Crazy Weather!

Hello,

 So last night we had some crazy bad weather come through our area.  The winds  started picking up on Friday afternoon and continued through late last night.  It rained so had and for so long that there was a lot of flooding and there were reports of trees down in our neighborhood.  I have to say, I got a bit nervous with the weather because of the tornado that hit our neighborhood Christmas day in 2012.  This morning when we woke up the skies are a beautiful blue with white clouds and a gently breeze.  The only problem I have is that it is a chilly 59 degrees! This is not normal for my area.  It is making me long for Fall.  I am a bit worried about the summer heat that is on the way.  I do not like being hot!

But anyway,  a few days ago I got home from work and needed to figure out what to make for dinner.  Stephen has been really sick the past week and he has not had much of an appetite so I figured I would make something full of flavor.

I made this up as I searched the fridge for ingredients.  I didn’t take photos throughout the process. Sorry.  But it was so simple you can visualize it.  Ok so I had portobello mushrooms that I brushed with olive oil then sprinkled salt, pepper and garlic powder on them.  I put them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until they were soft but still had a bit of firmness.  While they were cooking I pulled out some baby spinach, 2 left over grilled chicken tenders, bacon bits and shredded cheese.  In a small pan I melted a small amount of butter then I added the spinach and a dash of salt and pepper.  I sautéed the spinach until it was nice and soft. I diced the chicken and added it to the pan along with the bacon.  As this was all melding together I took the mushrooms out of the oven.  I topped them with my mixture from the pan then topped them with the shredded cheese then put them back in the oven to melt the cheese.  The only photo I took was the finished product.

This was so good, healthy and filling.  It would be great as an appetizer if you are

entertaining friends.  I will definitely be making this more often as it is so quick and delicious.

Until then,

Wende

 

Getting Organized

So I finally had a chance to do some well over due organizing of my pantry.  I was dreading this task so much but it really didn’t take as long as I thought it would.  I think it was roughly an hour out of my afternoon.

Our pantry is not huge.  I can stand inside the door (when it is straight) but like it is at the moment, there is no room at all.

I like to put my groceries in groups.  I have baking stuff, canned, stuff, everyday items and the dog stuff.  As you can see from the photos above, nothing is in it;s proper places.

I took everything out of the pantry and put in the proper groups on the counter, wiped the shelves down and then returned the items to the correct space.

 

I am not sure why I have so much canned milk but I was going to make a lot of something! I guess it is better to have too much than not enough.

I changed up things a little bit but I was so excited to see the final product.  I sent the pics to my husband because I was so proud of my hard work.

It really makes it easier to keep my diet in order when the good food is the first thing you see when you open the pantry door.

 I have started back on the LCHF diet (low carb high fat aka Keto) which I did about a year ago.  I have been on it for 2 weeks now and have already dropped 7 pounds.  It is just the start but with the diet and the work outs 4-5 times a week I know that I can hit my goals.

Until Then,

Wende

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jogging Anyone?

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Until Then,

Wende

Grilled Corn On The Cob!

So sorry that I have been MIA for a while.  I had a 3 1/2 day weekend for the Fourth Of July then last week I started feeling crappy and ended up with a Sinus infection.

I am feeling better now but still not 100%.
 So I want to get back to it and give you a great recipe for summer grilling season.  Grilled Corn on the Cob.

 This is so easy and ever so tasty.

OK so the ingredients are simple:

Corn

Salt

Water

Butter

A hot grill

So first you get your corn and peel back the green husks. Don’t pull them off, just peel them back exposing the sweat corn.

Once you get them all peeled back you will remove the Silk from the corn.  Just pull it off.

Once you have finished this you will pull the husks back up around the corn.

Place the corn in a small container that has cool water in it. Make sure to salt the water Really Well! I mean it should be SALTY!

Make sure that the corn is completely  submerged. ( I rotate the corn every once in a while.)

I usually let the corn sit in the brine for a few hours.

When you are ready to cook, just get your grill going.  Put the corn on the grill and let it cook for about 35-45 minutes.

Make sure to rotate the corn every 15 minutes or so.  You can cook what ever meat you choose, at the same time if you like.  

Take the corn off and test to see if it’s  softness.   Peel husks off, add a big pat of butter and dig in!

YUMMMMM!

Although this is a small meal it is so yummy.  You should try the corn.  You wont be disappointed.

Until Then,

Wende

Fried Green Tomatoes!

Oh my goodness what a day.

We had a nice summer storm come through this afternoon and the electricity at work went out.

Then it took forever for the computers to come back on-line. Total chaos. But all the girls at the Desk hung in and we got all the Patients signed in and to the proper waiting areas.

I was so happy to get home today because I have put together a little recipe for Fried green tomatoes.

 I have looked online for a healthy alternative to flour batter and I took bits and pieces of a few different recipes and made my own.

So her ya go.

A  healthier twist on a Good Ole Southern Favorite.

(Banting) Fried Green Tomatoes

1 egg

1 tsp heavy whipping cream

2 cups almond flour/meal

1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning ( you can use salt and pep)

1 cup coconut oil

2 green tomatoes

In a shallow bowl I put the egg and cream and beat with a fork

In a separate bowl I put the flour and season and mixed it well

Slice the tomatoes (terrible photo)

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan ( don’t get the oil too hot as it will start to smoke)

Dip the tomatoes in the egg wash then in the flour mixture, making sure that they are coated completely.

Place them in the pan and repeat with other tomatoes.

Cook on each side about 3 minutes, until golden brown, watching them to make sure that they are not burning.

Take them out and place them on a plate that has a paper towel on it to help soak some of the grease.

