Month: January 2017

That Road Less Traveled

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Sometimes the road less traveled can lead to beautiful things, in this case… seeing the beauty of nature on what otherwise would have been a typical trip to a nearby city was my great reward.  I am so glad I made that unexpected turn  A gorgeous glimpse of our lake, here in Eastern Riverside County I think I shall make a habit of this road less traveled.  Beauty afar, beauty, beauty everywhere.  Sometimes you don’t have to go far to feel like you’ve been somewhere special, sometimes, it’s in your own backyard. Such gorgeous everyday beauty in our world.  I invite you to take a road less traveled. You might be in for quite the treat.  I’m so thankful for that unexpected (unplanned) turn…     May you, in life, take a few amazing turns too.                                                                        g. 

Motivation Monday

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Be inspired…  This goes for most things, right? Fitness, weight goals, finances, relationships, travel goals, etc…  I say if your desire to achieve a goal is strong, seeing or feeling day by day progress goes a long way.  I find this for myself,  In fitness… Monday through Friday workouts, whether it’s a yoga practice session or a light weights workout, these workouts make me feel good and I’d like to think make me look a little better/more fit I mean, too. If your schedule is tight consider starting with 2/3 days of a fitness routine, starting might be your first step and that’s huge and good. Keeping up with my routine (a workout of some sort every weekday) I’m able to see bigger results as time goes on. The fact that I keep to this routine for the most part, of course (there are some days when I am just not feeling it due to pain issues, or because of other obligations and I just can’t get to it)  is motivating in of itself. On …

Roasted Rosemary Red Potatoes 

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A few good things can make for a good thing. I had some red potatoes to use up, decided to make Rosemary Red Potatoes to co-star with my seared sirloin dinner this evening.  This time I went to my front yard potted rosemary for help. I’m lucky, this is one of just a few things that grow well all year here in my neck of the woods and I just love the flavor it can add to certain dishes. These red potatoes will be delish with the addition of rosemary, I’m sure of it.  I trimmed off just one med size sprig today. I removed the green just by kind of pulling down at the main spring (the woodsy part) and then I chopped the rosemary up very small. This tablespoon of minced rosemary will add tons of delicious flavor to the potatoes.  All tossed up!  Ingredients… 6-8 red potatoes 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon minced rosemary  1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder Process… Preheat oven to …

A Fine Fried Rice w/Chicken 

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Hey all, happy Sunday. It’s been a rather busy news weekend with all the whoop la about the new president, pro and against.  I’ve decided, I will just take it all in and enjoy the the never ending debate.  How else to take in a lovely rainy debatable 😉 day than to cook a fine meal.  Here’s my recipe for a delicious fried rice. I invite you to make it your own, sans meat, with pork or without, maybe ground turkey, add in more vegi’s to your taste, whatever you decide.  This is a great base recipe, may it inspire your own perfect take on fried rice.  I happened to have a few of Chinese take out containers. I purchased them some time back at a Smart and Final, they are fun to serve in.  and so it begins…  The eggs just take a minute or two, take them off the heat when they are done.  I browned the chiles next, watch them closely as they can burn easily.  And here you go… This is …

Vanilla Crepes w/Fresh Fruit Medley and Cream… (Whipped That Is) 

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It’s my husband’s birthday 🎈, what better way to help him start his special day.  💙 A delish and special breakfast it is… I just made the batter ahead in order to let it rest, according to Alton Brown who’s recipe I tweaked a tad… this will keep the Crepes from tearing easily. Here I sit… giving at least one hour time for the bubbles in the batter to go down. This batter can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, love that. I’m hosting a sisters (I have 4💖) slumber party in the next few months, this recipe will definitely be on my planning list.  I’m waiting for the birthday boy to awaken into his special day. Here’s the crepe recipe link, the only change I made was to add 1/4 tsp of real vanilla extract, it gives the crepes a subtle flavor of vanilla, they are delish.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/crepes-recipe.html For the finished crepes, fruit… Chop up 2/3 cups of assorted fruit To the fruit add a sweetener of …

Parmesan Chive Crusted Salmon

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I’ve been craving salmon lately. Last time I was at the grocery store I decided to pick some up. I so wanted to make the salmon extra tasty (salmon is tasty on it’s own, but I wanted to do something special with it today) while still keeping it healthy. I searched the internet for ideas and came up with this… my very own take. I hope you’ll try it and let me know how you like it. Ingredients… 4 pieces of salmon 2 Tablespoons mayo 2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt 1/2 tsp soy sauce 1/8 tsp garlic powder 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese Pepper to taste 2 Tablespoons chopped chives Process… Preheat oven to 450 Lightly oil a baking pan Rinse and pat dry the salmon, remove skin if you like Combine all other ingredients Top each Salmon piece with 1 tablespoon of the mixture Place the salmon pieces in the pan Bake for 10 – 12 minutes on the top shelf of your oven, this allows the top to brown a bit. I cooked …

Healthy Chicken and Rice Soup 

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Here’s a simply recipe for chicken and rice soup that is both healthy and delish.  This is really good with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.  Ingredients… 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 1 tsp salt  2 cups chopped carrots 1 cup chopped celery 2 garlic cloves, minced 8 cups chicken broth (by all means use low sodium chicken broth if you are watching your salt intake)  1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/8 tsp pepper 1/2 cup white rice, uncooked 2 cups chopped cooked chicken (here I used left over chicken I had on hand that I baked then froze in meal/recipe size portions, see previous recipe post)  1/2 cup non fat yogurt  lime for garnish, optional Process… Heat olive oil to med high in a stock pot Add in the onions and salt Cook the onions till translucent Add in the carrots and celery, continue cooking over med high heat another 10 minutes or so, mixing from time to time Add in the garlic, cook an additional 5 minutes, mixing often   …

Oven Baked Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken

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I love a good bargain so when whole chickens go on sale, I usually buy a few. I had this guy in my freezer just waiting to be cooked up.  I’ve got this fresh thyme growing on my kitchen window, it’s doing great indoors during this cold spell. Some springs of this will add a yummy layer of flavor to the chicken.  Here’s that rosemary again, it never stops giving.  I love cooking, it relaxes me, for the most part. Here… a wee bit of cooking while enjoying a warm and cozy day inside. Using the oven on a cold day sure helps to heat the house up too, win, win.  The rosemary from my backyard herb garden area. Nothing like fresh herbs if they are available, if not, I love using dry too.  We will probably snack on this today then I will chop it up and save some in meal size portions for later in the week.  Ingredients… 1 whole chicken (rinsed and giblets removed) 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp …

The Taco Chicken Chile

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Taco Chicken Chile It’s been chilly here in So Cal (of course I mean only So Cal cold, lol) I got the idea to make this to kinda help combat the cold. I had some left over cooked chicken to use up. I came up with this very tasty  version of chile using ingredients I had on hand. Our housemates are gone and I’m slowly getting my kitchen all stocked up again. Here’s the ‘taco’ part. I purchased this at Smart and Final. With spices and spice mixes I use a lot I like to buy in larger quantities, doing this saves a lot o money over time. Here are some of the other ingredients I used. I think you are really going to like my tasty Taco Chicken Chile. Ingredients… 1 cup chopped onion 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tsp salt 3 cloves garlic, minced 6 cups chicken broth 1 can petite tomatoes (juices included) 1 packet Chile mix 2 tablespoons taco seasoning 1 tsp oregano 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 3 cups cooked chicken, …