The Great Sugar Crash of '17

Feeling a little off this morning? Maybe a bit shaky, or
irritable, or unreasonably hungry? You might even have a bit of a headache, or think your heart is beating a little too fast. If you are, don't go to WebMD (it's really not a tumor) - it's probably just all the Valentines candy we broke our diets for yesterday. You - if you're like me - might be in the middle of a sugar crash. And considering all that delicious, wonderful, soul-saving chocolaty goodness is on sale today, it's probably going to get worse.

I don't usually eat a ton of sweets, so it was pretty easy for me to find the culprit when I started sweating after candy bar number [redacted]. What I didn't know, though, is that there are several ways to help mitigate the terror of a sugar hangover that go beyond simply drinking a few gallons of water.

I found some great advice from our friends over at Reader's Digest on how to recover from a sugar binge, and some of it was kind of surprising. The full article is here, but if you're jonesing for a quick fix, here's a summary:

1. Lay off further sugar infusions. A body needs to find balance again and can't do it if you keep going back for more.
2.  Eat a spoonful of peanut butter. You don't have to tell me twice...
3. Take the stairs, go for a quick walk - anything to move your body and burn that sugar energy.
4. Seek out diuretics like green tea with lemon to help flush your kidneys. But remember to keep drinking water at the same time!
5. Plan your next meals to be low-sugar while your body heals itself.

Personally - I'm all about the peanut butter fix. As far as I'm concerned, the ONLY way to eat peanut butter is with a spoon. And keep in mind - this is absolutely not medical advice and you should consult your doctor if you have or think you might have diabetes and experience the symptoms I mentioned above. This is just for those of us - like me - without insulin-related issues who tend to overdo it with the chocolate on holidays :-)

So now it's confession time - hands up if you splurged yesterday! *puts both hands up*

Key Lime Pie, Cheesecakes, & Cupcakes - A Love Story

Today, I'm saying to heck and hades with my diet. I've been craving key lime like nobody's business. When my cravings get this serious, it's time for me to cave (if only to prevent any potential homicides, I swear.).

And when I want key lime, the hardest decision to make is key lime pie vs key lime cheesecake. And then, do I make a whole pie? I really don't need to eat the whole thing. And I totally will. So enter my favorite solution to my favorite craving:

KEY LIME CHEESY CUPCAKES!

We love key lime pie so much we
had it for our wedding cake :-)

These bad boys have been a hit every time I've made them, AND it gives me an excuse to keep just a few for myself and get the rest of them out of my greedy, grubby hands.

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WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

1 muffin pan (with 12 cupcake liners)

1 box vanilla wafers

2 limes

2 8oz packages philly cream cheese(softened)

3/4 Cups granulated sugar

1 8oz tub cool whip

1 can Reddi-whip

• Prep the muffin pan by placing 1 liner in each muffin cup and then add 1 vanilla wafer to the bottom. Set aside.
• Squeeze the juice from 1 lime
• Mix softened cream cheese, sugar and fresh lime together w/hand mixer on low, until well blended. Taste the mixture to determine if there is enough lime flavor to your liking. If you desire a stronger lime flavor, add more fresh lime juice 1 tsp at a time.
• Gently with a cake spatula fold in the 8oz tub of cool whip until all mixed in.
• Fill the lined muffin cups to the top with the mixture, then refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Serve chilled with a dollop of reddi-whip and garnish with a thin slice of lime curled on top (optional).

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Now go forth and make cupcakes! And send me pictures so I can drool over them :-)

Post-Election Recovery Cake

Photo from
PrettySimpleSweet.com

Admit it. Yesterday was exhausting. Standing in lines, trying to stay calm and carry on, trying to ignore social media and not let our buttons get pushed so the kiddos didn't accidentally learn some choice new phrases... You know what I'm talking about.

So the way I see it is, since we were such upstanding citizens and role models, we deserve wine. And chocolate. And cake. So why not have them all in one amazeballs package? Shiran over at Pretty Simple Sweet has a great list of simple and delish recipes for busy cooks, but her Red Wine Chocolate Cake is hands down my favorite thing in the world. If you've ever had the blends of red wine and chocolate, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

The best part is - if you have the fixin's for chocolate cake and just happen to have a leftover bottle of wine... well, you've got yourself a piece of heaven just waiting to be thrown together :-)

Check out Shiran's full recipe here and be sure to tell us how yours turned out!

Boozey Bread!

Okay ladies - how many times have you made that delicious lasagna or that perfect stew and then wished you had a nice crusty bread to go with it? Homemade breads are something you either love making or dread making, but all of us love eating them. So wouldn't it be nice if we had a quick and easy alternative to the mix-knead-rise-punch-rise-punch humdrum of yeast breads?

Then look no farther! Beer bread is here to rescue your dinner in 60 minutes or less!