Let cool a little and serve with rémoulade sauce!

Confession: I did not make my rémoulade sauce tonight! I got some pre made…

These were soooo delicious! I think that we could have gone with just cutting 1 tomatoes but hey, they did not last.

So I am off to grab a book and relax before bed. More deliciousness to come.

Until Then,

Wende

Chicken Alfredo!!

Ok so here I am with a new (for me) recipe!  I am trying spaghetti squash as my noodles in a chicken Alfredo recipe.

 It looks really simple but only time will tell.  First I will give you the how to on cooking the squash if you never have cooked it before.

“How to cook spaghetti squash “



Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

Drizzle olive oil inside the spaghetti squash and rub all over.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Oil a large baking dish and place the spaghetti squash cut side down.

Pierce the hard skin a few times (6-8).

Bake at 350F for 30 – 50 minutes depending on the size of the spaghetti squash you used.

It is ready when the skin can be pressed down with your fingers gently.

Test this by turning over the spaghetti squash and poke it with a fork, scrape away at the sides to separate the spaghetti strands.

 If the strands pull away easily, it is cooked.

And now for the creamy goodness.

Ingredients

The recipe BELOW is for at least 4 to 6 people!

1/2 cup butter

2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese

3 cups heavy cream

1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 T. minced shallot or onion

salt and pepper to taste (approx. 1/2 tsp each)

Directions

Melt butter and sautee shallots or onions.

Add garlic and sautee for two more minutes.

Add cream cheese and stir in until melted.

When well mixed, add the cream and Parmesan cheese.

 Taste, add salt and pepper as needed.

Stir until all is mixed.

Add baked chicken and mix.

Lower the heat so it can thicken, Stir every minute or two.

Spoon onto your spaghetti squash and eat it up!

Now be aware that if your are trying to live the LCHF lifestyle, you can not eat like this all the time.  Squash is high in carbs so this is a nice treat every so often!

Now go to the market and get your items for this recipe and enjoy the goodness!

Until Then,

Wende

Just an appetizer!

So it has been crazy around here. Work was a nightmare last week, but over the weekend I attended my 25th high school reunion! Murphy High School class of 1991!

I gotta hand to our class… we still know how to have a great time!  I have some photos which  I will share with you in a few days.

Tonight I am going to give you a little appetizer recipe that we have enjoyed quite a bit.

Prosciutto wrapped green beans.

I get the frozen bags of green beans from Sam’s club, and I also got the prosciutto from there .

Take a piece of prosciutto and lay it on a cutting board. Grab a nice amount of green beans and place them at the end of meat, lightly salt and pepper beans, then wrap.

I did not use a toothpick to secure it closed. It held together just fine. Place the wraps in a 350 oven and cook until tender. About 5-10 minutes.

Take out and serve hot as an appetizer or as a side dish with you meal.

They don’t look that pretty but they did not last long so it does not matter!

Be back in a few!

Until Then,

Wende

SMOOTHIE TIME!

Good afternoon!  I hope that you are well. I tell you what, it is so Hot here.  The humidity is at 71%.

 Although that is not very high for Mobile, Alabama, it makes it really hard to take our afternoon walks.

So today when I got off of work (it was my 1/2 day) I went and got my hair cut then headed to my local grocery store and got a few items to make smoothies.

I have looked for a good smoothie recipe that I could use as a nice breakfast or even a refreshing dessert.

I really could not find anything that fit the bill for this Banting Diet, so I kind of just mashed a few together to create my own.

Strawberry/Raspberry Smoothie

1/2 cup raspberries

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup plain whole fat Greek yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract – I use my homemade vanilla!

1 tsp of sugar-free strawberry jello

about 4 ice cubes

put all in a blender and blend away

Pour and Enjoy!

Not the best photo but it shows the products!

This was so refreshing after a long 4 mile walk. Now time to figure out what’s for dinner!

Until Then,

Wende

Season’s Harvest

As the days grow increasingly HOT and Humid, I am proud of the little plants that I  have managed to keep alive this season.

Last summer I planted some herbs, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and okra.

Most did pretty well but being a first time grower, I had and still do not have any idea what I am doing.

The best producers have been my peppers and the basil!  They just keep going.  Today I picked about 8 peppers.

I realized that there were some green onions in the fridge that were on the verge of needing to be tossed.

 I stuck them in an empty pot of soil and what do you know… they have started taking up just fine and there is already new green coming up.

 It makes me happy to grow things.

 I have noticed that there are ants living in all of my planters and I have no idea how to remedy this.

I do not want to use any chemicals on my little garden but I need to do something.  Every time I pull weeds it disturbs the ants and they go every where.

I mentioned last post that I did not take photos of the first few recipes that I have tried on the Banting diet.

I have started taking them but the next few recipes will be basic and photo free.

So the recipe this evening is a Hamburger casserole.

Cheeseburger Casserole

INGREDIENTS

1 pounds ground beef (I used ground Turkey)

1 large garlic cloves

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 pound bacon, cooked and chopped

4 eggs

1/2 of a (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

6 ounces grated cheddar cheese, divided

INSTRUCTIONS

Brown ground beef with garlic and onion powder

Drain excess grease and set meat aside

 Stir bacon pieces into cooked beef

In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, tomato paste, heavy cream, salt, and pepper until well combined

Stir 4 ounces grated cheese into egg mixture

Pour egg mixture over beef and bacon

Pour this into the meat and make sure it is mixed well

Pour this into an 8×8 pan

Top with remaining 4 ounces of grated cheese

Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top

Mushrooms, onions, are great add-ins!

If you have any ideas about keeping the ants out of my planters I would love to hear about them!

Until Then,

Wende