Keurig or not to Keurig?

I have been thinking awhile about getting one of those fancy one cup coffee makers since my sister bought one for her hubby for Christmas two years ago. I have to admit, it makes a fine Mocha Latte! But the calories! Ugh!!
I have two simple reasons for not having succumbed to the Keurig-Tassimo fascination. Reason one is simple...I am trying to lose weight and some of those drinks have a high calorie count. Reason two is the cost. I drink A LOT of coffee and I love the variety of flavoured coffees offered by Keurig in the form of the famous K-cup. It would cost me a fortune to feed my caffeine addiction! The first time I tasted Timothy's cinnamon pastry coffee at a colleague's school, I was absolutely smitten!! I fell hard and and I fell fast. I couldn't wait for Christmas to come so I could get one and sample all these fabulous flavours! But did I?
Nope, I didn't! I even had one in my shopping cart at the local Home Hardware, but I just couldn't do it! Did I really need another appliance crowding my counter space? I am not going to answer that!
I was bummed. I really wanted one, but it really wasn't in my budget right now. There had to be other flavoured coffees out there somewhere on this planet besides the old standbys of vanilla, hazelnut or irish cream. I just had to look south of the border! This is where eBay comes in handy!
And let me tell you...the Peppermint Mocha coffee from Godiva is completely worth it! And I get pots and pots of it, if I wish!! There was also a lively pumpkin spice that was described as absolutely divine! Maybe next time...
Do you like flavoured coffee? Own a Keurig? What's your fave flave?

I go walking...

One of the things that I love the most about early spring is the weather. It's the perfect time for a nice walk outdoors, especially since I am cooped up for most of the day in my classroom.
I took my girls with me on my walk this evening. They have the camera bug as well and brought their IPads to take some pictures of the local animal life down the road from our place.
I didn't take my Canon but did happen to have my iPhone, which can take some decent pictures, like the one below of the sunset.
I also snapped a quick shot of a friendly horse at one of our neighbours. They bring in horses and a variety of other animals that need a home and care for them. This horse is only one of many. They also care for homeless cattle, sheep, ducks and some goats. A full time job for sure!
Anyway, I love walking and I will be sharing more pictures of my walking and hiking adventures as the weather becomes milder.
What sorts of things can you find around your place?

Welcome to Jamocha Junk!

Wow!  Is it ever hard to pick a unique name for a blog?  Anyway, welcome to Jamocha Junk!  It's a little like coffee chat, but since that name was already taken by another blogger, I was out of grinds!

I visited www.thesaurus.com and searched for another word for coffee and saw jamocha in the list.  Works for me!  And since most of the things that I will talk about on this post will be my own meaningless ramblings, the word 'junk' fit perfectly!  Hence, Jamocha Junk!  (Brain junk would have been pretty rockin', too!)
Stay tuned for more random thoughts (also already taken) and pensive ponderings (I was thinking about it!).  'My Brain on Kids' was another idea that was already in use.  The scariest thing about this is that there are other people who think just like me!  Eeek! 
Get ya Jamocha Junk right here!  Woot! Woot!

The February Blues...oh, yeah!

I really, really hate the month of February!  I don't know what it is about this month that just makes me want to bury my head under my pillow and not come up for air until the end of March.  I am not at my best during February; I get easily irritated by little things, have no energy and just fatigue, fatigue, fatigue!  I get so tired of being tired, so tired of myself!  Ugh!
I like to walk and when you live out in the boonies like me, it's hard to walk late in the fall until the middle of spring.  I have no street lights to light the way and I am just not that brave to get out and walk in the dark.  I have an elliptical to use, but it becomes tedious and a little boring.  So from the time falls back in autumn until it shifts forward in the spring, I am stuck inside most days of the week.  It is dark when I get home!
I don't mind November and December.  There is Christmas to look forward to, the New Year and my birthday.  But after all that, along comes February if all its' depressing glory.  Things start to look up the end of March and April is absolutely fantastic to a winter depressed person like me.
I apologize for the lack of vigor in this post.  I am just too fallen with the blues to write much today!  How do you get rid of the February blues?

My cha-cha chicken meatballs!

I have gotten on the healthy eating kick, as many people have.  I mean, look at all the benefits that healthy eating does for our bodies.  Who can deny all those studies that prove that a well-balanced diet can extend our lifespans and lessen the chance of acquiring a serious illness? Nobody!  I was really looking to lose some weight that I had gained after having my three girls.  I formulated some really unhealthy eating habits when they were younger because I was tired, really tired.  And rather than cook for myself, I would reach for the snacks, especially at night after the girls were asleep.  Ahhhh, rest, relaxation and Ruffles!  Sour Cream and Onion chips and I were having an `after-hours` affair on my loveseat! (Must have been pretty intense judging from the amount of crumbs under the loveseat!)

So I have been eating healthier all around and joined the Ideal Protein diet.  I have lost 20 pounds so far and am thrilled with the success that I have had.  However, I have had a tumultuous relationship with a particular grind of meat…ground chicken!  Oh. My. Goodness!  Has there ever been a successful ground chicken recipe that really tastes great and your family will not complain about?

