Happy Holidays...To You

Wanted to share some videos of the house and pup.  Hard to believe this holiday season has come and is almost over.  Can't wait to see everyone soon!

The Pup

House Part I

House Part II

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Oh...Well Hello!

Yeah, it's been a while.  Somehow living life, and not blogging about it, got in the way.  I even had to read my last entry to see what I was up to.

I have been taking pictures of most of our projects, I hope to dedicate an entire post to each of them when we are done.  Things we've been working on: back-splash in the kitchen, working on The Chair (about 50% done!), cooking new recipes, running..
Not to mention trying to relax on the weekends...

We did go camping over Labor Day weekend and had fun with friends and the pup.  She learned to swim real fast when she fell out of the canoe!  I also got poison ivy...for the SECOND time this summer...blah.  The sweet lady who gave me a pedicure said putting top coat clear nail polish on it helps the spreading and ooozing, and she was right.  It helps it dry out and keeps me from itching..

On to more pleasant things..
I made this sweet potato and black bean enchilada that I am over the moon for! It's creamy, healthy and filling, and was quick to put together! ahh! I'll share the recipe next post.

I've fallen in love with another hobby..pinning stuff on pinterest.  If you join, which you should totally do, look me up! I love having a place to dog-ear all my favorite posts and ideas.  Then when its time to decorate for [fill in the blank] I have my inspiration ready!

On a side note, this Sydney girl hates when I blog! Every time I put my hands on the keyboard she wants loving..I guess that's what we all want :)

Another side note...I'm looking for a new headboard for the guest room or our bedroom.  Can't find one I want to spend a ton of money on [read: Restoration Hardware...gorgeous, but whew that's a lot of cash], and don't really need another project..what's a girl to do? Any suggestions? Pin It Now!

I'm Juicing

I’m not on steroids, but recently I am putting lots of healthy juice into my body.  Hubby and I watched a documentary/movie the other weekend on Netflix, “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” where an Australian man named Joe travels around the US for 60 days while on a juice cleanse.  For two months straight he eats no solid foods, only juice for every meal which he makes from an electric juicer in the back of his car.  The juice cleanse involves eating drinking all your daily calories from green vegetables and some fruits, harnessing the power of micro-nutrients in the juice.  I don’t want to give the whole movie away, because I think it’s is worth watching, but I’ll say that Joe’s story was powerful and he was able to motivate many other people. 

Although I didn’t want to do a strict cleanse or anything, I was reminded of a juicer I recently bought at a garage sale.  I loosely followed one of Joe’s recipes for “Mean Green” Juice.  His recipe includes: green apples, kale, lemon, ginger, cucumbers and celery.  I had no celery, so I added some carrots and collard greens.  I found this is going to be a great way to use up some cucumbers from our garden!  The little ones for pickles, the big ones for juicing.  I made a great big mess, but finally I had some odd colored juice.

It was ok.  Surprisingly it tasted like…..vegetables….not horrible, just not amazingly refreshing.

I had bought some Naked Green juice at a store the other day and noticed that it had blended fruit in it in addition to all the veggies, so I got out the blender and whipped up a banana, nectarine and kiwi because that is what I had.  Mango and pineapple would be really good too.  The fruit was much thicker than the juice, more like a smoothie, but when I mixed equal parts veggies and fruit, it tasted pretty good!  Even hubby liked it, and he doesn’t like raw veggies.  I have read that you shouldn’t mix fruits and vegetables because they need different enzymes to be broken down in the stomach and you could give yourself a stomachache..I’m not a doctor, so I’m going to try to stick to mostly vegetables as I get used to them.  Also, fruit juices are high in sugar (although natural sugar) so I don’t want to overdo it. 

The fun thing now is experimenting with different veggies/fruit.  I know the collard greens are out, they are too bitter and plastic-y, spinach is much better in my opinion.  Anyone out there seen the movie or like to juice? I’d love to hear some good recipes. 

