Recipe: Cayenne Crackers

Yesterday I posted about a delicious frozen bloody mary that would be perfect for a tailgate, and today I have the perfect snack to go along with it. When CT and I went to the Chiefs vs. Cowboys game a friend of mine brought some:

Cayenne Crackers

1 1/4 cup canola oil

2 tbsp crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

1 box of club crackers

2 gallon zip lock bags

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- in a mixing bowl, combine the oil, spices, and ranch dressing

- stir well

- put 1/2 box of club crackers in a gallon ziplock bag with half the oil mixture

- put the remaining 1/2 box of crackers and oil in the other zip lock bag

- seal bags with air

-toss crackers and let sit for ten minutes

- continue to toss crackers every 10 minutes for 40 minutes

Serve and enjoy!

This is such a simple appetizer and would go well dipped in ranch or hummus. It has the perfect amount of salt and heat. 

A Tailgate Necessity

Unfortunately, I have been extremely busy with my new job and with football season in full swing, I haven't had time to make up my own version of this, but I stumbled across it on Pinterest and knew it would make the perfect tailgating drink! And if you aren't a tailgater, whip it up at home for some Sunday night football. It looks too delicious to pass up.

Frozen Bloody Mary

from A Beautiful Mess

According to Elsie, the night before you will need to freeze a tray or two of bloody mary mix. My personal favorite is Zing Zang which can easily be found at any grocery store. It's the perfect mix of spices and tomato juice. 

2 ounces vodka

Bloody Mary mix, frozen into ice cubes

Worcestershire sauce to taste

Tabasco to taste

Fresh lemon juice 

Liquid Smoke

In a blender, combine all the ingredients. You may need to add a little extra bloody mary mix to make it blend better. One tray of ice cube will make one drink, so if you are having a party, freeze a lot! 

Serve with a rimmed salt glass, a stalk of celery, and enjoy.

How delicious and easy! You may not be able to bring your blender to the football field, but don't let that stop you from making some at home to take with you. For my version, I would probably skip the tabasco. I'm not a fan of too much heat and the Zing Zang comes really well seasoned.

 You can never go wrong with a bloody mary! 

Women Crush . . . Thursday

So I know it's 'Women Crush Wednesday' and that I'm a day late and a dollar short with this post BUT my days are crazy busy and there seriously aren't enough hours in the day. That's unless I want to wake up at 430a or go to sleep at midnight, neither which are happening.

So I've made today women crush Thursday! 

Sergeant Theresa Vail

A beauty queen. 

A hunter.

A sergeant in the US Army. 

And the picture talked about around the world, a lover of the Lord and tattoos! 

From looking at the photos above, this woman looks as though she's the complete package. Someone who will die for their country, someone who loves the Lord, and someone who has a wide variety of hobbies. Why didn't she win Miss USA the other night? Was it because she was tatted up? Was it because she kills animals in the woods? Was it because she dresses like a boy sometimes in a uniform? Her platform is empowering women to overcome all stereotypes and to break boundaries, and she definitely breaks the stereotypical 'Miss USA' type of candidate. I think it's time we started getting real people in the pageant. Women that most of us can relate to and women that we as other women look up to. 

She definitely is that type of a contestant! 

And she's from Kansas so I like her even more. =) 

Who was your favorite contestant? 

I Need a Boost

I have come to the realization that I am a super unhealthy person and no longer feel good about what I see in the mirror without clothes on. 

I grew up with people calling me anorexic, I had the fastest metabolism in high school, and I have been an athlete my whole life so I have never had to work at keeping or staying in shape. It just came natural.

After graduating college, and no longer playing volleyball I have slowly but steadily seen the pounds creep on. My muscle is no longer there and now in it's place is a layer of fat. Yuck! 

Today got me thinking:

Why is buying healthy food so dang expensive?

Why does Dr. Pepper taste far more superior than water?

Why can't I turn down cookies or brownies when CT offers to make them?

Why does a gym membership have to be so expensive?

 Why aren't there enough hours in a day to use that membership? 

Why do I HATE running when it's probably one of the best things for you?

As much as I hate to admit it, I no longer am able to put no effort into my health and fitness. I need to be proactive and really start putting effort into my body. We only get one of them, and we need to take care of it and treat it the best way possible.

Like Nike says: Just Do It. 

Since we no longer have our gym membership, I'm going to need to improvise. Thankfully we have some dumbbells at home as well as the p90x videos and pinterest. I have stumbled across some great at home workouts from there. Hopefully those will be enough to get me jump started on this change of lifestyle. 

Check out some workouts I came across via Pinterest:

These are quick workouts that don't need a lot of fancy equipment.

I think I should be able to manage. 

What motivates you? 

What are your favorite at home workouts?