Desiderata

Max Ehrmann


Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story. 

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.


Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.


Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.


Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.


You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.


Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.


Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

Crazyville, USA

I am convinced that as of September 5 (the day we picked up Max), we stepped into the twilight zone and I can't get back out. My neatly ordered life turned into what we now refer to as "Max" chaos. (Sidebar: is this how new parents feel??) Suddenly I feel like I never sit down, I never stop moving, I never stop saying no, potty training is like the song that never ends, I live at the vet's office (either working or hauling in Max for a variety of ailments), muddy paw prints are a constant companion...and I feel like I'll never catch up on my sleep.

Last night I noticed my throat feeling a little scratchy, and by this morning I realized I've got a cold. I dragged through a 12-hour work day and stopped at the grocery store on the way home. Just as I'm about to get gas, my cell phone rings. It's the alarm company from my house, telling me that the alarm has been triggered. I turned on the flashers and raced to my house like a lunatic. I made it home in about 2 minutes flat, thanks to 2 green lights and going 60mph in a 45. I figured at least if someone was headed out the door with my pets I could stop them. Lol!

I had to wait longer than I desired for a police officer ( Notice that word OFFICER, singular. At least he wasn't a Barney Fife type.) to arrive, which gave me plenty of time to switch from heart-pounding hysteria to imagining how I would use pure fury to beat up a burglar. I started to plan out how I would grab a rock and smash someone's head if they tried to steal my pets! I let the officer in the front door and I have never heard my pets causing such a ruckus! It sounded like a barn yard in my house. So much barking and evil sounding cat noises! After a couple of minutes it was determined that nothing had been disturbed and this was all some false alarm. Thirty minutes of my life, wasted. Lol! The officer apologized for taking so long to get there, but apparently he was caught up in some drama at the nearby hospital. Since we live in South Florida I just didn't ask... ;-) I did wonder to myself if he is the only officer working in all of Pembroke Pines tonight...lol.

I seriously underestimated the amount of time it would take to calm down TWO dogs who are hyping each other up instead of my one very WELL BEHAVED dog! As soon as I stepped in the house I realized that Max was caught up in a huge panicking fit of histrionics.  I didn't think I would ever get him to calm down! For the last couple of hours they have been barking at EVERY noise. They are still on high alert from having a scary police man bust into their house! Lol.

I have decided this is a punishment for not making the bed, picking up Max's toys, and loading the dishwasher this morning. I excused myself from morning duties because I wasn't feeling well and I leave my house at 7am. Boy did that backfire! I felt like my house looked slightly like a hurricane (ok, maybe a tropical storm) hit it. Of course if nobody is going into your house it will be in perfect, spotless order.

 That is just another typical night in Crazyville. There is apparently never again going to be a dull moment over here.

Must Grill Everything! {Grilled Nachos!}

We have been enjoying a major grill-fest for the last week. Ever since we moved in we can't use our grill enough! This means I have a serious need for garlic, olive oil, and all of my favorite items that are basically useless when you're not grilling out. Go to the produce section, and near the herbs you should fine these delightful tubes of tasty things. It's all of your favorite things basically made into a paste that is PERFECT for marinades. My favorite thing is that you can just keep it in the fridge until you need it. No wilted cilantro leaves, etc.

Tonight I made Mexican-inspired grilled chicken breasts with grilled onions and red bell peppers. I used an 8-oz prep bowl and poured a generous amount of olive oil into it. Next I added about 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and 2 tablespoons of cilantro paste. I added an undetermined amount of red chili paste, probably just under a tablespoon. Next was a few dashes of smoked chipotle peppers, kosher salt, and a bit of Mrs. Dash's southwest seasoning. I allowed the chicken to marinate for about 10 minutes while I heated up the grill. (If you need instructions on just how to grill chicken, then you need more help than I am prepared to provide.)

I put the chicken on the grill and then went inside to skewer a large, thick slice of onion and 1 red bell pepper, which I quarted. I brushed both with a little olive oil, then sprinkled on garlic salt & chipotle powder. By the time I went back out, the chicken had about an 8-minute headstart. I started the veggies over the hottest part of the grill until they began to blacken, and then moved them over. You will love the smoky flavor that the veggies take on as they grill.  

Once everything was done cooking, I diced up the chicken & veggies and made some amazing nachos. Yes, I used store bought queso. If you don't like it, you're totally not invited to my birthday party. It's the one terribly fake food I must have on occasion. ;-) 

Assembled nachos

The perfect chip! 

New House, a Terrible Yard, and the Awesome Bell

Soooo..... Last Thursday was the big moving day. Six days ago. Rich & I, being over the top independent and optimistic, figured we could handle moving 75% of the stuff on our own. And we DID. Dressers, beds, mattresses, and an armchair that borders on loveseat status---all of it got moved. We were both so sore the next day we were laughing at ourselves and each other. We have really enjoyed living in this larger house with 21 windows instead of 3. ;-) The pets, not so much.

