Let's Be Thankful and Have a Good Laugh!

I don't know about you but I have so much to be thankful for!  In the past I took life for granted, I didn't always appreciate what was in front of me.  But today I am thankful for the little things.  Today I got to hang out with my middle child who will be graduating this summer.  It's hard to believe that he has gotten to this point already!  Or maybe it is Me who has gotten to this point ;)  Ok, maybe I don't want to think about that.  Anyway, we had an awesome talk about college and how it is important for him to go after what he is passionate about.  It's those little talks that happen once in a while that are priceless.  Which leads me to think of Thanksgiving!  I don't know about you, but I love to sit down to a beautiful meal with my family and share what we are thankful for.  If you are like my family, this sparks up all kinds of stories...that are sometimes embarrassing, but totally hilarious.  Just like the cliche laughter is good medicine.  There are many health benefits to laughing.  So be sure to add laughing to your family holidays this year.  There are so many benefits!

Benefits of Laughing

Reduces Heart Disease
Natural Pain Killer
Improves Breathing
Helps You to Loose Weight
Gives Good Sleep
Decreases Stress
Makes You Look Young
Boosts Relationships

There are no reasons not to laugh!!!

Spring into Summer

I don't know about you, but Spring into Summer, 70-80 degree weather with a cool breeze is my favorite time of year.  It puts me in the mood to ponder, create and organize my life...

I have been working very hard to get my garden planted.  Having two teenagers that play Spring sports has kept me running!  Every moment I get, I grab my shovel and go out and dig. I learn my best lessons in those times.  It clears my head and I can go on with my busy schedule.  I have been getting the word persistence.  It means to keep going, even though there might be things getting in the way of getting it done.  

Time is very precious these days.  So when I don't feel like going out and plugging away at my huge garden, I persist.  Because with a garden timing is very important.  There is a small window to get things planted.  I know in the end that it will pay off and I will have an abundance of veggies to eat and share.

So just remember to plug away, it will be worth it!  I will be gathering some of my favorite summer recipes, gardening tips soon.  But for now, I'm off into my garden...

Week 2 Menu

http://tasteandsee5.blogspot.com/p/week-2-menu_19.html

Egg Benedict Casserole

Ingredients:

6 English Muffins

8 Large Eggs

2 Cup milk

1 small onion

Dash of paprika

Hollandaise Sauce:

1 stick butter

4 egg yokes

1/2 cup heavy cream

2T lemon juice

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

Grease a large (deep) pan. Cube  10-12 ounces Canadian bacon and 6 English muffins. Distribute evenly.

Beat: 8  large eggs, 2 c. milk, and 1/4 cup onion(finely chopped). 

Spread evenly over the muffin/bacon mixture. Sprinkle with paprika if desired.

Let sit in fridge 8 hours.

Bake covered at 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. Remove foil, then bake an additional 15-20 minutes. 

Remove from oven, let stand for 5 minutes.

While the casserole is baking, prepare the Hollandaise sauce. 

Melt 1 stick of butter. Allow to cool slightly. 

Then beat 4 egg yolks and add to butter. Beat again. 

Next add 1/2 cup heavy cream and 2 T. lemon juice. 

Beat til smooth.

Heat the mixture in microwave for 1 – 2 minutes, beating every 20 seconds.

Stir in 1 t. Dijon mustard.

Dribble over plated casserole.

Spinach-Feta Quinoa Cakes

Ingredients:

1 TBL Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 garlic cloves minced

5 ounces of chopped baby spinach

2 lrg. eggs

1 1/4 cup cooked quinoa

2 ounces of  crumbled feta cheese

1 tsp of dill

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

a squirt of lemon 

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic and spinach and cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes.

In a bowl add eggs, quinoa, bread crumbs, feta, dill, lemon, salt and pepper and whisk together.   Let stand for a few minutes to let bread crumbs absorb some moisture.

Add onion and spinach mixture to bowl and mix together.

Heat George Foreman Grill or panini press.

Form Patties about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick.  Place Patties on grill, and cook for 6-7 minutes, until golden brown and slightly stiff.

Serve warm and add Lemon-Dill Sauce if desired

Makes 8 patties

With a dollop of sauce there are 105 calories each!

Lemon Dill Sauce:

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion

2 tsp. of freshly squeezed lemon

1 tsp. of dill

salt and pepper to taste

Mix and serve

Piloxing

"Sleek, Sexy, Powerful"

Piloxing is a combination between Pilates, Dance and Boxing.  It is a great new trend in the fitness world.

I first discovered piloxing at a local gym class.  It was fun and it gave a great burn.  

Regular Piloxing can improve speed, flexibility and stamina, boosting your energy levels!  It made me feel healthier and gave me more confidence in myself.  Making me a happier person.  Not to mention that you burn 500-900 calories per hour.  Who doesn't like that!

The best thing is...You can buy the DVD and do it at your leisure!  That's what I did.  It wasn't working for me to go to the gym for that class anymore (which I was totally bummed).  I was so excited to find this DVD, now I'm able to exercise when it works for me!

Spaghetti Squash Stir fry Dijon

Ingredients:
1 Spaghetti Squash
1 tsp olive oil
6 large Swiss Chard leaves
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Dressing:
1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbl. white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste





Directions:

1. Using a sharp knife pierce the spaghetti squash in several places.  Place the squash in a microwavable dish and cook on high in microwave for 15 minutes.  Turning the squash half way through.  Let stand for 10 minutes. Cut in half and scrape out the seeds and fibers.  Using a fork scrape out the spaghetti squash flesh and place in a bowl.
2. Wisk together the Dijon mustard, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3. Roughly cut up the Swiss Chard, removing the stems.  Heat oil in pan and add Swiss chard and cranberries, until Swiss chard is cooked down, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Mix together the spaghetti squash, Swiss chard mixture and mustard dressing mixture together.
5. Serve.

Makes 6 servings

175calories