Soup and Salad

I made another big pot of Spinach & Lentil Soup. It is so delish, you can find the recipe here.
It's really really easy to make.
I made a big pot so I have plenty to last me for a few days.



Along side my soup I had a bowl of salad.
I haven't had a homemade salad in a while. When it's cold outside I normally don't crave salads. I usually prefer to have something warm and hearty. But I buckled down and made a big salad. Big enough to last me a few days. I'm glad I did because it was really good and long over due. Can't wait to have another one with dinner tonight.

Actually, now that I've had this salad, I've been craving more:

Salmon Caesar

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Bacon Ranch

Yum!

***

What's your favorite salad combo?

Holiday 2009 Recap.

I really would have liked to have done more blogging during December but the time was short. December is always such a busy month. Lots of celebrations, family traditions, traveling and holiday events. I took lots of pictures with the intention of blogging about each event and meal. But, unfortunately I was unable to do so.


So, instead I have piled together a few pics of some of the highlights of my December.


This is Jaelyn trying to catch a snowflake from the little snow we did manage to get this year.
It's crazy because last year we had a huge snow storm that lasted days.


~
My poor dog Hennessy, I tortured him once again and dressed him in is Santa suit. He was pissed but I thought he looked adorable.

~
My girlfriend had a Tacky Christmas Sweater Party. What a hoot. We did a white elephant gift exchange. I walked away with a $20 Target gift card. Score!
The food was delish. Chicken wings, tacos, cheese and crackers, apple tart, veggies & dip, lots of cookies, apple cider and punch. After the good eats, we played a few rounds of Apples to Apples and a hilarious game of Pictionary. Great night with friends.

~
Every year we spend Christmas with my parents in BC. Jaelyn and I drove up a few days early and Eric met up with us on Christmas Eve.
While we were there we made graham cracker gingerbread houses. Jaelyn loved it.

Jaelyn decorated his house all by himself. I think he did a great job.

~
On Christmas Eve Jaelyn, my neph Lincoln, my parents and I went out to the front yard to spread Reindeer food on the lawn.
It was a mix of sugar, sparkles and wheat. We got it from Santa at the Christmas Train. It came with a label that said:


Sprinkle on the Lawn at Night
The Moon will make it Sparkle Bright
Santa's Reindeer Fly and Roam
This will Guide them to your Home


I thought this was so cute.


Jaelyn had fun tossing the Reindeer food around.

~
Later that night, Jaelyn and Lincoln entertained us by dancing in their matching PJ's. How cute!

~
The sea of presents at my parents' house always takes up the entire living room. We are a big family. There was 12 of us opening gifts.

One of my faves, was Snuggies for our family. Jaelyn loves his.
Well that's the quick run down. Until next year.


Cheers!

New Years Eve Recap

2010 is here!
Crazy that 2009 is already over.
It flew by for me.


The Hubs and I celebrated the New Year with friends at a party.


The party was a package deal that included a hotel suite, dinner, and a champagne toast at midnight.




{Here I am in the Hotel ready for dinner}

The event was very well organized with place cards and all.

Dinner was buffet style. Here's my plate. The salad and salmon were both really, really good.
I forgot to get a pick of our desert. The Hubs and I shared a slice of chocolate pie with an oreo crust. It was delish.

{A few more pics of us just after the countdown to midnight}


We had a good time bringing in the New year with friends.


***


2010 is going to be a year of new beginnings. We are expanding our family this year. (yes, that means what you think it means)
It's bitter sweet for me for all the obvious reasons. But we're excited.


As for my goals moving into this New Year, I will continue to strive for great Health, Happiness and Family Time.


Happy New Year!!

Wow, Christmas is over. Seemed like it snucked up on me and passed just as quickly. We spent the holidays in Canada with my parents and family as we always do. I love the atmosphere at my parents' house during the holidays. Christmas lights, music, food, goodies, gift giving, beautiful decorations. It's so cheerful.


Christmas day was wonderful as usual. This was the first year Jaelyn actually got into it and had a blast opening his gifts. Maybe I'll post pics later.


There was food everywhere. Cookies galore, tasty bites, egg nog, mixed nuts, christmas candies. Oh My. It was hard not to get lost in all the yumminess.
I have to be honest I had lots and lots of goodies. It's the holidays! But I also drank lots of water and ate lots of fruit and veggies. I still managed to eat some healthy choices.


Here are a few pics of some of my healthier choices, some from home and some from Mommy's house.

