Desperation Breeds Ingenuity

I had a problem. A big problem, ok maybe it wasn't a big problem but it certainly was inconvenient. I used to have a 1st generation ipod nano I also had a cute little armband to go along with it for running and climbing etc with my music handy. I loaned it to a friend when I got my iphone because I didn't really need it at the time and well it was stolen by someone. These days I am climbing and running more which isn't a problem as long as the weather is cold and I can wear a light jacket and carry my iphone in the pocket. I guess this is the real problem...

Yup that's right its an iphone in a protective otterbox. The problem here is that they make armbands for the iphone sure but they don't make armbands that go around the otterbox. So basically for me to use an armband I would first have to take my iphone out of its protective otterbox. Well let me just tell you there is a reason my name isn't Grace and for me to take my iphone out of the otterbox to put it in an armband is a recipe for disaster. This was a problem I had really just ignored until Tuesday. So Tuesday night I was at the gym climbing and had gotten more than a little warmed up so I had shed my coat and therefore my iphone as well. Needless to say because of that I missed a very special phone call and therefore missed hearing someone specials voice before bed *sniffles*. It was time for craft intervention and thankfully my friend Megan was coming over on Wednesday to play crafts with me. Also lucky for me I had scored this fantastic super durable adorable upholstery grade outdoor fabric from JoAnns recently I bought a little more than I needed thankfully. Wanna know how good of a deal I got? Sorry I have to tell you I just must rub it in! Originally twenty dollars a yard OUCH!! I scored it for a super sexy price of 2.40 per yard WIN!!!
After much brainstorming and many hours of crafting I finished my armband that goes around my otterbox case. I think it turned out pretty fantastic myself, store grade quality! What do you think?







If you need one let me know and I will try to explain how I did it. I hope you are well I love you! Please pray for me I start a second job on Monday as a preschool PE teacher. I hope the kids love their new coach!
Food.Exercise.Life

Chicken & Dumplings Northern Style and Dairy Free

I don't know about you but I have so many wonderful memories down at my Grandma Brown's enjoying her wonderful Chicken & Dumplings. Anyone who knows her knows that she is not only one of the best cooks but is also one of the most loving and accepting people alive. She is also magnificently humble and meek (and not in that weak, passive kind of way). She and the rest of my family and friends are the people who have helped shape me into the young woman I have become (I am under 30 that makes me a young woman right?). Although they have shaped me I am not in any way like most of them. I do see their Christ like traits and strive to be more like that usually my attempts fall short but I will keep trying until the day I die. I think it is really important to surround yourself with people who exhibit qualities you desire in your own life. I hope you strive to do that. Oops guess I got off on a tangent back to the food. So anyway I was thinking about my Grandmas Chicken & Dumplings and my mouth was literally drooling at the thought so I decided I must make it. Only one problem my Grandma doesn't know what a recipe is. Well maybe she does but I would bet you money she has never followed one to the tee! Knowing I wouldn't be able to get the recipe out of her over the phone I decided to do the next best thing, look up a recipe until I can make it to Grandmas to learn hands on how she does it. I quickly discovered there are two styles of Chicken & Dumplings (I had no idea!). It seems Chicken & Dumplings is a North vs South issue and quite heated when it comes to the cooks who prepare it. The Southerners mock the Northern Chicken and Dumplings and call it a sacrilege to even serve. The Northerners not to be out done mock the Southern Chicken and Dumplings and call it a sad excuse for chicken noodle soup. Oh yes its a heated issue indeed. With all of that said I want you to know I am used to Grandmas Southern style YUM! But I found a Northern style recipe I couldn't resist attempting. I promised myself to not compare the two and instead look at them as two separate dishes altogether. That was smart on my part. It definitely wasn't Grandmas but it definitely was amazing! Here is the link to the original recipe which I of course tweaked.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/chicken-and-dumplings/


Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter or butter alternative
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Flour
Salt & Pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (I did 2 lbs and it was to much-you could also buy a precooked rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup finely diced carrots
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 medium yellow onion finely diced
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/4 tsp turmeric (this stains everything it touches so be careful!)
4 cups normal chicken broth 2 cups low sodium (I use imagine brand and their low sodium version is REALLY low sodium. That's why I did the combination. I encourage you to read the ingredients on your broth it should be all things you recognize and can identify. Sugar is in most broths and bouillons so watch out!)
1/2 cup apple juice (no sugar added)
1/2 cup to 1 cup instant potatoes (I used 365 brand from whole foods because it is literally just dehydrated potatoes)
Dumplings:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 heaping Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup almond milk

