0=bathroom update.

Let me explain....

I bought a mirror. So....naturally I had to paint the bathroom.

Still not making sense?

1 new mirror -1 old mirror +2 holes in the wall behind the mirror +0 leftover paint.

 See? If I changed out the mirror I had to paint the whole bathroom, and if I'm changing the mirror and painting I might as well update the whole thing right?

I've been looking for a new mirror for our downstairs bathroom and I wanted to paint it but it wasn't really on the top of my list. It looked OK so I wasn't in a hurry.

Here's the BEFORE



(these pictures were taken before we moved in, I had already changed the light fixture and hung some pictures, but you get the idea)


But then angles started singing when I saw this mirror from Home Goods ($19.99...whaaa? yep!)....

So I had to re-do the bathroom!


So much more.....modern? finished?.......ME!

The light is from World Market, paint is Benjamin Moore Baltic Gray (FYI if it were up to me that wood paneling would be white, but hubby put his foot down ), Mirror...you know, towel hook and toilet paper holder by yours truly (instructions to come), rug believe it or not...Walmart! I still have to change out the faucet but hubby hasn't been home long enough lately to tackle that.



I'm partying here: http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/ and you can also check out my Parties page to see where else I party for even more great ideas!

Fountain of Youth

 

I'm not claiming that a little vodka each day is going to make you look younger, but it certainly can't hurt. In fact, I read an article not to long ago that stated a Bloody Mary every morning was actually good for you!

I make a mean Bloody Mary.....today however, I am going to give you my recipe for my own personal Fountain of Youth using essential oils. Here's what you will need:

Ingredients:

1 tsp Vitamin E Oil
15 drops Geranium Essential Oil (speeds up reproduction of skin cells)
25 drops Frankincense Essential Oil (heals scars and diminishes dark spots)
20 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil (antibacterial which helps with acne)
Coconut oil (Liquid)
Roller Bottle (I get THESE)


Directions:

Using a dropper, add first 3 ingredients to the roller bottle then fill remainder of bottle with coconut oil (leave enough room at the top for the roller.) At bedtime, shake bottle and roll all over face, neck and eyes, concentrating on where your wrinkles are. I have been using this for a little over a month and I can see a difference. The fine lines around my eyes and mouth have diminished and my eyelids are more firm. It may not be the Fountain of Youth but it is definitely slowing down the clock!


**I am not a doctor. Please test all ingredients before applying them. I write from my own personal experience, not medical/scientific knowledge.

I am Ashamed of my Cherries

Happy Birthday to you! Not you....my baby....he was 15 on the 1st. Birthdays are bittersweet. I love to see my boys growing into handsome capable young men, but I would give anything to turn back the clock and keep them all little boys.....

But, of course we can't, so instead we make them cupcakes!

This year he requested vanilla with cherry filling. I gotta be honest, not what I would pick, but it's not my birthday so....

 Since I'm trying to make most things from scratch I used THIS RECIPE from Just So Tasty.
I haven't tried the Strawberry Buttercream, but it looks yummy!

After mixing the batter I put a cupcake liner in each muffin cup then spooned 3 tablespoons of batter in each, then spooned 2 teaspoons of cherry pie filling. I used canned not homemade. I know, I am ashamed.


Hopefully I will have some canned fruit by this time next year tho!

After filling the muffin cups bake them according to the recipe, let cool then frost with your favorite frosting!

Check out my PARTIES tab to see where I'm linked up and find many more great ideas!

Magic Sleep Potion

Everyone is talking about essential oils. What are they? Where do you get them? Do they work? I am no expert! My daughter in law got me started with them. At first I thought they were like scented candles....just made your house smell nice. Boy was I wrong! Yes, they can be diffused to make your house smell nice, but they are so much more!

I use Young Living Essential Oils (you can find out more about their oils HERE) mainly because that's what my daughter in law sells (you can order through her HERE and her # is 3204205 or you can contact her directly at Jimena.kilgore@yahoo.com) She did a lot of research before signing on with Young Living and I trust her so.... I'm sure you can find oils easier and cheaper somewhere else but...you need to be sure that what you're buying is pure and not full of artificial junk and preservatives...that's the point of what we're doing here right??

There are literally thousands of "recipes" using essential oils for everything under the sun. Some work, some don't, some work for me but not for you. Scientific, I know! The one that sold me though was Lavender. I haven't slept well for years and it was beginning to take a real toll on me. I was taking sleeping pills every night, and then they stopped working. It was either take more sleeping pills or find a better solution.

