Best Mother’s Day Gift!!!

So… did you guess my Mother’s Day gift?  I DID!  It actually arrived on Tuesday last week, and as soon as I saw the box from Amazon, I had an idea of what was inside.  On Thursday night, I started asking questions and Ryan said, “Ok.  If you can guess what it is, then I’ll let you open it early.” 

I said, “I think it’s a Kindle…”

And his face said it all.  I was right.

I’ve been interested in getting a Kindle for a couple of years because I LOVE to read and I am usually lugging around a ton of books, so I was super excited to finally own one! 

I bought my first book on Friday: Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffen.  She is one of my favorite authors.  She writes what I guess would be considered “chick lit,” but her books are much deeper than the average chick lit.  I am excited to see “Something Borrowed” because that movie was based on one of her books.  Heart of the Matter did not disappoint.  It was INTENSE.  I finished it on Sunday. 

Now I have moved on to Water for Elephants.  I’ve heard so much about it that I have really been wanting to read it before seeing the movie.

I thought it would be hard to get used to reading on the Kindle, but it wasn’t at all!  I can’t wait to take it to the beach.  I love that you can order samples of books and try a few chapters before you buy.  And I am really excited to learn how to share books with other Kindle users.  My friend Kati has one, too… and we have always been good “book-swappers.”  We have a similar taste in books.

So… I have to give Ryan serious props… he did a great job with the Mother’s Day gift!  I heart you, husband!

A Weeknight Dinner...

Hi, all!  Today I have a special treat for you... my sister Meredith is going to write a guest post!  Meredith lives in Columbia, SC and writes a blog called The Family Jewell.  So after you read her post, be sure to head over and check out her blog!

I was so excited to be asked to “guest post” on my sister’s blog Confessions of a Former Couch Potato.  I’ve only been blogging since early November but she had faith in my ability to create something (hopefully) somewhat interesting, but if not, then fun.  Let me first preface this post by telling you I’m not a hot chef in the kitchen.  In fact (and to be honest) I think I cook about as much as my husband does, and well, he actually does cook a good bit, so that’s a good thing I hope.  Either way, I’m no Betty Crocker or Ina Garten, but I can hold my own on occasion and hope you’ll enjoy some photos and comments on tonight’s Weeknight Dinner.

Today was a normal day for me (although around the southeast this week it’s been a strange week full of snow, ice, cancelled school, and more cancelled school).  I went to work and then hit the gym for my usual Wednesday evening yoga class.  I have grown to love yoga the more and more that I go and believe it really does have some very positive benefits including strength and core building.  When I got home I knew I was going to have to make dinner because we didn’t need another night of being slack and unhealthy eating (the previous two nights were frozen lasagna and take out).  I read about the “Eat In Month” Challenge that The Chic Life puts on and was going to try my best to have us abide by that rule this month, however we haven’t quite succeeded, but are trying our best (on normal weeks) to eat in as much as possible…and with that, generally making healthy meals.

So on with the dinner…tonight I decided that since I hadn’t prepped ahead of time or marinated the chicken we bought the other day I would just use Publix brand Zesty Italian and bake the chicken in the oven…simple and pretty healthy. 

 

chicken marinating (and cooking) in Zesty Italian



I also had a bag of red potatoes so I decided to do a simple combo of chopped potatoes with EVOO, salt, pepper, garlic powder (a staple) and dried rosemary…delicious!

 

red potatoes with EVOO & seasonings

I knew we needed something green so I made green beans (something simple yet healthy) and as if that wasn’t enough, I decided to pull out our new “How to Cook Everything” cookbook that was a Christmas gift from friends and found one more side dish (Sautéed Apples).



I captured the butter for the sauteed apples before it melted (without the flash)

 

brown sugar and cinnamon for the sauteed apples



green beans & apples cooking side-by-side



possibly my favorite part of the meal (deliciously sweet)



Although I know you’re probably thinking by now this meal doesn’t seem very complicated or original, but it wasn’t meant to be.  It’s merely to show that by having a few basic items in your house during the week (fresh and/or frozen) you can still pull together a tasty and healthy meal…and best of all, have leftovers!!



no caption needed   :)



So after all the prep work was done and each item cooked to al dente, I was actually surprised with myself that all came out at the exact same time and piping hot.  I’m not sure these pictures really give it justice, but hearing my husband compliment me in saying “I’m really proud of you, this is a really good meal” was music to my ears…and voila!  Dinner is served…



dinner is served...



Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything"



And to end on a sweet note since I didn’t include dessert tonight, I thought I’d share a photo of my little kitchen helper…or little beggar, if you will.



Zoe

Happy Cooking!

xo, Meredith (The Family Jewell)

Remembering the Twin Towers

A couple of weeks ago, I posted an entry about a book I was reading to the fifth grade classes at school.  The book, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, was about Philippe Petit, a stuntman who did an amazing high wire walk between the Twin Towers in August of 1974. 

Usually on September 11, I think back to that day when I was teaching and got an email from another teacher who said, "I'm not sure what's going on, but you might want to tutn on the news.  It looks like a plane crashed into one of the Twin Towers!"  I remember, many of us thought, it must be a crazy accident.  I remember that I actually had the television on in my classroom and my seventh graders and I watched in horror as the towers crashed to the ground.  That day passed by in a blur, and for many nights, I saw those images in my head as I tried to sleep each night.

Today is no different-- I am remembering that day.  However, since I learned of Philippe Petit, I also love to think about this amazing thing that happened at the Twin Towers in 1974.  Every time I read the book The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, I feel inspired all over again, and it gives me hope that amazing things are possible when we have faith.

I'd like to post a link to a part of the movie, "Man on Wire," a documentary about Petit and his amazing walk-- just in case you've never heard of Petit.  And even if you have-- it's worth seeing.  Whenever I need inspiration, I like to go back and watch this, because each time, it still takes my breath away.

Click the arrow below to play the video.  Just in case it doesn't show up on your computer, here is the link to the video online.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEU7lrtehDs




We will always remember the horror of September 11, 2001.  However, when you think about the Twin Towers again, hopefully you will also remember this amazing feat.

Walking Between the Towers

This morning I didn't forget my breakfast.  I had a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich on Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats (Whole Wheat). 

Breakfast of Champion Teachers and Former Couch Potatoes

Now I am sipping my coffee, getting ready to face the day.  I am getting ready to go and read one of my favorite books, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers to a class of 5th Graders.  This book is amazing.  It is about Phillippe Petit, a French tightrope walker who did a high wire walk between the Twin Towers in 1974.  It's an amazing story of courage. Every time I read this book to a class, I get many gasps, oohs, ahhhs, and more hilarious sounds.  The kids and I both love this book.  I've been reading this book every day to groups of kids for the past 2 weeks.  And I think this book is one of the things that gave me the courage to start this blog.  I've always been interested in doing it, but I needed something to give me a push. So, thanks, Phillippe, for the push. 

A funny thing happened at work today.  A water line burst and they had to shut off all water at 2:00 p.m.  So that made things a little interesting.  Now think about this... no water means no toilet flushing... so I immediately stopped drinking water...

For dinner, we had Hungry Girl's Cheesy Beefy Quesadillas.  YUMMMMM... so delicious.

I added a cup of leftover chili, just to round it out.

So, here's the recipe for the quesadillas:

Ingredients:

1 high fiber low fat tortilla

1/3 cup beef style soy crumbles

1/4 cup FF or light shredded cheddar

1/2 wedge Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss flavor

1/4 tsp. taco seasoning

1 Tbsp. sliced green onions or chopped scallions

1 Tbsp FF or Red. Fat Sour Cream

Combine cheddar, sour cream, onions, taco seasoning, and crumbles in a bowl.  Stir well.  Microwave on high 30 seconds.  Then stir again and set aside.  Heat a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat.  Spread Laughing Cow cheese over half of a tortilla.  Then lay the tortilla on the skillet for about 30 seconds.  Then, spread the "beefy" mixture on top of the Laughing Cow.  Fold the tortilla over and press to seal.  Cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side-- just enough to get the tortilla nice and crispy.  Serve with sour cream and salsa-- or whatever fixins you like!

The husband is always complaining about low fat foods, but he raved about this one.  Even went back for seconds... that means it was a winner!

Ok, well, I am off to the salon... going to get my hair done!  Can't wait!  

Before...