Brussel Sprout & Kale Salad

It had been a long day and we didn't have any idea what to eat for dinner. This happens sometimes. We will ponder back and forth on what we feel like having. Do we want to stay in or go out? You know, one of those normal couples decisions.

We tossed some ideas around then started eliminating what we really didnt want.

" No pizza" I said.

" No Chinese this time" said Nick.

After a moment of thinking, I metioned how I would love to have some fried chicken livers and some kind of veggie. Its been a while since I had some fried livers. He was ok with the idea. 

The closest restaurant around, that served them, was the Cracker Barrel across town. So we hit the road. 

Nick ordered a fish plate with greens. I ordered chicken livers of course. For my side I had mashed potatoes and a new dish called "brussel sprout kale salad with walnuts". It was delicious! The combo was perfect! We both liked it so much that we went to the grocery store the next day and grabbed the ingredients we needed. 

Kale and brussel spouts both come already finely chopped. We grabbed a bag of each. I guessed at the ingredients I needed for the dressing. I made a good guess because it tasted pretty dog gone close to the dish at Cracker Barrel. 

 

• Combine the brussel sprouts and kale. If not already, place them in a food chopper and chop fine.
• Add some walnuts or pecans (I didnt measure).
• Add some rasins or craisins (I didnt measure).

In a seperate bowl, combine:

• 1/2 cup olive oil.
• 1/4 cup vinegar. 
• 3 Tablespoons maple syrup. (I used sugar free syrup and it was great).
• Pour into the salad mixture and toss til covered.
• Chill for 4 hours or over night. 

Enjoy!

This is a tasty and healthy side dish.

 

Oh, and those chicken livers? Not so good. But of course I'm out of the habit of eating fried foods. 

What was I thinking? 

Soggy Walk

We set out for our afternoon walk. It had been a misty rain for a couple days. Once the rain stopped, we took off out the door like a kid itching to go out and play.

It was a rather soggy walk but a nice one.

In the mist of the rain, I could not help but notice the mushrooms that seemed to be growing around the sewer lines in a few yards. You always know where a neighbors sewer line runs because the grass is always greener and sometimes mushrooms grow.

 

I just had to stop and take a photo. 

This looked like a Smurf village from the cartoons I remember when I was young. A few years ago we had a cluster of mushrooms in our yard and I painted each one with clolorful polka dots. It was really cute looking until the Briggs and Stratton appeared.

The wet weather will also bring out the wetland creatures. Nick took a great photo of one.

Our little 3 year old nephew is learning the different animals so we showed him this photo and asked if he knew what it was. 

Without hesitation, he says,

"Dinosour!" 

 

Strawberry Season

Well, they say now is strawberry season.
Here is how it's going for me.

 

One ripe strawberry.

I bought a strawberry plant from Lowes back in the spring and planted it in a big pot in hopes to have some strawberries by Summer.

Nope.

I have been watching it grow beautifully into a mature strawberry plant full of white flowers ready to give fruit. At times I could grab handfuls of tiny white berries waiting to ripen. 

 

I finally saw a ripe strawberry ready to pick. But it was short lived. As soon as I took some bragging pictures, it was gone.

I walked into the house to send my sister a picture of my lovely little strawberry.
As I was typing, I looked out the window to get another glimpse of my gardening trophy. But instead, I saw a squirrel holding it in both hands enjoying a sweet strawberry treat.
I left him alone. One strawberry is hardly enough to make a pie.  

So tell me, how do you keep the rascals from eating your plants? They did the same thing with my tomatoes!

I give up on farming.

I think I'll stick to making coffee.

Protein Orange Pops

Here I go playing with my food again.

If you know me, then you know I lost 50lbs on Nutrisystem. Also if you know me, your probably tired of hearing about it. I'm just still tickled to pieces that I found a diet that worked for me. 

Its been 2 years and 6 months since I joined Nutrisystem. I am currently on the maintenance plan and have been able to hold on to my weight loss for over a year now. I eat a lot of my own foods but still have a Nutrisystem meal or snack regularly. 

I like to play around and experiment with the foods. You can find some of my other ideas here.

Yesterday was the first day of summer. What better way to cool off than to have some popsicles? Right?
I was drinking a Nutrisystem Turbo shake after my afternoon walk. This time I added an orange. It was so good. I think this is my new favorite. That's when the idea hit me.
"Why not put those cheap-o, throw away, no good popsicle molds I had stashed away, and make some creamsicles?".

