Out of Nothing at All....

I've never claimed to be the best blogger in the world, hence the week I apparently took off. Trust me it was completely un-intentional. I have so many ideas rolling around in my crazy little brain to blog about. However, this morning you are getting none of those "good" ideas. Nope, I have decided to give you a re-cap of what I've been up to this week, because I know you are very, very interested. (OK, just go with it...)

First of all, I want to show you guys what I am so proud of....


I made scones!! These are "Vanilla Bean Mini Scones" from Sarah over at Peas and Thank You! They were so easy and so good! My two youngest helped and they ate 2 a piece as soon as they were cool! I have been a little afraid of baking in the past, but recently I have done more and more and have discovered its not as hard as it looks!

All day yesterday I was craving enchiladas big time! (Mexican food seems to be a staple in my diet) My friend Jana makes the best enchiladas and I've made her recipe many times, but didn't have all the ingredients on hand and was in no mood to go to the store! After standing in front of the pantry and fridge for what seemed like forever, I discovered the leftover Black Bean Soup that I froze a couple of days ago. As I thought of the ingredients, I realized they very closely mirrored the ingredients of the filling for Jana's enchiladas! That's when complete and total genius hit. (OK, maybe it was hunger) I thawed the soup, rinsed it in a colander, and threw it into the food processor,

Then I added one tablespoon plus one teaspoon of tomato paste.

Here's a quick little tip on tomato paste. Buy it in the tube form, if you can find it. Many recipes call for just a little and then you are stuck with over half a can and have nothing else to use it for. With the tube, you can measure out just what you need and then stick the rest in the fridge!

After adding the paste, I gave it a little whirl and came out with this:

Perfection!

Next up was the enchilada sauce. I know you can buy a can or jar of enchilada sauce that is very good. However, homemade is delicious, you know what is in it, and it is so very easy!

Easy Enchilada Sauce (makes 2.5 cups)
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 onion, minced fine
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tablespoons chili powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1/2 c. water
pepper

Heat oil, add onion and salt and cook until onion is soft. Stir in next 4 ingredients, and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce and water, simmer until thickened, around 5 minutes. Season with pepper to taste.

Easy, quick! I didn't have tomato sauce on hand so I subbed a can of diced tomatoes that I pureed in the food processor and omitted the water. A can of crushed tomatoes can be subbed as well, just be sure to leave out the water.

Here is the finished product!

Just so you know, your Hubby and kids may run into the kitchen while this is cooking because the smell will draw them in, neighbors may knock on the door and beg for a sample. It smells that good!

While the sauce was simmering, I took the pureed soup and spread it on tortillas, rolled them up and placed them seam side down in a baking dish I had coated with cooking spray. Then I spread a little sauce on top.

I topped them with shredded cheddar cheese (although you don't have to, but I was thinking I needed some extra protein in my diet, haha), placed them in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes and they came out looking like this:

I can't tell you how good and easy these are and everyone in my family loves them! I only made 3 because Big Sister is at church camp (but will be home today, good thing because I miss her!) and The Golden Boy had a client dinner.
I was hankering for something sweet after I did a full on kung-fu punch on my enchilada.

Enter two cut up peaches, strawberries and Rainier cherries! I love cherry season! My favorite is the Bing, but I like the Rainier as well. Our local farm stand also had peaches and the smell was amazing and drew me in! They were so good and juicy!

This little guy thought so too and requested a bowl just like mine!


Just in case you were wondering (and you are probably not) here is my work-out re-cap for the week:

Saturday: 16 mile long run with Jennifer
Sunday: Off day that was needed ,fo sho!
Monday: 3 mile easy run (9 minute pace)
Tuesday: 30 minutes on the elliptical and lower body strength workout
Wednesday: 9 mile run
Thursday: 1 hour on the spin bike, 2 mi run at 8:24 pace
Today: Upper body workout only (a good friend that runs marathons (hello 3:20!) says that she does absolutely nothing on her lower body the day before a long run, so I'm taking that advice!)

Tomorrow is our long run and I'm doing 18 (yikes)! Hopefully I won't be in the hospital or dead and can come back here and let you know how it went!

Have a wonderful weekend! Remember, Sunday is the Lord's Day, so do yourself a favor and find a place of worship and fellowship with His own!

