A Lovely Life

Hands down the best money we spent at the beginning of the pandemic as a New York Times Cooking subscription. When restaurants started to close and our financial situation took a bit of a hit due to COVID, eating out was clearly no longer an option. I've had a love for spending time in the kitchen since I can remember, but experimentation wasn't always my thing. C definitely brought out some adventure in me when it comes to cooking.  So, we've spent the majority of the last year reading the emails from NYT Cooking titled "What to Eat Tonight" and "What to Eat This Weekend" and we'd add things that sounded good to our virtual recipe box and plan accordingly. One of our unspoken guidelines is that the majority of what we made has to have as few ingredients and steps as possible. Something with over 22 steps better end with step 23 being "how to file for divorce"... I kid. We've loosened that rule a bit as we've added more staples to t...

Food brings people together.  Think about it. Whether it be holidays, weddings, Sunday meals, funerals or reunions food most often than not is the focus of those events.  First thing I do when someone has had a baby or fallen ill: bring food (or wine depending on the occasion).  It's a common necessity that allows us to connect with another.   My family is big on food and while I wasn't always able to have big meals with my extended family, I still appreciate the traditions they've made.   We each have a favorite recipe that reminds us of "home" and I love sharing those recipes and experiences with others.  I've recently been trying to make at least one weekend meal more interesting than our typical nightly dinners.  I've been using hand-me-down recipes from friends and family and branching out by trying recipes that are completely different.  It's been fun to experiment with new foods and techniques!  There's nothing better than "slaving...

Since J and I started the new year with a better approach to eating and exercise, I've found myself even more conscious of diets, exercise plans, health food blogs, etc.  I see these things in my news feed on Facebook or in articles on blogs I read.  Most recently, I've heard more about this growing movement for women to embrace their bodies for what they are.  I hate that this is even a "movement" and not the norm, but I've gotta say I'm happy to see it. I listen to a local radio morning show on my drive into work and after I've gotten settled at my desk.  It seems like they've been doing more segments lately with weight loss challenges, interviews of women and men who are overly body conscious and most recently the No Body Shame Campaign .  They interviewed the woman who started this whole thing the other morning and she was really inspiring and lovely.  After years of struggling with weight and bouncing from 130lbs up to over 300lbs, she realized ...

I've mentioned before that I've been loving some green smoothie action lately!  I found this great website that has a ton of recipes and advice for getting a daily dose of green yumminess!  I love that they're super easy and don't take a ton of time.  I thought I'd post a couple of my absolute favorites because, why not?! Almond Butter & "Jelly" 2 cups of spinach or kale 2 cups of almond milk 2 cups of frozen grapes 4 tablespoons of almond butter Blend greens and almond milk until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend again. Kiwi Strawberry Twist 2 cups of spinach 2 cups of fresh squeezed orange juice (if I don't have enough oranges on hand, I do 1 cup of orange juice and 1 cup of water as a substitute) 2 cups of frozen strawberries 2 ripe kiwi, fuzzy skin removed 1 banana Juice of 1 lemon Blend spinach, orange juice and lemon juice until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend again. Both of these smoothies s...

I love food, y'all.  LOVE. IT.  I've said time and time again I'm convinced that God gave me a 6'1" frame because I eat like football player... Eating isn't my only favorite thing about food.  I love to cook it, too, and I find myself constantly searching for new and exciting recipes.  Since J and I started the New Year with the goal of eating better and getting healthier, I've found myself on an even bigger hunt for healthy food recipes that taste good and give me some variety.  I cannot eat the same thing over and over.  I can do leftovers only if they were just too good to be true for dinner the night before.  If they weren't, my poor husband is left to eat them. It's taken awhile to figure out what works for us as far as healthy eating and we're still trying to get it right.  Here are some lessons we've learned so far: 1.  Our house is usually void of any snacks other than nuts and fruit.  We love to snack in this house and thi...

In our quest to be healthier, I've been searching for ways to keep our meals both healthy AND interesting.  I have failed at healthy eating when all I make every meal is chicken and vegetables.  I need some variety, y'all! I'm not an earlier riser, so the most important meal of the day --breakfast-- doesn't get the attention it should.  It usually consists of to go coffee and a piece of fruit or hard boiled egg on a good day.  I wanted something delicious AND filling, but was having a hard time figuring out what that was.  And then I stumbled upon Simple Green Smoothies .  The two gals who created this lovely website have made getting a dose of veggies and fruit super easy.  I mean, STUPID easy.  I signed up for their FREE 30-Day challenge and it's been super fun.  Every week I get an email with a shopping list and recipes.  Each recipe makes about 2 smoothies + a little more because I'm not so great on measuring stuff out.  I b...