Creamy Chicken and Vegetables

8 pieces of chicken thighs or drumsticks, with skin removed
2 cans of low fat, low sodium cream of chicken soup
1 cup of water
1 cup of cut up carrots
1/2 cup of cup of zucchini
1 cup of cut up red potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Season chicken lightly with salt and pepper. In a large oven safe dish, stir in soup and cup of water. Add vegetables to coat and then chicken. Cook covered for 30 mins and then turn chicken and cook for another 30 mins or until done. Serve over brown rice. Q

A new blog and a contest

Hey ladies and gentlemen. As promised, I have decided to start a blog dedicated to the Supremes' hair. I am stumped about what to name it so I decided to hold a contest to drum up interest and to come up with a name for the new site. This will be the featured post for the next week. All you have to do is leave me a comment with your name suggestion for the new blog. The Supremes and I will select a name we all like and agree upon and the winner will receive a gift basket from my girl who owns Jasmine's. The winner will receive in their choice of scent, a body wash, scrub and lotion set. The contest begins today and will end next Saturday January 30,2010 at 12:00am. I will announce the winner on the following Monday when the blog debuts. Good luck and spread the word. Thanks and good luck. Q

My meatloaf rocks

1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound of ground turkey
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup regular bread crumbs
1 cup skim milk
2 eggs
1 packet of ranch mix
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp seasoned salt
4 oz shredded low fat cheddar cheese
1/2 cup ketchup

Combine all ingredients except ketchup in a bowl. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop mix in a loaf pan and then pop out into a non stick baking pan. Top with ketchup and bake for 1 1/2 or until internal temp reaches 160 degrees. Q

This Week's Menu

I promise to try to take pics of everything this week to go along with each recipe.
Sunday- Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli
Monday- Leftovers
Tuesday- Italian Shrimp and veggie linguini
Wednesday- Creamy chicken & vegetables with brown rice
Thursday- Leftovers
I'll update with the recipes shortly. Q

Another Jasmine's review

Let me just say, I am not paid to endorse anyone or any product. I just happen to love these products and I love supporting people who provide excellent customer service and make excellent products. But not only do I love them, The Supremes loves them and so does T. I placed my annual black Friday order to get some body products and I also tried the protein conditioner. The intense reconstructing hair treatment is wonderful!!! It is super thick and a little tacky. You have to rub it between your hands but it coats really well. You can tell it's just not some watered conditioner. It doesn't leave your hair hard at all but it def does the job.

The next new item I need to rave about is a body product of course!!! She now has massage and after bath oils and whoooo hooo I am in love. I love, love, love body oils. But I hate how oily they can be and the stains they leave on your sheets. Well not with these baby. It glides on your skin but doesn't leave you feeling like an oil slick. They absorb nicely into your body and the scents are amazing and now over-powering. Oh and I discovered a cool trick for them. The first time I used them, was right after I shaved under my arms. I didn't want to apply deodorant but I didn't want to sleep with bare pits to as I massaged the oil into my arms, I put a little in my pits as well. Can I just say wow. My pits didn't feel weird when I woke up the next morning and it was like I didn't even shave the night before. I'm in love!!!! Q

Still playing with my curls

The day before yesterday I did Princess B's hair like mine. We were looking too identical (LOL) so I decided to change mine up a bit. I have to admit, I have hand in hair disease. My hair is so soft and my curls just bounce so I can't help but touch it. I haven't done anything to my hair since I took the rollers out. I simply sleep with a satin bonnet at night and that's it. Today I decided to do a little updo today. Here are some pics. Q

First hair pics of 2010

Yesterday I decided to play with my hair. It's been a minute since I've taken pics and decided to play with a new style. I cowashed my hair with the Body works conditioner. I mixed the honey and the banana together. It was already in twists when I washed it. I took them apart individually, combed them, applied some Afroveda curly custard and retwisted them. Then I set each on perm rods. I later sat under the dryer for about 35 minutes. This morning, I took the twists apart and I love the way my hair looks, feels, and smells. I think I am going to take them apart a little more because I want a big curly look. I'll probably add a headband and a cute flower. But here are some pics. Q

Here are pics with the rollers in:



After I took them out:



The semi-final result:

My kids are so wise

I was rolling my hair and watching "Last Holiday" with B and D. D turns to me and says, "mom Queen Latifah acts just like you?" At first I was scared to ask but figured what the heck. So I asked, "how?" She replied, ""well she doesn't care about what people say or think about her." There was a long pause and then she said, "and she's tough." LOL Q

This Week's Menu

Monday- Leftovers from Sunday
Tuesday- Upside down Pizza casserole
Wednesday- Leftovers
Thursday- Baked Cheesy chicken breast with rice and veggies.
You know how I roll on the weekends.
Sunday- Roasted chicken and vegetables and a peach cobbler. Q

Hey girl from Walmart

The recipe can be found here. It's a cupcake recipe but it's the same I use for my cakes. Let me know how it turns out for you. Q

My name is Queeny and....

I am addicted to buying body products. This was going to be a lighthearted post about my love for body scrubs, oils, lotions, and perfumes but the more I thought about it, the more I felt the need to open up. Before I go any further, let me say please don't feel sorry for me. I am fine and I just felt the need to share in hopes my story will bless someone. That is the purpose of this blog anyway so here goes.

Every addiction has an event or series of events that led up to it. Whether it's alcohol or drug abuse. Those memories, those thoughts and experiences feed the addiction. Well mine isn't any different. I guess it started around the time I hit puberty. That's when my body started changing and it kind of went down hill from there. I am what most of us would consider the person with the bad body odor. Or at least I was. I remember it really picking up in Junior High School. One day, our chorus director mentioned that someone needed to wash under their arms because there as a musty odor. After she left, I remember one of the girls going around sniffing everyone's arms and then she got to me and stopped. It was a horrible time and people used it to hurt me. When I would get in an argument with someone, they would say the most hurtful things. I remember this one girl that I considered my friend just yelling at me and telling me I stunk and then having others join in agreement. What could I say, it was true. She tried to apologize but the damage was done.

