Chocolate Chip Cookies - Updated

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Updated

August 29, 2017

I can't help myself, I think I learned it from following Ree Drummond's blog for 100 years. If I have the chance to reshoot a recipe, or improve it I like to do so. This recipe included.

Even though the cookies came on the blog after I got my big girl camera I still had some practice to do to get a shot I liked. I'm still not an overly staged blogger. I actually feel wasteful to toss chocolate chips across the counter. What I want to share with my readers/friends is what the food looks like before we dig into it. Real life. No fake lighting, not magazine worthy, just good food.

There's just nothing quite like a nice chewy chocolate chip cookie. Sometimes I want to venture into the crazy flavors, but taste and texture wise, I always want the comfort of chocolate and chewy texture of a chocolate chip cookie. 

No cake like fluffy cookies for me. 

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Meal Pinning Monday

Meal Pinning Monday

August 28, 2017

Thanks to Harvey this now makes week 2 of not working on a Monday. I'm starting to suspect that after Labor Day week I won't be sure how to handle myself with an entire week of school. 

In other news, we have a gas stove and all the meals this week are "no electricity" friendly. Especially after yesterday and the 4 hours stint of no power due to a fallen tree combined with constant tornado warnings. I'd like to also point out here that I clearly lived in North Louisiana far too many year, you won't catch me hunkered down in a tub until I can see or hear the dang tornado. Any one else? 

[What is Meal Pinning Monday?]

MPM is how I meal plan for our little family. I once spent a lot of time searching the web and my recipe books hunting for new recipes and ideas for what to cook every week. Then, Pinterest came along and made meal planning much easier for me. Every weekend I look over what I have pinned the prior week and decide what I would like to cook and make my grocery list from these recipes. MPM came about as a way to share what I am cooking, and to also see what others are cooking every week to hopefully get even more dinner ideas from other bloggers. If you don't pin your recipes feel free to just share what you are cooking.

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A Weekly Recap Turned Food Post

A Weekly Recap Turned Food Post

August 26, 2017

Please tell them there is someone out there who suffers from the same thing I do. That suffering thing being food. I started this post with the intent to share the week and quickly realized this is a food post. Food I've purchased, all food I've eaten, food I've already posted about on Meal Pinning Monday. 

My drive in life is quite clear. 

Eating. 

In the name of food, I finally got my hands on the French Style Oui Yogurt. It's heavenly. I love the texture. 

They could have also of repackaged the regular stuff and placed it in a glass jar and I can't tell the difference because I'm blinded by the jar. 

My husbands response, "Did that cost 3 times as much because of the jar?" My response, "No. It was very reasonable." 

Truth... Um kinda? But it tastes amazing and I feel European, so leave me alone. 

Snowballs, because I haven't taken a ton of non-food-related-photos recently and everyone needs a splurge day. This was stuffed with ice cream. I later had fried chicken and enough banana pudding to make Jenny Craig cry later at the church potluck. 

Again, food. 

I have a cheese issue. Keto supports that lifestyle. All in the name of low carb right? I'd eat that potato, but cheese. I also prefer varieties of English Cheddar. My adventure lies solely in my unrealistic dream to live on a farm in the Cotswolds. Dang you Ruth Goodman and all those "insert British period here" farm series. I can't realistically live my life wanting to live without electricity and make cheese and have a sheep or two. 

Don't be surprised... food. 

Run to the Meal Pinning Monday post from, well, Monday and get yo' self that recipe for Keto biscuits. It's just Fat Head dough, but it's good. 

Not to be confused by thinking I had thoughts that centered around something else, I bring you Wednesday's recipe to remind you that Avocado is amazing and can be breakfast. It's also high in folate and would make your OBGYN a happy lady. 

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Avocado Breakfast Pudding

Avocado Breakfast Pudding

August 23, 2017

Today's recipe has been a favorite breakfast for about a month for 2 main reasons. 

1. Avocados are high in folate... and prenatal vitamins have folic acid. Folate being better absorbed and used by the body. No I'm not pregnant, but Harry is nearly 3. 

