Life is good around the table.

about couple of months ago I wrote THIS POST.
it was all about my desire for community.

it is amazing how when we speak something out loud, opportunities come to put it into action.
for the last month, my house has been a busy little greeter of people. friends. community.
and i am beyond grateful.

my heart has been so full.

i managed to finish reading bread and wine.

i know i keep talking about it, but it has quickly soared to the top of my list for favorite books EVER read. it just spoke to my soul in so many ways and i just felt full after reading it.

and i really, really, really want to be best friends forever with shauna niequist.
i think we'd be awesome together.

and i want to start a cooking club. the kind like she has with rich food and rich relationships.
i have ventured out in my cooking and that's just fabulous.
for instance, i made grilled pizza with roasted tomatoes, goat cheese, grilled chicken, fresh rosemary and balsamic vinegar. who am i?

i have purchased all of the ingredients to bake my own bread.

it's like a revival in my kitchen. and my heart. i can't get enough.

if you love jesus and food and the kitchen....please read this. for your soul. for your sanity. trust me, you need it.

and so, i leave you with this:

a little bit of honesty

can i be honest?
do you ever feel like something is lacking?
i feel a little of the lacking lately.

see, i have this deep desire and passion for relationships, friendships, community.
like you know, your people.
most people have their people.
and i know who my people are. but i still feel a lacking.
i'm sure that the millions of times that i've moved has A LOT to do with it.
i mean for goodness sake, moving from city to city, state to state, doesn't really allow much time for really cultivating those relationships.

there's another side to this too. food.
i love food. whether its healthy or bad, i love it.
there is something magical that happens around the table when you're with the people that matter most.
i'm convinced that lives change around the table.

when babies are born, we take food.
when people pass away, we take food.
when it's a rough day, we have comfort food.
there is something truly soothing to the soul when gathered with the ones you love.
i think that jesus reveals himself around the table. whether a home cooked meal or take out, the community that happens around the table.....he's there.

i'm going somewhere with this, i promise.
first of all, this love i speak of has been in my heart my whole life.
some of  my favorite memories in the world occurred in the kitchen of either my mother, my aunt or my grandmother. it's where my family congregates. deep, deep conversations around the kitchen table. there's just something so good about that.

well, a few years ago, i read a book called cherries in winter. it was a collection of recipes and the family stories behind them, and it was oh so good. i think this is when i realized how important the "table" was in my own life.


cherries in winter by suzan colon

but then, in december on the way home from paris, i read a book called "a little salty to cut the sweet."
now this, this spoke straight to my heart. literally laughing out loud with one sentence and crying the next.
it was so, so, so, good. i read it in about 2 hours....couldn't stop. and i loved it so much that i bought it for my aunt, grandmother and mother in-law for christmas. it's one of those books that i think everyone in the world should read.....or at least everyone in the south ;) this book is southern family stories that just so happen to have a bit of food. but these stories are so familiar to me. so close to the funny and sad and loving stories of my own family. stories that i want more of in my life. i think sitting with my family and listening to old family stories is one of the greatest things in all of life. i love them. and then i get a little scared as my immediate family gets older, and i have no one to pass those stories on to. what if i forget them?


a little salty to cut the sweet by sophie hudson

then, last week, i started reading "bread & wine", a book that has been on the top of my list since it came out.
and oh my word, it's attacking my heart. shauna niequist is literally taking the thoughts right out of my heart and putting them in a book. i don't understand how these books keep getting better. and it has recipes! all 3 books have recipes!
this book is all about life around the table and how jesus meets us there and heals us there and comforts us there. it's about the importance of having "your people".


bread & wine by shauna niequist

i desire deeper relationships with my family.
i desire deeper relationships with my friends, both old and new.
i DESIRE my people coming over and really living life together.