{turkey & cheddar wrap}

{mushroom & barley soup w/ toast}

{salad}

{tomato & cheddar sammy w/ a banana}

{apple & spice oatmeal}

{tomato & cheddar wrap w/ fruit}

{ww waffles w/ honey and jam, navel orange}

{chili & chips}

{pork & rice burrito-ish wrap}

{kashi cinnamon harvest w/ fiber one original cereal}

{veggie burger and brussel sprouts}

Glad the holidays are over and now I'm home away from Mum's great cooking and all the left-over goodies. Buckle down time.

~~~~

Later.

Featured Cookie

Another really easy treat. This one doesn't require any baking, just a quick spin in the microwave.

I've been making these for a few years, usually it's the kids who really like them, but the Hubs loves them.

I don't use an exact recipe but it's somewhere along these lines

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients

• 40 squares of graham crackers
• 1 1/2 cups of milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 4 crushed candy canes

Directions

• Line your graham crackers on a cookie sheet
• Melt the milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave, start at 45 secs, then 10 sec intervals until chocolate is smooth and creamy
• Spread melted chocolate over graham crackers
• Sprinkle crushed peppermint
• Melt white chocolate in microwave
• Drizzle over bark
• Let cool completely, can be refridgerated to speed up cooling
• Break into pieces

* I use a really big baking sheet, 40 crackers fits it perfectly, so you may need to adjust the ingredients according to the size of your pan

Also, I didn't have white chocolate, so I drizzled with cookie frosting.

Really Really Good.

Share the Sugar

Drop some off at your neighbors with a Christmas Card

Featured Cookie

I've got some feedback from some of my readers who are not great bakers but still would like to make a special treat for the holidays.
So, I am here to share 2 easy peasy recipes, that are fool proof and do not require a ton of skill in the baking department.


First up, is your basic Sugar Cookie.
Sugar Cookies are really easy to make from sratch, but if you don't have the time or the drive to start from scratch, try this.


Ingredients:
1 pre-made roll of sugar cookies
colored sugar of your choice


Directions:
Cut the cookie roll in half length wise, then into quarters.
Cut each quarter into 1/2 inch pieces.

{like so}


Roll each little piece into balls and roll around in colored sugar.
Place balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 8-10 mins.


And Wah-Lah. Easy Sugar Cookies with a homemade touch. Shh! No one has to know they were pre-made.

~~~


This next treat isn't really a cookie at all, but they are a real hit and couldn't be easier to make.


Pretzel Turtles


Ingredients:
20 mini pretzels
20 chocolate cover caramels, I use Rolos
20 half pieces of pecans


Directions:
Stack each ingredient on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
{like so}

Bake at 300 degrees for 4 mins. Push pecan down into chocolate. Let Cool.

Decorate with icing (optional)

Watch these bad boys fly off the counter, they are that good.

Hope these help those of you who are baking challenged.

Share the Love!

Take a batch to your favorite bank branch and share with the staff.

Happy Sweet Tooth!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Got a recipe you'd like to share?

Send me the recipe, I'd love to try it.

Good Eats Today

Breakfast:
1 orange
Thomas' Light english muffin w/ rf PB

Lunch:
Brussel Sprouts
Homemade pizza pocket made with a Flatout Wrap, pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni and mozza.

Dinner:
TJ's veggie samosa's (sweet chili sauce for dipping) and curry couscous with raisins.

Good Eats.

Hot Apple Cider

My MIL invited Jaelyn and I over to her house to help decorate her tree. So to be festive I brought over some Christmas CD's; Toni Braxton's Snowflakes, A Soultrain Christmas and Andrea Bocelli's My Christmas.

All really good Holiday Tunes.
I also brought over some Apple Cider.
I had dry powder packs that I added to a pot with some water, whole cloves and cinnamon sticks. Let it simmer at a medium heat. I've never actually tried this before, but it turned out really good.

The perfect little drink for our night of tree trimming.

Recent Eats.

My posts have been so sporatic lately which is a perfect representation of my schedule and days. My meals have been quick and easy, with not a lot of dazzle. I havn't been taken many food pictures lately, but here are a few that I did take.


I'm hoping to get back to a regular routine, maybe that will happen after the holidays.

Frozen waffles w/ sf syrup and a banana.

Coffee/Tea/FF Hot Chocolate in a festive mug.
Mandarine Oranges. I want to eat one of these like every 15 mins.
Fresh, juicy and delish.

Mini tuna sandwiches on ww buns. Those buns were so good. Glad I only had 2, because I would have eaten more.

Featured Cookie: Mayan Chocolate Sparklers

Jaime over at Embracing Balance posted this cookie recipe and agreed to let me feature it on From My Kitchen.

These cookies have a double dose of chocolate and a sparkling sugar coating. They are both beautiful and delicious.

What interested me most in this recipe was the addition of black & cayenne peppers. I've never baked a cookie that required either of the two. I'm guessing that's where the "Mayan" part comes in.

***

Mayan Chocolate Sparklers

Ingredients:

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Cookies:
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Combine sugar and cinnamon in small dish for topping.
Beat shortening, butter and sugars in large bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add next 6 ingredients, mixing until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips (by hand, the dough will be quite stiff).
Roll in 1" balls, don't flatten. Roll into cinnamon sugar topping. Place on prepared cookie sheets about 2" apart (cookies will expand during baking).
Bake 8-10 minutes. Cookies should still be soft in centre. Let cool on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.

Share the Joy!

Take a batch to your local fire department.

Happy Holidays!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Got a cookie recipe you'd like to share?

I'd love to try it.

I Scream, You Scream...

We all Scream,
For


Peppermint!

Ok, maybe not.

But once you taste this Dreyer's Slow Churned Rich & Creamy Peppermint Icecream, you might.

I'm not the biggest fan of peppermint flavor or candy canes, but this ice cream is so delish.

