We met last night for Beading Buddies at Barb's house. We had a grand time. The soup and salad was delish and the weight watchers fudge bar was yummy. We were starting our beading time and the electricity went out.....not much beading can be done in the dark.  After the candles were lit, we caught up on the gossip and had a great time chit chatting.  The lights did eventually come back on and we were back to business.  We had a terrific time and can't wait for next time.

 

What about those Spurs! They won last night..

I'm a big fan of the San Antonio Spurs--luv those guys.

 

 

I got the old  crock pot out and I'm makin a roast......

 

My poor hubby is having great difficulty in obtaining his passport. We started the process the week of Thanksgiving and we are still trying to please the passport gods. His birth certificate isn't enough. His discharge papers from the  U.S. Navy aren't enough. Completing a 5 page questionaire on every aspect of his life isn't enough. Having letters from his older siblings stating that he was indeed born in the U.S. of A. isn't enough. He can't help that his poor mother gave birth to him at home, in the valley of Texas, 57 years ago.  We now have 30 more days to come up with more documentation........or just give up. I decided to write to our congressman. Let's see if that helps.  If we are not successful, then we can't be cruisers anymore......Danny has said we'll just have to do our traveling in the U.S.(Vegas,Vegas,Vegas). We will sure miss cruise life.

The sugar free almond cookies....

 

The jury is out on these cookies--Maybe they will taste better today. I might dip them in chocolate

I plan to use some in a pie crust later in the week. Maybe I'll name my pie- like the gal does in the movie "Waitress". Love that movie.

 

I have my breakfast muffins ready for the week. Actually,  I have the dry ingredients for 2 muffins measured in individual plastic baggies. I just mix the egg, sf vanilla devinci's, butter and splenda together and then dump in my muffin mix.  Danny likes a warm muffin.

 

I like Joseph's Pita bread. I used 1 in place of a flour tortilla last night. I made some picadillo and fresh pinto beans. I made some fideo for my adorable hubby.

I buy Joseph's Lavash bread and pita bread at Walmart. The carb count is low.

 

 

I love the cauliflower breadsticks! They are yummy and low carb. Check out http://cleochatra.blogspot.com/ for the recipe-This what is left of 2 batches after I ate about 4 pieces. I added a little grated parm on top.

I've been cookin up a storm this morning while my hubby is on the golf course. I made a low carb blueberry cobbler for dessert. It was so easy and it's made with carbquik. I used this recipe http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=221924. I made one first and sampled it. I think it is so good that I made more for dinner.

 

My veggies are are sprouting up.......now what do I do??

 

GO SPURS!

 

 

JD and Laura-What a beautiful picture. My stepson, who is in Iraq, with his wife, Laura, while he was home on leave. We miss you guys.

Living in San Antonio, we eat a ton of Mexican or TexMex food. We went to our favorite little Mexican Restaurant -Elizabeth's - this morning for breakfast.  They have wonderful homemade corn tortillas.  I usually allow myself 1 corn tortilla--the rest of the meal is protein!

I love to cook mexican food--I stay away from the rice and flour tortillas.

One of my hubby's favorite dishes is my:

 Shrimp Ceviche.....

8 ounces of frozen precooked salad/small shrimp defrosted

juice from 3-4 lemons

1/2 cup chopped onion (or more to taste)

2 tomatoes diced

2 large avocados-diced

diced fresh chiles or jalapenos to taste (usually just 1)

celantro -chopped about 1/4 cup(or more to taste)

just combine everything together and let chill- will taste better if it marinates for a bit.

I serve this with crackers or tortilla chips-

Since I have been low carbing I eat it with a spoon, but it could be eaten with the low carb tortilla chips

Delicioso.

I was in the mood for a blueberry muffin this morning. I made us the famous "microwave muffin" and it was delicious. I made enough for 2 medium muffins. I had never used coconut flour in a micro muffin and decided, what the heck! So I used a combo of coconut flour, almond flour and golden ground flaxseed.

 

Here's what I did-- 1/2 cup flour mix {2tbsp of of flour, coconut, almond flour, ground flaxseed}

                            1/2 tsp baking powder

                            4 drops of   liquid splenda or 2 tbsp of granular splenda

                            1 tbsp of sf vanilla syrup

                            1 egg

                            1 tbsp of liquid spray butter

                            handful of blueberries

I used my hand immersion blender to mix the liquids together (egg, syrup, butter, splenda) and then added dry ingredients.

I poured this in 2 ramekins sprayed with butter spray and with blueberries.

Microwave about 2 minutes and it's ready-pops right out of the ramekin.

Now we want to try other flavors-strawberry, chocolate chip, nut.....

 

It's 2 weeks until Spring Break!

 

I'm thinking about trying some cauliflower concoctions I saw on The Lighter Side of Low Carb---http://cleochatra.blogspot.com/.  Cauliflower breadsticks and pizza crust.

I'm very interested to see how this tastes. Wish me luck.

 

I searched for the high fiber pasta we ate over the weekend and found the pasta info- Ronzoni Smarttaste  http://ronzonismarttaste.com/. 

