Tzatziki Egg Scramble

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This is so good you are not even going to believe! It’s so good I ate it, not once, not twice, but THREE times last week. THREE. Do you hear what I am saying to you?! THREE!!!

Monday through Friday I pretty much start the day thinking about supper. It’s the meal I pay attention to because it’s when the family comes back together. It’s the time of day I look forward to, getting back with my peeps and hearing about their day, filling their bellies and fueling their bodies. But breakfast and lunch for me…eh! I think that means I’m a mom.

I know that’s a terrible approach and many times I unfortunately feel it. I spend all this time at the gym trying to look and feel healthy, but spend no time putting fuel in the tank. Then, by early afternoon, I start crashing. The coffee just isn’t cutting it anymore and I grab whatever is handy.

Well, last week, I was determined to get some protein in there and, by golly, I wanted it to taste good. Is that too much to ask? I still wanted it to be easy, however. What’s easier and full…er of protein than eggs? (My grammar teacher is throwing up right now. Sorry Mrs. Jones!)

So I started rummaging around the old fridgidator (intentional misspelling there). And figured I’d amp up the nutrition…

Ingedients for egg scramble…by using a handful of spinach and tomatoes.

Scrambled eggsI used two eggs. Feel free to use egg whites if you want.

It’s at this point, I had an epiphany.

Tzatziki How about using Green Mountain Farms Cucumber Garlic tzatziki to add a little flavor?

Tzatziki and Eggs

And add flavor it did!!!

Egg ScrambleI added the spinach and tomatoes at the last minute, just enough to wilt the spinach slightly and not become mushy.

Tzatziki Egg Scramble

Three times, people!!!

Tzatziki Egg Scramble

For 1 serving

  • 2 eggs
  • splash of milk
  • Butter for Pan
  • 6 grape tomatoes (cut in half)
  • handful of spinach leaves
  • 1 Tablespoon of Green Mountain Farms Cucumber Garlic Tzatziki
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt enough butter to coat bottom of small skillet over med-low heat. Beat together eggs and milk and gently pour into preheated skillet. When eggs begin to set on the bottom, stir in tzatziki until melted. Remove from heat when eggs are mostly set, but slightly wet (they will finish cooking off the heat) and fold in tomatoes and spinach. Season with salt and pepper.

Egg Scramble ForkfulI think I know what I’m having for lunch today…and maybe breakfast tomorrow…

Q&A for the Day: (I welcome your comments!)

  • Do you make yourself breakfast and lunch everyday or are you more of the hit-and-run type?
  • Have you ever tried tzatziki and if so, how do you eat it?

 

Faithfully Fit: Oh, My Legs

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I know! I know! It’s been soooooooo long since I posted anything fitness related. This blog has been a bit buttercream heavy (pun intended). Maybe I should call it Buttercream and Barbells, huh?

Truth be told, I’ve been limited as to what I could do lately. Since my 3rd pregnancy, I have had varicose veins in my left leg that have been getting progressively worse. In January, I had a veinal closure (done with lasers and stuff). That was sore for a while and I lightened up on my lower body workouts (though I did not stop), there just wasn’t much to report. I was actually in the middle of Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp at the time. I didn’t exactly think it through when I signed up, I guess. The BBB was awesome, but I just couldn’t finish strong. Last week, I went for a follow-up appointment and underwent scleropathy…done with needles to close any small veins (spider veins) that were left. So far, my legs are better, but not completely fixed. I’ll keep you posted and maybe even post some before and after pics when everything is finished healing. My desire is not to all of a sudden begin wearing mini-skirts at 41 (insert sigh of relief), but to feel comfortable wearing something other than maxi-skirts all the time. (Though I do love a maxi skirt, it can be a little toasty in SW Florida).

Yesterday, it was time to get back in the game (or at least the gym) and work those legs. And, OH, MY LEGS! Am I sore?! The great part about being sore means that you stressed out those muscles and as your body works on repairing them, they come back stronger!

I’ve told you before that fitness brings to mind a lot of spiritual applications. Sometimes you are doing something for the Lord and it leaves you feeling inadequate, weak, or weary. DON’T QUIT! This is when you grow! God’s building those spiritual muscles and you are going to come out of this stronger and better equipped to do His Will!

Job 23:10 “But He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

Now for the workout! I superset the first two exercises which really got me sweating and my heart pumping! I’ve included links below to some of the exercises you might be unfamiliar with.

BB Oh, my Legs

Q&A FOR THE DAY (I love your questions and comments! Talk to me!)

  • What workout leaves you really sore?
  • If you’ve had any vein procedures, what was the outcome?

