Dear Reader-

Tonight I have a rare treat where I am going to share a yummy recipe from a brand new yet-to-be released cookbook BEFORE I even get around to the giveaway and book review…

Ya see when I mentioned this yummy Slim Down Soup on Facebook the other day, a lot of you were very interested in the recipe ASAP…

I was cooking up a batch as a part of my Early Bird Review of Gooseberry Patch’s brand new- not yet in stores- cookbook, The Harvest Table.

And, while I am almost ready to write up my review and hold a giveaway for a copy, I thought I’d go ahead and share this recipe.

The recipe calls for 4 cups water, but I always substitute broth for water in my soups… so I used 4 cups Chicken Broth.

I poured it in my favorite Soup Everything Pot and got down to business.

I added one envelope of Onion Soup Mix– a total pantry staple at this house!

Then my seasonings… 1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp of Pepper

and 1/4 tsp very blurry Garlic Powder

Chop up and add 4 Ribs of Celery

2 Carrots or a handful of baby carrots– again, chopped…

A small head of cabbage– chopped, or if it is a large head, just use about half.

And bag the other half for a yummy side later in the week.

Then add 1 Onion- you guessed it, all chopped up!

Now you have some decisions to make… if you want the soup to taste like regular veggie soup, add 3 cans of regular diced tomatoes or even Italian seasoned tomatoes. I opted to add Chili Ready Tomatoes to add a little warmth and spice to the soup (like a mild chili).

You can also add 3 T Bacon Bits if you’d like, but I skipped that step because I was out of Bacon Bits.

Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

This soup is a great for a lunch time warm up with a side sandwich or as a side with dinner. It also freezes well. Mommy score!

Note #1: As a Early Bird Reviewer I received a free copy of The Harvest Table and one to giveaway.

Note #2: Affiliate Links were used in this post.

Note #3: Help a girl out and pretend I said something witty here to distract from the boring disclaimers I am required to list in this space.

Dear Reader-

Last week Puddie, Miss Add, Pinky Dinky and I headed out on a vacation we have been planning for over a year.

Truth be told, we thought it a bit rude that Pinky Dinky decided to crash our party just nine days before we were scheduled to leave, but we took her on in stride and decided to make her a part of our trip with the help of the wonderful Pixie Sonya over at Pixie and Pirate Destinations...

Did I mention they are beyond awesome?

They took care of all the changes we needed to make and helped us think through how to manage with our trip’s “cast”away.

Speaking of awesome, so was Disney…

From the characters to the cast members (staff), Disney was AMAZING.

Turns out, it was the perfect place for us to regroup, and before it was all over, we were hardly noticing ole Pinky’s intrusion.

Now we just need a vacation to recover from our vacation now

I have long looked for a way to organize recipes that I love and I often joke that one reason I blog recipes is that it helps me keep them all in one place!

Additionally, I am always switching around the best way to organize my grocery shopping. I have used many apps, evernote, email, text, chalkboards and the trusty old pen and paper…

So, when Ziplist -the company I use on this site to make the recipes we share saveable and printable- contacted me to become one of their featured partners and offered to add a recipe box feature for GOODEness Gracious readers that works with their app which includes a grocery list feature, I was sold.

You will now find a completely customizable recipe box and grocery list option at the top of my navigation bar on this site… just for you!

Your recipe box allows you to view all the ziplist recipes you have saved and you can even sort them by the blog you found them on or add their ingredients to your shopping list.

And the awesome thing is, you can make as many different lists as you’d like and those there lists, are totally synced with the Ziplist app on your phone and completely shareable if hubby needs to run by the store for ya.

Oh and did I mention all of this is completely free?!

You can check out all the awesome features on the Ziplist site and in the meantime get to saving all your favorite GOODEness Gracious recipes at the bottom of your favorite posts!

Note: A lot of our earlier recipes are not currently in the Ziplist format BUT will be updated later this summer… or sooner if cloning becomes an option for moms between now and then

Enjoy!

Dear Reader,

I am sorry I have been away… the world has been a little crazy lately. But, I think I am back at it now and I have a yummy recipe you are sure to love… Basil-Asparagus Penne.

I found the recipe in Gooseberry Patch’s Meals in Minutes and tweaked it a bit to fit my family’s tastes

I started by throwing some sweet peppers on the grill.  You could use bell peppers if you’d like.

I also popped a box of Penne in the microwave and cooked it to al dente.

Meanwhile, I heated 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil and added 4 Cloves of Minced Garlic.

As you can see below, I got mine a little toasted too far… had my oil too hot

I then tossed in a pound of cubed chicken breasts to beef…er… chicken it up.

I cooked the chicken until the juices run clear…

I then added 32 oz of Canned Tomatoes with the juices and 1/2 Cup of Chicken Broth

Meanwhile I steamed a pound of asparagus in the microwave and then added it to the pan.

And 1/3 Cup Chopped Basil

Now add in those grilled peppers after you peel them.