2. It fits the Keto diet well, it's also Paleo or Primal. Technically it's Vegetarian if you're into that sort of thing. 

The green and fact that this is avocado can be off putting at first. In my search for other ways to eat avocado I got desperate. 

However the finished product is a cool creamy slightly sweet pudding textured something that fits my beloved Keto/Low Carb High Fat macros just dandy. 

<h2>Avocado Breakfast Pudding</h2>

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 whole avocado, peeled

1/4 of unsweetened vanilla cashew milk (or other milk preference)

2 tbsp coconut milk (I use So Delicious Culinary Coconut Milk)

1 tsp creamy honey (or regular honey or whatever sweetener you want)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a bowl or large cup and puree with an immersion blender until fluffy. You could also use a blender or food processor. 

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Meal Pinning Monday

Meal Pinning Monday

August 21, 2017

This week is starting off with the most Friday of Monday's you could imagine.

The school's transformer blew up, like on fire, killed power to the school.... and hence we are cancelled today. It'll be up and running tomorrow.

Pro: unexpected personal day sans child.

Con: having to makeup an entire day of teaching and rework this week's already crazy classroom schedule.

Pro: I still get to eat meals.

[What is Meal Pinning Monday?]

MPM is how I meal plan for our little family. I once spent a lot of time searching the web and my recipe books hunting for new recipes and ideas for what to cook every week. Then, Pinterest came along and made meal planning much easier for me. Every weekend I look over what I have pinned the prior week and decide what I would like to cook and make my grocery list from these recipes. MPM came about as a way to share what I am cooking, and to also see what others are cooking every week to hopefully get even more dinner ideas from other bloggers. If you don't pin your recipes feel free to just share what you are cooking.

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Updated Night Time Routine

Updated Night Time Routine

August 17, 2017

Back in October I shared my nighttime beauty routine, but a lot has changed since then.

So update time it is.

Below the video is a list of the products I use & the link to them on Amazon. Just FYI, I don't have affiliate links and this isn't sponsored. I just love these brands that much.



I realized at the end I said "ask on Amazon" clearly I meant "ask on YouTube." My brain is running on low.

Products mentioned:

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
CeraVe Eye Repair Cream
Teddie Organics Rosehip Oil
Asterwood Naturals Matrixyl 3000 (or look on The Ordinary, they have a great one)
Vitamin E Oil
Clindamycin
Castor Oil
Hell-Pore Clean Up Mask (like it says... black head & dead skin removing)
Kangsipack (Anti-aging)
Collagen Jella Pack (Sleep Mask)
Dermaroller

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Food Network Star S13 Ep 11 Recap - The Finale

Food Network Star S13 Ep 11 Recap - The Finale

August 14, 2017

I wish I could say I was surprised last night.

The only thing that surprised me was the lame finale that Food Network put together.

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Meal Pinning Monday

Meal Pinning Monday

August 13, 2017

You could call the theme of this weekend's eating as "well that's not what I intended."

It started out with the Cordon Blue Chicken Casserole. I was thinking it had a good taste (keep in mind texture doesn't bother me), when all of the sudden Jeremy said "I can't take the texture of this I'm about to throw up."

That went well.

Then I attempted to make a keto version of English Cream & Berries... forgetting that Jeremy has Jello texture issues... guess who didn't eat it all.

I really should start making a list of what he doesn't like.

We have very different tastes and I often neglect to retain information. It doesn't work well.

[What is Meal Pinning Monday?]

MPM is how I meal plan for our little family. I once spent a lot of time searching the web and my recipe books hunting for new recipes and ideas for what to cook every week. Then, Pinterest came along and made meal planning much easier for me. Every weekend I look over what I have pinned the prior week and decide what I would like to cook and make my grocery list from these recipes. MPM came about as a way to share what I am cooking, and to also see what others are cooking every week to hopefully get even more dinner ideas from other bloggers. If you don't pin your recipes feel free to just share what you are cooking.

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FIVE ON FRIDAY

FIVE ON FRIDAY

August 11, 2017

Happy New Year... oh wait it's just the teacher new year.

It's like Chinese New Year but for educators this month.

So first up...

