Zucchini Fettuccine with Sweet Butter

I found this  new recipe that I'm excited to try. Thought I'd share. :-)

1 1/2 lbs small zucchini (about 6), ends trimmed, halved lengthwise
1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper

• Lay zuchchini halves cut side down. With a sharp knife, slice lengthwise slightly less than 1/8" thick. In a colander, combine with 1tsp of the sea salt. Set aside to drain for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring large saucepan of water to a boil; place a large bowl of ice water near the stove.
• Add zucchini to boiling water and blanch for 1 minute. Drain and plunge into ice bath. Drain again and pat dry with a towel. 
• Place a large pan over low heat; add cream and butter. When butter melts add zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and coats zucchini, about 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, remaining salt and freshly ground pepper. 
• Serve immediately and enjoy!

Doing the right thing, for the right reasons!

As a mom, I find myself telling my kids that practice makes perfect and the harder they work at something the better they get. I think I should remember, that when I'm pointing a finger, there's always three fingers pointing back at me. I have a blessed life and a wonderful family. However, there are personal goals I've let pile up (if you could take an inventory of my goals, they would look similar to the piles you see in the Hit TV show Hoarders). I found an article in my in-box today that really hit the nail on the head (see below). Personal awareness can be extremely hard; having to be honest with myself is not always fun. I've started working on my 'pile' of goals (since seeing the Merritt Wellness Center I am feeling healthy enough to do so) and I'm excited to start opening up my world to even more happiness, joy and fulfillment!

~Marla~

 

Doing the Right Thing—For the Right Reasons

By Tony Horton, creator of P90X^® 

We have become the United States of Quick Fixes.
Why are we so addicted to shortcuts, tricks, and magic potions? Far too many people in this country live in some kind of wannabe fantasy land. We're trying to keep up with the Joneses without working as hard as they do. This bigger, badder, and faster world doesn't give us an opportunity to stop and look at real and authentic ways to achieve greatness.

How many people have you talked to about Power 90^® who, when they find out they have to exercise and eat right say, "Forget it!" There are millions of people in this country who have absolutely no clue that you have to work hard, take risks, and be willing to fail over and over again to earn what's worth having. Hard work, risk, and failure . . . "Forget it!"
This is a very sad commentary that reveals what we've become in this country. We have the best of the best in the U.S. of A., but we hold the record for the highest percentage of fat people. Why do we reach for drugs, alcohol, sex, food, lies, blame, anger, hate, guilt, and self-pity far more often than power, courage, discipline, forgiveness, wisdom, and self-reliance? We've become a bunch of crybabies, filled with excuses, blaming everyone else for our problems!
The freedoms and conveniences we now enjoy were fought for by men and women who didn't think twice when it came to working hard, taking risks, and failing over and over again. This generation's selfish, lethargic, "woe-is-me" mentality is creating a country filled with folks who live in a constant state of quiet desperation. Our ancestors worked very hard to create a world with less stress and strife. So why are we more stressed out than ever?
The pendulum has swung way too far in the wrong direction. It's time to stop all the bitching and moaning and wanting, and the just wishing and hoping and dreaming things will change. We need to start living in the real world and begin to take some responsibility for what goes on in our lives. It's time to start exploring and searching and devoting and sharing and growing and working for what you want in this world.
It's really a matter of right and wrong. We know the difference between the two, but we still fail to behave in ways that allow us to be great human beings.

Right		Wrong
Work out		Don't work out
Eat healthy		Eat junk
Fail and try again		Fail and quit
Persevere		Blow it off
Forgive yourself		Blame others
Listen		Complain
Be kind		Be right (all the time)
Find out what you love		Ignore your greatness

This is a short list, but I think you get the point.
The list on the right will lead you down the road of endless short-lived pleasures that result in lifelong pain, fear, and sadness. The list on the left (which can be hard at first) will open you up to a world filled with happiness, joy, and fulfillment.
You might want to ask yourself how history will see you after you're gone. If you don't like the answer today, then it might be time to do the right thing.
Peace,
Tony H.

Homemade mayo--traditional cooking

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm learning how to eat more traditionally. The way my grandparents, grandparents ate. You can find more info to the right of this post (near the bottom) to help you understand what "traditional" means.

I've been scouring websites and books and starting to take baby steps in the right direction. It's certainly not something that is going to change over night, but is well worth the effort.

We ran out of mayo over the weekend so what better time than now, to try making our own.
Mayonnaise, it's certainly not a topic I ever thought I'd be talking about. It's white stuff you put on a sandwich or make a chicken salad with, not an interesting conversation piece at all. NOT UNTIL, I started my journey of traditional eating.

