Cara Box Cash In

First let me start by saying how happy I am to be posting tonight. Even though I've been up since 3am, I feel happy to be able to to talk about the box swap I was able to participate in this month. Over at the Wifessionals blog Kaitlyn design a plan for each girl to meet two others and forward a box of sunshine one to another- and not exactly to each other. very creative idea that allowed me to meet some awesome women! This month's theme was #clubsexy and since I had no one way of experiencing a #clubsexy Megan from Simply Megan sent me these beauties! Thanks honey!

I cant wait to start my new book after I slather on some Cashmere Glow!

I must also add how amazing it was to go out and put things together items for my own girl. Buying things I knew she would like! And being able to get creative was fun! I can't wait to do it all over again next month!

#YOLO Monday link up

As reluctant as I am to type this: This Monday ain't been so bad! So lets celebrate by linking up! I found Southern Beauty Guide through one link up and found #YOLO Mondays!

My Mom and God Mother (55&56) My God Mother had her birthday party at the skating ring!

//being Mommy
//getting through yet another lunch rush hour successfully
//submitting an essay and knowing I did my best
//cherry Coke Zero------yes, I know it's bad, but that's a whole other post...stay tuned
//a new plan of action for organization  :)
//formulating a 30 by 30

Whole Food cupcakes...Saaaweeet!

I've been thinking about this whole resolution thing. Not as successful as  had hoped but still not too bad... I'll be tweaking it all this week so I'll give you the scoop by Friday! Happy Bloggin' folks.... #YOLO

I refuse to be sit back and watch life pass. Not settling for anything less than AWESOME! God help me to be exactly who You want me to be!!

Monday...

Soooo, I've spent the last 1 hour and a half reading other blogs and searching for some link ups. It was very invigorating to spend some time reading some of my blog friends! At this point I'm totally convinced that: YES!! It is a new week- another busy week but new nonetheless. And that means that there is a new beginning, fresh clean slate, and more memories to be made.

*Last week I returned to my old job in a new location
*I crammed more computer information into my brain than I thought was humanly possible
*I realized that I still don't have settle for anything less than happy
* I can love from a distance and be alright with it
*I know more about the Bible than I thought I did

My Faith Challenge theme for today is: brings joy/ excitement. I get excited just knowing that I will get a blessing every time I open my study Bible.

I can remember having a conversation with my pastor a few years back. I was telling her that I could not understand why I wanted to do good, but just kept on going the wrong way. One thing about her is that Jesus is always her first offering. And I am so grateful for that.

She directed me to Romans chapter 7. Paul was definitely one of the disciples I could relate to in some ways. The truth is this for believers: even in the midst of goodness and righteousness, evil is ever present. I was not a horrible person unworthy of God's love. I was ridden with sin, and that is what had me bound in a way that I continued in it until I was truly ready to surrender.

Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth within me.... O wretched man that I am!Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
-Romans 7:17&24-25

 

My Girl

I can remember as a little girl having such a wild and free spirit. I was audacious. I loved love so much. Music was my best friend and spontaneity was my M-O. Sweet and fierce all at once.

I loved to dance and play. I was pretty. I was nice. I was happy. I loved cheese. I was huggable and so lovable. Somewhere I lost part of that little girl. The hope is that I share my life with a little girl today that puts me in awe with HER beauty. With her individuality...style...grace. She allows me to be that little girl all over again every time I dance to the Fresh Beat band with her. I get to laugh out loud watching her perform on her own stage. She is me... she is her own. She is a wonderful new and improved version of me....meet:

Trinity

                                               

This girl saved my life in more ways than she'll ever know. I was in a bad way and was at the end of my road. When I looked into her eyes I saw the Spirit of God that let me know it would not be easy, but everything would be okay.

 I love watching her grow, hearing her language change, and her childish ways. She is my girl, my hero...

Skinny Bird

I have been waiting all week for this one! I absolutely looooove to eat! I love good food with good flavor. What I love even more is good food that is good for you. One of my goals for 2013 is to develop healthier eating habits to go along with my fitness goals which I've been a little slack on. On Instagram I started following a Canadian health and fitness guru by the username pjsquared. She happens to be a BeachBody coach and has shared one awesomely skinny recipe with us. These babies were super easy to prepare, super easy to make and super easy to clean up. Best of all they were super skinny and delicious! I finally got the chance to go by Whole Foods and grab my ingredients. While I was there I spotted a super cheap Vitamix that I will be purchasing later this week. Stay tuned for recipes and preparations for that!

