Running with a Recipe

Spider Cake

2011-12-08T11:05:00.001-05:00

Here is a fun and easy way to wow your friends and family. Have you ever heard of a cake ball. Well it is so simple to create you will wish that you tried it sooner. Bake a 9 X 13 in. cake (any flavor – I made America’s Test Kitchen’s Basic Vanilla Cake recipe), let it cool and then crumble it into pieces – make sure you are doing this in a big bowl. Now mix in a 16 oz. container of frosting (again any flavor you like) or you can use your favorite homemade frosting (I was lazy and used premade Vanilla). Line a 2 quart bowl with plastic and press the cake mixture into it. Cover with more plastic and chill for at least 2 hours. I let mine sit in the fridge overnight which made it very firm and easy to work with.

With my cake ball I wanted to make a Spider Cake, so I searched the internet and found this one.

And here is my finished piece.

I used Life Savers for the eyes instead of chocolate which made my kitchen smell like a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie.

We took our hairy spider cake to a Cub Scout bonfire (Declan is a Tiger Cub) and it was a huge hit. At first nobody wanted to cut it up but we convinced them to eat it. I heard many people talking about how delicious it was. So not only was it cool to look at but it was delicious tasting.

There you have it. Try it and see what everyone thinks – I bet they will be impressed.

Ritz Cracker Pie

2011-09-15T11:58:00.001-04:00

Growing up my Nana always made this pie that sounds extremely odd. Those who try it can’t even believe what they are eating and the fact that it tastes good. Have you ever heard of Ritz Cracker Pie? It is the weirdest thing but seriously give it a try – your tasters will be baffled.

Is there a recipe that when you think of it is reminds you of someone special? Well that is how I feel about Ritz Cracker Pie. I hear it and I immediately think Nana. In my mind I can hear her voice, with that southern drawl, asking “anyone want a piece of Ritz Cracker Pie” as she brings it to the table. The first time Charlie was served a piece of this pie he was skeptical but once he ate it he fell in love.

I could not find my Nana’s copy of the recipe so I followed the back of the box one from this site. Of course I could not leave the recipe as is, I had to add my own little twist. Instead of topping the pie with a pie crust I topped it with an oatmeal crumb topping (the type you would use to top am apple cobbler). Why you might ask? Well Ritz Cracker Pie tastes like an apple pie. Yes you read that correctly. How do crackers end up tasting like apples? I have no idea, but they do.

Here is the bottom crust filled with the crackers which are just crumbled into chunks. This is before adding the oatmeal crumb topping.

And the finished product straight from the oven.

It was a big hit. Charlie took it to work and it was well received. They could not believe this pie does not contain one single bit of apple but yet it tastes like it does. The combo of salty and sweet really make this pie a delicacy. If you are looking for a super simple recipe and something a bit unique give this a try. Let me know if you do and what you think of it. This is a pie that will always have a special place in my heart. Love you Nana!!!

On the Declan front – today is picture day. He went to school looking so handsome and like such a big guy. Here he is in his “office attire”. He was disappointed that I did not get him a tie.

Oh how I love that smile!!!

I am off to enjoy the day. I hope you have a great one as well. Thanks for reading.

Homemade Pop-Tarts

2011-09-06T13:45:00.001-04:00

I admit it has been quite a long time since you have heard from me. We have had a very busy year. The beginning of 2011, I started picking up 2 of Declan’s friends from school and watching them at their house until their mom got home in the evening. The time I spent taking care of 3 kiddos makes me appreciate the fact that I only have one. Now that my guy is in first grade I do actually have some decent time to myself. I would like to start blogging again but not as much as I did when I first started. I still love to bake for my guys (I sadly can not eat ANY gluten so I do not partake in the delicacies of my labor). I have struggled with gastrointestinal problems since having Declan but have finally discovered a diet that agrees with me – I am now a raw vegan. That’s right, I no longer eat those gluten filled messes that I concocted so very long ago. I now have a version that is a big bowl of fruit with a dollop of raw almond butter. My stomach has never felt so good. I am very thankful that I found something that works for me after having so much trouble for so many years. I am still learning what nutrients I need and how to get them. I take really good raw vitamins and I do eat nutritional yeast (not raw but used in many raw food recipes), for the vitamin B that it supplies. So that is my update - onto the goodies.

I decided to try my hand at homemade Pop-Tarts. Those sweet little filled pastries have become a favorite treat for my little guy so of course mommy had to try to make a version even better than the boxed variety. His favorite is Nature’s Path Brown Sugar Maple Cinnamon Frosted Toaster Pastry. I had some competition but I was up to the challenge.

I turned to my trusty King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion for a recipe.

The dough was kind of tough to work with. I let it sit in the fridge for a few hours and I think that I should have went for an over night chill. Pictured are the ones that came out camera worthy – the others are not winning any beauty contest but at least they will taste good. Declan gobbled one right from the oven when it was still warm and declared it the best thing that he has ever tasted. Charlie could not resist the tempting smell permeating the kitchen and had to have one too. He likes to refer to the things that I make as stupid good and I think that was the verdict on these babies. Declan even begged for a second but seeing as I made these in the evening there was no way I could send him to bed with 2 sitting in his tummy. This morning he instantly declared one for breakfast and enjoyed it just as much as he did the night before. I think that I beat the box variety – maybe not on looks but definitely on taste.

I will leave with a picture of Declan on his first day of first grade. He really is so grown up now. Remember how little he was when this little blog began. He is such a joy and the best boy any mommy could ask for.

See you later!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

2010-09-09T19:03:00.001-04:00

Declan finally got to experience a baseball game at the stadium. We took him to McCoy to watch the Paw Sox play their last game of the season.

He got really excited when the players hit the ball.

My two favorite guys.

Me and my little sweet tart.

After about 5 innings Declan did get a little ants in his pants.

Thankfully we sat all the way at the top of the stands so he was able to play in the space behind our seats.

He thought he was pretty cool with that foam bear claw.

The game was really fun, even for the kiddos. Next year we will definitely try to go to a few more.

He’s a Kindergartener

2010-09-01T19:00:00.001-04:00

Today this little monkey started kindergarten. I can’t believe that Declan is old enough to actually be going to school.

He wore his new “school” sneakers. I remember going shopping for school clothes when I was a kid and how exciting it was to have new stuff to wear the first few days of the new school year.

He does not take a bus to school so I do the driving there and back. I like this time with him, we get to chat about what happened during his day.

He is growing up way to fast. That is my little sweet heart right there.

I love this kid!!!

Honestly, I shed more than a tear once I got back in my truck after seeing him walk through the school doors. It was more like sobbing. Yeah it was not a pretty sight. I am pretty sure that it will be easier tomorrow. The first day is always the hardest.

What a Month

2010-06-07T10:29:00.001-04:00

Well one whole month has almost past since my last post. Let me tell you, the month of May was a doozy. It all started out great. We celebrated our anniversary with a trip to the city. The D man came along and enjoyed dining out with us at Bouchee on Newbury Street.

My boy is a serious crusty bread-a-holic. He even dips it in olive oil. His favorite is the oil that is infused with garlic – he has a sophisticated palate for a 5 year old.

We all shared a flatbread (arugula, fresh tomato, garlic and parmesan). The crust was seriously as good as it gets. I love when it is a crispy as a cracker. D and Charlie though it was outstanding as well.

Charlie and I shared a Nicoise Tuna Salad. It pretty much rocked too.

Then the week came when it all went down hill. D got a stomach virus that was so bad he was throwing up for an hour and a half the first night. As much as I felt bad for myself cleaning puke from the cracks of my hardwood floors with Q-Tips at 2 AM, I felt even worse for my little man who’s only source of substance for 2 days was ginger ale and oyster crackers. That week was really tough but we made it through it. But then, he got sick again. This time he came down with scarlet fever. With a little antibiotics in his system he recovered pretty quickly. The one thing with antibiotics is they really mess with his tummy. He did not have much of an appetite while taking his meds.

Thankfully he was well enough to attend the Davis’ Farmland trip that his school had planned. Parents had to go along which was fine with me – I loved all the baby animals. Especially this guy. His fleece was so soft.

This farm is really great because there are a lot of pens that you are allowed to go in and interact with the animals.

This goat looked like she was read to bust and apparently she was not preggers.

D’s favorite was a little baby goat named Shadow. It was so cute and very friendly.

He got to feed the calves.

And brush them.

I was surprised that he got that close to them because at first he was a little standoffish.

We went on a hay ride where we learned the history behind the farm and got to see a bunch of other animals that were not in the pens at the petting farm.

To end our day at the farm, D got to milk a goat.

He got some milk on his hands which I don’t think went over too well. He was flinging his arms around and insisted on washing ASAP.

Other exciting news - D is officially a preschool grad!!!

Here is D accepting his certificate. Daddy was manning the camera at this point so I am blaming him for the next few not so clear photos.

I still can’t believe he is going to kindergarten this fall. My little boy is growing up way to fast.

So other than that I have been reading up a storm. I read 4 books last month and I am already 100 pages into American Wife (amazing so far I might add). I started the month with Modoc which was a wonderful story about the greatest elephant that ever lived. Then I read my very first book by Ann Patchett titled Run. It sucked me right in and I read it in like a week. Then I read A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. I had not read any reviews of it but the blurb on the back cover made it seem interesting. And it was superb. I read it in less than a week. The last book I read was Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan. I started it one day and read only about 30 pages and the next day I read the rest of the book. Yes, it was that good. I took it everywhere and even read in the car. I actually took all the book everywhere with me. For some reason I am able to read in the car now – something that I could not do when I was younger, it made me nauseous. Thankfully that is no longer the case.

Alrighty, time to go party with the D man. He has been playing the Wii for way to long and I think we should get outside and enjoy the gorgeous weather we are having today.

Happy Monday!!!

Did I forget it?

2010-05-12T14:21:00.001-04:00

I planned on making a repeat batch of pumpkin oats for breakfast today. I was hustling this morning since D and I had to be at the gym by 8:30 for my weekly gig. Somehow the pumpkin never made it into my bowl. Of course I did not even realize it until I was brushing my teeth. I said to myself - “did I forget to add the pumpkin?” While consuming said bowl of yumminess I thought it looked a little naked. That’s why.

So I just added that orange creamy goodness to my lunch salad. It totally worked well with all the other components and made for a very tasty dish.

Cottage cheese is always a nice addition to a bed of greens – at least in my book.

Along with a dollop of hummus.

Anyone else adore raw cauliflower? I would much rather eat it raw then cooked. I think it is a texture thing. I love that it is super crunchy. I do not dig it when it is all mushy.

I doused the entire salad with paprika, cumin and cinnamon. The spices really give it some life. Salad dressing can be over powering to the veggies - this blend of spice really just enhances their natural flavor.

Today is flying by. It is almost time to go retrieve D from school. Where did my afternoon go? Oh yeah, I was cleaning and doing laundry – typical mommy duties. Enjoy the rest of your day.

Where is Libby’s?

2010-05-11T09:53:00.001-04:00

Am I the only one who can not find Libby’s canned pumpkin? I can’t remember the last time I saw it on the self at the grocery store. I used to be able to purchase it all year round. I think the last time it was at my local store was during the fall holiday season. What is up??? Anyone?

This morning I decided to cheat on my beloved Libby’s with a can of the Whole Foods brand. It really feels like ages since the last time I consumed pumpkin oats.

I fixed that this morning. I added the pumpkin along with a banana and lots of cinnamon to my oatmeal. It was glorious!!! Definitely not as good as Libby’s but it will have to do for now. The 365 brand is not as thick as Libby’s and the pumpkin flavor isn’t as strong.

I tried one of the tea cups in my new single cup brewer.

It was stellar!! Still in love with my new contraption.

Now if you will excuse me there is a little boy in need of a wash down. Must make sure to get behind the ears (you would be surprised by what I have found back there). Little boys can be so grimy on the outside but so sweet at heart.

Have a great day.

7 Years Ago Today

2010-05-10T09:00:00.001-04:00

We were doing this.

Yes, seven years ago, Charlie and I got married. It was such an amazing day.

Up until I gave birth to D, it was the most joyous day of my life.

We had such a blast at our reception.

We even took ballroom dancing classes prior to the wedding so that we did not look like goof balls on the dance floor. I’m actually not sure that it helped. We did tear it up though.

Everything about that day was perfect. I will always look back on our wedding day and smile.

Honestly, I would marry Charlie all over again any day. He really is a great husband. I hope that if you decide to get married someday, your day is everything that you imagine it to be. I know that mine was.

Enjoy your day.

Mommy’s Day

2010-05-09T10:23:00.001-04:00

Happy Mother’s Day to those of you who are so lucky to be a mommy. Seriously, the best thing that ever happened in my life was bringing this fine little dude into my world.

I do not even have the ability to express with words how much I love this boy.

I could just sit and stare at him all day.

I find it so amazing that I made him (with a little help from daddy of course). Seeing him grow up right before my eyes is tough at times. I miss those itty bitty years. I will never forget the first time he smiled at me or the first time he laughed (pretty sure we caught that on video). I will cherish these years that I have with him as a youngster and be thankful for them when is a young man.

Watching this old guy turn grey tugs at my heart strings – I remember when he was just a little pup. I love my fur baby like another son.

My little family is very special. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Another thing that is bringing me much happiness – the single cup brewer that I got for Mother’s Day. This thing ROCKS!!! I am such a coffee junky and my honey knew how much I wanted one.

He got me lots of different coffees to go along with it.

D has been drinking to hot cocoa and thinks it is just the coolest thing – especially since I let him have it with his breakfast. Chocolate in the AM is a real treat. I haven’t tried the tea yet but the coffee is really delicious. The varieties that I have tried are so smooth and have none of that bitterness that sometimes comes out in brewed coffee.

