30 Day Challenge...Wanna join us?

So Monday, September 23, I am starting a Fitness/Healthy Eating Challenge. Anyone who would like to join me is more than welcome! I will be posting all info on here along with recipe ideas and food suggestions as well as my success and obstacles. I am NOT going on a diet. I do not diet and I do not believe in diets. I do, however, believe in little changes. I have made several little changes over the last year and those changes have resulted in almost 30 pounds lost and GONE forever. I decided I needed a little jump start and thought I would do it again.

For me, I have found that the trick is to reboot my metabolism and appetite. To do that, for the next thirty days, I will be on a specific nutritional plan. I am going to eliminate as many processed sugars and carbs as I can and eat a lot of healthy foods, emphasis on A LOT!! I plan to eat A LOT of food in these thirty days. I am also planning to spoil myself once a week with something decadent (this was a suggestion from a fitness friend of mine).

This Thirty Day Challenge is NOT a gimmick, a diet, or a product scam. I am not pushing any products, although I will share with you what I am doing and what I am using. I am a big fan of Visalus for their protein/energy/nutritional shakes and I do have one of those a day for healthy reasons. I don't like to eat a meal in the morning for breakfast, so I used to just drink a Boost, but then I would be hungry too soon, so I started the Visalus because I wanted all of the healthy benefits. By the time I am done adding fruit and other goodies, I have a meal that keeps me satisfied till lunch and helps regulate my low blood sugar, which is a problem for me. I strongly recommend protein shakes. My sister-in-law uses a product from GNC, another friend uses something from Sam's. Use what you like, or eat a healthy high protein breakfast of whole foods.

A lot of the foods I talk about will be gluten free, but not vegetarian and definitely not vegan. I love milk WAY too much for that!

And, if you join us, I know there will be results. Maybe not a thirty pound weight loss, but you will feel better, have more energy, probably lower blood pressure and blood sugar, and maybe even help out your cholesterol.

I am NOT a medical professional or a dietitian, nor do I play one on TV, so all statements made in this and any other 30DC posts are purely my opinion and experience and are NOT to be substituted for medical advice or instructions. Joining us in this challenge does not guarantee weight loss or any other medical benefits. What it does guarantee is moral support, a little humor, and some understanding from other couch potatoes with bad eating habits who are trying to change them.

Join us and see what we can learn together! The 30DC starts Monday, September 23! Let's see what we can accomplish together!

What's for Dinner? Gluten Free Thursday

It's Thursday so it must be Gluten Free Thursday! Here's another gluten free meal for fun. We are having a favorite in our house tonight. Hibachi Steak with veggies and rice.

I am using a cool gluten free product from Sam's that is my beef strips already precooked (I know, I know, NOT homemade, but still home COOKED).



This is a great "last minute" convenience food that is gluten free and easy to throw together. We have a lot of "broccoli" monsters in our house, so any dish that is heavy on the broccoli is a big hit here.

If I could get the girls to show any interest in zuchinni, we would totally add that to our menu. For now, I am just grateful that broccoli is such a big hit.

Saute your fajita beef for a few minutes with your broccoli or steam separately. I like to add some onion to ours. We also add a little salt, pepper and gluten free Soy Sauce. BE SURE YOUR SOY SAUCE SAYS IT IS GLUTEN FREE. Not all Soy Sauce is the same!!!

Gotta love the Kikkoman because it is available in many stores and you get the same flavor as you would with "regular" soy sauce.

While the broccoli is steaming and the beef strips are simmering, rice is also cooking and Mama is whipping up some "White Sauce." If you have ever been to a Japanese Hibachi style restaurant, you know the beauty of white sauce. A friend of ours claims to be able to eat it by the spoon. He says it would make cardboard taste good. But since I don't know if cardboard is gluten free, I wouldn't try it.

Here is the White Sauce recipe...

http://www.japanese-steakhouse-white-sauce.com/white-sauce-recipe.htm
Find more about the beauty of Japanese White Sauce on the website where I found the above fool proof recipe http://www.japanese-steakhouse-white-sauce.com/index.html

And yes, before you ask, Helmann's Mayo IS gluten free. And since I only use McCormick's seasonings, I know they are all safe as well. ALL of McCormick's single ingredient seasons are gluten free.

ENJOY!!!

What's for dinner? Gluten Free Thursday!!!

