Tag Archives: cooking

Five on Friday :: Feb. 13, 2015

fiveonfriday2015

Oh hey, hey, its Friday the 13th!  Let the fun begin…

1. I made these this week for Valentine’s day:

redvelvetcookiesThey were amazing. Oreo Red Velvet Cookies, dipped in vanilla goodness, with red and pink lip candies. Oh my gosh, so good.

2. I made these for National Pizza Day:

pizzas'I used Portobello Mushroom caps instead of dough. Scrape out the gills and snap off whats left of the stem. Then just used pizza sauce and layered in yummies — this time just pepperoni, olives and mozzarella cheese — and baked at 375* for 15 minutes.

3. I discovered Vivian Maier yesterday… this woman’s amazing photography reminded me what I love about photography. I’ve gotten sucked into focusing on making money doing it. I’ve forgotten what its like to just go take pictures in normal every day life.  I miss it. I need to get back to that.

4. I’m flying back to Nashville tomorrow for Valentine’s Day. It’ll be the first one I’ve spent with my husband in a few years! But I’ve jam packed into the time I am home a LOT of stuff. A big thing is making sure this benefit goes off without a hitch:

Drenon Benefit

I can’t wait for this night of love and support for dear friends.

5. Last Sunday, I got together with two women who mean more to me than I could ever tell them. PicMonkey Collage

 Camera@Low

Have a great week, everyone!

Eating healthy is fun!

Whole wheat french toast with fresh fruit.

I’ve mentioned many times lately that I am on a health kick right now. One of the biggest changes I’ve made is in what I eat.

A suspected milk allergy (I’ve not been tested… I’m just currently experimenting and testing myself) has taken me away from cheese, sour cream, whipped cream, coffee creamer, etc. Things that I loooooooooove to have, but that my body seems to be say nuh-uh to having.

I’ve switched over to vanilla flavored almond milk. It happens to have fewer calories and more calcium that regular milk! And guess what? It’s DELICIOUS. Now I use it in my coffee instead of creamer, and its just as good! And, again, fewer calories and no sinus flare-up from what I am assuming is an allergy!

I am all about fresh fruit… which is fun to eat all its own! I love making myself a little fruit salad at night. Or I put fruit on my cereal (often with a little cinnamon on top.) The other day, I made whole wheat french toast, and I buried it in fresh fruit. Who needs sugary syrup, when the fruit juices soak in instead?

Fresh veggies is my other big favorite. I am all about big salads, with the more goodies on it the better. I can make a bag of spinach leaves last over a week by putting a minimum of those with heaps of mushrooms, carrots, boiled egg, bell pepper, cucumber, and tomatoes on top!  Its refreshing on a top summer day. Low on calories. High in the YUMMY factor!

I’ve also started making a pasta dish using my fresh veggies. A little olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic, onion, bell pepper, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, a few fresh spinach leaves, salt, pepper, and a splash of white wine all sauteed together and poured over spaghetti noodles (either organic or atleast whole wheat, of course).  Sometimes I add some tuna, salmon, shrimp or chicken (go grab a rotisserie chicken at the store and tear it up to add in!). Sometimes I just go veggies. Either way, you end up with something you expect to find in some fancy restaurant.

It’s all SO delicious. Relatively cheap (if you can make your ingredients stretch over several days, the extra cost of the fresh vegetables and fruits is still cheaper than eating out). Makes you feel fantastic. Its FUN. And its all in the name of being healthy.

I’m no medical expect. I’m no fitness guru. I just like to read what is recommended by those people and find what works for me. Do you have any fun, fresh and healthy recipes you particular love? Please share!

PS – I do still love my beer and the occasional side of french fries. But I’m keeping those to a serious minimum. :)