Good eats and sore backs

Since the crick in my back insists on sticking around and I can't really do anything but sit around and be as still as possible all weekend(bummer)I figured I might as well post a yummy new recipe I found. We made it up last night and my wonderful husband helped in the putting in and or out of the oven this morning and I can say honestly that it is yummy!

Baked French Toast

Cut a loaf of French bread into 1 1/2" slices(we got 10 slices out of ours). Spray a large baking dish with nonstick spray and place the slices of bread. Mix together 3 eggs, 1 cup fat free half & half, 1 cup 1% milk, 1 T vanilla extract, 1 tsp nutmeg and 1 tsp cinnamon. Pour evenly over bread, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, take it out, and mix together 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 1 T corn syrup and 1/4 cup melted butter and spread evenly over bread slices. Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 40 minutes. YUM-O! Serve with maple syrup. You can use the fake kind(we do in a pinch)but the real stuff is SO much better.

Times they are a changin

I tried something new today and wanted to share because I just had one and they are scrumptious! We've been trying to eat better in our house, healthy I suppose, but without giving up things we love. I've been on a mission to try to find new, healthier ways to make things. Some are fantastic. Some are monumental failures. Meh. Anyway, tomorrow afternoon we're going to be out doing some clothes and shoe shopping for Kevin for his new job and stopping by B&N to pick up a book for me to start looking/planning our upcoming trip to Canada next summer. I thought I might not be on here so I'd post this today. Try them. Try them. Try them!


Whole-wheat dark chocolate zucchini brownies:

preheat your oven to 350 and line a 9" square pan with foil(I only put it on the bottom)and spray lightly with Pam.

Combine 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa, 1 1/4tsp baking soda, and 1/2tsp salt in a bowl. Melt 1/3 cup dark chocolate morsels in microwave for 1 minute and stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Mix 1/4 cup canola oil, 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup light brown sugar with melted chocolate. Add 1tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon and 2 large egg whites until smooth. Finally mix in 1 1/2 cups grated zuchinni. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes and cool completely.

You can also sprinkle an additional 1/4 cup of dark chocolate morsels on top of dough before putting in to bake. Note: nutritional info does NOT include that. :)

Cut into 16 brownies. Serving size=1 brownie
178 Calories
8.3 grams fat
3.3 grams sat-fat
0 m cholesterol
191 m sodium
2.7 grams fiber

Busy life and loving it!

Okie dokie folks, I've been busy this week and couldn't even tell you one day from the other, but ya know, I actually like it. I mean sure, there are days where I think I will actually scream if I have to do one more load of dishes or scrub one more toilet etc, but in reality I love it. I know there are fewer and fewer of those out there like me, but I love being a wife and mom and taking care of my house and caring for my husband and kids. I love being homeschool teacher to Jason. I love making Kevin's lunchbox up for him to take to work. And albeit we are a "little" different from The Cleavers, our little family works for us. I enjoy taking on the traditional role as mom/wife and seeing Kevin in the traditional role as dad/husband. And I actually don't think I'm missing out on anything by not being a career woman. This is not to say I have anything against any woman out there that chooses this, just simply that it was and never will be "my thing". Kevin and I often joke that we should have been born in an earlier decade and be our current age back in the 1940's or '50's, but it is what it is and we are the family we are and we love it! Mostly I guess I think that whatever works for any given family is awesome and I hope that like us, they wouldn't change a thing!

Now for today's, or this week's recipe:

Fruit Smoothie

1 cup frozen mango
1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1 cup fresh sliced and hulled strawberries
1 container vanilla Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cups apple juice

place fruit in the bottom of a blender and add yogurt and finally juice and blend until smooth.

This week's recipe

Smokey Chipotle Turkey Meatloaf

Preheat oven to 350

2 eggs
1/3 cup hickory flavored bbq sauce
2 garlic cloves finely minced
2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, minced
2 T sauce from chilies
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp celery seed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 T worcestershire sauce
1 onion finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup dry oatmeal
2 lbs ground turkey
2 additional T of the bbq sauce

Mix all of the ingredients except 2 T bbq sauce and shape into a 9" loaf pan. Spread evenly the 2 T bbq sauce on top and bake for 1 hour up to 1 hour and 15 minutes.

What I love about summer:

And autumn, winter, and spring.

I recently read an article titled, "Why I don't want summer to end just yet" prompting me to think about what I love about summer and thus all of the seasons.

Summer:

1. key lime pie
2. fresh squeezed homemade lemonade
3. baseball
4. The Closer on TNT although sadly this is the series final season
5. celebrating July 4th
6. family vacation time
7. playing outside in some form of water whether it be a pool, or backyard
sprinkler
8. flip flops
9. strawberries
10. cookouts and barbeques
11. gardening

Autumn:

1. crisp, cool days
2. the ever amazing turning color of leaves
3. crunching on said leaves once they've died and falled off
4. college football
5. first snowfall
6. wearing big, soft, comfy sweaters
7. the smell of fireplaces
8. Halloween
9. Thanksgiving
10. pumpkins and everything they offer
11. the start of listening to Christmas music
12. stews, soups, chili etc

Winter:

1. Christmas
2. snow
3. yeah, not much else

Spring:

1. sadly, living in CO, there really is no spring to like as it is truly our winter
2. start of MLB

My favorite: Autumn without a doubt!

So my chickadees, what do "you" like about each season and which season is "your" favorite?

Recipe of the week?

Well I suppose this week will only be a recipe. But, it's a good one, try it.

Ange's Spicy Chipoltle Turkey Burgers:

Mix 2 lbs ground turkey with 1 shallot, 1/4 cup diced red onion, 2 T chopped fresh cilantro, 1-2 chopped chipotle chile in adobo sauce, 1/2-1 tsp of the adobo sauce, 1 tsp chopped fresh garlic, 1 tsp ground onion powder, 1-2 tsp of Creole seasoning, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper. Mix thoroughly but do not overmix. You want your burgers moist. Make into 6-8 patties and grill until done. Could also be cooked in a pan inside with a couple T oil.

Toast or grill buns(I used 100% wheat buns)
We put sliced fresh tomatoes and sliced avacado on our burgers with a little mayo. YUM!

Goes very well with sweet potato fries. :)