The Secret In the Sauce

Has anyone noticed how life is currently being lived through captions? When I see my neighbor my mind automatically recalls the last image she posted on facebook of her and her hubby at the biggest football game of the season and how tragic the loss was. When I see my friend I instinctively recall her picture-perfect trip to Maui complete with snorkeling, giant ice-cream sundaes, zip lines, helicopter rides and the most amazing sunset you've ever seen. And of course there are pictures of what Sally had for dinner last night, Joan's amazing bedroom re-model, the antics of that crazy little elf on the shelf, and little Lizzy's second birthday party complete with princesses, ponies and the cutest damn table decorating job you've ever seen. Oh, let's not forget the professional portraits of those personalized mini-cupcakes for each of the guests and a puppy in the party favor bag. No wonder we are all on Xanax and anti-anxiety meds for trying to out-do the last amazin

If you are in the market to lose weight (or maybe you just over did it on a vacation and need to get back into your groove) one of the golden rules is to cut-out carbs after four o'clock in the afternoon. This is near impossible when you are feeding a family of ravenous males. With that being said, it turned out to be pasta night on Tuesday and my husband had actually made an enticing spaghetti sauce that I really wanted to partake of but inwardly groaned about those naughty starchy noodles that would have to go benath. I considered just spooning the sauce out of a bowl but didn't want to deal with the eyeballs that would be looking in my direction disapprovingly at the onset of the meal. So I quickly decided on a green bean substitute for the noodles and it was delicious! Veggies make for a great pasta replacement - just watch out for some veggies that are notorious for their starch (white potatoes and carrots for starters). Employ and enjoy!

Sigh. The kids are back in school. With school back in session, cold season is quick to follow. Yay! Did you ever see Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman? It creates a lovely image of someone coughing in a movie theatre and everyone inhaling those tiny little bacterial microbes and before you know the entire population is dwindling; I'm pretty sure that's what it looks like in the typical classroom. Although, kids do get super creative at actually inviting germs into their systems by licking and sucking on their hands after touching a door knob or even deciding to chew on some unknown object on the school playground - it's totally awesome to consider. Alas, it happens and then they come home from school candy-coated in all sorts of diseases and roll on the floor, use the dog for a Kleenex and sufficiently man-handle the most used surfaces in your house. But of course, we ourselves don't fall blameless in this - I watched a fellow sneeze into his hands and then pump his gas. D