A Week Of Peanut Butter Recipes: Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

If you love peanut butter cookies but are gluten intolerant than this is the recipe for you. These cookies have been approved by my DH which means they are good. They are easy to make which is an added bonus. 

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

• 1 cup of white sugar
• 1 cup of creamy peanut butter
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together thoroughly. 

Drop by the teaspoonful onto a baking sheet and press down with a fork. Bake at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. 

Cool a for about 2 minutes before removing from the baking sheet to a cooling rack. 

Makes somewhere between 2 to 3 dozen. 

Living a simple life and loving making special treats for my family to eat! 

A Week Of Peanut Butter Recipes: Peanut Butter Fingers

This recipe takes me back to my days in high school, because it came straight out of the school lunchroom recipes in the area I lived. A cousin of mine had a relative that worked in one of the lunchrooms and she posted it on FB. They are so YUMMY and a favorite of the kids.  

As I began subbing in my old junior high, I would eat two of these most everyday I was working. Due to new guidelines implemented recently; they have been declared unhealthy. I am sure all the peanut allergy precautions also have something to do it, which I know from experience can't be taken lightly.

The original recipe is enough for 2 - 9"X13" baking sheets. I have cut that down into a half a recipes. However, if you want to feed a crowd, just double the measurements in the recipe. 

Peanut Butter Fingers 

• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1/3 cup of peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of rolled oats
• 1 cup of flour (I use 1/2 cup of all-purpose and 1/2 cup of whole wheat.)
• 1/2 baking soda
• 1/4 tsp of salt

 

All the ingredients you will need.

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9"X13" baking sheet or pan. 

 

Cream together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix well. 

Cream the sugars and butter together.

All mixed.

Add the egg and vanilla.

Mix together.

In another bowl; add the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix together to combine.

Combine the dry ingredients.

Add to the sugar mixture. Mix until well combined. 

Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture and combine.

All combined.

Spread in a greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 2o minutes until lightly brown. Remove from oven and set on a cooling rack.  

It will take a little elbow power and work to get it spread evenly.

Ready for the oven.

Out of the oven and ready for the icing.

 
Peanut Butter Finger Icing

• 1/2 cup of evaporated milk
• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup of peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla
• pinch of salt

All the ingredients you will need. 

 

Add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until well combined. 

 

Add all the ingredients and combine.

The finished delicious product.

 

Pour over the finished baked crust while it is still hot and spread.

 

Add the icing to the crust that is just out of the oven.

 

Let it cool completely so the icing will set. When cooled, cut into bars and enjoy!

 

Now you just have to wait until it cools and the icing sets, then you can enjoy!

 

This recipe is fairly simple to make and takes only a few minutes to prepare. Each time I make it, my thoughts go back to when things in my life were really simple. It is simply a perfect recipe! 

A Week Of Peanut Butter Recipes: Buckeye Brownies

My youngest BIL found this recipe on Facebook and requested that I make it for his birthday one year. If you like the combo of peanut butter and chocolate than you will love this. The only thing I don't like about it is the richness of the chocolate layer, but I think I know how to fix that. I will leave my solution in the recipe instructions. 

Buckeye Brownies 

For the brownie bottom layer:

• 1 package of your favorite brownie mix prepare according to the package directions.  

For the peanut butter middle layer: 

• 2 cups of powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup of butter, softened
• 1 - 18 oz. jar of peanut butter

Mix together and spread over cooled brownies. Chill in the frig for one hour. 

 

For the chocolate top layer:

• 1 - 12oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips ( I think to cut down on the richness, I am going to do half semi-sweet and half milk chocolate chips next time I make it.)
• 6 Tbsp. of butter, softened

Mix together in a sauce pan over low heat until melted. When melted, spread over the peanut butter layer. Cool in frig until everything is set. Cut into squares and enjoy! 

 

I normally don't do boxed foods, but on some occasions I do until I can figure out a good alternative. When I figure one out for this recipe, I'll let you know. 

 

Enjoying baking simple treats for my family to enjoy! 

A Week Of Peanut Butter Recipes: Peanut Butter Bars

We are never without peanut butter, JIF peanut butter,  in our house. So it is always on hand and I make good use of it making some of our favorite recipes. This week I am sharing some of our favorite peanut butter recipes. Some of the have chocolate in it, but there is no better combination, right? I hope by the end of the week you will try one and let your family enjoy!

