It's been awhile...

...since I last posted to this blog. In my defense, I do have another blog that I work on and while I've been a little better about updating that one, it too has been a bit neglected.

Recently I've found myself considering starting yet another blog, even going so far as to create both Blogger and Wordpress accounts for these new blogs. I've wasted a lot of time coming up with clever names and interesting layouts, but nary a word has been written, let alone posted. Sometimes the thought of starting new, while appealing, is also exhausting.

So I pulled up this "old" blog, took a look back at some of what I've done and decided maybe I should just resume life here. I want an everyday blog, a place I can (over) share about what's going on at our house, what's cooking in our kitchen and ruminate on how a soon to be five year old seems to be the head of our household. But beyond all that, this will be my place to chronicle our efforts to get our finances under control (can we all say "budget?"), lament on, er discuss, my ongoing attempts to maintain a fitness regime, and talk honestly about how Clean Fresh Hubby and I try to keep our marriage happy and healthy.

And that's another thing. The aliases... they gotta go. It's annoying to me to keep writing "my daughter" and "Clean Fresh Hubby." So let's be adults and just call everyone by their given names. I'm Laura, married to Brian, mother to Ava. Nice to meet ya!

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Texas sheet cake

One of my favorite food blogs is Homesick Texan. While I haven’t tried many of the actual recipes, I love reading about all the foods I remember from my childhood. Growing up, just about every birthday celebration we had featured a Texas Sheet Cake. Baked right on a cookie sheet, it was a hybrid of chocolate cake and brownie, not too sweet and oh so delicious. So when Homesick Texan posted a recipe for a Strawberry Sheet Cake, I knew I had to try it. And I had the perfect occasion to give it a test run, a family barbeque last weekend to celebrate our June birthdays – mine and my mom’s.

I was a little surprised that the recipe had you bake the cake in a 9 x 13 baking dish, not the traditional cookie sheet. And while I was tempted to use the cookie sheet, I didn’t want to take a chance of screwing it up with guests scheduled to arrive that afternoon. So I followed the directions to the letter.

So how did it turn out?



Well, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The cake was a little denser than your traditional boxed variety, almost more of a banana bread consistency than cake. Still, the overall reviews from my family were extremely positive (except from my sister, who halfway through wolfing down a piece learned there was cream cheese in the frosting and who then decided she didn’t like it). Next time I would bake it on the cookie sheet, which would make the cake thinner and help balance the cake/frosting ratio.

Speaking of frosting that had to be the absolute best part of this recipe… the fresh strawberry frosting. So good in fact, we were scooping extra frosting on the side of each serving!

If you’re looking for something different to serve at your next gathering, I’d say give this one a try… but bust out the cookie sheet so you are serving an authentic Texas sheet cake!

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Exercise 1, Diet 0

For the past 45 days, Clean Fresh Hubby and I have been sweating our way through Tony Horton’s P90X program. Maybe you’ve seen the infomercial – I hadn’t before we started the program, but now I notice it is on just about every night! It is an intensive, six day a week fitness regime with each day’s workout ranging from 75 to 90 minutes. It hasn’t been easy, but we are seeing results and are resolved to finish the entire 90 day program. And while our overall fitness has greatly improved in just 45 days, what has suffered is our diet.

What I’ve realized is how difficult it is to manage both diet AND exercise. Before P90X, I would squeeze in a 30 minute workout four days a week and most evenings I had dinner on the table at 6 p.m. Now, we begin the workout after our daughter goes to bed (around 7:15 p.m.) which means we aren’t finished until close to 9 p.m. And since we don’t want to eat before the workout, we are now sitting down to dinner after 9. And since I don’t want to eat a heavy dinner right before bed, we are usually eating small, quick dinners (like nuked vegetables or pita chips and hummus). I honestly can’t tell you the last weeknight dinner I’ve prepared.

Between work, family, food and exercise, it is hard to balance it all, and historically at our house, it is usually exercising that falters. Never has it been food that falls by the wayside! Therefore, my goal over the next few weeks is to figure out a way for food and exercise to coexist peacefully. I’ll be on the prowl for (quick) recipes that are light, healthy and suitable for a 9 p.m. dinner hour. If I find anything good, I’ll be sure to share them here. And if anyone has any suggestions on how to balance it all, please let me know!

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Vegas vacation

I just pulled the trigger and booked our family vacation. To Vegas. No, not exactly the destination one would think when planning a trip with a four year old, but Clean Fresh Hubby's sister is getting married there in July and while we debated leaving the child with my parents, it felt strange to think that all of his family would be at the wedding (kids too) and our daughter would be the only one missing. So, off to Vegas we will all go.

