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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What I'm Lovin' Wednesday... Trader Joe's edition

Back with another edition of "What I'm Lovin' Wednesday" and today I'm focusing on some Trader Joe's goodies that I am currently hooked on.

Low Fat French Toast



My daughter is hooked on frozen breakfast foods. It isn't a morning if she doesn't have a frozen waffle or pancake to throw in the toaster oven. I've been attempting to steer her tastes towards healthier, organic options and so far, the only substitute I've found are vanilla waffles from Whole Foods. Given it takes about 30 minutes to get to our local WF, I needed to find another alternative. We've tried the frozen waffles at Trader Joe's, but even I have to admit, they weren't that great. And my daughter turned her nose up at them immediately.

Thankfully, she was open to trying french toast. And I have to say, this french toast from Trader Joe's is absolutely delicious! I found myself toasting up a slice for me while preparing her breakfast. It is made with a four-grain bread and there is nothing scary or unpronouncable in the ingredient list. I will be adding this to the shopping cart every week I'm sure.

Organic, Fair Trade Breakfast Blend Coffee



Continuing on with breakfast, nothing goes better with french toast than a cup of delicious coffee. Trader Joe's has quite a variety to choose from and we've sampled several. So far, this is the coffee I keep going back to. Organic and fair trade are a bonus, but what it boils down to is this is just a great cup of joe. A little stronger than Dunkin' Donuts, but not so strong that it'll put hair on your chest (like Starbucks).

Bruschetta topping



Need a fast, quick and yummy appetizer? Look no further than this bruschetta topping. Paired with a crusty loaf of bread, this is some of the best bruschetta out of a jar I've ever had. It also works well as a pizza sauce; I use it to top a Boboli pizza crust, add a little mozarella and voila, a quick and easy dinner.

Panda All Natural Raspberry Licorice



Trying to eat healthy all the time can be a challenge and there are days when that nagging sweet tooth just won't give it up. Standing in the checkout a few weeks ago, I saw this display of raspberry licorice. I didn't pay it too much attention, but of course my daughter was enraptured by the panda bear on the box and begged me to get one. Being the total pushover that I am, we threw a box in the basket. Probably one of the best things she's suckered me into buying! It's all natural, only seven ingredients, and is sweetened with molasses. This licorice is perfect for those instances where you just need a little something sweet.

So there you have this week's edition of what I'm lovin'. Of course, this is just a handful of the products that bring me back to TJoe's week after week... perhaps I'll have to do a second edition in the coming weeks. If you have a TJoe's product that you adore, let me know and I'll add it to my shopping list!

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Eating (and enjoying) our greens

Back on track with cooking this week and first off will be one of our absolute most favorite salads:

Mixed greens with strawberries, carmelized onions and pecans



I start by chopping up a red onion, then add it to a pan with some butter, cooking it for about 30 minutes until it carmelizes. Then I toss the onions and chopped strawberries with some mixed greens and candied pecans and what is probably the best salad dressing ever, Nordstrom's Dark Cherry Balasamic Vinaigrette.



This recipe was actually born from lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe. Their version is served with grilled chicken and goat cheese, which was my favorite thing on their menu until I gave up the meat and dairy. So I modified at home and the result is just as tasty. I served it at quite a few family functions over the past month and it always gets rave reviews.

This salad is one of Clean Fresh Hubby and I's favorite meals, so it is definitely on the menu this week. Healthy and delicious, it doesn't get much better than that!

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I dusted the stove this week

I have a confession to make. Are you ready?

I did not cook a single meal all week.

I know, crazy, right? I'm not proud of it. I did scrape together dinners for my daughter (at least one of us has to be well-nourished!), but for Clean Fresh Hubby and I, not a one. Let's see, I believe we had cheese and crackers one night, I had an apple and a granola bar another night, and as for the rest of the evenings, it was pretty much "fend for yourself." It was just one of those weeks where things were hectic and sadly, our diet paid the price.

So, now the weekend is here and my plan is to get back on track. Friends are having us over for dinner tonight (no, they are not taking pity on us due to our lack of formal meals!) and then tomorrow night it is off to the in-laws to celebrate Clean Fresh Hubby's birthday. But starting Monday, I'm back in the kitchen. Cooking, not just dusting the stove!

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What I'm Lovin' Wednesday

Wednesdays are typically reserved for a wine review, but if you can believe it, nary a drop of wine passed these lips over the weekend! Wine, no. Pomegranate martinis, yes.

So today, in lieu of wine, I thought I'd share with you the things I'm loving right now... the things that are making my no meat or cheese existence a little easier.

Steel Cut Oats
Probably one of my most favorite breakfasts ever and so easy to make because there is no cooking involved. I cover 1/4 cup of steel cut oats with water and refrigerate it overnight. The next morning, the water is all but gone, absorbed into the oats. I add in some agave syrup, cinnamon, a diced apple, and the best part of all, some candied pecans (from Trader Joe's). It is so quick to pull together in the morning and since you eat it cold, I can bring it to work and eat it at my desk. Yummy!



Trader Joe's Steamed Lentils

Lentils are a great source of protein, and now that I've discovered Trader Joe's Steamed Lentils, they are working their way into quite a few recipes as a meat substitute (remember my post on lentil taco meat? Yep, Trader Joe's Lentils).



