Elf on the Shelf {day 3}

{day 3} Ellie the Elf visits Racheal's desk with photocopies of her face & butt!

Elf on the Shelf {day 2}

{day 2} Ellie the Elf visits Phyllis' office and brings her candy canes

I happened to be here before Phyllis this morning, so when she entered her office I heard her exclaim "There's an Elf in here!!!"  This made Diana and I chuckle, later I heard Kathy explaining the elf story.  I hope Phyllis was nice today LOL

Elf on the Shelf {day 1}

I decided to plan a whole month of silliness at the office with an Elf on the Shelf.  I thought we could use some excitement around here... it has been a very busy and stressful year.  A little extra fun around the holidays is always a good thing.

Since today was her first visit, I thought I would give the our elf the red carpet treatment by stringing out a big red ribbon.  Our sweet elf brought with her a letter from Santa and some powdered doughnuts :)

Santa's letter requested that we name our elf, so my boss asked everyone to submit names for a vote. The name options were:

1. Aleph
2. Millie
3. Willie
4. Ellie
5. Ms Rumchatta, the mischievous ELF

We took a vote this afternoon and the majority decided her name is Ellie the Elf.

{day 1} Ellie the Elf arrives at MTA

My Everyday Life ~ July 9 - July 15, 2012

Here is what my last week looked like:

first herb harvest from my garden

Jay & Josh on Long Prairie Trail

My mountain bike... I call her Matilda.

Cute bike seen at Tour de North End
( it reminded me of the 80s when we wore bike shorts as fashion statements!)

Here I am with my road bike (I call her Penelope!) at one of the rest stops for Biking with Beanzie

action shot of Jay's road bike

yup!!  ;-)

Biking with Beanzie

Josh, Jason and I headed down to DeKalb, IL bright and early for our first time on the Biking wth Beanzie ride.  There were many ride options to choose from... 24,40,68,79,102.  We considered our riding experience and took into account the expected highs for the day when we decided to ride the 40 mile route. I had originally wanted to ride the 68 mile route, but it was suppose to be super hot and I knew I would have more fun riding with the boys.  It was 72 degrees out when we took off at 7:30am and the temperature climbed to 92 degrees by the time we finished at 11:30pm.  

ready to ride

This ride takes place primarily on flat rural roads in DeKalb County... there is also lots of corn in this area, the fields go on as far as you can see.  The roads were almost completely clear of cars and they were in very good condition for being out in the middle of nowhere :)  

cycling boys

I know that there is a ton of controversy surrounding wind turbines and wind farms, but I have to say that they are pretty fun see up close.  It's my opinion that they add something to the landscape, and I really enjoyed the view of wind turbines for miles and miles.  Its unfortunate that some of these small communities are really torn up over the turbines.  We didn't experience any feelings of headaches or vertigo, but I did see the "shadow flicker" on the crops and couldn't help thinking that it would drive me crazy if my house was in the shadow of one.  Personally, I love that we can harvest that head wind we were fighting while riding our bikes, but its easy for me to say since I live 45 miles away.

flat roads, corn & windmills

The rest stops were great, about 8 miles apart and stocked with water, Gatorade, fruit, bagels, peanut butter and jelly.  The stops were a little closer together than I have experienced on previous rides, but I have to say that on a really hot day I enjoyed being able to stop often and fill up my water bottle.  Also, I think it made the ride more friendly for families and folks that don't have as much experience riding.  The volunteers were great very cheerful and helpful.  One stop even had frozen towels to cool off your neck... that was my favorite stop for sure!  Typically, we would start off together, and then the boys would pull away from me a bit, their pace just a tad faster then mine.  They never got more than a half mile or so ahead of me, and would always be waiting for me at the rest stops.

There were cute signs everywhere with a cartoon drawings of Beanzie's head placed into movie posters... I didn't get any pics of the signs but they were along the lines of "STAR WARS: Return of the Beanzie"

homestretch

Near the end, Jays knee was hurting on top, and mine was sore in the back, so we decided to just take it easy.  Josh took the opportunity to ride faster and leave it all on the road.  We had some good laughs on our last few miles and really enjoyed each other's company.  It was getting hot, and we were definitely getting hungry... we almost missed the last turn because the sign was placed in an awkward spot.  This was the only sign that seemed strange, we never had any other problems throughout the day.

my handsome cycling partner

In the last half mile, we moved over on the bike path and I removed the camera from my bike for a few action shots :) I am rather pleased with how they turned out.

feeling accomplished, but ready for AC & food!!