The first recipe I am sharing with you is an easy recipe to fix. It bakes in less than 30 minutes. It needs time to cool, so it will set, but sometimes we just eat the bars all gooey. These bars are great with a cold glass of milk or dunked in a cup of hot chocolate. 

Peanut Butter Bars

• 1/4 cup of shortening (I use Crisco sticks.)
• 1/2 cup of peanut butter (JIF, of course)
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1 cup of white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup of flour (I use 1/2 cup of King Arthur All-Purpose Flour & 1/2 cup of K.A. Whole Wheat Flour.) 
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a small square pan or a small rectangular pan. I use an 8" X 8" square pan. 

Combine the shortening, peanut butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Mix at a low speed. 

In another bowl combine the dry ingredients - the flour, baking powder, and salt. 

Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture. Mix at a low speed until the ingredients are just combined. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Or is you are like us and can't wait, cool until the pan is cool enough to touch. Cut into bars and enjoy! 

If you don't have brown sugar, you can use all white sugar and it will turn out just fine. If you like coconut, you can add a little to the mixture before you bake. You will like the results. 

Living a simple life and enjoying the simple baked treats I make for our family! 

S.P.P. : JIF Peanut Butter

Choosy moms choose JIF and this mom does, too. JIF peanut butter is hands down the BEST peanut butter on the market. I have eaten other brands and tried natural/organic products, but none of them compare to JIF. 

Choosy moms choose JIF.

JIF has crunchy peanut butter, but the peanut butter we like the best is the creamy kind. It is creamy without being to dry. It has a moistness and oiliness to it that makes it easy to spread. It also doesn't tear your bread apart as you spread it. JIF doesn't have the bitter off taste some other brands do.

I eat some peanut butter everyday. I usually have it for breakfast, so does DD.  However, if I need a quick pick me up snack, I grab a big spoon and scoop out a big glob to devour. DH has taken to doing the same. 

We all love chocolate and there can be no better combo than chocolate and peanut butter. That is why a lot of the desserts I fix around here have both in them.  However, we love desserts made just out of peanut butter, too. 

Peanut butter is a healthy food product. It contains protein which makes it a good snack food. Beside all that, kids love it. 

When reaching for peanut butter, we choose what we think is the best -JIF. It is simply one of those perfect products! 

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Check back in next week, as I share some of our favorite peanut butter recipes. So get your JIF and be ready to bake!  

S.P.P. : King Arthur Flour

As I began reading about the chemicals that the food industry puts in our food and other ways they manipulate our food sources, I found out that the bleached white flour almost all of us use wasn't the best product to use. Bleached white flour has all its nutrients strip from it in the process of making it, then they are put back in using other means. I knew that this process made no sense, so I began looking for another flour product. 

The flour that was recommended the most by the whole foods community was King Arthur's Unbleached All-Purpose Flour and all the other flour products made by them. Unbleached flour doesn't have all its nutrients removed and added back in another process. King Arthur was as close as one can get to actually milling the wheat itself. I made the switch and noticed an immediate change of taste and texture in baked goods. 

Pic via www.kingarthurfour.com

Unbleached flour isn't as white as bleached flour. It has a tan color to it because of the natural nutrients left in. To me it seems to make the texture of baked goods lighter and fluffier. The taste seems richer and deeper. I switch back in forth between the regular all-purpose and the organic. 

I also use King Arthur's Whole Wheat Flour, either the regular or the organic. With most of my baked goods recipes, I use half white and half wheat. This makes the flour in those goods a little healthier. 

King Arthur's website has a list of all their products; from their grocery store products to specialty flours to flours for professionals. They also have TONS of recipes to look at and try. I would love to try all of them.  

King Arthur flour products come from a long history of the company making quality products. It is employed owned, so it is run with great care, love, and pride in their product. You can also purchase products through their website and most grocery stores carry their products. 

King Arthur Flour is just one of those products made simply with love, care, and pride which makes it a simply perfect product! 

S.P.P. : Vanilla Extract

When it comes to baking, I like to use the best ingredients I can. That is why I use "Vanilla Extract", not vanilla flavoring. What is the difference? Vanilla extract is made with real vanilla beans, water, and alcohol, yes, I said alcohol. Vanilla flavoring is made out of water, alcohol, natural flavorings, corn syrup, and caramel coloring. Sounds yummy, doesn't it?