I have always wanted to try White Chicken Chili and Chicken Taco Soup and stuff like that but I don't eat beans (and I'm allergic to peppers). So I got to thinking, what could I throw in my slow cooker that would taste good together and give me the fun of the other meals without the beans. I am also allergic to peppers so anything with Ro-Tel is out for me. I also have a dear friend who has Celiac Disease so I like to find new ways to cook gluten free whenever I can. So here is what I came up with. My husband asked me what I was making and I said, "I have no idea, but I hope it tastes good." It needs a name. Any suggestions? I'm leaning toward "Pollo con Pico" since that is basically what it is.

Start with three large frozen chicken breasts (You can use fresh, but you probably don't want to start at night if you do. If I ever buy fresh, they go bad before I get a chance to use them, so I buy the Great Value brand from WalMart that are already frozen)

Before you go to bed at night, put these three in your slow cooker and add enough water to cover them. I like to add a boullion cube, but when making this gluten free, be sure to use Knorr's or Herb Ox. They are both gluten free products. I also added a bit of salt, pepper, onion powder (We LOVE the California Style from McCormick's. If you've never tried it, I highly recommend it) and dehydrated garlic (I also like to use the Garlic, Garlic from Tastefully Simple, but any dried garlic will do) and some dried cilantro. Set your slow cooker on low.

*You may already know this, but when you choose the "hi" or "low" settings on your slow cooker, you aren't setting the temperature, merely the time it takes for the cooker to reach its temperature. They both reach the same temp, but when you use the "hi" setting, it takes approximately 2-3 hours whereas the "low" setting usually takes about 4-6 hours.*

The next morning I got up and drained the water off the chicken. In its place, I covered the chicken breasts with chicken broth. I use Swanson as Campbell's has them on their list of gluten free foods (http://www.campbellsoupcompany.com/pdf/FAQ_GlutenFreeProductList.pdf), but when cooking for my friend, we look for a product that is CERTIFIED gluten free as there is yeast in Swanson's and a small amount of glutamate is created when yeast is heated (which is something to stay away from if you are trying to eliminate MSG from your diet also). I added more of all of my seasonings and kicked things up with about half a teaspoon of chili powder (McCormick's is gluten free) and a small handful of freshly chopped cilantro (okay, no I didn't. I'm not a "fresh herb" person. remember the chicken needing to be frozen? same deal. fresh herbs just rot in my house.). If you are also not a "fresh herb" type of person, try Gourmet Garden's cilantro and garlic paste. They are gluten free also and come in a tube that can be found in the produce department at your local grocery store (yes, even WalMart).

I also added a bit of Gourmet Garden's garlic paste to the slow cooker. Then I walked away until it was lunch time.

****Now, if you are making this for dinner, I highly suggest that you use fresh chicken and put it in first thing in the morning without the overnight in the water and dried herbs and spices. I also suggest you put your slow cooker on high. ****

About an hour before we were going to eat, I diced two fresh tomatoes and a thick slice of red onion and added them and some more of my Gourmet Garden Cilantro. I also took a "forked" serving spoon and gently shredded the chicken a little bit. While those flavors are "hanging out" in your slow cooker, start your rice. I strongly recommend Basmati Rice, but Jasmine will work too. The Basmati has a slightly nuttier flavor and a better consistency than plain white rice and will do better at mixing with the chicken. You can also use pasta, but that kinda ruins the whole gluten free vibe and doesn't do as well at soaking up the juices.

Fill a plate with the rice and dump a healthy portion of the chicken from your slow cooker on top.

I will try to take more pictures next time, so that I can edit and update with them. For now, you will just have to make it yourself!! :)  Let me know how this turned out for you and if you have a better suggestion for the name! :)

Is it Fall yet?????

I love fall. It is my favorite season. I begin decorating Labor Day weekend. I have pumpkins and scarecrows and hay stacks and lots of plaid.

This was my sofa table year before last. I'm not sure what I did last year, but it was probably pretty much the same. I love the colors and scents of fall. I love to transform my house every year. I am one of those people who don't decorate for Christmas until the weekend after Thanksgiving because I can't bear to put my fall decorations away. Of course, my Christmas tree stays up until at least the second week of January too for the same reason.

I have this fabulous "shelf/ledge" above my front door that is perfect for decorating. This is what I love to see at Fall. After Thanksgiving, this particular year, it was replaced by my extensive snowman collection. However, last year, I put up some of these adorable trees with twinkle lights, red glass mosaic cone trees with gold stars on top and pictures of my girls from the Christmas holidays years past and present. Oh, wait...

Yeah, it's the end of August and this is what it looks like STILL!! I've been a little busy this year and I'm not allowed on the ladder when I'm here without another adult. No, I'm not on probation or anything, I just fall...a lot. Add to that the fact that I am quite frightened of heights and, well, there are still Christmas pictures on my ledge.