We'll be back next year Beanzie!!

On the Menu ~ week of July 9

So happy to be back on track with healthy eating!  I decided to start with a simple menu this week, we are busy with work and training.  The heatwave finally broke and I dont want to be stuck in the kitchen too long :)

Monday - Herbed chicken in the crock pot with baked sweet potato

Tuesday - Barbecued pork chops with spinach salad

Wednesday - Bruschetta Chicken (reduce recipe for two and subtract the bread)

Thursday - Fresh Blueberry Pulled Pork

Friday -  Steak with boozy bacon jam and grilled zucchini

Saturday -  dine out during the Tour de North End bike ride

Sunday - Grilled fish tacos

chicken breasts	avocado
mahi mahi	basil
pork chops	blueberries
pork roast	cabbage
steaks	grape tomatoes
	jalepeno
	lime
balsamic vinegar	mango
chili pepper flakes	onion
chili powder	pineapple
chili sauce	scallions
cilantro	spinach
corriander	sweet potato
cumin	zucchini
garlic
greek yogurt
olive oil
parmesan cheese
red wine vinegar

My Everyday Life ~ July 2 - July 8, 2012

Here is what my last week looked like:

My Granny doing a word search

My aunt & uncle's 3rd anniversary

4th of July with my Aunt Lynette

SOMEBODY tore up my garden (sniff)

I friggin hate those dang squirrels!!

I got 5 inches of hair cut off... the heatwave made me do it

aforementioned heatwave

My strong friend Karol in her first triathlon

Back to Summerfest to see CAKE... well, see them on the jumbo screen that is.. we were too far away and I was too short to see them over the sea of people, but it was still a great show!!

Brown dog in a blue IKEA bag

Mandy's Menu Recap

Monday - Taking Grandma out for dinner (parents are out of town)

We ate Mexican food at one of our fav local spots: Sabrosa in Roscoe, IL

Tuesday - 4th of July party at our Uncle David's house
Chili dogs, homemade pizza, beers... oh my!

Wednesday - 4th of July bash at Jen's mom's house
Homemade roast beef & ham sandwiches, angel food cake with ice cream & berries

Thursday- Dinner with Grandma

more pizza!

Friday -  We scarfed pizza leftovers so we could get to the movies on time!  
We saw Spiderman on the IMAX 3D screen -  it was awesome :)

Saturday -  Dinner @ Summerfest - Were seeing the band CAKE!
We ate gyros and quesidillas and drank a local IPA

Sunday - I plan on brining and grilling a whole chicken... We stayed home all day and rested.  I got a bad headache and Jay ran out for sub sandwiches so I could enjoy my day of rest and hopefully feel better.  The subs were huge, but they got rid of my headache :)


Now, I feel like I had an amazing, fun week... but boy oh boy did I eat crappy or what???  It was a record breaking heatwave and with the holiday in the middle of the week, we just decided to make the whole week a free for all.  I am feeling kind of gross just typing it all out.  I am so ready to get back to fresh, homemade foods next week that is for sure!!!

My Everyday Life ~ June 25 - July 1, 2012

Here is what my last week looked like:

study of spider web

my very own Charlotte ;)

hmmmm....

Crazy storm clouds with no rain... this system became famous on FB within an hour

best.thankyou.ever.
(they are all choked up over our gift)

My first time at Summerfest :)

A very tasty IPA from Lake Front Brewery :)

Jay playing Little Big Planet Karting in the PS trailer

The name of the band is COWBOY MOUTH!!

Fred is the drummer and the singer!

These guys ROCK!

Focus would have been nice...oh well!

My Sunday riding group :)

On the Menu ~ week of July 2

Almost seems silly to type this out... this week is going to be crazy!!  Reality and healthy eating kicks back in next Monday!!!!

Monday - Taking Grandma out for dinner (parents are out of town)

Tuesday - 4th of July party at our Uncle David's house

Wednesday - 4th of July bash at Jen's mom's house

Thursday- Hair appointment in evening = scrounging for dinner!

Friday -  Dinner with Grandma

Saturday -  Dinner @ Summerfest - Were seeing CAKE!

