A Thanksgiving Post

Hi, I'm back.  I know that I have been a bit slack in keeping you updated, but life is always happening in this household.  Tonight my heart is so full of the things I have to be thankful for: my amazing family, wonderful friends, stress free jobs, health....my list goes on and on.  I choose to live in an attitude of thankfulness.  When you step out of thankfulness you step into discontent.  I have to say I am most contented, but always choosing to move forward.   My weight loss goal right now for the holidays is to maintain, then hit the loss part again strong in January.  I haven't gained, which is a huge thing to be thankful for especially with all the celebrations that have happened through the season...not to mention the ones coming up ( I am staying good friends with the gym :) ) .

One thing I absolutely love about this time of year is my gingerbread family!!!  I love gingerbread men and houses, there is just something so homey and inviting about gingerbread men, Okay tasty too ...but you can't  eat the stuffed ones  ahhaha.   Every year we try to keep the tradition of making or at least decorating a gingerbread house. This year was my youngest sons turn to be in charge of decor...hahaha,  5 pieces of candy later he was done,  his big sister and grammy pitched in to finish the ensemble.   My mom decided to mix it up and put my ornaments on a huge wreath in the kitchen (see pic.) I LOVE it

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Of course today is the day of Thanksgiving meal preparations. My menu is very traditional...I don't think my family would handle it any other way...okay okay I wouldn't handle it any other way  ahhaha.  I will admit to "adjusting" a few of the recipes to make them more diet friendly.    What?? What am I having??   To start with we do a light brunch....because there is the Parade to consider, which is a must in our house, especially the Broadway show excepts that start before the parade.  Brunch consists of : Sausage and cheese balls,  Hard cooked eggs (have to have a protein balance here ..lol), 2 kinds of muffins, mandarin oranges, applesauce, cranberry orange bread....new additions this year BACON (no explanation necessary for this one...hahahah) and a Breakfast pastry ring that my mom found in the latest "First" magazine, coffee and juice. Lest you think I slaved in the kitchen, I cheated on a few of these thing, allowing Costco to do a little contributing.    Around two...depending on how fast the turkey decides to cook..comes the main course, the meal that my kids wait for all year. Everyone has helped with the preparation, learning to cook their favorite part of the meal....I guess we should switch it up or the first year they each marry THEIR family will only get one side dish  haha ( whoever marries my oldest daughter will be sure to have green bean casserole...LOL,While my oldest son will have all potato varieties covered  and the younger two will have stuffing!)  Official Menu: Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, corn minus the limas (oops, someone forgot those,...this is another thing I am thankful for, hahaha, I dislike limas,  as a child I always mixed them with my potatoes to get them down ...lol) Old fashioned buttered bread, sliced, butter and warmed in the oven the way my maternal grandmother did it,  Pickles and olives,  2 Pumpkin pies, 2 Pecan pies (one is an experiment this year ... healthy version made with coconut sugar and milk) , Apple pie and YES real whipped cream!!!! ...not in a can, but the kind that must be whipped from heavy cream to a thick rich topping ..YUMMM, also a sparkling moscato - Spumante,  and Sparkling Apple cider .   Many hands in the kitchen make the light work and fun!   I did try brining  the turkey this year after much research I decided on the following:  Salt, sugar, oranges and Muscato wine .  I can't wait to give it a try.

Right now I am thankful that everything is ready and even the table is set and I can enjoy watching Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Charlie Brown Mayflower.... a tradition as well, no matter how old you are, you are NEVER too old for Charlie Brown.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! Be thankful in everything!

EmBee

Helpful tip...avoid shoulder ache during the prep time by wearing a Capsaicin patch or Thermal patch on shoulder blades, it really made a huge difference!

 

Homemade Pumpkin Ice Cream (Healthy version)

[caption id="attachment_203" align="alignleft" width="300"] Homemade Pumpkin "Coconut Milk" Ice Cream[/caption]

 

Once in a while a true inspiration hits!!  Today was that day...an EPIC SUCCESS!!  I love pumpkin season and today everything was saying ...make something pumpkiny.  Now I am faithfully following a healthy eating plan and this fits into the healthy category and it is sugar free and DELICIOUS!!!  Several people have requested this super simple recipe so I thought I would share .

Homemade Pumpkin "Coconut Milk" Ice Cream

2 cans FULL fat (not light) Coconut Milk

1 cup Pumpkin ( I used Libby's)

1 Tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 Tbsp Cornstarch

1 cup hormone free vanilla whey protein (opt)

1 tsp Sea salt

1/3 cup coconut nectar (Coconut Secret brand)

1/3 Coconut crystals (Coconut Secret Brand)

1/3 to 1/2 Xylitol (to taste)

Blend all the ingredients together in blender. Chill one hour . Then use Ice cream freezer, following freezer directions.  Now you can make this recipe with regular sugar (no longer sugar free ;( )   You may also use any sweetner of choice....I have found the best flavor with this option  or All xylitol will work as well (xylitol is a sugar alchohol found in the health food store). Coconut Secret products can be found at www.vitacost.com or your local health food or Whole Food store.

 

 

 

New Territory

Happy to Report I am BETTER!!! God is awesome!!! I know I can trust him. I feel energized enough and motivated enough to start another round of hHCG! Goal is to reach the 200 mark or under during this next 30-40 day round. Hit P3 mid Oct to Nov 1 and maintain weight until the new year. I can do this!!

I am excited to be in new weight loss  territory!!! A two pound loss now puts me down to 226. My lowest in YEARS!!! I briefly hit 218 about 10 yrs ago. I am really happy. Of course I do the hHCG diet a bit on the rogue side it keeps it bearable and it works for me ... Yesterday was a fine example. Egg (cooked in a touch of coconut oil) and 1/2 piece toast (about 45 cal bread) I like the whole grain stuff (Ezekiel / flax etc) without high fructose corn syrup. the plan I am on (Stockwell)(Docstimulusdrops)  Does allow for an egg and 45 cal bread at breakfast.  Then at lunch I did chicken thighs (5 oz) and YES the skin ...yummmy ( I know I am weird) with 1/2 cup butternut squash and raspberries. Supper was my homemade chili (1.5 cups) on top of my 3 handfuls of salad with about 1.5 Tbsps of FULL fat greek yogurt. I forgot the evening fruit and frankly I didn't really need it. I have still continued with the TBSP of raw local honey in the evening ...so many benefits that I really wanted to see if I could continue to do it and still lose, so far so good!!!! So the two pound loss this morning was exciting!!!!!!! Now off to experiement with some coconut pumpkin spice Ice cream ( I have some Vegan friends visiting, thought I would make a new treat) Happy Day everyone!!

