Everything changes, everything stays the same.

I just want to thank TLC for coming up with a reality show that makes you either want to slit your wrists or be thankful your life isn't half as shitty...."Addicted"....ugh.  Its hard to see people in such emotional pain that they can't realize what they are doing to themselves...watching a woman get blind drunk, trick her grandpa into loaning her 20 bucks so she can shoot heroin...all the while knowing that not one of the things she is doing is going to "fix" whatever is wrong... I may not have messed with the big stuff but I know what that feeling is like... I think to a degree we all self medicate...giving up everything really only left me with my oldest vice- food...and how do you walk away from that addiction?! ha...I started the year pretty gung ho on the healthy straight and narrow...but have since slid into a sort of self depreciating spiral...I need to get back on it...a lot is riding on me becoming healthy...for myself, my family, most importantly my son...I just need to be ok with the fact that I will screw up...this will be a long process...there is no miracle cure...and I am stronger than I think.

GRRRRR get mad woman (I say to myself) no one is going to hold my hand...I just need to do it...so Nike of me.

I will say that the beauty of not drinking very much at all means that when I indulge and have a frothy glass of Guinness it makes me feel quite nice.  Happy belated St. Pats <3

i love my little goober.

I LOVE YOU

I remember seeing the commercial for this product a while back and instantly called bullshit! They depict a woman who is craving a snack, a chocolatey snack, and they show her reach in to the cupboard for this cereal.  I am a choco-holic, nah, I am a food-aholic and at the time that I saw this commercial I couldn't believe they were trying to pitch to the public that this cereal is as good as a slice of of gooey chocolate cake, or a tub of chocolate ice cream.

I am here to say that I am a convert!  This cereal is so yummy, and this combined with chocolate soy milk brings the snack to a beautiful 190 calories.  Not to mention all the vitamins and goodness you get from eating antioxidant chocolate, and good grains, and in my case, a serving of soy milk.

So get out there and buy your special K....whether it be berry-ful, or chocolately delicious....you will not be disappointed!

New year- new blog?

When I first started this blog, I figured it would mostly be a spot for me to post pictures of my family and post all the great recipes my husband and I make...things changed after a photo shoot with a good friend of ours.

Its not like I don't have a mirror.  Or I'm not self-aware.  I just...let things slip...two years couch surfing while being pregnant, and then an angsty new mom really takes a toll.  Especially when I ate what I wanted to eat and didn't care much about the rest.  After seeing these pictures, and believe me there are worse ones...I decided to put my foot down. (again for the millionth time) I WILL BE HEALTHY.  If not for me, for my son and my husband.

Here we are 11 days into the new year and the house is free of crappy fatty junky foods, exercise is my new best friend, and calorie counting is something I enjoy.  Its all a game.  One that I can master. This site is helping so much!

I have given up smoking (2 yrs in July), drinking (minus a glass of wine once or twice a month), soda...and I feel much better, and do not feel like I am missing out.  I can't imagine what I will feel like once the weight is off of me.  I know for sure sleep will be glorious.  Prior to my pregnancy I had lost a bunch of weight and for the first time in a very long time, I knew what it felt like to sleep and not feel crushed by my own body.  So sleep...I look forward to you.  Cute dresses...will be mine!

So now this blog will be a place for me to vent my frustrations about the weight loss journey.  My successes and failures.  Adventures taken with the family, pictures of my son of course :) and killer HEALTH(ier) recipes.  Sweet XD

let them eat cake

 I wanted to try my hand at making cake from scratch...so I decided to try something easy...and went with texas sheet cake...when it comes to frosting-even plain old box cakes I always try too soon and end up with a demolished cake and clumps of frosting...I still have emotional scars from ruining my moms 38th birthday...her cake looked like cake vomit...but she ate it because she loves me <3 thanks mama.  My brother started baking cakes in high school after my grandma Green showed him how- it was cool- and strange he rarely ate what he made (not a big cake fan) but loved to make them for peoples birthdays...I miss those days.

found the recipe here.

Texas Sheet cake V

Rated: Submitted By: Carolyn Herbert Photo By: foodaholic Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 35

"Chocolate cake made in a 10x15 inch sheet pan, covered with chocolate frosting and walnuts."

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups white sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup sour cream 2 eggs 1 cup butter 1 cup water

5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder   6 tablespoons milk 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 cup butter 4 cups confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10x15 inch pan.
2.	Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix in the sour cream, then beat in the eggs. Set aside. In a saucepan, melt the butter, then stir in the water and 5 tablespoons cocoa. Bring mixture to a boil then remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly, then stir cocoa mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing until blended.
3.	Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
4.	For the icing: In a large saucepan, combine the milk, 5 tablespoons cocoa and 1/2 cup butter. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Stir in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla, then fold in the nuts, mixing until blended. Spread frosting over warm cake. (my changes were I had no milk so i used evaporated milk, and i added a pinch of cinnamon to the batter) Dev couldn't have cake so I fed him his favorite- oatmeal and fruit...he didn't complain one bit!

pumpkin curry turkey surprise!

