It's going to be a great day! July 27, 2010

Good morning, thanks again for stopping by! I did not post all my meals I had yesterday, so I will put them in this post. Yesterday for lunch, I had leftovers; Broccoli and Steak with Pork Fried Rice. For dinner Jeff and I had Spicy Chicken Breast with a fresh salad. I made my own salad dressing; I used EVVO, White Wine Vinegar, honey, Dijon Mustard, Soy Sauce, garlic clove, pepper and Salt. For breakfast this morning I made another Greek Yogurt with fresh fruit. I used strawberries, pineapples and a Peach, honey and homemade granola. I forgot to mention, Jeff and I just celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary on Sunday! God has truly blessed us with our relationship as wife and husband. I have to give God credit for this, because this was another answered pray. He is faithful. Every storm that has come our way, God has been there along with every joy! We praise Jesus, and we thank him for the desires and dreams he places in our hearts. I will be attempting another go at cleaning my craft room. This is a very big job. It has become a catch all room. I might get brave one day and post a picture, but I am to embarrassed to show you. Oh, I took this picture of the glob in my garden this morning.

Monday breakfast July 26, 2010

Good morning, thanks for stopping by! I made myself a fruit yogurt parfait. This is how I made it; I took a fancy glass and yes the glass is important. I then used plain Greek Yogurt and I put a little bit of honey in and then took my micro-plain and a lemon and put about 1/2 tsp. lemon zest in the yogurt and then I cut up into bite size pieces fresh pineapple and strawberries, I mixed it all together. I took some of my homemade granola about 1 tbls spoon, and place it at the bottom of the glass. I then topped the granola with the yogurt and more sliced up strawberries and pineapples then another layer of yogurt and more fresh fruit and granola. This is so much better than those yogurts that already have fruit in them. They are loaded with sugar and all kinds of chemicals. I use the Chobani brand Plain Greek Yogurt, it has 140 calories, 0 fat, 9 grams of sugar, and 23 grams of protein. I think those other little yogurts; have 9g of protein in them.

I hope be have a blessed day! Look to the lord for your help and your guidance and start reading the bible, if this is your first time reading it, I would start in Psalms. But first pray to god to reveal to you what he wants to show you through the word as you read the word of God. Here is a verse for you, it is in, II Chronicles 26:5 "As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success."

Sunday morning, when a family is standing on the side of the raod asking for help. July 25, 2010

We drove to church this morning, and passed a family, sitting outside the car holding up a sign that read "we need help" WWJD? We kept driving to church. We pulled into the church parking lot at Mountain Lake Church and felt compelled to pray for this family. My husband and I were moved by the spirit during the prayer to leave right at that moment, to go and see what kind of help they needed. The man was on oxygen, the wife was sitting beside him and their 13 year old daughter was sitting in the drivers seat. He said he had gone to many churches for help, but none would help him. He seemed very bitter towards the church. Another man was there too asking what he could do for them, this man said he would help them. He told us a number of things he needed. His car need fixing, his trailer that they were living in needed to be shored-up, he needed a tire for his car for one was in really bad shape and he needed his tanks to be filled. His wife lost her job and he can't work because of his health. Another man came up and said he was led to turn around to help them. He gave them some money, and he said he lost his 21 year old son in January. You could see the pain in his eyes. We left to go get some money, we returned and they were still sitting there, we prayed with them and handed them an envelope. I said "do you have a relationship with Jesus" and he said yes. I said to them "put your trust in God not man or a church, because sometimes they will let you down." That is why so many people walk away from God. I said, "trust God to do a work in people, to minister to you." I wrote his name, number and address down and the other man who was standing there to see if we could get more help for them. What would you have done? There are so many people hurting out there today. We were hurting pretty bad too when Jeff was out of work for 9 months. We are still not back to normal yet, but we are working on it, there is always someone worse off than you. So what would you have done, just curious?

For lunch today, I used the leftovers from last night. I made mini steak sandwiches with a homemade blue cheese sauce. This was very good!!

One of the way's on how I save Money!

"One of the ways I save money" I wash my cloths in cold water, I have turned the hot water valve off, on my washing machine. I also, hang out my laundry whenever every now and then. There is something about hanging out your cloths in the fresh air, the freshness it gives to your cloths.  If they get to stiff I just toss them in the dryer for 2 minutes. We've really notice a big savings in our electricity bill. For those of you who have children at home, I know this would be a big task for you especially if you work. If you committed to hanging out your laundry to a least a couple of loads or maybe your rugs, that would be a start. During the summer months when our electricity bills go higher, you could get the kids to help you hang out the laundry and bring it in. Plus the dryer, shrinks your cloths and I hate when my shirts shrink. Sometimes if I don't hang my cloths outside, I will put them on hangers and hang them in guest bathroom overnight. I am not saying I don't use my dryer I do, but I try to use it less than I use too.

Lunch July 24, 2010

Today's lunch Pork Fried Rice, Beef with Broccoli and carrots and a mini egg roll. Very tasty! I served this meal on a lunch plate. I did not make this meal; I ordered it from our local Chinese restaurant.

Saturday Morning Breakfast July 24, 2010

Greek Yogurt mixed with honey, raisins and pineapple chunks. I layered pineapple and strawberry pieces in between yogurt and homemade granola. This was very tasty! I took this picture of this morning glory in my garden this morning, notice the pollen on the petals. I also, made scrambled eggs, Sour Dough Toast with homemade Blueberry Jam and Apple Smoked Bacon. Yummy!