 

My Chili Recipe:  (sorry no photos this time :( )

My Chili recipe (taken mostly from my protocol book) Triple batch

1.5 pounds ground turkey
1.5 lean ground beef
2 onions (carmelized and then added)
4 cups Zucchini shredded (this was frozen from summer harvest)
1 cup campari tomatoes
3 cans rotel (2 spicy one mild)
1/2 pkg taco seasoning
chili powder
spark plug sauce (no sugar)
coconut vinegar
cayenne pepper...
1 cup corn

simmmer simmmer simmmer

We Interrupt this Previously Scheduled Journey

Hello everyone. I am hopping on here for a brief update .  I am in a holding pattern right now as far as the weight loss journey.  I am holding at 227 ( which is still an all time low) so I could deal with a small un-welcomed and uninvited situation... a Kidney infection. EWWWW!  Four weeks ago I noticed an annoying nagging ache in my left side back, chalking it up to over working something so I didn't think much about it, Until about two weeks ago I woke up nauseous as well.   Well in our house there is always something transitioning or growing or changing, Of all weeks it was my hubby's job, which also meant insurance change (aka...no insurance for a short season) so I figured, hey I better stay on top of this and go in "just in case" before the insurance runs out....ding ding ding we have a winner (well not really it is a CURSE that isn't allowed in my house...humph) .  So given a  "sit down" by the good doctor and take it easy, with an antibiotic presciption I figured this would go quickly. Week One and no improvement and gallons of water and umpteen glasses of cranberry cocktail (organic cranberry juice and ACV ), I ended up with a second antibiotic prescription (Ciprofloxacin).. Three days into this antibiotic the ache was gone, but in its place was an unbearable pain, like a charlie horse times ten in my back and hips and a Stiff painful neck, crampy calves  to boot...WHAT .ummmm no Thank YOU! I was thinking, KIDNEY Stone. (Why must we entertain the worst thought possible) I hadn't ever felt anything so painful (And I have delivered 4 children, one via C-Section). Finally Friday after not sleeping a couple nights and consulting the doctor, We headed for the ER.  I have never had to go to the hospital ER for anything, but it seemed like the answer.  I have to admit despite being in pain, the ER experience was a pleasant one ...especially with hubby around he keep me laughing, even though it hurt to breathe let alone laugh and super nice people.  Given a designer airy outfit (aka: hospital gown) I was subjected to poking prodding (oh and being hit in the side by the ER doc...OWWWWW)  and big circular machines that took pictures of your internal organs (CT scan) ...IV's, Cath, pain meds..and all really fast!   The results are in and..... NOTHING!  Okay so maybe that should have been a positive answer, but now I was left with out a "reason" for all the pain.  Even the infection was cleared up! All my praying friends were rejoicing and I was questioning, Okay Lord now what??? (just being honest here). I was sent home with the pain cut only in half by morphine , muscle relaxer and Vicodin.   My weakness is that I want to know the reason things aren't working and WHY.   God might see me as the questioning 2 year old...why is the sky blue, why did does the dog bark? God why didn't anything show up??  If it was a miracle, then WHY am I still hurting? Why is it so hard for me just to receive?  Well I loaded up on the medication for the night hoping to get some sleep (well I got a little more) ...then I had an unction? a direction..to look up my symptoms with the ANTIBIOTIC I was on...hmmmmm .  Opens up computer , types in symptoms and Cipro and BINGO>>>OH MY! (The muscle spasms, neck pain all under SEVERE Side Effects)  I am so thankful for a God who gives direction.  I did NOT take another dose, talked to my physician and started replacing the nutrients that had been stripped out of my system....Already a 50 percent improvement!!!!  WOW!  I am thankful for the prayers, support , and agreement of so many amazing people and A heavenly Father that loves me and is working with me right where I am, pulling me up to be who I am supposed to be in him, but one that after reading the dangers of this toxic antibiotic, saved me from a severe situation.  I am so ready to be back at the gym soon!  I am healed NOW...Today is my NOW!   I'll check in soon with more encouraging news :)

EmBee

NOTE: After reading about how many people have been so negatively effected by the antibiotic I wonder at its continued frequent use in the medical field.  If you are reading this  and have suffered or are suffering from side effects of Cipro there is HOPE.  Talk to your doctor right away,  start replacing the magnesium that is stripped out of your body, water, multi V, milk thistle for cleaning out / supporting your liver. Trust God for direction to get you on the path to health.

What am I... a Pretzel?

Well today marks a new episode in the hilarious adventures of weight loss, my first trip into the world of Yoga "like" activity.  I told my mom I would go with her to an "EASY" (ha) stretch and relax class this morning, why not I mean I did double water classes yesterday I could do something easy-ish this morning.  Well I was ready, I had put on my comfy workout clothes, grabbed my water bottle, laced up the sneakers, and headed out.  Now,  I was not really sure what to expect but I wasn't afraid for I had conquered (well I mean I had went to) the Body Sculpt class, the Gym, The Zumba Class, the Aqua Zumba Class, Deep Water Fitness, Ballroom Dancing, and one Body Combat class, THIS WOULD BE A BREEZE !   The first clue that this would be different should had been what was on people's feet...WHERE ARE YOUR SHOES PEOPLE???  (oh Dear) Lets just say NO ONE was wearing tennis shoes or ...ahem socks.  Wow that would mean we could be barefoot....woo hoo , sign me up!!!  Next you grab a mat (hey no problem, I'm familiar with those) and a ....BELT??? Are we strapping ourselves down?  We also grab Two purple foam blocks that look like bricks...OH MY word its like Pre- K gone wild, hahaha.  Now the lights are dimmed and soft music is playing, Nap time? I am getting sleepy!   The workout starts off with head rolls and arm stretches, oh yes I can do this...little did I know what lurked ahead.  I was keeping up until I heard the teacher say "Now thread the needle".  What needle??? Then it all becomes so clear, impossibly clear.  Take your right foot and put it up under your left arm while extending your left leg back, Am I supposed to move like that??? I don't MOVE LIKE THAT! Thankfully there were some first timer modifications...hehehe (now that I could handle).  Twisting, rotating, balancing and more of the like were causing me to "relax" so much the sweat was pouring down my face, hahahaha.  I did really enjoy the balancing and could do that quite well, yay.  OH right the belt and the blocks, the belt was another little beginner assistance tool,  for holding your positions...the blocks were for propping under those place where it was impossible to reach to correct positions (but hey I only had to use them once, score).  Of course the blocks were fun to stack as well...giant building block towers (no I didn't, I resisted the urge...lol).  I will admit the class was not too bad, though they do have some crazy names for the stretch positions you hold: cat, downward dog, tabletop, tree, cow, thread the needle, to name a few. (Someone created these while on the family farm I am sure).  Last but not least we got to the "relax" part.... relax every muscle in your body and head to your "happy" place. Well you all know where I went right??  THE BEACH, of course.  Well so much for my easy class hahaha, but  I will probably do this one again with a few personalizations,  such as my own mat (I can scent it with a smell other than sweat..ewwwy), definitely flip flops, and stretch band instead of belt. ( I will say I have developed a deeper admiration for a sweet friend of mine who does her Yoga (and hers being the "real" deal ) workouts while OVERCOMING cancer...She is amazing.)

