Give Thanks to Those Who Deserve It

CarrieLeave a comment

Happy early Thanksgiving everyone! I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on my life and all the blessings I have been given. I am always grateful for my wonderful friends and my loving family. This Thanksgiving I am especially grateful for the gift of life. With my grandmother passing on in the spring and my friend’s sister passing on last month, I realize that I am appreciative of the life I have been granted.

In the words of my dear friend, I am only a visitor on this earth. I am not sure how much time I have in this world so I have to make the most of it. I am no longer going to take life for granted. I am going to take advantage of every opportunity I have in this life and create moments that will only make my life better. There is no need to hang on to something or someone that I know is poisoning my life. I am going to use this holiday season as a time to put the final touches on my present life and allow myself to start on a fresh canvas in the new year.

Maybe you might want to give it a try too;) You never know what the outcome may be.

Pumpkin + Protein = Perfect

Sadie1 Comment

Are you tired of pumpkin yet?  I’m not.  I found a great pumpkin granola bar recipe, and I needed to try it.  It was one of those recipes that I searched for on a couple sites, and they pretty much all brought me back to same recipe.  I took that as a sign that this recipe is a good one.  I like the recipe because it doesn’t have flour, eggs, or butter.  Instead, just applesauce.  The only thing I thought could make the recipe better would be protein powder.  So I added some.

I added a “scoop” which is about 25g, so it only really added a few grams of protein to each bar.  I was surprised, however, that the protein powder had a negligible affect on the taste and texture of the final product.  Score!

Pumpkin Protein Granola Bars

Yields about 9 bars (one 8 x 8 square pan) adapted from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 3 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 350. Cover an 8 x 8 square pan with parchment and/or nonstick spray.
  2. Combine oats, spices, protein powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside while you combine the brown sugar, applesauce, honey, pumpkin, and vanilla in different bowl.
  3. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and stir well to combine.  Add the cranberries, chocolate chips, and pecans.  Make sure the ingredients are well distributed.
  4. Pour batter into the prepared pan.  Bake 30-35 minutes.  Allow to cool and enjoy!
    Packed up and ready for an adventure!


Manhattan Clam “Chowda”

Carrie1 Comment

This weekend, I really felt the chill in the air. It called for a bowl of clam “chowda” to warm the soul. It’s easy and it satisfies any need for comfort.

Ingredients
4 – 6 oz cans minced clams
2 strips bacon, chopped
1/3 c finely chopped leek or 4 green onions
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
3 c. V8 juice
2 med. potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 – 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 – 11 oz can whole kernel corn with sweet peppers
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dried thyme leaves
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp marjoram leaves
1/4 tsp salt and pepper

Directions
Roughly chop clams, reserving juice in a separate bowl. In a dutch oven, cook bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Remove bacon reserving drippings. Add leek, celery, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Add V8, potatoes, tomatoes, etc. except for bacon and clams. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 45-50 minutes. Stir in clams and clam juice at the end. Do not boil the clams because they will become tough and rubbery. Enjoy with a fresh loaf of bread!