Changing It Up Is Free

I've been meaning to show you some changes I made to my house right after Christmas,
but I'm just now getting around to doing this post. 

 I moved my Great Grandmother's buffet into our living room/office.

Some of my favorite changes to our house are FREE ones. 

Moving furniture gives me a fresh look and a great workout all at the same time!

It also is a great way to motivate me to do some deep cleaning and boy did my house need it after Christmas.

Here is the buffet's new resting spot under my gallery wall.

Here is the buffet decorated for Christmas this year. 

It used to be in our great room.  I've blogged before about how this buffet is the wrong scale, the wrong color, and the wrong style for the space, but I still managed to live with it like this for eleven years!  Ugh. 

Pictures are great for showing flaws but the camera won't fix them. 

 I just was in a rut as to what to do with it?  I'm not ready to part with it and painting it didn't solve the scale or style problem?  I couldn't find another spot to put it until now.  We moved the couch out of the living room/office and into the great room.  The extra seating was much needed, but I still need to slip cover it.  That will have to wait.

Christmas Buffet 2011

Here is the couch's old spot.

Thanksgiving 2011

I think the buffet's scale is better in this room and the warm orange wood tones are balanced out against the cool blue wall color.   
It's working for me...for now.

In keeping with the free theme, I added stuff to the top that I already had.  I love the brass and enamel design of my Great Grandmother's lamp, but it could use an updated shade.  The large piece of faux coral was a find at Anthropology that I got on clearance for $19 many years ago.  I also picked up the Cabinet of Natural Curiosities book on clearance at Anthro. for steal at $25 around the same time.  I've seen this book in stores for $250.  I love this book and occasionally thumb through it and read it.  It's not just for looks.  I added some old crystal decanters, a cloche with one of my embellished shells, an old mirror, and my Great Aunt's school bell.  She was a teacher and this is how she called in her students from recess.  I love having my family history mixed into our decor.

I love/hate you Picnik

Free is good.

Not parting with family heirlooms is good too.

 Have you done any furniture change ups lately?

After many weeks of planning in my head I've started working on replacing the buffet with a new piece. 
If you follow me on Pinterest you might be able to guess the direction I'm going? 

Hopefully I'll be able to share it soon.

Thanks for checking it out.

What's For Breakfast?

How are those New Year's Resolutions going?  I started back to the gym this week after a very long hiatus in hopes that the N.Y R. people would have thinned out.  I know that's mean, but I don't like to work out in a crowded gym and I was surprised to see it was still crowded.  It's good to know there are still some dedicated people out there, but I have some issues that I need to vent.  Just a couple pet peeves of mine about gym etiquette.  The first one is mostly a problem with the ladies.  When you're at the gym, please get off the machine to have your conversation with your long lost friend.  You are wasting both our time. Some of us want to quickly work out and get out of there. 

source

 Now for all you big muscly men, none of you probably read my blog , but if you do, your mommy isn't at the gym to clean up after you.  Wipe down the machine after you've sweat all over it and re-rack your weights. 

Now I remember why I stopped going to the gym.

I have come to the conclusion that I don't play nice with others when I'm on a mission to workout, so for the good of all parties concerned, I will only go when it's not crowded.

Thank you, I'm done ranting, I feel better now. 

Back to the post.

 If one of your N.Y.R's was to eat a healthier breakfast this post is one you might be interested in.  My husband and I have a green smoothie around 6:00 AM to get the day started. Around 10:00 ish I have a late morning snack and this is one of my favorites.  

 I make it on Sunday evening and eat it for the week. 

It's basically a quiche without the crust. 

I start with a dozen eggs. 

 If you have cholesterol issues you can use an egg substitute like Egg Beaters. 

Beat the eggs.

I add whatever veggies I have available.  Cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, peppers, spinach, tomatoes, etc. all work great.

Today I'm using some left over broccoli.

About a cup, sorry I don't measure much.  It's one of the reasons I'm a terrible baker.

I had a leftover spinach salad, so that got tossed in too.  The salad had onion, tomatoes, and a little goat cheese in it.  Add everything to a greased casserole dish.

Pour in the beaten eggs and add salt and pepper.

You can also add a little of your favorite cheese and some Tabasco sauce for a kick in the taste buds.

Bake at 325- 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the center is thoroughly cooked.  You can test if it's done by sticking the center with a tooth pick to make sure it's firm not gooey. 

Slice off a square and garnish with some fresh avocados and /or salsa. 

I was out of salsa for the picture. This is a great meal if you are too busy to make breakfast in the morning.  Just take a slice with you on your way out the door to work.  Heat it up later and it makes a great breakfast or mid morning snack.  The protein from the eggs and the fiber from the veggies keep me full, energized, and satisfied. 

 Hope all you are going strong on those N.Y.R's. 
If you see me at the gym, run the other way.

Thanks for checking it out.

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My Secrete Weapon

What's For Lunch? My Secret Weapon For the Holidays

I haven't done a "What's For Lunch" post in awhile? 
I wanted to share my secrete weapon with you,
it's the 'F' word. 

No not that 'F' word, the other one, FIBER.  With all the holiday parties and running around its easy to over eat and pack on the pounds.  We all get so busy this time of year it's more tempting then ever to get caught in the DDT (Deadly Drive Thru) or sit and gorge on Holiday cookies and treats.  One way I combat over indulgence is loading up on fiber before I go out the door of my house.  All calories ARE NOT created equal.   Let's face it, I'm going to eat some fudge at a Christmas party and I'm slightly addicted to Pumpkin Lattes (Thank You Kristy) so making sure I eat enough fiber combats the weight gain.

