A few weeks ago the good folks at POM, growers of pomegranates and makers of POM juices contacted me to see if I was interested in cooking with their products.  Since I’m a fan of pomegranates I jumped at the offer.  Their website is a great resource for recipes featuring pomegranates but I decided to experiment with my own concoction.

I had this vision of making a pomegranate cranberry sauce.  I was originally going to modify the standard cranberry sauce recipe and instead of water use pomegranate juice.  But then I got the idea that ginger would be a great addition.  My first instinct was to grate some ginger into the mix but then I remembered my long-abandoned jar of ginger preserves and decided to use those instead.  Rummaging through my fridge I happened to found a whole pomegranate and I thought wouldn’t that be a great way to add texture to my sauce.

I’m a fan of making my own cranberry sauce because it’s so to do.  It literally takes about 15 minutes and it’s not an active 15 minutes, just a bit of stirring here and there.  This sauce was no different.  I let it cook down for a bit more than 10 minutes but it was ready by the time the rest of my meal was.

I decided to serve my cranberry sauce on top of breaded pork chops and alongside roasted baby potatoes.  I’ve always been intrigued by people who eat pork chops with applesauce… I’ve never done it myself but I like the idea of the combination.  Cranberry sauce seemed like a natural (and delicious) progression. Of course this would also be delish with chicken and turkey and for all your other holiday animals.

Ginger-Pomegranate Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

With a little experimentation and creativity, you can effortlessly tweak your Thanksgiving menu into a gluten-free holiday spectacular.

Appetizers

Make your appetizers simple by offering a variety of cheese, spreads and rice crackers.  Quinoa stuffed mushrooms are a great alternative to wheat- stuffed mushrooms and taste just as delicious; your guests will never know the difference.  Arrange a platter of nuts, seeds and dried fruits for nibbling throughout the evening; your guests will take pleasure in snacking while savoring wine and socializing.

Side Dishes

Cranberry sauce is an easy way to create a fresh, seasonal fruit on your dinner table.  Furthermore, everyone loves mashed potatoes; make a large batch of mashed sweet potatoes; add fresh apples and freshly squeezed orange juice in place of half the butter.  Not a sweet potato fan? Opt for mashed yams and top with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon.  Roasted carrots and parsnips are a great way to incorporate tender, root vegetables onto your turkey table; simply chop into fry-like shapes, drizzle with olive oil and a dash of nutmeg, sea salt and pepper; spread on a baking sheet to roast in the oven until crispy.  Roasted cauliflower is a tasty side dish alternative; toss chopped cauliflower florets in a mixture of turmeric, rosemary, balsamic vinegar and olive oil before baking.   Green vegetables such as broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, green beans and asparagus pair nicely sautéed with olive oil and slivered almonds.  If you and your guests are more inclined to dine on soup before your main meal, create a warm butternut squash or apple pumpkin soup with gluten-free croutons and a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Main Meal

When selecting a bird, be sure to carefully check the label to ensure the turkey does not contain hormones, pesticides or additives.  Compliment your turkey with a unique twist to awe your guests and create a mouthwatering feast.  Gluten free stuffing is an easy alternative to bread stuffing using apple cider vinegar, brown rice, quinoa, dried cranberries, ground nuts and herbs.  Create a sweet herb rub by adding a touch of honey or agave nectar to fresh herbs, sea salt and pepper, creating a sweet and savory turkey topping.  Create gluten-free gravy combining cornstarch or arrowroot with water and chicken stock.

Desserts

Fear not, there are countless ways to prepare healthy, gluten-free desserts to satisfy any sweet tooth on a crisp autumn evening.  Create a fresh fruit crumble using your favorite harvest fruits and gluten-free flour along with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg; top it off with Greek yogurt and fresh mint. Pumpkin pie is a staple at the Thanksgiving table; create the crumbs for this holiday must-have with crumbled gluten-free crackers, cereal or puffed rice. Pumpkin muffins are always a hit; try using tapioca starch and canned pumpkin to create a moist consistency.  Zucchini quinoa cake is another unique dessert; top this tasty treat with unsweetened coconut and powdered sugar.  Each of these gluten-free treats can be topped off with fresh cranberries and figs, a sprig of fresh herbs, a dash of cinnamon and a dollop of Greek yogurt.

And take a looksy at the POM Wonderful homepage where I’m featured as the POM Wonderful Blogger with my tasty Thanksgiving POM Recipes.

I will be starting a series of posts to teach various ways on how to scheme family, friends, and/or coworkers in different situations ;P (try at your own risk, scheming is an art form)

Background:  If you ever peeled a pomegranate, you know it’s not the funnest thing to do.  All you want are those sweet little kernels to pop in your mouth.  You don’t need it to squirt all over your clothes, or deal with all that protective flesh that’s getting in your way.  Here’s how to get your wife or significant other to do it =)

1) Hint how good pomegranates are for you (loaded with antioxidants, keeps blood platelets from clumping together, lowers cholesterol, increases oxygen to the heart, lowers risk of prostate/breast cancer, greater sex drive, reduces inflammation in joints, reduces the effects of Alzheimer’s) and how you much you loved them when you were a kid.