In comparing with Dreamfield's nutritional values

Dreamfields                                      Ronzoni Smarttaste

calories 190                                      calories 180

total carbs 42                                    total carbs 43

fiber 5                                              fiber 6

 

Now for the sugar free sweets. I'm looking at Wifezilla's Way--http://wifezillasway.blogspot.com/ . and her low carb sugar free almond cookies. These look very similar to a Basic Vanilla Cookie recipe I used for my cheesecake crust, except this wifezillas has some coconut and is a much bigger batch--yeah.

I can make a pie crust with some of the cookies. I'm looking at a chocolate filling from Linda's site http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/chocolate_truffle_torte.html---however, I will try it with chocoperfection bars.

 

 Progress is noted--My veggies are sprouting...I'm starting to see a few little green things sticking out the dirt.

 

 Exercise is something that I need to fit into my schedule.......how about some Sweatin to the Oldies?

 

Go Spurs!

 

 

 

Well, this weekend I tried a coconut bread recipe----it was not good.  Actually, it was very bad. Guess I did something wrong. I will try, try, again.

My muffins and choc chip cookies from last week were better as the week went on. I ate every single bit of it. 

My daughter bought some new pasta with extra fiber and it was tasty. She bought it at Walmart. I can't remember the name-think Ronzoni??? I checked the nutritional value and it seemed close to Dreamfield's--would like to research this.

 

Something very interesting happened last week. We had our Texas State Convention for Speech Pathologists in San Antonio!!! I ran into

one of my very best friends from college. We had lunch together on Thursday and Friday. I watched my carbs and everything!!

 

 We had a beautiful weekend in S.A.  I planted some vegetable seeds on Sunday.  I'm excited to think that I might have me some fresh veggies growing in my yard.

I just bought some flower seeds and hope to plant them this weekend.

 

I want to give a shout out to Jimmy Moore at Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Blog ----Happy Cruisin!!  That is our numero ono favorite vacation!  Hope he's having a great time.

 

 

I made low carb blueberry muffins and chocolate chip cookies. I am disappointed with my results. I made the muffins with coconut flour and the cookies with almond flour. I will eat them, but the muffins are too moist and the cookies are too crumbly. Try, try again. I have alot blueberries that I need to use.

My oldest daughter will be 29 on Valentine's Day. I can't believe Jessica will be 29.

 

I'm thinking of making a vegetable garden. Maybe I'll do a container and a small in-ground garden. I got some info off the net from Texas a & m about gardening in containers. I actually want to start from seed. We'll see.

 

I'm eating up my pumpkin bars and thinking what I'll make next-something with chocolate!!

 

 

 

 

I made some pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting-pretty tasty!!

I will make another cheesecake very soon. I really like my crust.

 

We went to the rodeo last week-it was great!

 

I'm looking forward to my tv week--American Idol, Big Brother, and Survivor!

 

I can't believe I haven't written here since October. It's a new year-2008. Now it's February. Sunday we hosted a super bowl party. We had a blast. Tonight we're going to the rodeo!

My newest low carb challenge- a cheesecake! I will post recipe later.

I made some delicious low carb recipes. I made 2 different cauliflower dishes.........made like hash browns and spanish rice. Both are very tasty.  I  made some sugar free nut brittle. I really liked it, but a little too hard-afraid I'll crack  a tooth.  I made some really good baked boneless chicken breasts covered in chicken seasoning. I served it with Dreamfield's penne pasta and sun dried tomato alfredo sauce.

I like parm crusted tilapia! It's real fast and easy to make

I adapted this recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen blog------
Parm crusted tilapia is fast and easy-and it tastes great-

 

 

I adapted this recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen blog------
This yummy recipe is adapted from Kalyn's kitchen-it is fast, easy and yummy

PARM CRUSTED TILAPIA

Tilapia filets,
mayonnaise, about 2 tsp. per filet (use real Mayo)
grated Parmesan
olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
Spike seasoning or Old Bay seasoning or just salt and pepper


Preheat broiler. Season fish filets on both sides with whatever seasoning you want to use. Heat heavy frying pan(I use a cast iron skillet so I can put it in the oven), add olive oil, then saute fish until lightly browned on both sides and not quite cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Turn carefully and do not overcook, since it will be cooking a little more under the broiler.



Take fish out of frying pan(if not using an iron skillet) and put in ovenproof dish which will fit under your broiler. Spread mayo on the top of each fish filet and top with Parmesan cheese. You want the top of the fish to be covered with cheese. Broil until cheese is browned and melted, about 4 minutes. Serve hot, with lemon slices if desired.

Last weekend we went to Lake Charles for my hubby's birthday. We had a great time. The weather was great! It is about a 5 hour drive if the traffic isn't too bad. We visited 2 casinos. We ate some really good food. We can't wait to go back. 

Amanda's birthday was Saturday.  Amanda, Jessica,  and I went  out to celebrate. We had a great girls day. We started at Starbuck's with a yummy drink. Then we got manicures and pedicures. We had lunch at Madhatter's. We had a delicious lunch...soups and salads and sandwiches with great tea.  We shared some sinful cheesecake and petit fours for dessert.  We then went to an unusual shoestore near the Alamodome.  We had a "laughingly" good time.  I took several snapshots of our day and I accidently erased them.