I use Pure Vanilla Extract made by McCormick. Yes, it does cost a little more, but the taste it gives baked goods makes a big difference. Not to mention the fact it has less ingredients in it and NO corn syrup which makes it a healthier product. You will find usage tips for using vanilla extract to enhance your baked products and other foods as well on McCormick's Vanilla Extract page.

Pic via www.gotomyprice.com

McCormick's Vanilla Extract is simply one of those products that when you try it you will never go back to the cheaper alternative. Vanilla Extract is simply a perfect product! 

S.P.P. : Crisco Baking Sticks

Being someone who enjoys baking delicious treats for her family, I am always looking for ways to make the process a little easier on myself. So when a recipe calls for shortening of some kind, I reach for Crisco or more specifically Crisco Baking Sticks. 

Picture via www.crisco.com

Crisco Baking Sticks are pre-measured sticks of shortening. They are wrapped in a foil wrapper and marked like a wrapper on a stick of butter. Each wrapped stick comes in a plastic container topped with foil. In each pack, they provide a plastic lid so that you can store the unused portion in its plastic container. 

I find these sticks so much more convenient than trying to scoop the shortening out of a tub and into a measuring cup. I always wound up with air bubbles that I had to be sure to get rid of so I would have the right amount. Not to mention when it came time to get the shortening out of the measuring cup, I had a hard time getting it out and sticking to the utensil I was using. It was messy and time consuming, but the sticks aren't. They are measured out. You cut the amount you need and store the rest of the next time. I like that they come in plastic containers with a lid. I keep all the short ends in one and use the small left overs to grease any pan that I need to. 

Crisco Baking Sticks are one of those simple little things that make life for a busy wife and mom a little easier. They are simply a perfect product! 

Simply Perfect Product: Real Butter

As I mentioned before in my post about healthier eating, we switched from margarine to butter. I know this isn't a popular choice in the health care community, but for me it come down to the number of ingredients (chemicals) found in the foods you eat. Margarine just has TOO many for it to be good. Not to mention the fact that it is said it is one ingredient away from plastic. 

I didn't think we would see a big difference in the taste of our food, but switching from margarine to butter made the food I prepared taste richer and added more depth of flavor. Adding real butter to baked goods made then taste out of this world better. To keep the salt level down in the foods I add butter to, I always try to use unsalted butter. Butter costs more that is true, but the cost is easy to take when your food tastes better and you are putting less chemicals into your body.  

So if you are looking for ways to decrease the amount of chemicals you put in your foods and increase the depth of flavor to your food, real butter is the way to go! 

Living life simply and enjoying all the yummy food I fix using butter!  

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Over at "A Life Lived Simply" FB page, I am sharing what kind of soft butter or spreadable butter we use. It is one with the least amount of ingredients. So be sure to check it out! 

Simply Useful: Kitchen Hand Towels

The entrance we use the most to come into our home is right off the kitchen in our laundry room. So when we come in from working outside the sink we use to clean up most often is our kitchen sink. To wipe our hand we would reach for our dish towels. I knew this was the best idea so I started thinking about what else I could do. 

The solution I came up with was buying and using decorative kitchen hand towels made out of cotton or similar material. Over the years I have collected several of them in greens, reds, and with apples on them. I hang them on the bar on our oven which is right beside the sink. I chose decorative ones, because ladies like to have pretty things around them and they just looked nicer. 

Our kitchen hand towels.

A closer look.

These decorative hand towels helped to solve a problem and adds another decorative element to our kitchen decor. I think they are simply a useful good thing! 

Living a simply life and looking for ways to make it a little prettier! 

My Favorite Kitchen Utensils

Watching cooking shows has introduced me to so many kitchen utensils that we didn't have or use when I was growing up. I have added many of those utensils to my collection and find them to be very useful. Some I use only every once and awhile. Others I use every day. Most of them are relatively inexpensive and would make great bridal shower gifts. 

My favorite kitchen utensils.

I am going to give you the name of the utensil going from left to right.