Sunday - omg a rest day?!?  I plan on brining and grilling a whole chicken

Mandy's Menu Recap

Monday - Pizza stuffed sweet potatoes for me & homemade pepperoni pizza for Jay

review:  this was ok, I guess it was better than just eating a plain sweet potato ;)

Tuesday - Polish Kielbasa Beef Sausage and sauerkraut in the crock pot

review:  I got this sausage from US Wellness Meats.  It is sugar free, nitrate free and msg free.  I put it in the crock pot with a jar of imported sauerkraut for three hours on low just to warm through and meld the flavors. I didn't really care for the sausage at all, it didn't taste at all like Polish Sausage to me. I was slightly disappointed.

Wednesday - Grass Fed Bison Burgers with grilled beets

review:  This meat is also from US Wellness Meats!  I shaped four patties, seasoned each side with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and pan fried them.  I loved the flavor of the meat.  We will definitely will be ordering this again :)

Thursday- Chicken Tortilla-less soup
My nephew Austin spent the evening with us so we moved up the Flank Steak and had it with potatoes and corn on the cob.  My buddy loooooves steak:)

Friday -  Herb Crusted Pork Chops (with unsweetened coconut instead of panko) and Oven Roasted Broccoli

We were at Summerfest and feasted on Mexican food:  quesidillas and tamales

Saturday -  Flank Steak with sweet potato and spinach salad

We were in Schaumburg picking up our bikes and on a IKEA trip, so we ate out

Sunday - spending the day with Dad, so I am guessing we will be chowing down there :)

I picked up Portillos for everyone since I was in Sycamore!!

I have to get back to eating more on my whole foods plan... I have been falling off the wagon lately... I think after the 4th of July it will be easier to be back on track!!

Oven Roasted Almonds Three Ways

This weekend I made a few things that you could probably buy in your local grocery store, but since they are so simple,  I wanted to try to make them at home.

1).  Almond Butter

I bought two pounds of plain unroasted, unsalted whole almonds in the baking isle of my local grocery store.  First I put each pound of almonds on a sheet pan with parchment paper and roasted almonds in the oven until a delicious nutty smell filled my house (about 15 minutes at 350)



Then, I measured out 1 1/2 cups of roasted almonds and put them aside for another recipe.  I put the remaining nuts in the food processor.  The whole almonds go through a few different stages in the processor... first they are LOUD!  then, as they break down a little, they resemble flour as you can see from this video

After about 10 minutes or so the mixture starts to break down from the "flour" stage and as the nuts start to release their oils it begins to get creamy around the 15 minute stage.  I did open the food processor a few times to scrape down the sides, I also added a healthy pinch of sea salt.

Here is my final product!

Perhaps, not quite as creamy as a store bough variety, but I happen to like the texture.  I will gobble about a tablespoon of this daily with a banana or apple.  Its actually a snack that I look forward to.... so delicious especially with that sea salt added :)  Only about 30 minutes total, and you can multi task while doing it :)

2).  Fruit & Nut Bars

Have you ever seen Larabars in the store?  We love them because they contain very few ingredients and are so delicious we like to eat one every day!  They retail anywhere from $1.19 - $1.60 and that adds up when two people are eating one every.single.day.  I decided that since the Cherry Pie version is my current favorite I would try my hand at it.  This is so easy its ridiculous!  All I did was take 1 1/4 cups dried cherries and 1 1/4 medjool dates and put them in the food processor (no need to clean if done after almond butter!)  I let the dried fruit spin until it becomes a sticky ball of paste:

Then, I took the reserved 1 1/2 cups roasted almonds and pulsed them in the food processor.  Store bought Larabars are more finely chopped up, but I like the texture of having a few nuts to chew on.  I poured the nuts into the fruit paste...

and then I just got my hands in there and mixed like crazy until the nuts were evenly incorporated.  I placed a piece of parchment paper in a 8x8 pan and pressed the nutty/fruity mixture evenly into the pan with my fingers.  I placed the pan in the fridge for at about 30 minutes.  It easily popped out because of the lovely parchment... then I just cut it into dozen servings

3). Grain Free Granola

This recipe is inspired by Paleo People Grain Free Granola.  I always have nuts & seeds around my house, I knew I could do it cheaper than buying it.  So I put 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup butter in saucepan and melted together.