The best part about this thing is that there is practically no clean up. Now that makes starting my day with a cup of java oh so simple. Even though the french press won my heart – cleaning it did not.

Now go show that mommy of yours some love. Without her you wouldn’t be here. I’m sending my mom who lives in Maine lots of love from way down here in Massachusetts. She knows that even thought we are far apart, she is always in my thoughts.

I hope you all have a wonderful day.

You get to be the flavorologist

2010-04-16T10:35:00.001-04:00

I am sure you have witnessed some pretty fancy chocolate combos out there in the blog world – Chocomize is popping up everywhere. I just had to surprise that sweet husband of mine with a few wacky bars (he is a chocoholic after all).

There are SO MANY options that I had a hard time decided what I wanted to order. He loves dark chocolate so the first bar I made started with the dark chocolate base then I added dried pieces of mango, papaya and pineapple. When I saw that potato chips were on the menu I had to throw those into the mix too. You also get to name your bar – this one is “Tropical Tater”.

They seriously load on the toppings. He really dug this one. I think that anything with potato chips would tickle his fancy. Next to chocolate, chips are one of his staples.

I decided to mix up one with the milk chocolate bar for fun. He does not hate milk chocolate, he just prefers dark.

This bar is the “Nerd Bar” – for my nerd of course. It contained pecans and candy Nerds. He did like this one but said that it was really a bit too sweet. The milk chocolate bar and the Nerds were a bit much, especially since he likes his chocolate more on the earthy side. He did comment on the way the Nerds added a fruity note to the chocolate. At least it was not a complete fail.

For my next creation I went a little out there. How could I pass up the chance to make him a chocolate bar that contained bacon? Yes, they offer bacon as one of the toppings.

I present you “Piggy Fizz”.

This is a dark chocolate bar with candy Pop Rocks and bacon. Charlie and D have been known to partake in a few packets of Pop Rocks so I knew that he was a fan. The bacon was a bit of a question but I had to do it. Well he loves it. The candy has lost it’s fizz but he said it really pairs well with the chocolate and the smokiness of the bacon.

The company also sent me one of their “most popular” creations – the Smores Bar. How cute are those little teddy bears?

I had to dive right in. This is made with their milk chocolate bar and yes it is super sweet. I have a serious sweet tooth and this guy was even a bit too sweet for me. A little chunk of this bar is sufficient in curbing that sugary craving. My guys liked it too – I did share.

If you want to try your hand at making some interesting chocolate bars I highly recommend that you head over to Chocomize and get those creative juices flowing. I know that Charlie will be mixing up some flavor combos of his own now that he knows that such a thing exists.

I hope you all are well. Things are good over here at my homestead. Next week is school vacation and I am debating on whether or not I want to go visit my mom. D keeps bugging me to bring him. Unfortunately I will have to make the 7 hour trek all on my own – the hubs can’t get time off. We have not seem my mom since October – yikes, it’s been a while!! My sister and her family are going so that makes me really want to go. I know my mom would love to have us all there at one time. I’ll make up my mind soon.

Have a great one.

b.good

2010-03-30T08:44:00.001-04:00

The service is fast but b.good is not your typical fast food restaurant.

Just look at that piece of grilled chicken – none of that spongy stuff served here.

And the fries are to die for. I am not usually one to eat french fries (I don’t do fried foods), but these babies are baked and truly are amazing. I would go back and just get fries.

Charlie ordered the sweet potato fries so we shared the two varieties. The sweet ones were just as scrumptious as the regular. He really liked his hamburger too.

The D man didn’t do to bad with his big burger – he ate more than half of that guy. We shared the fries with him too. I was shocked that he liked them. He is usually not a fan of french fries unless they are almost burnt. I don’t think he likes the squishy texture – they need to be super crispy.

It was a nice Sunday spent in the city with my guys.

Here is shot by D – not bad considering my camera is kind of beastly.

We definitely would go back to b.good for some quick but oh so yummy eats again.

I hope you are having a great week. We are ready to sail away here in MA. The rain is never ending. Time for my boat to leave – I’m babysitting today.

Raisin Bran Cereal Muffins

2010-03-26T11:34:00.001-04:00

I know that I said the recipe would be up yesterday, oops!! It was just too nice outside to be in front of the computer and my truck REALLY needed to be cleaned. My sidekick and I headed out to use one of those mega vacuums. At first he freaked out about the loud noise – he has always been a little sensitive to things that are ear piercing – except his own wails. Eventually he did not mind – maybe it was because he found some dirt to play with. My truck got cleaned but he got dirty – a mommy’s job is never done.

Then last night I had a Girl Scout meeting. It went well. We trucked through the mucky paths of the GS camp so that the girls can draw maps of the grounds. The maps will then be judged (by them or the leaders – TBD). The best one wins. My nephew was there so I asked the C man to bring the D man to the meeting - the boys entertained each other. I think D really liked that he got to hang out with a group of older women. He’s already told me – in his exact words “mommy, I like girls”. Yes he does.

So here is the recipe that I promised you. It is so yummy especially if you like molasses – a little of that brown goodness sure does go a long way.

Raisin Bran Cereal Muffins

1 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 cup Evaporated Cane Juice (I got mine at Trader Joe’s)

1 tbsp molasses

3 cups Total Raisin Bran Cereal

1 cup nonfat buttermilk

2 egg whites

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray – I made 6 jumbo but you could also make regular sized muffins.

Stir together the cereal, buttermilk, applesauce, molasses and evaporated cane juice. Let mixture sit for five minutes or until the cereal is moist.

In a small bowl whip the egg whites till frothy. Once the cereal mix is ready gently fold the egg whites into it.

Sprinkle the flour, baking soda and salt over the wet ingredients and stir to combined – try not to over mix.

Evenly distribute the batter into your muffin pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 2 minutes. Finally remove the muffins from the pan to a wire rack.

These muffins are really delicious with a cup of tea or coffee. I had one for breakfast a couple times this week and was so happy with how they came out. You will have to take my word – no one else in my house was willing to be a guinea pig.

Let me know if you try them. I hope you have a great weekend.

Hat Day

2010-03-24T19:52:00.001-04:00

Today was hat day at D’s school so of course I could not send him with just any old ordinary hat. I had to make him something with a little pizzazz.

“Mommy aren’t we done yet?”

After the photo shoot he went and hid under a blanket.

So did Otto. There really is a dog under there.

Peek-a-boo Otto.

D was so excited to show off his crazy hat. And it actually made it through the day without any of the balloons popping – that’s amazing in a class full of 4 & 5 year olds.

So I know I promised you a muffin recipe but you will have to wait until tomorrow. But here is a little teaser.

Time for Survivor – it’s on a special night this week. I’m going to make a cup of tea and go get cozy by the TV. Have a great night.

Fresh Squeezed

2010-03-22T15:39:00.001-04:00

Since I started this blog I really have not done a lot of pie baking. I actually really love to make them especially when someone makes a special request. Charlie works with a man who absolutely loves lemon desserts so he asked if I would make him a Lemon Meringue Pie. I’ve never ventured down the road of meringue – as it looks a bit intimidating. Well, I am here to tell you that it is pretty simple to achieve those white peaks of beauty – just do not over mix (thankfully I did not).

I found a recipe from Miss Paula Dean. Her food always seems to be a smash hit so I figured this one would be a winner. The crust was just a basic sweet pie dough that I found in another cook book I have in my collection – you could use your favorite. You can also make the pie with a graham cracker crust but the gentleman requested just a regular pastry crust.

The filling calls for a 1/2 cup of lemon juice. I highly recommend that you go with fresh squeezed not the bottled stuff. It is more time consuming but way worth the effort.

I would also suggest making this pie the day you plan on serving it. Meringue oozes as it sits in the fridge overnight and I really could not figure out how to avoid this (Charlie and I even searched the web for tips and came up empty). Despite a little dampness, the pie was well received. Charlie came home that evening with an empty pie plate – a good indicator I would say.

I hope your off to a good start to the week. I am, I just made some jumbo raisin bran muffins. The recipe is soon to come - I need to taste test one first

All About the Green

2010-03-17T19:43:00.001-04:00

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!!! Did you all wear green? Of course we did, I mean we are sporting the Irish name and all (our last name is O’Toole in case you did not know). How could I let my little Irish boy – Declan O’Toole – not celebrate the day that is ALL about the green? He wore green pants, a green shirt, a green sweatshirt, a green vest and he even had green on his sneakers. He looked mighty festive.

On a foodie note, I made sure to get in my greens at every meal.

BREAKFAST:

Green eggs (that would be spinach and 0ne whole egg), on a whole wheat bagel

LUNCH:

A plate of random goodies that included leftover cooked zucchini & red pepper, hummus, chopped apple and a sandwich thin topped with swiss and jack cheese.

DINNER:

Whole wheat wrap topped with hummus, spinach and zucchini. I ate the rest of the zucchini on the side.

Eating my greens is not really difficult since I tend to eat a diet that is very heavy on the veggies. And zucchini just happens to be one of my favorites.

Did you eat anything special for St. Patrick’s Day? Any corned beef and cabbage eaters? I’ve never been a fan. I hope you had yourself a lucky day.

Blueberry Muffins

2010-03-12T09:24:00.001-05:00

I have been really craving blueberry muffins so I got to to work in my kitchen the other night. I always try to make healthy alternatives to traditional recipes – like subbing applesauce for the fat in the recipe and use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. Sometimes my baked goods come out good but other times they are a total flop.

Well this time my recipe was a winner. Keep in mind that I do not like an overly sweet muffin but I do enjoy one that is moist and not too dense.

Here is what went into these beauties:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/4 cups nonfat buttermilk

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

2 tbsp brown rice syrup

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup frozen blueberries

As you can see they have a nice muffin top which happens to be my favorite part. I always separate the top from the bottom before consuming. Are there any are others like me out there???

These are not a sweet muffin so you could add jam or honey to one before eating if you so please. Or if you want them to be sweet to begin with add 1/4 – 1/2 cup of honey to the batter instead of the brown rice syrup. I have been enjoying mine as is and I love them. I am the only one in my house that will eat these – D does not like BB Muffins and Charlie knows that they are whole wheat so he won’t touch them either. Oh well, more for mommy. I have been gobbling them up too – like 2 a day. They really are that yummy.

Happy Friday!!!

Tags: muffins,recipe,blueberries,baking

Strawberry & Banana

2010-03-11T14:55:00.001-05:00

The flavor combo of strawberry & banana is like peanut butter & Jelly or chocolate & peanut butter if you like. The two are meant for each other. I’m not saying that strawberries ONLY taste good with bananas or vice versa. I happen to like each one on there own but when you put them together it is like a mouth full of joy.

So when I started my day with this bowl of deliciousness, I was off to a great start – at least my tummy was.

Good old oat bran cooked with Sun Warrior Vanilla protein powder and water. I topped it with banana slices and Trader Joe’s Organic Reduced Sugar Strawberry Preserves. AMAZING!!! Now that’s what I call a great breakfast.

How did you start your day? Are you a hot or cold cereal person? Or do you prefer eggs, pancakes or waffles? Maybe you eat something totally out of the ordinary. I’d love to hear about it.

I hope you are having a great Thursday.

Tags: oat bran,banana,strawberry,breakfast

A Side of Fruit

2010-03-11T09:46:00.001-05:00

So I was noticing as I was putting all my photos into this post that ALL my meals usually contain a side of fruit. Well breakfast the fruit was not on the side but it was still present. I love fruit!!!! It really is so sweet and delicious. I can’t wait for berries to be back in season. The frozen ones just do not compare.

Here’s a rundown of my very fruitful menu for yesterday.

Breakfast:

Oatmeal, Sun Warrior Protein, banana and cinnamon

Lunch:

Green smoothie that contained almond milk, baby spinach, frozen blueberries, stevia, and ice.

Very delish – going to have another today.

I also had a swiss and provolone sandwich with a side of chopped apples.

Dinner:

tortilla pizza (zucchini, red pepper and Quorn Meatless Meatballs and cheese), along with a chopped plum.

Wraps or tortillas (whatever you want to call them) make the best thin crust pizzas. I put mine on a pizza stone and it gets super crispy.

So there you have it. I’m a fruit eater – why is it that my son is not????? He eats bananas & strawberries without a fuss but that's about it. Hopefully that will change.

Second Take, Insta-Bake

2010-03-09T09:57:00.001-05:00

I usually steer clear from the prepackaged pancake mixes as many of them contain ingredients that I do not want to enter my body. Plus they tend to have high sodium content as well. It is pretty simple to whip up batter from scratch but like you saw yesterday, my batter resulted in very flat pancakes. Now I could use the trusty old recipe that I make for my little one but mommy tends to like her morning meal a bit more on the healthier side (America’s Test Kitchen does not skimp on the butter in their recipes). I am not saying that the D Man always gets sweet treats in the AM. But it is nice to let him enjoy a special breakfast on occasion (more like, when mommy has the time to whip up a batch of chocolaty goodies in the morning).

Well I decided to give Hodgson Mill Insta-Bake a try. The ingredient list is actually very short and the sodium was pretty reasonable as well.

For breakfast this morning I mixed 1/3 cup Insta-Bake mix with 1 egg, 1 ounce buttermilk, cinnamon and vanilla. I cooked the batter in small batches so that I would get mini pancakes instead of just one giant one.

These pancakes were fabulous and fluffy.

I ate my pancakes with a drizzle of Pb2 and banana slices.

Insta-Bake has found a place in my kitchen. I will definitely be using it more often to make myself a speedy breakfast.

