I made...

So I wrote a post the other day and then never got around to finishing it. Here goes anyway so I can get it out of my drafts folder. : )

I hope your Christmas and New Years were safe and happy.  Ours was quiet and nice. And as always, I'm glad it's over. I guess I'm sort of a grinch but I am always happy to pack it all up and be done with holidays for a while. : )

I am happy to say that I have not been having problems breathing. I would say 'at all' but every now and then I will notice it for like A breathe. But it really has felt nice to just feel ok in that regard and not have to put so much mental effort into correctness in that area.

When I started feeling better, I started thinking about all the things I hadn't felt like doing when I couldn't get a breathe. One of them was cross stitch. I started a project a couple of winters ago and got bogged down on this one part and just stopped working on it. So I picked that up and got past the tricky part and finished it.

I did learn making this project that I have major anxiety over french knots. I dotted both the "i"s but did not do any of the decorative knots...I kept obsessing over them looking exactly alike, which they do not, so I knew doing the 20-30 other ones was a lost cause.

INSERT PHOTO HERE..yeah it never happened. : /

I also started putting more effort into my meals again. I have lots of cookbooks but you know as well as I do that it always comes back to the simple stuff. I have lots of recipes for 'raw' foods and salads. And there are some foods I'm trying to learn how to eat raw. One of them is cauliflower. So I played around with several recipes and came up with my own. I had to come up with a name so I went out on a limb and decided to call it Cauliflower Salad. I know, right.

Nothing here is exact...chop up a head of cauliflower..if it's a large one I use about 2/3. Chop into small pieces. I used to try to make it tiny but now I just go for small. Call me lazy. Then chop up a couple hand fulls of parsley, half some tiny tomatoes, add black olives, some onions and or green onions, some lemon juice, garlic powder,  olive oil and salt and pepper. Just chop everything up in the amount and size that is your liking and add the flavorings etc and you're done. It is so yummy and bright. And super healthy. And there isn't a recipe. Just put a bunch of stuff together. And you could swap out other veggies altogether if you want.

INSERT PHOTO HERE...yeah this never happened either. : /

Anyway...I hope you and yours are enjoying the first days weeks of 2015. : )

just a little cooking and health and vcd update all in one

Last night and this morning I made out the grocery list for the early part of the week. And since today it is very cold (unlike yesterday when it was down right delightful..almost 80*), I thought soup would fit the bill for dinner. I've been making lots of soup. Growing up we called it stew but I think it's more of a soup, but whatever. Last week I made some soup. Found it on Pinterest. Healthy delicious bla bla bla. And it was terrible. Hubs made a pbj and I didn't want the leftovers and threw them out.

So today when I was making out the list, I reminded myself of the words of my oncologist at my last visit recently. Eat simple and healthy. It doesn't have to be all this out there kind of stuff. Just eat simple. So that's what I'm going to do today. I love the soup I've made forever...with a few healthy additions. It was already healthy whole food, but I add a few more things now. I'm thankful that his words pop into my head when I'm tempted to get a little carried away.  And as my folks used to say on occasion... if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Lesson learned. No more 'fancy' soup. : )

And also, VCD is an ever present 'friend'. Sometimes it's a friend that I hardly notice. Easy breathing. Love it. And other times, I have to remind myself to take a chill pill and breathe. So because of that, I have been slowing things down in the kitchen and not trying to go all out when simple (and healthy) will git 'r done.

I was able to call this morning and cancel my last speech appointment. I skipped (part of the plan) last week but had this week in my back pocket just in case. But I called this morning and cancelled. Woo hoo. Glad I'm far enough along and life has been able to return to some normalcy...even though there are those times I have to stop and 'do some breathing' to get things back on track.

And also...just something I can't remember if I shared this or not..regarding my last onc appointment. I am so happy to report that my tumor marker went DOWN an entire point. Woo hoo. I was always well in the safe zone but I like to see it going backwards! I credit the sauna for this...along with eating healthy and the other healthy things I do. And I had only been going in for about 6 weeks when I had my onc appointment. Will be interesting to see what happens after 6 months. Also thankful that my breathing is allowing me sauna time again.