The how to:
Remove any fat or icky stuff from your chicken the season it with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. In a large pot over med/high heat combine butter and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) allow butter to melt and then add chicken cooking both sides until browned and remove. It doesn't have to be cooked all the way through because it will go back in the pot to cook. If you picked up a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken then just skip to the next step.
After removing the chicken add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot and stir and cook for 3-4 min over med/low heat. Stir in thyme and turmeric then pour in the chicken broth and apple cider. Stir to combine then add the browned chicken (again skip ahead if you have a rotisserie chicken. Cover pot and simmer for 20 min over medium heat.
While that is all cooking make the dough for the dumpling. Stir together all of the dry ingredients and then add the almond milk and stir gently to combine and then set aside.
After the 20 min has passed remove your chicken and check to ensure it is cooked all the way through. If so shred it using 2 forks and return it to the pot. If you have a rotisserie chicken you probably should shred it during that 20 min and then add it to the pot. Add the instant potato flakes and stir until combined. Drop tablespoons of dumpling dough into the simmering pot. No need to shape them just drop them in. Cover pot and cook for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy

I found this absolutely delightful even though it was so different from what I grew up with. I really hope you will try it. It is a time consuming process but easy. Most of the time is just doing whatever around the house while it does its thing on the stove top. I did encounter some problems that caused this to take much longer for me. I had bought chicken that same day from walmart and when I opened it up it smelled bad. I had to pack it all back up and return it to walmart and get replacement chicken. Then my chicken didn't cook as quick as it should have then my dumplings didn't cook as quickly as they should have. I have adjusted for all of that in this recipe so it should go smoother for you. I finally enjoyed all my hard work at 9pm. It was well worth the wait.

Have I told you guys about my dog? Her name is Daphne and she is the best dog in the whole world! She is also unbelievably cute, loveable and snuggly. She is a dachshund but I promise she doesn't bark all the time, honestly she hardly ever barks. She isn't territorial or nippy and has only met 2 strangers (and both of them were bad people so props to her for being so smart)! Well anyway I wanted to show you guys how cute she is because I love her so much and I tortured her with the wonderful smells of chicken for hours as this cooked. Thankfully for her I used such good ingredients I didn't feel bad sharing some of the chicken with her.





Isn't she the cutest sweetest thing ever! I LOVE HER! I also love you! I went to the climbing gym and climbed today fyi. I am not as good at posting about my workouts as I am about food.

Food.Exercise.Life

Message to my followers

Ok so a little more information about why I have been MIA this past week. Monday night I was a zombie working on a puzzle. Tuesday morning I woke up and ran/walked 2.5 miles with one of my old high school besties Stephanie YAY! Tuesday night I went to the climbing gym. Wednesday evening I went for an evening bike ride with one of my amazing and sweet guy friends Branden. Thursday I ran 2 miles with Stephanie in the morning, entertained my niece and nephew while my sister took my youngest nephew to the Dr. He finally is off of his monitors YAY! Thank you to everyone who was praying for him when he was in the hospital and even after he came home. I did get to enjoy some sweet snuggles on Thursday after he got off of the monitor. It was so incredibly fantastic because it was really the first time I have been able to snuggle with him since he was born on 12-31-2010! Thursday night after work I headed up to our local ice rink to watch the 3 kids I nanny practice hockey and figure skating, They were amazing! Tonight I am headed to the gym to climb again and if I can find someone to go with me I will be catching a night time bike ride to enjoy the full moon tonight. Yup that's right tonight is a full moon please go outside and enjoy the fresh air and glowing moon!

Have you guys ever heard of the band Gungor? I had heard their song God is not a white man but then had forgotten all about them




Well they have a worship cd out now that is fantastic in my opinion! You may like it. One of my favorites is a song my church does and it really just blesses my spirit so much. Its called beautiful things.



Hope you guys like all of that.

Katie- I am still planning to do gnocchi just working up some bravery and reading a lot about it and skimming about a million recipes (yes that is an exaggeration). What is your favorite sauce for gnocchi?

Love you guys!
Food.Exercise.Life

Turkey Teriyaki with Broccoli and Rice

Yes of course you can make it with chicken or thinly sliced steak yum! Let me give you the link to the original recipe which I then adapted.
http://www.food.com/recipe/restaurant-teriyaki-sauce-133751
There now you have it. How about a picture?