D and I are headed to my sis’s house for the day. The weather really is gorgeous so we would like to boys to get outside and run around. We better soak up the sun while it lasts – you never know what will happen in New England.

Have a great day!

Do you have a favorite sandwich?

2010-03-08T19:23:00.001-05:00

Besides PB & J I would have to say that my favorite sandwich would be a simple cheese sammie with some veggies to add good crunch.

My favorite cheese is definitely swiss but I also adore provolone. I remember when I was a very wee one, my dad would buy provolone cheese for me when I would stay over his house on the weekends (well that was until he moved all the way to Florida). I’ve been a huge fan of the strong flavored cheeses ever since.

For lunch today I made a super yummy double cheesy delight – swiss & provolone with lettuce and zucchini on whole wheat bread. I also spread a little smear of mustard on there for some tangy goodness.

Accompanying my sandwich was a few more zucchini spears and a sweet golden delicious apple.

Such a simple lunch but oh so belly pleasing.

How was your day? Hopefully your week is off to a good start.

Do you have a favorite sandwich?

They Turned out Flat

2010-03-08T09:23:00.001-05:00

After my workout this morning I really had a hankering for a plate of luscious pancakes. I searched my collection of cookbooks for inspiration. I always end up changing some part of the recipe and of course I did just that with my pancake concoction today. Unfortunately my pancakes turned out flat.

Here’s my recipe:

1/2 cup oat flour

1/2 cup low fat buttermilk (I used 1/2 cup milk soured with vinegar since I did not have butter milk on hand – maybe that is way my pancakes were so lifeless??)

1 egg

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

pinch of salt

I topped them with banana slices and sunflower seed butter. These are definitely not a pancake for those who like sweet cakes as I did not add any sweetener. I actually prefer them this way so that I can add the flavor accompaniments to the top.

Sorry for the not so lovely photo. When I went to turn on my camera this morning it was all out of juice – weird, I have not really used it that much lately. Hopefully some time on the charger will do it some good.

Even though I did not have a plate of fluffy pancakes, these did hit the spot. Next time I make them I am going to use whole wheat flour and make sure to use the real deal buttermilk. I swear that it made all the difference in the pancakes I made my guys a while back.

I hope you have a great Monday.

He wants Beef but I make Beet

2010-03-05T09:43:00.001-05:00

I never buy beef. I can’t stand cooking it on the stove (I will then be serving Charlie shoe leather) and right now our grill is out of service (it has been for WAY too long but they no longer make replacement parts for the model we have since we got the thing almost 7 years ago). Anyway, I do occasionally buy ground beef and make my main squeeze a meatloaf – he is the only one who eats it so I usually make him a mini loaf.

When I saw Meghann’s Black Bean & Beet burgers, I thought they would be a good option for a Charlie dinner. He happens to really like beets.

I made a couple changes:

I left out the onion (I did not have any onion on hand), I added a couple tablespoons of walnuts, a little dried cilantro and chili powder

After I processed all the ingredients I put the mixture in a bowl and let it chill for a little while. When I was ready to make his dinner, I formed the bean & beat mixture into four patties.

The color kind of looks like beef.

To get a nice crusty exterior, I sprayed the patties with olive oil before baking. When I gave them a flip, I sprayed the other side as well.

Charlie said that the burgers were good but then last night he ordered beef wellington when he went out for a business dinner with his colleagues. Maybe the beet burgers made him crave the real thing?? Well at least he got his meaty meal and it was at a pretty fancy place too. He should be the food blogger here, he gets to eat way more exciting food than I do. D and I just ate a Trader Joe’s frozen pizza which he did not like. This morning when he saw daddy he told him that I fed him pizza with radishes on it. It was spinach, not sure where he got radish from.

I’ve been with Charlie for almost 10 years now and I will give him credit – he eats whatever I feed him as long as it is not whole wheat pasta or brussels sprouts. He never complains that he does not get meat for dinner every night. He is pretty content with pasta or even a big salad. That’s why I’ve kept him around. That and he is also kind of nice to look at. Hey honey there are still 3 more patties in the fridge with your name on them. You know what you will be eating this weekend.

Happy Friday!!!

My First Half Marathon

2010-03-01T09:32:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was my first time racing a half marathon. I have to say that it was one tough run but I really did have a blast. There were so many runners – I had no idea what a popular race this event was. There was actually 4 races going on – a full marathon, a 1/2 marathon, a 10K and a marathon team relay. The 1/2 marathon alone consisted of 2706 runners.

We stayed overnight in Hyannis since we live over an hour away. It was a nice little getaway even though it lasted less than 24 hours – we really know how to live it up!!

The morning of the race I got ready pretty early and had a bowl of oat bran and almond butter. It really held me over and I did not have to eat anything else before the start of the race. I am sure that nerves also played a part in that too.

I ended up putting on another fleece layer – it was pretty chilly.

I wore my new Bondi Band hat that I bought at the race expo on Saturday. This hat was fabulous. It really did wick the moisture from my head so I stayed warm. And I love that it was snug against my ears which helped keep my ear buds in – some times I have a problem with them popping out during my runs. I used to never run while listening to tunes. Now that I have, I can’t imagine running without it.

At 9:45 I made my way through the sea of people and got ready to race. I tried to get in the 8 minute mile pack but we all kept getting pushed further and further back. I ended up starting past the 9 minute mile sign – not at all where I wanted to be. I can usually run under an 8 minute mile but since this was my first time doing a half marathon I was not really sure what pace I would be at. I should have tried to get into the 7 and a half minute pack.

The start was really slow. I tried to weave my way around the slower runners but it was pretty difficult to do. I saw a women get tripped and I did not want that to happen to me or for me to end up tripping someone else.

I was able to make up some time by running on the outside of the crowd. I kept checking my trusty Garmin to see what my speed was. My goal was to keep it under 8 minutes per mile. The thrill of the race and the fact that there are other runner ahead of you really does make you run faster. There were times when I was running just over a 7 minute mile.

Charlie and D were able to spot me at around mile 5. I was feeling really great and ready to conquer the remaining miles.

I decided not to chance any tummy issues from eating endurance beans, blocks or GU during the race. My belly felt 100 percent the entire time and I never felt my energy dip so I really did not need anything. I did take water from the water stations (4 times I think). I just grabbed a cup as I ran buy and attempted to get some in my mouth while running.

Unfortunately, Charlie was unable to snap a photo of me nearing the final turn. A women kept stepping in front of him and he missed the opportunity. He did get a picture of me making my way up the hill to the finish line. Gotta love ending a race on the uphill. I dug deep inside and found some more steam and sprinted to the finish.

My finish time was 1:39:48 – I beat my best time!! I came in 327th out of the 2706 runners. In my age group, I finished 23rd over 452. Not too shabby.

I was so happy to get a big hug from my sweetie pie.

So will there be another?? I am already thinking about what I would like to do next. I really do not see myself doing a full marathon. It seems like a lot of wear and tear on your body and I am content with the half marathon distance.

I hope you had a great weekend. Are you ready for another week? We are off to an icky start here weather wise. We got a little coating of snow overnight and it has now turned over to rain. It is quite a raw day out there. Spring can’t come fast enough.

Enjoy your day!

With My Eyes Shut

2010-02-26T10:10:00.001-05:00

I have made truffles so many times now that I am pretty sure that I could make them with my eye shut. If you are under the impression that they are difficult to make – you are mistaken. If you know how to melt chocolate (this can be done in the microwave), then you can make truffles. I follow a very basic recipe – chopped chocolate or chocolate chips, heavy cream, liqueur (this ingredient is optional) and if I am coating the little gems in chocolate then I buy an extra bar (or bag) to do so. The quality of chocolate you buy really does make the difference. Go for a good brand, it is worth it.

This is just how simple it is.

I start with the heavy cream.

Put the entire 8 oz into a small saucepan. Heat until it boils (tiny bubbles form around the edge of the pan).

While waiting for the cream to heat up, place your bag of chocolate chips into a glass bowl.

Once the cream is boiling, immediately pour it over the chocolate chips. Let stand for 5 minutes – this allows the chocolate to melt. After 5 minutes, stir till smooth. If you have any lumps after stirring, then you can warm it in the microwave or place the bowl over a double boiler to get the mixture completely smooth. If the cream is hot enough you should not have any lumps. One time I was worried about curdling the cream so mine was not warm enough. All was good in the end with a quick zap in the nuke.

Then I add 2 tablespoons of liqueur to the smooth chocolate & cream mix. The new favorite of my husbands is Godiva but I’ve used Whiskey and Grand Marnier before too.

Now I spread the ganache into a 8 inch glass baking dish. Some recipes say to just leave the ganache in the bowl but I find the shallow dish allows even cooling and makes scooping so much easier. Into the fridge it goes to chill for a few hours. You can actually make this a day ahead of time. On the day you are going to form the truffles, remember to take it out 20 minutes before scooping.

When I scoop the ganache, I use the 2 spoon method. I try to not handle the ganache with my hands as it melts very easily and makes a huge mess.

I put the formed truffle balls back into the fridge to firm up a bit before dipping into chocolate. If you just wanted to cover your truffles with cocoa powder, nuts or shredded coconut, you would do it right after rolling into balls. Since they are warm your coatings will stick. If you tried to do it after chilling in the fridge the toppings would just fall off.

For the chocolate coating, I melt a bag of chips over a double boiler.

Once the chocolate is melted I start dipping the balls into it. It is not a clean process but the end result is so pretty. Sometimes I even melt a little white chocolate (in the microwave), place it in a plastic bag, snip off the tip and drizzle over the truffles.

So there you have it. It really is that easy. And everyone will adore them. I have yet to meet someone who does not like the truffles that I make.

In other news, my race is on Sunday. I am really looking forward to it, just not the fact that it is supposed to snow. Lets hope that there are minimal flakes falling when it is race time.

Time to get my butt in gear, I am working at the book fair at D’s school toady. Happy Friday!!!

The Warrior

2010-02-23T10:33:00.001-05:00

When my bag of Jay Robb Vanilla Rice Protein Powder ran out, I contemplated back and forth for a while on whether I wanted to try something new. Jay Robb has been my go to powder for so long now. The taste and texture of his product has blown away all the other brands I have tried. One protein powder that I had yet to try was the Sun Warrior Protein powder. I’ve seen so many other bloggers rave how amazing it is so I just had to see for myself.

Now the Sun Warrior is a bit more pricey but you get double the servings than you do in the JR bag (and any other protein powder that I have purchased). I usually use 1/2 a scoop of powder so this stuff should last me a good long while.

I made a bowl of oats to try it out for the first time. It tastes amazing!! Jay Robb has some stiff competition. I’m pretty sure the Warrior is here to stay.

Have you tried Sun Warrior? What is your favorite protein powder? Or are you just not into the powdered stuff?

Have a great day.

His Surprise

2010-02-22T09:52:00.001-05:00

Over a month of preparing finally paid off. I threw Charlie a surprise 40th birthday party on Saturday night at Fireflies BBQ (one of his favorite restaurants).

Sorry the photos of his entrance are blurry. For some reason the flash was not going off and it was not one of those moments where I could do a retake.

He had no clue that we were all going to be there. He thought that he was just having dinner with 2 of his buds.

I was able to wrangle up a decent group of friends and family to celebrate Charlie’s entrance into the big

4 0

Here is D with Charlie’s dad and sister.

Some friends that attended Charlie had not seen for quite some time. I know it really meant a lot to him that they were there.

The D man ate a burger and also tried some of Daddy’s ribs – which he LOVED. He told me that he wants to have his next birthday party there so he can get the ribs. Too funny!!!! Daddy now has another BBQ buddy.

I had to give my little sweet tart a big high five for keeping the big secret. He overheard me talking about the party to my sis so I let him in on the details. I was really nervous that he would spill the beans but he didn’t. Everything went just as I had planned.

I hope you had a great weekend.

The Corner Grill

2010-02-16T19:44:00.001-05:00

For Valentine’s Day my two lovies took me out to lunch for my favorite meal – PIZZA!!! We ventured into Worcester to The Corner Grill. It is a very quaint shop with simple yet funky decor.

The D man was pretty famished when we arrived. He was a little impatient while we waited for our pizza to be delivered to the table.

We started with one of the most amazing salads that I have ever tasted.

Fatoush Salad
Chopped romaine ♦ tomato ♦onion ♦ cucumber ♦ feta ♦ calamata olives ♦ lemon-mint dressing ♦ toasted pita chips

I am pretty sure I ate way more of this than Charlie – it was so good I couldn’t resist.

The pizza’s that we ordered were:

Sweet Tomato & Basil Pie
Red sauce ♦ tomatoes ♦ sweet fresh basil ♦ cheese

Oh man the sauce on this one was out of this world. Check out the super thin crust – that is a sure winner in my book. In my opinion, the thinner the better. I really do not think that they could get the crust any thinner without it turning into a floppy mess – which this was not.

The other pie we ordered was:

Baked Potato Pie
Potatoes ♦ caramelized onions ♦ bacon ♦ scallions ♦ garlic butter ♦ cheese

We had them leave the onions and bacon off of half so that I could try it out. I am not a fan of bacon and onions and me are not friends – they cause extreme tummy issues. This one was good but not as good as the Sweet Basil. Charlie thought this one was just as yummy – but that is his opinion and he does love anything that contains bacon. I did like that the potatoes still had a bit of firmness to them.

The Corner Grill earns an A+ in my book. That fabulous crispy crust will definitely have me going back for more.

After lunch we headed to the mall to walk off some of the fullness. While were we there D spotted this crazy activity that he really wanted to try – JUST NOT ALONE. It was called Euro Bobbles. The video is not us but it shows just how zany these things are.

That is me in the bubble getting inflated and D already rolling around in his.

