now this is how you enter a church

now this is how you enter a church

unique proposals and wedding dances

Have you seen this?!  I love how creative these people entered the church for their wedding!  SO FUN!


Here is where they were on the today show… and good news, they are still going strong!

And now for some amazing proposals… awe these guys…..so adorable!

6 year plan

 

And then we have this…. if you haven’t seen it – get out a box of kleenex

 

What are your favorites?  I love fun dances like this!

Mandi Heilig - Dry Ink Designs

mexican pork tenderloin with veggie quesadilla and brown rice

mexican pork tenderloin with veggie quesadilla and brown rice

Last night The Mister and I cooked another AMAZING meal and I just have to share it with you guys!  It was very, very easy to make and he LOVED it!  So… I guess this one will be going into the dinner rotation.  These are actually recipes that I made up were passed down from my mom… If you try one of these out – let me know what you think!  I’m always up to suggestions!

Best thing yet – this ENTIRE MEAL is under 800 calories!!!

mexican pork tenderloin meal

First up is the Mexican Pork Tenderloin – this was so easy and I just used ingredients I had in my kitchen.  The ingredients are an estimate as I just shaked in the bowl…. but I do believe what I have here is pretty close!

Mexican Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

  • Pork Tenderloin (mine was about 12 oz)
  • MARINADE:
  • 1/2 of a light beer (I used Bud Light from a can)
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of tobasco sauce (I used about 10 drops of Texas Pete)
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Directions

  1. Mix all marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Put the tenderloin and marinade mixture into a ziploc bag and let sit for 5-8 hours (I did mine before I left for work and it was ready when we got home – mine probably sat for close to 10 hours).
  3. Set the pork bag out for about 10 minutes before grilling
  4. Grill on medium heat for 20-25 minutes.
  5. Pull apart or slice to enjoy.

 

Next up is the veggie quesadilla.  I have been making these for years and decided to add it to the pork.  The Mister added in the pork to his, making a pork quesadilla – but I kept mine separate.  Either way works!

veggie quesadilla

Veggie Quesadilla

Ingredients

  • 1 Tortilla Quesadilla shell
  • 1 green pepper
  • 1 small onion (vadilla)
  • 1 can of black beans
  • 2 pickled jalapenos (optional)
  • 1/2 cup mexican shredded cheese
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salsa (optional)

Directions

  1. Slice green pepper and onion into fajita style slices.  Saute with oil in medium frying pan on medium high until the onions start to turn brown!  Remove veggies and turn the heat down to medium.
  2. In the meantime warm up the black beans.  Add sliced jalapenos (to taste) and cook with the beans.
  3. After removing the veggies from the frying pan, lay in the tortilla and layer in the shredded cheese.
  4. When the cheese is starting to melt, add a layer of the black bean / jalapeno mixture as well as green peppers and onion on one 1/2 of the tortilla.
  5. Fold over the top of the quesadilla, flip once in the pan to cook on both sides and then serve.
  6. I use salsa on mine, but you could also add sour cream or guacamole.

 

Finally – Brown Rice.  This is not what you are thinking of when you think brown rice.  It is actually white rice with beef consume soup.  Don’t knock it till you try it.  I LOVE it!!!  Mom has made it for us for YEARS on mexican night and now I can’t eat tacos (or quesadillas) at home without it!

brown rice

 

Brown Rice

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups white rice (I use Uncle Ben’s)
  • 2 cans beef consume soup
  • water
  • salt

Directions

  1. You will need to combine ingredients into a microwave safe bowl.
  2. Pour 1-1/2 cups of rice in the bowl
  3. You will need a total of 2-1/2 cups of liquid.  Use the soup and then water to make 2-1/2 cups of liquid to add to the rice.  I rinse out my cans with water to make sure I get all of the soup out of the cans.
  4. Cook on high for 10 minutes.  Stir.  Reduce heat to medium power and cook for another 20 minutes.

 

All of this took me about 30 minutes to prepare and was super easy to make.  I hope you enjoy!!!

Mandi Heilig - Dry Ink Designs

 

40 road trip songs for the summer

40 road trip songs for the summer

It is almost the summer, the kids are getting out of school, we all want to feel the wind in our face – sounds like it is time for a road trip to me!

This past year, my mom and I took a cross country road trip (you can read about it here) and I will tell you – the radio will be your best friend!  I had a few play lists on my ipad and I will never take another road trip without them!

road trip songs

Below are 40 songs that are great “Go-To” songs for long wind-shield time!

  1. Rusted Root – Send Me On My Way – listen
  2. Biz Markie – Just a Friend – listen
  3. Old Crow Medicine Show – Wagon Wheel – listen
  4. OAR – Crazy Game of Poker – listen
  5. R. Kelly – Ignition – listen (can I get a whoop whoop)
  6. Eric Hutchinson – Rock and Roll – listen
  7. Steppenwolf – Born to be Wild – listen
  8. Jerry Reed – East Bound and Down – listen
  9. Grateful Dead – Truckin – listen
  10. Journey – Any Way You Want It – listen
  11. Van Morrison – Brown Eye’d Girl – listen
  12. The Mama’s and The Papa’s – California Dreamin – listen
  13. Will Smith – Summertime – listen
  14. Simon and Garfunkel – Cecilia – listen
  15. John Denver – Country Roads – listen
  16. Alabama – Dixieland Delight – listen
  17. Mr. Big – To Be With You – listen
  18. Dexys Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen – listen
  19. Stealers Wheel – Stuck In the Middle With You – listen
  20. Billy Joel – The Longest Time – listen
  21. Tom Petty – Free Fallin – listen
  22. Nitty Gritty Dirty Band – Fishin in the Dark – listen
  23. The Proclaimers – I’m Gonna Be – listen
  24. Jimmy Buffett – Margaritaville – listen
  25. Rupert Holmes – Escape (The Pina Colada Song) – listen
  26. The Beach Boys – Kokomo – listen
  27. Nancy Sinatra – These Boots are Made for Walkin – listen
  28. Ray Charles – Hit The Road Jack – listen
  29. IZ – Somewhere Over The Rainbow – listen
  30. Johnny Cash – I’ve been everywhere man – listen
  31. Fun. – Carry On – listen
  32.  The Lumineers – Ho Hey – listen
  33. Rick Spingfield – Jesse’s Girl – listen
  34. The Fugees – Killing Me Softly – listen
  35. Dixie Chicks – Wide Open Spaces – listen
  36. Corinne Bailey Rae – Put Your Records on – listen
  37. Zac Brown Band – Knee Deep – listen
  38. Kenny Chesney – Summertime – listen
  39. Michael Jackson – Billie Jean – listen
  40. OutKast – Hey Ya – listen

Who is going on a road trip?  What are your favorite songs?

Mandi Heilig - Dry Ink Designs