Kale Chips

I have been dying to try these and the other night Jbird and I made some. She LOVED them. I loved them.

• Rip the leaves off the stems.
• Wash and dry leaves really well. I spun in the salad spinner three times and then blotted with a paper towel.
• Laid the leaves out on my Pampered Chef baking sheet. Made sure they weren't on top of each other. They need some room to breathe. ;)
• Drizzled some olive oil and put some coarse salt on them.
• Pop in a 350 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes. I just kept and eye on them until I noticed the tips of the leaves were getting a little brown.
• Take them off the baking sheet and place on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb a little of the oil.

Best if eaten right away. I did take some to work in a baggie and they were good but not as crispy.

I made a second batch with some spices. Can't say they were as well liked as the ones with a little salt. But the sky's the limit. Just good to be getting the greens in your belly.

Love the one you're with. XO

Soooooo good!

This is breakfast for me most days. I did modify though. No more flour. I use a wheat free flour blend. You can pick it up at Bulk Barn.

Enjoy this delish treat...Bumbleberry Crisp.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about the KALE CHIP adventure!!

Shows Pride in Ownership

"Shows pride in ownership." We've seen this before when someone is selling a house or a car. How about showing a little pride in the ownership of our temple. Yup our bodies. If we can take the time to keep our house up and wash the car every weekend in the summer then we can take the time to maintain our bodies. Read labels. Shop sensibly. prepare meals when we're not feeling the time crunch (i.e. Sunday afternoon - boil up 6-8 eggs, make a healthy batch of quinoa and brown rice, wash and cut up all your veggies and fruit, put an assortment of nuts in small Tupperware containers so you can throw them in your bag on the way out the door, put a roast in the slow cooker, etc.), maybe do some squats in the bathroom while the kiddies are floating in the tub, go to the gym, grab 8-10 minutes to do a quick circuit (there are simple apps for your phone that can give you a quick circuit, gets the heart rate going), etc.

And DO NOT feel bad if you can't hit it hardcore. Just try your best and have faith that you can do it. You can take it as far as you want to go. You're the boss. In charge of your own temple.

Love the one you're with. XO

Butterscotch Chip Cookies - Wheat Free

This called for chocolate chips but I didn't have any so butterscotch it was. They passed the test here so I guess they will go on file as a "make again sometime soon" recipe...unlike my quinoa black bean patties. They weren't such a great hit. I liked them but one out of three people liking them means this recipe doesn't make the cut.

1 1/3 cups Gluten free all purpose flour blend*
1/2 teaspoon each of salt, baking soda, xanthan gum (I used cornstarch)
1/2 cup each of margarine, peanut butter, granulated sugar
1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanuts (I used crunchy peanut butter so there's my peanuts)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease cookie sheet.

Combine flour blend, salt, baking soda and xanthan gum in medium bowl.

Beat margarine, PB, sugar and brown sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Use electric mixer on medium speed to do this. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well blended. All flour mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and peanuts.

Drop onto cookie sheets (rounded tablespoons). 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly.

Bake 12-14 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Cool two minutes on cookie sheet and then move to wire rack to cool completely.

*The all purpose flour blend:
1 cup each:
White rice flour
Sorghum flour
Tapioca flour
Cornstarch
Almond OR Coconut flour

OR you could buy the blend already made (I later saw it at Bulk Barn).

If you make your own mix, you combine in a large bowl that you can seal. The book I have said to store in the fridge but it's not stored in a fridge at the Bulk Barn and it's just fine so mine's in the pantry.

Hope you like. Will post more of my concoctions as I make them.  :)

Love the one you're with. XO

Off the Wheat

Heya!

It's been a while. I'm on a computer all day so rarely do I feel inspired to get on it at night or during my off time. I'm feeling it today. :)

Off the wheat. It's  been a week. I feel so much better already. I'm reading Wheat Belly and before I even got done the first chapter I was making the cut. First thing was to clean out the pantry, the cupboards and the fridge. The family cringed when I said this stuff was going....

