I am not going to say, "oh I have been so busy", because like a friend reminded my Faith and Friendship group, "We have the same number of hours in a day as Mother Theresa had". (I was especially productive after that meeting.)
My issue in the New Year is that I only have a certain amount of computer time and I have been getting our budget in order, working on taxes and reading other blogs that motivate me re: my budget and good eating.
On that note, I will share 3 items that I recently have started eating that are SOOO good - I wonder where they have been all my life.
My friend C. in Omaha shared the first recipe with me in the middle of the summer, but I didn't start making it regularly until recently. Now I make it most days and eat it with apples or bananas. YUM. My friend C, even freezes a bit on banana rounds, but I just eat it at room temp......Mix 1/3 cup plain non-fat yogurt with 1 tablespoon of nut-butter (I use almond butter or peanut butter.) It makes a plain apple into a wonderful treat. I dip the apples, but do make a plate of banana rounds and add a dollop to each.
My friend K from Omaha brought the next recipe to my house when she visited in November. It is a fantastic way to eat low fat dairy + a ton of veggies.....
Mix:
1/2 C cottage cheese (I use 1%)
1/4 C nonfat plain yogurt
1 T light mayo
1 T of feta or a triangle of Laughing cow cheese for flavor
cut up cauliflower and broccoli and/or spinach
seasonings (garlic for sure and Italian or Mexican seasonings are great)
mix together and eat with crackers or veggies if you are really inspired - I prefer crackers :)
My kids love this dip, and they are not big cauliflower fans. It hides in the cheese and adds a great crunch. My friend K added bacon, which they really loved too. I don't make bacon much, but we had some bacon bits (yuck) that they added once to their portion. I even put a small bowl of this in their lunches sometimes.
The last recipe came from Dr. Oz, in a magazine my mother-in-law gave me after she had read. (Probably Woman's Day).
It is called Roasted Indian Pumpkin Soup...but I used canned pumpkin and just roasted all the other veggies.
1 can broth (Dr. O called for vegetarian broth, but I had chicken broth)
1 can pumpkin (after growing my own pumpkins one summer, I decided they are A LOT of work and prefer canned) I could see myself roasting butternut squash for this recipe.
1/2 C milk (Dr. O called for coconut milk, but I used skim the first time and almond milk the second time since I didn't have coconut milk)
1 T honey
at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, roast 1 apple (peeled and cut into chunks), 2 carrots, 1 onion, that have been coated (I use my Pampered Chef sprayer) with olive oil and turmeric, cardamom, curry and garlic powder (or fresh garlic) (if you don't like Indian spices, just sprinkle on what you do like)
I added cabbage the 2nd time I made this soup and although it tasted good, I don't recommend it unless you are going to spend the rest of the day alone...enough said!
Grind up the roasted veggies and then mix with your pumpkin/broth/milk.
I love it as a tasty way to eat more veggies.
A forth recipe I made recently just takes 1 can pumpkin and 1 chocolate cake mix. (I was given this recipe by a woman at Walmart after I picked up a can of pumpkin. She told me her grandkids loved them - my kids did too.) Mix your two ingredients and put into 48 mini muffin tins, if you are blessed to have so many, otherwise you can make bigger muffins. Bake at the temp per the recipe on the cake box. They are so tasty - sort of fudgie! I actually had to freeze 1/2 to keep from eating them too quickly - all things in moderation!
Have a great weekend.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Year in review
My friend MJ started a tradition of asking her kids a list of questions on their birthdays. Years ago I had done something similar, not necessarily on birthdays. I think Joel only completed the list one time, if that is any indication of how well I did at this neat tradition. I decided that New Year's Day might be a good day to ask everyone a list of questions. Many were lifted from MJ's list, but many are the same as I asked years ago for the kid's scrapbooks. MJ, if you mind the plagiarism, leave a comment and I will create a completely new list next year - I promise.
Ken even completed the list of questions, but I am pretty sure he wouldn't complete a list in 2012, if I published his answers this year.
Matthew took 5Xs as long as anyone else to complete his list and it was like pulling teeth. He wanted each answer to be creative and the absolute best answer possible. (I tried to convince him that originality was not needed.)
Within Carolyn's answers, there were a few surprises, but like most of the family, I could probably have answered for her.
Joel was finished in no time. He certainly had a DS theme and painted an accurate portrait of how he sees himself - "afraid of nothing" "so cool" "God" is his hero - I borrowed that answer too!
