My Downsized Christmas Tree

This year I have downsized my Christmas tree.  In years past, our family put up a great bohemoth of a tree--7 1/2 foot tall six feet in diameter at the base tree  that I loved!  This year, in order to simplify and make life easier, I chose a 4 1/2 foot table top tree with white lights.  My children have always preferred the multi colored lights but for the first time in 29 years, I got to have a tree that I like.
So this is our new Tree tradition and I love it!
Blessings from our house to yours,
Lisa

Diabetic Holiday Survival Guide--More Tips

I hate feeling deprived--what about you?  So to combat that feeling, I try to find substitutions that will satisfy me instead!
        One thing typically found at parties is a cheeseball. While the cheeseball itself, may not be high carb, the crackers you use to eat the cheesball are.  So, try using cucumber slices to put your cheeseball on.
      Also, volunteer to bring something to the party and bring something that you can have with out feeling guilty or raising your blood sugar too terribly much.
  My family always has finger foods on Christmas Eve.  We typically have a cheeseball and crackers, spinach dip and bread, finger sandwiches, lil smokies rolled in bacon and baked, meatballs in maranara, dixie chili dip, and hanky pankies.  Not to mention the jam cake, stack cake, carrot cake, cookies and candy.  In order to eat my favorite--apple stack cake, I am going to have to make choices this year.  I plan on taking veggies and low fat dip instead of making the meatballs, and I am slicing cucumbers to eat with my cheeseball and the spinach dip. I also plan on making a cute little fruit Christmas tree for a natural sweet treat that I can have. See this links for pic http://www.flickr.com/photos/prajakta-gudadhe/4208070536/  This would be so festive and healthy!!
    
Cheese cubes  are another item to bring that are a better choice for the diabetic. Low fat or reduced fat cheeses would be a better option.

A pickle and olive tray would be a great item to bring to a party.  Olives and dill pickles are  great nibblers for diabetics!

   Remember to think of the choices you CAN have instead of dwelling on the thing you cannot have.
What healthy food are you preparing for holiday parties?
Low carb blessings,
Lisa

A Great Thanksgiving Was Had by All!

  I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  My family sure did.  It could only have been better if my#2 son was home from Spain.  Just 24 days and counting!  I do miss him so!
  I have tried to update my blog to a Christmas theme but to no avail.  Blogger is letting me down today!  I'll try again tomorrow! Anyone else having trouble changing layouts, and page colors?

Blogger Blessings,
Lisa

Diabetics Holiday Survival Guide-Recipe

    My biggest problem in life is that I like to eat!  I mean, I love to eat!  If you have seen pics of me, it is obvious that I love to eat!  Our family gatherings revolve around food—right or wrong-- that is how it is and probably always will be. So in order to control my diabetes, I make substitutions so I do not feel deprived—because deprivation is depressing and I do not want to be any more depressed than I already am!! J I am allowed to poke fun at myself, but I digress. So, here is a recipe that I adapted from the Philly 3 step cheesecake recipe—my old go to cheesecake recipe. I have eliminated the carbs from the typical crust-substituted nuts and a Tbls. of Flour instead. (Think easy bisquick no crust pies)I have used Splenda to replace the sugar. I do not know the exact exchange but this is a much better option for diabetics.

Lisa’s Low Carb Cheesecake 

4- 8oz. pkgs. Cream Cheese

1 ½ cup Splenda

1 tsp. vanilla

4 eggs

1 heaping  Tblsp. Of flour

3/4 cup finely chopped nuts—your choice—pecans, almonds or walnuts 

Mix all ingredients except nuts in a mixer—do not over mix.

Spray a 10 inch springform pan with Pam or other cooking spray.

Pour finely chopped nuts into pan and shake to cover entire bottom and half way up the sides of the pan.  Then pour cheesecake mix into pan.  Tap to get air bubbles out and bake for 55-60 minutes on 350 degrees. Turn off oven and crack door (leave cheesecake in oven) until cool. Refrigerate. Serve with fresh berries and lite whipped topping.

