Dogs.

Moo

Dix

Partners in crime, kiddos, security system, shadows, spirits with whom I spend most of my days. Fiercely loyal Mama lovers. Oh what a dreadful place this world would be without my dogs.

The Hills

I went for a long, exhilarating run this morning. I live in a lazy neighborhood, sprawled through hills and valleys in the beginnings of just some of the breaks to the Palo Duro Canyon. The scenery can be breathtaking, and I'll just leave it at that. It is a peaceful, safe place to get a good workout.I enjoy cross country running. I took a fitness poll in a magazine a couple of years ago and it changed my world as I knew it. I totally recommend taking one. It helps you mesh your personality with a type of workout that fits you. I happen to be the type who does really well training for an event. I am not an "every Tuesday and Thursday Yoga" kind of girl. I tend to lean toward the extremist side of the sports world. I love to train for 10K's. I love to be in good shape and strong. I love the mental focus and deep breaths I have to take to power up a hill and the coast down the other side. I love to see the trees, wildlife, dogs, neighbors, lawn boys...........life in the Hills, it's rough.

I always take my large, "mature", protective female boxer, Dixie. I had a fleeting thought about HER physical state and ability to survive this run/walk, considering we haven't broke a sweat in several months. I kept calling it a "walk" because I was scared to death I may not have the strength, power, training, or be in good enough shape to not pass out, much less run. Anywho,... Great News: I didn't pass out! Not only did I survive it, but it felt great and I am stronger than I thought. My goal is at least 3 times a week to start out, long, hard, good runs. Ones that will make the kin folk whine. 

Dix, on the other hand, not so much. She did survive though. Her afternoon will be heavily laden with naps, I am certain.

Caution.Caution.Caution.

Twilight Moment Ahead!!

Ok, I am thinking that Breaking Dawn Part 1 is really the beginning of their adorable love story, not the end.

It is going to be a load of wedding honeymoon babymaking birth giving cottage having love mush.

Her immortality will end it. I. Can't. Wait.

Click here to see a great pic:
New Breaking Dawn I Still: Bella Packing Up

Hoss Cookies

Ok, so see? I am taking all the risks for you. Now, you have no excuse not to cook healthier and tastier. The Hoss Cookies have been a huge hit for two lads with extremely discriminating tastes, especially about Choco chip cookies. I have tweaked this recipe in an attempt to make it as healthy as chocolate chip cookies can be;)

Hoss Cookies

2.25 c. Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Pastry Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

.5 tsp. Salt (Sea, fresh ground;)

1 c. butter, room temp

1.5 c. Evaporated Cane Juice

2 tsp. Vanilla

2 Large, Free Range, Local Eggs

2 c. Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

.5 cup Grated Organic Walnuts

Preheat oven to 375. Stir together flour, soda, and salt, set aside. Beat butter and Evaporated Cane Juice at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla. Add Eggs one at a time. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Stir in choco chips and walnuts. Heep 2 inch mounds of it on baking stone. Bake for 11 minutes sharp, for gooey centers. Absolutely fabulous. Great lunch treat for the men of the house and remotely healthy. Next time, I will try adding .25 c. of Bob's Red Mill Ground Flax Seed Meal to the flour mixture. Nothing like Omega 3 choco chip cookies, refined sugar free:) Enjoy. 

Javender Tea

Javender Tea

Just a simple pitcher of tea. This stuff is so good. It is Jasmine loose leaf green tea and lavender, both bought at the NG bulk section, of course. I steep the jasmine lavender concoction in a muslin tea bag (NG, bottom shelf of bulk isle, .19 cents each and can be used over and over) for about 5 minutes in boiling water, about a quarter cup of evaporated cane juice(see prior post ;)  topped off with cool filtered or tap water. One of life's little pleasures. Just though I'd share. I like to keep the lavender in the glass jar you see behind the tea jug. This is a good way to keep bulk herbs, oatmeal, flour, salt, etc. It is easy to access and you always know what and how much you have. Lavender is very inexpensive and so divine. Next I am going to try hibiscus;)

I'll keep you posted on that.

TTFN

One of the many reasons.

So, one of the many reasons I have decided to write this blog is that telling the same stories over and over again gets old. I get asked often things like, "what do you cook?" and "what exactly do you buy at the store?" "do you take supplements, if so, what??"  So I'm gonna tell ya.  The last physical my precious husband had for his job was an interesting experience for us this year. His overall health was so exceptional that they told him he didn't have to have another physical done for 2 years. They issued him a "2 year card." Something that was basically unheardof in the world of Warren Cat. Several of his co-workers started asking the above stated questions so hear are your answers ;)