Home I went to work on some more school planning for the year. This year I fully intend to (okay maybe partially) shed the nickname of Homeschool Nazi Mom, given to me by my best friend...I even ventured out an bought a FUN plan book (see the photo, its Dr. Suess).  I also have another driving teenager, my older son finished his "In Car" portion of drivers Ed with flying colors...YAY?  hahaha. I foresee a trip to the DMV very soon.

Oh I almost forgot: Remember my extract post, where I was making different food extracts?  The results are in. The  Vanilla extract turned out really well, So did the citrus ones (lemon and orange)...the coconut one...BLEH, FAIL .  The almond needs a bit of tweaking, but I predict that one will be a good one as well.    Today of course I obtained another large bottle of Vodka, for projects of course :).  More experimenting to do!!!

Happy Pre-Wednesday

EmBee

 

 

IT FITS! Missing an X!

 

[caption id="attachment_185" align="alignleft" width="225"] Down to 228![/caption]

This is what I was running around yelling this morning as I was trying on clothes in my closets.  I am referring to the black skirt in my photo, a favorite of mine circa 2003 LOL  and one that I love and haven't been able to wear since before the birth of my almost 8 year old (and I refuse to let go of) .  The top why YES its new and its an XL, I am now missing and X or two...hahahaha.   I know I haven't updated in about a month because I hit a tiny bit of a stall and well life in the summer can get kind of busy. (OH yes I am typing in purple...My favorite color).  I have achieved a new low... a new decade and I am now closer to the the 200 side of the scale than the 300 side.  My new weight....228 (yep I am probably the only larger woman on the planet not afraid to announce her weight publicly LOL).    I had to tweak my plan just a bit because on hHCG you really shouldn't exercise heavily, but I am so addicted to it now.  I keep telling my Aqua Zumba teacher not to tell on me, she has to "officially" tell me to follow the plans orders.  Tina (the instructor) is awesome is so much fun, I just can miss it!     I did mix it up a bit,  just to see how well my muscle tone was so  I hit the weights this week.  I was AMAZED..NO LOSS in muscle tone...yes yes yes yes yes yesssssss!  I did add some healthy fats..chocolate delight candy (made with coconut oil and they are sugar free made with stevia) and my newest favorite...Peanut butter chocolate mousse...ummmmmmmmmmmmm.

Here is the recipe :)...Two cans of full fat coconut milk (put the fridge for several hours)..., 2 Tbsp Peanut butter, Teaspoon of vanilla, Tablespoon of Cocoa powder (more if you like a rich chocolate) and sweetner of choice : Stevia or Xylitol are my go to's ...its about 1/3 cup of xylitol. (I bet you could add a powdered coffee for a mocha flavored).  Anyway you open the can of coconut milk, scrape of the thick coconut richness off the top..leaving the water substance behind.  Whip the coconut milk, like a whipping cream with beater, mix the rest of ingredients and put in the fridge.. BE CAREFUL, this is easy to overeat :).

My other fun go to recipe the last couple weeks is the super easy Parmesan squash (zucchini) that I got from a friend off FB (Jean  you are going to be a celebrity) hehehe...on a cookie sheet lightly oiled (olive oil or coconut oil)  Place on layer of med sliced zucchini..

(thinner if you like crispy)..top with a nice layer of Parmesan cheese ..Bake at 500 for 15-20 minutes..ooooh yummmmmmmmm.  Now you can do several layers of this as well. Makes a wonderful side dish. I got addicted to this one when I had a super abundance of squash coming from the garden.  They were ginormous!!!!!  The photo here is the last of my squash from this season and a couple

peppers.  We had corn too, but my tomatoes hmmmm well lets just say the deer and I are NOT good friends.  Aren't the curly Q's cute..lol



Well I am off to enjoy my family for the day, with renewed energy  :)

Have a great day

EmBee

My Journey from Fat to Fab cont.

[caption id="attachment_136" align="alignleft" width="150"] Front View (Before) 

[/caption]

Hi Guys!!!  Its been awhile since I have updated this blog and I am sorry.  I have been kind of silent on purpose because I have been doing something kind of out of the norm and maybe a little controversial.   Many of you who follow my blog know that I am a HUGE believer in diet and exercise and healthy eating and swaps, so what I am about to share DOES NOT negate those opinions of mine.

Remember the picture on the right, yep that is me back in the beginning of March at the very beginning ( or re-beginning) of my weight loss journey.(a whole 262 pounds ..which by the way isn't even my very heaviest which would be 267)  What I thought I was going to do didn't ever happen.  I will say it triggered my journey though, so I am very thankful for the steps I took.  I had taken a genetic test for weight loss from Inherent Health.... Lower / Healthy Carbs and High Intensity Exercise was the result,  at the same time I had ordered a weight loss plan and joined the Y.  Now I will say I got some minor results...But it was a HUGE struggle...HUGE!!!! (no pun intended...hahahah).  Not to mention I was still EXHAUSTED by mid afternoon,  It just isn't normal for a 40 year old woman to want to nap all the time (at least that is what I was told...lol) .

