My Wordle

Being sick is for the BIRDS...

This is the official sick house with the most diversified of illnesses you will ever find under one roof within a residential neighborhood. Yes, Kaden has a cold, Braylee has Strep Throat, and I of course have Bronchitis. No, it is not fun. It is horrible. But, what are you going to do? We are all knocking back our antibiotics and hanging out in our PJs all day watching Dr.Seuss classics that I recorded on DVR from ABC Family channel. I love moments like this. My son is in love with The Cat in the Hat. I love listening to him laugh while watching the show. My daughter doesn't care either way. She is just more concerned in what he is doing and where I am at. Anyway, family will be coming in next weekend from out of town to celebrate Christmas early so hopefully we are all well and ready to meet up with family.
My sister will be taking my pup, Titan, back home with her. We are in need of letting him go due to his fear of Patrick. He will have a dog friend without having to compete for attention with a three year old and a two year old. So, hopefully this will work out well enough that the transition with the children will be good and smoothe. NO MORE ANIMALS FOR A LONG TIME! I love critters, but I think it is just time to just be us for a long while. If we decide to get any more animals I think it is going to have to be cats because of the independence. But, that won't be for a long while. Anyway, hope everyone had a great week!

I caught the Funk!

So, I thought I was going to get by it. I didn't think I needed to worry about catching it - but I did. I caught it. I took my children to the doctors today because here it is Tuesday, my daughter has been running a fever since Saturday morning, and my son started to catch it.
And, now, here we are. Both children have tonsilitis and I feel like I am getting a sinus infection. Yippee! Plus, I have a CT scan in the morning which I am not looking forward it. Such is life, right?
Anyone have any suggestions on how to get rid of a sinus infection without over the counter medicines? That is one thing I do not want to do is use medicine from the pharmacy - or the doctors for that matter. I usually just wait it out, even if it takes a month to be rid of it.
Anyhow, I hope everyone has a good rest of their week! Three weeks until Christmas. Can't wait!

Feels like winter!

What is the temperature in Florida, you ask? Well, its .... I am not sure, but it is just downright cold! The wind is blowing, and the air is cool. You would not think this is Florida weather. I mean, sure, the sun is shining. But, it certainly is not the temperature you would be expecting it to be.
Both of my children are sick. They are laying on the sofa as we speak sleeping. My daughter has been running fevers every since Saturday. They seem to be pretty high ones at that. Oddly, she has no other symptoms. Teething? Not sure.
My son has what seems like a cold. I am watching to see if his temperature is going to go up.
My mother in laws counts are down so she won't be joining us for dinner tongiht. She has chemo coming up on Monday - her last treatment for the year, then radiation begins in February I believe. So she gets a few weeks off before having to endure that! Thankfully. She has been strong through it all. After losing her husband in 2008 to cancer and watching him go through chemo then losing his battle to brain cancer.
Well, I hope everyone is having a really nice cool day.

Whats on the Menu

Right now, work is slow for my husband and I have allowed my Thirty One business slow down due to how busy I am during the holidays. I have been working on menu planning and coupon clipping. I thought that I would share my seven day meal plan, plus one. So, I have eight meals planned for the third week of December. But, first I would like to share what I have planned for the second week of December:

Sunday - White Chicken Chilli
Monday - Soupy Baby Limas with Ham
Tuesday - Mini Calzones
Wednesday - Breakfast
Thursday - Hamburger Helper
Friday - Frozen Lasagna
Saturday - Leftovers

Okay, so the simplicity from this menu is screaming BUT they are simple and inexpensive. I will break from of this down a bit into recipes:

White Chicken Chili Chicken Broth Cumin Great Northern Whites Can of Green chilies Chicken Garlic Powder Onion, Red pepper ¼ - ½ c salsa liquid	Soupy Baby Limas with Ham Chicken broth 2 pkg baby limas 1 pkg diced ham Carrots Onion Celery Dried parsley and chives, garlic powder Salt and pepper
Mini Calzones Pizza dough Parmesan Pizza Sauce Pepperoni Mozzarella	Breakfast Any breakfast food you have on hand. We have eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, frozen waffles, sausage patties and links – pretty much anything!
Hamburger Helper Just pick your favorite flavor, add a ½ lb of beef, freeze the other half for meatballs, taco salads, another hamburger helper, etc. Eat mashed potatoes or green beans and then there you go – you have a easy and great meal.	Frozen Lasagna Okay, now this is a no fuss meal. Our local grocer, Winn Dixie, has specials where you buy one item for around $14 or less, you get anywhere from four to six things for free. Well, we bought the lasagna and got peas, soda, ice cream cups, and garlic bread for free. Its an entire meal and it is quite nice.