First off, our dog HATES the backyard. After almost a week, he has resigned himself to the fact that he must enter the yard of doom in order to do his business, and then the humans will let him back into the house. The first time I put him in the yard and closed the gate he almost had a heart attack. He started trying to scratch through & under the fence & was kicking up a big fuss. He acted that way for almost 3 full days. When we lived in a condo, he would only walk on the grass to potty & then hop back on the sidewalk to go back inside. I'm pretty sure he thinks we are locking him in a giant-sized doggie toilet & he's rather offended. ;-)

The cat was overwhelmed by too many rooms. You wouldn't thinking going from 1100 sq ft to 1500 would be a big deal...maybe it was all the windows? He would slink through the house in "ninja mode" and basically looked like he wanted us to die for the first few days. Finally he has settled in & now he hangs out on his cat nook in the living room. He also enjoys looking out & playing with the dining room draperies.

All tired out from being an obnoxious pain for 3 days. 

Peeking out the drapes

Waiting for someone to walk by...he likes to "bop" people. 

On top of getting things just the way we want them, we are bringing our new puppy home in 1 month. We are going to be using a "potty bell" system to potty train, so I figured why not just teach both dogs and simplify things. I have done two 5-minute sessions so far, and my dog has gotten the hang of touching the bell. Next it will be going by the back door and he will be ringing it when we go out. Eventually the goal is for the dog to ring the bell by himself when he needs to go out. My little man loves to ring the bell. He gets so excited and crazy, jumping all around and whining like a lunatic. I have to calm him down before he can ring it properly. It cracks me up.

It occurred to me briefly that I may have too much time on my hands if I have time to train my dog how to ring a bell. Haha! I'm pretty sure that for now, my dog thinks that the purpose of ringing the bell is to get a treat. He loves to do tricks but mostly because this is the only time he gets treats. Everybody around here has to earn their keep. ;-)

"The humans" are enjoying the new place. So far Rich has enthusiastically mowed the lawn and has been making dinner on the grill. He is seriously the grill master of all grill masters. Yummy!!! I love having a nice big kitchen window & a more counter space. I have also really enjoyed breaking in all of our brand new appliances. It's the little things, I know. ;-) I am also TOTALLY thrilled that we don't have any carpet. All hardwood! It's so much easier to keep things clean that way!

One side of the kitchen

Baby Maxwell

Finally last week we got to see our puppy's 2-week-old pictures. It seems like we have been waiting FOREVER but they were finally born on July 7--6 boys and 3 girls. We don't know which boy is ours yet & I think they look like hamsters. :) Next Monday I will post the 4-week pictures and then we will be getting a video & more pictures at 6 weeks which happens to be on Rich's birthday. How appropriate since I placed a deposit on the pup and gave it to him for an anniversary gift. Lol. We're going to pick up our pup on September 4th.

Rules of Conversation

These "rules" were published for gentlemen, but I am certain they apply to everyone. Enjoy!

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/06/19/37-conversation-rules-for-gentleman-from-1875/

Hair Care

Lately I've had several people ask me to write a post on my hair care routine, so here goes. Two years ago my hair was shoulder-length and I decided to grow it out. I had tried many times before, but when it would get to the dreaded "awkward length," I would give in to the urge to chop it. I knew that the only way I would be able to resist the urge to cut is if I just stayed out of the salon until my hair was at a decent length, so I didn't go to the hair salon for one year. Since my hair was also a bit fried from all the Japanese silk infusion treatments, I also started wearing my hair curly and skipped out on the straightening for a year, too. Disclaimer: I have dry, thick, course, curly hair. If your hair is fine, thin, straight, etc., then you should look up hair tips for your type of hair. For example, someone with thin, oily hair would need to wash their hair more frequently or the oil build-up could suffocate the hair follicle and actually cause breakage and hair loss.

As I let my hair grow, I discovered that there are entire online communities where people congregate and swap tips on how to coax your hair to grow. I have tried everything from scalp massages to a brief stint into the world of "no poo," (which WOW, was really not for me!) but in the end I have boiled my success down into about 5 million tips, aka, the Layson Laws of Length. (Really just a random hodgepodge of anything I can think of that I've been doing.)

