Friday Bowl- Pepino

I have been trying new fruits and veggies lately. One fruit I have learned to like is the Pepino Melon. It's a small acorn shaped melon with sort of a unique taste. I say it taste between a honey due melon and a pear. I added a couple more toppings to make a delicious and healthy breakfast that is low in calories and will not leave me feeling hungry. 

Pepino Melon Bowl

1/2 Cup- Fage 0% Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2- Pepino Melon
Blueberries
1 Tablespoon-Big Boss Blueberry Walnut Granola

139 Calories- 12g Protein

🍓🍌🍉🍊🍒🍏🍅🍈

I have decided to reserve each Friday to share some of my creative food bowls. I have been eating these at least 3 times a week and I feel great. They are easy, healthy and fun. This is part of my new "Clean Eating" Plan. Wish me Luck.

A Night at the Museum

Are you a fan of museums? We have a Natural History museum here in town. I enjoy visiting it but rarely go. I remember in my school days, we would take field trips to the museum. I was not interested in those days as I found it to be boring. It also ended with homework.

My brother invited us to an evening event at the museum. It was for employees of the police department and their families. My brother is a retired city police officer and now works part time in another area of the police department just for fun. I felt special that he invited me and Nick out of anyone else in the family.

When we arrived, we were greeted then headed to a banquet room where we enjoyed a meal with dessert. It was casual and wasn’t on any time schedule. We had the run of the museum and could do as we wished for 3 hours. Eating is what we chose to do first. (Of course).

After eating, we headed to a planetarium show. The last time I have been to one of these shows was in Middle school, seriously. I never found it worth paying for to see. As we entered the planetarium, It was a big dome with a slanted floor. I never remember it being like that before. This really messed with my vertigo. I had to sit with my eyes closed until the lights went off and the show started. It was a spectacular 3-D show about sky, water and air. Yea, boring but the effects were great and the technology has come along way since middle school.

Next, we walked around the museum looking at the stuffed animals, dinosaurs, and other interesting things about natural history. They even had an area of live animals such as snakes, spiders, birds, turtles, fish and opossums. Yes, they were pretty gross but interesting all the same. There was a snake in there that could eat a human. It was huge!

Later, we stepped into a room where I thought would be a live Indian show. I mean, that’s what they kept announcing over the intercom. I suggested we all go watch it. I was so excited. I love watching Indians. Instead it was just an informational session, led by an employee, on how they used bones and skins of deer to survive. [yawn]. We were stuck and couldn't leave. I’ll never live that one down.

It was nice to get out and do something a little different for a change. I wish I had taken more pictures but there was no way of capturing all we saw.  It was a great night at the museum.

Luminance Skin Care

Have you ever used a skin care that felt so good that you couldn’t wait to use it again? That’s how I feel when I use Luminance skin care.

I received a sample in the mail and thought it would be just another face cleansing product. It was more. I fell in love with these products after the 3rd day of using it. I would have said first day but I always give it couple days just to make sure how my skin reacts to it. It also takes a couple days to get a true opinion. 

This sample kit came with a delicate cleaner, rosewater toner, and a deep hydrating moisturizer. Each are made with a list of good ingredients and all products are organic, vegan and non-synthetic. 

At the end of the day is when I prefer to wash my face. This is when I experienced the Luminance Delicate Face Cleanser. 

This face cleaner is PH balanced and excellent for all skin types. I could smell the tingling aroma of Tangerine. Just a small amount is added for the scent. Rosemary seed extract is added as an antioxidant along with other natural oils. My face feels clean and my skin feels rejuvenated. 

After washing my face I spritzed on the Luminance Rosewater Toner. 

I have to admit that I have never used a toner other than micellar water. This toner is PH balanced and made with 100% pure filter rose water. I loved the sweet smell of the rosewater and it made my face feel so fresh. I noticed almost immediately that any redness in my skin had disappeared. 

Last I applied the Luminance Deep Hydration moisturizer.

This moisturizer is great for sensitive or mature skin. Get this: “It works as a collagen to help skin retain moisture and regain elasticity”. Now that’s what I like! It is also a great moisturizer if you are in cold climates where your skin goes up against the dry and cold temperatures.

I wake up in the mornings with my face feeling soft, fresh and clean without feeling greasy or weighed down. I think my skin feels tighter too. 

I can actually feel results using these products and that’s what makes me excited to keep using it. I plan to order some of the other products to try such as hair care, eye creams and more. 