Moving around in the bubble is not as easy as it looks.

It was really difficult to stand up. Is D taking a nap??? I think we pooped him out.

I fell A LOT!!!

I am pretty sure that I made a fool of myself in front of all the spectators.

It was all for my little man. He felt much more comfy in his bubble with mommy by his side.

We actually walked away from it on our first attempt because he chicken out. He thought about it a little more and decided he really wanted to try it. As long as I was in one too, of course. We both had a lot of fun and he even wants to go back and try it again.

Not sure if I will be posting tomorrow. My sis and I are taking the boys to an exhibit out of state and I am not sure when we will be back. I will take lots of photos – well, as long as its allowed.

Have a great night.

Banana Oatmeal Bars

2010-02-15T19:48:00.001-05:00

Today was the first day of D’s vacation – he has the entire week off. The poor little doobie woke up with a bit of a cough. Any time he gets stuffy he gets that croupy sounding cough. Thankfully as the day went he started to sound better. We have lots of fun times planned for this week so he needs to get better ASAP.

I ventured away from my typical salad for dinner and actually ate a hot meal. I did end up having to throw the bowl into the micro as I was interrupted one too many times. Mommy never gets to sit down and eat her dinner without distractions.

I roasted zucchini, turnip and snap peas in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. I then added a Quorn Chik’n Cutlet and marinara sauce.

I also had a Rudy’s Organic Spelt English muffin with peanut butter.

I was itching to do a little baking since I have a couple very ripe bananas. I finally settled on making a batch of Kath’s Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars only I made some changes.

My tummy does not do too well with too much dried fruit and whole nuts so I left them out. I used almond milk in place of the skim milk, I added 2 tbsp NuNaturals NuStevia Sweetener Baking Blend and 1 mashed banana. I also left out the vanilla.

When they were baking my kitchen smelled amazing. Even Charlie commented on how yummy they smelled. I cut my bars into 6 and had to try one while they were still warm. Definitely moist, not your typical granola bar but I actually like that about them. They are more of a cakey texture which for dessert was perfect. The banana flavor is mild and not overpowering. These are a keeper in my collection of recipes.

Time to go put on my pj’s and maybe whip up a cup of my favorite nightcap. I hope you have a great night.

American Heritage Chocolate Celebration

2010-02-15T10:20:00.001-05:00

On Saturday we decided to go on a road trip to celebrate the holiday of love a day early. What better way to enjoy Valentine’s Day than with a Chocolate Celebration?

We started with a sample of the most scrumptious hot cocoa.

American Heritage Chocolate contains a unique blend of spices that really sets it apart from any other chocolate beverage that I have tasted. It was slightly sweet and very rich. It had depth and layers of flavor that I have never tasted in a drinking chocolate before – so yummy!!! It is definitely a drink for those who adore dark chocolate . I just happened to be accompanied by two such gents – my guys love their dark chocolate. And lucky for me it is soy free and made with water.

D checked out the process that the cacao beans go through on their way to becoming a chocolate bar.

We peeked in on the demonstration on cacao roasting. It was very brief as you can imagine the D man was not into lengthy lectures. Sorry the photo is blurry. I was afraid to use a flash – I’m not sure if I was supposed to be taking photos since we were not allowed to photograph the interiors of the houses we toured.

I love the time period attire. Can you even imagine dressing like that every day? The women really did wear many layers – for warmth, I presume.

We go to take a ride on a horse drawn carriage. D did not enjoy the odor of riding behind horses. He really has a sensitive sniffer – he always has.

We walked through the Museum Store and few homes. I really wish that I could have taken pictures – the furniture was just gorgeous. When I was in college I took a course on the history of furniture so I was in awe by many of the pieces that they have on display.

Charlie thought the Post Office was really neat. Compared to the Post Offices we have now this place is teeny.

Even thought it was a frigid day to be walking around outside, we all had a great time. We are going to plan a trip back to historic Deerfield when the weather is warmer and hopefully see more of the houses. Maybe mommy and daddy will try to plan an overnight and stay at the Deerfield Inn. I can only imagine the rooms to be absolutely breathtaking from the looks of the lobby.

I hope you had a lovely Valentine’s Day.

Bar Stash

2010-02-12T07:45:00.001-05:00

Oh how I love my bar stash. Without those little packages of yumminess this mommy would be one cranky crankster – you don’t want to know me if my tummy is rumbling.

Do you like how I keep them all organized inside an empty tea box?

I can’t stand when the bars come flying out of the cabinet every time I open it so this keeps the self tidy.

What does my stash consist of?

Nature’s Promise bars – these are from Stop & Shop’s organic line.

The ever so popular Larabar. I’m all out of the Peanut Butter & Jelly flavor. I must find a store close to my homestead that carries that flavor – it ROCKS!!!! Why doesn’t every Whole Foods stock the same selection?

A few random bars picked up on a whim – Vega Whole Food Vibrancy bar & a Nature’s Path WEIL bar.

And lastly Pure Bars. I’m a big fan of the Choc Chip Trail Mix flavor, I love the little crunchy bits of raw cacao nibs.

I am not the only one who digs into the bar stash. Just this morning Charlie was looking for a snack to take to work since he had to be on site SUPER early (he had to leave the house when it was still dark). Good thing there was a Cashew Cookie Larabar in the box (he can’t eat many of the others since they contain almonds or pistachios).

Do you have a bar stash? What is your favorite brand? How often do you eat bars? I eat at least one a day sometimes two depending on what I am doing. When I am on the run, I find it super easy to toss one into my bag just in case my belly starts talking while I am out.

My sidekick and I are off to the gym – time to get the blood flowing. My legs are itching for a run. Oh and the snow we were supposed to get was kind of a flop. We only got a few inches when they were predicting close to 10. I can’t believe they canceled school. I am hoping that the ice will melt so that I can hit the pavement this weekend. I really can’t wait for Spring – I much rather run outside.

Happy Friday!!

Kefir

2010-02-10T13:14:00.001-05:00

You can probably tell by now that I am a huge fan of dairy products. Milk is just not one of them. I’ve never been one down a glass of cold moo juice – even as a kid my mom forced me to (my sis is the total opposite, she drinks the stuff like I drink water). There was a time (not so very long ago), when I cut dairy out of my diet because I thought that it was bugging my belly. I was miserable without my beloved tangy plain yogurt and Swiss cheese. Thankfully, when I started eating it again my tummy has been able to handle it just fine.

I have walked past the milk section of Whole Foods more times than I can count and I always admire the Kefir but never buy it. Why? Not sure. Maybe because I don’t really use milk – I am a big almond milk junkie. Yes, I drink a warm cup of almond joy almost every evening now. Remember my little nightcap that I came up with. I am addicted.

Lifeway Kefir has great nutrition stats and it is made from cows that have not been treated with growth hormones. It does not contain as much protein as Greek yogurt but more than 8 oz of milk.

Last night I combined 1 cup Kefir, 1/2 a cup oatmeal, cinnamon and stevia. I let that mixture get to know one another over night. This morning I added a banana and PB2. Oh BABY!!!! These overnight oats were fabulous. The Kefir got absorbed and the oatmeal was super soft and creamy. I do love my warm oats but this concoction totally rocked my morning.

Have you tried kefir? What did you think? I saw the flavored ones too but they have too much sugar in them for me. I can’t start my day with that much sweetness – I would be jittery by noon. I really love the plain variety, I bet it would make a great addition to a smoothie too. I would love to hear how you used it.

Today is a not so ordinary Wednesday due to the snow storm that is on its way. D’s school got canceled and my hubs is working out of the house today. His drive home this evening might have been pretty fearful so he just decided to avoid the citation all together and stay home. He really does get lots done when he is here – D and I try to leave him be. Speaking of my 2 rascals – they are very quite I need to go see what they are up to. I hope you have a great day.

A First For D

2010-02-08T09:36:00.001-05:00

This Saturday D had his first sleepover at Rocco’s. He did great and had lots of fun. When I asked him if he missed us he said “I didn’t because I was having too much fun and did not have a chance to think about you guys”. Well I think he did miss Mommy because he was stuck to me like glue after we picked him up on Sunday. I’m not complaining since I did miss him BUNCHES!! Charlie and I had the house all to ourselves for most of Saturday (D went right over to R’s house after karate). We kept commenting on how quiet or homestead is without or little man running around. I am so used to his jibber jabber and consent chaos – I can’t imagine my life without it. I am really happy that he felt comfy sleeping at Auntie’s house – hopefully he will be up for it again.

Charlie & I headed to a surprise 40th birthday party for one of his friends. This friend also happens to work with my hubs and often partakes in the goodies that he brings in. So I asked Charlie to find out his favorite so that I could make some for the party. He said that he loved the Congo bars that I made a while ago so that’s what I made.

I followed a recipe out of my William Sonoma Dessert Book.

The dry ingredients.

Butter and brown sugar.

When the two become one – all nice and fluffy.

Then the eggs join the party.

Now in goes the dry goods.

Followed by butterscotch chips, chocolate chips and …………..

………………….walnuts.

After some time in the oven these bad boys look good to go.

We left before the birthday boy had sampled one so I will find out today if he enjoyed them.

Today is my main squeezes birthday – HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLIE!!!! He is actually 40 years old today. I can’t believe it. I met him when he was just 30. He’s still just as handsome if not more so.

After the gym this morning I hopped over to the bagel shop a few doors down and got my honey a marble bagel with cream cheese, lox and red onion – one of his favorite combos on a bagel. I got the D man a plain bagel with cream cheese and myself their honey wheat variety. A bagel after a run really does the trick – it stays with me for hours. I toasted mine, topped one half with a slice of Swiss cheese and the other with sunflower seed butter & jelly. Served on my fine china – tres chic!!!

Bronx Bagel makes superb bagels. The crust was so chewy but the interior was soft. Such a great start to my day. Now I must get a move on it – so many things to do today.

I hope you have a great Monday.

Bread and Butter

2010-02-05T10:36:00.001-05:00

So this bread recipe is definitely not for those who are watching there waistline – my main squeeze obviously is not one of them. I’m not saying that he should – I rather find him to be a hunka hunka burning love. He has been patiently waiting for me to make this loaf of buttery delight – the last time I made it he polished it off in a mere 2 days.

What is this thing that gets my honey all excited – BRIOCHE.

I am a firm believer in The Bread Bible. All of Rose’s recipes I have made have turned out super fabulous. Unfortunately most of them were pre-blog. So I guess I will just have to start baking more bread and documenting them as I go – my honey will gladly gobble up the goods.

This loaf starts out with the sponge method. She highly recommends this in order to develop the flavor.

I love seeing the sponge bubble through the flour blanket – it’s almost magical.

After a few hours of resting you add the cold eggs and AN ENTIRE STICK of softened butter. See I told you this was not a light recipe.

The first rise occurs on the counter (in a well greased bowl). After it turns into a pillow of beauty, you give it a few business letter turns (all my bread baking buddies will know what that is). Next it gets wrapped in plastic, placed in a zipper baggie and into the fridge to chill out overnight.

More magic happens during that time and you wake up to one big doughy puff in the morning.

Into the pan goes the sticky and rather delicate dough. I am not used to working with such a soft dough but I managed without having to add much extra flour

It rises in the pan for a few hours – probably would rise faster if I did not live in an igloo – we are stingy with our heat.

And here is what all the fuss is about.

The crumb turned out perfectly – a little flaky but still soft.

No lie – he ate about 1/3 of it last night. I saw his eyes roll into the back of his head while he was consuming. I felt like I should have left the room and let him have some alone time with it.

I’m gonna guess that this little gem will be gone in a day or so. He was already talking about eating it when he gets home tonight. Well Honey it is all yours – Happy Birthday!! I made this instead of a cake – per his request of course. His birthday is on Monday. Guess how old he is going to be?? I can’t even believe it myself.

My handsome guys – love them!!!! I’ll reveal his age later – I really want to see your guesses.

Till next time my friends. Have a fabulous Friday!

I Love When Food Tastes this Good

2010-02-04T15:49:00.001-05:00

This is not the first time that this particular product is appearing on RWR – the last time I really did not give my approval. Well I am here to tell you – as a non-chip lover – these babies are KILLER!!!! Yes I live with a man who consumes mass quantities of those little crispy spuds – but not this girl. I adore the tortilla chip variety – I think it has to do with that yummy corn flavor – very wholesome.

If you have not tried Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato tortilla chips yet – well go out and get yourself a darn good treat. Even the D man loves them.

They are a little salty (but not overly so – trust me on this – my tongue knows), which helps bring out that oh so wondrous sweet potato flavor.

I had some last night with one of my famous salads. Dinner was superb.

I’ve sampled a few of the other flavors (Multigrain, Buffalo, The Works and Jalapeño), which were all pretty tasty, but the Sweet Potato are in a league all their own. Just writing about them is making my mouth water. Ok time to go find a snack.

I hope your having a good day. I just got back from tackling some dust bunnies – they don’t stand a chance against me. I am vicious with a vacuum.

Who Remembers Goober Grape??

2010-02-03T10:02:00.001-05:00

When I was a kid I would always try to talk my mom into buying that crazy looking jar of jelly with streaks of peanut butter (or maybe you thought it was a jar of peanut butter with jelly stripes). Something about having my two favorite sandwich components in one jar made me a happy kid – and it tasted better for some reason too. Do you remember Goober Grape? Apparently there is Goober Strawberry now too – I don’t think that was around when I was a kiddo.

Well there just happens to be a new PB & J product out there that really reminds me of the flavor combo of that crazy striped spread.

