goodies :) + a coupon for a cause!

So, this week my tub arrived from Tara's giveaway that I won!! It is absolutely beautiful!! Kim, at the Scarlett Boutique, did a GREAT job! There was also a fun little neck tie for Elton in the tub! He was so excited and he didn't even mind wearing it for several hours. So sweet of Tara & Sadie to think of Elton too :)

Elton in his tie :)

*Remember, you can still vote for Elton in his photo contest by clicking here :)

On Monday night, hubby and I went and had sushi at our favorite sushi place. We also splurged and had dessert. I honestly think this is THE best dessert in town. If you have an "In The Raw" sushi restaurant close to you, I HIGHLY recommend going and getting the chocolate gateau! It is baked and has warm chocolate coming out of the middle... YUM

On Wednesday night, I made turkey and rice stuffed red peppers! My husband and brother thought they turned out great! Here is the recipe and two pics I snapped.

Serves/Makes: 4

Ingredients:
4 red bell peppers, tops, ribs and seeds removed
1/2 pound ground turkey breast
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup corn fresh, canned, or thawed frozen
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons bread crumbs, preferably whole-grain

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400.

Taking care not to make any holes, cut a very thin slice off the bottom of each bell pepper, just enough to help them stand straight and solidly. Set aside.

For the filling, in a large bowl combine the turkey, rice, onion, garlic, corn, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Add beans, mixing in lightly with a fork so beans aren't mashed. Set aside.

Divide the filling into four portions, packing each pepper with the mixture, mounding any extra at the top. Place stuffed peppers in a baking dish just large enough to hold them. Pour in 1 cup of water. Cover the dish with foil and bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes.

In the meantime, combine cheese with the breadcrumbs in a small bowl. After 40 minutes of baking, uncover peppers. Sprinkle cheese/crumb mixture over top of each pepper. Continue baking the peppers, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes or until the peppers are soft when pierced with a knife but not collapsing. Let set until cool enough to eat, about 10 to 20 minutes; serve.

***I changed up the process a bit because I thought it would be quicker. I cooked the ground turkey in a skillet then added the other ingredients. I boiled the peppers on the stove as well. Once I stuffed them, I put the cheese and bread crumbs on top and broiled them for a few minutes in the oven! (I also did not put as much oregano as it called for..not a HUGE fan of a lot..)

Nutritional Info Per Serving: 249 cals, 5 g. total fat (2 g. sat fat), 505 mg. sod, 31 g. carb, 19 g. protein, 6 g. dietary fiber

This recipe from CDKitchen.com.

The stuffing
The finished product!

I'm very happy today is FRIDAY :) We are planning to have another relaxing weekend! Tonight, hubby and I are going to some friends, Judd & Kristen's, for dinner and to hang out. Tomorrow morning hubby is going to golf for a bit and I am going to help/hang with some friends who are having a garage sale. Tomorrow night, hubby and I are going to watch Lucy for a few hours while her mom and dad go to a wedding. That will be fun! :)

Anyone doing anything exciting this weekend? I cannot believe tomorrow is the first day of AUGUST! Where does time go?

If you need anything from The Gap, Banana & Old Navy you can click here to get a 30% off coupon. It is is only good until August 2nd. The best part about this is 5% of it goes to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

have a good weekend!

xoxo ~ Megan

I Need Some Cute Patio Furniture!

So, yesterday I came across a site called "Teak Wicker and More" with great outdoor items and patio furniture! Hubby and I have been talking about purchasing new patio furniture for the past two summers but we haven't really come across anything we like. Well, this site has OVER 500 sets of patio furniture! They have wrought iron, wood, steal, wicker, aluminum, recycled plastic & much more. Now, the only problem is picking out something with all the options!

We have some measuring and debating to do. Well, hubby also has to take a look at the site..since thus far, only I have been picking some favorites. I like these two a lot...

They are also already putting some of the furniture sets on sale. Perhaps at the end of the summer, a few more will be. I did order a fun outdoor product from them since it was on sale and free shipping. I'll post about that when it arrives! If you are needing anything from pillows to grilling items, check them out. You can search within price range or style.

In other news, hubby and I are going to eat Pizza with his dad tonight. I cannot WAIT! I got on the scale for the first time in probably two weeks this morning and it said I had lost like 3 or 4 pounds. I think is because my meds are making me pee ALL THE TIME. Another crazy fact, I've lost like 11 lbs since January. See, carbs do make a difference. I can probably thank my metformin for helping as well. I've been trying to cook meals that are healthy. Last night, I made stuffed red peppers. They had corn, black beans, ground turkey, etc in them. I'll post that soon!

Hope you all are having a great week! :)

*** Yes, Jessica did paint everything on Lucy's wall below! She paints ALL kinds of stuff. She has great canvas art in her house! I'm sure she would make you something if you ask...

xoxo ~ Megan

*Lucy in the Sky*

Hi friends :) Hope you all are having a good week!

I wanted to share with you Lucy & Jessica today! Jessica is one of my very good friends and she has an adorable lil' baby, Lucy! She is also expecting :) Recently, Jessica started a blog. It will revolve around all things baby, mommy, healthy, fun, pretty & pictures! She is wonderful and finding and trying out new things that will be helpful to all of her readers. I recently bought some all natural tortilla chips she blogged about. They are SO AMAZINGLY delicious! Jessica is also quite creative. She is an artist! She painted the beautiful mural on Lucy's wall as seen in the pictures below :)

The first two pics I borrowed from Jessica's blog. They were more than likely taken by her mother! My mother in law and her mom work together as photographers. I LOVE these pics!

