Category Archives: It’s Delish

Six Days of Confession – Days 4, 5, & 6

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Confession, I’m filling this post with 3 days of confession. I intended to post each day while the company was here, but that proved harder than I thought.

I confess, I hit a rough patch on Day 4 and remained there thru day 6.

On day 4, I thought I would be able to enjoy a slice of fresh banana bread with the rest of the family and stay on track. So I indulged.

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And just as I was feeling good about my choice (still gathered around the table finishing up our bread) the doorbell rang.

Not long after, three boxes were purchased. I threw in the towel and joined the group when this box was opened later in the day.

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And because it was “Super Bowl Sunday” I indulged in the BBQ brisker for dinner.

Day 5 was no better. I must confess more cookies were eaten. And a Mexican dinner complete with a ground beef taco, rice and beans + chips and salsa for me.

Day 6 (yesterday), the hubs and I took our guests to the airport. And the two of us were in the mood for a nice juicy burger.

So we stopped here on the way home.

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And I had the burger (med well) piled high with all the yummy fixins’ + the best onions rings ever.

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On that note, that burger meal lasted me the whole day.

And this brings me to today.

I confess, I finally have a grip, but I gained just a little over 2 pounds in the last three days. But I’m back on the healthy train and moving along in the right direction.

I’ll be back with my health progress at the end of the month, or, sometime around the 1st of April.

Blessings – Debbie

Six Days of Confession – Day 3

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As the days go by, I’m surprised how easy it is to stay focused. I think it has something to do with being accountable to the blog.

My bro-in-law made his famous Swedish pancakes + bacon for the family this morning. I know they were as good as the last time I tasted his creation. This time, I had to pass. Instead, I had chobani yogurt, with the added crunch of Fiber One.

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The hubs smoked this big guy (12.5 lb turkey) in the “Big Green Egg” this afternoon. We also served baked potatoes + roasted zucchini and squash + roasted Brussels sprouts + rolls. I had all the above minus the rolls = So Yummy!

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Then, the rest of the family had a little apple pie a la mode. I served it up and while the guests satisfied their sweet tooth, I started in on the cleaning of the kitchen.

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And then made a cup of coffee for myself to top off the lovely day.

Wow, I’m half way thru the “Six Days of Confession” and doing much better than I expected.

Cheers!

Blessings – Debbie

Six Days of Confession – Day 2

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I confess – blogging every day seems a bit monumental while spending precious time with our out of town guests (the hubs sister and bro-in-law).

And I confess, I did not use my nice camera yesterday. I don’t know how I forgot it. And it kinda bums me out.

But the blog and confession must go on! So I got up this morning at 6:30, to post about confession Day 2 (yesterday).

Our morning was filled with long visits, garden strolls, coffee, tea and breakfast.

I confess, we went out to lunch. And our table ordered this appetizer. And I was the only person at the table keeping my paws “out” of the yummy spinach artichoke dip and chips.

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The hubs sis trying one of his sweet potato fries.

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And the bro-in-law sampling one of the hubs shrimp.

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And the hubs confirming his shrimp po’ boy was amazing per usual.

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And I enjoyed this nice bowl of black bean soup. And we all enjoyed the patio dining.

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Then we were off to Point Loma.

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It’s such a pretty place to take in the views of San Diego and beyond.

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Too cute!

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And then we were off to the other side of Point Loma – where the ocean meets the cliffs. Actually, the tide was out…

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And nice enough to hike down to see the tide pools.

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Down – down – down…

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While we had a bit of a chilly day, we certainly enjoyed the sights and each other.

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Then we were off – Passing thru Harbor Drive.

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And snapping pix of whatever grabbed my attention.

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And over the Coronado island bridge, I snapped a pic.

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And we moved along to Hotel Del – one of the places we love to visit.

Anytime I see sandcastles on the beach, I have to take my shoes off to see what the fuss is about.

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I like the detail…

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And watching the artist carve love into his masterpiece.

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What a pretty ending to our day.

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What’s more? Well you know that car, the one everyone in your car is talking about? The one that stands out more than the rest? Well this is the car we chimed in stating it had the best paint job on the road. I secretly think its owned by an artist.

