My week according to Instagram #1

Follow me on instagram at rita_suburbsmama to see little bits and pieces of my daily life. 

1. Made some delicious german chocolate cupcakes. I have a recipe here

2. The choices for the day

3. Picked up these cute slippers at Target for 70% off! $5.38. I have been stalking them and waiting for them to go down to 70%, and they finally did! 

4. Kids "helping" me make doughnuts, they can be seriously be entertained with a rolling pin for hours. Well, I don't know if it would be hours, since I never tried it that long. But a very long time :). 

5. My tiny little fried doughnuts. You can find the recipe here.

6. My rainy OOTD. Going grocery shopping. Picture me holding a clipboard with my list at the grocery store. 

7. My F21 online order got delivered. 

8. Some pretty skirts from Modcloth. New DSW nude wedges. 

9. Was craving some veggies. 

10. Boo! I look kind of creepy in this one, but I thought my eyes looked cool. Plus I loved the lip color. 

11. This is the lip color I am wearing in #10. I just applied a light wash of it. Its CRUSH by revlon. 

12. Kidos watching how a pizza is made. I seriously took this picture like 5 times until I got one with him throwing the dough in the air. 

Well, that is a little glimpse into my life. 

Leave you instagram user name, I would love to follow you. 

Chicken Enchiladas

These chicken enchiladas are so delicious and easy to make! And they don't include cream of chicken soup like most recipes out there. For some reason those canned creamed soups make me shudder. 

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

1 TB butter

1 1/2 cup of chopped green onions

1 diced chili (optional if you like it spicy)

3 cloves of garlic

1 pint of heavy cream

1/2 cup of sour cream

2 cups of cheddar cheese

6 inch tortillas

First thing you will need to do is cook your chicken. 

I usually throw the chicken in the oven around noon, so it can cook and cool down before I start working on dinner.

I just wrap each (salted and peppered) chicken breast in foil and bake at 350 for about 45-50 minutes. 

After the chicken breasts are cooked through.

Shred the chicken once it has cooled:

After the chicken is done, you can start working on your filling. 

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and saute 1 cup of green onions until tender.

Add green chilies and minced garlic. Mix well.

Add the heavy cream and sour cream and bring to boil. 

Add the chicken, 1 cup of cheddar cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil.

Simmer until sauce is thickened (about 10 minutes)

Lightly grease your baking dish.

Fill each tortilla  with the chicken mixture and roll up. 

Place seam side down in prepared baking dish. 

Pour any remaining filling evenly over the enchiladas:

Cover the enchiladas with the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese:

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes uncovered, until the cheese is bubbly

Garnish with the remaining green onions:

Just a suggestion on quick and easy sides:

Enjoy!

Thanks so much for visiting and I hope you have a great day!

Triple Berry Pie

Crust recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 16 tablespoons cold (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with just a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
2. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed with fingers (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time). To help ensure a flaky crust, do not overprocess.
3. Transfer half of dough (still crumbly) onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form dough into a disk 3/4 inch thick; wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days). Repeat with remaining dough. (Disks can be frozen, tightly wrapped, up to 3 months. Thaw before using.) Makes 2 disks.

Now for the pie!

12 oz frozen blue berries

12 oz frozen black berries

12 oz frozen raspberries

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 TB unsalted butter- cup up into pieces

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 450, line a cookie sheet with foil (you will bake your pie on it to catch any drips)

Combine berries, flour, sugar, cinnamon in a large bowl and mix well. 

Lightly flour a large piece of waxed paper; place a disk of dough in center. Rolling from center outward, form into a 12-inch circle. (Use paper to rotate dough, and flour rolling pin and paper as necessary to prevent sticking.) Transfer dough to a pie dish. Avoid stretching the dough (that will cause it to shrink during baking)let the sides hang over for now. 

Fill the pie crust/dish with the berry mixture. piling it higher in the middle (like a mountain)spread the slices of butter over the berries.

Brush rim of pie shell with water.

