Exciting times!

It's been way too long since I've posted...life has been crazy busy and it looks like it's just going to be more so...

Work is great.  I was honer to receive a performance award this year.  I love my job but it's always great to be recognized for a good job.

I've also had a terrible allergic response to fragrances in the office...it started with a few people using fragrance diffusers that triggered head aches, ear-aches and ultimately a sinus infection I'm still fighting.  But the scariest part was when I felt my throat closing and am now ultra-sensitive to even the slightest fragrances and perfumes.  Luckily my job has decided to allow me to work from home so I've been busy setting up my home office and am about 85% complete. Just waiting on my performance award points to purchase dual monitors and I need to upgrade the RAM in my old computer and I should be all set.

And...drum roll please...I've also decided to go back to college! I was accepted at Concordia University!! Classes begin 8/22 and that's where I see life getting very, very busy!  I'm super excited...it's been almost 20 years so a bit scary but I'm looking forward hitting the books again!

So as you can see life is crazy but exciting! 

I have come up with a few new recipes I'll share in another post!

Also if anyone is interested I'm selling one of my Vitamix's...it's the Drink Machine Plus made specifically for coffee drinks and smoothies...if your family loves smoothies and Frappuccinos check it out: http://cgi.ebay.com/Vitamix-VM100A-Drink-Machine-Plus-/260822669747?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cba3e19b3

Vacation

We just got home from our Florida vacation. I've got to admit...we did not keep our real food commitment.  We were constantly on the run and had so much we wanted to do that cooking was not a priority. Sadly we paid for it too.  We didn't have the energy we were accustomed to, we spent a small fortune eating out and I really wish we had planned better. Flying made it a bit harder to bring home prepared foods, although in hindsight it would have been worth it to pay for an extra bag to bring some healthy foods.

We did have a wonderful time though! I had the opportunity to show the guys around my hometown, I was able to introduce them to more of my family and friends.  We went to the beach several times, deep sea fishing 50 miles off shore...the water was such a beautiful sapphire blue and we caught tons of fish! We also enjoyed a day at the Universal Studios Resort in Orlando. It was a wonderful vacation!

Thank you so much to my brother for opening his home to us and all their hospitality! It was so great to see all of you and finally meet little Nick!

There is no place like home...we were all glad to be back in our own beds.  And it's time to get our eating under control.  We really let loose and ate whatever we wanted but nothing tasted as good as I remember, some things were just gross!  I know I'm ready to get serious again! So it's about time to get dressed and head out to the grocery store.

The hardest part will be the detox...again...that junk food is so addictive! My goal is to stick to just meat, fruit and veggies.  I did find once I started adding bread and pasta back in (even whole grain) I quit loosing weight.  I'm motivated again and excited to get started, as a matter of fact I already had squash fresh from the garden for breakfast.

I'll post some pictures from vacation once we download them all.  Hope y'all have a great day!

Vanilla Frappuccino recipe

It's hot here in Texas and I'm hooked on Starbucks Green Tea Frappuccino's!! But...I don't need all the sugar and who knows what else they put in that stuff and I wasn't able to find a good copycat recipe so I had to experiment a bit to find a yummy, real food, refreshing replacement. This is the easiest thing I was able to come up with and it was yummy!!

Vanilla Frappuccino

1 cup of milk
2 Tablespoons of heavy whipping cream (optional-just a dab of decadence)
1 Teaspoon of vanilla
Stevia to taste -I used 4 packets of Truvia to make the measurements simple
1 Cup of ice

Combine all ingredients in Vitamix or blender and enjoy!

Really easy and very yummy! Vanilla bean would make it even better but I wasn't willing to sacrifice my last vanilla bean when the bottled stuff worked pretty well. Maybe next time...
I hope you enjoy it too!

Memorial Day Camping Menu

Happy Tuesday…well it feels like a Monday but at least we have a short week :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. We went camping and had a good time.  It was a bit hot but we cheated andgot a cabin with a/c so it wasn’t too bad.

I’ve been planning this trip for months and started itbefore we started eating real food….I tweaked it as much as I could toutilize as much real food as I could without having to make everything fromscratch.  Overall I was very happy with the outcome and very impressedwith my new cast-iron set, it was great fun and excellent food!

