Question: Have any of you Blogspot users converted to Wordpress? What do you think?
My blog is getting ready to undergo a major overhaul. I will soon be found under domain name preventionrd.com and will be a Wordpress blogger (I'll miss the good'ol Blogspot days, I'm sure!). Thomas is the mastermind behind what will ensue, and I am VERY excited about it! I will keep you posted as to what this transition will mean for my posting, but please bare with me!
The sweet Ashley of Kiwis and Cocktails passed the Happy 101 Award on to me (THANK YOU! Two in a week...this is exciting for an award virgin!)
The rules are:
1. List 10 things that make you Happy
2. Tag 10 Bloggers that Brighten your day
10 things that make me happy (there's a lot!)...
1. Scoring a goal in a hockey game!
2. Seeing my puppy shake like a jitter bug because she’s so excited to see me!
3. A good glass of red wine, Chianti preferred.
4. Going on a long, effortless run.
5. Waking up with not a THING to do
6. Finding new, fun finds at the grocery store
7. Husband playing with my hair
8. Long dinners with my family filled with inappropriateness and laughter
9. Helping others reach their health and nutrition goals
10. Looking at my wedding pictures. I truly had the wedding of my dreams.
I love to read ALL of the blogs I follow, it was hard to narrow it down! Keep the happiness going by sharing 10 things that make YOU happy and 10 blogs that brighten your day!
On a completely unrelated and shameful note...Jersey Shores is quite possibly as addictive as crack cocaine. Puppy whined at 5:20 this morning (alarm wasn't set to go off til 6:20), and instead of rolling over to go back to bed (what I usually do, especially by Friday!), I got up......AND WATCH JERSEY SHORES BEFORE WORK. I have reached a new level of overly inappropriate TV viewing.
Run #3 on the new treadmill was a nice recovery run of 3.1 miles with a leisurely warm-up and cool-down. LOVE having a treadmill at home. Though, I must admit, the morning workouts have not ensued as I had originally planned. HOWEVER, the important thing is getting in the workouts whether it be morning, noon, or night...and I'm doing that!
What are you up to this weekend? Shopping, shopping, and baking?
Tonight is husband's Christmas party and we're driving around in stretch Expedition limos to see beautiful Christmas lights, and then out for a wonderful Italian dinner (Chianti, woot!). I'm really excited! Have a WONDERFUL weekend...TGIF!!!!!!
I first heard of Kombucha from Paige of Running Around Normal. She drinks the stuff all the time and raves about it's deliciousness and healthfulness. I began researching Kombacha and where I could get some after seeing it spread like wild fire in blogland. Hence, this is why I asked "Zevia or Kombacha" in the This-or-That activity from a few days ago. Which, by the way, you all seemed to love! Thanks for humoring me and my nosiness!
So here are the Kombucha varieties I've located: Citrus, Original, and Multi-Green
The Original flavor tastes like a milder version of Welch's Sparking Cider, to a tee. Taste-wise it was fine. The fizzies gave me a bit of a tummy ache and I didn't enjoy the aesthetics of the floating organisms!! You could seeeeeeeeee them! Kinda cool, but not fun to look at in a beverage! All in all...
Taste: C-
Healthfulness: A-
The reason I don't think Kombucha is a can't-live-without-it health food is simply because all that it contains can be found in other foods. And I tend to stay away from beverages with a caloric content.
Kombucha (kom-BOO-cha) is a Chinese tea which is cultured for 30 days. Each bottle contains all B-vitamins, antioxidants, and probiotics -- 1 billion Lactobacillus Bacterium organisms and 1 billion S. Boulardii organisms.
Here's the label -- nothing shocking here.
I do find it funny that the bottle reads:
"Please note: Due to fermentation, this product may contain a trace amount of alcohol (less than 0.5%)."
I read this as I was drinking the Kombucha and driving. I put the lid on and put it in my purse...just in case!
This portion of the label is stating that Kombucha is a raw food and that cultures (bacteria organisms) can be seen with the nekked eye. And, it's true. There's definitely floaters in the tea.
Morgan (brave soul that she is) of Live, Love, Eat, and Play attempted making her own Kombucha! Read about it here.