  No one could feel deprived eating this!

I hope you enjoy this low carb cheesecake as much as I do!

Yummy Blessings,

Lisa

Diabetics Holiday Survival Tips and Recipes

  

For most of the last year I have not been dealing with my diabetes. Heck, I haven't dealt with it properly for years now. I have buried my head in the sand way too long for too many reasons, mainly depression. Well, I received my wake up call a week ago. I now have mild kidney damage.  To keep the damage to a minimum, I need to eat right, monitor my blood glucose, and take my meds religously--the three things I haven't been doing.
   So you may be asking what that has to do with this blog--well......I want to post recipes and tips to help others with diabetes cope with the holidays  and help them to not feel as deprived!
 I will be offering sustitutions for some of the old standbys. Lets think of this as what we CAN HAVE, not what we CANNOT HAVE!  It's hard to hear you cannot have some foods--much more positive to say what you can have!  If you have friends or family members with diabetes, your thoughtfulness will be much appreciated!
 
Here are a few tips to start:

 *Sugar free Cranberry jello can be a great sustitute for the sugary sweet cranberry sauce at                Thanksgiving.

*Use crushed pineapple and juice to sweeten canned yams.  Just drain the syrup from the yams and pour crushed pineapple and juice over and heat.  Add Splenda to taste(optional).  Sprinkle cinnamon on top!

*Instead of going to the expense of making the famed greenbean casserole, save money and carbs by just having plain greenbeans. The soup has a ton of carbs!

See.......just a few little changes and you  have better options for the diabetics in your life! More tips coming soon!
                                                               Low Carb Blessings to you all,
                                                                                     Lisa

                                                                      

How to make Herbal Firestarters( or How to Use up Sweetgum balls)

  It's getting to where most people with fireplaces are going to be using them soon if they are not already!  Brrrr....the cold is really bothering me this fall.  I found an idea for herbal firestarteres on Pinterest and with a modification, I made a basket of them.  I Used what I have an abundance of---Sweet Gum Balls.  I do not have any pinecones around so I thought the annoying sweet gum balls work just as well.  Now I have a great use for the pesky sweetghum balls that are all over my front yard! Yippee!!  Now I just have to pay my neice and Grandaughter to pick them up for me!!
     Here are the materials needed:

 

Fresh herbs--I cut rosemary and thyme.

String or Hemp rope

Sweetgum Balls(seed pods)

Newspaper-not the shiny ads

Scissors

Cut one sheetof paper in half and place the herbs and sweetgum balls or pinecones on  the end closest to you.  Roll up tightly and tie ends with string or hemp.  I personally think the hemp string would be just adorable but I didn't want to buy hemp so I used what I had available--crochet cotton.

 

It's hard to see in this pic but I inserted a piece of herb into the one end tie.  Adds a little interest!

 

Here is the basket of firestarters that I made this evening. Only took a little while and is so aromatic.

 

Even my Hubby thought they smelled nice!

 

Remember you can use any herb or cinnamon sticks.  If you are lucky enough not to have a sweetgum tree in your front yard, you can use small pinecones or even dried twigs.  What kind of firestarters do you use?

 

Warm Blessings to you all,

Lisa

 

Propagaing a Christmas Cactus

  This is the time of the year that you will see those amazing Christmas Cactus available for sale in stores. They are so pretty and exotic looking. I LOVE them!!  These succulent plants are sometimes called "heirloom" plants because the live for years and years and can  be handed down through families. Did I tell you I love them??
  Several years ago, my Mom bought one for me for Christmas because she knew I had always admired them. I couldn't justify spending money on a plant for myself though--money was tight.  The blooms were so pretty and festive through the winter that I wanted more of the Cacti for my home.  My Mom told me how my Grandma used to just break off a piece and let it dry out a day or two then plant the piece in another pot.  She would always have "starts" for anyone who wanted one!  Both of my Grandmas had green thumbs--guess that is where I get it from--at least that is what my Mom tells me!
  So here are pics of my propagating process:

                  Several of my Christmas Cacti in the kitchen window.  The one on the left is the original one my Momma bought for me. I just counted and I have 9 pots of these beauties in my kitchen and dining room!  Told you I love them! :)

Just break off pieces with several segments on them.  Let the pieces dry out or scab over for a few days.