One of my favorite "quick and easy" dinners is to heat up a pack of lentils with a can of stewed tomatoes, 5-6 cloves of garlic (minced), some shredded carrots and a handful of spinach. Let it cook until heated through. Fast, fast, fast. This tastes divine with goat cheese sprinkled on it (if you haven't given up cheese).

And last but not least:

Subway Kids Meal
My go-to "fast food" lunch is a veggie sandwich from Subway. It wasn't until this weekend though that I picked up a kids meal for my daughter while I was in there (usually she picks at mine).



For about $3.50 (cheaper than a Happy Meal from McD's), she got a 3" sub, a chocolate milk and a bag of apples. And it came in a small reusable bag or "purse" as she calls it. I love that the bag is something she can play with versus a cardboard box that finds it's way to the recycle bin before we even hit the house.

So there you have it. What I'm loving this Wednesday (and pretty much every other day of the week!).

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Wine Wednesday: Another New Zealander

It's party season at our house... between birthdays, holidays and anniversaries, it seems there is always some sort of planning going on.

This past weekend, we hosted my family for dinner on Saturday night - "preEaster" as Clean Fresh Hubby deemed it. This dinner was thrown together at the last minute, so I didn't have a chance to hit Costco for my Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. I instead perused the selection of New Zealand wines at our local supermarket and decided to give this one a go:

Starborough Sauvignon Blanc



At $8.99 for a bottle (on sale), I figured it was a worthy experiment. Plus, it is from the same region of New Zealand (Marlborough) that my Kim Crawford is from, so it had to be pretty close, right?

Well....

The Starborough had hints of what I love about the KC... a fruity, almost grapefruity, undertone and a nice crispness, but it was a little sharper than what I'm used to with KC. The best way I can describe it is that this tasted like an under $10 bottle of wine. In a pinch, or for a party where you're serving lots of guests and budget is an issue, this wine would be serviceable. But for sitting around on the weekend, relaxing, I will make sure my wine rack is stocked with the good stuff!

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Satisfying a sweet tooth, and still healthy!

Continuing on with our at-home "cooking" school, my daughter and I made a pan of vegan rice crispy treats (recipe from "The Kind Life Diet" cookbook by Alicia Silverstone). These were super easy to make (but come to think of it, so are regular rice crispy treats) and actually very tasty.



Crispy Peanut Butter Treats with Chocolate Chips
1 box brown rice crisps cereal
1 3/4 cups brown rice syrup
Fine sea salt
3/4 cup all-peanut, natural variety of peanut butter
1/2 cup grain-sweetened chocolate chips (get at health store, or
substitute carob chips)

Pour the rice cereal into a large bowl. Heat the rice syrup with a
pinch of salt in a saucepan over low heat. When rice syrup liquefies,
add the peanut butter and stir until well combined. Pour over the rice
cereal. Mix well with wooden spoon.

Once thoroughly mixed and cooled to room temperature, stir in the
chocolate chips. Makes sure the mixture is cool, or you will
end up with melted chocolate instead of chocolate chips in your treats.

Turn the mixture into an 8x8 or 9x13 baking dish. Wet your wood spoon
lightly and press the mixture evenly into the pan. Let cool for 1 hour before
cutting into squares or bars.

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How a shopaholic is born

My daughter raked in some cash over the Easter weekend (growing up, our eggs never had money in them... gotta love grandparents!). Usually any money my daughter receives goes right into her bank, but today, I took her to Target and let her pick out any toy she wanted... that of course fit in her "budget" of ten dollars! We wandered the two main toy aisles of interest to young girls: Barbie and the Disney Princesses. Back and forth we went, seriously contemplating all the options, until she finally struck upon this:



Up we trotted to the checkout, me with my laundry soap, her with the latest batch of Princesses to invade our house. I let her go first, so she carefully placed the box on the conveyor, then stood patiently holding out her $10 bill. The total came to $10.74, so I quickly fished out $.75 from her bag of coins and she gave them to the cashier, who in turn gave my daughter the receipt and her penny change. The look of pride on my daughter's face was absolutely priceless!

As we walked out of the store, she turned to me and said "Mom, that was really fun. I want to do that again!" And so, another shopaholic is born!

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A big bowl of YUM!

Dinner at our house last night was super simple: a big bowl of guacamole.



Our favorite mexican restaurant always plays around with their guacamole, adding in fresh fruit for a different twist. I decided to do my own experimenting last night, with excellent results! Here's the recipe I used:

Strawberry Guacamole
3 ripe avocados
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 plum tomatoes, diced
5-6 ripe strawberries, diced
dash of salt
splash of lime juice

Throw everything in a bowl and stir until the avocados are creamy. Add a dash of salt and a splash of lime juice (to your taste).

I've made this with pomegranate seeds instead of strawberries, which was also excellent (Trader Joe's sells a convenient pack of just the seeds so you can avoid having to mess with the entire fruit). We've also used red grapes, another tasty version, as well as blood orange chunks. All delicious!