Now pour your cooked pasta into a 9 x 13 pan

And cover with the chicken mixture and mix.

And top with 2/3 Shredded Parmesan

Broil for 5 minutes until perfection.

Yum!

Note: Affiliate links and meat were used in this post… cause Meatless Mondays don’t fly in this house… just sayin’

Dear Reader-

Several weeks ago Miss Add and I were on a quest to have a Princess Movie Marathon and so we decided regular popcorn just wouldn’t do for a royal occasion such as it was, so we made Princess Popcorn!

We started out by popping up some popcorn. We made sure to grab a box of popcorn from the store that had the Child Hunger Ends Here  logo on it.

Side Note: Child Hunger Ends Here is a great program that allows consumers like you and me to take part in donating meals to hungry kids across the nation by entering codes on specifically labeled products we already buy every day.

While my popcorn popped, we tossed 2 cups of pretzels into a big bowl.

Then we tossed in the popcorn and 1 cup of peanuts.

And, 1 Cup of M & Ms

And last but not least, one jar of sprinkles… or Fairy Princess Sprinkles… if you ask Miss Add.

What are Fairy Princess Sprinkles? Well they are ordinary sprinkles poured on by your very own Fairy Princess… she adds the magic

Now the mix doesn’t exactly like to distribute evenly, so make sure you scoop from the bottom when dishing out bowl of this Princess Popcorn…

It is worth it, I promise

Disclosure: I have been compensated by ConAgra to participate in their Child Hunger Ends Here Campaign, however, my weekend filled with popcorn and princess movies was completely voluntary and may be repeated soon in a living room near you.

Dear Reader-

Some days you just need to bake cookies.

Today was one of those days and the cookie of choice was one of nostalgia.

I grabbed my mom and grandma’s old cookbook and flipped the pages to the most used recipe in the book…

I have made this peanut butter cookie recipe (with a few minor adaptations) ever since I was a little girl.

It was the first cookie recipe I ever mastered and they quickly became my specialty.

First up you take an egg and put it in a mixing bowl… (Psst… I always prefer to crack mine and discard the shell prior to placing it in the bowl )

Add a stick of butter (1/2 Cup)

Adaptation #1: I use butter instead of shortening…

1/2 Cup of Peanut Butter

Adaptation #2: I never ever measured peanut butter for this recipe… ever. I have always eyeballed it.

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

Cream together the sugars, butter, egg and peanut butter.

Add 1 1/4 Cup Flour

New Adaption #3: I used Whole Wheat White Flour to add fiber.

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

Mix until dough forms and pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Adaptation #4: The recipe calls for a 3 hour wait in the fridge…

I on the other hand think life is short so I go forward without chilling the dough.

Scoop into 1/2 inch balls onto a lined cookie sheet.

You know me, I am all about my silpat mats.

Use a fork to make a criss-cross  pattern on top of each cookie.

Bake at 375 degrees* for 10-15 minutes.

Adaptation #5: I find they bake up better at 350 degrees.

Serve up a plate of childhood with a tall glass of milk (we do have bones to grow around here after all ).

My official taste tester definitely approves

Nom!

Disclosure: Affiliate links were used in this post and there are very few cookies left in the kitchen.

“Thank God I have him… He knows she needs big wheels”

*******

Dear Reader-

These past few days have been a blur as you might imagine…

I am not sure how I would have made it through it all without Puddie.

He has been there for me and Add in a way that he always has and always will.

He has always been an amazing father and husband.

But these last few days have proven to show my little family that our little team can be counted on.

Quietly he helped me do whatever was the mission at the time…

All while keeping Miss Add distracted and entertained… constantly “tying imaginary balloons to his shoes” much to her glee.

But it was the moment where I could hardly keep two thoughts straight after a night of no sleep and constant whimpers and yelps of pain from my sweet girl that I realized how lucky I was…

We had been searching for such a novel item if you listened to the rest of the world…

The doctor guessed he could write us a prescription for a wheelchair but we would have to ask around to find out where we could even get one, let alone one small enough for her…

The store we were eventually recommended to had just laughed at me when I asked if they could fill the prescription…

That is where I spotted what I thought could be a solution to all the searching and get my tired family home…

“Pud- She laughed at me… said she didn’t fill prescriptions for chairs… said we’d have to go over to another place. But I think I saw a chair in there we could buy.”

“Does it have big wheels”

“Huh?”

“We need something she can learn to navigate herself so she can have some independence. We need big wheels.”

As I walked back into the store for the second time and a tear of exhaustion and emotional surrender rolled down my cheek, I just thought to myself

“Thank God I have him… He knows she needs big wheels”

The last 48 hours have been filled with ER visits, doctor visits and one honkin’ huge pink cast that Miss Add has dubbed “Pinky Dinky”.

Miss Add was out riding horses with Grandpa like she has a million times before.

Then one of the horses spooked as horses do from time to time and side stepped slamming into Miss Add on her horse.