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Summer Love

We've had a busy month, I can't believe July is almost over.  Hubby returned from a cross-country motorcycle trip to Yellowstone and had a great time.  I took a short work trip to the Florida Gulf coast that was productive, bummer that the weather didn't cooperate however. 

Last week we also welcomed a new member to the family, Sydney! 

 We saw some doggies we liked at the SISCA website and went to visit.  SISCA is a great organization for rescuing pound dogs in the Dayton area, we heard great things about them.  We saw Sydney in her cage and got to take her outside and interact with her.  She is a 4 years old Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog mix with an Australian Sheppard.  She is well trained, knows how to sit, lay, shake paw and speak already.  She is learning to love her kennel, and spends most of the day there when we are at work.  She also loves going on a run, watching Netflix and cuddling on the couch :)  Currently she is licking my hand as I try to type this..ah, I just want to squeeeze her!

Anyways...I've been maintaining my clean eating, taking some detours every now and then.  I'm enjoying my oatmeal breakfast each morning, made a new version with a couple banana slices, walnuts and flax seeds and soy milk--taste like fresh baked banana bread!  I am also trying to eat a healthy, satisfying vegetarian meal once a week.  I grilled a big batch of veggies the other night and have enjoyed them on pita as pizza, or in a burrito with fresh mozzarella, basil and balsamic vinegar.  I grilled up slices of eggplant, zucchini, portabella mushrooms and bell peppers, so good!

I'm also looking for any suggestions as to use up cucumbers!  I have three cucumber plants that are producing out the wazooo!  I've been eating slices of cucs for lunch, adding some to water with lemon and lime slices to make spa water.  Also thinking of refrigerator pickling or canning some...

Hope everyone is having a great summer and keeping cool, I know we can't complain too much, but Ohio has had some 90 plus days, and we are glad to see it go!

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Summer Time and the Living is Easy..

Farmer's Market Roses, 2 dozen for $3.50!

 First try at making fro-yo, second batch this week

New haircut! Laura always does such a good job.

Happy 4th of July Friend and Family!



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City By the Bay

As I walked through a living Train song, I kept telling myself, "You will be back to San Fransisco!"

While we only had a couple hours to walk around before heading south to Monterey, we managed to see a couple sites.  We ate a delicious brunch at a small cafe not far from my friends place, Judy's Cafe.  The omelets, pumpkin loaf, and quesadillas were all delish...AND I managed to parallel park on the first try! Score me!!

We walked the couple blocks down to the wharf and saw the Golden Gate and Alcatraz in the bay.  I got my piece of free chocolate at the Ghirardelli store, the stopped in a cutsie cupcake store for a treat.  The cupcake was carmel and fluer de sal, sooo rich!!

We also stopped and got some taffy, do you notice a theme here..??!  I love how Kasey and I look so mesmerised by the candy..:)

We also drove on the most winding road in America, Lombard Street.  It has crazy switch backs at about a 75% grade.  Amazing view, but I was glad I wasn't driving!

When I returned a couple days later, my good friend took me out to eat at Parma, I had the best salad and eggplant Parmesan!

I hope to recreate the salad soon, it had romaine lettuce, toasted pine nuts, Gorgonzola, a slice of grilled pear and vinaigrette! So good!!  It was great seeing my friend from high school, a lot has changed in the last six years!  She is getting married soon and I can't wait for her wedding :)

Although only my first trip, I know I will be back.  There was too much I didn't get to see and eat!  Save me San Fransisco!!

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A Rolling Stone

That's what I am..just a traveling salesman.  Except I'm not selling anything, more like consuming things.  I just returned from a week conference in California. I had a great time, learned a lot and got to meet up with an old high school friend.  She's not old, just that high school was a while ago..Here is a sneak peak at the things I did in Monterey and San Fransisco.

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On the road again..