Forget everything you know about hair. ;-) For me, I had a lot to learn. Always having had short hair in the past, I had to relearn even basic things like when and how to wash my hair. One thing that has really worked well is only washing my scalp. I start with the front and sides near my face and the nape of my neck and I work shampoo into the scalp REALLY well. When you rinse your hair, squeeze shampoo into the length of your hair as the water runs through it. That will be all the cleansing your hair should need, unless you use a ton of hair product. Also I had to start taking better care of my scalp. I noticed a couple of areas of dry skin on my scalp. I used a zinc shampoo to treat those areas on the scalp and it worked quite well. After shampooing, I work a nice thick conditioner into the "ponytail part" of my hair and use a bendy wide tooth comb to *gently* comb it through my hair. I then plop my hair up on top of my head and use a clip or elastic to secure it while I finish showering. After rinsing, I part my hair where it normally parts and then start squeezing the water out. I have also given up towel drying. I use Rich's t-shirts for hair drying. The little fabric loops on towels can roughen the cuticle of your hair, but a t-shirt won't do that.

I only wash my hair 2-3 times a week. Any more and it starts getting really dry. When I wash, I let my hair air dry for a while. I keep blow drying to a minimum and use a paddle brush or my wide-tooth comb to dry. It's been far less damaging to my hair than the round brushes I used to favor. Once the hair is mostly dry, I will finish it off with a large round brush around my face and at the crown. If I am going to be wearing it curly, it has to air dry all day. Before washing my hair, I melt coconut oil and "dip" the bottom half of my hair in it. I leave it in for about an hour prior to washing. It really does work well. I have also tried many other remedies, like avocado/honey hair masques, etc. I can't say how well any of them work besides the coconut oil, but the end result has been good. ;-)

I don't brush my hair as often. Once a week, I spend about 5 minutes brushing my hair prior to washing it. I am gentle and use a paddle brush. I only do this to stimulate my scalp. The rest of the time I very gently use a wide tooth comb.

I skip tight ponytails. If I am going to tie my hair up, I use a loose elastic or scrunchy. This prevents a lot of damage. Tight ponytails cause a lot of breakage to your hair, particularly in the front where it really matters!

I skip hair color. I completely stopped coloring my hair. I am not in love with my natural color, but I am in love with healthy hair! I've actually learned to love my hair color. ;-)

I don't tie my hair up at night. I don't think it's good for your hair to be tied up. If you are one of those people that really needs it tied back for bed, try a really, really loose braid. This will prevent stress to the top/front of the hair. A slippery silk pillow case will help to minimize damage to the hair.

I switched from Japanese straightening treatments to Brazilian keratin treatments. My hair is kinky, coarse, and icky if I don't do some type of straightening at least 1-2 times a year. This is the one thing I can't give up. :)

I use the HOTTEST straightening iron I can find--I love the CHI Air. You may think that using a lower-heat iron is better for your hair, but in reality it takes longer (more passes over the hair with the iron) to get the look you want. In the end, this is MORE damaging to the hair.

I always use Argan oil on my hair while it damp, prior to blow drying. If I am going to straighten my hair, I spray on a heat protectant before I do it. I don't use hair products. If I am in desperate need of some control, I use a pea-sized amount of Jonathon silky dirt or a tiny spritz of "Not Your Mother's" hair spray. seriously, I buy like one small bottle of hair spray per year. I use Argan oil on my ends, daily, before bed.

I try to skip styling my hair at least once or twice a week. If I am staying home all day, I will just pull my hair back loosely with a scrunchy and call it a day. The heat, the products, all that--it's just not good for your hair. If you want it to look great the rest of the time, seriously--give your hair a break!

I drink lots of water and incorporate hair--healthy foods into my diet. This is not hard to do. I think my winners are Omega-3's, raw nuts, avocados, sweet potatoes, eggs, spinach, eggs, greek yogurt, lentils, blueberries, and poultry. I also took biotin pills religiously every day for the first year. Now I take them a couple of times a week.  

I laugh at people who don't use shampoo ("no poo"). Seriously. I tried it for like one week. It's such a huge craze, and especially people with curly hair seem to be all over this trend. But my scalp felt disgusting and my hair was dull and yucky looking. It could have been my imagination but I think my hair also smelled kind of awful. I think this is a dumb fad, and I hope it goes away. Soon.

Links to my favorite things:

Dermorganic: I use their shampoo and masque.

AGADIR Argan oil. Seriously, skip the cheap stuff. It doesn't work the same.

Biotin. Some people say that Biotin can cause nausea. I take it right before I go to bed and I've never noticed that.

Jonathon: Silky Dirt

Note--always use the best coconut oil you can find. Extra virgin, cold-pressed, organic, etc. It is not all created equal! :) You can normally find a huge vat of Carrington farms coconut oil at Cosco for about $12-15. Seriously, it's huge.

Also, there's this girl whose youtube hair tutorials I love to watch. Yes, she looks like a female version of Mr. Bean, but seriously, she knows her stuff. She's the one who taught me about terminal hair length, etc. Check out Loepsie's tips, facebook, youtube channel, etc.