Oh yeah!! I finally found the Peanut Butter & Jelly flavor LARABAR. And it is by far my favorite flavor bar. Who needs bread? This little gem is amazing and it really does remind me of eating my all time favorite sandwich. The nostalgic effect is pretty cool too. I love the little crunchy bits of peanuts, the chewy dates and tart cherries. This is a match made for Sammie and I will be buying these whenever I can find them – my local Whole Foods does not carry them – BOO!!! I picked up a few when we were at the Dedham WF on Saturday.

Have you tried this flavor LARABAR yet?? Well I highly recommend it to all you PB & J lovers out there.

I hope you have a wonderful day.

Healthy Haven

2010-02-02T13:37:00.001-05:00

The last time my stash of PB2 was getting low I searched the web to see if any stores in my area actually stocked it on the shelf. Well I stumbled upon a little hidden gem called Healthy Haven – an entire store dedicated to gluten free products - in Tiverton RI. Charlie works in the area of the store so he stopped there last month to pick up my beloved powder. I have been wanting to check the place out for myself so we had a little road trip on Saturday after D's karate class.

It is a small store but offers quite a selection of gluten free goods. If I was still avoiding gluten I would definitely hit this place often.

We purchased a few things to try.

These veggie chips are great!!! So crispy and light. They are kind of like a very crispy rice cake. LOVE EM!!!!

Charlie picked out Bove’s Marinara Sauce. Ever since he saw it on the Food Network he has been wanting to try it. He really likes it and D is a huge fan too. He ate a pizza made with this sauce yesterday and requested it on his pasta for lunch this afternoon AND he wants it on ravioli for dinner. I’d say my little guy digs it – he usually is not that into sauce. The traditional way to serve him pasta is with olive oil. Nothing wrong with a little variety – trust me his diet definitely lacks it.

And of course I could not go there and not get more PB2 – this stuff makes my oats happy every morning. Sometimes I have them both but usually I just have the Original PB2.

There were plenty of other things that I could have purchased but I was trying to be conservative with the spending and not go too wild. I am just thrilled to be able to buy PB2 off the shelf instead of always having to order it – shipping is $$$. I think the cost to ship it is almost as much as the product. Healthy Haven does charge more for it but I am still saving money by purchasing it there.

I hope you are having a great day. Happy Groundhog Day!!

Yoplait goes Greek

2010-02-01T09:47:00.000-05:00

I am a huge fan of Greek style yogurt. I love it’s rich and creamy consistency and the best part is the whopping protein punch you get from just one cup (or in this particular case 6oz container).

I recently spotted a new product on the shelf - Yopliat Greek yogurt. I just had to try it.

I always look for the rBST/rBGH free label – that’s the stuff that causes havoc to my skin.

VERDICT: very good and quite tangy – more so than most brands. I am usually a Chobani girl which has very little tang (at least in my opinion). It was not as thick as other brands but still much more body to it than regular yogurt. I would definitely buy it again.

I am always excited to try out new products (that agree with my tummy and skin). There were also flavored Yoplait Greek yogurts – maybe I’ll give one a shot next time.

Have you tried this new product? If so, what did you think?

I hope you are enjoying your day.

An Actual Sleepover

2010-02-01T09:33:00.001-05:00

This weekend we had Rocco sleep over. In the past there is very little sleeping and lots of craziness when the dynamic duo try to have an overnighter. Charlie (the genius that he is), had the brilliant idea to set up our air mattress in D’s room for both boys to snooze on. They usually sleep in D’s bed together – like I said, very little sleeping occurs. Well I am not sure if it was due to the more comfy sleeping arrangement or the fact that they both are on meds for ear infections, they actually slept ALL night. I gave them each a sleeping bag and they got all cozy on the queen size air mattress (or is it a full size?? – not sure but whatever, it is bigger than D’s bed). It actually took up all the floor space in his room so that prohibited them from getting out of bed and running around – which they usually do.

Before bed we let the boys watch cartoons and munch on popcorn.

Full tummies = a good nights sleep too.

In the morning they woke up refreshed an ready to create havoc.

Yeah, they made quite a mess.

Clearly my son does not need any more toys.

Now that we have figured out a way to get the boys to actually sleep, we definitely will be having Rocco stay over more often.

Back to the old routine!!!

Banana Protein Oats for breakfast after a super fabulous workout. I happen to really dig my same old, same old routine. Time to go tackle the rest of my day. I hope you had a great weekend. HAPPY MONDAY!!!

Mom Passed it On

2010-01-29T10:28:00.001-05:00

Some people may look at the things that I eat and think that they are a bit on the bland side – no sauce, no butter, no salt – just au natural is how I roll. I do (more often than not) spice up my meals with cinnamon – a bowl of oatmeal is not the same without it. Have I always been this way? Well, yes. My mom raised me to actually learn what food is supposed to taste like rather than masking it’s scrumptious flavor.

That’s why I eat so many salads – I LOVE the flavor of vegetables and fruit. Eat them together and that is double delight.

When I was growing up we did not even have a salt shaker and she would never put butter on anything (well, that’s not entirely true, we did have buttered toast on occasion). She never stocked our kitchen with soda or sweets – they were reserved for special occasions. Honestly, me and my sis were not ones for soda when that special occasion came up. We did enjoy pizza nights or dinner at our favorite restaurant. Oh The Homestead Restaurant held so many memories – too bad it went out of business. It was one of those pay what you weigh places (for the kiddies, not grow-ups).

My mom even taught me the importance of being active and having a healthy body. When I was around 11 years old she would take aerobics classes at a gym and we would tag along with her. My mom would even let us participate – I hung out in the back row and looked ridiculous trying to keep up. It was fun even thought I had no clue what I was doing. To this day my mom goes out for an hour long walk around her neighborhood. She has always maintained a healthy body image for her daughters – something that I am very thankful for. My mom just turned 49 and looks FABULOUS!!! I hope that I look as gorgeous as she does when I am 49.

There were times when we thought that she was being unfair – no sugary sweets when we really had a jonesing for them. But now I am able to see that what she was doing was trying to teach us that there are more nutritious options for us – like a nice piece of fruit as a snack instead of those cookies. These are things that I hope to pass on to my little one too. I am less strict than my mom but I still do my best to teach D a rather healthy approach to eating (like he gets donuts way more than I did as I kid, I probably had a dozen donuts over the course of my childhood).

With all that being said, yesterday I decided to purchase a box of cereal that I was not fond of seeing for breakfast as a kid – Post Original Shredded Wheat. I remember thinking that it was like eating hay and my mom would NEVER let us add sugar (this is where I am a lot more lenient – I will add honey to D’s cereal). I made my usual yogurt and pumpkin concoction but instead of Weetabix, I used 2 Shredded Wheat biscuits.

Guess what? It did not taste like hay at all. I now have another biscuit to work with.

That strange colored blob in the middle is Hemp Seed Butter. Not something that I would have eaten as a kid but as an adult I adore it. My mom was nice enough to feed us peanut butter and jelly – heck she even spoiled us a few times with a Fluffernutter.

I am very thankful to have learned at a young age such healthy habits. Eating clean just comes naturally to me since it is the way I have eaten throughout my entire life.

Thanks Mom – I’ll pass it on.

Always Check the Battery

2010-01-28T09:32:00.001-05:00

Good morning blog friends. Happy Thursday! Is it me, or is this week moving at a snails pace? That is rare for me since my weeks usually seem to whizz by. Maybe it is because I get to play teacher at the Girl Scout meeting tonight and I am a bit nervous. Not that I should be – a group of 10 year olds should be easy to amuse. They really hate lectures so I am kind of running thoughts through my head so that I am well prepared as to not bore them. The topic of this evening is healthy eating and food safety (as in keep your hands and work space tidy and germ free). My sis will be there to help me – thanks goodness, she’s a real pro at this stuff.

This morning I was up and out the door to hit the gym at my usually time – still dark when I am out and about. I did 8.35 miles in 67:25 – still working on speed. I also did some back, legs, glutes, shoulder and ab exercises with free weights. I ended with a good stretch – pigeon pose for about 3 minutes per leg!!

Breakfast was the usual bowl of oats. Can’t really start my day with anything else as I am sure you all get by now.

Unfortunately, when I went to use my camera the battery was dead. OOPS!!! I should have checked it last night and I didn’t. So you get a real crummy webcam photo – sorry. If you need a real fancy photo just look at all my other breakfasts – they all pretty much look the same.

Even though it looks like a bowl of muck it really hit the spot. Now that I am with a full tummy I must go tend to my house and child. I hope you have a fabulous day.

A Tutorial

2010-01-27T20:06:00.001-05:00

I thought that I would share with you the process I go through to create my Weetabix Yogurt Pumpkin concoction – not really a flashy name but it tastes darn good.

I start with either 2 or 3 Weetabix biscuits – today was a 3 biscuit sort of day.

I then add about a 1/2 a cup of water and …….

………mash up the biscuits and the water.

Still looks a little dry.

So I add a little bit more water.

Perfecto!!!

It may look a little mushy but it will continue to thicken up over time.

Next I spice up the yogurt.

With a little cinnamon and stevia.

I then add the yogurt along with pumpkin (and more cinnamon) to the bowl of Weetabix.

The finishing touch – sunflower seed butter.

And VIOLA!!! My masterpiece. So delicious!!!!

Have a great night.

Godiva Chocolate Liquor Truffles

2010-01-26T19:09:00.001-05:00

You all know by now that Charlie has a serious thing for chocolate – my homemade truffles being his favorite. Although I’ve made my fare share of truffles, spiking them with a hint of liquor is a recent addition. I’ve made Whiskey Truffles, Grand Marnier Truffles and now Godiva Chocolate Liquor Truffles.

I bathed them all in melted chocolate – dark or white.

Then added a little drizzle for some pizzazz. He is now a happy chocoholic.

I’m not indulging in the truffles since they contain soy so I will take his word that they are primo.

Today I was super busy prepping my stuff for my Girl Scout meeting on Thursday but I did find time to feed myself (and D of course).

Lunch was the usual – Weetabix, pumpkin, plain yogurt, cinnamon, stevia and sunflower seed butter.

And some more protein in the form of egg whites and swiss cheese.

My gorgeous dinner salad contained lettuce, zucchini, red pepper, celery, apple, chicken and cashews. I do not use dressing anymore and I really love the natural flavors of all the components.

I ended the meal with a few dates and sunflower seed butter. I really dig this combo – then again I love sunflower seed butter on just about anything. And dates are like candy – so sweet and yummy.

Time to go hang with my guys before the little one heads up to bed. I hope you have a good one.

Ice Be Gone

2010-01-26T09:47:00.001-05:00

Good morning! Well thanks to all that rain we got yesterday there is not a single bit of ice left on the ground. I practically skated to my truck the past few weeks. The sheet of ice that covered my yard and driveway was rather thick and impossible to get rid of.

Now we are left with a lonely little pile of snow…………..

………..and a very soggy front yard.

The downside of living on such a busy road is the grass in the front of our house takes a real beating. People think nothing of stopping in front of our house and driving on our grass (well the spot that should have grass). And the litter is ridiculous – don’t get me started on that one. I have come to accept that we will never have a bright green front lawn – especially in the winter. Since we have a very narrow driveway, Charlie parks his car in the dirt – we really want to get our parking spaces paved. I think his car sunk into the muck overnight. That must have been a joy to walk through when he went to his car this morning. Thankfully the sun is out today so hopefully some of the water will dry up.

I really can’t wait for spring so that I can add some life back to the front of my house in my window boxes. I really deck them out with lots of colorful flowers. Soon enough.

At the gym this morning I did 8.3 miles on the treadmill in 67:45. I also did some weights and LOTS of stretching before heading home. Pigeon pose is by far my favorite position.

After cleaning off the grime it was time for some oats. I made the usual Vanilla Rice Protein, cinnamon, stevia, banana and PB2 combo. Super thick and luscious.

Now I am off to hang out with this happy man.

He’s been doing this long enough. That is his game face – deep concentration.

I hope you have a great day.

Nutritional Yeast Makes a Comeback and Meatless Meatballs

2010-01-25T19:40:00.001-05:00

Good evening blogland. How was your day? We have had some serious rain today. If I had a boat I could have set sail down my street for a little cruise around the block. When I dropped D off at school I got soaked. By the time I had to pick him up the wind was whipping so hard that I thought I was going to drift away. Yeah, I got drenched then as well. I could have squeezed a few cups of rain water from my pants. Honestly it can keep raining especially since it is still winter and we are usually slammed by snow. You all know how much I despise that stuff.

Onto the food. I actually waited to have lunch until after D was at school. It was rather nice to sit down and enjoy my food while listening to the rain.

I mixed up the new “mess” that has been making it’s daily appearance. Nothing like my old “messes” but this guy is soy free. I mixed Weetabix with water, added canned pumpkin and plain yogurt that was spiked with stevia and cinnamon. Topped it all off with a big old dollop of sunflower seed butter. So good, so good!!

I added some more protein to my lunch because a meal that is low in protein lacks staying power – at least for this gal.

I’ve been wanting to try the Fitnessita’s egg white & nutritional yeast concoction but I was a little leery about eating nutritional yeast after the rash I got last time. I topped 2 egg whites with less than 1/2 a tablespoon and boy was it yummy. I am happy to report that I did not break out into hives again so I think that nutritional yeast will be making a comeback in my diet.

I found a new product (or new to me) at Whole Foods the other day – Quorn Meatballs.

I added 4 cut up meatballs to my dinner salad along with lots of other goodies – egg whites (yes, I eat a lot of egg whites), cashews, zucchini, red pepper, chopped apple, clementine slices and carrots all over a bed of baby romaine.

I have really liked the other Quorn products that I’ve had and the meatless meatballs were not a disappointment. In case you are curious as to the other things that I have had here they are – Turk’y Burgers and Chik’n Tenders.