Roll out the second piece of dough and place over the berries. Press along the moistened seal. Trim dough and pinch around to make a uniform edge. 

Pinch the sides together. 

With a knife, cut 5 to 6 slits in top of pie, radiating from center:

Place pie plate onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes; reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes more. If edges brown too quickly, cover with aluminum foil. Cool completely, before serving.


ENJOY!

Hope you have a great day!

Mexican Chicken and Potato Packets

This is a delicious and easy meal to prepare, and the best part that there are barely any dishes to wash after dinner! 

This would also be a great for camping. Make the packets in advance and just throw them into the campfire or grill to cook. (make sure you use the ultra-strong foil)

Ok, let me show you how I make these.

3-4 servings. 

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts
2 cups of sliced mushrooms
1 can sliced olives
4 teaspoons Taco Seasoning Mix
8 small potatoes (or 4 large)
2 cups of cheddar Shredded Cheese
1 cup Salsa
Sour Cream


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Wash and slice your mushrooms.

Saute them in 1 TB of vegetable oil. Add salt and pepper to taste:

Wash and thinly slice the potatoes.

Add 2 tsp of the Taco seasoning

Add salt and pepper to taste. Give it all a good stir. 

 Arrange your foil sheets on your counter. I usually make 2 packs per person. 

Spray the center with vegetable oil and arrange your potatoes like this:

 Cut your chicken breasts into thin strips.

Add the other 2 tsp of taco seasoning and salt and pepper to your taste.

Give it all a good stir:

Arrange the chicken strips on top the potatoes. I put about 3-4 strips per pack.

Next you need to add a TB of salsa on top of the chicken:

Followed by mushrooms and olives:

Top with cheddar cheese:

Fold packs and arrange on baking sheets.

Bake for 45 minutes. 

After you take the foil packs out of the oven. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving. 

Top with sour cream and green onions and enjoy this cheesy goodness!

Slow progress in the Master...

We started working on my master bedroom last fall, and we are still not done! 

We got a bed to sleep in and kinda stopped working on the room. Hopefully we will get it done soon, so I can share it with you guys. Because, let me tell you that it is quite a transformation. 

One of the things on the list, was a full length mirror. I finally found one that I liked that was within my $100 budget. I found this one at Home Goods.

I didn't like the color... So I painted to go with my room. Here is the before:

My two favorite metallic paints, they make a great combo!

And the after:

It goes well with my chandelier and it actually pops from the wall color now. 

I am still not sure if we are going to hang it or not. I like it like this, but am worried that the kids might push it, drop it... etc... 

Next on my list, find a arm chair, bench and some art work. Wish me luck!

January 2013 Birchbox

Whenever I get my birchbox in the mail, I get so excited. I don't peek into my birchbox profile, so it is always a surprise on what I am getting. This month I was not disappointed. 

Don't know what birchbox is?

It's a monthly subscription service which is $10.00 a month. First you take a little survey, so they can find out more about your skin, make up likes and dislikes. Just so they know what to send you. You get 4-5 high end samples in the mail. You can then turn around and review your products for points. You get 10 points per product review. So you can get 50 points per box. 100 points is $10 you can use at the birchbox store. 

I love this because I get to try products that I would have never had a chance to try. A lot of them were amazing, and I have purchased them on my own. 

Now, lets see what I got in this months box:

Aerie Shimmer Fragrance Full size $39.95

The scent is a blend of bergamot, peony, and a subtle hint of vanilla.

 

This scent is so so. It isn't bad but it isn't amazing either. I feel that it is a forgetful smell. 

I wont be purchasing. 

Embryollisse 24 hour miracle cream. Full size $28

This French moisturizer heals dryness and leaves skin primed for foundation. 

I have to say that it truly does what it says it will do! I have been having some dryness around my mouth and nose and my makeup was looking cakey and yucky. My usual moisterizer and primer were not helping. 

 I applied this overnight and woke up with all the dryness gone. The next day I used it as a primer under my foundation and I have to say that my makeup looked 10X better then it did before. I am definitely buying this asap. Amazon has it for $8 less

Ojon rare blend Total Hair Therapy. Full size $35

This tricolored oil prevents heat damage and gives hair an instant shine boost. 