My hair growth journey, in a series of awkward selfies. :)

The beginning. Short hair, Japanese straightener, & color. 2011.

About 6 months in to growing out my hair VS May 2013. 

Top right is 2011 VS fall 2012 (left and bottom right). 

2012. Air dried curls--my bangs had a little help from a curling iron, since they refuse to curl nicely.

Air dried--January 2013.

Straightened--2013. My hair is only about 2 inches longer than this right now. I think it has reached its terminal length. 

Curly, May 2013. This is air dried with some shaping from a curling iron in the front. For some reason the back of my hair is a lot more curly than the front. ;-/

Air dried/natural curls, June 2013.

Mini BBQ Chicken Pizzas

These little pizzas start out as a can of biscuits. Making dough from scratch is for the truly dedicated pizza maker, and that I am not. If I want "real crust," I'll go to CPK. But I digress. These little beauts were a breeze to put together. Once I got the chicken cooked it took 15 minutes from assembly to table. It's very hard for me to judge what size family this recipe would feed since I have little concept of how much a child might eat, but I used mini biscuits and in my opinion 2 of them were an adult serving size. If you used a regular large biscuit, like Grands, I think 1 would probably do. According to Rich, he would have liked to eat 6 of them. Lol. Of course if you are making these for kids, I would recommend omitting the spicy ingredients. ;-)

1 can of buttermilk biscuits, rolled out thinly
1 chicken breast
shredded cheese of choice (I used cheddar)
BBQ sauce of choice
Honey

OPTIONAL: thinly sliced red onions, cilantro, using rotisserie chicken instead of baking your own ;-)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pound out the chicken breast until it is about 1/2" thick. Dry it off with a paper towel, then pour about 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar onto it to moisten each side. Lightly sprinkle each side with salt, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, & garlic. Bake about 20 minutes. When the juices run clear, remove the chicken from the oven and drizzle the honey over it. I do this by dipping a fork into my jar of honey, then moving the fork over the chicken. Don't use too much! You're just looking for a little balance to the heat of the cayenne and crushed peppers. The honey will melt over the hot chicken and form a nice glaze. Allow the chicken to cool for 5-10 minutes while you prep the biscuits.

Cover a shallow baking sheet with tin foil, and brush or mist it with olive oil. Next, roll out the biscuits with a rolling pin until they are approximately double in diameter and place them on the pan. Brush the biscuits with a layer of your favorite barbecue sauce. Next, thinly slice the chicken and break into small pieces. Top each biscuit with chicken and about 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese. Now, put about 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce into a small ziploc bag. Cut a tiny hole in the corner of the bag, and drizzle a bit of sauce over each mini pizza. Add red onions if you are using those.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Add chopped cilantro at the table for garnish, if desired. Use paper plates for easy clean up! These are the perfect meal when served with a salad.

Guess Who's Getting a Puppy??

I try really hard to make every birthday, anniversary, & Christmas awesome. I love to get Rich stuff that I know he will love!! On the recent list of awesome things I have gotten him are his set of Callaway golf clubs & an iPad (among many other things!), so I wasn't exactly certain how I was going to outdo myself at our anniversary this year. Rich has been asking for a Golden Retriever for some time. I keep putting him off with reminders of how busy we are, how messy puppies are, etc. etc. Also I could not stop thinking about my entire house being covered in a fine dusting of golden fur. We finally compromised and agreed to get a "Goldendoodle" which is a large (Standard) Poodle mixed with a Golden Retriever or Goldendoodle. This match-up helps with the ridiculous energy level of a Golden and also poodle mixes don't usually shed. Yay!  

Rich's new job has been going so well for the last year that he is finally able to be home a lot, and so we decided that this would be "the year of the dog" in our house. :) Since my dog turned 15 this year, I guess it's time to face reality that he won't be around a lot longer. :( 

I decided to go ahead and find a breeder and put a deposit down to get on the waiting list, and give Rich a "gift certificate" on our anniversary. SUCCESS!!! He was so excited. Our little puppy is scheduled to be born in June so we should should be bringing him/her home around the beginning of September. 

Here are some pictures of the parents, as well as their previous litter from last year. It's a fluff-fest! 

The Mommy! 

The Daddy! 

The last litter of 2 boys. 

Our favorite (he is the one on the left in the picture above). We think he is adorable! 

Salmon Burgers

Ever since finding wild salmon fillets on sale for a few bucks a pound, I've been trying to think of MORE ways to eat salmon. Thankfully I am down to the last three pounds! Tonight I decided to try salmon burgers for the first time. Rich really liked them. I thought they were pretty good but I'm not really a salmon fan (it's healthy, but seriously?). They were super easy, although I had to modify the recipe since I used salmon fillet instead of the canned salmon the recipe used.

