1.16.2018

45 Books in 2017

I don't know about you, but I LOVE to read.
Reading is one of my favorite hobbies & I try and read each night before I go to bed.
My goal for 2017 was to read 50 books. I didn't quite make it. I read 45 books this year!
Here is a recap of the books I read....







 

Favorite Author I discovered in 2017:
I read 8 of her books in 2017.
She has 9 other books, so I am hoping to read some of those this year.

Favorite Book I read in 2017: 

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
Hands down the best book I read in 2017.
Whenever someone is looking for a book recommendation, I tell them to read this book. 
You need to add it to your list of books to read!

Least Favorite Books: 
This book isn't bad, but I read a lot of amazing books in 2017. The author is Joy Felding, and I like the other books I have read by her. This book was just okay. 

Yeah, I know. Everyone raved about this book. I was underwhelmed....maybe because I had too high of expectations? The first 150 are reallllllly slow. It took me forever to read it. The ending was good, but overall....Eh.

Book that made me cry:
In 2016 more than half the books I read made me cry (I read a ton of Historical Fiction books based on WW2 era & they made me cry)
For 2017, I wanted to read more light hearted books. I  read a lot of  "beach reads" & also susupensful/pyschological thrillers in 2017, so not a lot of tears were shed with the books I read in 2017.
The book that did make me cry?
You guessed it.... It Ends with Us
Other books that made me cry are Secrets of a Charmed Life &  The Mother's Promise...both fantastic books. 

Book that made me laugh:
This was a feel good book & an easy read! 


Book that made me smile:
This book made me smile & also cry. One of the best books I read in 2017.

 Loved learning more about Chip & JoJo and how Magnolia started. If you love Fixer Upper, you will LOVE this book. It was fun to get to know them :)

Best series I read in 2017:
 This is easy....hands down the Women's Murder Club Series by James Patterson
In 2016,  I  started book 1 the first week of summer. 
By the end of the summer, I had read ALL 15 books in the series.
I'm slightly embarrassed by that.
But, they are SO good.
You must read them in numerical order.
And, they are based in San Francisco & the Bay Area, so that is fun.
I was so obsessed with these books that when I finished book 14 when I was in Lake Tahoe, I couldn't wait to get book 15, but I didn't have internet to buy it for my kindle on Amazon, so I went to one of the libraries in Tahoe, got myself a library card for that library and checked it out so I could read it.
That's how good this series is.
Book 16 came out in 2017 & I read it in 1 day! I LOVE this series.
Check out the series HERE.

Book 17 is coming out next month, can't wait to read it!
Kevin also loves this series, he is on Book 10. 

A new series I read in 2017 was Colleen Hoover's Slammed series. There are 3 books & they are wonderful. Great story and great characters. Here is the order of the books:


Book that surprised me:
I love a plot twist....here are some books that surprised me! I recommend all of them!

Biggest Beach/Fluff Read: 

Both of those books are by Elin Hildebrand & I loved them both. 

Book I couldn't put down:
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
  16th Seduction by James Patterson
The Mother's Promise by Sally Hepworth
The Identicals by Elin Hildebrand

All of those books I finished in 1 or 2 days each...they were that good!


Most likely to recommend:
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover. Like I mentioned before....I tell everyone about this book!
  The Women's Murder Club Series by James Patterson....you have 16 books that you get to read and all of them are great.
Author I want to read more from in 2018:
Colleen Hoover ( I read 8 of her books in 2017, can't wait to read her other 9 books)
Mary Kubica (I read her 3  books in 2016 & loved them all. She came out with a new one a few months ago and I can't wait to read it)
James PattersonI love his Women's Murder Club Series so much, so I am going to read more of his books...I think he has written over 60 books, so I am going to read more of them. He has an Alex Cross series that I want to read....has anyone read it?
Susan Meissner In 2016, I read A Fall of Marigolds (loved it!!!) and in 2017 I read Secrets of a Charmed Life (really liked this book as well) She has a handful of additional books & I want to read some of them this year.


 In 2016, I read 60 books. You can see the books I read in 2016 on THIS post.
In 2015, I read 35 books. You can see the books I read in 2015 on THIS post.


I have already finished 1 book in 2018....The Lying Game by Ruth Ware (She also wrote The Women in Cabin 10 &  In dark, dark wood)


I would LOVE to hear YOUR recommendations!
 What are your FAVORITE books of 2017?
What books do you recommend that I add to my reading list in 2018?

