Breakfast- Quinoa

Quinoa with sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, pine nuts, goat cheese and cayenne pepper.

aka

Breakfast

This is so good. I'm eating and writing (which is not very French!) okay wait.....

Two minutes later: Done...What do you expect?! It's delicious and it was only half a ramekin! Anyway, back to the Quinoa, little bits my favorite things. I have to go to the store so I had to use what I had. 

White Quinoa

A Tablespoon of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil from a jar. 

A Tablespoon of dry roasted pine nuts.

Goat Cheese for creaminess.

Cayenne Pepper and a little Black Pepper for a kick. 

It's sweet and crunch and creamy and spicy. 

The perfect breakfast after my French Skinny walk. 

Today is the fourth day walking four miles a day. I thought I was in shape until I started walking 4 miles a day. Why would I think I was in shape? I have no idea, I really didn't think my legs and shins would hurt going from two miles a day to four miles a day. I started Monday. The next morning was the worst. No, actually Wednesday was pretty bad too. But today it feels better. I'm sleeping better also. I'll be working through lunch so we'll see if this takes me to dinner. Lots of water. Lots. 

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One good thing a day for a year:

Monday: Starting my 4 miles a day! 

Tuesday: After walking 4 miles this is the best pineapple I've ever had.

Wednesday: I sure am lucky to be walking 4 miles even if my legs are KILLING me. 

Thursday: Quinoa Breakfast! 

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For a fun time, Blog Hop with Smacksy and her friends today. They'll tell you why you're glad they didn't blog in the 80's. 

The Weekend

Saturday, I was privileged to witness a beautiful wedding between two people who are in love. It was to be an outdoor wedding under a gazebo at 2:00pm in Arizona. Grandma Dee, my sister Tammy, my six year old son and I flew to Arizona Friday night. At each airport we got a wheelchair for Grandma and with that comes VIP service.  (I want to take Grandma Dee with me on every trip!)  It was my son's first airplane ride. He got to go into the cockpit with the pilot and look around, the stewardess was incredibly nice and 6 asked me if there would be a trolly with drinks and snacks like on the train in the Harry Potter movie. I will never forget holding his hand and watching his face during takeoff. The excitement and pure joy was followed by hugs and kisses. The stewardess came by with "the trolly" and asked if she could make him a Shirley Temple (Sprite and raspberry juice I think) The flight was an hour and a half then the bags, the rental car and finally the hotel. We had just unpacked and gone to dinner at a really fun restaurant called The Rustler's Rooste when it started. The rain.

It rained hard. All night long. Uh oh. Outdoor wedding? The next morning we called and found out the place they were going to get married was flooded with 3 inches of water and unless we got a boat for Grandma Dee and the rest of the guests that location was cancelled. There were tears.

But, remembering it is all about love and being married, they decided to go ahead and get hitched.

The ceremony took place in the garage where the groom's father usually kept his Harley Davidson motorcycles. It was tricked out with hardwood floors, posters of Harley chicks on the walls, a  bar and a giant T.V. They had moved the motorcycles out and put tables and chairs inside. They got a couple of tents and extended them down the driveway.

The bride and groom are crazy in love. They said their own vows and I cried happy tears. It was an adapt and overcome moment and it was sincere, unique and lovely.

In a few weeks, when the weather clears up, they will have that outdoor reception. We can't go but I feel so lucky to have been there for the big event.

The next day, on the way to the airport,  we stopped at a restaurant called Ghallager's for lunch. They had Ghost Pepper Hot Wings on the menu.  I've never seen anything with a ghost pepper (the hottest pepper in the world) on a menu before and I've never tried anything with a ghost pepper in it.
I called Hubby before I ordered to get his opinion. He said he thought it was a terrible idea since I'm getting on a plane in 2 hours. Then 6 started chanting "Do it! Do it! Do it!"  (He and Hubby have watched way too many episodes of Man vs. Food) So I did. I ordered the half dozen.

It was the hottest sauce I've ever had. Ever. Ever.  However, it was also very tasty. And the wings were baked, then grilled. Delicious!

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After an action packed weekend, I'm back to FS portions. I had an egg for breakfast, then took a FS walk to the store for my lunch. (An apple, a little smoked gouda and a giant bottle of water.) Later, I'll walk to pick up my son from school. (About 4 miles of walking altogether) Dinner will be a lovely soup Hubby made. FS size of course!

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One good thing a day for a year:

Experiencing my son's first plane ride.

Watching love conquer all. (Even the weather.)

Ghost pepper hot wings.

Sharing it all with my Grandma Dee and my sister, Tammy. 

Bon Appétit: The Food Lover's Cleanse

Photos and recipes from Bon Appetit 

Pear with goat cheese and honey

Salted, Seedy Chocolate Bark

Green juice is good to get the cleanse started (ahem) but  I think I'm moving on to  Bon Appetite The Food Lovers Cleanse. Pears with goat cheese and honey and salted, seedy chocolate bark are just a few gorgeous recipes.