Then plant several pieces in a pot  together.  Water lightly at first and just water once or twice a week after that.  The segments may wilt a little but be patient.  Less watering is more!

 

So if you are lucky enought to have one of these beautiful plants, you can easily propagate more. More for your home or like me, more to give away or sell!

Have you propagated any plants lately?

 

Blooming Blessings,

Lisa

 

Deal of the Week

My local grocery had 2 crates of pie pumpkins on sale for 50 cents each!! Guess what I am going to be doing?  You guessed it.....making pumpkin puree and pumpkin butter!

These will make some awesome pumpkin pies and pumpkin butter is like fall in a jar!  Yummy!

Autumn Blessings,
Lisa

Ps. I you want to learn an easy way to ,make the pumpkin puree see this page: http://herbandbotanicals.blogspot.com/2011/11/pumpkin-puree.html

Dill--Herb of the Week!

Dill, a plant that hails from the Mediterranean and South Russia, is a very easy herb to grow in the home garden.   It loves nice hot summers and lots of sunshine.

Two parts of the dill plant can be used—the leaves (dill weed) and the seeds.  The seeds are very similar to caraway seeds.  Dill is best used fresh. When dried it loses flavor very quickly.

Dill is most notably known for its use in making Dill Pickles in the US. It is a very popular herb in Europe, India and Canada.  Canadians favor it to season their salmon!

I have used dill in my pickle making and also in a few recipes.  My favorite use is to sprinkle it onto my cucumber sandwiches.  Here is how I make mine:

Cucumber sandwiches

 

Party Rye Bread

Thinly sliced cucumbers

Cream cheese-softened

Salt and pepper

Fresh Dill

Mix cream cheese with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Spread cream cheese onto the party rye slices. Place 1-2 cuke slices onto the bread and then sprinkle with fresh dill. You can also sprinkle with salt and pepper to your taste. These are always a hit at showers and holidays!  My children love them!

Blessings,

Lisa

 

 

 

 

 

Let there be Lavender Soap!

Yesterday was a fun day of soap making with my cousin Christina. She has been wanting to learn to make soap for ages so yesterday was the day!  My favorite soap recipe comes from the West Ladies--Homestead Blessings --The Art opf Soap  Making.  I find it very informative and the DVD is very easy to follow.
                                          Here are some of the soapmaking supplies:

Getting all of the supplies together takes more time than it takes to make the soap!  Measuring the ingredients properly is very important but the most important part of soap making is saftey.  Gloves and goggles are needed and keep vinegar handy to neutralize any caustic splashes.  I forgot to take pics of the process--we had such a great time!
                                               Here are pics of the soap poured into the molds:

I chose to put lavender on the top of my bars--Christina chose to keep hers plain.

 

After pouring the soap into the molds, you need to cover them and put a towel or blanket on to keep the soap from cooling too quickly.

 Today I was able to cut the bars and now they need to cure for 3 weeks before they can be used.

Here they are:

                     Lovely Lavender Soap Bars-   Look for them to be on sale in three weeks!

So pretty and they smell heavenly!

 

Blessings,

Lisa

Our Fall Mini Vacation

Last week My hubby and I , along with our Moms, went on a mini vacation to Lake Cumberland.  We stayed in the Lure Logde and let me tell you it was gorgeous! See for yourselves!

 

View from our balcony 

 

 

 

 

                                                          View from the Dining room

                                                                  5 Turkeys                                       

 

 

Sunset

 

We had a wonderful,quiet 2 day stay!