I had done a drug therapy thing with the crunchy dr for about 9 months and I was super unhappy with where I was physically...even though it was supposed to be very cancer protective for me...so I pulled the plug a good while back.  I was nervous to stop on it even though it wasn't really helping me. That made me extra grateful for the downward turn in my numbers this time around.

So that's a fun little update and a reminder to keep it simple and healthy. Your bod (and your sanity) will thank ya for it. : )

happy stuff

I went to the gym today in SHORTS and did not freeze. I may have blinded a few people temporarily with all the bright shining light from my snow-white legs. But other than that, it was good to be out and about wearing something lightweight and comfy. I know winter isn’t over yet and will surely show it’s ugly cold head, but I take what I can get when I can get it.

I took my kitty back to the vet today to get her kidneys checked out. Again. This was just a recheck to make sure everything was still grooving along the way it’s supposed to. She did a quick test and we waited for the results. And then she called her a miracle kitty again. Her labs are looking better than ever. And she’s gained 3 ounces. So it’s all good in the kitty hood right now.

I made baked flautas and what started out to be a mango salsa but was more of a veggie and fruit Mexican salad after I added everything but the kitchen sink. The girl and I both loved it. All the bites were eaten.

I’m still loving my NutriBullet. Love-ing! I am finishing a green smoothie while I write this.

See, happy stuff. I like that.

snow day

It’s snowing. I think a list is in order today.

1. Hubs had a wreck a few miles from home on the way to work this morning. (he’s fine!)

2. He called to tell me.

3. Calls not long after he leaves the house are NEVER a good sign.

4. But the fact that I was talking to him was a start in knowing that at least HE was ok.

5. It was only a fender bender. But he’s been on the phone all morning getting things in order to get it fixed.

6. He ended up driving the girl to school…and will pick her up when it’s over later this morning.

7. I was supposed to go to the grocery store this morning…but we can make it. I’ve got enough fresh stuff to get us by.

8. I am making a vegan broccoli ‘cheese’ soup for lunch. (for the girl and I..he will likely have a PB&J)  I made it for myself the other day to test out the recipe and it was soo good. Surprisingly. Pinterest is a wonder, that’s all I can say.

9. I’m not a winter girl. I’m ready to start shopping for real estate in Florida for my ‘winter home’. And I guess I can shop for my summer home in Colorado while I’m at it. ; )

10. When I woke up this morning, I checked WeatherBug on my iPod and it said our ‘feels like’ temp was –1. All I could think of was..what the hey??? This is Texas. It’s not supposed to get ‘minus’ anything here.

Dear Winter…I’m done.

My newest obsession: NutriBullet

Not very long into my health journey, I bought a fancy pants ($$$) juicer. And I used is a good bit. But the problem was…it took forever to use and clean up. And there were a lot of days that it just wasn’t going to happen. Fast forward a good many months and it’s been a good many months since my juicer came out to play.

And that made me sad.

So I started eyeing all the food “extractors”…Ninja, Vitamix, Blendtek and the NutriBullet. I finally chose the NutriBullet. And I have tell you, I am IN LOVE! 

I bought it last week at Bed Bath and Beyond with a coupon. I got the newer model, the Pro that costs more, but I wanted to make sure it would liquify just about any veggie, so I went with the heavier duty model. But I think either one would make a great improvement to one’s health.

I got it and washed up all the pieces..and then went shopping for some of the ingredients I needed for it and got to work. I made my first ‘blast’ and they call it, and couldn’t believe how fast it was. I just plopped my ingredients into the wide mouth cup (compared to the tiny hole I had to shove all my fruits and veggies down for the juicer), screwed on the lid and in less than a minute, I had a tall glass of liquid nutrition that was tasty, and I could drink it knowing every last drop was healthy stuff made readily available to my body for health.