Clean Fresh Hubby and I used to go to Vegas every summer back in our early "pre-kid" days. Of course, it's been about eight years since we were last there, and this time we have our little traveling companion, so it really will be like seeing the city for the first time. I'm sure our daughter will get a kick out of seeing all the themed hotels.






And this will be her first ride on an airplane, so that ought to be fun (or a nightmare, not sure how that's going to play out!).

I know the city has changed a lot over the years, encompassing more family-friendly activities, so my goal over the next two months is to come up with an itinerary that we will all enjoy. Of course, the hotel pool will likely be where we spend the majority of our time, but given we're going in July and the temperature will be about 100 degrees, I figure we'd better have some other options!

I'm sure we'll log some time here:



And what's that I see next door? Margaritas by the foot? Well what kind of tourists would we be if we didn't check that out as well?

If you have any suggestions on planning a kid-friendly Vegas vacation, I'd love to hear 'em!

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Herbs and Pepe

I wrote last Wednesday about the nasty cold I was battling. Adding insult to injury, our entire household came down with the stomach flu last week as well. So needless to say, there wasn't a whole lot to write about that would've been fit to read without a super strong stomach.

But, we're all on the mend and I had an opportunity to get out in the yard this weekend and plant my pots of herbs.



Last year I bought a pre-planted herb mix and we found that the basil couldn't grow fast enough for us... we were going through leaves like crazy! So this year, I made my own pots, planting four basils and two dill weeds, which seem to be the herbs we use the most. I also planted a humble little jalapeno plant (affectionately named "Pepe") in hopes of having some fresh jalapenos for salsa this summer. The marigolds are included in the mix in hopes of warding off nibblers.

I would love to have a larger garden and grow things like cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes and carrots, but for now, with our schedule, a few simple herbs is about all we can handle!

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What I'm Lovin' Wednesday: Cold edition

Bouncing back from my annual spring cold, so thought I'd share a few things that are helping me make it through.

Mucinex DM



This stuff knocks out a cough like nobody's business. It is also great for loosening up all the heavy, thick snot that can clog up your chest. Thankfully, this cold hasn't gotten to that point (which for me, then turns to bronchitis), but I am suffering from an annoying cough that keeps me up at night. This stuff quiets the cough better than any Robitussin or Vicks product I've tried.

Halls Sugar Free Cough Drops - Kiwi Apple



I am not a fan of cough drops, but when I have a cold, I usually need one as I go to bed to get past the dry air and give the Mucinex time to kick in. I stumbled across this Kiwi Apple flavor at Walgreens a year or so ago and now am never without them. They're harder to find than your average cough drop, so when I do spot them, I typically by a few bags just to keep them in stock.

Kiehl's Lip Balm - Coconut



One of the side effects of blowing your nose constantly and breathing out of your mouth at night is extremely chapped lips. We have several tubes of Chapstick floating around the house, and while it provides momentary relief, it doesn't do much to alleviate the problem. Within minutes of applying Kiehl's lip balm, my lips feel soft and smooth again. This stuff is a miracle in a tube and the coconut flavor is like a little vacation for your lips. (It comes in a variety of other flavors if you're not a tropical fan.)

Hopefully all in our household will be happy and healthy again in the next few days and I can share with you some more exciting things instead of cold products!

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Veganizing Paula Deen

A few months ago, pre-vegan days, we went to dinner at a friend's house where she introduced us to a "my arteries are probably clogging just writing this" recipe by Paula Deen. It was a big bowl of love... pasta, cream cheese and bacon. I would've licked the bowl had it not been socially inappropriate, the pasta was that good.

I saved the recipe, but never had a chance to make it before I changed my eating habits. Then it dawned on me that perhaps I could "veganize" this recipe. I figured it was worth a shot, right?

So here it is, my attempt to take a Paula Deen recipe and turn it into something healthy.

Smoky Tomato Bacon Pasta

1/2 box Morning Star "bacon" (about 6 slices)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
salt and pepper
4 ounces Tofutti cream cheese, cut into pieces
1 box uncooked Quinoa pasta shells

In a large skillet, cook the bacon according to package instructions, approximately 10 minutes. Transfer it to a plate.

Using the same skillet, melt a pat of Earth Balance butter and a tablespoon of vegetable oil then add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the diced tomatoes, then crumble in the bacon. Season with salt and pepper; simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and chunky, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cream cheese until melted.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with the sauce and serve immediately.



The result?

Actually, I was skeptical going in to this as the original pasta is just so darn good. I was pleasantly surprised with this modified recipe. I used a little too much onion and would definitely reduce the amount the next time I made it (I adjusted the recipe above to reflect my preferred taste... I used a large onion whereas a medium onion would probably be better).

Both Clean Fresh Hubby and I ate a full plate, and while I didn't have that "lick the plate" feeling, I did have a sense of satisfaction in converting the recipe to something I didn't have to feel guilty eating.

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