The Royal Wedding

The Royal Wedding is truly a fairytale come to life. I told myself that I wouldn't be all wrapped up in it...




...however, I found myself glued to the TV this morning to catch the first glimpse of her in her wedding dress. While her dress is beautiful, her radiant smile and pure happiness is what made her stunning. Congratulations to Prince William and his lovely bride, Princess Kate!


Kate gets to wake up tomorrow morning, look at herself in the mirror, and say, "I'm a Princess" and she truly is...how many girls get to do that?

Welcome to the World Baby K!

A dear friend of mine recently welcomed the birth of her first child. She and her husband did not find out the gender of the baby until the baby was born. Baby K's (as we took to calling the baby) arrival was much anticipated!

WELCOME OLIVER THOMAS!!

Oliver, I so can not wait to meet you!

Share Your Wordless Wednesdays!

Extreme Couponing Thoughts

Have you seen TLC's newest show?

If not, let me give you the quick summary....picture going to your local grocery story and spending 3 hours shopping for groceries...which include 64 bottles of mustard for example...then spending 5 hours checking out your $1000.00 order but only paying $5.00 for it after you enter all of our coupons.....That in a nut shell is Extreme Couponing. I am fixated on this show, but can't decide if it is fixation in admiration or horror. I mean, saving 98% on your grocery bill...ADMIRATION... Taking your toddler and pregnant friend dumpster diving for coupons....



HORROR!!!

Being able to donate almost 300lbs of food to a local food pantry....ADMIRATION!!







Having a stockpile that takes up all of the room in your house, feeding you family lots of processed foods, and wasting food....HORROR!!


The jury is still out for me...what is your verdict on Extreme Couponing?

French Dressing...Vegan Style

30 Day Vegan Challenge: Day 9...and going strong!

Friday night I was in a hurry and dinner got put on the back burner for myself. I didn't have time to 'cook' a meal for me and grabbing whatever I saw to eat wasn't an option what with the whole no eating animal bi-products and all. I decided on a quick salad...lettuce, yellow peppers, peas, cauliflower, chopped onions...simple, healthy, everything on hand....until I got to the salad dressing. Every salad dressing I had bought from the store had some sort of animal bi-product in it, namely a dairy product. Luckily, I pulled up google on my phone....LOVE my iphone!...and found this delicious recipe for a vegan friendly french dressing!


Ingredients:

• 12 oz of vegetable oil
• 2 oz of white wine vinaigrette
  
• 1/2 cup of ketchup
• 2 Tsp of sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp of salt

How to Make:

Mix all ingredients, stir, and serve...as Big C would say...easy peasy!

This was amazing over a salad and would be just as good as a substitute over a baked potato!


My lunch today...mashed squash with curry scooped on whole wheat pita bread with a pear...YUMMMMM! (Don't knock it til you try it!)

Hoppy Easter

While most kids get Easter baskets filled with candy or stuffed animals that are bunnies, Big C and Baby C getting a gift that 'hops' a little differently...


African Tree Frogs!!! (Ok, so they won't really be able to hop...more like swim...)

We did go the traditional route and dye Easter eggs and have an Easter egg hunt also. I can't wait to see their faces when they see their new 'pets'!



"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Stuffed Peppers, Vegan Style

Vegan Challenge Day: 6


Ingredients:

• 4 peppers (any color you like...I'm not a big green pepper fan, so I use the red, orange, and yellow peppers)
• Rice (I use long grain brown rice...which I make the night before because it takes 45minutes to cook, just an fyi) For 4 peppers, I used 2 cups of rice)
  
• 1 can of tomato paste
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1/2 cup of diced onions (any kind...I actually used green for color)
• EVOO: Extra Virgin Olive Oil (not sure how much I used, just eyeballed if you know what I mean!)
  
• Extras if you prefer: garlic...to taste
  

How to Make the 'stuff' in stuffed peppers:

• Cook rice according to directions
• In a saute pan, saute onion and peppers in EVOO with garlic to taste (now would be the time to add any other veggies you like, I thought about adding carrots and peas as well Oh, I also added chives and some Italian herbs that I had in my pantry...but really, add anything you like!)
• Once veggies are done, add tomato paste and stir until blended well
• Add rice, mix, and simmer

How to Make the 'peppers' in stuffed peppers:

• Preheat oven to 375'
  
• Cut the top of peppers and clean out the seeds on the inside
• Brush or rub the inside and outside of peppers with EVOO
• Put in safe baking containing

How to Make the 'stuff' + 'pepper':

• Spoon the 'stuff' into the peppers
• Drizzle EVOO over the top of your peppers (I also added a little garlic on top of each pepper, did I mention I like garlic?)
• Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the pepper shell is tender
  
• Serve warm

This was a meal in its self for me, however pairing it with come garlic bread...yeah, I love garlic!...would be delicious as well. My meat-lover husband tried it and said it was his favorite of the meals I had made, (which was in comparison to the curry meal I had made...have I mentioned my husband loves meat and is a VERY picky eater?). I could easily make this for him by substituting the rice for meat and adding either sliced cheese or Parmesan cheese to the top of the peppers.

Let me know if you try this recipe or send me any vegan recipes you have or recipes that can be changed into vegan style.

Why?

This is a question that I have been asked A LOT recently. You may even be thinking that same question now..."Why has she been asked why so much?" Well, it has all centered around a 'challenge' that I have given myself.