The NB comes with several cups and blades along with several lid styles and rings to go around the top, to make it more comfortable to drink from the ‘tall cup’ that I make my drink in. It also comes with two books with recipes and tips for success. Aaaaand a web site called NutriLiving (that purchasers get access to for 6 months free…don’t know the price yet for when my 6 months expires) which I am loving so far. Many  many recipes. And since they are a short list of raw foods, I have index cards handy to jot down new ideas for future ‘blasts’. 

I am hoping since it couldn’t be any easier (especially in light of just how long it took to juice ‘the old way’), that this becomes a habit that I can stick to. I am loving the variety and the idea that I can drink my greens and get them incorporated in my diet every day EASILY. Like I said, I’m loving it! : )

Disclaimer..I haven’t been compensated for my views bla bla bla and I bought my NutriBullet myself bla bla bla. Over and out, peeps. : )

guacamole

I was flippin’ channels the other day and caught a bit of Hungry Girl on tv. I don’t watch cooking shows much, but the fact that she was doing Mexican food made me perk up. I looove Mexican food.

And here is a true confession….I hadn’t ever had guacamole until a few years ago. I watched Alton Brown make it on Good Eats and decided to give it a whirl. And YUM! I lament all the years of going to Mexican food places and shoving ‘that nasty green stuff’ aside. Oh, what I missed!

But anyhoo, back to Hungry Girl. She was trying to make guacamole less fattening. (IMO guac is fine just like it is…replacing a healthy fat with a carb doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.) So! She put some mashed up green peas in with some avocado to make guacamole.

I just about died.

Talk about messing up some perfectly good food. Peas? Really?!

I do hereby promise that I will never EVER ruin a perfectly good dish by adding peas. Especially my beloved guacamole.

The end.

Pass the chips. ; )

oatmeal chia breakfast

I have seen variations of what I’m about to show you all over the internet and on Pinterest. But I tweaked and changed and lowered the sugar (to zero) and I think it’s just about my favorite thing ever.

Are you ready?

(pretend I am showing you oatmeal, chia seeds, stevia, cocoa powder and almond milk)

(I totally forgot that until I was loading the pics and I deemed it too late since I didn’t want to start the process all over. Forgive me.)

Ok…back to the recipe…you start with 1/3 of a cup of old fashioned oatmeal…not the quick 5 minute stuff.

And then add about 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder.

And 1/8 of a teaspoon of stevia.

This is the kind of stevia I’m using right now.

And stir it all around til it looks sort of combined.

Then add 3/4 of a cup of unsweetened almond milk. (or the milk of your choice)

And 2 tablespoons of chia seeds. (follow the link and go read about this little super food dynamo!)

And stir it all up. Also add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and stir that in too. I forgot to picture it. Pioneer Woman I am not.

That spoon is good for licking right about this point. Just sayin’. : ) And the bowl now goes in the frig for 15 to 30 minutes. I usually grab it closer to 15 minutes and everything is ok.

While the chia seeds work their magic and soak up some of the chocolate milk, it’s time to make the topping.

The cast of characters…cocoa powder…I buy mine at the health food store…it is dutch process and I think it dissolves easier, vanilla extract, a riper banana (or baby food banana if you don’t have a real banana on hand), flax oil, stevia and cottage cheese. Pretend my cottage cheese is organic..it usually is.

Anyway, combine 1 tablespoon of the flax oil with about a 1/4 of a cup of the cottage cheese in a bullet style blender. Also add about 1/2 the jar of baby food banana, or about half a banana, 1/8 teaspoon of stevia, 2 teaspoons cocoa and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Put the spurs to it!

Basically what you’ve got now is something that tastes exactly like chocolate pudding, but it’s super healthy!

Pull out your oatmeal concoction when you deem it settled enough. It will look sort of crusted over on the top. I always stir it some to mix it well and give the chia something else to soak up if they still want to.

Pour the pudding on top. And enjoy!