Turkey Teriyaki

1 lb (ish) turkey, chicken, steak or tofu
1 bag of frozen broccoli florets
Brown Jasmine rice (or whatever kind you like-I like the stickiness of jasmine)

1/4 cup soy sauce (check your label for odd ingredients if you are concerned about that sort of thing. I buy braggs liquid aminos)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp minced ginger (you can buy this in a small jar its really more of a watery paste)
1/2 tsp minced garlic
7 Tbsp agave
2 Tbsp cornstarch and just enough water to liquify it

Combine all of your sauce ingredients except the cornstarch in a small pot. Cook over medium heat. In a separate pot get your rice going according to the label instructions. Cut up you meat or meat substitute and cook until done over medium heat. If you want you could bread and fry but I just cooked mine with no seasonings in a little extra virgin olive oil. If your broccoli is the type you can microwave in the bag then go ahead and throw it in the microwave. When your sauce is heated but not boiling stir in your liquidy cornstarch stirring constantly to avoid lumps, sauce will begin to thicken. When your meat is cooked all the way through combine it and the broccoli in a serving dish and pour over the sauce. Serve with rice YUM!

I do confess this is in my opinion far inferior to the general tsaos but every once in a while we need something different, and this is definitely a delicious option!

Hope you love it! Love you!

Food.Exercise.Life

Vegan Chocolate Coconut Truffles

Have you guys felt neglected with me not posting anything in a week? Sorry about that. I had a special someone in town for the weekend so I took the time to enjoy his company and some time with friends. Then I confess I have been addicted to finishing a 750 piece puzzle that I bought on Sunday. Does anyone else love puzzles?



ahhh don't you wish you were there?

So anyway I had planned to post this recipe on Monday for Valentines Day a holiday I refuse to celebrate by giving my money to retailers. Truly every guy I have ever dated I have always begged not to get me candy, balloons, flowers or any other cliche Valentines gift you can think of. This year I received a one month membership to our local rock climbing gym (suddenly I like the idea of celebrating Valentines), I also received a heart shaped balloon wishing me a Happy Valentines Day. I have surprisingly liked the balloon although not nearly as much as my niece and nephew who came to visit and played with it non-stop for a solid 30 minutes, That's a huge feat considering they are 1 1/2 and almost 3.

Anyway I hope you felt loved on Valentines day. On with a recipe!

This recipe came from an old high school friend on Facebook who I think got it out of one of her Vegan cookbooks. At least that's where I think I got this recipe.



Vegan Chocolate Coconut Truffles

1 cup coconut butter (or coconut creme if you cant find the coconut butter)
3/4 cup raw cacao (I used dutch cocoa this time but have made it with the raw previously)
6 Tbsp agave
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract (or scrap the insides from 1 vanilla bean-I think that's the best)
optionals:
cacao nibs
unsweetened coconut
sprinkles
powdered sugar
cocoa powder

Soften coconut butter in a double boiler over low heat and stir until smooth (be patient this step seems to take forever). Add the next 4 ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into a bowl and freeze until mixture cools about 10 min. Remove roll into balls and in desired optionals. I recommend serving at room temperature but I store them in the fridge until I want one.

Hope you guys enjoy them! I love you!

Food.Exercise.Life

Breakfast Quinoa

Today I had my morning off before heading into work. I took full advantage of my sleep in time and slept until 8am ahhh. I also got up and enjoyed my coffee and made one of my winter time favorites for breakfast. This is a healthier spin on those instant oatmeal packets that I devoured on a regular basis as a kid. Thank you to my Mom and Dad who always bought them so I could enjoy their deliciousness with such ease. If you aren't familiar with Quinoa then I encourage you to do a little research on it. You could make this same thing with oatmeal but I like the energy I get from the Quinoa. By the way its pronounced keen-wah. There are a couple different ways you can buy it. There is red, white and I think black quinoa and sometimes you can find quinoa flakes which will be a little closer to oatmeal in consistency although I have never used them because I can get the regular quinoa much cheaper. OK on with with recipe.


