Christmas Crafts for 2014

We're running a little lean when it comes to money, so many of my Christmas gifts were handmade. For my parents and sister, I made a bunch of things and packed them in mason jars, I also made a mug cake mix for my sister. I made some buttermints, white chocolate peppermint bark, dark chocolate peppermint bark, chocolate covered pretzels, and white chocolate covered pretzels. I also made some white chocolate chex mix, which involved no actual chocolate (for a post on a later date).

I made some comic book coasters for my husband. My dad found a bunch of comics for free and I picked up six tiles at an estate sale.

Black Bean Burritos, Stuffed Portobellos, and Window Fixing

So tonight we tried some slow cooker black bean burritos. Yes, it's from a vegan cooking blog, don't let it scare you! We used chicken broth instead of veggie, used white rice instead of brown, and we omitted the corn, but they were really good! Peter said he'd prefer them if they had some beef in them (of course he wants beef in a vegan recipe), but they were tasty.

Creamy Ranch Chicken, Rice, & Butternut Squash Ravioli

Tonight's dinner was a mishmash of homemade goodness.

Peter started Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Chicken (which I found thanks to Pinterest) in the crockpot when he got home from work. We only made two chicken breasts, but used the whole sauce recipe. I also made a few cups of rice, and when we made up our plates, poured a bit of the sauce over the chicken and rice.

Weight Watchers Recipe Review #2

I tried another Weight Watchers recipe, this time it was Grilled Ginger Chicken with Peach Salsa. However, I made it in the middle of winter, so I didn't use a grill. I also didn't use fresh ginger. However, it was delicious and received approval in the form of second helpings.

Weight Watcher's Recipe Trial #1

I'm working on a weight loss goal and I received a great Weight Watchers cookbook for Christmas. I'll hopefully be trying a bunch of these recipes and I know a bunch of other people are looking for good and light recipes.

Chicken and Vegetable Ragu with Herb Dumplings from Weight Watchers Momentum Cookbook