I long for that handful of people who, when you're having a bad day, come over whether you want them to or not to give you a hug....and maybe some chocolate. ;)
and i long to be that person to my people as well. the one who doesn't give up on them. the one who will just sit and listen. the one who will hug it out.

and i can't help but be convinced that jesus is trying to show me something here.
i can't just wish for more life around the table....i have to act on it.
i feel like god is stirring something big in my heart on this topic.
it's time to cultivate. it's time to harvest.

i want to have more life around the table, and i want to make sure that i am breathing in every moment of it.
even if there's a strand or two of dog hair in the meal. ;)

it's not just about recipes or cooking.
it's about the transformations, big and small, that happen around the table.

do yourself a favor and read these books. i'm telling you....they are good stuff!

i'm intrigued.....and i'd love your feedback

(source)

it's no secret that i'm a firm believer in clean eating.
i just have a problem adhering to it regularly.

anyway, i've recently (well last few years) become rather intrigued by those who live holistically.
you know, clay or stainless steel cookware only, no plastic, essential oils, all natural remedies, etc, etc, etc.

(side note: every time i say etc, etc, etc, it always makes me thing of The King and I. ah, memories).

like seriously, i am for real intrigued by this way of life. i think there's something to be said for it.
now i'm not saying i'm giving up modern medicine or anything, but i really am interested in the natural living.
and i'm really, really mesmerized about essential oils for healing, breathing, and so on.

i haven't even jumped into any of these things, but i think i'd like to. my life is in need of some real changes in this department.
i just don't exactly know where to start, or what the "right" things are.
just as touristy towns have tourists traps, i feel like the "all natural" products do too.

so i'm genuinely asking for your feedback.
do you do anything holistic? essential oils? all natural bakeware/cookware?
what extremes have you gone to? do you grind your own spices/flour, etc?
have you seen a real difference? has this changed any medical issues you have?
how have you adjusted your budget to include this way of life?

i'd love to hear from you and any advice you may have on the matter!

Something about veggies...

i love to cook.
being in the kitchen is one of my most favorite places ever.
and i am plum stocked on fresh veggies this week.
as a result, i have nothing but recipes and idea flying through my head.
So far this week I have made two new dishes that were simply scrumptious and it would be a disservice if i did not share.

let's start with some awesomely homemade pasta sauce.
i always make my sauce from scratch, but this time i had some fresh tomatoes that were about to go bad.
so i added them to the mix and it made all the difference in the world.
i shall always use fresh tomatoes from now on.

in an iron skillet i sautéed a shallot and 3 cloves of garlic. the key is to do it low and slow so they really sweeten up.
next i added 3 peeled/diced fresh tomatoes and let them break down. about 5-7 minutes.
i then added a plop of tomato paste, some salt, pepper and a little dash of sugar. once that all became a little thick, i added 2/3 cup of canned crushed tomatoes (natural and organic). simmer on low for about 30 minutes. i also added a jar of artichoke hearts that i chopped up and some fresh parsley to cook in for the last 10 minutes or so. it was simply amazing. i wanted to just have a bowl of sauce for dinner, but i figured i should probably add a few noodles.
hubby approved of this meatless dinner, however i'm sure that some sausage or ground beef would be delightful!
and apparently i was too caught up in the moment to bother with pictures of that one.

moving on to potato chicken casserole.

 i had a bag of baby red potatoes that i chopped up.

then i sliced 1/4 of a yellow onion.

feel free to add more onion...i'm just not a huge onion fan. i like the flavor, but i don't like to bite into one, so my slices were extremely thin.
in a bowl, toss the potatoes, onions, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and a little ranch dressing mix.



in a greased baking dish, throw in the potato mixture and bake at about 500 degrees for roughly 30 minutes (depending on size of your potatoes).

the goal is fork tender. While the potatoes are baking, cut up some chicken and toss it in a little olive oil, salt, pepper and ranch dressing mix.



When potatoes are fork tender, place the raw chicken mixture over the potatoes.

Cover with cheese and cooked bacon and put back in the oven. Knock the temp down to 400 and cook for 15 minutes. Then it's time to eat!

I mixed some chives and sour cream together for mine, and chris ate his just as it was. yuuuumy!

