Tuesday, August 31, 2010

OK now, this is so good it's stupid!!!

Start with some good heart healthy butter

Saute in the usual suspects

this one is different but dice it like a potato
add it to the sauteed goodies
go ahead and add your liquids and any shrimp or chicken, i used shrimp
then when the pot is hot, add your guar gum and thicken for this velvety texture
this is so good they won't know you didn't use potatoes!!! and 2 points per one cup serving. this meal hear was four points, 6 with half cup cottage cheese for a dressing..


ok here is the recipe this is a twist on creamy potato soup with shrimp from miss deens recipe, now it is my own and i am sharing because this is amazing and healthy and so good for you!!

Creamy "Faux-Tato" with Shrimp Soup
(drop me a line if you have trouble finding faux-tatos, they aren't in season very long)

1/4 cup or half a stick of butter
1 large onion diced
4 or 5 stalks of celery diced
3 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 cup diced carrots
1 large head of cauliflower diced
3 cans low sodium chicken broth
2 cups skim milk
1 cup fat free half and half
guar gum

this was too easy just melt the butter in your big stock pot, saute the next 4 ingredients. add diced cauliflower, uncooked shrimp, or pre cooked chicken, and your liquids. let cook for 12 minutes, to soften the cauliflower. then add guar gum, slowly so it doesn't turn into a big gooey glob on you, and viola
Faux-tato with shrimp soup!!!

the old recipe called for 4 cups whole milk and 2 cups of half and half. it also called for making a bit of a rue with flour when you saute the veggies, but this step is excluded when using guar gum. it also took about 45 minutes to cook he potatoes and you had to cook the shrimp separately but with this recipe, I  cut the fat, cut the starch and added some wonderful fiber and vitamins!! my sister thought she was eating potato soup!! this was seriously too good not to share, i know i was going to make myself rich with my own cook book, but alas i can't write so here, let me know what you think of my recipe tm.

ok so that is not a trademark but try it and let me know if you think it rocks!! it was fast and yummy and freezes wonderfully!! Eat happy!!!



Friday, August 27, 2010

flash Fiction Friday- cream of broccoli soup





























"carrots, onions, celery and garlic
saute gently in heart smart butter then add broccoli
steam for 10 then boat motor and remove from heat
milk and butter on low heat stirring constantly
using guar gum carefully gets the right consistency
pour it in your broccoli mix
viola dinner is fixed!!
eat your heart out Campbell's!!"

Here you go g-man!! the full recipe as follows:
1 C. chopped celery
1 C. chopped onion
1 C. chopped carrots
3 cloves fresh chopped garlic.
5 tbsp. butter divided
2 C. skim milk
8 C. low sodium chicken broth (canned or homemade)
10 C. broccoli
guar gum

take 2 tbsp butter and melt in big stock pot. add first 4 ingredients and saute for about 10 minutes on medium heat until onions are caramelized. add broccoli and chicken stock. steam for 12 minutes until broccoli is tender and remove from heat and place pot on heat safe surface. using a boat motor blend up broccoli until all mashed. you can also use a blender and batch blend pouring until the blender is 3/4 full and blending. boat motor is easier and if you don't have one they are under 20 bucks. after broccoli is blended set aside. in separate sauce pan add remaining butter and milk. heat until butter is melted stirring constantly then gradually sprinkle in guar gum until cream sauce is almost as thick as you want it then cook just a minute longer and pour into broccoli soup. if you prefer to use flour, you can substitute 3 tbsp. flour and add with butter and stir together over low heat. slowly add milk stirring constantly till you get a creamy consistency with no lumps. i use guar gum because there is no starch. you can also add cheese or meat if you would like broccoli chicken or cheese or both in your soup. as it stands this soup is 2 points per one cup serving very low sodium and cholesterol. happy friday!!!

eat healthy!!! and be good to yourselves!!!