Week Three:

Mashed potatoes with Campbell’s Chunky Sirloin Burger, with a salad. Buy a box of instant mashed potatoes and you have an easy weeknight meal.	Hamburger helper with green beans. Use only ½ lb of ground beef and save the other half for another meal.
Spaghetti with mini meatballs. Whole grain pasta, and garlic bread. I actually am out of Italian bread crumbs so I am going to crush up some croutons, add grated parmesan cheese, a pinch of Italian seasoning, and one egg and mix them up and make mini meatballs. I use regular jarred sauce because the meatballs will add tons of flavor.	Crockpot chicken with potatoes, carrots, and celery. I usually add a package of ranch seasoning or a package of onion dip mix on top of the chicken when beginning the cooking process
Chicken stir fry. I will be using the left over chicken from the night before, buying a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables, and cooking in soy sauce with brown rice. Our freezer section at Walmart has a fabulous selection on Chinese food. We will probably have pot stickers or egg rolls along with this meal.	Mini Pepperoni Calzones ( I usually try and sneak in veggies in the sauce. For example, you could always finely chop your veggies and add it in the pizza sauce or buy a jar of sweet potatoes baby food and add it in. This adds to the nutrition without taking away the flavor.)
Turkey Hot dogs with chili and French fries	Campbell’s Chunky Chicken Corn Chowder over biscuits with a salad.

Altogether, for eight meals and feeding a family of four, dinners only cost around $51.50. This rounding out my prices to the highest end. Also, this is without using coupons. I have coupons on the soups and biscuits.

With breakfasts, lunches, and snacks, groceries will cost us around $20-$30 more for that week.

What is on your menu this week?
How do you save money? 

Brussel Sprouts in a Butter and Herb Cream Sauce

So I have been experimenting with foods lately and one of my favorite foods in brussel sprouts. I know, crazy, right? Well, my family is not a big fan of these little green round balls. But, I found a way to take away that bitterness and add some tastiness to it in the process. Now, let me tell you, if you are watching your wastelane you may want to tweak this a bit. It is not low calorie!
First off, you will need either frozen brussel sprouts or fresh. I personally use frozen because they are cheaper and easier to come by.
1 tbsp Butter/Margarine
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Dried Chives
Pinch Dried Italian seasoning
1 tsp Dried Parsley
1/4 c Heavy whipping cream

Unfortunately, these are just rough guess-stimates of my measurements because I usually eveball everything so forgive my cooking tactics! After cooking my brussels in the butter to just soft, I cut them in half, add all of the herbs and cook for a few more minutes. They may break up a little bit but that is okay. Towards the very end of my cooking I add in my heavy cream and let it sit on low for less than a minute. Generally, you do not want to cook cream because it has a tendancy to curdle.
Then, salt and pepper it to taste and voila! There it is, simple!

Miscarriage and Loss

Miscarriage and Loss - this is a term that is all too familiar to me and in my life. Finding out I was pregnant made me ecstatic, nervous, stressed, elated - every emotion under the sun. I just knew my daughter, who is my youngest, would be in love. My son, who is the oldest, has been there done that. He is like an old sole at times. He loves babies, loves seeing them, as does my daughter. I was excited in the sense to have a new addition to our family. But somehow, deep down, I knew this wouldn't be. A few weeks before miscarrying, I told my husband that I just knew that this wasn't meant to be; that I would not be able to carry this baby to term. He told me to not worry about it, that the more I thought like that then the more likely it would happen. When the day came that I was cramping terribly and my ultrasound yeilded no baby, I just knew that it was my fault. I knew that because these were my thoughts that this is why this happened. As I lay there, crying, waiting for the news that I knew was coming but wanted to deny was realistic, I knew that this was it.
Having to wait to see the doctor was the worst. I already knew I had no baby in my stomach, why did I need to see the doctor? For him to tell me what I already knew? This was shear torture, punishment. I did not want to talk to anyone, see anyone. I just wanted to go home and go to bed and just cry. Fourty-five minutes later, in walks the doctor. With his sincerity, he quickly rushed through the appointment that I did not want and sent me to the lab. There, they were not able to draw blood, sending me to the hospital. After four sticks with a needle, finally drawing out what needed to be taken, I would then return to that place four times for the same thing every other day - as ordered by my doctor.
Through all of this, I remember what it was like losing my first baby on Christmas day of 2005. You become depressed, people ask you what is wrong, you become a pin cushion. People solicit advice on how you should feel and why you should be thankful to of miscarried early. Why you should be thankful to already have two children.
You begin to lose yourself after a while.
People don't know that this advice is hurtful. I felt like saying that this was my baby, whether it be six weeks of six months along, it is still my baby. I am mourning because I just lost my child. I love the two children I have now, but I also loved the babies I lost, too.

