Sooooo good!

 I just made these yummy Pumpkin Pineapple Spiced Muffins.

 

 

They are not the prettiest to look at but they are sooo good I can get passed their appearance.
They are so easy to make, only a few ingredients.

 

 Simply mix one box of Spice Cake Mix and one large can of Pumpkin, that's it,  no egg, oil, or water.
You could stop there and they would still be very tasty but of course I have to make this recipe my own.
So I added more cinnamon, fresh nutmeg and pumpkin spice. I had fresh pineapple in the house so I decided to add one cup finely chopped.
I baked them for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
They are very dense and moist, it's hard to eat just one!
However, with these you can splurge, they are 100 calories and less then 2 grams of fat each.


Fall soup kinda day.

Today reminded me of a typical fall day back in Illinois.

 As a child, as soon as the weather changed my Mom would make a big pot of homemade soup.

So today I decided to channel my Mom and make soup.

I wanted to create a low fat healthy soup. I knew I had a head of cauliflower that needed to be used so I decided to try something with that.
We love roasted cauliflower so I roasted my veggies first.

 

I chopped a head of cauliflower, 6 loves of garlic and one large onion. I brushed them with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted them in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes.

I put 6 cups of low sodium, organic chicken broth in a pot and added my veggies. I simmer them on the stove for about an hour.

I added salt and pepper to taste and a large pinch of Thyme. Even though I had used roasted garlic cloves, I added two fresh cloves, roasted garlic has a sweet taste and I wanted a bigger taste of garlic.  

 I emulsified the broth and veggies to create a nice creamy texture.

When I tasted the soup I felt it needed something to bring the flavor up so I added the zest of one lemon.

The soup was good but still needed a little something, somthing, so I decided to make a puree of roasted red peppers to drizzle into the soup.

It really did the trick.

 









 

I made homemade caramelized onion facaccia bread to go with soup.

Perfect accompaniment to the soup.

 

I did what I set out to do, make a low fat, healthy soup. You can easily change out the chicken broth and use vegetable broth.  I think a basil pesto would also taste good  instead of the roasted red pepper drizzle.

My husband approved, he had three bowls of soup.

 

I will share the onion facaccia on another post.







 



Having so much fun!

I know I have said this before but....... I am loving this floral arrangement class!

 

This week we created an arrangement in a pumpkin.

 

 

Of course my mind is already racing at all the other vase possibilities.

I am obsessed with flowers now and have started a new folder on Pintrest of floral arrangements.

There is nothing better than having fresh flowers in the house.

 



Best dinner.

 

I wanted to share with you a great, healthy dinner I made last night. I wish I had taken a picture but didn't think that far in advance.

 

I had left over salad from the night before, lots of different greens with tomatoes and cucumber. I also had two roasted chicken breast, when I roast chicken I like to make extra and have it on had for other dinners.

I took a head of cauliflower, two red peppers and 3 zucchinis cut them up and brushed them with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted them in a 400 degree oven.

I took 4 lemons and juices them into my Cuisinart, along with two garlic cloves, a hand full of fresh basil, salt, pepper, dried thyme and a pinch of sugar. I ran the Cuisinart until the were liquefied. I slowly added a 1/3 of a cup of olive oil while running the Cuisinart to emulsify the dressing.

Once the vegetables were brown around the edges I removed them from the oven  and let cool. I removed the skin on the roasted red peppers.

I chopped the chicken breast, added the roasted vegetables and drizzled the dressing on my salad.

A very healthy and delicious meal for my family.

 



Yikes I have done it again.

Yes, I have done it again. Gone way to long without a post.

 

I have really been enjoying my floral classes. I love learning about different flower combinations and all the different foliage you can add to an arrangement.

Here are a few of the arrangement I have made so far.

 It has even inspired me to add different plants to my outdoor gardens.

 

 

Stepping out of the box.

I have been having so much fun lately trying new things.

 

I have always wanted to learn how to make Mozzarella Cheese, I have seen it done on the cooking channel and they make it look so easy. My first thought was I am sure I can find a class somewhere in the valley, so I searched Google. I was really surprised to find nothing listed. So my second thought was  You-tube, I am always amazed at what it on You-tube. Sure enough I found several step by step tutorials.

I found that I needed Whole Milk, or best Unpasteurized, vegetable rennet and citric acid tablets. I figured if any place would have all three it would be Whole Foods. To my surprise Whole Foods did not carry Unpasteurized Milk, now they have every variety of Milk and Milk type products but not Unpasteurized. They recommend I go to one of the local dairy farms. Because the recipes said Whole Milk will work just as well I went with it. I found my vegetable rennet and citric acid at Whole Foods as well.

I  was surprised how easy it was to do!

So of course I had to make my favorite dish with my very own home made cheese.

 

 

Yes, it was as good as it looks, I have tons of basil in my garden right now so I made a pesto and drizzled it on the tomatoes and cheese. Now I just wish I can grow decent tomatoes in Arizona!

 

This summer I turned 50, yes, 50!!!!

Boy, that was tough, however, my good friend Anna bought me a wonderful gift.

She enrolled us in a 12 week Floral arrangement class. Last night was our first class and let me tell you, I LOVE IT!!!

Here is a picture of my first arrangement.

I can't wait to see what we do next week!

I will be sure and post each week.
 

Sneak Peek

 

So as I said in my last blog I decided to pull out a UFO that I started back in 2007.  I really have enjoyed getting back into it and I have a small peek at my progress.

 

I really do have to get better at my photography,  the colors in this picture are a bit dull. Anyway you get an idea of what it is going to look like.  I did buy the  the fabric for the stopper boarder and outside border but now I think I need something different for the stopper boarder. Quilts really do talk to you once you start putting them together.

 

I don't know about any of you but every year when the kids head back to school I get motivated to get things done.

I started back on my UFO's, my husband and I have started work in our backyard and I have gotten back into my Wellness business.

I never do just one thing at a time, have you noticed?

Tonight I am thrilled to be attending an open house with a Homeopathic Doctor in our area. Of course she shares the same passion as I do about removing all the dangerous toxins in our lives, our homes, and the environment.  She knows the importance of good vitamins and supplements and why it is so important to be helping our bodies fight the effect of our environment. It's not enough anymore to just buy foods that are organic and free of additives and preservatives. Yes, it is a start but not enough! There are chemicals in your dish washing detergent, laundry soap, toothpaste, skin care, shampoo, household cleaners. You are exposing yourselves, your children, your families and the environment every time you use these products.  Do you wonder why you walk down the hallways at school and see every door has a food allergy sign hanging on it or why more and more people are getting Autoimmune diseases and worse Cancer.

As you can see I am very passionate about this, it's easy for me to get off track and start sharing why this is so important. I would love to share more and I can't wait to tell you all about the open house.

Until then back to sewing.