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Simple:
Keeping it simple and easy this year for me means, breakfast can be sharing an orange with 6. I savored every small crescent of the juicy orange while we played a card game he made up. (The rules are always very complicated and somehow he always wins.)

Coffee and oranges in the morning remind me of Milano, Italy. I lived there for two years and often had this for breakfast with the Italian momma I was staying with. It's strange how a few scents put together will bring a long forgotten memory straight into the dining room.

Maybe one day, when my little boy is all grown up,  he'll share coffee and oranges for breakfast with someone. And maybe he'll remember this morning.  Playing a very complicated card game with his momma and somehow always winning.

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One good thing every day for a year: (I have to catch up on a few days)

A spontaneous game of charades performed by 6. Hubby and I had to guess what he was doing. Example: An interpretive dance of a booger coming out of a little baby's nose. The first one to get 10 points wins the game. I was on a 6 year old mind meld for half the game but Hubby had a comeback and won by one point. 

Coffee served in bed.

Watching 6 sink a putt on the golf course. 

Snuggling for an hour.

Listening to the rain, eating oranges and drinking coffee for breakfast. 

Passion Fruit Jam

Homemade Passionfruit Jam 

from my friend, Jennifer.

My friend, Jennifer, made this for me for Christmas. Passionfruit Jam tastes like all the wonderful things I love about Hawaii. I don't even put it on bread, I just eat it out of the jar. I'm very stingy with my passionfruit jam.  I let the guys know I double dip so they won't eat any. 

I take a bite and I'm immediately transported to Hawaii, my favorite place on the planet...

The air smells sweet, I can hear the ocean, and I'm sipping my first cup of Kona coffee. My shoulders relax and I think about all the snorkeling I'm going to do later.  

The last time I was in Maui was fourteen years ago, for my friends wedding. I want to go this year.   I'm going to go this year. I am! I want to wake up at four o clock in the morning and take the guys to Haleakala (a volcano that means House Of The Sun) to watch the sun come up. Then drive slowly down to see the glorious island with it's white puffy clouds and farmland that looks like the most beautiful quilt you've ever seen. 

Thank you, sweet friend, for my inspiration. Delicious jam that transforms a moment of my day into the sweetest of dreams. 

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Green juice update: Shhhhhhhh don't tell anyone but I haven't had any this weekend. I'll probably  absolutely have some for the next 4 days. Then I'm taking a little break. 

I've had my lazy French Onion Soup,  grilled seafood, and a couple of spoonfuls of passionfruit jam this weekend. Always French Skinny portions. 

My tummy is definitely used to the FS portions. If I have more than the FS portions, I get a tummy ache. 

I haven't made the avocado in foil.  I skipped breakfast yesterday and cleaned out my closet. It was like Vegas, I entered at six thirty in the morning and come out at dinnertime. Four bags of clothes, purses and shoes to donate. Closet cleaned! Done! 

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One good thing a day for a year:

6 told me he was so glad I'm doing my blog again  because it makes me happy. 

And, of course, a whole jar of passionfruit jam all to myself. 

Aloha

Avocado In Foil

Photo and recipe from The Traveling Spoon

This seems like a perfect French Skinny meal. Avocado, egg, cheese....YES! I have all of this in my house, maybe I'll try it for breakfast.


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Green Juice update:
I've been doing the green juice all week and this morning I woke up feeling...a little weak. So I had a some protein. One egg and one piece of bacon for breakfast. I had some juice for lunch.

Hubby went crazy and bought shrimp, catfish and scallops from the fish market. He's going to grill it all for dinner. I made a really simple and fast onion soup to go with it. 3 onions and one head of garlic sautéed with olive oil and a little butter, add one carton of organic vegetable stock, herbs de provence, salt and pepper. Pour in a bowl, add a few pieces of baguette and some gruyere on top. I didn't even put it back in the oven, the cheese melted into the hot soup and it was yummy.

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One good thing a day for a year:
It's always a good thing when Hubby makes dinner. 

Martha's Creme Brûlée

Martha's Creme Brûlée 

Creme Brûlée is my FAVORITE dessert and this recipe from Martha Stuart looks... oh, so fantastic.

And...it's not kale!


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Green juice update:
I'm drinking it.

End of update.

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One good thing a day for a year:
Just received a spontaneous kiss from my 6 year old for making the best peas ever. 
What can I say? It's a gift. 

Damn Delicious Pasta And A Juice Fail

Photo and recipe from Damn Delicious

This looks absolutely delicious! Pesto pasta with sun dried tomatoes and roasted asparagus. There's a fried egg involved...LOVE IT!!!
Go visit Damn Delicious and make this now.


