As Seen On TV - Tortilla Bowl Fakes

I am not one to order things off TV BUT I was so close to buying the As Seen on TV Tortilla Bowls (see below).  I could literally eat Mexican food every day...there isn't much tex mex that I don't love. And have you seen the infomercial with the cinnamon sugar tortilla bowl sundae...yummy!

But before I bought them...I found a fake tortilla bowl recipe on the internet.  And they are so easy and so yummy :) Doesn't this look AH-MAZING!

And you know me...I had to try and cut a few calories out.  Have you seen the Ole' Spinach and Herb wraps...only 74 calories for one where regular flour tortillas have 150 calories each.  That means you can have a glass of sangria with dinner :)

Here's the super simple recipe:

Tortilla Bowl Fakes

1 Serving

1 Flour Tortilla (Regular and Ole both work)

Pam

Muffin Tin

Tortilla Bowl Fillings

Directions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Turn your muffin tin upside down and mold your tortilla into a bowl shape. (see pic above)

3.  Spray lightly with Pam.

4.  Pop in the oven for 8-10 minutes.

5.  Stuff with your favorite fillings - Hubby's favorites are rice, refried beans (fat free), grilled chicken, and queso.  I typically go the healthier route with lettuce, tomato, grilled chicken, 2% cheese, light sour cream and salsa.

Pour yourself a glass of sangria and enjoy :)  And if you like my recipe - make sure you pin it :)

Calories (according to my count): 

1 - Tortilla Bowl (no fillings) - 150 calories (Flour Tortilla), 74 calories (Ole - you won't miss the calories)


Pin It

Family Vacation - Part 2!

Just us!  We were sad to see Nate and Kelly go but excited to get to spend time together with just the three of us.  We spent a LOT of time on the beach and got to do a little shopping!  Check out the pics below:

Day 4:  Lots of Beach Time 

The "Beach Castle" had tons of families which was wonderful!  Addi met a friend, Sandler that we played with for the rest of the week.  These girls had a blast building sand castles :)

This pizza was so yummy!  I have been on this white pizza kick lately and this one was amazing - it had chicken, alfredo sauce, fresh tomatoes, spinach, artichokes and cheese.  I typically go for all sea food when I'm at the beach but we decided to check out this local place..I highly recommend it http://www.nypizzeria.com/!  Oh and check for Groupons if you go - we got 50% off.  

Day 5:  Beach and Shopping

We went to the beach and played all morning long...this was our last full day down there so we headed out early.  We met Sandler again...got some good sun and sea shells!

After nap time we headed down to the Strand for some shopping.  Going to the Strand is a must if you visit Galveston.  Where was our first stop?  La King's Confectionery....they are an old fashioned Soda Shop and Candy Company.  They have been open forever...I remember going there as a little girl.  Addi stocked up on a ton of gummys and snacked on them as we strolled down the strand.  They have tons of other cool shops too.  And...you can walk down the strand and drink alcohol as you stroll...drinking and shopping :)

Yep...we went back to the Spot!  I'm telling you it is awesome food and happy hour specials.  Here we all are enjoying our yummy dinner...try it people, it's great!

And probably my favorite picture from the trip!  This was our last night in Galveston so we spent the evening walking in the waves.

Day 6:  Kemah then Dallas

We packed up early and said by to the beach and our Beach Castle.  But vacation wasn't over yet...we decided to make one last stop at the Kemah Boardwalk.

This place was amazing...they had rides, an aquarium, tons of restaurants, a fountain and lots more!  Plus - it is on the water and voted one of the top 10 Boardwalks in the US. 

This is my second favorite picture...she loved the ride!  We only rode a few since there weren't too many for her height but there were a lot for the older kiddos.

Here's Addi and Mike at the aquarium..there were lots of fish, alligators and sharks.  You could even go upstairs to the aquarium restaurant where you felt like you were eating under water.  

And the aquarium has a stingray feeding tank!  It was so cool to feed and touch them.

This was the last stop before our long drive back - we had lunch at a little restaurant featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.  They had the best homeade steak fingers :)

We were happy to be home but had the best vacation!  I really do miss the beach and at some point in our future we will be buying a "Beach Castle" of our own.

Pin It

Family Vacation - Galveston Island!

For those of you not tired of seeing all the facebook pictures...here are more!  We went to Galveston for 6 days and it was AH MAZING!!!!  I know you are all saying how could Galveston be amazing - so here's where I get sappy.  I got to spend 10 full days with my precious family which only happens once in a blue moon.  I loved every single minute of our time together and was so sad that I had to go back to work.