Wow! We spent a week at Mustang Island. It was great! We had a nice 2 bedroom condo on the beach-Mustang Towers was the name of the condo. We went swimming and fishing. We had lots of fun being together. We played cards and ate alot of good food. Veronica made us some good Barbacoa. Mike did the majority of the cooking and cleaning in the kitchen. That was so great! I made some shrimp ceviche that everyone seemed to enjoy.It was so nice to be with Mike, Eva, Corey, Nathaniel, Veronica, Roland, and Ashley. Veronica and family stayed 2 nights with us and Mike and family stayed 5 nights with us.

 We had a few bumps during our trip- Danny took a fall at a little shop-he scraped his shin up pretty good. The water had to be boiled because of E Coli. We had a terrific lightning storm. Then we got a phone call telling us to put in the balcony furniture in and close the balcony doors- we had a tropical storm scare-Erin was the storm's name. Then we started hearing about a hurricane-- Dean coming next week. It was all over the TV-to start getting ready. Then the  electricity went out last night for about an hour and a half. We were getting a little worried, but it came back on around 8:30.

Nothing stopped us from having fun! Thursday evening we went out to eat with Eto and Connie. We ate at Snoopy's- a great seafood place right on the water. It was delicious. On Friday, Danny went to play golf and I spent the day on the beach! Saturday we packed up and got home by 2:00.

On Saturday, August 11, 2007, our family gathered at the beach in Galveston,Texas to scatter my Mom's ashes.  As you can see from the pictures, it was a beautiful morning.  Mike read a bible scripture. We sang Amazing grace and prayed the serenity prayer. Donna, Nat, and I released Mom's ashes into the water. Each family member had a flower to throw into the ocean after we released Mom's ashes. It was a very sad moment, but something that we had to do.

Mike had prepared a wonderful and delicious breakfast for everyone, so we all went back to the beach house M'Lea had rented for the week and had a great meal of Chilequiles and beans.

We are back from our cruise to Cozumel. The Splendour of the Seas is a beautiful ship.  We had a great time. Danny and I got to League City Wednesday evening. We got to spend the night with my sis. We had a great supper with Donna and Mike.

Day 1 We got up the next day and we were on the Splendour by noon. We ate lunch and saw our stateroom. We had a drink and then played some ping pong. We met my cruise critics buddies at 3:00 at the pool bar. It was really cool. We had some drinks and listened to the band. Before we knew it, it was muster time. After muster, we ran into an old high school friend, Laura, her sister Jenny, her mom and son. What a hoot. The ship left the pier by 5:00. We had our first dinner at 6:00. By the time we finished dinner, the casino was open. We stayed in the casino until about 10:30.  Danny was very tired so we turned in early.

Day 2 - It was a glorious day at sea. We got up early and went for a long walk on the top deck of the ship. It has a walking/jogging lane! We walked 4 laps. It was quite windy but who cares. What a view! We went to breakfast in the King and I dining room. It was nice of course. After breakfast, we went back up and walked some more. After our walk went to the room and cleaned up and then we went to the casino. (bad, bad place). In the afternoon we went to poolside and watched the men's belly flop contest and men's sexy legs contest. It was hilarious. We had some of the ship's special beer.  It was ok. We had a light lunch in the dining room and sat with Mrs Shupp(Laura and Jenny's mom). We ate some yummy beer battered shrimp on a caesar salad. Then we rested for a bit. It was formal night in the the dining room and we needed to get ready! We took some pix and had a wonderful dinner. Our wait staff was excellent. Our table mates were couples from different parts of Texas--Houston, Texas City and Wimberly. We had some good conversation. We changed to comfie clothes after dinner and went back to the bad, bad place. Danny sat at a hold em and black jack table while I donated my money to the slot machines. We turned in about 12:30-1:00.

Day 3-We slept in because we were docked at Cozumel and we hadn't planned an excursion. We had breakfast on the ship and then got ready to go exploring the town. It was a really warm and sunny day. We went to a vacation presentation at Royal Holiday Hotel. It was a very pretty place by the beach. We went shopping after the presentation. We picked up a few gifts and then got back on the ship. It was time to get ready for dinner. We had another great dinner and went to the show at 9:00. Then we watched the love and marriage game-it was so funny. It was like the newlywed game. Then it was back to the bad, bad place. There was a late buffet and salsa dancing by the pool. We danced our cumbia! We didn't get to bed until after 1:00.

Day 4-Day at sea-I decided to relax on the deck while Danny went to the Casino. I had enough of that place. Had a very relaxing day until it got very windy and choppy. Breakfast was in the Windjammer and lunch was in the solarium. Decided to go pack our things because the luggage needed to be in the hallway by late evening and we had plans-2 shows and the quest! We had another great dinner after suffering from a little sea sickness- dramamine works! We enjoyed our shows and hit the casino it about 1:00. Danny sat at the black jack table until after 2:00.

Day 5- We're docked in Galveston-we can't drag ourselves out of bed until 9:00. We were out of the ship and in our car by 9:30. Everything went very smoothly this cruise. Can't wait til January!