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Juicing update:
Monday, my lovely friend loaned me a brand new juicer. (Super not excited but minimally intrigued.) It has to be easier than blending, straining, straining, straining, right? I got all my veggies ready, read the directions, turned it on, put in 5 chopped up kale leaves and half an apple.  Minutes later the motor burned out and it's now dead. It was  a brand new juicer! Still in the box! (Sigh)

Turns out I have a tendency to burn out motors. The juicer, the string edger thingy (for the lawn), my brother's ice cream machine...
What have I learned?  I shouldn't borrow anything with a motor.

My juicing friend and I have lunch together Monday-Friday this week. What this means is that we are finding places around town that make fresh green juice that include kale. Mmmmm kale.

Turns out Whole Foods makes a few delightful juices. I had something that included both kale and cayenne pepper. (Kicky!)

Begrudgingly, I have to say, that I'm getting so many nutrients with these drinks I'm not hungry at all. My body's happy. That being said, I'm not about to go all no sugar, no flour, no croissants over here.
(Tantrumy!)

I know I have at least another week of this and then I'll see.
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One good thing a day for a year:
Tuesday- Hubby took me on a date! (We had reservations at 5:00pm and were home by 6:45pm cause we are CRAZY!) But it was really fun and he was 1950's charming.

Wednesday- A hug from my past. 15 years ago I worked for a woman, Jenny, who introduced me to my future sister-in-law who set me up on a blind date with her brother who has been my Hubby for 15 years. (We got married fast) I haven't seen Jenny since my wedding. Today Jenny ran over to me, and we had a 10 second hug before she literally ran off  yelling "I haven't seen you in 15 years!" while I yelled back, "I'm still married!"

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Here's to dates and hugs!...and kale?

"Mom, your brain is like a million flowers. "

My favorite part of the day started with this quote. 

Happy Monday.

French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup

Repost:  My recipe and how to not cry over onions. 

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One good thing a day for a year- My 6 year old told me he was proud of me. 

Green Juice

 So... I have my Kale, parsley, celery and green apple.

Chopped it up really good and blended it.

I strained it.

And strained it.

Mmmmm Kale.

Then we went to a juice bar and had some delightful green juice with a cup of tomato basil soup. 

My friend stuck her bracelet in the picture for a little bling. 

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One good thing a day for a year- Hubby smoked a pork butt and my cousins brought over 5 bags of Portos baked goods for dinner!

Juicing Tantrum

Today I'm attending a class on juicing.

How I feel about it:  Tre not excited.

How did this happen: My friend was in the hospital for the 5th time because she has tummy issues. I told her she has to start juicing. (I have never juiced, so clearly I was channelling a well meaning spirit) My friend said, "Okay, great, what a coincidence because our other friend is teaching a class on it and can you come with me and support the new healthy lifestyle you talked me into?" I said "Absolutely NOT!  That sounds horrible!" "Of course I will, because I am a super awesome friend!"

We meet at 8:30am:  My outside self is smiling and saying adult things like "This is so great! I can't wait to learn! Mmmm kale!" My inside is screaming like a 4 year old being dragged by their mom into the fabric store. "Noooooooo I don't care about Butterick patterns and jersey knits and everything smells wierd!"

But I'm an adult, so I'm polite.

Our friend who's teaching the class has been studying macrobiotics and yoga for 12 years. She's incredibly knowledgable and has devoted her life to this. So I sat politely for awhile and then realize I'm transfixed for 2 hours devouring information about food that I had never heard of but made perfect sense. When she threw out things like "Daikon Radish can eliminate cellulite and get your metabolism going." I was suddenly INCREDIBLY interested!

So I bought some organic veggies (Daikon was one of them!) and made a plan. 

Now, I'm 2 days off the best pork chop I've ever had and I have no interest in doing a juice fast but I love my friend so in solidarity to her I said I would try and blend some kale in a blender and strain it through cheesecloth every morning for 10 days. (This sounded TOTALLY rational this morning after drinking the kale koolaid) Then, Monday through Friday next week I would accompany her to the Juice Bar place and get another green concoction for lunch. Dinner would have to be with my guys and they don't even know I'm doing this juice thing. Oy!

My friend and I came back to my house after our total epiphany juice cleanse class and she proceeded to pull out a box of the most delicious chocolate with salt I've ever had in my entire life!

Then Hubby wanted to make me nachos for dinner. I said no thank you Darling, I don't require any kryptonite this evening.   He made this instead.

A grilled giant chili stuffed with queso fresco cheese, habanero chilies, wrapped in bacon, with a side of salsa and 2 chips.

As I'm freaking out about the fact that my whole French Skinny plan has been taken over by juicing and bacon, I realize this is what it's all about.

Living.

Trying new things.