I have so many friends pulling for me on this journey it really makes my heart swell with joy!!! One beautiful friend volunteered to be my coach just to help me reach my goals.... Another one recommended an Integrative Physician who specializes in different hormonal issues. (which I had suspicions about)   Others just encouraging me by sharing the stories of how I had encouraged them!!! While I loved their stories of how I encouraged them to lose 75, 100 etc pounds, inside I was just frustrated.  I mean I was working out faithfully,  I was eating healthier,  had given up sodas...blah blah blah the list goes on, but the weight was being stubborn!!!   So I began researching, working with the coach and made the appointment with the Integrative doctor :)  Hey why not do it all!!!  I want to pause right here and say something  .... I absolutely LOVE my regular family physician!! LOVE (not romantically!!! duh!)  And the last thing I would ever want to do is cause hurt, he is an amazing person and very caring doctor and A dear friend who would do anything for us if we needed it, so making an appointment with someone else I felt like I was  "cheating"...(I tend to be extremely loyal) but I was not "satisfied" with the traditional answers to things. I tend to be a bit "granola" in that mindset .    So while I was waiting for the appointment to take place, I started making changes that went along with my research (and a lot of prayer) of what I suspected what going on....Under active Thyroid!  Hello hormone free meats and dairy, bye bye fluoride......add rhodiola..NO SOY (yikes that was in all my diet bars, some vitamins etc) ..The two weeks seemed endless!!!  Long story short after an intensive questionnaire  intake form/ appointment/exam and GALLONS (okay maybe vials) of blood and another few days of waiting for results,  the results came back..as the doctor said "It would be impossible for you to lose weight with the hormones like this" .  Every hormone in my body was out of WHACK...Every ONE!   Well well well.  I have to say if I had just replaced those I would have felt wonderful, but he said something to me that really  made me pause.  He began to share about the HCG diet ....Now I have had friends that have done some type of this diet in the past and it had always made me a little nervous. Yes they had lost weight but WOW was it $$$$$$  and it involved shots (UMMM NO THANKS!).  I told him I would come to the meeting, listen to what the plan was about and consider it.  So yes I dragged my hubby determined to not do one more thing that would lead to "failure" and cost us a fortune.  What I hear was incredible...beautiful people who had struggled were losing weight, NO SHOTs...but a simple homeopathic drop containing  just a minor  amount of the HCG hormone...dropping .5-1 pound per day.  With tears, trepidation and a prayer of encouragement from the receptionist (and now my diet coach) I started the journey.  Seriously I had been on every other plan...what could this hurt.

Now the "fun" part of this diet (or so I thought It would be) was for two days, start taking the drops but while I did this I would have to eat the equivalent of 3 Thanksgiving meals and two heavy snacks with a milkshake for Two days!!!  REALLY I get to eat....yay! (NOT) and I needed to put at least 5-7 pounds back on (WHAT!!!! it took me 2 months to lose 5 pounds)...But the better you "load" the better you lose....so here goes.  I ate everything I thought I would ever want and wouldn't be able to eat on the next stage of this plan...Pizza, Tacos, Pancakes, Bacon, Milkshakes....but I was miserable!! Miserable I say!  I did gain the 7 pounds back...cry!!!  And believe me I DID NOT want to eat...I had to force myself to do the loading and I seriously thought I would be sick!!! UG.... I remember walking with my mom, pretty much crying the first day at the thought, that this could really happen!!!  It was a bit scary at first...I have lived a large part of my life as the "heavy" girl...I had an identity in that.  Time to shed that identity!!!!

Well after 2 days of loading you then start the "plan" while taking your drops 3x a day..... a 750 cal plan, with specific foods you can and cannot eat.   I though I will STARVE!!!  Hahaha but I will say I was NOT hungry. So the next day I got on the scale...down 4 pounds...ummm NO WAY,  day 2 another 2 pounds....The first week was CRAZY 8.2 pounds... 2nd week and on avg of 4 pounds per week, and inches lost, with fat being burned from places I never knew had fat!!  So within 32 days I have lost 25.4 pounds so far!!! NOT hungry...no side effects, Blood pressure normalized.  With the weight loss and proper hormone adjustments I have ENERGY,  my knees aren't hurting.....WOW is this what it is like to feel ALIVE!!!

[caption id="attachment_171" align="alignleft" width="215"] Down 25 pounds[/caption]

So here are photos of me TODAY.... as I was weeding though the clothes that no longer fit...THERE are quite a few!!!  I had some smaller things in my closet I had saved and that one my cousins had given me (hand me downs are awesome...lol)  and I can fit in those...YAY.  it is a strange feeling though....especially shopping,  having to learn to walk past the sizes that used to be me for so long.



 

 

 

Love my little black dress...that is NOT a 2x!!!  Woo hooo.   I did have to replace my swimsuit top, it wasn't decent any longer....SAGGY! hahahaha

 

Below is me in a Red Dress that I just bought 6 weeks ago and wore to a special event... WAAY to Big!  Am I smiling ...YES!  I will reach my goal...set my weight (did you know your body remembers weight) and NEVER look back again.  Honestly at first I thought "this is cheating" but you know what  I CAN DO THIS!!!   I will keep you updated .... EmBee

[caption id="attachment_174" align="alignright" width="244"] YES I am smiling![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_176" align="alignleft" width="225"] The Red Dress[/caption]

A Day for a 5K

[caption id="attachment_146" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Ready to start!"][/caption]

Never in a million years did I ever dream that I would be involved in a 5K.  Let me start off by saying this was a 5K walk not a RUN.  I have had friends that have done races/walks and I have always wished them great success while I stayed as far away from them as I could.  Now if you have been following my blog at all you know that I have been working on a weight loss plan, after taking a genetic test. That is going quite well, after a little bit of a hiccup (which I will write more about later) and some fine tuning with my fitness coach I have lost six pounds and several overall inches so far!  So when my hubby told me he was required by his company to participate in a walk as part of  his insurance incentive program I  halfheartedly said, Yeah I "guess" I'll walk it with you, I mean hey it doesn't start till 10 I can still sleep in...YEAH RIGHT! Week of the walk I was informed that I had to be AT registration by 8:30 (so much for the sleeping in plan) OH WELL I was already committed.

Hubby's company had chosen to participate with the March of Dimes.  Well I will be honest, I knew very little about this charity, except that it dealt with babies ( I love BABIES! and kids).  So I was totally unprepared for what the day held for me emotionally.   I was up and ready to roll at the designated time.  I was prepared: vitamins/supplements in my pocket, cell phone (An ESSENTIAL to Facebook my walk...hehehe) Ultra filtered water, sunglasses and LIPGLOSS (its a light up one, just in case I didn't make it back before dark, the LED light could light my way...hahahaha)  it is an essential! hehehhehehe.   Breakfast was to be provided as was additional water, so I didn't

[caption id="attachment_144" align="alignright" width="150" caption="POTASSIUM"][/caption]

eat (OOPS mistake number one) or bring a second water bottle (oops mistake number two) .  We arrive on the scene (hubby, me, and two of our four kids) and promptly got registered and started to search out breakfast...OH NO! Krispy Kreme doughnuts and a banana!!! WHERE IS THE PROTEIN??????   (apparently the consensus is that the protein is implied and located in the hole...lol) Thank goodness I had brought a carb blocker, because YES I did eat one!!  I also ate a banana, thank goodness because the potassium would be essential!