I am better than what I once was. I can get through a day without crying. I can get through a day without wondering what could have been.

My Two Angel Babies

♥11/11/2010, 12/25/05♥

Joy of....Three!

I'm pregnant! Expecting baby number three. I am only about five weeks pregnant. This is okay! Because of this I have plenty of time to prepare for a baby. Which is what we need. We got rid of all of our baby items, likethe crib, bouncy seats, car seat, changing pad, playpen, etc. Crazy!

Anyway, we are excited that we will be welcome a bundle of joy to our home in 2011!

Saving Money on Groceries

I have been trying and trying to find ways to cut our costs on our grocery bill and I have to say, this is not my forte! But, I have found that by splitting my hamburger meat into two seperate meals that you never really notice it is not a full pound. Meat is the most expensive aspect in our grocery bill - next to junk food. Although, we are trying to eat a lot healthier now that the hubs is going through a diet and exercise kick! Anyway, recently I made scrambled hmburger and split it to put into two meals. The first meal was Shepherds Pie and the second meal was Crock Pot Cabbage Rolls. While scrambling the hamburger, I added onion, minced garlic, chopped celery and chopped carrots. This extends the meat and adds more healthier flavors. I split it in half and added corn and peas to half of mixture for the Shepherds Pie. This also makes it seem like there is much more meat mixture than there really is. I added a couple of gravy packets and less than a cup of water then spread it in the bottom of a baking dish. The next night I made instant potatoes, added cheese on top, and voila! Shepherds Pie! With the other mixture, I began reducing a canof diced tomatoes, liquid and all, added a big of Mrs.Dash and some beef boulion. I then added the meat mixture and let that simmer for a few. While that was simmering I boiled a pot of water and added my entire head of cabbage. This makes the leaves easier to remove, makes them more pliable and less likely to rip. I then added my rice to the meat and tomato mixture and turned the heat off. I cut my leaves off, added the meat mixture, wrapper the leaves and secured them with toothpicks. I laid them in the crockpot that had tomato sauce with roasted garlic. Yum! I have two healthy, inexpensive meals, made from just one pound of meat.
I personally have expensive taste, so this in generally has worked for me!

What works for you?

Braylee's Party

Braylee's party went great. It was very small, very personal. Just family, which was just fine. I invited some people from our church, but they also had a child's birthday they were attending and/or throwing the same day, same hour. She ended up with a good amount of toys - not loads, thank goodness! Christmas is right around the corner! Her actual birthday is November 3rd, where she will be celebrated to be on this earth for two years! Its so scary, the thought! But, I made cupcakes, and never got any pictures of the decor or anything. He icing was hot pink, with hot pink sprinkles. I dyed the cake batter purple, which was kind of fun! She got a baby doll, a my little pony doll, a tea set, plus many other things. Thanks to those for coming! Have a blessed day!

Crock Italian Chicken with Pasta

I love my crock pot. This is a love that is undescribable. Anyway, I also love yummy, inexpensive, not so fatty meals to feed my family. Of course, my son would not touch this with a six foot pole, but my daughter would. My husband loves it too. Its a no fuss meal.

3-4 Chicken breasts
1 bottle italian dressing, any brand
1 bay leaf
2 carrots
1 onion
pepper
garlic powder
crock pot
Box of pasta, your fave, your choice

Put half of the bottle of italian dressing in the bottom of the crock pot. Place chicken in the pot then poor the remainder italian dressing on top. Add your chopped carrot and onions. Toss in bay leaf, as well as your pepper and garlic powder (as much as you like, if you love garlic add a lot, if your not a fan add a little). Cook on high for two hours, then put on medium for four to six hours. Shred the chicken in the sauce. Cook your pasta and add shredded chicken and sauce over pasta. A good side for this is a salad or garlic bread. You can also use your leftover, cold chicken over a salad with some croutons.

Healthy Thoughts on Quesadillas

I admit it. I have a horrible time with getting my son to eat anything healthy - anything remotely healthy. I mean, sure, he will eat a wheat thin - but thats it.