The Nutritionals:

1/2 cup Serving

110 Calories

3.5g Fat

And because the peppermint flavor is so rich, you won't want a huge bowl. Well at least I don't.

Tree Time.

Decorating the tree was so much fun. We put the Christmas music on, got the coffee and hot chocolate brewing and got into the spirit.

Jaelyn was so excited about putting the star on top. He thought all the tree needed was lights and a star. So after he put the star on top, he ditched us and played with two Nut Cracker ornaments.

Eric and Hennessy got into the spirit with their holiday hats. Hennessy hates wearing clothes and esp. anything on his head, but we torture him every year long enough to take a picture.

The finished tree. We scaled down on some of the ornaments this year. I'll have to get a picture in the dark with the lights on.

Jaelyn helped with the canday canes. Can't you tell?

Here are a few of my fave ornaments.

One with a picture of our family's first Christmas Portrait.

I love bling on my tree, so I have lots of ornaments with glitter.

I bought this "U" ornament the year Eric and I got married. Our last name starts with a "U"

Snowmen and snowflakes are my fave Christmas symbols.

This year, I've been looking for a really cute Penguin Ornament for Jaelyn. He is the biggest penguin fan. He has penguin everything... toys, books, stuffed animals, shirts, movies. So I have to find him an ornament.

Happy Holidays!

Oh Chirstmas Tree!

Every year we go out the our fave tree farm and pick a tree. It's so much fun. Sometimes, we end up out there in the mud, but this year was a perfect day. Dry and Cold. Cold enough to want hot coffee or cider when we were done. It was also the first time that Jaelyn really got into it, and was able to help Dad cut. He was so excited.


We always pick Grand Firs, because they are strong and the most fragrant. I love when the whole house smells like Pine!! It's so fresh and Christmas-y.

They did a great job cutting it down. A nice clean cut.

Like how I'm holding the saw like I did all the work? hehe.

This is such a fun family tradition.

Happy Holidays!

Food Food Food

Who doesn't love a bowl of hot soup on a cold day? I know I do. This tomato soup was more that delish.

Instead of the traditional grilled cheese sandwich, I opted for a slice of cheddar inside a toasted whole wheat pita. Perfect for dipping.

I've been having a lot of quick fix meals lately, havn't done a whole lot of cooking. Here is a Lean Cuisine Pasta Primavera with a side of brussel sprouts.

I've been really craving eggs latley. So for breaky fast one morn I had 1 whole & 1 egg white, over medium, with a toasted pita. Have you ever toasted your pita? It's really good. I keep my pita's in the fridge, but don't like to eat them cold, so I pop them in the toaster. They come out a little crispy around the edges but warm and soft in the middle.

More sprouts. I've been on a serious brussel sprout kick. This time they were paired with a Lean Cuisine chicken and garlic pizza.

I've been trying to avoid a cold lately, and gulping one of these down every other day has been helping.

94%FF POPCORN!!

Thomas' Light English Muffin with PB. One of my fave snacks ever.

I eat a banana just about everyday. Either with breakyfast or on the go.

Juicy Orange. Another fruit I've been having just about everyday.

Of course Oatmeal had to make an appearance. Love my oats, esp. on a cold day.

That was just a quick run down of some of my food choices lately.

It's Cookie Time!!!

One of my very favorite things to do around the holidays is bake. I love baking cookies and trying new recipes. I've been wanting to plan a cookie exchange party the last few years, but havn't had the chance.

So, instead of a party, I would love to feature new cookie recipes here on From My Kitchen.

Here's how it works.

• You send me your favorite cookie recipe.
• A picture and/or story that you have to go along with it would be great too.
• I will bake them and feature them on my blog.

So, to kick off my Featured Cookies,

Let me start with the Cinnamon Stars I made this morning.

***

I tried this cookie for the first time last year and served them at a holiday party. They were extremely easy to make and were a big hit at the party.

They are sweet but not overly sugary.

What I love most about this recipe is that it requires very few ingredients.

Cinnamon Stars

{Ingredients}

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2-3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup ground cinnamon

{Directions}

Preheat oven to 350.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla.

Combine flour and cinnamon: gradually add to creamed mixture.

Cover and refridgerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle. (Optional)

On a lightly floured surface, roll out to 1/4 inch think.

Cut with small star cookie cutter, dipped in four.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 10-11 mins. Edges should be firm and bottom of cookies

lightly browned.

Cool and Enjoy!

Yields approx: 5 dozen

***
If you are interested in submitting a cookie recipe to be featured, please leave a comment below. Looking forward to trying your cookies!!

***

Now,

how do I get these delicious cookies out the house?

I'll take them to church in the morning and share the yumminess.

Just Pics.

Christmas Pinecones

{Jaelyn painting his pinecone}

Jaelyn, my MIL, and I decorated pinecones a few days ago. I'm always trying to find a way to use up some of the many craft supplies I have and this was the perfect idea. We had so much fun and it was a great kick off to getting into the holiday spirit.

{My MIL made an Angel, isn't is adorable?}

{I made these to hang on the doorknob}

Do you do holiday crafts?

Sweet Potato Fries.

I have yet to master making these fries. I've tried several different methods including coating them in egg whites before baking, but none of them ever really get that crispy bite that I love from real fries. Don't get me wrong though they still taste great and I love eating them.