I absolutely adore El Milagro tortilla chips. They're super tasty and remind me of the chips we enjoy every time we're in Mexico. In fact, eating this for dinner last night made me a little giddy for our upcoming trip this June! Since I don't eat seafood (and most of the restaurants where we go are seafood-oriented), I tend to indulge in a lot of guacamole when I'm on vacation. I come back tan, with a slight tint of green! (Kidding, of course!)

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The food revolution at our house

I've really been enjoying Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" that begin Friday night on ABC. And I was inspired to teach my daughter to cook as a result. Granted, she's only four, so we're starting slowly. I am hoping that by giving her more responsibility in the preparation of our meals, she will be more apt to try new things and be excited about things like... vegetables!

Last night's dinner was veggie pad thai, so I had her help me chop the vegetables. Cabbage, green onions, carrots... she chopped like a pro! (Granted, I oversaw this one very carefully and for the cabbage, I assisted her with my "mommy" knife!)



Once all the veggies were prepped, we cooked the rice noodles, then combined everything in the wok. I gave her the very important job of adding all the chopped veggies into the mix and stirring the sauce in. We dished up servings for the three of us, then set the table so everything was ready when Clean Fresh Hubby got home from work.



It took a little longer to pull dinner together with the help of my "assistant," but she was so proud of herself that it was worth the extra time. And this morning, when she woke up, the first thing she asked was if she could cook again. So I let her make the breakfast smoothies. Literally running down the stairs, she added the fruit, protein powder, honey and OJ to the blender, then mixed it to perfection.

I'm happy to see her excited about all the possibilities cooking offers, and the fact that she ate several bites of the pad thai felt like significant progress from her usual fare of Morningstar chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and PB&J. Best of all, she actually wanted to do the dishes, so I gave her the soapy sponge and let her go to town.

Who am I to stand between a girl and a sink of dirty dishes?

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Gumbo a la Disney

Like most parents of four year old girls, I went out last week and picked up a copy of Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" for our little princess. I've lost count of how many times we've actually seen it since then, along with how many times we've read the book before bed. These repeat viewings and readings caused my daughter to suddenly become obsessed with the idea of making gumbo. It's all she's talked about in recent days and one night, unbeknownst to me, Clean Fresh Hubby told her we would make gumbo for dinner. So the next morning, she was on fire talking about gumbo, gumbo, gumbo and how daddy told her we'd make it.

Thank heavens for the Whole Foods recipe app on my iPhone! I did a quick search for "gumbo" and found a recipe for a vegetarian version. Off to Trader Joe's to pick up the necessary ingredients and we were set to make our own version of "The Princess and the Frog" Gumbo.

Here's the recipe I used as my starting point, with a few of our additions included:

Quick Vegetarian Gumbo

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 (16-ounce) package frozen bell pepper strips (I did not include these... personal preference)
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 to 1 tablespoon blackened cajun spice
1/2 pound vegetarian sausage links, Cajun or spicy variety, cut into 1-inch slices
3/4 cup rice (white or quick-cooking brown)
1 box (1 qt) creamy tomato soup
8 ounces frozen cut okra
Hot sauce to taste

Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot until warm. Add garlic and sauté briefly. Stir in peppers (if using). Cook another 4 minutes then add tomatoes, tomato soup, beans, seasoning and sausage. Bring to a boil and add rice. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add okra and simmer another 10 minutes or until rice is cooked. Serve with hot sauce on the side.



This turned out really good, though quite a bit spicier than I expected. When making it again, I would use less of the cajon seasoning (I used 1/2 T for this batch; would cut it to 1 tsp). I also used the Morningstar Hot and Zesty Sausage, so I would substitute plain Morningstar Sausage. The original recipe did not call for the box of soup, but it was very thick and my daughter wanted it to look "more like the movie gumbo," so thankfully, I had a box of soup on hand. I think the extra liquid helped the rice cook up and I liked the consistency the soup added. The biscuits are Alexia brand... this company makes some of the best frozen baked goods I've ever had and the biscuits were no exception! While not exactly "healthy," they are made with all natural ingredients and no trans fats, so not as bad as the ones you buy in the tube.

If you have a little princess in your house, this is a fun and easy recipe to make together (just go easy on the spice or your princess could be like mine and get upset that it is too spicy, refuse to eat it, and instead opt for a bowl of plain tomato soup!).

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The party dress

For her birthday, one of the things my parents got my daughter was a party dress. Black and white gingham with a big pink bow and layer upon layer of pink tulle underneath to give the skirt a full effect. When she opened it, I thought "cute, but really not practical." Then she opened the rest of her gifts where she received several cute ensembles perfect for school and play.

Fast forward three weeks and I am here to report that the birthday present that has gotten the most use is that black and white party dress. She wears the dress EVERYWHERE. To the grocery store. To a dive pizza place for dinner last weekend. To school. To the park. The dress has gotten some serious mileage. In fact, there have been several instances where I feel a bit sheepish about my own outfit when we're out in public. At Trader Joe's last week we looked a bit mismatched... an adorable four year old in her party dress, jewelry and sparkly shoes, and her mother, fresh from a workout, just running out for a few last minute groceries in her exercise attire!

We're into the sixth straight day of wearing nothing but that dress. My goal is to sneak it out of her room tonight so I can get it in the laundry before she wakes up in the morning (and fingers are crossed that it washes well... I can just see the tulle being a problem!).