Can't wait to hear your suggestions & what some of your favorite books are! 
 I read a ton of the books you guys have suggested in the past, so THANK YOU!
Book nerds unite :)

1.12.2018

Instant Pot Quick & Easy Shredded Chicken

I know a lot of you may have gotten an Instant Pot for Christmas & you may be intimidated by it or you aren't sure what to make in it.
It's also January, which means a lot of people are trying to start the New Year off by eating healthy.
Shredded Chicken is a lean white meat, so it's healthy & a great way to have some protein.
I wanted to share a SUPER EASY way to make Shredded Chicken in your Instant Pot.
What I love about this method is that it makes a ton of shredded chicken, it freezes well & you can add it to salads, soups, casseroles, etc.
 Here is what you need:
 3-4 pounds of frozen chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup of water
- Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:
Pour 1/2 cup of water into the bottom of your Instant Pot liner. Add the frozen chicken breasts and then sprinkle with salt & pepper:
   Then put the lid on your Instant Pot turn the knob to SEALING:
You are going to cook this on manual high pressure for 15 minutes.
After it is done cooking, I wait 15-20 minutes for it to release pressure on it's ow. If there steam left, do a manual release.

It will look like this when you open the lid:
 Using cooking tongs,  I move the Chicken breasts to my Kitchen Aid mixer. I always do a quick check to make sure my chicken is cooked (I am scared of under cooked chicken...LOL)
 
Then, turn on your mixer!
If you don't have a Kitchen Aid Stand mixer, just use a hand mixer.
In about 1 minute, your chicken is completely shredded!
 So Easy! Look at all that Shredded Chicken!
 Then, I take what I need for what I am making & then I freeze the rest in a Ziplock.
 I label the bag so I know what's in there :)
 This is seriously the EASIEST and QUICKEST way to make Shredded Chicken.

I use this Shredded Chicken for several recipes that call for chicken like:

Speaking of other healthy & easy Instant Pot recipes, here are all the Instant Pot recipes I have posted in the last year since I have owned my Instant Pot:

Korean Beef






 
More Instant Pot Recipes coming your way...I hope to blog 1 or 2  Instant Pot recipe a month!
I am also hoping to blog more of my Crock Pot recipes into Instant Pot Recipes.
I have already converted my Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas,  Slow Cooker Corn Chowder with Potatoes + Bacon , Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili & Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup  to Instant Pot Recipes.....I just need to blog those conversions for you guys. 
Stay Tuned for those & more Instant Pot Recipes! 

If you have any Instant Pot questions, please ask me! I have had mine since October 2016 and I LOVE it. I was intimidated by it at first, but after I used it the first time, I realized it wasn't so scary to use. I am in love with it and haven't used my Crock Pot since I got my Instant Pot!
 
Hope you have a great weekend!

1.10.2018

10 on 10 :: January 2018

10 pictures on the 10th day of the month!
{Document a snapshot of your life & find beauty among the ordinary things in your day!}
ten on ten button
Happy 10th of January! 
I told Kate that she would be  excited when she got the milk out of the fridge.
 The expiration date is her birthday :) Am I the only one who likes to pick expiration dates that have meaning? LOL!
My outfit for today...I have this vest in the cream color I wore today & black. Perfect for California "winter" when it's cold in the morning & you need an extra layer.
 During my break at school. Time to catch up on emails & eat my breakfast. I have some sort of bar for breakfast...usually around 10am.
On the left is our worksheet for the day...on the right you can see my new 2018 planner.
View from my classroom... it was a foggy day.
All the trees are bare this time of year. Sad!

After I was done teaching, I headed to the kids school because Kate's 5th grade class was doing a play..Walk through the American Revolution.
It was awesome. My Betsy Ross did a great job!

We  got home at 2:30 & I was finally able to have lunch! I skipped my lunch break & was at Kate's play for almost 2 hours, so I was starving!
On Monday, I made a big batch of Grammy's Split Pea Soup in my Instant Pot. I make it often in the winter & it's perfect for lunch during the week.

Luke and I went to the library.....I had some books on hold I wanted to pick up, so we also went over for the Children's section so Luke could check some out as well.
He loves the library & after he picked out books for himself, he picked out a book for both Kate & Claire as well. Such a sweet boy!

Homework time....it's so crazy how most of their homework is done online!

It's Wednesday, so that means Kate has Youth Group at church. She goes with 3 of her best friends & they love it. I dropped them all off tonight. Gotta love carpooling!
Kevin & Claire had their Adventure Guide meeting to make Pinewoood Derby cars & Kate was at Youth Group, so I took Luke on a Frozen Yogurt date after we dropped Kate & her friends off.

After I read books to Luke & put him to bed, I got myself a cup of tea & started watching my newest obsession....Married at First Sight.
Winter Break Confession: My friend Jackie told me about a show I had never heard of: Married at First Sight. I binge watched the first 2 seasons over break & now I am almost done with Season 3. It is FASCINATING. I am obsessed!!!! Season 6 just started, so I have some catching up to do. It’s on Lifetime (not Netflix, so just download the Lifetime app to watch past seasons) No other word to describe it as fascinating. How did I not know about this show before?!? Who else has seen this show? I am OBSESSED!!

So, there you go.....a sneak peek of our day!
Hope you had a great 10th!

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