 

Strawberry Whipped Cream

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My husband said that I left the best part of the strawberry bread out of the recipe. The strawberry whipped cream! Strawberry Bread and WCI admit, it took the bread to a whole new level. So in case you’re wanting the recipe…

Whipped Cream

Beat one cup of heavy whipping cream with powdered sugar until soft peaks form. (Don’t over mix or you’ll end up with butter.)

Whipped Cream and StrawberriesFold mashed berries into the whipped cream.

Strawberry whipped CreamVoila!

Strawberry Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar (more to taste)
  • 1/2 cup mashed strawberries

Beat the cream and sugar on high until soft peaks form. Fold in the mashed strawberries. Use on top of…anything! (Well, maybe not hot dogs.)Sliced Bread and WC

Did you have a Happy Mother’s Day? Because I forgot to ask that on Monday. My family gave me my gifts the Friday before because they’re not so good at the waiting! I received flowers, olive oil, white truffle balsamic vinegar, and chocolate covered raisins. I used the oil and balsamic for a roasted chicken that was OH SO GOOD! Sadly, I didn’t blog about it because I’m terrible! I’ll make it again, though, and try to be in a bloggy frame of mind.

On Sunday, we went out for sushi after church. YUM! And then I tried to get a picture of me with my kiddos…

Crazy Fam 1 Crazy Fam 2 Crazy Fam 3Yup. Bunch of clowns!

Mother's Day 2013

Psalm 127:3 “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”

Q&A for the Day: (Talk to me!)

  • What special gift did you send or receive for Mother’s Day?

Strawberry Bread

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FYI: I got a new camera!!! I’ve been wanting one and was playing the “Should I-Shouldn’t I” game. Then my husband got tired of hearing me argue with myself out loud and made the decision for me. I’ve been reading others blogs whose pictures I really like and who give some photography advice (The Winthrop Chronicles and The Pioneer Woman just to name two)  and decided upon the Nikon D3200. Do you know much about this camera? Please share if you do! This is my first DLSR…or is it DSLR…I can’t even believe they trusted me to take this home!!!

That said, I hope my pictures get better-er and better-er. But I have soooooooo much to learn! SO MUCH!!! Seriously, aperture, ISO – I don’t even!

Strawberry Bread in PansAny-who, that said here is the strawberry bread recipe I promised. And the pics are with my bee-yoo-ti-full new camera.

You know what I love about quick breads is that they are low-maintenance muffins. I mean all the goodness of a muffin, but no paper muffin cups, or worse, spraying and then washing a dozen or more holes in a muffin tin. They are just LAZY day muffins!

I’m sure you could use other fruit in this recipe – blueberries, pears, bananas, and it would be equally as delicious. But since it’s strawberry season…

Mashed StrawberriesI have tried this with fresh-picked strawberries and thawed out frozen berries and this bread was equally as delicious either way! So if you have fresh, use them! But if not, your bread will not suffer for it.

Strawberry Bread Combined IngredientsAfter combining the dry ingredients, simply make a well and add the wet ingredients. The eggs were supposed to be beaten before adding, but I forgot. I know, SHOCKER! And you know what, no problem-o. This is a very forgiving quick bread. Good thing, because I need to be forgiven a lot!

Strawberry Bread BatterCombine the ingredients, but don’t over mix. That can make the bread dense.

Batter in PansPour the batter in a greased pan. I doubled the recipe so I needed two pans. I’m good with math like that!

PAMI can’t be bothered with greasing AND flouring the pan, so I LOVE this baking spray. Yes, I might marry it! If that doesn’t make sense to you, you obviously don’t have any kids in jr. high living in your house right now.

Strawberry Bread on RacksAnd thanks to that baking spray, they pop right out of those pans. The sun shining down on the bread kind of looks like the angels are smiling down on them, don’t you think? Maybeeeee…Strawberry Bread SlicedJust look at those juicy bits of strawberries. It’s like capturing spring and putting it in a bread.

Strawberry Bread SlicesThe natives are getting restless (by that I mean my kids are circling me like piranhas while I take pictures.)

Strawberry Bread

adapted from hometown cooking in new england (yankee books)

  • 1 1/2 cups mashed strawberries
  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  1. If strawberries are very juicy, spoon off some of the liquid from the top.
  2. Grease and flour a loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 350.
  3. Mix the flour sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
  4. Make a well in the center and add the strawberries, oil and eggs. Mix gently until thoroughly combined.
  5. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50 – 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Continue cooling on rack.

Makes 1 loaf

Strawberry Bread with Whipped CreamServe with strawberry whipped cream…if you want. I’m not your mom or anything.