If you are looking for A great skin care, you can get a free sample of these three products by visiting their site. You just need to pay shipping. 

All products are alcohol free, non-toxic, and no animal testing or animal products are used. 

Shop Luminance Skin care

I am not affiliated, paid or asked by Luminance skin care for this post. 

I simply loved my experience and wanted to share my personal and honest review.

Friday Bowl- Worlds Finest Chocolate Bar

If you are wondering what to do with those Worlds Finest Chocolate candy bars that you couldn’t resist buying from that cute little school kid. 

I have a solution. Eat them all, but save a square to add to the top of your yogurt. 

You can keep the girl scout cookies. I can hardly wait for those fund raiser candy bars to come around every year. 

World Finest Chocolate Bar Yogurt Bowl

1/2 Cup- Fage 0% Plain Greek Yogurt

1 Square- World Finest Chocolate Bar (grated)
2 Tablespoons- Natures Promise Pumpkin Seed Flax Granola
1/2 Cup- Raspberries

190 Calories- 16g Protein

🍓🍌🍉🍊🍒🍏🍅🍈

I have decided to reserve each Friday to share some of my creative food bowls. I have been eating these at least 3 times a week and I feel great. They are easy, healthy and fun. This is part of my new "Clean Eating" Plan. Wish me Luck.

Cleaning Away Summer

It was was beautiful day with temperatures in the high 60’s. I have been itching to go outside. I do not like going outside in weather colder than my age. It was a perfect day to get out.

Looking out the windows I noticed the yard was covered in a blanket of leaves from our huge Dogwood tree. The branches were bare so it was a good time to clean up the yard. Though that is the only tree we have in the back yard, there are neighboring trees that frame our property. We get all the leaves.

Nick asked if I would like to go out and help him rake leaves. “Sure!” I said with excitement. This would be perfect to help me overcome this cabin fever. I threw on some old jeans, boots and garden gloves and headed outside. 

“Here are two rakes you can use”.He said. “I will be on the mower sucking up the Pin Oak leaves while you rake the larger leaves in a pile”.

. 

We spent three hours cleaning up the yard. I raked while he mowed. It felt good to do some laboring work. It was a great work out. I also cut back our butterfly bush in the front yard. It was still holding on to it’s leaves, but I knew it would be shedding them soon. This time last year it was already bare. We have had a warmer than normal Fall this year. 

Today I am sore and my hands are slightly blistered. My yard is groomed and there are no more signs of Summer. Now we sit and wait on the cold weather and frost in the weeks to come. 

It’s a new week

It’s Monday again. It’s been 5 weeks since I was let go from my job. It is not a good feeling (Previous post here). There is only so much you can do sitting at home. I spent two weeks taking some online CEU courses and renewed my Phlebotomy certificate.

Now I spend most of my days online looking for jobs. I am comfortable sitting behind a computer all day because thats all I'm used to. I have to say though that I have really enjoyed the time I have gotten to spend all day with my husband. With my severance pay, I was able to go ahead a pay my December health insurance. I paid my car off back in July so I do not have that hanging over me anymore. Thank God! I have Christmas money set aside too, So I think I’m good until next year.

Knowing a check is no longer coming in is scary! 

I have my moments. I will have feelings of panic off and on. I wake up in the middle of the night and sometime find myself in tears as my husband sleeps soundly beside me. I know he worries too. I say a little prayer and I can usually fall back to sleep. 

And then there are moments I feel happy and relieved to be away from the atmosphere I was working in. I loved the job I did and did it well, but It feels good to be away from the vulgar language, the smell of cigarettes, and the little 12 x 12 room I sat in all day long. This was my life for 26 years. Now Im free.

This is a new week and I will make new goals. I will continue my job searching. I actually had a couple friends send me a message letting me know places they work that may be hiring. This gave me a little hope at the time was feeling really hopeless. I hope to hear back from someone soon. 

My eating habits have been bad too. I guess between stress and boredom I want to eat the house down. Though I am still holding my weight loss, I don’t feel all that good. If you follow me on Facebook you may have seen some of the foods I have encountered. It is definitely not in my diet plan. In my defense, I don’t eat all of what I photograph. I’m usually stuffed after a couple bites. 

For example. We tried two new restaurants this weekend. One was in a little town of Belmont. Where I grew up. It was called Casa Vieja . It is a little Mexican restaurant that used to be an Italian restaurant. I ordered two tacos and Nick had a salad with grilled beef. It’s the nacho and dip before hand that is bad. 

