Try Something New - For the Love of Organizing...

I love organizing. Organizing events, my desk at work, the kitchen, anything honestly....except my room. As detail-oriented as I am, I seem to always have a semi-messy room. I have had a stack of papers piled in my room for quite some time now. They vary from receipts, to pay stubs, to high school papers. You name it, it's probably in my pile of...stuff.

My challenge for you this Tuesday or hopefully sometime in the near future is to get your life organized. Whether that is organizing your everyday routine, the pile of clothes on the floor or whatever the case may be, motivate yourself to do it. I had told myself almost a month ago to either get rid of the stack of papers or actually do something with them (a lot of them were important.) So I finally bought a clear storage bin and folders to file away these materials. I realize this is extremely simple, but it is something that anyone can do to make the little things in life like keeping track of that bill or saving that receipt 'just in case' so much easier.

I realize that this blog post is short and simple, but I love it. It's a nice reminder to anyone that accomplishing a small task enables life to run much smoother.

Materials needed. So simple!

Materials:

Clear file bin with lid - $6 (Purchased at Big Lots)

24 pack multi-colored file folders - $6 (Purchased at Target)

Black Sharpie

Lots and lots of papers, receipts, bills, etc. :)

Make sure to label each folder.

Alphabetizing makes it much easier to find!

The finished product! There is plenty of space and folders for more!

Try Something New - Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Today, I think I made the best thing God has ever put on this planet, Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread. Can you say yum? :) Anything that has chocolate in it HAS to be good, right? Last week, I picked up a couple zucchinis at the local farmers market and of course had to try something new with them other than grilling them up as a side dish. Below is the recipe I followed! As far as measurements, I winged a couple things. Additionally, you can substitute the oil for apple sauce to make it healthier and still have that moistness. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!


Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

2 c zucchini, shredded
1 c flour



1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil (apple sauce)
2 eggs - room temperature
1 t vanilla
1 c dark chocolate chips **optional, but highly recommended :)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Shred zucchini, set aside. Sift dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt). Combine sugars, oil and vanilla. Mix in zucchini and eggs. Slowly add dry mixture. After ingredients are combined, add in the dark chocolate chips.

Spray 9x5 pan and pour batter into pan. Bake for approximately 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan and let it cool on a wire rack.

If you're anxious like I was to eat a piece of this deliciousness, go ahead and dive in! It's best when warm. Always make sure to store in an air tight container or wrap in aluminum foil.

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread....this was delicious!

Enjoy this for breakfast or indulge in this rich chocolate-y bread with a dollop of ice cream on top! Yummmmmy! :) Now, it's your turn to go out and try something new! Whether it's making this recipe with your own twist or something completely out of the blue like zip lining, go out and do it. I'm sure you won't regret it!

Try Something New Tuesday

Starting every Tuesday, I will be writing about something new that I've cooked, crafted, sewn, whatever! It'll mainly be food related....because I love food! :) I am also a lacto-ovo-pescatarian (I consume milk, eggs and fish) and want to try new recipes and learn new stuff! I hope you enjoy what I bring to the table, whatever it may be, and possibly find yourself venturing out and trying new things too!

I am a huge advocate for buying literally everything on sale. I rarely pay full price anything nowadays. A couple weeks ago I bought some three cheese tortellini thinking I'd put something together...and of course never got to it, until now! Typical me, haha! I looked up multiple recipes on Pinterest and finally found one that looked and sounded amazing. So I got started!

It's called Creamy Spinach Tomato Tortellini. Holy goodness! It was amazing! And I know it's summertime so a warm pasta dish isn't ideal, but with this July weather we've been having, I'm going to say it's acceptable. As I went through the recipe I started doing my own thing and it still turned out great. Here's ingredients and directions! Bon appetit!

Ingredients:

1 12 oz package three cheese tortellini (refrigerated or dry)

2 Tbsp butter

All the spices, milk, tomatoes, butter, garlic
and spinach ready to get eaten! :)

1 Tbsp minced garlic

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp onion powder

3 Tbsp basil

1 Tbsp oregano

1 1/4 cups milk (anything but skim)

1 (14.5 oz) can of Italian style diced tomatoes (any kind will do) 

1 1/2 roughly chopped spinach (I love spinach so I threw in 2 1/2 cups)

Salt, pepper and parmesan to taste

Directions:

Cook tortellini according to directions on package. (I waited to start the sauce until after I boiled, drained and set the tortellini aside.)