Breakfast Quinoa
Makes 2 servings or 1 big serving (I couldn't finish it this morning)

1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup quinoa
approx 3 Tbsp agave or honey
approx 1/8 tsp cinnamon
approx 1/2 cup fresh fruit (I like, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries best)
1 Tbsp milled flax seed or wheat germ (I usually do wheat germ but today I used flax to keep it gluten free)

Bring almond milk to boil in small saucepan. Add quinoa and return to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered until 3/4 of milk has been absorbed about 10 min. (DO NOT walk away after putting the lid on. I have had this boil over on me more times than I care to share and its a bear to clean up so stand there and stare at it for a solid 3 minutes and remove the lid and stir if it starts to boil up and then recover). After 3/4 of the milk has been absorbed stir in agave, cinnamon and fruit. I honestly don't measure the agave or cinnamon I just dump in some cinnamon and swirl in about 3 loops of agave. You can always add more after serving if it isn't to your liking. I let that all simmer for about 2 min just until the berries are warmed through then pour into a bowl add a little more cinnamon and agave and stir in the flax seed or wheat germ and enjoy! I hope you enjoy this winter time staple as much as I do!



I love you!
Food.Exercise.Life

Grow

I promised you guys something special so here it is. Its not a recipe but a snippet that a friend of mine wrote. I am so very blessed to know him and his amazing twin sister. They both have such sweet genuine spirits and being around them makes you smile. A huge THANK YOU goes out to Everett for graciously allowing me to post this for all of you. I love you all!

Grow
By: Everett Pauls

As one eats one grows.

The WORD is what I feed on.

I feed, and I go about my day with the nutrition it gives, every cell within my body benefits from it's goodness.

I must stay active.
For if I sit and eat the WORD, yet don't stay hard at work, I will become over weight. Full of the weight the WORD, without the reward of it. if I don't utter a word or move my hand for Christ's sake.
Vanity is where I will fall.

Therefore, I will take in Christ's WORD and exhibit the health that is gained.
I will work, and become strong as I taste the goodness and use it to grow myself and bless others.

Gods WORD is food for all!
Take it.
It's free.

Oatmeal & Banana Pancakes with Pomegranate Syrup

This recipe is dedicated to one of my very near and dear friends Lexis. In the last 6 months she has become very proactive about her health and I am so proud of her! She started the P90x workout series, a feat I still cant fathom taking on, quit smoking, dropped soda out of her diet almost completely and has even been found experimenting in the kitchen. The girl makes her own home made almond butter for Pete's sake! Who does that? I haven't.

I have to tell you I have never been a huge pomegranate fan. But then I tried this recipe and it always has me drooling when I think of it. Its like a little flavor explosion in your mouth. So even if you aren't a fan of pomegranate please consider trying this. I do want to tell you this original recipe came from Clean Eating magazine and really impressed me! With that said I do encourage you to try this recipe and if you like it please support Clean Eating magazine by going out and purchasing their next issue (No they are not paying me to say that, but I wish they were)



Pomegranate Syrup

1 cup pomegranate juice
2 Tbsp honey

In a small saucepan whisk together the honey and pomegranate juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then drop the heat to medium and let simmer for 15 minutes reducing down to a syrup. Oops I have messed that up every time I have made this. I see the word simmer and in my head that translates to low heat, obviously my syrup was still quite liquidy. Alright so now you guys aren't going to make that mistake right? Simmer it over medium heat got it, 15 minutes alright. After that remove from heat and let the syrup cool slightly before using.

Pancakes

3 medium bananas (ever buy a bunch of bananas and they start to go bad before you get to eating them? Peel them break them in half and put them in a freezer bag. You can use them frozen in smoothies in place of ice yum or in this case you can thaw them back out in your fridge to use in this recipe)
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats, ground to a coarse flour in a food processor (about 3/4 cup ground oats)
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 egg whites, whipped to soft peaks (do not attempt to do this by hand)
cooking spray or butter or butter alternative

Add bananas, milk and vanilla to blender and puree until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together ground oats, rolled oats, flour, salt and baking powder. Fold banana puree into dry ingredients to form a thick batter, taking care not to overwork it. Gently fold whipped egg whites into batter. Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet and coat with cooking spray or whatever you choose over medium heat. Use 1/4 cup of batter per pancake and cook until lightly browned on each side. 2 pancakes is a serving and is plenty to fill me up and stick to my ribs. This recipe makes 6 servings. If you are single like me then you should know that these freeze great! Just separate them with wax paper and place in a freezer bag in the freezer then reheat when you are hungry. These are also excellent slathered with some almond butter for an extra protein kick and then drizzled with pure maple syrup. And if that isn't enough reasons to make these then do it for your dogs (if you have them). With no sugar and such wholesome ingredients you can't feel guilty about sharing with your favorite canine(s). Daphne already taste tested today and she definitely approves.