I have a few really ripe bananas so today was a double banana day. For a little sweet ending I topped banana slices with sunflower seed butter. I definitely eat plenty of fruit.

Time to go see what the boys are up to. The D man needs to hit the hay soon. I hope you have a good night.

Messed Me Up!!

2010-01-25T09:18:00.001-05:00

After my run yesterday I did not just have extremely bad stomach craps but I had a splitting head ache. I took a couple Tylenol but that did nothing. I basically spent my entire day doing easy things around my house and then trying to relax and get my head to stop throbbing. I really think that GU packet messed me up. My digestive system was all out of whack and my head was feeling all loopy too. When my head hit the pillow last night it hit hard. I was asleep in a matter of minutes. I just love those nights when I nod off easily – too bad this time my head was pounding. And guess what? I woke up with an even more agonizing head ache. I was awake at an insane hour – before 4 o’clock. I made my way downstairs through squinty eyes – it hurt to even focus. I popped a couple more head ache pills which seem to take the edge off quickly. I got dressed and hit up the gym to get the blood pumping. I feel much better but I can still feel a slight ache in the area above my eyes. Figures, I kicked booty in my run yesterday and now I am feeling cruddy – at least my muscles and body are feeling great.

Breakfast was a bowl of oats that looked more like dessert than something you would start your day with.

1/2 cup oats, water, 1/2 scoop Vanilla Jay Robb Rice Protein, cinnamon, stevia, a banana, PB2 and Chocolate PB2

My little sweetie pie announced this morning that his ear is not hurting anymore so I think he is well enough to go to school. He has had 5 doses of the antibiotic so I am sure that his ear is well on its way to healthy. He is waiting in the living room for me to play our new Wii game – The New Super Mario Bros. Yes, I do enjoy playing video games with him – brings back memories of when I was a kid. Time to go spend some time with my boy. Have a great day.

I Can’t Handle GU

2010-01-24T15:06:00.001-05:00

Hello friends!! How is your weekend? Our started out not so good. The D man seemed to be feeling better yesterday so we ventured to karate only to have to leave early since his ear was hurting. He had not made one comment about ear pain up until that point. D has never had an ear infection so I knew that if he was complaining about it then his ear really must be bugging him. We made the choice to take him to CVS’s Minute Clinic since the first available appointment at his pediatrician wasn’t for hours. The clinic was very busy and we ended up having quite a wait but the service was really wonderful. He does have an ear infection. Very convenient that the pharmacy is right there. We got his meds and took the little sweet tart home to rest for the remainder of the day. We did not have a sleepover with Rocco seeing as D really needed to get to bed early and we know how little sleep they get when they bunk together.

(sorry about the blurry photo – it was take with D’s Nintendo DSi)

He seems to be doing much better today. We are keeping him occupied with activities inside – nothing like PlayDoh to pass the time.

This morning I decided to try another 13.1 mile run and see if I could shave some time off my last try at it. I still have a little over a month until my race. I bought a GU Energy Gel pack last week to try since the Shot Blocks seemed to work well for me last Sunday. I ate 1/2 of the GU about 5 minutes before I set out on my run. This flavor does contain caffeine but I did not think that it would bother me. I also packed 2 Shot Blocks to take sometime during my run (if I felt like I needed them).

I knew that if I could keep my pace at about an 8 minute mile then I could finish a few minutes faster than last week. I made sure to watch my pace and I was keeping it at about a 7 – 7 1/2 minute mile and feeling pretty comfy – WOO HOO!! At mile 8 I decided to eat one of the Shot Blocks and save the other for later if I needed a little boost at the end. I was still feeling good.

Well at mile 10 my stomach started to cramp up and I felt really ill but I stuck it out and chugged along. I managed to finish in 1 hour and 41 minutes – I shaved 10 minutes from my last time!!!! I will spare you the details but let me just say that I will not be using the GU Gel again. I am pretty sure the caffeine was what did me in. My stomach is still not feeling 100% and it has been hours since my run. I am sticking with the Shot Blocks since they worked well last week and did not make me feel like I needed to find a potty ASAP.

I am really pumped about my time. I am not experiencing any post run soreness and I really feel like I have been able to improve my pace without my body feeling over worked.

So that’s what is happening around my homestead. Time to go get more water and chug a lug – I am feeling really thirsty.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Since Last Friday

2010-01-22T14:33:00.001-05:00

Wow what a week!!! So sorry to have been MIA but we have had a little sicky on our hands at my homestead. Poor D has a cold – guessing he got a germy germ from the museum on Saturday. There is one thing that my child really needs work on – keeping his fingers out of his mouth. When something scares him or when he is deep in thought (or veging), he has a very bad habit of putting his fingers in his mouth. We kept telling him to keep his dirty fingers away from his face while we were venturing through the exhibits with the mass of people but he did not listen. He started getting sick on Sunday and by Wednesday it was full on.

My week has been soooooo busy with watching my nephew, babysitting at the gym and then I had my by-weekly cleaning gig yesterday which took me 3 hours. I found a little time to actually spruce up my own house on Wednesday while the D Man relaxed. The winter really does a number on the floors in my house – that and Mr. Otto.

I have not been eating anything too fancy – same old “Sammie” stuff.

Post run bowl of oaty goodness. Yup, getting my runs in and still working on shaving off some time for the big race. I managed to run 8.25 miles in 67:40 and a 9.25 miles in 75:35. At least I am keeping a static pace. This Sunday I will try to get in another long run – NOT 13.1 miles maybe a something a little less.

Still loving the Weetabix, yogurt, pumpkin and sunflower seed butter combo. I find something I like and I stick with it for a while. This one is definitely a keeper.

For some protein I have been eating lots of egg whites – sometimes with a slice of swiss cheese as seen here.

I’ve had a few dates the past few days – the fruity ones not an actual “date”. Both Charlie and I agree we are well over due for a date night. These guys are stuffed with cashews but I also like to eat them with a little dab of sunflower seed butter.

And of course my glorious salads – they really are artwork on my plate.

This was my first time home alone since last Friday and boy did I need it. I know it is only a few hours but the stillness in my house is rather calming. That stillness is about to end – I need to go pickup my little tornado. I hope you all are well. I still pop by and check in on my favorite blog sisters but other than that I am away from my computer lots more these days.

Have a great weekend. We might be having Rocco sleep over tomorrow (or should I say a no-sleep over).

Numbers to Work With

2010-01-18T10:09:00.001-05:00

Lately my typical run is either 8 or 9 miles. I very rarely do more than 10. On Sunday I decided to up the mileage so that I can see where I stand running 13.1 miles. My half marathon is a little over a month away so I doing a long distance is not going to hurt me training wise.

About an hour before I set out on my run I had a typical breakfast – oatmeal, egg whites, a banana, cinnamon, stevia, PB2 and Chocolate PB2.

I usually do not eat anything during a run but I bought a package of Shot Blocks to try out and see if eating 2 would actually make a difference. When I was at 10.1 miles I ate the two blocks and I did feel a bit more peppy. I looked at my Garmin and it said I was running a 7:58 minute mile. I was able to maintain a good speed for the rest of my run and I finished in 1 hour and 51 minutes. I would really like to shave a few minutes off for race day but I guess I will just have to wait and see. At least I have some numbers to play with. On race day I think that I will eat 3 blocks instead of 2 – I probably could have used the extra one. I wanted to start off with 2 seeing as I had never tried them before and I had no idea if they would upset my stomach.

I felt really good after my run. Honestly, I probably could have lasted for a few more miles.

I did end up having to close my eyes for a few minutes in the afternoon. It is funny how much more tired I get with the mileage increase.

I’ve been eating the typical “Sammie” foods:

plain yogurt, Weetabix, apple and sunflower seed butter

Salad:

lettuce, apple, red pepper, tuna and cashews

And more salad:

lettuce, apple, chicken, swiss cheese and cashews

I’m really glad that I did a test run because I feel a lot more confident for the up coming race.

Boston Museum of Science

2010-01-18T09:39:00.001-05:00

On Saturday we took the kiddies into the city to visit the Harry Potter Exhibition that is on display at the Boston Museum of Science. We did not buy our tickets ahead of time so when we got there at a little past 1 o’clock, the earliest time we could get into the exhibit was 5:10. Thankfully they still had slots open – if we got there and they didn’t the kids would have been so bummed.

D insisted on wearing his old Harry Potter robe from Halloween a few years ago.

Seeing as we had a few hours to kill, we visited the other areas of the museum.

Mackenzie got to make her hand stand up by touching the Van de Graaff Generator and then when she touched people she would shock them.

The boys checked out a replica of the Apollo Command Module.

We even went into the beautiful butterfly garden.

There are so many butterflies with vibrant markings.

Action shot - this butterfly was trying to land on the other one.

And then there are some that are not as colorful but still so pretty.

This guy was huge and his wings really did look like tree bark.

We ended the day with the Harry Pottery exhibit. Unfortunately they did not allow any photography inside the exhibit. I even got reprimanded for taking a picture of this poster.

It was a rather exhausting day but everyone had a blast.

I hope you guys had a great weekend.

Nothings Changed

2010-01-15T09:58:00.001-05:00

When I was a kid I used to always mix my food together. I was never a fan of the plates that had the different sections for each component of the meal. The only way my mom could get me to eat beef of any sort was when she made Sheppard's Pie or American Chop Suey. I loved when she would serve mashed potatoes with veggies – the two would always marry.

Well nothing has changed even as an adult. I still like to mix all the elements of my meal together into one big bowl. I will be the first to admit that I eat some pretty odd things and this truly is a meal that shows it.

I moistened 2 Weetabix biscuits with water so that I could mash them up in the bottom of the bowl. I then added chopped apple, carrots, zucchini, chicken and almonds. I gave it a big stir to combine and then ATE. I know you are probably thinking – YUCK! soggy cereal, but that is how I like it.

Last night I was not in the mood for hot cocoa. What I really wanted was just a warm and creamy cup of almond milk.

I added a few drops of NuNaturals Cocoa Bean Extract and Vanilla Stevia.

After a few minutes in the microwave I had frothy goodness. I sipped on this while watching a crazy show about a group of people trying to survive in the wilderness of Alaska. They actually had to eat a gopher and ground squirrels.

My evening night cap was so good that I am really looking forward to making it again. I really liked it without the addition of the cocoa powder. Almond milk has such a luscious texture that it feels like a very decent drink. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think.

Oatmeal Sundae

2010-01-14T09:41:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday blog world! The weekend is in sight and I am really looking forward to it. Not only does my honey have a three day weekend but we have some potential plans for a fun adventure on Saturday (more on that as the day arrives).

This morning I was up and out the door at my usual 5 AM hour. At the gym I did my run on the treadmill again (I should try to run outside more but we got some snow overnight and I am not willing to risk slipping and getting injured). I did an hour run which turned out to be 7.25 miles. I ran 20 minutes at 7.0, 20 minutes and 7.5 and the last 20 minutes at 7.3. I did some strength training and lots of stretches before heading home.

Breakfast this morning was rather decadent – Oatmeal Sundae anyone? I swear there is oatmeal under all that saucy goodness.

I made egg white oats (1/2 cup oats, 1/4 cup liquid egg whites, cinnamon & stevia) and then topped it with a banana, Chocolate PB2 and Original PB2.

It was so good – seriously just look at it, how could it not be out of this world delicious?

Time to get that little monkey of mine washed up and ready for the day. I have a Girl Scout meeting this evening so I am not sure when I will be back. If not today then I will see you tomorrow. Have a great Thursday.

No Packets Needed

2010-01-14T09:26:00.001-05:00

I often like to end my day with something nice and warm to drink – usually a cup of decaf tea. Well the other day I was intrigued by HEAB’s suggestion to use Almond Breeze as a good substitute for hot cocoa. I avoid those convenient little packet varieties since they usually contain too much sugar, some sort of milk ingredients and sometimes soy. It’s not that I avoid dairy it is the type of dairy that I am very picky about. I only eat/drink dairy that contains no added growth hormones. If the label does not say so then I don’t put it in my body. Soy on the other hand is a definite no no, it bothers my tummy and wreaks havoc to my skin. As far as sugar goes, I try to limit the amount of white sugar in my diet because it makes me really wacky if I have too much. Seriously I bounce off the walls, Charlie can attest to it.

Unfortunately Chocolate Almond Breeze contains soy as does their Original Almond Milk. Lucky for me Pacific Natural Foods makes a soy free Unsweetened Almond Milk which I was able to purchase at my local Whole Foods. Now I just needed to come up with a way to get the cocoa part of my hot and yummy beverage.

As you can see I was successful, but did it taste like hot cocoa? Oh yeah!! This is a winner.

I took 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder and mixed it with 1 tablespoon warm water until it was a thin syrup consistency. I then added stevia to the chocolate liquid.

I heated 1 cup of Almond Milk in the microwave (you could do this on the stove top if you so wish). Once the milk was hot I added the cocoa syrup and stirred till well combined. The almond milk gets a bit frothy when heated which I found very pleasant to my palate.

My cup of cocoa was delicious, contained no funky ingredients (most of the packets have weirdo things in them), very little sugar and no soy or dairy. You can add as much cocoa powder and stevia that you wish and make it super chocolaty and sweet. Mine was perfect and I will be enjoying this warm and cozy beverage as my evening treat more often.

There you have it – no packets needed to make a decent cup of hot cocoa. Thanks Heather for the inspiration.

Grate It

2010-01-13T19:55:00.001-05:00

Good evening! How was your Wednesday? I started mine with a nice run on the treadmill – I did a little over 7 miles. I also spent some time in the weight room, then ended my workout with lots of foam rolling. I am going to really focus on stretching and foam rolling so that I do not have any issues leading up to my half marathon.