Here's a fun rundown of all the things we did - sorry for all the pics but I just couldn't pick a few.

Day 1:  Arrive in Galveston & Fun with Friends

Addi was great in the car...we woke her up super early 5:45am to get in and head to Galveston.  With the help of Dora, colors, lots of snacks and a stop at Bucee's - we made it to Galveston in 5 hours. 

This was our Beach Castle, as Addi called it.  Palisade Palms is a beautiful high rise on the East End of Galveston - it has magnificent views and is literally right on the beach - no seawall crossing for us.

We split our trip with our good friends Nate and Kelly, they stayed at the condo a few days with us and we stayed a few days by ourselves.  Our friends Rachel, Nathan and Baby Mia came from Houston to play and have dinner.  Uncle Nate was helping put the girls to bed...he's so good with these girls :)

Day 2:  First Day on the Beach and Pampering

Vacation for us does not mean sleeping in!  We were up and at the beach super early picking up sea shells while Daddy, Kelly and Nate slept in.

This is my beach baby!  She was worn out after a morning of jumping waves and building sand castles.  She LOVED the beach!

Kelly and I got to slip off for a few hours for some much deserved Girl Time!  We went and got our toes done and had some Miami Vices (Pina Colada and Strawberry Daiquiri mix) - YUMMY!

Day 3:  Dolphins and The Spot

We took a Dolphin tour through the bay of Galveston.  The dolphins were being bashful so we didn't see very many BUT we got a really cool tour of the bay and learned a lot about Galveston and it's history.

Then we headed to our favorite happy hour and restaurant place - The Spot!  They have the best shrimp kisses (bacon wrapped shrimp with pepper jack cheese)...yummy!!!  And they also have great hamburgers.

That wraps up our first 3 days...stay tuned for days 4-6!


Pin It

The Jog Blog - Update

Well...I did not meet my goal of running a 10K in July.  Sorry folks but it is just too damn hot (excuses, excuses - I know) - but it is Texas in July!  

I am however continuing to run at least 4 times a week and have been doing between 2-3 miles each day.  So, it isn't an epic fail just a small hiccup.  The heat has really prevented me from being able to run the distances that I need to run in order to hit the weekly goals.  I am dying by mile 3 and dizzy and drenched.

I am planning on doing a race sometime in the fall so I can actually hit this goal :)

On another note...here is a little background about how this momma started on this running journey:

In the Spring of 2011, I made up my mind that I was going to run a 5K by the end of 2011.  I was SO out of shape and literally started out walking for 60 seconds and running for 30 seconds.  That was literally all I could do and I was huffing and puffing the entire time.  But it didn't take too long before I was running 60 seconds, then 2 minutes, then 3...and so on.  I even got my coworkers on board to run with me and having someone to keep you accountable and make you do it definitely helps.

Then summer hit...and it was HOT!  But I kept on going...I was determined to make that goal.  I was only able to run a little over a mile at a time and some of it was walking.  My pace was about 13-14 minutes per mile (which is really bad) but I was trying.  I finally got up to 2 miles in August and ended up moving inside to the treadmill.  By September, the weather started to cool down, so I headed back outside and improved my pace (around 12:45 minutes per mile).

October 9th!!!  I did it...I finally ran 3.1 miles (5K) - although it wasn't a REAL race, I did it!  This however gave me the confidence (to not embarrass myself) I needed to sign up for a REAL race.  D Day was November 12 at Dorothy's Dash.  I kept running through October and November and really improved my pace, I was down to averaging between 10:30-11:30 minutes per mile.

My first REAL race was Dorothy's Dash and I actually surprised myself - my official time was 31:50 (10:16 minutes per mile) and I was number 11 out of 21 for my age group.  I was very PROUD of myself!  Not only was it the fastest pace I'd ever run but I didn't die, embarrass myself or come in last.

So...if you are out there thinking I can't do this...you CAN!!!  I didn't do the Couch to 5K in 6 weeks or put goals on myself that I knew were unattainable.  I just kept on improving and it was a SLOW process for me.  Like many of you, this isn't the first blog I've read where someone says I didn't think I could do it but look what I've done...with their 8 minute miles and 6 week training programs.  Don't let other people discourage you and your ability, so what you run a 15 minute mile - you did it.