 

Fall Blessings,

Lisa 

Easy Pumpkin Pie Spice-Revisited

 

This is a post on making your own pumpkin pie spice that I published last year but I felt it is relevant for this time of the year!  So Here it is:

 

 

 

If you are like me, you hate to buy the spice blends--especially since you probably have most of the spices on hand anyway. Pumpkin Pie spice is one of the most popular spice blends and is soooo easy to make your own!

Here is my recipe for it:

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1-1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Just put all in a bowl and mix. Put in a small lidded jar to store!

Voila...its done! Don't forget to label it!

Have a great day!
Fall Blessings,

Lisa

Puttin' up Apple Butter

Hello all,
  Isn't fall just a wonderful time of the year?  I love it!  Fall colors, sweater weather, spiced tea, hot apple cider and apple everything!  My family, especially my oldest son, loves apple butter and hot biscuits for breakfast. Well, DS #1 loves them anytime of the day, but I digress. So I decided to make my family very happy by making  some homemade apple butter for them!
  I love the canning instructions and recipes on  http://www.pickyourown.org.  They are so easy to understand and have great pics. So if you are interested in making it for the first time, I highly recommend them.  I am not affiliated with them, just love the site!  Here are some pics of my puttin' up Apple butter:

Thickening up!

 

Sterilizing jars in oven.

Every jar pinged.  Brings a smile to my face everytime!

 

Homemade Fall goodness for my Family!

 

Blessings,

Lisa

My

Great deal on peppers to dry!

Today I found a great brgain at our local Meijer--I bought 9 green peppers for just $2.84.  They were in the reduces section but were still in good shape!  I bought them up and am drying them to use later.
     I am using my Nesco dehydrator and I just love it. Here are pics of the process:

Here are the last 4 of them--I started before taking pics!

                       Wash and slice them into skinny strips.  Don't you just love my knife! 

Place on drying racks.

Put lid/fan on and set to 145 degrees and plug in for about 8-10 hours.

 

Viola!  Dried peppers to use all winter long!

 

Blessings,

Lisa

 

 

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

Here is a recipe I have been making this fall for my pumpkin loving family:

Easy pumpkin Muffins

1 box yellow or spice cake mix
1  15oz. can pumpkin
2 eggs
2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 cup pecans (optional)
Sugar in the raw

Mix cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, spices and pecans together.  Scoop into cupcake liners ( mix does not raise much so fill liners up), sprinkle Sugar in the Raw on top and bake at 350 degrees for15 -20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Makes 15 muffins.

Enjoy!

Blessings,
Lisa

Herb of the Week

                  

Thyme, a very popular and well known culinary herb, is very versatile.  It is great in salads, soups, breads, meats and veggies.  Very easy to grow, Thyme thrives in a hot, sunny, well drained location and is drought tolerant. So why isn’t everyone growing this wonderful herb?  No excuses…plan on putting it in your herb garden in the spring!

 Fresh thyme is sweetest if picked just as flowers appear and can be stored in a baggie in the bottom of the frig or in a glass of water on the frig shelf. When using fresh thyme, strip the leaves off of the stem (it can be woody sometimes) with your fingers or place the stem between the tines of a fork and pull it through.  One sprig of fresh thyme = ½ teaspoon dried thyme.

  To dry thyme, just tie a bunch together and hang upside down in a cool dry place.  Then strip leaves, crush and place in small jar. 

Here is a great recipe for easy Herbed Biscuit Muffins using the wonderful herb---Thyme:

Ingredients:

·         Cooking oil spray

·         2 1/2 cups self-rising flour

·         1-1/2 teaspoons fresh sage (or favorite herb), chopped or 1/4 teaspoon dried sage

·         1-1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or favorite herb), chopped or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

·         1/3 cup mayonnaise

·         1 1/4 cups milk (or buttermilk)

·         Kosher salt-optional

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray nonstick a nonstick 12-cup muffin pan with vegetable oil.

Whisk sage and thyme into the flour.

Using a large dinner fork, stir in the mayo and milk until combined. Do not over mix.