Mama's Kitchen....A New Blog Series

happy monday!
this weekend proved to be quite full of creative brain storming...and i love it!

so, i wanted to let you in on an upcoming series that's going to take place here on the blog.

it's called Mama's Kitchen.
a huge portion of memories of my mom are all in the kitchen. and my granny too.
mom and my granny taught me to cook.
and it's something i absolutely love to do.

it's also so easy to get stuck with the same old recipes that you cook week in and week out.
when my mom passed away, i took all of her cook books, specifically her little handwritten recipe book full with newspaper/magazine clippings of recipes she wanted to try.

so i am on a mission to cook, photograph and blog all of those recipes!
i am so excited.
the recipes range from appetizers, salads, side dishes, entrees and desserts.

be on the lookout....mama's kitchen is coming soon! i'm hungry just writing about it!

thanksgiving in july?

last week i had an awesome opportunity.

i got to style a thanksgiving photo shoot for a holiday catering guide.

what?

this was so incredibly fun.

like seriously, could you imagine doing this for your day job?

there was replating, adjusting, enhancing and of course....tasting! ;)

and boy was it tasty!

all i have to say is....

if you have an earth fare store near you, you should definitely let them help you with your thanksgiving dinner this year!

because all of this goodness will be available in their catering department.

and it was all simply delicious!

and of course, so much fun!

Let's Play Catch Up

Everything you need to know on this Tuesday....

• FRIENDS! Are you following Outside the Frame on Bloglovin? Why not? Go ahead, join the fun! And bloglovin has a SUPER easy way to transfer all of your google reader subscriptions to bloglovin. What are you waiting for?
• Last Thursday night I had the honor of speaking at our citywide women's gathering to talk about my struggle with infertility and offer a message of hope. My prayer that night was not to glorify me, but to glorify God. I prayed that the women who were there were ones that God had put there because they needed to hear about hope. And I think in those terms, it was a success. ;) 
• So I'm joining up with Dreaming of Dimples for the TTCPhotoaday for July on Instagram. Shameless plug: if you're not following me on instagram, join the fun! You can use the button on the sidebar or on my "contact me" page.
• In other news, I am super excited because we're having our first visitors since we moved away from Georgia last year! Yay for friends and slumber parties!
• Since hubby has started working at Earthfare, we've been buying all of our groceries there. I have to say, our dinner time meals are a bit more tasty that usual. It's amazing how different food tastes when it's real. Last night I made the most delicious guilt free dinner ever. I bought fresh spinach fettuccine and cooked it. Then in another pan I took a little olive oil and sauteed some garlic, sweet mini peppers, and cherry tomatoes. Once that was done, I threw it over the pasta with 2 Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb cheese wedges (35 calories people). Voila! It was scrumptious! You have to try it!
• This guilt free recipe is especially great news since the doc told me last week that i'm absolutely not allowed to eat out for a while. Poo.
• And today, I leave you with some tunes. These are just a couple fun tunes I've added to my playlist lately. Enjoy!

"Dance With Me" by Clarensau

"Distant Song" by Esther Little - this one's new so there's no video yet, but you can check her out on itunes

Got any fun new tunes we need to know about? Link up!

Jalapeno Popper Sammies

i love jalapeno poppers.
pretty much if they're on a menu, i'm gonna get them.
but i'm picky - i only like the ones with cheddar...NOT cream cheese.
when chris and i were first married, we were super poor. so we would go to Sam's Club and get a big pack of poppers, and then ration them out every night as our dinner.
oh, those were the days.
i digress.
so i've been seeing recipes for jalapeno popper dip, sandwiches, casserole, etc. but have yet to try any.
this past sunday, i had a lazy day of food network consumption and watched a show called the sandwich king. wouldn't ya know that he'd make a jalapeno popper sandwich?
and it looked SO super yummy.
after a long debate discussion about what's for dinner, we settled on giving them a try.
i didn't have all of the ingredients he used, so i got creative with what i had.
first of all, growing up i hated grilled cheese sandwiches. i can't even remember the last time i ate one.
so tonight, it was a bit risky. and definitely worth the risk!
something this good i just had to share!