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Then we headed back home. Visited some more, enjoyed a nice healthy salad for dinner and more guests (our daughter and her boyfriend) arrived after 9pm.

And more visiting, laughter and family love carried on thru the late evening hours.

This ends Confession – Day 2.

Blessings – Debbie

Pulling Myself Up by the Bootstraps

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What a difference a couple of good days on the wagon will do for the soul.

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And what a good feeling to unload (on the blog) the things that bugged me. I feel lighter already!

I had a really good day on my healthy food choices yesterday. And I’m on my way to having another really good day today.

So the hubs asked me out on a lunch date today. It made my day! I loved our conversation too. We visited and reminisced back to when we first met. Makes me smile to think about our journey and how it has brought us to where we are today…

Before our lunch date, I had an idea that if I commit to take a picture of my lunch and post, that it could help me stay on the good health wagon when dining out.

So I did – I had turkey chili with an apple. Then I declared (to the hubs) “this bowl is my  favorite item on the Panera Bread menu.”

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I’m not sure how long I’ll keep up the posting of what I eat when we dine out. But for the next month, I believe this is going to be a good way to keep those goals in check.

I’m thankful for bootstraps, lunch dates, great conversations and for keeping the scissors out of my hair another day.

Cheers to pulling myself up by the bootstraps.

Blessings – Debbie

Happy Thanksgiving

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Apparently that is how far behind I am on the blog. And I say it’s time to do a little catching up, before this gets out of hand.

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, (November 23rd) the hubs and I were off to spend Thanksgiving with the family in Florida.

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What we did to pass the time on the long flight from coast to coast.

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And I was thinking how cool it was going to be to see the folks that evening.

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A little layover with a latte in Atlanta = Perfection!

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All set for our sunset flight, down to south Florida.

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It’s taxi to the runway time.

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And we flew into the sunset.

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One of my favorite shots of the day was the sunset + contrail from a jet plane.

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All images and collages (documenting our little trip) were created with my cell and collage apps on the cell phone. I can’t express the amount of fun it was creating images = the time went by so fast.

The end of the first day.

Blessings – Debbie

Work and Play

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The last week has been one of work and play.

First up = Painting and more painting. The walls quickly went from the light blue tint to the light yellow tint.

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Play – A play date occurred with my friend after a day of painting.

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I still can’t get over how dark it is at 6:30 pm.

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But a good meal was certain. I had the Buffalo Wings = Perfection!

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Our boys were out of town on business – not a great shot, but it documents our lovely evening.

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I’m happy the hubs wasn’t gone too long. And it makes me smile that he thinks of the littlest things he knows I like.

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We’ve had 3 dates since his return Thursday. This is his Friday off week. And I consider this to be such a great weekend, it feels like vacation.

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Now it’s time to wrap up this post, such that I can get back to our delightful weekend in progress.

Blessings – Debbie

Rustic Monday Travels

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I spent a bit of time last evening mapping out all the places (along the Pacific coast) I wanted to stop. The hubs made sure all spots were correctly plotted on the GPS.

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The Pacific ocean is near and dear to my heart. Image below taken with the cell phone. All other images in this post were taken with the “real” camera.

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Clouds hover overhead.

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Rugged cliffs – where I spent the morning breathing in and out, as the waves pounded the cliffs.

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On up the road. I did shoot this photo from the driver’s seat. But I was at a traffic light, does that make it ok?

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Another favorite stop.

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I was so jazzed about my breakfast date. I found this cute little place on yelp. It had over the top amazing ratings. Sadly, the restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays. I made a note of it.

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I did the next best thing. I spoke with a gal in passing along the sidewalk. We exchanged helloes followed by me asking where I could get a nice breakfast in the area.

She pointed me to a quaint hotel within walking distance.

This rustic place had me at hello.

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And the ladies room was perfect to freshen up. Love the individual towels for drying hands.

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On into the restaurant.

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I asked to be seated on the patio.

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What shall I have for breakfast?

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First things first – Coffee

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Breakfast is served, so yummy!

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The road less traveled was just the ticket. There was no chance of interstate driving, it wasn’t an option.

