Cranberry Orange Pecan Oatmeal Recipe

Today was baked oatmeal day, not just any baked oatmeal, but the best baked oatmeal I've made yet. Today's version I am calling Cranberry Orange Pecan.

Ingredients for Cranberry Orange Pecan Baked Oatmeal

Original baked oatmeal ingredients plus

1/3 - 1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup chopped pecans

the zest of one orange

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp. ground flax

Breakfast was vanilla yogurt with the baked oatmeal crumbled on top and a few extra dried cranberries and pecans. I am thinking of cutting back on the brown sugar though. I think the fruit helps sweeten it naturally. I really missed the Greek yogurt. I loved that it was not so sweet, but this was an awesome breakfast. 

I felt so much better today and it wasn't even sunny. In fact, it was a dreary cloudy day. I also got a little more done in my living room to prepare for the tree. I'm also getting ready for the grand babies to come over this weekend. 

For lunch today, I did a repeat of the broccoli pasta salad and afterwards I had half of one of the peanut covered Dunkin donuts. The rest went in the freezer.  Confession: I wanted the whole thing, but I am glad I didn't because it was a lot sweeter than I remembered and I was perfectly satisfied with just half, actually less than half, because it broke unevenly and I took the smaller piece. 

I do notice now that a little while after eating sweets, I feel kind of lazy or sleepy. I really didn't make the connection before. I sort of expected it from the oatmeal, but it really didn't bother me, maybe because of the oatmeal, I'm not sure. I still think I will cut out part of the sugar. I found a site online that has sugar free recipes, that doesn't use artificial sweeteners as substitutes. The recipes use natural sweeteners, like date sugar, fruit and unsweetened fruit juice. There's one recipe for Sugar Free Carrot Cake with Cashew Frosting that I would like to try. It looked pretty good. 

After looking at some of those recipes, I was starting to get hungry. I went for Penne pasta and vegetables  in alfredo sauce and green beans. I call them squeaky beans. I like to cook them until they are slightly under done and they kind of squeak when you bite them. Does that make sense? Oh, well, their very good. The pasta was yummy also; it had peas, with red and yellow bell pepper. I nearly ate it all. It was Birds Eye brand and great for a quick meal. 

Personally though, I like more veggies, less pasta. Maybe I can recreate it with more veggie next time. I'm putting that on my to do list.

Hey, have you gotten your Christmas tree up yet or are you like me, having trouble gettin' into the spirit of things? Try some baked oatmeal, the cranberry orange version is really Christmasy.

Searching For Healthier Desserts

Another beautiful sunny, but cool day. I was warm and cozy under my blankets. I wasn't excited about getting up, but I didn't feel too bad. I had laid a gingerbread bagel out of the freezer yesterday, to had for breakfast this morning. I still have a little almond butter and dried cranberries, so I figured I would have them on my bagel.

I popped my bagel into the toaster oven and got busy unloading the dishwasher. My ADHD kicked in and I sorta charred the bottom and edges of my bagel, not bad enough that it couldn't be eaten, but just enough to make me mad. I have burnt more in that toaster oven than I have in all the ovens I ever owned or any toaster for that matter. It just doesn't like me and the feeling is mutual.

I was hoping to cut back on my electric bill by using the toaster over, but it just may not be worth it. It was cheap and you know what they say about cheap stuff. It doesn't save me much, if I keep burning up my food.

I checked my email this morning and saw a message from Mom. It seems her furnace is not working. I called her to see what was going on and she apparently didn't think it was too serious, since she didn't call. She had just turned on the gas fireplace and kept the house fairly warm. We got ready and rode over to her house, so that DH, could take a look at it.

Dale tried to get it running, but apparently something is broken. He has a friend who knows more about the furnaces and he's going to see what he can find out before calling a professional. We believe in pinching pennies until they squeal. While we were there, Mom gave me some broccoli pasta salad she had just made, so I took it home and had it for lunch. Yummo!

