It feels like fall... :-(

Ha ha ha! What a whiner I am!! It's less than 3 weeks and we are heading for California. Maybe I'll save the flip flop thing for a later date. :-D

I saw these pictures and thought I hate when people just go on and on and on about their most recent pet project. I went back on my healthy eating plan but I promise I won't give you a blow by blow on my weight loss. I will probably share how I am feeling though...both physically and emotionally. I have 175 pounds to loose...and the very thought that this is almost two small people had me feeling rather daunted yesterday. I refused to stay there though!

I want to accomplish this goal before I turn 60...there's my carrot. I can do it! You may need to remind me once in a while though, ok? Now that I am no longer on the emotional roller coaster associated with the office, I know I can stay the course. I am planning to allow myself a "treat" day every 8 weeks when I can have one thing that's not in the usual meal plans IF there is something that is nagging at me. If there's nothing nagging, so be it, I can wait for the next treat date. I am extremely lucky though. Almost everything homemade can fit into my meal plan. It's just about juggling what I eat, how much I eat of a given thing and how much I exercise. I am so glad I have started this journey... and I am so fortunate that I love all the fruits, veggies, fish & seafood.

I've found a website (Skinny Ms.) that I really love and find all kinds of healthy slow cooker meals on. Big, big lover of slow cooker meals! I found this recipe and think I am going to make it this coming weekend...I can have leftovers all week!

Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Ingredients

1/2 cup old fashioned (not quick cooking) oats
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
2 cups water
Enough water to fill Slow Cooker about 1/4 of the way full
1/2 small apple, chopped
sweetener of choice, to taste (I used two packets of Equal)

Directions

In a small heat-proof bowl (that can hold at least two cups of water), stir together oats, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. The apples can also be added in here. I chose to keep mine out to stir in after cooking, but this is up to you. Pour two cups water over oats.

Fill Slow Cooker about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way full with water (this will depend on the size of your Slow Cooker). Add the heatproof bowl with the oat mixture to the Slow Cooker. The bowl with the oats/cinnamon/vanilla has water in it, and also sits in the slow cooker surrounded by water. The water level should rise almost to the top of the bowl.

Turn Slow Cooker on low for 7-8 hours overnight. Using a large spoon, remove bowl from Slow Cooker (it will be very hot!). Stir in chopped apple and sweetener of choice. Devour!

1 serving| Calories 199| Fat 3g| Sodium 165 mg | Carbohydrate 39.2 | Fiber 7.1 g| Sugars 9.3g | Protein 5 g

I also saw this Apple Harvest Cake and thought... if we skip the icing, it would make a nice healthy breakfast material or even a bedtime snack if you keep the portion size relatively small. I can switch up the nuts I use and the fruit I use and have an endless number of varieties.

Recipe: Apple Harvest Cake

3 cups of almond meal...make in a Cuisinart & then sift
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup unpeeled, chopped (1/4 inch)apple
1/4 cup light olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium bowl combine almond meal, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, carrots, zucchini and apple.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, honey, vanilla and eggs. Mix well.

Add the wet ingredients to the almond mixture.

Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit your 9 inch cake pan. This will allow the cake to come out of the pan much easier.

Spray the sides of the cake pan with Pam.

Add your mixture to the cake pan and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove & cool for 10 minutes before removing cake to a wire rack to cool completely.


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I guess I am still in a rather reflective kind of mood. I saw this photo and remembered going out to the water pump to wash off the garden produce at my grandmothers and draw myself some water that I would drink from a ladle. Happy memories are those!

And once I had my mind thinking of my Grandmother, I spotted this photo and it made me think of the days when they had the village and a few individual homes in Glade. Simple really does appeal to me.

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To close for today on a bit of a funny note, I resemble this!