Abbie Lynn <3

Happy Friday! I am so glad it's the weekend, although I have to say this has been the chillest week I've had in a long time. I've been watching a lot of the olympics. My favorite events so far has been women's gymnastics, swimming and diving. Jace has been at his Nana's all week so it's been nice to just have some quiet time. Next week I have two interviews and then my sisters/nieces/nephew will be in town next weekend. I can't even wait!  With it just being Kevin and I, I made this Italian Sausage Rigatoni Bake last night and I actually made it in a bread pan since it was the smallest pan I had. This was fairly easy to make and you probably have most of the ingredients in your house. Initially I was going to use Rotini noodles but switched to Rigatoni. The pasta can really be your choice. The original recipe can be found HERE and we removed the mushrooms, peppers and half and half.  Ingredients: 8oz rigatoni pasta noodles .5 lb italian sausage 2 cups marin

Last night I decided to make beef tips, mashed potatoes and gravy for Kevin and I.  The original recipe can be found HERE . Since it was only two of us, we used less ingredients. We also switched out the onions and garlic for onion powder and garlic powder. I also didn't use vegetable oil, cornstarch or water. Ingredients: 1/2 pound top sirloin, cubed 1 tsp season salt pepper to taste 1.5 cups beef broth 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp Italian seasoning 1 tsp dried Thyme 2 tsp onion powder 1 bay leaf Directions: In a crockpot, place the cubed sirloin steak, salt, pepper, beef broth, Worcestershire, Italian Seasoning, Thyme, onion powder and bay leaf. Cook on high for 5 hours.  Serve with mashed potatoes and brown gravy. In my opinion, the beef tips taste way better when they are topped with gravy. 

Today is a good day. It's usually a good day when I don't have anxiety. For those who don't know, most of this month was anxiety-filled and it was not fun. I pushed through and still accomplished a lot but it was really bad for me.  You can read all about it HERE . Since I'm finally feeling better, my days have felt happier and better. This makes cooking more fun and feeling accomplished throughout the day. I have also been spending a lot of the past week watching the Olympics. I have loved the Olympics for years. In fact, I remember when I went to bible college, I remember sitting in the shared living room and watching the Olympics with a bunch of people on this tiny TV. My Dad, when he was alive and when the Olympics were in Utah, actually went to the Olympics and worked the Olympics as a firefighter/paramedic which was awesome. I think that was in 2002. I'm a huge fan of the women's gymnastics and men's swimming. What do you like to watch? Anyways, last n

I made this Chicken Fried Chicken a few nights ago but just now getting to post because...well...summer. I actually had the chance to go to the California Mid-State Fair both Friday and Saturday. I haven't been to the fair since 2017. Boyfriend and I had tickets to the Demi Lovato concert in 2018 but ended up selling them and last year the fair was cancelled due to COVID. We had the opportunity to spend a few hours there yesterday and it was SO fun! I forgot how fun fairs are. I took Jace there on Friday and he had a blast with riding rides and playing games. It's an expensive trip but totally worth it!  Anyways, Friday night I made this Chicken Fried Chicken recipe because nothing is better than homemade Fried Chicken, am I right? It is definitely a messy recipe but if you cook at home, this is one that your whole family will love! The original recipe that I used can be found HERE . I did not make the gravy that is in the recipe, we just purchased a gravy packet.  Ingredients:

This week has been simple and easy recipe week. One of my favorite meals is creamy chicken and gravy in the crockpot and this recipe reminded me of that, but with a twist - adding broccoli and some seasonings. The original recipe can be found HERE . We did not add mushrooms or onions like the original recipe called for. This recipe was a huge hit for my family! Jace, age 10, ate it all. Kevin and I ate it all and this will definitely be added to my weekly recipe list! Ingredients: 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp garlic powder 2 cups broccoli 1/2 cup cheddar cheese 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (or one 21 oz can) Directions: Add the chicken breasts in the bottom of a crockpot. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Add the broccoli.  Spread the cream of mushroom soup on top.  Sprinkle the cheese on top.  Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over rice. Enjoy! See, super sup

I'm writing this blog more to hold myself accountable and to actually get through reading an entire book. I'll be honest, I LOVE books. I'm more of a collector and writer of books and less of a reader of books. I'm not sure if it's because I enjoy watching TV and not having to think vs. focusing on a book and remembering what I read and then applying it. My cousin recommended this book - Dare to Lead - and also knew that I had another Brene Brown book that I never knew I had. I decided to work backwards and started with this one. The reason why I bought this book almost immediately was because I want to be a leader. And by that, I want to be a better leader. I want to know how to communicate with people, how to have those tough conversations, what words to say, how to be liked, and how to lead well. Yes, I will be providing quotes and things I learned. If you don't want to know or read about the book beforehand, I suggest that you do not continue with this blog.