So today I bring you....

Turkey Muffins

Ingredients

2 pounds of ground turkey (or chicken)                                          

3 egg whites

1 cup quick oats

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 small onion chopped finely

2 stalks of celery chopped fine- regretfully I forgot my celery so I used 1/2 tblsp of celery salt

1 medium zucchini grated and squeezed of its juice

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

chop zucchini and strain all juice from it.- I threw mine in the Ninja and then squeezed all juice out of it

Spray muffin tin with canola cooking spray or olive oil

  

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl Roll meat, seasonings, onion, etc into a large meatball and then place into muffin pan. 

Bake for 30-40 minutes

Enjoy!

Honey Lemon Dressing

While they were cooking I whipped up a quick and easy dressing for my salad.

4 Tblsp 100% pure honey 

2 Tblsp 100% pure lemon juice

whisk or shake together well and pour over salad

I must say that when I first started the preparation I wasn't sure if I was going to be successful. Switching out ingredients isn't something I like to do. As they cooked the aroma of perfectly seasoned turkey filled the air. When I tasted it... these things are the bomb!

This recipe makes roughly 12-16 muffins depending on the size of your muffin tin. Serving size is 2 muffins for most women. I prefer the pan! And get this: only 180 calories per muffin! 

Peristera, thank you so much for sharing this with me.  I look forward to you sharing more healthy food with us! 

*You can click the links above to connect with this BeachBody babe!

Transformation

I have a few verses that I feel the need to repeat on a daily basis. They keep me sane, they keep me calm, they keep me in line, and continuously remind me to stay close to the cross. I've chosen one in particular because no matter where I am or what I'm doing I know that my mind is a very important tool in connecting to my heart thus realizing God's will for my life...

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto 

God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
- Romans 12:1-2

Catching Up

This week has been  hectic due to returning to work and a double load of school work. The worst part is when I start my homework I get sucked in feeling like I can't stop until I'm done. And that's just no fun because I'm spending all of my time working and not enjoying myself half the time. It's all well and fine. Not much to do this weekend. Maybe I can hit up a few bloghops and find more blog friends- God knows I want some more! So the purpose of this post is to catch up on my Faith Challenge. I've been reading other posts from the Challenge, just not posting my own ideas. So here goes:

Day 6 Repentance
This simple word has given me an opportunity to see the love of Jesus in such a new way. In the Bible the Pharisees were so high that they couldn't see past their own ignorance to the Word of God they had staring them in the face. They could never understand Jesus' clear messages of love beyond all prejudices. He looks beyond our faults and sees our need. What a friend we have in Jesus... And repentance gives us the chance to return to Him. These foolish Pharisees turned up their noses as the Christ fellow-shipped  with sinners. He responded by explaining this...

Day 7 Help through Something

For me I could have just copied the entire Book of Life to this section. I have found so many parts of it to help me in times of trouble and trials. And it is for certain that every time I hope to get a blessing out of it, I most certainly do. When I was out in the world in active drug addiction among other various natures of sin I always felt less than. I felt worthless, very inferior to most people around me and in my life. Some find it strange, but I attended church regularly. I was caught in the grips of a strong evil force, but there was still a part of me that knew something could change if I just kept at it. And besides... the House of the Lord was the safest place to be. I knew that if I could go there I could find a moment of peace from the terrible life I lived, and above all else...some hope. For years I asked the Lord- NO, I pleaded with Him to take this thing away from me that plagued my soul. I prayed and cried and sometimes I just wanted to crawl out of my skin. I could not understand why I kept going back time and again, battling an addiction that would never let me loose. On two occasions I was comforted by God's word.  My pastor has a way of giving us exactly what is given to her by the Holy Ghost and for that I praise GOD TO THE HIGHEST HEAVENS. He knows what we need when we need it. I'm impatient, but God has NEVER been late, but ALWAYS on time! Here is my encouragement for all of you:

Nay, much more those members of the body , which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: and those members of the body which we think be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant modesty.

