Craig left for Texas this morning, but we have a special weekend away planned, and I just can’t wait!! #2DaysUntilFriday
Last night, we went to the movies and saw The Boy.
I love a good scary movie every now and then, and this one definitely had a twist at the end I didn’t see coming. Poor Craig’s hand is probably numb today from my squeezing it so tightly at the theatre last night! If you’re looking for a jolt, this is your movie.
We took this picture last night at the movies…I’m not sure why it looks like it was taken with a 1999 digital camera…but…there you have it. 🙂
In other news, we all know I love cooking and baking…and trying to make either of those things as healthy as possible is one thing I love to be challenged with! So, this week, I made SuperMan Breakfast Bars with coconut flour and all-natural clover honey for Craig to have a healthy, but travel-ready breakfast to bring on his trips.
SuperMan Breakfast Bars
These are SUPER simple, and according to my husband, extra yummy – not to mention healthy!
Here’s what you’ll need:
parchment paper
1 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup flax seed (milled)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
1 1/4 cup mixed nuts
2 TBS chia seeds
2 TBS dried blueberries
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup clover honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350*, and line a smaller baking dish with parchment paper. (Hint: You can make it a lot easier on yourself by spraying the dish with non-stick spray for to make the parchment stick.) In one bowl, combine coconut flour, salt, baking soda soda, coconut flakes, nuts, flax and blueberries. In another bowl, combine butter, honey and vanilla. Once well combined, pour dry ingredients into wet and mix well. Press into baking dish on parchment, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool, place into refrigerator to chill (at least 2 hours), and then cut into squares to serve. These can be kept fresh for about a week in a zip-lock bag, refrigerated.
If you try them, let us know what you think! I have found ‘sugar-free honey’ at Aldi, and can’t wait to try this recipe for myself – Insulin Resistant Style! 🙂
HAPPY FRIDAY!!!! Wahoooooo!!! It is raining dogs and ponies here in Atlanta, but in my heart it is SUNSHINE and rainbows!! I am so excited for the weekend!! (Can you tell?)
So, as many of you know, one of our favorite things to do is cook together. Affectionately, Craig and I refer to each other as chef and sous-chef in the kitchen and we just love watching The Food Network and any cooking show together – Our favorite is ‘America’s Test Kitchen’.
At this point, my dietary restrictions are no longer merely ‘preferences’. With my insulin resistance/PCOS/etc., I cannot and do not eat sugar – which includes all carbohydrates, including any grains. If you don’t practice this lifestyle, it may seem daunting at first…HOW do you love to cook and not use flour, sugar, rice, etc.???
Actually, once you know the trades for those items, you can pretty much make and eat anything. The possibilities are endless.
One thing that’s important to note is that if a product claims to be ‘low fat’, ‘low sugar’, etc., it’s because it is filled with something else in the place of that fat or sugar. This is pure danger, and it part of the reason America is in the obesity crisis we are!
Let’s take, for example, skim milk.
Did you know that skim milk has about twice the amount of sugar as full fat cream!?!? When the fat is removed to make the milk ‘skim’, sugar is added in its place… For more information about this, see this article… Once you really begin researching nutrition…it’s quite eye-opening…You can change your entire health outlook with just a few switches in your pantry!
So, anyway, I love to create recipes that are similar to foods I enjoyed when I still ate carbs, but you’ll notice, as explained above, that I use several items which are SURPRISINGLY low carb & sugar, such as heavy whipping cream! (Note: At your favorite coffee shop, order your lattes ‘breve’, which means to use cream vs milk. You’ll save a TON of carbs this way!)
For today’s Food For Thought Friday, I thought I would share the recipe I ‘created’ last night for our dinner, Crusted Chicken in Dill Cream. It was delicious and so easy!
Try out our recipe and let us know what you think! Comment below or send us a message here!
Have a beautiful weekend, y’all! We’ll see you on Monday!
We have a fun recipe for y’all today – Vlog Style! It was fun getting to pretend I had my own Food Network or Cooking Channel show for a little bit! 😉 Of course, you’ll need to view this video in a browser. So, if you received this post in an e-mail, simply click on the title (in blue) at the top of the e-mail, and you will be redirected to the website, which will enable the video to be played.
Wasn’t that such a quick and easy “semi-homemade” fix? I made these for Craig to take on his trip for simple, portable meals and they worked out great! He loved them and they are simple to make and easy to pack for lunch! All of you pilots’ wives out there, keep this one in mind! 🙂
Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend everyone! We are off to Portland tomorrow for the day, and we’ll be sure to snap a few pictures to share next week!
Sad to say, I am NOT feeling well…still…but at least I am home today, with my sweet husband. Always looking for that silver lining… 🙂
As promised, we have a DELICIOUS recipe for you today. It’s simple and easy to make, and you can easily alter it based on your own personal taste!
Because we love spice, we chose seasoned pepper, and red pepper flakes as two of our seasonings. Also, we used a spicy relish in addition to the heirloom tomato and roasted red pepper. Seriously, this was a DELICIOUS dish, and easy to make after getting home from a long commute and a long day at work! 🙂
Enjoy this meal, and you won’t be sorry! What are some of your go-to recipes for a quick homemade meal?
