Warm Heart, Cozy Home

Flowers Gone Wild....

The heat in Nebraska is crazy hot and the humidity even crazier.  When those two collide...it means Flowers gone wild...they love the humidity. Snapped a few pics to share.

Fern love the humidity.

Potato Vine gone wild.

I can't keep up with my crazy vine on my trellis..Wisteria gone mad. We have lighting wrapped around the patio..we are starting to teach it to vine out and grow all around.  I swear everything is growing by inches each day in this weather.

Keep them watered...they all keep me smiling with color.

A Friend from the Heart :)

 

Menu Planning Monday and I've started a new Journey.....

It's the start of another week of menu planning and the beginning of a new journey for me.  I am on my third day of the Jenny Craig Diet.  I have to admit I've struggled with my weight for a few years now but it's never defined me.  I have tried attempts at dieting the past few years and had good results with Jenny Craig...so I'm going to give it a try again because I do know how good it feels and how accomplished I feel with the results I have.  I have the challenge now of having to build a new menu planning around my new journey and allowing my husband to have a fullfilling meal plan also so hear goes. :)  The Jenny Program is structured around a set daily calorie amount and a structured menu plan personalized for you consisting of  3 meals, 3 snacks.  At first it feels like all you're doing is eating but you're giving a boost to your metabolism.

Monday - Me:  BF- Banana Nut loaf, 1 fruit and milk, S:  Anytime bar, 1 fruit, Lunch: Pesto Pizza, GArden salad, unlimited vegi's, S:  1 fruit, Dinner:  Salsbury Steak Dinner, S:  Chocolate cake, milk.  Hubby:  Dry Rub Rib-Eye, Crash Hot Potatoes, Garden Fresh Green beans.

Tuesday - Me:  BF- Complete Cereal, 1 fruit, 1 milk, S:  Bar, 1 fruit, Lunch:  Beef Chow Mein, Spinach Salad, Vegi's, S: 1 fruit, Dinner:  Rising Pizza, Garden Salad, Vegi's, S:  Cheese Curl, 1 milk.

Hubby:  Meatloaf in Peppers, Hash Browns, Garden Beets.

Wednesday - Me:  BF: Honey Oat Bar, 1 fruit, 1 milk, S:  Bar, 1 fruit, Lunch:  Cheesy Potatoes, Garden Salad, Vegi's, S:  1 fruit, Dinner:  Cashew Chicken, Salad, Vegi's, S:  Toffee Cookies, 1 milk.

Hubby:  Firecracker Salmon, Vegetable Kabobs, Garlic Bread.

Thursday - Me: Day meal plan on my own.

Hubby:  Sweet & Spicy Chicken Stirfry.

Friday - Me:  BF:  Cheddar Cheese Omelot, 1 fruit, milk, S:  Bar, 1 fruit, Lunch:  Broccoli & Cheese Potato, Spinach Salad, vegi's, S:  1 fruit, Dinner:  Turkey w/Gravy, Salad, Vegi's, S:  Chocolate cake, 1 milk.

Hubby:  Crack Pepper and Roast Garlic Burger, Baked Potato Wedges, Malt.

Saturday - Me:  BF:  Sunshine Sandwich, 1 fruit, 1 milk, S:  Bar, 1 fruit, Lunch:  Chicken Stuffed Sandwich, Salad, Vegi's, S:  1 fruit, Dinner:  Teriyaki Glazed Salmon, Salad, Vegi's, S:  Triple Chocolate Cheesecake.

Hubby: Grilled Garlic Chicken Pizza with peppers, olives and onion.

Sunday - Day on my own meal plan.

Hubby -Olive Garden Spaghetti, Olive Garden Salad, Olive Garden Dressing, Garlic Bread.

Snack:  Lite Lemon Fluff Pie

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 3-ounce package sugar-free lemon Jell-O
• 2 containers (6-8-ounce each) lemon yogurt
• 1 lemon (zest and juice)
• 8-ounce carton Cool Whip Lite
• Food coloring (optional)
• 1 reduced-fat graham cracker crust
• Additional lemon(s) for garnish (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the Jell-O in the boiling water. Whisk in the yogurt. Zest the lemon and add to the yogurt mixture. Squeeze the juice out of the zested lemon and whisk into the mixture. Fold in the Cool Whip. Stir in a few drops of food coloring for a deeper color, if desired. Spoon mixture into pie crust. Cover and chill for at least two hours to set. (I make it the night before I want to serve it.) To serve, garnish with fresh lemon slices. Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

Have a Great week in your kitchen's!  For more delicious menu ideas and recipes please stop over to www.orgjunkie.com.

A Friend from the Heart :)

Beans Beans..........

Garden freshly picked and nothing better....

 

Today's produce..both green and wax.....

 

Part of Tonight's dinner....I love my garden.

A Friend from the Heart :)


Menu Planning Monday.......

 

 

Monday - Grilled Fish Tacos, Salsa and Mexican Quinoa.  I"m trying Quinoa as its suppose to be so good for you and high in protein but like rice.

Tuesday - Basil, mozzorella and sausage kabobs, (I got some great seasoned sausage brats at the farmers market and thought this would be a great way to utilize them and beat the heat of the Nebraska temps this week),Grilled Zucchini, Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Walnuts and Parmesan shavings.

Wednesday - Chipotle Chicken Salad, Foccacia bread.