- 1 Corinthians 12:22-23

* we each have a necessary part n this world for glorifying God. Even in our churches and spiritual institutions we are important. We have ALL received the baptism of the Holy Spirit!

About 5 or so years ago I attended a revival service where my heart was touched and new hope was given to me. That was a time in my life when I could not see why I was trapped in this life that  I could not get free from. This is why I say: Sometimes we have to go through what we have to go through in order to see God on the other side.

Be Inspired...to be better!

Made

So I must first start by telling you how great it feels to be inside this blogosphere right now. I feel like I am totally in my zone and honestly I just want to stay here for a while. I have alot to catch up on- for the sake of this not becoming an online novel, I will break this stuff up into separate posts.

This week has been incredible in a sense that I have truly felt the presence of God in my life. I have done some things... and not done some things that I know would not have been possible without the existence of the Holy Spirit. I returned to my old management position on this past Monday. It's not what I personally wanted to do, but I prayed out of a most sincere heart that God's will be done in my life. I would only want to be there if that is where He will have me to be. Things worked out in such a way that it became obvious that there is some unfinished business with this company- a new phase of my development according to the Master's plan. I saw some things that made me uncomfortable, I became irritated at some points, and I even wondered briefly what on Earth could this return possibly mean for me?

I am being made here, friends. The tough times, the rough times, the pressure, and personalities. Dealing WITH them and not IN them is my assignment. A wise man of my church family once told me, "You can't have it made being made." How true this is. Everything in life won't be a bed of roses. And in order to reign with Him in Heaven we MUST learn to suffer like Jesus. It's not easy. But it will all be worth it!

Fear Not

The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

-Psalm 27:1

We've already established the fact that God has given us a spirit of power and of love. We also know that He will take care of us...So why is it that when it appears as if the worse is about to happen we get completely stiff with fear? I am so guilty of this it's not even funny. 

*And before we go any further let me just say this: I am saved by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I wake up with the determination to serve Him in all His glory. I am not perfect, I do fall short, I don't cross every T or dot every I, but my desire is to serve the Lord to the best of my ability and grow in His Grace...I have not arrived...

With that said, I have allowed fear to creep into my spirit a time or two. Crazy fears. Fear of running out of food; fear of failing at my job; fear of failing as a mother; fear of other people not liking me; fear of being entangled again with the yoke of bondage. I could do this all day. Over the years I have allowed some of these fears to consume me. I have even went as far as actually thinking myself right into that fear. I would try so hard not to do these things I would actually end up turning people off with a bad attitude or emotionally neglecting my kids. 

What I have learned is that fear is a very paralyzing feeling. It makes a person very unproductive and consumes their entire being. When I stumbled across this verse years ago it made sense in my head, but today this verse wraps my soul in a blanket of confidence and security in Jesus- knowing that whatever I go through, whoever my enemy is,and with all that I fear, there is an angel waiting to protect me against these things. 

Give it away

So today was my first day back on the job I so eagerly left in October 2012. I walked over God to leave this place and found myself in a world of self-inflicted pain and torment because of it. I posted yesterday about my anxiety in a new beginning and today I thought it was appropriate that today's word would be worry. I felt alot less anxious after my bible study and post last night, but this morning as I prepared myself for a long day there was still some worry in my spirit that I could not shake. Then I finally came to the conclusion that I was completely powerless over the day's activities. 

In 2010 when I first got clean I attended Narcotics Anonymous meetings. I am a firm believer and a witness that God saved me through Jesus Christ and delivered me out of a dying world; but I must say there was some relation to the 12 steps that kept me while I was there. The 3rd step was this: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. Knowing that I could just turn it over to Him was very comforting. I didn't have to carry the load alone. 

While this was my go to for a while, I have come to the conclusion that worrying just ain't gonna get me anywhere. Either way it goes God's got me and the whole world in His hand. These verses below really sums it all up. Why worry if worrying ain't gonna change nothing? If the Lord takes care of the little creatures, it would be foolish of me to think that He will not take care of me...

Then Jesus said to His disciples:"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life"

Luke  12:22-25

Power and Love

This verse is very fitting for the feelings of anxiety that stir within my spirit right at this very moment. Any feeling of worry or fear is not of God. Any feeling that threatens my peace is unholy and not to be welcomed. God has given us a very upright spirit that bores love, sound judgment and is so full of His awesome power!In one of my very first posts I talked briefly about quitting my job last year and going to work in a family business. 