ANYWHOO......I thought I would post a few quick tips and tricks on how I plan to keep my sanity during the lunch time this fall/winter. I intend to make some soups and the like. I have found a few recipes on Pinterest that I will post links to on here and you can try them along with me.

MOM'S POTATO SOUP

The first soup I will be making is my Mother's Potato Soup. It is very simple, very inexpensive and very filling. It has a few very simple ingredients...potatoes, milk, water, onions, salt and pepper. A bag of potatoes can make a TON of soup, so what I will be doing is making a large batch and freezing it in quart size freezer bags. When it is time to eat lunch or a quick dinner with the girls (they don't eat soup) I can grab one of my freezer bags and toss it into the microwave. I can even toss a couple of them into a pan on the stove and make multiple servings for me and hubby to enjoy. There is no trick or special secret to Mom's soup. You peel and dice the potatoes and onion and boil them together with some salt and pepper. Once they are done, you drain off most of the water and use a hand held potato masher to break up some of the potatoes giving you a better texture. Then add some milk and mash it around until you get the consistency that YOU like. BUT, here's the kicker...When you are done with all of that and you have it frozen in great little individual servings, when you reheat it, you can "doctor" it up however you like. Add some cheddar cheese, add some velveeta while it is reheating and it will join the soup. Add some sour cream and chives to the top when you are ready to eat it. Add some cheddar cheese and bacon. Add some cheddar cheese and broccoli. The possibilities are endless and since you made the original soup yourself, you are saving LOTS of money on individual meals over the cold months. Personally, my favorite thing to do is add a handful of saltines and a tall, cold glass of milk.

MOM'S CHILI (kinda)

Are you sensing a pattern here? See, my mother didn't actually TEACH me how to cook, but I spent enough time in the kitchen that I knew what was going on and when I did learn to cook, I went back to the things I loved as a child. Now if my mother ever reads this blog (which I don't think she does, but hey), she would be the first to say that I HATED chili as a kid growing up. But, the thing is, I didn't hate the chili, I hated the beans in the chili. So I make my chili without beans. Mom makes hers with beans and once you unfreeze your little portions, you can make yours however you like. Here's mine (with a little help from my mom and my friend Robbie)... 1lb of ground beef (or if you are freezing, then double everything), 1 packet of McCormick's chili seasoning (yes, I am a brand snob...sometimes), 1 small can of tomato sauce (keep the can, you will use it for water), 1 can of diced tomatoes (if you like a lot of "zip" in your chili, use Ro-Tel, but I am allergic to chiles so I don't use them in anything). Brown and drain the ground beef, add your seasoning according to the package directions and then add the rest of your ingredients. I like to add some salt, pepper and onion powder to mine. Then add the rest of your ingredients. After you let it simmer for a bit, take your tomato sauce can, fill with water and add that too. Again, freeze these in individual quart size bags and keep them in your freezer to take the chill off the winter months. Add a bag to a pot of rice or freshly cooked elbow macaroni (my favorite) for a hearty winter meal in minutes. Add a bag to a package of melted Velveeta cheese for a super yummy dip at the next game night party. Zap a bag and add to hot dogs for a great homemade chili dog in minutes. Again, use your imagination and have fun.

Here's my apology/disclaimer...it's still August, so I haven't actually done any of these yet. But towards the end of September I will and I promise I will post pictures then. In the meantime, here are some others I plan on trying...

This is Bacon Cheeseburger Soup. I AM going to try this. This is the picture I copied from Pinterest and here is the recipe on the pin...Crock pot Bacon Cheeseburger Soup! 1 lb ground beef browned, 2 lb velveeta, 2 lb shreadded hash browns, 6-10 cooked bacon strips crumbled, 30 oz. Chicken broth.

I am on a search for the orignal blogger/recipe from this pin, but this was as far as I got. If I find it, I WILL post. I believe in credit being given where it is due.  I also plan to make mine without the bacon (hubby doesn't eat bacon) and make my bacon when we eat it. I bet this would freeze well too.

http://www.diabeticlivingonline.com/diabetic-recipes/30-minute/easy-recipes-in-a-bowl/

THAT looks amazing!!!!

And ONE more (for now)...

http://rita-may-recipes.blogspot.com/2011/11/crock-pot-cream-cheese-chicken-chile.html

Now again, I have to leave out the beans (for my own personal sanity) and swap out regular diced tomatoes for Ro-Tel (for my own personal well being), but I intend to try this one as well!!!