• Off spatula - this little utensil makes spreading butter, icing, peanut butter, and other spreadable items easy. I find myself reaching for this little utensil often. I plan on buying a bigger one because the little is of useful.
• Whisks - I LOVE my whisks. I use them to mix things like dips, to sift flour, to combine dry ingredients, to whip potatoes, to combine items for sauces or dressings. I use my whisks daily and often. 
• Tongs - These are some of the newer utensils I have bought. They are great for turning meat you are frying or grilling. They are good for picking up things like meat or fries to put on your plate. They are great for removing corn cobs and other like items from boiling water. I don't use them daily, but I do use they frequently. 
• Spider Strainer - This utensil is one that I don't use that often but it is perfect for getting homemade chips, fries, or onion rings out of boiling oil. It is also the right utensil to use to remove veggies when they are done blanching in boiling water and place then in ice water. 
• Wooden Spoons - I have several smaller wooden spoons, but I like the bigger bamboo ones that are in this picture the best. I would rather use them than big metal spoons. They also have an added advantage, because of a kitchen trick. Place a wooden spoon over the top of a pot of water to prevent it from boiling over. I tried it and it works. 
• Rubber Spatulas - I use these everyday. They are good for scraping down your mixing bowl when you are baking. They are also great to help clean out a bowl when you are pouring the contents into another pan or pie shell. They can help clean out a can of food like condensed soups. They make cleaning things out easier. 

Those are some of my favorite utensils. I would love to hear what your favorite kitchen utensils are. Leave me a comment and let me know. 

 

Simply enjoying about those little items that make cooking a little easier! 

Simply Useful: Kitchen Utensil Holder

I am not a big fan of cluttered kitchen counter tops, but I do believe in putting those items that you use everyday within easy reach. I think they should be displayed in an organized, attractive way. A kitchen utensil holder is an easy way to achieve both purposes. 

Our kitchen utensil holder sits right beside our stove. All the things I need to stir, chop, turn, or pick up food is right where I am preparing and cooking it all. I am using an apple cookie jar as my utensil holder. It fits in with the apple theme of our kitchen and the color scheme.  It is a big container and can hold lots of utensils. I don't know what I would do without it. It is simply a useful thing!

Our Kitchen Utensil Holder

It holds lots of things I use everyday.

A kitchen utensil holder is simple on of those useful things!

A Hamburger Patty How To

We have tried adding different ingredients to our hamburger patties to spice them up a little bit. We have used yellow mustard and a little olive oil with spices. DH didn't like it not because the taste was bad but they were prone to flame up. After many tries and combinations, we final hit on one that is just right for us. 

This is the combination we like the best and it grills well too.

The Sills Family Hamburger Patties

• 2 pounds of ground beef
• garlic salt
• black pepper 
• onion powder
• Worcestershire sauce

I crumble the ground beef in to a large bowl. I add a few shakes of garlic salt, black pepper, and onion powder, then I add a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce. I use a big wooden spoon to combine everything, then you are ready to shape the patties. 

Spice added, now to combine everything.

I have tried several methods to shape the hamburger patties. We even have a hamburger press that works well for the first two then the grease of the meat makes for a mess after that. This is the method I have final hit upon that makes the patties big enough and thick enough for us. It also results in a juicy well-done hamburger patty. (I won't allow any raw meat to be in our patties. To big of risk for E-Coli and other foodborne illnesses.)  

Once the meat and spices have combined, I turn the meat out on to my square shape cutting board. I gently shape the meat into a square shape and then divide meat into even pieces using a knife or metal spatula. I pick up each section and quickly roll into a ball. I place it back into the bowl until I have used up all the meat.

I take a ball of meat, place it on the cutting board, and smash it down slightly with the palm of my hand. I begin shaping the patty by gently turning the meat between my hands into a circular shape and flattening more as I go. The result is a well formed patty. 

A well-formed patty. Not to thick and nicely rounded.

The last thing I do is to make an indention in the middle of the patty. This helps the patty to grill evenly and not puff up in the middle. It works like a charm. I place all the patties on a platter with the indented side face down and put them in the frig until we are ready to grill. This gives the meat a chance to rest and helps to set the shape. Now if your husband pays careful attention to his grilling duties, you should have a pretty good grilled hamburger patty. 

Close up of the indention.

Loving the simple pleasure of summertime meals on the grill!

To Taste

If you look at any of my recipes, you will notice two things; I often state I changed the recipe to suit our tastes or season to suit your tastes. What does that mean? How do you know what your tastes are? Never fear, because I am about to attempt to explain it. 