AHHHHH!!! The piranhas are attacking!

Q&A for the Day: (I love hearing from you!)

  • If you have a DLSR camera, how did you learn how to use it?
  • What’s your favorite fruit bread…or muffin?

Ovens and Cabbage Patch Kids.

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Several weeks ago I actually had a relatively free evening with no sporting events to attend, no practices for the kids, no school stuff to do, so I got busy in the kitchen. It was wondrous! I was using the strawberries we had picked to make strawberry freezer jam and strawberry bread. My daughter was helping in the kitchen and I was photographing every single moment to use for the bloggedy-blog…until my oven had a seizure.

I had a few problems with my oven prior to that, but I had forgotten in my strawberry stupor. I had been roasting a pork shoulder while we were at church the prior Sunday. It had been fine when I left the house, but I received a phone call from my oldest son, who had gotten home before me, that the alarm was going off on the stove and he couldn’t turn it off and the pork was in there and what should he do!!!! (I suggest you read the bold print very fast and very loudly to get the full effect. I mean, you don’t have to, just if you want to…I’m not your mom or anything.) I detected the panic in his voice mostly because I had to hold the phone a foot from my ear and could still hear him, and his brother, and sister, and the dog, and the alarm. It sounded like Christmas Eve morning outside Toys-R-Us when everyone was trying to get a Cabbage Patch kid. (Do you even remember that! People got into fights and riots over those ugly dolls!) Any-who – we hurried home and had to actually turn off the breaker to the stove to get the alarm to shut off, which wasn’t easy because we haven’t actually labeled our breakers because that would make too much sense! So, after finding the correct breaker, and resetting all the clocks in the house…I checked the pork and it was falling off the bone and pretty much perfect. Apparently, it was the timer that had the issue not the actual oven itself.

So…back to the strawberry bread.

I was preheating the oven for the bread while I was finishing up the jam and feeling very Martha Stewart-ish about myself when that stinking alarm went off again. This time my husband wasn’t home, so I sent Cayman out to the garage to start hitting breakers, which of course we still hadn’t labeled because that would be too easy! And I didn’t remember which one it was mostly because I didn’t watch or ask. So after we had finally turned it off AND RESET ALL THE CLOCKS AGAIN…I was freaking out because I had strawberry bread all ready to go and no OVEN. I mean it might have cooked properly but the alarm would have to go off for 50 minutes or so while it baked…and NO! I thought about calling my sweet neighbor Mrs. B, but she is over 80 and the sun had set so she had probably been in bed for hours already. So I called my super sweet friend that lived down the street and she said I could absolutely come over and use her oven! I, of course, gave her a loaf of bread. You may have noticed that I said “lived”. I don’t want you to think she died or anything, but since the Great Oven Incident, she has moved. Something to do with people coming over at night and using her oven…just kidding. Her husband got a really great job and they moved to Illinois and I’m happy and sad all at one time.

Well, NOW I had to get my oven fixed because I don’t think my bread batter would last the trip to Illinois. So we called the repairman. The problem was actually the electrical stuff where are all the dials and buttons are, and not with the cooking elements of the oven…ummmmm, yeah I already figured that out. Well, that was at least $500!!! Know what that means…

Time for a new oven.

And I found this!

Double OvenGuys! I didn’t.even.know! I tried to play it off like I didn’t want my husband to have to spend that much money on an oven because, really, how different could it be? But I think the fact that I jumped up and down in the store when I saw it tipped him off – and caused the sales person to look at me like she was a little scared. So there she is. Ain’t she a beauty?

And as to how different can it be?

Double Oven2Do you even see that? I am cooking in the oven at 2 different temps at the same time!!! No more luke-warm casseroles while I wait for the rolls to cook. No more planning to cook everything else on the stove top because the oven is occupied. It has changed my life. In case you haven’t guessed. I LOVE IT!!!

I said all this to share a lovely recipe for strawberry bread with you, but since I’ve already used 900 words to explain how the strawberry bread was born, I think I’ll share that recipe tomorrow. That is, if you’ve read this far and haven’t fallen asleep…because, seriously?! 900 words about an oven! I’m sooooooo sorry.

But in case you were wondering here is the link to the oven. I highly recommend it. It’s the Frigidaire Gallery Series Double Oven and Electric Range. Good golly, Miss Molly!

LOVE!!!

Q&A for the Day: (I welcome your comments and questions!)

  • What’s your most recent appliance purchase?
  • When is the last time you spent money and thought it was worth every penny? (Big or small, it doesn’t matter.)