Now, before I tell you what the challenge is, I feel as though you need to know the why behind it. (Have I severely confused you yet?) The purpose behind this challenge is to do just that...challenge me. It is to challenge my willpower and hopefully strength not only my willpower but control also. I feel as though so many times obstacles are all about, "mind over matter". My first 'mind over matter' challenge was running a 5K...CHECK! I have felt such a great sense of not only physical accomplishment from it, but a mental accomplishment also.
Since you know the 'why' now, I'm sure you are wondering the what....as in, what is this new challenge?

Well, for the next 25 days...(It's a 30 day challenge for myself and I am currently on day 5) you can call me:
If you are like most of the people whom already know of my 'challenge', you are probably shaking your head or laughing. Or...maybe you are not, maybe you don't eat much meat, or are a vegetarian or already a vegan. However, I was not either of those. I generally eat meat at every meal, even though my preference is chicken I do dive into a juicy cheeseburger every now and then.

Why is this so much of a challenge? Well, the thing is, Vegans do not eat any food that is a product or bi-product of animals. No meat, fish, dairy, eggs, butter, or even honey.
Sounding more like a challenge to you? For me, it totally is. I enjoy eggs on Sunday morning along with my coffee full of cream. I grew up a meat eater, cook meat to feed my family at dinner and fill up my children's cups with milk (Lactose free for Baby C...which by the way is made from Lactose free cows! I had no idea!...ok, back on topic...)...so to have none of this has been a challenge.

I have been creative with my cooking and my meals have been surprisingly very satisfying. I have also noticed that since I have been eating less processed foods, I have been using salt less...which does WONDERS if you body retains water like a water bed! I have been forced to think outside the box for my meals which has given me yet another challenge. I'll post some of my vegan recipes, that could easily have meat or other animal bi-products substituted, for you to take a glimpse at or even try.

Share Your Wordless Wednesdays!

Simply add your Wordless Wednesdays in the Linky below!

I Am A Warrior In Pink!

Indianapolis held the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on Saturday. I have walked the 5K portion in the past, but decided to run it this year. I love the atmosphere at the Race. There is tons of music, people, laughter, and tears...tears of happiness and tears of saddness...but no one is teary eyed alone. I was nervous to run my first 5K but I was DETERMINED to do it and to finish the race without walking. All I have to say is....mission accomplished!!!!!!! Official Time: 722 #3758 FRANKLIN IN F 27 10:56 33:59.9 I felt so blessed to have my wonderful husband with me at the race as my support team...the other two teammates (Big C and Baby C) stayed home on the chilly morning. Before the Race I always stop by Zeta Taul Alpha's (my sorority) tent and the Starbucks tent. This year, I even stopped by the Ford tent and recieved a Warrior in Pink scarf and a lovely 'before' picture with the hubby. After the race started, the Husband walked to the finish line to wait for my arrival...about 33 minutes later...here I come!

Ok, so not quite a photo finish, but I got a photo of my finishing!!!

As we waited for my dear friend to finish the race, we visited another tent to get an 'after' picture taken.

It felt so great to be able to cross an item off of my 'to do' list. I felt a huge accomplishment after finishing the race and am looking forward to my next race in June in support of finding a cure for colon cancer.

Race for the Cure

Saturday is Race for the Cure in Indianapolis. Each year I participate as a walker, this year, I will be participating as a runner, which I use the term 'runner' very lightly. The race is only a 5K, which shouldn't be too bad. I did run a 5K on the treadmill last weekend and I survived! I love that the course runs past the zoo. Each year, they 'dress up' an elephant in pink ribbons. Last year, the baby elephant was playing around its mother, so cute!

I strongly urge you to sign up to participate in the Race for the Cure. Not only is it a wonderful cause, it is always an amazing experience.

Share Your Wordless Wednesdays!!

Each Wednesday I look forward to blog surfing and getting a glimpse into different people's lives through their 'Wordless Wednesday' posts. I like to put my own story behind them. For the blogs of friends and family members, the stories come easy. However, for the blogs of those individuals whom I only know through their generous postings, the stories sometimes (most of the times) get a little far fetched! Each Wednesday, I'll be adding my own 'Wordless Wednesday' snapshots and an opportunity for you to link your own wordless snapshots here. Don't worry, you don't have to be a professional photographer to share...I am FAR from that (although professionals are welcome as well!) Perhaps we could even have themes...but I won't 'jump the gun' on that just yet. So, here are my "Wordless Wednesday" snapshots!

Yes, ANOTHER New Obsession

I have a new obsession....(I know, I get these at least once a month!)...however, this one will NOT break my bank account! I have found a cheap, easy, time saving way to get professional looking nails at home! Sally Hansen cam out with, what I call, peel and stick nail polish! There are solid colors, glitter, patterns....OH MY!

I have this on my nails....

...and these on my toes.

Super quick, super easy, super cheap....three things I like! It's like putting stickers on your nails that won't fall off. The nail polish lasts about 10 days and looks professionally done!

New obsession for the month...CHECK!!

Will You be Watching?

Tonight? 9:23 pm? Channel 8? NCAA National Championship Men's Basketball? Ever heard of it? Well, I'll be watching and cheering for the 'under dogs' the Butler Bulldogs....hmmm....

No matter what the turn out of the game is, a round of applause goes out to the whole Butler team and especially their head coach...

AMAZING season Coach, we're proud of you!