Healthier Fast Food Choices

I've posted the list of healthier fast food breakfast items before, but this list is a little more useful for me.  As much as we travel, there are definitely some inevitable fast food encounters.  Food Court Survival Guide

The Southwest Salad is what I always choose at McDonald's, and I eat it the way they describe here, no dressing with a squeeze of fresh lime. 

I never would have thought about the roast beef sandwich at Subway.  I always get the Veggie or the Turkey.  It's good to know there's another healthy choice there with so much protein.

I Poo in Blue

This commercial had us rolling last night!  This is just great marketing!

Huggies Jean Diapers

Love the tagline!

National Fried Chicken Day

It's National Fried Chicken Day!  I think I'll celebrate with this recipe tonight. 

Oven Fried Chicken

It's definitely one of my favorites that I've made many times.  Makes quite a mess, but it's worth it.  I'm making mine with chicken tenders which is faster and less messy...and preferred by the one I'm cooking it for.

And here's a tip that will keep you from buying a whole carton of buttermilk for the small amount you need here or in any other recipe:  For every 1 cup of buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk, and let it stand for about 10 minutes.

Thanks Coach!

Thanks to my new workout motivation coach!  My 8 weeks til Europe get in shape plan is off to a good start!  No big backpack is going to slow me down! 

4th of July Weekend BBQ

For the BBQ on the house boat tonight, I wanted to bring a side dish that traveled well, could be served cold or room temp, would appeal to the group, and was somewhat healthy.  So I made this: Marinated Vegetable Salad  Yum!

Inspiration is always lurking...

For a while, I had been bored of the painting over my couch, but what else could I put there?  One weekend of apartment re-organization, I found the inspiration lurking under my bed. 

Many supplies purchased for projects that go unfinished end up decorating the floor under my bed.  I found a wooden frame I had bought from Hobby Lobby a while back. I also found some empty picture frames and a few silver crosses.  In an "ah-ha" moment, I came up with a creative way to use all of these pieces together to decorate my wall.  

I spray painted the frame black.  Once it dried I realized it was too shiny, so I sanded it to give it a shabby chic look.  Then, as you can see I used the frames and crosses as "artwork" instead of a framed picture or painting.  Now I can change out the pictures for different seasons or any time I get bored.  An ever-changing work of art.

Fish Soup?

For dinner last night, I wanted to use up all the perishable ingredients I had in the fridge before we head out of town for the weekend.  I had diced up some carrots, celery, onion and squash earlier in the week thinking I would make soup one night.  I also had some tilapia I needed to cook before heading out of town this weekend.  But would fish soup be any good? I found this recipe, so I thought I'd give it a try.
Tilapia Corn Chowder

I made some tweaks of my own.  I didn't use any bacon and I subbed Italian Seasoning instead of thyme, skim milk instead of half and half (which made it more of a soup than a chowder), red potatoes instead of Yukon Gold, and onion, carrots, and squash instead of leeks.  I love recipes that are this flexible!

I had some croutons in the freezer (French Baguette Diced, sprayed with Pam, tossed with garlic salt and Italian Seasoning, then baked at 375 for about 20 min).  So I tossed those in each serving bowl straight from the freezer and topped them with soup.

It turned out really tasty and only took about 20 minutes to prepare.  My picky eater sisters even ate it!  The leftovers were even tastier at lunch today.

Ah, memories....

Looking forward to a weekend with friends on Lake Ouachita.  Let's hope we can relive some of the good memories from last 4th of July.

If only my helper was here...

I'm not very good at making desserts.  It takes exact temperatures, timing and measuring that I'm just not patient enough for. 

Had a few issues baking last night.  The mini cupcakes didn't turn out quite as planned.  I'm going to try to fix them tonight.  Too bad this little guy wasn't here to help me...

Can I live in Nelson's Crossing?

How exciting!  My favorite restaurant, boutique, nail salon, and spa all in one location...and now my favorite dessert spot too!  You'll know where to find me!

New Orange Mango Location