Sunday, August 22, 2010

considering a sewing machine

have you ever sewn? do you know anything about sewing machines? i have not been good at either. i know nothing about sewing machines.

however i do stitch a costume together each year, and each year i am mortified at my poor skills. there are several projects i am considering, and one of them is vampire capes. you cannot find a good cape for a reasonable price. and i am sick of giving my money to china and helping their economy. i know there are some classes i can sign up for and i found a brother, refurbished, on overstock.com for 60 bucks. the thing sells for 300 new at most places, with the exception of walmart, i hate walmart, i would rather buy used then walmart, they get enough of my money. remember the views expressed on this blog are solely mine and any other red blooded american who is sick of getting screwed by sam waltons offspring. that poor man is churning in his grave at what his greedy kids have done to this country. when he first started the retail chain his motto was everything he sold was made in america, now it is all from china. well you know the rest of the story...

anyway back to me and my sewing machine. another project is new christmas stockings, we have these ugly 99 cent stockings and they are made of felt, i would like some pretty cloth ones but again the ones at satans store are all made in china and 10 bucks a piece. well that would add up rather quickly. then of course everyones names need to be on them. the machine i am considering is the brother LX3125 and it has wonderful reviews. my crafty time of year is right around the corner and i like to get a head start on costumes... but i don't know sewing machines. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

todays thought; "Do your little bits of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." -Bishop Desmond Tutu

Friday, August 20, 2010

Flash Fiction Friday- a true tribute


every friday write a short story, poem or prose, of 55 words, no more, no less then report it to the g-man!!


"trying to come up with only 55 words
can be tricky for someone who is a nerd
writing and deleting over and over again
i still wonder where do i begin?
i haven't the talent to match wits with the rest
yet i love being in the company of literary bests
thanks for playing G-man!!"

Here you go g-man, a tribute to a true classic, you. and all the rest of the 55er's. it is such a treat and a joy to be a part of this community and i appreciate each and everyone who takes the time to play and comment every friday. i hope to check as many out this week as possible.

todays thought: "I postpone death by living, by suffering, by error, by risking, by giving, by losing."
 -Anias Nin

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

wednesday

i am still hungry. i just ate a wonderful breakfast and now i need to clean up but i am still hungry. we are going to the gym and the library so this is going to be quick. we now have a bean bag living room. but i got our money back. in cash, thank you very much to the better business bureau. i don't know how to spell bureau and i am not sure if spell check does either.

haley has been on a rampage lately. standing in the corner sometimes for 2 hours screaming 'i hate you' and 'shut up'. we sat down after dinner with her last night and discussed it. she did not want to talk. we showed her the video of her screaming and she did not like it. i felt the need to document and discuss this with my therapist. i am not sure about all this and i need help, her fits are getting more angry and lasting longer. it was like the clock rewound to when i was her age, i used to do the same thing. no one told me not to say hateful things. no one told me i could calm down. no one helped me with my anger. so i am trying to approach her with an open mind and address the issue.

there was an article in the news the other day about a flight attendant taking a child away from their mother. the toddler was pitching a fit and the mother smacked the child in the face. then child protective services were called and the parents were detained and questioned and given their child back. i empathize with the mothers plight, and i think i believe that it takes a village to raise a child. i know how hard it is not to own my daughters fit. not to be embarrassed in public when everyone is watching. i call my sponsor or wes when she is carrying on because i am angry and about to lose it. but what is the answer? were the flight attendants wrong in taking the child? absolutely not. should they have helped sooner? absolutely. were the passengers annoyed at the child and angry with the mother for not controlling the toddler? you know they were. did any of them help. nope. were they appalled at the mother for smacking her kid? oh, absolutely, some of them couldn't wait to talk to reporters.