Sissy Love!

Hey "From My Kitchen" Readers,

Are you into fashion?

Well my little Sissy has started a fashion blog. She has great taste, is up on all the latest fashion greatness and she even designs & sews a little sumthin sumthin.

Check her out.

NPC Styles.

Leftover Turkey Soup.

I made turkey soup with the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Yum Soup!


I didn't follow an exact recipe but it went a little something like this.


Boil the turkey carcass (sounds gross... carcass) in a big pot of water for about 30-45 mins.
Remove from water, separate the meat from the bones, return the meat to the pot of water/stock.
Chop up some onion, carrot and celery. Sweat them in a separate pan with some EVOO for about 7 mins.
Add the veggies to the water and turkey along with 1 1/2 cups dry pearl barley.
Season to taste and simmer for 30-45 mins.
I seasoned with:
S&P
Rosemary
Thyme
Garlic Powder
Bay Leaf


I hope I'm not forgetting anything.


~~~

In other news,
I'm in a photo contest on All Recipes. It's nothing serious, just a fun little contest. If you want to help me win by voting for me click here.
My picture is of some deviled eggs I made.
I am the 2nd picture in the 2nd row. You will see my name above the pic.
There are some really great pics in the contest and you can vote for as many as you like.
Thanks.

~~~
Happy Healthy Eating.

Lunch

I had another serving of brussel sprouts with a sandwich today.
A few of my readers have asked how I make my sprouts so here is a quick run down.


First I cut them in half.
I put them in a small pan with about a 1/2 inch of water.


Once the water cooks out, I drizzle a touch of light oil over them and a sprinkle of salt. Let them saute a bit and they are done.
Sometimes I drizzle a little honey over them after plating. I've also sauted a bit of turkey bacon with them. All options are very tasty.

With my sprouts I had a easy and light egg salad sandwich.
I used 1 whole egg and 1 egg white (I feed my dog the 2nd yolk. He loves it)
1 tablespoon of rf mayo, a squeeze of mustard, green onion and S&P.
Sandwiched on a multigrain sammy thin with lettuce.

A very filling and healthy lunch.

No Lamb were injured in the making of this Shepherd's Pie

That's because I made it with 97% FF ground turkey.

Ingredients

3 lrg potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix

2 tablespoons reduced fat sour cream

Splash of milk

1 med onion
1 pound ground turkey
1 cup water

1 tablespoon flour
1 cubes beef bouillon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon steak seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

Directions


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, add milk, sour cream, ranch mix and mash.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
In a large heavy skillet, saute onions and meat until browned, stirring occasionally. Drain excess fat and return meat to pan over medium heat.

Mix water and flour together.

Pour in floured water and season with beef bouillon, salt, pepper, steak seasoning and garlic powder. Stir in frozen vegetables.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the water has evaporated.
Pour meat mixture into a casserole dish.

Cover top with mashed potatoes. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until top begins to brown.

The ranch in the mashed potatoes is so good. You gotta try it.

Eat and Enjoy.

Back on track today. I woke up and had a lite breakfast of Puffins in ff milk and a juicy orange.

Todays snacks were a small banana and a sf jello cup. I've had 2 cups of peppermint tea and lots of water.

For lunch I had a sandwich on a ww sammy thin, with deli turkey and cheddar cheese. No pic, my bad.
Along side my sandwich I had some brussel sprouts. I haven't had any in so long. I actually didn't know how great they are until today. Easy to make and really delish.

Dinner tonight is Shepherd's Pie.

Happy Healthy Eating!

Turkey Day.

So Turkey Day has come and gone. I can honestly say, I'm thankful for that.

Thanksgiving is a great day. I love the idea of taking time to be thankful for all of our blessings. But all the food and temptations is another thing. I

Yesterday I got my grub on. But I won't get into all that, I'll just show you my first plate.

I used a small lunch plate and filled it with little portions of all my favs.

Mac and Cheese

Greens

Ham

Cranberry Sauce

Cornbread Dressing

Turkey and gravy

It was pretty much all down hill from there.




So I leave you with a pic of my boy. He was sick, but still managed a sweet smile for mommy's camera.

Chicken Cacciatore

Last night's din din.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 medium green pepper, julienned
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3-4 mushrooms, sliced
1 small can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

In a skillet, cook the chicken, mushrooms, onion and green pepper in oil until chicken is lightly browned and vegetables are tender. Add tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until heated through.

Serve over rice.

Delicious!

Granny's Recipe Box

When my Granny passed away a few years ago, I got to keep her box of recipes.

Many of the cake and pie recipes she used to make for the Holidays are in this box.

Unfortunately, most of the savory dishes she made, she didn't have written recipes for.

Many of the recipes were in her handwritting, which makes them extra special.

Some are from friends of hers and many are clippings that she collected over the years.

I plan to make some of these recipes and turn them into a recipe book with pictures.

What a great way to honor my sweet Granny who's home and kitchen was the "Grand Central Station" of our family.

Miss you Gran!

Eat and Run

or eat on the run. That's what I did this morning. I didn't have much time to eat breakyfast before taking off, so I cut up a juicy orange, toasted a sandwich thin and spread it with some ICBINB and a drizzle of honey.

