Fruit infused water . .

I've been making some changed in my diet . . . mostly just moving closer to vegetarian/vegan . . .

I was a vegetarian for 10 years, then in 2001 after I had my gall bladder out my surgeon advised me to add 2 to 3 servings of lean chicken per week to get me enough protein so I could heal.  I couldn't handle more than 12 grams of fat per day for at least 9 months post op.

Any who, for the last six months, I have been down to one soda per day max.

Last week, I cut out all soda.  I've been on a fruit infused water kick . . . watermelon & lime, mixed berries, granny smith apple (not very strong, but it is there!) and clementine.

I was chopping up fruit last night and decided to try putting the mango pit in a Mason jar and cover with cool water. I can never get all of the pulp off of the stone. After I put it in the jar, I scraped the dickens out of it with the back of a fork.

I let it sit overnight, remove the stone. Top off with more water and refrigerate . . .

Or, if you are anxious to get one going, like I was for my watermelon one this morning.

Fill a water bottle with Ice and pour the mixture over it. Cap and enjoy!  Refrigerate any remaining amount.

39dollarglasses.com

Two Fridays ago, my hubby and I had our eye appointments.  Neither of us had had new glasses in many, many moons.  For him it was ~5 years, for me it was more like 7.  Ok, my frames were 7 years old and so was one of my lenses, but I had 1 lens swapped out 6 years ago.  Since then. my prescription hadn't changed and my glasses were in fairly good shape.
I snagged a copy of my prescription and went online for sunglasses.  I had had a coupon for Coastal.com that would make them $25, plus $10 in shipping.  It had expired.  I had read several reviews online and seen videos on YouTube reviewing their service.  When I went to purchase said glasses, they were like $70 with shipping.  I just couldn't justify spending that without a little research.
I found some glowing reviews from www.39dollarglasses.com  so I went to check them out.  I immediately found a pair I liked.   Shipping was reasonable, $5.95 USPS Priority and there was a coupon code for 10% off.  Total Shipped was $50
They come with UVA/UVB & Scratch Resistant coating and Resin Lenses.  I have a pretty heft prescription (-2.50 (with prism for astigmatism) and -4.50) and I elected not to get polycarbonate.  Would they have been lighter, yeah, but you can't tell how thick they are since they blend in rather well with the frames.  Since they aren't for full time wear, I don't mind!

The glasses come with an adjustment screwdriver for your keychain, a microfiber cleaning cloth, microfiber bag and hard clamshell case.

Please note that I have not been paid or offered merchandise by 39dollarglasses.com

Nor am I affiliated with them in anyway!

Roasted Red Peppers

I cannot remember where I saw a tutorial on how to roast red peppers.  Obviously, it was a cooking show, but I cannot remember if it was the Food Network or PBS . . . I've been doing it for over ten years.  I've learned a few tricks along the way.
Roasted Red Peppers (well, you can pretty much use the same technique to roast ANY pepper) are great on sandwiched, in pasta sauce, blended in with pesto . . . the list goes on and on!
The summer before I got married we had a HUGE garden! Nom!  I was cooking down tomatoes and roasting peppers all summer . . . saving the best ones for our wedding feast! Chicken scallopini and lasagna with homemade sauce, including roasted red peppers.

This is an awesome way to use sad, soft, wilting peppers.  They can be stored in a jar, covered with olive oil, in the fridge and/or frozen.  This week, I found some huge red peppers on sale at Chuppa's for $0.99 a lb.  They were a little soft, but perfect for roasting!

Wash them, Cut in half and remove pith by pinching it away from the flesh. Rinse the inside of the peppers with cool water.

There were a couple of really firm chunks that I diced up for hubby's salad and as a snack for me!  I <3 sweet red peppers!

 

You can easily roast peppers on the grill, in the oven under the broiler or [as I chose to do this week] in the toaster over under the broiler.

Roasting evenly can be tricky. I have found the best way is to cut them into chunks so the flattest surface is level with the broiler element/flame.

You want the skins to get blackened, this allows the steam to separate the skin from the flesh.

 

 Getting there . . . . I found that if I stopped staring at them, I wasn't nearly as bored.

Perfect!  Now, carefully remove them from the oven and plop them in a ziploc bag to sweat.

If you do it like I did, it will take several rounds, just keep adding peppers, zipping the bag shut in between.  Sweating them allows them to cool and the skin loosens.

The skin should easily push away with a slip between your thumb and forefinger.

Perfecto!!!  Now, if you're gonna use them right away, slice them up and put them in your pan, food processor, etc.  I didn't have a use for them right away, so I put them in a Mason jar and topped it off with olive oil.  The oil gets a nice smoky flavor.  You can pour some out and dip bread in it . . . or whatever else tickles your fancy!  Just remember to top the jar off.
I peeled about half of them, but found the middle to still be really warm.  So I sealed the bag back up and spread the chunks out in the bag (gallon size for the 3+ lbs I roasted last night) and set it on the counter to finish cooling off.

I saw a recipe on Pinterest for Grilled Goat Cheese, spinach and avocado sandwiches . . . I'm gonna add a little roasted red pepper too!
Enjoy!!!!

Mamma Chia!

I am not new to the benefits of Chia Seeds, I've recently switched from Ground Flaxseed to Chia in my smoothies . . . . but ever since I read Chia Lookin' Swell over at Crunchy Betty (Subscribe, she rocks and is very humorous!) whenever I look at one I giggle . . . *fairy eyes*
My mom has had me using them from six months.  They are a complete protein source (read: brain food!) and a balanced ratio of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. Which my inflamed body can always use!
Which I had not read before I started adding them to our morning oatmeal . . .but really helps explain my 10 year old stepson's reaction to them.  Of course, he didn't notice that I had been adding them to his oatmeal for at least a week. 