Y’all this is just about the most delicious breakfast ever. I took all the equipment on vacation to have this every morning for breakfast. I just love it. And if you get tired of the chocolate, you can just leave it out altogether and make the entire thing vanilla flavored. Both are equally delish!

And super healthy…love love YUM!

a sweet note to my girl

Dearest Daughter,

You do not have to get a new plate when you go to the stove for seconds.

This is not Golden Corral.

Love,

Your Mom aka “the one who does the dishes”

some shopping love

I heart you Bed Bath and Beyond!

Really. : )

I was in BBB over the weekend looking for an immersion blender. I had the most delicious soup last week and now I have an urgent need to make it at My house…over and over.

And with my limited diet, it’s a big deal when I find something new and healthy. And yummy.

So anyway, I was in BBB over the weekend looking at ‘stick’ blenders. And one of the employees asked me if I needed any help. So I told her what I was hunting for. I was wanting the Kitchen Aid model without all the extra attachments etc. (I already have choppers and whatever else all those weird things do…all I need is the blender) But the only Kitchen Aid they had in the store was the tricked out one for $100. She pointed me toward a Cuisinart brand that was more basic, but I have a personal blender that is Cuisinart brand and it just doesn’t work very well for me. I was thinking out loud mentioning that fact and she told me I could bring it back. I told her I’ve had it almost a year. Doesn’t matter. I told her I didn’t have the box or receipt. Doesn’t matter.

(Also, the Cuisinart brand stick blender isn’t very highly rated, just an fyi. The personal blender is a great product, but it just doesn’t work well for my needs. another fyi)

So I came home and gathered up all the pieces to my Cuisinart and took it to the store to be issued store credit. And then I ordered my Kitchen Aid stick blender…with a coupon! It will arrive in about a week and I still have almost $40 in store credit.

I heart you, Bed Bath and Beyond. (and no, this is not a sponsored post…just me gushing over great service and friendly employees being helpful and doing their jobs…and making one customer very happy in the process)

From two big messes…

…to one neat and organized cookbook.

It used to be this…a notebook of loose clipped recipes. Some were in the folder pocket.

And some were taped to printer paper.

And another book of printed out recipes inside plastic sleeves.

I took apart two cookbooks recently. The taped together one. And the printed one. I weeded out recipes I will NEVER cook again from both books, and made a stack of the healthy recipes I will continue to use from here on out. I am a little bit ashamed at how big the toss pile was. But not surprised. : (

Now it’s all done and I have one place to go for all my recipes. And since I am finding new recipes pretty frequently online now, I am printing them and adding them to THE BOOK.  Just a little bit of effort made things a lot easier at meal planning and meal prep time. Love it!

And it’s cute too. : )

pancakes…yes I said pancakes! {allowed and delicious!}

I know I’ve talked about food a lot. How I eat..what I eat..what I don’t eat. bla bla bla. There isn’t anything magical about eating better. You just need fresh ingredients and an imagination. I can get my hands on the first part pretty easy, but it’s the imagination part that stumps me. So when something a little bit out of the box is presented to me…and it’s amazing…it’s a pretty thrilling thing.

So I present to you..healthy pancakes. Oh yes. It’s true. Granted there is no sugar, thus no syrup. And at first, that was a big heart breaker, as in the past pancakes were just a fancy vehicle for syrup delivery. So I had to rethink my pancake motives. Anyway…here goes.

This recipe/method makes two good sized pancakes. I will tell you what I do and why I do it. I’m not by any means saying that I know everything I’m talking about…just telling the how and why of what I’m doing.

Anyway..the cast of characters. First of all…four eggs. I use three of what I call ‘cheap’ eggs…just regular brand at the grocery store. And then one of either Egglands Best or organic.

And here is why…I crack the three ‘cheap’ eggs in a bowl.