Grilled Asparagus and Shrimp

Tonight we are having grilled shrimp and asparagus and we start every meal with salads. This is simple and cheap. I got these grill "baskets" at the dollar store one year for .25 cents on a summer clearance table, I bought all 3. I cover them with foil so the meat and veggies don't lose their seasoning juice. It gives them some moisture to simmer in while hanging out on the grill. The juice I use to season fish and chicken always has the same 3 basic ingredients: olive oil, garlic, and lemon zest. I just brush it over asparagus first, then shrimp with a pastry brush. Then I will sprinkle with herbs. Tonight, the shrimp is getting basil and dill. Then I will smash a few blobs of room temp, real butter into the mix. The asparagus is grilled for 7 or 8 minutes. Just enough time to be shocked by the heat from the grill. It shouldn't smell bad and it should always keeps is vibrant chartreuse green coloring. My bunch likes it a little crisp. If it fades and stinks, so sorry sista, you overcooked it. Tragedy. Keep trying. Healthy is an art.

My go-to hot spice for chicken, fish, or seafood. Grilling or baking.

I like to kick it with some Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, which is spicy, some say hot. We like heat, a lot. Then I must admit, my hubby ate two Earl Campbell's red hotlinks on white tortillas. We grilled them along side the shrimp. He is fiercely loyal to his processed meats. He has a hard time getting full on things like shrimp and asparagus. I'm trying, I tell ya, I really am trying. The most important thing is to try.

Blingy Ring.

Hoss Cookies

For dessert I made chocolate chip cookies, we are just going to call them Hoss Cookies. I coined this term because I heaved huge piles of cookie dough into mounds on the baking stone and they looked like little "hosses." I am certain this is a TX word, but anyhow, they turned out to die for. The recipe came from the back of the Ghiradelli chips bag. I will share later if it is worth it;)  I subbed in a few sneaky ingredients to make these Hoss Cookies as healthy and tasty as possible. My newest adventure in the quest for tasty health  is an all natural and organic type of sugar called-evaporated cane juice.I had noticed that this was the sweetening ingredient listed in several of my favorite organic treats and is the main sweetener used by Kashi in their cereals, cookies, and yummy goodies.  It is a more natural by-product of sugar cane and minimally processed. Visually, it resembles a cross between cinnamon and fine dirt, but man is it good.  I ran across it in the bulk section at NG (Natural Grocers) and I had to try it in place of the refined, white sugar that is slowly killing us all.  So far, so good. Evaporated cane juice has even cleared the sweet tea sneak test. Mum's the word on any healthy substitutions at my casa. I'll be back for a Hoss Cookie update soon.
.....and yes I wear the blingy ring while cooking........and my pajamas always match.........every night. 

 TTFN.

Ding dong the wicked witch is dead.

U.S. Navy Seal Team 6 hunted Osama Bin Laden down in a suburb of Islamabad, Pakistan and killed him. He is dead and the world is a safer place today because of that.


Meanwhile, I am almost finished with reading the third installment in the Twilight series, Eclipse. I am fascinated and enthralled by this dramatic series. I am a die-hard Twi-tard. More posts to come on that subject, I assure you.  Just FYI.

Closing a deal and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Today is one of the great reasons to sell real estate. It's called closing. I have one at 11:00 a.m. today and I am thrilled to the gills.

There is another reason why today is super special and I will race back home from my closing, rather than "running by" TJ Maxx (we know how that goes)... to watch my DVR recording of when...WILLS MARRIED KATE!! This morning there was the royal wedding between Prince William Arthur Phillip Louie (what a name!) and the commoner, Kate Middleton. What a fantastic love story and wedding to behold. Now, the actual wedding time in the U.K. was 11:00 in the morning or something. In the U.S., on the other hand, it was 3:00 a.m. I love the goofy royals and all that, but ain't no way I'm staying up all night for that. I have enough trouble sleeping with out willfully depriving myself over British royals. However, it is so fascinating. Can't wait to devour it, then start it over and watch it again. God bless DVR.

O.K, and so the real reason emerges.

Play like this isn't the third time I have posted today. My brain is just a hair back logged, but I'll get it all up here, eventually, hopefully, surely I will. So, here it goes. A few years ago, I read The South Beach Diet book and it changed my life. I've always looked at food as fuel for my body and not a pleasure source, but once I cracked the code of glycemic index and good carb vs. bad carb, clean protein vs. dirty protein, life changed as I knew it. I was suddenly thrust into a new way of eating and the realization that most of what my generation (Boomer's kids) are eating and feeding our children is not food at all, it's mass produced to the profit of Wal Mart chemically induced genetically altered refined rice corn wheat. By the time it gets to your mouths, what is it? I sure don't know, but Wal Mart is making a killing, literally. What has it been processed with or come in contact with....and the packaging chemicals and hazards, that's a whole nother blog post. Later maybe? Anywho, so I get asked, how do you do it? What do you eat? How do you get your family to eat that? The family question is an easy one, trickery. It's for their own good. I also do it on a budget, and that seems to surprise some. I don't shop at Crack Mart, unless it is a dyer emergency, which can happen from time to time in this little town. I make it a point to buy local or organic, or both. I buy groceries at Natural Grocers at 34th and Coulter and United in Canyon. I also love to get goods and wine at World Market on Loop 335 West. There is a wealth of fabulous places to get groceries and staples that doesn't start with a Wal and end with a Mart and costs the same in the long run.

