5-7pm Main Meal (probably should be earlier but this is what’s been working with my schedule)
5-7pm Evening Vitamins
9pm Probiotics
Bedtime Magnesium and Melatonin
I snack if I’m hungry between 11 and 7. I try to make sure everything I eat is nutritionally dense. And I follow an anti-inflammatory diet with no gluten, no dairy, limited sugar, no caffeine, and almost no alcohol (maybe a glass of wine every few months).
Jans canned tomato sauce (family recipe, key for this chili!)
Claras canned pinto beans (any will do)
Cilantro
1 Lime, quartered
Avocado, chopped green onions, cheddar cheese, tortilla chippies (made at home)
Dice onions and celery. Sautee in soup pot with butter until soft. Add spices and heat until frangrant. Move prepared aromatics to the side of the pan. Add sausage. Sauté until brown, breaking apart as you go. Once browned, mix with aromatics. Add Jan’s canned tomato sauce, drained pinto beans and a handful of chopped cilantro. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add the juice of 1/2 lime a few memories before serving.
Spoon into bowls (possibly over cheddar mac) and top with avocado, green onions, cheddar, cilantro and tortilla chippies.
2 cups cornmeal (white or yellow is fine, but mom uses white)
1 cup self rising flour
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup water
1 stick Blue Bonnet butter
Heat oven and pan to 400 degrees. Mix dry ingredients with buttermilk, then add water. Whisk until smooth.
Use the stick of butter to “paint” butter into all the little shapes in each bear mold. Pour batter into each mold, slightly under filling each. Bake for 25 minutes.
Makes about 15 bears.
The baking pan used is vintage was made by Rowoco and can sometimes be found on eBay. We saw the same bear molds used in a bakery in Bern, Switzerland!
I love when I can make yummy food that also falls under healthy categories, like this versatile soup that’s also vegan. Packed full of soft veggies and lentils, it delivers dietary fiber while being easy on the digestive system.
Lentils are an excellent source of folate, copper, phosphorus, manganese, iron, protein, vitamin B1, pantothenic acid, zinc, potassium and vitamin B6. Nestled in this hearty soup, they taste like a soft autumn day in Tuscany.
Souper Italian Lentil Stew
Veggies
1 Vidalia Onion, diced
3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
3-4 Celery Stalks, diced
5-6 Large Carrots, chopped
(Optional)
Large Handful Fresh Green Beans, broken
Corn Kernels cut from 2 cobs
2-3 Cups Spinach, lightly chopped
Dried Goods
1 cup Lentils
(Optional)
1/2 cup Quinoa (add additional cup of water)
2-3 tbs Chia Seeds
1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast
Canned Goods
8 cups Veggie Stock
15oz Diced Tomatoes
8oz Tomato Paste
2 cans Great Northern Beans
Spices
1 tbs Thyme
(Optional)
2 tbs Paprika
1/2 tbs Turmeric
Ground Cayenne Pepper
Salt
Directions
Over medium heat in a large stock pot, sauté onions and celery in oil of choice until transparent and soft. Add garlic and sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add all veggies except spinach, 6 cups stock, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 can of beans, and spices. Rinse 1 can of beans and puree with 2 cups of stock. Add puree to pot. Bring to a simmer and partially cover, mixing occasionally. Cook until veggies are desired tenderness. Add lentils and any other dried goods. Allow to cook for additional 20 minutes. Add optional spinach. Enjoy!
In July of 2014, we went on a trip starting in Vegas and circling through the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park.
After spending days sipping Miami Vices by the pool at Mandalay Bay and watching shows at night, we decided to explore the desert surrounding the oasis that is Las Vegas. Just west of the city is Red Rocks Canyon. We could see the rugged crags from our hotel room, right behind a giant ad for the Michael Jackson experience performed by Cirque Du Soliel.
We scheduled a tour with Cowboy Trail Rides and left in the morning as the sun was rising. We drove off toward the marbled sky and red rocks to meet our horses.
Stoney & Riley
Our guide told us to not act nervous because the horses can tell. I spent the whole time wondering what kind of signals I could possibly be sending to my horse through my saddle. My little dude could have cared less. He was super easy to ride, nimble and knew the routine. He spent a lot of energy nudging the butts of slower horses in front of him. He wanted to get through the trail and get back to snacking. I didn’t blame him.
Stoney is ready for his snack.
We rode for about 2 hours and went over some terrain that had me trying to subconsciously lie about my nerves to my horse. In the canyon there are steep cliffs and beautiful vistas. One hillside was browner than the other areas. You don’t see the green out there unless you really look for it. Our guide said there had been a fire 6 years before and that it could take 40 years to look like the rest of the area again. I was amazed that fire could sustain itself over large areas of sparse, grassy tufts.
Riley, Stoney, Todd and I returned safely to the stables. While the other horses made a nice circle for their riders to dismount, Stoney made a b-line for the hay.