Don't take my word for it read this from Web MD and see how fiber is our friend. 
Here's a handy Fiber Food List from Dr. Chilton's Inflammation Nation if you want more ideas.

Here's my fiberlicious lunch for today.
 I'm on my way out the door to coach volleyball and I like to fuel up before I go.
 A hungry Coach Shannon = cranky Coach Shannon!
 My kids and husband said I'd get voted off Survivor because I'm not "nice" when I'm hungry.

I started with some tasty Rosemary Apricot Chicken Salad from my friend Trader Joe's. 
I don't always have time to make my own chicken salad so Joe took care of it for me.
 (Don't tell my husband I have a crush on T. Joe.)

Some Spinach

Avocado

Start with some avocado on a corn tortilla.  I don't eat gluten, but if you do, you could make this on some whole grain bread.  I'm in a hurry and need to eat on the run so the to tortilla makes eating quick and easy, otherwise I could skip the tortilla all together and just eat this on a bed of spinach.

Next I added a little chicken salad.

I threw in some sugar snap peas for added crunch and more fiber.

A handful of spinach.

Eating while standing up is not advisable, but I need to eat and run today.

Here is another version with fresh tomatoes.

I start my day with my Green Smoothie and I try to add veggies, preferable raw, to all my meals.  I even have my husband drinking these every morning with me, he's addicted. 
My diet has evolved into a more plant based one.



Eating this is way has helped me maintain my weight. 
I'm three pounds off my high school weight and I'm having my 30th year reunion this summer. 
This has not always been the case.

I'm off to go coach and my tummy is happy! 
The fiber keeps me full and it keeps the "crankies" away.

Wishing You A Happy, Healthy New Year!

Thank you for checking it out.

Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes

I found this on Pinterest and made it last night.  One of the nice things about Pinterest is you get to see pictures and links of what your friends have found that you might not ever have been introduced to.  I repinned this from Leslie Simons.  We started following each other's Pins, so thanks Leslie for the introduction to this great recipe.

Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes.

  Yummy comfort food that the whole family loved.  Another benefit is this one is very easy to make.  You pretty much throw it all together in a casserole dish and put it in the oven.  Very minimal prep, just a little chopping.   Life is Great originally posted this picture, but the recipe is from Nigella Lawson.

Life is Great

Nigella

I'm not sure what country the recipe is from because the measurements were in kg. and the oven heat was in Celsius?  I baked it at 375 degrees convection bake for an hour and broiled it for a couple minutes at the end to crisp up the chicken skin.  I used a pound of baby red potatoes because our grocery store didn't have baby goldens.  Next time I will use linguica sausage instead of chorizo.  The chorizo was delicious, but our brand crumbles apart into small pieces.  If you look at the picture, their chorizo stays in chunks. 

The combination of the orange peel, oregano, and spicy sausage made the whole house smell yummy!

This one's a keeper and I'll definitely make it again.

Tried any new recipes lately?

Thanks for checking it out.

Chicken Sorrentino- My Gluten Free Version

Casey was watching the Cake Boss cook Chicken Sorrentino on the food network and decided she wanted to make it. She called her friend Maddie who also loves to cook and enlisted the help of Cami to make this recipe.  I bought all the ingredients and they got to work.  Here is the original recipe for  Chicken Sorrentino.

Together they can make anything in the kitchen. 

I decided to come up with a gluten free version of the original Cake Boss recipe and it turned out awesome.  We all helped out.

It was fun!

You start by marinating the chicken. 

We have found the recipe is much better if you pound the chicken to about a quarter of an inch thick before marinating.  It's much easier to serve, it's easier to layer evenly, it's more tender, and it's easier to eat if you pound it first.

It's not pounded in this picture.  This was our first attempt at this recipe. 

 It's so good we've made it three times now.

We are growing eggplant, but ours aren't ready yet so we had to buy one.

You'll need some of this too.

The recipe calls for making your own bread crumbs, but the girls used pre-made ones from the store.

The Changes I Made To This Recipe Are As Follows:

Whether you are making the original version or the gluten free version (GFV) you need to pound the chicken to a quarter inch thickness.  The girls used pre-made bread crumbs.

To Make It Gluten Free.

* I replaced the pasta with fresh spinach.

* I eliminated the flour completely.

* I replaced the bread crumbs with Almond Flour.

Here the girls are battering the eggplant slices in flour, egg, and bread crumbs.  Everyone washed there hands with soap before starting, just in case you were wondering? 

For the gluten free version I dipped the eggplant in egg and battered them in seasoned Almond Flour.
I added the garlic and the seasoning the bread crumbs called for into the Almond Flour.




Here the girls are starting the layering of the Chicken Sorrentino
The recipe calls for a bottom layer of pasta.

Add the sauce and cheese.

I switched out the pasta for spinach to make the GFV.
The second time I made this I tried it with gluten free rice pasta for this layer, but I like the spinach better.



Next the girls layered the chicken, prosciutto, eggplants, sauce, and cheese.

For the GFV I layered the chicken, prosciutto, eggplant, sauce, and cheese.  This picture shows the un pounded chicken.  The next two times I've made this I pounded it.







Don't add too much sauce at this point in the GFV.  The spinach "sweats" and there isn't any pasta to absorb the extra moisture.  I serve it with extra sauce after baking.



GFV



Original Recipe.

mmm good.
Serve with extra sauce on the side.

My husband eats gluten and he likes this GFV better.  Don't think he's just telling me what I want to hear.  He's from New York and he ALWAYS tells me exactly what he thinks.  No sugar coating it in our house.

The girls said the original recipe is delicious too.

Do you cook with your kids?  I would love to hear your stories.  Do you eat gluten free?  I would love to hear about your favorite recipes.

Thanks For Checking It Out.