For now...I'm just gonna keep marking off the days till fall is here! :)

 
UPDATE: I opened my FB tonight and found THIS message from my mother... "FYI I read every one of your diva diary blogs. So don't put anything you don't want me to know. Loved the soup one. ♥ ya!"  Gotta love her!!! :)

What? I have a blog?

Someone recently asked me if I had a blog. I hung my head and said, "Kinda." Meaning, yeah I have a blog. I actually have three blogs, but did I write? Ever? Hmm....uh, no. Then I started reading other people's blogs and I thought, I have info I could share. I have things to tell people. I wonder if anyone cares that I make my own laundry soap that gets almost anything out of anything? Or that I know how to get green gooey baby poop out of almost anything? Or that I have an awesome recipe for chicken? Or that sometimes, I have really interesting thoughts that just roll around in my head?

The answer was, probably not, but what the heck. But I started writing again anyway. So now you know what my blog is about. Read it, don't read it. It's your choice. I was extremely flattered to have someone at church recently say to me that they were enjoying my blog. I didn't even know they knew I had one.

So, I have been writing in two of my blogs as often as I can lately. I don't know what I will write and it's hard to tell but I do have a disclaimer...

Be warned. We like guns. We love our Bibles and we cling to our Savior as if there is no tomorrow, for without Him there would not be. We don't believe in conformity and we don't believe that this world is our home. The culture may change, but the Word of God does not. I will not argue over the existence of God here. You don't have to believe in God or hell. But I do. Who loses more if they are wrong? If you do not like these things, if you are trolling for someone to bash, please troll elsewhere. As I have said before, my chalk, my marbles, my rules. I respect your opinion and I respect your right to voice it, but I don't have to engage in ridiculous arguments over what fast food restaurants we frequent or which non-Christian political candidate we prefer.

That being said, this blog may have something the Lord laid on my heart to share, a new recipe I just tried and loved (or hated), my latest Pinterest addiction or a new pattern from my shop, www.facebook.com/OneDivaThreeDolls. Feel free to read. Please feel free to comment. I am not opposed to advice or rational discussion. And of course I firmly believe that "Encouragement is to the soul as spinach is to Popeye." So come, enjoy, and discuss, but BE NICE. After all, we all have to live here together...for now. :)

Poppies...Poppies will make them sleep...

NOT!!!!!

So tomorrow all of our friends start school ('cept us cause we started last week, see my other blog, www.highheelsandhomeschooling.blogspot.com) and I completely forgot. Hey, give me a break. We had an eventful day.

First there was this amazing service at our home church (look it up and check out the archived services for yesterday for a look at our amazing choir in action, www.baysidebaptist.org) which we thoroughly enjoyed. Then, right before we picked up Nayney, she managed to run headfirst into a wall. We received her complete with GIGANTIC purple, road rashed goose egg which naturally put Hubby into a full on panic and we all had to talk him down off the ER perch. Kids fall. They knock their heads on stuff. I talked to two or our resident EMT's. Both said she would be fine. She is. This evening she told me not to touch her that she was fine and that if I didn't leave her alone, it was going to fall off. I'm not sure if she meant the bump or her head, but I wisely decided to let her be.

Anyway, on Sundays we get tired. We like to take naps in the afternoon. Nayney endured her nap with me in the bed with her waking her up every now and then till she finally told me to leave her alone and let her sleep. (She's kinda mouthy for a two year old)

But I let her sleep. And sleep. And finally our "fourth" daughter came in and said, "You know it's 6:30, right?" Great. We had been in there since around 3:30 and we never sleep that late. Needless to say, Nayney is in her room at 11:29 p.m. watching cartoons while her sisters attempt sleep.

For some reason, they can't sleep either. Hubby mentioned NyQuil (as a joke, don't be getting out your speed dial to CPS) but I was more in line with the duct tape a friend suggested this morning. (again, kidding. CPS records crank calls, ya know) According to Facebook, all of their friends are snug in their beds asleep and MY children are still climbing the walls. Surely there's SOMEthing I can do about that... Where DID I put those poppies???

Hand Sanitizer Cozy Tutorial

I have been asked for this many times. If you don't want to bother making your own, you can certainly purchase one from my site at www.etsy.com/people/OneDivaThreeDolls or visit me on facebook at www.facebook.com/OneDivaThreeDolls. BUT if you are a DIY kinda gal, here is your very own tutorial. By the way, Bestie says this is not Sewing for Dummies, but Sewing for Non-Sewers. She's no dummy, believe me! And she is helping me with this tutorial, so beware of non-sequitors!