I will be honest with you. I have not tried this yet. I am very hesitant to. 

I have very fine hair. It is not dry or frizzy. It is already shiny on its own. 

So I don't want to put oil into it. 

I will eventually try it... on a weekday, just in case my hair looks to oily and I have to jump back into the shower. LOL. You will see it in my empties with a review in a while. 

100% Pure Nourishing body cream.  Full size $15

This skin friendly moisturizer is made exclusively vegan, organic ingredients. 

I got the apple and grape scent. 

I liked how my skin felt after using this, however the smell is to strong. It doesn't linger and fades pretty quickly, but I cringed every time I used these samples. They smell like a grape and green apple lollipop, very artificial. 

 I see that they have a vanilla one online, I wonder if I would have liked that one more. 

Will not be purchasing. 

Eyeko Skinny liquid liner. Full size $15

User friendly pen applicator and super smooth formula. 

I am so happy I got this! My old liquid liner dried up and I have been meaning to pick a new one up. 

This liner is highly rate everywhere! I am glad I got the color black. 

The tip is nice and skinny:

Well, that is everything I got this month. 

What did you get in your Birchbox this month?

Homeschooling Preschool/Pre K

 My daughter just turned 5, and she isn't supposed to start kindergarten until  this coming september. I decided to "try" teaching her at home, this way she can have a little head start. If we love it, we might continue with homeschooling her further on. We want to take it one year at a time. 

I love spending one on one time with her. Sometimes we can get so busy with all the things we need to do, that we don't really spend any one on one with with the kids. Sure we eat dinner, pray and read a bed time story together at the end of the day. But I wanted to do more. More then just playing polly pockets with her. I wanted to invest in her education. I want her to grow up with Jesus in her heart. I want to teach her how to write her own name and how to read. 

I homeschool Monday-Thursday. We usually get through the lessons in about 2 hours. 

We typically do our lessons in the mornings, after breakfast and chores. 

 Sometimes, when we have errands/appointments, etc..  we don't do lessons until the afternoon and there have been days where we have skipped them all together. 

But my daughter is so excited to do her lessons everyday, she keeps me on my toes. She keeps asking when we are going to start. 

I bought her a preschool activity book, but Emily got very bored with it. Which showed me that she is ready for something more.  So I have been finding her activities and printables online. Most of the printables are from Confessions of a Homeschooler. 

I read a lot of blog posts online about Sue Patrick's Workbox System.  This is what I decided to do.

I bought our cart on amazon

I have 10 assignments/activities for her each day:

First we do calendar time:

Emily fills out her daily calendar sheet:

We have been signing this song to practice her days of the week:

After we have finished each assignment, Emily takes off the number from the workbox and puts it on her chart. This way she can see how many more things she needs to do 

Next we do bible time. I don't have any bible workbooks for her yet. What we have been doing was reading a bible story from her bible every day: 

Next she draws something from that days bible story. Today it was about Moses parting the sea:

I write a caption for her:

Next we do reading time, I am really enjoying this book that I found on Amazon, It teaches the sounds of letters and helps the child read:

Emily reading:

After reading I have her practice her scissor skills (we use the Kumon cutting and pasting book):

After a little break we work on letter of the day. Currently we are letter L:

After writing, We move on to math:

Then we work on a craft. Today we made lanterns for the letter L:

I love their expressions:

After craft, I have emily do one last hands/fun activity, today we worked on these worksheets:

 By the end of the school day, Emily's chart is all full:

We did all this from 11:30-1:30pm. That includes breaks and snacks. 

After the school day, I take 10 minutes to refill the workboxes and get everything ready for the next lesson plan. That way, I am not scrambling and wasting time trying to figure out what she should do next. 

If you homeschool, what curriculum do you use? I have been thinking about My Fathers World, but there are so many choices, that I am overwhelmed. 

Thanks for visiting.