It wasn't a big meal, but it held me over til lunch time.

Spaghetti Squash

I bought this squash a few weeks ago. It's been sitting on my counter collecting dust... Just Kidding.
Anyways, I finally got around to busting it open and having a taste.


I've heard many times, that it could be used in place of noodles for pasta dishes, so I decided to try it.

I split it in half and baked it on a cookie sheet for about an hour, then scraped out the stringy flesh.

Topped it with spaghetti meat sauce and took a bite.

Now all I want to know is, who's idea was it to sub real noodles with this? Not the truth!! It wasn't nasty but definitley didn't taste good. I sucked it up and ate it anyway, but trust, I will never do it again.

Sorry little spaghetti squash, but you are no longer welcome on my plate.

Cinnamon-Vanilla French Toast Nuggets

For Breakyfast I tried Hungry Girl's French Toast Nuggets from her 200 Under 200 cookbook.

Ingredients Serves 2

2 hot dog buns

1/3 cup ff liquid egg sub*

1 tsp Coffee-Mate SF french vanilla powdered creamer, dissolved in a tbs warm water**

2 dashes cinnamon

Directions

Split each bun in 1/2, cut into bite size pieces
In a small bowl, stir ingredients together until mixed well

Dip bread into mix until well coated
Place dipped bread piece into a med-high pan sprayed with non-stick spray

Cook 3-5 mins, flipping occasionally to cook all sides

Garnish with a touch of cinnamon and SF syrup.

Plate with turkey bacon and enjoy.

*I used 2 egg whites for the egg sub

**I used a touch of vanilla extract instead of powdered creamer

Weekend Fun.

{Who's that naughty girl?}

{Check out the chick in the background. It was like 45 degrees outside and she had on a mini and open-toe shoes. Hello Frost Bite!}

***

My Mum, Sissy and Friend K-Ryn, came to visit this weekend. Love it when they're here. We always do lots of shopping, eating, and drinking. The eating and drinking part, can sometimes get out of hand, as you can see from the pictures. But hey, I only have one life to live. Besides, it's times like these that I work so hard the rest of the time for.

What a great weekend. Love you guys.

Spinach & Lentil Soup

This soup is so delicious, healthy and easy to make. I absolutely love it.

Spinach & Lentil Soup

Ingredients

3 carrots, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups water/stock
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
1 1/4 cups dried lentils, rinsed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach, torn

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute carrots, celery and onion in oil until tender. Add the water/stock, salsa, lentils and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 50-60 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in spinach; simmer 5-10 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted.

*I only had a 1/2 jar of salsa so I added a can of stewed tomatoes too.

This recipes make a big pot of soup. Lots of leftovers which I love, because I can enjoy it for a few days and even freeze some for later.

Pumpkin Pie

Remember the cute little pumpkin I posted about last week? I first made a puree and then some pumpkin muffins.





I still had leftover puree from the muffins so I finally got around to making pie.

They turned out really good for my first attempt at a pumpkin pie.

Do you think I can freeze one until Thanksgiving Dinner? I'm going to try.

Anyways, here's the recipe.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth.

Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool. Garnish as desired. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

I doubled the recipe to make 2 pies.

B & L

Yesterdays breakfast was a delish egg white scramble with some mushrooms, canadian bacon, cheddar and green onion. A toasted sammy thin.
And a Comice pear. This pear was flavorful but not too sweet. Kinda had a fragrant taste, almost like perfume, but really good. Firm and delish.

I tried a new product for lunch. A Morning Star Veggie Italian Sausage. I first microwaved it for 1 min then finished it off in a sauce pan with a touch of EVOO. A toasted ww bun, grilled onion and some mustard topped it off. I have to say, I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed it, b/c I'm not a huge fan of Italian sausage normally. This was delicious. A great light lunch.

Food

Because I've been so busy lately and working evenings, I haven't had much time to post my eats.
So here is a run down of some of the deliciousness I've enjoyed in the past few days. No dinners pictured b/c they have been eaten at work. Mostly soup and crackers.



Yummy bowl of oatmeal. I put a little twist on this bowl of oats: I added some chopped pear with a spoonful of pumpkin butter. Really good.
A quick snack I had was a plate of rf triscuits, 1 slice of cheddar and a few slices of turkey pepperoni.

I received this yummy Bare Naked Tropical Grain-Ola bar in the mail a few days ago. It was good, I'm not a huge tropical fruit fan unless it's fresh, so I bet I would enjoy one of the other flavors more. But it was moist and had a great chewy texture.

For lunch one day, I had a quick & simple green salad,

Along side of a wrap. Inside the wrap was a Gardenburger Black Bean and Chipotle Veggie Burger, sprinkled with a touch of mexi mix cheese, salsa and lettuce. Really good.

Over The Top!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Crys @ Fit & Flabless thinks my blog is over the top.

Thanks Lady! Yours is too.

So in order to accept the award, I have to answer the following questions with one word answers.

Here goes nothing.

