Good Morning

This song/video says exactly where my head and heart are at this point in my life. I enjoy waking up to face a new day.

T-Bone Steak with Peppercorn Sauce

This was very good. It didn’t knock my socks off but it was good. I hope that you enjoy it.

T-Bone Steak with Peppercorn Sauce

• 2 T-Bone Steaks
• salt to taste
• white pepper to taste
• 2 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Tablespoon butter
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 Tablespoon green peppercorns
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 Chardonnay
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Season the meat with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat grill and once coals are hot place steaks on a non-stick grill pan.  Grill on each side until done to preference.

In a sauce pan heat olive oil and butter. Add butter and shallots and saute until soft. Add peppercorns, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and saute for 1 minute. Deglaze pan with chardonnay; add chicken broth and reduce slightly. Add the cream, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Pour the sauce over the steak and serve immediately.

Nutritional information: Calories- 409, Protein- 1.8 grams, Carbohydrate- 4.5 grams, Fiber- .55 grams, Fat- 41.5 grams

Net Carbs- 3.9 grams

Fried Cauliflower with Caper Aioli

I loved this recipe. It resembles the texture of tator tots but the sauce adds an adult flavor to it. I have to be careful because it is difficult for me to remain objective and only eat one serving.

I found this recipe in the Low Carb Italian Cookbook by the Love Chef but I made a couple of changes to it. He instructed us to use soy flour but after researching soy over the past few years I no longer use it. I don’t believe it is healthy for me. I used coconut flour and it was very good.

Fried Cauliflower with Caper Aioli

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons capers, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• coconut flour
• 1 large head of cauliflower, cored and cut into florets
• 4 eggs, beaten

To make the aioli, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, capers, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir well to combine. Set aside in refrigerator to keep cold.

In a medium saucepan, heat enough to oil to measure 1 inch of depth to 350 degrees. Put the coconut flour in a medium bowl and add a handful or two of the cauliflower florets. Toss to dust the cauliflower, shake the cauliflower to remove  excess. Dip the pieces in the beaten egg and fry until golden brown. Transfer to plate and keep warm while you fry the remaining pieces. When all the cauliflower is fried, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with the aioli for dipping.

Nutritional information- Calories- 628, Protein- 9.6 grams, carbohydrates- 13.5 grams, Fiber- 5.4 grams, fat- 61.8 grams

Net carbs- 8.1 grams

One Week Later

It has been one week since taking my pledge to rededicate myself to getting healthier. I lost 7 pounds this week. Yay me!!! I am eating healthy and working out several times a week. I have only made 2 of the recipes that I posted last week but plan to make the other 2 today.

This week I intend to exercise more and continue to make healthy nourishing meals. This week I plan to make the following new recipes.

• Cajun Wings
• Black Gold Burgers

I also plan to mow my lawn myself with a push mower, attend Zumba and hike this week too. I want to continue keeping my glucose levels down and losing weight and the only way to accomplish this is to keep moving and eating healthy.

For breakfast this week I will be having Cranberry Pecan Muffins and low carb yogurt. I am keeping low carb snacks in the car in the cooler while I am working to prevent any cheats.

Work is going well. I seem to have gotten into the groove and enjoy what I do most of the time. I am very happy with how my life is going at this time. I enjoy getting up each morning and facing a new day. Life is good.

Get Up and Get Out With Caleb

The town of Hurricane, WV had a big day at a local park where they offered a free day to encourage people to get up off of the couch and get out and become active.  Last night Caleb spent the night and we had a big day of activities. We arrived at the park and spent about 90 minutes playing on the playground.

Caleb is getting so big and he is much more independent and enjoys one on one time with grandma. As soon as he heard they were going to have a relay obstacle course he wanted to sign up. He had so much fun.

Caleb has always been afraid of heights but today he conquered his fears and climbed the rock wall.

They had a medivac helicopter there for all of the children to sit in and ask questions about. He was so happy to climb into this helicopter.

He also was allowed to climb into the fire truck too.

They had an archery area which Caleb LOVED. His daddy is an avid hunter and he wants to be just like his daddy.

The community really came through with this event. All of the children were having a good time and Caleb was so excited to be participating in this. We ended the day with a healthy lunch that was also provided free to the community. We had a chicken vegetable stir fry that was made without sugar and green beans with almonds. Caleb and I both enjoyed this lunch.

He was wore out when we left and I was sunburned. Why is it that I burn and he just glowed? We both made some wonderful memories today. I would never trade my time with my grandchildren. I hate that Isaiah lives so far away. I want to have these same regular memories with him. I understand that Samantha is where God has placed her and she is doing his will but I miss them.

 

Rural Post Offices

When I am working in the rural areas sometimes I come across things that make me smile. One thing that always catches my eyes are the rural post offices. Some of them are so tiny and others are rather humorous. This first one is in Julian, WV. This is in a house that has been divided.  Half of it is a post office and the other half is a balloon store called the Balloony Barn. How cute is this?

Post Office in Julian, WV

This next post office is in Spurlockville, WV. It is smaller than a one car garage. Isn’t it quaint? I love working in this small rural areas.

Post Office in Spurlockville, WV

You should all be grateful that I chose to share the post offices with you. I also find public toilets in rural areas quite humorous. For instance one day I stopped at a gas station with a public bathroom located at the far end of the building in a rural area in Lincoln County. I had to enter the gas station to get the key and  as soon as I entered the bathroom I heard, “HISSSSSS!!!!!” I froze and stood in one place for several minutes barely moving my head from side to side looking for a snake.