I just returned from a ten day work trip to New Mexico.  We did lots of work at night, slept during the day, ate green chile burgers, drank some beer, shared two port-o-potties for 6+ people, hiked up canyons and the like.  I also managed to watch a bunch of bad daytime television and made-for-tv movies while I drifted off to sleep.  On the plane and during some down time, I was able to read some good books.

My favorite read of the trip was the non-fiction "The Only Thing Worth Dying For" by Eric Blehm.  He tells the true story of a Green Beret A-Team who were sent to southern Afghanistan soon after 9/11 to battle the Taliban and help Hamid Karzai come to power.  After reading the book I felt like I knew the soldiers and had such respect for what they did. I don't normally read this type of book, but I found it sobering and thrilling, I wanted to know what would happen next.  I do recommend to anyone, you don't have to like books about modern military history.

Another great "book" I read was "The Clean Eating Diet: Recharged" by Tosca Reno.  Although not a book in the typical sense, it was defiantly not a fad diet cook book either.  I've been adopting more and more clean eating habits and reading this book reminded me how much I want to continue clean eating.  Tosca shares reader's comments and tips on how to adopt the clean eating lifestyle.  She herself was out of shape in her late forties, then turned her life around with more energy and even entered body building competitions!  My new favorite things to eat, ground flaxseed in my oatmeal and fresh nut butters!

One day when we weren't working, a group of us scampered up the San Lorenzo Canyon.  It was fun, and next time we will actually have to do the recommended hike.  We managed to avoid any forest fire smoke, although you could see the haze the coming over the mountains.  The smoke gave the setting sun such an intense red glow.

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Happiness Hit Her Like a Train on a Track..

What a week, and its only Tuesday!  Two big things to share today, a lovely and simple shrimp pasta dish I made last night and my new favorite songs.  Oh, and the end of Oprah!  Well, she's not dying, but it is the end of an era.  I will miss your makeover shows and the chance to win all your favorite things..

So, pasta first.

I had some frozen shrimpies and peas I wanted to use up, as well as some grape tomatoes in the fridge that looked like they were on their way out..thus Vegetable Shrimp Linguine was born!  I'll tell you what I did, but nothing is very exact, and I imagine mushrooms and asparagus tips going in the next batch I make.

whole grain pasta (throw pasta into boiling water when you add wine, and in 7 minutes, your meal is done!)
olive oil
grape tomatoes
garlic
white wine
fresh shrimp, peeled and clean
peas
fresh spinach
Parmesan cheese

I used a couple tablespoons olive oil in a pan with a lid and thew in the grape tomatoes and let them sizzle and roast for about 5-7 minutes on medium high heat, stirring occasionally.  I added a couple dashes of red pepper flakes here, and will consider adding more next time.  Once the tomatoes looked soft and a little brown, I added a minced glove of garlic and stirred until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Next, I took off the lid and turned down the heat to medium and added two big splashes of white wine (about half cup?), any type should do fine.  This, by the way, smells amazing!  Let the wine bubble for another 3 minutes, then added half a pound of fresh shrimp. 
After 2-3 minutes or so, when shrimp look half done, add about a cup frozen peas and three large hand fulls of spinach, stirring so all the spinach is wilted.  Stir in a quarter cup of grated Parmesan cheese and grind or two of black pepper.  By now, the shrimp should be pink and curled.  Add your cooked pasta to your pot of goodness, stir and plate!  Top with some more cheese if ya want.  Sauce is somewhat thin, will get thicker as it stands, or if you add more cheese!!


Now on to the new tunes..

This is my new motivational-bang the steering wheel-roll down the windows-run a little harder-mantra

Dog Days Are Over-Florance + The Machines
Mr. E's Beautiful Blues-Eels
Heavy Metal Drummer-Wilco
Sing-My Chemical Romance

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The Land of Enchantment

It has been a while since my last post, and lots has happened.  Two friends got married, clean eating took a break, but is now back, and the sun made its first appearance in Ohio since last summer.

