Fancy-Faux Floral

I was in need of a few supplies from the craft store and while there I just couldn't resist having a look in the floral department.  After all, the flowers were on sale at half-off!  With it being Spring, I'm more than ready to enjoy all the beautiful flowers that emerge during Springtime, and throughout the Summer.  I'm so ready for all of that!  Since I'll have to be patient for now and wait to see some of the real thing, I treated myself to a few lovely faux-flowers, and created what I shall describe as my fancy faux-floral arrangement!

I was quickly attracted to these three beautiful, lavender lovelies that look kind of like a cross between a hydrangea and a peony.  I think they are the perfect color too of course!  Also not far away was the perfect color purple to add to the over all look, along with a little greenery, a pretty vase, organza ribbon, and I had myself a project!  Fancy that!

Fabulously Fancy-Faux Floral!...

Spinach Salad

This Spinach Salad is a favorite of mine!  So simple to pull together with only a few ingredients, spinach, blueberries, walnuts and feta cheese crumbles.  It's tasty and wholesome, and good-for-you good!  I like to change it up by adding blue-cheese crumbles instead of the feta occasionally, because I think both work well with the other flavors.   By adding some grilled chicken or shrimp to this, it would be a great main course too!  I like to have a light dressing on this salad as to not overpower all of the other flavors.  A nice spring-time salad or anytime!

  

Spinach Salad

Serving for two.

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh Spinach

1 cup fresh Blueberries

1/2 cup chopped Walnuts

Feta Cheese Crumbles

Directions:

Place clean fresh spinach on two separate plates, top with blueberries and walnuts, and finish with feta cheese crumbles.  Serve with a light dressing.

Enjoy!...

It's SPRING!

It's SPRING!  

Spring officially begins today!  Welcome Spring, I've been waiting for you and welcome you happily.  I am sporting a huge smile today, and feeling a great sense of joy.  I simply can not contain my excitement.  I spent the better part of this beautiful morning outside as it felt wonderful to feel the warmth of this first day of Spring.
It feels like Spring!
It's a fantastic day, a Spring day!

My Vinca / Periwinkle has started blooming it's beautiful flowers.  They're lovely!
(the true color is more like the larger two in the front, for some reason the camera makes them look blue-ish and they are not!)



Happy First Day of SPRING!...

Roasted Chickpeas - A Crunchy Healthy Snack

I've discovered a new snack that I love, and it's one that I can feel good about enjoying!  Chickpeas seasoned and roasted to a crunchy and chewy goodness that fulfills my need for something crisp and tasty.  I'm like most folks when it comes to loving potato chips, all types of chips that is.  It's hard to resist that crunch, handful after handful.  Until, "Uh oh, I know I shouldn't have eaten that!"  We've all done it!  If you are trying to watch what you are eating, looking for a better snack for when cravings start and don't want to fill-up on potato chips.  Well, this is a great way to satisfy that want/need, more like overwhelming desire, to stuff thyself with chips.

You can eat these Roasted Chickpeas and feel much better knowing it's a healthier, good-for-you snack instead.  Chickpeas are a good source of protein and fiber, very low in fat, and are low in calories too!  I have always liked chickpeas and enjoy them in salads.  I like to make hummus using chickpeas too, and you can find my recipe for hummus here.  These roasted chickpeas would be great on salads as well.  I like spicy, so I added a little jalapeno seasoning to the batch I made today.  I'm not missing those high fat jalapeno chips so much now!    

Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, drained (I use the low sodium)

1 tbsp olive oil

Original Mrs. Dash Seasoning (or preferred seasoning of choice)

1 clove crushed garlic (optional)

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse, then drain chickpeas throughly, then gently dry them off on a kitchen towel or paper towels.

In mixing bowl add chickpeas, olive oil, seasoning, garlic, salt & pepper.  Stir gently to mix well.  Place on cookie sheet(can line cookie sheet for easier clean-up). Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes until golden and crunchy.  Remove, let cool.  Serve.  Store left-overs in an air-tight container and refrigerate.

source: Recipe adapted from: Redbook-Low Calorie Snacks

Monday Message

~ My Monday Message ~

With it being St. Patrick's Day today...

 I felt this added a little green, along with a great message!  

[Plus: I took a tumble a few days ago and busted my pride and boo-boo'd my knee! :(
At my age falling down isn't as quickly forgotten as it once was as a child! ]

Here's to wishing us all some good old "Irish Luck" today and always!...