1 lb salmon fillets, cut into 1-2" pieces
olive oil (coat fish)
kosher salt
cracked black pepper
2 tsp Mrs. Dash onion & herb

Combine the fish, olive oil, and spices. Put in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Once done, flake the salmon with a fork (or smash it with a mix-n-chop). Move on to step 2.

3 eggs, lightly beaten
panko bread crumbs (between 1/3-1/2 cup)
slight dusting of lemon zest

Mix well with the flakes fish, then form 4 patties.

Heat a fry pan over high heat, and add the oil of your choice. Sear the burgers on each side for 1-2 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for about 3 more minutes (about 6 minutes total--you know your stove, hopefully).

Due to the fact that the hamburger buns I thought I had in the freezer were actually hot dog buns, I served Rich's patty over mashed potatoes, and mine over mashed sweet potatoes with a spicy chile mayo.

Yam & Roasted Pepper Soup

For the past few days I've been eating veggie purées or puréed soups and fresh fruit & veggie juice. Today I found a recipe from one of my go-to blogs, and of course I made it my own. It was really easy & quite delicious!

2 large yams or sweet potatoes
2 large red bell peppers
1 large carrot
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 cans coconut milk
1/8-1/4 tsp ground turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Mrs. Dash onion & herb
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Pour the coconut milk into a medium stock pot over high heat. Peel & slice the yams & carrots fairly thin. Once the coconut milk begins to bubble add the yams & carrots, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, until tender (about 20 minutes). While the yams & carrots are cooking, de-seed and chop the peppers. Toss in the coconut oil & spices, salt, & pepper. Place the peppers on a pan under the broiler on high until they begin to blacken (about 10 minutes). Once the yams & carrots are tender, turn off the heat, add the roasted peppers, and purée with an immersion blender.

Garnish with parsley & smoked paprika if desired.

Intro to Juicing

Well, after watching more health documentaries than anyone should ever watch, I have finally decided to try a juice cleanse. Since changing my diet over to 50% vegetables & fruits, 30% beans, legumes, rice, potato, etc. and about 20% protein, I feel even better than I was already feeling. Besides that, I've been unhappy since my foot surgery....since I have very limited mobility and have not been able to do simple tasks for weeks, I've not felt as well. I attribute that to the lack of activity & loss of control in my diet.

I finally decided to try juicing for about a week. I am hoping that it will help to get my body back in balance and maybe help me get a few quick pounds off so I can continue in my downward direction. ;-) I have lost about 40% of the weight that I need to lose to be "done." It's not enough, and after getting the OK from the podiatrist to resume most of my normal activities, I am more than ready to jump back on the wagon.

One of our main concerns with juicing is the expense. Eating organic, local food is EXPENSIVE. Organic meat & dairy is the most expensive, with produce being the next most expensive thing. I decided to spend what I would normally spend in one week on groceries, buy as much fruits & veggies as possible, and see how long it lasts.

I cruised over to Costco today & picked up a juicer for about $90. I got 10 pound bags of oranges, pears, apples, & grapefruit. Then I added 15 pounds of carrots, a large tub of baby spinach, a crate of kiwi, a box of mangoes, 9 cucumbers, a clamshell of nectarines, 2 pineapples, and a large clamshell of blueberries. I stopped at the farmer's market to get 1.5 lbs of ginger root, a bag of lemons, 3 jalapenos, 3 clamshells of strawberries, and 2 large bags of kale (red & green).

We will see how long it lasts. In retrospect I think I need more green veggies but we will see as we go. I had read to start with 75% fruits and work your way up when you can stand the taste of more veggies. I tried that tonight and both of us loved the juices I made. I made just under a half gallon of juice tonight and I still have lots and lots of fruits & veggies.

I'll post regular updates!

First juice recipe

1 pineapple
1 mango
1 lemon
1 orange
2 kiwi
2 pears
2 carrots
2" length ginger knob
4 handfuls spinach
1 cucumber

Delicious!!!! This filled a 28 oz container & I had about 8 oz leftover, so I added 2 more carrots, 2 pears, & an apple to fill up the second 28-oz container.

The Two Hour Cleansing Process

I never dreamed that just getting clean could be so exhausting and excruciating. Before my foot surgery, the Dr. told me that I would not be allowed to take a shower for 2 full weeks afterwards. With the additional surgery, that extended things by about 3 days. My last real shower was on January 29, and my next allowed shower will be between February 11-15, depending on when my sutures are ready to come out.