Then, I added into a large bowl and mixed thoroughly:

2 C almonds, sliced 
1 1/2 C pecans, chopped
1/2 C sunflower seeds
1/2 C flax meal
1/4 C cacao nibs
3 T cacao powder

I poured the butter/honey mixture into the bowl and mixed well, until completely combined.
Lastly, I put the mixture onto a sheet pan prepared with a sheet of parchment paper and baked in a 350 oven for 25 mins.

Here is what I got:

Looks pretty doesn't it?  Well, guess what... I over baked it.  BIG TIME.  I want to scarf it down, but I cant bring myself to eat that almost totally burnt granola :(  I am always saying "color is flavor!" but in this case, it was too much.  What happened is that I was reading the end of a pretty good book, and although I didn't lose track of time, I wasn't watching my granola... if I had been watching it I would definitely have taken it out much earlier.  Oh well, you win some, you lose some!  I will try again soon :)

On the Menu ~ week of June 25

Here is my menu for the week, it is mainly in the Paleo/Primal diet with some exceptions here and there.  I am focusing on slow cooker meals for Tuesdays and Thursdays so that I can spend more time outside/at work/or renovating the house and less time in the kitchen. I have also decided to include a shopping list for the week... it is long, but a lot of the items can probably be found in your pantry :)

Monday - Pizza stuffed sweet potatoes for me & homemade pepperoni pizza for Jay

Tuesday - Kielbasa and sauerkraut in the crock pot

Wednesday - Bison Burgers with grilled beets

Thursday- Chicken Tortilla-less soup

Friday -  Herb Crusted Pork Chops (with unsweetened coconut instead of panko) and Oven Roasted Broccoli

Saturday -  Flank Steak with sweet potato and spinach salad

Sunday - spending the day with Dad, so I am guessing we will be chowing down there :)

pepperoni	avocado
polish sausage	beets
ground bison	green peppers
chicken breasts	onion
pork chops	parsley
flank steak	spinach
	sweet potato
balsamic vinegar	strawberries
chili powder	thyme
cumin	zucchini
chipotle peppers
dijon
diced petite tomatoes
parmesan cheese
pepitas
pizza sauce
sauerkraut
tomato paste
unsweetened coconut

Mandy's Menu Recap

Monday - Simple grilled chicken breasts and grilled asparagus with our favorite grill seasoning
review: Jason cooked this himself and got it done just in time for me to get home from work.  I think food tastes even better when someone else cooks:)  Sorry I've been slacking on my pics!

Tuesday - Coffee pot roast ( I am just going to take a seasoned chuck roast and throw it in the crock pot with strong coffee with two cloves smashed garlic)
review:  I am LOVING crock pot days!  Still slacking on the photos... I think it has to do something with the loong days I have been working ;)

Wednesday - Farm fresh bratwurst on the grill with roasted bell peppers stuffed with quinoa (minus the corn & cheese)
review:  again, feeling so tired from work and I didn't even stuff the pepper with the quinoa.  I just grilled the pepper and ate it by itself.  There is something to be said about having a simple meal without alot of work or ingredients.  Simply quinoa with some fresh chopped parsley from my garden.

Thursday- Smoking hot pork tacos served in bib lettuce "shells"
review:  My new favorite!  Easy paste made in the food processor in just a minute, then rubbed on the meat and thrown in the crock pot.  I didn't marinate.. just cooked right away.  This fed us for many days and was so flavorful.  I may just cook this every week!

Friday -  Pizza stuffed sweet potatoes leftover smoking hot pork!  :)  
review: perfect Friday night dinner!!!  Shared a cold beer with my honey and chowed down.  The crock pot is my new best friend :)

Saturday -  Grilled pork chops with peach salsa and grilled beets 
'DOH!  Still didn't make this dinner!  I am taking it off the rotation for the time being... it must not be meant to be.  We were out and about and ate fast food :(  I am so ashamed.

Sunday - Charcoal rotisserie chicken and grilled butternut squash - 
We ended up having some burgers we picked up at Whole Foods.  Did I take a picture? NOPE.  The burgers were good, I would get them again for an easy, cheap dinner.

Week in review: I let go a little bit and had some beer, a tiny bit of dairy, and some quinoa.  I didn't eat as many vegetables or salads.  I am going to really work on that for next week for sure.  Also, I will quit complaining about how much I am working and how tired I am... its life and I need to get.over.it!  I didn't lose any additional weight, but I didn't gain any either.  Here's to trying to be more strict during the week and letting a little loose on the weekend, but no more fried food!!!