Oops - I did it Again!

I waited too long to get back on. And reading my last post, you'd think I was in a hurry to let you know all is well in Laura Land! Cause it is. I got over whatever that was and got on with life...

Not that a ton has gone on, but there have been some changes. Changes in the weather, the time, the color of the leaves. It's officially Fall! Halloween has come and gone, and the rest of the year is just jolly! Me and my sister are ready to put up our Christmas tree already... Too Soon? We have candles that smell like pumpkins and fresh baked cookies. For once our house is not smelling like pickles :) Well, for now at least!

Although I don't have much to report, I couldn't let another day go without visiting. Hope you are enjoying this lovely time of year just as much as I am. Hey - here's a simple and low fat Fall-ish recipe I'll leave you with! Try it, you won't regret it!

 That's it, 3 simple ingredients;
1 cup of water
1 box of Spice Cake
1 can of pumpkin

Mix all the ingredients and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until you can stick a toothpick in them and it comes out dry.










Enjoy Everyone! Happy Fall!

Funk - And Not the Good Kind

I did exactly what I was afraid of doing when I created this blog. I went weeks without posting. Work has been busy, and life was crazy for a while. Next weekend, me and my sister Jenna are participating in the YMCA Fall Festival in Irving. We will have a booth set up where we will sell our homemade spicy pickles and candied jalapenos. We attempted to make spicy pickles for the first time last year and people really enjoyed them. That's when we decided to continue making and selling them. We don't make a big profit on them now, but maybe one day we will! Because of this festival, we have been pickle and jalapeno making fools lately! It consumes most of our weekend. We do plan on taking a break next weekend, the weekend of the festival, and then we'll have to make what we can for the holidays! Here's an idea of how this works...

It's a long, smelly process, but we've gotten so much quicker than we were when we began, and you kind of get used to the smell :) 

I also had my 10 year high school reunion a couple weekends ago. I had very mixed emotions about this. While I was excited to see some people that I had not seen since high school, there were also some people I could care less to see. I am still very close to alot of people I graduated with. And social media has sort of filled the void of missing people. People that I still care to see and live close enough, I see often. The ones that live far away, I keep up with on Facebook. My attitude towards the reunion changed dramatically while I was there. It was great seeing everyone. (Even the ones that I sort of cringed when they walked in.) So, I'm glad I went. I'm glad it's over, but it was a fun weekend! 

Oh, and I got a new car! It's a Jeep Patriot. I love it... I'll post a pic later. 

Like I said, I've been busy, which means I haven't had time to acknowledge this funk I've been in. Well, it tackled me this morning. I broke down and suddenly was crying for "no reason" at all. I don't mean a tear came out that I could wipe away with my finger. I was boo-hooing and sobbing and couldn't keep up with catching the tears with a Kleenex. The worst part about that kind of cry is how hard it is to stop. Even after I told myself that it's ok that I don't know what is bringing on this emotion and we will sit down and figure it out later (cause now is not the time) I just could not quit. Sometimes you just need to cry. I don't know why, but somehow it makes you feel better. I have a running list of things in my mind that contributed to me feeling so crummy today, but I think that's where they should stay. In my head for me to figure out. 

Today is not turning out at all like I had planned it. I had a to-do list written for this weekend about a mile long. I would say 1/3 of it was done before today, and I planned on doing most of the rest today. Plans changed, and I am on my way to a training with Jenna. It will be encouragement for both me and Jenna, so although I had not planned it, I am glad to be going. The training will last all day. As soon as I'm finished, I have to go to my other sister's house to watch my niece and nephew while my sister works and my brother-in-law plays softball. Again, I had not planned on doing this, but for some reason am not able to say no. I guess my to-do list can wait... It'll still be a great day! The sun in shining and I'm ready to be in it! 

I totally plan on not waiting so long to post again! (Notice I didn't promise :)) Hopefully next time this funky attitude will have changed to fun! 

Creating Healthy Habits

I mentioned the not eating meat thing, and the number one reason for that decision was to start living a healthier life. Well, I had heard a little and did some of my own research on juicing as another healthier lifestyle change. As much as I applaud people who are able to replace food with juice, that is not something I see myself doing. I'll start by replacing one meal though - breakfast.

Know what the best kind of gift is? The kind that you know you want but don't really ever think about buying. So maybe you mention it and someone realizes how much you really want it and get it for you! That's exactly how I got my juicer. My sister and her fiance, Jenna and Chris, got me a juicer for my birthday after a few months of me mentioning it might be something I'd like to try one day. Here's my Breville!

Isn't she pretty? It has now become an almost every weekday morning event to make juice. I can't sit here and say that I absolutely love the flavor of the juice, but I also don't hate it. I know that I am drinking a glass full of vitamins and starting my day off right though. It is nowhere near the only servings of fruit or vegetables I have daily, but I wouldn't worry one day if it was. I honestly think it is a glass full of nutritious value! Here's an example of what goes into our juice - keep in mind we make 3 servings of it. So it might look like alot, but that is because it is...

It looks like cucumber, celery, carrots, oranges, apples, a kiwi, tomatoes, beets, and kale were all part of this mornings' juice. Juicing is not for everyone. In fact, the maybe one glass of it I have a day is enough for me. It's a healthy choice I am adding to my life now to hopefully one day consider it my lifestyle!