Usually on the last day of my hub's weekend we spend the day cooking several meals for the week ahead- its easier on me and its nice for my husband has something good to take to work so he doesn't have to depend on fast food...last night I wanted to make a curry with ground turkey and thought I'd add some libby's pumpkin to the mix...turned out so freakin' good!

only thing missing is some chicken stock I used to thin out the sauce

over medium heat softened  an onion, a shallot, and about 8 cloves of garlic

added the turkey, salt and pepper to taste- once the turkey had browned added the spices- I used allspice two kinds of curry powder, some house seasoning and let that go for a few minutes to warm up the spices.

next i added the can of coconut milk, half a large can of libbys pumpkin (not the pie mix) and some chicken stock until it reached the consistency I was looking for...let that cook down a bit.

cooked up some egg noodles and tossed those in...and lastly added half a bag of petite sweet peas....

Will definately make this again!

beautiful blond(ies)

This recipe was scary easy...I mean once I grabbed all the ingredients it took maybe 10 minutes to whip up and throw in the oven...food like that...is just dangerous to me and my husband lol...yay blondies!

the usual suspects

1 stick melted butter, pinch of salt, 1 firmly packed cup of brown sugar, one large egg, dashes coconut and pure vanilla extract mixed till smooth

1 cup a/p flour, and 1 cup each coconut and chocolate chips- ready for baking!

I lined an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and baked it for around 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Tada!

For this particular batch I browned the butter and let cool which gave it an extra nutty flavor...(my husband loves browned butter anything) and I think it turned out great. Not much left from the batch the next  day- next time I will try and double the recipe!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Blondies

(as seen on Two Peas and Their Pod )

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature (we browned ours)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (we added coconut extract too)

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, plus extra for sprinkling on top of the bars

1 cup chocolate chips




Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.


Stir together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy; beat in egg and vanilla extract until well blended.


Slowly fold in the flour and salt until just blended. Add the coconut and chocolate chips to the batter. Scrape the batter into the pan. Make sure the batter is spread evenly, smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle extra coconut on top of the bars.


Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set in the center but still soft. Do not overbake the bars. Let cool slightly before serving. Cut the bars into squares.

(my favorite blondie)

A weekend out and about town

Thursday night we decided to head out to the Palm Springs Street Fair and I was able to take not one but two photographs while we were there before the camera battery decided to rest in peace...gah but I did manage to get a picture of this ...my husband wants to purchase one of these fiery creations one of these days...

had the camera held up I would have snapped a few pics of the delicous sugar vanilla roasted almonds along with the french pastry we devoured...the strawberries that were being sold $2.00 for two flats!(still scratching my head as to why we didn't buy any)  and the garlic we ended up purchasing 5 bulbs for $1.00 (already made its showing in a super yummy garlicky easy salsa recipe to follow) It was a fun night aside from it being too crowded...my husband and I hadn't been to the fair since before Dev was born and had forgotten that the snowbirds are back and in full force...but the neat thing was all the sweet compliments about Dev I kept hearing from random people...its great being a mom, especially to such a dang cute kid.

Friday we decided to go to the park....during the day! We have gone several times recently on walks at night and thought it would be neat for Dev to see the place all lit up...couldn't have asked for better weather...slightly overcast and not a whole lot of people at the playground...it was perfect.

Dev tried the swings, the slide, and grass on his bare feet for the first time...he took it in as he does all new things...laid back,

 some smiles,

and an occassional scowl

(wasn't a huge fan of grass at first haha)

A darn good weekend if you ask me...now here's that salsa recipe-

Mild Salsa Roja

Although the ingredients may also be boiled, roasting delivers a deeper and more robust flavor.



Makes about 3 Cups

Ingredients

20 roma tomatoes, cored

6 chili de arbol

10 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

11/2 cup chicken stock(or vegetable stock, tomato water, etc.)

salt to taste

1-2 green onions to taste

Procedure

*In a heavy, thick-bottomed, ungreased skillet, arrange tomatoes and roast over low heat until softened. Check and turn tomatoes regularly. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a very hot skillet, toast chilies until aromatic, about 1 minute. Check and turn continuously to prevent burnt spots. Remove chilies from heat and allow to cool enough to handle. Discard stems and remove most or some of the seeds depending on the piquancy desired. Remember, the narrower the chili arbol, the hotter.

Combine roasted tomatoes and chili peppers, garlic, onions, stock and salt to taste in a blender or food processor. Pulse thoroughly, adding more water as needed to achieve desired thickness. Keep in the refrigerator to cool and to allow flavors to meld.

This recipe makes about 20 oz. of salsa. For a hotter salsa add more chile de arbol


*(we ended up roasting our tomatoes in the oven at high heat watching them to make sure they didn't burn)