I also took a work trip out to Socorro, New Mexico.  The details of the trip are rather dull, in sharp contrast to the green chile cheeseburger I enjoyed, as well as wood oven baked pizzas and fajitas.  If you are even passing through Socorro, let me know.  I am intimately familiar with the good places to eat--it only takes a four day stay to eat at all of them..

On my birthday no less, our group stopped at the Buckhorn Tavern in San Antonio, NM for one of the best burgers I've had.  I enjoyed mine with onion rings and a tall glass of water.  Thank you Gil for the pictures.

The weather in New Mexico was amazing, cool around dawn and dusk and pleasantly warm at high noon.  I'm hoping the sun stays around these parts a little longer :)



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All the way home..

I was a little piggy this weekend.  I weee weee weeed for 13.1 miles, my half marathon debut.  My goal was to finish, and that I did, in 2 hours and 45 minutes.  I was worried about my knee, and after a couple miles it stopped bothering me so I was quite pleased.  Hubby finished in 1 hour and 53 minutes, he is a flying piglet.  I used my new GPS watch on the race, you can see the course, my pace and elevation here recorded from my watch.

Overall opinion: I'm glad I did it, it was nice training for the race, gave me something to work towards.  I am fairly confident I will never run a full marathon, no-sir-eee.  I'm excited to get better at my 5K pace now. Pin It Now!

April Showers..

We had a busy weekend!  We had a great Easter with some friends yesterday and had a rather successful garage sale on Saturday despite being in a flood advisory the whole time!  It managed not to rain on us until we were closing down, thank goodness.

Kasey looks happy as she raked in over $100!

I can't believe over a week ago I was with family and friends in Texas.  Man, time flies!

I do miss those margaritas..somehow they aren't on the clean eating program..

Given the hunk of ham in my fridge, I wanted to share some ideas I had for using up Easter ham leftovers! One is even a new clean eating discovery, inspired by Tiffany at the Gracious Pantry.

• Amazing Clean Eating Pizza-Ham and Spinach
• Lentil and Ham Soup
• Ham and Egg Cups

Hopefully the weather rains itself out and will be beautiful for the half marathon on Sunday!

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Clean Eating Tips and Food Journal

Here are some great tips from Molly, my friend’s sister who has toned up and looks great!

1.       Plan your meals the night before and put them in containers that are easily accessible so you can just grab them easily the next day.

2.       Try new things every few days so that you stay excited about it until you have found something you like enough to eat consistently

3.       Make A LOT of chicken at a time. Season it well and put it in the fridge so you can make it into wraps and stuff when you need it.

4.       Frozen yogurt is a good treat at night. It has kept dad and I going. If you have a publix...their berry granola and raspberry roadrunner frozen yogurts are AMAZING..but only do a little cupful each night

5.       Weigh yourself everyday because it keeps you going (usually)

6.       Set yourself a final goal and how much you have to lose each day to meet that goal (make it reasonable so you can be excited when you are meeting your goal. I have lost .2-.4 pounds every day and dad has lost on average .8...so choose something in between that)

7.       This egg salad is delicious

8.       Try new spices...Tony's is the best thing ever

9.       Mustard ads flavor and is relatively ok for you

10.   Scrambled/well-seasoned egg whites make a delicious breakfast and addition to chicken wrap

11.   Broccoli and carrot slaw is a good way to ad crunch to wraps and sandwiches

12.   Always use whole-wheat or multi-grain wraps and sandwich breads

I've been keeping up with some of Molly's tips and decided to keep a food journal.  I like keeping a food journal, it really helps to see what you put in your body every day.  I like to eat snacks (S) and lighter meals, I’m a grazer.