 Going with the flow.

Juicing for breakfast, chocolate for lunch and bacon for dinner.

This, my friends, is balance. 

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One good thing a day for a year- Kale, bacon and chocolate!

Caprese Ravioli with Roasted Tomato Pesto Sauce

Yummy picture and recipe found at Proud Italian Cook 

This looks so gorgeous and Proud Italian Cook makes it look easy!

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One good thing a day for a year- My friends made me a better person today. 

Caramelized Onion Tart

From simplylovefood

Caramelized onions, gruyere, thyme...I'm making this!




One good thing a day for a year- Hubby surprised me. He took a photo of our day in the snow and made a giant poster out of it. 

A Gorgeous Potato

I found this at seasaltwithfood.

A gorgeous potato can make my day.





One good thing a day for a year- Watched my 6 year old get excited about reading.

Pan Roasted Pork Chop

Pan Roasted Pork Chop from Bon Appetit

I'm making this tonight.



One good thing a day for a year - I'm making this tonight!

Little Red Dress- Inspiration

Found at Modcloth.com

Isn't this the sweetest little dress? Inspiration for my French Skinny tune up.

More getting ready:

Breakfast - I'm taking my inspiration from Shaboom. She would have yogurt a lot over there in Paris. Their serving size is half the size of ours so I'm only eating a half a container of yogurt. Enough to take my vitamins.

Lunch will be my Quinoa.

Dinner will be whatever I make for the guys. (Whatever I can ram into that ramekin!) 




One good thing a day for a year- #5:  Just got a message from g. Reconnected with a friend. 

Getting Started

I'll have fries with that!

So, I've made up my mind to French Skinny it.
Getting Started.

1. I know it will take 3 days to get my tummy used to French Skinny portions. But what does that mean? Shaboomy told me about the size of a fist. I have a ramekin I like to use. And whatever I can ram into that ramekin is what I eat. Maybe I should call it the Ramekin Lifestyle!

2. I'll be walking 6 to school everyday to get my 2 miles of walking in.

3. Convenience. I know I'll be going into work almost everyday for a few hours and I need a plan for lunch. I'll make a big batch of Quinoa Sunday night so I don't have to think about it the rest of the week. One cup of Quinoa with lots of veggies will be enough for 5 servings. I like Quinoa with sautéed mushrooms, onions, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pepper and butter. (If all I'm eating is what's rammed into this ramekin it better taste good!) I add a little bit of Chèvre at the end for creaminess.



Good Thing: Today was a day spent with friends.

The Cookies Are Gone?

The cookies are gone? All those glorious mounds of sugar and flour are gone? Turn your back for a week and the guys have traveled through the cupboards like giant ants on a peppermint. No crumbs left. No evidence. So I'm calling it. The end of the giant eating festival I call the Holidays. Time to French Skinny it again!

To get started I'm making a list of all the things I can do instead of eating out of boredom.
Example:
1. Zero inbox. (Did I mention I have zero emails in my inbox?!)
2. Clean closet. (This is an ongoing war  project.)
3. Finish writing book, 2 screenplays, 4 pilots..okay 7 pilots if you count the 3 animation treatments.
4. Parent my 6 year old.    Forget that one, it's too hard. TV is so educational!
5. Walk, Dance, Zumba! Shop!

It's going to take 3 days to get my tummy used to to FS portions.

I have zero inbox. I can do this!


One good thing a day. For a year. 
This morning 6 woke me up with this. 

"Mom, wake up. Wake up, mom, I have to tell you something."

"Yeah Buddy?"

"You have the softest eyeball covers."

Snow Day

Today we had a spontaneous snow day. Hubby and I  drove our kid 30 minutes to the nearest patch of snow. We watched our 6 year old have his first snowball fight, build his first snowman and ride his first sled. (The sled was actually a boogie board but we think it made a fine sled.)

There were so many good things today it's hard to pick one. But if I have to, I'd say it was watching my guys make this snowman with the pinecone hat.

I think he's perfect.

Happy New Year 2013

2012 has been...many things. Beautiful, horrible, poignant, tearful, gratifying and frustrating. There seems to be too much and not enough time. Some things are happening too fast and yet some seem to crawl along taunting me with it's pace.

2013
Inspired by my friend, Jen, I want to try and write at least one good thing that happens to me every day for an entire year.


Christmas is finally over, the last bit of gift exchange with friends. The tree is down, the ornaments put away and a few holiday cards blink at me when I pass them on the counter. I have so much to be grateful for.

Today was shared with friends. No one rushing to an appointment. No one bored. There was laughter and hugs, smiles and tears of joy.

I also went through 6,943 emails in my inbox and brought it down to ZERO! That's right. I have a zero inbox. I'm so excited I may clean out my closet.
Tomorrow.
Maybe.

Have a beautiful night.