It's been a long time..............

Wow-it's been a long time since the last post. Life happened....I am going to revamp things around here and try to start posting frequently.

Gosh! I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted anything. I can be lazy sometimes LOL. Well,alot has been going on since my last post. We have a new addition to the family. We had been talking a while about getting TinkerBelle a little friend,but I really didn't think seriously about it. I didn't think that I could handle more than one dog PLUS everything else around the house and our homeschooling. Having a new puppy is very much like having a new baby...One Sunday,the husband just up and said "do you want to get another dog or not?". Talk about out of the blue! I said "I guess so.". We tried to find the phone number to the lady that we got TinkerBelle from,but couldn't find her in the phone book or online. I checked the CKC website and found a list of people who had MinPin pups. We hopped in the truck and drove to CARTHAGE,MS-an hour and a half drive from where we live. We found a sweet,little girl MinPin and of course we brought her home. I had a name picked out in advance-I wanted something that either rhymed or fit well with TinkerBelle. JezzaBelle is almost 4 months old and is probably close to 5pounds now.Our vet says she probably won't get bigger than about 8pounds. At first,the husband laughed that I wanted to name her JezzaBelle,but has come to realize that it fits her perfectly. She's a sassy,little thing. I told him that if you're,little you have to have a little spice and spunk! TinkerBelle spent the first couple of days hiding from her under the bed. They still have their spats,but they are getting along better every day. TinkerBelle has started playing and running around more. Jezzie has helped to bring back her puppy spirit,I guess. Jezzie is a little "mama's baby". She loves to sit or sleep in my lap. The husband was holding her the other day and I went out to run errands. He said that as soon as she heard the front door shut,she went to howling and crying like he's never heard! I guess she's spoiled-just a little bit.
We also started a new year of homeschooling,so I am going to be busy with that.

Miss JezzaBelle on our ride home

Jezzie and Tinkie getting to know each other

JezzaBelle

My newest obsession....

Iced Coffees........................

Mocha Nut Fudge K-Cup

Mocha Coconut K-Cup

Mudslide K-Cup

I have some coffee I picked up to try Pioneer Woman's recipe but just haven't done it yet. I'm enjoying my K-cups too much right now,but will definately try it soon and report back to everyone.

a little something sweet.......

When you're eating healthy,sometimes it can be hard to satisfy that sweet tooth. These brownies are both low fat and low sugar--a win win in my book! Instead of making the brownies totally from scratch,I used a sugar free cake mix. I made a double batch so I could stash some in the freezer and pull out when I'm having a chocolate attack.


Low Fat Brownies (Dr OZ)
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup 1% milk
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp powdered sugar

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray; set aside.

In large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon; set aside.

In medium bowl, beat the sugar, brown sugar, milk, egg white, applesauce and vanilla with a spoon until well combined. Stir wet mixture into dry mixture, mixing just until moistened.

Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake 22 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar.

Eating Healthier......