I was in the driver seat while shooting this image too. Is it ok that I was completely stopped in the road? I had a clear view behind me (no cars) and my four way flashers were on during the shooting of this image.

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And I stopped along the way to enjoy the moments. I pulled off the side of the road for the image below. Sometimes you just have to stop where there is only a little tiny side of the road to pull over. Just because.

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However, I did make an unexpected – no parking zone stop (earlier) to snap a pic or two. And I may have made a certain someone unhappy, as the police arrived on the scene. I was lucky as the police had no problem. Other than it was obviously time for me to move along.

I’m thankful for rustic days like this. It gives a chance to view the world thru a clear fresh lens.

Blessings – Debbie

Now This Is A Strange List

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It’s been said “if only” I didn’t… But truth be told, I’d like to think that there is a time and place for all things.

What about going off the deep end? I could say the same for that. Dive in, but know what you’re getting into first.

Too much is too much…Perhaps it’s good to know when the party is over. But while the party lasts, enjoy it!

And the point? Well in the end of all the hoopla, festivities, Christmas and partying, my body reached rotten bottom.

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Would I do it all over again? Of course I would.

I had the idea of posting all of the sweet things I consumed during the nearly two weeks we were away. Just for kicks.

  • Biscoff – those yummy cookies on Delta – I will not disclose the amount eaten
  • Candy bars from the hotel vending machines – too many to count – but wonderful memories with the hubs as we had our sweet treats while playing the backgammon game we brought for late night tournaments.
  • Pumpkin Muffin – from Panera Bread – Enjoyed a nice date with the hubs and sweet treats to end our meal. The hubs had the pecan braid, his favorite PB treat.
  • Red Velvet Crinkle Cookie – from Panera Bread
  • Sweet treats at the wedding
  • Cold Stone Ice Cream – No way of knowing how many trips – Special memories – Especially after dinner with my bro and sis-in-law one evening.
  • Starbucks – a few times – Especially the night we visited with my bro and sis-in-law – after dinner AND Cold Stone, we visited Starbucks until closing.
  • Homemade Banana Bread – At mom’s house Christmas morning with coffee. The BEST!
  • And the sweet goodies consumed at mom’s during Christmas week.
  • Peanut Butter Fudge, mom makes the Best! It’s the #1 sweet thing I remember most during the holidays. Oh, she makes it with the crunchy peanut butter, my fav!
  • Little mini cherry tarts – From mom’s kitchen
  • German Chocolate Cake – Again this came from mom’s kitchen to my little bro for his Birthday. I consumed two (big) pieces alone.

So who makes a list of the sweet things they consumed? It’s a crazy list if you were to ask me. Anyone reading this probably thinks I’ve gone off the deep end. Allow me to confirm, I did!

And my system feels rotten. But I say all of that to say, these are a few of the sweet things I remember. The things that make a wedding, a wedding and Christmas, Christmas and special visits with family blended with coffee complete.

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And for those things, I’m thankful.

And I’m thankful for new beginnings, new starts and a fresh new me that is beginning to feel back to normal.

And I kinda like that too.

Blessings – Debbie

My Cup Runneth Over

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I interrupt the holiday posting because I can hardly contain myself. I mean, I put the camera away the day we left Florida (December 31) and have yet to pick it up since we’ve been home.

Today is when it hit me and the urge to get it out was more than I could handle. It didn’t take much when it came to a subject as I had my new favorite coffee cup in the world, in hand.

So that is how this post all came about.

I discovered these cups years ago back home, but for whatever reason, I needed “the one”. The one that fit perfect my hand.

I think they have since worked on their technique and this cup was love at first grip.

It fits ergonomically to your hand as there is a place on the top for your thumb to rest. And the handle, down the side has a place where each finger finds its own little groove. That’s pretty groovy, if you were to ask me.

Of course they make different size handles as not all hands are alike, thus the uniqueness of these guys.

Meet my very favorite cup in the whole wide world!

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What more can I say?

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My cup runneth over!

Blessings – Debbie

A Wild Ride

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Yesterday was pretty much a wild ride with that sore throat.  From feeling like I was hit in the head to the food choices I made, depending what my body told me to eat.  Everything was a bit out of whack.

