...And It Isn't A Baked Goodie

I hate planning dinner. I swear, I do.  It is a whole bunch of things combined - but basically don't ask me what's for dinner because I will answer "Food" and you will be lucky to get that. [Do you hear me Wallene?]

We seem to eat the same ol' things over and over again, which isn't terrible, but sometimes it gets boring. Throw in trying to make stuff low sodium and well...phbbbbt! :P

And the cost of food? PHOOEY!

Tonight Pooldad had late shift and Wallene was at band, so the pressure was off to get dinner on the table at a certain time.  I checked the pantry and the leftovers in the fridge and decided I was in the mood for Broccoli Soup.  Broccoli Soup is probably my favorite soup but I have never made it . I used to wait until we went out to eat and order it.  I have had some good, some great and some meh Broccoli soups but I probably like the one from Ruby Tuesday's the best.  Although I haven't been in a Ruby Tuesday's in over 8 years I don't even know if it is still on the menu.

So...with that in my head I checked our stores and noticed that Pooldad had made boiled potatoes and steamed broccoli for dinner last night. Yes!  And we had $1 box of low sodium chicken broth in the pantry. Yes! Yes!  Oh - and garlic and onions from my beloved MIL's garden [not to mention the potatoes came from there too] Plus we had shredded cheddar and Monteray Jack cheese blend. HA! Soup was on the horizon Tadpoles. [For added inspiration I went to allrecipes.com and checked out their versions]

I sauteed the onion and garlic in a TB of unsalted butter until soft.  Added the chicken broth, potatoes and broccoli to the pot and simmered it until the vegetables were really soft.  I took my immersion blender and blended it until it was a puree.  You can also do it in a blender, but I'm lazy. The handheld jobby worked great. I tasted it and added a bit of ground black pepper to my taste and viola!  That all by itself was a darn good soup - very low in sodium and fat/calories.   I put some aside for me [I will sprinkle a tsp of cheese on mine later] and added two cups of the shredded cheeses to the pot and stirred until melted. OMGOSH - that is some tasty, delicious soup. And easy?  Start to finish - maybe 30 minutes.  I did toss in about a cup of chopped up frozen broccoli florets to give it a bit more texture and darker flecks of color, but you don't have to do that.  The puree is just fine and dandy. YUM.

Sometimes I wonder if you guys don't laugh at me when I tell  you my "recipes" for things - like "Oh Skip, WE'VE been making that for years! Where have you been woman?"  But I don't care.  It is new to me, new to my family and it beats paying $8 a cup at a restaurant.  And maybe some of y'all don't cook or don't have time to cook - well, then, this is as easy, cheap and good for you as it can get.  Plus you get to use up leftovers. :)

I am going to serve it with roasted chicken sandwiches [leftover chicken from last night's dinner] on homemade wheat bread and thick slices of tomato from MIL's garden.  ::skippyhappydance::

Soup's on!  We'll see you on the flipside gang. Enjoy!

ETA:  Pooldad tasted it and well...he's pretty amazed too. :D

Tune in tomorrow for "BARGAINS"

Hint:  There are three in this picture.

WOOT!

This is Living. . .

Little did anyone know that when I felt well enough to drive that my whole world took on a new sense of purpose. 

A new sense of "drive" if you will....heehee I crack ME up.

Anyhoodle. . .I finally went and renewed my driver's license because I was feeling bad that Pooldad was doing all of the driving.  Then we were faced with the small problem of our one car family.  I have to take Pooldad to work if I want to toodle around town, so he told me to pick a car, research it, test drive it and when I found the one I loved we would go ahead and try to make the numbers work.

May I introduce "Bert".  

[Yes, I name all my cars. Doesn't everyone? ::wink::]

 It is a smart car passion fortwo

Kind of fitting, considering it will only seat Pooldad and me.

Here it is in our driveway:

 The hatch opened.

I could probably fit four bags of groceries in there.

Or the dog.

 THIS is what sold me on it tho' [well, besides the amazing gas mileage]

LOOK at the legroom in this sucker.