i am learning to let my toddler pitch her outrageous fit and walk around and just keep her in the corner. we are also trying to discuss it with her. it helped having the video as a visual aid. we would pause after she screamed something ugly and ask her to repeat what she said. she didn't want to. that is good because it means she is learning right from wrong and she knows what she said was not good. i hope i am on the right path with this. if this does not work i will try something different. i am not claiming to be perfect. the other day i popped her in the face for something wicked she said in a fit, i did not do it in anger i did not use a lot of force i was simply trying to get her attention, get her back in reality and out of screaming. was it the right thing to do? i don't know. teachers and nuns used to be allowed to paddle children in schools. i don't think that was right. as a parent we need some authority over our children. not all children behave in such a way, my other two daughters do not pitch fits in fact we count and they don't even get to 2. they stop they do not like the bad consequences. my haley is very willful and strong. she is passionate and stubborn. these are all strong qualities, she also gets very, very angry. i don't know if it is hereditary, but no one ever, i mean EVER worked with me on my anger.

i am working hard with haley on hers. hopefully she will learn to channel this in other ways, at this time i am not sure how to guide her. but the great part is that on my part, i am learning to allow it to be her fit, in the home or in public, and we are learning to discuss this with her as well. i think the really hard part for any parent is not owning the fit. kind of like being embarrassed when you know your kid is an addict, it is not your fault. letting my children be their own people is a good thing.

on another note my "A" is a senior this year and is graduating in May and set to start KU in the fall. Pre-Med. We are practicing her ACT's and very excited. she will be living several hours away and since she is a minor she will have a resident shadow person to help her until she is legal age. i am so excited for her. she wants to be a forensic pathologist and work for the FBI. she plans to join the military after college, then she can become a commissioned officer. this will look great on her record for her future career. i have discussed this with most of my friends and there is one who doesn't feel it is good for her to leave home so soon. i remember a story my counselor in treatment talked about during a family night. she said do you know about birds? they work really hard to make these nests strong and sturdy to block the wind. they care very much for each other and have eggs. they never leave their eggs. they keep them warm and safe from the bitter winter winds. that is their job, by instinct. then the eggs hatch. after the eggs hatch, they feed the babies, even chew up the food in their mouths before giving it to their babies. they love their babies very much. and from the day the babies hatch it is the momma birds number one instinct to nudge the babies. they nudge them a little every day. closer and closer to the edge of the nest. then one day the nudge them all they way out. and the baby will either fly or it will fall. but the momma bird does it's job. i think i am doing mine. much better today then 5 and a half years ago.

todays thought: "Words that do not match deed's are not important."- Ernesto Ch'e Guevara

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

new cuts


before her first haircut



and after her first hair cut
the bean wanted her picture taken too



Saturday, August 14, 2010

quick saturday post

wow this is weird. i don't normally post on saturday. we are heading out to McPherson for regional business meetings, a girlfriend is celebrating her belly button birthday and i made her a card. not much new i didn't lose weight this week. i gained .2 pounds. i have only hit the gym 3 times this week.

i feel like i have hit a road bump with weight loss. it is harder to feel full. i crave, i mean i CRAVE food. i used to have using dreams and i would wake up going 'oh shit did i get high?!?' grateful that i didn't, now i have food dreams, dreams of pizza and popcorn and carbs. bread and butter... cupcakes, i love cupcakes. i have been to a few parties and took my own sugar free chocolate pudding. jello has these indulgence cups made with splenda and they have 9 or 10 grams of carbs per cup, which by the low glycemic load cookbook is the max you want in a meal. so that is a bit high but safe. i hope.

i really hope to drop my A1C's by september and this is such a struggle. i tell myself when i reach my goal weight and A1C's i can indulge once in a while.

gotta go make a quick breakfast to take on the road. peace!!!

have a great weekend everyone!!!!!

Todays thought:

"I believe one writes because one has to create a world in which one can live." 
 Anaïs Nin

Friday, August 13, 2010

Flash Fiction Friday- the forgotten craft

Every Friday write a short story, poem or prose,
and then report it to the G-man!!!


