Get to Moving with PS2

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PlayStation MOVE. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm rubbing my magic bottle for the genie to pop out and bring us the new PlayStation®Move so I can so rock family game night. I'm so excited to play the game Start the party and of course I almost flipped when I saw Tron. Come on you all know we so loved that movie back in 1982 oh yes I just dated us all :).

We all need to add a little exercise in our daily routine. No more gaming thumbs boys you can't use that excuse anymore. I'm so glad that video games have gone to a new level, no more sitting in front of the TV for hours. You know have to get up and be part of the game! I was not allowed video games when I was for this simple reason my parents didn't want me to just sit in front of the TV for hours (did I mention I was a chunky kid?). I'm excited to say my parents now even have a game center that makes you get up and move ... yup we've come a long way baby in my childhood home.

Already have the PlayStation®3 you can add the Move bundle package for only $99! Oh yes guess what is on my Christmas list this year! Get your bum off the couch and move!! No more excuses about not getting to the gym or no money or time to work out. You can easily do it at your home, with no one watching or the hunky guy giving you funny looks. Get to moving!!!

Thursday DVD Review ~ Some New, Some Older

This one I may have to go out and buy for the boys that is if Cole has a good day at school, let's just say I have a mtg with the principal (story for another day). What a cute movie that will actually keep a kid sitting for the whole time. I even was laughing along with it.

When Phil and Debbie Winslow (Lee Pace and Judy Greer) relocate from their native Kansas to the sunny climes of Orange County, their big-hearted, havoc-wreaking Great Dane (voiced by Owen Wilson) gets a taste of the dog's life, California-style. Featuring the voices of Emma Stone, George Lopez and Steve Coogan, this family comedy blends live action and computer animation to bring the-beloved, if slobbery, comic-strip mutt to life.

Another movie I go with because I love the characters and John Cusack is my all time fav. But what a let down, can't believe my life was wasted with night. I was busy doing other things or I may have just flung this out the door. Talk about going over board with the f bomb. I have no prob with swearing but REALLY does every word need to be it. It had no purpose, tons of adult content this was a guy flick.

Fueled by energy drinks, vodka and nostalgia for their younger, wilder days, a group of aging best friends travels back in time to 1987, where they get the chance to relive the best year of their lives. And their time machine? Well, it's a hot tub. John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover and Sebastian Stan co-star in this out-of-the-box comedy that takes time travel to a whole new level.

Another Scooby Doo the boys just of course had to rent it for them. I had to sneak it out to return it to the mail box. You can't go wrong with Scooby Doo.

It's a race to escape when Scooby-Doo and his friends get stuck inside a video game. While sneaking a peek at a laser game based on their own adventures, Scooby and the Mystery Inc. gang are beamed inside the program by a mayhem-causing, menacing monster known as the Phantom Virus. Now, the game must advance successfully through all 10 levels and defeat the virus if Shaggy, Freddy, Daphne and Velma ever plan to see the real world again.

I love Nicolas Cage but this movie was just to far out for me. It was like a modern day batman but with normal people trying to save the day. The language just was over the top and made you wonder really did we keep need going there. Some parts I really just wanted to say really?

Inspired by his love of comic books, high school student Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) decides to transform himself into a masked crime fighter -- a decision that eventually thrusts the teenager into Internet stardom. Soon, Dave's antics inspire a wave of would-be heroes to don costumes and live out their superhero fantasies. Nicolas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Chloe Moretz also star in this comic book adaptation from director Matthew Vaughn.

This is for Rick, not a movie I enjoyed sometimes I wonder why a movie has to go to such extremes to make you laugh. Rick enjoyed it laughed and thought it was a good movie, I got to go to bed early :).

Put-upon Aaron (Chris Rock) is always plagued by drama and dysfunction, but he encounters more than he can handle while attempting to plan his father's funeral. What's a family gathering without jealousy, tension and blackmail? Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Danny Glover, James Marsden, Luke Wilson, Zoe Saldana, Regina Hall and Columbus Short round out a stellar ensemble cast. Neil LaBute directs.

I love Alyssa Milano and when I saw this pop up on Lifetime I just had to check it out. Talk about ups and down and one smart lady! Now all her choices weren't the best but she made right in the end.

A drama centered around Patty Montanari, the widowed mother of two who went to work for her lover Frank Russo, a captain in a Brooklyn crime family.

Yet again these are my opinions from movies I watched this week either TV or from my personal Netflix account that I pay for. One day hey I may get a free month or so but for now I pay for it!

Weekend Wrap ~ Movie Night, Fair & Me TIME!!!!