If you are looking for an easy but filling crockpot dinner recipe, this would be it. This is a Ground Beef and Sausage Tortellini dish and doesn't contain a lot of ingredients. You probably have most of these ingredients already at home! The original recipe that I used can be found HERE . We did not use mushrooms or diced tomatoes. Ingredients: 1/2 pound ground beef 1/2 pound italian sausage, ground 24oz marinara sauce 9oz package refrigerated cheese tortellini 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese Instructions: In a medium sized skillet, cook the sausage and ground beef on the stove until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Drain. Add to the crockpot along with the marinara sauce. Cook on low for about 5 hours. Stir in the tortellini and cheeses. Cover and cook for about 15 more minutes. Add more cheese on top and enjoy!

I haven't told anybody really but for the past two weeks I have been dealing with severe anxiety. Again. This is the second longest consecutive time that my anxiety has affected me in my life. The first time was in 2012 and it was for about six months. I deal with it here and there but there is a reason behind this length. About a month ago I got off my anxiety medication that I was put on back in 2012. It was a very low dose but my doctor didn't renew it and I waited a few days thinking it would get renewed. During that time, I actually felt OK so then I was wondering if I should just get off the medication altogether. A few weeks went by and I was feeling fine still. And then I got the COVID vaccination and my anxiety started to worsen. I had fears for this vaccine. And these fears did not go away so I decided to call my doctor and see if she can renew my anxiety prescription. So she did and now it's been two weeks back on it but after being on it for 11 years, getting of

Last night I wanted to make something easy for just Kevin and I. I threw some chicken breasts in the crockpot and decided to make super easy shredded barbecue chicken sandwiches. The original recipe can be found HERE and there are only six ingredients!   Ingredients: 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1.5 cups of bbq sauce 2 tsp onion powder 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce 2 tbsp brown sugar Directions: Combine all ingredients together in a crockpot. Set on high for 5 hours.  Shred chicken and cook for another 30 minutes. Place on toasted bread and add more barbecue sauce if needed. Enjoy! 

If you are looking for a really easy, delicious and healthy chicken recipe, you will want to try this chicken and rice bowl. The chicken is marinated and stir-fried and it is so good you will want seconds! The original recipe can be found HERE and we made a few changes including NOT making our own teriyaki sauce and just using a 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce. Let me know if you make this below. So, so so good! I am so picky with chicken so this one will be on our grocery list as a reoccurring meal!  Ingredients: 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced  2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp olive oil 1 1/2 tsp maple syrup 1/4 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp garlic powder Salt and pepper to taste 2 cups white rice 1/8 cup teriyaki sauce Instructions: In a large ziploc bag, mix together soy sauce, rice vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, ground ginger, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add sliced chicken and place in a refrigerator for at least one hour.  In a stir fry pan, add the mari

I received my second vaccine on Friday so last night I was out and did not feel like cooking. Instead, Kevin cooked. He is such a great cook. He made these cheese and broccoli twice baked potatoes which were SO good. I didn't get good photos because I was pretty much out on the couch all day so sorry about that. But they did turn out delicious! So what he did was baked two large potatoes in the oven, 350 degrees, for one hour to soften. Slice them open and take out all of the mashed potato, leaving just the peel to form a potato boat. Mash the potatoes and put back in the potato. On the stove, mix together frozen broccoli, thawed, and cheese whiz sauce. Pour on top of the mashed potatoes and put back in the oven for 15 minutes. Super easy recipe and super good. I don't like regular baked potatoes but I like twice baked potatoes. If you try this recipe, let me know in the comments below! 

To go along with that amazing banana bread recipe that I made previously, I also made chicken marsala and egg noodles last night. I was so surprised that ALL three of us cleared our plates! It was so good! The original recipe that I followed can be found HERE. We removed quite a bit from the recipe. We did not include mushrooms or shallots. We also used garlic powder instead of minced garlic. If you make this, let me know in the comments below! Ingredients: 2 tsp garlic powder 4 boneless chicken thighs 1/3 cup flour 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp butter 1 cup chicken broth 3 tsp corn starch 2/3 cup marsala wine 1 tbsp oregano 12oz egg noodles, cooked Directions: In a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and butter until sizzling. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and lay out flat. On a flat plate or tray, add flour, salt and pepper. Cover the chicken in the flour mixture coating all sides. Add the four chicken thighs to the skillet and add