I'm sure the fascination with the dress will pass and we'll be able to bust into some of the other cute outfits she received. But for now, if you see us out and about, I'm the gal standing behind the little girl in the party dress.

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Random food thoughts and another great recipe

Day 18 of the 21 day vegan challenge, so thought I'd just ramble a little about various food thoughts I've had over the past two and half weeks.

It has been very easy to give up the meat, particularly the prep and cooking of it. Prepping chicken has always grossed me out and I tend to worry about it being cooked long enough. So to eliminate it from the diet has been nice. Our dinners have been revolving around veggies and some sort of grain or bean, with some pretty tasty results. Clean Fresh Hubby didn't exactly signed up for this challenge with me, but he is eating the dinners I make, so that's encouraging. And he is making healthier choices at lunch, so maybe I'm rubbing off on him a little!

Dairy has been the harder of the two to eliminate completely from my diet. I've had a few slips (a slice or two of cheese pizza), but overall I'm doing good about not eating cheese. I've been limiting my coffee intake to one day over the weekend since I do like to drink it with cream. I have been able to substitute agave nectar in place of sugar with good results, so this morning I decided I would try adding vanilla almond milk to my coffee to see if I could get away with that. No luck. Didn't have the same consistency as cream, so it really did nothing in my coffee. So I will continue to just drink coffee over the weekend, with cream, and consider it a treat. If a little cream is the worst I do, that's not that bad!

For breakfast, I've been alternating between carrot juice on the days I don't have to work and fruit smoothies on the days we're scooting out the door to work and school. Lunch is typically a salad, leftovers from whatever we had for dinner the night before, or a veggie sandwich from Subway on days I work. Dinner has been the time to experiment with new recipes; I'm finding quite a few good ones in Alicia Silverstone's "The Kind Diet" book I've been reading.

Like this one, for pinto bean stew:

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups Imagine creamy tomato soup
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp dried basil (or 2 tsp fresh)
dash of dried oregano
dash of red pepper flakes
salt to taste

Combine the soup, 1 cup of water, soy sauce and oil in a large soup pot. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add the beans. When the liquid returns to a boil, reduce the heat and add the onion, garlic, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes. If the stew seems to thick, add more tomato soup or water. Place cover slightly askew over the pot and simmer 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt.



This was super easy to throw together and quite delicious. I served it with a salad made of watercress, beets and tomatoes drizzed with a little olive oil and lemon juice (decided I'm not a fan of watercress, so next time I'll just use mixed greens and I think it will be much tastier).

I'm experimenting with quinoa too with good results. I made my favorite dinner (angel hair with tomatoes and garlic) and substituted quinoa for the pasta. I made the sauce as usual, then added 1/2 cup of quinoa to the pan, covered it, and let it cook for 20 minutes. It was excellent!



So overall, it hasn't been too difficult to find tasty foods to eat in place of meat and made without dairy. My plan is to continue on with this even after the last day of the 21 day challenge, but not be so rigid that I can't enjoy a dinner out with friends or a little creamer in my coffee (or a cappucino here and there!).

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Wine Wednesday: Going organic... again

Friday night, Clean Fresh Hubby and I went to see a show in the city, one that was billed as BYOB (Bring Your Own Beverage). We had two bottles of red in our rack, so we packed them in a bag and were off. One was our old stand by (Layer Cake), the other was a new one I had picked up at Whole Foods, an organic, no sulfites added Cabernet.

Stellar Organics Cabernet Sauvignon



Compared to the other no sulfite wine I reviewed a few months ago (Our Daily Red), I quite preferred the Stellar Organics Cabernet. Very smooth, no obnoxious bite and it went down easy.

Since we also drank a bottle of regular, sulfite added wine beforehand, I can't speak to whether or not drinking the Stellar Organics would've prevented that foggy brain headache I usually wake up with. Guess I'll have to pick up another bottle and try drinking it on its own to see what happens. As it was, I did have that groggy feel in the middle of the night, likely caused by the amount of wine consumed that evening!

Anyway, if you're in the market for an organic wine with no added sulfites, I would recommend Stellar Organics. It cost about $11.99 for a bottle at Whole Foods.

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Keen on quinoa

I've seen quite a few recipes that use quinoa (pronouced "keen-wah"), so I decided to give it a try. Quinoa is very high in protein, which makes it a perfect addition to a veggie dish... this particular recipe from Whole Foods was not only a nice, balanced meal, but super easy to boot!

Zesty Quinoa with Broccoli and Cashews



Here is the recipe if you are intrigued enough to try it:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
Salt to taste
1 cup small broccoli florets
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup roasted cashew pieces
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Heat oil over medium heat in a medium pot. Add onions and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Stir in quinoa and salt. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Arrange broccoli on top of quinoa, cover and simmer for an additional 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and toss gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to plates and serve garnished with cashews and green onions.

Really, this was a very tasty dish. Quinoa seems to be something you could use in place of rice, so perhaps try substituting it here and there to up your protein.

In other news, Clean Fresh Hubby and I have a date tonight... dropping our daughter off at grandma's and heading to the city. We are going to eat dinner at an all-vegetarian restaurant, so I am excited to see what's on the menu. I'm even more excited that Clean Fresh Hubby has agreed to give it a whirl. He saw a picture of a "rib" sandwich on their website (made from seitan) and thought it actually looked good.