So, I am finding a great and creative way to sneak veggies into your child's diet, without them noticing!

Children love Quesadillas. Well, sometimes these quesadillas are just not good for you. Sneaking in some healthy alternatives, besides just cheese, is a great way to get other nutrients into your child.

Children love to dip things. Load the quesadilla up with veggies, omit the cheese to just a light sprinkling, and allow the child to dip in white queso.

Using pea puree, such as baby food, or even sweet potato puree in a grilled ham and cheese quesadilla is a great way to get some vitamins and nutrients into your child without altering the taste.

Using refried beans, or making your own from dried-soaked-over-night-beans, will add fiber and other vitamins into your childs diet. Just add a bit of cheese and a little bit of salsa before grilling.

A great way to make sure they are getting all of the vitamins, and less fat, that they can get is try to get all natural whole foods. I buy homemade salsa. It is freshers and I feel better about feeding this to my children because there are less preservatives!

It is an easy knowledge to acquire, it just takes a bit of creative thinking. Sometimes, it will take a while for a child to try new things.

Birthdays on a Budget

On November 3rd, my daughter will be turning two. You would think this would be joyeous for me, but it just means she is growing out of her baby years and turning into a big girl! This is so frightening to me!
Anyhow, I am trying to acheive her birthday party on a budget. When I had my son's party in May I really was not budget conscious because we had a bit of money to spare to throw his party. We had a big turn out, had a lot of family attending. This time of the year, considering Thanksgiving and Christmas is right around the corner, I have to be a bit more budget conscious. So, here is what I am going to do. You get to see my list, and then photos later!
♦ Create and Print labels for each cupcake - I do this through Power Point presentation and I believe that it has turned out really well. I attached a photo below. I will print these out on thicker, white paper, and tape to a toothpick. Then, they will be placed on a cupcake.
♦ Make Tutu for her Birthday outfit - Making tutus are fun and easy to do. I will post a tutorial when I make her's. I am making this a birthday tutu with colors like pink, white, purple, orange, yellow (if I can find all of these colors!)
♦ Sew the number 2 on a plain tee - Walmart sells 18"x18" blocks of cloth. They have a great assortment for only a buck! Finding the plain white tee is a different story!
♦ Decor - I am a big dollar tree fan. They have a fantastic assortment of decor for birthdays, weddings, and baby showers - and you can't beat a buck!

Well, that is a start! I will add more as I plan!

What do you do to save money while planning your child's birthday?

Crockpots: A Moms Hero

So, as I tossed my chicken and potatoes in the crockpot, I realized how much I love crockpots. I am the proud owner of three - and hopefully more in the future! When I am not in the mood to cook, there it is. I think every household should have one - whether your a stay at home mom, working mother, single mother, grandmother - whatever. I love the cookbooks for crock pot cooking. They tend to have a variation of different recipes consisting of different types and cuts of meats, deserts, soups, breakfasts, etc. If you have no time then this is a key to a successful night of not slaving over the stove! If you have a crock pot, go buy a crock pot cooking book or head to the local library. If you do not have a crock pot, then you are completely missing out on how easy it is to get things cooked!

My little creations

I love these little peices of jewelry. I make them myself and I love for my little girl to wear them!

Queen of the Maven

So, I have been doing research on how to have a better home, make more homemade recipes and get less takeout, how to organize, and how to save money - and I have to say - I think that it is going to be like having a full time job! But, I think I can do it. Here is what I already knew, but learned again:

Cut Coupons (duh!)
Get organized and sell what is not in use - this declutters and makes money at the same time.
Find some ways to make money throughout the year - for instance, having yard sales, eBay, etc.
Keep it Clean - create a cleaning schedule
Keep a routine - this will help with time management, not something I am good at!
Stick to the schedule! - this will help with homeschooling, suppers, etc
Spend less money - this is something I have a hard time doing because I love shopping. I buy things that I do not need just to have it. Sometimes, I don't even use what I buy. We also waste a lot of food at times.
Meal Plan - this saves money on your grocery bill and takes away that question of "What's for dinner?"
Plan a budget - yeah, this is almost impossible for me, too.

These are all of my goals before the move to Ohio. I do not think it will be impossible, I just think that is will be difficult. I am not sure if I can do it, but sure am going to try.

What do you do to be th Queen of your Maven?