Day 1:

B: Skipped-bad Stephanie

S: 1 container fat free plain greek yogurt, 1 cup tropical fruit

L: Whole wheat tortilla with tuna salad (greek yogurt instead of mayo), spinach, sprouts Cup Kashi Go Lean cereal, cheese stick

S: Lara bar

D: grilled shrimp, spinach, brown rice

S: 2 whole grain banana honey muffins (also with greek yogurt)

Thoughts: I think dinner wasn’t filling enough, maybe a salad would have been good too, then I wouldn’t have been so hungry for muffins.  Also, Lara bar didn’t keep me full but more than 2 hours, might find better way to spend 250 calories.

Day 2:

B: Cottage cheese, fruit, vanilla protein powder smoothie

S: none

L: Sandwich thin ham and cheese Panini, carrots, 1 whole grain banana honey muffin

S: none

D: turkey burger, sandwich thin, slice cheese, grapes

S: banana muffin

Thoughts: Need to remember morning snack, almonds and dried fruit would be good.  Got busy after lunch, was very hungry before dinner.

Day 3:

B: cup Kashi Go Lean cereal, original light soy milk, berries

S: hand full of almonds

L: Turkey and ham, spinach, laughing cow cheese whole grain wrap, v-8 juice, carrots

S: Food Should Taste Good Chips (1.5 oz)

D: Greek chicken, whole grain pita, feta, tomatoes, spinach

S: banana muffin

Thoughts: it was a good day, never felt too hungry.

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Clean Eating: Whole Grain Banana Oat Muffins

This recipe was adapted from a Cooking Light Morning Glory Muffin recipe

1.5 cups whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour

0.5 cups oats

2 tsp baking soda

Dash salt

Dash cinnamon

1.0   cup fat free plain greek yogurt

1.0 egg, beaten

1.0 cup mashed ripe bananas (3 medium)

0.5 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

0.25-0.5 cup raisins, plumped in warm water, drain

Combine dry ingredients, flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in large bowl, sift or stir with a wisk.

Combine wet ingredients, egg, yogurt, honey, vanilla and bananas in small bowl.  Mix wet into dry ingredients, until all the flour is incorporated, fold in raisins.  Batter will be thick, might need some more yogurt if too dry, depending on egg size.

Bake at 350 for 19-20 minutes in standard muffin tins.  Spray muffin liners with Pam and fill almost to the top.  They will bake up golden with attractive muffin tops! Makes 12 good sized muffins.

Calories: 120

Fat: 0.8 grams

Fiber: 2.4 grams

Carbs: 27.0 grams

Protein: 4.4 grams

Sugar: 12.6 grams

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Clean Up Time: Eating

It’s been a busy week already and its only Tuesday!  I’m in spring cleaning mode; we’re getting ready for a garage sale this weekend with some friends, and starting a month challenge of clean eating.

Today marks Day 2 of clean eating.  I’m trying this “diet” where you eat foods as close to nature intended them.   To me it’s not a diet, but a new lifestyle with more energy and a healthy soul.  I think I’ve always liked to eat healthy, clean eating just forces me not to take shortcuts or ignore the rules when a box of Oreos is brought into the house!

My friend and her family have convinced me to give it a try.  Her father, who already exercised moderately with no real weight loss, was able to shed 30 pounds in about a month by cleaning up his eating habits.  Way to go Mr. Merritt and Molly!

There are lots of resources about clean eating, Tosca Reno has a series of books, and there are many blogs that dedicate themselves to clean eating recipes.  I suggest reading some, The Gracious Pantry is my favorite, if you want to try eating clean.  There is a wealth of clean eating recipes out there as well.

 To me, clean eating is not about depriving yourself of anything, but choosing better options.  Clean eating to me can be summed up in 3 main ideas:

1.       Reduce/eliminate white sugar and white flour. 

Both of these ingredients are heavily processed and don’t offer much nutrition.  Whole wheat pastry flour, buckwheat flour, quinoa, lentils, agave syrup, and honey are some good substitutes. Alcohol is broken down into sugar by the body, so for now I am foregoing it, although I don’t plan to give it up forever J

2.       Eat food as close to whole or natural as possible.

 For example, fresh squeezed orange juice is better than reconstituted “fruit drink” or fat free greek yogurt over processed light varieties with aspartame. If it has the words “reduced fat” or “light” on the box, or a laundry list of ingredients, skip it!