When the Dr. told me that I could not shower for that length of time, I envisioned two-week-old hair sprouting off my legs and laughed with all the scorn of a spoiled princess who'd been told to go to her room (or the "West Wing.") After spending nearly two hours desperately trying to get clean, my laughs are more like those of an insane hyena. For one thing my hair is extremely long and thick, and I had planned to go to the hair salon tonight to get it washed. But, the husband's job kicked in and at this current time he's at the emergency room with an employee. I decided I could not wait one more day to be clean. I am "allowed" to sponge bathe and wash my hair as long as I don't get my sutures wet (which I didn't!!), but I have to admit, the experience was pure insanity. I now understand why perfectly civilized women turn into mountain men after surgery.

Bring in Task Force Grandma. One thing I learned is that having water poured over your head & face from a pitcher while you are lying on the floor next to the bathtub with your shoulders hanging over is....well, it's not very pleasant. Before long we were both laughing hysterically. My hair is ridiculously thick & curly we tried a variety of ways to get it clean. I washed off with my favorite lavender soap bar the best I could & even shaved my legs! Yes, Mr. Dr.-Man, I had the last laugh on that one! lol.

After about two hours I was completely and utterly pooped, the entire bathroom was covered in soap, shampoo, and water, my foot was aching,  & my pets were staring, but I had earned the glorious badge of "clean" and even struggled into clean shorts & t-shirt before I plopped onto the couch with an ice pack on my aching foot and reached for the Percocet.

Yes, this is my hair over a basin of water in the bathtub. It was awesome. 

Cauliflower Crust Pizza (flourless/gluten free)

My sister-in-law's sister, Colleen, gave me the most AMAZING recipe for cauliflower-crust pizza. With the way I've been eating lately, this is a definite splurge, but I made it a few days ago when I was really craving pizza, and it was fabulous. Delicious!

2 cups cauliflower, riced (about 1/2 head)
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/4 cup marinara
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, for topping (Colleen used 1/4 cup. ha!) :)
Toppings (veggies, pepperoni, etc) I used sliced olives, orange and yellow peppers, & purple onions)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a pan with parchment OR you may use a pizza stone, etc. Remove the stems and leaves from the cauliflower and chop the florets into bite-sized pieces. Put the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the texture is similar to rice.

Saute the cauliflower in a non-stick skillet until translucent (6-8 minutes over medium heat). I have to be honest, I started by adding 2 tbsp of olive oil but I think in the future I may just "steam it." It didn't need the extra calories and I ended up needing to add water anyway. You could add water and microwave it for 6 minutes, but I try to avoid the microwave as much as possible.

In a medium bowl, mix the cauliflower with the mozzarella, egg, basil, and oregano. Spread it out onto your prepared pan. It should be 9-10 inches in diameter. I used a cookie sheet, thus the shape. ;)

Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes until the crust turns a pretty golden color. Remove the crust and add the toppings. Go light! You don't want to weigh down the crust. Broil the pizza about 5 minutes (don't put it too high in the oven!) until the cheese is bubbly. Cool for 3-5 minutes and serve.

You won't regret making this pizza! It is worth every minute in the kitchen--it is delicious! I may try it in the future with daiya cheeze. I think it would still be yummy. Also next time I am going to top it margherita style with fresh tomatoes and basil leaves. I think this crust is very versatile!

If you prepare it without the olive oil, each piece (8 pieces total) is about 150 calories. I'll have to get a better calorie count next time but I shredded the cheese from a block and forgot to weigh it. Sorry kids.

A Visit & a Recipe

My wonderful friend Jenny made us dinner tonight. I was feeling pretty exhausted when we came home so I enjoyed a nap for several hours & what better to eat for dinner than delicious quiche! Jenny also brought my little buddy Gabriel. He is such a sweet baby. He was extremely focused on getting my hospital bracelets off.

He's such a handsome little guy! He's rock solid therefore I call him "Tank." ;-) Except for those delightful cheeks! 

 I asked Jenny for the quiche recipe to feature on my blog. I have not eaten any "regular" food since January 8 and I was in heaven. (Between the new way of eating and the esophagitis, I've lost 14 pounds in 3 weeks). I cannot eat much and have to eat really small portions and really small bites, chewed well, and each bite followed by water so it doesn't get impacted in my esophagus. One of the only solid foods I've been able to eat is eggs. So, the quiche was PERFECT and I have also been craving green vegetables. The quiche hit all the right spots and was amazing!!!

1 pastry for single-crust pie (you can use pre-made, such as Mrs. Smith's, or make your own)
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
8 beaten eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup half-and-half, light cream, or milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
3 cups fresh spinach, chopped & lightly packed
2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (3 oz)
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese (2 oz)

Prepare and roll out Pastry for single-crust pie. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry. Trim and crimp edges as desired. Line the unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of foil. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 4 to 5 minutes more, or until pastry is set and dry. Remove from even, then reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook onion and bacon until onion is tender and bacon is crisp. Drain on paper towels.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, half-and-half, salt, & pepper. Stir in onion mixture, spinach, & cheese.