The truth of the matter is, I delivered MYSELF out of a situation in which God had strategically placed me in order to be made by Him. I had grown weary and did the unthinkable. I fainted. I was so disappointed in myself for giving up after all the hard work and blessings that came from this position. I paid dearly for walking over the Lord that way. I've had to confess and repent of some things that would have been prevented had I stayed in my Father's house instead of playing the role of a lost son. We read about Him today at church and I was painfully reminded of how I acted like an ingrate back in October last year. The blessing in it all is when we truly confess and repent out of a sincere heart God still welcomes us with open arms. The point now is to not be a repeat offender but to stay in my Father's house because that is the safest place. 

I said all that to say I have taken a healthy share of humble pie and will return to my old job tomorrow and finish out whatever work the Lord has for me. I have been so anxious in the past few days it's unreal. Many thoughts of failure and inferiority have crept into my mind. I thank God for the house of refuge that He has given me. Receiving the true en-grafted Word of God, I'm reminded to keep my eyes on the cross and remember that if I cannot suffer I shall not reign with my Lord and Savior in Heaven.

Plastered all over everything I own, this verse gives me strength to calm down and get out of myself enough to remember that this is not about me, but about carrying out the work that Jesus has set before me. Thank God for Him!!!! My prayer is that even though the small sliver of worry I still carry, I will allow the will of the Father to be done in my life through this job. 

Be inspired...to be better! 

Mini Pizza Pockets

So today my mom was having some technical difficulties and was unable to join us in the culinary laboratory. As much as I enjoyed having her cook last weekend I knew was ready for her to do it again. But as much as I have become a Pinterest fanatic I have plenty recipes up this girl's sleeve! And besides... this is MY blog... the show must go on right?
When I realized I would have some readers looking for another recipe I began to rack my brain. I'm low on cash and I have alot of things in the cupboard but nothing I really had a taste for. Then my ravenous 7 year old son comes into the kitchen and grabs a bag of pepperoni minis from the fridge. Then I realized I still had a small piece of that mozzarella wheel from last week- and some marinara from another pasta dish we had on Thursday. And then there's the lonely crescent rolls in the refrigerator drawer. Light bulb!

I shuffled through my pinboards and after 5 minutes of drooling over the delicious looking recipes I decided I would be on there all day pinning recipes if I didn't put the phone down immediately. I went with 

 Mini Pizza Pockets

For Topping:

2 Tblsp Parmesan Cheese

1/8 tsp Oregano

1/8 tsp garlic powder

*mix all these together in a ramekin or other small bowl

For Pockets:

1 can Crescent Rolls

1 oz Mozzarella Cheese

1 Tblsp Marinara sauce

1 pkg Hormel Pepperoni Minis

Preheat oven to 375 degrees 

Roll crescent rolls out flat on a greased cookie sheet

With a small spoon smear just a dab of marinara sauce on the wide end of the crescent and top with a thin slice of mozzarella and about 10 to 15 pepperoni

Once you've got all your filling piled high fold fold loose corners over and gently roll the crescent halfway, the n pull the small end over to close it completely. Grab your topping and sprinkle generously over each pocket

Pop these babies in the oven and cook for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.... then watch out for ravenous beasts!

This is my kid friendly recipe for the week. I've got a pork roast in the crock pot right now and tomorrow it will be chopped BBQ. I can hardly wait! Hope you like these pockets. My kids loved them and they were so simple, quick and easy to make. I'll be back later this week with more recipes. I kinda like the food blogs! Happy eating loves!

         

Faith Challenge Day 2- Strength

God is our refuge and strength...

Good morning to all you beautiful bloggers and followers! This morning I woke up with such ease. I usually wake up on Saturdays only to crawl back under the covers. My week is always so busy and hectic that I leave my weekend to sleep in. I'm not sure why today was so different, but I'm just going to go with it and thank God!

So this is my second entry for the 30 Day Faith Challenge. And I must say that this was just a really good idea because it gives me yet another opportunity to get into the Word throughout my day. Who knew?! Honestly I have been convicted in my heart of not reading enough so this is my commitment to do so. Thanks  to Cat over at This Little Life of Mine for creating the link up. 