~Carie

Bullet Points

Just a bit of randomness for you, because of the seven days of the week, I think Monday deserves it the most!


> I really wanted to get in a 13 mile run today, but only got a little over 9 in because my running partner was late.

> Lateness makes me crazy, I'm trying hard to get over it!

> Jennifer paid me a compliment today and Instead of just accepting it, I acted like a goober and said 'ugh, are you serious?, I look terrible!'

> I've been working very hard on just accepting compliments instead of acting like a goober when I receive them!

>Jennifer loves me even when I act like a goober.

> I just typed the word goober, three times.

> I attended the preschool graduation of my youngest child last night. I can't believe that he will start kindergarten next fall. (sigh)

> Its almost time for me to buy some new running shoes. I'm thinking of going the minimalist route. Any thoughts on this?

> While we were running we stopped off at the local kindergarten to get a sip of water, the PE class was jamming to Bon Jovi's "you give love a bad name". That's culture, Baby!

> I made a yummy vinaigrette by blending together 1 small pear, 1/4 c. Balsamic vinegar, 2 tsps. Dijon mustard, 1 clove of garlic and 1/3c. Water. So good!

> We are having unseasonably cold weather! Today's high was 65!

> We are skipping Little Brothers T-Ball game tonight because I can't bear the thought of sitting out in the cold watching a bunch
of 5 year olds pick flowers and play in the dirt, even if one of them happens to share my last name and is the cutest boy in the world.

> The self correct on my iPad has given me hours of entertainment lately. For instance, I was typing this Facebook message to a friend who is thinking of hiring a personal trainer, "He might make you do a bunch of burpees!". Apparently I typed the letter "T" instead of an "R" in the word Burpees. The message was sent before I saw the mistake so this is what she read "He might make you do a bunch of butlers!".

> Remember in my last post how I told you that anything could affect your run? Well, today it was the wind! I felt like we spent most of the time with it blowing in our faces and very little time with it at our backs! Here are our lap paces:

Mile 1: 10:02 (warm-up and I got a shin-splint!)
Mile 2: 9:13
Mile 3: 9:14
Mile 4: 9:12
Mile 5: 8:58 (here we made the turn and the wind was finally at our backs!)
Mile 6: 9:08 (we slowed down here b/c she had to take a phone call!)
Mile 7: 8:56
Mile 8: 8:41
Mile 9: 8:43

> I've got to stop worrying about my pace and get back to just enjoying a run!

So, that's all the randomness I have in me for today! I plan on being back tomorrow with a real post and maybe some info that you could actually use!

~Carie

Question of the day: How are you at accepting compliments?

I'm out to ruin you!

Good Morning! I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's day weekend! On Saturday Jennifer and I had the privilege of joining a group of ladies from our church in helping with the tornado relief efforts. We ended up spending the day working in one of the distribution centers. Jennifer (the good blogger) remembered her camera so I am going to let her tell you about our day and share some pictures with you.

I told you about my friend Jana in an earlier post. Jana is a wonderful cook and every Monday we take turns making lunch for each other for our Bible Study. On one particular Monday she made the most wonderful bean enchiladas with homemade filling and homemade enchilada sauce.(I will share that recipe soon!) I have to admit that they were so good that I totally stuffed myself! I've made them no less than 3 times since! However, the star of the show that day was Jana's homemade salsa! So, so good! This is not your typical jarred type salsa that is usually way too chunky and way too oniony (today, that is a word, go with it.). This salsa is more of a restaurant type salsa, a little thinner, with just the right amount of seasoning!

We recently took a 5 day beach trip with Jana, her husband and 3 kids. She made this salsa while we were there and after eating it the entire trip I was ruined! Guys, I am not lying when I tell you that I CAN NOT EAT JARRED SALSA ANYMORE! On top of that, restaurant salsa just pales in comparison! Make this salsa today! And while you are at it, roll on over to Peas and Thank You and nab the recipe for Mama Pea's White Bean Guacamole. (Tell her I sent you!) I've been making this recipe non-stop along with Jana's salsa and my family has been in love!

Jana's Fabulous Salsa

1 (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes with juice
2 (10 oz.) cans Ro-tel (I use mild because my kiddos eat this salsa but if you want your salsa with a little more kick feel free to add hotter varieties)
1/4 c. chopped red onion
1 clove garlic
1 whole jalapeno (I completely seed and de-vein mine to make it mild, but if you like it hot, add the entire thing!)
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 c. fresh cilantro
The juice of one whole lime.

