Cleaners and Love

My house may not always be spotless but I do love the house to be that way. I just sometimes don't have the time to do so. I was down and out when I went to the store a few months ago looking for my favorite cleaner and everywhere I went they were out! That was until I saw it sitting on the shelf at the grocery store the other day. I just about screamed in excitement. So in leu of the season "Spring Cleaning", I thought I'd start by suggesting some of my favorite cleaners:
I just love this kitchen soap. I couldn't find it online so I guess you'd have to go into the store and get it. The aroma is so clean and wonderful, I just love how the kitchen smells after doing dishes!

I absolutely hate cleaning the shower and this stuff works great. I usually just clean the shower once a month or so by hand to give it a little help.

Last but certainly not least. This is the cleaner I was so excited to find came back! If you have a chance to try this, please do. It really cleans without a lot of elbow grease and leaves the sinks and bathroom super nice. I use it to clean the shower and in the sinks to remove soap scum and makeup.

If you'd like, you could share your favorite cleaner too!

P.S. Did someone give me a blog award recently? I can't find the post anywhere and I feel really bad! :-(

The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

Isn't this the cutest!

Help My Duke Win!

Thanks to Tara, I found the cutest little pet contest from Bissell.

I mean look how cute he is holding his little plush toy!!Just click on my little angel's pic and

Vote for Duke in the BISSELL MVP Photo Contest 2009!! He will give you lots of love if you do!! ;-)

Valentine's Recap

Friday night we went to see a few movies with some friends. My friend Kristen and I went to see Confessions of a Shopaholic and Brian and Kristen's husband saw Friday the 13th. I thought my movie was fab. I want all of the clothes!

I had a wonderful Valentine's with Hubs. I got him a PSP, which he totally adored! Then we went out for dinner at Brother Sebastian's. The food was delish. We couldn't help but take a few pics...

I love bubbly!


Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day

Purse Tag

My fellow blogger diva Tara tagged me for the purse game thing.
1) Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying as of late. No, you cannot go up to your closet and pull out that cute little purse you used back before you had kids. I want to know what you carried today or the last time you left the house. No cheating!

2) I want to know how much it cost:) And this is not to judge. This is for entertainment purposes only. So spill it. And if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I’d love to hear it.

3) Tag some chicks. And link back to this post so people know why the heck you’re showing everyone your bag.

So here we go with mine...


This is my Kate Spade bag that I've had for forever yet just decided to really use it about a month ago. It's made of great leather and I love it! I bought it used at My Sister's Closet a few years ago for probably $55 or something like that.

I tag:

PinQue
Le Petite
Trish
Mom

Healthy Rolled Chicken Tacos

I make these about once a week since they are so easy and very yummy. I love Mexican food so much but I'd live at the gym if I ate it as much as I want. The key to this is the salsa. It makes this tasty dish so moist and tangy.

2 boneless-skinless chicken breasts
6 corn tortillas
1/2- 3/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheese (either Mexican or cheddar blend)
2-3 tablespoons of salsa
olive oil spray
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook chicken on grill and set to rest for 5 minutes. Cut chicken breasts in half and place in food processor with salsa and pulse until shredded but not a paste. Transfer mixture to a bowl and add cheese, set aside. Heat up corn tortillas in the microwave for one minute (covered with a damp paper towel to keep moist). Spoon mixture in a row in the middle of the tortilla, like you would an enchilada, and roll. Set on a cookie sheet, seam side down. Continue doing this until all the mixture is used up. Sometimes you might need another tortilla, based on how thick you'd like your tacos to be. Spritz tacos with olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the tacos turn golden. Remove from oven and serve immediately with salsa and low fat sour cream.

The Letter Game

My blogger friend LyndsAU tagged me on the letter game. The game works by posting 10 things you love that start with that letter. She has given me the letter R, so here I go:

1. Risa Rae: (Can I count this as two?) That's me! I love my name and really feel it reflects my personality. Risa means laughter in Spanish...enough said!

2. Rabbit: Although I prefer to call them bunnies, I love them and spring time.

3. Rain: Only rain in Arizona though. It's such a treat there and smells wonderful.

4. Republican: Yeah that's 'right'!

5. Robert Downey Jr.: He's so cute!

6. Restaurants: I love going out to eat.

7. Rome: I would love to visit Italy some day.

8. Ring: I love my wedding and engagement rings

9. Recipes: Just ask my Husband, he thinks I have too many recipes to cook in a lifetime.

10. Rose: I love roses. I fought for them in my garden and I won :-) They are beautiful, hearty and easy to maintain.

If you want to play, leave me a comment and I'll issue you a letter. Have a great day!

Banana Berry Smoothie

Finally it's "normal" temperatures here in Nebraska in February. Well normal for me is 50's + since I'm from AZ, but this 'heat wave' isn't normal for the Midwest. In the Southwest, it's springtime by now and we're sporting summer attire. I still haven't adjusted to that type of season yet here. I made a smoothie before work this week on one of the warmest days ever that was very tasty. I can't drink smoothies in the winter and have been dying for one so I jumped at the chance.

This drink is a healthy alternative to store/restaurant smoothies since I'm controlling the ingredients. It's wholesome and yummy and hits the spot on a sunny spring day!

1/2 banana
5 small fresh strawberries
10 fresh blueberries
1/4 cup crushed ice
2 Tbsp fat free plain yogurt (I just used the grocery store generic)
Tbsp flax seed
Tbsp wheat germ
serving of vanilla protein shake mix
8 oz of skim milk


Mix all ingredients with blender and enjoy!

New Belt

This a new ensemble I created after purchasing the new belt at Banana Republic ON SALE for $10! Sorry for the poor quality of photo, I took it myself with the delay feature AND this is after a day at work and not before. I just though it looked so cute with my Limited cowl neck sweater and cream Limited pants.

BBQ Pulled Chicken

I'm not a pork fan so when hubs finally agreed to host the Superbowl party at our home, I decided to make it chicken. It's a super easy recipe and you can't really go wrong. The beer gives the chicken some tenderness.

4 Boneless-skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle of ale
1 cup barbecue sauce

Place all items in a pot, crock-pot, or rice cooker and simmer until chicken is cooked through. Pull the chicken out and shred on a plate, returning to pot after finished. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes without the lid, allowing the liquid to reduce to a sauce like consistency. Adjust flavor by adding more BBQ sauce to taste.

The Best Salsa Ever!

I am a huge salsa fan. It's one of the best things on the Mexican menu. I'm pretty picky about as well. Piling that canned chunky crap on a great chip is such a disgrace. My good friend Alecia gave me her favorite recipe for salsa she says is to die for. She definitely did not disappoint with this recipe and the people at my Superbowl party paid lots of compliments.

1 Can El Pato Sauce
Cilantro
Chopped Onion
1 can of diced tomatoes (or chopped fresh tomatoes)
Cilantro
Cumin
Garlic Salt
Tapatio Sauce


I have a food chopper/blender, so I throw in some cilantro, about a can of tomatoes, 4 shakes of garlic salt, about 1 ½ handful of onion, can of El Pato Sauce, 2 shakes of Cumin, 4 shakes of Tapatio sauce and mix it all up. Like I said, you really have to taste it to see if it’s hot enough for you or not, but these are the basic ingredients and the salsa is to die for.

Hanky Panky Giveaway

Check out the giveaway from Blue Eyed Bride. These panties are so cute for Valentine's Day. Good luck girls!