Pooldad will be riding in style.  

The driver's seat is positioned for me, but drops all the way back if he wants to drive too. Neat, huh?

 And for a little extra fun - it has a moonroof.

That's my hand laying on it.  I am a good bit taller than the car. :)

It may not be for everyone, but it is perfect for ME!

You have to understand - one of my great passions is driving. I LOVE to drive. I don't have to have a destination or a reason. I just like to get in the car and drive, listen to music and see the sights.  Once we get out of suburbia we have some gorgeous countryside and farms along some pretty windy roads to enjoy.  It was a great heartache to not be able to drive for so long - what? 4 years? - I have always had my license, but never the strength or stamina to get behind the wheel.

I finally decided that my time here may be limited, but that I wasn't going to let it get in the way of actually LIVING.  Sure, I could sit in my house and lament my fate. Boohoo about how unfair it all is and question what exactly did I do to deserve this sentence - but DAMMIT - that is NOT me.  I have a family to raise and a husband to love on - and a fine looking husband to love on I may add, and that is not just because he may be buying me this car, heehee - I have things I want to do and no amount of pain, or sickness or doctors prognosis are going to make me sit down and cry while I wait for the end.  Those of you closest to me know how scared I was initially and that did tend to make me hesitant to try to be the "old" me, but I found the longer I babied myself and allowed my family to do it the more independence I relinquished.  Once the doctors cleared me of cancer and we started the steps to get me on a transplant list I discovered that no matter what happens I can't just WAIT for an organ to show up, meanwhile watching all the good stuff pass me by.  Think of everything I would miss.  Think of how much I would be letting everyone down.  And sorry, but I LIVE for my family and friends.  All you all are what keeps me going.  I thank you.

And just imagine. . .if we can swing the deal on the car - I can start visiting y'all. :D  I figure I can start in PA, then move over to DE then head on up to ME and after that CANADA!  And let us not forget TN, NM, the Carolinas, FL - That would be one heck of a road trip.

Leave the light on Tadpoles. Skippy may just be hitting the road. ::wink::

Now. . .if I can just get that two hour driving distance limitation lifted I am all set. :D

Have a great Monday.  I have so much more to share with y'all, but this is what is happening today - and after my 2 hour test drive this morning I am a little pooped. I think I'll go bake something.

See ya' on the flipside Tadpoles.

Early Morning Baking

SO happy to be home. In our home, our bed [Don't you REALLY miss your bed when you are gone? I know I do.] and especially my kitchen.  I love my kitchen.  I have had some really small kitchens, but this one is a pretty sweet set up. Plenty of counter space, perfect triangle between the fridge, stove and sink and almost enough storage.  Really, it would have enough storage if I would stop buying stuff [::cough:: flours and sugars::cough] in bulk.

I really like it because I know where everything is and I can bake and cook to my heart's content.  I still find standing up to be the most comfortable position to be in and the two things I do best standing up are cooking and walking.  Just don't ask me to sit down, lay down or get back up again, mmkay?

This morning I woke up when Pooldad came to bed.  Bless his heart he tries so hard to come in quietly and lay down gently so he doesn't wake me, but.....Let's just say he has the quiet part down, but when he sits down on his side of the bed, sorry, but you are going to notice. heehee

With 3 hours sleep in my pocket I went into the kitchen to concoct.  Do you ever get a craving for something and you have to have it?  I am like that with sweets.  This morning it was 'Nilla wafers.  Stores are closed at 1 am and besides I don't drive anyway so  I searched the internet for a recipe and found what I thought was a good one.  It is this one:  Serious Eats.  It is such an easy recipe [hello stand mixer] and they taste delicious, BUT they aren't vanilla enough to be 'Nilla wafers and I even doubled the vanilla extract.  They make the perfect sugar cookie though, so bonus there.  Expect them in your cookie box at Christmas Tadpoles. Yum. [Very low sodium from the egg whites]

Next up were the really brown bananas taunting me from my kitchen table.  Pooldad's coworker loves my banana nut muffins so I thought I would use those up and make him his own personal loaf.  Again, easy peasy.  The secret, I think, is I throw in apple pie spice [nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice] and applesauce instead of oil.  They are still incredibly moist, but a wee bit healthier.  Topher, the coworker, gets one and we will eat the other. [Sodium free]

Knowing I was completely out of bread I started up the yeast while I was making the banana bread and by the time I needed to put together breakfast and lunch for Pooldad I had rolls and a loaf of potato bread.