[ONE]

Im back on another episode at The Mommy Project, talking my usual nonsense mixed into the actual topic. You might hear a touch of me jabbering about how I read somewhere that high fat diets & being over 30 produces twins and how I'm making attempts at getting a 3rd kid through butter.

I'm weird. I know.

Check out Episode 54 over at The Mommy Project and see what else I managed to talk nonsense about sprinkled into the actual topic of Back to School... because I never stay on topic.

[TWO]

 Some silly person likes to copy me. He also likes to pretend to tell me what to do. I say pretend because we all know I'm not doing anything he says... mainly because it isn't in English. 

[THREE] 

I laughed at this like a crazy woman through an entire lunch period. Then I randomly laughed at it in my head the rest of the day. 

[FOUR]

Jeremy hunted down a frog yesterday so that Harrison could see it. He wouldn't actually touch it. 

[FIVE]

To show you the extent to which I have not taken pictures lately, Jeremy came into the house yesterday with this on his back. 

Ladybugs doing inappropriate things. 

That's how dull life has been. 

Let's just call that a plus. Dull is always welcome. 

It's not like you want photos of me working out, or of the garden I pulled everything living thing out of because I hate summer. 

I did order some new jeans and the Teddie Rosehip oil though, I'll share about that when in ships in 4-400 weeks. 

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Food Network Star S13 Ep 10 Recap - Final 3

Food Network Star S13 Ep 10 Recap - Final 3

August 7, 2017

Last night the Food Network Star gods smiled down upon the Twitter dreams and prayers and Matthew was finally sent home. 

Yes I know people liked him, but there were also people who didn't. 

I fall in the didn't category.

Don't get me wrong, he was passionate and could cook. He just wasn't someone I would want to watch. No harm, no foul. Just my personal taste.

Cory, however, as I totally suspected, came back to the show from Star Salvation.

Unless the final deal was totally botched he could out cook Amy & David easily. Not that they aren't good. He is just has the experience of cooking in a restaurant and playing with food all day long. He's creative with food on a level that most people who didn't go to culinary food aren't at.

So anyway, Matthew out, Cory in.

The final 3 were all given pilots with Guy. I hate that this is the direction it's gone. I'd much prefer to see them get their own show and do a demo down that route.

They were all super nervous by this point, but Guy did a great job helping calm them into a state of Pilot that wouldn't eliminate all three.

Rusty was at MaGee's pretending to be Guy. He did exactly what I would do and called it Maggie's. Familiarity breeds mispronunciation. He's been there a bunch and supposedly never said it right.

There's a place here I continually call the wrong name... Pouparts. I can't say it the way I should... Pooparts. I just can't say Poo in a restaurant name.

Cory was at a Mexican place. He too was nervous and then calmed by a call to his bestie by Guy.

Come to think of it I don't recall Jason getting to phone a friend.

Jason did his faux pilot at a French restaurant. He was told to not say honey so much.

I would have been more excited about this episode had they filmed a cooking show pilot. The new hosting pilot deal isn't my jam.

Anyone else suffer from sick of seeing people eat at restaurants? 

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Meal Pinning Monday

Meal Pinning Monday

August 6, 2017

First full week of school.

That means only two months until full blown winter and fall.

And yes, I'm looking ahead.

[What is Meal Pinning Monday?]

MPM is how I meal plan for our little family. I once spent a lot of time searching the web and my recipe books hunting for new recipes and ideas for what to cook every week. Then, Pinterest came along and made meal planning much easier for me. Every weekend I look over what I have pinned the prior week and decide what I would like to cook and make my grocery list from these recipes. MPM came about as a way to share what I am cooking, and to also see what others are cooking every week to hopefully get even more dinner ideas from other bloggers. If you don't pin your recipes feel free to just share what you are cooking.

Monday - Bacon & Eggs

Tuesday - Layered Taco Salad (made Keto)

Wednesday - Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole with Roasted Broccoli

Thursday - leftovers

Friday - Chicken Nuggets & Fries

Saturday - Pork Carnitas

Sunday - leftovers

Breakfast - Berries & Cottage Cheese 

Lunch - Burger Bowl

Fat Bomb - 

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