Here’s my menu if any of you have upcoming campingtrips:

We had just bought a propane fryer so I had to use it ;) lol!They do make all-natural tator-tots and hash browns…

I also used it to boil the water for the baggy omelets.

The trick to cooking with cast iron is to stack coals on top of the lid so the heat will surround and cook like an oven. I used the camp-site grill and was able to adjust the grill height so the bottom didn’t overheat.

Friday:

BBQSandwiches & tator tots

*pre-cookedbrisket at home and froze for easy 1st night dinner, reheated indutch-oven with some beer to keep it moist and from sticking to bottom.

Dessert:

Banana Boat

Take a banana and peel off one strip of peel (where the bananacurves)

Where you took off the peel, slice out a piece of banana almostall the way down

(like a canoe) and set it aside 

 Fill opening with peanut butter

Place 2 or 3 pieces of chocolate on top of peanut butter

Cover the peanut butter and chocolate with thebanana piece you cut out, cover that with the piece of peel, wrap very tightlyin tin foil, and cook on a rack over your campfire 10 minutes.

Hmmmm eat with a spoon…this was my first try and it turned out even better than I expected!

Saturday:

Baggy Omelets &Hashbrowns

Recipe Ingredients:
2 lg     eggs     (I whisked 12 eggs in a bowl and poured a bit in each bag, then let the     kids build their own omelet)
sausage, bacon, or ham
your favorite omelet veggies
shredded cheddar cheese     (add after cooking)
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking instructions:
Place whipped eggs in a ziplock freezer bag (don’t use cheap bags, I paid dearly for going cheap!) Add meat and veggies salt and pepper to taste. Put baggy in a pot of boiling water for about 5 to 10 min. Then just cut bag off, Add shredded cheese and enjoy! Serve in tortilla.

Variations/Hints:
You can make a western omelet with sausage, cheese and bell peppers, just add salsa. Or just veggie omelets or ham and cheese... Just have fun!!

Lunch

Grilled burgers & all-natural chips

Hobo Dinners

Ingredients

Ground Beef or turkey
Suggested Fillings: Sliced Carrots, Corn, Chunked Potatoes, Grated Cheese, Etc.
Salt, Pepper, desired Spices

Equipment

Heavy Duty Tinfoil
Tongs to Remove Dinners from Fire

Instructions

In a piece of tinfoil, place about ahandful of raw ground beef. Add whatever fillings are desired, and seasoningsto taste. Place over coals and cook approximately 15 minutes on each side untilbeef is done. Use tongs to check for doneness and to remove dinners when readyto eat!

 

Saturday Dessert:

 Pineapple Upside-down Cake Recipe

Ingredients

1 can pineapple rings (drained, retainjuice), 2 cans crushed pineapple (drained well, retain juice), 1 jar maraschinocherries, 1 box spice or pineapple cake mix and associated ingredients(according to box's instructions, cinnamon, 1/2 stick butter or margarine,approx. 1-1/2 cups brown sugar)

Equipment

large Dutch Oven, mixing bowl, andspoon

Instructions

Melt the butter in the bottom of theoven over medium heat. Add brown sugar and continue heating until sugar meltsand forms thin paste with butter. Line the bottom of the oven with pineapple rings in the sugar glaze. Place a cherry in the center of each ring. Add the crushed pineapple on top of the rings, press it down with the back of a spoon, but DO NOT STIR. Mix the cake mix according to directions on the box. Pour the cake mix evenly over the pineapple mixture. Place the dutch oven on top of 14-16 briquets, and add 16-18 to the top of the oven. Bake until a knifeinserted into the center of the cake is pulled out clean. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then use a knife to release the edges of the cake from the oven. GENTLY turn the oven upside-down over a large plate or serving platter. The cake should drop out, leaving the pineapples on top! Stray garnish can be replaced with a spatula.

Comment: Too much heat on the bottom will dryout the pineapple glaze and garnish, so be careful how much heat is under the oven. Check it after about 30 minutes, then every 5-10 minutes after that for doneness.

Sunday:

Quiche A La Canoe (dutchOven)1 ½ bags of Ritz crackers
1 stick of Butter
Meat (ham,     bacon sausage, use your favorite.)
Cheese.
onion and/or green pepper.
8-10 Eggs     (I whisked in a bowl)

Cooking instructions:
Oil the Dutch oven well. Make a crust of mashed ritz and butter. It is a realmess, but it is worth it. Dish your dough up the sides of the Dutch oven alittle. Layer meat, then cheese then pour whisked eggs on top.