I've been on my husband for YEARS about eating healthier and exercising more. Ever since we got back from visiting his "long lost" family,I've started to see a few changes in him. He has drasticly cut back on how much sugary sodas he drinks. Instead of the usual case of regular sized cans or the tall bottles of soda,I have been buying the mini-size bottles. Usually where he could easily go through a case or more a week,he's still working on the pack I bought him 2 weeks ago. He's been drinking water and "diet" citrus green tea. I found a green tea blend that I can make iced tea with and I've been drinking more of that. I've also been eating less bread--I prefer wraps anyway and always go for the healthiest ones-low carb/no fat. He has been eating more whole wheat/whole grain bread whenever he has his fave pbj sandwiches. His sister's family for the most part eats very healthy meals. While we were there she made a pasta dish using whole wheat (dreamfield's) pasta. Now whenever I'd make something with whole wheat pasta,he would complain about having to eat it. I've made 3 pasta dishes in the past few weeks,and he hasn't said ONE WORD about it. That is until last night,he commented on the last spaghetti I made for him. He said "you know,that whole wheat pasta isn't that bad"! Yeah,I know,honey,it's not. LOL We have eaten more fish too. Usually,the fish here isn't all that good--at least most of the frozen ones that I've tried. I don't think it's the same brand that his sister uses at their fish market,but I am pretty sure it's the same "cut". We've been having TILAPIA at least twice a week. Before,we would have salmon or fancy fish sticks maybe once a month or so. Now I crave fish. I even made a shrimp boil last Friday,and aside from it being too HOT,it was fabulous! I am definately going to try that again--this time without so much spice! He went to the E/R over the weekend for an eye infection and they weighed him and he was 201. He went to his regular dr today for a follow-up about the infection, and he's down another 3 pounds. I did a cleanse last week and am this week starting a diet. Not really a DIET per say,but I am starting to consciously make better food and drink choices. Hopefully,I will begin to see a change, too. I hope to get us all into the routine of getting up early and walking the dog around the neighborhood. I know all of us could use the extra exercise. It's funny how meeting his family and finding a part of his life that he didn't really know was missing has caused these changes in him. It's not like he was sitting around moping or lamenting the situation,but he mentioned to me that he feels different since this whole thing has come about. It's amazing that even though my husband and his sister grew up very differently--they have similar personalities. He told me that he can't understand it-that even though they have only known each other a few weeks,that it feels like they have known each other FOREVER. I'm so glad it's worked out this way.I'm glad that he's finally taking a look at his health and hopefully these good changes will become new habits. The only other thing I wish he would try and STOP for his health is the tobacco-he's a "dipper". It really grosses my son out that he does it and he is really on him to stop it. (remember those REJECT ALL TOBACCO commercials--RAT!) I told him that it's something that his dad has to want to do. The last time I picked it up for him,I picked up some mint tobacco and mint "packets" that are supposed to help him stop. I hope he gets the hint.

Kofta with tahinni and jasmin rice with dates




Well,last week,we went to South Carolina to visit my husband's "long lost family". It was an amazing adventure. It still seems surreal. His sister's husband is Egyptian and made some awsome foods for us during our stay. They run a seafood market/restraunt-so needless to say,they can cook! One night during our stay,Waleed cooked KOFTA KEBABS for us. They were delicious! I made them tonight and the husband didn't have any complaints. I hope to learn more about the food culture of Egypt--and try many more delicious dishes.




Kofta Kebabs
ground meat
kosher sea salt
minced garlic
grated onion
ground coriander
ground cumin
ground cinnamon
ground allspice
ground ginger
ground nutmeg
chopped fresh parsley
chopped fresh mint
ground black pepper
**bamboo skewers

mash the salt and garlic into a paste-place the garlic paste into a large bowl-add in your meat and spices--mix well by hand-form into balls-place onto skewer--you can either cook on grill or in the oven.

**I baked ours for convenience.

Jasmin Rice with dates
add chopped dates to the rice as it is cooking-cook on medium/low until all the liquid is gone-serve warm.

Tahini Sauce
Tahini paste
honey
salt
minced garlic mashed into a paste with salt
lemon juice
HOT water

Add equal parts of tahini paste with hot water and stir until smooth--add in the salt,garlic,lemon juice,and honey--may have to add more or less salt depending on your tastes (I didn't measure-I just added until we liked it)--stir until smooth--when satisfied with the taste,squeeze a little lemon juice on top and sprinkle a little cumin on top for presentation also.

The tahini sauce was served over both the rice and the kofta. I'm going to have to play around with my tahini sauce recipe. It was my first time making it at home,and it was good but I'm not satisfied.

My husband and son with my husband's mother Sallie

Supper Sandwiches.......

Sometimes we all need something quick and easy to make for supper. While I was at the allergy clinic getting my shots this week,I flipped through a few magazines and found THIS sandwich recipe. I used "texas toast" bread and a mix of turkey and honey ham with gouda cheese. It turned out fabulous.It's definately a keeper recipe.I made these for a late lunch yesterday. My husband ate 1/2 with his lunch and then took the other whole sandwich that was leftover to work with him. This is a recipe that you can really customize to your family's different tastes. You can easily use your fave deli meats or use different cheeses.