Madelyn Grace

Madelyn Grace Witzleb   01.09.09

A few weeks ago we got to visit our friend Eric and his wife Melissa with their new baby girl Madelyn. We wanted to go see them in the hospital but our sickies prevented that! So we finally got to see them at home. She is soooo cute and once again I had to fight my hubsies to hold her too! lol Congrats guys, she is so precious.

For those of you wanting the baked crab rangoon recipe....please visit......

http://www.recipezaar.com/Baked-Crab-Rangoon-131062 

The only tweaks I made were I used 8oz fat free and 8oz 1/3 less fat, I use the imitation crab that is cold in the meat section, not the canned stuff, I added a little garlic powder and omitted the butter and sprayed the rangoons with my no stick spray to make the calorie and fat content lower. Oh and I lowered the temp to 400. Good Luck!

Happy Chinese New Year and we are on a bowling league!!

mmmmmmmmm crab rangoons
Our little chinese feast
The blue balls

So the Chinese new year isn't officially until 01.26.09 but we both have to work so we are celebrating today! We made baked crab rangoons, fried rice and teriyaki chicken.  We tried the baked crab rangoons to be a little healthier, wow the fat content difference is crazy. For all you weight watcher pointers they are only one point a piece, just one! It's fantastic! So, you can tell that they are not fried but they are really good. I kept my same crab rangoon mixture recipe, just used 1/3 less fat and fat free cream cheese. Mmmm so good. Definitely  gonna make these again soon. The teriyaki chicken and rice was awesome too. 

We also joined a bowling league the beginning of the year, we bowl on our only day off together, every sunday night. We have had to miss a few of the first ones due to sickness so I didn't get any pics until tonight. All four of us even have matchin bowling shirts with our names!! Yes, we are the only nerds in the whole entire league that have those, but it's so much fun! This league is totally for fun, otherwise I would not be on it, I SUCK at bowling, but we have such a great time!

Almond Crusted Chicken Fingers Recipe....

From EatingWell Magazine August/September 2005 --

NUTRITION PROFILE: Low Calorie | Low Carb | Low Sodium | Low Sat Fat | Heart Healthy | Healthy Weight VIEW COMPLETE NUTRITION GUIDELINES » Instead of batter-dipped, deep-fried nuggets, we coat chicken tenders in a seasoned almond and whole-wheat flour crust and then oven-fry them to perfection. With half the fat of standard breaded chicken tenders, you can enjoy to your (healthy) heart’s content. Makes Makes 4 servings ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutes TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy Canola oil cooking spray 1/2 cup sliced almonds  1/4 cup whole-wheat flour  1 1/2 teaspoons paprika 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard  1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 large egg whites  1 pound chicken tenders (see Ingredient Note) 1. Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set a wire rack on the baking sheet and coat it with cooking spray.  2. Place almonds, flour, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor; process until the almonds are finely chopped and the paprika is mixed throughout, about 1 minute. With the motor running, drizzle in oil; process until combined. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.  3. Whisk egg whites in a second shallow dish. Add chicken tenders and turn to coat. Transfer each tender to the almond mixture; turn to coat evenly. (Discard any remaining egg white and almond mixture.) Place the tenders on the prepared rack and coat with cooking spray; turn and spray the other side.  4. Bake the chicken fingers until golden brown, crispy and no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 174 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 66 mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrate; 27 g protein; 1 g fiber; 254 mg sodium; 76 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Selenium (31% daily value). 0 Carbohydrate Servings Exchanges: 3 very lean meat, 1/2 fat Enjoy! Let me know if anyone makes these and tell me what you think! You can go to eatingwell.com and find it there to print it off!

Our evening tonight....