Okay breakfast...check, now we have killed all of 5 minutes.  It is now 8:45..sheesh I still have an hour and fifteen to go!!   Now things are picking up. Local news coverage, dance teams, stories of babies that have been helped through the March of Dimes (I can control my emotions, I can control my emotions). Next step choose a bandana ????? What ??? I thought we were just walking for babies.   YEEEEAH , well here is the part I was unprepared for ... Your choice of bandana would be either : Pink:  for Birth defects, Purple: for Premature birth and ....WHITE: for the angels among us, the babies that never made it to term...I can all of the sudden feel the emotions starting to overwhelm me now.  You see 15 years ago (almost to the day)  I was pregnant with my son, who just happened to be one of the four walking with me,  one of my  cousins who was due the same as I was gave birth to a precious angel who was still born (on my birthday 5/13) I went into labor with my son, right after that. Labor for me stopped completely for two hours during the funeral of Bethany Anne. ( he was born 5/15).  Not to mention another dear friend who delivered a girl still born two weeks before.  It was obvious that white was the bandana color I would be choosing.

[caption id="attachment_143" align="alignright" width="150" caption="For Bethany Anne"][/caption]

The  walk now took  All of the sudden the walk took on a whole new meaning to me! Not only a personal fitness challenge, or a company requirement,  but I was marching now for babies that never got a chance.  Holding my son's hand (he was my walking buddy),  I made sure the sunglasses were on hiding the tears and I lined up to walk, ready to set pace and not give up. First lets grab a water bottle, because the one I brought home was empty ...oh yeah where are the "facilities"?????   OH BOY...Yippeee A SANI-CAN!!! My son and I chuckled over the "deluxe" house size model that was available.  Water bottle??? Well that never happened because I was told they were for "after" the race.....OH NO!  (I will not panic) .   So the count down had begun 10, 9, 8, 7......3, 2, 1, LETS WALK!   Our walk was downtown Winston Salem...3.12 miles.   Here we go, It was kind of EXCITING!  Police blocking traffic,  cheerleaders along the route and "Spirit Stations" that we would vote on, set up to encourage us along the way... (FYI Station 1 did NOT get my vote, they ran out of water right when I got there....GRRRR).  We traipsed all through the city. Laughing and having fun! What an awesome bonding experience for US....(yes my son found it amusing that I avoided the manholes so I wouldn't trip).  I am feeling good ...woo hoo   ..and then there it is! THE MOUNTAIN!  WHAT??? When did our downtown get mountains??? ... I quick updated my Facebook post to read This hill is huge...huff puff...breaks into refrain of climb every mountain...LOL. Yes I did update my Facebook and Twitter  the entire time!!  It really helped time go faster and the cheerleaders and pep squad really really helped!  (THANK YOU EVERYONE).  The huge hill through Historic OLD Salem did NOT defeat me, but boy was the heart pumping.   Not to far past this was

[caption id="attachment_148" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Coffee BREAK?"][/caption]

the COFFEE POT and then Spirit station number 2 ..THEY HAD COLD WATER BOTTLES, Yep they got my vote :).  This meant we were a little over half way...woo hoo!!!   Was it all down hill from there??  UMMM NOPE! I had to break out singing  "Climb every mountain" several more times , who knew WS was soooo hilly, hahahaha.   We had some comedian pep squad at the 1 mile mark  and then spirit station number 3, they had dixie cups of water and pens (I guess this was in case you needed to sign any medical papers before the end..lol)  They got one of our votes as well.    As the end got closer the more energized I felt and a breeze started blowing ...Awesome God, thanks for the Air Conditioning!   There is was ..the sign that read FINISH,

[caption id="attachment_147" align="alignright" width="150" caption="FINISH! or is it the START?"][/caption]

of course it also said start, but I knew for me...It mean finish or did it??? Was this the START of  new habit for me???  I had fun, I will admit it! It was hard, but it made me feels so fulfilled in different ways!   It was a day I will never forget!!!

[caption id="attachment_142" align="alignright" width="150" caption="My number and I did it sticker!"][/caption]

 

EmBee

[caption id="attachment_150" align="alignnone" width="150" caption="The rest of team EmBEE!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_149" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Yes I am smiling. One of my friends with me, but I don't have her permission to post her photo"][/caption]

Well here's the before

Okay so this is a humbling step for me, but I am posting before photos. You know the ones at the beginning of the weight loss journey. Technically this is not my beginning beginning, but my re-beginning., however I say it counts. Actually this is a picture of me after a two pound weight loss (woo hoo).  I will admit two pounds felt frustrating because I wanted FIVE , lol.   I think this is where I shortchange myself, wanting instantaneous results.  I guess the old adage is true, you didn't put the weight on in a day, you can't expect it to come off in a day ..DARN, I thought that was just called high expectations..hahahaha.   So as of this point I am walking 1.67 miles a day with three spurts of jogging each lap (3 laps around my neighborhood), hitting aqua Zumba once a week at our local YMCA (so much fun), Strength training and added cardio in the gym and/or Body sculpt class (when my knees let me, thank God for Nutrilite Glucosamine 7).   My eating plan is "Carb Reducer Plan", inspired by the Nutrilite program.  Which involves reducing carbs and swapping unhealthy carbs for whole grains.   I will admit today there was not any exercising, well technically, I think walking the local mall several times over with 4 kids SHOULD count..lol.

Front View (Before)
So for better or worse here  they are, all 260 pounds worth...sigh and all seventy two chins..hahahaha.  Hoping that this inspires someone and keeps me pushing forward, Because now I have announced my weight to the world..ZZOIKS!                                 EmBee

>Extracting the Right Stuff

>

Don't these look so wonderful?  Do you even know what they are? Good guess but its not licorice.  These are vanilla beans  over 50 of them (who knew I would get so many when I ordered) I wish that I had smell a puter, because the scent is outstanding!   So what am I doing? It is simple, I am making homemade vanilla extract.  Vanilla is one of my all time flavorings for baking.  Have you seen how expensive a tiny bottle of  "pure" vanilla is?   Let me tell you that even that is not pure vanilla extract, there is added water and SUGAR!   A Facebook friend of mine tipped me off that I could have a high quality vanilla at the fraction of the price...EARS ARE OPEN!   So here it is in simplified form.  Step one take about 5-6 vanilla beans and split from the end. (Great bulk vanilla purchases can be made on Amazon...just watch the customer ratings)

Add one cup of vodka to the split beans ...Now this one was fun!  Let me just say that you cannot walk into any grocery store and pick up vodka (well at least in NC)  It involves going into what my daughter likes to call the "ALPHABET" store. (ABC = Alcoholic Beverages Ctr) .  Well yes this one was a fun step for me.  I will say until the idea of making vanilla extract was presented to me, I had never been in this type of store...GASP, I KNOW!  So on the day I went to buy Vodka, I dressed in my most inconspicuous hoodie sweatshirt, mask...JUST KIDDING!  Of course when I went in I had no idea where to start, thank goodness the salesman did and better yet I am pretty sure he had sampled each one! (Well not that day).  I felt empowered and a bit stinkerish (my word) because now I had given people something to talk about ahahaha (EmBEE went in the ABC STORE). I was felt empowered. I have been back a couple times now, for more extract and baking adventures :).  The next  step was simple....SHAKE! SHAKE SHAKE!