3.       Drink plenty of water, as many ounces a day as half your body weight.

This isn’t a problem for me, I like being hydrate, and get cranky when I’m not.  I also like naturally sweetened ice tea or “spa water” instead of sodas or juice. Having a bottle with ounces measured on it helps too, I know I need to drink at least two Nalgines full of water a day.

I'm hoping to shed 5-10 pounds in a month or two..but more importantly I'm hoping to make this a life long goal.  There is a whole bag of easter candy that I haven't touched..already a victory in my book! Pin It Now!

Texas on my Mind..

Howdy!  I'm off to Ft. Worth today for some rest and relaxation (..and margaritas!) with my Mom, Aunt and friend Connie.  I can't wait.

When I get back I'll have lots of photos and stories!  Also can't wait to show the progress on the TV room! Pin It Now!

New Favorite: Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

A friend passed this recipe along and I have to say it was an instant favorite.  I love tortilla soup, and this one is super quick and healthy.  I threw all the ingredients together in the crock pot this morning in under ten minutes and had delicious soup waiting on me when I got home from the gym.  The soup is pretty hardy, I had a big bowl for dinner.

The original version is somewhere on the interwebs, I can't find the exact one I tweaked...but I'll tell you what I did.  The recipe is very adaptable, use what you got!

Into the crock pot:
2-3 raw chicken breast (whole breast thawed or partially frozen in my case. I use 3 because hubby uses extra meat in his tacos)
1 poblano pepper, rough chopped 1 inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
1 10oz. can red enchilada sauce
1-2 cups liquid (I used beef broth because it was in my fridge, substitute chicken broth or water..add more to taste if you like your soup more liquidy..or your crock pot runs out of room..really there are no rules here!)
1 can diced tomatoes (or rotel)
big pinch of cumin
big pinch of southwest blend (penzy's if you got it, skip if don't)
glove of garlic, diced or on micro plane
1 cup frozen corn
small pinch coco powder (makes it kind of smokey like a mole sauce)
bay leaf (optional)

Stir, cover, and cook about 5-6 hrs on low.  Mine cooked a little longer, more like 8 hours, and it was fine.  Then bask in your glory when you come home and dinner is waiting for you.  Oh, when done cooking, chicken is cooked thoroughly and your house smells like a Mexican cantina, remove the chicken from the liquid and shred with two forks.  Add meat back to soup (or reserve some for tacos) and stir, then serve.  I like to top my soup with some shredded cheese and cilantro leaves.  Crushed tortilla chips or strips and a squeeze of lime would have been nice if I had any.

If you can get your significant other to pour you a tall margarita and answer to Jose, I think that would round out this recipe nicely :) Pin It Now!

Seven Down..

Six point one more miles to go!

Thanks Maria, it was great running with a friend. 

mile splits: 11:37 11:49 12:42 12:29 12:28 13:00 11:59
still started out too fast, slow down at the beginning! Pin It Now!

School's Out for Eva!

Better late than ever with the pictures.  Graduation ceremony was held on 24 March 2011 at WPAFB, OH in the USAF Museum.

My friend Kristi and I before the ceremony.  She's a civilan government employee, so they wore cap and gowns.

Mike and I in front of an airplane in the museum. 

*Ignore the bangs in my face, just got my haircut*

Also, there was a Professional Guy Photo taken, but I don't really like it enough to buy it.

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Thank you Aunt Sandy!

Although not my real aunt, my friend Kasey's Aunt Sandy was visiting Kasey and invited me to go on a run with her.  She ran 18 miles, I ran 6.5.  Thank you for the motivation, it was such a fun run!

mile splits: 11:18 11:34 12:34 12:08 12:17 12:04
Note to self: don't start out too fast! Pin It Now!