Wowzer one heck of a weekend here we go, hold on tight!

Friday Night: Cole's School hosted a Movie Night

Boys couldn't sit still thankfully not the only ones. It was still fun.

Saturday Day!!

My parents called while I was finishing up work to surprise me & the boys to the fair again!

First some Animals: Yes a Zebra/Donkey!!!

Dog, Sheep & a Camel

Next More Games!!

Cole did the HUGE trampoline thing

And oh yes that would be Cole trying to Ride a Sheep in the Mutton Races!

Next Gaming in the Game Tent

Tattoos ... Yes Caden got Dora (his girlfriend)

Mom & Dad characteristic ... Mom hated her nose

Home to a VERY sick Caden ... Oh that was a FUN night ... NOT

Sunday: Cleaning my bathroom & Church

A 2 1/2 hr Parent Class at Cole's School

Box Tops from my BFF Amy

Then Tuesday: Rick took the boys for 4 HOURS

I got a pedicure, picked up some herbal meds for Cole, shopped & picked up dinner I didn't have to make for myself!!

(More on the Meds to come)

Left Over Rotisserie Chicken Two Ways

My parents where super sweet and brought over a rotisserie chicken twice last week, and one of those times dad even deboned it for me! And for you who know me know that is a HUGE thing to me because I hate meat on the bone to work with yes I know I'm a nut :).

My first recipe was one that was HUGE hit, Cole even ate THREE bowls. I was a little worried that the dumplings would be soggy but they weren't and they tasted great.

Chicken & Parmesan-Basil Dumplings Found on Recipes.com

Ingredients

1 (32-ounce) carton chicken broth

4 cups water

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons butter

1 rotisserie chicken

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Garnish

additional chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven, combine chicken broth, water, bay leaf, onion powder, and thyme. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and let simmer while making dumplings.

2. In a large bowl, blend together flour, Parmesan cheese, and salt. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in chopped basil. Add milk and stir until dough forms a ball. Divide dough in half, and place half on a lightly floured surface. Roll out dough to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough into strips, approximately 1-x-3 inches in size. Repeat with remaining half of dough.

3. Bring chicken broth to a full rolling boil; add butter. Drop dumplings, a few at a time, into boiling broth, letting broth return to a boil before adding more. After all the dumplings have been added, cook for 15 minutes.

4. While dumplings are cooking, pull meat from rotisserie chicken, discarding skin and bones. Shred or chop chicken. (You should have approximately 3 cups of meat.) Add chicken to dumplings. Season with pepper to taste.

5. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is heated through.

6. Garnish with additional fresh basil, if desired.

ALEXIS NOTES: I switched out whole wheat flour and I used butter instead of shortening since I never buy it. Also no fresh bail in this house either, sorry

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The second one dad did the de-boned and put in little bags for me to take home, yes I love him :). You know me always on the hunt for a new mac & cheese and this one was great. Not my favorite but still a good one to go to!

Chicken-Macaroni Casserole found on Food.com

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons margarine, melted
• 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup milk
• 3 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 2 1/2 cups cooked macaroni
• salt
• pepper
• 1/4 cup Ritz cracker crumbs

Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:

Prep Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 1 hr

1. 1In a large skillet over med-high heat, saute onions in butter until onions are tender.
2. 2Add in soup and 1 ½ cups cheese; gradually stir in milk.
3. 3Cook over medium heat until cheese melts; stir in chicken and macaroni; taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
4. 4Transfer mixture to a greased 2 ½ quart casserole; sprinkle with cracker crumbs.
5. 5Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes or until heated through.
6. 6Top with remaining ½ cup cheese and bake 5 minutes.

ALEXIS NOTES: I would usually use whole wheat noodles but ran out so it was the regular noodles this time. Instead of crackers I used crushed cornflakes since I had them on hand.

Happy Tuesday Everyone :)

I'm linking up to Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays and Tasty Tuesdays.

Lunch Price's Got you Down?? (Review)

When I worked out of the home I use to eat out a lot, then I started adding up what the cost was. I couldn't get over the $6 a day which didn't seem like a lot but then I thought that is $30 a week then $120 a month! Now I work from home and have cut out my lunch budget, but I still have lovely Rick who spends $6 to $8 a day. The math doesn't seem to faze him, believe me I can go blue talking to him about it.

My mom on the other hand takes her lunch every day. Now the brown paper Starbucks bag she takes every day is great but not very environmentally friendly. I just knew when Simply Bags contacted me I would make my mom smile. They have the cutest bags to choose from Lunch Cooler bags to Fabric Lunch Bags. Mom works in a warehouse with no refrigerators, so either she packs items that are not needing to be kept cold or have a bag that keeps them cold. I picked a Lunch Cooler bag in the Personalized Lunch Bag section.