Jess & Lucy!





Of course I had to throw one in there of me with Lucy :)
This was Lucy this past Friday night.

So, you all should definitely check out Jessica's blog! :) I think you will be pleased with what you find!

Are you all excited tonight for Tori & Dean?? I AM!

Happy Tuesday ~ Megan

Vote for our dog, Elton!

A while back hubby entered Elton into a "Cutest Pet" photo contest. We are certain he is THE cutest dog, ever....or at least we think so :) He is a Boston Terrier and we are really obessed with him. I mean we can both probably cry thinking about the day when he won't be around anymore. It is kind of sick really. Anyways, hubby got an email this morning asking if Elton's picture could be published in a book of the cutest pictures AND letting us know that he is a semi-finalist. Click the link to vote for him! :)

http://www.cutestpetcontest.com/bigpic.php?enum=100354929

Also, that is Elton in the above header picture. Incase you want some other pretty shots, here they are :)





I'm not sure exactly what Elton will win. Whatever it is though, he deserves it. He always has the best attitude and always wants to snuggle!

He is also a good model. You can surely tell that from last year's Christmas Card :)


I hope everyona had a wonderful weekend! Ours was very relaxing and movie filled! We pretty much laid on the couch all weekend. The doctors told me to take it easy and chill. I did just that. It was also nice not spending any money. For the most part, I just cooked or thawed and prepared stuff my mom had cooked and frozen when she was here.

Brent and Elton - snuggling..



I also FINALLY hooked my iphone up to my computer and synced things! I put facebook, twitter & flixter on my phone. What other apps should I get? Speaking of twitter, follow me! I'm no good at it yet, but I'm working on it :) I put a button to the right of my page that will link you to me!

On Friday night, our sweet friends Jessica & Kyle came over.. with food :)They also brought their lil one, Lucy :) She is growing up so quickly and SO fun to play with! Her momma just started a fun blog for moms. My blog post tomorrow with include all the info and pictures :)

Hubby and I are headed to eat sushi for dinner. Then, taking Elton to get his nails clipped...he should get pampered too, right? Afterall, he is the semi-finalist!

xoxo ~ Megan

Hot Hawiian Wedding!

Matt & Claire's Wedding Weekend ( I didn't post this on time. I created the post, but never published it. Publishing for Blurb Book).

THE Oven Mitt & A Cooking Class

So, THE oven mitt (in the post below), is made by Pomegranate inc. and I bought it at a local store. Isn't it adorable? In fact, most things on their website are. Check it out! Also, I happened to pick up another mitt or two and I'm thinking about having my first giveaway that will include the mitt! I figure I've won two giveaways so maybe I should host one of my own. Stay tuned for that :)

The shirt in the post below (last picture) is from Forever21. I got it when I was probably a sophomore in college. (see, I can make their clothes last ;)

Question for you all....if you ask me the brand or where something is from...should I add it in to the post you've seen the item in, or should I put it at the top of another post like I did above?

Since this post was sparked my the oven mitt, I am going to include some fun pics from a cooking class I went to last Thursday afternoon :) My friend Tallee nannies for a sweet family and the daughter, Vivian, hosted a cooking class. She is going to NYC in a few weeks and Tallee thought it would be a good way to raise some money for her trip! Plus, she is a WONDERFUL cook! She has made some of the most fabulous cakes I've ever seen. We had a lot of fun :)

The hosts made cupcakes with the initials of those who were planning to attend..cute idea!
The printed up the recipes for us!
Sweet Vivian
Cameron juicing limes
Tallee, Kristen & Jen working on the Key Lime Pie
Jen & Cameron working on the peanut butter balls. You guys they are SO DELICIOUS! I'll post the recipe!
Jen snacking :)
I am putting the filling in the pie
Tallee, Vivian & Cameron
Jen dipping the peanut butter balls in chocolate
amazing
Our cooking class :)
Vivy sent us home with treat bags (peanut butter balls inside!!)
Here is the recipe the hosts gave us for the DELISH Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Balls
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 cup peanut butter
1 lb. box of powdered sugar
4 cups of Rice Krispies
2 bags of chocolate chips (we used Ghirardelli)

-Put Rice Krispies in a gallon bag and whack until slightly crushed.
-In a mixer bowl, combine butter and peanut butter while gradually adding sugar and cereal. Mix everything together and the mixture will be very dry.
-Roll peanut butter mixture into small balls and place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.
-In a double boiler, melt all chocolate over medium heat then reduce heat to low. Dip the peanut butter balls in the chocolate. Refrigerate then serve when chocolate is hard.


I am so happy it is Friday. This week hasn't been the greatest but ended up much better than it started :) I plan to relax tonight (all weekend really)..I wish it would include a glass of wine but I don't think my prednisone would like that ..or work as well as it should. With my goal being stated to relax and rest, our sweet friends Jessica & Kyle offered to bring us dinner tonight. They are so sweet and we love hanging out with them.

I am liking having my new blog domain :) I've had a few people ask about the blogs I had listed on my page. Well, I don't know WHERE they are :( When I go to layout, it says I've never entered any in...but I have. I'm hoping they are lost in transition...but if they don't appear back in a few days, I'll be adding them back :)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend & thanks for being such sweet bloggy friends!

xoxo ~ Megan