After we got us a bite to eat we went to Wally World (Walmart). I had a few thing to pick up. I had thought about getting some more of the Greek yogurt, but I opted for the regular this time since the price was double what the regular cost and there was more in the regular container. It cost to be healthy and unfortunately I can't afford it right now. I will just have to shop around and maybe find some coupons. I did get the things to fix my baked oatmeal, hence the need for the yogurt.

When we got home I had the last piece of pumpkin pie. Oh yeah , Mom doesn't want me to decrease my sugar intake, she also gave me donuts from Dunkin, which I will probably freeze. I have donuts in the freezer already.

After my sugar buzz wore off, I felt like taking a nap, but I waited for my second wind, then I decided to fix some dinner. I say that, like I went into the kitchen and prepared a meal, when actually what I did was take some of the leftover cooked cabbage and mixed it with a chopped up leftover stuffed pepper and heated it in the microwave. Ta Da! Dinner. I really am such the gourmet.

I found a coupon for Yoplait Greek, but I'm not sure where they sell it and since I am using Ubuntu (Linux) instead of Windows, I will have to boot into Windows to get the coupon. I also found one for Chobani, again I need Windows.  I've posted a link, for them, but I haven't tried them yet.


Coupon - Yoplait Greek yogurt 
Coupon - Chobani Greek yogurt

Do you know of any way to use small amounts of cookies, cake, donuts, etc. to make a healthier dessert?

Does Sugar Cause Depression, Make You Feel Bad

I did get the sun I had hoped for today, but it really wasn't working for me. I turned on the Christmas music again and that didn't do the trick either. I am wondering if it is because of all the sweets I've been eating. I think I feel better with less sugar. 

I was chilly this morning when I woke up. I sleep so well when it's cool, but I don't really want to get up when it's time to either. I forgot to make my baked oatmeal last night. My DD, Lindsay says she just puts it together and bakes it, instead of doing the overnight thing. She says it comes out fine. I thought about doing it that way, but then I realized I was out of applesauce and out of apples, which is what I wanted, so I decided to go with cinnamon toast and canned pears. Canned fruit is not my first choice, but it does work as a back up sometimes.

For lunch I made some cooked cabbage with a little butter, salt and pepper, to go with one of the leftover stuffed bell pepper from Thanksgiving. 

I had a piece of the pumpkin pie for dessert. The cool whip was bigger than the pie, lol. 

 In researching my theory that sugar makes me feel bad, I found this article, which supports the speculation. I should have read it before having the pie. I really need to cut back on sweets, but I am having trouble because every weekend I am surrounded by it. I also need to find alternatives to sweet breakfasts. I will continue to look for ways to decrease sugar in foods that I like, so that maybe I won't feel totally deprived and totally depressed. 

Now on to the dinner menu. It took me a little while to decide what to have for dinner and now I am regretting my choice. I fixed myself, a veggie burger on a cormeal kaiser roll , no cheese this time; just butter lettuce, dill pickles, onion and mayo with a little chex mix on the side. I thought today's cabbage would be the problem, if I had one, but it never seemed to bother me. It wasn't until after I had the burger that I had a problem. I have been tasting that burger over and over ever since I ate it. It was good while I was eating it though. 

Email subscriptions are working, so if you'd like to subscribe to this blog you can click on the link on the right and enter your email address. Blog posts will arrive vial email. How cool it that? Thanks, Lynda for letting me know it's working. 

Are you trying to cut back on sugar? What strategies are you using? Wish me luck with decreasing my sugar intake. 

I want a Gourmet Chia Herb Garden, lol; just saw it on tv.  

Creole Butter Injection & Corn In Butter Sauce Recipes

Here is the recipe for the corn we had for Thanksgiving dinner and the Creole Butter Injection we used in our Turkey. We found both recipes on Food.com. Sorry I forgot to include them as promised in yesterday's post.

Corn In Butter Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 (16 ounce) bags frozen corn ( yellow "or" shoepeg white, any brand)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup butter, cut up
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions

1. Add corn to large sauce pan along with all ingredients except water and cornstarch.
2. Stir corn mixture over medium heat until butter is melted.
3. Combine water and cornstarch and stir until cornstarch is disolved.
4. Slowly add water to corn in sauce pan, stirring constantly.
5. Reduce heat to simmer and stir until sauce thickens.
6. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until corn is tender, about 10 minutes.