Pour egg mixture into the hot, baked pastry shell. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. If necessary, cover the edge of the pastry with foil to prevent burning. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Soooo good!!!!!

Shoe Funeral

Well, it's official. The surgery center called this morning to confirm my foot surgery date for January 30th. I dragged myself into my bedroom to remove all my stilettos and high heels from my closet. I think this is in the top 10 saddest days of my life. I had to box them all up and put them in the spare room so they won't tempt me. No heels for 1 year following surgery. The surgeon did tell me I should be able to wear wedge platforms after 16 weeks. I already bought 3 pairs of new "approved" shoes to decrease my sadness. :)

I took pictures of some of my favorites. May they live in history even if I never get to wear them again. :(

Wholesome Chow!

So as many of you most likely already know, we've gone on a refined-food-free way of eating this year. No refined sugars, no refined carbs, gluten free, non-GMO. Little to no processed foods. Most foods are on the no list. But there has to be something yummy to eat every once in a while. I found a package of Wholesome Chow gluten free chocolate baking mix while I was at HomeGoods recently. I was so impressed! I was pretty happy to find ingredients that are friendly for my diet, although two of the ingredients aren't something we normally eat. (Evaporated cane juice and white rice flour.) Wholesome Chow is non-GMO, gluten free, and free of refined sugars. Yay! I made the chocolate cake mix into 12 cupcakes. I used Lactose-free milk and coconut oil. Since I didn't plan to frost them I added 1/2 cup of Sunspire 42% cacao chips. They are very yummy!

To see Wholesome Chow products click HERE.

Find the Silver Lining

I don't know what's been going on the last couple of weeks. I feel like it's been a permanent full moon or something. I have gotten so much bad news lately, and it just doesn't seem to stop. If the only bad news I had gotten were about myself or something bad happening to me, I'd be ok. But I really don't take kindly to things happening to people that I love when so much distance separates most of us. I think one of the worst pieces of news I got was that my cousin Becky has thyroid cancer. (You can read her blog on that HERE if you like.) I was really nervous about going in for some important testing but once I found out about Becky I didn't really care anymore. I really, really don't like to see my family & friends hurting and feeling powerless to DO anything because I'm so far away.

I suppose I do have a really sarcastic, jaded, side that is "firmly grounded in realism." :-) However, I do try to look for the silver lining in every bad situation. I am definitely not going to share people's private business on my blog (I know, you're so disappointed!) But out of the things I CAN tell you, in the last two weeks, I have gotten 2 phone calls from loved ones telling me that they have cancer, a few other tidbits of bad news (details might be too identifying!) :) and I have also been juggling a multitude of Dr.'s appts (which is not typical for me!). These things may sound simple, but they can be really overwhelming. Especially since most of the things that have happened aren't "bloggable." :)

I was determined to find the silver linings and I have! I was talking to my brother last night and I told him not to worry, I always land on my feet. He said, "Yes, you do, and you're hissing and scratching when you land." I cracked up laughing!

The thing that I am the happiest about is this:

Becky came through her cancer surgery well! She has her voice, which is amazing, and at this point it looks like she does NOT have lymphoma (in addition to the thyroid cancer). This is a huge praise! 

I have some more testing tomorrow and I also will be finding out the results of some tests that I had done last week. I am also headed over to my GP's office in the morning to get cleared for my foot surgery, which will be on the 30th. The good news is, I get to take a week off work!! :)

When bad things happen, I think it's important to take some time to "feel it." Pent up emotions don't do anyone any good and neither does denial. But then, just get up and get back to it. Life is not going to live itself! There is always a silver lining. If you want a funny read on Positivity, check out THIS POST. By the way I am the cousin that thought she misunderstood the diagnosis. (You'll have to read it to get it!)

Cheers to a wonderful 2013. I've just about gotten all the bad stuff over with, so the rest of the year can be FABULOUS!

Flourless Black Bean Brownies

Finally, "brownies" that I can have! I found this recipe on the Our Family Eats blog but I modified it to make it a little more "Daniel Plan" friendly. It's not the amazing brownies that we all know and love, but let me put it like this--it will do in a pinch. Use an 8x8 pan or the closest thing you have and cut it into 18 squares, and each will have 108 calories, 3 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fiber. It's a chocolate fix I can live with.