And then separate the eggs to get rid of the yellows. The reason I do this is because presumably the toxins that might be in an average egg will reside in the fat…the yolk..so I get rid of that. (this is a theory presented to me, so I’m just going with it..since this is that person’s recipe) Times three. With a spoon. Yep..a spoon. Just scoop it out. Works like a charm!

And then some dry ingredients. Rolled oatmeal, wheat germ, ground flax seed, steel cut oats and oat bran. (excuse the eggs again)

I put two tablespoons each of the wheat germ, ground flax, steel cut oats and oat bran.

And this is where the measurements get a little shaky. I add *some* rolled oatmeal. *Some* because I put a little and stir things around to see if it starts to have the right consistency…again it’s a ‘feel’ thing…if it begins to have a semi-thick/thin batter feel.

After that is all mixed up..actually I wait until after this next few ingredients to mix, but to start out, I mixed the oats etc first so I could tell when I had enough. Anyway..after all of that is mixed up (or before, whatever floats your boat), I add some more ingredients. Honey, salt, stevia, vanilla and cinnamon.

I don’t have exact measurements for these..I just squeeze, shake, pour or smack the bottom of the bottle until I think it looks ‘right’.

And if you haven’t already, mix it all up with a spoon. During all of this mixing, I preheat my iron skillet with some refined coconut oil…probably a tablespoon or so. After the skillet heats, I pour off a little bit into the bowl and stir it into the batter. And now it’s time to make pancakes!

Start spooning the batter into the skillet.

 

It makes a mound..this is not a pouring kind of batter.

It’s more of the spreading kind.

Freshly flipped. Ain’t she a beaut?!

The first pancake is usually more perfect because the dry ingredients have not started soaking into the eggs. Sometimes I have to add another egg white..or remember to go a little lighter on the rolled oats next time.

And the first pancake is usually for the girl. And since it’s summer, she’s usually not up just yet. So I cool her pancake on my make-shift rack so it doesn’t get all sweaty on the bottom.

While the pancakes are cooking, I start on the topping. Yes, there is topping. It’s not syrup, but it’s pretty tasty and super delish!

So here goes…I take two tablespoons of flax oil and 1/2 cup of cottage cheese (I usually get organic, but they didn’t have any this week, so I had to get ‘regular’) and put them in the cup of my mini food processer.

And I add fruit to that to give it more volume and hello…flavor. Our current favorite is two ripening bananas. I also add a dash of vanilla, some stevia and a tiny drizzle of honey.

And then I pour it over the pancake. It’s so good!

Our favorite breakfast. It looks like chicken fried steak but it’s a lot healthier! : )

Ps…doing this post has given me fresh respect for Pioneer Woman..this kind of post takes forever. And sorry, but I don’t have a handy printable.

The end. : )

white plates

This may be the dumbest post ever, but it is neat to me…so here goes. : )

Since I’ve been making so many “lifestyle changes” since my diagnosis, one of the things I wondered about were my plates. They were stoneware and made in China. Um yeah. I’ve read horror stories about how they can leach chemicals etc and we end up eating it. Not cool.

And even though my plates were much beloved…they were a wedding gift after all…they were also very worn. And even a bit outdated.

So I thought I would get some new plates. And for some reason, I was always drawn to white plates.  But I began to wonder if getting new plates was going to be any better for me than my old ones. And then several places I read brought me back to something so simple that it hadn’t really occurred to me.

Corelle.

Yes, that stuff my mom had. Super thin and almost always with some sort of kitchy pattern on it. But then I went to Corelle’s web site…and looked at Walmart…and found some really pretty plates. Corelle Ware.

And I love them.  

They are white and fresh and healthy food looks so delicious on them. I love that.

But the other thing I love about them has been more subtle in presenting itself. But a little background first…I’ve struggled with loading my dishwasher since I got it. And the biggest headache for me were the plates. My stoneware plates were so thick that they would only fit in one spot and if we used more than ‘the usual’ in a day, it was a big headache for me when it came time to load the dishes. (I guess you can see how I feel about hand washing dishes…anyhoo…)

As I’ve been using these new dishes, I’ve noticed that since they are thinner, I have many more options for getting them loaded…they offer much more flexibility and I can configure the rack with the plates many more ways than I could in the past. And since I do so much more cooking…and different kinds of cooking..than I did in the past, this is such a wonderful discovery!

