On Friday we made our journey up to Lubbock for our last free for all with friends before Brynn makes her appearance. I can't believe we already only have 14 weeks left so we are calming down our travels a bit to prepare. 

We stayed the weekend with our friends Eli and Ashley to celebrate her early birthday since we won't be able to be there on Easter. Our weekend was mainly focused around food and shopping that we have missed out on. Typical right. 

-Of course our absolute first stop on Friday night was Steak 'n Shake. I got the Chocolate Banana shake and Brad got the Cookies 'n Cream. 

-On Saturday the boys headed to the Texas Tech Spring Football Game and us girls started our shopping trip. Getting coffee before you shop is always a must. Decaf for me please! 

We stopped off at La Madeline for lunch and it was a good different meal than what we always get. It reminds me a lot of McAlister's, even though nothing trumps McAlister's Chicken Salad Sandwich. Our shopping trip was quite the success for my baby shower dress, clothes for Brynn, pillows for her nursery and of course some random nonsense I really did didn't need. 

I mean looks at Ash's miss smarty pants pup… Cute or what?!

This is Addie ladies and gents.

For dinner we met up with Brads best friend Kolby and his girlfriend Rema for Hibachi at Hayashi. We didn't sit at a table where they cook in front of you because we are way too classy and needed our own room ;)

We had to end our Saturday night catching up on Scandal. That show quite frankly runs our lives from time to time.

-On Sunday Ash and I woke up bright and early to go get donuts and kolaches from Rise 'n Shine. YUM is all I have to say. I hadn't had donuts in so long and they hit the spot. We made our stop by Red Raider Outfitters to check out the latest and greatest before leaving town. Brynn and I lucked out :)

You know I can't go without a lavender Tech shirt. 

-On another note, while we were away our beautiful fur baby Allie turned 1 year old! I remember bringing her home at 5 weeks and how tiny she was. She weighs in at 5.5 pounds of pure sweetness.

I hope all of you sweeties have a wonderful week!

Drunken Crockpot Chicken

I had ran across this recipe over on Hello Newlywed Life and finally got around to making it last week!  I don't know whats better than a crockpot meal. I have been doing so many lately. This is one of my absolute favs and reminds me so much of roast! The chicken literally falls apart, so good. 

Sorry, no fancy plates or cool lighting/placement. I was ready to chow down.

Ingredients:

4-6 Chicken Breasts

1 tall boy of any beer(We don't keep beer around so I went for the good 'ol cheap Keystone and it still turned out great)

8 white potatoes, quartered

1 large bag of baby carrots

1 can or frozen bag of green beans

1 stick of butter

Thyme

Season All

Salt 

Pepper

Garlic powder

Onion Powder

Directions:

+Get out your trusty crockpot and spray your non-stick spray all around. This helps the cleaning after the meal so much easier. (I just learned, thanks momma.)

+Place the chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper just a bit.

+Add in the potatoes, carrots and green beans. Spreading them around for a good mix. 

+Pour in the tall boy of beer

+Cut your stick of butter up into small chunks placing them over your chicken and veggie mix.

+Season VERY well with season all, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. I did a good covering so it soaks down in to everything. 

+Add a pinch of thyme across the mixture. I never use thyme so I'm not even sure about what flavor it adds, but it said to ad it and its great. Which totally works for me!

+Turn crockpot on low for 8-10 hours if frozen breasts and 6-8 hours if thawed.

+I would randomly swirl what I could around a bit for the seasoning to fall a little. It may have not done anything, but it comforted me. ha. 

ENJOY!

Hope all of you sweeties have an amazing and safe New Years Eve and New Year!

Thankful.

I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving! We had Brads surgery on Thursday so we celebrated our Thanksgiving on last night (Friday). We had the coach and his family over, the teammates, my friend Sara and of course us four (including my parents, YAY!). It was such a great time of food and fellowship! I am truly thankful for all of the awesome people we have met here and formy parents being here to help us put during Brads recovery.

Our Menu:
Chicken (we did whole chickens since Turkeys are very sparse around here.)
Stuffing
Green Bean Casserole (& reg. green beans for Brad)
Mac&Cheese
Homemade Rolls
Pumpkin Bread
Deviled Eggs
Pumpkin Pie Bars (with tons of whop cream!)

Here are a few photos we were able to get of our Thanksgiving celebration:

Taste of Tuesday: Chili for Two

We initially learned this recipe from one of Brads teammates in Czech, but we would always have tons of left overs. I switched it up a bit where it would make enough for two with one serving of leftovers for Brads lunch the next day. I love having Chili anytime of year, but especially cold nights. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 
1 pound ground beef/turkey
Enough oil to cover bottom of pot
1 small green pepper
1 small onion
1 can of kidney beans(undrained)
1 can(or in our case a box) of diced tomatoes(undrained)
1 tbsp of chili powder
1/2 tbsp of garlic powder

Directions:
+Dice the green pepper and onion into small pieces.
+Cover bottom of pot with oil.
+Brown the green pepper and onion in the pot. (about 5 minutes)
+Season ground beef with the garlic powder.
+Add in the ground beef to the pot.
+Brown ground beef completely.
+Add in the kidney beans and tomatoes with all of the juices. Mix well.
+Add in the chili powder. Mix well.
+Bring to a boil.
+Then bring to a low simmer for about an hour or hour in a half depending on how thick you like it.

