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Movie Night Reviews- The Croods

Posted May 12, 2013 By dealinanddishin

 

Post contains affiliate link.

This week’s Movie Night Reviews brings you The Croods (PG 98 minutes).
TheCroods

(Image from IMDb) I had a free movie ticket from buying Rise of the Guardians DVD at Easter so it was a good time to use it before it left the theaters.

The Croods stars the voices of  Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, and Ryan Reynolds to name a few, and it set in the prehistoric days of the caveman.

Grug is the head of his family, The Croods, and is focused on keeping his family safe. This mainly means staying inside their cave and avoiding anything new. Every story Grug tells his family ends the same way, Death!

Grug has a daughter named Eep (Emma Stone) who like any teen is trying to assert her freedom. She wants to explore, and she wants out of that dark cave.

She gets her chance when she meets Guy (Ryan Reynolds) who tells her about The End..dun dun duuunnn! Her is not like her family. He is all about exploring, coming up with ideas, and trying new things.

Grugg is not liking this at all, but when fate steps in and there home is destroyed they have no choice but to go out in the big world and see what is out there.

I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars! It was really really cute and funny! There were a lot of times I was laughing along with the kids. Really enjoyed the movie, the slap stick, and the message of not living in fear and trying new things can be okay. It doesn’t always require the “Family Kill Circle”.

This is one I will add to our library. You can add it to yours as well from Amazon (Affliate Link, Disclosure)

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Movie Night Reviews- Rock of Ages

Posted May 10, 2013 By dealinanddishin

(Post contains Amazon affiliate links..read Disclosure here)

I got some time to watch movies this week while at the computer working. So here is another Grown Up edition of Movie Night Reviews. This time I watched Rock of Ages (PG-13, 123 minutes) (photo from IMDb).rockofagesI have wanted to see this since I saw the first preview and heard all the song clips. Paradise City, We Built This City, Don’t Stop Believin’, Jukebox Hero, I Love Rock n Roll, etc.

And then there was Tom Cruise. I must say I am NOT a fan of his. I never have been. Oh I know..Top Gun, Days of Thunder, Mission Impossible, etc. Back then give me Val Kilmer..I still crush on him (photo from IMDb)!
ValKilmer
Best Val Kilmer flicks

I will say I was very impressed with Tom Cruise in Interview with a Vampire. I guess I don’t like him all clean cut or goodie goodie.

So that brings me back to Rock of Ages. He’s basically a film version of Axl Rose! I will admit (without shame) I loved Axl Rose in high school.  Guns and Roses is him…that voice..the twang..and those white biker shorts! They  had some amazing albums: Appetite for Destruction, Use Your Illusion I and II were are great. I still love so many of those songs and always will!

The music and this Stacee Jaxx character pushed me to try it and see what I thought.   The story: It’s classic kind of romantic comedy/musical. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, some misunderstanding tears them apart, etc. etc. There is the other story of the rock music being evil and the groups (religious I assume) against it.  You get the idea. You aren’t watching the movie for this. At least I wasn’t.

I wanted to hear the songs and mash ups, and see  the 80′s hair, make up and outfits plus the choreography.

So it seems they all sang the songs themselves. Some shined like Julianne Hough. I was very impressed by singing. Catherine Zeta Jones did a good job, but I already was a fan of hers from Chicago (Must See!)


Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand singing Can’t Fight This Feeling was amusing, but mediocre. Then of course, Tom Cruise, who was hit and miss. I am shocked I will say this, but his rendition of Paradise City wasn’t bad. His singing of Pour Some Sugar on me I did not like at all. He enunciated the words too much!

Thoughts?
I can’t believe I am going to say this, but Tom Cruise was pretty hot! I kinda loved this movie! I couldn’t help it..there is some humor, lots of 80′s music I love, and some Glee like mashups and scenes.

I give this one 4.5 stars out of 5.

Wanna watch or buy?

(Post contains Amazon affiliate links..read Disclosure here)

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Why Roseanne Conner is my Top TV Mom

Posted May 10, 2013 By dealinanddishin

promptsrfun

It has been too long since I joined Tales from the Nursery and iNeed a Playdate for their weekly writing prompt. I’ve been doing my Mom duties and haven’t been writing much on the site, but with Mother’s Day this weekend it was a perfect one.