On the surface, this could seem like a happy coincidence. But I can see it as more than that. I knew I needed new plates for one reason. But God knew He could lead me to the proper dishes to help me out in another way…and I way that I never even gave much thought.

Every time I load the dishes, I smile at my beautiful white plates and am so mindful of God’s unique provision

health vs taste

Back in the day when I made soup. it had chicken, carrots and potato. Along with canned tomato and flavorings etc.

Now, when I make chicken and veggie soup, it has chicken, carrots, zucchini squash, cabbage (and anything else I can think of at the time that’s not nutritionally vacant),  tomato,  tomato sauce and chicken broth. *And as many of these in organic form as possible.* But notice that the potato made an exit from the list. Really, it doesn’t offer much nutrition wise and it’s high in carbs. So bu-bye! Instead I add penne pasta from Barilla plus with omegas.

I cook the noodles at mealtime, put them in the bottom of the bowl and ladle on the soup on top. It works very well and the noodles don’t get all mushy. And a much better choice than a potato, which I can rarely find organic anyway.

It fills my crock pot. Enough for us and a couple more meals.

Last week I had left overs and took them to eat with a friend. We both enjoyed the soup, which as always, tasted better the second day. But then my friend confided to me that she doesn’t really care for cabbage.

Shhh…here is a little secret…I’m not a huge fan of cabbage either.

But I’m not eating solely to please my taste buds these days. Nutrition trumps taste EVERY time. And cabbage is crazy healthy. Oh yes…I also put chopped parsley on top after I ladle up my bowl. And here’s another secret…I don’t like parsley that much either.

But it’s super healthy for me, so I eat it.

I have JOKINGLY been labeled the food police. But really, I just feel like a bit of a weirdo because I eat for the health benefit of it, rather than solely for flavor.

If I weren’t sitting where I am now with my health, I would have been in the chorus of people making cute little remarks about healthy eating habits and having a good laugh about it. But to me, right now, it isn’t a laughing matter. And from here on out, it never will be. I HAVE TO eat healthy from now on. Period. My risk does not diminish after five years…it is stretched out over a lifetime. So my ‘new’ eating habits must be a permanent part of my life. Not just for a little while, or on certain days.

I just wish I could go back and talk to my pre-illness self about all of this. It might have made some sort of difference. I might be eating better only because I want to.

Not because I have to.

And that’s sobering food for thought.

a new twist on breakfast

I like to eat breakfast, but I am ashamed to say that it used to consist of either toast (with jelly) or something like Cheerios.

Since this new turn of events in my life, I’ve been changing just about everything about how I eat. One of those changes was my morning meal.

I started eating oatmeal. And not the stuff in the packets either! I must admit I just buy “old fashioned” oatmeal…I haven’t graduated up to the steel cut stuff…yet! Baby steps.

I have never liked oatmeal much, but I knew it was super healthy for me. And when I had company for a week that cooked it for me…in a different way every day…I began to see oatmeal in a new light…as a blank canvas.

So these days, I am likely to eat apple cinnamon, almond coconut, or banana oatmeal. And they are all YUMMY. : )

My basic oatmeal “recipe” for my one serving is 1/3 cup of oatmeal and 2/3 cup almond milk (I get the unsweetened kind), a little drizzle of honey, a few shakes of stevia and a teaspoon full of (refined…meaning unflavored) coconut oil. Bring to a bubble and cook to desired doneness.

But to that, I add the goodies…a little bit of applesauce and some cinnamon with a splash of vanilla. Or about a half of the smallest baby food jar size of banana and some vanilla. Or non-refined coconut oil (meaning it tastes like coconuts…unlike refined oil) and some almond extract.

