9 months!

WOW how time flies! Its been a school year since we got married!

I heart singlestonestudios!!

My sister got me a gift certificate for my birthday and this is what Shelley made for me! I got these frames before Christmas and her winter accent kit. I am boldly trying one of her favorite color combos--teal and red! I can't wait to get it!
Check out her blog! Or her website! Or her etsy stores!

Red Spice Steak Fajitas--4 points

From Rachael Ray's magazine
Ingredients
8 flour tortillas ( I didn't figure these into the points--i found some Tortilla Factory tortillas which are 1 point for 2 tortillas--quite a points bargain)
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 bell peppers, cut into strips
3 bunches scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup cilantro sprigs

1. Wrap the tortillas in foil; place in the oven and heat to 300°.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper; sprinkle all over the steak. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the steak, tent with foil and cook for 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare; transfer to a cutting board, tent with the foil and let rest for 5 minutes before thinly slicing.
3. In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the bell peppers, scallions and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the steak along with any juices and the cilantro and toss. Serve with the warmed tortillas.

She says makes 8--we have eaten 10 of them and still have filling left. The WW recipe builder gave me 5 points for 8 servings so I refigured for 10 servings and got 4. So I ate 1 fajitas with tortillas for 9 points. You could skinny it even more by just grilling the meat with no olive oil, but there isn't much in there. The spices make it awesome! And if you are cooking for someone like my hubby, who thinks if its not red meat he hasn't eaten, this is a perfect lean alternative.

Spoiled Pretty Helps Me Out

My beauty dilemma has been answered!
If you have never checked out Spoiled Pretty, you should. I am so excited to try the products from Benefit to erase my dark circles!

Things I love about spring break

One of the benefits of being a middle school teacher--spring break!
And while I am not whisking of to some fabulous beach location, I am enjoying my time off..

--getting to go out to lunch like an adult! Seriously I have a 30 minute lunch which is more like 20 minutes by the time you take your students to lunch and use your only chance to go to the bathroom before the end of the day! The hubby and I went out to lunch today it was so nice!

--watching daytime TV, love getting a little escapism from soaps and watching food shows to get more recipes!

--going to the gym in the morning--loving hitting these 9 am classes its perfect!

--midday naps

--reading(I read a lot but its nice to have time to just read)

--working on my scrapbook(still have to get to this)

--sleeping in until 7:30(it is a glorious 2 hours extra)

Raspberry-Lemon Meringue Cake

Another great recipe from Rachael Ray Magazine. Definitely not low points
Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
Finely grated peel of 2 lemons, plus 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 large eggs plus 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
One 11-ounce jar lemon curd
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, then butter the paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the milk, lemon peel and lemon juice.
2. Using a handheld mixer, beat the butter with 2 cups confectioners' sugar on medium speed until fluffy, 2 minutes. Add the whole eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, mix in half of the flour mixture, then the milk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture.
3. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and bake until springy to the touch, about 25 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and let cool completely.
4. Clean the mixer. Beat the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar and the egg whites. Place over a saucepan of barely simmering water and cook, whisking, until the confectioners' sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and the mixture is cool, 7 to 10 minutes.
5. Peel the paper off 1 cake layer and place bottom side down on a cake plate. Spread one-third of the lemon curd on the cake and arrange the berries on top. Drizzle the remaining curd evenly over the berries. Peel the paper off the remaining cake layer and place upside down on the filling. Top the cake with the meringue.
6. Preheat the broiler to high. Broil the cake just until the meringue peaks are golden, about 2 minutes.

Awesome dessert. The cake is like a shortbread and the mixture of lemon and raspberry is perfect. I wasn't sure my broiler was working--so my meringue got a little too brown but still tasted great.

13 points a piece(cake serves 10). So I had a piece and sent the rest to Kevin's work!

Fried Chicken RollUps

Mine did not turn out as nest--so I used Rachael's picture! Recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray
Ingredients
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cups shredded store-bought rotisserie chicken meat
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese (about 6 ounces)
12 small corn tortillas

Directions
1. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the chicken, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, until heated through. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheese. Wipe out the skillet.
2. In the same skillet, warm the tortillas over low heat to soften, about 15 seconds on each side. Place on a work surface, then spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture down the center of each. Roll up the tortillas.
3. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2/3 cup oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the chicken rollups seam side down and cook, turning once, until golden, about 2 minutes; drain on paper towels.

These are 5 points a rollup(this is with using all the oil--even though they don't absorb the whole 2/3 cup I put it into my recipe builder that way). I usually order chicken flautas when we go out for mexican food(and they are usually 7 points a piece).
To make it lighter you could remove the cheese or use less oil.
We ate 3 at a time so I had to budget for a 15 point dinner.