The food was good. It was not as good as some of the other places we have been to but we are willing to give it another try. 

Sunday night we decided to try a new BBQ restaurant called The Smoke Pit. The food here was delicious! 

We both ordered a bbq sandwich on toast with a side of fries. 

They piled the meat high. I was full after eating the meat that fell out of the bread onto the plate. I have enough leftover for anther meal. 

It’s a new week. I will be settling back down to the simple and healthy foods so I can keep my weight down. This will also make me feel better inside and out. It’s amazing how bad fattening foods can make you feel after your used to eating lite and healthy. I think my body is craving carrots right now. 

It’s a new week. It will be a good week, I just know it. I will get myself back together and have a better attitude. Gods got me. 

Friday Bowl- Papaya

I just tried Papaya for the first time. It has a mild melon taste. Papaya is good for your eyes and has a lot of other health benefits. The inside consist of seeds in the middle that you scoop out before you slice it up. They say the seeds taste like pepper and can be dried and added to recipes. I read that after I threw my seeds away. This Papaya was not too sweet but perfect combined with other toppings on this yogurt bowl. 

Papaya Yogurt Bowl

3/4 Cup- Fage 0% Plain Yogurt

1/4- Pomegranate Seeds (raw)
2 Tablespoons- Natures Promise Pumpkin Seed Flax Granola
1/4 Cup Blueberries
1/2 Cup Papaya

176 Calories- 16g Protein

🍓🍌🍉🍊🍒🍏🍅🍈

I have decided to reserve each Friday to share some of my creative food bowls. I have been eating these at least 3 times a week and I feel great. They are easy, healthy and fun. This is part of my new "Clean Eating" Plan. Wish me Luck.

Loofah Reveal

At the beginning of spring I mentioned growing some loofah plants. Now let me introduce you to my loofahs!

Loofah is a natural sponge that grows on a vine. You can actually eat loofah when they are young but once they mature, the inside turns into an all purpose sponge.
You thought all sponges come from the sea, didn’t ya? 

I started off with four loofah plant. These little twigs fought each other in my window seal until the ground was warm enough to plant outside.

    

Nick built me a little trellis and a planter box in an area where they would get lots of direct sun. I wanted to plant them directly in the ground but for unknown reasons, he was against it. So a planter box it was. I could hardly wait to watch them grow.

Once I transplanted them into the soil, they must have gotten soil shocked because two of them died (They are known to do this). This left me with only two vines, but I figured that was enough for a trial run. It was fun seeing these plants finally take off and climb the trellis. They grew beautiful flowers that attracted some cute bees. 

I have always been afraid of bees, but not these. I somehow felt a friendship with these little stingers. They were working for me so I had to respect them. We got along great. 

I learned there are male and female flowers. The male flowers grow in clusters while the female flowers grow between the branches. 

   

The female flowers have to be pollinated to produce fruit. A loofah is ready to harvest once it turns yellow and the skin starts to loosen. They house hundreds of seeds that can be planted the next year. 

I read that just one vine will give you up to 20 loofahs. That was not my case. I was rather disappointed in my harvest this year. I only got six loofahs off two plants. Though I had many start to grow, they simply were eaten by some kind of critter or dried up and died before maturing. I plan to give it another shot next year and have a larger trellis and deeper dirt. I hope to plant them in the ground next year instead of a box. 

What next? I plan to cut them into pieces and make loofah soaps something like in this.... 

(Source)

Below is a video showing the timeline of my loofahs. Hope you enjoy 

Blueberry Grill

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I love cooking it and eating it. We never usually go out for breakfast anymore. I get up about about 30 minutes before Nick and I enjoy a cup of coffee and a lite breakfast. I remember the days we used to go to Bojangles or Hardees for biscuits and gravy. That was also 50lbs ago.

Down at the beach, there is a place near our stay called Blueberry Grill. It is located in a shopping area called Barefoot Landing. We see it often and I mentioned how I would love to try it one morning. So when morning came, Nick asked if I would like to have breakfast at Blueberry Grill. It will be something different from the ordinary. I threw on a sweater and jeans, pulled my hair back in a messy bun and brushed my teeth. I was ready in 15 minutes. You don’t have to ask me twice if I want a good breakfast. 

As we entered the restaurant, we were welcomed by friendly staff. They asked “would you like to sit inside or on the patio?’. It was a crisp 50 degrees morning and the sun was shining bright, so we decided to sit on the patio. 