Today I didn't workout and I am not going to but, I did shovel the additional 4 inches of snow off of my bosses whole drive way. They have a big driveway so it took about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, I think that counts as a workout. Tomorrow is going to be a special post that one of my friends is graciously allowing me to re-post. I am so excited to share it with you that I can hardly wait until tomorrow. I love you all. I am going to sip my coffee (I had to make it to go with pancakes), watch a movie and then clean my kitchen. Enjoy your evening!
Food.Exercise.Life

General Tsao's

Don't say I never shared anything great with you. All the recipes I have served up so far are fantastic but this one gets rave reviews from everyone who has experienced it, and yes I created this one myself. Some of my friends now call me The General because of this recipe and beg me to make it every time our paths cross. General Tsao's can be kinda spicy or really spicy so you can adjust the heat for your taste buds. One of my friends had to keep a towel at the table while enjoying because sweat was rolling off his head, clearly I like mine spicy. This is really a much more flexible recipe than you may initially realize. For example if you are really broke you can use super firm cubed tofu in place of the chicken. You can bake your chicken or batter and fry your chicken, you can add carrots and broccoli or nothing at all. Use your imagination throw in some things you like it will be good I promise!


Marcy's General Tsao's

water
cornstarch
3 tsp minced garlic
3 tsp ginger root
1-2 Tablespoons red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cup agave
1/2 cup soy sauce (I use Braggs liquid aminos)
1/2 cup white vinegar
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
veggies etc are optional

First start with your chicken if you are baking it just throw it in the oven and cube it into bite size pieces after it is done. If you are frying it then go ahead and cube it into bite size pieces dip in a almond milk and egg mixture and then put in a ziploc bag of seasoned flour (I like to season mine with salt, pepper and cayenne) once all your chicken is in the bag zip it closed and shake away until it is all evenly coated. From here if you don't know what to do just leave a comment asking and I will write back to you. Honestly it just seems like a lot for me to type for something I believe you probably already know.

Lets get to the good stuff the sauce. If you are frying your chicken or adding a lot of veggies then you will want to double your sauce recipe. In a medium pot over medium heat combine soy sauce, vinegar, agave, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes (sometimes I mix that all up the night before and put it in a jar in my fridge so dinner will come together quicker). Once all of the ingredients have heated through but are not boiling take a tablespoon of cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) and dilute and stir into a small amount of cold water. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the sauce while stirring bring the mixture up to a low boil and sauce should begin to thicken. Once the sauce begins to thicken reduce the temp to low heat.

When your chicken and veggies are cooked just combine with the sauce in a dish and enjoy. Rice obviously is a good fit for this meal as well and I have a preference for jasmine rice.


In other news I went and tanned for the first time in years today, I couldn't help it all this nasty brutally cold winter weather and lack of sun was starting to get to me and I was definitely feeling the winter blues. I do feel much better now and have regained my normal positive outlook on life. As I laid there soaking in the warmth and fake sun I couldn't help but think about how important it is for us to also bask in the warmth and radiance of God our Lord. To draw near to his warmth and love through prayer, meditation, reading and living a life of servitude to Him. After all he did create the sun.

I haven't worked out today and honestly I don't think I will before bed. Work comes early in the morning so I think I am going to prepare for bed and turn in earlier than normal instead. I guess I did play a little bit of living room hockey with a little one earlier today, that counts right?

Monte Cristo Sandwich

Well if the description didn't have you drooling I am sure the picture does! Believe me once you start cooking this you will be dying to try it by the time it finishes cooking. It smells so good while cooking! I found this recipe in Clean Eating magazine and have adapted it for my likes and ease of assembly. With that said I do highly recommend you check out Clean Eating magazine sometime and look through their many fabulous and delicious recipes, seriously these people are brilliant! Alright Alright here is the recipe and the how to. But please promise me you will try this one unless you are a vegetarian, even then I think you should still consider it.