Folks, I apologize, but I am not feeling well. I can’t leave y’all hanging with no post for two days in a row, though, so I am going to leave you with an awesome message from our pastor, Alan Mushegan. For all those of you who have asked about the church we have grown to feel is more and more like family, here’s just a GLIMPSE at how the Holy Spirit is moving at Full Turn Church:
Show His Love through your love for others! I have so much to say about this message and how it has touched our lives, but I also feel as if I may lose my lunch so I better not stare at this computer any longer. Say a quick prayer I feel better soon!
Hopefully, I’ll feel better tomorrow because we have a killer recipe for y’all – Easy & Delicious! If I don’t feel well, I’ll make sure my better half posts the steps and ingredients so you, too, can enjoy this meal!
SO…..I know, I know…Today is supposed to be “What’s Up Wednesday” and we are supposed to have pictures and updates and all kinds of fun and excitement, but the truth is…well, we are having some technical difficulties – camera-wise. I totally forgot to put the memory card in the camera for Easter…and now all our pictures are literally trapped inside the device, just waiting to get out! But fear not, an a/v cord is on the way! We are keeping our fingers crossed for its arrival in the mail tomorrow!
In the meantime, we will (hopefully) treat this Friday as Wednesday, and today will be Food For Thought Friday – which composes a few different things:
1. Meal Planning
If you aren’t already doing this, you should be. Meal planning not only can save you a great deal of money on food, but it is a total de-stresser for your week! Click here for a free printable meal planning worksheet. Here’s mine for the week (well, the week which for us begins tomorrow when Craig is back home for dinner!):
I love these lists that include the meal chart and the grocery list together! When you are able to plan your meals for a week and walk into the grocery store with a firm list of what you need to make those meals happen, you save big money and time, too! I was in and out of Ingles yesterday in 15 minutes. AND our budget for groceries for the week is $100 – I made it out at $92! Winning!
2. What is your “Life Verse”?
I’m a total sucker for ‘quizzes’ and I discovered the one above perusing Facebook today – specifically Pastor Alan’s page. Maybe he likes quizzes too 🙂
This quiz is quick and gives you a Bible verse at the end – your “life verse” – and there is nothing wrong with one more Bible verse for the day! Click here for the “What is Your Life Verse?” quiz. I got Romans 8:28 (and so did a lot of other people…but I re-did the quiz again with different answers and received a different verse, so it isn’t rigged. 🙂 ):
I’d say that’s a pretty awesome verse to be handed mid-day. 🙂
3. Learning (For Free!)
There’s a really interesting website I just discovered where you can take online courses, in a variety of areas, and receive a certificate of completion…and even better, many of the courses are FREE! Here’s a link to check it out yourself – UDEMY. Here are some of the free courses available:
And those are all FREE COURSES! How great is that?
Well, folks, enjoy your Friday for Wednesday! 🙂 Let us know which courses you pick, which recipes you choose for your meal plans, and most importantly, which Bible verse you “got” on your Life Verse Quiz!
Today’s the day!!! Craig’s gotten his first two birthday clues…He took the dogs to the kennel this morning, and they gave him his 2nd clue – Meet me at my office this afternoon – We’re going out of town for the weekend!
But he stillllll doesn’t know where… 🙂 Clue 3 is coming soon! I can’t wait to share all the pictures and details with y’all on What’s Up Wednesday next week!
Last night when Craig got home, his first “gift” and clue awaited him – a note that said (to be read in the style of Dr. Suess 🙂 ):
“Let’s start this off right, like a scavenger hunt.
The first thing you’ll do is put the pups in the truck.
Water Dog Kennels – 8 AM SHARP!
When you have finished, you’ll know what to do…
Congratulations on receiving your first Birthday Clue!”
And next to the note/riddle, I placed the special birthday cupcakes I made for him yesterday:
Image From The Kitchen Is Calling
That’s what they were supposed to look like…but I probably should have paid more attention while making the frosting…
I created my own combination recipe, using The Kitchen Is Calling, and Taste of Home’s similar recipes, and my own ideas.
Image From Taste of Home
Everything was going well until it was time to make the frosting and I realized it was another (I do this every year somehow!) meringue frosting…which is delicious but oh so precise and time intensive…
After I had beat the frosting over heat for ten minutes, while sweating to death and switching my already-sore-from-pure-barre arms from one to the other, I transferred the mixture into a bowl….and without thinking…poured in the entire bag of coconut.
Yes.
I was SO. MAD. AT. MYSELF.
So, of course, when the cupcakes were complete, I had to taste one (albeit, a small one) to make sure they were edible… In fact, they were quite delicious! Even though I am not a fan of lemon-flavored desserts, I had to stop myself from having more than just the small tester cake. Yum! So…
If you, too, would like to make these delicious cupcakes, here’s the breakdown:
Lemon Curd & Coconut Cupcakes
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 2 cups of AP Flour & 1.5 cups of Cake Flour.)