Thursday - Teriyaki Burgers, Homemade Onion Rings, Chocolate Malts.

Friday - Drunken Barbecue Pork Chops, Green beans, with Mushrooms and Shallots, Cobb Salad.

Saturday - Shredded Beef and Carmalized Onion Enchiladas.

Sunday - Beer Can CHicken on the Grill, Baby Potato and Vegetable Kabobs, Garden Fresh Baby Beets and Green Beans, Garlic Bread.

Snack - Raspberry Cupcakes with White Buttercream Frosting

 

Raspberry Cupcakes w/White Chocolate Buttercream
makes 2 dozen

3 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

White Chocolate Buttercream

5 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup butter
2 cups white chocolate chips, melted
2-3 tablespoons milk

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest and work the zest with your fingers until the sugar becomes moist and fragrant. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix. Add the almond and vanilla extracts. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk until combined well. Carefully fold in the raspberries. Line 2 cupcake pans with cupcake liners and evenly distribute the batter between the 2 pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until baked through. Let cool.

To make the buttercream, using your mixer, cream the butter until soft. Add about half of the confectioners’ sugar, the milk and the melted white chocolate. Mix until smooth and creamy. Slowly add the remaining sugar and mix until smooth. Add any more sugar or milk you might need to get a good frosting consistency. Smooth or pipe on top of the cooled cupcakes.

For more wonderful recipes and menu ideas pop over to www.orgjunkie.com.

Have a Great Week of Cooking!

A Friend from the Heart :)

Life and Emotion......

 
I'm feeling a little down today.  Been doing a lot of thinking about the different levels of emotion and how we all feel and handle it very differently.  I've suffered a lot of pain and heartache in my life but its how you handle that heartache that shows the character of a person.  I've always had a huge heart...gave it willingly and unselfishly and I've felt so much joy and love but what do you do or how do you process and feel the emotion of pain you feel when someone you care deeply for hurts you.  You can't stop loving them...but the pain you feel is a pang so deep and your eyes fill with welts everytime your mind goes back to the feeling, even though you try so very hard to forge forward.  You never feel the people you love the most will ever do that..but its a part of life and nobody is perfect I realize...the pain still is felt and where do you put it and where do you go from there.  How do you trust...How do you heal...find the faith everyone has instilled so deeply within them.  I"m having one of those days.  I woke up this morning feeling such a happiness and hope for the day and in the course of just a few minutes it can turn into a heaviness and weeping loss and pain.  I acknowledge that I have grown to be a very strong woman in my journey of life and have learned a lot of how I want to experience it..the kind of person I need to share it with and the really important things to me and my happiness.  Everyone has that one love of a lifetime...that probably only crosses your path once.  KNowing what to do when you find it in front of you and let yourself feel it to the depths of your soul.  Children bring you so much love and hope for life that you can only rejoice they are such a gift.  Having a purpose in life, something to challenge you and make you a better person.  Having a faith in something greater than yourself.  When you feel the pain and hurt from one or all of these how does the heart heal from this.   I know time heals...I know God heals our hearts...I know love can make you dance...cry....laugh and be filled with so many levels of emotion and some are so easy to process and deal with...but what do you do with the pain...where does it go and how do you grow stronger for it.  I know I"m the woman I am because of the pain and hurt and joy and amazing gifts I have been given through my lifetime...but each time it happens..its like it is the first time and you have to reach very deep within and grab on to hope and move forward and grow and yes sing your own song.  It never gets easy...but I keep trying.

A friend from the Heart....

 

 

 

Menu Planning Monday...Happy 4th of July :)

 

Monday - BBQ Orange Chicken Kabobs, baked beans, grilled vegetables on Foccacia, red, white and blue sangria.

Tuesday - Summer corn fettuccine, grilled flat iron steaks with sweet & spicy salad on top.

Wednesday - Panko crusted chicken stuffed w/Ricotta cheese, spinach, tomatoes, basil, Arugala salad with toasted walnuts, champaigne vinegerette and shaved cheese.

Thursday - Southwestern cheddar fries, Spicey Mac Hamburgers, chocolate malts.

Friday - Vegetable shrimp or chicken stirfry.

Saturday - Fahitas, Mexican Rice, Chips, Salsa, Guac.

Sunday - Grilled garlic chicken pizza with red peppers, olives and onions.

Snack - Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

 
Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups of graham crackers crumbs
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar, packed
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup of flour
• 1 cup of chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:

• 10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup of white sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing a little overhang, then spray the paper and dish with cooking spray.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter until mixed thoroughly. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Place into the oven and bake for 6 minutes. Remove pan and set aside to cool. DO NOT TURN YOUR OVEN OFF.

While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. Beat the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, salt, and vanilla together using a mixer until creamy and smooth. Add the flour to the butter mixture until just combined then add the chocolate chips and mix. Set aside.

For the cheesecake filling, place the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla together into a bowl then beat, using a mixer, until creamy and smooth. Pour the cheesecake batter onto the prepared crust. Using your hand to form clumps, distribute the cookie dough evenly in clumps on the top of the cheesecake batter until you use all of the dough.

Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the top (cookie dough) feels dry and firm and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Lift bars out by the overhang; slice and store in the refrigerator. Serve cold or at room temperature. Enjoy.

Have a Happy 4th!  Enjoy the week!  For more wonderful recipes and menu ideas pop over to www.orgjunkie.com. 

A Friend from the Heart :)