Monte Cristo Sandwich

1 lb (ish)turkey breast scaloppini (thinly sliced turkey)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dried Basil
Fresh cracked salt and pepper
3 eggs
almond milk
Cayenne pepper
Dijon mustard (I like Tree of Life brand)
Whole Grain Bread (I prefer Ezekial brand)
fresh baby spinach
Cheese (I like provolone)
agave or jam or jelly optional

Take those juicy turkey breast scallopini's and rub them down with EVOO then season with S&P and basil. Put in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat approximately 2-3 minutes per side then set aside.
In a shallow dish whisk together approx 2 Tablespoons of almond milk 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites. (I have a dog who feels like she has died and gone to heaven when I share those extra yolks with her). Season mix with S&P and cayenne and set aside.
Take your bread and spread dijon mustard on both of the insides (I usually have enough turkey for 4-6 sandwich's so get 4 prepared and you can always do more later). Add 1 piece of cheese some baby spinach and turkey (you will probably have to cut it to fit). Now carefully dip one side of your sandwich in the egg mixture (about halfway up the bread when immersed) turn and dip the other side and transfer to the skillet on medium heat. Cook each side until golden and crisp remove from skillet cut in half. You may serve with jam or jelly if you like. I like just plain agave or honey. You could also thinly slice an apple, pear etc to add to the sandwich for a healthy sweet. Either way you wont be able to stop at just 1/2 of this sandwich. It is so good your mouth will be watering for the next bite! I personally think these reheat well so as a single individual I make them at the beginning of the week and eat on them all week long YUM!

I haven't worked out YET today although I did do one pull up at work. I think that is pretty good since most women cant do any. I am thinking a hangboard/ab workout or a yoga video for tonight hmmm.

I also want to share with you a story. Some of you may know that I work as a nanny to a wonderful and amazing family with 3 usually fantastic kids. Today I arrived and the 2 older kids were getting ready for school. The middle boy headed out to the garage to get his shoes and backpack and closed the door behind him quite by accident on his older sister who he did not realize was right behind him. Immediately she was engulfed in rage and reacted by yelling and then pushing him down the steps to the garage floor (Praise God it was a short 5 steps and he wasn't hurt at all). Quickly and gently I escorted her to the time out zone and walked away hoping God would give me a good way to handle the situation. Immediately He brought scripture to my mind
"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires." James 1:19-20
I encourage you to look it up and read the rest of James 1 there is a lot of good there. I headed back to the time out zone and we had a brief talk about anger and what the bible says about it. I was honest with her and confessed that I myself struggle with it at times but that isn't what makes God happy.
There are 2 things I really want to point out here. One, if we are not in the word, studying it memorizing it practicing it then when we are faced with situations we will be unable to fall back on that knowledge of the word to guide us. Two, lets be honest we all struggle with anger from time to time sometimes its over something silly and sometimes its much more serious than that. But we are told to be QUICK to listen, SLOW to speak and SLOW to get angry. Yes I struggle with all three parts of that but I can strive to be better about it and so can you. I wish I could say I always handle situations with the kids as well as I handled this one but that would be a lie. I could try to convince each one of you that I am perfect and live a perfectly happy life but that would be a lie as well. The truth is I am far far far from perfect and my life is riddled with many struggles as I am sure yours is. I hope that your hunger will be filled by the Monte Cristo, that your thirst will be quenched by Gods word and that your body will be strengthened by your working out. I love you!
Food.Exercise.Life

Brownies

I made this recipe last night and for healthy brownies its just divine. There are a few things I may do different in the future. I followed the recipe almost exactly except I didn't use their special agave, I just used my normal dark agave yum! I used dutch cocoa powder (its what I had), no nuts and aluminum free baking powder. In the future I may make a fudge sauce by mixing agave with the cocoa powder to drizzle on top to make them more chocolaty and gooey, or I may add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the mix to make them extra fudgy. But really these turned out fabulous and I couldn't ask for more from a healthy brownie. They are soft and chewy and very chocolaty and sweet. I really encourage you to try this recipe the next time you are craving brownies. Here is the link http://www.ellesnewenglandkitchen.com/blog/2009/12/1/brownies-and-lemon-bread-and-xagave-oh-my.html


So even though those are healthy brownies the truth is they still pack calories so in order to justify me eating the whole pan within 2 days I spent some time on my hangboard doing a workout with weights on my ankles. Whats a hangboard? Basically a fancy pull up bar for people who like to climb rocks. Here is a picture of mine. I have a friend who posted an excellent post using food as an analogy for reading and living the bible. I have asked permission to use it on my blog because it is so good, I hope he agrees so I can share it with all of you.

