New blender.

Today I wanted to make more muffins but realized, Oh yeah.  We're out of flour.  Yesterday's baking depleted what little bit of flour I had.  I didn't want to make a trip to the store (ugh) so I figured I might have to wait until tomorrow to bake.  Then my brilliant (although typically absent) mind kicked in.

Use the new blender!

Our old blender went on the fritz a couple months ago, so we replaced it with a Blendtec.  As we debated the purchase (pricey, even on sale at Costco), the deciding factor was that the Blendtec can also grind grains (wheat, rice, barley...) into flour...even into fine pastry flour if I desire.  I've needed a grain grinder for a long time; we have lots of wheat stored but no decent way to grind it.  Our old blender could crack wheat, or roughly grind flaxseed, but could not handle grinding anything into flour.  I planned on getting a grinder attachment for my Kitchenaid (at the tune of $150) but kept putting it off.

So, with the reasoning that the Blendtec can blend plus grind (and even make hot soup!), we forked over the dough.

Today was the maiden voyage for grinding wheat into flour and it worked great!  I made three batches of muffins.

Baking in the Cool Days

The weather forecast indicates cooler temperatures the next couple days, so I decided to catch up on baking.  We stocked up on homemade healthy muffins in February (see post), but we're already completely out, and I don't want a dilemma like last summer (see Muffin Low)... not wanting the oven to add heat to the house.

So bring on the cool days!

From a "Woman in the Rough"

A friend wrote a  poem that gave me such a, well...belly laugh, I wanted to share it, and she graciously agreed.  Kelly is from my hometown, and we went to high school together.  I was a year older (okay, maybe two), but we really got to know each other in Drill Team and Drama. (Hooo boy... the stories we could tell!)

She has such a fun and sassy writing style and recently started her own blog.  Check it out at this link: Woman in the Rough.


Here's "Epiphany" by Kelly Farley

I looked in the mirror after a shower today,

And the thing that I saw took my breath right away.

Buck naked I stood taking inventory

Of the horrible scene…..Let me tell you the story.

Crow’s feet and wrinkles lined my eyes and my lips,

Cellulite spread on my thighs and my hips.

Breasts to my navel and gut to my knees,

My arms, if extended, would swing in the breeze.

Dimples are cute when they’re placed on the face,

But on fanny and knees make them quite a disgrace!

An axe handle wide is my orange-peeled butt,

And my face, with no neck, looks like Jabba the Hut.

There are corns on my toes and gray on my head,

The reflection I saw made me wish myself  dead.

I couldn’t believe all the skin that was sagging,

I thought, “If I walk, my butt would be dragging!”

I straightened by shoulders and squared up my chin,

Rolled up my stomach; it’s time to begin.

No more junk food to eat; I’ll eat veggies and fruit,

Good bye, Ol’ Fatty….I’ll give you the boot!

Veggie Wash

Last week a local grocery store had their fuji apples on sale for 97 cents a pound.  Although I usually select organic produce, I went ahead and purchased a bunch of the apples.  Thanks to one of my nieces, I learned about the all natural "Veggie Wash" and I use it on non-organic produce.  It's made with organic citrus and natural ingredients, and according to the package, "safely removes waxes, chemicals, and soil."

I still prefer purchasing organic, but when a sale price is too good to resist, I think washing the produce (not just rinsing) is a good alternative.

Mother's Day Breakfast

When our kids were small they used to serve me breakfast in bed for Mother's Day. Now, even with the children gone, my husband continues to spoil me in such a manner.  This morning he prepared a crab omelet with cheese and tomato.  On the side, he served a variety of fresh fruit (banana, pineapple, cantaloupe, and grapes) which he arranged in an attractive display.  *sigh*

When I serve food, it is plopped on a plate, like, "Here ya go.  Eat up."  But whenever he serves food, it's arranged in such a fashion I have to feast my eyes (and pause to snap a picture) before feasting my belly.

Here's the delightful meal he brought to me:

Thank you honey!

Caution: a diaper clad bottom sat here.

I read an article Where the Germs Are that cautioned against various locations for nasty microbes.  Among the warnings for doorknobs, bathroom faucets, and dishrags, was a warning about the shopping cart.  

Ever since stores started supplying sanitizing wipes for shopping carts, I've been fairly consistent with wiping down the handle where grimy hands gripped.  I've mainly taken that precaution to prevent catching a cold, or a flu bug.  But I never considered other vicious germs lurking elsewhere on the cart.

An investigation found E. coli on more than 70 percent of shopping carts.  One culprit is leaky meat.  "And babies put their bottoms where you put your broccoli."  

The author suggests, "If you eat it raw, don't place it in the top part of a shopping cart."

Yikes!  I used to place the more delicate fruits and veggies in the "seat" to protect them.  Now I put them in the main section of the cart to protect myself.

(Reader's Digest, Where the Germs Are, October 2011)

E. coli
Wikipedia Commons:
Rocky Mountain laboratories, NIAID, NIH

Hungry enough to eat...

I keep thinking about a quote I saw in a magazine:  If you aren't hungry enough to eat an apple, you aren't hungry!

When I was a child, my mom used to tire of my hunger whining.

"I'm huuuungry."
"Would you like an apple?"
"No."
"Would you like a banana?"
"No."
"Would you like... (insert any healthy food)?"
"Noooo."
"Then you must not be very hungry."

I was hungry for junk, which in reality translates to not being hungry.

Now I'm all grown up (and trying not to grow out) and realize I still struggle with distinguishing between junk hunger and real hunger, but because I enjoy healthy foods I can't test my hunger with an apple.  I would eat an apple whether truly hungry or not!  In fact, I couldn't think of any food to substitute in the quote, so I decided on this qualifier:

If I'm not hungry enough to eat at the table, I'm not hungry.