Sometimes I put some flax seeds in the mini blender with a spice grinding blade and make some powdered flax to sprinkle on top.

It’s very yummy and it fills me up much better than toast of cereal. As a matter of fact, I don’t even miss it. And THAT is saying something. : )

food tv

The buzz all around is that Paula Deen *finally* admitted to having type 2 diabetes. Surprise!

not.

I feel bad that she’s got diabetes. I really do. But what bugs me are the recipes all the FN “stars” put out. Just about everything is decadent. It’s all about taste and not very often about health or nutrition. I find myself totally uninterested in Food Network (and sadly we don’t get the Cooking Channel) because there isn’t anything on there I want to eat! Every once in a while Rachael Ray will make something that is healthy…she is all over the board with her recipes, so sometimes it’s good for ya. And I know I can think of recipes here and there that are ok, so I don’t want to get nailed for this. But by and large, most of the stuff on that channel is bad for you.

When are these cooking stars going to start taking things more seriously and use their powers for good instead of evil make healthy food???

And especially Paula because she has now gone on tv and admitted she has a disease directly linked to the way she eats…whether she wants to admit it or not. I know there are other factors…trust me I know…both my parents were diabetic. But what we eat is a big player in this. A big one.

Come on “stars”…help us eat good food that’s healthy too!

easy chicken and potatoes…slow cooker style

This has got to be the easiest thing ever for the crock pot. And it’s also yummy and comforting too.

Just put a package of thawed chicken tenders in the bottom of the crock pot. I seasoned the meat with salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme and some sage powder.

And then cut up several potatoes. I halved and then sliced them about a quarter inch thick..or so. Nothing exact here. I just didn’t want big hunks of potato so they would be done in time. Anyway, I put those on top of the meat evenly.

And then poured two cans of this over the top…

Chicken gravy. This is the Walmart generic version of Campbell’s chicken gravy. I’ve gotten both and the Great Value tastes better, in my opinion.

I also sprinkled a little bit of the seasonings on top of the gravy and lidded it up and turned it on low. The potatoes soak up some of the gravy so it didn’t turn out runny or overly wet. Just really homey and comforting. Great with a salad or steamed broccoli.

*side note: My slow cooker cooks fast so I start mine after lunch and it’s ready by dinner. You mileage may vary. : )

summer school of sorts

Today was graduation day. She got a diploma…and a sugar rush.

It’s been a long month of baking and making greasy icing, but my girl has come a long way. 

Week one was just learning how to squirt out icing on some cookies.

Week two had them following a pattern in the book that comes with the class. She chose the cupcake.

Not bad. Week three had them decorating cupcakes. I was going to pick her up at a friend’s house after class and with all the extra moving around, her cupcakes took one for the team. They got pretty squished so there wasn’t much to take a picture of. I didn’t even get to see them before they got messed up. *sad face*

And then week four was today. They all decorated a cake. I wasn’t sure what to think about it all but I was very impressed!

She even demonstrated how to make roses when we got home from class. Her favorite one..the best one..is at the bottom left. She got better and better as she made them.

Good job, sweetie! : )

*my* chicken and dumplin’s

I got a cookbook for Mother’s Day! I’ve been reading Christy Jordan’s blog, Southern Plate, for quite a while and decided that I needed her cookbook for Mother’s Day. And being the sweetie that he is…and knowing that some good food was sure to follow…hubby obliged.

I really enjoyed reading Southern Plate. It’s more than just a cookbook, but also a collection of stories about her family and her southern heritage. It made me laugh and made me cry a couple of times too.

It also made me hungry. Very very hungry.

When we go out to one certain place, my hubby always orders chicken and dumplings.

Or chicken and dumplin’s, that is.

Christy’s recipe reminded me that I could make them at home. But I chose not to follow her recipe because of fat content and dairy products.

So I created my own recipe. And it got three thumbs up from the fam!

