Grilled Chicken BLT Sandwich

Just a little bit of a twist on such an old favorite & let's face it, everything tastes a little better on the grill.
Heat the grill for about 5 minutes. Place 4 slices of bacon on the grill & cook for about 4-6 minutes, turning once. Set the bacon aside to drain on a plate with paper towels.
Place 1 chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Gently pound the chicken with a meat mallet or rolling pin until it's 1/4 inch thick. Remove the wrap & do the same thing with one more chicken breast. Sprinkle the chicken with about 1/2 tsp of dried Italian seasoning. Now, place the chicken on the grill. Cook this for about 4-6 minutes as well, or until the juices run clear (no salmonella please).
Spread toasted sourdough bread slices with mayo. Layer the slices with lettuce & tomato & then the chicken & bacon.
Yummmm! :)

Things to do TODAY!

1. Download the song You & Tequila by: Kenny Chesney. Soooo good!
2. Take the stairs! Quickest way to burn calories.
3. Download the song Ain't Nothin Bout you by: Brooks & Dunn. It will definetly make you think about your man!
4. Go for a brisk walk with a friend. You have chance to burn some serious calories & vent. What could be better? Exercise also relieves stress & anxiety. Keep in mind, stress & guilt feed of one another as well. Remember this for deployment ladies! If that's not incentive enough, imagine your man's face when he comes home & you look fit, healthy & happy! That's reason enough for me!
5. Get enough sleep! Go to bed early & get up early.
6. Check out militaryonesource.com & try to find a CD or booklet to order. They have so many amazing resources for military families! Take advantage of it! Civilians WISH they had this kind of support available!
7. Set priorities & make compromises. What would you like to get done this week? What should you get done this week?
8. Act as if you're happy, successful & fulfilled, even when your man is gone. Over time, you really will be. :)
9. Clean out your fridge! Freeze anything you can that may be going bad or about to expire. For example, eggs? Beat them with a little bit of milk. Freeze them in an ice cube tray & then transfer to bags & keep in the freezer until ready to use. 2 cubes = 1 egg. Vegetables? Peel 'em, cut 'em, freeze 'em. When you're ready to make soup, you have stuff already prepared to throw in.
10. Start a military scrapbook for your man. Not only will it help you cope while he's away, but it will give him something cool to look at when he gets back & will maybe be able to add to after deployment.
11. If you haven't already had pictures done with your man or your family, it's starting to get pretty close to deployment ladies! Don't worry about the money. Make your Operation Love appointment today. It's FREE & they send the album overseas to your marine!

Hope you can try at least one of my ideas! Enjoy! :)

Ways to work out with your kids

One of the problems I have is not only finding the time to work out, but how to work out with my 3 year old son. I hate just sticking him in the gym daycare center while I go work out, I'd rather get him involved too! If you are in the same boat, here are some ideas:

1. Frisbee or catch
2. Go for a brisk walk
3. Cartwheels
4. Playground
5. Dance
6. Mommy & me work out videos
7. Kids yoga
8. Crunches

All of the lists I make, if I ever come up with, or find new ideas or tips, I will add to. So, make sure to check back on anything that you have had an interest in!

5 Mantras of the Pain-Free Back

I have the worst back pain at times. I swear it comes out of nowhere. I used to have such an athletic body & build until I got pregnant with my son. Even now, 3 years later, my body is still trying to fight back. My husband, thanks to the military, has excrutiating back pain. Unfortunately for him, nothing we've tried brings him relief. My pain is a bit more mild however, so if you're anything like me, here are some easy ways to help kick the back pain.

1. Exercise! The cure for everything.
2. Quit smoking! Smoking can affect the blood flow to your spine or change bone mineral density.
3. Make sure you're getting your Vitamin D. Things like tuna or fortified dairy, OJ, or cereal can help you with this. Even sitting out in the sun will bring in your vitamin D for the day (wearing sunscreen of course).
4. Watch your weight.
5. Be as active as you can! Resting for long periods of time will usually make pain flare up.

Basil

One of my favorite summer ingredients is Basil! If you've never worked with basil, here's some tips to introduce you to something great!

1. If you're growing your own basil, pinch the top leaves off the basil plant. This way, it won't flower (flowering stops the plant from producing leaves).
2. Too much basil, or basil going bad? Puree 2 cups of basil w/ 1/2 cup of olive oil & freeze it in an ice cube tray. Afterwards, bag it & store in the freezer.
3. Make basil butter. Mash minced basil & lemon zest to softened butter. Spread over toasted ciabatta bread or Italian bread to pair with a meal.
4. Make pesto! Drizzle some over pasta or swirl it into soup.
5. Basil turns black quickly when chopped with a dull knife so make sure yours are sharpe!
6. Don't like the taste of basil? Put some in a vase next to your bed to help ward off mosquitoes. 

Cinnamon Sugar Toast

Quickest breakfast ever...
1st, make cinnamon sugar. 1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 tbs. cinnamon. Make some toast & brush with melted butter. Sprinkle the mixture over the toast. Done. Pair this with coffee & it's a new guilty pleasure. :)

10 Money Saving Tips

Who doesn't love saving a few bucks? Here's 10 simple ways to get you started...

1. Use ebates whenever you can to get up to 25% cash back.
2. Always get your books from the library. Honestly, are you really going to read the same book twice?
3. Try to rent DVDs from the library. It's free! 2nd best thing, netflix (if you have a membership). If not, REDBOX! Just don't forget to return them!
4. Subscribe to magazines that are a MUST read. You will save so much money this way then buying them separately off the stand. Also, many magazines are offering free online content now.
5. Shut vents in unused rooms. Saves on heating & cooling.
6. Agree to limit gift giving on holidays or get crafty. Honestly, i'd rather have a gift that had a little effort put into it, then something someone ran out to the store last minute to buy. Making the gift by hand makes it more personal.
7. Pack lunches & drinks whenever you can. Saves trips to fast food places, starbucks & the gas station. EASY money saver here ladies!
8. Stop smoking & stop drinking alcohol. QUICKEST way to save money (notice how I didn't say the easiest).
9. Make a list before heading out the the grocery store. Stores bank on the fact you'll go down every aisle trying to remember the items you needed. They love having the, "oh, this looks good", the "oh this is on sale!" or the "do I have enough of this at home?" effect. Writing them down gets you focused on specific items & makes you want to target them & move on to the next thing on your list.
10. Consolidate & pay off debt ASAP! Also, don't be late on payments if you can help it. This is the quickest way to lose out on monthly income. Interest rates will kick your butt!

As usual, if you have anything to add, please feel free! :)