Not sodium free, not even low sodium - so for me I will make sodium free tortillas in a few minutes.  Those are also super easy and one of my favorite bread substitutes.  I find that you can put ANYTHING in a tortilla.  Sometimes when I am making them I don't dry pan fry the last one, instead I put a little oil in the pan and fry it up crispy, toss it in cinnamon sugar and drizzle honey.  It's the beauty of being the baker. :D

After I am done making the tortillas I will be finished for the day because I am now out of eggs and darn near out of sugar. :/  Ahhh, no worries. I can always walk to the store. ::wink::

Before I end my day with the tortillas I am going to sit down to a nice cup of homemade cocoa, a slice of banana bread with a spoonful of some delicious blackberry jam Pooldad bought for us. He found it at a roadside produce stand.  And THAT'S what I call a sodium free breakfast worth eating Tadpoles.

Oh and sorry that the "Wallene + Mom = Trouble" post is gone.  I had posted a picture I had doctored of what I thought were some random people modeling as a family.  Then I got to thinking they might actually BE a real family, so it would be best not to use the pic'.  Hope that makes sense.  No conspiracy or anything, just making sure I don't inadvertently post something I am not supposed to.

Have a great Wednesday Tadpoles.  Keep smiling and do just one thing that makes your heart sing, 'kay? You'll be glad you did. Promise.

"It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on Earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it were the only one we had." - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.

Skippy's Half the Calorie Damn Near No Sodium They May be Gluten Free Oatmeal Banana Yogurt Muffins

Oh and they're tasty good too. :D

We've been home for a few and since I have been thinking of y'all I thought I would share a recipe made especially for all y'all in the pond.

I had all the ingredients hanging around and the mix of flavors sounded good to me - so I went in search of possibilities.  Taking an idea here and a hint there I came up with these:

They are 97 calories if you make a dozen or 146 calories if you make 8 larger size.  Best part [for me]? 15/22 mg sodium per. SCORE!

As for being gluten free [maybe Juli can help us out here :) Jules?] They are made with oatmeal - and no flours.  Now there is a debate about whether oatmeal is considered to have gluten or if it can be tolerated by some celiacs - I don't know, but I am trying to learn more.

Besides being good for you and tasting yummy - they couldn't be easier to make.  And I am all about easy in the mornings, especially when I am craving something warm and sweet for breakfast.  You can't go wrong with these puppies, I swear.

Skippy's Half the Calories* Damn Near No Sodium They Could Be Gluten Free Banana Oatmeal Yogurt Muffins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Use cooking spray to generously grease 12 serving muffin pan. Do not use paper liners. Tried that, didn't work out. heehee

Into your blender [in this order] put:

1 single serving container of plain Greek yogurt [any kind will do, I am sure - this is what I had]

2 medium eggs [can use larger, but it adds calories and sodium]

2 medium bananas, broken up

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup sweetener [I used Nevella, but you can use regular sugar -still, more calories - or honey

1 1/2 tsp baking powder [I used sodium free]

1/2 rounded tsp baking soda [again, I used sodium free]

1 rounded tsp cinnamon

2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats 

Make sure all the liquids are in the bottom so your blender doesn't have to work so hard.  Hit the mix button and process until well combined.  You might have to use a spoon to help incorporate the dry ingredients down into the wet. Make sure you turn off your blender if you do this.  When everything is wet go up to the puree setting and go until the oatmeal mixture is completely smooth.