I made a recipe tonight from Kalyn's Kitchen -- Roasted Brussel's Sprouts with Pecans and Gorgonzola. Yummmm!! Her recipes ALWAYS look gourmet and delicious. And yet, doable for the average kitchen talent ;)
I tossed the brussel's sprouts with EVOO, salt, pepper, chopped pecans, and fresh minced garlic. I organized them in a single-layer on a Pyrex dish sprayed with cooking spray. I baked at 375 F for 30 minutes.
During the last 5 minutes of baking, I took the sprouts out and sprinkled gorgonzola over the top and placed them back into the oven for a final 5 minutes of cooking.
Result: DELICIOUS!
Husband was like, "Um, ew." (verbatim) when I told him I was making brussel's sprouts. Well, let's just say he went back for seconds of the sprouts before even finishing his dinner plate.
Tonight's dinner was the brussel's sprouts with leftover spaghetti squash topped with a homemade marinara containing diced tomatoes, Chianti, mussels, EVOO, garlic, Italian seasoning, and fresh chopped basil.
Today we had our friends take a family shot of us for our Christmas card. We tried getting our snake, Pinky, in the picture, but Lily doesn't understand that her brother is not edible. Here was our best take...
Giveaway Alert!
Nutritious is Delicious is having a Pizzey Flax/Omega-3 bar giveaway! Go here to enter!
and
Iowa Girl Eats is having a Larabar giveaway! Go here to enter!
I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful weekend! Yours truly scored a goal in my hockey game today. It was a pretty sweet shot...if I do say so myself! However, we lost 5-3. : (
Question: Do you sometimes feel over-whelmed with the number of blogs you follow each day?
I LOVE to read, especially foodie blogs...but it's a lot of catching up to do every day! Does Google Reader help you stay organized? I want to stay up to speed with you all!
...and it isn't pine or mistletoe! But rather.......COOKIES!!!
Today I made SEVEN varieties of sweets -- some healthy, some not so healthy, but all are delicious! 214 cookies + 16 brownies later I am pooped and my house smells like the December issue of Taste of Homes looks.
Ingredients:
1 bag Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie Mix
3/4 C Andes Creme de Menthe chips
Directions:
1)Preheat oven to 375 F
2)Mix together cookie mix and ingredients listed on package. Once well mixed, add in the 3/4 cup of creme de menthe.
3)Drop cookie dough by rounded Tbsp onto a ungreased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet covered in tinfoil/parchment paper.
4)Bake each batch for 9 to 11 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.
Ingredients:
1 bag Betty Crocker oatmeal cookie mix+ingredients listed on mix
3/4 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch chips
Directions: 1)Preheat oven to 375 F 2)Mix together cookie mix and ingredients listed on package. Once well mixed, add in the 3/4 cup of peppermint chips. 3)Drop cookie dough by rounded Tbsp onto a ungreased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet covered in tinfoil/parchment paper. 4)Bake each batch for 9 to 11 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.
Note: I could NOT (for the life of me) find Holiday Kissables, so I settled for Holiday M&M's. Also, I used Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix instead of the chocolate mix the recipe called for*.
Ingredients: 1 bag Betty Crocker Peanut Butter cookie mix* 1/3 c. (canola) oil 2 eggs 1 tub of chocolate frosting 1 bag of Hershey's Christmas Kissables
Directions: 1)Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs; stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. 2) Bake at 375°F. for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute, then press your thumb into the center of each cookie. After that remove from cookie sheets. 3)Spoon some frosting into a pastry bag or a zip loc and snip the end. Pipe frosting into the indent of the cookie and top with 3 Kissables!!
A trick with the Christmas Chocolate Cheers is to use a Ziplock as a frosting gun...
Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies
Yield: 3 dozen (serving size: 1 cookie)
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 1/2 ounces)
1 cup regular oats
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate minichips
Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring with a whisk; set aside.
Place sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg; beat until blended. Gradually add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Stir in pecans and minichips. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.
Source: Julianna Grimes and Ann Taylor Pittman, Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2007
Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies
I colored the cheesecake batter with red food coloring -- about 3 drops for a festive flare!
Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 bar)
Cheesecake batter: 1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract 1 large egg 1 large egg white 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Brownie batter: 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup) 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 1/4 cup canola oil 1/4 cup buttermilk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 large egg whites 1 large egg Cooking spray
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare cheesecake batter, place cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add granulated sugar and peppermint extract; beat well. Add 1 egg and 1 egg white; beat well. Add 1 tablespoon flour; beat mixture just until blended.
3. To prepare brownie batter, weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces (about 1 cup) flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 4.5 ounces flour, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, 2 egg whites, and 1 egg in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until well blended. Add flour mixture to brown sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until blended.
4. Reserve 1/2 cup of brownie batter. Pour remaining batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Carefully pour cheesecake batter over top; spread evenly to edges. Dot cheesecake batter with reserved brownie batter. Swirl top two layers of batters together using the tip of a knife. Bake at 350° for 26 minutes or until top is set. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
Source: Kathy Farrell-Kingsley, Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2008
Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
2/3 c butter, softened 2/3 c firmly packed brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 ½ c old fashioned oats 1 ½ c all purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 1 (6 oz) package dried cranberries 2/3 c white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate mixing bowl.
Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Makes about 2 ½ dozen cookies.
Source: Weight Watchers (online forum)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Yield: 3 dozen (serving size: 1 cookie)
1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup canola oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 large egg whites 1 large egg 12 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 2/3 cups) 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate minichips
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth.
3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture, stirring just until combined. Stir in minichips. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on 2 baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.
Source: Kathy Farrell-Kingsley, Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2008
And only 3 hours later...my friends are the lucky recipients of THESE:
Tins filled with...
cookies! Obvi..
I taste tested all of the cookies (and brownies) and they are ALL really good!
If I had to choose a favorite it would have to be the Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I must fess up -- my morning started off on a bad note...forgetting to eat breakfast before I set out for a day of power shopping. Around 10 I gave in to a bad, bad guilty pleasure: McDonald's Sausage Egg McMuffin. 450 calories and 85% of my daily value of saturated fat later...I completed my shopping spree successfully. In my defense, I get fast food a handful of time in a calendar year, and typically it is because of instances like this morning.
Question: How often do you eat fast food? What is your "favorite" fast food restaurant (if you had to choose one)?
Husby and I are off to my work Christmas party! Hope everyone's having a wonderful weekend!
Tomorrow...the LD on this KOMBACHA everyone in blogland is yappin' about!!
Last night was the last night of my 4-week Boot Camp class. My measurements were taken on 11/16 and last night, 12/3. In that time I have lost:
0.5 inches on my thighs and hips
2.75 inches on my shoulders/bust
1.5 inches on my waist
arms stayed the same
I am pumped! While I wish more came off my hips (this is where I carry my weight), I'm really happy with the results. Three days a week for a few weeks has really made a difference.
And more good news...our new treadmill is being delivered next TUESDAY!!!!!!
I made a popular bloggie dinner last night: spaghetti squash!
I halved the squash length-wise and baked it upside down in a pan with 1/4" water in the bottom at 375 F for 35 minutes. I then flipped the squash right side up and baked an additional 30 minutes at 375 F. After cooking, the squash easily pulls out in strands (like spaghetti!).
Easy breezy!
To my spaghetti squash I added Classico Tomato Basil Marinara, nutritional yeast, Parmesan, red pepper flakes, and pine nuts. Deeeelicious!!!!
Failure. Failures, really.
In the December issue of Cooking Light, I found a recipe for cranberries I really wanted to make for the RD Christmas Party THIS afternoon -- candied cranberries, more like.
Directions: simmer cranberries in simple syrup until tender. Roll in sugar. Serve. Anyone can handle that, right? Wrong.
Lesson learned: can't be watching Bride Wars AND cranberries simoltaneously.
Of this many cranberries...
I salvaged THIS many...sad.
So, I moved on to an easy recipe my friend Katie sent me just this morning (after a speed session of grocery shopping...