"His eye are old hands are nimble
His craft forgotten his mind is nimble

He takes his time and shows us his work with pride
The price is high the time is long the wait is worth the ride

junk yards, estate sales now we look around
for a set of bones he can rebound"

Here you go G-Man!! Story behind this, we are taking our couch back today. we need another. there is a man who has been building couches for 60 years. he knows his stuff. we need a good set of 'bones' for him to reupholster. at least 30 years or older. that is when couches were built in America. now everything is made from China and there is no more solid wood frames. We need a solid wood frame and if we can find one with 8 way hand tied construction that is a plus. this guy will strip it down and rebuild it to our liking. it will take 4 to 6 weeks. it will be worth the wait. one less couch in a land fill, we won't be contributing to the garbage by purchasing more garbage. and it will last. todays couches are made with particle board and card board. they are filled with piling that falls apart and the cost is cheap. so every two years the average american family buys a new sofa set because it is cheap only to throw it out on the side of the road and go get a new one. insane? yes. the man tells me the factories got greedy and tore down in America, the fabric they purchase is glorified wall paper and it is all junk. well after what we have been going through i agree.

I have regions this weekend we are off in the morning i have a ton of stuff to do before then. i am going to comment on a few and then get to work. i hope you all have a wonderful weekend and be good to y ourselves. there was a murder suicide down the street form here yesterday. oh and i finally saw the man on the corner!!! he is OK. smiles!!

Todays thought: "If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning."
- Catherine Aird

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

tuesday just tuesday

it has been a good day. we went and talked with some guys that do furniture restoration. i forgot to mention the 1200 dollar leather couch we ordered came in before we left for vacation and it was ripped at the seams!! no kidding.

so we were weighing our options on what to do, my opinion is this get our money back while the offer is still on the table from the crap we bought then go to haverty's and buy the leather hard wood framed kiln dried, eight way hand tied construction couch for 1600. Wes does not want to go that route and i don't know why but i said lets just get our money back and sit on bean bags until we figure it out. i am serious. he promised we will take it back on friday. yeah!!!

in the meantime the guys we talked to showed us some old couch frames and they were all solid hard wood construction but nothing else. the first guy gave us a quote of 1200 to redo a couch that he had. the other place in town was very similar to the first. this was very inciting to us, except for the wait, it will take 4 to 6 weeks for the finished product. now if we go to havery's we spend the same amount and get it now, me being the addict that i am well i want what i want when i want it.

i told wes i thought both guys were very reasonable but the next step of course would be to hit an estate sale and look for a couch that is 30 years old or more, anything newer is nothing but shoddy workmanship and it is all from china.

so i am on pins and needles because i am curious what we, i mean wes, will decide, one thing is for sure... this crap we bought is going back on friday. period. if he wants to wait for something else that is fine with me i just want our money back.

i am hitting a meeting in about an hour and i need to finish my dishes.

todays thought: There are only 3 motivating factors that change human behavior; pain, fear or ambition.


i think i am feeling a little ambitious today!!

Sunday, August 8, 2010

vacation pictures!!




haley thought the bear was going to eat her!!
what trip wouldn't be complete without a stop at bass pro shop!!

gillian got to ride on a green quad, for pretend!!

the kids saw a shark in the fish tank!! it was about 4 foot long!!

after leaving the shop we headed out for some more antics...

here we are taking "A" shopping. we had fun while we waited



                              gillian fell on a campfire!! she was screaming "help i am on fire!!"

here is "A" and the bean in the park it is like a rocket ship thingy... they eventually got out of there


and before the trip was fully going, the bean made daddy queen for a day!!

we changed plans the night before the trip and instead of going to texas we went to KC. i took over 400 pictures and there are some cute ones i will add soon. i need to get to bed and then try to catch up on all my peeps tomorrow. oh our couch got delivered and it was ripped in the seams!! can you believe our luck?!?  now i don't know what we are going to do the only thing i know for sure is this horrible set is going back!! maybe we will live like hippies and get a bunch of bean bags to sit on!! 

enjoy the picks, doesn't my honey look cute?!?!?