Poor texter

...so its just a typical morning...checking in with my pastor about communion this Sunday...making lunch plans for Mom's girl birthday lunch...sending Ivy a snarky text about leaving home and leaving Toby alone upstairs. It went something like this...this is why we don't want you to take the dog upstairs, of course he peed and pooped in the dining room because he could not ask to go out this morning, etc. etc. blah blah . You know - momspeak. Well of course I sent it directly to Rev. Rob! I immediately sent an ooops and a emoticon of an embarrassed face. No reply. Yikes. Oh well its safe to say I'll set up a very nice communion table Sunday.

ok, this looked a lot better in person. It was my attempt at an egg mcmuffin or a naked eggs benedict. Not sure which it is. So as I ate it , I looked up healthy Hollandaise sauce. I guess I'll attempt that next. The original recipe is so perfect...butter, egg yolk , lemon juice. The fake ones use yogurt, lite mayo, sour cream and even buttermilk. Mom used to make a mock hollandaise with mayonnaise. It was pretty good on our Easter asparagus back in the day when all our asparagus came out of a can.

 

Speaking of the perfect mom, mine is 87 today! I could not have had a more loving, selfless, encouraging mother. She was great during our growing up and she is now an interesting, upbeat and funny friend to me. She sees the world and others with a most wonderful attitude. She always has a smile and is genuinely interested in what others have to say and offer. I also get to know that she has a wicked little sense of humor just in case I'm beginning to make her into a saint. So in honor of her today, let's all put on our rubber band bracelets that say what I always told my kids (natural and god children) W W D D. What would Dot do?

 

Italian done healthy

Craving a bit of warm comfort food, I thought of meatballs. The Italian method for making meatballs is to cook them IN the sauce. I started by soaking a bit of oatmeal in milk, adding one crumbled whole wheat bread slice, egg and spices.

 

The mixture is soft so have your sauce ready and bubbling. I made smallish ones, about the size of a golf ball. Place them gently in the hot sauce. I added a half an onion unchopped also. Simmer 20-30 minutes.

 

 

They have so much flavor cooked this way. Whole wheat vermicelli of course.

 

Since Ed doesn't like leftovers. I know, its crazy. I froze half the meatballs separately on foil then wrapped them up when done for later. Just like having a bag from the grocery store, which is what I used to do. I am finally getting out today. Have a job this afternoon, if only for an hour or so. I even have a kitchen redo consult tomorrow. Tight budget, but sometimes that is even more fun and challenging. More later.

 

 

continuing food war coverage

...so now I find out not only do I need to eat less and healthier...I also need to eat CLEAN. I already have to make sure the cat box is clean, my house is clean, my car is clean and make sure Ed has clean boxers for work. Now I have to make sure my diet is clean? Well thankfully I have already made great strides toward that goal anyway. It just means eating whole foods, not processed. Since I've added in tons of fresh fruits, veggies and whole grains I'm doing ok. However sometimes food that sounds great may be a sneaky unclean guy. I was enjoying my new cereal feeling all clean and green.

 

Flip to the ingredient list as I am wont to do

 

apparently vanilla clusters don't occur in nature. Nor do fiber twigs or honey puffs. Ok as a whole the ingredients aren't too bad but they are processed to within an inch of their life. Here is the result of the arctic shopping trip. Oh as I write this it is still 19 degrees. (Ashley I know that seems downright balmy to you!)

 

became this

 

trust me, they became brown and lovely later. That is a sweet potato, turnip and snow peas too. So in the quest for whole grain products I like, I may have found a knight in shining armor.

 

 

Whenever I saw the term white wheat on a product, I thought it was some oxymoronish way of tricking us into thinking it was healthy. Not so. White wheat is an actual legit type of wheat. Some refer to it as albino wheat. Anyway it can remain whole and still seem like all purpose flour. I'm going to try some baking and see.

 

Anyway it is a learning process for me. It is interesting to discover how many other bloggers have been down this path before me.

 







 

the musical fruit

...I apologize for the title...I am involved in a new love affair with the lowly bean. There are so many kinds and they are so good for us. Maybe not in the way the childhood rhyme goes (sorry, Soph), but in so many ways nutritionally. I came up with and easy way to make white beans from a can taste really good.

A bit of onion, garlic and red bell pepper sautéed to start. I added cumin and green chilies to finish. Served on brown rice it was perfect. Everyone here is crazy with the weather. Schools and businesses were closed. I ran to Kroger around 9:00. Frantic folks were running to and fro, grabbing necessary items. The snow was only a lovely light dusting for us, so I took my time and found bargains. I'll show you the results next time.

On a humorous note, Gibbs, Lucy's puppy found another plant to wrestle to the ground, er rug.

 

Yes that is the beautiful new rug. After grinding the potting soil into it, he completed the tableau with all his chew toys.

taking it easy...in a big way...

This trip evolved over a few days from a friend visiting here from New Orleans to a girl trip TO New Orleans. Ryan was hunting ducks so Mary Grace came along with Candy, Lucy and I early Saturday morning. After a weird breakfast at a Subway along the way (they really should stick to subs), we arrived at our cute apartment. One of Candy's friends daughters lives in the front apartment and the landlady rents out 2 other apartments. Here is Mary Grace at the gate.

 

        We stayed upstairs. Take a look at the front though. Colleen's apartment was fabulous.

It was just one block off Magazine so it was quite easy to walk to shops.

 



We were greeted by her cat. Isn't she pretty.