 
I stopped taking the pills. I plugged in my diffuser and added the lavender. I will admit I was a skeptic...how was water and oil on my bedside table supposed to help me sleep? But an amazing thing happened...I fell right asleep and stayed asleep all night long! I woke up in the morning amazed!
 
That was the first time I had slept all night in....years! Is this a miracle? Voo-Doo Hippy magic? All I know is, it works! And I have other magical recipes that I will be sharing with you too!

 

 

Be sure to check out my Parties! page to see even more great ideas!

"Voo-Doo Hippy" Body Wash

Have you ever read the ingredients on the back of your body wash, deodorant, or shampoo bottle? This was one of the main things that convinced me to go "natural" or as my kids call it "voo-doo hippy"! I always knew there were chemicals in these things, I guess I just chose to ignore it....until now! I'm in the process of replacing all my "personal care items". Once the store bought runs out, I'm making my own!

The first item I decided to make myself is body wash. I've searched pinterest over and over again and tried a few different things. This is the recipe I've been using. I can read every ingredient. Everything is organic and was actually tested on an animal and she wasn't harmed and in fact smells very nice now!

BODY WASH:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Castile Soap
3 Tsp Vitamin E Oil
3 Tsp Coconut Oil
4 Tbsp Glycerine (makes it foam)
10 Drops of Essential Oil (I used Peppermint and Lavender but you can use any)

I tripled this to fill an old body wash bottle.

Just mix it all together in a separate container so it mixes well, then pour (use a funnel, don't ask how I know!) into your bottle of choice. Keep in mind if you use any citrus oils you should use a glass container (maybe not a good idea in the shower!)

This is not thick and luxurious like store bought body wash. This is thin, but don't let that fool you!

You only need a little on your shower pouf (what are those things called anyway?) the glycerin really makes it foamy! The vitamin E and coconut oil are great for moisturizing your skin (you can add more of either if your skin is really dry) I've been trying some different shampoos and conditioners and trying to get my hair accustomed to being washed every other day....I'm still working on it....but will let you know when I get it figured out!

I'm Partying at:

http://tidymom.net/2016/green-food/
http://www.iheartnaptime.net/link-party-palooza-133/

Ham Bone Soup

In my efforts to make most of our food from scratch I decided to use the bone from the ham we had earlier in the week to make soup. I love soup. Soup and fresh bread can't be beat. If I can make it in the crock pot all the better! Here's what I did.

Ingredients:

Ham bone
leftover ham (cut in bite size pieces)
3 carrots (cut up)
3 celery ribs (cut up)
1/2 an onion (diced)
7  or 8 potatoes (cut in bite size pieces)
(I leave the skins on...that's where all the nutrients are)
about 2 cups of Corn (fresh, frozen, canned...I had leftover from dinner)
4 or 5 garlic cloves (minced)
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
6 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
(or whatever it takes to almost fill your crockpot)
2 cups heavy cream

Directions:

Put the bone in the crockpot first then all the veggies, ham, bay leaves and salt and pepper. Pour broth in until almost to the top of the crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 4-5 hours, just until carrots and potatoes are tender. Remove the ham bone (give it to your dog...she will love you forever!) With a potato masher, mash up some of the potatoes to thicken a little then stir in the heavy cream, let cook a little longer just to warm the cream. So yummy!! This made A LOT! I froze 1/2 of it for another day!

 

I am partying at:

http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2016/02/wow-me-wednesday-245.html#more

http://snapcreativity.com/show-205/

http://thediydreamer.com/from-dream-to-reality/show-off-your-creations-206/

http://www.thethriftyhome.com/

 

We're Going off the Grid!

My name is Amy and I'm a Crunchy-Wanna-be! A little backstory....My husband and I have been married 25 years, we have 3 boys, 1 St. Bernard, a Kitty, a Guinea Pig and soon to be a Grandson! We've lived all over but have recently bought 10 acres closer to our families. We've decided to try and live a life as naturally as possible.



Not quite! For us it means getting rid of the garbage. No more processed foods or artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners, grow as much of our own food as possible, try homeopathic routes first. This blog will be about the ups and downs, successes and failures, what worked for us and what didn't. I will be sharing real food recipes, homemade/DIY beauty and household recipes, and maybe even some DIY décor! I hope that I will be able help others in their efforts to live a more natural life.