Country Biscuits

So I woke up this morning and decided I wanted some runny egg sandwiches on home made biscuits of course to go along with my coffee *sip*. This recipe comes from my wonderful mother and I have adjusted it slightly to work for me. These biscuits are buttery and divine and go good with just about anything; egg sandwich, soups, biscuits and gravy, butter and home made jelly you get the idea.

Country Biscuits
6 Tablespoons Butter (I usually use 6 Tab of dairy free butter)
1 Cup buttermilk (1 Tab of vinegar in 1 cup of milk or a milk substitute works I use almond milk)
2 cups self rising flour (plus a little extra for your work surface
Cast Iron Skillet (If you don't have this then don't attempt, go buy one)

Put butter in the skillet and put in the 450 degree oven just until the butter is melted. Mix flour and milk until moistened (if you are making your buttermilk you will need to let the mix set for about 5 min and be sure to stir before you combine with the flour. If you use a milk substitute this happens much faster so the 5 min isn't necessary.) knead on floured surface about 4-5 times. Pat dough out til about 1/4 inch thick, cut with biscuit cutter (I use a measuring cup flipped upside down because I don't have a biscuit cutter) and place in pan with butter, turn over to coat with butter. Bake 10-13 minutes at 450 and enjoy!

I honestly don't think I can ever make a different recipe because this one is so delicious and easy seriously! I hope you love them as much as I do!



Yesterday I made a decorative pillow for my living room so I thought I would share it with you. I bought some cheap fabric from Walmart that I found in the sale bin of leftover remnants. I also bought a small pillow pre-filled just waiting for a nice covering.

Mint Hot Cocoa

I don't know about where you live but here we just got slammed with that crazy blizzard of 2011 also called snowmaggedon, snownami, snowpocolypse etc. So far I have survived on lots of craft time, snuggle time with my dog and plenty of delicious cooking. In my last post I did promise you a Mint Hot Cocoa recipe so here it is, I created this one myself.

Mint Hot Cocoa

This makes one serving so double, triple, quadruple it if need be.
In a small pot over medium heat combine the following ingredients and whisk constantly until well combined and heated to your desired temp. If you are anything like my mother who has no taste buds left you will need to crank the heat on up to high and bring it to a good boil first, I however do not recommend that. 1 cup almond milk, 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder (I use dutch but regular is delicious too), 2 Tablespoons dark agave nectar, 1/2 tsp mint extract (I used frontier brand because I like the wholesome healthy ingredients). That's it folks enjoy! Hope this recipe makes you as happy as it makes me!

Today I read Psalms 23 such a great reminder of where my peace, strength and comfort come from. I didn't do a workout today but I did make a new decorative pillow to accent a family heirloom rocking chair I recently re-upholstered.

Food.Exercise.Life

The beginning

I have had several people over the course of the last year ask me for this recipe or that recipe. The truth is I try to keep you all updated with my latest recipes but its hard. If you know me at all you know I always strive to eat dairy free and sugar free although not all recipes will be. So I decided to do this instead. I will do my best to post all of my current favorite recipes on here and continue to add new ones as I try them. In addition to that I am going to keep you up to speed on what is going on with me physically and spiritually. Thank you for following my blog if you try a recipe and like it please post a comment if you try a recipe and don't like it please post a comment, if you try a recipe and tweak it here and there and it turns out wonderful or horribly please comment. I want to hear what you guys like and don't like so I can tailor this a little more to you. I will attempt to keep up with this on a daily basis for all of 2011 and we will see what the future holds after that. I love you all and hope you will enjoy this!



This is me enjoying a mint hot cocoa at a fine establishment in Springfield MO called The Coffee Ethic. Although this one was delicious and shared with wonderful friends I have a recipe for a mint hot cocoa I created that I will share that will keep you warm and happy through the cold winter months or blizzards. In the meantime I wanted to let you know about my amazing friend Lance Sitton who took the photo. Lance has had a love for photography and an eye for it for many years but is now hopping into the career of photography. Because of that he is currently charging basically nothing for his services so now is a great time to take advantage. I encourage you to check out his picture blog at http://lancesitton.blogspot.com/ Enjoy the pictures he is putting up and send him a text or email to talk about having some pictures done for personal use or business. I also encourage you to check out some of his music which I like to enjoy when I am feeling a bit down and need a little encouragement.