So today's theme is strength. All too often I find that my natural man wants to rely on my own strength to get through the day or even through the most difficult times. My flesh wants to be the strong one, use its own power (which is very minimal if not obsolete) instead of relying on the power of God through Jesus Christ to light my path.

It is in these rough times that I find my solution in the [favorite] book of Psalm. There are so many ideas and beliefs presented to us on a daily basis. There are so many stumbling blocks and problems that the devil tries to put in front of us constantly. And there are so many crutches that we may lean to in order to make ourselves feel okay with what is going on around us. The unchanging truth of the matter is that in ALL things Christ is the answer. He never changes, He never leaves us, we are never forsaken. We are free to stand firmly on the Word of God as our strength. A foundation that is as solid as a rock. I thank God for this chief cornerstone. I thank him for giving me strength daily to do whatever is required of me. This verse in the picture above is my reminder that God is my security in a very insecure world. Be strengthened by Him today...Be inspired...to be better!

30 Day Faith Challenge

So today I thought it would be completely appropriate to link up with a 30 Day Faith Challenge hosted by the one and only Cat over at This Little Life of Mine. You can click on the link for further details but basically we have to share a verse from scripture relating to whatever the topic is for that day. We will be posting pictures and verses all over the place so come back everyday to get your Holy fix.

Today's topic is stress and let me tell you: I am a Drama Queen when it comes to anything that takes me even slightly out of whack. I'm a compulsive worrier- some days more than others and when it comes to stress I have found that the only way for me to get through it is to trust God. Wandering through Barnes and Noble one night I found this bookmark and it has been stuck in whatever book I'm reading at the moment. This is my mantra. When the going gets tough, the tough STOP, WATCH, PRAY, and TRUST GOD!

On any given day I am not capable of making a sound decision. It is my faith and trust in God that allows me to breeze through any stressful situation that comes my way. Because in the beginning I start to panic, my hands get to sweatin', my heart rate goes up, and I'm trying to find the easiest softest way to get through the ordeal. It's only when I stop and remember that God is in control I am relieved that I don't always have to be the problem solver. When I trust God to take me through He gives me peace of mind through any storm that blows my way. 

And even though looking at this bookmark helps me make it through some rough moments through the day I will leave you with some scripture that pierces my heart every time I think of it in times of stress. 

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

James 1:2-4

My 1st Liebster Award!!

I’m a few days late on posting due to a load of schoolwork, tending to family needs, and working on some things with Jesus. I received the awesome news that I have been nominated for a Liebster Award. I had no idea what that was so I looked it up and liebster happens to be the German word for favorite. I feel so honored and grateful to have been thought of for this award.  Thank you to Martina at Amazingly Blessed for thinking enough of me to nominate me. I appreciate it! So here's the run down of requisites:

1. Answer 11 questions about myself
2. Share 11 facts about me
3. Nominate 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers
4. Produce 11 questions for nominees
5. And each nominee must link back to me as you are finished in your blog post! 

Martina's Questions for Me

1.                  How long have you been blogging? Since December 30, 2012

2.                  Are you afraid of the dark? Yes

3.                  Coke or Pepsi? Generation Next! Pepsi all day

4.                  What is your cleaning schedule? What’s a cleaning schedule?

5.                  What/who made an impact on your life and why? Jesus has made a tremendous impact on my    life because He delivered me from a life of sin-sick misery

6.                  Why do you blog? To share my world with others in hopes that someone may be inspired

7.                  What is your favorite meal? Shrimp and Filet Mignon with rice and veggies with white sauce      from Arigato

8.                  Early bird or night owl? Definitely a night-crawler

9.                  What is the best advice you can give someone? KEEP CALM AND TRUST GOD

10.              Do you like Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter? Fall

11.              Have you ever been camping? It’s been a while but yes…And I love it!

11 Facts About Me 

1. I'm addicted to lotions and body washes- I have an entire drawer dedicated to nothing but liquid body wash. My dresser holds at least 6 bottles of lotion at once
2. I have been delivered from a drug addiction that lasted more than 10 years
3. I am a very unorganized person who pretends to be organized (shh!)
4. I want to open a non-profit for women (at risk young women to mothers)
5. My favorite time of day is right after dinner when I get to dance spontaneously to Nick Jr commercials with my 4 year old girl
6. I have a horrible habit of starting a project and not finishing. This is probably the #1 thing I would change about me.
7. I absolutely DREAD the thought of cleaning- the only thing that motivates me to do it is my LOVE for having a clean house!
8. My favorite color is blue
9. 2 things I cannot live without: lip gloss and yoga pants
10. I'm in love with my skincare products {BeautiControl}
11. I have 2 kids and would someday like to have at least 1 more

And the Nominees Are!...