As you all know Dan works midnights so he doesn't usually get up until 3:30pm or so. Well today I talked to him on the way home from clinicals and he said he didn't really get much sleep today, he just didn't feel good. So, I came home, let him sleep longer than usual and made a really healthy yummy dinner. I tried a new recipe for healthy baked "fried" chicken. The coating for the chicken was made with sliced almonds, wheat flour, paprika, dry mustard, garlic powder and some other seasonings. I was kinda scared how it would turn out but it looked soooo goooood. I couldn't wait to wake up Dan and eat dinner with him. Well, turns out he woke up first, got in the shower for work even though he feels like pooh and yeah ralphed a hundred times in the shower. It seems I have passed on my hospital bug. So, here I am all excited to have dinner with him and my poor hubsies is sick. Seriously I hope this is the last batch of illness for us soon. Dan ended up calling in sick, which he hates, but seriously you have too sugarbuns!! I ate dinner all by myself, which by the way it was VERY VERY TASTY and good for  you!! I hope my hubsies is better soon.

ps oh and maybe sometime this year I will get all of our christmas decorations put up, lol, someone isn't too sad about it though, she keeps sleeping on the pine garlands, how is that even comfortable? lol

Seriously we are tired of the sickies...but at least we have a few things to make us smile..

Exhibit A: reason to not leave plastic bags around your cats....
Here is Jorge scared to DEATH of the vacum cleaner.

So, our newlywed year is not going exactly like we had planned. It started off with me being sick for about a week, then a week later Dan got it. So we thought we were in the clear...WRONGO BONGO. Sat night I was sick again and this time I spent Sunday night hanging out with the toilet. I have not thrown up that much in forever. I am feeling a little better today and hopefully it is gone by tomorrow. I chatted with my sono friend and she said she had it over the weekend too, it's going around the hospital. yippeee glad I could be one to try it out. So, now I am sure Dan will get it too. Seriously, it's January 19th and I have been sick twice this year. wow. All I have to say is I am getting my flu shot this year! 

Despite our sickies we still have our fur babies to keep us laughing. Abbie is obsessed with bags, like every normal cat, and squishes herself in every bag she gets a chance to be in, even if that includes the chance of suffocation, I swear she has no brain sometimes. George is scared to death of the vacum cleaner and I couldn't resist taking some pics of him today. And of course we can't forget our chewybear, just a cute one of him enjoying the sun this morning. Hope you guys aren't as sick as we are!!

AMERICAN IDOL!!!!

Once again, another season of American Idol has begun. It's so funny how hooked I am on this show all from my hubsies makin me watch it!!! Tonight was pretty funny. It was of course a two hour special of people either making a fool of themselves or doing pretty good. Ummm seriously did bikini girl really deserve to go? I think not. And how about the 2nd Sanjia....Dan and I were like NOOOOOOO when we saw and heard him, yes he sounds better than the original but I don't like him because he reminds me of him, how nice huh? 

I think my fave of the night for the girls was the 16 year old brunette, she was cute and had an amazing voice, I can't remember her name. My fave for the night for the boys was deff a tie between the dirty blonde oil rig worker and the almost blind guy. I don't even know where to start on the ones that made themselves look like morons...lol.  Looking forward to tomorrow night, they are showing their tapings from KC!! So, what did my fellow idol watchers like or dislike for the evening?

Wishing for warm weather....

I am sick of the cold weather and wanting warm weather and to be back in Florida! It was so gorgeous.....sigh. So I thought I should apologize for my last post...lol...you gotta admit though it was pretty funny! I just felt like posting this pic, I just love this one with us and Kylie. Ahhh to be back on the beach.....

Guess Whaaaat.......

There might be a little Jackson on the way! Totally kidding. lol We wish, gotta wait til I am done with school ( I hate being an adult and doing the right thing!)  No, my guess what news is that I started clinicals yesterday and I LOVE IT!!  I was so born to do this. It is so freakin awesome. I even got to scan a few patients! We do a lot of OB exams so I get to see lots and lots of babies. Of course we do everything else, abdomen, gall bladder, pelvics, boobs, testicles....yes testicles ladies...and so much more. I love everything about it and I have so much to learn still it's crazy. It's not just running a transducer over someone and taking pictures, you have to be able to know what you are looking at first of all and then know the ins and outs of every organ, duct, vein, artery....etc...you are the diagnoser, the docs rely on you!  I love my techs, they are super fun and super smart. I couldn't ask to be with a better bunch of ladies. This is the place I hope to someday work at, I will be keeping my fingers crossed.  I will keep you updated on my school adventures as I go along, I just had to let you know I started my clinicals and I love every second of it. ( I totally did not have this huge lovey feeling with x-ray, it was fun but this is my love I didn't think I could love a job as much as law enforcement) yay me!