2) Go a get some pomegranates (don’t worry, you only have to do this once). 

3) Make sure your wife is at home.

4) Put on a white t-shirt and begin to remove the outer layer of the pomegranate (do this at the dinning table if a light colored table cloth is set out)

5) Now crack that sucker open with all your might, assuring that you get some of those babies airborne with good pink mist action.  Close your eyes or wear safety glasses during this process.

6) Continue to keep cracking and peeling.  Pick up only a few kernels and place them in a bowl.

7) Wait for your wife to enter the room and see the mess you’ve made and how you’ve only pathetically harvested a few kernels.

As your wife flips out and barrages you with “crazy women look” faces, just give her that “I just wanted to crack some pomegranates for us, so that we can be healthy” look and back it up with all the health benefits mentioned above – don’t forget the sex drive part.

9) Go clean off and change your shirt as your wife chases you out of the dining area.  Heck, go take a shower.

10) Go back to the dining area after the dust has settled and enjoy some uber sweet pomegranates that pack a punch against cancer! muahahaha!

Hoping that i didn’t really leave my phone at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport! That would be an unfortunate way to start this story! Well at the time of this writting i was in the air.. departing from PHX and headed toward DCA Airport. I would know in 5 hours if i had my phone or if it was someones lucky day back in Phoenix. USAirways Magazine is much better to talk about anyways! I recall from many flights ago, the magazine really caught my attention. The simple clean design of the cover and the crisp color of the cloud like titles made me want to reach out and grab it the instant you see it peeking out from the seat in front of you. One issue had me so deep into the exerpt of the POM story that i had to write down the name of the website and literally read the entire entry from my computer at home! Here is a link to the exert:
POM Story

Right off the bat, the first page of the magazine gives thanks to customers and employees from the CEO himself, Doug Parker. He mentions the various charities that US Airways Employees participate in to make a difference in the communities around us. This is an awesome letter from the CEO because many passengers may not have known how involved US Airways truely is with non profit and community service organizations. The traveler reading the magazine has an oportunity to connect with the Airline and associate it with causes they may hold dear to themselves. I myself am very thankful for US Airways and the opportunity to do two things i love… travel and write…. Another big thanks goes to US Airways for offering soft drinks to its passengers free of charged. This is a nice treat as i was expecting to have to pay for my Ginger Ale… To be continued…

La collectivité d’outre mer “polynésie française” est partie intégrante de l’ensemble français, de cette République une et indivisible. Nonobstant notre particularité statutaire de “Pays” autonome, nous bénéficions d’une qualité de services publics et de prestations sociales comparable à celle de l’hexagone, à charge pour nous – autonomie oblige- de piloter la dynamique de notre système économique et social de la manière la plus efficace possible.

C’est cette dernière dimension, la dimension économique et sociale qui pose problème depuis quelques années. A l’exception de quelques entreprises touristiques et d’un conglomérat alimentaire, il nous manque des PME motrices, valorisant des ressources demandées par les marchés internationaux ( services touristiques, valorisation de produits de la mer, agroalimentaire….) , exportatrices, employant quelques centaines de salariés et imprimant un développement économique adapté à une communauté de 260.000 âmes.

Notre grosse difficulté est là : notre tissu exportateur est limité et souffre d’une non compétitivité structurelle. Cette absence de compétitivité est causée en grande partie par la performance insuffisante des activités qui s’adressent au marché interne, mais aussi par un secteur public hypertrophié. Il incombe donc à notre gouvernement, quel qu’il soit, de mener une politique économique visant à “mettre à niveau” l’ensemble de notre économie par des actions visant à améliorer notre compétitivité globale. Il doit donc accompagner les acteurs que sont les entrepreneurs. Ces derniers doivent, bien sûr, faire l’essentiel de l’effort pour encore mieux satisfaire les consommateurs polynésiens et extérieurs.

Il doit aussi “gouverner modeste” par une réduction du coût des institutions et du périmètre du secteur public. Un objectif de “taux de prélèvement fiscal plafond” ramené à 30 % du PIB devrait guider l’action pour un secteur public redimensionné et performant. Autres objectifs : ne pas faire ce que le secteur privé peut faire en mieux, ajuster les effectifs au strict nécessaire en améliorant la productivité globale et en ne remplaçant pas les départs à la retraite, ne pas augmenter les salaires pendant une durée de cinq ans par la voie d’un accord avec les syndicats représentatifs de la fonction publique. Cette gouvernance modeste va contribuer de manière importante à l’amélioration de notre compétitivité globale, car le secteur privé ne sera pas sollicité par une hausse du prélèvement fiscal.

Le gouvernement doit aussi s’atteler à la tâche primordiale de reconstituer la capacité d’investissement du Budget du Pays, car un investissement public bien pensé contribue à dessiner l’avenir économique du Pays et à donner de l’espoir. Quitte à s’endetter davantage pour passer le cap fatidique de l’année 2010. A moyen terme, la stratégie de “gouvernance modeste” menée avec constance et ténacité sur les cinq ans qui viennent devrait redonner les marges de manoeuvre pour reconstituer ce budget d’investissement et accroitre la capacité de remboursement des emprunts qu’il est nécessaire d’augmenter pour passer la crise.