Making Money

So I figure I would write a post telling about all the easy and inexpensive ways a person could make money. Now, I personally have not done some of these, and these ideas are the kind that would fit my lifestyle. I have some suggestions that cost right around $100 and less. So, it is not a break the bank sort of thing.
Here is my ideas:

♦Sell on eBay - now personally, I have lost money selling on eBay because of the shipping prices. On items that you think will only ship for just a few bucks actually ship for about three to four times more than that. So, make sure you really price out your shipping correctly.
♦Party Sales - I am a consultant for Thirty-One Gifts and I personally love them and their products. I have made good money for the parties that I have sold for. So far, out of two parties I have made over $100 in about four hours worth of being away from my family. This is really good money. The only thing you may struggle with is the fact that you may have trouble booking parties. This is what I am running into. But the advice I received is to offer a free gift just for booking the party on top of what they would receive as hostess gifts.
♦Plant Herb Gardens - You could plant an herb garden in one pot. Many people really like things like this. Me, personally, if someone was to sell this I would buy it in a heartbeat. It would save me money from buying it in the grocery store, plus I would have a pretty indoor plant that would serve some great use and I could grow all year long.
♦Have a Yard Sale - We accumulate things all year long. Things we use for a short time and then put in the back of a closet to forget about. Our past year sale made over $250. Not bad for just a few days of selling. We sell a lot of baby clothes, clothes that the kids grow out of, and things of that nature. Baby items sell fast!
♦ Sell Indoor Potted Plants - This will definately take someone with a green thumb and patience. But, it is inexpensive to do and you could sell the plants for right around $10 or more.
♦SwagBucks - I have heard of many people doing SwagBucks on some of my mom community boards I am a part of. I do it as well. You sign up, use them as a search engine, and you can receive SwagBucks to trade for gift cards and other items. It is very easy.
♦ChaCha - This is something new. You do not get paid tons, but you do get paid! Basically, you are answering questions that people text into the website. You get paid per answer. I believe it is around $0.02, but I am not sure. This is not something I am able to do because it is quite difficult to log on during the day.

These are just a few suggestions!

What do you do to earn money?

Titan the Chihuahua

So, I have a pup named Titan. He is a Chihuahua/Dachshund mix - plus probably a few other types of breeds in there. He stands like he is a bulldog, has long legs, and a little head - but he is too cute to me! Anyway, we adopted him from the shelter in April as my Mothers Day present - which was fabulous. We live smack-dab in the middle of Florida - - - and the poor dog freezes all of the time! It is just baffling to me. Its something I do not understand.

So, I told you all of this to tell you about my really great find the other day when going to Target. I am not much into dressing up my animals. Back before I had kids I had a dog that I dressed up and brought to the groomers to have her nails painted. But, since I have had kids, my dog is just a dog now. But, I had to do something because this little dog freezes when it is not even cold in the house. You can find him bundled anywhere that may be warm. So, I found these two sweaters. They were both only $2.50 a piece. Which is a fabulous buy! Target now has a small dollar section where everything is like less than $3. So, I decided to compare prices to those that are in the pet aisle. One sweater cost at least $8 - that is a three dollar savings, and I got two!

Bargain shopper!

Have you found any great buys lately?

Downsizing Saves

So, here we are in the market for a vehicle... again. We are actually downsizing and hoping to save anywhere from $200-$300 a month just in vehicle payment and insurance. Of course, we are downsizing to ONE vehicle! But, I don't really need a vehicle every day because I am a stay at home mom and RARELY ever go anywhere! So, what are the benefits to this? Of course, the number one reason we are doing this is to save money. We already pay about $520 a month just in the vehicle payment, plus insurance on top of that price which brings us to about $700 a month just on one vehicle. Another benefit is saving gas, which will increase and decrease often over time. Some of the downfalls of downsizing to one vehicle is just that - having one vehicle! I will have to wake up and bring my husband to work then pick him up when he is off of work. It sounds like such a hassle! But, I think it will be worth it.

So, this is what we are doing to cut costs and save a bit of money. What are you doing?

Hungry Girl

So, speaking of diets which is always on my mind lately, have you ever heard of hungry girl? I personally do not own any of the books but do have the recipe flash cards and they are amazing. Plus, the website is full of recipes and tricks to get what you crave without all of the calories along with it. You can check out the website at  http://www.hungry-girl.com/. There are just tons and tons of recipes. For example, there is a recipe for an immitation of Arby's Roast Burgers. She uses a lot of vegetarian immitation meats, which personally I love and have a freezer full (I won't be able to chow on that stuff until after my low carb diet is OVER!).