My cowgirl stayed steady on her horse, but her little leg was crushed between the two horses.

Anyone who knows Miss Add knows she is tough as nails and always has been.

One of her first phrases in life was “I alright”

Problem is this time, Miss Add didn’t say she was “alright”

After getting checked out on the trail and no one really knowing the extent to which she was hurt, she asked to get back on her horse and rode 2 miles home.

At the second ER — don’t get me started on the first immediate care and first ER we visited– the doctors treated my sweet girl immediately, but still everyone thought she just had a sprain because she was in such high spirits and all smiles.

After the “precautionary” X-Ray, we found there was much more to the story…

A very painful spiral fracture that broke her leg in two places had been hiding under that  joyful dimple-filled smile  for hours.

The doctor was astonished.

“You have one tough little girl…  Horse people are always the toughest people who come through the ER… I just can’t believe she rode that horse in with that injury.”

A very uncomfortable splint and an agonizing night of gut-wrenching pain followed despite pain meds.

As a parent I am not sure that greater torment exists than to see your child hurting.

Exhausted, I begged the clock to turn 8:30 AM so I could make the call to get in to see the doctor that would place her leg in a cast and hopefully alleviate the pain.

The call finally revealed we would be waiting another 4 hours before we could see the doctor…

And, the doctor revealed that the summer we were anticipating was about to change significantly.

The good news was we did not need surgery…yet.

The game plan would hopefully stay on track and we could avoid it all together.

Weekly check-ups, 6 weeks in a thigh-high cast, 4 weeks in a below the knee cast and possibly a walking boot are in our future at least for now.

Hundreds of questions were asked.

A quest to find a wheelchair began.

And for a brief moment waves of can’ts filled our foggy heads.

“She won’t be able to______”

“She can’t__________”

“How are we going to __________”

Truth be told it took us all a moment to mourn the loss of life as usual and to re-think our summer, but we are getting there.

As usual, Miss Add is leading the way…

Showing everyone that happiness doesn’t depend on your situation, but rather your attitude.

And Dude, my girl has got that handled… just sayin’

Dear Reader-

The internet can be a wonderful place filled with wonderful, thoughtful people.

And some of those wonderful people are pouring our their love for our girl Leontien today.

Check out all the flowers and love for Miss Leontien by clicking on the badge below.

Have you ever had an “A-Ha!” moment and you had to stop right then and there and tell someone?

Well here I am telling you right now, because the only one here is the dog and he just doesn’t get how profound this moment is to me…

Ya see I have been devouring books lately… and no, I am not talking about THAT book ;)

Power of Books

As many of you know, I am trying to lose the weight and I am a firm believer in the power of thoughts… so, I have been reading books that reinforce my efforts.

This quote by Charles Jones has always been a favorite of mine…

I just never knew who said it until I saw it on Facebook the other day and then AGAIN in the sermon notes this past Sunday!

Science of Habits

Anyhoo, after reading the fascinating read of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think that really helped me re-think several things that have helped me tackle my portion sizes, I have been searching for something to feed my knowledge craving further and  The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business has totally rocked my world.

I am seriously only a few chapters in, but this book is helping me understand why certain things help me stay on track and other things drive me off course.

It helps me understand WHY meal planning is so important to my success and why routine helps me more in some areas even though I cherish flexibility so much.

Source: everydaypeoplecartoons.com

Knowing Why

Knowing why helps me so much…

I mean I notice certain things that help me here and there, but knowing why makes it easier for me to stop any crazy ideas I get that maybe it isn’t so important to meal plan this week or maybe I don’t have to exercise on Wednesday…

The why knowledge now helps me see how taking away those cornerstones to my success leave me susceptible to crumbling.

My El Habit

I had a total “A-Ha!” moment tonight in figuring out why I have been able to make El a habit in the past, but not a habit other times… as I saw directly how the cue, routine, reward system  that the book dives into plays out in my life…

So, the cue for me to get on El is when the clock turns 9 pm on a MWF.

Those are our date nights.

Miss Add is in bed and the dog is pretty calm and I can grab my Thrive and read while cranking out the miles on El.

The routine is to grab a glass of water, give the dog a kong treat to bribe good behavior, set the timer and turn on my Thrive.

The reward is logging it into my LoseIt account and being able to say to myself that today I wanted to lose weight bad enough to do something about it.

Cravings Critical

Holy Cow Batman!

Ya mean cravings… something I have been fighting my entire life can actually work to my benefit?!?

Dude.

The book explains (in much better detail than I) that in order for a habit to stick, a craving must develop for the reward following the cue.

This could work… I mean I am uber-good at craving.

I can crave the heck out of things like diet coke, vacation, sweets and Italian food…

I have got to ponder this further (and read the rest of the book ) but I also had to stop and share because it totally shifted my thinking tonight…

 Have you had any “A-Ha!” moments lately?

Note: Affiliate links are used is in this post, mama’s gotta pay for doggie treats- yo!