Dinner Tonight; Baked Chicken and Salad July 23, 2010

Tonight's Dinner; baked chicken with lemon, Salad wedge with Lite blue cheese dressing and veggies! Dessert sugar free strawberry and orange jello with whip topping and a strawberry on top! How can you go wrong with that?

Dinner Tonight; Snapper baked with wine July 22, 2010

Dinner tonight; Snapper baked in wine, brown whole grain rice mixed with saute` carrots, onions and garlic.

Look what my husband made me, Jello.....

Look what my husband made me, Jello with whip topping....I love this guy!

Dinner Tonight Baked Chicken Salad and Roasted Vegetables July 21, 2010

Tonight's Dinner; Baked Chicken, Roasted Vegetables Carrots, Yellow Squash and A Salad

Come meet my garden of flowers and birds...July 20, 2010

These are flowers from my garden and these are the birds who decided to live in my back yard!!

Voting Day! Go Vote! Breakfast Today, Greek Yogurt Fresh Fruit July 20, 2010

Good morning! Starting my day off right Greek Yogurt 23 g protein, fresh fruit and homemade granola. And yes, in my fancy glass, it taste so much better served this way! I will go to vote today, for US States Senate, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Board of Commissioners, Attorney General, State School Superintendent, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Insurance, Secretary of State and US Representative Congressional District. I will also, work around the house. Spend time with the lord reading his word. Decide what to make for dinner. Give the dogs a bath. I took this picture of the butterfly when I was down in Miami this month, I thought it was pretty good.

Dinner Tonight Whole Wheat Pasta with Meatballs and Sausage July 19, 2010

Tonight I invited my friend Linda over for dinner. I made Whole Wheat Spaghetti with homemade meatballs and Italian Sausage. I also, made garlic bread. I bought a whole loaf of fresh baked Italian Bread from the bakery. I made my own garlic sauce out of butter, fresh garlic, pepper, Parmesan Cheese, olive oil, and Italian Seasoning. I baked the bread for a few minutes it was great and I only had a couple of pieces! I served dinner on lunch size plates to help me with my portion size. Also, taking all these pictures of my meals has helped me make better choices and has helped me control the portion size I serve myself. I did make it to my Zumba Class tonight! Yay! I was so tired but I still went, which was a big deal for me. It's all about the commitment.

Good Morning July 18, 2010

Hi everyone! Starting my day off with a plain Greek Yogurt and fresh blueberries, pineapple and homemade granola! I am not a big fan of yogurt, so if I dress it up put it in a fancy glass; it makes me willing to eat it. This why you will always see my yogurt this way! Working with my friend Linda today and then off to a Zumba Class later on. I think I am making homemade meatballs, Italian Sausage with pasta, for dinner tonight.

Sunday Roasted Chicken and a Good Friend July 17, 2010

Today was a pretty good day! We went to church this morning and we served coffee in the cafe at church, it so awesome to serve at church. We had a quiet day at home this afternoon. I made that spicy shrimp for lunch, that I made the other day, but this time I made Jasmine Rice and a salad. We had a good friend over for dinner tonight! I made roasted rosemary lemon garlic chicken, baked potato with butter and sour cream; I also made a lettuce salad. I forgot to take a picture, sorry! This was another tasty meal. Yesterday, we went over to some friend's house for a cook out. They served hamburgers and hot dogs. I made rosemary, garlic roasted potatoes and a salad. I remembered to take a picture of this meal. We really enjoy spending time with our friends. And this how we found Jack today. He loves sleeping in the bed; he really is a good cat!

Lunch Spicy Shrimp Tacos July 17, 2010

Lunch today; Spicy Shrimp Tacos! I can't even put into words how wonderful this tasted. The shrimp tasted like something you would get from an Indian or a Thai dish, full of flavor! I just used ingredients I had around the kitchen, I opened my cupboard and looked around and this is how I made it; I first took about 10 frozen shrimp and put it in a bowl of water to thaw. I then chopped very fine 1/4 cup of red onion and 2 garlic gloves. I saute the onion in a mixtures of oils, about a tsp. maybe a little more of each Sunflower Oil, Olive Oil, Sesame Oil and a touch of butter, until golden brown about 2 to 3 minutes. I then added the garlic, 2 pinches of Cumin, 2 pinches of Jamaican Jerk Season, 2 pinches of Paprika, 2 to 3 shakes of red Pepper flakes, pinch of fresh Thyme, pinch of Sea Salt, pinch of cracked pepper and the shrimp. Saute until the shrimp turns pink for 3 to 4 minutes. I added a splash of Dry Sherry and a squeeze of 1/2 of a lime just before you pull it off the stove, don't over cook or your shrimp or it will be rubbery. Set aside the shrimp in another small dish. I then looked in the fridge and I had some corn tortillas from last week, I took two out and placed one at a time in the pan, I used the same pan I cooked the shrimp in. I heated up on both sides. I then went back to the fridge and took out a cucumber, iceberg lettuce and plain yogurt. I shredded up some lettuce and peeled and sliced a few slices of the cucumber. I placed the shredded lettuce and sliced cucumbers on the corn tortilla shells, I then added the shrimp and all the cooked bits and pieces of onion and garlic. I then took two heaping tablespoons of yogurt a squeeze of lime a smidge of paprika, cumin and salt mixed it with the yogurt and put a dollop on each tortilla. The taste of this was so amazing with the spices of the shrimp and the coolness of the cucumber and lime yogurt, wow! You can use any kind of shells you have. This would be fantastic on White or Brown Jasmin rice. I think if I was to make it with rice, I would want a little more sauce, so I would add some kind of broth. Click on the picture to see it up close, the little bits and pieces.