Another one turns the BIG 4-0

Saturday was the 40th birthday of my son, Shawn, who joined the Big 4-0 club with his sister, Erin, and Wendy!

Wow, three 40 year olds!!!

Shawn

Erin

Wendy

Three down and three to go!!!!!!

Food. Inc.

I know it's a documentary. 

 It may be skewed. 

It may be dramatic.

 It may be trying to scare the living daylight's out of us.

It may be worth watching and forming your own opinion.

Just saying

I blew it!!!!!!!s

The last few days at work have been stressful. Our surgery center was experiencing our accreditation survey which, thankfully, only happens every three years.  The month's getting ready for a survey are stressful, the two day survey is nail biting, and we never truly relax until the surveyors leave the building.
All this stress and we always get glowing remarks.

Today, after our surveyors left ( I must add the two gentleman were very nice) our boss offered to buy the staff lunch, which we gladly accepted.  We usually order something quick from Jimmy John's Deli and I always order a veggie sub. Today, without thinking, I did the same.


Diet
Veggies-Yes
Gluten-No

Sandwich


Veggies- Yes and lots of them
Gluten- Oh My Yes




I only ate 1/2 of the bread but felt disappointed in myself for ordering it. I just didn't think , I placed my usual order.   Sad thing is, I could have ordered a lettuce wrap.

Oh well, on to tomorrow!

Yummy Dinner #1

Good morning, I hope everyone had a terrific weekend.

It was a bit nippy here in Colorado so I decided to stay in, like the couch potato I am,  and try a few new recipes.

Last night we had stuffed bell peppers and, if I do say so myself, they were fantastico!

The only thing I would have changed is the amount of liquid that was added to the pan before cooking.  As you can see, the liquid cooked off and burnt around the edges of my casserole dish.

The peppers were stuffed with sauteed veggies and quinoa.  I found this recipe in Vegetarian Times and you can find the recipe here.   I added more cumin , a bit of chili powder and a touch of cayenne, next time I will add more liquid to the casserole dish and then it will be perfect!
YUMMY!

Next, my sweet tooth was  screaming at me to make a chocolate goody..anything chocolate!!  I visited one of my new favorite blogs Elana's Pantry and found this heavenly chocolate brownie!

I did not change anything. The brownies are full of chocolate flavor, light, moist and absolutely perfect.
If you would like to peek at the recipe, you can find this one here!

I must say, this is a fun adventure!!!

Decisions

Resolutions.

Do you make them and, if so, do you keep them?  Usually people want to lose weight, save money, be kinder, travel more..and the list goes on and on!

Knowing I will not keep them, I rarely make resolutions. Oh, I start out with the best of intentions but soon, when life gets in the way,  the resolution is put aside, saving it for another year!

As  mentioned in an earlier post, the Becker's have vowed to work on a healthier lifestyle. Is this a resolution? Yes, you could say it's a resolution. Will I keep the resolution....only time will tell.

I have decided to give our new plan, at the very least, three months but shoot towards six. Heck, if I can give up chocolate for Lent, giving up foods, that could be the cause of some of my minor health issues, should be easy.

My plan eliminates gluten, red meat, chicken and fish. Hubby wants to include fish so that is still up for debate.  This will be a challenge until I learn new recipes and cooking styles. So far, I have made a few tasty soups, salads and veggie main dishes. Unfortunately, today everything I attempted will probably end up in the garbage can!!




Just had to post this picture, my Dad would have loved it!

So, did you make any resolutions?

Changes........

While looking at the photo posted in my header, I realized it was not a true representation of little 'ole me!!  Even though it was only taken two years ago, it does not look like me and felt like a lie every time I looked at it. So, until I find a header that is pleasing, I will use our Christmas Eve picture.

Then

NOW!!

Crap, who is this person?  I don't even recognize myself..Whoa Nellie!!

Happy New Year!

First, and foremost, I want to wish everyone a healthy and happy New Year! 

It is so hard to believe that a year has come and gone and like the saying goes..The older we get, the faster the time goes!! Boy, isn't that the truth.

Twenty-eleven will soon be another completed chapter in the book of Life.  As a planet, country, state, city and family, we have  shared times of joy and those of deep sadness. We have prayed together, cried together and laughed together.  We have rejoiced in the good times and felt each other's pain during the darkest moments. We have put aside differences and looked for commonalities that draw us closer.

Contrary to what we might hear and in spite of our similarities and differences, we are a world of loving, caring people!

My wish for you in 2012

May you have more sunshine than clouds,

More laughter than tears,

More up's than down's.

May you find true happiness in the simple things.

May you make someone smile everyday.

May you put other's first, without losing yourself in the process.

May you have an adventure of a lifetime,

and make memories that will be shared for years to come.

May you make a difference in the life of a person or animal.

May you give of your time, and talents, to make this a better world!

May you enjoy health and happiness during 2012!

Love,

Shawn