The First of Many

Have I already mentioned how much I enjoy cooking? Baking, not so much, although I will do it sometimes. My heart belongs to cooking though. So, this is the first of many recipes I will share with you. I didn't want to make this a food blog, because there is so much more that I need to share with you than my recipes. But when I make something that I feel is worth sharing, I totally plan on it. I guess I should also mention that a little over two years ago, I stopped eating meat other than fish. I do still eat seafood, but other than that there is no meat in my diet. People who quit eating meat either gain weight because they replace meat with carbs, or they start losing weight because they are choosing to eat a healthier lifestyle by adding more fruits and veggies. Since I stopped eating meat and added more fruits and veggies, I have lost 40 pounds and kept it off. While I still have more to lose, I enjoy making new meatless entrees to aid me in my along the way. So a friend of mine told me about a flourless pizza crust. I tried it and loved it! Finished product:

So the crust is made up of cauliflower and cheese and an egg to hold it together. I blended fresh cauliflower in my amazing food processor/blender, The Ninja. It's a must for every kitchen. It might not look like much,

but I'm telling you that it works miracles! Funny story about my Ninja; there was a time in between moves that I moved back in with my parents for a few months. One night while I was there I just could not sleep, and I found myself up on their couch watching infomercials for a few hours. My mom heard me and got up and I made her watch the Ninja infomercial with me. A couple months later, Santa brought me the Ninja Christmas morning! I've used it multiple times ever since! So here's the deal:

2 cups of blended cauliflower
2 cups shredded Italian/pizza cheese
1 egg

Mix these ingredients and press into a pan of your choice. Bake it at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. I chose to let mine cool for 10 minutes before topping it, but that may have been totally unnecessary. Top your crust with your favorite toppings and put it back in the oven until cheese is slightly brown.

I LOVE PIZZA! I would maybe eat it twice a week if I could. I was not able to pick this pizza up and eat it by the slice. And reheating it in the microwave was not the best choice, but in the oven was just as good as fresh out of the oven the first time. Try it, tell me how much you love it!

Too Many Firsts!

I'm normally pretty good at keeping it under control. Well, maybe I'm better at helping others keep it under control. I guess I'm generally good at making others think I have everything under control... Have I said control enough?! Well, this week there is no disguising the fact that my anxiety levels have changed. As I mentioned before, I am house/baby sitting this week. Man, do I love this time with my nephew? I would not give it up for anything in the world. It's the traffic I have to go through every morning and afternoon that I could really do without. I mean REALLY do without. Traffic jams bring out the worst in me! And just when I was at the point today of wanting to let out a little scream in the car when I was by myself and no one else would hear, I suddenly remembered the precious little boy I was headed to. While I was feeling sorry for myself, he was just waiting for me to get there. I think he had been practicing the smile he first showed me all day - he must have known how bad I would be needing that smile. Know what made this stress worth while? This little angel!

The other thing I am allowing to add stress to my life this week is my promotion. Yep, I said promotion. They should be joyful occasions, right? Yes, Laura, of course they should be! But I am working myself up too much and am turning any excitement I have into anxiety. I had forgotten what it was like to know NOTHING and have to learn everything from the ground up. I had forgotten what it was like to have to ask questions rather than know the answers. I honestly had forgotten what it felt like to doubt myself, and right now I am full of self doubt. I know that I am my own worst critic, but that is not the first thing I remember when I get down and out. I know that this time next week, I will have so much more confidence than I do at this moment. I just have to keep reminding myself that. On the bright side, tomorrow is Wednesday already which means the work week is half way over! I hope everyone is enjoying theirs so far. Until next time...

Introducing Me!

Hey, I'm Laura! For months now I've been contemplating starting a blog. I finally did it. The thing that scares me most about blogging, about anything really, is the commitment. I hate starting things and not finishing them, yet I seem to do it all the time! I'm hoping to find a sort of peace here that will keep the words flowing! I have two sisters that blog and I love reading them, and I plan on finding more blogs to follow as well. I love spending time in the kitchen cooking, but I don't want this to only be a food blog, but I will be sharing recipes with you every now and then.

Today is Friday and I am so excited for the weekend - who isn't? It may be a hectic one though. My oldest sister and her family are leaving for Disney World early in the morning. While they are gone, I will be house sitting and baby sitting my 10 month old nephew, Braylon. This will surely be an interesting weekend. My sister Jenna, her fiance Chris, and I all rent a house together for now until they get married next June. I recently got a new puppy, Ranger. He's a 5 pound dorkie, 1/2 dachshund and 1/2 yorkie. While he is so cute to look at, he's a mess! He's a baby still, almost 4 months, so he wakes up really early, and he goes outside every other second cause his bladder is so small, AND he's a biter. He's a handful. So while I'm spending the week with this little munchkin...

Jenna and Chris will be spending the week with this little one!

Looks cute right? Did I mention we also have a 70 pound dog? Logan is her name and she is a really well behaved dog. I'm just saying, if I had to choose between which one to be alone with for a week, I'd go with Braylon! I say that, I've never spent a week "Momming" a 10 month old alone, so we'll see how I feel during the week :) I hope everyone has a great Friday and a great weekend! Until next time...

Laura