For almost 28 years now, I have been cooking for our family. Over those many years, I have learned what we like and what we don't like as far as food is concerned. I learned a lot by trying new recipes, then we would dissect what we liked and didn't like. I would try the  recipe again and continued to fine tune it until I had gotten it just right. By doing this, I have learned what spices to add or not to add. 

We like our food salted. I know, I know. Isn't salt bad for you? It is in large amounts, but we avoid large amounts of salt because we don't eat a lot of processed foods. I add reasonable amounts to the food we do eat, so I don't believe it is harming us or our blood pressure in anyway. 

DH likes black pepper, lots of black pepper. I pepper most everything we eat, but often it is not enough for DH. So, he adds more until it suits him. That way DD and I aren't on black pepper overload. 

We find real garlic to strong, but like garlic salt. So in place of garlic and salt, I use garlic salt in a lot of recipes. DD and I even use it to salt sugar peas or lima beans with. Delish! 

The spices and seasonings we use most often include chili powder, cumin, paprika, basil, oregano, onion powder, parsley, a little cayenne pepper, and a few red pepper flakes. Most of my recipes will have them listed as ingredients. Of these, our least favorites are cumin and oregano. We find them to be a little over powering. When a recipe calls for these two, I cut back on the amounts.

When it comes to baking, there is really only one spice I like to use and that is cinnamon. I am not an all spice, pumpkin pie spice, and ginger kind of person. I like simple flavorings when it comes to baked goods. Anything else just takes over the taste and ruins the baked good. 

By trying and experimenting with recipes, we have found a few things we as a family do not like. Of the herbs and spices, we don't like nutmeg or cilantro. We also don't like soy sauce type products.

There has always been something about pumpkin pies and sweet potato pies that have just turned my stomach. It wasn't until we were out eating cheesecake somewhere and I tasted that taste again. It was then I realized the crust had nutmeg in it and that was the very taste I couldn't stand about a pumpkin pie. So you won't find nutmeg in our house.

Now, cilantro is another story. We as a family don't like it. We were trying a new Mexican type dish. It suggested serving it with a cilantro and lime sour cream. Needless to say, we weren't impressed. It was just icky!   

We aren't big fans of oriental food. DH and DD like it more than I do, but they both like rice and I don't. However, none of us are crazy about the flavor of soy sauce, not to mention the fact that soy had MSG in it, which gives me migraines. Instead, I use Worcestershire sauce. 

Now I hope you know what I mean about changing recipes to our tastes or season to taste. It has taken me years to develop what exactly our tastes are and it require experimenting. So maybe, this will help you start leaning what your family likes and doesn't like when it comes to seasoning your dishes. 

Enjoying making simple great food and eating it! 

Our Home Improvement Reveal

Ready for the reveal?????

We spent Memorial Day Weekend finishing up our home improvement project we have been working on. DH finished laying the flooring on Wednesday afternoon before the Memorial Day Weekend. So when his vacation started, he was ready to finish up the last two transitions and ready to start on the shoe moulding. 

After running errands Friday morning, he worked on the last transition pieces he had to finish. With that done; he was able to start measuring, cutting, and staining the shoe molding on Saturday. Later that afternoon, he was able to clear coat it. After church on Sunday, he put down the shoe moulding. The next day was spent putting our living room back together. 

I am in LOVE with the finished product. I am so glad we decided to do it. However, I am glad it didn't take any longer than 3 weeks, because my deep seeded need for order was about to reach its boiling point! 

So now for the reveal! 

Well, what do you think of the finished product? Everyone that has dropped by to see it has loved it. They said it made the room look bigger. I agree with them. We are still debating whether to add area rugs or not. Right now we are leaning toward not. However, when winter comes we may change our minds. Would love to hear your thoughts on the matter? Area rugs or not? Leave me a comment and let me know. 

Simply loving life and cherishing every minute of it! 

Just Chillin' & Relaxin'

On those rare moments where I have nothing to do and time on my hands, there are several things I like to do. Some of them are crafty things. Others are silly and almost child like. All of them are fun and relaxing for me to do. 