 

We were starving so Matthew directed us to this lunch spot. He was right . yum

 

determined to be healthy...split pea soup and half a turkey on rye. Honestly the best split pea ever. Did some walking and looking. That evening we met Sophie and Paul for dinner. They were coincidently there for Paul's birthday. No pics... Next morning  Lucy and Candy slept in. MG and I are both early risers and decided to walk until we smelled coffee. It wasn't far before her coffee nose picked up the scent. We found the perfect local diner.

 

Can you just feel the atmosphere? We ordered an All American and split it . Thank goodness we did.

 

Best hashbrowns in a long time. Crunchy but tender. Coffee...ahhh Look at those grits...

Gathered the Woolie girls and headed for the French Quarter. Matthew would not even accompany us. We were such tourists.

 

 

Car parked ready to go. When lunch time came around we ate at a corner café near Maspero's. We had not patience for waiting. It was pretty good, if touristy.

 

Oyster poboy. Not healthy but delicious.



 



 

Mardi Gras slaw was good.

While we were waiting for our food, I heard music...strange music. I walked outside to hear and see. It was a calliope! As I'm sure you know, it is a steam powered musical instrument usually used at carnivals and circuses. A man was playing it on the riverboat docked on the river. It was enchanting.

 

The steam filled the sky with every note. As I turned to my right, this was the view.

 

 

You have to love this city. More walking and Lu and Candy gave out. Candy was already working the plague that was to come. Mary Grace and I (still unsick) left them to nap and we continued on.

 

 

love these things. Went to a huge antique mall and scored this.

 

with all my healthy eating, I use a lot of lemon juice. I love this old deco juicer. Thirsty, we found a Greek place

 

I would be lying if I said that I had not had one of these sort of everywhere. Where else but NO do they ask if you want it in a go cup?

 

Sorry, Mom. So the others arise and join us for poboys.

 

 

 

Matthew and his Mom joined us

 

 

 

 

 

A bit of sleep and headed home, we fortified with the traditional breakfast.

 

our last shot of NO

 

 

Here is my favorite shot of the trip. I love winter in New Orleans.

 

 







 

 



 

 



 

 

 







Phlegm phlam

No posts in a while due to disgusting illness. And I'm sure that you don't want pictures. I have missed an entire week of living so far. With Zpac half gone and a recent shower taken, I feel like I may emerge from my cocoon. It was not the flu, but a particularly aggressive cold, that develops into infection. I came down with it on the last day of our New Orleans trip. I will post those pictures tomorrow. Also I'm glad to have mom back on line. She had to buy a new modem, but is back on Dotspot as we speak. More later

life without white potatoes

...well y'all know one of my favorite foods is white potatoes. Maybe it is the Irish background, (I have no proof that our family is from Irish descent, but most southerners have a bit of green blood), but I love that lily white spud. So my new favorite way to control blood sugar and lose weight, is the "plate method". Hey stop looking for the punch line...I'm serious here. So the ADA recommends that each plate you eat should look like this...

 

Half the plate should be green or low starch veggies and fruits. One fourth the plate protein and the other fourth should be complex carbs (whole grain foods, starchy veggies). So if you look closely there are two little heavenly roasted red skinned potatoes just nestled in with the roasted cabbage, carrots and garlic. I roasted them all together with olive oil and Trader Joe's 21 seasoning salute in the same 350 oven with that crazy good turkey meatloaf .

 

In other news, puppies will be puppies. Lucy screamed when she looked out on the deck to see what Gibbs had done.

Total devastation of a potted plant. That is it's poor bare root ball in the center.

 

 

He is so sorry...but I'm pretty sure he did it with glee, because look at the plant stem in his hair. Once he realized we were laughing. (As Homer Simpson used to say "You laughed, now I'm off the hook") , he came up and licked the window. Yuck.

Later that night I sent Lucy a text and this picture of our nice quiet house (hers was a bit loud). She was trying to study

 

She sent this one back with one word...Cruel

 

 

 



 

Breakfast

Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day nutritionally speaking. I've been working hard on mine, like everything else. A good bowl of cereal is a great way to get plenty of protein, fiber and complex carbohydrates. Inspired by some of the popular healthy fare available today, I hit my own local backyard for inspiration. Here is my own Kashi Go Eat it in the backyard. Do you think Kath would eat this food? Light, fresh and crunchy, with a little berry sweetness, this cereal is a powerhouse of nutrition...

 

I'm pretty sure that a couple of squirrels were a bit miffed that I took their breakfast.

more austere food

Oh for heaven's sake ... am I serious? Yes, Candy made this lunch for MG and I. It was going to be fajitas, but she felt guilty for ruining my squeaky clean record and made this. After evaluating the nutrition information of the "carb balance" tortillas we hurled them across the kitchen into the trash (literally, they fly like Frisbees). I've learned to beware of fake added fiber. A nice glass of Pinot Grigio is a much better way to spend your carb portion. We had a productive morning decluttering and designing bookcase space. Oops , should have taken before and after pics.

 

 

So, how did I do at home when I cooked?

 

Well , it was good enough that I ate some before remembering to take this. That is scalloped tomatoes. I made Linda's old recipe healthier with whole wheat croutons and spray oil instead of butter. Still very good

 

 

good enough that these catfish were circling the dock

 

Sorry beggars...these days I will fight you for the grub! So for now, off to walk and then to take Mom to buy a new mattress. 

 



 

very puzzling

A table has been set up in the Woolverton library (I need to post pics of the recently furnished room)  all of the holidays with ongoing puzzles. Everybody in my family knows I am the Master puzzler, so it has been fun. I noticed while walking in the neighborhood, this interesting sight.

Not a good photo, but this was a drainage ditch project.

 

 

It reminded me of the puzzle table

 

Well maybe we have done too many puzzles...