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...

I have a wicked sweet tooth - have I ever mentioned that? It can get me into trouble sometimes despite mostly having figured out how to keep myself in check. With this natural need that requires suppressing, I've been on the lookout for some honestly tasty treats that could possibly not even count as a treat. One day, I came across a recipe for a chocolate chia pudding (that I immediately tried and turned out sub par) - it still had an underlying hint of dirt flavor to it which required extra goodies to make it enjoyable. In fact, after my last serving I figured that I didn't need to make chia pudding again. Then, I started having a sweet tooth craving and decided to have another go at it and today it turned out marvelous! Sweet enough, rich enough, thick enough and healthy enough - a perfect afternoon snack. The chia resembles a tapioca texture which I love and such a great source of those omega fatty acids! Chocolate Chia Pudding 1 1/4 Cups Unsweetened Vanilla Almond...

So. Big sigh. We just got back from a little family vacation to Wyoming. I was so excited about it and excited for the kids to love it and to eat out, make smore's, laugh, get away and just party. I guess vacations are like labor in that you forget how horrible it can be and you get anxious to do it again soon after. Now, for starters, is it just the men that I know or do all men get angry getting ready for the road and the following oh, thirty minutes into the drive? We were actually right on time for our departure (which in itself is truly astounding) so I'm not totally sure what happened here. I know there must be a clinical term for this syndrome. "Loading-Zone Self-Imposed Isolationist Anger" syndrome where they want help loading the car but then when you try to help you aren't doing it right and they get angry that they then have to do it themselves. Go figure. Or perhaps the "Late Departure Depression" syndrome; this is when you set a completely...

There seems to be a theme in my life at the moment and it is this: Be the bigger person or in other words, agree with thine adversary quickly. It’s popping up in my marriage, with ex-spouses, and even friends asking for advice in their relationships. It’s a tough road to take because there are definitely moments when I’m in the right (it's okay - it does happen that sometimes you ARE right and sometimes you ARE wrong) and justified in my frustration. I have to stop and consider two things: 1)       Is it worth the contention 2)       By engaging in this conversation is the outcome going to be in my favor Usually, it isn’t worth the contention and the outcome won’t be in my favor because of two other things: 1)       You can’t talk logically with an irrational person (anger and frustration – aside from crazy – render a person irrational) 2)       People need their ...

Look at that angelic face. Oh so deceiving! I feel like I might spontaneously turn into a gelatinous mass and ooze through the wicker weave of my chair as I sit here. It's scorching hot outside, moods are scorching hot inside and I'm contemplating why I am exhausted. But then I hear the sound of a plastic car falling to the floor, immediate crying and then the sound of more cars being flung in anger and hitting other household items. The terrible two's have finally struck my home with a vengeance. I have a third little Chernobyl reactor in this home and I suppose I'm wondering if I'll survive the fallout. People do - somehow. How do people with multiple kids under the age of five do it? My head might explode if I sincerely try to figure that one out. My parents came by last night for a fourth of July hamburger and chips and dip dinner (and please notice this gorgeous lemon meringue pie I made from scratch) and it was the first time they had been around my little...