Creole Butter Injection

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt ( DO NOT USE REGULAR SALT! WILL CLOG YOUR INJECTOR)
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons white pepper ( DO NOT USE BLACK PEPPER, WILL CLOG YOUR INJECTOR)
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 cup melted butter

Directions

1. Melt butter slowly as not to burn.
2. Add rest of ingredients and mix well.
3. (I place in a covered bowl and shake vigorously).
4. Inject into your turkey and allow to sit for one hour or more before deep frying.
5. HINT: We were cooking the turkey while camping, and decided to leave it in the bag to inject it, so it would not be so messy!
6. It worked great!
   
   I would just like to say this simple task has been a real pain in the butt, thanks to Blogger's stupid post editor. Sorry, I just needed to vent. 
    I personally can't tell you about the Creole Butter, but everyone who ate it loved it and none of it went to waste. I can however tell you how good the corn in butter sauce was. I personally will do a little less salt next time, but it was still very good. Some of the reviewers of the recipe also said you can use canned corn. I hope you enjoy the recipes
   I still hate bloggers post editor, lol.
   

Less Food, More Fun

I survived Thanksgiving, lol. Another day to be thankful for. I did a major no-no this morning....I skipped breakfast. I just didn't want anything, nothing appealed to me, so I figured I would wait until I wanted something. I guess we will call my first meal brunch.

For brunch I had the leftover salad. I said I could make a meal of it and I did. I also notice there were no mushrooms in it. I am pretty sure there was suppose to be mushrooms in it. I didn't have anymore of my own to put in it, but it was still good.

I am ready for some sun. It was cloudy and sort of misty today, but I think we are going get some sun tomorrow. I am very excited about that. Doesn't take much to please me, right? I really need to get ready for Christmas. I listened to Christmas music today to try and get in the mood, but it just wasn't working. I am going to try again tomorrow if the sun is out. I think that will help.

I had a piece of the tres leches cake today. It was so good. I still think it would be better if they left off the thick icing and if the top of the cake was more moist like the bottom. I would like to make a less sweet version, if thats possible. DS, Lucas made one once and it was very good, but still pretty sweet.

This afternoon I went over to my DD, Lindsay's to visit with my grand babies. I had a great time playing with the girls. I had such a good time, I forgot to get pictures until we were leaving. The one of Mary was blurry dadgummit, but I did get one of Lexi, which is a feat in itself. That child moves like lightning. I can never get a good picture of her. I am doing a little better about remembering to get pictures than I was too begin with, but I still haven't graduated to shutterbug.

I want to spend more time with the kids. Lexi lived in my house for a while after she was born and so I got to form a bond with her. I would like to keep that going and form a bond like that with Mary. Lexi and I played ball and did crafts and I played with Mary in the floor and we all watched Toy Story 3. Even Mary liked it. I also got to hold Mary while she went to sleep.

When we got home we were ready for a bite to eat. I have leftovers again. On my plate, I had mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing and a roll. I couldn't eat it all. It was very filling.

I watched another movie. It was one for grown-ups. It was My Life In Ruins. I wasn't that thrilled with the beginning of the movie, but it got better as it went. Today was like the movie, it also got better as it went.

I see I've gotten a few more subscribers. I just want to say, thanks for checkin' me out and I hope you'll stay with me. I don't think anyone has subscribed by email yet. Hopefully that will work. It anyone does subscribe via email, please let me know how it's working or if it's not. Feel free to leave a comment, if only just to say hello. I'm still trying to make improvements. It just seems to be a slow process. Thanks again for taking the time to check out my blog. Cya tomorrow.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Today there was a turkey to be cooked, but luckily I didn't have to be up early to cook it. DH, Dale was in charge of the poultry. By the time I got up, the bird was in the oven. I already had my rolls baked, my green bean casserole was together in the fridge; all I had to do was bake it and DS, Lucas was in charge of the corn in butter sauce. The rest of the meal would be at Mom's.

