Sunday, January 29, 2012

As Exciting As A Camera Dump....


Yes, it's been one of THOSE weeks! I had high hopes after such a productive weekend last week that this week would really be one where we were finally caught up here at home, but welp...that's just not the case. Cuh-razy times, folks!

Want a lil peep in to our week?

1) Some days it's all we can do to get our clothes on, look presentable, and get out the door.


2) Yep, we're a bit early in celebrating, but it sure did make the girl smile!


3) But we're not too early in celebrating this one, and this is the one we're most excited about.


4) That and this stuff make our days complete.


5) If I hear one more word about wanting something that looks like this, I think I'm going to scream!


And................that's all you get for this week because we're eye-high in spelling words and preparing for the County Spelling Bee next weekend.

Stay tuned!!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Kicking Rocks


Another week has passed and I can't even tell you what we have accomplished. :) It was just one of THOSE weeks after such a crazy weekend we had last. Ever have one of those?



Now we have another week that is proving to be even hairier but I think we're ready for this one. Neeley is really in to her activities here so our weeks are beginning to pick up a bit. She won her school spelling bee this past week and now competes soon in our county spelling bee. Yikes! And she starts her flute lessons this week. So exciting! She's also starting a baking class through our local non-credit college course program through K State. And here in a couple of days she will be auditioning for a spot in our local production of Cinderella. Thankfully it's only a weeklong production, but that means long rehearsals every.single.night.of.the.week so I know we'll head in to February exhausted but it'll be worth it. :)

We've been making progress here at home this weekend but we did get out earlier to take advantage of the sunshine and went for a very brisk walk. We had the best kicking around our new pet rock, appropriately named Rocky.


{Yes, that's a painted rock and not a piece of raw meat like it looks! :) }


Neeley came home and painted him so that we can keep him and always take him out with us when we go. Too cute!

Y'all enjoy your weekend! We're out of here to head downtown to take advantage of the last day of FREE ice skating! Whee...........................................

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Dinner Yummies...And This And That


Happy Sunday y'all! Hope you have all had a GREAT weekend. Neeley had a WEEKEND-LONG sleepover and we are now playing catch-up on all of the chores we missed out on so it may make for a longer feeling week but it was nice to hear girly giggles this weekend. :)

Neeley and I are trying another new recipe tonight for dinner. And I'm making lots of extra chicken to have with salads for lunches this week.



I know it's not the best picture in the world but I wanted y'all to see how yummy it looks. And my finished product looks JUST like that. So proud! :) You should try it too!

Kathy Smith's Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken

8 6-8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups plain bread crumbs (I always freeze the hills and extra pieces of bread once they are past the fresh stage and just make my own bread crumbs)
1-2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I always use olive oil)
3 Tbsp. hot pepper sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, whisk together the hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and salt. Add the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-12 hours. I didn't have mine in the marinade quite that long but it was still dee-lish!

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove the chicken from the marinade, add bread crumbs to the marinade, and mix well. Coat chicken thoroughly with the mixture.

Spread oil over the bottom of a shallow 9" x 13" baking dish. Arrange chicken in the dish and bake for 15-20 minutes. Turn chicken over; reduce heat to 325 degrees, and cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

Have you tried any new recipes lately?

Monday, January 2, 2012

Happy New Year!!

Our weather was cold, windy and rainy for New Years so we did venture out for a bit, but ultimately ended up back at home in our comfy clothes watching the tube. And with the three of us together, we wouldn't have had it any other way! :)

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Christmas 2011




Christmas 2011 has come and gone. We were so glad to have Mr. Bowden Brigade home for the holiday. As soon as his plane touched down, we headed on to Arkansas for the festivities with our families.

It was great to spend time with them!





Neeley had a great time receiving all of her goodies. She's not loved or anything! :)







Of course, our trip wouldn't be complete without a visit to the River Market in Little Rock for some fun on the ice!



It always makes me a bit sad to think of how quickly the holidays pass us. But I do welcome a new year that bring about a renewed spirit to purge and clean and revisit our goals.

Bring on 2012!!!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Frozen yogurt pops, anyone?







Frozen yogurt has increased in popularity among the choices for healthy snacks for children. Packed with fat free or low fat yogurt, fresh or frozen fruits, skim milks, sugar free juices, and other nutritional foods, frozen yogurt can be eaten in a variety of ways to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters.

Frozen yogurt pops are a fun, convenient way to introduce new foods to children. Take away the candy, cookies, cakes, and pies, and instead put a frozen yogurt pop in to the hand of a child and sit back with satisfaction.



A quick way to make these yummy treats is to pour the blended yogurt, fruit, milk, juice, and ice mixture in to small disposable cups, add in a popsicle stick, and place them in to the freezer. No kid can ever deny the sheer goodness presented.

For a simple treat, try this recipe:

1) Place 2 cups of your favorite fresh fruits in to a blender.
Add in 2 cups of plain or vanilla yogurt, preferably of the fat free or low fat variety.
Pour in up to a quarter cup of white sugar, depending on the nutritional needs of the child, as well as the natural sweetness of the fruits.
Cover, and blend until smooth.


2)
Fill small paper cups ¾ of the way full with the yogurt mixture. Cover the cups with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Poke a popsicle stick through the cover and allow the stick to stand up in each cup.


3)
Place the cups in the freezer for at least 5 hours. To serve, remove foil or plastic wrap and peel off the paper cup.



Depending on the fruits selected, and other ingredients used, the calorie count for each frozen yogurt pop should weigh in between 75 and 100 calories.

These can be made in many varieties, so mix and match and have fun in the kitchen with children!



Find my original post over at
http://www.examiner.com/children-s-fitness-in-topeka/frozen-yogurt-pops.

A Different Kind of Marathon

Content by Faustino Fuentes

A box once full of tissues now lay empty at my feet. The trash can overflowed with discarded cough drops and half eaten meals. I had the flu and I was miserable. I sat on the chair staring aimlessly off into space after a hefty dose of cold medicine which made me tired and wired all at the same time. I had quarantined myself in a dark little spare bedroom far away from my happy healthy family. With nothing else to do, I pulled the covers up tight and I flipped on DIRECT TV and settled into a marathon of my favorite travel channel show. It was wonderful to get lost in a high definition trip through all the European countries while I sniffled and groaned the afternoon away. This was the closest to a marathon I was ever going to get so I made the most of it. Four full hours later, sleep finally found me and I welcomed it with open arms. I dreamt of the French coastline and of delicious foods. I awoke to the smell of breakfast and realized I might just survive because I was starving.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Children's health, fitness and nutrition information in your local area

As a health, fitness and nutrition consultant, children's general well-being is my platform. Read more about fun ACTIVE things to do in the area, get children's sportswear recommendations, yummy recipes the whole family can enjoy, and so much more! Covering the Fort Riley, Manhattan, Junction City, Ogden, Topeka, and Wichita areas. http://www.examiner.com/childrens-fitness-in-topeka/ashley-bowden Care to join me as an Examiner? Let me know!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

I Need Your Help!




How are you spending your Thursday evening? Why not take a few minutes out of your schedule, put the kids to bed early, whatever you have to do, and join us for a webinar to learn what we do as Beachbody Coaches. I would love to have you as a personally invited guest to participate with us. Message me for the link and we'll get you set up!


And....I'm happy to announce that Beachbody is recognizing the growing population of military coaches and is now allowing FREE sign ups for active duty military personnel and spouses. Won't you join us....military or not! :)