BAM! 

 

Delicious! And since one serving makes several popsicles, you can just eat them all without guilt. Yea, go ahead, eat all of them you wish and it still only counts as a Power fuel + smart carb (with the orange). 

• Prepare the shake as directed.
• Add a peeled orange.
• Mix in blender until smoothly blended.
• Sip a little, yum. Add to molds. Now lick the jar.
• Add a little orange zest before freezing for an extra flavor boost.

These popsicles taste smooth and creamy. 

If you want the real deal. Try Nutrisystem's frozen orange creamsicle found at Nutrisystem.com. They are the best! 

Oh and while your there, check out the success stories page and see my success story along with many others! 

Enjoy! 

To Market To Market

It's that time of year! The farmers around here gather a truck load of crop and head out to sell there stock.

.

 

I love going to the farmers market. It used to be a cheaper alternative to buy produce but they dont give much slack anymore. It's ok, I know my money goes to help local farmers and the veggis are fresh. 

Our daughter was home, so we got up early. I grabbed my market tote and we headed down town to the farmers Market. 

"I want some cucumbers and squash" I said on the way there.

"I want some good tomatoes" said Nick.

Then a voice from the back seat says " I want macaroons from the french bakery!" 

Me and Nick just looked at each other then realized there was a little set up that looked like a little french bakery that sold fresh pastries.

Personally, I think her intentions is the cute young boy behind the counter every season. 

 

We grabbed a few of the things we needed and headed home. 

This little piggy purchased some cucumbers and couple red and green tomatoes.

This little piggy (nick) came home with some homemade chow chow and pickles, 

and the third little piggy came home with none.

She didn't see any macaroons in the bakery this time. 

And we went "wee wee wee"  all the way home.

Once we got home,we enjoyed some fried green tomatoes with lunch. They were delicious! 

I hope to go back again next weekend and get some more fresh veggies. It was crowded and hard to really look. Also, They were actually running low on things by the time we got there.

Happy Fathers Day

I don't have a Fathers Day post written for today. But I'd like to take a moment to say happy Fathers Day to all the Fathers that visit my blog.

You have an important roll in life that I know is not easy. 

Being a father is a gift from God. 

You have been given this title for a reason. 

Continue to love, protect and lead your children and family.

Happy Fathers Day!

Today I sat with Dad in church as always but today was special. Fathers were honored along with our Heavenly Father. My dad won a special prize for having the most children at church with him and was one year shy of being the oldest dad there today. Tonight we are taking him to his favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner. I have a sister in law that is fighting that aweful "C" desease and we really hope she, my brother and their kids can make it. 

However, I doubt they will, but it would be a great surprise to daddy. 

Cloud Bread

Today I challenged myself to make "Cloud Bread".

Its not bread at all.

 

It's a bread alternative that's practically carb free, grain free, and high in Protein.
Perfect for those on a special diet. I'm not on a special diet other than Nutrisystem. I just wanted a healthy choice of bread for my flex meals. 

I have seen this recipe for cloud bread floating around all over social media and just had to give it a shot.

I have never whipped egg whites long enough for them to turn into a fluff texture. This is something I had to do to believe. Now I understand the whole meringue thing. **My mom makes the best!! 

 

• Mix 3 egg whites and 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tarter until it peaks (About 5 minutes).
• In another bowl, add 3 Tablespoons of cream cheese to the egg yolks and mix well. 

 

• Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture half at a time. 
• Last, place 1/4 cup drops of mix on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake 30 minutes in a 300 degree preheated oven.

Unfortunately mine did not turn out well. My 3 year old nephew came to visit as I was about to place the mix on the cookie sheet, so I paused a while to greet him, causing the clouds to deflate. Only about 3 or 4 out of 12 came out half way decent but not fluffy enough so I plan to attempt it again another day. 

 

I like the way they taste. I was afraid they would taste eggy but they didn't. They had a light and fragile texture like a croissant or cream puff with a light bready taste.

You have to let them cool completely before eating, It will hold a sandwich together. You can also lightly toast them and top with butter and jelly or any other topping for a delicious breakfast snack.
(be sure to watch the video below). 

Each cloud is approx 35 calories.
Perfect!

Weekend Getaway

Well, It's back to reality now. The weekend is over. Me and Nick took a nice little weekend getaway. As usual, we took off to the beach. This is our home away from home.

