Broke out the Sewing Machine

This weekend i had an itching to break out the sewing machine and see if i still had a knack for it. Went to the hobby lobby and bought bandanas- 99 cents each and some cheap ribbon. Made me an Apron!

I need to work on my lines, and probably learn what the rest of the machine does-haha. None the less, can't wait to do more sewing!

Banana Cranberry Muffins with Flax

Continuing my adventure of new healthy food substitutes, I discovered coconut flour. I read a handful of blogs on how to bake with it and when to use it. Coconut flour is not considered a starch or a grain, helpful when making gluten free goods, or if you are watching those items in your diet any ways. I caved in and finally bought some- that little bag was $10! Good thing whole wheat flour was on sale in the bulk aisle for .69 lb so that I could mix the two. In this recipe I used an organic banana, and fresh cranberries. Also in my discovery for sugar substitutes ( Sweet'n'Low is my BFF) I bought Agave Nectar- light of course. In place of sugar, that is what I used, plus the bananas add its own sweetness, so the muffins came out really good, not overly sweet, but Naturally sweet ;).

Banana Cranberry Muffins with Flax

1/4 C Coconut flour
1/4 C Whole wheat flour
2 TB melted butter
1 Small banana mashed, or half a large one
3 TB Light agave nectar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C fresh cranberries
1 tsp Ground flaxseeds
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 Large eggs

There was no science into mixing this, i just dumped it all in and mixed until combined. Scoop into a greased mini muffin tin and bake at 355 for 9-10 minutes, until a knife comes out clean when you poke it in the middle. The recipe produced about 16-18 muffins

I made an impromptu cream cheese frosting with vanilla, orange zest and sweetener, which just added a nice little sweet touch to the muffins.

I calculated the nutritional info as best I could and came out with this:
1 serving= 3 muffins without cream cheese frosting
Calories 191, 9g fat, 6g protein, 4g fiber

Wes really liked them, and in my book- if they are husband approved - they are worth making.

New Lashes!

My sister in law Larissa- owner of Hair Today salon and spa in Holladay does amazing eyelash extensions! I love my new set! If you need a referral, let me know.

Homemade Buttercup Squash Soup

My mom grew these squash in her garden, i admit that i had to google under images to see what their names were. I adapted the soup from a butternut squash recipe.

Roasting it and then scooping it out was easier than i thought. I yielded 4 cups of squash. I added 4 cups of chicken broth and pureed the mixture in batches in the blender until it was smooth. I addes some spices since i was out of fresh produce- dried celery flakes, a spoonful of prepared pesto, garlic salt, parmesan cheese and heavy cream. Simmered for about 20 minutes and done!

The result was creamy soup topped with pumpkin seeds and green onions.

I made Wes a grilled chicken pesto cheese sandwich with his soup so he had something to dunk.

Low Fat, High Protein Cake, in the Microwave- Experiment

I read a blog of some girl who is perma Atkins concept. and she made brownies out of protein powder...so i did the same thing,,but i made a single brownie- chocolate of course

heaping tablespoon of protein powder of your choice( i have been using MLO Super High Protein Powder)

1 1/2 TBS of cocoa powder

1 Sweetener Packet

Dash of Vanilla Extract

1 tsp of margarine

1 egg white

about 2 TB of water- just til mix comes together

Cook it in the Microwave for about 45 seconds to 1 minute ( I went a full minute and it smelled a little burned- next time i will do 45 seconds)

The whole thing is only 100 calories, 13 grams of protein, 4grams fat and 5 grams carbs

Now the picture might look a little unpleasant, it might remind you of something...ha-ha...but it was good and moist to me...next time i might add some light sour cream, or a little more butter to make it a bit more moist.  My PMS chocolate craving was fixed guilt free.

Halloween & Other Updates.

Its mid November!  I took out my favorite turkey!

HALLOWEEN

this was my inspiration for our costume this year

But instead of paying $50, i paid $15 and made ours out of felt, a cake box and scrapbook paper

the whole thing is too hilarious! here is the rest of the gang

 

At Work we had Pee-Wee Herman, Rachel Maddow, Banana Man and Me

THE BEARD IS GONE

lets see the progression ...

I am beyond elated! the final pic will come soon! ( we are doing christmas pictures- hold please)

OTHER STUFF THAT FLIPPED MY BURGER

Yes I am still obsessed with cauliflower, and i've learned to make cauliflower cakes! like potato cakes, and a good substitute for hash browns. SO GOOD!

IKEA stuff made my bakers rack even more functional: I bought the hanging wire, the one that has the red towel on it, in the desks area- and than the 'S' hooks are just amazing, like hanging bananas and kitchen tools-cheap- it was 1.45 for 5 of them!



I finally finished cleaning up the spare bedroom, and got Wes' man cave decor up

The man loves educating on sports...i snuck this photo of him while he was so focused on this explanation of a read option to me. He literally rewound the TV and paused it to this particular play to explain to me a READ OPTION play. he then proceeded to push play so i could see this football technique in motion. Seriously, right?