Redresser l’économie d’abord : tout doit s’articuler autour d’une stratégie de promotion des exportations efficace. Cette stratégie doit elle-même être centrée sur nos exportations de services touristiques, car, sur les 10 à 20 années qui viennent, c’est là que se situe notre potentiel de développement. C’est la clé de la reconstruction économique que nous devons approfondir dans les prochaines années et la crise économique mondiale nous oblige à accélérer le pas.

Dans l’attente de résultats à moyen terme, l’Etat doit être au côté du Pays pour des projets d’avenir. En ce sens, les transferts publics de l’Etat doivent aussi jouer leur rôle d’amortisseur de crise : arriérés de la DGDE, accélération des travaux de réhabilitation des sites, “activation” de la part Etat du contrat de projets, intensification de la recherche-développement et de l’aide à l’innovation, renforcement des moyens de l’Université….permettrait d’insuffler quelques milliards de francs supplémentaires en 2010.

La résorption du déficit des comptes sociaux doit être étalée sur plusieurs années, en fonction de l’amélioration de la situation économique.

Rappelons l’importance des transferts de l’Etat sur les deux dernières années :

En 2008, les transferts de l’Etat ont diminué. Ils n’ont donc pas joué le rôle moteur qu’ils jouaient traditionnement, avec un accroissement bon an, mal an de l’ordre de 2 à 3 % par an. La réduction de la dotation “cohésion sociale et solidarité”, notamment celle affectée au régime de solidarité polynésien a été significative. Il en est de même du versement au titre de la DGDE. A priori, en 2009, la DGDE n’a, de nouveau, pas été versée en totalité.

Il faut espérer qu’en 2010, les transferts de l’Etat jouent enfin leur rôle contra-cyclique. Il suffirait que les arriérés de la DGDE soient versés partiellement au bénéfice d’un programme d’équipement particulièrement structurant et intensif en main-d’oeuvre : pourquoi pas la route traversière ?

reculegere ușoară la sfat un candelabru

preș elevat inadvertența neagră

horn lîngă groapă

fluviu iscat în albia creierului

con filatelic apostolul vă minte

apa ca plasma stea de cuvinte

Va stam la dispozitie cu cele mai noi produse de Craciun, la cele mai mici preturi, in cadrul “Ofertei Lunii”.

Jokeshop are deosebita placere sa va prezinte produsele de Craciun din seria “Oferta Lunii”, care sunt disponibile in acest moment pentru dumneavoastra.

Costumele de Mos Craciun si Craciunita se gasesc in varianta pentru adulti cat si in varianta pentru copii, iar celor mici le recomandam pentru serbarea de Craciun sa reprezinte personaje precum omul de zapada, elful, sau chiar pomul de craciun.

Toate produsele din aceasta serie sunt oferite la un mega-discount de 40 %, in limita stocului disponibil.

It’s been four days. Four days of frowning, grumbling, moping, and sulking. Thank you all for sticking with me through my thunder-cloud days. I don’t even think I could have been so patient with myself.

So there you go. God’s little rainbow for me. For every storm, there has to be a rainbow, if you search hard enough. And guess what? I found one in my lunch bowl too!

Rainbow “Mix-it-up” Bowl

The base:

• one cup Trader Joe’s Freekeh (provided by Christina!)

The “mix-in”s:

• ground turkey
• 1/4 small onion
• 1/4 small bell pepper
• sliced radicchio (red cabbage)
• kale
• handful grapes
• handful raisins
• 1/2 orange, chopped

Coconut-Orange Marinade:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• juice of half an orange
• 1/4 cup POM juice
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• balsamic vinegar (to taste)
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Toppings:

• handful feta cheese
• shredded basil leaves

First, make the dressing/marinade by mixing everything together. Taste it and if it isn’t sour enough, add some vinegar. Or if it isn’t sweet enough for you, add some sugar or honey.

Next, stir-fry the ground turkey with the onion and bell pepper. Dump in the marinade, and add the radicchio and kale and grapes. Stir and heat until cooked through.

Once the cabbage is cooked, stir in the freekeh with the raisins and orange. Grind in more black pepper to season if you like.

Dish it out, and top with feta cheese and basil leaves.
Now, I don’t think it’s necessary to explain why it’s called Rainbow! Ain’t the colors gorgeous?
Honestly, it’s exactly how a “mix-it-up” bowl should be: totally random ingredients. Just a slip-slap of whatever ingredients you’ve got in the fridge.
But it turned out utterly delicious! I really, really really love freekeh…that stuff is so delightfully chewy! I’ve only got about 2 tablespoons left…So sad.
It’s amazing what coconut milk can do to a dish. Just a couple tablespoons, and you’ve already got a really lovely taste, and an invisible creaminess to the dish.
It’s not everyday I eat something so colorful, so I took lots of pictures. I’m not trying to be annoying, tee hee hee!
Ah! One last more! One big mouthful!