Chocolate Bombs
Ingredients: 1 box chocolate cake, prepared 1 can chocolate frosting 1 bag chocolate chips 2 packages chocolate almond bark
Make cake mix as directed and let cool. Crumble cake into a large bowl and mix in frosting and chips. Roll into balls and place on a lined cookie sheet.
Melt almond bark and drizzle over balls. Cool and serve.
Disaster...
My balls didn't form, so mine are blobs. More like AFTER a bomb has exploded. Here's the final product:
I don't bake or do sweets of any kind very well...can you tell? Taste? Thumbs up! Mmm! Chocolate lovers, come in!!
I need to doll up for the party, but have a WONDERFUL Friday and start to your weekend! And seriously, the above 2 recipes are easy as pie for the average Joe...and super delicious if you're looking for something easy!!
I must be lucky...I have just received my second giveaway prize in the mail, and another on the way (Krema PB!)! Today I received the Pure Organics prize from this sweetie of a blogger (her blog is HILARIOUS if you're looking for some new blog material!). For my morning snack I had the Apple Cinnamon mini Pure Organics bar and let me just say....yummmm!
I JUST went to the post office...your Newman's Own Oraganic products are on their way!
Sally from NOO and I have been in communication and I pleased to hear that both Akins and Whole Foods stores near me carry NOO products. I just hope they carry the hermits...!! NOO is such a wonderful company, I feel so blessed to have come across such wonderful people and products!
Last night, husband and I split dinner duty as I had boot camp. As to not be eating dinner at 10pm, husband was in charge of making wild rice. He did pretty good...maybe a bit more stirring action was needed, but hey...I'm not complaining!
Look at that wild rice...goooooigeous!! It was so nutty and rich in flavor.
And on my wild rice...nutritional yeast! It was really good!
And a fresh field greens salad : )
Some of my "regulars" brought me a little gift yesterday (I know, not supposed to accept gifts from patients...but it was FOOD!) -- POPS CHIPS! Besides Terra veggies chips, I'm very "take'em or leave'em" when it comes to crunchy, salty snacks. Pops Chips, however, are pretty much amazing! They're a cross-over between a rice cake and a potato chip -- 100 calories per serving! And supposedly my local Target carries them, so keep your eye out! Sorry I don't have a picture, husband was on a rampage last night cleaning away.
Same goes for my LARABAR wrapper (doesn't husband know by now that I'm not throwing out my trash because I'm lazy but rather, because I'm a blogger! Doh, hubby!). I tried the Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar and it was pretty incredible. The apple pie was good, but the peanut butter cookie was phenom.
And as a marathon runner, I have to address Biggest Loser last night. Lame.
60 days to train for a marathon? Who in their right mind finds that feasible? Safe? Fun? Not me. Not a doctor. Not a personal trainer. These people are still obese and NO body is made to run 26.2 miles. Each of my marathons have required 4 1/2 MONTHS of training and I barely survived the second race. I dunno, just really not "smart" on The Biggest Loser's part.
And to quote one of my patient's on Danny's 59-pound weight loss in 60 days: "That aint safe." I have such a love/hate relationship with that show, but no doubt will I be tuned in to the finale next week. Will youu?
Does anyone have any favorite healthy holiday cookie recipes?
My taste testing at work next week is holiday cookies and I actually don't have any tried and true cookie recipes! Anyone???
My neighborhood was decked out to the extreme in lights yesterday (Dec. 1st...makes sense). So I ask...
What are you ask for from Santa this Christmas?
Husband and I purchased a treadmill as our gift to one another (I mean from Santa...). So excited!
Happy Hump Day!
P.S. THANK YOU to all who read my blog.
Things have really picked up here as of lately, and I couldn't be happier about it! Whether you read on a daily basis or an infrequent basis, I appreciate your support. I love writing and I appreciate all you readers! Any questions can always be passed along to Mrs.RD44@gmail.com !
And for those whom I follow...there are a lot of you! I try my darndest to keep up with all the hard work and creativity you put into your blogs! I am always amazed by the wealth of knowledge and enjoyment the blog world brings! Cheers!
It's confusing trying to be healthy! Let me be your guide to a practical, straight-forward, and maintainable approach to a healthy lifestyle. I promise, you may even come to like it!
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