So put your shoes on and get out there.  Here are a few inspirations or runspirations that helped me as I got started:

• Get a running buddy - someone that will push you to go and run.  Everyone has days when they just don't feel like it and having someone there to make you put your shoes on and get out there always helps.     
• Set an attainable goal - do not go out and kill yourself.  Be realistic and start slow!  Going too fast or trying to do too much can cause you to get burnt out or get injured.  It literally took me 9 months to get to where I wanted to be.     
• Get in a routine - I can't emphasize how much this helps.  Once you've made yourself do it for about two weeks it becomes easier (I promise).  And trust me there were days I had to make myself do it even though in my head I was thinking of any logical reason to not put those shoes on.
• Schedule a time to run - I have a full time job and a family too.  Trust me I have used the excuse "I don't have time."  But if you schedule it with yourself and your spouse then you can do it.  If there were days I missed, then I would do 2 days in a row.  My schedule had to be somewhat flexible to accommodate my working late, family functions, etc but I always tried to make it up if I missed or find an alternative time that day.
• Get some good tunes - this helps me get inspired as I run and keeps me upbeat.  Don't laugh but my favorite running song when I first started was the Kevin Rudolph "Let it Rock" and every time that song came on I ran a little faster or a little longer.  So find some music that excites you and put it on your ipod.  There are also all kinds of running apps now and even a station on Pandora that plays fitness music.  

Are you inspired yet?  To keep from boring all of you, I will continue my running story from 2012 later so stay tuned to the Jog Blog :)




Pin It

Crazy Cousins

My niece and sister in law came to town last weekend and the girls had a BLAST!  They are from Nacogdoches and came for 4 days.  The girls (Kenzie - 8 & Addi - 2) wore each other out from early morning to late night.  We were VERY busy - we went to a carnival, a movie (Addi's first), swimming, the park and played in the sprinklers with playdough, dancing, fort making, doll playing and riding bikes mixed in between.  Here are some of the highlights:

Silly Girls!

Dancin! Dancin! Dancin!

Playing in the Sprinklers...Even Mammy couldn't resist :)

We loved having them here and were sad to see them go home.  Addi still gets up in the mornings and asks where Kenzie and Aunt Krystal are.  

And I apologize for the horrible pictures...Addi broke my camera so I'm just using my Iphone and it is not the best...hoping for a new one VERY soon. 

 

Pin It

Morning Mania

Mornings in the Dowdy house have become hectic, stressful and crazy!  Addison is not a morning person at all and waking her up, getting her dressed and off to school without a tantrum or two is nearly impossible.  I dread waking up Addi in the morning and it normally takes her 10 minutes before she will get out of bed.  Then we battle trying to get dressed, going potty and brushing her teeth.  Most mornings I end up sweaty with toothpaste on my shirt and late after trying everything I can think of to get her out the door.  I've tried redirecting her, bribing her, giving her time outs (which I don't have time for), waking her up earlier, setting a timer...you name it.  Plus, Mike is already at work before we even get out of bed, so I don't have an extra set of hands. 

After a horrible morning this morning I decided enough fighting - she works better with positive rewards so we are going to try a new approach.  I looked to my favorite resource...pinterest!  I found a few morning reward charts and modified them to create my own. 

She had a blast taking all the pictures and I told her that in the morning she would get to see her surprise.  After looking through lots of websites for reward ideas, I finally came up with what would work best for us.  Most mornings Addi gets a Nutra Grain bar on her way to school so instead of a "bar" as she calls it, she will get to pick a breakfast treat.  I got mini blueberry muffins (which she thinks are cupcakes), chocolate covered granola bar and a Lucky Charms cereal treat bar.  I wanted to keep it healthier than candy but still give her something to look forward to.  We will limit these treats to only mornings when she gets 4 stickers.  And this girl loves to be able to pick her own stuff (she's very independent) so this is perfect. 

Wish me luck...hopefully things will get easier and I won't start my day off on the wrong foot.  I've also included some blank morning routine charts for anyone else that needs some stress free mornings - hope they work for you.

Printable Morning Routine - Girl

Printable Morning Routine - Boy

UPDATE 7.19:

Addison is doing great with the morning routine chart!  Mornings are no longer a nightmare in my house - which helps get the day started on the right foot.  We have even gotten to the point where she has all her routine done in 10-15 minutes and we get to have some cuddle time and tv time in the mornings.  Thank goodness for positive rewards and for the "special treat" fairy :) Pin It

Surprise!!!

My sweet hubby joined the 30's Club this last weekend! Addi and I surprised Mike with a Pool Party full of fun, food, friends and of course adult beverages. Some of our best friends Nate and Kelly graciously hosted for us and we had a blast hanging out with a lot of our close friends. Thanks to everyone for coming - we had a GREAT time!  Here are some fun pics from the evening.  