After dinner we're going to see a show that is BYOB, so I have a new bottle of wine to try this evening (Stellar Organics Cabernet) that I'll review this coming Wine Wednesday.

A weekend with good food and wine, doesn't get much better than that!

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Wine Wednesday: Partying with old favorites

This past Saturday, we celebrated our daughter's 4th birthday by hosting a big bash for family and friends - about 30 guests total. In years past, I've made a big dinner from scratch, but in the interest of my sanity, this year we decided to keep it simple and just order some pizzas (and because I couldn't just let it be, I did whip up some pasta, salad and appetizers... I have a problem, really, I do!).

As for beverages, we decided to keep that simple as well and go with our tried and true favorites: Layer Cake Shiraz and Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.



I've featured both of these wines as part of previous Wine Wednesdays, so I won't repeat what I said originally. I will just add that both were BIG hits with our family and friends. My sister, who is more of a foofy drink drinker, helped me plow through the Kim Crawford, while a girlfriend, who typically prefers a pinot noir, was quite taken with the Layer Cake Shiraz. And one of Clean Fresh Hubby's guy friends forsake beer in favor of the shiraz. How often does that happen?

Anyway, the party was a success thanks to good food, good friends and good wine. And if you haven't tried either of these wines yet, please do. You won't be disappointed!

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21 Day Vegan Kickstart - week 2

So last week I started the 21 day vegan kickstart. For the most part, I did pretty good all week. A minor slip up over the weekend, but we were celebrating our daughter's 4th birthday (which is today), so I had a piece of cheese pizza and some cake and ice cream. But no meat for the past week, so I count that as an accomplishment. Especially since Clean Fresh Hubby fried up some bacon for breakfast yesterday. It was killing me not to just reach over and break off a little piece to savor. But I was strong.

I think being a week in helped. Two days into this challenge, I was already figuring how I would live after this was over. Meat, no problem, I can give that up forever. But cheese and dairy? I told Clean Fresh Hubby I may have to cave on those.

But now, one week later, I'm feeling more resolved about the whole thing. I just started reading Alicia Silverstone's "The Kind Diet" and it is giving me the inspiration and motivation I need to continue on with this journey.

And I've found a few recipes that are so darn tasty I don't even miss the meat or cheese. Like this one:

Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic, Tomatoes and Basil

1/2 box of Barilla Plus angel hair (or you could use whole wheat, but I like the Barilla Plus because it has the added protein and tastes more like "normal" pasta)
1 can organic diced tomatoes
6 cloves minced garlic (we like a lot of garlic in our house, so adjust as necessary!)
4t olive oil
1 bunch fresh basil, diced (or 1t of dried basil)
salt to taste



I boil up the pasta first and then set it aside while I prepare the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and once hot, add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the can of diced tomatoes, stir and salt to taste. If you are using dried basil, I add that at this point as well (if you are using fresh basil, add it at the end). Once the tomato mixture is heated, add the pasta to the pan, stir and heat through.

Normally I would serve this with grated parmesan (which is how Clean Fresh Hubby enjoyed it last night), but honestly, it tastes just as good without the cheese, so I didn't feel like I was missing out. I made this pasta for our daughter's birthday party over the weekend and it was a hit with the family as well.



So I'm starting week 2 with a strong resolve to see this through. It's hard to be perfect, so I will not berate myself for little slipups along the way. I figure it is the end result that is important and if it means I feel better and am healthier, than that is what really counts.

And did I mention I lost two pounds last week? Woo hoo! Just an added bonus!

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A tale of two corns

Laying in bed this morning with my daughter, I told her we had a busy day ahead of us. Her birthday party with the family is tomorrow, so I was telling her how we needed to get the house cleaned up, go to the grocery store, go get cake decorations and make a stop at Costco. I started pulling together a grocery list and asked her if there was anything else we needed. She said:

Daughter: I want popcorn. The kind in a red box.

(pause)

Daughter: With the guy on the front.

(pause)

Daughter, singing: Ya know, the popcorn guy.

Even at age four, brand loyalty appears to have kicked in. Obviously she has not been loving the organic microwave popcorn I've been buying as much as loves Mr. Redenbacher! I guess you can't win 'em all!

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Tacos without meat and cheese?

Yes, it can be done! And quite tastily too!

I found this recipe online quite awhile ago, but never had a reason to try it, since before this vegan challenge, I would load my taco with shredded chicken or whatever other meat was prepared.

So last night, I decided to give this recipe a try:

Lentil Taco "Meat"
3/4 cup of lentils (rinsed)
1/2 medium onion diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of taco seasoning
2 teaspoons of cumin
4 cups of water

Saute garlic and onion in a little olive oil. Add lentils and seasonings, stir. Add water simmer until lentils are tender (adding more water as needed) about 30-40 minutes. Serve in a tortilla with your favorite toppings. Serves 6+.