Oh, by the way, a little angel reminded me that I have so many more precious relationships across the country…
 Biz sent me a mighty sweet package!
Asian snacks! I love! Hello Panda! Hello Kitty! Why do they all start with hello? Hello hello haarrrlooow~
More great ingredients to experiment with! Korean BBQ sauce, Soul Food seasoning, and Panko!
And something to encourage more delicious slurping!

Whoa hahahaha! It feels great to smile and laugh! I know I’ve been acting like a major whiner with chronic PMS lately, and I want to thank you all for enduring the past two negative posts. I really, really appreciate your amazing and wise advice and comforting words. You guys…seriously rock my socks!

Question of the day: Let’s all just share one relationship you are thankful for…it can be something really random too.

I’m thankful for the traffic lady who is always reading her bible in the morning before she monitors the traffic and who always says a cheerful “Good morning” to me as I run past her, late for class! It just puts me in a sweeter mood for some reason.

Hating on disease? Grab the AOX you need to stay healthy and ride of the H1N1-Swine-Flu or whatever else is going around your block. I have to say that I am not a pomegranate lover, but it makes amazing juice.

Anywhere you can turn to find a blend of pomegranate-blueberry-acai will be a step in the right direction to getting your daily antioxidants. Turning to the Grove or TCBY will serve up delicious blends filled with antioxidants. Naturally, and expensively, POM puts out a line of 100% pomegranate juice and pomegranate teas. Usually found in the produce department, these are the most convenient way to get started. Right around the corner by the checkout you’ll find Vitamin Water. VitWat has taken a big stab at the AOX industry with their “XXX” flavor that claims to have triple antioxidants (triple of what I don’t understand). This drink is available in the regular high calorie version and the 10 Calorie version that is sweetened on aspartame (more on that later). Although not the best substitute to high-calorie diets, do what you have to to get your delicious antioxidants and get on the pathway to fighting those free-radicals!

However, the easiest, and most natural, way to get those AOX is to simply wedge up a pomegranate and scrape out the seeds with a spoon, carefully though as those seeds do stain. Go, now, and get your AOX and avoid getting bedridden with a fever this winter.

It’s National Pomegranate Month so I’m pulling out all the stops. This is my second post featuring pomegranates for this celebration of the all mighty POM Wonderful Pomegranates.

Lynda Resnick (the owner of POM) sent me a copy of her book and it inspired me to just go full bore with my ideas and not worry about what anyone else thinks. She famously “overpaid” for Jackie Kennedy’s pearl necklace. She paid $211,000 for it at auction but then came up with a great idea for it. She struck a deal with the Franklin Mint to make exact replicas and sell those replicas for $200 a piece. After 130,000 replicas sold who overpaid? Nope……not Lynda.

I have lots of ideas in the kitchen but sometimes I don’t know how to effectively pull them off (money/time/still new at this whole cooking thing) so that is one reason I am going to culinary school. The only bad thing about culinary school is that I have to wait for things to happen and I can’t just make them happen when I want. I’m in American Regional Cuisine right now and well, I don’t see jellies or jams in the horizon so I have been doing my own research on the side. I don’t care if things work or don’t work or who has an opinion about what….I cook, I’m trying, and I’m having more fun than anyone will ever have doing this.

Here is what I have come up with:

Pomegranate Jam and Pistachio Nut Butter Sandwich.

Ingredients:

For jam

• Whole POM Wonderful pomegranate, seeded and juiced
• Agave Nectar
• Pectin

For nut butter

• 1 cup Wonderful Pistachios (yeah, she owns that too
• Grape Seed Oil

Procedure:

1. Place pomegranate juice in small sauce pan and slowly reduce by 25%
2. Add agave nectar (to taste), and 1/2 tbsp. pectin
3. Stir and place in freezer for an hour or so until mixture thickens to a jam consistency
4. Place pistachios in food processor and process until there is a nice paste
5. Add a little grape seed oil then remove from food processor then place on bread with jam

Eric

Thanks again Lynda!

Thanks to everyone who entered my POM Wonderful Pomegranate Giveaway!

Check out the amazing Katie inspired POM recipes…

A Baker’s Blurbs made POM-Tastic Chocolate Covered Oats. No picture available, but the recipe sounds amazing!

Katie entered her Chocolate-Covered-Strawberry Fudge Babies (we’re going to pretend they are Chocolate-Covered-POM Fudge Babies, but unfortunately, there were no fresh pomegranates to be found in Texas. )

Ashtangamami made Blended Kamut and Spelt Flakes with POM Arils. Definitely Katie approved!

The Pure2Raw twins outdid themselves with their Pomegranate and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge Baby Raw Ice-Creams.

Nourishing Days entered the giveaway with her Sweet & Sour Braised Kale with Pomegranate.

Seems Babies were on the brain. Behold Hot Flash Bang’s adorable little Pomegranate Coconut Fudge Babies.

Every entry sounded so yummy, and I had a really hard time picking 2 winners. However, based on creativity, I’d have to go with my Pure2Raw girls and Nourishing Days. Congrats my friends! Please email me with your addresses, and you shall receive your shipment of POM Wonderful pomegranates soon. Thanks again to everyone who entered and for all your visits to Chocolate Covered Katie’s blog. Keep it up – we still have almost 2 weeks to support Katie’s Operation Chocolate Covered Kindness!

