I have been a sauerkraut convert ever since my trip to Walt Disney World in September of 2006. Mike and I ate at the German restaurant, Biergarten, in Epcot which served a variety of German food on their buffet. Since it was a buffet and I wasn’t required to clear my plate before having seconds, I decided to heed to Mike’s nudging and try just a little spoonful of sauerkraut with my bratwursts and it has never been the same since. My Polish grandparents and father have never been so proud that they have another sauerkraut convert in the family.
I found this almost perfect recipe in my crock pot cookbook and decided to give it a try. It was very flavorable and has quickly become a favorite of Mike and mine’s. Word of warning though: Like anything that includes cabbage or sauerkraut, this item will leave a rather strong odor in your kitchen before, during, and after cooking. It is well worth it though and you should just open a window or crank your A/C down and circulate your air 
It is very low calorie/low points so if you need something to add to your diet give this recipe a try.
3 ingredient Sauerkraut Meal
2 c low sodium BBQ sauce
1 c water
2 lbs thinly sliced lean pork chops, trimmed of fat
2 lbs sauerkraut, rinsed
1. Mix together BBQ sauce and water.
2. Combine BBQ Sauce, pork chops and sauerkraut in slow cooker.
3. Cover. Cook on low 8-10 hours.
Per serving: 300 cal, 11 gms fat, 18 gms carbs, 3 gms fiber, 32 gms protein.
Made 6 servings and was about 6-7 WW points per serving.
Posted under
budget by The Blonde Diaries on May 29th, 2008 5:43 pm
I absolutely love taking surveys especially surveys I get paid for or have a chance to win a fabulous prize. It is actually the way I was able to 100% pay for Mike and I’s trip to Walt Disney World in September and now I’m working towards our honeymoon which I hope will be a cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean to Greece and Turkey. In my daily pursuit on the internet today looking for paid surveys I ran across one targeting executives in health care - especially human resource directors. When you complete this survey, you will be asked for your email address and contact information in case you are the lucky winner of the iPod Nano they are giving away for completed surveys. How cool is that?! If you work in health care give this survey a try. I bet you will soon find giving your opinion addictive and rewarding as well. To take the survey, click here. Good luck everyone!
Posted under
Wedding by The Blonde Diaries on May 28th, 2008 11:10 pm
Yes that is correct. I have been engaged for about 72 hours and I don’t know where to begin with planning. Luckily, I started 2 magazine subscriptions back in March when we went ring shopping and picked up a couple of books and Houston specific wedding magazines Monday at Barnes and Nobles but otherwise not quite sure what to do. I feel like I need to be doing something or come up with a plan of attack but maybe I’m over thinking things and just need to step back and enjoy this week.
Every book I pick up and person I talk to say pick a date so I guess I’ll do that this weekend. Our church is wide open so that should be good. Hopefully my first choice for wedding reception places are open as well but…
I’m worried about the budget part. I am NOT a budgeter and have the worst time sticking to a budget. I prefer lump sums or monthly maxes with my regular bills/expenses and stick with that instead of x amount for food, x amount for entertainment, etc. Not sure how this way is going to work. I guess I’ll keep reading and thinking about it so that I will be ready when it all starts coming together.
Oh this is going to be so fun…NOT! I hope I can make it through in one piece without blowing too much money or being too cheap. That is my other fear. I can be too cheap with important items so I hope I don’t do that. This is a day I will remember for the rest of my adult life. I know it won’t be perfect but it will be close.
Posted under
Travel by The Blonde Diaries on May 28th, 2008 9:51 pm
I know I know. Just last week I was talking about how I was on vacation and relaxing and now I’m back at work wanting to escape. You see I came back from vacation to a small disaster of an audit - basically not much was done and we are filing on Friday so I quickly had to get to work and stay really late to get everything moving towards completion and get my peeps back on track. Tonight I just about had it though and took a small break and started researching vacation homes/properties. I found some really pretty Wilmington real estate beach houses. Not sure why I picked North Carolina but it seemed nice and quiet and a place work wouldn’t track me down at lol. Anyone else daydream about escaping to far off places while at work? I know I can’t be the only one.
Posted under
Wedding by The Blonde Diaries on May 25th, 2008 12:01 pm
ME!!!
YAY!
At 9:05am at the Houston Zoo in front of the lone koala (and no other guests) I said good bye to my single days and said yes to Mike’s proposal. I’m super excited as it is a beautiful day and we both love the zoo so it was a great way for Mike to do it. Short, simple, sweet, and no bended knee just how I always imagined it (and requested) and in front of a cute animal. So now the fun part of getting to plan and get into shape can start. I was already trying to get back into shape in time for our vacation in September so this will just be a little extra motivation for me. I’m going to do some surfin on the internet now for some songs for my iPod and hit the gym. I’ll be back later to post some photos. 9am in Texas feels the same as 12pm in Texas and I’m a sweaty, smelly mess right now.