Now before you jump to conclusions, understand my problem wasn't bad hygiene practices. But I didn't know it at the time. I remember crying myself to sleep at night and praying that God would help me. This cycle continued over the years getting worse. I remember hearing a family member I lived with was talking about how stink I was and she even told me that the reason by boyfriend broke up with me was because I stunk. That hurt me to the core. He never confirmed it but I still often wonder if that was the reason.

Over the years I learned to deal with it. Whenever I noticed myself getting sweaty, I would excuse myself and go change or wash. It was to the point where I was washing almost 4 times a day. I started getting into body products to mask the odor but that didn't help. That's why the stories people told about me sleeping with this person and that person are hilarious because I was so self conscious about my odor that I barely wanted anyone to touch me. It wasn't until I was in the military that I got fed up. I went to see my assigned nurse practitioner, hoping and praying she had an answer for me. After asking me some questions, she finally told me, I had what she had, hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating.

From there I realized the sweating bred bacteria which then of course stunk leaving me with a musty odor. I made it my mission to find out more about it. The internet wasn't big like it is now so I took to the library and began to research. It went further than the sweating. I found out about how our bodies function and how food plays a role in odor as well. I also learned about body chemistry and how certain smells can react negatively with your natural body scent therefore giving off a less than desirable odor.

So here I am in my 30's and I guess my past still haunts me so to speak. I guess subconsciously, I still have issues with what I experienced growing up. I take about 2 showers everyday. I make sure I wear breathable clothing. I carry wipes and a arsenal of other items just in case I have one of those episodes. I am very much aware of my body and what goes well with my chemistry. When someone tells me I smell good, I can feel a part of my past just peeling away. It's as if those words are undoing the harsh ones I heard growing up. I am also very tuned in to the Supremes and I hope and pray they don't inherit this condition from me. But if they do, I will be right there to help them so they can avoid what I went through. So many people dismissed me and just said, "well you need to wash" not knowing it was deeper than that. I don't want that to happen to them.

So yes, I have an addiction. I love for my body to be nice, clean and smelling good. As you can see from the pic above, I have several scrubs. That is down from the almost 20 I had at one point. I won't even post a pic of the oils, and lotions I own!!!! I don't think it will ever stop because now it is far deeper than the my past. There is something about a nice scrub at the end of a long hard day. I love slathering on lotion and massaging my body. Then curling up under the covers and smell the linger of the lotion or oil I just put on. I love the glow my body has from being exfoliated just right. I love my nice brown even skin tone. I love how the Supremes are always rubbing on my arm and telling me how soft I feel. I love when my husband cuddles up under me and say, "umm you smell soo good." Yup I'm addicted and proud of it!!! Q


For those who may be suffering, here are some links to help you. And please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Much love. Q
Hyperhidrosis
More info
Web MD

Gotta make it

I listened to this song the other day and it spoke to me. I hope it inspires others to know that you can make it no matter what others say. Stay blessed. Q

My weekly menu

I was supposed to have this up yesterday so I apologize. Here is what we are eating for the week.

Monday- Garlic-Herb Chicken Thighs with rice
Tuesday- Leftovers
Wednesday- Three Cheese Pasta bake with broccoli
Thursday- Leftovers
Friday- I don't cook on weekends
Saturday- every man and child for themselves
Sunday- Chunky Steak and Vegetable Soup with French bread

Garlic and Herb Chicken Thighs

1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
10 (4oz) skinned and boned chicken thighs
2 T olive oil

1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (14.5oz can) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (1.6 oz) packet of herb seasoning mix (I used toasted onion and garlic)

Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mix. Cook half chicken in 1 T oil in a large skillet over medium high heat 4 mins each side or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan, and set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Add broth and vinegar to skillet and cook 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and herb sauce mix until combined.

Return chicken to skillet. Cook uncovered, over medium heat for 5 mins or until done.

Chunky Steak and Vegetable Soup

2lb top round steak cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3 T of vegetable oil

6 cups of water
5 small baking potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 carrots sliced
2 small onions, chopped
1 celery rib,
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
2 T beef Bouillon granules
1 to 2 tsp pepper

1 cup frozen sweets peas, thawed
1 (16oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

Place steak in a ziploc bag, add flour, and toss to coat. Brown steak in hot oil in a large skillet over medium high heat 5 to 6 minutes or until browned. Drain well.

Combine steak, 6 cups water, and next 7 ingredients in a 7-qt slow cooker. Cover and cook on High 8 hours

Stir in peas and corn; cover and cook on High 30 more minutes.

This recipe is from SouthernLiving's Busy Moms Weeknight Favorites Q

For this recipe, after I browned the meat in a pan, I added the water, paste, potatoes and carrots. I brought this to a boil and cooked it on low for about 3 hours. I added the remaining ingredients at about 20 before it finished and seasoned it with Kosher salt. This is for people who don't have slow cookers or don't want to wait 8 hours for their food to cook. Q

Hot cocoa

There is nothing I love more than a nice steaming cup of hot cocoa. I made some this morning for the Supremes. I have several recipes and yes I use the instant one from time to time but there is a simple recipe I use that works every time.

1/3 cup cocoa (I've used Hershey's and Nestle but I think Hershey's is best)
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup water
3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

For toppings I use marshmallows, whipped cream, and cinnamon.

In a small pot, add cocoa, salt, and sugar. Boil water and whisk into pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add milk. Heat until hot but not boiling about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Top with whip cream, marshmallows, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy. Q