Now the next step, Let sit for 6 mos!  Shaking the bottle every few days. Every day for for the  first few weeks.  Once I figured out the extract process I realized you could make several kinds.   Orange (3 large oranges, rinds peeled to one cup of vodka), Lemon (5 -6 lemon rinds peeled off to one cup vodka)  Coconut,  Almond.       The list became endless and so did all the little glass bottles in my pantry.  I think glass works a whole lot better than plastic, just my opinion.

Almond extract is just a little different.  The recipe is 1/2 cup of crushed almonds to 1 cup of vodka . The almonds will not be the typical scent you expect because they are sweet almonds in the US . Typical almond extract is made with bitter almonds (which are not sold in the US, because they are poisonous) And here we go...PEACH or nectarine seeds.  SURPRISE!  They are poisonous as well, but in large amounts...so adding 5-6 are not going to hurt your extract. Surely all that vodka does something to them..

So happy experimenting!  Special note, if you look around you will find a lot or recipes stating only 3 vanilla beans per cup. Professionals use double strength vanilla, so add those extra beans!

I'll let you know how they all turn out!   I can see Christmas gifts will be easy this year. I just have to remember to start in JUNE!

EmBEE

Genetic tests and Aqua Zumba!

I do not have photos for this post....but be glad, I can tell you they wouldn't have been pretty!   Splashing and moving in ways that would be illegal if they weren't being done underwater, but it was soooooooooooooooo much FUN! I am referring to the cardio class at the Y called Aqua Zumba.  It has now reached the top ranking in my book..my favorite class.  I really like regular Zumba, but with Aqua Zumba there is not any room for embarrassment because no one can see what you are doing since its under water (and believe me you would have be appalled...eeek) It was a GREAT workout too, but since it was in the water it didn't feel like one.  High Tempo music, big moves, swiveling hips, yep you get the picture.

Anyway let me back up a little bit to why I was at the Y.  I have always been challenged with my "weight issues" so I decided to take matters into my own hands...agressively...AGAIN! (hahahaha) .  My track record with weight loss has been interesting to say the least. If you have heard about it, I probably have tried it...let see : Carbo addicts diet, Atkins, Thermogenics, motionless exercise (it does work), fat free, vegetarian (oh that one didn't last long...tee hee)  Herbal caps, nautilus, walking, all of the above, none of the above haha  They all provided some measure of success but not long term (usually the 20-30 pounds I lose all the time).  See what I mean...GUESS WORK!  I found out that I didn't have to guess anymore...I could know how my body loses weight. For me that is EXCITING!!!  There  is a genetic test that looks at your genetic make up and tells you what plan will work for you, how YOUR body loses weight! Incredible right? I know I thought so.   It is through Inherent Health Genetic Tests. Simple to do...swab the inside of your mouth, let the sample dry..mail it back, WAIT and VOILA...customized to YOU, workout and food recommendations.  What ? The Results of my test?   My makeup / generic pattern is responsive to Carbohydrate restriction and High Intensity Workouts! (Which is why one of the reasons I was a  Aqua Zumba)  It makes sense, some of the plans that I had success with did reduce carbs.   Anyway I am once again starting this Journey, but this time equipped with a few necessary tools!  You may be wondering but EmBee...doesn't it tell everyone the SAME thing...guess what NOPE! One of the NC news Channels did a report on it and different people received different results!

So I have found a plan, adopted a workout plan that is High intensity, but low impact (I will obey the instructions of my chiropractor...start slow,  In fact when I mentioned Aqua Zumba he emphatically yelled ...DO THAT!)  I have had a bad track record in my workout history...but no more, I think I might be smarter now...LOL. I am going to do the Nutrilite Carb Reducer Plan.  So yes of course I will be blogging my progress, even a pic or two (Maybe!)  So here I go again starting at  (mumbles something)..okay 262 (cough).   I CAN SUCCEED!  I WILL SUCCEED and SO CAN YOU!

EmBee

If you are interested in doing the Genetic Test yourself...go to Order tab at my Website.  Create an account, then click on Partner stores...Inherent Health Genetic Tests is there.   You can do  several different kinds of tests...weight, heart, bone and nutrition to name a few.  (I did the heart one as well,  but I will blog that another time)

Click the link below to watch the newscast (I found it to be fairly positive for what the media can do )

 http://www.wbtv.com/category/195957/video-landing-page?clipId=6763947&autostart=true 

A car dealership with INTEGRITY! Yes it is Possible!

I know what you're saying...you are looking at my title with disbelief!  I know this to be true.  I have had my share of  "dealings" with buying used cars, and lets just say there have been to many bad choices, but not with FRANK MEYERS AUTO MAX of Winston Salem, NC.  Now I know that this is not typical material for my blog (but hey it is MY blog, right...free speech), but a truly great place has been under negative fire by the local media, who has decided to "to sensationalize" a report by the FTC!

Let me tell you about this super fun place (yes I know it may not be for everyone...but it is fun) .  It may be a bit unconventional in your typical car buying experience but never unethical.  A family owned business that has been in business for a long time ( I don't want to get my facts wrong on the actual time frame) , this place gives to the community .  Its "Everybody Rides"  Trademark phrase is truly their heart!  This place goes above and beyond to do what they can for their customers (sometimes its close to miraculous).  Guiding them in wise choices.  I sure wish I had a salesman try to give me wise advice on our van purchase three vans ago, where we ended up UPSIDE down with tons of negative equity (that's another story).  Can they help everybody...no, not always, in fact I was in the position a few years ago, when I had gone to the dealership to start a car upgrading process, but due to some financial setbacks just couldn't quite qualify (remember the "negative equity", yep that too) .  Now I did not leave empty handed even then!!!!  What do you mean EmBee??? They gave you a car??? Hahahaha...NO, but they gave me the best thing any place could give HONESTY!!!  They also gave me some direction, some advice on how to 'clean up'  a suffering credit record and how to turn around the upside down car situation.  No pressure to jump into another payment I  couldn't afford,  no pushing a car I didn't want.  So yes, you don't find that too many places.