This week’s prompts were:

1.Tell us about your mom (or another special woman in your life) – what did you learn from her?
2.Who are your favorite TV moms?
3.Share what you’ve learned about being a mom.

I could write about any or all of these, but I’m going with #2 Who are my favorite TV moms? I picked this because one of the last times I wrote I talked about TV moms.

My Favorite TV Mom is Roseanne Conner roseannefrom Roseanne (played by Roseanne Barr photo IMDb). I am a big fan of Roseanne. I love the movie, She Devil! I watched every episode of Roseanne and of her reality show, Roseanne’s Nuts. She is a strong and funny woman. Does she offend people, sure, but does she care? Nope!

Why Roseanne Conner? She wasn’t the most sophisticated mom nor the best home maker, but she was real! I think first thing I appreciated was her humor. Whether dealing with a crappy job, whining kids, or bills coming from everywhere she had humor. I am the same way. I have to find a way to laugh about things, or I will be in a hole. It was strange I liked her so much before I had kids. They didn’t have much but they were happy!

She fought with her kids, but supported them no matter what mistake or stupid thing they did. She had a husband who loved her, but she had a banter with him. My Hubs and I have that. I married a man, who is as big of a smart ass as I am. Our kids don’t stand a chance! I try to watch my mouth, but they say things some times and I cannot help myself. I’m sure I’ll get notes from teachers at some point about my lippy and sarcastic kids.

She had close friends and a sister that was her best friend. I have some very close friends, but with life I don’t get to see them like I would like. I do have a “sister”. She is my half sister, but she has been mostly out of my life since I was 10. We have never had a real relationship. It would’ve been nice to have that. I grew up as the “second marriage only child” with a half brother and half sister (both are about 20 years older than me). I would have loved to have a neurotic sister like Jackie to fight with or a bossy older sister like Roseanne trying to tell me what to do.

I still think it was the best family show on TV. A strong Mom in a loving marriage, but wasn’t perfect and could be identified with. I definitely identify with her now that I have kids!

None of our the “perfect” Mom we thought we should be or expected to be. All that matters is that you are a Mom your kids can count on and know loves them no matter what!

Happy Mother’s Day to all my fellow Moms!!

Here are some goodies of Roseanne I love that you might as well (Amazon affiliate links…Disclosure)

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Healthy Breakfast Bake

Posted May 8, 2013 By dealinanddishin

 

I love breakfast!! Maybe because I rarely have a traditional breakfast in the  morning. It is too early, and I’m a yogurt, cereal, and coffee girl. When given the time or someone else cooking.. oh man! I love eggs, bacon, sausage gravy, biscuits, donuts, cinnamon rolls, breakfast casseroles, etc.  I can eat eggs for every meal..in salads, scrambled, fried, even Asparagusmade Scotch eggs! Okay..focus!
This week as part of the Weekly Challenge from Green Eggs and Spam the secret ingredient was Asparagus. I have never had asparagus before. I have seen it on cooking shows and it’s seems to be a very simple vegetable to prepare.

I thought about making it with bacon, because everything is better with bacon. Erica from This Flourishing Life gave me some tips for handling and preparing asparagus, plus she made a gorgeous bacon wrapped asparagus dish that I hope to have extra of mine left to make. Staying near bacon I went to breakfast, and after a little wandering in the store and talking to myself I had a plan.

Source: thisflourishinglife.com via Dealin and Dishin on Pinterest

 

 

What I am making is an all in one breakfast bake. I have made the casseroles with potatoes, eggs, and sausage. I wanted to get rid of the potato and replace with asparagus. Some times I’ve got to sneak in the veggies around here. I thought about “making” biscuits (I mean opening a can and baking some) as a side dish, but why not put them in this as well? I will use them like a crust, and make it like an open faced breakfast sandwich. I tried to figure calories for this, but remember it’s an estimate. I can’t guarantee every serving is uniform, and calorie counts of ingredients will vary depending on brand.