i started with some fresh jalapenos. i used 4 small/medium sized peppers.
first, wash the peppers, then cut in half length wise. now, depending on how spicy you want your sandwiches will determine how you handle cleaning up your peppers. the seeds and veins are where the heat is. so i cleaned a few slices really good, and then left a little vein in a few to get a medium heat. place them skin side up on a non-stick cookie sheet and broil until they look a little burnt. then pop them in a baggie and let them steam for a few minutes.
once they were done steaming, i peeled the skins off of the peppers and cut into thin, long strips.

i actually had left over peppers after the sandwiches were made, so i threw them in the food processor with some sour cream to use as a dipping sauce for either quesadillas or nachos later this week. multi-purpose here!

next, it's cheese time.
i grated a block of extra sharp cheddar cheese. i find block cheese melts a little better.

and you've gotta have something to hold it all together.
so for a spread, i used light sour cream, a dollup of light mayo, garlic salt, black pepper and parsley.
the mayo helps it hold up to the heat a little better. you could also use cream cheese or mascarpone cheese.

now bread is a big decision. just so happens we had some sour dough. perfect! i would suggest a sturdy white bread.

and like any grilled cheese, you have to butter the bread.

assembly time:
so you butter the side of the bread that goes in the skillet.
then place a little of the sour cream spread on the inside of the bread.
place cheese and press it down, so the cheese sticks.
then lay a few slices of the peppers on the cheese.
add a little spread to the other piece of bread and cook it until both sides are golden brown.
then cut and serve!

now, go get creative and make yourself one!

you know you love my random posts

y'all, i'm so excited! I hit the 200 follower mark. wahooo!
thanks so much to all of you lovely angels that read my crazy blog.
your comments really do make my day!

so this chick here learned herself some html coding and created those cute social media buttons on the right.
it's kind of a big deal to me haha!
i'd love if you followed me!
the facebook link now goes to a page just for the bloggy.
then of course there's twitter, instagram and pinterest.

oh.em.gee. you'll love this.
so yesterday, i was getting ready when i see my cat running through the bedroom with long strands of bubbly drool hanging out of her mouth. at first i though she was puking up ribbon or something and it was stuck.
so i'm chasing her, the dog is chasing her, chris is chasing the dog. meanwhile drool is everywhere and just keeps coming. i finally get to her and she freaks out and scratches up my face....mostly because the dog is right behind me. and then she goes into hiding. i'm freaking out, thinking she's dying. so i remembered seeing her in the shower right before the foaming occurred. and right there in the bottom of the shower was a big dollup of shampoo. i finally coaxed her out of hiding, wiped her mouth, and then starting sniffing her. yep, smelled just like some pantene shampoo. the sang cat ate shampoo and it was foaming in her mouth.
my world is one big circus. but fear not, all is right with the world now.

this week i have been like a starved raccoon, eating everything in sight. yep, finally at that whole pan of brownies. my justification: took me 4 days to do it. at least it wasn't all in one sitting.
what is up with that?
but i have had a nice little come to jesus meeting and walked/ran 2 miles yesterday. i think it's going to be my lunch time thing now. walking...eventually running it all.

i am so pumped for this weekend.
it's wedding dress shopping time for my lovely cousin and bff holli.
eeeeeek!!!! i can NOT wait!
then the grammy's are on sunday. i love an awards show y'all.

is valentine's day a love or hate thing for you?
i could care less either way. never have put too much thought into it.
BUT....one of my favorite bloggers of all times is an author, and she's doing an awesome valentines day "be His" gift package for high school/college age girls. so of course i bought one for my little sis in-law. i can't wait!!! she should get it monday, so then i'll tell you all about it.
there really is nothing better than surprises in the mail.

now go enjoy your weekend!