They were very happy to receive it at the food bank.

When I told family and friends we were making the cut; to be healthier, I think they thought I had lost my mind. And the first day I went grocery shopping I thought maybe I had. A lot of label reading, which I do anyway but that pesky wheat hides in some pretty bizarre places. It took me an hour to get groceries the first time.

I've done A LOT more research. I've bought the products to get us going on the right track (i.e. wheat free flour mixtures, wheat free breads and snacks). Keeps us all from getting frustrated.

Honestly, the key to success is going back to basics. Veggies, berries, meat, fish, eggs, nuts. I bought a half a cow I think. Grass fed. Fresh eggs. Local as much as possible.

Eating like this for the past week and I'm already down 6 pounds. I honestly think it was 6 pounds of stinky crap. Literally. Talk about gas and a stench as it was purging out of my body. Ugh! But now, less ick. What I put in my body is being used by my body. Less waste. More energy. My blood sugar isn't pitching and diving every couple hours. Makes all the difference in the world, not only for the body for the mind.

So onward we go. Healthy food. Exercise. On the right track.

Love the one you're with. XO

PS Yummy cookie recipe tomorrow.

On to Plan Z

I'm slowly, but surely learning that when a door closes, it's closed.  I don't need to throw my body against it, pull on the doorknob, exhaust myself trying to get in...or out.  I need to accept it.  Accept that the door is closed.  It's time to move on.  It means that it was not the right path for me.  On to plan B or F or Z.  Not a big deal.  Just move on.  Go to the next open door.  And be grateful.  Grateful for another chance.  Grateful for a new journey.

I have my own asshole

I think I’m getting old.  My tolerance level for certain things is really diminishing.

Mean people – they actually make me a little angry.  I don’t understand why people have to be they way they are sometimes.  I mean I do understand…inferiority complex, low self esteem, jealousy…blah, blah, blah.  That can all make people do and say mean things by times…I suppose.  Guess I’m just to the point in my life now that we should be damn lucky.

Getting things that are not earned.  Many folks work very hard and just never seem to get ahead.  And then you get Miss. Betty-Talk- A-Lot who is under-qualified, un-deserving getting a shot at everything that’s going.  I don’t know if that happens because people don’t want to deal with those types of people or what the case may be but I see it more and more and it’s frankly, annoying.  Let the person who works hard, is dedicated, honest, loyal and qualified get a kick at the can for once.

Two-faced people who talk behind people’s back to get ahead.  I guess this would count as two things.  Two-faced is just a big no-no.  Doesn’t mean you have to be rude to someone you don’t like but for gawd’s sakes, don’t go and hang out with them like you’re sisters-from-another-mother and then trash them the minute they walk away.  That is so uncool!!  That person trusts you and trusts that you have their best interest in mind, hence the “friendship.”  When you talk about them behind their backs, especially to get ahead, lame-O!!

Being someone you’re not to…well…for whatever reason you do that.  Just be you.  If you have to switch up how you dress, how you speak, what you do…when you have to change the essence of you…why?  Why would you want  to be around people who make you feel you have to do that?

I guess I’m just one who calls it like I see it; with myself and with others.  I expect transparency.  I expect to be able to trust people.  I expect that people will be kind to one another unless it’s really warranted (i.e. I’ll never be nice to someone who abuses children or animals).  I expect people to get ahead based on merit, qualifications, hard work.  I expect when I tell you something, you damn well better keep it to yourself.  I expect you to expect the same of me and if I screw up, you better tell me.

I’m seeing things in people I don’t like.  Seems like I’m seeing that a lot more lately.  Maybe I’m just more critical than normal.  Likely just getting old.  I’m okay with that.  I’m also going to be okay with removing myself from situations where people are assholes.  I have my own asshole.  I don’t need anymore.