In a large, deep skillet melt your butter over medium heat and add garlic. Saute. Add flour, onion powder, basil and oregano. Whisking constantly for about a minute. Keep in mind your mixture will look dry in the pan, but that's normal! Next, increase heat to high-medium and slowly add the milk, stirring constantly until it starts to thicken. Once the mixture has thickened, add in the tomatoes and spinach and let it simmer. The spinach will wilt and that's totally normal when heat comes into play. Make sure not to stir too much though due to the delicacy of the spinach and tomatoes.

Once the sauce has thickened, add the tortellini and gently stir both mixtures together. (Note that the pasta will begin to absorb some of the sauce, so if need be add a little more milk or water to thin it out.) Top it off with parmesan and let the flavors sink in!

All done! It it such a nice colorful dish!

Make sure to whisk your
milk, flour and spices constantly
else it will become dry.

Add the spinach and tomatoes.

 I LOVED this dish! It lasted me five meals! (I even froze some for later.) It's definitely easy to make and can be changed to your desire!

Along with this, this past weekend was 4th of July. Unfortunately, I had to work both Friday and Saturday, but Sunday I had the chance to go to St. Louis for my sisters baby shower. It was such a blast. I was beyond excited to see all of my siblings together with our parents and everyone else. It was such a blessing for all of us to be there, even if it was for a few hours. Check out the pictures! :)

All of us kids! I am one lucky gal
to have all of these people in my life!

James. That's all. Haha :)

Shout-out Saturday Numero Dos

Hello Everyone! It's time for another day to write about who I want to show how much I love and appreciate them! But first, I want to update you on my week. Nothing too exciting has been happening. I have been working quite a bit and still trying to get through this summer class. It's almost done though! Rolen had his last t-ball game Monday evening. It was so nice to see him play out on the field one more time.

Suzanne and Brandon came up to visit on Thursday! I sure do miss those two and the dogs so much. Hopefully I can make it down to the big T in the fall to visit. We're having her baby shower tomorrow (Sunday.) It'll be nice to have everyone there and enjoy the beautiful weather and upcoming baby. :)

Yesterday was the 4th of July! The weather was gorgeous and set out for a perfect weekend. Sadly though, Kat and I had to work all day. We did get home just in time for fireworks though! :) Chaffee Fire Department sure did a great job with the fireworks display!

Now for the good stuff, I want to give a MASSIVE shout-out to.........drum roll please.........my mom and pops. They are our (us kids') world. Growing up, I never realized how much my parents put up with with six children plus more running around the house. Getting older, it starts to sink in how much they have been there for me and the rest of my family.

All of us kids with mom and dad! Taking it back to my high school graduation.

My dad, Donnie, is literally the most well-rounded person I have ever met. He's the only man in my life who can unclog a sink, change my tires, watch The Walking Dead with me, play a mean corn-hole game, build literally anything, continuously provide love, care and support and the list goes on and on. If he doesn't know how to do something, he will find out how or figure it out on his own. He's always curious and looking for ways to become knowledgeable about the most random things. And I love that about him! As a kid, anytime dad scolded me for something, I'd always say...."Well you're yelling at me!" to him and he'd always say "Honey, I've never gotten mad or yelled at you for anything..." As the years went by this was so true. As much chaos I have put my daddy through he has never once truly gotten mad about anything. He is one of the easiest-going people, but when it comes to doing something he loves and enjoys he becomes for very attentive to detail and critical (in a good way though!) Everything has to be perfect and make sense to him, which is one trait that I feel I got from him! Thanks dad!

Dad with us kids! We had so much fun snorkeling that day!

My mom, Loraine, is one hell of a rock-star. I cannot even put into words how much this woman means to me. Although I get frustrated and lose patience with her I can never thank her enough for always being there for me when something is going wrong in my life. She can cook, sew, do laundry, be my biggest fan, listen, give advice and always love and support me through anything. Her words of encouragement and just her presence are always nice to have! She has been through a lot and has not once complained. Whatever the great Lord above has thrown at her she seems to live life one day at a time. I hope to gain that characteristic one day! It makes life more enjoyable and a lot less stressful. I love when people say to me..."Oh, you must be Loraine's daughter! You look just like her." And I always have the joy of saying, "Yes, I am! Thank you!" So thanks mom for sharing the good looks and a fun-loving contagious personality that people see in the both of us.

Mom with us girls! This was our cousins wedding awhile back!

My parents are also some of the greatest grandparents around. Although, my niece and nephews are spoiled rotten and loved by many, they don't even realize yet how blessed they are to have the grandparents they have. So if you ever get a chance to meet these two amazing people that I have the pleasure of calling my parents, then you're one lucky person! They will feel your life with joy, love and kindness. They have set such a great example for the ones surrounding them whether it's through their faith or just everyday life. I love you both and am extremely blessed to call you my parents and to have you in my life!