But, take a look and I am sure you will find something that you love with less calories!

Good luck!

Dekota♥

Tuna Salad

I love tuna salad and could probably eat it daily. I use white chunk tuna packed in water. I have noticed that the tuna seems to be a bit more dryer than the tuna packed in oil. So, just use what you like. Here is my recipe for it.

White Chunk Tuna packed in water
Claussen Pickles, diced
Onions, diced
T. pickle juice
Low Fat Mayo
Salt and Pepper

Mix the diced pickles, onions, pickle juice, mayo, salt and pepper until dressing is blended. Add the tuna and mix thoroughly. Be sure to break down those chunks. If you don't want to add pickle juice you can always add a bit of lemon juice. This takes away the "sea food" taste intensity that some tuna fish has. If you decide to use a different type of tuna and it is already water you may want to add just a squeeze of lemon instead of pickle juice because it may become too watery. I don't give a measure of ingredients because your palette may not be like my palette so just judge by what you think you would like.

Dekota♥

The Fall

I am loving this fall weather rolling in. It is such a great feeling without all of that humidity here in Florida! Thanksgiving is right around the corner and then Christmas.... which I love! My children are at that age where they notice and ask questions about everything. So, it will be a wonderful experience to have a Christmas tree up and show them Christmas lights on neighbor's houses. Plus, this cooler weather means my electricity bill will go down. Who doesn't want to celebrate that?!

Plus, Fall brings Fall festivals and Octoberfest. Lots of activities!

What is Fall like where you live?

Roast Beef and Blue Cheese

I love this recipe, great for a snack or quick and simple lunch.

Deli Roast Beef
Blue Cheese
Pepper
tsp. oil

Heat a pan with the tsp. oil, add the roast beef in the pan in either scrunched circles or fold in half. Heat one side, then flip. Add blue cheese, allow to melt.

You can add this on top of salads, maybe with a bit of blue cheese dressing and hot sauce. Or, if you are not look at your carbs add it to a sandwhich with some mayo, letter, tomato, maybe a dash of hot sauce and..... yum... you'll love it!

Low Carb Police

Cheating on diets. I begin with this because I am on one. And I cheated. With a McFlurry. Oreo.

But! I am back on today. Of course, it has only been a week. So, weakness with me should have set in on the first day. I think I am doing pretty darn good! I have lost a little over 10 pounds, which I am excited about. I actually can see daily the weight coming off. Thanks to a good friend who introduced to low carb dieting, I feel so much better. I walk at least a mile on the treadmill, in between chasing my three year old and my one year old. Plus, trying to stay active throughout the day cleaning the house and doing things of that nature.
So, is there a Low Carb Police. Absolutely! Its called your conscience! I felt so guilt.... after..... eating that McFlurry!
But, I am still on my way!

Dekota♥

Fair Trade Month at Meet Mark

Hello all! This is fair trade month at Meet Mark, a branch of Avon. These products are sold to show support for farmers and workers who benefit from the fair labor practices and sustainable work opportunities offered by Fair Trade.

"By choosing this Fair Trade Certified product, you are directly supporting a better life for farming families through fair prices, direct trade, community development, and environmental stewardship." http://www.fairtradecertified.org/

Why I Love Fair Trade Products from Meet Mark:

These products are inexpensive, portable, and have gentle scents to them. Check them out!

http://dbacon.mymarkstore.com/

Gyro Burgers with Cucumber Sauce

This recipes is tastey and healthy and super simple. Just go with what you like for toppings. I list my favorite toppings for this particular meal. I am in love with all things greek food. So, I never measure anything but I will try to give you a ballpark.

•Cucumber Sauce
1 cup plain yogurt
3 tbsp sour cream
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tsp dry ranch seasoning
1 cucumber, seeded, grated
salt and pepper

(with the cucumber sauce you can get a cheese cloth and put it in a strainer over a bowl and spoon your yogurt into that, allowing it to sit to seep out all of its liquids. This makes the sauce much creamier. Although, I never do it!)

Mix all of those ingredients and put in the fridge for an hour or more. The longer it sits the better it is.

•Burgers
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 packet ranch seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
pepper
1 tsp plain yogurt
Pita bread
lettuce
tomato
red onion
feta cheese (optional)

Mix all of these ingredients together. You can either form each one into a patty and put on a baking sheet to put in the over, grill them, whatever you like. I pack it into a loaf pan and let it cook. When I take it out, I let it cool and cut it into slices. It is much easier to place in the pita bread this way.

ttfn.