Making Banana Pancakes

Good Morning Saturday! Nothing says hello to the weekend like a plate of pancakes covered in maple syrup, even if my weekend is sunny and currently 24 degrees F!

I was inspired by a recipe found on 101 Cookbooks for Whole Grain Pancakes.  I love Heidi's Blog and have made many of her healthy recipes.  She made her pancakes with blueberry syrup, which looks amazing, but I haven't tried it that way. I make mine with buckwheat, granola and bananas-copied off the menu of Blueberry Cafe in Bellbrook Ohio.  The cafe is a little drive away, so I figured I would re-create their great pancakes at home. 

Here is a copy of Heidi's recipe from 101 Cookbooks, I noted the things I changed.

Whole-Grain Pancake Recipe with Blueberry Maple Syrup

"If you can't find white whole wheat flour, feel free to substitute unbleached all-purpose flour.

2 cups white whole wheat flour (or unbleached all-purpose flour)*
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup natural granulated sugar (evaporated cane sugar)*
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt*
2 1/4 cups organic buttermilk*
2 large organic eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted (melt in the pan skillet you are going to use)

butter, to serve (and for pan)

*Steph's Notes: I use a medley of flours because I have them available, if you don't, use what you got  or use your own combinations to equal 2 cups.  I use 1 cup white whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup buckwheat flour, 1/2 cup white all purpose flour.

I use about 2-3 tablespoons honey, and the remainder of the 1/3 cup white sugar.

I never keep buttermilk on hand, just add 1 Tbs. lemon juice for every cup of regular milk to make buttermilk. Lastly, I omit the salt, I find salted butter to be salty enough for me*

To make the pancakes combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter. Stir all the ingredients until they are just combined. Don't worry if the batter is a bit lumpy, you don't want to over mix.

Heat your skillet, pan, or griddle to medium-hot and brush it with a bit of butter. Test for the right temperature. If a drop of water dropped onto the pan starts to dance, you are in the ballpark. Pour about 1/3 of a cup of batter into the skillet.

*Here is where I add some thin slices of bananas and a sprinkle of granola or cereal.  Today I used some crushed Kashi Go Lean because we didn't have any granola.  I think the added crunch from granola/cereal and sweetness from the fruit shouldn't be skipped!

Wait until the pancake bottom is deep golden in color, then flip with a spatula and cook the other side until golden and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve with a golden pat of butter and plenty of blueberries and syrup.

Makes about 12 large pancakes, or dozens of silver-dollars - enough to feed a small crowd."

I LOVE these pancakes!  You can try them the HubbyWay-served with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup on top that gets all melted! They do take longer to cook than normal box pancakes, but they end up super golden and fluffy.  I even freeze the leftovers in plastic wrap inside a baggie, and toast them in the toaster in the mornings when I want a quick breakfast.

Happy Weekend!

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I am Loved

Thank you Mom, Dad and Andrew for my Graduation Flowers! I love them, can't wait for the Iris to open!
Love you! Pin It Now!

Oh ellen, you make me laugh.. Pin It Now!

Five Miles Down..

...Eight more to go!

1 mile splits: 11:48 12:05 11:52 11:47 10:47
Felt good, except my knee.  Remember to warm up more. Pin It Now!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood...

The weather has been gorgeous this week! Sunny, high's in the 60's, cool enough to go on a run with a light jacket on.  I worked in the yard earlier this week and again today, it felt great to get outside and clean up the yard.  Still have lots of sticks from the ice storm, but the flower beds are getting in shape.

 I started two projects today, one was a thrifty craft, the other an experimental recipe.

First, the craft!

I was inspired to make a spring time/easter wreath, and I didn't want to pay JoAnn thirty dolla for her handiwork.  So...I picked up the grapevine wreath at Goodwill, only $1.99!  I bought some fake flowers and ribbon at the Dollar Tree along with some moss, that will be for another project.  I also set up a craft table in our TV room today.  I had to move the couch, but I think the change is nice.