A Maynard Christmas

Thank you Momma Jackson for my cute hat and gloves!
Getting in some fun with Uncle Dan and HIS christmas present...

We didn't get to do Christmas with my family because I was sick. So, after our dinner on the 1st we had a mini-christmas for us and opened our gifts. The top picture is of our pocket knives we got this year....they are hilarious and a tad larger than the average pocket knife!!! Dan got the BIGGEST nerf gun I have seen in my life, you can't really tell how big it is in the pic with him and Kylie, no worries, more will be posted on that gun later I am sure. Kylie got the cutest hat and gloves from Momma and Poppa Jackson, she said thank you that day to you guys even though you weren't there, she is so silly. The last pic is of her getting shot with the nerf gun, she wanted to be shot more than she wanted to play with it! lol
We still are not done celebrating Christmas!! We were supposed to go to Ken and Keri's today for a holiday shindig but Dan is sick, I unfortunately passed on what I had over the holidays to him. Sorry guys, we really wanted to see you. Oh and Keri--I have about 45 cooked little smokies all wrapped in bacon and Dan wants to PUKE at the thought of food, I swear I have to stay in control and not eat all of them! We have presents for Liam and Lorelai too!! Wow, this could continue on into February!

12.31.08 Happy New Year!!!

Look Mel is taller than my hubsies with his hat on!
Yeah we had to pry them apart after this picture....LOL
No sweet Mel here with a kiss for me....how about a raspberry?
Happy New Year!!
Last picture of 2008!
Wow, already 2009. The evening started by witnessing a wedding for our friend Eric and his new wife!! Congrats you two and thanks for letting us be a part of your special day! They got married at 5:00 on new years eve! What a way to ring in the new year!
Next it was off to the plaza to meet Steve and Mel for dinner at McCormick and Schmicks. I love that place. I had not been for at least 5 years and was so excited to go back. I wanted to go there for their food but the main thing was their specialty dessert...the chocolate bag. Mel has pics of all that fun, so please refer to her blog for those at a later time! Then off to Mel and Steve's with Debbie too for a fun night of snacking, drinking and games. Once again we got our booties kicked in Taboo by Mel and Steviepoo, those two are on it! Thanks for a great evening guys!! New Years resolutions anyone? I have two...to get off this holiday weight (put on a record high this year! ) and to not be such a procrastinator...especially when it comes to school!

12.30.08

We got to hang out for a little while...it was fun to catch up!
Momma Holt laying the smack down about the can opener...lol.
You might be asking yourself why in the heck I have a picture of a crazy tuna can on here, well I will explain. You see everytime me, Momma Holt and Mel get together for lunch, if we don't go somewhere and get it we have tuna!! Me and Mel do the same thing too actually. So there we are all totally in the mood for tuna for lunch and we can't find the can opener ANYWHERE!! Yeah Papa Holt took it to work to use for his lunch....HOW DARE HE! lol Just when we thought all was lost, Mel opened the tuna cans with the thingy ma bobber that you are just supposed to drain things with....lol...we had quite an angry looking tuna can but it did the job! Ahh the things we blog about.
Anyways, Mel and I drove to Lisa's parents house later that afternoon and got to hang out with Lisa. It was so good to see you again! Wish we could have stayed longer, next time we deff need to do our margarita night with all the blog girls in town. So Lisa, how was Vivian after drinking your diet coke? lol Harrison is sooooo adorable and Vivian loves me already, she came right up to me and sat in my lap to watch a movie...lol. (kids can tell who has baby fever!!) Looking forward to seeing you in the spring and meeting Alex!