A few days off...

Working, working working....

I have been working a lot lately and finally got a 4 day weekend with the family. Felt crafty late each night, so heres what I worked on:

Yo Gabba Gabba Birthday Banner:

And I also did a practice cake for one I am doing next weekend. Should turn out even better!!



Had To Post This Recipe: Chicken Curry & Rice Soup

We just had an AMAZING dinner, and monkey bread is in the oven. I had to share the dinner recipe since it was only 256 calories per 1 full cup. So, without ado...

2 tbsp Margarine
1 onion chopped small
2 Carrots, peeled and diced small
2 Celery Stalks diced
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (King Arthur is best)
3 1/2 cups Fat Free Milk
2 Tbsp Curry Powder
1 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Turmeric
1/2 cup Fat Free Sour Cream
4 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
3 cups Diced Cooked Chicken
2 1/2 cups wild rice (Cooked)

Saute onion, carrot and celery in margarine for 2 minutes. Add Flour and mix well. Gradually add milk. Add Curry Powder, ginger and turmeric. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened. Add Sour Cream and chicken broth gradually. Add chicken and rice. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes until vegetables are tender.

ENJOY!!

Let me know if you try this and what you think. I prepared the meat and rice ahead as wild rice can take 50 minutes to cook through.

Rainy Saturday Naptime

Today during naptime, I got to sewing!! I purchased a pattern from Shwin & Shwin (LOVE this blog) and got to sewing. Caroline was so excited to try it on when she woke up, and was AMAZED by the pockets as you can see!!

The pattern and original design can be found here: http://shwinandshwinarchive.blogspot.com/2011/10/we-love-to-offer-patterns-as-often-as.html


Here is my version:

Working it all in

Menu Planning is so crucial, so this week I have vowed to create a healthy menu plan.

I hate choosing a day for each meal, because its all about taste buds for each specific day. My solution is to plan 5 meals then I can eat off of that menu when I feel like eating that type of food. This gives me  the right to have a (healthy) craving. I think as Caroline grows she will appreciate this too, because we can let her choose with us.

This weeks Menu:
Turkey Meatball Soup
Zesty Orange Chicken breast
Garlic Mashed "Potatoes"
Macaroni and "Cheese"
Chicken breast with homemade Salsa topping
"Spaghetti Meatball" Pie
"Brownies"

So I am sure you are thinking to yourself why the quotations? Well, I have started this week to "indulge". Not like you would think. I am eating these foods made with vegetable purees. So the mashed potatoes are about 1/2 potato and 1/2 pureed cauliflower. These offer a low fat, high fiber option vs the fatty sour cream/butter/cream version. This saves you calories and fat. Macaroni and cheese, this one is made with butternut squash and parmesan (again, lower fat, high fiber). The Brownies...this one is my favorite. It is made with carrot and spinach puree and 3 oz chocolate. Low fat, high fiber. Spaghetti meatball pie gives you meatballs that are made with whole wheat bread crumbs, squash puree and broccoli puree.

So what brings this on.....

My daughter has been slightly constipated (lots of milk/bananas/cheese to thank for this). Not only that, but I have been reading up on the health benefits of fruit and vegetable puree (think double veggies if you have a side of broccoli with your mac n "cheese". Plus what kid doesnt love it).

So here is to getting healthy. Let me know if you are willing to try some purees and what you think of them. It does take a few hours to prepare these, but Nick works on bikes in the dining area while I am pureeing so we got some good couple time in while I was waiting for steaming to finish.

I am still striving. Health has to be #1 for me, so if you are on a journey to health, post a comment - leave a tip - share a story. I know we can get there and learning from one another is a great tool.