Mom has a great playful sense to her so I picked out this bag that has white poka dots w/ her nick name stitched in pink. Cole called her from the beginning Monnie and it has just stuck. You should have seen the smile I got when I gave it too her! She called me after work today to gush about her new bag and how many compliments she got. Love being the bringer of a smile!

Stop the craziness of running on your lunch break to get a bite to eat. Not only are you picking up unhealthy food items, your wasting your lunch hour running around and waiting in lines and think of the extra $100+ you could have to buy a new pair of shoes ... what I'm a girl :).

BUY IT: Simply Bags prices range from $27.99 to $33.99 heck that is one week of eating out! Yes that means it will pay for itself in the first week, how often can you say that? The bag is well made and made to last. You will enjoy these bags for a very long time.

Disclosure – The product featured in this review was provided to me free of charge, by the manufacturer or representing PR agency. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

Manic Monday Meals ~ Chicken by Two Awesome Bloggers

Happy Monday everyone it was a nutty weekend around here and I'm finally getting on the computer so forgive me for not stopping by until I get off work this evening. I promise to catch up!

I have two awesome food bloggers that I go to often for recipes and these two are fabulous ways to use chicken and of course get some veggies in :).

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First off is Chicken Divine by Ma What's for Dinner

10 ounces steamed broccoli

3 large boneless chicken breasts

1 T olive oil

1 10 ounce can cream of mushroom soup

8 ounces button mushrooms, halved

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 cup light sour cream

2 t. fresh lemon juice

1/2 t. curry powder

1 can sliced water chestnuts

S&P

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup french fried onions

4 strips bacon chopped

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Season your chicken breasts with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add your chopped bacon and sauté until crisp. Remove and allow to drain on a paper towel.

While your chicken cooks, assemble your casserole. In a 13×9 pan arrange your broccoli on the bottom. In a large bowl combine soup, milk, mayo, sour cream, mushrooms, lemon juice, curry powder, water chestnuts. Stir to mix well and season with salt and pepper.

Once your chicken has finished cooking remove it from the oven and slice it into thin strips. Arrange the chicken over the broccoli. Pour the soup mixture over the top of the chicken and broccoli. Top with cheddar cheese and fried onions. Cover with foil and bake on 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with bacon and cook uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. Serve with brown or white rice and enjoy!

ALEXIS NOTES: I skipped the mushrooms, and turkey bacon of course the whole pack but still :). I grew up with a curry cheesy broccoli my mom made so this was like comfort food to me. Rick of course picky eater boy didn't like it but whatever I loved it!

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Second was a favorite from One Crazy Cookie the recipe called for refrigerator pie crust but I wanted to make my own with whole wheat :) of course.

INGREDIENTS

All Butter Crust for Sweet and Savory Pies (Pâte Brisée)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
• 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 6 to 8 Tbsp ice water

METHOD

1 Cut the sticks of butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to an hour (the longer the better) so that they become thoroughly chilled.

2 Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and pulse again.

3 Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape into 2 discs. Knead the dough just enough to form the discs, do not over-knead. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These small chunks of butter are what will allow the resulting crust to be flaky. Sprinkle a little flour around the discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.

4 Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.

5 Add filling to the pie.

6 Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork. Score the top of the pie with four 2-inch long cuts, so that steam from the cooking pie can escape.

ALEXIS NOTES: I used half whole wheat and white flour, I just love the texture!

Old Fashion Chicken Pot Pie by One Crazy Cookie

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup milk
2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules or 2 cubes.
1 cup chicken, cooked and diced
2 cups cooked diced vegetables (I use potatoes, carrots and peas. You can also use frozen mixed veggies)
2 pie crusts

Cook vegetables until tender. Set aside. In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in water, milk and bouillon. Bring to a boil stirring constantly and boil for 2 minutes. (It should be like gravy). Remove from heat. Stir in chicken and vegetables. Put bottom crust into pie pan. Pour filling into crust. Place 2nd crust over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in the top of the crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. You may want to shield the edges after the first 15 minutes to avoid over browning.

ALEXIS NOTES: I again switched out the whole wheat flour. I used green pepper, carrots and red potatoes. I used a rather large amount so it wasn't soupy like it should be but I still loved it and Cole at 2 helpings and Rick didn't complain so hey :)

A Fun Week Working From Home .... (PINT Style)