Tummy Tuck Thursday Recipe

I want you to meet my new best friend. We only met recently, but I can already tell you that this is going to be a very important relationship in my life. Say, "hello", to my new friend, Cookie Butter.

I know what you're thinking...how did we sleep through the Second Coming? Because cookies.and butter.together. Yep, we're all in Heaven! Grandma actually spotted it on the shelf while we were shopping for honey, and are we so glad that she did!

Suggested uses:
Smoothies, smearing on fruit, crackers or toast, eat it plain with a spoon (Grandma and I tested this method...it's a winner), lick it straight out of the jar.

Photo Friday

Ya know, I have really been meaning to get into the toothpaste and smear it all over the place. I'm sure glad that mom decided to feed Tyler so I had time to do this. How very interesting this stuff is.

Meaningful Monday

For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me," D& C 25:12

Congratulations Kaylee for making it into "The Chanters". We are very proud of you and know that you are doing a wonderful thing by sharing your talents.

Photo Friday

Gavin's cake for the Blue & Gold Banquet. He made it himself and it was actually quite delicious. And didn't he just do a marvelous job of decorating it? I am not biased in the least.

Tummy Tuck Thursday Recipe

Mike's Breakfast Recipe:

I'm going to go ahead right now and tell you that I don't really like this recipe. I like my breakfast swimming in a nice gooey combination of butter and syrup thank you very much. For those of you freaks people who prefer a healthier start to the morning, this is a cheap, quick, nutritious start to the morning:

Two fried eggs
Two small corn tortillas
1/2 c. salsa

Stick the eggs on your tortillas and top with salsa

Jen's Breakfast Recipe:

Crepes, Pancakes, Cinnamon Rolls, Waffles, Pie with Ice Cream...if these things are not available or convenient,combine peanut butter cheerios with chocolate cheerios and top with milk.

Tummy Tuck Thursday

Stay focused on eating green in every meal!

Always incorporate a good high quality low glycemic index dark green vegetable
with each meal. I suggest things like spinach or romaine lettuce in your lunch
time salads. Try eating broccoli, asparagus, or steamed spinach as your vegetable
at dinner time. All of these dark green vegetables supply your body with great
vitamins and nutrients and are also great sources of fiber as well as naturally low
on the glycemic index scale.

Bottom line is they will keep your blood sugar levels from spiking after
eating. So think dark green at meal time, and challenge yourself to keep it as
part of each and every eating event.

Exercise: Let's have some fun! This may not be as good as going to the gym, or resisting that bowl of ice cream you are wanting to eat, but it is a fun way to burn off a few calories, so LET"S LAUGH. Laughter is known to remedy for many things, and while it is not going to make a huge difference in your immediate waist line, It will lift spirits and relieve stress, and at the same time you will burn enough calories in 10 to 15 minutes of laughing as a medium piece of chocolate. So have your cake and eat it to.(just laugh while your having it)

Great News!

Kevin got the job he was interviewing for! Looks like they will be heading to Wisconsin! MMMMMM...cheese!
Congratulations Kevin & family!! :)

Prayer Request

Hey everyone! Kevin has a final interview for a new position with Fedex. It is today at 1pm (EST). Please take a few minutes to pray for Kevin and his family, that the interview will go well. Hope everyone is having a great week so far. Love to you all!!

Tummy Tuck Thursday Recipe

So since we are on the topic of desserts (I'm not going to lie...I really love that subject), I thought I'd share a couple yummy sweet treats for this week's Tummy Tuck Recipe.
Banana Almond Smoothie-
This smoothie is good...really good...make-a-triple-batch-and-sit-on-the-couch-watching-american-idol good. The good news, it's actually good for you too. I know, but stranger things have happened! I like to make this smoothie for breakfast, a snack mid-day, or for a treat before bedtime...so, basically anytime.
Super easy, super delicious and healthy too? Yes please!
Ingredients:
1 banana sliced and frozen
1 c. almond milk-or more depending on how thick you like your smoothie (this is NOT the same as soy milk so please don't use soy milk and then fuss at me for your smoothie not tasting yummy)
1 spoonfull of almond butter (don't panic when you buy the almond butter. it is a little pricey-about $6.29 a jar...but each smoothie only uses 1 spoonfull, so it will last you a while.)
1-2 spoonfulls of ground flax seed (sounds gross, it isn't. it's actually nice and nutty tasting, packed with fiber and a good source of omegas, which is excellent for those of us who don't like fish)
Drizzle of honey
I also add a little bit of crushed ice.
A straw---Did you know that smoothies taste better with a straw? It's a proven fact.
Stick it all in your blender and go...oh, but don't put the straw in the blender. That's disgusting.
Enjoy!!

For a second, even EASIER treat, freeze your banana slices and mix with a scoop of nutella in a food processor. The result is almost like banana and nutella frozen yogurt. Good luck not licking the food processor clean.

See Below Post

Tummy Tuck Thursday

Dessert!

In any type of weight maintenance program, this is a Very Bad Word! Lets face it though, for some people and I would never name names, asking to give up desserts would be like asking me to right arm and my left leg. In other words that ain't going to happen. So for our Tummy tuck Thursday, I wanted to address dessert.

when you eat dessert, it is important to portion your sizes. and watch the timing. First portions, The easiest way to control your portions is to choose the correct size plate or bowl. So lets face it, if you pick a bowl like the big white one on the left you are going to fill it up, and you are going to over eat your dessert. If you choose the smaller bowl, you may fill it up, but your portion is going to be closer to what it needs to be.

What is your goal? are you trying to loose weight, you just maintain. If you are trying to maintain, you can have a little larger portion, then if you were trying to loose weight. If portion control is difficult for you and you are trying to loose weight, it is best to avoid dessert all together for 1 week. this proves to you that you can do it and resets your mind into thinking that it has to have that sugar to survive.

Next is timing! Never indulge in desert first thing in the morning. stick to your well balanced breakfast. eating high starch foods early in the morning before your body has had time to really get going, has been linked to type 2 diabetes. This is caused by your body not being ready to breakdown those high levels of starch and sugar. So when should you eat dessert. Take the advice of Dad and if you are out to eat, get your dessert first. In between 4 and 5 in the afternoon is the best time to eat these deserts. I t gives your body the jolt of serotonin, that it is looking for at mid day, and gives your body the time it needs before going into it's nightly slow down. The rule is give your body no less then 3 to 4 hours to digest before going to bed.

Exercise: If you want more exercise let me know, I am trying to keep them simple and would like to know if they are working for you guys.