Breakfast was a baked potato.

Lunch was a bowl of cooked carrots, mashed with some sharp cheddar cheese added to the blend.  Does that look like baby food or what?

But it sure did slide down nice ‘n easy.  There was something about the warmth with the cheese added to the carrots that made this the best lunch ever.  Does this mashed carrot concoction sound good today?  Maybe not.  I would prefer the carrots whole today, please.

Dinner was completely off the cuff.  I had thoughts whirling around all afternoon of how nice a warm batch of chocolate pudding would taste and feel going down the sore throat.  The more I thought about it, the more I knew just what to make for dinner.

Chocolate and Cherry Gelatin Pudding

Ingredients:

* Chocolate JELL-O brand Sugar Free Cook & Serve Pudding (small box – 4 serving)

* Sugar Free Cherry Low Calorie Cherry Artificial Flavor Gelatin (small box – 4 serving)

* 1 1/2 cups of water

I use less water than the 2 liquid cups like the pudding calls for.  I like this particular consistency thick.  Plus I wanted to eat it warm and didn’t want it too runny.  So 1 & 1/2 cups of water is all I use for both packages.

With medium heat and a constant stir with a whisk, bring the mixture to a solid boil, turn off the heat, pour the mixture in a container, let stand in the fridge maybe 10 min.

Then eat the whole thing while it is hot.  Did that ever hit the spot once again.

I had a lot of water throughout the day, took my vitamins and shoved a yogurt and a 1/2 banana into my system as snacks.  And what do you know?  I woke feeling like a brand new person today.  Makes me happy it didn’t last long.

My eating habits are still a little quirky today, but I’m beginning to feel like my old self.

I was well enough to run some errands with hubby.  When we returned home, I had the desire to stomp in the garden for a while.

We’re beginning to see lots of new changes in the landscape here at the new place.  This week, our rose hedge came alive with loads of rose buds.

To brighten up the family room, I brought in my favorite bud vase and added some buds from the garden.

Makes me happy.

Until next time…

Blessings – Debbie

Dinner – It's What's for Breakfast

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What’s a girl to do?  She went to bed dreaming about breakfast and woke with a sore throat.  And it feels like a cold is moving in.

No longer are my thoughts leaning towards the breakfast I dreamed of all night long, rather a bowl of nice macaroni and cheese or a baked potato.  It’s what sounds good to me for breakfast.

Even this cup of hot tea seems to soothe better than coffee.

So long for today, I’m going to go see about having a late breakfast and take it easy the rest of the day.

Blessings – Debbie

Breakfast

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Breakfast is one of those meals where I start with first things first.  That = Coffee.   I generally don’t mix coffee with the food part unless we’re out-of-town or eating out.  Not that I don’t like the two together, I do, in fact I prefer it that way.  It’s just, well you know, when I get up, I want my cup of coffee first thing.

Now when it comes to the food part, I’m not so antsy.  For whatever reason, I don’t wake up starving and some mornings I don’t actually start the food portion until 10 AM or so.   And I tend to get into the rhythm of eating the same thing over and over.

For months, I was hooked on yogurt with piece of fruit or yogurt and cottage cheese mixed together.  I’m still hooked on yogurt and have one every day, just not for breakfast nowadays.

It was traded in for a brief visit with the green monster, not long ago.  But the monster didn’t last long.  It appears some rye bread made an appearance in the house.  It totally has my undivided attention.

My new favorite breakfast revolves around, lightly toasted rye and a boiled egg.

This 6 burner gas stove is my new favorite appliance in the kitchen. Not that I’ll ever use all of those burners at the same time, but I do love cooking with gas and the additional room the stove offers.

A rolling boil, that’s what happens fast with a gas burner.  Love me some instant heat!

A boiled egg mashed over lightly toasted rye, sprinkled with a generous portion of ground black pepper and a light dash of sea salt.

Awaiting the baby spinach to make it whole.

And this my friends was Breakfast.  A very yummy satisfying breakfast.

A breakfast worthy of taking pictures, it is that good!

Another thing worthy of pictures are these magnificent blossoms from our plum-tree.  I’m completely smitten each time I see a new blossom.