What I Do To Chill & Relax

• I like to embroider. I find the methodical, repeating nature of it allows my mind to relax. It is something that can be done that doesn't require a lot of thinking. I am currently working on an apron for me. 
• I like to color. I always have. So when the adult coloring book crazy hit, I couldn't have been happier. I have several now and have enjoyed my time figuring out the colors to use and just coloring. 
• I love reading. I can read most anything. I enjoy romance novels - historical and Christian. I enjoying read bios and books on history. You will find me reading cook books, homekeeping books, and gardening books, too. Losing myself in the story or learning something knew is a great way for me to relax. 
• I like to scrap book. I have mounds of supplies and pictures. Being able to spend a day or two being able to put together scrapbooking pages puts me in my happy place.
• When I don't want to think a lot or just need an escape, I like to play Farmville on FB. It is easy to do and doesn't require a lot of focus. 
• I also like to solve Nancy Drew Mysteries. These games get me to thinking, but have a lot of fun puzzles and games in them that make them a lot of fun. I ask for them as a Christmas presents. 
• Walking. Yes, walking. Not only does it help me with my weight loss journey, it is a good way to clear your head and unwind. 
• Naps, I love naps. On a real cold winter's day, there is nothing like curling up under a warm fleece blanket and drifting off. During those hot, humid days of summer that drain you of all of your energy, a nap in a cool room with a fan running is a great way to refresh you body and mind. 

 

Those are some of the ways I fill my spare or free time doing. What things do you like to do when you are just chillin' and relaxin'? Leave a comment and let me know!

 

Simply enjoying those rare moments I have all to myself to do something I love to do! 

A Journey To Weigth Loss

Like most Americans, I am over weight. According to the medical world, I am obese. However, I have seen many truly obese people and I don't come close to that, but I am over weight. Being over weight has effected my health and my energy level. I don't like that feeling and have set out to make changes in my life, our life really. 

The first step was changing the food we eat. Over the past several years, I have made significant changes to our diet. Nothing drastic, but small changes that made a difference. You can read about those changes here. 

The second step happened 5 years ago. I had a hysterectomy. It was the BEST thing I have ever done. 

With each passing year, my menstrual cycle became steady worse. The blood loss I experienced was so severe that I was very anemic. I was also experiencing severe cramps and a nagging pain in my back on the right side. A trip to the chiropractor usually eased the problem, so I never connected the pain to my cycle. The week before my cycle was to start and the week of, I had no energy. I spent most of the time on the couch. Doing what was necessary, but nothing else. I hated feeling like that. I hated it. 

After one particular bad month, I decided I couldn't take it anymore. DH was tried of seeing me in pain and drained. I had an appointment coming up with my OBGYN, so when the visit came we discussed a hysterectomy. My doctor consented and we scheduled the surgery for May. 

The surgery took longer than expected. As the doctor progressed with the surgery, he found I had endometriosis so bad on my right ovary that it had itself to the pelvic wall. He ended up removing most of that ovary, but my left was fine. He said that was the reason for the pain on my right side. 

My recovery from surgery went beautifully. I took all the advice I had received. I rested and I walked. Several weeks into my recovery, I noticed I had started losing weight. I also noticed I wasn't as hungry as I use to be and wasn't eating as much. 

The surgery had given me my life back. The tried, drained feeling was gone. I didn't want to go back to the way I felt again. So, we started to walk more. I continued to cut back on the amount of food I ate. That along with the changes in our diet begin to show up in my body and on the scales. My biggest total lose is 29 pounds. That number fluctuates from week to week, but I don't let it worry me. 

People have noticed and asked me what I was doing or what diet was I on. I tell them it isn't any special diet or program. I just cut back on the amount of food I eat, but I eat what I want. I incorporated more fresh fruits and veggies into our diet. I avoid processed foods as much as I can.  I drink a LOT of water. I limit my soft drink intake to one glass at each meal, but drink more if I feel like it. I walk, walk, and walk; when I can. I work outside in my flowers and garden as much as I can. I give myself one day a week to eat as much as I want and what I want. There are plenty of times I don't stick to my plan, but I don't beat myself up over it. 

I still have a LOT more to lose, but I know it is a process. I also know that the slower you lose weight the easier it is to keep it off, so I happy at the pace I am losing. I am also motivated by other families members who health has suffered due to being over weight. I don't want to go down the same road they have went down. 

Weight lose is a journey that you have to decide to go on. The trip may take awhile, but it so worth the time. It may just be simply one of the best journeys I have embarked on. 

Living life simply and enjoying every minute of it! 