Healthy Breakfast Bake
2 L casserole dishingredients

Refrigerated biscuits (10 pack..mine had only 9)
2 cups Egg Substitute
7 ounces Turkey Smoked Sausage (half package)
1/2  cup shredded cheese (Pizza mix I had on hand)
1 cup chopped Asparagus
Non Stick Cooking Spray
Salt
Pepper
Onion Powder

If you would double this recipe that should fill a 9X13 pan. I used my 2L casserole dish for this one.
Spray your pan with non stick spray. Press biscuits across bottom. biscuitsTop with chopped asparagus and season with salt, pepper, and  onion powder. asparagus2In a bowl combine Egg Substitute, Turkey Smoked Sausage (chopped), 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and stir. eggscheesesausagePour this on top of other ingredients in your dish.readytobake Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. It took longer than I expected to bake, because of the high moisture content of the asparagus. Covering the dish with foil will help with the top and biscuits browning too much.

Family thoughts?
I loved it! The asparagus stayed firm so there was something to chew. I don’t like my food to be all the same texture. The Hubs said the asparagus “wasn’t bad” so that’s a rave from him (He is not a green veggie fan). The Girl tried it and cleaned her plate. The Boy abstained from testing, but I allowed that since it was taking much longer than anticipated.

HealthyBreakfastBake1

Total calories for the whole dish was 1342 with an average of 41 calories per ounce! To give you a comparison the Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit at Hardee’s has 680 calories!smokedsausageeggcheesebiscuit



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Saturday Weigh In (Weeks 17 and 18)

Posted May 8, 2013 By dealinanddishin

Post contains Amazon affiliate links (Disclosure Policy)

scale
I am very behind on my Saturday Weigh Ins. So this will be a quick recap of the last two week.

I ended up completing 12 days in a row of Level 1 30 Day Shred.  

Weigh In for Week 16 was 161.4lbs

It was time for Week 17 Weigh In was 162 lbs.

Then I went camping for the weekend for training for Webelos leader (I’m a Cub Scout Den Leader). It was a long, busy, and cold weekend. Came back and it was The Girl’s 5th Birthday. I spent time with her Pre-K class and then the next day, The Hubs took off work and we took her to the mall for shopping (it’s her birthday tradition).
mallshopping
Exercise was fairly nonexsistent this week, and the scale showed it.

Weigh In for Week 18 was 165 lbs.

So back up to where I was two weeks ago.  That was bad eating and only a couple days of exercise.

Then last weekend was Cub Scout Advancement, which was a long, rainy, and cold day! Made it through and have a Webelos I den now!
advancement
This week is my last Den meeting (we’re making tool boxes and having pizza). The Girl had her Lollipop test for Kindergarten.

I’m trying to eat better this week. Monday was a big fail with eating and exercise, but I’m doing better.
I’m back to Jillian 30 Day Shred, but every other day to avoid too much soreness. Stress is a killer for me, and I have been stress eating so bad. I am a little disappointed, but I have to get these things done and refocus on getting back on track.

What are your plans for staying fit over Summer? Will having the kids home or going on vacation mess you up?

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Movie Night Reviews- The Cabin in the Woods

Posted May 7, 2013 By dealinanddishin

Post contains Affiliate links read Disclosure here. All opinions are mine as always :)

TheCabininTheWoods

(photo from IMDb)

 

Time for another installment of Grownup Movie Night Reviews. This week I bring you The Cabin in the Woods (2011 rated R 95 minutes)

starring Chris Hemsworth (photo from IMDb)


known for Thor and The Avengers

and Jesse Williams (photo from IMDb)
from my favorite show, Grey’s Anatomy

I had heard such bad reviews of The Cabin in the Woods I had to watch it for myself. Sounds insane I know, but I just had to see for myself what it was like.

The movie starts with a random conversation of a couple “suits” talking about kids, wives, and life. Bam comes the title The Cabin in the Woods in big red menacing letters!

Curt’s (Chris Hemsworth from Thor and The Avengers) cousin has a cabin that he is taking his girlfriend and a few friends for a weekend getaway from college. We have a jock, a pretty girl, a smart girl, a smart guy (Jesse Williams from Grey’s Anatomy)and a stoner. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a horror flick. Off they head to their fun weekend, which will be most likely full of sex, drinking, and some drug use (at least the one guy).

We flash back and forth from the “suits” to the kids in their van. Then we see beautiful scenery with an eagle or hawk soaring. It dives, and buzz like a moth on a bug zapper it hits an invisible wall/shield! The van drove through no issue without noticing. Not a good sign for the kids…looks like there will be no easy escape from this once they figure out what’s going on.

