Posts by admin:
- 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Coconut Palm Sugar
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold water
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 6 ounces Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate 60% Cacao
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup mini vegan marshmallows
- 6 Tablespoons Saucy Mama Champagne Honey Mustard
- 1 cup fresh grapefruit, peeled and without inner skin
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Herb Seasoning Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 medium butternut squash (about 4 cups)
- 4 apples, peeled and cored (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup Saucy Mama’s Champagne Honey Mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground teaspoon black pepper
- 8 La Tortilla High Fiber, Low Carb Tortillas
- 3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1-2 cups shredded lettuce
- Tarragon Lemon
- Dijon
- Smoky Garlic
- Champagne and Honey
- Chipotle
- Suzie’s Yellow mustard
- 2/3 cups Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup All Natural Saucy Mama’s® Smoky Garlic Mustard
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 package Nasoya Tofu Plus, extra firm
- 1/2 teaspoon Herbamare Herb Seasoning Salt
- 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Birthday Weekend and Four Months
March 2nd, 2012
Wow folks! This week flew by for sure. It was a trying week for both the baby and me. Our sleep patterns have been a mess. I know that there are plenty of books and articles stating that a baby’s sleep patterns change but it feels so erratic.
For almost 7 years I averaged 5-6 hours of sleep a night because I had my day job as a pharmacy technician and then quickly changed out of my scrubs, worked out and headed to chorister rehearsals for the opera house. I was used to it.
Then I got married. Who knew that I was going to catch up on my sleep. I moved to little old town of Longview from big city Houston and the partying stopped. Yeah..no….I was not a party girl. At least the big city hype calmed down and God called me to rest and sleep.
Little did I know that this was only preparing me for a future life of 5-6 hours of sleep yet again.
It feels oh so different because those nights of deep sleep have been interrupted by a breastfed baby. There are nights I totally feel like a zombie.
I am such a night owl and it has been so hard going to bed early KNOWING I will be needed only 2 hours after going to bed. (I am changing this up though)
Last night Ryan and I finally went to bed at 10:30pm and then he gets a call. My lovely husband has a naturally boomy voice. He really can’t help it. Even though we have been trying to train him to use his INSIDE voice, I actually think he does not have one. From my bed I could hear him talking on the phone. I fear that his voice will wake the baby up besides the fact that it had already woken me up.
This morning Ryan tells me that I told him to quiet down twice. Um….I only remember getting up once from my bed to quiet him, but apparently I “shooshd” him from the bedroom. I do not even remember that!!
Anyway, here it is almost midnight and I am waiting for my dear husband to get back from a late night rehearsal and all I can think about is our weekend.
I turn 33 this Sunday and I do not know how to feel about it. A birthday seems so strange but even so some celebrating will happen even though I seem somewhat ambivalent about it. Is this normal?
Feelings I never thought I would have have overtaken me lately and I find myself almost nightly clinging to my bed sheets and crying to God, asking him for the strength that I do not really have on my own.
Today was a wonderful day. The scripture that came to mind is from John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Having a baby has made me realize how selfish of a person I am. This is why I think Scripture tells us to be fruitful and multiply otherwise we become self-absorbed. My baby teaches me daily to love her unconditionally just as God loves me unconditionally. I cannot think of my feelings or react the way I feel, even though sometimes it is SUPER hard. Running on empty is not a pretty sight, let me tell you.
I thank God for giving me the gift of raising a child because HE does not give me more than I can handle but BOY do I need his help daily.
Here’s to celebrating 4 months with my baby girl and turning 33 this weekend. I really look forward seeing what more God brings to our lives. 🙂
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Rocky Road Bars {vegan)
February 29th, 2012
Desserts are my favorite to make. I have to try really hard not to make too many decadent desserts in order not to have daily temptations but sometimes we just want something good besides a nice ripe banana. Ya know?
When I saw this recipe for Gooey Rocky Road Bars made by Kristina @Whipped, I knew I had to make them ASAP. I had all the ingredients and it looked very uncomplicated.
Since I am keeping up with portion control and calories I decided to lighten the recipe a little more. I chose to use coconut palm sugar and applesauce instead of straight sugar and vegetable oil.
I used Special Dark cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet for a deeper and richer flavor. The original recipe said it would take 20-25 minutes to bake but the recipe took 45-50 minutes to bake.
It was a big torture smelling these bake for such a long time. Ryan kept asking whether they were done already.
I let them cool for 10-15 minutes. Ryan asked if he could dig in. I mean seriously folks. These looked and smelled delicious.
Ryan bit into one of them and devoured them in a bit. He looked at me and said that this was probably one of my best desserts yet. Says a lot coming from my husband…
Thanks Kristina for the inspiration and for the delicious recipe.
People…..you must make these at once and report back.
REMINDER: If you have not entered my Saucy Mama Gourmet Mustard Giveaway, check it out and enter for a chance to win three different bottles.
If you would, do you mind voting for my recipes? If you liked my tofu strips then go vote for me please. I would appreciate it a lot. I would bake you these if I could too!
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Tangy Grapefruit Dressing (oil-free)
February 28th, 2012
This is my third and last recipe using one of Saucy Mama’s gourmet mustards. I wish I had had more time to create more recipes but seeing as I received my condiments a little later than everyone else I think I tried my best. It has also been a bit of a challenge to be in the kitchen for that long with a 4 month old.
This weekend Julianne helped me in the kitchen. I find she is starting to enjoy sitting in her Bumbo and watching me cook and prepare meals. She is not real keen lying on her back so why not include her in my kitchen adventures? Here she is:
The result was a smooth tangy, slightly sweet, and savory dressing. I made a large 2 cup green salad and added 3 Tablespoons of the dressing and ate it with my Crunchy Smoky Mustard Tofu Strips. Ryan gave this recipe a two thumbs up!
On top of this, the recipe is low-calorie for sure!
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Champagne Honey Roasted Apples and Squash Wraps
February 27th, 2012
After I roasted the squash and apples I added them to one tortilla and topped it with blue cheese crumbles or feta cheese crumbles and then add shredded lettuce. I wrapped them up and devoured it. It was very enjoyable and I cannot wait to make this again.
Each wrap is only 170 calories!
Make sure to enter my giveaway on THIS POST to have a chance to win THREE bottles of gourmet mustard.
Assembly
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Crunchy Smoky Mustard Tofu Strips and Saucy Mama Giveaway
February 23rd, 2012
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I would use more smoky garlic mustard for dipping sauce or you can make a big green salad to go with it like I did. I will be sharing a unique oil-free dressing tomorrow!