Add all ingredients to blender and pulse several time until you get desired consistency. Again, I like mine on the thinner side but you can totally make yours more chunky. If you like more onion, cumin or cilantro, go for it!


Up close and personal with the salsa! You have to make it today!

Fiesta Time!

Close-up! Yall, I can't tell you how good this is!


Here is Mama Peas White Bean Guacamole, delicious!


Oh look! Some of the salsa decided to join Mama Pea's Guac! A match made in Heaven!



Someone ate the prop! Heh, Heh, Heh!

Morning Glories

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day! As you go throughout your day please remember the victims of the Alabama Tornadoes in your prayers. The rebuilding process is going to take a long time. If you would like to know how you can help, please see my previous post.

This morning started early for me, as most mornings do. Up at 4 for Bible Study and conversation with my Savior, run at 4:50, home at 5:45, shower. I just recently started doing some runs with a new girl. I say new but really I have known her for a long time, just never had the chance to run together. She had to be at work by 7 am, so we cut our run a little short this morning which meant my getting home a little early, which meant I had a little extra time which meant that I hoped back in to bed and took a little 20 minute nap! I hardly ever get to do that during the school year so it was a wonderful treat!

I have to say that I am very excited that the school year is winding down! I adore spending lazy days by the pool and letting the kiddos stay outside till 8 pm because its still light out! The flowers in our yard have been beautiful this spring and I hope to post pictures for you guys this weekend!

But, there are more important things to talk about today....pancakes! Who doesn't love a good pancake? Pancakes often get a bad rap because most are made with tons of white flour and sugar, then topped with copious amounts of butter and syrup! Now, there is not a thing wrong with those pancakes, but I have a healthier version that is kicked up with healthy ingredients and is the perfect pre or post run food! I can not remember where I got this recipe, but I do remember that the first time I made them was for Jennifer after one of our long Saturday runs while we were training for the County Music Half Marathon and we have both enjoyed them ever since. You can freeze the leftovers, then we you r are in need of one, take it out to thaw for 30minutes to an hour, then pop it in the toaster. Top with a little Earth Balance spread and pure Maple syrup or top them the way I do, pictured below.

Whole Wheat Pancakes
Makes 12-13 pancakes

1 c. whole wheat pastry flour (you can sub plain whole wheat flour)
2/3 c. almond mild (you can sub reg milk or nut milk of your choice)
1 egg (or flax egg substitute)
1 c. yogurt (I use vanilla flavored, but feel free to experiment, blueberry?)
2 tsp. stevia blend (or reg sugar)
2 tsp. oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt

Combine wet ingredients, then combine dry ingredients. Or vice verse.



Mix the two together.....


Heat a griddle or non stick pan over medium heat. Spray with a generous amount of cooking spray, then pour battle by 1/4c. increments onto hot surface.


*

Flip,


Pile finished pancakes onto plate, then top with natural Peanut Butter, sliced bananas and just a drizzle of agave nectar!


Yum!

Broken Egg Salad

Step one: Boil 24 eggs to take to neighbors house to color.
Step two: Realize when they are done that you have 6 that have cracked under pressure (weak eggs) and you will have to do something with them because you were born thrifty and you will not waste 6 eggs!
Step three: Decide that you will make egg salad because you are hungry!

Broken Egg Salad

6 eggs (because that's how many cracked!)
3 TBSP. Light Mayo (the kind that is 45 calories per tbsp.)
1 TBSP. Yellow Mustard
2 TBSP. Dill Pickle Relish (or more if you want it really dilly!)



Chopped those eggs (and take out a couple of the yokes to save calories! Then, throw the eggs in a bowl with all the other ingredients and stir together.




Then, make yourself a little snack because it 3 pm and you haven't eaten since 11 and dinner is not until 6! Yum!

Next, head over to your neighbors house with your kiddos and all the other neighborhood kids (like 2000 kids!) to dye the eggs that made the cut (the strong ones!).








Say a prayer of thankfulness in your heart that He has blessed you with such great neighbors that have lots of kids and that you know they will celebrate the true meaning of Easter this weekend. (and for rice krispie treat nests topped Jelly Belly eggs)

"And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ who you have sent." John 17:3

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!