Source: jossandmain.com via Sandy on Pinterest

Homemade Chicken Soup/Stock

yo homies. what it is?
i am so super excited. or should i say souper excited?! *giggle*

i'm extremely proud of my cleaner eating self!
maybe it's motivation. maybe it's the 8 hours a day i watch the food network. i can't be sure. but i've created some pretty tasty meals over the last couple of weeks.

i've heard for years about people making homemade chicken stock.
most recipes call for a whole chicken. i, however, do not eat meat on the bone. nor do i cut meat from bones. nor do i do "skin" on chicken.
so my freezer only consists of boneless skinless chicken breasts.
i thought, "what the heck? it's worth a try".
and it was delish. so delish in fact that i ended up making chicken soup for dinner rather than the casserole i was making the stock for!
so of course i needed to share it here with you fine people.

ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 onion, quartered
water - enough to cover everything in the pot
a generous amount of salt and pepper

throw it all in the pot together and boil until chicken is done. remove chicken and put aside. drain stock into a container.
now, here you can chop up the cooked veggies and make a soup. i had already chopped up more veggies for a casserole, but then decided to use those for the soup.
i used 1 leek, 2 carrots, 2 stalks celery, 2 green onions and a tbs of minced garlic. i sauteed them and then pureed them in the food processor. i like the flavor, but i don't like to bite into veggies. i then coarsely chopped the chicken and put it in the food processor. again, i don't like chunks, so i finely shredded it in the processor. then i added it to the stock and let simmer on low for about an hour. right at the end i added a little parsley and dill. scrumptious!

i was apparently on a roll, so i decided to make croutons. i had some sourdough rolls, so i chopped them up, and drizzled with olive oil, garlic salt, parsley, and a dash of italian seasoning. then i popped in the oven on 425 until golden brown. those too were scrumptious.

so with all the deliciousness happening, i ate the croutons in my soup. and you guessed it...amazeballs.

you're welcome.

Clean..er

i have talked a lot about cleaner eating here.

having tried it several times, i can 100% tell you that it's worth it and that it makes you feel so much better.

my crazy schedule is what makes me fall off of the wagon with it, but i'm a bit more determined these days.

so not only was it part of my 2013 goals, it's also direct doctor's orders if i want a baby.

hellooooo clean eating!

i feel like there are a lot of misconceptions about clean eating.

one being that the food is gross.

well please listen up here...if i can eat clean and be satisfied, so can you!

i am a self proclaimed veggie hater. although, i have branched out tremendously in the last couple of years and have learned that it's not all as terrible as i once thought.

so i thought it would be fun if i shared some of the recipes i come up with so that you all can join in the clean eating fun. i've see this resolution and tons of bloggy lists over the last few days!

now...i must say that we have not gone 100% clean and green. i'm working my way into it. but at the end of the day, one piece of garlic bread is nothing compared to something i'd get at a restaurant. so i still feel good about the choices i've been making.

every day i have a smoothie. it has become my favorite. and it's sooo filling.

i stumbled across a ginormous bag of frozen whole strawberries at costco for like $7. this was beautiful because 1.) i could use the strawberries as ice and 2.) i didn't have to worry about cleaning them or using them before they went bad

so far i've made about 8 shakes and haven't even used half of the bag.

you could use any fruit combo you want. i prefer strawberries and blueberries.

enough chatting...here's the recipe.

6-8 frozen whole strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1-2 TBS peanut butter - i use organic natural pb

1 tsp chocolate syrup - you could also use cocoa powder (the dark chocolate is nice)

1 cup of green machine or green goodness juice (it's literally like a salad in a bottle but tastes fruity; it's also 100% natural juice)

1 cup of fresh spinach. please don't block me out here. you can't even taste the spinach at all. so it's an easy way to get an extra kick of goodness for your body.

so all that goes directly into the mixer and makes a heavenly concoction. it makes about 16-20 oz, which keeps me full for hours. but surely feel free to modify the amounts to make a smaller batch. when all is said and done, it tastes a lot like a PB&J sandwich, which i super adore.

costco has gotten me into a bit of trouble. you see i love asparagus. and well, they have a HUGE bag of it for about the same price as one bunch in the regular grocery store. so i bought it. and we have had asparagus 3 nights in a row with dinner. i finally finished it all!