It smelled divine while simmering on the stove for the 40 minutes. Once cooked, I mashed it up a bit just to give it a more refried bean texture. Then I fried up some corn tortillas (I figured if I was going to eat a taco without cheese, then doggone it, I could enjoy a fried shell at least!). Sprinkled the shells with a little garlic salt, then loaded them up with the lentils, some lettuce, olives and salsa. All in all, not too bad! Even Clean Fresh Hubby ate them without complaint, saying the flavor was good. He's a tough cookie to pass vegan foods off too, so I took that as high praise coming from him!

So if you're looking for a way to do Mexican food a little healthier, give these a try!

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21 Day Vegan Kickstart - Day 1

Today is day 1 in the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart challenge sponsored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. And because I love a challenge, I decided to give it a go.

So...

Good bye cheese. Good bye meat. Good bye coffee creamer (which I guess means good bye coffee since I'm not sure I can drink it without my beloved creamer). Good bye eggs. Good bye processed foods, white flour and white sugar.

Basically, good bye to all that is good and holy in my life.

Alright, I'm being a bit melodramatic, but that didn't stop me from gorging on this yesterday as sort of a last supper:



Lou Malnati's thin crust cheese pizza. Sigh.

This morning, I purged the refrigerator and pantry of temptations (bye 1/2 eaten Ghiradelli chocolate bar, bye Oreos, bye Hint of Lime tostitos). And then I broke out my juicer, which hasn't seen much action in the past, oh, six years or so.



Back when Clean Fresh Hubby and I were engaged (about 11 years ago), I was completely vegan. I made fresh carrot juice two times a day. Fruits, vegetables and grains made up the bulk of my diet. Then we got married and over time, I started introducing various foods back into my diet. I discovered a love of cheese I never knew existed. And from then on, all bets were off. And over the past six years, I have gained about 30 pounds as a result. Now no one would look at me and say I'm overweight, but more of what I'd call "skinny fat." And no matter how much exercise I do, I seem to plateau and am unable to lose the last 15 pounds I need to shed.

So here I am, attempting to get back on the vegan bandwagon, at least for the next three weeks. I can handle 21 days. And, combined with my current exercise regime, if I can start seeing some movement on the scale, then perhaps I'll extend it another 21 days. We'll see what happens.

If you're interested in learning more about the kickstart and want to join me on this crazy adventure, check out the Web site. I'm going to try to post daily on this challenge and will be sure to include any recipes, products and tips that help lessen the pain of a cheese-free existence!

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L'amour for Flor

I got an email from Flor today and instantly fell in love with their newest pattern:


Ooohh, paisley!

My brain is turning trying to figure out where I can incorporate that into our house. The master bathroom? A new runner for the front hall? That's about all I can come up with since we have used Flor carpet tiles in several rooms already...

In the kitchen:



In my daughter's bathroom:



And last year, we used Flor tiles to completely cover up the ugly tile floor in Clean Fresh Hubby's music studio:


(I am not accountable for the state of this room... I was just thankful to actually be able to SEE the floor in order to get a picture of it!)

What I love about the Flor product is how easy they are to maintain. Stains clean up super easy (given I have cream tiles in the kitchen by the sink and they still look decent, even after two years, is a big testament to their durability!). They are easy to vacuum. And in the case of the studio project, they are super easy to install. I covered that entire floor myself in about two hours.

Best of all, they are made from recycled materials and if you get tired of them or want to mix it up a bit, you can send the tiles back to Flor for recycling. Great design and eco-friendly to boot... it doesn't get much better than that!

If you want to drool over the gazillion patterns available, check out the Flor Web site.

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Wine Wednesday: Layer Cake Shiraz

I was a bad girl this weekend. Too much alcohol, too many bad-for-me foods, too many late nights.

It started Thursday night, when some girlfriends and I met up for a much-needed Girls Night Out. We hadn't gotten together in awhile, so there was a lot for us to catch up on. About three margaritas and a beer's worth of catching up. Probably didn't get to bed till midnight, only to be awakened by my daughter at 6 a.m. Cost for this evening: a raging headache and case of heartburn from too many margaritas.

Friday night hubby and I parked it on the couch, ordered Thai food and watched "Couples Retreat." I had very low expectations for this movie, so was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be decent. One particular scene actually had us both in tears it was so funny! Still recovering from my Thursday night, I konked out right after the movie.

Saturday night was dinner at our friends' house. I alone consumed a beer, almost an entire bottle of wine and two chocolate martinis. Dinner was a recipe out of the Paula Deen cookbook, so I don't even need to go into any other detail as the woman isn't known for her health food! Left their house around 11 p.m., drunk as a skunk. Cost for this evening: another splitting headache and an even worse case of heartburn thanks to the booze and rich foods.

Pretty worthless all day Sunday, as one might expect. Which pisses me off since I did it to myself. I'm getting too old to suffer a hangover, especially when I have a toddler that does not relent, even when mommy's head feels like it might explode.

Needless to say, I have been back on track this week. But I would remiss if I didn’t talk about one of the wines I enjoyed over the weekend. I mean heck, if it was good enough to down a bottle, it has to be good, right?

Layer Cake Shiraz



My apologies that I don’t have a personal picture – since we were at friend’s house, I felt a little weird whipping out the camera so I could have documentation for my blog. But let me just say, this wine was phenomenal! Very rich, very smooth, it went down (a little too) easy.

