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Pork Tacos

....we love a good pork tenderloin in our house! but i must admit that we get tired of preparing it the same ol' way.....one day when talking to a good friend of mine about trying to cook good dinners for our family she gave me this great idea....and we are so glad she did!!

Pork Tacos



** it doesn't get much easier than this!! **

- place a pork tenderloin (1 1/2 - 2 lb size) in a crockpot.
- pour one jar of salsa all over the top
- cook on low all day ( ~ 8hrs ) 
- shred with forks when done, saving a little bit of juices to pour over the top
- serve in soft taco shells with fresh avocados or guacomole, pico de gallo, cilantro, sour cream & mexican cheese blend.

these turn out so great!! we usually serve ours with a side of black beans or refried beans....the kids even love them :)

another hint....watch the sales papers for pork tenders....just yesterday i scored 3 pork tenders for $12 at the piggly wiggly...they were on sale for $1.99/lb!!....and when i say pork tender i am NOT referring to the Hormel pre-seasoned pork tenderloins....those are way too expensive and honestly not that tasty to me...

 

Enjoy!! Bon Appetit!!

Fun Run...

....was lots of fun indeed!!

sissy had a blast raising money and running in the boosterthon fun run this year! it is such an AWESOME fundraiser for the school....they raised over $45,000 this year....wow!!...and her class topped out and received all the prizes possible ~ including a classroom iPod, docking station AND an iPad!!

her teachers promised the class that if they reached their goal they could *dress them* for the fun run....they were such good sports and looked pretty cute to me!

my little runner!!

several pics in this post i can't take credit for....this great photog took them for me & was helping mama reid and i get some great shots for the yearbook...

after each lap they wrote a tally mark on their back....miss priss ran all 35 laps...way to go girl!

running with the boys :)

this is the only pic of miss priss and one her besties that i could get....they were too fast for me!

finally when they were done i did snap a pic of sis and a few more of her precious friends! i have said it before, but we are all blessed by the awesome group of girls she is friends with!!!

a group shot of her class!!

they were all hot, sweaty & worn out when it was done! i think the rest of their day was spent watching movies and playing board games they brought in....sounds like fun to me :)

labor day weekend...

....was a whole lot of family time!

so sorry for being such a slacker blogger lately...i guess the new school year, work & the extracurriculars have taken their toll on me...i will do better, promise :)

we decided to head over to georgia last weekend to spend some time with papaw (brett's grandfather) and the rest of the richards clan....papaw has been quite sick lately and in & out of the hospital so of course we wanted to go see him...
while in town we also managed to get in one of uncle blake's football games...

yup, that's right brett's brother is coaching football this year! the 7th grade buford wolves youth football team...go wolves!

big man & pops had to work on some of their own football moves....

and sunday, continuing with some uncle blake time, we headed over to his house to swim in his pool and celebrate his birthday...

of course during this whole weekend we managed to visit papaw three times and get in a date night for brett & i....Stoney River ~ amazing food!! it is also the place we ate the night we got engaged :) ahh, good times! 

monday we stayed at pops & mimi's house and cooked out with everyone....it was such a beautiful day!! the kids pulled out some riding toys and enjoyed the day....well, sorta...

sissy did great!

brother man...well, let's just say it was a rough ride down...

ya know, the "funny" thing was he wasn't upset that he got hurt, he was more upset and embarrassed because he didn't make it down the hill....ahh, boys!

thanks for a fun weekend mimi & pops....see you soon!

...by the way, anyone notice my tabs at the top...a place for everyone & everyone in their place :)

are you ready for some football???

....we are!! and this past thursday was brett's first home game and pep rally....

i usually work on thursdays and never get to go to the pep rallies...it was such a treat to be off and take miss priss to cheer on her daddy...the reid girls had the same idea too! they were cheering on their uncle who is the band....

the theme for this pep rally was to *Plank the Pirates!*....and the beachy attire was everywhere! here comes coach in his swim trunks...

the girls were so cute watching the cheerleaders...

we even found some other sweet friends who were there cheering on their older brothers....such a precious group of girls!!

after the pep rally and sissy's art class we headed over to the game....

brett is the head 7th grade coach but also quarterbacks coach for both 7th & 8th grade teams....ya know what that means?!?!....two games to sit through enjoy & cheer for :)

we finally were able to meet this cutie below....his step-dad is one of brett's assistant coaches....he is so adorable!! he & big man are going to have a blast this season...

cheering on their dads...

both teams tried their hardest but were not able to pull out a victory this time....

we'll get 'em next time coach!

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wow!....it has been a long time since i have posted a recipe!! so sorry :) i hope to get better about it this fall....

this is another one of my own recipes....well, let's just call it a concoction at it's best...but a quite tasty concoction at least! i had some mexican inspired ingredients and decided to do a new twist on pasta...

Taco Cheesy Mac

1 & 1/2 lbs. Hamburger Meat
1/2 large onion chopped
1 box whole grain pasta – rotini
3/4 cup water
1 taco seasoning packet
1/2 lb of Velvetta (1/2 of one large box)
1 can Rotel tomatoes with lime & cilantro
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained or 1 bag frozen corn, cooked & drained
1 16oz jar of salsa (medium)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 cup crushed tortilla chips

- Brown hamburger meat & sauté onions, drain & return to pan

- Add water and taco seasoning packet to meat, mix thoroughly & cook 5-6 minutes

- Cook pasta according to directions, drain & return to pot

- Add Velvetta to hot pasta, stir well to melt cheese

- Stir in tomatoes, black beans, corn, salsa, sour cream & 1/2 cup of cheese

- Mix all ingredients together well

- Grease two large casserole dishes

- Pour pasta into dishes, sprinkle with remaining cheese and tortilla chips

- Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly & cheese is melted.

- If you would like to freeze or refrigerate one until later, don’t sprinkle with cheese & tortilla chips until right before cooking. If frozen, thaw in fridge the night before or cook covered for 1hour.

it was really good and creamy....yum-o!! and it made a ton....enough to share :)

Enjoy!! Bon Appetit!!

sweet dreams....

last night sissy decided she wanted to sleep with her brother....i honestly don't ever remember her asking that...so . stinkin' . sweet!! of course we happily obliged :)

though i was a little concerned their wouldn't be enough room for her....you know with all the other guests in his bed :) he may act like a rough and tumble football player but he is still my sweet baby boy on the inside...thank goodness!!

i mean, that is some sweet lovin' right there!!!