I have made it twice. The first time was without chocolate chips, coconut oil instead of butter, and all Truvia for sweetener. The original recipe had called for coconut sugar. The second time I used 1/2 coconut sugar and 1/2 Truvia. I didn't  notice a real difference so I will be going back to the Truvia next time. The second time I also used chocolate chips and earth balance "butter" instead of coconut oil. If I had it to do over again I would use the following recipe. If you are interested in trying the coconut sugar, substitute 1/2 cup of coconut sugar for the Truvia.

1, 15-oz can black beans, rinsed well and drained

3 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tbsp Truvia 

2-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used THESE) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Process all ingredients EXCEPT THE CHOCOLATE CHIPS in a food processor (at least 4-cup capacity) until well blended. The batter will be fairly "liquidy." Once the batter is mixed, move it to a small bowl and incorporate the chocolate chips. Spray an 8x8 (or closest size you have!) baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour in batter. Bake for 30 minutes. I have found that these taste better when they are cool. They don't seem to taste as chocolatey when they are warm. Strange, I know, but true. ;-) 

Finished brownies. 

Homemade Peanut Butter

I finally made my first nut butter! It's long overdue but I have finally done it. I made a small batch just in case I did not like it. I am going to make almond butter next. It just so happened that I had a container of roasted, salted peanuts left from the holidays, and I wanted to use them somehow because we don't eat peanuts. They made delicious peanut butter!

1 cup roasted, salted peanuts
1 tsp coconut oil
2/3 packet Truvia

Pulse the peanuts in a food processor until they become "crumbly." Then, add the oil, a few drops at a time. Next add the Truvia and continue to pulse until the PB is fairly smooth and creamy. When it is done it will be very shiny! You will need to stir/scrape the sides of the food processor every minute or so. It will take about 10 minutes to get the right consistency.

I have a feeling if I had used raw peanuts, there would have been enough natural oil in them that I wouldn't have needed the coconut oil. Just my thoughts, anyway. I'll be posting about almond butter soon, too!

After a couple minutes your butter will look like this and you will think it's done. Not so! It will be waaaay too gritty. Keep going! 

See how pretty and shiny it is when it's all done? 

Go green and store your peanut butter in a recycled glass jar. :) 

When it feels like I've had all the bad news I can take, I especially love to incorporate lots of Kari Jobe songs into my worship time. I love her music. There's lots of heavy stuff in this world. Things that are so far beyond our control, it's not even funny. The more we expand our circle of who we love and care about, and the older we get, the heavier the burdens that we are handed. God is good all the time! Spend some quiet moments in broken worship, and then resolve to be thankful for something. It helps, I promise.

You lift me up, You never leave me thirsty! 

Eating Clean & a Brunch Recipe

This is one of those recipes that I categorize as "brunch" because I truly mean it. Although it is an extremely low carb dish (11 grams), it still has 400 calories. So, it's the dish you make on your "day off," when you get up early to take the hubby to work, run errands, race to your Dr.'s appt, run more errands, and finally get home at 12:30. Too late for breakfast, but loathe to call this meal lunch, I opted for a brunch tag here.

This year we are eating 100% clean. I have made huge strides towards this in 2012 but with Rich on board, I very recently started buying 100% clean foods only. This means local, organic produce, pastured eggs, organic, hormone & antibiotic free meats, no processed/packaged foods (Yes, I've got a pot of black beans cooking right now that came from a bag. Dry beans!), no refined sugar, etc. Just to make it extra fun we are also eating primarily gluten free. ;-) After losing 50 pounds in the last 18 months I have to do it again and get the next 50 off. I've been in that holiday plateau phase for a couple months so it's time to get serious again. This year, aside from continuing to lose weight and get healthier, my goal is to learn as much as I can about how to best use food as fuel & medicine for our bodies. I'm using the resources from the Daniel Plan. If you don't know about that, you can read about it HERE.

Ok. Enough about me.

Eggs, Chicken Sausage & Veggie Brunch Bowl

2 organic, pastured eggs
1 link Aidell's organic chicken sausage, halved and chopped
1/4 each red and orange bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped zucchini
1 large leaf fresh kale
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp butter substitute (I use earth balance)

Prep: whisk 2 eggs in a medium bowl. Add a dash of salt & pepper. Chop the veggies into small pieces.  Preheat wok on medium heat.

In a frying pan or wok (wok is best!) swirl the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage, peppers, & zucchini and stir fry just until the sausage begins to turn light golden brown.

Move to the edges and melt the tsp of butter or butter substitute in the middle. 

Next, pour the eggs into the middle and then begin to "scramble" them after they have cooked about 45 seconds. (Don't burn them!) 

Once the eggs begin to solidify, you can toss in the kale. 

Once the kale is cooked for about 3 minutes, you'll be ready to eat.

And there you have it. Brunch bowl & green tea.