I had leftover baked oatmeal with half an apple for breakfast. Cinnamon is a flavor I find myself craving a lot lately. Luckily cinnamon is really popular in fall dishes, so now is a good time to be craving it.

It's really hard for me to get into Thanksgiving. I don't eat turkey, I am thankful everyday, I spend time with family every week, I usually overeat and the holiday is followed by a day of people pushing and shoving trying to get the latest product at the best buy. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a downer, I am just making a statement. I am not unhappy with Thanksgiving, I am just not thrilled with it.

Well, we got the turkey baked. Dale injected it with a homemade version of Creole Butter. I did my green bean casserole and while Lucas did the corn in butter sauce, I got a shower. Then we were off to Mom's. I will post the recipe for the creole butter and the corn tomorrow.

My sister, Cathy and Mom had been cooking up a storm and Cathy had brought some special desserts. It wasn't long before everyone was getting there turkey on (except me). I was getting my veggie fix. I could have made a meal of the salad Cathy made. I'm not sure what it's real name is, but it has been dubbed, stinky feet salad, lol, because it's made with feta cheese, which some people think smells like stinky feet. It also has spinach, red onion, mushrooms, croutons, and a dressing that is sort of like Catalina dressing.

Check out our holiday spread and tell me we don't know how to throw down on Thanksgiving.

The Creole butter bird...

Mom's bird...

A big spiral ham....

My rolls...

The Salad aka Stinky Feet Salad...

Regular greens, green bean casserole and cranberry sauce....we also had cranberry chutney, not pictured, but very good.

Stuffing and corn in butter sauce....

Meatless stuffed bell peppers....sorry, the photo is crappier than usual...

My plate...

Now for the desserts....
First up is sweet potato pie...Mom made

Pumpkin pie....I wasn't fast enough to get a shot of it before it was eaten, lol...
This one Cathy brought

Pumpkin Nut Roll which Mom made...

Tres Leche from La Patisserie, which Cathy brought
I wasn't quick enough with this one either. We had to cut it up and take it out of the box because the milk was running out of it and the box was leaking.

It looked good to begin with, but it tasted even better than it looked.

Despite my lack of enthusiasm for Thanksgiving, we had a pretty good day and lots of great food and I am thankful we were able to enjoy it. I hope you had a wonderful day, no matter how you chose to celebrate or not celebrate. 

My favorite dish of the day would have to be the Stinky Feet Salad. What was your favorite Thanksgiving day food traditional or otherwise?

Rollin' Rollin' Rolls

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I was up a little early this morning. I had a lot planned for today. I wanted to start getting my living room rearranged, to make room for my Christmas tree, I needed to clean out my fridge to make room for a turkey and leftover food, I needed to put together a green bean casserole and make rolls. I also needed to get me some breakfast and get started. I'm going to try and make today's post short and sweet, so that I can try to get to bed early. Here goes:

For breakfast I fixed another gingerbread bagel with almond butter, but I put dried cranberries on this one, since I didn't have raisins and I had the other half of yesterday's apple.

For lunch I had a veggie burger, butter lettuce, american cheese, chopped onion, dill pickle, and BBQ sauce on an onion roll with baby carrots and chex mix. 

I did work on my living room some, I got my fridge cleaned, a turkey in the fridge (just to be clear, I won't be eating turkey), my casserole together, and 24 lovely rolls made. I make my rolls almost the same way I make my bread, but for the rolls I put 4 Tbsp. sugar.

From this....

To this....

I don't think these will be low fat... 

then this....

and  Ta Da! You get this.....

For dinner I planned to have something quick since I'd been so busy today. I decided to have the other Morning Star Farms frozen dinner. It was a Chik'n Enchilada with brown rice and veggies. It was only 280 calories, so I fixed a little frozen broccoli to go with it. I was not impressed with this dinner either, but it was better than the Sesame Chik'n dinner; a lot better.

BTW I got some free stuff today.

12 fluorescent bulbs....cool, huh?

Well, I tried to get to bed early. It's not happening. No rest for the wicked. I hope you are well rested and have a very happy holiday. Have you gotten any free samples lately? Feel free to post any freebies you come across. Thanks.