1. Where is your cell phone? Table

2. Your hair? Short

3. Your mother? Maureen

4. Your father? Who?

5. Your favorite food? Oatmeal

6. Your dream last night? Blank

7. Your favorite drink? Vino

8. Your goal? Quality

9. What room are you in? Living

10. Your hobby? Plenty

11. Your fear? Fear

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Alive

13. Where were you last night? Work

14. Something you aren’t? Blonde

15. Muffins? Please


16. Wish list item? Wii

17. Where did you grow up? Canada

18. Last thing you did? Eat

19. What are you wearing? Scarf


20. Your TV? Tabatha

21. Your pets? Hennessy

22. Your friends? Inspirational

23. Your life? Blessed

24. Your mood? Chill

25. Missing someone? Lincoln

26. Vehicle? Maxima

27. Something you’re not wearing? Lipstick

28. Your favorite store? Target

29. Your favorite color? Plum

30. When was the last time you laughed? Today


31. Last time you cried? Awhile

32. Your best friend? Sissy

33. One place that I go over and over? Bed

34. One person who emails me regularly? Joanne

35. Favorite place to eat? Moms


Now it's my turn to crown 3 bloggers "Over The Top"
In turn, they are to copy and paste the questions to answer on their blogs and pass the award on.

I enjoy so many great blogs and get so much inspiration from so many of you.

The 3 I chose to recognize today are:

Toni & Ashley @ Black Girls Run

Jaime @ Embracing Balance

MochaTrina @ Me So Hongry...

Go ahead and take a peek at their sites to see for yourself what makes them "Over The Top"

Happy Blogging!

Pumpkin Muffins

My cute little pumpkin is no longer a cute little pumpkin.

I made a pumpkin puree and from that made some pumpkin muffins.

{Halved and gutted}

{Baked covered in foil at 325 for 1 hour}

{Blended and smoothed}

Pumpkin Muffins! Yum Yum!

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients
2 cups sugar pumpkin puree
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

2/3 cup light olive oil
2 eggs
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together 2 cups pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, vanilla and eggs. Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture until smooth. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Eat and Enjoy!

Hi Little Pumpkin

I like you all round and cute,
but you can't stay this way forever.

What do you want to transform into?

The guys of the house want pumpkin pie...

How does that sound to you?

Lunch Bag

It's Friday and the rain has stopped, at least for a little bit.

For my work lunches/dinners, I had been using any old plastic bag I could find to carry them. Not any more.
I found this really cute and spacious lunch bag at walmart on clearance and had to snatch it up.

It's made from Neoprene (the wetsuit material) and is machine washable.

"Bring Your Own"

So my first dinner in the new bag was a can of soup, sf jello, a juicy pear and some peppermint tea. It all fit with plenty of room to spare.

Yay for sacked lunches!

Halloween

We spent Halloween in Houston.

It was all about the kiddos. We started out at the Halloween Celebration given at the City Center. There were games and Trick-or-Treating. Lots of fun.

Afterwards, we did a bit more Trick-or-Treating around the neighborhood.

Eric and I put these clown costumes on for fun to walk the neighborhood with the kids.

Here is Jaelyn and 2 of his cousins.

Farmer, Princess and Ninja Turtle.
I love Halloween.

PB & Co Chocolate Dreams

I've been seeing Peanut Butter & Co. in food blog world for quite some time. Me being the crazy PB lover that I am, have been trying to find it everywhere. I've only been able to find the regular PB up until I went to a Kroger while in Houston.

Of course I had to buy some.

I got the both the Chocolate Dreams and Cinnamon Raisin flavors.

I was so excited to try it.

A quick spread on a toasted english muffin, yum.

I think it's really good.

Not as great as Nutella, but that's not fair, because what is better than Nutella?

A Little Bit of Texas

We had a blast in Houston visiting family. We got to see a lot of the huge city and spent great time with our family.

I really tried to stay aware of my eating choices but of course it wasn't always perfect. Most of the time, I just shared what ever the Hubs got and added a side salad when we went out. When eating at my BIL's house, I just stuck to small portions.

Here are a few pictures from our trip.

My BIL took us to a drive-up convenience store called The Eskimo Hut, where we ordered daiquiri's. Yes, real daiquiri's with alcohol, at a drive thru window. Crazy!

Each daiquiri had a funky name like "Jang-A-Lang", "Shoulder Lean" and "3 Some"

Fried Chicken Anyone?

You see the side salad? That was mine.


Eric and I had a chance to hit up a club one night.
We got to experience the "Dirty South's" night life.
Had a blast.



After the club we tried Chacho's. It was recommended to us by a friend. Really delicious but definitely not easy on the hips.

We did lots of sight seeing downtown. Here we are in front of the Sunkist Baseball Field.

Eric loves to try the fast food restaurants that we don't have here in Washington.

Whataburgers were everywhere, so we shared a burger. Not bad, your basic fast food greasy burger.

Another restaurant we tried out was Razzoo's Cajun Grill.

I had a glass of wine and a caesar salad, with a few bites of Eric's Cajun Platter, that included gumbo, dirty rice, sausage and crawfish jambalaya.

While we were there we went to the Reliant Center to watch the 49er's vs. Texans.

Eric and his family are originally from Cali's Bay Area, and are die hard 49er fans.

The Reliant Center was huge, very exciting game, unfortunately the Texans took the victory.

One of the restaurants my BIL was excited to take us to was Thelma's.