There are also only 2 weeks left to celebrate National Pomegranate Month. Be sure to stock up on some pomegranates of your own as the harvesting season ends soon.

Before I go, a big thank-you to everyone who responded to yesterday’s post. Your encouragement and kind words mean more than you know!

Pancake Sunday! This morning, I tried a new version of Katie’s Brownie Batter Pancakes. They tasted kind of weird, but I’ll share the recipe with you anyway.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup teff ground into flour in the Vita-Mix…hence the weirdness. I was aiming for a gluten free batter. Stick with buckwheat or gluten free baking flour. P.S. Dear Bob’s Red Mill, please start selling teff grains in Nashville. Oh, and while you’re at it, add guar gum to the list as well. Thank you.

1 scoop (30 grams) Jay Robb Chocolate rice protein powder (I always throw the scoop that comes with Jay Robb out and use a smaller one)

Pinch of Celtic sea salt

1/2 square Baker’s unsweetened baking chocolate crushed in food processor

1/8 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg white

1/3 cup water

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients, including chocolate. Mix wet ingredients and add to dry. Cook pancakes in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat.

HEAB’s toppings of choice today:

1/3 TBSP soy-free Earth Balance

1 heaping spoonful PBU (Trader Joe’s crunchy peanut butter, So Delicious Coconut Milk Kefir, stevia)

1 tsp maple syrup (365 brand Grade B)

Yeah, so the first bite was weird, but that didn’t stop me from eating them. Things got much better when I would get a mouthful of pancake, melted chocolate, PBU, and maple syrup. Heavenly! According to Katie, the recipe yields enough pancakes for 2. Um, not in my house Katie. I ate them all while Chris was out doing his long run. Sorry CD!

I try not to count calories, but I usually have a running total going in my head throughout the day. However, lately I have been tracking most of my daily eats since I’m trying to increase my protein (more about that soon). For most of my recipes, I never figure up calories, etc. per serving, but I was curious this morning…read, I was kind of freaking out since I ate the entire batch of pancakes and had to know how many calories I just consumed in under 5 minutes. So, I thought I’d share. (Totals include toppings)

Hmm, a bit more than I like to have at breakfast, but oh well. Those bites o’ heaven were totally worth it!

Don’t forget to send me your Katie inspired POM Wonderful pomegranate recipes by tonight at midnight. 2 winners will receive a shipment of 5 POM Wonderful pomegranates each.

P.S. Not only is it Pancake Sunday, but it’s also my sister-in-law’s birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TABBY!!!!

Yesterday, Scottie, my brother, came over for our weekly Breakfast Club get-together…meaning he shows up at my house mid-morning after a late night of post CMA Awards parties, and I make him breakfast and coffee.

Usually, I have a nice meal all planned out, perhaps an omelet or French toast. However, yesterday, it was Scottie’s choice from any one of Katie’s oatmeal recipes. His eyes immediately stopped at Peanut Butter and Banana Fusion. Really, there was no need to look any further.

Onto the stove-top went 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup light coconut milk, and a pinch of Celtic Sea salt, and into the food processor went the following…

1/2 of a banana and 2 heaping spoonfuls of my NutellaBU. Nutella Banana Butter? Yes, it took everything that was in me not to dive straight in with my tongue. After the oatmeal finished cooking, I poured it in the processor and blended it together with the NBB.

Blended grains with Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Butter. Katie, you can do no wrong.

This is Scottie’s Mmm, Mmm, good face. Katie, he would also like to ask for your hand in marriage. Yay, we can be sister-in-laws, and you can teach me how to use chopsticks.

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! Don’t forget to send me your Katie inspired POM Wonderful pomegranate recipes by Sunday night (November 15).

Allow me to throw a little hissy fit before I do anything else, okay?

Nothing is ever good enough.  This is what I have learned this week.  If I lose weight, I hear, You didn’t even maintain!  If I maintain, I hear, You didn’t even gain!  If I gain, I hear, You didn’t gain enough!  This seems to be a recurring theme, and it is very frustrating.  Also irking me is the fact that I’ve been instructed to get more of the crap known as Boost High Protein.  I really felt like throwing a temper tantrum: You said it was just for one week!  You promised!  But I didn’t do that, because I am a mature adult.  (Cue insane cackling.)

Yeah, I know, I know.  We’re all “on the same side” here.  But I just can’t help feeling annoyed and irritated and, well, I guess discouraged is a sort-of apt word, because if I can’t ever do anything right, why the hell do I even bother at all?!

Review of POM Wildberry White Tea:

To be honest, this wasn’t my favorite.  It just tasted like it was missing something, somehow… there was an absence of flavor.  It kind of felt like I was drinking something that wasn’t really there, because the taste was so fleeting.  I know, I know, I’m not making any sense.

It turns out that I do not like broccoli rabe.  It is way too bitter for my tastes… sometimes I can force myself to eat something even if I don’t like it, but this was not one of those cases.  I had to throw it out. 

It looked pretty, though.