so new year's night we had a grill feast to welcome in our cleaner life.

complete with grilled salmon, grilled asparagus and garlic bread. yumminess was had by all!

i bought 1 fresh salmon filet at the store, and chris and i split it. it was huge - about $10. i seasoned it with some olive oil, lemon pepper, cracked pepper, a little salt and threw it on the grill.

for the asparagus, my favorite recipe is so easy and yummy. i use the same recipe whether i roast in the oven or on the grill.

i toss it in a little olive oil (enough to get a little on every spear), cracked pepper, salt, and crushed fresh garlic. then spread it out on some foil and throw on the grill. it's done in about 10 minutes. i super love when the tips get crispy. heavenly!

for the bread, i bought some fresh baked sourdough rolls from the bakery of my local grocery store. 1 roll made 4 small pieces of bread, so we had 2 each. i took a little olive oil and brushed on the bread. then a little crushed garlic (if you don't have a garlic crusher, you're missing out) and parsley...with a little dash of salt. i threw it on the grill too. keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

this feast cost me less than $15 total. Not too shabby for a grilled seafood feast for 2.

see, this cleaner life isn't so hard!

dearest ina

it's no secret that i'm a food network junkie.
like fo realz yo.
rachel ray used to be my favorite, but i'm a bit over her. paula deen too.
but, ina garten (barefoot contessa) used to be my least favorite, but i feel like she has suddenly become my favorite.
sidenote - i used to think the show was called barefoot contessa in a garden.



my mom loved ina.
maybe that has sparked my love for her.
or maybe it's that i have grown up and like to try more sophisticated flavors every now and then.
no one has ever made me want to cook with a leek more than ina.



maybe i'm intrigued by her life. i mean seriously, she lives in the hamptons. her husband is gone all week, so her week days are filled with cooking for all of her friends and little gay men. i love it!
i love that she cooks rich, full fat/full flavor foods and embraces it.
and although my 2013 should have a lot less fat, i'm feeling the need to cook it up...ina style.

or maybe it's that she loves paris too.
every year she spends new years in paris with friends.
come on! i need that life!

i want to throw parties and make yummies like ina.
you know...be a texas girl with hamptons style.
now that just sounds lovely.

The Weigh Things Are Going

so let's chat for a minute about the weight loss yo-yo game.

story of my life.

me and weight watchers....well we're not reall working out.

the points thing is such a flipping roller coaster for my brain.

let me have a moment of brutal honesty here -

last week i seriously had an ugly-face crying break down over food.

now honestly, food shouldn't have that kind of hold on me. and do you know what sent me over the edge? the freaking lack of white cheese dip here in texas. my georgia peeps will understand...it is the epitomy of mexican food in georgia. and here in texas, this stinking close to the border, there is absolutely no cheese dip.

well a few places have it, but it's not the same at all.

so take me whining because i can't have my white cheese nachos which completely spiraled into crying phrases (that were barely understandable) of things like

"i'm soooo hungry"

or

"weight watchers won't let me eat"

or this is my favorite

"why can't i just eat and not be fat?! or why can't i be fat and just not care?!"

it wasn't pretty folks.

poor, poor chris had no clue how to handle such a basket case.

he just held me and let me boo-hoo and said "honey, i don't think weight watchers is working for you."

at which point i wanted to respond in obscenities....and i may have.

i don't remember much about it, if that tells you how distraught i was over the flipping cheese dip.

i digress.

so i decided that i would go back to the lower carb, higher protein way of life because that's where i've had the most amazing results.

i just wish for a day when this struggle isn't a part of my every day...i'm sure i'll get that right about the time there's world peace.

last night i was looking through some old emails looking for a picture of the first time i met my neice. i had wanted to include it in yesterday's post.

and while i didn't find that one, i did find this masterpiece.

