Ultimate Blog Party 2010

Five Minutes for Mom is hosting their 4th annual ultimate blog party, and I'm very excited to be joining in the fun this year! I've participated in other years on an old blog, but this is my first time participating from this one!

For those of you stopping by my blog for the first time, grab a drink and a snack, sit down, relax, and get ready to enjoy some super yummy recipes while I tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Amy. I've been married to my husband for two years now and we have two beautiful children. Our children were both born premature due to preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome, and truly are our miracles in life. I work a full time job. I love to cook, spend time with my children, go hiking, and of course, I love to blog!

Around Thanksgiving of 2009, our family decided to make some big changes. My husband and I have both gained quite a bit of weight since our marriage back in 2005, and we decided that it was time to lose the weight and get healthy. We joined weight watchers and the weight started falling off. However, after a point we hit a plateau. We realized that a lot of what we were eating was processed foods - when we checked the labels, there were times where we didn't even know what some of the ingredients in our food were. A good friend of mine had recently begun a journey to cut out processed foods, so we decided to join the bandwagon. We were able to cut out canned soups, packaged pasta/rice mixes, and even things like crackers and breads. I started this blog as a way to keep track of our recipes and our journey to getting healthy.

I hope you enjoyed your stay, and I hope you will come back to visit and enjoy some delicious recipes with us! Be sure to head back to 5 Minutes for Mom and visit lots of other fun and exciting blogs that are participating in the Ultimate Blog Party 2010!

Almost forgot! Here are the prizes I'd LOVE to win if I'm lucky! :)

The Grand Prize of course, who wouldn't love a new laptop?
US7 – Tupperware Prize Pack – the winner will receive a box filled with fun Tupperware goodies
US8 – Buds to Bloom Photo Tile Necklace ($95) – Features custom photo tile, hand stamped mom charm & bead cluster. The Ultimate Mommy Necklace!
US16 – A custom-made tutu for a baby or little girl. This can be made in any color combination you like (classic pink or your favorite team colors). Tutus made by Sweet Patootie’s are the fluffiest little girl tutus you’ll find – like a REAL ballerina’s tutu! Great for costumes OR everyday play!
US27 – One lucky winner will receive a Collected Recipes Cookbook binder, coordinating 8.5″ x 11 stationery, full page plastic protector sheets, and a pack of coordinating recipe cards.
US32 – $25 Target Gift Card!
US39 -Be My Guest certificate ($250 value) for one lucky winner, (2 night stay for a family of four) at any Hilton Garden Inn.
US42 – One winner will receive a copy of American Food Writing: An Anthology With Classic Recipes valued at $40!
US43 – A copy of Get Out!: 150 Ways For Kids and Grown-Ups to Get Into Nature and Build a Greener Future and The Frugal Foodie Cookbook will be shipped to one lucky winner.
US47 – Muffintop Mama, a site dedicated to mamas and fitness, is giving away Muffintop Mama attire to one winner: Simple tanks to help you sweat!
US51 – Two winners will receive a lillebaby EveryWear carrier – the carrier you can wear every way, every where. Choose from Style, Sport or Organic.
US83 – Disney Mickey 5-in-1 Tasty Baker by Pop Art. An all in one table top appliance that bakes pancakes, cakes, quickbreads, biscuits and donuts and more into 6 bite sized shapes (Mickey mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy and Pluto) in about one-third the time. It can even cook eggs.
US96 – A laundry prize pack from Mrs. Meyer’s! 64-oz laundry detergent (HE compatible), 80-ct dryer sheets and 8-oz.room freshener. One winner will pick their choice of scent!
US105 – Get Fit Pack: One “lucky” winner will get a triple threat of Jillian Michaels. Pack contains 30 Day Shred, Yoga Meltdown, The Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout. Pack also includes an aluminum water bottle to help stay on track and stay hydrated!
US110 – A body butter sampler set with three of our most intoxicating scents to pamper your body from head to toe with skin indulgent mango, cocoa, and shea butter for two winners.
US112 – $50 Amazon Gift card
USC 37 – One winner will receive a $50 gift card to Amazon.com on here but that’s not it! There will be many other giveaways listed on my party post that you’ll want to check out!!!
USC 39 – A $50 paypal cash prize for one winner.