I was thinking to myself  that for a very stark bathroom it sure does smell good in here. Then I noticed a motion sensor Glade Air Deodorizer just beside the door. When I had entered it had sprayed air deodorant. hahaha

I went into another bathroom in Boone County and regret not taking pictures of this bathroom. I honestly considered taking the pictures and sharing it on the blog but you all would have thought that I were insane. When I got back to the car I made my co-worker enter the bathroom to see it for herself. She came out laughing too. I can’t even describe it.

Cream of Tomato Soup with Basil

One of my favorite comfort foods is a nice warm bowl of tomato soup. As a child I can’t tell you how many cans of Campbell’s Tomato Soup I have eaten. Now that I have Diabetes I can’t eat my old favorite Campbell’s soup any longer without spiking my glucose. This evening I made a nice pot of soup and it was fantastic. I will be making this at least monthly.

On my way home from work tonight it was pouring the rain and this soup just seemed appropriate for the evening. I tried both with and without Parmesan cheese and I prefer it with the cheese but it was also very good without it.

Cream of Tomato Soup with Basil without cheese

Cream of Tomato Soup with Basil and Parmesan Cheese

Cream of Tomato Soup with Basil and Parmesan Cheese

• 1 large onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 16-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• salt to taste
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 4 large tomatoes pureed in blender
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon basil, dried
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• Parmesan cheese

In a large pot, saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil. Add the red pepper flakes and canned tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and add the parsley. Allow to cook for 10-15 minutes until and deglaze with the white wine; reduce by half. Then add the fresh tomatoes and broth. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add heavy whipping cream and serve. Add Parmesan Cheese before serving. Serves 10.

Nutritional Information: Calories- 109, Protein 1.7 grams, Carbohydrates 8 grams, Fiber 1.7 grams. Fat 8 grams.

Net Carbs- 6.4 grams

 

T-Bone Steaks Roasted in Herbs

I made this recipe tonight and it was excellent. When I was telling my sister, Donna about this recipe she said that the herbs in this recipe sounded like Italian Seasoning so I just used that instead and it was very simple to do. I made it in a pan with olive oil but will grill it outside next time. I missed the flavor of the grill.

I served this with Broiled Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese and I had a half a cup of fresh pineapple.

T-Bone Steaks in Roasted Herbs

• 2 T-Bone Steaks
• Italian Seasoning
• Black Pepper
• Salt
• Olive oil

Sprinkle steaks liberally with Italian Seasoning, pepper and salt. Heat oil in pan and once hot place steaks in pan. Sear on both sides until cooked to desired doneness. Is that a word? haha

This was very good and easy. Put together with the asparagus dinner was ready in 20 minutes tops. Not bad for a quick low carb meal.

New Pledge!

I am taking a new pledge to do better where my health is concerned. With all of the new changes in my life I have struggled with my diet and my glucose and I haven’t put my health first. I have paid the toll for that. I decided to take a new pledge and start over beginning this morning.

Today I got up and had an omelet with sausage, egg and cheddar cheese and 4 strawberries. For lunch I had a cheeseburger patty, fresh green beans and a hardboiled egg. I had 4 strawberries for dessert.

For dinner I had a cheeseburger patty, green beans, hardboiled egg, coleslaw  and half a cup of fresh pineapple. I am full and I am in charge of my health.

I have looked through my cookbooks and have picked out 4 new recipes to make over the next week. I will be doing Zumba and walking in the evenings with friends and family. Together with their support I am going to put my health first again.

I cleaned out my fridge and baked Cranberry Pecan Muffins to enjoy for breakfast over the next 4 weeks.

This week I will be making the following new recipes:

1. Cream of Tomato Soup with Basil
2. Fried Cauliflower with Capers Aioli
3. Beef Medallions with Peppercorn Sauce
4. Beef Tenderloin Roasted in Herbs

I have planted vegetables in my raised beds and have added them to my front flowerbeds. I am going to have beautiful purple cabbage beside my hostas. I want everything here to focus on getting healthier and succeeding in life.  Despite the divorce I plan to continue to dream about the future and having the things in my life that are important to me. That includes God, my family, my health and being as independent as possible.

I refuse to be sad, depressed or a failure. I will succeed at getting my health and my life back in order. That is a promise that I am making to myself.

Happy Mother’s Day

We celebrated Mother’s Day this morning at my mother’s home. My son, Stephen and his wife, Kristin and the 5 year old that is going on 20, Caleb also attended. We had so much food that we could have fed half of Charleston. I didn’t take pictures of the food but we did try something new that I want to share. I made Cream Cheese Brownies and topped it with Breyers Low Carb Vanilla Ice Cream. I tried making my own chocolate topping and we loved it. I had seen a recipe online several months ago and thought that I had remembered it but it turns out I didn ‘t make it correctly but we still loved it. This is the recipe that I made.

Chocolate Topping

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 6 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 5 Tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup Splenda

Melt butter and coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add remaining ingredients and promptly remove from heat. Serve over ice cream and brownie.

On a side note the following pictures are of my mother’s beautiful garden. She takes a lot of pride in her garden and gets great enjoyment from this.

Hens and Chickens

Picnic Shelter with Ivy

Pathway from driveway to side door

Playhouse built for Grandchildren

Pathway to backyard

Azalia

Flowerbed beside driveway

Tree Flowerbed

Flower bed beside driveway.

 

Biggest tulips that I have ever seen