You Say You Want A Resolution

Happy New Year!!  New Years is that wonderful time when the calender changes and we tell ourselves it's a good time to start fresh and accomplish all those things we put off last year.  I think this someecard is pretty fitting:

www.someecards.com

So like everyone else this time of year, I am actively trying to eat better and exercise more.  Mostly I am just walking more and have made a clean break from all the junk food that had been a staple in my life since Halloween.  Things are going well so far.

One of my new habits is eating Oatmeal in the mornings.  Oatmeal is a regular breakfast for me, but until last week I was instant packaged all the way.  I had myself convinced that not only was cooking oatmeal way more work, it also tasted gross.  I discovered that I was wrong on both assumptions.  For the past eight days I have cooked the oatmeal and it takes about as long as boiling the kettle.  As for the taste, it tastes good for you - but not in a bad way.  It is also hearty, so it feels like I am eating a meal.  Plus 10 packages of instant oatmeal costs $2.00 for only 400g.  A bag of Quaker Quick Oats is $2.50 for 1000g.  It's an awesome deal too!

Here is how I have been preparing my morning oats:
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup quick oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 cup chopped walnuts

Bring water to boil and add oats.  Let simmer on low for 4 minutes, adding cinnamon and ginger while cooking.  Pour into a bowl and add walnuts.  Enjoy!

I am going to check out Bulk Barn sometime this week and see what other fun things I can add to my oatmeal.  Do you like oatmeal?  What do you add to yours?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I celebrate secular Christmas - and in our family the reason for the season is food.  And more food.  And maybe a little more after that.  And don't forget snacking!

Whatever and however you are celebrating this time of year, I hope this season is full of love, family, friends, and happiness!  And food.  Lots and lots of food.

Gary getting into the Christmas spirit.

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

My Aunt and Uncle raise cattle.  Earlier this year they sent one of their cows to slaughter and filled their freezer with it.  Cows are giant and they produce hundreds of pounds of food, so she gave some to my Grandma, who in turn gave some to my Mom.  This past weekend, Mom shared some with me.  It started with "do you want a pound of hamburger?" and ended with a giant bag of glorious meat!  My Mom is beyond generous and spoils me to pieces whenever I go over there.  This time of year her house is especially full of food, treats, cookies, and candy and I reluctantly (ahem) help her through it so it is all gone by New Years.  The gift of meat is above and beyond what I expected though.  It was given to me with love, is farmer fresh, and knowing that the cow was raised locally (and by family) adds something to the quality of the meat for me.  Thanks, Mom.

Awesomely the gift of meat included some T-Bone steaks.  John fought the cold and BBQ'd them up for an amazing meal the other night.

Mmmm.... Winter BBQ

These steaks were thick and giant.  I couldn't believe how much of my plate they covered.  We served them with a side of perogies (go big or go home!) and steamed carrots.  My cup runneth over.

Now that is a lot of meat!

I couldn't eat all of mine so I saved half for lunch the next day.  Steak and eggs baby!  If I don't weigh an extra 15 pounds by the end of the holidays, it won't be from lack of trying!

Protein power lunch

Total Eclipse of the Heart

I awoke drunk with sleep last night at 2:00am or so to step outside and check out the total lunar eclipse.  Half asleep, I struggled into my boots and coat, but I was still able to enjoy the majesty of the event.  The eclispe happens over a few hours, so I only glimpsed a portion of it, but it was cool none-the-less.  I fell instantly back to sleep and awoke again at 3:30am.  At that point it was in total eclipse mode with a reddish/orange hue.  Beautiful.

Here is the one (half asleep) photo I took with my point and shoot.  There are much better photos all over the internet today.

Lunar eclipse at 2:06am Dec 21, 2010 - view from the front yard

Picture Is Worth A Thousand Points...

I'm at my Mom's this weekend and she has been doing lots of holiday baking.  Yesterday she made her world famous Nuts and Bolts and today she is whipping up her equally delicious caramel corn.  Here is a shot of what goes into the "caramel".  Mmmmmmmm....

Mmmmmm... Sugar and fat... A winning combination!!