Picture of the Week

This week deserves two pictures! These were taken in March of '07 at Taylor Park in Largo, Florida. We saw 7 alligators that evening!!

Yes, we were this close to it!

Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe was given to me by a friend. It's so delicious!!

Ingredients:

Chicken breast

cream cheese

shredded cheddar cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

sour cream

soft taco shells

Preparation:

Cut up and brown chicken breast. Grease 9x13 pan. Spread cream cheese on taco shells (I use quite a bit). Put some of chicken and cheddar cheese in each shell. Roll up shells.

Topping:

Mix can of cream of chicken soup and some sour cream. Pour over top (if it is too thick add a little milk). Top with more cheese if desired.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

Save Your Dollars!

It's Wednesday, that means it's time for another money saving tip!

#3- Don't go the Movie Theater

Just wait until the movie is out on DVD and rent it. The cheapest place to rent, that we have found, is out of Red Box (available at Wal-Mart & Walgreens stores) for only $1 a day. Or, if you want to keep it, you can always buy it from iTunes. The best part is that you are in your own home and you don't have to sit in a crowded and chatty theater. Plus, snacks are free!

Picture of the Week

Alright, we're back on a schedule again. Whew! Hopefully our posts will become more frequent and "on time." This week's POTW (from the beginning of the summer) is of our niece, Hannah.

Easy Chicken and Swiss Cheese Crock Pot Casserole

We have enjoyed this recipe so many times, I feel that it is time to share. Try it once and I PROMISE you will enjoy it too! It is one of our favorites and it's so easy. You just throw in a crock pot and forget about it. Let me know what you think.

Ingredients:

*4 chicken breasts, boned and skinned

*4 slices of swiss cheese (sometimes we use shredded cheddar or mozarella)

*1 can cream of chicken soup

*1 can cream of mushroom soup

*1 cup chicken broth

*1/4 cup milk

*2 cups boxed stuffing mix (we use the whole box)

*1/2 cup melted butter

*salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place in crock pot. Pour chicken broth over chicken breasts. Put one slice of swiss cheese on each breast. Combine both cans of soup and milk.

Cover chicken breasts with soup mixture. Sprinkle stuffing mix over all. Drizzle melted butter on top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Money Saving Tips

Since this is a time of economic downfall, I thought that I would take the opportunity to share with you each week, one thing that we are doing to save money.

#1-Shop at discount stores for food and clothing

We buy our food from either Save-a-lot or Aldi. Prices are very reasonable and we have cut our grocery bills by more than half! As far as clothing is concerned, I try not to pay full price for anything unless I am shopping at Wal-Mart. (Wal-Mart's prices are already reduced and they always have clearance racks.) There are other good stores like Ross, TJ Maxx, and Bealls (only in Florida). Thrift stores are good places to check for furniture, shelving, or other things to decorate your house.

#2-If you have a yard plant a garden!

I am adding #2 on this week because it goes along with #1. We planted a vegetable garden and saved money on our grocery bill as well. The summer months here are too hot to really plant anything . . . but that is only 3 months out of the year and we are saving enough money on food anyway. Plus, we were able to help out some of our friends at church with the veggies that we couldn't eat right away.

__________________________________

I will not always end these money saving tips with a comment but I feel that, since this is our first one, I must! I encourage you to keep track of what you're spending money on each day and week. Ask yourself, "Do I really need this?" Think about what is most important in life. Can you get by with just the bare essentials? One thing that I find important: meditate on Proverbs 6:6-8, which says, Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. The ant is always preparing. Have you ever wrecked an anthill and stood by to see how quickly the ants build it back up? The moment you knock it down, those little ants are scurrying around to fix their home. They are always prepared. I feel that I should prepare how I am going to spend my money and choose to spend it properly. Also, consider the Proverbs 31 woman. How did she spend her money? It wasn't on herself but on the needs of her family. She carefully thought out how she would spend it before she spent it. So, before you buy choose wisely. Good luck and happy saving!!!!

Picture of the Week

I know it has been a while since our last post. Here is this week's POTW:

Taylor Park-Largo, FL

Obama visits small town, Wakarusa

I (Sarah) am originally from Indiana. The church I attended while growing up was in a small town called Wakarusa. Yesterday, President Obama made a trip to an RV manufacturer there to deliver his speech. Here is a short video about the event. One of the main reasons I am blogging about this today is because my dad was interviewed by Fox News out of Chicago. (My dad is the first man that is interviewed.)

Picture of the Week

I figured that we would start something new on our blog. Each week, I want to share a different picture with you. This weeks Picture of the Week was taken at Busch Gardens in Tampa.