Right off the bat there is a one way mirror in between the bedrooms. You know the kind like in police stations (not that I know from personal experience lol), but you can see yourself like a mirror and the other side is a window.  There is also a basement full of odd artifacts.  We find out that they are being watched all the time, and even more the environment is being controlled by the “suits”. They can change the temp, lighting, or add those lovely pheromones to get people in the “mood” (You know..wink wink..what I am talking about).

Things start moving quickly with people being attacked by zombies, which the “suits” have been betting on. It’s fairly messed up what is going on in this secret lair.

We start to figure out that each of these kids are part of a ritual to keep  ”The Ancient Ones” from rising. I will stop there and let you see what happens.

My Thoughts?

The flow was weird. There were two times I thought the movie was over, but I would look at the time bar and see it still had a good 20 minutes left. It would then pick back up again. I liked the idea of the “suits” causing things to happen, but then this whole “Ancient Ones” business. It was like the movie couldn’t decide whether to be a modern horror flick or go old school supernatural.

It was not as horrible as I had heard others say, but it could’ve been better. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars on my Netflix queue.

Want to check it out? Go to Amazon (affiliate link Disclosure) to watch or buy if you like.

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No Bake Cookies Recipe

Posted May 6, 2013 By dealinanddishin

This is a recipe I saw in a “Sharing Recipes” cookbook, which was my Grandma’s book and a collection of recipes from ladies from the Dubois County (Indiana) Extension Homemakers. This book was published 1984-85, and she gave this to me in 1994. It is still a favorite of mine. I always recommend cookbooks like this from real home cooks.

I had to fix this recipe a bit to get it like I want it.

NoBakeCookies

No Bake Cookies

1 Stick Margarine
2 Tbsp. Cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1/2 c. milk

Boil the above ingredients for 1 minute. Be sure to stir to avoid sticking. Remove from heat and add:

1/2 c. peanut butter
3 c. quick oats
1 tsp. vanilla.

Add the vanilla, peanut butter, and then oats. Add the oats 1 cup at a time to get to consistency you like. I like thick cookies so I upped it to 3 cups, and that was good for me. Also the recipe originally called for crunchy peanut butter, but I’m a creamy fan myself.

You can drop by teaspoonful on wax paper if you wish.
I prefer to line a 9×12 cookie sheet with wax paper and pour the mixture all over it.cutcookiescookiesinpan

Once it cools and sets some you can easily cut it with a plastic spatula thus protecting your cookie sheets from scratches.

I can eat these all day long, and am still trying to convince myself that’s okay since they have oats and peanut butter.

I joined the Food Bloggers Weekly Challenge from Green Eggs and Spamweeklychallenge



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Scotch Eggs

Posted April 25, 2013 By dealinanddishin

I love eggs! I like them scrambled, fried, and boiled. I will put them in salads, and I would eat them every day! I needed something new to do with eggs. A litttle brainstorming the word Scotch Egg popped in my head.

I had heard of Scotch Eggs, but had forgotten what they were. A Scotch Egg is a hard boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, coated with bread crumbs and baked. Sounds like a low carb sausage, egg sandwich. I must try this.

I don’t use regular breakfast sausage anymore. Once I started trying to lose weight a couple years ago I switched to turkey sausage, and love it! Only difference I can tell is that it is much less greasy! Also I don’t fry things anymore (except for pork fritters), so I will be attempting to bake these.

Scotch Eggs

This recipe is for 4 eggs.

4 hard boiled eggs (I did this in the morning) peeled
8 oz. Turkey Sausage
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup of Plain bread crumbs (added a little salt and pepper)
Preheat oven to 375
Baking pan coated with non stick spray

I beat 2 eggs for my attempt and had 1/2 cup of bread crumbs. There was a lot left over from both, so that’s why I put the smaller amounts in the recipe above. eggandcrumbsI wanted to see how much sausage was needed to cover an egg (Large egg), and 2 ounces was perfect. twoouncessausageYou roll the sausage and “work” it a bit, flatten it in your hand, put the egg in it and form the sausage around the egg and put on a plate.wrapegg Repeat until all eggs are done. Pop this into the freezer for about 10-15 minutes for it to harden a little. The sausage is pretty sticky from handling it.readytofreeze freezer
Take each egg coat with beaten egg dipineggand then cover with bread crumbscoatbreadcrumbs and then place in a baking pan coated with non stick spray. The Scotch Eggs take 25-35 minutes at 375 degrees.scotcheggsbakingtime
These were really good! The Hubs even liked them. They reminded me of an sausage egg muffin sandwich. Very very filling, but not heavy or greasy at all. I could not get an exact figure on calories, because the sausage is based on cooked ounces. I estimate no more than 210 for an egg.
ScotchEggs1