Fast forward to this last fall.... After taking the "path" of recovery we tried again,  At one of the "special promos" offered.  Even then it took patience but we were able to realize our dreams.  Salesman who aren't out to pressure you, they listen to you, take notes and help guide you to a car that meets your needs.   We were able to become owners of a pre-owned vehicle with a LIFETIME ENGINE WARRANTY (blinks eyes in disbelief).  The FTC came in to do a ProActive review of car dealerships across the US ( no complaints were issued, this was random) , but I'll let the Owner tell you about that! (Click the link below)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzMUNfUMBhQ

 

Now you understand!  So I will say that this is the place I love to refer people.  I will continue to do so!  Zany costumes, a GONG ceremony , customer referral rewards, Video games while you wait (this is great for those who have kids or impatient husbands..hahaha) , Coffee, Wifi... A place truly out to "satisfy its customers".  (I am not even reviewing the Service Ctr) and do business a different way, making car buying what it is supposed to be!

OH YEAH...The BBB report...You really trust that???  FM Auto Maxx was not a part of the BBB. They choose to address customer issues on a personal level, with HIGH SATISFACTION RESULTS. (Of course if you google BBB's  ratings of those who don't join their organization and pay their dues, you'll understand, but that is not a topic for this blog)    They have 4.5  to 5 star ratings in all their other  reviews! !!!  I am confident you will not be disappointed!!!   So yes I am speaking out this time!

EmBee

Round 2 ..additional video clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU73GH-tDHA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Yummy and ...RUNNY????

Yes you all know I love something sweet.  I am constantly trying to tweak my favorite recipes to make them sweet and healthy!!!  Today was no different. In fact in an effort to cut out excess eating I have avoided playing  in the kitchen ..(GASP... I KNOW).  Today I decided that a "healthy" coconut cream pie was in order. While the kids so "diligently" took their timed tests, I scurried out to the kitchen to begin a new level of experimentation.  Preheated the oven....Grabbed my "go to" pie crust recipe (its FAST), opened the flour tin....UMMM who used the flour last because THERE IS NONE!  Check the time.... 25 minutes till the next test, yep trusty Harris Teeter here I come.  So yes I dash into the store grabbed the flour, trying not to be distracted by the "sales" .

Finally I am home, multi tasking at getting dinner and whipping up the pie crusts (well technically rolling out ).  WOW this pastry crust looks so dark???  Well it turns out a grocery store faux pas ends up as an unexpected success!.  Yes I had accidentally picked up White Whole Wheat flour....sigh.   Except for one crust got a little "darker" than planned (I can put chocolate in that, no one will ever KNOW), They were good and Whole grain! (No pics though because, well honestly, they weren't pretty this time...due to my hurried (harried) state...LOL.

My go to Recipe is as follows (my Mom's  No Fail Pie Crust Recipe)

2  1/2 cups Flour

dash of salt

2/3 cup Vegetable oil

Using a fork, mix the above ingredients until "crumbly".  Add 1/4 to 1/3 c. ICE COLD water...stir quickly till it forms a marbelized looking ball, STOP STIRRING.  Divide in two .  Roll out each ball between wax paper or parchment.  Lay into pie plate and crimp edges. This recipe makes 2 crusts.... so you either can do 2 individual filled pies or 1 covered pie.  Now if you want to Bake for a filled pie...Bake at 475 for 8-10 minutes (not 12 like I did..hahahaha)

Now my quest for healthiness was this, Coconut cream pie made with coconut milk and Xylitol (thus reducing fat and sugar). I found a great recipe on the Food Network...Emeril's Best Ever Coconut Cream Pie. (google it)   Now the tweaking.  I must say the last time I attempted a recipe with corn starch in the recipe  well it could NOT even be called pudding...hahahaha, but ever determined to never give up I was going to try again.  Now from past events I KNOW you cannot totally leave out all the milk, because milk solids have something to do with how the pie sets up. So thanks to the already adjusted recipe ...I didn't have to tweak it to much . Using mostly Xylitol with a small amount of sugar, because alas the Xylitol was almost empty too!! (who's been baking in my kitchen????)...Following all the directions...into the pie crust the filling goes...yummmy (Fresh ground coconut from my extract experimenting and vanilla with extra beans soaking in it...added to the delicious flavor!   Chill two hours...slice and ...yep you guessed it, Runny!!! But I must say it was definitely waaaaay less runny than the raspberry pie last year, in fact I would call this pudding with a crust!  YAY  There is only one person I know that may not enjoy the flavor and that is only because he does not like coconut cream pie.

Now I did have another crust to fill, this was an easy breezy cheater recipe.... I didn't try to "healthify" it ...hahahahaha.  One large cook and stir chocolate pudding  following directions for microwave cooking (GASP...yes I use a microwave..hahahaha) of course to make it homemade tasting one Tablespoon of butter (everything is better with BUTTER) and 2 squares of Ghiradelli 72percent dark chocolate....when finished cooking stir in a teaspoon (okay I didn't measure) of highly edified vanilla...hahahhahahah.  Chill 2 hours.

Both pies were a nice treat...now back to boycotting baking for a while again.

Always on a quest for healthy AND tasty. ( I am determined that these two be friends)

EmBee

 

A Revealing Experience

I start this by saying WARNING WARNING...some images may be slightly disturbing ...hahahaha.  Okay so not really.  Last weekend the females in my family enjoyed a unique pampering experience. I have a friend who provides an awesome service. She is a certified skin analyst ... Sure EmBee...loads of fun, yeah yeah yeah I hear you, BUT it really was.  I set the appointment for all of the ladies in the house (but guess what men, you can do it too!!) specifically with the thought of helping my youngest daughter start on the right path to healthy skin care.  You see she is about to turn that preteen age where things start changing and those lovely things we call " hormones" start kicking in, so in planning this I though HEY I want to do this too! So needless to say we ALL got to experience the skin revelations! The appointment started with a very thorough questionnaire (okay well here goes)  and then individually for privacy sake we taken into the MACHINE ..hahahaha.  There your skin is scanned with an Ultraviolet light, and let me tell you NOTHING gets past the purple light of revelation (yes I am sure its more technical than that but thats the EmBee shortened version..lol) . ( The ideal  is for you to be a nice even purple under the light.. (like this photo....BEAUTIFUL)

(Isn't she sweet for letting me post this ) She just had a little bit of dryness and that is all.... Mine (now don't scream in horror) was definitely less even hahahaha,Every variation in shading means something, anywhere from clogged pores, to dryness and so much more....It is quite obvious my skin care plan wasn't working. (oops)  The blessing is I was not left without hope ( I know I know isn't that wonderful).  My very sweet analyst was able to recommend a custom skin care plan for me, my girls and my mom ( Yes you only see two willing pictures for the BLOG) .  The cool thing is it is customized to my skin needs. Hey why should I buy a four step something if my skin needs call for two....or I need more this or that and less of something else.  Seriously customized skin analyzing makes complete sense!!!   Okay now we haven't even taked about the blemish tool that zaps a pimple and makes it disappear within 24 hours or LESS and the light up lip gloss...LOVE at first sight. Regardless of whether or not you use the products (which are really fantab, reasonable and rated in the top five) the skin analysis is soooo worth the time and price ..(which is alot less that a dematologist). Triad NC fans ...schedule an appointment and tell her EmBee aka MaryBeth sent you)...  http://www.renewingbeauty.com/greensboro.html     okay guys can't wait to show you the eight week follow up pics ..I am sure they will look a whole lot better :)

EmBee

 

 

 

L is for LOVE

Baking in a crock pot?