They had heaters blowing from up above that was perfect for keeping the chill off. It was so nice and we could hear the birds playing in the planters and would often run onto the patio waiting on someone to drop some crumbs.

We ordered a cup of coffee while we waited on our meal. 

We both decided on the short stack of French toast made in a rich batter that was infused with brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Then dusted with powdered sugar. I requested a side of blueberries to add to the top of mine. 

I prefer instant grits but Nick likes what he calls “real grits”. So when he seen they had real stone ground grits, he just had to order some. I admit they were delicious.  

I loved everything about this place. The atmosphere, wait staff, and the food. It was a little pricey though but was worth it. We will definitely go back again sometime once Summer comes around and we take another trip to the coast. 

Blueberry Grill

North Myrtle Beach, SC

Friday Bowl- Getting Sweeter

I do not plan these delicious breakfast bowls. I most always start with yogurt and then I peer into the fridge to see what I can add on top. Today I grabbed four different kinds of sweetness starting at with the mild sweetness of cantaloupe and ending in rich chocolate. With each bite, this bowl kept getting sweeter and sweeter. This breakfast was fun and filling. 

Getting Sweeter Yogurt Bowl

1/2 Cup- Fage 0% Plain Yogurt

1/4 Cup- Cantaloupe 

1 Tablespoon- Pomegranate Seeds (raw)

2 Tablespoons- Natures Promise Pumpkin Seed Flax Granola
1 Tablespoon- Hershey's Chocolate Chips.

201 Calories- 14 g Protein

🍓🍌🍉🍊🍒🍏🍅🍈

I have decided to reserve each Friday to share some of my creative food bowls. I have been eating these at least 3 times a week and I feel great. They are easy, healthy and fun. This is part of my new "Healthy Eating" Plan. Wish me Luck.

Long Week at The Beach

We decided to take a long beach trip. I needed the getaway after losing my job. I did a lot of thinking and even put a plan in place. I will share that in another post.

We spent twelve days away this time. We would have stayed longer but we have a doctor appointment and a wedding to attend this week. I think this was one of the best trips we have had. It was nice not having to log into work or worry about making up the work load when I get home.

The weather was nice with temperatures hovering in the 70’s. We spent a lot of time relaxing on the beach, long walks and dipping our toes in the ocean. I even got my tan back. However, some days were rather chilly and windy, but we still enjoyed the outdoors all the same.

I tried to read a book. I’m a slow reader and can’t have any distractions. I made it to chapter four. I just couldn’t do it. I felt like I was missing too much around me when I had my nose in a book. People were letting their dogs play on the beach and we watched the fishermen fish from the surf all day. I have decided that if I ever move to the beach, I’m gonna take up that sport. 

I got to pet a crab. They will usually run, but this one wanted a back rub. Enjoy the video.

We also watched the shrimp boat at work all day. I love when they pull in the nets and all the birds start flocking the docks. You will often see dolphins putting on a show as they follow behind. 

There was a yard sale at the campground on Saturday morning. It was one of the coldest days, So we got up early, bundled up and headed out for an early walk up to the event. I didn’t buy anything because I didn’t see anything I couldn’t live without. However, I did return with a warm coffee. 

We had a few nice dinners and I finally got my hands on some steamed oysters one night at a little oyster bar near the campground. We met up with my brother in law and niece. Later we headed down to the pier for social time with some of the locals. We were in by 10pm. 

This will probably be our last beach trip for the year. We now have the camper winterized and ready to be stored away for the Winter. We will bring it back out in the Spring. Now it’s time to start preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas with family. 

Friday Bowl- Sweet Potato

I love when a veggie can turn into a dessert. (Like grandmas sweet potato pies). To me, breakfast and dessert can be the same kind of meal. I mean, who hasn’t had a doughnut for breakfast or pancakes for dessert? Am I right? Well, I decided to make this bowl using some left over sweet potato from dinner last night. It was the perfect sweetness with the added walnuts and honey. So let’s just keep breaking the rules and have a veggie for breakfast that tastes like dessert. 

Sweet Potato Yogurt Bowl

1/2 Cup- Fage 0% Plain Greek Yogurt
1/4 of a Sweet Potato

1 Teaspoon- Honey
2 Tablespoons- Crushed Walnuts

158 Calories- 13 g Protein

🥔🥜🍯

I have decided to reserve each Friday to share some of my creative food bowls. I have been eating these at least 3 times a week and I feel great. They are easy, healthy and fun. This is part of my new "Clean Eating" Plan. Wish me Luck.