We were not going to go until Thursday last week but Nick called the reservation office to see if we could come down on Wednesday instead. "No problem" they said. So I skipped out of work early on Wednesday and we headed out for the anxious 4 hour drive. 

The first day it was rather chilly and cloudy with the temperatures dipping down into the 50s. We put on our jackets and went for a walk. It was nice. 

Every morning I would open the camper door to these two guys looking up at me waiting on a snack. 

 

Not sure why they chose my camper out of the hundreds there but I enjoyed the company as I sat outside enjoying my morning coffee. They like potato chips. 

With no rain in the weekend forecast,  Nick contacted our camper washer crew to come give her a good wash and wax on the cloudy day.

The rest of the weekend was beautiful, sunny and warm. The temperatures reach the high 80's and I got a little sun crispy. Not burnt. Just crisp. Haha.

Saturday night we didn't go out to eat dinner, instead we had a pizza delivered, then ran out to the ocean to see the large red full moon glistening off the water. 

 

Our cameras would not capture such the site that we saw, but you may get the idea. 

Crochet Sunglass Case

Im writing this post from my happy place. The beach. Whoo ! Finally! I know its only been three weeks since my last visit here but as soon as I get home, get unpacked, and get everything washed, I get anxious for the next trip and it can never come soon enough. This will be our last visit here until the big week vacation in August.

I like having sunglasses to wear when Im at the beach and sometimes while driving. 

Im bad about just throwing my sunglass into my purse, consol or beach bag. The result usually ends up with them being scratched, mashed or twisted.

The other day I was trying to decide what to make with my stash of scrap yarn. Thats when this idea hit me. "Why not make a little bag or case for my shades?" So, I did.

 

The yarn will also keep them clean as they rest in this little draw string bag until I need them.

So here I am, on the sand and my little mirrorred glasses have been kept safe and ready to wear.

We had a cool misty day here on Thursday but its full on sunshine today. Im getting a tan on (maybe too much). Along with many others!

 

Now excuse me while I sit back in my chair with my shades on and watch people. Haha. 

If you crochet and want to make your own glasses case, you can find the pattern at "Goddesscrochet".

It's a free pattern and super dooper easy. 

Sun Shower

When I got home from work today, we sat down to dinner. As we faced the window we could see the storm in the horizon. 

We usually take an nice afternoon walk after our dinner settles in our tummies.

After a while on waiting for the rain to stop, I gave up hope, grabbed my hula hoop and began to add a wiggle and twist to my workout instead of a walk. 

Nick came into the room and asked if we were gonna attempt a walk. He said "the sun is now out". I looked out the window and said "well the devil is beating his wife". This is actually called a "sun shower". 

 

We decided to imbrace the two and head out for a walk anyway. It was just a drizzle by the time we got our tennis shoe on, then it finally stopped. We could see a rainbow in the Western sky. 

Its always nice to take a walk in the afternoons with my love. We talk about our day and wish on our future. Rain or shine or even when the devil is beating his wife.

Happy Doughnut Day!

"I say Doughnuts, you say Donuts" how ever you want to spell it, both ways are accepted. You will notice "spell check" will not even question it. It always falls on the first Friday in June.

Doughnuts are my favorite sweet! I love Krispy Kreme Doughnuts . I love digging into a box of fresh, hot doughnuts right after they glide through the sugar glaze of goodness. Still so hot, they will burn your fingers. They just melt in your mouth and before you know it, a dozen is gone! OK, I need to snap out of it [snap!]

Do you know where National Doughnut Day comes from? Well here are a few interesting facts about this special day.

• The Salvation Army established National Doughnut Day in 1938.
• to raise money for people in need during the Depression.
• It always falls on the first Friday in June.
• The first National Donut Day was in Chicago in 1938.
• Doughnut Day was also to honor the women who served donuts to soldiers during World War I.
• These women were called "donut lassies"
• American soldiers returned home with the nickname "dough boys"
• Journalist are guided to spell it "Doughnuts" not "Donuts"
• The original doughnut did not have a hole in the middle. They just used a nut shape of dough
• that's where the word "nut" comes from. The dough resembled a walnut.
• Doughnut holes are actually a reverse back to what a doughnut started out as.
• They started putting a hole in doughnuts because the middles stayed soggy.

Now go out and get your fried dough fix for most doughnut shops are giving away freebies today!

Or if your like me, just grab a can of biscuits, cut a hole in the middle, place in hot grease. Flip until both sides are done.

Transfer onto a plate and sprinkle with powder sugar or cinnamon. Enjoy.