This particular wine is from Australia, so given how much I enjoyed it and how much I have been enjoying my New Zealand varietals, I think I might have a new favorite region for wine producers. This area is definitely on my radar now when I’m in the wine department shopping!

Cost was about $17.99 for a bottle and worth every penny. And with such a cute label, this would also be a great wine to bring to a party or give as a hostess gift.

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Success!

Many thanks to Veronica at Another Suburban Mom for sending me a different recipe to try in my quest for the perfect candied pecan. Today's nuts taste worlds better than the ones I made earlier this week!

They look better too. See:



Of course, I made a full batch. The picture above is my afternoon snack... yum! These are by no means healthy, but I figure if putting them on a salad helps me to enjoy greens that much more, than they are worth the few extra calories!

Here's the recipe I used:

1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 pound pecan halves
1 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1.Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Grease one baking sheet.

2.In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, salt, and cinnamon.

3.Add pecans to egg whites, stir to coat the nuts evenly. Remove the nuts, and toss them in the sugar mixture until coated. Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet.

4.Bake at 250 degrees F for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes.

I recommend letting them cool a bit before popping one in your mouth. Someone was a bit overexcited to try them and scalded the roof of her mouth. It was worth it though!

Enjoy!

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Various ramblings on a Friday

My daughter has a friend from school over today and the distraction has been heaven. I now understand why my friends are always so eager to invite my daughter over for play dates… it is amazing how much you get done when there isn’t a toddler pulling on your leg! I’ve gotten the entire house cleaned (bathrooms included) with absolutely no interruption, and now I actually have time to sit down at the computer and do a little work and web surfing. I told Clean Fresh Hubby to forget having a baby; I think we just need to adopt another four-year-old girl!

We are in dire of need of groceries, so pulling together lunch for the girls (one that I wouldn’t cringe about if the other little girl told her mom what she ate!) was tough. Thankfully there was a box of mac and cheese lurking in the back of the pantry. And for dessert, a couple of Thin Mint cookies that hubby hid in the freezer. My daughter of course wolfed these right down; the other girl didn’t like them, so I had to eat them for her. Darn! One lone applesauce in the fridge was a welcome substitute treat for her, so everyone is back upstairs playing happily.

Time now to make a grocery list and start thinking about my daughter’s fourth birthday party, which is fast approaching. I’m usually more on the ball about parties; for some reason this year, it has snuck up on me!

Her party is in two weeks and no invitations have gone out, no gifts bought, no planning done. We keep it to a family party, so at least I won’t be monkeying with goody bags, games and all that, but this year, the invite list has grown now that my family from Ohio will be making the trek over. That adds four people, plus we’ve invited some close friends as well, so I’m looking at dinner for 30 people. Yikes!

Usually I make all the food from scratch (last year was lasagna and homemade pizzas). But this year, I think I’m gonna have to phone it in and order pizzas or some other sort of takeout. I’m not sure my tiny kitchen (or me) can pull off a large-scale dinner party this year. Caving to takeout goes against the grain of me, but I’m woman enough to admit defeat!

Next weekend we will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary, then her party is the following weekend, which means this weekend is my time to get all the party planning logistics figured out and under way. Wish me luck!

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Awww, nuts!

I am totally addicted to these:



Love, love, love them on a salad, but I have found myself dipping into the bag for an afternoon snack as well. And at $3.99 a bag, they're a little pricey considering the amount you get, so I am on a mission to recreate their yumminess at home.

First off, I bought an 8-lb bag of pecan halves at Costco for about $7.50. Already loving the cost savings! Then a quick internet search trying to find a decent sounding recipe for candy-coated nuts.

Found a recipe that seemed simple enough, so I decided to give it a go.

Basically, all it involved was combining a cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 teaspoon of milk and one teaspoon cinnamon in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, then remove from heat and add in one teaspoon vanilla extract and two cups of pecans.

I followed the directions and layed the finished product out on a sheet of wax paper to cool. I sprinkled a little kosher salt on one half just to experiment, since I do love me some salty and sweet...



Once cooled, I did the taste test. No good, dang it! The flavor was good, but the nuts were still chewy. Trader Joe's nuts (hee, hee!) are crispy. So I decided to throw them in the oven for a few minutes to see if I could toast them. Bad idea!

Now I have a big block of nuts, all glued together by the sugar. And while they are a little crispier, they are still not what I was hoping for.



So back to the drawing board on this one. If anyone has a tried and true recipe for candied nuts, I'd sure love to hear it. In the meantime, I will continue to pay my $3.99 for a bag of tasty nuts!

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Wine Wednesday: Monogamy is bad

Shopping at Target last week, I noticed this wine near the Valentine's display:



Okay, so I'm a sucker for a cute label and an obvious marketing ploy. And speaking of things that suck... wow, this wine.

I'm not dissing "monogamy" the concept, but let me tell you, Monogamy the wine? Awful. Seriously, stay away from Monogamy. It is bad.

I've got my eye out at the liquor store for a bottle of Polygamy. I'll keep you posted.

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Super easy dinner

Tonight was one of those nights where a salad just wasn't going to cut it for dinner. I needed something along the lines of, well, junk. After all, a girl can't exist on healthy food alone, right? Right?

