Say Good-bye to {Boring} Baked Beans

Brought to you by Jessica Mobley

Some people keep their best recipes under lock and key ~ this lady is NOT one of them. I consider myself to be a good cook and it's something I love to do. When I find or make up an amazing dish I want to share it with everyone! This dish is one if my most requested recipes that started as an accident.

I was looking on line for something new to try for John {my hubby} and had a couple recipes pulled up at once. I started cooking and somewhere in the middle my page got switched and finished with one of the others I had decided against. I realized this when it was time to put it in the oven ~ Oops! What came out of that oven was pure awesomeness! I immediately went through the history and wrote what was used from each recipe and saved it to my computer!

Cheesy Twice Baked Beans

1 Large can Bush's baked beans with the purple packaging.

1 lb of ground beef cooked and drained

3 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp mustard

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup light brown sugar

Shredded cheese

Mix everything EXCEPT the cheese together. Spread half of the mixture in an 8x8-baking dish, layer with shredded cheese and top with remaining mixture. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken!

This can be doubled and put into a 9x13 for large parties. And if there are any leftovers {which I doubt there will be} it also makes a great dip!  From my kitchen to yours, enjoy!

To see more from Jessica follow her on twitter @momAHOLIC_Jess

Don't forget to re-pin this recipe - find it here on our pinterest page!

Opening Soon! The Cheesecake Factory at Arundel Mills!

Not all of our readers are local to us but regardless, there is likely a Cheesecake Factory location nearby and we just want to take a few moments to rave about them. 

We were invited to attend the pre-opening training dinner at the new Cheesecake Factory location opening up this coming Wednesday {June 20, 2012} in Hanover, MD at the new LIVE! Casino at Arundel Mills Mall. This dinner was something of a "trial run" to work out the kinks and be sure that the staff was ready for opening night and on point with service. Everyone was amazingly kind to us and our experience was absolutely fabulous. 

Our server Andrea was completely fantastic. She chatted with us and helped with food selections. Now I know what many of you are thinking - "You're supposed to be on a diet!". Yes this is true. We ARE in fact on the Nutrisystem blogger program and working on losing weight. Honestly everyone needs a break and a night out was much needed so we went ahead and enjoyed ourselves. Nothing wrong with that as long as you jump back on track! 

Anyhow, let me begin with parking at this particular location. If you are local and know Arundel Mills Mall, you know that it can be stressful and nightmarish to find parking on a Friday or Saturday evening. Everyone is at the mall on the weekend! That has only gotten worse during construction while the new casino was being built, but let me say, they were VERY smart in building a 7 floor parking garage complete with valet! The Casino and restaurant are both located on the ground level adjacent to the mall so if you're having trouble locating, there's a tip. 

Upon our arrival at The Cheesecake Factory we were greeted by several smiling faces assisting us with information. We waited only 10 minutes for a table although the restaurant was very busy with other guests. Our food/drink selections for that evening were nothing short of fabulous so I will go ahead and share those with you as well for recommendations. My husband does not drink alcohol at all whatsoever but I gladly enjoyed the ever so yummy "Georgia Peach". I'm a big fan of fruity drinks and this is definitely a new fav!

To start off we had the Fried Mac & Cheese. I have been a big fan of the Tex Mex Eggrolls so I was a little skeptical when it came to trying something new, but I do love mac & cheese and I was super impressed! 

Next up we each tried a new entree as well. We are both loyal to the Hibachi Steak at The Cheesecake Factory but we opted for another new food. I had the Shrimp with Angel Hair pasta and hubby had the Chicken Madeira & Steak Diane combo. We shared the White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake for dessert and left completely satisfied! If you love The Cheesecake Factory {or even if you've never had a chance to try them out} be sure to "LIKE" their Facebook page for the latest location openings and specials. If you happen to live in or will be visiting the DC/Baltimore area, definitely check out the new LIVE! Casino and The Cheesecake Factory at Arundel Mills Mall in Hanover, MD! We give them 5 stars and 2 thumbs up!!

Nutrisystem Update: Week 3

We successfully made it through the hubby's birthday in week 3 of our Nutrisystem program and managed to still lose weight! My husband celebrated his 27th birthday on June 7 and it was a cheat day if there ever was one. He insisted on going all out - dinner, dessert, and a movie! We stuck to the diet all other days and were able to make up for our yummy {but oh-so-fattening} birthday dinner, by working out! Lately we have added in {or sometimes substituted} playing Just Dance 3 for Wii and WHEW that is a workout! One tip that I have in the scheme of losing weight is vitamins, WATER, and grapefruit juice. Keep your body energized. Grapefruit juice helps boost your fat burning and I have definitely noticed a difference between days when I have my juice and days when I don't. Staying active is equally important to eating healthy. Some will say otherwise. Some say you can eat healthy and lose weight without regular exercise, some say you can eat whatever you want as long as you exercise. I firmly believe you need to pair the two in order to be truly fit and healthy. So, whether you go to the gym, run in the neighborhood, play at the park with your kids, or have a Just Dance marathon party, get moving. The difference in how you will look and feel is amazing!

Here are our current stats:

ME:

Weight: 191.4 

Total Weight Lost: 15.4 pounds!

Waist: 45"

Hips: 47"

HUBBY: 

Weight: 200.2

Total Weight Lost: 15.1 pounds

Waist: 41"

Favorite foods this week: Glazed Chicken Tenders dinner from the Chef's Table Menu and the Creamy Fudge Bar dessert...yummmmmmy! Seriously. I kid you not. I really do love these foods. I'm not going to pretend that every single meal is appealing to my taste but there are plenty that are on my repeat list!

My husband has been taking before and after progress pictures so maybe next post he will allow me to share them publicly. I however am not quite that brave. I will see what I can come up with to show my progress though. It is definitely noticeable being that I've dropped about 2 pant sizes! I am so truly thankful to be taking my life back!

Take control of your life and learn how to lose weight while eating healthy on Nutrisystem. All it takes is one phone call to 1-888-853-4689 or a quick visit to their website.

*Nutrisystem is providing my husband and I with 4 months of free food and support service as part of the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger program. In exchange, I will be posting each week with my progress. All thoughts expressed are my own, and my experience using the system may vary from that of other participants.*