Do you see that pile of BBQ meat? Underneath that was a huge baked potato. It was so ridiculously delicious.

Eric also ordered a rib sandwich. Literally 3 huge ribs sandwiched between a hamburger bun.

Thelma came out from the kitchen to say hello. She even though Jaelyn was so cute, she gave him a slice of lemon cake. Tasted so good, reminded me of my great-grandmothers cake.

We had such a great time.

Traveling is fun, but it's great to be back home.

I'll post about our Halloween night later.

Good Eats

You all know how I feel about a fast and delish pita pizza!!

I tried a new Clif bar today. Chocolate Brownie. Let's just say it was so yummy, I was better off not knowing it exsists.

TJ's Veggie Samosas on a bed of Sauteed Veggies. These are so good. Love Love. The veggies were perfect too. So filling and wonderful.

***
Well peeps, tomorrow we leave for Houston. It's gonna be a great vacay with family. Can't wait. But, I am a bit nervous about the eats. Everything is large in TX and that includes the portions. My Hubby is a BBQ and Soul Food fanatic so I know he will be trying to hit up some restaurants. He's the type that will see a BBQ joint and pull right over, hungry or not.
With that said, I know I have to go with a game plan.

I have to tell you that I did really well with this weeks daily goals. Got to the gym on my planned days, ate well, paid attention to my portions and listened to my body. So, I plan to continue this while in TX.

-No eating, unless I'm actually hungry
-Stay away from high fat foods
-Limit my meat intake
-Water, Water, Water

Have a healthy weekend!

Pumpkin Carving

Last night we carved the pumpkins we picked up from the pumpkin patch.

Usually I look up patterns online but this time we decided to go at it free-hand. Jaelyn said he wanted scary faces.

We sipped on some hot chocolate. I made Eric and Jaelyn's with regular hot chocolate mix and used a 25 cal pack for mine. I also spiked Eric's and mine with some Baileys. Yum!

Jaelyn did a good job scraping out the guts and seeds.

{Boo!}

So much fun!

Busy Weekend.

H-to-the-Izzo, V-to-the-Izzaay!!!

Saturday night The Hubs and I went to the Jay-Z concert. Downtown Seattle was buzzin with Jay-Z fans decked out in Roca Wear and NY Yankee hats.

While getting ready, I had a glass of wine.

Had to get a quick pic, before hitting the rainy night.

The Key Arena was sold out and the energy was wild. The tickets sold fast, so we were only able to get seats in the way way back, but still had a great view.

The place was packed, not an empty seat in the whole spot. Loved it.

The set and band were off the chain. Lots of color and lights.

This was my first real Jay-Z concert. The only other time I seen him perform live was an impromptu performance he put on at Club Love in DC during the Obama Inauguration festivities.

He really gives a great show.

Eric and I waiting for the show to start.

***

Yesterday my MIL and I hosted a baby shower for my niece-in-law.

Baby showers are so much fun. A bunch of women, chatting and laughing, playing games and being silly.

{Eat Cake}

We both contributed to the food. The dishes I contributed to the spread were,

a veggie platter

deviled eggs

Ambrosia salad, zucchini bread, 7-layer dip w/ tortilla chips, tortilla roll-ups, punch and wine.

My MIL made hot wings, garlic spare ribs and macaroni salad.

{Hey, how did that hot wing get on my plate?}

{Here I am with the Mother-To-Be}

Great weekend.

DeChe in Joseph.

The play last night was so good. The music was fantastic, the costumes were amazing, the cast was talented but best of all, my nephew DeChe was awesome. He was so cute and I just had tears of joy for him. I don't know if theatre is were he will continue to focus but I am so glad he is experiencing this exciting art form.

-Here we are in front of a pic taken of the 5th Ave theatre in 1929.

After the play we got to go to the Opening Night After Party for the Cast.

The food spread was laid with Salmon Crustini's, Fruit & Cheese platters, Greek Chicken Skewers w/ tzatziki, A Chili bar and fancy Mac & Cheese. Oh and the dessert table was full of Mini Cheesecakes, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Cake Bites and so much more.

Of course I can't forget to mention the Wine Bar and Technicolor Cocktails.

I had a small bowl of chili, some fruit and cheese, and 1 (yes only 1) bite of mac & cheese. All washed down by a glass of Chardonnay.

It was a great party. I played photographer for DeChe and followed him around so he could get pictures with all the cast members.

-Here's DeChe and Anthony Federov who played Joseph.

So Far So Good

I've been true to my healthy plans so far. And I have to say, I'm happy about it. I think I got my "groove" back. I've stuck to my plan to make it to the gym everyday after dropping Jaelyn off at school. Yay!!

My eats have been great too. No mindless snacking and lots of healthy choices. Here are a few of my meals from the last couple of days.

{Oatmeal w/ Pumpkin Butter}

{This fruit bar was really good}
{Garden Salad}

{TJ's dried Apple Rings made a great snack}

{Golden Delicious Apple & a Sandwich Thin w/ Almond Butter and Honey}

{Kashi Go Lean w/ ff milk and a Banana}

We went out for Italian Tuesday night. I wanted Fettucine Alfredo so bad. So creamy, so yummy. But I decided to have the Penne Primavera with a side salad.
Jaelyn and Eric had pizza.