Mike's Beer Cake!  

He is not a big fan of desserts...I know it's crazy, BUT he loves Beer :)

Saw this on pinterest and had to make him one.  See Below for Beer Cake Instructions.

Welcome to the 30 Club!

Hanging out by the pool!  

What was Addi's favorite part?  CUPCAKES!!!

Beer Cake Instructions

3 Round Cake Boards (10")

Aluminum Foil

24 Pack of Can Beer

Decorations - Ribbons, Etc

Directions:

1.  Cut down the middle and top layer cake boards to 8" and 6"

2.  Cover cake boards with aluminum foil

3.  Stack the beers and decorate the layers

It's SUPER easy.  One tip - you can't move it once it's built so you have to build it in place.  Thanks for reading!

Pin It

Old MacDonald Had A Farm!

This weekend was all about animals at the Dowdy house!  We actually had a weekend with absolutely nothing planned...which is a rare occurrence in our world.  Friday I was off work and we went to The Ark play area at First Baptist Church Coppell.  It is an amazing play area that is totally free!  Sorry...no pics of this one, I was too busy climbing and chasing Addison. 

Saturday we took an early nap then headed out to Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch.  It is a really neat wildlife center with lots of unique animals.  It is small but was the perfect size for Addison - we were there about 3 hours and she did not want to leave.  It is free for kids under 3, $8 for kids 3-12 years old and $10 for adults - so it's a pretty cheap day.  Some of the cool features are a 40 minute tractor ride where you visit and pet Clydesdale Horses, Zebras and Camels, Barrel Train Rides and Animal Shows.  Here are some pictures from our day:

Addison petting a Llama.

Addison on the Tractor Ride -with the Clydesdale Horses.

They breed unique animals here - this is a horse/zebra mix named Wild Thing.

Addison was scared to death of the camels.  She couldn't get far enough away.  I have to admit they are pretty ugly looking.

Addison said the bear was her favorite!  They have 2 black bears on the property.

This is the barrel train ride...as you can tell by the look on her face she had LOTS of fun!

We finished our night with a big pallet on the floor with lots of pillows and the movie "Babe."  I love family movie nights and this was the perfect ending to our fun day!

Addison is an outside girl and loves walking around our neighborhood.  We typically take a walk every night after dinner.  This morning we decided to take our dogs...I haven't attempted this before because they are the kind of dogs that really need a Cesar Millan intervention but we decided to try it.  This is her first time actually walking one of our dogs (the little one) and she did great.   Guess we will be taking them along more often.

Weekends never seem long enough especially when we have so much fun!  We are looking forward to Mike's 30th Birthday next weekend and Father's Day!

Pin It

I have the BEST job!

I love being a mommy but my "real" job - the one that pays the bills is working for the City of Farmers Branch as the Special Events Manager.  I am very fortunate as this is my DREAM job, planning city events and festivals.  It is crazy and fun!  We just finished up our biggest event of the year, Liberty Fest, last weekend.  It was a ton of work and I have great coworkers and bosses that helped support me and make this event successful.  We had the bands Gin Blossoms and Styx and they both ROCKED!  Here is a picture of me and the other staff with Styx :)  Please don't make fun of the Britney Spears microphone...it is the only way I could hear anyone when we were backstage. 

This week has been my recovery week - there were lots of long days and nights to pull this off.  I am going to get back to running this weekend (which I've missed) and back to blogging more often.  Stay tuned!   

Pin It

Family Fun!

The weather over the last few weeks has been so nice! We have taken full advantage with lots of fun family time.

Mike & Addi - First fishing trip at Fishin' Fun in Farmers Branch

For Mother's Day - Mike, Addi and I spent the afternoon at the Lake Dallas Carnival.  Addison had a BLAST riding all the rides and bouncing in the bounce house.  

Riding in the helicopter!

Flying high in the airplane...she talked about this all week!

Bouncing - Bouncing - Bouncing

Addi and I had a fun playdate at the Fort Worth Zoo with Carrie and Emily.  We enjoyed a fun day looking at all the animals and finished with a lunch overlooking the alligators.  Her favorite...the Alligator even though it scared the crap out of her.  The second picture is her and Emily in their beautiful princess crowns - this was the best picture I could get because the girls kept giggling and looking at each other :)

We spent Sunday afternoon playing in the fountains in Flower Mound.  We took Addison for a surprise ice cream at Rita's Ice and fun in the fountains.

We have had some really fun weekends with many more to come!  I love SPRING!



Pin It