this picture was in february of 2010 at my brother's wedding.
hideous. gah-ross!
first of all, who decides its ok to make plus sized clothing in such unflattering prints.
sadly, i thought i looked real cute in this here zebra monstrousity.
my face is so fat you can barely see my facial features!
don't worry, i'm not self loathing.
i'm so thankful that i ran across this picture at this time.

that picture has reminded me of just how far i've come.
my size 20 dress to this here cutie in a large shirt.
i'm reminded of my promise to never go back there again.



so all of that to offer a little encouragement to any of you that may be struggling.

i've learned that this will be something i always struggle with and have to work towards.

it's my weakness.

but i can look at these two pictures and see that i have made and am making progress.

and even when i look in the mirror now and have some major ugly thoughts that go through my head, i can say that i'm not where i want to be, but i'm a heck of a lot further along than i was.

i guess this was god's way of giving me a little nudge to keep up with the fight.

Romans 5:3-4

"we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

Dinner Time - Come And Get It!

i'm on a mission peeps.
a mission to create quick dinners that are healthy and whole and less processed.
and it can be done!
i love experimenting with things in the kitchen, but i have a 30 minute max. that's 30 minutes from start of prep to dinner on the table. if i find a recipe that takes longer than that, it's usually overlooked or reserved for very special occasions.

as part of my new adventure to eat cleaner, we've changed our purchasing routine of meat and veggies.
this weekend we bought some ground beef at the farmers market.

we were so excited to try them and taste the difference between that and store bought meat.

so, what better way to try than with some burgers?

we're weird and eat A1(i know, not a whole natural food, but it's just darn good) and ranch dressing with our burgers. the best way to go!

i tried my hand at making some ranch dressing from scratch, and um, it was the best stuff we've ever tasted! i mixed some low fat mayo, buttermilk, garlic powder, dill weed, parsley, chives (all dried and in the spice cabinet), and a little salt and fresh ground pepper.

seriously y'all, there is never ever a need to buy it store-bought again. deeee-licious.

and for the beef verdict:

quite possibly the most wonderful burger i've ever had.
seriously.
fo realio.
the meat just fell apart in your mouth.
i'm quite positive that i will never buy ground beef in the store again.
as for seasoning, i just crushed a clove of garlic, added some fresh ground pepper, a lil' salt and a few dashes of low sodium worcestershire sauce. made some patties and threw it on the grill.
amazeballs.

chris had some grilled mushrooms and onions to top his. i'm not a fan of all that on a burger, but he was in burger heaven.

it amazes me the difference in what fresh, less processed meat tastes like. when the taste is that drastic, why would you buy the stuff in the stores with all their fillers and chemicals?
next on the list - fresh farmers market chicken. they were out this weekend or we would have bought some.

this little adventure of mine could become dangerous.
watch out...i just might become a hippie! Lol!!!

Revamping the Real

so for 2012 i have really been making an effort to eat more whole and less processed. i've blogged about it a time or two HERE and HERE.
i have to say that all the craziness with the move to texas got us waaaaaay off track.
and so it's time to bring it back.
last week we got a grill and for some reason, we eat much healthier when we can grill it.
something about grilled veggies tastes so much better.

since moving to a new town, i don't know where the best places are to buy organic.
thanks to my new friend jenny, i have some answers.
oh and by the way, you should totes visit her bloggy. it's got all kinds of wholesome goodness.
apparently our little town has a farmers market every saturday.
well don't you know i had to go!

we bought strawberries, blueberries, green beans, new potatoes, some beef, honey, and jalopeno cheddar bread!

we've officially decided that this must be part of our weekends....every week!

and then there was food, inc.
chris and i have been avoiding watching it like the plague.
i think chris was afraid that it would ruin some of the food he loves.

well we watched it.
and i'm pleased to announce that chris is 100% on board with the new lifestyle.
a couple notable quotes from chris after watching it:
"you will be going to the farmers' market every saturday"
"i'm never eating out again unless i know where the food comes from"

YES!!!!
i'm super excited about this new adventure.

The New Healthy Living Plan

Well after months of talking about it, I've finally began to implement my new approach to healthy living.
No white flour, no sugar, and less processed.
That's the overall idea.

