Savvy with Abbie

Last night Kevin wasn't feeling too well so I made a quick and early dinner of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes. Although it takes about 15 minutes overall to make, we did put the drumsticks in buttermilk in the fridge for 24 hours.  I took them out of the fridge and let them sit for about 5 minutes. I poured a lot of vegetable oil in our cast iron skillet and turned to medium/high heat and let it get hot. In the meantime, we bought Dixie Fry coating mix and I put it in a separate bowl.  I "hired" Jace to help me place each drumstick in the bowl and coat it with the coating mix.  Once the fried oil is sizzling (just splash a little water on it - if it sizzles, it's ready!) slowly place each drumstick in the fried oil and let sit on one side for about 6-7 minutes.  Flip and cook for 5-7 more minutes until done on the inside and crispy on the outside.  Use tongs to take out each drumstick and serve with your favorite sides. Super easy!

Well you guys, I am down three pounds! My life is constantly about making better choices - in life and with my health. I put together my stationary bike and I've done 3 rides so far. My 4th will be today. I love that I have it in my office so there are really no excuses not to go for a ride. I do realize that my food choices aren't the best and I do eat late but I've been trying to cut back and not eat as much at night. Anyways, last night was this Four Cheese Chicken Alfredo Casserole which ended up being really good. The original recipe was found HERE . I read the comments beforehand to make this meal as great as possible so here are my changes below. Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup milk 1 cup Four Cheese Alfredo Pasta Sauce 6 tsp shredded Parmesan cheese 1 tsp parsley flakes 1/4 tsp garlic powder 9oz dry fettuccine noodles 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese Salt and pepper to taste Directions: Add fettuccine noodles to a bowl of boiled and

I don't remember if I have ever had Cashew Chicken before. It does have a unique taste but we ate all of it. Last night Kevin said, "we are definitely making this again" as he ate leftovers so this one is a 10/10 for my family. The original recipe was for Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps HERE . I just used the ingredients for the Cashew Chicken without the wraps. My full version is below.  Ingredients: 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast salt and pepper, to taste 1 cup chicken broth 2 tbsp soy sauce 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/4 cup hoisin sauce 2 tbsp cornstarch 2 tbsp garlic powder 2 tsp sesame oil 3/4 cup lightly salted cashews Directions: Cut chicken into small pieces and season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, stir together chicken broth, soy sauce, ginger, hoisin sauce, vinegar and cornstarch.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken to hot skillet, flipping once after about five minutes.                                                     Ad

As I'm writing this, it is pouring rain outside. Like pouring rain and flooding. I love the rain but unfortunately it is super rare for Central California. We only get rain around January/February for the most part and barely above being in a drought. I love the sound of rain, having a fire going while it's raining outside and just staying in comfy jammies while inside. I'm so glad I have nothing on my schedule today that involves leaving my house :)  Last night I made this Beef and Broccoli recipe. If you like foods on the saltier side, this one is for you. I'm not a huge fan of salty foods but I did clean my plate on this one. If you want, you can either add less soy sauce or lime juice to offset the salty taste. The original recipe can be found HERE and our recipe is below. Ingredients: 2/3 cup soy sauce (you can do less if you prefer less salty) 3 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp cornstarch salt, to taste pepper, to taste 1.5 pound sirloin steak, sliced thin 2 tbsp vegetabl

I really thought that I would have way more downtime being unemployed and it seems far more opposite than that. Yesterday was Kevin's birthday so in between Jace's school breaks we went to Walmart and bought some streamers, a mini pinata, a tablecloth, cake mix and frosting, gifts, balloons and tried to make it as special as possible. I spent most of the afternoon decorating and we had such a good time. This week Kevin helped set up my stationary bike and I was able to do two rides this week. One today and one two days ago using Peloton classes through the app. I haven't worked out since before Christmas so it's been a huge change on my body, in a positive way. It's truly been a huge adjustment but I'm loving it.  I have been able to rearrange my office, Jace's room and the kitchen - partially. It's been putting me in  a good mood and rather fun to make things more of "our own."   Anyways, a few nights ago I decided to try these Classic Stuffed