RECIPE WEDNESDAY

I am not a 'food first thing in the morning' kind of person. Though I do know I need something to kick-start the metabolism.

So my kick-start usually consists of a cup of fluffy with either 2 fig newtons or a Belvita soft cookie. Banana is my choice there.

By 10 a.m. or so I am ready for real food. And must be loaded in protein. My go to of choice right now is this easy wrap. 1 large flour tortilla (though I'm thinking of dropping down a size) with a T. of Thousand Island dressing (you know, 'special sauce') 4 or 5 deli slices of smoked turkey, sprinkling of shredded Monterey Jack/ Colby cheese and 3 strips of bacon. If I drop down to the smaller tortilla, I can pare down to 2 strips of bacon. I'd also like to add tomato and lettuce but I didn't have any on hand.

Share your 'filling' ideas. I'm always looking for new twists on my favorites.
Enjoy the Journey!
~Kelly

WEEKLY PLAN - October 6-12

I love this shot. This is from Fort Drum Army road. I just want to start walking.

Which is something I've determined I HAVE to do more of. Right now a regular exercise routine is just not in the schedule. But I can walk. I love to walk. So whether I walk on the treadmill, on one of the walking trails in the area or in front of the Wii... I WILL WALK EVERY DAY.

Strapping on the pedometer and away I go....

Enjoy the Journey!

PLANNING FOR THE WEEKEND - September 29 - Oct. 3

I'm still on the hunt for apples. I would love to find a 1/2 bushel. That would give me plenty to make apple butter, apple sauce and apple pie filling.

In my honest opinion, nothing you buy in the store compares to homemade. And making apple butter or apple sauce is not difficult. With a slow cooker, the task is not even really time consuming. Put the mushed apples in to cook down and go do something else. Though I prefer low and slow in the big roasting pan in the oven.  I like to use apple sauce in place of oil in a lot of my baking and is good on top of low carb pancakes - which are almost like a crepe in consistency.

Bob and I like apple crisp as oppose to apple pies. Not big on the crust. Though Bob would prefer I did not put oatmeal in the crisp. I made THIS peach crisp and turned out great so thought I'd try the same with apple pie filling instead.

Okay.. off track.. Planning for the weekend.
I need to go to Springfield (2 hrs away) for a writers meeting tomorow. I think I'm leaving early enough to go by the Farmer's Market. I'll stay in town overnight which means eating out. I have coupons for my birthday from various restaurants. My favorite is going to be Applebees. I like their 2 for $20 menu... especially since they've added the Wonton Taco as an appetizer option. I can pick 2 light entrees. Eat one for supper and bring the other one home to put in the freezer to eat during Nano. I also get a free shooter dessert. Oh yeah, and Sat. night supper will be crab legs at the chinese buffet. Lots of protein in the crab legs and the mussels in black bean sauce.

I hope your weekend goes as planned..
Enjoy the Journey!
Kelly

RECIPE WEDNESDAY

I purchased our FoodSaver last night. I'm looking forward to putting the new addition to our kitchen to use. I've been wanting one for a couple of years. Having one would allow me to take advantage of bulk meat sales and package fresh venison, rabbit and turkey when hubby goes hunting.

Then I saw THIS on Pinterest. I followed the website link to Paula Rhodes'  Salad-in-a-jar If the process works as well as Paula claims, I'll be able to enjoy salad or lettuce in a variety of dishes throughout the week without any waste.

I need to purchase the canning lid accessory sealers shown here: http://www.foodsaver.com/accessories/T03-0006-02P.html#start=9

They have them for the Regular and Wide mouth lids. None of the places I checked locally had them in stock. I'm going to look at Bass Pro on Saturday. I may wind up ordering from Amazon where they are less expensive.

I just imagine the healthy foods I can store longer. Vegetables in single pouch servings. And no more freezer burn! Most excited about that, I think.

Do you use a FoodSaver? If so, share your tips and recipes. I'd love to hear from you.
Enjoy the Journey!
Kelly