Extracting the Right Stuff

Battle of the "NEW" Better Homes Cookbooks

Yes, look the title is the same, but it is in NO way the same cookbook  (smile).  The one on the left is the OLD (1960's ) edition, the one on the right is the newer "New" cookbook (1990's ) .  I remember being so excited and inspired as a new bride by the book "I had to have"  to be a good wife. I always loved my mom's, the symbol of good houswifery (is that a word) hahaha.  Once compared the differences were MANY.  The servings were much larger in the older version, the newer one only served 4 (guess they thought families were smaller in the 90's), then lets talk about ingredients,  In the 1960's book you actually had to make the ingredients, while in the 1990's one the ingredient list contains things like "can of soup" or instant this or that. hahahaa.  No wonder our young ladies no longer feel inspired, no longer no how to make a white sauce base,  learn the cuts of meat and what they are for etc .... BUT one thing these two books do not battle about is this recipe...CARAMEL ROLLS (okay except for the servings..1960's made enough for a family of 6 vs a family of four, but from there out....

Of course since our household has enough people to combine both recipes, I doubled it :).  To the left is the caramel goodness that goes on the bottom, of course we can NOT have nuts on all of them...hence the half a pan .  This is the base that you lay the yeasty rolls on to raise....ummmm

See this...yesssssss Cinnamon, sugar, and butter ready to roll up, slice and raise again!   I have to say this IS one of my favorite homemade breakfast rolls.

Now for the cheater trick...I did not want to bake these the night before...I wanted them to be fresh in the morning, so  put in the pan cover and slow raise in refrigerator or cold room over night! I have the perfect place for this ...especially in the winter months.

Voila! they are puffed up and ready to bake in the morning!.....Pop these in the preheated oven and bake!

....then pop them out on a big tray .  I told one of my best friends, dough is easy to make, but can be very dangerous. This is obvious evidence of the dangers...hahahahaha.  Now you can do this "cheater style" using the Large canned biscuits, but it isn't quite the same. You can just pop open the biscuits lay on the caramel goodness and bake.





So scrumptious and delicious...where is my coffee??

                                                                                              Em-Bee

The Right Song at the right Time

 Do you ever hear a song that just hits you square between the eyes? The one that makes you jerk awake, spirit singing, jump about of bed, run into the bathroom, scare your husband (who is shaving for church), grab his Ipod to see WHO is singing and WHAT the song is called.... (He thought I was coming to smack him...why I don't know.   Anyway here is the song...for me it was like aloe gel on a Sunburn..or wait (that can be cold...) A warm sudsy bubble bath.    Whether it touches your heart like it does mine, I don't know, but I couldn't go without sharing another second!



I adore you! Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir  

Happy Sunday Morning
Em-Bee

Epic Fail to Yummy Success

Yes yes I know, its hard to believe that I could have an Epic fail in the kitchen! If you take a look at the picture on the left you see that yes sometimes I do.  The crumbling lump of dryness is my attempt at reconstructing a childhood memory...Something I smell every time I am pregnant...Weird I know and NO  I'm not.  Peanut Butter Cake. This is another failed attempt and something I remember at being moist and yummy, not coarse and crumbly. Oh well back to the drawing board I suppose.  I will prevail, but not today (or tomorrow) for that matter. My pursuits were in another sugar ladened direction!

Today I pulled out my Woman's Home Companion Cookbook!.. You know the one I found browsing in the incredible Antiques shop of discovery ...hahahahaha.  It has given me a few successes so hey why not give it another go. My ego needed a success after the epic fail above.  See it was a necessity that I make this dessert and some homemade applesauce. Really EmBee a necessity to make a dessert laden with sugary goodness??? Oh yes, you see thanks to the crazy fluctuating weather my apples that usually last a long time were starting to show signs of distress due to the warmth in their normally cool storage place. So out I pull out this recipe... I put a copy here, in case you want to give it a try as well.  ....CRISP APPLE SCALLOP!  My youngest was inquiring whether there was fish in the recipe (scallops...get it)  The only change I made in the dessert was I didn't have Corn Flakes, but I did have FROSTED FLAKES... A little more sugar cant hurt..right? hahaha. Doesn't it look delicious?  Now I didn't have the whipped cream as suggested in the recipe, but look there is another suggestion..Hard Sauce! Yes!...huh??? Hard Sauce on pg *** Well hey why not.  My thoughts immediately went to my favorite move, Anne of Green Gables, where Anne is serving the plum pudding "without the sauce" because a mouse drowned in it....could this be the same kind of thing???? 

Fluffy Hard Sauce, involves butter, sugar, flavoring...Egg whites. (ohhhh booo) . These days raw egg whites are frowned upon in this establishment  ..hahaha.  What could I add, What could I add...thinking, thinking ...OHHHH I know!!! I have two jars of marshmallow fluff!  (I only used one) That isn't the same, but its similar. Hey why not what is more sugar among sugar.  I mixed the recipe for Fluffy hard sauce and Brown sugar hard sauce and added the marshmallow fluff...OH WOW. Sugar HEAVEN!!!!!  Its a good thing I have multiple spatulas, because every one wanted a spatula to lick.  All the ingedients in my trusty kitchen aid, whipped and whipped and....drooooool.  The slight gainyness comes from the brown sugar recipe.

This was a hit! A yummy success!!!  Everyone requested I save this one and make it again! Look below and see for yourself! It is a good thing that only one panful was made and I had so many people to eat it or I would have to start waaaaay over on the fitness plan. As it was I had to do an hour of Just Dance 2 for Wii with the kids...(yup their idea of how to help mom get fit..and shhh don't tell them I said so, but its FUN)  ...Scroll down to the bottom for the recipes and give it a try you won't be disappointed!

EmBee

 

 You may have to zoom in to see the ingredients!