On The Road To Healthier Eating

In preparation for our homeschooling journey, I began reading a lot of homeschooling blogs. I noticed a trend right away and that trend was healthier eating. Homeschooling moms shared their concerns about all of the chemicals found in our foods. A lot of families were grinding their own wheat, raising animals for meat/dairy/eggs, and growing their own food. All of this peaked my interest and I began doing some research. 

I found numerous reports and opinions on the danger of the chemicals in our food. I read reports on growth hormones, USDA manipulations, and the food industries deception. I began looking around at people and thinking about how much change has taken place in people' bodies since I was young. The more I read the more I was convinced all those people were on to something.

Another thing spurring my research was increasingly bad lipid panels for me and DH. Although we didn't exercise regularly, we were still active. We didn't eat out a lot and ate relative healthy. We ate a lot but not unhealthy.  I knew we needed to make changes, but where?

There were two things that really made me stop and re-evaluate our food choices. The first was the documentary "Food Inc." The second was a cook book called "Nourishing Traditions." Both of these things really gave me cause to think and a new perspective of food and the food industry. 

Reading labels on foods became the new normal for me. I began to look at the ingredients in a product and would opt for the one with the less ingredients. I began look for copycat recipes to boxed foods we liked. I tried to avoid anything with high fructose corn syrup in it, which is hard to do. We switched from margarine to real butter. I bought more fresh ingredients. Started adding more raw fruits and vegetables to our diet. I opted for frozen products instead of their counterparts in cans. I switched to sea salt. Substituted white sugar for raw sugar. Went from bleached white flour to unbleached. Incorporated whole wheat flour into recipes where I could. Changed from white bread to whole wheat bread. Switched from regular pasta to whole wheat pasta. Went from vegetable oil to olive oil. I made sure to add probiotics to our diet. It was a slow stead process, but we did begin to see change.

It has been several years now since I began to make changes. Our digestive system is working better. We don't get sick as often and seem to be able to avoid all those nasty stomach viruses that seem to make its rounds every year. When we do break down and eat a lot of processed foods, boy, we can tell it the next day. Our stomachs' get cranky. While we haven't cut out all processed foods - I still have to have my Cheerwine, Little Debbie Fudge Cakes, and boxed mac&cheese occasionally-, we are eating healthier than ever. We have also seen a improvement in our lipids panels. 

Changing our diet was just part of our journey to a healthier lifestyle. We also began down the road to regular exercise and weight loss. I will share that journey with you tomorrow. 

Living life simply and loving every minute of it!

Dyslexia & Me

If you ever come across wording that doesn't make sense, a word spelled wrong, or the wrong word in place of another; it is because the spellchecker didn't catch and my dyslexic mind didn't either. Yes, I am dyslexic. So dyslexia and me are kinda one and the same, especially when it comes to written words and spoken language. 

As a child, I can remember being called out of the classroom to do some special testing on my reading. I was reading fine and loved to read, but when I read out loud I would leave out words like "the" and "a". I also had a bad habit of use a "d" for a "b" in a word and vice versa, when it came to writing the letters or words. Nothing came out of the testing or changed my classroom experience. However, spelling became harder and harder for me. 

For a while spelling became the bane of my existence. I was for ever switching letters around. The two words that stumped me the most were "work" and "friend". I spelled them "wrok" and "freind". They looked right when I wrote them, but they were always wrong. In order to start doing better on spelling test, I wrote the words several times and spent a LOT of time memorizing my spelling words. It was hard. It was a pain. It was difficult, but I managed. When 9th grade rolled around, I was so happy because I wouldn't have the subject anymore. 

The rest of high school and throughout college, I didn't notice my little quirks all that much. I still couldn't spell and used the wrong word in place of others, but it wasn't a big deal. I thought spelling just wasn't my thing. I took to keeping a dictionary within arms reach to use when I wasn't sure how to spell something. (I still do.) Life went on and wasn't until I began my education courses that I thought I could be dyslexic.

As the years went by and I became more involved in education, I became more curious about dyslexia. I was noticing more and more that relatively simple words like "enough" would throw me for a loop if I had to spell it on the spot.. I began realizing that I would turn phrases around i.e. "thoughts for your penny" instead of "penny for your thoughts".  I noticed that when I was tried my spelling got worse and phrases more tangled. 