Trader Joe's to the rescue. While shopping there last week, they did a demo of a quick and easy Enchilada Bake, so I pulled out the recipe card and decided to give it a whirl.

I believe it took me all of five minutes to throw this dinner together. Served up with some tortilla chips and it totally satisfied my need for some bad girl food. Ooey gooey and mexican. Doesn't get much better than that.



Basically, all you do is heat up a jar of enchilada sauce, mix in a can of white chicken chunks (break them up with a spoon), and a can of sliced olives. Heat this up and once bubbling, add in half a bag of tortilla chips. Break up the chips with your spoon and stir them into the enchilada sauce mix. Once everything is coated, top it with several handfuls of cheddar cheese, then cover the pan to allow the cheese to melt and the chips to soften (about three minutes).

Done.

I served it up with some tortilla chips on the side to give it some crunch. I think next time I might add in a can of Rotel tomatoes, but other than that, this was a super quick and easy dinner with ingredients I already had on hand. Gotta love that!

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Diet? What diet?

Clean Fresh Hubby took the day off of work today so that he could spend some quality time with our little peanut. After he made breakfast this morning (I could soooo get used to that!), they took off to visit his grandmother, then went shopping for Valentine's Day. She was appropriately spoiled with a trip to Disney Store, while I was appropriately spoiled with this:



Godiva.

Yes, the presentation is impressive, but what's inside the box is even better:



That little bag behind the box? Chocolate-covered strawberries. My absolute favorite. I would've taken a picture of them, but there was only one left. I was busy this afternoon (smile!).

All diets are off when it comes to chocolate.

Happy early Valentine's Day!

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Not feeling the love

I spent last night frantically assembling a slew of valentines for my daughter to bring to her class party today. My daughter cannot write her name yet, so I had to sign each one, insert the little tattoo into the ridiculously small slots on each card, and then seal them with the heart stickers provided.

And the whole time I was doing this, I wondered: when did Valentine’s Day become such a big deal for the four and under crowd?

* Here’s where I need to interject before continuing on with this post. I am participating in the “Thanks, Not Cranks” challenge (which you can read about on Another Suburban Mom’s blog). I’ve done fairly well, but will blow all progress with the rest of this post. You’ve been warned. Major crank fest will now continue…

In no particular order, here are my other beefs:

• While perusing the myriad of valentine card choices at Target, I noticed that they come in boxes of 16 or 32. I needed 20. And of course, my daughter chose a pattern that only came in a box of 16, which meant I had to buy two boxes. What a racket, Disney!

• My daughter was so excited with her “Wizards of Waverly Place” valentines, believing they were all for her. So trying to explain to her that “no, these are for your kids at school” just about sent her over the edge. Note to self: work on concepts of sharing, giving, etc.

• Walking into school today, her eyes grew huge, while my heart sank. What kid wouldn’t be excited to see a spread of cupcakes, cookies, candy and fruit punch? And what mom isn’t thinking about the price that will be paid for such an incredible sugar high? Can I pick her up after she’s crashed?

I’m sure she’ll have a blast at the party this afternoon. And I’m sure for the teachers, having a Valentine’s Day party helps break up the monotony of a regular school day. But other than all the sweets, my daughter could care less about the valentine cards, didn’t quite understand the concept of why we were doing this, and doesn’t want to give away “her” cards.

Perhaps age four is a little too young to introduce all the nuances of Valentine’s Day?

My last gripe and then I’m done, I promise.

I remember being in grade school and handing out valentines. Back in those days, we didn’t just sign our name on the “from” line and give one to every person in the class. Oh no. We gave valentines to the kids we wanted to give valentines to. So there was always that slight feeling of anticipation mixed with dread to see how many cards would end up in your box. With that aspect eliminated by giving one to everybody in the class, what is the point of handing the cards out in the first place?

So there are my cranks for the day. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for a holiday celebrating romance, and I plan to do it up right with Clean Fresh Hubby. Because I love him. And isn’t that the whole point behind this holiday?

I will now switch my “Cranks, Not Thanks” bracelet to the other wrist and begin again.

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Wine Wednesday: Meet my friend, Kim

Up until recently (this summer to be exact), I have been a strict red wine drinker. Since the only white I had ever tried was a chardonnay, I believed I did not like any white wine (I know, a terrible over generalization!).

Then last June, we went to a BBQ at a friend's house and I was introduced to my new love, Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.



Oh my god.

This wine has the best grapefruit undertone, is so refreshing and goes down a little too smoothly. Seriously. I was hooked immediately and was happy to find it at my local Costco for a reasonable $12.99 per bottle (at the grocery store, this bad boy runs at $19.99).

Perhaps I would be better off if it was a little more pricey. Then I wouldn't go through it like it was water. And that is my problem. This stuff goes down so easily that I can plow through a bottle like it is no one's business. I've actually had to wean myself off of it (this wine was the reason why I established my New Year's resolution of no more drinking during the week!).

I'm better now... when at Costco, I limit myself to buying one bottle at a time (previously, I'd walk out with at least three). And I limit myself to two glasses in one sitting. I know, ridiculous, but try it. I guarantee you'll be hooked as well.

And then you'll want to join me in my 12-step Kim Crawford recovery program!

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