Where does the time go, Must we let it end
Where does the time go, Gone too soon my friend...

With the Somerset Patriots mascot!




With Mackenzie and Michael, this year's Champion Children!


Kaitlin, last year's champion child!

Well this has certainly been a very busy week and a half! So let's see, where to begin!

First, on March 17th, I was off to Summit, NJ where I participated in the Summit YMCA Healthy Kids Day! I had a great time signing autographs and selling my cookbook. It was a definitely a cold day, but everyone was so much fun, and I was able to discuss my platform with many young children! It was such an honor to be a role model to young children.

With the mayor of Summit, NJ!


He wanted to be Miss NJ, haha!

Then on March 18th I went to Mt. Laurel, New Jersey to the Burlington YMCA Healthy Kids Day! It was such a busy day, and I signed practically 200 autographs that day! I couldn't believe how excited everyone was to meet me. I was so honored and once again pleased to share my platform and belief in healthy kids for a healthy future!

With a young fan! :-)


With the Wii Bowling champion!


With some teens attending the event!

Later that week I was a guest judge at Rider University for the Color me Violet pageant to raise money for Domestic Violence. I had the pleasure of sharing the panel with Miss NJ USA, Miss NJ Teen USA, and my very own little sister Andie! We had a so much fun judging the pageant, and I was so impressed with the young women. They were all very talented, and so well spoken. I want to congratulate Jasmine Adams, Miss Popular, and Destyne Pitts, Miss Violet.


With the other judges!


Jasmine Adams, Miss Popular!


Destyne Pitts, Miss Violet!

Then on Friday, I was off to Ramapo College for CMN's Dance-a-thon. I had so much fun judging the Dance Contest, as well as spending some time with my friends, Kaitlin, Mackenzie, Michael, and Amara, who are all CMN Children. Mackenzie and Michael are this year's champion children nominees. These children just are so extraordinary and are such an inspiration to me!


With the top 5 dancers!


With all the CMN children!


Mackenzie, Kaitlin, and Amara! The girls!


With Amara! She is such a sweet girl!

That evening Sally and myself drove all the way from Mahwah to Ocean City, to be ready for Miss NJ Orientation the next morning. I literally drove the entire length of the state of New Jersey, Over 150 miles total!

Then Saturday morning I was up bright and early for Miss NJ Orientation, and I am so excited to see what lucky young woman will be joining this tremendous sisterhood! I am so proud of the each of the contestants, they are truly a very talented group of young women! I know that any one of the women can make a great Miss NJ! Come out to support these young women on June 17, 18, and 19th!

I was so excited because I also received my Miss America DVDs! I was hoping to see how my talent was, as well as swimsuit and eveningwear. I must say, I know it wasn't perfect, and there were things I wish I could have done differently, but overall I definitely felt great about my performance. I truly felt that I represented NJ very well, and did everything I could to be the best me possible. It just wasn't meant to be for me!

Well don't forget, even though April is almost over, it is still Healthy Kids Month, but most importantly, our children's healthy is something we must pay attention to every day. They are the future, and their well-being is crucial. I hope that everyone might be interested in buying my cookbook, I'm selling them for $3.00. There are recipes that are healthy and affordable for families!

Well until next time, health and happiness!

April is Healthy Kids Month!

Without your health, you have no wealth!
Ask how you can become healthy!

My little peanut, Callie :-)


Hands off my crown! I still have 2 months left!

With April being Healthy Kids Month, I want to take this time to share some thoughts on how to lead a better lifestyle. I truly believe that our health is our most important asset, and that is why I'm so passionate about platform, and believe in making a difference in the lives of Americans. Children are especially important because they are our future! I'm going to include some tips and recipes for children this month to help parents with some ideas to get their children healthy!

TIP #1
Stay Active!
Being active for children can be something as simple as jump rope or hula-hoop, even hop-scotch is another great way to get children moving! If necessary, MAKE the time for your child to be active, by getting them involved in intramural activities. This is a great way for children to socialize and make friends as well!

Kid Friendly, Healthy Sloppy Joe’s

Ingredients

• 12 ounces 90%-lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 cups finely chopped cremini mushrooms, (about 4 ounces)
• 5 plum tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup chili sauce, such as Heinz
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 8 whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted if desired

Preparation

1. Crumble beef into a large nonstick skillet; cook over medium heat until it starts to sizzle, about 1 minute. Add onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables are soft and the moisture has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes and flour; stir to combine. Stir in water, vinegar, chili sauce and ketchup and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and the onion is very tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm on buns.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: The filling will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Nutrition

Per serving: 233 calories; 6 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 28 mg cholesterol; 31 g carbohydrates; 14 g protein; 5 g fiber; 436 mg sodium; 504 mg potassium.

So as things come down to the last two months of my reign as Miss New Jersey 2009, I have had a lot of time to begin to reflect on one of the most amazing years of my life. I'm at that point where I've started to look as to what is next, of course there are things that I have been thinking about since I returned home from Miss America, but now it's time to get serious.

The remaining blogs over the next 2 months will certainly be very reflective and help me to bring together everything that I have experienced. There have been so many amazing memories, it's going to take awhile to sort through everything in my mind! But even since I've returned home from Miss America, my life has completely changed, which makes me realize that this is just the beginning to the rest of my life. I have no idea what is in store for me, but that is the beauty of life!

I know that there is something, well actually, someone that everyone is dying to know about since it is a change in my life, and I figure it is a good time to share, even though I have tried very hard to protect him from this crazy pageant world! But for those of you without Facebook, yes! It's true! I, Ashley Shaffer, have a boyfriend, and his name is Mike McDermott. He and I go back to 8th grade, where we first dated each other, and went our separate ways in high school, but somehow found our way back. It's funny how life works out sometimes, but I'm so happy it worked out this way! He is truly a wonderful guy, and I'm very blessed to have him in my life :-)


On Easter :-)

I want to congratulate the last young woman to punch her ticket to Miss NJ 2010, and that is Roopali Pendse, Miss Stars and Stripes 2010! We now have 27 young women competing for the title of Miss New Jersey 2010, and I'm so excited to see who the next lucky young lady will be! Our orientation day is on April 24th, and I can't wait to see all the young women together!

With Andie, MNJOT, and Roopali!


With Miss Gloucester County, Kaitlin Davis!

It's an oreo! Of course, I'm the sweet cream filling ;-)

This weekend will prove to be a very busy one with two appearances with the YMCA, one in Summit, NJ and one in Burlington, NJ for the Healthy Kids Day! I can't wait to enjoy the festivities! Don't forget that April is Healthy Kids Month! So this is a great opportunity to learn more about how to incorporate more healthy lifestyles for children!

Til Next time, Health and Happiness!