Navigating Noodles

Merry Christmas!  I hope each of you had an absolutely terrific and blessed day.  I did!  It wasn't exactly what I had planned but then when do all my plans really work out?? For Christmas Eve we had our traditional meal of meatloaf, red cabbage, mashed potatoes, sourdough bread and butter.  We had chocolate chip cookies and eggnog for dessert.  This year we added in sparkling grape juice because my daughter won it in a white elephant game the night before.  It was a perfect meal that we all enjoyed!   Christmas Morning started off slow with 3 of the household members sleeping in.  I started my day with R2D2 Coffee in my new A Christmas Story mug.  That mug held almost all of the glorious coffee that this french press made. My middling and I worked in the kitchen and got some of the appetizers for the day knocked out.  About 10 the rest of the house woke up and we got to business.  We made our annual Christmas Tre...

Our Christmas Eve is one of tradition.  It hardly varies year to year.  Even as the kids get older (re: adults), they look forward to Christmas Eve and our traditions. Christmas Movies--One of our Christmas Eve traditions is to watch Christmas movies.  This year I have a line up that just can't be beat.  Even though we are all 20 years of age or older, these still hit the spot!  There are some off beat movies this year but that is what makes it new each year. Berenstain Bears Christmas Tree Arthurs Perfect Christmas   Rudolph   Family Circus Christmas   Snoopy   Davey and Goliath   Polar Express   and of course... A Christmas Story  -- which happen to be on TBS for 24 hours straight starting at 7pm on Christmas Eve-just sayin' Supper--Christmas Eve supper is the same as it has been for many years.  It will hopefully be this way for the rest of my life.  It is tradition after all!  Recipes will be ...

So metimes I just feel like having chocolate.  There is no rhyme or reason, chocolate just sounds good.  Unfortunately, I can't blame my love of chocolate on my mother like I did  all things grape.   Well, I can but not for depriving me of chocolate...more for giving me chocolate!  My favorite chocolate thing ever is Chocolate Flavored Pudding Cake.  My mom would make one of those and she and I would finish it off in a night and a day.  My dad's favorite flavor was lemon flavored pudding cake.  I didn't learn to appreciate that flavor until later in life.  However, I still have my love of chocolate.  I have tried several "low carb" chocolate foods.  Sadly, most are pretty terrible in my opinion.  Just being real.  But, there are some that I can pallet and a very few that I really like.  Breakfast this morning were my two favorite low carb chocolate favorites.  First off is Briana's Superfood Brownie Single....

My FAVORITE flavor of GGMS is grape. Oh, how I love grape.  I honestly think my love of grape stems from my childhood.  Growing up my mother bought orange juice, not grape juice.  Also she would serve strawberry jam, not grape jelly.  She also wouldn't buy purple grapes, just green.  I love my mother but I  think I harbor a resentment of some sort deep down.  Yes, I love my mother but I also love grape.  Making grape GGMS isn't hard but it also isn't the healthiest option out there. I have yet to find a tea that is grape flavored or another drink mix that doesn't have maltodextrin or dextrose  in it.  Great Value is stevia sweetened but also has sugar and is a little higher in the carb range but I only drink it once or twice a week and that is fine with me. Grape GGMS 1 package Great Value Grape flavored drink mix (make sure you get the right one-see picture)the single serve size (this is a personal choice as it does have off p...

I love cinnamon tea.  My favorite by far is Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon .  I get it from Wal-Mart and Target.  I know Barnes and Noble carries it too.  I have been experimenting with hot tea for a while and found that I really don't like hot tea except my Hot Cinnamon.  Trying to make my mornings a little healthier, I decided to try my hand at making a hot drink similar to THM's Shrinker.  I don't like The Shrinker and I don't like hot tea but, amazingly enough, I like my Hot Cinnamon Oolong. Hot Cinnamon Oolong Tea You need: 2 oolong tea bags 1 cinnamon tea bag 1 3/4 cup water 1/2 tsp cinnamon couple sprinkles cayenne (to taste) 1/2 cup Cashew Milk 1 tsp collagen 1/4 tsp sunflower lecithin 3 tsp Pyure   Steep tea bags in boiling water until cool enough to handle.  (often I let them sit too long and have to rewarm them..silly me!)   In a blender add the rest of the ingredients.  Pour in hot tea and whir.  (Be sure to follo...