My diet now is now mostly fruits and veggies, whole grains (whole wheat bread and pasta), and small amounts of meat.

I'm now a week in.
In the first 4 days, I lost 3 pounds. I think I'm onto something! ;)
I've been talking about incorporating this type of diet for months now, but the other night we watched this documentary that just completely reiterated everything I had been saying.
It's called Fat Sick and Nearly Dying.
It completely goes through and talks about how crazy the food the food we eat is for our bodies, and the benefits of focusing on fruits and veggies.
And honestly, I'm doing really well so far.

The best part....we went to Carrabba's yesterday for lunch and I was able to eat there guilt free. All of their pasta dishes can be ordered with 100% whole wheat pasta. Check.
The pasta dish I got had veggies and olive oil as the sauce. Artichoke, mushrooms, tomatoes and garlic. Check.
Yummo!
The great thing is that the whole wheat pasta is really filling...so I made 3 meals out of that pasta!

So now on to week 2!

Clean-er Living

So it's that time again...time to reevaluate myself and make some adjustments.
Yes I did lose 30 pounds about 6 months ago, and yes I've kept it off.
BUT I haven't continued the loss.....and I have to say, I haven't really been trying.

Back in January we did the Daniel fast and I really was so impressed with how much better I felt in eating clean non-processed foods. And the time has come to really start incorporating that into everyday life.

Wednesday is the start of Lent - the 46 days leading up to Easter. Lots of people fast something during this time. Chris and I are fasting from red meat (which I really don't eat a lot of), pizza, and all fried foods. We're also making a commitment to work out every day for at least 30 minutes for these 46 days.

Our lives are so busy and it's just so convenient to eat out. But 99% of the time, we make terrible decisions when eating out. There's usually always at least something fried that we eat.

So in taking these items out of our diet, I'm going to be introducing lots more veggies and fruits and whole grains into our menu.

I'm really intrigued by this "clean" eating. I can't explain it, but it really draws me in. I've got a whole pinterest board dedicated to it!

Here are a couple sites I found interesting and thought you might too.

Check out some easy recipe substitutions to make your favorite foods clean by clicking HERE.

And this one is 100 days of real food challenge. Check it our HERE.

This and That

What up blog lovers!
So, remember my post on china and how I'd love a random rich family member to buy me the whole set? Well I've found something else I'd like to add to the list.
I would like the entire red Paula Deen kitchen line.
Yup.
L.O.V.E. It!

I decided to go with red in the kitchen.

This decision came about for two reasons:

1.) I won some free kitchen towels from Pampered Chef that just so happened to be red.

2.) I fell in love with the whisk from Paula Deen's kitchen collection. It's stainless steel but the actual whisk part is red silicone. Ahhhh. Love.

It's not actually red.

More like cranberry.

My heart is happy.

In my previous post I shared a few pics from an engagement session I did this weekend. The quality is a little icky - don't judge. At this point it's too much trouble to repost the corrected photos. However, this little gem below could be my new favoritest photo!

Enjoy your Tuesday!

This is the Life

So I am officially starting my new work schedule since school is back in session and let me just say...I'M EXCITED!!! School starts tomorrow and the next week I will only be working 3 days a week! That is fabulous! I took today off because I had a lot of overtime this week and I have just loved it! I went yard-selling with Chris's mom, then we had lunch, ice cream and now I've paid bills (at least I can say I did SOMETHING productive). Now if I could just completely quit work! Hmmm.......

Odds Are...

So, instead of working, like I should be right now, I'm eating a fruit roll-up! The paper that the roll-up is on has a few very interesting facts that I thought I'd share!
1. Odds of finding a 4-leaf clover on the first try: 10,000 to 1
2. Odds of being eaten by a shark: 300,000,000 to 1
3. Odds of getting a hole in one: 5,000 to 1
4. Odds of being struck by lightning: 576,000 to 1
5. Odds of a meteor landing on your house: 182,138,880,000,000 to 1 (I think that's trillion!)

Enjoy your Thursday!