Variations/Hints:
A mild fire will do. Put a lot of coals on the Dutch oven lid, to cook theeggs. Don't be reluctant to check it regularly. It is done when a knifeinserted into the middle comes out clean.

Dinner:

BBQ

*marinated chicken thighsand drumsticks ready to grill

Grilled Corn on the cob

Placecorn in a piece of foil, add Salt/pepper & a pat of butter.

Wraptightly and grill for 30 mins or so, turning often.

Dessert:

Baked apples w/ cinnamon

1apple per person
cinnamon
sugar
raisins (optional)
nuts(optional)

Startby cutting a round plug out of the top of your apple. You will need a sharp paring knife to  cut out the plug. Next you will need to cut the core and all of the seeds out of the apples. You might want to bring along an applecorer to make the coring of the apples easier. When you core the apple you will want to make sure that the apple stays whole, be sure that you don't break the apple as you core it.

Once your apple is cored, fill the hole left by the core with cinnamon, sugar,and raisins and nuts if you desire. When the hole is filled, place the plugback into the apple. Wrap the apple in foil and place into the embers of your fire. Cook your apples for approximately 20 to 45 minutes depending on how well done and soft you want your apple to be. At 20 minutes your apple will still be slightly crunchy, but at 45 minutes your apple will be more like applesauce.

Monday morning – scrambled eggs, smokie sausages & biscuits

Natural Cures

Being home sick this weekend has been pretty miserable. Whatever I've got it's strong and came on hard. It started with a sore throat and made me pretty miserable for 3 days now :(  Dr says its a virus so in many cases you just have to let it run it's course but I've chosen to fight back...

I've been fascinated with natural healing for many years. It all started when I was in my early 20's and had chronic sinus infections.  I went to the dr 6 times in 1 year and each time he gave me a script for antibiotic.  Well I wasn't getting better and upon research I learned that much antibiotic is horrible for your body.  Our bodies have a careful balance of good bacteria.  Antibiotic can't tell the difference and kills off all bacteria leaving our bodies open to all kinds of unsavory side effects like yeast infections, stomach problems and just feeling "off" long after our original illness has passed.

Plus with the over use of antibiotics we are now battling "super bugs" that are resistant to meds, staph infections that are incurable, it is a problem that has lead me to research alternative remedies and in doing so I've sort of gone back to the basics.  What remedies were used prior to the invention of penicillin?

Now, please know I do believe in antibiotics and know they save lives when used properly!

I'd like to share a few alternative remedies for day to day illnesses:

Many illnesses/viruses enter our system through our sinuses...nose, mouth, eyes...picked through our hands, etc...

My first line of defense is of course hand washing. Next is a nasal cleanse. It's just a saline wash that's simple and uses salt which has natural healing and cleansing properties.

Vitamin C builds our immunity and is strongly recommended for daily use, I suggest 500-1000 mg a day.

Vitamin D is also essential, we get it naturally from the sun and some say that's why we get colds and flu in the winter because of lack of sun exposure. With today's busy lifestyle I know I don't get out in the sun as much as I'd like so I suggest additional supplements.

I use some of the more powerful antiviral / antibacterial remedies when I know I'm fighting something off. Whereas antibiotics only fight off bacteria, many of these fight off viruses and speed healing for even the common cold. I keep them on hand for flu, sinus or whatever I might come in contact with.

- Olive leaf is a great "all purpose" herb that has both antiviral and antibacterial properties. I take it morning and night when I'm feeling something coming on. This is the best cure I've found for sinus infections.
http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-olive-leaf.html

- Colloidal silver is a super strong remedy that's almost unheard of anymore however it was one of the main cures used prior to the invention of antibiotic. It can't be patented so it's now a forgotten cure because big businesses can't make money off it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't work.
* I am careful to use this only when necessary, I probably use it 3 or 4 times a year when fighting off infection, I don't recommend this for daily use as it can build up in your blood.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/11772070/The-Benefits-of-Colloidal-Silver

Tomato Basil soup & Flat Bread

We had a wonderful meal this week that was really simple and didn't take too long to throw together.  Hope y'all enjoy.