Divide between 8 or 12 muffin cups and bake 17 -20 mins depending on your oven.  Done when golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

Serve with Polaner [or similar] all fruit spread for no more added sodium goodness. :D  Notice that plate only has 7?  Yeah. That.  It is now down to 4.  The family was hungry this morning what can I say?

Calories for 12:  97  8:  146

Sodium for  8  :  15  8:    22
*Regular banana muffins have 280 calories and the sodium count just makes me weep.

You can add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, which I definitely will next time - but adjust the calories accordingly. I think it adds around 25 calories per muffin.

It's been a heck of a long week, but it was so nice to come home and read your comments.  Honestly Tadpoles, thank you so much for the good thoughts - but I promise to 'splain myself better before I go so y'all don't worry.  I miss you y'all and now I think I have a weeks worth of reading to get into before we leave again bright and early tomorrow morning. [There will be a end to all of this right? RIGHT?]

This time tho' I know that I will be back by Monday.  I promise. :D

Now, go make muffins. You know you want to. heehee

See ya' on the flipside. Or Monday - whichever comes first.

xoxo Skippy

Going "Out of Town"

Gosh. I wish that said "Going out ON the town" instead. heehee

I won't be around for the foreseeable future Tadpoles, but just wanted to let you know I will be thinking of you and wondering what you are up to next.

Behave yourselves [Don't I always say this? And who listens? None of you, that's who. yeesh] 

We'll see ya' on the flipside.

Love ya!

Smile and the world smiles with you.
Wear a goofy hat?
And you're on your own.

In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt:
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. “I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.” You must do the thing you think you cannot do. 

Wordless Wednesday

Free For All!

I love free.  Free is good.

But the thing I like best?  A sodium free cookie.

Now what do those look like to you?  If you said "Peanut Butter Cookies" I award you. . .well, an internet cookie!

These cookies are not only sodium free they are also gluten free and. . .[drumroll] NUT free.

Yep - the best part is they are delicious and taste just like peanut butter cookies. And  I wouldn't kid about that Tadpoles. They are my favorite cookie.

We went out Saturday in search of sodium free baking soda and baking powder, which do exist. SCORE! But evidently not in Sterling VA. BOO! So I had to order them over the interwebs. YAY for the Health Market and their 10% discount, All of that is neither here nor there when I stumbled upon this:

Courtesty of: www.peabutter.ca

It is called "No Nuts" and it is nut, peanut, sodium and gluten free. Go them!  And since I didn't use any flour in the recipe - bonus - it was still gluten free!

My only health concern, obviously, is sodium - but nice to know I can take it a couple of steps further.  If you leave off the chocolate drizzle it is even dairy free! Woot

Making them couldn't be easier.

Easy PEAsy PEAbutter Cookies

1 cup of peabutter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg - Eggs do have sodium, but I used two yolks [6 mg of sodium per yolk] and the end result was too nominal too count as sodium content.  Most of the sodium in eggs is in the whites.

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients together well.  For the bigger cookies take one rounded tablespoon - small cookies one rounded teaspoon - and roll into a ball. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  [I rolled mine in cinnamon sugar, but you don't have to]. Dip a fork in sugar and crisscross the tops of the cookies pushing down slightly.

Bake large cookies for 16 minutes, small for 8 minutes.  Let cool completely on cookie sheet before removing to paper towel.

For the chocolate drizzle/dip:

Melt one cup of semi sweet chocolate chips with one tablespoon of shortening in microwave. [2 min on 70 %] Stir well to make smooth.  Dip cookies or pour chocolate in a pastry bag or sandwich bag, cut the tip off and drizzle!  Oh, I almost forgot - place dipped cookies on a baking pan covered in wax paper or place plain cookies on same pan and then drizzle.  Refrigerate until firm.

Like I said, so easy.

I haven't been having too many good days lately, sorry, but it helps not to dwell on it or talk about it. Recipes and pictures of food are so much more fun, dontcha' think?

I'll try to see ya' on the flipside, but if not - hopefully it is because I finally fell asleep. heehee Know I think of y'all often and miss you.

Make it a great one Tadpoles!