Photo by Wildflour

Ingredients:

12 oz Beer (we'll talk about what kind later)
3 cups Self-Rising Flour
1/4 cup Melted Butter (divided)
3 Tbsp Sugar (more or less depending on sweetness preference)
Optional for herbed/dipping breads:
    1-2 tsp Garlic Powder or other preferred seasoning blend

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease 9x5 loaf pan.
Mix flour, sugar, herbs (if added) until blended.
Add half the butter and beer then blend gently until a fairly uniform dough ball forms. Don't worry about a scattering of lumps - it's a thick dough.
Spoon evenly into the loaf pan then drizzle the remaining melted butter over the top.
Bake for approximately 45 minutes to an hour, or until the top is springy and golden brown.
Set on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, and serve with butter or dipping oils.

Choosing your beer:

This recipe is easiest for those of us who tend to have a few beers in the fridge for grabbing since most of the rest of the ingredients are things we tend to keep on hand at all times. But if you're not a beer drinker and wondering what kind to choose, here's a quick rundown of some to avoid and what to try for variation:

• KISS Bread (Keep It Simple, Stupid) - If you like something tried and true for a mild flavor, stick with a mild ale or lager. This could be anything from Budweiser/Coors to Heineken/Warsteiner. 
• Bread with Bite - If you like a little more tanginess to your bread, try a wheat beer or a citrus wheat beer. Blue Moon brings out some definite orange notes under a sour dough taste. Red ales (think Killians) or barleywines can also add some really interesting flavors.
• Nutty and Rich Bread - This is one of my favorite categories to play in. Try toasted lagers, brown ales, dark lagers, and schwarzbiers to make fantastic winter beer breads. If you want to add an extra measure of nuttiness, try mixing half oatmeal stout with a dark lager.
• AVOID - Not all beers are created equal when it comes to making bread. Notice above I said only use half oatmeal stout? Stouts, porters, and wheatwines have great complex flavors, but tend not to rise very well in the oven. These turn out more like beer-scented dough bricks.  Others to avoid are IPAs and other beers advertised as extremely hoppy. That hoppiness gets emphasized in the baking process and leaves your beer bread tasting like you ground SweeTarts into the flour. Sours should also be avoided - these beers are brewed with bacteria rather than yeast and won't perform the way you need in the pan.

No go forth and make bread! (and tell me how it went :-))

Easy Peasy Beef Borscht

Just about to cook!

It's September! That means it's basically Fall, right? So maybe it's still in the 90s out there... the leaves are starting to turn here and there, so that means soup season to me no matter what the temperature is. Soups, chili, heavy dark breads... I'm getting fatter just thinking about it.

So what I'm going to share today is our quick recipe for a pot of Borscht (no, really, that wasn't a sneeze) that will feed a family of 4. Borscht is one of my absolute favorite cold weather soups because it is hearty, uber-healthy, and the beets give it a richness of flavor that is totally incomparable to anything else. Just a hint of sweet, but totally savory. It's the only thing keeping this from being a conventional beef stew, but the difference is amazing. We like to make this recipe ahead and can several pints/quarts for the winter. There's never a bad time to eat it!

Here's what you'll need:

3/4 to 1 lbs of medium sized red beets
1 quarts beef broth (I usually add an extra bouillon cube)
1/2  lbs. beef (we prefer sirloin roast sliced super thin)
1 red onions, chopped into 1-2" chunks
1/2 lb. cabbage, chopped into bite-size chunks
1 Bunch radishes, roughly peeled and sliced into thin disks

1/3 lb. fingerling potatoes, peeled and chunked
1/3 lb. carrots chopped into roughly 1/2" chunks

2 cups red wine
SEASONINGS: I never give exact measurements on these because everyone has a different preference. I tend to go on the heavy side. I suggest starting with 1 TSP each and then modifying from there to your preference. Here's what you'll need generally, but feel free to play with it til your heart's content!

Getting ready to can! Yes, we're messy.

Bay leaves

Salt/Pepper

Thyme

Parsley

Prep:

1. Roast and peel the beets. If you have never done this before, here's a good quick method. I always use paper towel to rub the skins off, though. It saves my fingers from turning fuschia! Once peeled, cut into quarters and set aside.
2. In a pot, bring about 1/2" of broth to a simmer and sear the thinly sliced beef chunks on each side for about 45 seconds. Drain, and set aside.
3. Using the same pot, add all of the other ingredients and simmer on low-medium heat for 35 - 45 minutes. Veggies should be soft, but not falling apart. Over simmering will reduce your potatoes to mush.
4. Add the beef, then simmer for another 45 minutes. Meat should be soft, but thoroughly cooked.

After that, you're ready to serve! Be sure to have a bowl of sour cream on hand, because there's no better way to eat borscht than with a big dollop of sour cream.

Your turn! Most people I know are love 'em or hate 'em when it comes to beets. Are you a beet fan? 