While that was going on I had half of my package of sausage left. So thought I’d whip up some turkey sausage gravy with some refrigerated biscuits. They would be great with the meal, and will be for dinner again the next night.

weeklychallenge
I joined in the Weekly Food Challenge from Green Eggs and Spam


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Try Before You Buy #sponsored post

Posted April 24, 2013 By dealinanddishin

 

This post was sponsored by Goodies Co.

I don’t know if any of you have had the experience of the picky eater, but after almost 10 years of dealing with one it can be rough! You want them to try new things (all kids really), but you hate to buy a full box or big bag of something for them to try it once and then no one wants it. We have a bag of BLT flavored potato chips in the pantry right now..NO ONE will eat! It’s like throwing away money.

Here is where Goodies Co. comes into play. Each month a box will arrive with 5-8 snacks in it for $7 per month.  Customers are asked to review products they’ve received, and can accumulate points to redeem for a free Taster’s Box and other rewards. Since trying new snacks can be risky and time-consuming, the Goodies Co. Taster’s Box gives everyone a chance to discover their tastes.

Please Note: Goodies Co. currently only ships to the continental US.

goodies-logo Wanna see what you get? Here are few examples of what boxes could or have had.

Goodie’s Fall Boxgoodies-fall-box
Goodie’s Winter Boxgoodies-winter-box

Goodie’s New Year’s Boxgoodies-new-year-box
How do I get this good stuff?

Goodies Co. is a highly sought after monthly subscription and to get yours, you will need to visit and enter the code BLOGVIP to instantly receive your invitation. Typically, there is a waitlist to get an invitation, however through our partnership with Goodies Co. you can skip the line and get right in.

Once you enter the code into the promo page, you will receive 2 emails from Goodies. The first will state you are in line for your invitation, the next will instantly tell you your invitation has arrived. This shows you how you skipped the line!

Subscribers to the Goodies Co. Taster’s Box will receive a monthly box of 5-8 snacks for just $7/month!

This is the first I have heard of this, and I really like the idea! It’s around a buck each snack, and I think my kids would be so excited to see the box each month..it’s a surprise!
What I really liked (besides a box of treats) is that you can get free stuff!  They want your opinion on the things you try. After you try your snacks, just go back to the Goodies website and give a review of your box. You will earn points for doing this that can be redeemed for rewards and free Taster’s Boxes!

Full disclosure: this article is financially supported by Goodies Co. but opinions are mine Disclosure Policy for Dealin and Dishin

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Turkey Sausage Gravy

Posted April 24, 2013 By dealinanddishin

The Hubs really likes sausage gravy and biscuits, and I have grown to like it as well. What I didn’t like was the greasy greasy sausage!! I have switched to turkey breakfast sausage (in this instance I used Jennie O, but I use any brand). It tastes the same, but barely any grease at all!

I made a half batch of gravy last night while I was making Scotch Eggs for dinner. It is easy, fast, and reheats well.

The biscuits? I used refrigerated ones (sometimes I use frozen), but I never make my own. I like prepackaged, because of portion control and when I was calorie counting it’s a habit I have formed.

Turkey Sausage Gravy

(half batch)

8 oz. turkey breakfast sausage
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups Skim milk
Salt and Pepper

Depending on your biscuits..the refrigerated take about 10 minutes so pop those in when you get gravy started, and frozen take longer so put those in when you start to cook the sausage.biscuits

Fry your sausage in a deep skillet. frysausageOnce cooked drain on some paper towels (there is a little liquid and grease). Put back in same skillet, add flour,addflourstir a little, and then add milk. Cook on low-medium heat. Make sure to stir, because it can stick and milk can scorch. This will only take 10-15 minutes for the gravy to thicken. The longer it cooks the thicker it will become. If needed add some more milk. Add pepper and salt (if you like)turkeysausagegravy

 

Tastes great on biscuits, scrambled eggs, or even the Scotch Eggs, and is a much lighter version.

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