Breakfast was eaten super fast since I had to get back to the gym by 8:30 for my weekly babysitting gig.

I made a bowl of egg white oatmeal again – 1/2 cup oats, 1/4 cup liquid egg whites, cinnamon, stevia, banana and PB2.

I was really craving the messy bowl of goo that I made yesterday so I decided to whip up another for today’s lunch. I wanted to some how fit in some veg in the mix, so I grated some carrots using my box grater and stirred them in.

The other ingredients were 2 Weetabix biscuits, plain yogurt (6 oz container of Stonyfield Farms), cinnamon, stevia, raw almonds and sunflower seed butter. All that was missing was some crushed pineapple and I would have had something reminiscent of carrot cake.

Dinner was a good old monster salad – lettuce, broccoli, zucchini, red pepper, chopped apple, chicken and cashews. I think that I can officially say that cashews are my favorite nut.

My guys had homemade pizza. Notice the dividing line. D eats the plain side…….

……while Daddy gets some chicken on his. D hates chicken – I think it is a texture thing. I am really not one to push meat on him seeing as I am not the biggest fan of it myself. I really only eat it out of necessity. A meal without adequate protein does nothing for my hunger. As long as he eats lots of dairy I do not worry that he is not getting enough protein for his little body. He has actually been snacking on string cheese and he even ate a banana and carrots today. My boy is on the right track.

To curb my sweet tooth I had some dates and cashews. I actually stuff the cashew inside the date and then eat it. So good and it really does hit the spot.

I am off to relax before hitting the hay. I am hoping to turn in early – I have been staying up way too late the past few days. I hope you had a great day. See you tomorrow.

A Risky Race

2010-01-12T19:46:00.001-05:00

Hey guys! How’s your day? We had a good one, too bad it had to end with an evening fit brought to us by none other than the D Monster. He has been having these melt downs around 6:30 and I am not sure if it is because he is SUPER tired or just going through some sort of growth spurt that is making him feel all out of whack. Well regardless, I just tucked him in and I am willing to bet he will be in dreamland in just a few moments.

So when my alarm went off this morning I had no desire to get out of bed – not normal for me. I knew that if I got up at that moment, I would regret it later – mommy can not be over tired. I stayed where I was for another couple hours.

Breakfast was another egg white and oatmeal combo – so fluffy and delicious. I topped it with a banana and PB2.

I let that settle before packing up my little sweet tart and heading off to the gym. He had a great time playing with his buds in child watch while I did my thing on the treadmill and in the weight room. It has been a while since I’ve worked out at that time - man the atmosphere is so different from the 5 AM crowd. I really like my early to rise homies.

My sis called while we were out – she wanted us to come down for a visit. After I showered, I packed our lunched to go and we hit the road again. Thankfully I was able to do a little laundry before going to the gym. If I don’t do a load every day then the piles get a bit monstrous and kind of scary.

I packed a bowl of “what the heck is that”. Looks like baby food but tasted oh so delish. That goopy mess would be 2 Weetabix biscuits, a 6 oz container of Stonyfield Farms Plain yogurt, cinnamon, stevia, pumpkin, raw almonds and sunflower seed butter.

We hung out there for the afternoon and the boys were thrilled to be together again. They really are the dynamic duo. I kind of wish we lived next door to each other. That would be good for me too, I could see my sis and my niece ALL the time – I’m outnumbered by the males in my house.

Dinner tonight was a MASSIVE salad. That beauteous beast consisted of lettuce, red pepper, zucchini, broccoli, an apple, swiss cheese, almonds and a Quorn Turk’y Burger.

I have some exciting news – I finally decided it is time to run a half marathon. I have been mulling around the idea for a few weeks now. For some reason I am really nervous even though I have run that distance before – though never raced. I keep telling myself that I can do it and my main squeeze has been giving me the pep talk (a few times). Tonight I registered for the Hyannis Half Marathon that will take place on February 28th. It is kind of risky signing up for this race seeing as we could get snow or have some ice on the ground. I’ve run in all kinds of weather conditions so I know that I can do it, I just might not be that speedy. Now I just need to figure out if I should do some sort of training. Anyone out there know of a good one? I am open for suggestions seeing as this it a first for me.

Time to put on my pj’s and get cozy with my warm cup of sleepy time tea. I hope you have a great night.

Do You Know Sauce?

2010-01-11T19:50:00.001-05:00

Good evening friends! I’m gonna make this a quickie so that I can go kick some booty in Wii Mario Cart – our nightly family time.

We did not end up going to my sis’s house today because they had other plans. No worries, turns out I had the date of the meeting that I am supposed to talk to the girls about healthy eating. I need my material for the next meeting in two weeks. I have such a hard time keeping my schedule straight even though I own a monthly planner. Oh the life of a mommy.

Lunch was a salad – lettuce, red pepper, zucchini and a piece of swiss cheese.

I also had Barilla Whole Grain Penne. Shocking!!! I know, I actually ate pasta. Usually I am not a fan of pasta but I am trying to mix up the grains that I eat and by that I mean not eat so much processed bread products (english muffins, pita, wraps – you get the idea). I actually enjoyed this brand, it is a bit nutty and has a little chew (as long as you don’t over cook it I presume).

I topped my pasta with a bit of Palmieri sauce. The slogan was what really drew me to look at it – “For people who know sauce”. This was the first time I’ve had this stuff and it was TASTY!!! I tend to not be too keen on jarred sauces since they usually contain tons of sodium. This sauce only has 170 mg in 2/3 cup and I did not even need that much to coat my pasta. I bought it at Stop & Shop in case you feel the desire to try it.

I really like the short list of ingredients and NO SOY – yahoo!!! Charlie really likes one of Trader Joe’s sauces but it contains soy so I can’t partake in that one. This one seriously tastes like it was homemade. It does not have all kinds of chunks in it either – I am a not of fan of huge pieces of tomato ends in my sauce.

I ended the meal with an apple and a tbsp of sunflower seed butter.

For a little excursion this afternoon I took D to Borders so that he could buy something with the gift cards he got for Christmas and his birthday. Of course he chose Legos. Looks like I know what I will be doing tomorrow.

Dinner was chicken – yes, I’m giving it another chance. I bought some at Whole Foods the other day – the kind that requires very little trimming. That is one task that turns my stomach and then I can’t even think about putting the chicken on my plate.

I also had some pumpkin oats. I cooked up 1/2 a cup of oatmeal with water, cinnamon and stevia. There was a full cup of pumpkin stirred in at the end. My toppers were PB2 and sunflower seed butter. Nothing like a warm filling bowl of oatmeal to satisfy this girl.

Ok bloggies, I am off to spend some quality time with the gents. I hope you have a great night. See you tomorrow.

A Full Night of Sleep

2010-01-11T09:35:00.001-05:00

The key to getting a full night of sleep in my house is to let these two have some fun and expend lots of energy. Obviously in this photo they are playing a video game but trust me there was lots of activity happening at my house yesterday. D and Rocco were inseparable this weekend spending two days in a row together.

I was not the only one who got a good night of rest. My little sweet tart stayed in his room all night and did not wake up at all. He woke up this morning in such a pleasant mood. Lets hope that it lasts all day. He has the day off from school so I am keeping my fingers crossed for a chipper sidekick.

He would much rather make faces for the camera than smile.

For breakfast this morning I made a fluffy bowl of oatmeal in the microwave. I mixed together 1/2 a cup of liquid egg whites along with water, cinnamon, stevia and a 1/2 cup of oats all in a big glass bowl – no chance for overflow. I find that if I cook oatmeal on the stove with the egg whites they stick to the pot too much and the pot is rather difficult to clean. The micro method works so much better for me.

Once the mix was cooked to the perfect consistency (which took about 5 minutes), I scooped it out into a clean bowl.

I added a banana and PB2 to the top – PERFECTION!!!!

I am not sure what is the plan for our day. I have some things that I need to do for Girl Scouts and would really like to discuss them with my sis. So I might see if D and I can head over to her house this afternoon. Maybe D will get lucky and have another afternoon with his best buddy. I am supposed to teach the girls about healthy eating and food safety at the meeting on Thursday night. I have some work to do seeing as whatever I come up with has to hold their attention for at least 20 minutes. They are only 10 years old and find long lectures BORING.

I hope you have a great day.

It is OK to be Alone

2010-01-09T13:34:00.001-05:00

During the week I get a few hours Monday, Wednesday & Friday were I am all by myself. I do enjoy my time alone but I also look forward to having my little sidekick back with me. When he is not being a little stinker he is a great companion and rather amusing. I have always been the type of person who was afraid of being alone. I am almost positive that it all stems from my childhood. I am slowly learning that it is a good thing to be alone and to actually enjoy my own company.

Today we took D to karate and while we were there my brother-in-law asked if we all wanted to join him and my nephew at Chuck E. Cheese’s. My sister is at some sort of training today and the 2 guys are spending the day together. I was really not in the mood to go. We took the boys there one time and the place is utter chaos. I have a ton of things that I want to do around my house and that is really where I wanted to be. Usually I would just suck it up and go so that I would not have to be home alone. Well today I just let my guys go along without me. I am now at my house all by myself and honestly I am ok with it. I have gotten a bunch of things done without worrying what the D Man is doing. I still have a ton of laundry to do but I can only do one load at a time so that will be an entire afternoon ordeal.

Now onto some new eats.

This morning I cheated on my oatmeal and tried a different grain for breakfast – Kamut Flakes. I was sold on the 8 grams of protein in a 1/2 cup serving. I really like to get a good dose of it without having to add anything to the mix (for example – protein powder or egg whites, which I do from time to time).

I cooked 1/2 a cup kamut flakes with water, cinnamon and stevia. I then added a banana and a drizzle of Chocolate PB2. It was quite good and the texture of the flakes is just like oatmeal. I am not giving up on my beloved oats but it is nice to add another option to the menu.

Today I also tried another NuGo FREE bar – Carrot Cake.

The icing was stuck to the package so most of it came off when I was unwrapping it. At first the taste was a little artificial but I kind of got used to it within a few bites. There are a few flecks of carrots and raisins found within the bar which added a nice texture and natural sweetness. I did not like this one as much as the one I had yesterday and would probably pass on buying it again. I am glad I tried it but did not fall in love with this guy like I did with the Dark Chocolate Crunch.

I am off to tackle more housework while my guys are out. I am not sure when to expect them home so I must make good use of the time I have before they return. I hope you are having a great weekend.

Time on the Ice

2010-01-08T20:03:00.001-05:00

I have a new past time – ICE SKATING. There is an indoor rink in the next town over from me so I have been heading there for a little time on the ice while the D Man is at school. At first I was renting skates which turned out to be not so comfy. Last week I was able to purchase a pair of my own and they are much kinder to my feet and ankles. Today I took along my IPod and listened to some of my favorite tunes while I skated around for an hour. I have just enough time to go back home and thaw out with a warm cup of tea before I have to pick D up from school. Even though I freeze my butt off, I enjoy the alone time. I try to relax and not think about anything that might be bothering me.

After I retrieved my little sweet tart, we hit up Whole Foods for a few necessities (and non-necessities). I discovered this new bar in the ever so plentiful bar isle. I think the bars of chocolate on the wrapper is what really sold me (and the fact that it is chocolate but does not contain soy).

It looks like a chocolate dipped coco crispy treat. The texture was exactly that and I really liked it. Kind of chewy and a little sweet but not over the top. I would definitely buy this again.

I also spotted a big container of various sprouts that was screaming “try me”. I have been on quite a salad kick the past few weeks and this bunch of goodies looked like the perfect accompaniment.

I topped a bed of lettuce with the sprouts (love the sprouted chick peas), hummus, celery and a drizzle of PB2 that I mixed up rather thin as a dressing. The sprouts were good but every so often I would get one that was not so crisp – kind of felt like I was chewing on gritty sand. I still have a ton left so looks like I need to sift through the mix and find the bad ones so that I don’t end up with another mouth full of pebbles.

Charlie is upstairs tucking in our little monkey – he is a sleepy monster tonight. We will be up bright and early for karate. As for the rest of the weekend, I am not sure what is on the agenda. I hope that you all have a great night. See you later.

I’m Not that kid anymore

2010-01-08T10:29:00.001-05:00

I am going to be 100% honest with you all – the holidays this year were very tough for me. On one hand I was thrilled to witness the delight on my little ones face as he opened his gifts but there was something that I did not get to be joyful for – being with my parents. I have yet to get into the ugly details of my childhood on my blog for many reasons. So I thought that I would talk to you all a little about it and in doing so I am hoping to find some sort of release and the ability to let it go. I know that healing will not come over night and it will be something that I need to work on. I am thinking about talking to a professional just to get the “junk” off my chest. Thank goodness I am married to the worlds greatest man because he listens to me and has been here for me for almost 10 years.

I rarely mention my father because he has no desire to be a part of my life. He makes a sorry attempt every 4 years (or so it seems), saying that he wants to see me and D – NEVER HAPPENS!! He has forgotten my birthday for as long as I can remember – pretty sure he was present the day I was born. The final straw was when he sent D a birthday card for his 4th birthday wishing him a Happy 3rd Birthday (which was late as well). That goes to show how little he knows his grandson and I just do not want that for D. D even said to me “I’m not 3 I am 4 and that card is late”. I spoke up about it to my father and he was not even the least bit sorry. That was when I decided it was just time to stop trying and accept that he is who he is going to be. We still speak when we see each other which this year was only due to the fact that 2 of my cousins got married. He was at my Aunt’s house on Christmas and spent NO time with his grandsons. He did not get them any gifts or even try to play with them. His loss is how I need to look at it.

