The idea for a Christmas tree in my kitchen popped in my head late one night as I was wrapping presents and rearranging yet another ornament on the main tree. I think I said “I need one of those little mini trees in my kitchen”. Well, I went a little overboard. It is my gingerbread/kitchen …
Real Food
Tis the season to visit my favorite sweets bakery, Sweets Cupcakes in Tuscaloosa. I found a red velvet cupcake and something new. They now have bon bons, or chocolate covered cake balls. I got a sample of 4 different flavors and I really hope the flavors stick around after …
Every year, I start in mid October looking through previous years’ magazines to get ideas for cooking, baking, decorating, entertaining, and celebrating the end of the year fun. I can’t help it. I get it honest. My mother instilled a love for Christmas in me early. I didn’t have a choice in the matter and …
Starbucks I want to strangle whoever invented SBUX. And not just them, but whoever introduced me to it. And also whoever twists my arm each time I wander by a Target and get sucked in. The addiction is so bad, I have 3 Christmas mugs, 3 ornaments, and 2 plain red SBUX mugs. I can’t …
File this one away in the never again for a crowd over 5 people. But oh wow, how cute they look! These were very time intensive. I guess total time, including fast drying in the freezer, was about 1.5 hours. I did a whole package of 32 and they just took a lot of time …
It is still hard to believe that less than a week ago, I was crossing a marathon line. After one day of terrible sickness, and 3 days of a sore leg, I feel 100% normal. I’ve been giving in to my need for extra sleep. Instead of fighting it, I figure my body knows what …
Now all I need is snow. If it’s going to be this cold, I want some snow to go with it. But until that happens, I’ll settle for this. White bean chicken chili. 2 (14.5-ounce) cans white beans 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 medium jalapeno pepper, minced 1 large onion, chopped 2 stalks of celery, …
I first learned about the traditional “haystacks” during my first year of student teaching. We were teaching nursery rhymes and during a lesson for Little Boy Blue, the teacher brought out these haystacks made with Chow Mein noodles and butterscotch. They were so good and so easy to make, I made some for my family. …
No snow. Is anybody surprised? Some people close to me got plenty, but not a flake for our town. And instead of snow, we have rain and 34*. Miserable. Countdown to the St. Jude Memphis Marathon is almost done. Saturday is the big dance and I’m not loving this week. So many doubts and then …
We survived. Not only did we survive, we scored some great deals and had a ton of laughs with this little guy. After I voiced my disappointment in how the morning got started, things got a lot better. By better, I mean we didn’t die, get shot, trampled, or woke up in a tub of …
Before I bombard the ‘nets with all the Christmas chaos, I went back over some pictures from our fantastic fall. Short…but still wonderful. I wish our fall season started in September. Instead, we get to boil in September. My absolute worst races are all from September. The heat makes me cranky, and I’m so anxious …
Tonight has been quiet for me and Frankie. He’s been snoozing under the Christmas tree and I’ve been surfing, blog maintenance, and enjoying the best cup of hot chocolate I’ve had since last holiday season. I finally broke out the Christmas decorations at school. This time of year is very bittersweet with my babies. I …
It may be cold out. It may be rainy. I could be blowing leaves everywhere. But that’s no excuse! Don’t hate on the grill just because the weather is being all mean and nasty. It does not mean the grill has to hibernate, too. However..at some point I’m sure Stephen will agree to put a …
I debated on whether to even share this. But it didn’t take long to realize that I can’t blab on here about good eating practices with occasional treats if I’m doing a crazy diet. It’s like saying all my praise and support for clean food (and treats) is a bunch of bull malarky. And some …
One of the easiest ways to stay on a clean diet is by cooking meals at home instead of being the slave to the drive through. With fast food, we all know most of it is crap…good tasting crap which is the whole point of feeding America’s addictions…and should be used sparingly. But who has …
For my diabetes post this week, I wanted to share a book review. Let’s go ahead and get the disclaimers out of the way. I’m not a dietician, diabetes expert (outside of my own body, which is one big experiment), nor am I some government hater…not completely… or conspiracy theorist. I don’t claim to have …
I love waffles, but the simple act of digging out the waffle iron is confusing to me. Why make waffles when pancakes would be easier? Because without waffles, there are no little pockets of blueberry goodness. And when fall arrives and cold air is waiting, blueberry goodness is something to look forward to. 1 cup …
Total prevalence of diabetes Total: 25.8 million children and adults in the United States—8.3% of the population—have diabetes. Diagnosed: 18.8 million people Undiagnosed: 7.0 million people Prediabetes: 79 million people Check the stats. Yes, many people could have prediabetes. If left unchecked, patients with prediabetes are on the fast track to insulin dependence Type 2 …
Last week, I posted some ways to gradually move away from a mostly processed diet to one that includes more real whole food. And while those are some good ideas, there is something else to consider when eating those berries and raw almond butter. Put down the jar . Seriously, don’t eat the whole thing …
On a cold Halloween night, all I wanted was soup. The door has been opening every few minutes to trick or treaters and random high school kids with trash bags hoping to score. I told them until I saw some effort in a costume, I’m keeping the candy. One came back with his shoes off, …