I spent 4 hours Wednesday in this outfit:

You guessed it! I have been invited to the Royal Wedding! You had no idea I had such connections, did you? Ha! Wouldn't that be fun though?

Seriously though, I was asked to be a model in a fashion show for a local charity that runs 2 thrift stores in our community. My job was to search these thrift stores looking for an outfit or costume to wear during the fashion shoe. The rules? Anything goes! There were models dressed in beach wear, there was a bride, a lady dressed in a beautiful evening gown (it truly was gorgeous). One model showed up in a trench coat, fedora, and dark sunglasses like she was some sort of secret agent! It was a lot of fun. I actually had 3 outfits picked out. The first was a pale yellow dress that looked just like the dress that Sandy wore to the prom in "Grease". I was worried I couldn't pull off the whole Sandy look with my hair! Then there was the gorgeous 1970's style bridal gown. I wanted it so bad! However, it was way too long for me and I would have had to pay an arm and a leg to have it shortened. (and I'm a little partial to my arms and legs) Then I saw the hat! I knew I wanted it! So I decided to find a dress that would look as if I was going to the Kentucky Derby! I found the pink dress above, a 1970's handmade bridesmaid dress! It was floor length and since I knew it would be a faux pas to wear a long dress to the Derby I had a friend shorten it! The event was so much fun and the models were able to raise $15,000 for this charity!

For the past month, I've been eating this for breakfast:

It's Chia cereal and its so good for you. You can make your own at home with the following recipe:

Super Chia Cereal

3/4 c. Chia seeds
1/2 c. Hemp seeds
1 c. chopped dates
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (or nut of your choice almonds, pecans, cashews)
1/4 c. sunflower seeds (or pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
1/2 c. dried blueberries (or dried fruit or mixture of your choice)
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. sea salt.

Mix all your ingredients together and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator to keep ingredients fresh.


You should be able to get 10-12 servings from this. There are three ways to eat this one is to mix with an equal portion of non-fat yogurt and allow to sit for 10 minutes (this allow the chia to do its thang (more on this in a minute)). The next is the mix in 3/4 c. milk or non-dairy milk of your choice, let sit for 10 minutes, then enjoy. But my favorite way to eat it is to heat 3/4 c. vanilla almond milk in the microwave for 2 minutes.


I use my 2 cup Pyrex measure because the milk bubbles up and this size keeps it from boiling over and making a mess (cause Lord knows I've got plenty of messes around here!). Mix your hot milk into your cereal, cover,



let sit for 10 minutes and enjoy!


So, why would you want to eat chia cereal? Well, lets start with the chia seeds.

Chia seeds are yes, you guessed it, the same seeds used to make the imfamous Chia pets. But what you probably didn't know is that Chia Seeds have amazing nutritional value. They have a great deal of Omega 3 fatty acid (5 grams in 2 TBSP), and as we all know Omega 3's are known to reduce inflammation and help the body fight off some of the effects of aging. Chia seeds also hold about 10 times their weight in water (which is why you let them sit for 10 minutes before eating) which is great for keeping you hydrated! They also have a good amount of antioxidants, fiber, protein and calcium. So, don't let the relation to the cheesy chia pets keep you away from this super food.

Next up we have hemp. Okay, I know your first thoughts when I listed hemp was a brightly colored leaf and some old Birkenstock wearing hippy. Right? These days though, hemp is appearing in many forms such as milk, seeds, and protein powder. It has amazing nutritional stats. Hemp contains all 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids our bodies cannot produce. It contains simple proteins that make our immunity stronger and help fend off toxins. Tests have shown that eating hemp in any form could help people suffering from immune disorders. It is the highest botanical source of essential fatty acid, with more essential fatty acids than flax or any other nut seed oil. It contains both Omega 3 and Omega 6 which is great for cardiovascular health. Its a great source of protein for vegetarians, and last but not least it is a rich source of phytonutrients, which can help protect immunity, bloodstream, tissues, cells, skin, organs and mitochondria. Umm, I think maybe we should all be eating hemp seeds!