We start with two standard bottles of hand sanitizer. If you're like me and save these kinds of things to refill again and again, this is a great way to spruce yours up and you can make one for each holiday/season as well. This makes a great Scrap Buster and can, of course, be made with one fat quarter if you choose. That being said, here are the materials needed...

1 bottle of hand sanitizer

1 piece outside fabric 10"x 4 1/2"

1 piece inside fabric 10" x 4 1/2"

1 piece interfacing 10" x 4 1/2"

(I used fusible fleece, but you can use anything from that to

an extra piece of canvas or duck scrap. you just need

something to give it a little more "oomph")

1 button

1 piece of elastic 3"

(you can cut a hair elastic in half to use here too)

needle and thread

straight pins

sewing machine

ruler or measuring grid

scissors or rotary cutter and mat

(you do NOT need a rotary cutter and mat for this

so do not feel as if you need to go out and buy one)

and, because Bestie has had too much caffeine, 1 chapstick (but I have NO idea why)

So we begin with the hand sanitizer bottles. By the way, this is a great way to present your child's teacher with the requisite bottle of hand sanitizer at the beginning of the school year. She will thank you all year long!

Iron your fusible fleece to the back of your outside fabric. Follow the instructions for your brand. If you are not using a fusible fabric, when you get to pinning, lay your pieces in the following order: stabilizer, outside fabric (right side up), then lining fabric (right side down).

Mark an "x" with a sharp pencil at 2 1/4 inches in and 2 1/4 inches down so you have a good button placement. This will give you a variety of bottle widths to cover as well.

Here's a button sewing tip I learned from a skilled seamstress friend of mine. When sewing buttons, fold your thread in half and thread BOTH ends into the needle. This will quadruple the thread when sewing and your buttons will go on much faster and be much sturdier for much longer. Also much simpler when you are doing several of these for gifts (last year for Christmas, I made 20 of these).

Sew on the button. That's all I got. Bestie says if you don't know how to sew the button just go the etsy shop and buy one cause you're in trouble already.

Pin outside and inside fabrics right sides together. If you did not use fusible interfacing, refer to the note above on fabric positioning.

Stitch around the outside leaving a two inch gap on the end OPPOSITE the buton for turning and inserting the elastic.

After sewing, clip the corners so that they lay flat when you turn it. This makes a huge difference when you are topstitching.

Turn the cozy right side out through the little opening at the end. I often read tutorials where people are told to use a dull pencil to poke the corners out, but I have always wondered, "How dull is dull?" I mean, depending on your definition of dull, it could run anywhere from slightly ditzy to completely stupid and slightly ditzy will ruin your new stitches whereas completely stupid may not make your corners sharp enough. (You'll get that tomorrow) I use a chopstick. It's just easier all around.

Once you have your cozy right side out, give it a good once over with the iron. This will flatten down all of your edges and make topstitching easier (Bestie says not to iron the button, it will melt. I'm not sure if she speaks from personal experience or not, but again, if you don't know better than to iron the button, you might need to refer again to the etsy link.)

Since I buy elastic in bulk, I don't use hair elastics, but you can do that just as easily and it gives you a greater variety in color. Here you can see my elastic is about 3" long and folded in half to insert into the open end of the cozy.

I have a tendency to eyeball things, and sometimes they are good and sometimes...well, not so much, so to be sure I have the elastic lined up with the button properly I always double check the button placement against it by accordion folding the cozy back on itself so that I can tell if the elastic is going to meet the button.

Topstitch around the entire cozy. I do NOT backstitch at the beginning of my sewing here because I feel I have a tendency to overdo it and my bobbin thread gets tangled. So be SURE you backstitch when your stitches get around to meet each other again. Snip your threads, cause you are done!!!

TA DA!!! Your child's teacher will love you for making one of these for their classroom. You will love having one in your home and office and so will all of those people you make them for as gifts!

****As a fellow idea searcher, I am often looking for ideas for things to add to my shop. If you are a shop and would like to make these cozies to sell, please feel free to do so, but respect my creativity by giving credit to One Diva Three Dolls and/or the Diva Mommy Diaries!  Thanks and enjoy!!!

By the way, this is my first "real" tutorial. If you have suggestions or ideas, please feel free to post them. Did I have too many pictures? Did I feed Bestie too much caffeine (she was my photographer, after all)? Are any of my instructions or terms unclear? How many of these are you gonna go make? :)