Bulgur with roasted baby broccoli (though I fail to see anything “baby” about it), Foreman-grilled tofu, and roasted golden nugget squash that was definitely not in the oven for long enough, but my mom was totally guilt-tripping me because she kept complaining that she needed that oven!  I had a mini-freakout because for some inexplicable reason, the bulgur was greasy.  I am not crazy; I didn’t put any oil in there, I would remember if I did!!  Of course my paranoid mind immediately came up with several different implausible explanations for this, but I think it’s just from the broccoli, which I roasted on a sprayed baking pan.  I’m going with that.  Paranoia be damned.

The indecisiveness continues… I am now in possession of these two shirts in different sizes.  Meaning, I have four of them.  (Sorry for the bad lighting… I was too lazy to relocate.  Pardon the horrible mess.)

I have figured out the sizing problem on these, actually.  They’re girls’ shirts.  I originally bought girls plus, because I figured it made more sense.  Apparently not.  That seems to translate into some weird sort of maternity belly action going on there… and the neck is way wider, hence the unwelcome bra strap display.  So, to facilitate matters somewhat, I went back to the store this morning and actually tried things on.  I got the pink one in regular, and while it is a little shorter, my straps don’t show.  Alas (did I just say alas?!), the purple one — which is the one I really wanted all along — was only available in a size suitable for a six-year-old.  So I got another girls plus, but a smaller one.  I’m all confused… I don’t remember there being half sizes in clothes when I was little!  Either way, I now have even more fun decisions to make.  Sigh.

And this…

It’s like a second skin.  I do not like this.  But I am too lazy to go return / exchange it, so I’m going to hope it does what my other thermal shirts seem to have done and stretch.  Note the hole for the thumb… particularly easy to spot, given the contraption on mine!

Clearly, I have issues not only with making decisions, but buying more clothes than I need or can keep.  It’s not a financial problem, because if I truly couldn’t afford it, I wouldn’t buy it; I view a credit card as a debit card, really, so if I don’t have the cash for something, I won’t charge it.  But it’s the principle of the matter!  And so my therapist has given me an assigment to clean out my closet.  Which is scary.  I was a total tomboy in high school, at least in the beginning; then when I was with my ex I turned into somewhat of a girly girl; and now I can’t figure out what on earth I am because I seem to be all over the place.  How am I supposed to know what to keep?!  Not to mention the fact that I don’t know for sure what fits and what doesn’t, and quite frankly, I’d rather walk over hot coals than spend a day trying on clothes.  Oy.

Random question of the day: Does your closet scare the crap out of you?

Tomorrow is finally, finally Friday.  I’m a little ticked off, actually, because I just found out from my group partners that there is another whole element to our project … um, they knew this all along, so why am I just hearing about it now?  It’s not exactly fair since they can work on it all Saturday, and I can’t.  Oh well.  Sucks to be me.  I have two presentations and a paper due on Monday, for none of which I am adequately prepared.  At the moment, I am so exhausted that I don’t even care — all that matters is going to sleep.  I am such an old lady.

It is Cousin Central here.

Have a good weekend!

Happy Thursday, All!

I’m back with my final DIY from Chris and Amber’s wedding, the car decorations. First off, I have to tell you a little bit about my inspiration for the getaway car:

This particular car has been in the Lopez family for quite a few years. It belonged to Chris’ Abuelito and was given to Wil (Chris’ Dad) shortly before Abuelito passed away. This car has been “driven away in” by every one of the Lopez kids from Wil’s family, including Alex and Me and now Chris and Amber.

I wanted to create something for the car that reflected the projects I’d already done and some of the history of the car.  I found out from Alex’s Grandmother that they decorated her getaway car with tissue flowers, so my mind went to the multi-colored poms I had made for Amber’s Bridal Shower.  I gathered some inspiration from Martha Stewart and came up with this:

So, do you remember the multi-colored poms?  Let’s review.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

1 Package of tissue paper (if they have 25 sheets, you will get 15 poms per package)

Plastic coated paper clips

Coordinating Yarn

Scotch Tape

Poster Board

Black Sharpie

Now that you’ve reviewed the steps make the following changes:

Instead of using just the large pieces, cut up the large pieces into three sections.  You should have a total of 75 sheets now (if you have a packet of 25 sheets). 

Using 5 at a time, being the accordion fold and follow the rest of the directions except, instead of floral wire use large plastic coated paper clips.  In doing so, you ensure the safety of the car’s paint.  Then follow the rest of the directions.

I made about 50 of these poms.  I probably should have made about 25 more, but I was dead tired! 

Next, I gave the guys the coordinating yarn and tape.  They made circles of tape and stuck them straight to the car with the yarn.  About every 12-15 inches (let’s face it, they are guys so they probably didn’t measure it) they placed a pom.  They went all the way down to the back of the car and onto the ground.

In the middle, they placed the sign I made using the poster board and sharpie markers.

I’d say that Chris and Amber were pretty pleased with the result, wouldn’t you?

Get Inspired!

A big Happy Birthday shout-out to two wonderful ladies, my favorite Fitnessista and my sweet Justine!

Justine and I celebrated yesterday with a girly kind of day.

