Weight Watchers Key Lime Pie...with a LOT of Twists...

So, I don't like key lime, but I loved the idea behind this recipe.  How can one go wrong with Jell-O, Cool Whip, and yogurt?!?  (Here is the pin.)

The original recipe calls for:

• 1 reduced fat graham cracker crust
• 1 (1/16 ounce) package sugar-free lime gelatin
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 1 (8 ounce) container fat-free whipped topping
• 2 (6 ounce) key lime pie yogurt 

I skipped the crust so I could use my cute little glasses again.  (Any excuse is a good one.)  Sure I could have put the crumbs in the bottom, and may next time, but I was too impatient.  Also, instead of using the lime flavor, I used raspberry.  I'm also pretty sure they used regular yogurt, which I just don't buy anymore.  I like the Greek kind so much better!  I made the filling exactly as directed, and spooned it into the glasses.  After a couple of hours in the refrigerator, they were good to go.  They were even better the next night.

Here they are in the cute glasses.

 As you can see, it is quite fluffy and thick.  (It's so fluffy!!!)

I didn't have a full container of Cool Whip, so it didn't make quite as much as it should have, but according to my calculations, a full recipe would be 420 calories.  Six servings would only be 70 calories a piece.  Not too shabby!

Now, I'll admit that this recipe doesn't taste all that different from the Jell-O and Cool Whip we all grew up with, but it definitely has a different feel.

Next time I will use strawberry and put real strawberries in it.  That along with the graham cracker crumbs at the bottom will give it texture.  **UPDATE** I tried the strawberry version.  I didn't like it as well.  I don't know what it was.  Something about the fresh strawberries made me want more strawberries and less everything else.  I'll stick to the plain version going forward.  I bought the stuff to make black cherry next.

In summary:  Try it!!!

Note to self:  Self, try the grout cleaner pin next.

Holy (stupid) Pinterest day, Batman.

I am exhausted, but I have food for most of the week ready to go, and the kitchen is almost clean.  I made the usual refrigerator oatmeal and mason jar salads, as well as a few new things today.

I made a double batch of the Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups.  I put a small batch in the freezer to see how well they hold up, and a big pan is ready in the refrigerator for tomorrow.  Can't.  Wait.  This time I added the shredded chicken to the filling so we will have a little more protein.  I'm hoping it works out.  Honestly, I'm not even sure we'll notice.  *UPDATE*  I will never use wheat pasta for these again.  Half of them broke and the texture just wasn't the same.  Duh, right?

For dinner, I made the "Easiest Dinner Ever."  It really was quite easy.  Throw everything in the crockpot and let it go.  (I added a packet of fajita seasoning to give it a little more flavor.)  The final product was a little too soupy to be used for tacos, but I did it anyway.  It was awkward having full chicken breasts in the end, but I used my CutCo scissors and cut the crap out of them while it was still in the crockpot.  It was easier than thawing them and cutting them up in the beginning, I guess.  I think it would make a great soup or dip for tortilla chips, and would definitely serve over rice like they recommend.  It made a crap-a-load of food, so I'm going to try the leftovers as burrito filling later this week.  I'd say it was a success, but I don't know that I'll make it again.  We'll see.  *UPDATE*  Definitely serve as soup or over rice the first night.  We just used the leftovers to make burritos, and it was perfect.  It thickened up a lot.

The one I'm super happy about was the No Bake Nutella Cheesecakes.  Pretty easy, super tasty, and I got to use my new mini dessert glasses.  Any excuse to use those is a good one.  Having to look at them every time I opened the fridge for two hours was hard...

 ...but, in the end, it was worth it.  The recipe made WAY too much crust, so I used some of the leftover as the crumble on top.  The 3 year-old finally cleaned her room after I let her lick the spoon before I put them in the fridge. It only took all day to get her to do it.  I told her she couldn't have any if her room wasn't clean.  It worked!

And now I get to go to bed knowing the rest of the week will be easier.  When you get off of work at 7PM, anything you can do to speed up dinner is worth it.

Thank you, (stupid) Pinterest.

The Button Curtain

Long before (stupid) Pinterest, I was making crap that would have been perfect for (stupid) Pinterest.  My button curtain would be one of them.  I inherited a crap-ton of buttons, I'm going to guess about 8 gallons of them, and found a lot of fun ways to use them.  This is, by far, my favorite.

I used a super long piece of embroidery floss, threaded a needle on each end, and wove buttons and little beads all until I ran out of thread, basically.  I used the beads to keep the buttons from overlapping, but they also help keep it from getting tangled.

I always meant to find a better way to display it, but a hundred years later, and they are still tied individually to binder rings, and clipped onto a tension rod.  It was way too heavy for the tension rod to actually keep it up, so I ended up hanging it on loops made from braided hemp I had hanging around from my hippy days, which were nailed to the studs next to the door.

It is noisy, and heavy, and a magnet for little hands, and I love it.  If you ever find yourself with an insane amount of buttons, I highly recommend making one.  And, if you use a different method of hanging it, let me know.  I might, someday, want to fix it.