Tomato Basil soup w/ Meatballs

• 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed or pureed tomatoes
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 18 fresh basil leaves, minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• seasoning salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 2 bags of Meatballs (all natural)

             In a large saucepan, bring the tomatoes and broth to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add basil, seasonings and sugar. Reduce heat to low; stir in cream and butter. Cook until butter is melted.

Flat bread

·                        3 cups all purpose flour

·                        1 cup ice water + water as needed to moisten, 1 teaspoon at a time

·                        3 tablespoons shortening

·                        2 teaspoons salt

·                        2 teaspoons baking powder

·                        pinch of baking soda

Combine all ingredients and form into a dough, as water as needed if too crumbly. Cut into 4 or 5 equal pieces. Roll out to a thin 8 inch circle. Prick the surface of the dough with a fork and cook on an oiled hot griddle. Turn with a spatula. Watch these flat bread disks closely because they cook fast. Serve warm.

Mother's Day Success

How many of you are emotional eaters.  Me too! Or at least I used to be...

This week has been rough for me. I couldn't figure out why I was such a basket case and so unusually emotional until I was driving to work this morning and it hit me! I didn't eat my way through this issue therefore I actually had to feel the emotions. It wasn't fun but I've got to tell you I'm pretty proud of myself now that I'm on the other side of it.

I hope you all had a happy Mother's Day.  Mine wasn't bad. It was also my soon-to-be step son's 18th birthday so the majority of our day was spent focusing on him. However as the day progressed I was sad.  I have plenty of reasons to be sad on Mother's Day...I don't have any children of my own and I had a miscarriage 20 years ago and lost my only opportunity to be a mother...but I've been through many mother's days since then and didn't have this kind of reaction. Why now?? Monday was horrible, I couldn't stop crying and Tuesday was almost as bad. I was mean to my fiancé, I was sad and hurting.  I was able to identify why but like I said I just couldn't understand why now? Why was it hitting me so hard this year?

Now I know...I didn't drown my feelings with food.  I didn't self medicate with sugar, candy, chips, junk food or whatever I could get my hands on to make myself feel better.  That's my MO and also why I've struggled with my weight for most of my life.  Food makes me feel better! However being overweight and poisoning myself doesn't feel good in the long run.  But we all know we don't care about that in the moment, we want our drug of choice to make us feel better.

What is amazing is I didn't have any desire to go there.  Sure I had the munchies but I wasn't willing to break my commitment to myself to eat real food.  How was I able to do that???  For years and years I haven't had the will power to not eat my way through a crisis so how in the world did the thought not even cross my mind this year? Well, I'm pretty sure it's because I've only been eating real food and real food isn't addictive.  It isn't full of MSG and high fructose corn syrup and all the stuff our food producers know makes us want to come back for more.

I am amazed at how easy it was to not eat my way through this.  Dealing with it and feeling those emotions SUCKED! But I am very proud of myself now that I'm on the other side of it.

You know what I did do to treat myself....I bought myself flowers and they made me smile.  I'm looking at them right now and they are beautiful and delicate. They make me happy and they last for days so it's much better than the brief moment a food fix would have lasted.

I mark this up as an amazing success and it just confirms once again I'm on the right path! It was a hard lesson but so worth it!


Would you like some proof our food makers know exactly what they are doing? I can't help but laugh because I was fooled for so long. It's sad what people will do to make a buck...

Here's a long but very informative video that explains everything: http://www.uctv.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=16717

If you don't have 90 mins to watch it try the short version...search youtube for "Sugar the bitter truth, short version".

I actually watched the full length video and was amazed!  Did you know fructose (like high fructose corn syrup which is an ingredient in almost every item on the grocery shelf) breaks down just like alcohol in our blood? Why do you have to be 21 to buy alcohol and go to jail for driving under the influence but we feed our kids HFCS all day everyday? It's scary stuff. It explains how addictive our processed foods are as well as why America is so obese and dropping like flies from heart disease.

I have no doubt that my only saving grace was cutting out processed foods. If I was still eating like most Americans this success would not have happened for me.  We aren't crazy and it's not about will power. Our food truly is addictive. If you are a crack addict and try to control it but still consume it all day you will never win.