Divide batter evenly into muffin cups. Sprinkle Kosher salt on top--optional

Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes for muffins, until golden.

These muffins are very good with chicken or pork and mix can be used as pot pie top crust. Yummy!

Yield: 12 servings

 

Hope you enjoy the Herbed Biscuit Muffins!

Blessings,

Lisa

Gratitude Tuesday

Today I am grateful for Courage. My son Jonathan is one of the most courageous people I know.  He is also very ambitious.  He is curious about the world we live in and has the courage to go and explore this great big world on his own.  Two years ago he traveled to Mexico (alone) to study abroad. He booked his flight and got on a plane for the first time to Mexico City. I was so proud of him for going.  Upon arriving at Mexico city, he had to find the bus station and take a bus to Cuernavaca.  Then he had to catch a taxi to the boarding house he was to stay at. I cannot imagine flying to a foreign country, catching a bus, then taking a taxi to the boarding house all by myself.  That is courage.  Jonathan’s trip to study abroad didn’t work out for him so he came home early. After graduating, he found a job teaching Spanish at a local high school.  He paid off all of his loans and then banked the rest of his salary.  You see he still dreamed of travelling to foreign countries. After the school year was completed, Jonathan made plans to travel to Mexico again.  He visited with the family that ran the boarding house and toured all around Mexico. But still he dreamed of traveling more of the world. He applied for and was hired as an English teaching assistant in Andalucia Spain.  He had to travel to Chicago to apply for his visa at the Spanish consulate. The best part was he took his Brother with him! I love that they spent so much time together!   This was Michael’s first flight so he was very courageous to go along.  So Jonathan is preparing to leave tomorrow.  While I am grateful for Jonathan’s courage for wanting to see the world, I am praying for courage for me.  I am going to miss him like crazy—8 months is a long time.  He will miss Thanksgiving and Christmas with us.   This is HUGE because we have  always  been together for the holidays. I will need courage to make it through that.  So I am thankful for Courage—Courage that drives my child to explore the world and courage that will see me through the next 8 months.

Blessings,

Lisa

What's not to like about Pinterest?

?

I am addicted to Pinterest.  I love the great recipes, the storage ideas, the home decorating ideas and all of the garden décor.  I  have pinned tons of things I wanted to do and make.

The problems arose when I started making the recipes and doing decorating projects in my home.   The recipes had expensive ingredients, and I had to go buy things for the projects.     I wanted many new things.  Things I couldn’t really afford.  After pinning  daily for several weeks, I realized I was feeling dissatisfied with my home, my belongings and my life in general.  What good was looking at things I didn’t have and couldn’t afford?  I realized that my home, while not perfect, is a comfortable, liveable  place of refuge for me and my family.  We have adequate clothing, we have enough food to eat, and generally.... we have enough. Why make myself dissatisfied by spending my time wishing for things I do not need? So I have cut down on my use of Pinterest.  Have I given it up entirely?(please remember I am addicted to it but I now see the danger)  NO, but I am limiting my time on there and  trying to limit my pins to simple recipes and gardening tips.  I am grateful for what I have and I want to be happy about that, not dissatisfied because I want more.

Have you experienced dissatisfaction using Pinterest?

Blessings,

Lisa

Jelly Making Time again!

Guess what I did this weekend!  That's right.....made three batches of jelly/jam. 2 Grape jelly and one small batch of raspberry jam.  I had several more jars than in the above pic but I gave a jar to each of  my Aunts.  I love being able to share my jams and jellies and plan on using some for Christmas gifts.    

I just love giving homemade gifts at Christmas don't you?
Blessings,
Lisa

Healthy Chicken Salad--Whole Foods Recipe!

In my quest to find healthier alternatives for overprocessed foods, I have found a replacement for mayonaise or salad dressing--Greek yoghurt!.  My family loves chicken salad and tuna salad but I hate the fact that they contain mayo or salad dressing. By substituting Greek yoghurt I can make my Chicken salad and tuna salad much better for us. Yippee!

