Friday, January 15, 2010

21 Days

Howdy all,

My friend Lori follows a special way of eating that has really changed her life. You would think that cutting out alcohol, animal products, gluten, etc would be hard and that the food would be bland but I have tasted her food and it is great! Truly it is!

She has started a blog about how to do it, you just follow the "diet" for 21 days and then you can gradually add back in those items you left out however she and her husband felt so much better that they have limited how much they eat of the those items you avoid for 21 days. They have both lost weight and feel great! So, I wanted to share with you her site, in case you might be interested.


http://lori-twentyone.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Recipe:Creme Brulee French Toast

This was what we had for Christmas morning this year. I love it because you make it the night before and then just pop it in the oven the next day. I have used both Texas toast for the bread and a loaf of sliced French bread. They both have positives. The Texas Toast is a little easier to cut but it didn't caramelize around the edges quite as well as the French bread. I hope you love it!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup of packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons of corn syrup
1 loaf of Texas toast or French bread cut into slices
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups of half and half (you can use the fat free with pretty decent results, it was still yummy.)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup over medium heat until smooth, storing occasionally. Pour mixture into large, greased jelly roll pan (18X13X1 it says but I would have had to use 2 for the 12 slices to fit, I could only get about 6 whole slices on the sheet and some half slices around the edge). Spread to cover surface. Place 12 slices bread in a single layer to cover pan. Mix together eggs, half and half, salt and vanilla. Spoon mixture over each slice of bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and serve. If not serving immediately, turn each slice of bread over to prevent them from sticking to the pan. It says to serve with syrup butter (1 1.2 cups of butter mixed with 3 cups of maple syrup) but I honestly did not need to add anything. A sprinkling of powdered sugar would look nice too. This would also be good with fruit on the side.

I hope you love it!

New Year's Word

Happy 2010 All!

This year, my brother gave us the idea to have a word that exemplifies our resolutions instead of a long list of resolutions. You just find one word and make that your word for the year. For instance, one of my sisters said her word would be MOVING.

She is planning on moving her body more and loosing weight.
There is a possibility she may move with a job relocation.
She also wants to move all the junk out of her house.
Hence, her word for the year if MOVING.

So, what is your word?

I have been working and thinking and have not quite come up with my word yet. These are some I have tossed around...

Less (eat less, weigh less, less clutter, spend less money, etc)
Beautify
Faith
Believe
Save (Save money, save time, etc)
Strength
Serve

So, I am still working on it....but I would love to hear a word that embodies what you want to accomplish this year!

Beautiful Basics

Life is about a journey, and you are the only one who can make yours... So, embrace life: the good, the bad, and the ugly...it is the only one you've got.

Here's to being Beautiful, inside and out!