I opened a carton of chicken broth and started bringing it to a boil. I added boneless, skinless chicken breasts (would use tenders from here on out) and brought that to a gentle boil covered until the chicken was done. I did end up cutting up the chicken to speed things along. Using tenders I wouldn’t have to do that step.

I then added two cans of chicken gravy. Many recipes in books and online use a cream soup here but since I can’t use those, I opted for the gravy. I used to buy Campbells brand, but now I just get Great Value at Walmart and it tastes exactly the same. So two cans of that and stir.

Then I mixed up two batches of “dumplings” from the recipe on the side of the box of Bisquick Heart Smart. I think it ended up being about 3/4 of a cup (or a little more) of baking mix and about 6 tablespoons of water. (recipe calls for milk, but I subbed the water) It turns out fine. Mix until it seems like it wants to stick together. I floured my fingers and kneaded it in the bowl a little bit.

When the chicken was done, I spooned out rounded eating spoons of the dough and put them in the broth, careful to space them out. I reduced the heat to a bit over simmer and covered for 10 minutes, then continued to cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

The gravy was a little thin so I mixed a little cornstarch with water and thickened things up just a tad.

And we didn’t have a single drop leftover.

The end.

sausage casserole

I used to make this yummy casserole. But the hubs wasn’t completely in love with it so I quit making it.

I also wasn’t too sad that he wasn’t in love with it since the recipe called for a pound of sausage.

Holy heart attack, batman!

So I stopped making it. But I never forgot about it.

I dusted it off the other day to make it for lunch group.

But with one important difference….lean chicken sausage!

We have a great store near us that makes their own sausage with lean chicken breast. And it tastes the same as pork sausage…and it’s not loaded with FAT.

So! If you promise me you will only use this recipe with the leanest possible meat, I will share my recipe with you. Cuz it’s good! (no excuses either..I’ve seen lean turkey sausage at Walmart!)

Pinky swear?

Ok! : )

It’s called Sausage Casserole. And it’s great for any meal from brunch on through dinner.  And the leftovers freeze well too. It’s just a great all around recipe.

Recipe:

• 1 package sausage
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 green pepper chopped
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 2 packages Campbells noodle soup
• 1/2 cup long grain rice

Preheat oven to 350.

Bring 4 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add the 2 packages of noodle soup and the 1/2 cup rice. Cook/gently boil for 7 minutes uncovered.

Meanwhile, crumble sausage and brown with onion and green pepper until fully cooked.

Mix together in an oblong casserole dish (8 by 11 etc) and bake uncovered for one hour.

And then eat it! : )

This is the noodle soup. I don’t buy this sort of thing for anything else and most people get confused about it, so I thought I would show a pic of it. It has two packets inside and you use both in this recipe.

There is another brand called Mrs. Grass that I have found at Kroger. It has the noodles and the flavoring separate so you could use both packs of noodles and one packet of flavoring for less sodium, if that is a concern.

This recipe isn’t going to win any culinary awards, but it tastes really, rilly good.

Guess what we’ve having for dinner? : )

let them eat cake

Yesterday I made a cake in the flavor she requested. A birthday is coming up. We decided she would have a few girls over today, since we’re having some repairs done to our house for the rest of the week.

Happy spring break to us.

It’s called California Citrus Cake and my mom used to make it all the time.

It’s so good.

So when she asked for lemon, I knew exactly what to make. : )

California Citrus Cake

4 eggs, beaten (I used egg beaters), 1 yellow cake mix, 1 package small lemon instant pudding, 3/4 c. water and 1/2 cup oil (I used canola).

Beat ten minutes. (I used the stand mixer….or I probably wouldn’t even make this cake LOL) Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350 in a bundt pant. Cool and ice.

Icing:

2 c. powdered sugar, 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate and 2 tablespoons orange peel, grated.

Bring to a boil and let cool; drizzle over cake.

This cake is so good. But whaddaya know, I just noticed I didn’t follow the recipe. I forgot to cook the frosting. I guess that’s why it wasn’t very thick.

But it tasted good. And that’s what counts.