3-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups 2% milk (I used whole milk – as I do for all baking.)
FILLING:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
FROSTING:
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 egg whites
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flaked coconut (Make a note to yourself right now that these coconuts are for layering over the TOP OF THE FROSTING!!!)
Directions:
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.
Transfer to cupcake pans. This recipe should yield approximately 36 medium-sized cupcakes. I recommend using cupcake liners, rather than just pouring the mixture directly into the pans. This should bake on 350° for 20 minutes.
For filling, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat.
Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat; gently stir in lemon juice and butter. Cool to room temperature without stirring.
Once cupcakes are cooled, use a cookie scoop or small spoon to remove small portion of the middle of each cupcake. Spoon cooled and thickened lemon curd into a small ziplock bag, seal, then snip one corner and pipe into the well of each cupcake.
For frosting, in a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, egg whites, water and cream of tartar. With a portable mixer, beat on low speed for 1 minute. Continue beating on low over low heat until frosting reaches 160°, about 10 minutes.
DO NOT ADD COCONUT! 🙂 Transfer to a large bowl; add vanilla. Beat on high until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes.
Spoon icing into another ziplock bag and similarly cut off a corner to pipe the frosting on top of each cupcake, hiding the lemon curd inside.
Sprinkle all cupcakes with coconut.
Store in the refrigerator. Yields approximately 36 cupcakes.
Enjoy your Food For Thought Friday – and your cupcakes! 🙂
Yay! Friday!!!! The longest (work) week ever has finally begun to draw to a close! If you’re practicing Lent this year, you know Friday means:
And in our household, I have given up meat completely for Lent, so we have been eating a lot of fish. A LOT.
So, it’s time to change it up! We’ve branched out to Spaghetti Squash! You can use this amazing gourd vegetable in so many ways! It tastes delicious; it’s filling; it’s healthy – and whether or not you are eating meat (during Lent or in general), you can enjoy spaghetti squash for dinner!
Here are a few recipes:
Italian Spaghetti Squash Bake: Click For RecipeSpaghetti Squash Pasta Pesto: Click For RecipeBaked Spaghetti Squash (Meatballs Optional): Click For RecipeSpaghetti Squash Bake: Click Image For RecipeSpaghetti Squash PIZZA CRUST: Click Image For Recipe
Now you have NO excuses about not eating healthy! All of these dishes are delicious and good for you, too!!
Have a wonderful weekend, folks!!! Don’t forget to go and seeGOD’S NOT DEAD! It starts showing tonight!!!
Join us in showing Hollywood just how alive Christ really is!!
…you are much too excited about your brand new…kitchen sink.
Here is our old one. I must say, I was not a fan…
Here is our new sink & faucet fixture!
Seriously, how much better does that look? I know you are not able to see the rest of the kitchen & the lighting for the picture is horrible, but the backsplash tiles and cabinet hardware really pop with the new sink’s colors and textures! What an easy (we installed this ourselves) & inexpensive upgrade for any kitchen!
In other news, you may have seen these lovely flowers my sweet husband had delivered to me at work for Valentine’s Day:
I love hydrangeas & tulips…and of course, pink and green…and polka dots! Craig must know me well… 😉
Our furs spent the night out with their furry friends at the doggie sitter & Craig & I stayed here:
Hilton Atlanta Marietta Conference Center & Resort
If you live in the Atlanta area and have never stayed here…you really should. It’s a beautiful hotel and really, a hidden gem! We had dinner at a newer restaurant in Marietta called “Cosmopolitan”, which was delicious – most especially their dessert which was even gluten-free!
Click The Image For A Similar Recipe I Found
What a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!
*Oh, and I apologize for the misunderstanding! My surgery will be next Wednesday at 1pm. We are soooo blessed with your prayers and support! We love you all!*
Remember – Don’t forget to enter our giveaway while there’s still time! If you have any concerns about not being on Facebook or how to enter, just contact me or Craig.
We are writing to you from beautiful (& very chilly) Minnesota on this Monday before Christmas, with the perfect (mostly) prepare-ahead breakfast for your Christmas Morning!
Craig & I made breakfast for dinner last week, and tried this dish…It was so GOOD! We substituted blackberries & blueberries for the raspberries, and of course used Gluten-Free Bread – but you can certainly use “real” bread if you aren’t “gluten-challenged”!
Click the link for the recipe, and until you make your own version, here is the one we made last week!
Oh my goodness, this was just so delicious! Craig ate his with maple syrup, and the look he gave me when he took his first bite told me he was in heaven! 🙂 Personally, I think whipped cream…or vanilla ice cream…mmmm…would be yummy, as well!
I would have taken a pretty, ‘staged’ picture our plates…but we just gobbled this up TOO quickly!!
If you enjoy this recipe and are gluten-challenged or interested in more gluten-free and delicious recipes, Udi’s has some great ones here – Your family won’t even be able to tell the difference! 🙂
And in our household, I have given up meat completely for Lent, so we have been eating a lot of fish. A LOT. 
The (Not-So) Newlywed Lefebvres 
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