Party Gras!

Tonight we celebrated Mardi Gras at our house. We made fun hats, wore beads, and ate jambalaya while listening to New Orleans jazz.

Here's my daughter and myself in our Mardi Gras attire:



And here is how you make jambalaya!

INGREDIENTS

Zatarain's Jambalaya w/Cheese Mix (2 boxes)
Campbell's Cream of Celery Soup (2 cans)
Aidell's Andouille Sausage (2 packages) - if this sausage is too spicy you can use whatever you like
5 cups water

DIRECTIONS

Brown the sausage.

Add water and Zatarain's mix and follow directions. Cook covered for 25 minutes.


Stir in the cream of celery and cook for an additional five minutes; remove from heat. Let sit for five minutes to cool and thicken. Enjoy!

This is a very simple recipe that we have used in my family now ever since I was a little girl. I think we have a new family tradition here!

Disaster!

This plan is falling apart! The house is a wreck, Aunt Flo visited for a week and threw us off the 365 track, and I can't stop eating chocolate.

Let me show you an example:





This was our Valentine's Day dinner. I made everything myself. Seared ribeyes with arugula-roasted red pepper salad, cheesy rosemary breadsticks, strawberries and chocolate zabaglione, chocolate tiramisu, chocolate amaretti cake, and some lovely syrah. It was amazing but I'm pretty sure I gained about seven pounds. I'll post the recipes later today.

Also, for the first time in TWENTY years, it snowed in Charleston! Here's a link to my photo blog so you can see the snow. Here are some bonus pictures.


I suppose they are Greek?...




Sad sad snow bunny.



Caveman-constructed.

Now, I'm off to clean the house and tie my husband to the bed before he has to go to work. That's right, I said it!

Running

out of time, and ideas, and thoughts in general!

Sorry for my extended absence of worthwhile blogging material. I haven't had a lot of time to take photos because life is just crazy right now! Here is what's been going on, with YES, photos.

My weeklong vegan diet consisted of smoothies, salads, and grilled veggie sandwiches. Near the end I had some Amy's Organic Veggie Burgers. Also, spaghetti with zucchini and squash.

Here is a typical smoothie:


A whole banana, a whole peeled peach, a cup of strawberries and half a cup of orange juice, with one third cup almond milk.
Here is a tasty salad:


Romaine, spinach, plum tomatoes, carrots, blueberries with a homemade raspberry vinaigrette.

Snack:


Plain almonds with honey and almond milk. YUM!

And while the scale says I lost five pounds, I apparently didn't lose it in my stomach:



I've gained over THREE INCHES in my waist since the beginning of the year. Maybe the scale was wrong. I demand a second opinion.

Looks like the only running I need to be doing is on a treadmill!

Just checking in...

...so nobody thinks I've checked out! I'll be back tomorrow with a new post.