1. Dancing with God
2. Caffeinated Diva Diaries
3. A Chosen Remnant
4. Happy Kids Inc.
5. Manicures + Extra Sprinkles...Please!
6. Press on to Know
7. Selfless Ambition
8. Simply Inspired Me
9. Let Me See You Sparkle
10. The Frugal Exerciser
11. Thoughts of a Serial Thinker

Questions for my Nominees

1. What's the history behind your blog name?
2. How long have you been blogging?
3. Why did you start blogging?
4. Name 1 item you could not live without. (ANYTHING- beauty product, clothing, food, physical object, etc.)
5. What is your favorite fairytale? Why?
6. What song do you have on your iPod, phone, Mp3, etc. that you would be embarrassed for others to hear?
7. When was your most recent public embarrassment
8.  Which was the 1st blog you started following?
9. What is your favorite post from your blog?
10. If you could have dinner with anyone in the world- living or dead- who would it be and why?
11. What should my next blog topic be?

 This post alone has required me to do much more than the usual sitting down and pouring my heart into the keyboard. I have thoroughly enjoyed the work I put into this. I'm so excited to have been able to show some love to these 11 wonderful ladies listed above: You all have extraordinary and brilliant blogs. I look forward to reading your lives every single day. And know that even if I don't comment- each of you have made some kind of difference in my life. I'm just grateful I've been able to tell you that!! Enjoy spreading the love and getting to know more women. If you have any questions please contact me!

In the Kitchen with Sandra

My mom has always been a very good cook. From following recipes to creating her own masterpieces she has always managed to roll out some awesome grub. Right now she’s finishing up a Culinary Arts degree. Born with the skill of cooking good food I personally think she’s in it more for the professional knowledge of the business. For whatever reasons I am proud of her and I can’t wait to help manage her business one day.

Today I requested that she start sharing some recipes for me to blog. My plan is to try this every Saturday (preferably earlier in the day). I will invite her over to cook and share with us a recipe of her choice. I’ll give you the ingredients and the recipe and any other information I feel is important for your consumption. Don’t expect nutrition facts because Saturday is usually my cheat day unless we specially request a healthy meal. My mom is Diabetic so it may be some motivation for her to cook more heart healthy selections. And without further ado here is the first entry for…

	In the Kitchen with Sandra

Mom’s Mozzarella Meatballs

Ingredients                                                                              glass casserole dish

1 pound lean ground beef                                                       non-stick frying pan

3 oz. fresh mozzarella

2 cups pasta sauce of your choice (Classico- tomato with Basil)

1 pinch of Oregano

1 pinch of garlic powder

1 pinch of onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions

Always remember to wash your hands before preparing any meal. (We don’t want to spread the germies!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and put olive oil in frying pan over medium-high heat

Cut mozzarella into ½ inch to one inch squares

In a large mixing bowl mash all seasonings into the ground meat until well mixed

Pull away enough ground beef for a medium to large size meatball- you want the meatball to be large enough to contain the cheese without it melting out in the process

Once you've formed a ball, press your thumb into the center of the raw meat to create a nest for the cheese. Insert the cheese square and fold the meat over to roll it back into a ball. **

Slightly brown the meatballs and place them in the casserole dish

When you have put all your meat in the cooking dish cover completely with sauce

Cover your dish with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 20 minutes depending on the size of your meatball. If you made them large it may take a little longer to cook thoroughly

Serve with pasta of your choice. My mom loves angel hair pasta but I’m into the whole wheat ziti myself. I’m also a big fan of my mom’s Parmesan meatballs, but these babies did turn out to be quite delicious! Try it!  Let me know how you like it. And also if you have any suggestions for recipes just send me an email.

Time to eat y'all! (Paula Deen voice)