Curious about the thought I may dyslexic began doing more research on dyslexia. The more I learned the more things started making sense in my mind. It explained why growing up I was forever telling someone to "itch" my "scratch". It explained why I used the wrong word in place of another on a term paper in college and didn't realize it. It explained why when it came time to teach our daughter to read, I couldn't tell the difference between a long vowel and a short vowel. It explained why my spelling became worse when I was tired and simple words stumped me. It also explains why when someone spells a word for me they have to do it letter by letter, because my brain won't process it any faster.

I mentioned the fact that I thought I was dyslexia to my mom one day. She said she knew that and that I had been tested for it. However, they thought I would outgrow it. I was perplexed as to why she never told me and told her I definitely hadn't outgrown it. That I thought the older I am getting the more present it is. 

Dyslexia doesn't define who I am. It didn't hurt my desire to learn. It definitely didn't hurt my desire to read, because I love to read a good book. Dyslexia has become part of who I am. It has also provided hours of laughter for me and my family. Some of the phrases I get tangled are hilarious. Just the other week at my in-laws I said "eyedrums and earballs" when I meant "eyeballs" and "eardrums". (We all had a good laugh over that.) Sometimes I know as soon as they come out of my mouth that I have tangled them and sometimes it takes my DH's confused stare for me to realize.  

So if you ever come across some strange phrasing, misused words, or misspelled words; just leave me a comment and let me know. Chances are I didn't catch it, because the thing with dyslexia is that it tricks your brain into thinking something looks right or sounds right but it isn't. 

Dyslexia and me are close friends. We have had our ups and our downs. We have learned to get along. Dyslexia has just become part of the simple life I live! 

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If someone you know has dyslexia or think they may have dyslexia, you can find valuable information at the "International Dyslexia Association."  

A Simply Perfect Product: Kitchenaid Blender

After I got my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer and learned what a great product it was, I decided I wanted a Kitchenaid Blender. Well, I was looking for a new blender anyway and decided a Kitchenaid one would be a good fit. The model I have is an older model, but it closely resembles the classic 5-speed blender.  My blender is white, but someday a red one would be nice. 

Pic via www.kitchenaid.com

Or maybe one a 5-speed diamond blender in apple green. 

Pic via www.kitchenaid.com

I use my blender for a variety of things. Smoothies and milkshakes are what we use it for most. However, I use it to make graham cracker crumbs out of graham crackers. I also use it to blend rolled oats into smaller pieces. Pureeing fruits is so easy using my blender. 

When I dropped it on the floor, - by accident, don't judge - I broke off a piece of the spinner part that the blender glass attached too. DH went on line found the piece. He ordered it and it arrived in a couple of days. Kitchenaid included directions and a little tool to use to replace the part with. This type of service is what make Kitchenaid appliances so worth the investment. 

Kitcheaid is just simply one of those companies that make a quality product and have awesome costumer service! Which is simply a good thing!

A Simply Perfect Product: Kitchenaid Stand Mixer

If I had to recommend one product to buy for a young bride-to-be, especially one that likes to bake, it would be a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. I absolute LOVE mine and if it ever gives out I would have to replace it right away. I use mine every week for one reason or another. 

I have had mine for almost 12 years now. It is a classic series 4.5 quart tilt-head stand mixer in white. It has withstood the test of time, many cakes, many cookies, bread, pie crusts, and a lot of whipping of cream and eggs. The only thing wrong with it is that the speed control is a little loose, which can lead to it not turning completely off. A fact that Miss Oakley likes, because when I don't get it good and turned off before tipping the head back, it sends batter of whatever I am mixing all over the place for her to clean up. I think this little problem was one I created instead of one that is known to the product. 

Picture via www.kitchenaid.com

When and if mine ever dies, I want to upgrade to a 5 quart tilt-head stand mixer with glass bowl in candy apple red. If I could get whatever I wanted with money not being a problem, I would a professional 600 series 6 quart bowl stand mixer in green apple. A girl can dream, right? And who wouldn't want a mixer to match the colors used in your kitchen, right?

A 5 quart stand mixer with glass bowl. Picture via www.kitchenaid.com

 

6 quart bowl-lift stand mixer. Picture via www.kitcehaid.com.

 

I like kitchenaid products because they have proven to me that they are durable and will stand the test of time. I also like that you can buy replacement parts, which I had to do when I warped the wire whisk attachment. I also like that there many other attachments you can buy to make your stand mixer even more versatile; everything from a pasta roller to an ice cream freezer bowl. 

Kitchenaid stand mixers is just simply one of those perfect products for me!