*We serve ours with white rice on the bottom then chili on top. Also, we use tortilla chips to crush or dip in it.

Be sure to check out the others that linked up through Blissfully Miller and Let's Get Bananas!

Taste of Tuesday:Honey Soy Chicken Breasts

Found this link up on Blissfully Miller and Let's Get Bananas! I am so excited about it because one I love food and two I love sharing my favorite recipes I have tried! Be sure to link up too and check out the others!:)

HONEY SOY CHICKEN BREASTS

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

1/4 cup of honey

1/3 cup of light soy sauce

1/2 tsp of ground black pepper

4 cloves of minced garlic

1 tbsp grated ginger

Directions:

-Mix all ingredients except chicken breast and pour into a large Ziploc bag.

-Add the chicken breasts, lay flat in the fridge and let marinate for 2 hours at the least and overnight at the most. 

-Once marinated place chicken breasts on an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet and bake at 375 F, uncovered, for 45 to 50 minutes. 

-Don't throw away the marinade, while the chicken is cooking simmer the marinade over low and brush it on the breasts every 10 minutes as it cooks. 

*We serve ours with steamed rice and steamed broccoli 

ENJOY!

Menu Monday

Monday// Lasagna with garlic bread

Tuesday// Chili for two with rice and tortilla chips

Wednesday// Homemade chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes

Thursday// Chicken Stir-Fry with rice

Friday// Enchilada Bubble Bake 

I've never made the last two yet so the links will direct to where I found them. I will post the Chili and Homemade chicken and noodles recipe soon! Brad will be gone Saturday, so I'm on my own and Sunday is a wing it type of day :)

What are you cooking up for this week?

Baked Tacos

We can't seem to let go of our once a week taco tradition at home from Rosas and so I always try to find new ways to spice it up a bit. This was especially one of our favs!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or turkey
2 diced tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning
1 cup of cheese-divided
1/4 cup of salsa
12 crunchy taco shells

shredded lettuce, sour cream, jalapeños, guac., cilantro-optional.

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees
-Brown and drain your meat
-Stir in 1 diced tomato, seasoning, 1/2 cup of cheese and 1/4 cup of salsa into meat.
-Arrange taco shells standing in 9X13 pan
-Fill each shell with mixture
-Top with remaining 1.2 cup of cheese
-Bake for 15-20 minutes
-Top with remaining tomato and your choice of toppings

ENJOY! :)

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Well, my mom had shared this recipe on Facebook awhile back and I have been dying to try it. It all in all was super easy. I am really bad about using lots of bowls and utensils. Well, this is one of those where you have no choice. It is one of those you can't help but grab a tall glass of milk to have with it. My hubby and some of his teammates sure enjoyed it :)

Menu Monday

Well, it's Monday again which means meal planing for the week! We are 7 or 8 hours ahead on time from back home which is to why my posts may occur at crazy times. You've gotta click on these 4 recipes, they are too good to miss out on!

{Monday} Teriyaki Baked Salmon on a bed of steamed rice with a side of green beans.
{Tuesday} Baked Sausage with mac&cheese and a side of mixed veggies.
{Wednesday} Brad has an away game and won't be home until after 4am, so I just find whatever to eat on days like that. It is so hard to cook for 2 let alone 1.
{Thursday} Chicken Fried Hamburgers with Baked Stuffed Potatoes.
{Friday} Roasted Garlic/Brown Sugar Chicken with Red Potatoes, Carrots and Zucchini. This is a repeat meal and boy it is too good to not make at least every 2 to 3 weeks.
Dessert: Last night I made these yummy 3 step, super easy, Peanut Butter Cookies that we will have for the week as dessert!

As you can see I don't meal plan for Saturdays and Sundays. Brad aways has a game on Saturdays and so we make something quick and easy. For Sundays it is normally Brads only rest day and so we literally don't plan anything and just go with the flow. Majority of that day is spent on the couch watching TV, ahhh the best :)

Menu Monday

Just finished planning our menu for this week so I thought it would be fun to share it with you guys, along with some of the recipes! Just a heads up we rarely go for healthy anymore and just go for yummy and filling. Brad could eat 13 times a day, yup he's a growin' boy.

{Monday} Baked Pork Chops, Steamed Rice and Mixed Veggies. Mondays Brad gets home around 9-9:45 so we always throw together a quick meal. We eat way too late every night, i know. I always just season the pork chops with salt, pepper, garlic and a type of season all, Finnish style. I always make 2 cups of rice, add three cups of water, bring it to a boil then turn it on low and cover until sticky and all the water is absorbed. Easy Peasy!