Putting the Devil in Deviled Eggs

Happy Wellness Wednesday, kids!

I'm going to preface this post by emphasizing that I am NOT a health nut, but I do get crazy excited when I find deliciously healthy alternatives to prepping my favorite foods. And I finally found a great and healthy way to make one of the things I love and will overeat at every opportunity:

Deviled Eggs.

Around our house these tend to be the things I hide from my husband (lest we suffer the Thanksgiving gas flashbacks), but if you're a fan of the taste and not the fat, give this quick recipe switch out a try. Everything is a one-for-one swap from the usual mayo/mustard/relish combo that adds so many holiday inches to our hips. Ready for it?

1. Boil your eggs, half, and mash yolks as per usual.
2. All that mayo and mustard you usually use? Use that much red pepper hummus instead.
3. Use relish? Mix in a spicy unsweetened cole slaw mix instead.

YEP. It's that easy to turn the typical unhealthy deviled egg into a nutrient-packed delight, albeit still fairly high calorie. But if you know me, I worry less about calorie quantity than I do calorie quality. This is definitely still not a fat-burning diet food, but I feel loads better eating this than I do fattening condiments.

I'm also a TOTAL hummus fan. Have you guys found any other tricks using it that you'd like to share?

Carpal Tunnel and Other Wine-Related Injuries

Happy Wellness Wednesday!

With so many of us gearing up for the April A-Z Blog Challenge I thought today's wellness post should get us ready for the hours and hours of typing ahead of us. As much as the idea of injuring myself while I'm sitting on my spreading butt makes me giggle, Repetitive Strain Injuries are actually pretty serious.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, "repetitive strain injuries are the nation's most common and costly occupational health problem, affecting hundreds of thousands of American workers, and costing more than $20 billion a year in workers compensation." In case you're not keeping up, that's a 20 with nine big fat zeroes behind it.

Worse, they are so common and misunderstood that many people end up with carpal tunnel or tendonitis and have no idea that A) they've been causing their own pain, or B) they can put a stop to it.

So to help get us through April without ending up like the spray bottle lady below, check out these 10 Simple Tips from RSIPrevention.com . This list includes:

• Keyboard/Hand Positions
• Posture Advice
• Checklists to Ensure the Comfort of Your Work Area, and
• When to Call a Doctor.

via GIPHY

Now... who wants to talk about what people are starting to call "scrolling thumb?"

Remember - keep those keyboards straight and your wrists flexing! I'd personally suggest lifting as many glasses of wine between now and your next long computer session just to make sure your wrists are in shape ;-)

Bless Your Heart... For Real!

All Customer Service Employees need this book

Yes, I'm trying to stir the pot again.

I once had an interesting conversation that started with this prompt: “There is a vast difference between being 'nice' and being 'polite.’” A few people, and I have to believe that they are among those rarities who are actually nice all of the time (yes, they do exist but I am unfortunately not one of them), argued that there is no difference between the two words. For most of the discussion, however, I found that people do tend to notice distinct differences between these two words and what they meant to them.

I bring this up for two reasons:

1.  Being a word nerd, I’m fascinated by how two words meaning essentially the same thing conversationally (despite specific definitions) and used interchangeably so often can evolve to conjure such specific reactions, and 
2. I had a long phone call where I realized that the ‘polite’ person that I was talking to on the phone was not a ‘nice’ person at all. In fact, I was pretty sure that she was giving me the finger while she was saying, “Bless your heart,” safely from her end of the phone line. I got off the phone with this "customer service rep" feeling hollow, irritated, and condescended to, and eventually just angry. NOT good for the old mental/emotional well-being.

You probably grew up across the street from this lady

For those not familiar with southern sarcasm, ‘Bless your heart’ can sometimes be a meaningful expression of sympathy, but more often than not it’s a southern lady’s socially acceptable way of saying “Why the hell do you think I care?”

Now it's got me wondering about my own responses to people and feeling slightly guilty. You know what I mean... The phone rings at work and, blast that caller ID, it’s one of those people you'd rather give extraneous body parts than have to deal with. But, since you have a job to do for which you are being paid, on goes that plasticine smile with the glazed eyes as you say, “No, you’re no problem at all, really, how can I help you?” All the while your imagination is dreaming up scenarios in which it would be acceptable for you to scream “Go away already you horrible person!”

See? Polite, but not nice, and certainly not in keeping with my goal to remain positive. On Monday I talked about faking it til we make it as a way to trick ourselves into being more naturally optimistic. When I let myself hide behind the polite mask I'm doing the opposite - I'm allowing myself to be negative by justifying to myself that it's not *my* fault that so-and-so is a pain to deal with instead of just putting my big girl pants on and take some pride in a job well done even if it means a momentary irritation.

Now that I’ve given you the set up, what do you think? What do these two words mean to you, and do you feel affected differently by them?