I had to run to the East side of town today for an account, so I stopped at Pet People for rat food.  Our rats are picky, they refuse to eat anything but Oxbow Regal Rat Food. I've tried, they choose to redecorate with any other food. I think if it would fit through the bars of their cage, they would throw anything else back at me.  Seriously, they are awesome pets!  They will be a year old in a couple of weeks!

Whenever I stop there, I park in between Pet People and Whole Foods and hit two birds with one stone. (Which reminds me, I forgot to grab more Chia Seeds!  Oops!)

Anywho, I grabbed a snack for on the way home. Cut fresh mango and a bottle of Mamma Chia. I decided on the Coconut Mango! Yum!!!  Click Here for a Coupon

It is a juice drink, lightly sweetened with agave and it has a serving of Chia Seeds in it. It is delicious! However, it was also $3. Yipes!

It got me to thinking that I can make something very similar, using stuff I regularly keep on hand.
So, I washed the bottle out and put a tablespoon of Chia Seeds in it. Added about 4 ounces of Lakewood Organic Tart Cherry Juice, a teaspoon of raw honey and topped off the 10 Ounce Bottle with filtered water.
If you've heard the Buzz about Tart Cherry Juice from Dr. Oz. Tart Cherry Juice is a good source of melatonin.  When I can find them, I buy bags of frozen tart cherries and make a smoothie with them and a scoop of vanilla whey protein powder.  Since I need to take my immunosuppressants with food, this helps protect my tummy and helps me sleep.

Anyway, my DIY Chia Drink was delicious!
When I'm on the West Side tomorrow, I'll stop at  Earth Fare and see if they have Organic Tart Cherry Concentrate.  So I can mix up my own, as $4.50 a bottle is a bit steep . . .
I'll take a pic of my drink tomorrow and Pin it!
Sweet Dreams Folks! Let me know how you like this drink. Or if you have any other recipes!  I'd love to hear . . . This would probably be really good with Tamarind Nectar (If anyone knows of a brand WITHOUT high fructose corn syrup, PLEASE let me know!) . . . .a la Agua Fresca  . . . yum!

Finally A Calculator that I can use on Standardized tests . . .

So, as you know, I am a full time student at Cleveland State University.
Last year (2010-2011) I was taking classes at Cuyahoga Community College.  One of my classes required a TI-84, which is a great calculator, but since it is programmable it is not approved for standardized tests.  I recall, in high school, when we needed a TI-81, we learned really early on that you could store info in it . . . Portable cheat sheet . . .

I have ordered several calculators this semester, trying to find one that did everything I needed, but was standardized test approved.  Finally I found a winner, the TI 36X Pro . . . .

This baby even has a quadratic function . . . which saves a LOT of potential error and TIME!
So, please learn from my disdain!  This calculator does all of the basic functions of a TI-84 and then some!  And, at Amazon, it is Prime eligible! 
I highly recommend a Prime Student account to any and all students . . .Free shipping, during special events free 1 day or 2 day shipping, Streaming Video online (ours goes through our Blu-ray Player), all for one annual fee . . . (No, I don't get anything for that recommendation, I'm just trying to save you some fundage!  ;) )
With all of these calculators, once I am done with them, my stepson will be ready for them . . .

Easter Eggs . . . .

Have you ever had farm fresh eggs?
They are my absolute favorite . . .
In honor of the holiday, I made eggs for my hubby yesterday morning (he adores farm fresh eggs), as a classmate had brought a few dozen in to share.

Now, the eggs you buy at the store have been washed prior to packaging. 

However, farm fresh eggs are usually just wiped off, so as not to disturb the bloom (a protective coating on the egg shell).   That doesn't mean you should wash your fresh eggs before you refrigerate them.  Just wash them with cool water and soap right before use.

 One thing you will notice about your eggs is that the yolks will be a brilliant yellow-orange.  They whites will also be less runny.

 This egg was from my classmates' "Easter Egg" Chicken.  Instead of a white shell, it has a bluish tint!  I thought it was perfect for this weekend!

If you have never had farm fresh eggs, I highly recommend them!  Check out this post from Simple Bites about how to find fresh eggs in your area!

Buffalo Sauce

A friend asked me to write down my "Buffalo Sauce" recipe for her.

So, I thought I'd share it with all of you as well. Warning, it isn't for those on a "low fat" or "low sodium" diet . . . . which is probably why I only make it on special occasions. It's super easy.
Here's what you'll need:
1 to 1 1/2 cups (or to taste) Hot Pepper Sauce (Frank's or Red Devil work well)
4 Tbsp Butter (Unsalted if you like)
2 to 3 Tbsp Blue Cheese Crumbles
Ground White Pepper, to taste.

Now, if you don't like Blue Cheese, hear me out . . . You really cannot taste it, but it provides a fuller flavor.  My husband adores this sauce, but if I am out of Blue Cheese, "It's Missing something!"  He's not a blue cheese kinda guy!

Melt Butter on low.

Add Pepper Sauce. Stir.

Add Blue Cheese, stirring until thoroughly melted and combined. Dang it!  I forgot to take a pic before stirring.  Can you see how it looks creamier?

Add White Pepper.

Allow to simmer on low for about 10 minutes to let the flavors meld.

Voila!  It takes about 30 minutes and you can make buffalo wings in the comfort of your own home.

You can put this in a jar and store it in the fridge.

Obviously, you can toss wings in it.
More often, I place boneless/skinless Chicken in a Baking dish, cover with sauce and bake until cooked through.
It is also great to make "loaded fries" with . . .

Oven bake fries, place on a platter, layer with shredded cheese (cheddar) and drizzle with Buffalo Sauce. Garnish with green onions if you choose. Serve with a side of Blue cheese dressing. Great for a Super Bowl Party!