Anna obviously needed a bit of help and was terribly swayed by the fact that she was eating the ring pop that she got in her Christmas stocking at Grandma and Grandpa's house. If I had let her, "eating this ring pop" would have been the answer to 5 questions". She also was highly suggestible, often answering the last thing I offered to her on a list of options. I did use some "insider knowledge" to answer some of her questions
Ken even completed the list of questions, but I am pretty sure he wouldn't complete a list in 2012, if I published his answers this year.
Matthew took 5Xs as long as anyone else to complete his list and it was like pulling teeth. He wanted each answer to be creative and the absolute best answer possible. (I tried to convince him that originality was not needed.)
Within Carolyn's answers, there were a few surprises, but like most of the family, I could probably have answered for her.
Joel was finished in no time. He certainly had a DS theme and painted an accurate portrait of how he sees himself - "afraid of nothing" "so cool" "God" is his hero - I borrowed that answer too!
Anna obviously needed a bit of help and was terribly swayed by the fact that she was eating the ring pop that she got in her Christmas stocking at Grandma and Grandpa's house. If I had let her, "eating this ring pop" would have been the answer to 5 questions". She also was highly suggestible, often answering the last thing I offered to her on a list of options. I did use some "insider knowledge" to answer some of her questions
Happy New Year
PICTURE HERE WHEN HOME COMPUTER IS NOT ACTING UP!
The ultimate reason for setting goals is to entice you to become the person it takes to achieve them. —Jim Rohn
Above is the quote of the month from Dave Ramsey's Newsletter. Doesn't it make New Year's Resolutions seem noble?
I started on my New Year's Resolutions at the end of November to get a jump start. I am eating healthy again and exercising regularly - and it feels GOOD!
We started cleaning out the storage room in attempts to achieve another goal of ORGANIZATION. I think this is one I have every year, but I will continue to strive!
We are following Dave Ramsey's cash budgeting system in 2011! We actually started earlier this week and I already see challenges (like when you go to the store and buy 3 things from 3 different budget envelopes....) but I am up for it!!!!
Do you see a theme.....yes folks - it is all about controlling my world (in a good way). Yeah - I love when I am driving the bus rather than being run over by it!
Go team!
The ultimate reason for setting goals is to entice you to become the person it takes to achieve them. —Jim Rohn
Above is the quote of the month from Dave Ramsey's Newsletter. Doesn't it make New Year's Resolutions seem noble?
I started on my New Year's Resolutions at the end of November to get a jump start. I am eating healthy again and exercising regularly - and it feels GOOD!
We started cleaning out the storage room in attempts to achieve another goal of ORGANIZATION. I think this is one I have every year, but I will continue to strive!
We are following Dave Ramsey's cash budgeting system in 2011! We actually started earlier this week and I already see challenges (like when you go to the store and buy 3 things from 3 different budget envelopes....) but I am up for it!!!!
Do you see a theme.....yes folks - it is all about controlling my world (in a good way). Yeah - I love when I am driving the bus rather than being run over by it!
Go team!
Merry Christmas
PICTURE HERE - when computer is cooperating :)
We had a quiet Christmas morning sharing gifts with each other. I don't remember this tradition as a child, but ever since I had nieces and nephews - they always had to gather on the stairs going down into my parent's basement for the traditional Christmas morning picture. I decided it was a great idea. It is a good thing, because I forgot to take any other group shots (with all 4 kids) that morning.
After we enjoyed the morning, we packed the car and headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house. We had the pleasure of joining my brother Joe's family and the rest of my extended family for Christmas dinner at his house. We also played Christmas Family Feud, which was a lot of fun. (I didn't take a single photo that night though.)
Here are my folks with my kids and their favorite cousins Monday morning, before we headed for home.
PICTURES HERE - when same computer cooperates!
We had a quiet Christmas morning sharing gifts with each other. I don't remember this tradition as a child, but ever since I had nieces and nephews - they always had to gather on the stairs going down into my parent's basement for the traditional Christmas morning picture. I decided it was a great idea. It is a good thing, because I forgot to take any other group shots (with all 4 kids) that morning.
After we enjoyed the morning, we packed the car and headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house. We had the pleasure of joining my brother Joe's family and the rest of my extended family for Christmas dinner at his house. We also played Christmas Family Feud, which was a lot of fun. (I didn't take a single photo that night though.)
Here are my folks with my kids and their favorite cousins Monday morning, before we headed for home.
PICTURES HERE - when same computer cooperates!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)