Last week went very well considering the holiday!  I kept to the menu through Thursday.  I knew I would be eating wonky on Thursday and added that into my meal plan.  However, Friday through Sunday I was completely free styling.  I am happy to say that I stayed almost completely on plan.  Woot-woot! Today I have a Dr. appointment.  I am sure I will hear all about my weight and blood pressure.  Oh the joy!   I notice that last week I didn't include Saturday and Sunday on my menu.  That is silly because the days I am at home are the days I really need it. I get bored and want to eat.  If I have a menu to go from it would make the snack cravings a bit easier I think.  So this weeks menu will include the weekend. Monday Pumpkin Oatmeal, coffee with collagen Singing Canary GGMS Buffalo Chicken Salad on bed of spinach, raw veggies, white cake with strawberries Caramel Apple GGMS Orange Yogurt with homemade cocoa krispies...

GGMS or Good Girl Moonshine.  A drink made of apple cider vinegar, water and sweetener.  Pearl and Serene of Trim Healthy Mama coined the phrase Good Girl Moonshine  as an all day sipper and made it popular, but drinks with apple cider vinegar and ginger date back to at least the Laura Ingalls Wilder days. In those days Laura called it Ginger Water.   In the first chapter of  "The Long Winter", Laura talks about Ma sending them ginger water to drink.  A little Prairie Moonshine if you will! If you are adventurous, you can try the "ginger water" recipe below that was in one one of my kids workbooks back in the day. I love my moonshine but I think that the 2 cups of vinegar called for in that recipe might be a little strong. You could also try one of the recipes  here or here  or here .  I have never tried a version with  brown sugar but it is on my to-do list. Let's talk about the vessel for GGMS. Glass quart canning ja...

I love pizza!  I really love the deep dish crunchy, buttery crust and the thin and crispy crust and the hand tossed chewy crust.  OK, I love the crust.  However, since following the THM lifestyle I have limited my crust intake.  I do on occasion, sink my teeth into a decadent piece of chewy, crispy crust but for the most part I pass and just eat the toppings.  I like toppings but I really love crust. Yep, I have tried the cauliflower crust, the Fat Head crust and the cream cheese crust.  In my opinion, the cauliflower crust is way too much work for what it is.  The fat head dough is pretty awesome but I like to use that for bagels or rolls and not pizza crust in which you put more cheese on.  The cream cheese crust is really good for things such as taco casserole.  THM has a really good crust called Perfect Crust (pg 211 of the THM cookbook) that I sometimes make.  It comes out crispy and very pizza like.  It is also very s...

Usually for Thanksgiving we make turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry relish, scalloped corn, pumpkin pie, pecan pie and mock eclairs...we eat so much we are stuffed almost to the point that we feel sick.  Last year, because I was on THM and thought the whole house should be too, I decided to make things healthy.  In addition to the turkey I made mashed cauliflower...NOT a favorite around this house,  stuffing from cauliflower...ummm also NOT a favorite with a vengeance, no corn and made sugar free pies using nasty tasting sweeteners and no eclairs.  To say I still haven't lived down that meal would be a complete understatement.  My oldest didn't come home for Sunday dinner for months after that AND now every time he comes here he asks if there's cauliflower in it.  Mashed potatoes are my daughter's favorite food in the whole world and I ruined that for her.  My middling kinda goes with the flow for most things and even he said it was the worst...

C hicken Parmesan from Olive Garden is one of my absolute favorites...along with the salad and bread sticks!  Unfortunately, Chicken Parm from Olive Garden and their bread sticks are not conducive to the THM lifestyle.  I have been making this little gem for years.  It is delicious and I found out this past week that it goes terrifically on top of a salad!  (It is also very, very easy-stupid easy as I usually say) Chicken Parm                (Click for printable recipe) 1 bag chicken tenders (I buy mine from Aldi) 1 can sugar free Hunts spaghetti sauce 1/2 cup parm cheese (I used a combination of parm and romano from the can) 1 cup shredded cheese--any combination you want is fine (I used co-jack on this batch--although pepper jack gives it a wonderful zip!) salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to taste Heat oven to 350º.  Lay thawed chicken tenders in a 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, ga...