{Tuesday} Salsa Chicken Casserole. This will be my first time making it, but I am very excited! Find the recipe here. 

{Wednesday} Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans. Find the recipe to the Parmesan Crusted Chicken here.

{Thursday} Chicken Taco Salad. We get tired of all the ground beef in anything "mexican" so decided to go for chicken in the taco salad. Find the recipe here. 

{Friday} Pizza and Garlic Cheese Balls. Ok, so literally they have the best "american" frozen pizza we have ever tasted. It definitely is in the running with DiGiorno. For the recipe to the Garlic Cheese Balls click here. 

-I made Pumpkin Spice Muffins today, thanks to my mom for sending ingredients. So, we will definitely be eating them for breakfast, lunch, snack and dessert. What can I say we love pumpkin anything!

Brad took one before I could snap the picture.

What's on your menu this week?!

All Things Good

1. Girls nights! I am so blessed to have met two girls here, Sara and Pia, that I can have girls nights with. I have always struggled when coming to a new country that I will miss my family and friends so terribly and that I would be bored. Honestly, every place I have gone God places that one or few special people in my life to remind how awesome he is and how he will never let me down. Who am I to think God wants me to be bored? Silly me! So on Saturday the boys were gone for an out of town basketball game as I had talked about in my last post and so we decided to get together. We watched The Internship and let me say hi-lar-ious! Definitely a must see if you love a good comedy. Lets be honest you can't have a complete girls nights without tons of snacks. Well heres some pictures of our menu that night.

Baked Zucchini tossed in olive oil, pepper and salt. Then dusted with some parmesan. Bake for 25-30 min. on 350(175 celsius)

 Chicken Nachos: ginger chicken, peppers, tomato, a creme and hot sauce mix, pineapple, cheese

Fruit, Chocolate and chips w/ queso

2. Cooking! I was not always blessed with the cooking & baking skill. I was thrown into it when moving to Spain. I mean as we all know Brad needs to eat and can't afford to lose weight so I MUST cook a good filling meal every breakfast, lunch and dinner. I won't toot my own horn or anything, but I'm quite impressive in the kitchen. I made three of our favorites this past week. Goulash, Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream White Sauce and for dessert Banana Pudding. You can see pictures & recipes here. 

3.Basketball! Boy am I glad it is season again! Brad had his first home game last night against Tampere. They sadly ended in a loss 86-94, but it all in all was a great game. Brad ended with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist. He was the high scorer of the night of his team and so he even got a prize. They will play again on Saturday in a city that is about an hour or so away so I am able to ride with some other girls to the game. Once again so thankful for them! Here is a picture/video from his game:

4.Nail Time! I really do have quite a bit of time on my hands, but never find time to just sit and relax to do my nails good instead of fast with lumps and crap. Well, I made myself make time to do them good and I am so glad. I literally brought like 20 nail polish colors so I better use them all right? 

China Glaze- Peach Keen

5.Teaching English! As of today I am officially a course leader and English teacher here in Lapua. I got hired through a company based out of Finland called Speaking Out. I start my training in about a week or so. It's really nice that they take the time to train everyone that works for them so we are all kind of teaching the same things with our own personal twist. They even mail us all the materials so I don't have to go find my own. I found it tough in Spain and in Czech to find the materials since anything English is very sparse. Once I finish training I will go out to the schools/nurseries here in the town and talk to the principals and head masters to spark up interest about me starting groups. I get to make my own hours which is the most awesome job yet! I've always taught hour classes so it'll be refreshing to do just 30-45 minutes with each group so no one gets bored. I will have groups with the ages 3-6 and then different groups for 7-12 years old. Anywho, I am so pumped! I went to school to teach and it's all I've wanted to do for so long and I get to do it while my husband does what he loves. It's a win win! 

6. Exploring! Today I had to go to the doctor so Brad and I took out some time to walk around our bitty town and take some pictures and just emerge ourselves in the gorgeous chilly weather! I'll let the photos do the talking :) 

Soccer Field across the street from our apartment

This is outside of our kitchen window

Hello beautiful leaves!

A little park area downtown

This is an old bullet factory that blew up, but they keep a library and museum inside. 

And, of course a selfie ;)

7.Genesis Pure! We got an awesome goodie box from my mom yesterday and it had some new and old but great genesis pure products in it. I am still the biggest fan of the Go-Yin. It's a mixture of super fruits and all natural for some energy and feel good. The new product I got is Mila. I added it to on top of my pizza I had today and couldn't even tell that there were some chia seeds on there. It was still tasty as ever. To learn more about Mila check here.

Last, for a bit of spread out randomness I found the cutest way to tie a scarf you can find here. Also, I have begun to learn that the devil sometimes sets things in motion in our lives that are meant to distract and break us. It will speak fear into you and try to tear you down. When you keep strong in the word and keep your faith that God knows what he is doing and has it handled for you, you can do it all! Psalms 41,42 and 43 really helped me today and maybe it'll help one of you. 

xo Brooke