So I will try to explain my methods of healthiness.....

I try to make my kitchen an easy place to eat healthy.

When you're hungry, the place you want to start is with what you've already got. Don't hide fresh fruits and veggies in a low crisper drawer, covered in a plastic bag. Store them in baskets and bowls, right in front of your face. It is important to start any eating session with plants, its like adding water to mud or clay to make it manageable. This is a pic of where I spend a lot of time in my kitchen. In front of the espresso maker. Espresso is highly addictive, I'll explain later;)

The bulk herbs section at Natural Grocers is amazing. They've got it all, organic and in bulk. I like to buy bulk herbs and store them close at hand in the glass jars. The 3 square ones close to the right are basil, thyme, and dill. They each have their own little scoop for easy access while cooking. Cooking with fresh or dried herbs is so easy and it makes you look like some sort of genius when you're really just a neurotic tightwad. There are a few basic rules I live by when cooking with them. 

Rule #1, they need moisture and an oil to carry their flavors, so put  1/2 inch of water and meat in a pan and drizzle with your favorite oil, mine is olive. There are many oils, maybe I'll do a post on oils soon;)

Rule #2, garlic compliments everything. Press a clove into the water and oil and bingo, you're done. This is also a place where you could ad onions or shallots. Remember, onions take on a whole new personality when cooked. Also, place the onion in the freezer for about 10 minutes before slicing and you will not sob involuntarily,  I promise, it works.

Rule #3, it is impossible to o.d. (overdose) on herbs. In fact, as cheap as they are, waste if you must.  Sprinkle your herbs over the meat. They will just add savor, they'll never become over whelming. There are several basic herb/meat/wine combos I will try to enlighten you on soon.

There they are. Only 3 rules and very basic. There are also fabulous  herb combinations that you can try. One of my favorites is the Herbs of Providence which is basil, lavender, thyme, and rosemary. It's fabulous on tilapia or lamb chops. There is nothing like a few bulk tilapia fillets in a little water, drizzled with olive oil,  a pressed organic garlic clove, lemon juice and zest and a handsome sprinkling of the herbs of Providence. It will make you stop wondering how they did it in biblical times, now you'll know. TTFN

Dishsoap and superfood, WHAT a combo!

Try not to focus on the fact that I have posted twice in one day. I have some important info to share with you.

First of all is almond dish soap. How heavenly?? Yes, it is as good as it seems. It's new, so I am still in the honeymoon phase with it. I will update you on its cleaning powers soon. Oh, the best thing about all of it, it's all natural, no harsh chemicals that make babies deformed and cause toe nail cuticle cancer. ;)

A new blog is born.

It just occurred to me, this is sort of a momentous occasion. The birth date of a newborn baby blog. I tried a few more quirky web addresses, but Thoughts Poured Out came to me several weeks ago and has just stuck in my brain. Wouldn't ya know it, it was available. I make no promises about this blog, or any other blog I own for that matter. I feel that a blog is a safer, maybe classier in some ways than facebook, place to lay your life out for all to see, and loved ones will make it over occasionally, or not. Not that facebook doesn't have her strengths, oh she does! Facebook is more reliable for weather, sports, classifieds, and family news than any other communications outlet in the world, in my opinion. Kind of scary, really. I could get off on how facebook has united causes in an unstable middle Eastern nations, which appears to be driving itself toward total social and economic collapse and all out holy war wrought with massacres. Good folks and the bad guys communicate through, yep you guessed it, facebook. No, I am not going to rant about that on the first post, but maybe later, if you're lucky : D

No, no, no. This little blog here is going to be dedicated to my thoughts poured out through my typing fingers. Everything from my faith in the almighty God, to books I am reading, to decorating, to thrift, to homemade ice cream and laundry soap while growing and cooking with fresh herbs. I hope to share insight on eating healthy, how easy it is to track your food and be aware of what goes down your throat everyday. It could also stretch as far as, nutrition, politics, the real estate market, bee keeping, gardening/landscaping, drag racing, unsolicited parenting advice maybe even traveling to South TX or western CO. It is my own private little soapbox, if you don't want to hear it, simply click on. It will evolve and I hope you enjoy watching;)  I have many precious women in my life who love my work and tell me often and it is you girls who will drive my desire to share. I am doing this for you, you know who you are and I love you.  I am an insufferable health nut, no, health freak to some. I feel that I say the same things over and over and so a blog seemed only natural in a feeble attempt to salvage my voice, for later in life, where I'll hopefully make sense. TTFN