Well if you aren't bored to tears, hang on theres more! Now, we come to dates. Recently I have fallen in love with dates! They are super sweet and very versatile in recipes. Dates have been consumed for centuries. They are digested very easily and can supply quick energy. Dates have also been known to cure intestinal issues (we shall not speak of those here). Eating dates on a regular basis has been shown to help in the growth of friendly bacteria. Dates are rich in fiber and contain calcium, sulfur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper, and magnesium.

Walnuts are up next! Walnuts are known to be one of the best plant sources of protein. They are rich in fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, antioxidants and Vitamin E. They also contain high amounts of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids.

Sunflower seeds are one of those things most people don't think about. But sunflower seeds contain both B1 and B5 vitamins along with vitamin E and folate. Also present are copper, magnesium, selenium and phosphorous. If that weren't enough they also contain tryptophan which can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression. The happy seed?

Eating dried fruit is so good for you in general but I chose blueberries for their obvious nutritional superiority. Blueberries contain antioxidants and come out on top when it come to their capacity to destroy free radicals. Anthocyanins, the blue pigment found there, improve the integrity of support structures in veins and entire vascular system. Blueberries have also been shown to improve brain function and contain vitamin C, manganese, dietary fiber, and vitamin E.

Did you know that as well as giving flavor to this dish cinnamon has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol. On top of that studies have concluded that cinnamon may help people with type 2 diabetes regulate their blood sugar, and has an anti-clotting effect on blood. It could also aid in cognitive brain function and memory. Cinnamon contains manganese, fiber, iron and calcium!

Simple to prepare, and great to eat! Just don't sing that silly jingle (or paste on clay sculptures!)!

"Then God said, 'Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you." Genesis 1:29

Carie

Its my Anniversary, so I made a date (cake)!

Cheesy post titles not withstanding, it was my 13th wedding anniversary! We celebrated a couple of days before since it fell on a Monday and of course Golden Boy had to work, I had a busy with my job as a chauffeur, and we spent the evening doing this:

That's Little Brother up to bat at his T-Ball game!

So, in honor of my 13th wedding anniversary I made a date cake! Actually, in England they call it "Sticky Date Pudding". However, after it baked, it had the consistency of a cake, so we are going to roll with that title, ok?

Sticky Date Cake (Pudding) with Caramel Sauce

For the Cake:
1 c. chopped dates
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. boiling water
2 eggs or flax egg substitute*
1 c. brown sugar
2 TBSP. Butter
1.5 c. self rising flour

For the sauce:
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. whipping cream or whipping cream substitute*
1 tsp. vanilla
2 TBsp. butter

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place dates in a bowl, mix in baking soda and cover with boiling water.



Set date/water mixture aside and let them do their thang. The hot water will make the dates "melt".

Cream butter and sugar, then add the eggs (one at a time if using eggs) beat well, after each addition. I used the flax egg substitute because I was out of eggs. To make flax eggs mix 1 TBSP. ground flax with 3 TBSP warm water for each egg you need. I needed 2 so I used 1 TBSP. flax and 6 TBSP. water. Allow this mixture to sit for just a minute and it will get sort of gooey, with the consistency of an egg and look like this:


Because I used the flax eggs I just added the whole batch to the sugar/ butter mixture all at once.

Next, fold in flour and date mixture and pour into a greased round or square cake pan.



Now, bake the cake (pudding) at 375 degrees 30- 40 minutes, testing with a toothpick to make sure the middle is done.

Mine came out looking like this:




For the caramel sauce, I didn't have whipping cream so I googled a substitute. Don't you love technology? There really isn't anything you can't find out just by simply searching the Internet. I just googled "whipping cream substitute" and was given 3 or 4 options. I chose the low fat option. Whisk together 1 cup low fat milk (I had 1% on hand) with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Add 1 tablespoon of flour and whisk. Let this sit for just a minute. In a saucepan combine sugar, butter vanilla and 3/4 c of the whipping cream substitute. Bring to a boil, stirring, and simmer for 5 minutes.



Serve cake on a warm plate topped with warm sauce.



Oh yall, this was good! I wish I would have had some ice cream on top!



Happy Anniversary Golden Boy! To bad you don't really like dessert because this is good! (scratch that, I'm not sorry, there's more for me!) I am honored to be your wife and can't wait to see what the next 13 years will bring us!

"...(love) always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails..." 1 Corinthians 13:8