Before...

After...

I love it! Although my bow making skills have yet to be perfected, I think she's cute.  It just screams Spring.  Wow, I didn't realize how pink it was until now..oh well!

On to..the bread!
So as I was crafting, I was listening to the steady whirl of my bread machine.  I decided to make some homemade healthy-ish cinnamon raisin bread.  I took a trip to Dorthy Lane markets last week and tried their artisan purple wheat raisin bread.  Purple wheat you ask? Yes, the bread was purple and delicious.  So, having polished off the half-loaf I bought, I wanted to try my hand at cinnamon raisin bread.  I also had some buckwheat flour that I thought might be good in a loaf.  I used 1 cup all purpose white, 1.5 cups whole wheat and 0.5 cups buckwheat flour as my base.  I also used honey and sugar for sweetness. I found a simple recipe online and gathered my ingredients...

..and made me some bread!  Although mine is no Dorthy Lane, its not too bad. Hubby and I had some with strawberries and vanilla ice cream.  If I was going to make it again, I think I would increase the sugar, it was a little too yeasty for me, but good raisin and cinnamon taste.

Man, it was a productive day..Tomorrow will be busy too, but hopefully the good weather holds, I will be running 5 miles tomorrow :)! Pin It Now!

Experimental Dinner

I tried a new quinoa dish last night, I added some frozen cauliflower and chopped raisins half way through cooking.  I also seasoned with curry and cumin, I was going for a morrocan vibe.  Served with pork chops and apple slices and drizzle as hubby called it.  Drizzle was a happy accident-reduced pan drippings while the quinoa finished cooking :)  I think it turned out well!

I will remember to take photos next time! Pin It Now!

A Fresh Start

As my thesis work is winding down and the thought of graduating has me giddy, I can't help but reflect on the last year and a half.  A lot has happened, a new house, a new husband (well, first and only husband), starting a new job, maybe a new pet?  I know it's not January, but I finally feel calm enough to think about the new year and all the exciting possibilities...

I started my first week of 8 week half marathon training (!!) Just writing that down seems like a big commitment.  I am still somewhat hesitant about finishing 13.1 miles, but I think I will come around.  I just want to finish within the same day I start the race!  I know the mental stamina is going to be just as tough as the physical aspect.  I've been borrowing a friend's GPS running watch, and it is awesome!  I love knowing my distance and pace, it keeps me motivated, even if I am slow.  Slow and steady baby! 

I can't wait to finish up some renovation projects with my hubby.  I've put a lot of projects on hold to focus on school, and now that its almost over I have no more excuses.  I think we are going to tackle the baseboards and molding first.  It has been a year since we took up the carpet and refinished our hard wood floors.  We still haven't painted and installed all of the base boards yet!  Next I want to refinish an old coffee table that was given to me, I'm thinking some silver antiqued paint with mirror overlays, similar to the Hayworth collection at Pier 1.

Ahh..how could I forget about the garden! I can not wait for some warmer days to go out and start prepping the  garden space for my veggies. I've started the seedlings inside in seed pods, they will still take another 4-6 weeks to sprout and harden off.  I've got some tomatoes, peppers, jalapenos, zucchini and herbs.  As much as I hate northern winters, I love the spring and summer!

I haven't been to adventurous in the kitchen lately, I think once the spring produce starts arriving I will be more inspired.  I'm trying to cook and eat super healthy for the half marathon training, but we'll see how that goes.  I tried a whole food "diet" before where you try and eat everything as close to nature intended it.  Its definitely an adjustment, and more expensive than normal groceries, but I think worth trying.  It feels good that you aren't filling up your body with fillers and chemicals.  Right now, I'm trying to limit my sweet tooth, but sometimes I feel I should just go cold turkey.  Its so hard just eating ONE cookie!! :)

Well, I have a lot on my plate coming up..can't wait to get started on all the exciting new goals! Pin It Now!