My first run in with ground chicken was a DISASTER of epic proportions.  I substituted ground chicken for the ground beef in a recipe and my taste testers (AKA my family) put their snobby noses up in the air.  I could not get over the absolute BLAH factor of the dish.  The ground chicken absolutely killed it!

Not to be undone by a lump of chicken, I was determined to find a ground chicken recipe that fascinated my family and met my requirements for ‘healthy’. 

I decided to replace my gorgeous ground beef with the chicken version in a chili that I was making.  I didn’t mind the slop after it sat in the pot overnight, but it was not a slam dunk with the fam.  It was healthy and had a variety of veggies, which was great.  BUT I had to feather some shredded cheddar on top to make it outstanding! (And thereby making it a less healthy meal!)  Strike Two!

Egads!  The price of ground chicken is just crazy, so I really hate to waste anything. I attempted this weekend to create some delish chicken meatballs from a recipe I found online.  I read the list of ingredients, which included garlic (yum), onions (yum), fresh parsley (okay) and my personal fave, Frank’s Red Hot.  I mixed, patted and rolled my balls into little lumps of perfection.  I lovingly placed them onto the broiler, whispered some sweet little nothings and popped them into the oven with a silent prayer of hope.  Crossed my fingers and hoped to die…

I prepared some asparagus, cauliflower and broccoli to roast in the oven and sautéed some mushrooms for the sides.  These meatballs were going to be my ground chicken success, I was sure of it.

I brought them out of the oven and popped them in the frying pan to coat them with hot sauce.  Everything was ready for this moment, this epitome of ground chicken…

My daughter passed on the meatballs and went right for the veggies.  (Yes, she is weird that way.)  I knew I was in trouble the minute I tried to use my fork to cut the meatball into two.  Ohmyfriggin’God…drier than a popcorn fart!

I managed to get two down and that was it.  The meatballs tasted terrible…dry, hot, just no good.  I wish I would’ve taken a picture…of my face! 

So I put some on a plate for the Mister when he got home that night.  Bahaha!  It didn’t go over that great when he reheated them in the microwave.  Double dry popcorn farts!

Our family canine enjoyed almost two pounds of chicken-popcorn fart meatballs, so it wasn`t a complete bomb.

I am squawking in defeat with this healthy ground beef alternative.  I am throwing the towel in the chicken coop.   And really, really wanting to choke a few chickens in the process.

I decided on a whim to see how other people make ground chicken work for them in various recipes because quite frankly, it sucks as a substitute.  No lying!  How did they do it?  One chef adds ½ cup to 1 cup of olive oil or heavy cream to her ground chicken before cooking it to prevent dryness.  Well, that defeats the whole purpose of using ground chicken as a lean, low-fat alternative to ground beef.

Stick to ground beef!  Drain it and rinse it and most of the fat will be gone, especially if you buy extra-lean ground beef. 

Now…where are those chicken breasts?  And my mallet!

What is up with that bus driver?

My kids need a new bus driver!  The woman cannot tell time to save her life.  And since then, my mornings have been a nightmare...literally.

We receive our bus notices late in the summer so that we are prepared for the start of school in September.  Our kids are supposed to get on the bus at 7:45 am and get off the bus at 4:00 pm.  I was thrilled!  I would still be able to put my kids on the bus in the morning without having to rely on anyone else! 

The first day of school, the bus pulled up to our drive around 8:00 am.  Okay, it's the first day.  She's going to be a little late, right.  Well, the next morning, same time.  Meanwhile we were told to stand out at the bus 10 minutes early so that means we are waiting out for the bus for 25 minutes.  Ugh!  The next morning, she is even later...8:05 am.  Total wait time for my kids: 30 minutes.  The school year has just started and I'm already getting ticked!  It takes me about 15 minutes to get to work, so now that's putting me behind as I was hoping to be in my classroom by 8:00 am.

I decided that we weren't going to stand out there that long and we went out for the bus around 7:50 am.  She starts showing up around 8:10 am, making me even later for work.  I drag my dear husband out to wait with the kids as I need to leave.  He can be late for work; he's self-employed! 

This continues on and on, the bus driver getting later and later.  I think the latest she's arrived at our house was 8:30 am (my kids' school starts at 8:35 am) making me late for work and the kids late for school.  One morning she doesn't show up at all.  Apparently, the bus broke down.  Yeah, right.

Finally, a group of us (parents on our route) went to the school to complain.  The principal has already had various complaints about this bus driver and not only is she late in the morning, she is late getting to the school in the afternoon.  You've got to be kidding me!

The beginning of December brought new hope into my life, at least in the mornings.  One morning, we were just leaving the house at our usual 7:50-8:00 am, and surprise, surprise, there was the bus!  It was a supply bus driver and I noticed the bus was nearly empty of bodies as it went around the corner.  Unfortunately, that morning, many of the kids missed the bus as nobody was expecting it almost on time. 

Our regular bus driver has been absent due to an accident (she's ok), but I must admit that it's been pretty awesome knowing exactly what time our kids' bus will arrive!  I've been spoiled in December and I am not looking forward to January when it's back to playing 'Guess what time the friggin' bus is going to be here'. 

BUT...life is just about like that!