I tell you all about my mom and how much I love seeing her when she comes to MA. She was unable to come for Christmas which was REALLY hard. I was always very attached to my mother due to the fact that my dad was not around when I was a child. He lived in Florida when I was very young and I saw him maybe 0nce a year for all of a half hour. He was a truck driver and would pop by unexpectedly. Imagine me as a little one getting excited every time I heard a tractor trailer near my house and then be disappointed when I looked out the window and it was not him. My mom tried her best being such a young mom but there was still things that she did that I question now that I am a mother. That is the kicker here, I did not have these feelings – angry feelings – until I had D. I can not even imagine putting my son through any of the heart ache that I went through as a kid. I am pretty sure that is why I may go a little over the top with him, trying to give him everything that I can and find it hard to be away from him for long periods of time. I know that someday he will not need me like he does now so that is why I think it is time to try and let go of these feelings so that I can let him live his life. I want him to be ready for the world and make something of his life.

At 30 years old I really do not want to have this anger inside. Charlie said to me a few weeks ago “ you are not that kid anymore” and you know what, he is so right. I am not, I am an adult who makes the choices when it comes to her own life. So for 2010, I am making the decision to try and be a little less hard on myself, let go of the anger that I have and be the best mom that I can. So there you have a little piece of my crazy puzzle. I know that sometimes you may think that I exercise a little too much but it is my way of dealing with the anxiety that I have from issues that I come from my past. Before my surgery I would use other cardio machines at the gym which worked great as a stress release. After my surgery I started running and the high that I got from it was addicting. It is my happy time and I am sticking with it.

I am sorry that I have been MIA. I really have been meaning to stop in and say hello. I just could not think of anything to say seeing as I was feeling so down. Life has been a little busy and I have been trying to get a few more Z’s at night. I cleaned for almost 3 hours yesterday (switched from Friday since we are getting a little dusting of snow) and then I had a Parent Council Meeting at D’s school last night. When I got home I was ready to hit my pillow. Today just happens to be a good time to get back to my blog. I am not sure how my schedule will be but I promise to stop in time to time and let you all know how we are doing. I am going to try and add a few things into my diet which will allow me to post more of a variety. I am thinking that I might try to have some meat in my life seeing as my tummy has been doing really well. I have been able to handle eggs just fine – the next step is chicken. I can actually eat carrots too – thank goodness, they are my favorite little snack.

With that all being said, I did try a new concoction for breakfast this morning. The great thing about blog reading is you all remind me that I have things in my cabinet that I forget about. I have been neglecting my bag of chia seeds.

Last night I mixed 1/2 cup of oatmeal, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, cinnamon and about 3/4 cup water. I covered it and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

This morning I added a tad bit more water and then popped it in the microwave for about 3 minutes. The final result was a think mass of yummy goodness.

I topped it off with a banana and PB2. Stellar!!! Those chia seeds really are magical. They fluff up in my belly and really keep me full. It is almost 10:30 and I am still feeling satisfied. If you have not tried them, I highly recommend that you do. The bag that I purchased was about $10 but a little goes a long way.

Time to go get my little monkey dressed and ready for school. Speaking of school, his teacher had some really fabulous things to say about him at the parent teacher conference on Wednesday. I am really happy at how well he has adapted to preschool.

I hope you have a great day.

Where’s Sammie???

2009-12-29T09:37:00.001-05:00

I’m still here, just been super busy the past week. Between babysitting, Christmas and Charlie having the last 6 days off, I have had quite a full schedule. I thought that I would have time to say hello to you all in the evenings but that seems to have turned into our family gaming time. I can’t miss out on that, seriously – it’s a blast.

Here are some pictures of my little sweet tart on Christmas.

D’s favorite gift was the Nintendo DSi from Santa.

He got more Star Wars stuff too.

Our living room is now busting at the seams with so much stuff. I’m excited to play with all the games that he got. We’ve already played Sorry Sliders and Uno Flash – both are cool.

So here is the deal. Posting with the D man around is really getting to be tough. As I am typing away he is sitting next to me, begging me to put together his new Bionicle. How did I ever post so many times during the day before??? He is on school vacation ALL week so looks like there will not be any break for mommy. Well daddy does have Friday off, WOO HOO!!!! I will not be posting as much as I was in the past but I will still be around. I think that the blog needs some changes. Possibly something for the new year. I need to think on it and decide what direction I want to go in.

Sorry this is so short but my attention is needed elsewhere before he flips his lid. I hope you all had a great Christmas. Enjoy your day.

Sitting for My Sis

2009-12-22T09:42:00.001-05:00

My sis asked me to stay with her kiddos today while she has an appointment to attend. D is thrilled that he gets to greet Rocco and Mackenzie off their school buses. Rocco is in AM kindergarten and lunch is not served at school so I will be feeding him when he gets home. I will pack lunch for me and my sidekick to take with us, that way he and Rocco can eat their lunches together. D is really looking forward to hanging with his best buddy today.

Breakfast this morning was a bowl of pumpkin oats which I sweetened with NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia. I actually did taste a subtle hint of vanilla (the last time I used this I did not) and the liquid stevia is much less potent than the powder. I really do think that I prefer the liquid stevia in my oats over the powdered variety. Although, I do like the powder in my coffee.

I cooked up 1/2 cup oats with water (cinnamon and stevia were added with the water). I mixed in 1 cup Libby’s pumpkin at the end and then topped it off with a banana and PB2.

So good and so filling. I really love my oats.

Time to get my sweet tart dressed and pack up our stuff. I would like to get some laundry going before we leave. If I don’t do a load or 2 every day the piles start to take over the basement. I hope you have a great day.

The Secret Ingredient

2009-12-21T10:56:00.001-05:00

The D man got me up super early on Sunday which usually would not be all that bad but this weekend I was rather ill and in need of extra zzzzz’s. For some reason he had pancakes in mind for breakfast. I staggered into the kitchen and broke out my trusty America’s Test Kitchen binder of recipes. I can always count on ATK for a winner.

I’ve never been a fan of pancake mixes since whipping up batter from scratch takes no time at all. I have made my fare share of pancakes but never have I made ones as fluffy as I did yesterday. The secret ingredient – BUTTERMILK. At least that is what America’s Test Kitchen says.

D requested white and semi-sweet chocolate chip pancakes. I was in no mood to argue so that is what he got. I ended up with 7 decent size pancakes – we made extra so daddy could have some too. Charlie is not really the biggest fan of pancakes but he admitted that these were the best ones he has ever had. He kept commenting on how fluffy and light in texture they were. He tends to find pancakes too dense for his liking and after just one never wants seconds. That was not the case with these babies. He gobbled up 2 with a big smile on his face.

From now on, I am going to make sure that I use buttermilk when making pancakes. It really does seem to make a big difference in the final product.

So we ended up with a whopper of a snow storm. I am pretty sure we got over a foot of the dreaded white stuff. I was way to sick to go out and romp in it with D yesterday but he and daddy got all bundled up and had some wintery fun. I am still feeling a little under the weather but not as bad as I was feeling yesterday. Hopefully the germs are planning on heading out soon.

I hope you guys had a great weekend. Let the countdown to Christmas begin – right? I know D is super excited.

Glazed Irish Tea Cake

2009-12-18T10:13:00.001-05:00

The girls seemed to really enjoy themselves at the Girl Scout Christmas party last night. My sister brought streamers for them to decorate the lodge with which ended up being a HUGE hit. Picture 17 ten year olds running around with rolls of colored paper. Streamers were hanging from the rafters like a giant spider web waiting to trap someone. There were streamers everywhere by the end of the meeting. There is just something heart warming watching them have so much fun. We really have a great group – such little sweeties!!!

They were supposed to bring a food that they made to share with everyone. This would get them one step closer to earning a cooking patch. Well most of them brought store bought goodies – oh well. There was a TON of sweets which as you might guess added to the craziness of the festivities after they had consumed copious amounts.

My contribution was a Glazed Irish Tea Cake. I know it looks like a quick bread but it really is a cake.

I made a little change to the glaze that drizzles over the top. The recipe says to use 2 tsp fresh lemon juice which I thought might be a little too tart for the girl’s palates.

Here is the glaze that I made:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp heavy cream to start, add more as needed

I mixed everything together to make the glaze but I ended up needing to add more heavy cream. I probably used closer to 2-3 tsp. I was trying to get the glaze thin enough to pipe on using a small baggie with the end snipped off.

I think the end result is pretty gorgeous.

The girls mostly went for the cookies and brownies. I did see one girl with my cake and she kept eating it so I guess she liked it. The older crowd went for my cake and they raved about how good it is. I was even asked to e-mail one of them the recipe. My sis ate a piece even though she stopped eating cow’s dairy (she is a fan of goat milk) and she complimented my handy work a couple times. She said that the texture was super soft and light. I brought what was left home so that Charlie could sample it. He was kind of bummed when I was leaving the house with it last night since the aroma from baking it was pretty darn amazing. He said that it is kind of like a less dense pound cake. It is now on route to work with him so he can share it with his co-workers. He said that it is too delicious not to share.

If you need a holiday treat to bring along with you this season, give this cake a try. I bet that it will be a hit.

Onto the happenings of my morning. I was up and out the door at the usual hour of 5 AM. It was so stinking cold out this morning (and it still is). I really was not made for this weather. I need to be someplace where it is sunny and warm. At the gym I did 30 minutes on the Elliptical, a 30 minute run, weights and ended with lots of foam rolling.

Breakfast was a very blue bowl of oatmeal with a big dollop of pumpkin & PB2 in the center. Instead of stirring the pumpkin into the mix during the cooking process, I placed it in the center of the bowl and scooped it as I ate. It was fabulous and filling.

I am not sure what is on my agenda for the day. I foresee some laundry and maybe a quick run to the grocery store. We are supposed to get snow on Saturday night heading into Sunday morning so I should pick up a few necessities. Actually, I have no idea if it is going to be a whopper or not. I should probably go check on the forecast.

I hope you have a great day.

Trimmed the Tree (finally)

2009-12-17T09:56:00.001-05:00

I am still here, just been busy hanging out with this goof ball.

Even with a saucy face he is handsome. My boy sure does love his pasta.

It is a little tough to see but he gave himself a nice rug burn on the side of his eye horsing around in the kids room at the gym yesterday. He was tough, no tears were shed but lots of Mommy kisses were needed. I've go plenty of those for him.

Last night we finally got around to decorating our itty Christmas tree. It looks taller than it really is because it is on a riser (The Firms step to be exact). The star topper is WAY to big but we love our little tree.

Yesterday when I picked D up from school he had a wrapped gift for me. He did not want me to wait until Christmas to open it so I dug into it when we were finished hanging the ornaments on the tree. He made me a paper plate & bowtie pasta wreath. I LOVE IT!!!! It is the perfect addition to the tree. Seriously, homemade gifts from D are my favorite. This one is definitely a keeper for life.

I even hang his first pair of bootees on the tree. He was only 11 days old on his first Christmas so of course I had him all decked out in holiday garb. I even remember him wetting through the outfit (a one piece velour red & white stripe zip up number) and I had to resort to the backup clothes which were not as cute. Oh those precious memories.

On a food note, I have been filling my belly with lots of yummy oats.

And I tried eggs again. They did not upset my belly so they are back on my menu.

Along with dairy- WOO HOO!!! I have been having it in moderation and my skin & tummy are doing fine. I am going to keep eating it and see what happens over the long run. I’ve got my fingers crossed that it is a keeper. I do love mini whole wheat pita pizzas. They are fast to make but super yummy. I always cook mine on a pizza stone and the “crust” gets very crispy.

Here is a really yummy combo – banana, sunflower seed butter and lettuce on a brown rice tortilla – sounds odd but oh so good. I love crispy romaine lettuce.

There have been plenty of salads consumed too. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and a few shakes of dried basil – PERFECTO!!!!

D finally convinced me to buy him marshmallows (the last thing this kid needs is more sugar but I am a softy - you all know that by now). Last night I dipped them in melted semi-sweet chocolate chips for him. Clearly he hated it :) We don’t mess around when it comes to dessert at our homestead.

Today I have a little baking to do. We are having a Christmas party with the Girl Scouts in our troop this evening. We are trying to get the girls to think about culinary traditions in other countries. I am making something from Ireland or at least an Irish recipe that I found online. Seeing as I have never been to Ireland before, I kind of have to go with what someone else says is Irish. Since there is Irish in the title of the recipe, I am going with it. I will share the final product with you later.

Now I must go get my little doobie dressed so we can venture out and pick up our holiday cards. Yeah, I am a little behind this year. At least they will be in the mail before Christmas.

I hope you all are well. Have a great day.

I have a 5 year old?!?!?!

2009-12-14T10:30:00.001-05:00

I can not believe that D is 5 years old today. The past 5 years really did fly by. I always give him a birthday doughnut so on my way home from the gym this morning I stopped at Dunkin Donuts.

We sang Happy Birthday to him and then he devoured that thing in no time.

I can still remember the first time I saw his little face. I had never seen anything more beautiful in my life. He was only 22 minutes old in this picture.

I have been smitten with him ever since.

Being D’s mommy is amazing and I can’t imagine my life without him. He is really a fabulous kid.

Onto the other happenings of my morning. I did a 7 mile treadmill run this morning. No way I would have been able to run outside – it was like an ice skating rink out there this morning. We had rain yesterday that froze over night – lovely New England. I also spent some time in the weight room before hitting the road.

Breakfast was a big bowl of Blueberry Oat bran.

Time to go see what the birthday boy is up to. Daddy is working from the house today so he is super excited. I hope you have a great Monday.