I know some folks are probably shaking your head and wondering why someone would want to make their own mayo, when it's convenient to pick some up when you're doing your weekly shopping. Most mayo you'll find in the store contains ingredients that most of us cannot say nor do we understand what the ingredients are and the effects these ingredients have on our body. Making it is simple and will take about 5 minutes (from the looks of the recipe as I'm getting ready to make it later this evening) & if it tastes as good or better than the store bought stuff, why not go for it.

Mayo Recipe

1 egg (farm fresh)
1 egg yolk
generous pinch of salt
1 tsp. organic dijon mustard (can add more if you prefer to suit your taste)
1 1/2 TBS. lemon juice

Mix in a food processor. Pulse a couple of times to mix.
Add 1 cup sunflower oil (you can use olive oil if you prefer, it just adds a stronger taste to the mayo). You want to add the sunflower oil very slowly to emulsify. It will probably take 3 minutes to slowly drizzle the sunflower oil into your food processor.

NOTE: You can also set some aside and put onion powder (to taste) for a healthy ranch dressing. 

Can't wait to try it and find out what my family thinks!

Mary Tyler Moore got me thinking...

Mary Tyler Moore certainly isn't scared!
http://www.peoplepets.com/news/celebrities/mary-tyler-moore-s-pit-bull-senses-her-diabetes/1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Those that know me well, know how much I adore pit bull's. We have 4 that we rescued from different situations and when asked what kind of dogs we have, I am very aware that I've got a 50/50 chance of people either saying "Oh my gosh" with fear in their voice OR nodding their head and smiling because they know just how sweet, loyal, and misunderstood the breed is.

I have to admit, I wasn't always fond of them either. I too had heard they ate heads off babies or could kill you just by looking at you (Yep, it's similar to a Jedi mind trick! You'd be amazed at some of the uneducated comments I've heard people make about this breed).

My excuse... I was very young. My first pit bull, Petie, came into my life at the age of 17 and taught me how wrong I was.  He was a beautiful black and white dog with a huge block head and reminded me of Petie on the old tv show The Little Rascal's (hence his name).  Petie crossed the rainbow bridge quite some time ago, but I can still remember him lying right next to my eldest daughter as a baby or sitting with her on the front porch posing for a picture (a picture that I still cherish to this day).

My husband used to be one of the misinformed as well. He'd heard the media hype and although he's a very intelligent man, had never taken the time to find out the truth, nor did he really care one way or the other. He's a labrador lover and that was the only breed he needed to know and understand. Fast forward to today and you'll find him curled up with his dog (not a lab although he's still a lab lover, but a pit bull named Ceceil).

We are now two pit bull converts that enjoy long walks, lots of kisses, the overly excited wiggle-butt when we walk through the front door as if we've been gone forever (even when we just walk outside to check the mail) and yes, the occasional item that shouldn't be chewed, but is.

I'm so blessed Petie came into my life.

Summer cooking in S. Texas

I enjoy cooking and the long days of summer, however the two don't necessarily go hand in hand. Temperatures soar, humidity lays upon us like a sticky blanket and the last thing I want to do is make my kitchen a sauna.
I fixed a chicken salad with a new twist last week which was so scrumptious (my 10 year old loved it as well) that I had to send the recipe to sevearl of my friends to try. I can't actually take credit for the recipe as I found it at Hill Billy House Wife (check her site out, you'll love it).

Luau Chicken Salad

• 2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2  cup slivered almonds
• 1 (15 oz) can pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 cup seedless grapes, cut in half
• 1 small can water chestnuts, sliced

• 1  1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tblsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 Tblsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 Tblsp. curry powder

Put the chicken, veggies, and fruit in a large bowl.
In separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, soy sauce, and curry powder until blended well.
Pour dressing mixture over chicken mixture and toss until coated.  Chill in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  Serve over a bed of romaine lettuce leaves.

Brutal Attack...

‎"In Texas, it is a criminal offense to abandon dogs...

Another free digital scrapbooking design by Smilebox

My new Journey

I believe there's always room for improvement and growth. Wellness is one area that I crave to improve. I have suffered from insomnia for years, exhaustion, feeling bloated or just not quite right. I often wondered if not eating meat would help (yep, that sounds crazy to some), cutting out sugar, should I exercise more, no caffeine...heck I would have patted my head and rubbed my stomach all while walking a straight line to find the right answer to my problems.

I was a diet coke and black coffee junkie. Needless to say, last month I quit cold turkey. I still enjoy the early morning stillness (prior to kids and animals waking) with a hot cup of decaf and the morning news, however not having caffeine, taking herbal supplements suggested by my wellness doctor(Merritt Wellness Center) and my compounding pharmacist (Moore's Pharmacy) and vitamins manufactured by the company I work for and a new way of eating (yes I still eat meat) has awakened my soul and allowed me to sleep more soundly than I have in years. I feel alive again and what a feeling it is! This new way of life is certainly a work in progress and I have a lot to learn. I look forward to meeting people on this path of wellness and learning from those that are miles ahead.

Here's to new beginnings!