And our figs are growing by the day it seems.

But the question at the end of all of this is, “do you know what I’m thinking?”  Did you guess breakfast?  Good guess. I’m thinking about breakfast and how I’m going to have my rye and egg in the morning, that is, after my cup of coffee.

What’s your favorite breakfast?

Blessings – Debbie

Winter and Spring and A Surprise Visitor is in the Kitchen

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Good Afternoon!  I hope all is well in your world.  It’s been one of those, what shall I say, frigid blustery last three days.  But this morning was a new day and So Cal was back to beautiful springtime weather.

While I’m a lover of snow with all of its beauty, it was fun enjoying it from a bit of a distance.  Like today, the mountains in the distance are topped with snow.

We can still see a teeny bit on the tops of these guys.

But here in our world, it’s beautiful springtime.  And my morning hike was nothing short of amazing.

After my hike, I made a visit with the orange tree out back.  I think these guys will be added to smoothies in the very near future.

And then, one of the highlights of my afternoon.  Allow me to say, It’s not something most would get excited about.  But for me, It was over the top amazing and hit the spot.  That is, a piece of rye toast (lightly toasted) with a medium – hard (not too medium, not too hard) boiled egg.

Rye bread, it has to me my favorite bread ever.  And why is it that I never buy it?  If I think back over the last 10 + years, I would have to say it never once entered our home.  We have our  moments with bread.  A loaf could mold before we finish it.  Hubby is not a rye bread fan and I normally could take bread or leave it.  Perhaps I feared overeating bread if I brought the rye in.  Or it’s possible I didn’t want/need the butter on a nice hot slab of rye toast.  For whatever reason, I just never bought it.

But today, it made a grand entrance into the kitchen.  An entrance that is sure to wow me more than once in the days to come.

I have gained control over my old eating habits.  Butter was not an option, nor did I miss it.  I had just one slice and already thinking its what’s for breakfast tomorrow.

It has to be the best food reconnection ever.  And if it’s up to me, it won’t remain visitor status for long.  I plan for it to reside in the kitchen for years to come.

With that, my day is complete and looking forward to my evening with the hubs.

Blessings – Debbie

My Cup is Full

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Good afternoon!  Is your cup full?  Well, mine just reached the overflowing part and I have some to spare.

Although the last couple of months, it hasn’t been this full.  And I’ve notice my glass at the half full mark.  There’s been a lack of things in the cup like fruit and veggies.  And I could tell my system was off.

So I was thinking this week, why not get back to my green monster that I love so much?  It’s packed full of all things good!

Today was just the day to make it happen.

I used Chobani yogurt instead of the Almond milk that I’ve used in the past.  I quite like the creaminess it produced.  It was nice and thick without adding ice.

For this full glass I used:  1 Black Cherry Chobani Yogurt + 5 oz orange + 3 oz fresh spinach = a 235 calorie beverage

I’m learning along the way that our cup doesn’t have to remain at the half full mark.  If there’s something we lack, why not fill the void in a big way?

Cheers to a full cup!

Blessings – Debbie

All Things Sweet

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Of all the fruit trees in the backyard, guess what we picked for our sweet tooth last evening?

If you guessed the chocolate, you’re hot, very hot.

This was an amazing turtle.  It’s huge!  I didn’t finish mine and sent the leftovers to work with hubby this morning.  I’m in trouble when these kind of sweet things are left hanging out with me.

Nothing draws my attention faster than the most fragrant sweet goodness in the air from the many blossoms. The sweet fragrance is hard to describe, but it’s amazing and everywhere.

There’s something magical when it comes to picking a fresh orange off the tree.

Peeling and eating it before I make it back into the house.  That’s how fast these guys draw my attention.  The sweet juicy goodness inside these guys get me every time.

This was my sweet treat this morning.

My attention is still drawn to the sweet aroma from the wisteria vine. The blossoms are dropping and few are left.  I’ll be in awe ’til the last one falls.

And last but not least, Friday, how sweet that today is FRIDAY!

While hubby was not able to take the day off with his crazy busy schedule, I’m looking forward to the weekend.

Blessings – Debbie