Here is a great rcipe for healthier chicken salad:

       

·         1 cup  Greek yoghurt

·         4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

·         6 teaspoons honey

·         Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste           

·         2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

·         3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted

·         2 cups red seedless grapes sliced in half

·         3 stalks celery, diced small

·         Fresh mint to garnish

Method: 

In a bowl, combine yoghurt, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to dress the salad. This can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the chicken breasts in one layer in a baking dish with 1/2 cup water. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes until completely cooked through. Remove cooked chicken breasts from pan, cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.

When the chicken is cold, dice into bite-size chunks and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in pecans, grapes, celery and dressing. Sprinkle chopped fresh mint to garnish.  Awesome served plated with fresh cantaloupe!

Nutritional Info: 

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Lisa

Quote of the Week

A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.
                                                                                        -Colin Powell

My Whole Foods Journey---Continued!

Last year I started a whole foods journey for my family.  I was buying more raw foods and less processed foods.  Then life happened and I hit rock bottom with my depression and stopped trying to improve our diets.  It was all I could do to make it to work and come home and function. I didn’t care about improving my diet—quite frankly I didn’t care if I lived or died-so our diet was no big thing to me at that time.  Well, after living under a black cloud, the sun has started to shine in my life. A med change helped bring that about…I won’t lie!

So I want to continue my whole foods journey.  I purchased a dehydrator that I have been putting to very good use and have conquered my fear of the pressure canner. With these tools I can easily “Put Up“  many whole foods for convenient future use. 

I plan on only shopping the outer aisles of the Market, using more whole wheat flour, and using up the processed foods in my stash(we cannot afford not to).  I have been making all of our jelly for the last several years and that is one item we have stopped using from the market.  My husband is addicted to his diet Coke so I am going to attempt to make tea and keep it in the frig for him so we can stop buying this. This is going to be a slow process let me tell you!  I have been buying honey from a local farmer and plan on continuing this—in addition I want to phase out using so much white sugar. I want to start substituting honey in my baking.  The muffin recipe I posted yesterday can be adapted to use honey.  I am diabetic so I have to watch my carbs but I feel using natural products in moderation is better than using artificial sweeteners.

So here are my goals for the week:

1.       Only buy fruits, veggies, meat and dairy products at the market.

2.       Plan simpler meals.

3.       Make a pitcher of Tea each night.

4.       Plan one meatless meal.

5.       Find one sale item to can or dry for my stash.

6.       Use honey or sugar in the raw for sweetener only.

Wow, let the WF journey begin……again!

Blessings,

Lisa

Basic Muffin Mix Recipe

This is a very adaptable basic muffin mix that I use for my family.  I keep the mix in a Tupperware container with the recipe on the label.

18 cups all-purpose flour
6 cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups buttermilk blend or nonfat dry milk
6 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons salt

1 T Cinnamon and 2 T Nutmeg are optional.  I prefer mine without so I have a choice when making a batch.

Store in a large airtight container labeled with the date and contents in a cool, dry place.

Shelf life: 6 to 8 months. Makes enough for about 5 batches of 24 muffins each.

If desired, sugar can be omitted then stir in 1 cup honey for every 24 muffins as you make them.

To make 24 regular size muffins:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Spray Muffin Tins with PAM type spray or use cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, beat:

4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract or any flavor you would like(Lemon, Almond, Rum, etc.)
2 cups water
1 cup vegetable oil

Stir in 5 1/2 cups muffin mix and any additional (2 C fruit of your choice and/or nuts) ingredients just until moistened.  We love blueberry muffins but this recipe is very versatile-use your imagination for flavor combos. Do not over mix—lumpy is good with muffins!

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full.  You can sprinkle top of muffins with large sugar crystals prior to baking—yummy.

 Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown.

Muffins freeze well. To reheat a frozen muffin, microwave on HIGH for 25 seconds.

 

This is a great basic mix.  I hope you  and your family enjoy!

Blessings,

Lisa