First we met up at Lululemon for a boot camp class.

Amanda from Quick Fit taught a free class. Thanks Amanda! I used to do these types of classes all the time when I belonged to the Y. The class was fun, something different, but honestly, it’s just not my thing anymore. I love yoga, and no amount of plyometrics, dumbbell flys, or lunges ever accomplished what yoga has done for my body.

Lululemon happens to be right next to Whole Foods, and so guess where we lunched?

I filled my plate with every roasted veggie the hot bar had to offer (cauliflower is heavy!). Underneath all the veggies were 3 different types of chicken and a little hummus. I’m upping my protein, but more about that in another post.

Guess who met us for lunch?

Keith Urban. Nicole couldn’t make it as she was primping for the CMA’s. In case anyone cares, Keith ate brown rice sushi, a Larabar, a piece of banana bread, and some 70% dark chocolate.

I then treated Justine to a massage, and we called it a day. Justine, I hope you have a wonderful birthday. You too Gina. Love you girls!

Have you clicked on Chocolate Covered Katie yet today to help raise money for Operation Chocolate Covered Kindness?

Oh, and don’t forget to enter my POM Wonderful pomegranate giveaway.

P.S. Nicole looked beautiful, don’t you think?

Remember my homemade vegan Nutella?

It was so yummy but a little a difficult to spread. Enter Katie’s favorite rice milk...

My favorite as well Katie! I simply blended 1 cup of the rice milk with my Nutella in the Vitamix, and voila…

It’s like my ABU, but with vegan Nutella instead of almond butter. NBU? NTU? Nuts4U? Nutella Sauce? I don’t know – what do you think I should call it?

One thing I do know is that it’s delicious!

First I tried it on a Cinna-Monster Apple, and then I had more on my Protein Ice-Cream with cinnamon.

I’m in love, and now I’m going to have to talk to my local Costco about carrying hazelnuts.

How are your recipes coming along for my POM Wonderful pomegranate giveaway? Remember, the contest ends this Sunday night, and I can’t wait to see some of your creative ideas.

P.S. Have you entered this giveaway yet?!? I’m dying for a Magic Bullet!

P.P.S. I love Einstein.

Dit plaatje komt van internet maar paste er mooi bij

Vriezer koken is simpelweg maaltijden van tevoren klaarmaken en invriezen.

Ik wist nooit van het bestaan van de term “vriezer koken” af tot ik er een paar jaar geleden op internet over las. Lang voordat het een rage was of zelfs een naam kreeg, “vriezer kookte” mijn moeder. 

Zij was de eerste echte VK-koningin een van mijn vroegste herinneringen is dat mijn moeder pom maakte in kleine foliebakjes en ze vervolgens invroor. Ooms en tantes namen er altijd een paar mee om thuis in de oven op te warmen en vervolgens van te genieten zodra ze trek hadden in mijn moeders kookkunsten ( mama kan koken!!!!) Toen mijn broer op kamers ging begon FK hele andere dimensies te krijgen. Mijn moeder en ik kookten het hele weekend maaltijden, zodat hij ze vervolgens per trein kon meenemen in zijn studentenkamertje kon invriezen zodat hij weer een tijd kon overleven .

Door mijn progressieve ziekte werd ik constant opgenomen in het ziekenhuis mijn ex-man had geen idee hoe hij een maaltijd moest koken en weer kwam de VK-koningin tot redding. Mijn moeder kwam langs en kookte genoeg maaltijden voor mijn gezin en vroor ze daarna in, ze liet mijn ex-man met strikte instructies over het ontdooien en opwarmen achter. Op deze manier was ze ervan verzekerd dat haar kleinzoon niet zou leven op pizza/patat en afhaalmaaltijden tot ik weer uit het ziekenhuis kwam. Ik kan eerlijk zeggen dat het vriezer koken van mijn moeder niet alleen de maaltijden redde maar ook mijn relatie toen der tijd. Mama remigreerde naar Suriname en de sfeer thuis werd steeds grimmiger doordat ik voor ziekenhuis opnames met pijn en veel moeite moest vriezer koken.

Nu vriezer kook ik om ervoor te zorgen dat er op dagen dat ik te ziek, te moe of simpelweg te lui ben, een gezonde maaltijd binnen een paar minuten op tafel staat.

VK is in naar mijn mening de redding van elke werkende, chronisch zieke of alleenstaande moeder/vader. Wanneer je vastzit in het verkeer of urenlang op ‘t werk word gehouden door ellenlange vergaderingen kun je, jezelf sussen met de gedachte dat het avondeten op je staat te wachten. Je hoeft niet nog heel snel onder druk van hongerige kinderen (en/of wederhelft) een maaltijd op tafel te zetten terwijl je doodmoe bent.

VK is ook een redder van je huishoudbudget, denk aan alle geld dat je zult besparen op afhaalmaaltijden, pizza’s en patatjes als er altijd een maaltijd op je staat te wachten. Het is ook je relatieredder geen discussies meer over wie verantwoordelijk was voor het avondeten na een drukke dag op kantoor, maar elke avond zonder uitzondering een heerlijke “home-cooked” maaltijd.