The pasta was way too much, I ate all the veggies and almost half of the pasta.

{Jaelyn loved the ooey gooey cheeeese}

{Yogurt Mix w/ Strawberries, Raisins, Puffins, Fiber One and Bare Naked Fit}

~~~

Hey check this out.

I received my giveaway from Jen. Thanks Girl.

***

Tonight, Eric and I are going to see my nephew perform in his very first major production.

He is in this show

playing at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle.

I'm so excited. This is right up my alley, I was a big drama head in High School and really wish I stayed involved in theatre after graduating. Maybe I will again someday.

But for now, I get to watch my nephew do his thing.

I hope I can get a pick of him afterwards in his costume.

Ugh.

That's how I've been feeling lately. I just can't seem to find my "Happy Healthy Place"
It really time for a hunger makeover.
Let me explain. I got my grub on this past weekend, I did well with Thanksgiving dinner, but everything else was a disaster. I had cookies, apple pie, pumpkin pie, Chinese food, too many slices of toast and butter, wine, candy, a few mini chocolate bars and I'm sure I'm forgetting a whole handful of more "big booty" foods. There is just something so difficult about sticking to a health plan while away from home, esp. around the holidays when there is food at every turn.

So today, I am committing to turn that all around. I have eleven days before we leave to TX to visit some of The Hubs' family and I do not want to feel bloated and heavy.

My Plan

• No Meat. This doesn't mean, I'm going Vegetarian for life, it just means I'm not going to allow any heavy meat into my food plan for the next week or so. This is not meant to be a challenge for me, and it really isn't, I don't eat a lot of meat anyway, I just want to concentrate on a veggie/fruit based diet. I might allow a little fish, we'll see how I feel each day.
• Tracking. I plan to track my meals. Those of you who do track, know the impact of tracking each thing that enters your mouth. It keeps me accountable and keeps me aware of what I'm eating. If at the end of the day, I can look at a list of the things I've eaten, I can easily find any problem areas.
• No Cheating. Yes, I admit, I cheat sometimes. But not this week. I am going to be honest with myself and not allowing any temptations to get the best of me.
• Activity. 30 mins per day, no matter what. No excuses. It's just too important for me to ignore.
• Listen & Obey. I'm going to listen to my body and hunger signals. No eating just because I want to.

That's it. That's my plan. I put it out there for the universe to see.

Wish me Luck!!

When you fall off track what are the things you do to get back on?

Thankful for Family.

The Hubs, Jaelyn and I are visiting my fam in Surrey, BC for our Canadian Thanksgiving. I love this time of year. The days are beautiful, the trees are changing color, the holidays are approaching, and the flavors are comforting.

We had our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday and it was delish.

Before we got down on some turkey with all the fixings, we had the chance to get a family picture. It's not often we are all together, so times like these are priceless and I know how happy it makes my Mum.

{Left to Right, Nichelle (Sissy), Me, Eric, Sharif (Bro), Wesley (Bro), Chantal (Sis-in-Law)
Dejia (Niece), Jaelyn, Mum, Dad, Lincoln (Nephew) and our dog Hennessy}

Before dinner was served, the table was full of chips with a variety of dips, homemade crab and artichoke dip, tortillas and hummus and beverages. I tried to stick to the ww tortilla strips and hummus, but did have a few bites of some chips and dip. I also, enjoyed a glass or two of vino blanco.

While making my dinner plate, I chose to have small portions of my fav items.
Mac & Cheese, turkey with gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and veggies. I think I did pretty good, one half of my plate was veggies, and I didn't go back for seconds.

For dessert, I had a slice of homemade apple pie with a scoop of cool whip on top.

***

Instead of sitting on our bootay's all day today, (which pretty much is tradition the day after a big family dinner) my Sissy Nichelle and I decided to take Jaelyn and Dejia to the pumpkin patch. It was the perfect day for it, sunny and crisp.

We got lost in the corn maze, but eventually found our way out.
We to a hay ride to the pumpkins where we all picked out little pumpkins to take home.

Jaelyn liked the really little ones. Too cute.

On the way home, we stopped at Timmy's for some warm brews. I got a pumpkin spice tea.

What a great 2 days spent with my family, whom I am extremely grateful for.

Birthday Dinner

We took our niece Jasmine, out for her 14th birthday. She wanted Mexican, which you already know I was down for. I love me some Mexican.

Here's a pic of the Birthday Girl and Jaelyn.



I tried to make a smart decision when ordering. I got the veggie fajitas with corn tortillas. I came with steamed rice and rancho beans. No matter what you order at a mexican restaurant, the portions are always out of control.

I have to tell you, it was delicious.

Eric, Jaelyn and I, stuffed after a great meal.

Happy Birthday Jazzy! Love you.

Cute Apron Giveaway Winner.

Hello blogger friends.

With the help of random.org, I have a giveaway winner.


The winner is
(drumroll please)

#7 - Kiera @ Tasty Health Food. (Check out her blog, she has lots of great healthy food item reviews)


Congratulations Kiera and Thanks for entering.

Please send your mailing address to me at morapiggy@hotmail.com