~ Tammy's Tip Today ~ Microwave: Easy cleaning

I like having a microwave, and do use it.  I also like for my microwave to be sparkling clean, at all times!  That probably seems laughable I know.  But seriously, let's face it when the magic of the microwave is doing it's magic, it can sometimes end up all over the inside.  And, if that magic-turned-mess isn't cleaned up right away, well you might know this becomes a major mess!  Oh and also, I have found that when you live with others the microwave sometimes mysteriously gets messy too.  Got a dirty microwave? When this happens I have a simple solution to clean it to a sparkle quickly.  

Use a microwavable cup or bowl filled about 3/4 full with water and then microwave it for about 5 minutes.  Let it stand in the closed microwave for a few minutes more, and the steam will loosen up any dried or stuck on foods.  Carefully remove the cup of hot water, then use a clean moistened sponge or dishcloth, along with a dab of dish soap to wipe down all of the microwave and any removable parts, such as the turn table tray and the wheel from underneath, or the glass tray bottom.  Rinse well, and your done!  If some food particles are very stubborn, just try the steps again.

Sparkling clean!...

SPRINGing Forward!

Another mark of Spring!

  I'm pleased by the arrival of the annual SPRING-ing forward as we set our clocks ahead, with anticipation of longer, lighter days.   Warmer, brighter days.  It brings a smile to my face and a warm, happy feeling to my heart.  

I haven't lost an hour...I've gained a SPRING! {smile}

I love Spring!...

Mini Crust-less Quiches

In my pursuit of something different for breakfast I was considering making an omelet, then I started thinking about quiches.  I remembered having a delicious quiche at a baby shower some time ago, but neglected to obtain the actual recipe from the hostess.  That particular quiche she said she had made with sausage, onion, several different cheeses, and heavy cream as I recall, also it had a nice pie crust.  Probably had a lot of calories too!      

My preference was to make a lighter version, a quiche that would taste great and just maybe leave me feeling less guilty after eating it.  First I went looking for what I had on hand.  I decided on a crust-less quiche since the crust is not really necessary and is extra calories.  I also decided to make mini quiches as that would be small individual servings.  I had eggs, bacon, a bag of shredded cheese, and an onion.  I would have used greens such as broccoli or spinach, since either one of those would be good and a healthy addition had I had them.  Oh well, next time!  I now have plans for making different combinations of these mini quiches in mind, and can't wait to give those a try.  

Just as I was about to dice up some of the onion I recalled having some French's-french fried onions, and that sounded even better!  I used eggs, crispy bacon pieces, a four cheese blend of shredded cheeses and a bit of crumbled French's-french fried onions for my mini quiches, and they were delicious and light with only those few ingredients.  So simple and easy to prepare, and didn't take a great deal of time to cook.  The Mister liked them too, and that is always a good thing!

As mentioned, there are endless possibilities for making these mini quiches.  The recipe is adaptable using different ingredients, cheeses and seasonings, and a little imagination.  These could also be made using egg substitute if you prefer that to real eggs. Mini quiches would be a great on-the-ready breakfast for house-guests and are perfect for serving for a brunch.  I believe the mini quiches would freeze well and could be re-heated for a quick on-the-go breakfast too!   

       

Mini Quiches

Ingredients:

Makes 6 Mini Quiches -or- Double ingredients for 12 Mini Quiches

4 large eggs

4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled into small pieces
3 tbsp French's french fried onions, crumbled into small pieces
1/2 cup shredded cheese
non-stick cooking spray


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In a mixing bowl beat eggs and set aside.  Prepare muffin pan using non-stick cooking spray.  Sprinkle equal amounts of the cooked crumbled bacon into each muffin cup, then equal amounts of the french fried onion crumbles.  Carefully spoon the beaten eggs equally into each muffin cup.  Sprinkle cheese on top of each.  Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed and fork inserted in center comes out clean.  Let stand for a few minutes then run knife around edges to loosen. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Egg-cellent!...

SPRINGing into March

It's March....Yay!  Hooray!  I am ecstatic!  

I long for this month's arrival almost from the end of Summer.  

SPRING is most definitely in the air, and Winter is soon to be a thing of the past!  

Signs of SPRING are present everywhere with beautiful blossoms appearing on the trees, and I saw those happy yellow and white daffodils popping up too.  Well maybe it's just me that's happy to see the daffodils. They do bring a smile to my face when I see them.  While we were driving yesterday I quickly caught some signs of Spring along the way.

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Oh SPRING how I love thee!...

~ Tammy ~