Je kunt VK op verschillende manier aanpakken. Zoals mijn moeder en ik voor mijn broer deden, in 1 weekend verschillende maaltijden bereiden. Je kunt het ook aanpakken zoals ik het nu doe, vriezer vriendelijke recepten verdubbelen en de helft invriezen voor een andere dag.

Zorg ervoor dat je de maaltijden van labels voorziet met inhoud en datum, en eet ze binnen 3 maanden op (ik denk dat ze langer houdbaar zijn maar ik heb het zelf nooit geprobeerd). Mijn oom heeft een keer een pom na een jaar in de vriezer gevonden, ontdooit en in de oven gegooit en hij kon het navertellen .

Morning! I got so much sleep last night which makes me so happy. The time change has still got me all out of whack. CD and I have been eating dinner earlier since it gets so dark, and then I’m ready for bed at like 7. Last night, I made it until about 8:45 PM and then crashed. My body loves sleep.

Did you know that November is National Pomegranate Month and that pomegranate season ends in just a few weeks? Therefore, I am trying to eat as many as I can. FYI, you can also freeze your POM arils. So stock up my friends!

Speaking of pomegranates, who would like to win a case of 5 POM Wonderful pomegranates, not the juice, but 5 actual pieces of fruit? Again, can I win my own giveaways? CD, you must enter this one!

Here is how the giveaway will work. In an effort to help Katie raise money for Operation Chocolate Covered Kindness, all you have to do is make one of her brilliant recipes and somehow incorporate a pomegranate. For instance, it could be something as easy as oat bran with Fudge Babies and POM arils.

Or something more like my breakfast this morning…

Raw chocolate pudding (avocado, cocoa powder, stevia) covered in cherry pomegranate Smashberry Jam. P.S. – Smashberry Jam is much better the next day!

You can use use any of the POM Wonderful products, whether it be their juice or the actual fruit. Once you’ve made your recipe, blog about it and send me the link. If you don’t have a blog, you can still enter. Simply send me a picture and description of your recipe, and I’ll blog about it. The recipe contest, open to U.S. residents only (sorry!), runs through Sunday, November 15th at midnight, and I’ll post the 2 winning recipes the following Tuesday. So, get creative, have fun, and let’s see how much money we can help Katie raise for The Enough Project!

Oh, and be sure to click here for a chance to win a Magic Bullet, a spiralizer, or a hand blender.

Crazy busy day today my friends, but so much fun. However, before we get into today, I must share Saturday night’s dinner with you.

I finally made Mama Pea’s favorite tahini dressing. Click here for the recipe. Thanks for posting the link Mama Pea. Never met a tahini dressing I didn’t like, and this one did not disappoint. After dinner I was bored. For me, boredom usually leads to fun experiments in the kitchen, and that’s exactly what happened last night. Behold…

Homemade vegan Nutella. Inspired by Marathon Val, I set out to make my own version of everyone’s favorite milk chocolate hazelnut spread. Into the food processor went 3 cups raw hazelnuts. Once the nuts starting turning into nut butter (which took forever. Totally thought I was going to burn out my motor), I added 2 TBSP dark cocoa powder, 2 packets NuNaturals powdered stevia, 1/2 tsp vanilla, & a pinch of salt. That’s it. Amazing. delicious. Really wanted to eat the entire jar, but i had to save some for my breakfast.

Pancake Sunday! I made my protein pancakes, but took Scott’s advice, adding 1/8 tsp baking powder, and 1/8 tsp baking soda to the batter. Thanks Scott – definitely made for fluffier flapjacks. I then covered them in some of my Nutella and Katie’s Smashberry Jam made with cherries and POM arils. Speaking of Katie, have you clicked on Chocolate Covered Katie to help raise money for The Enough Project yet today? I hope so!

So, back to my breakfast…Yum, yum, and yum. Only problem was the Nutella. It tasted great, but did not spread very well. So, I ended up picking up my pancakes and eating them like tacos. Pancake tacos filled with Nutella and cherry pomegranate jam? Perfect breakfast if you ask me. However, next time I make the Nutella, I think I’ll roast the hazelnuts first. The oils released from the roasted nuts will probably make it more spreadable, don’t you think?

After breakfast, I prepared several dishes for a girls brunch (more about that in another post), met a friend for coffee, brunched, and then went on a long bike ride in the sunshine. Again, it’s been a great day, and now it’s time to hang out with CD, the pups, and some football. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Ever since living in England I always like to acknowledge Guy Fawkes Day…and I completely spaced it yesterday. I’ll make sure and burn my effigy of Guy later tonight. I was too busy celebrating other things like…

Roasted kabocha squash pureed with vanilla Jay Robb rice protein powder and served in the waning Sunbutter jar. Amazing. Perfect. Love it so much. Now, every time I post pictures of kabocha squash, I get emails asking me if I eat the skin. So, for any new readers, yes I eat the skin. No, it doesn’t taste weird. If it did, I wouldn’t eat it. Because the skin is dark green, I’m assuming (hoping) it contains some good nutrients. However, I don’t eat it for that reason. I’m usually just too lazy to peel it.

Now smile…it’s Friday.