American Girl doll clothes, 
I'm not sure why it never occurred to me to use the attachment pictured to the left to make banana bread. I've been using the wire whip attachment all this time, just because that's what I've always had out. Banana bread batter doesn't need to be whipped up, and it's probably better, texture wise if it isn't. The flat beater doesn't whip it up as much.
This photo was taken on August 19, 2007 near the AFC Half Marathon starting area on Point Loma, looking east, towards the sunrise.
Last week I was feeling rather lack-luster, with little to no energy, and if I did have any energy it was quickly zapped with no rhyme or reason. I thought I might be coming down with a cold or dealing with an allergy -- who knows? This week I've decided to take a closer look at what I've been eating. Perhaps I didn't make the best choices last week. This week I'm making a conscious effort to eat more vegetables. I do eat a lot of salad, but perhaps I need to incorporate different vegetables into my salads, not just the standard green lettuces and tomatoes. It's not a huge stretch, but this week I'm adding more broccoli, carrots, celery and squash into my salads, or just steam a few of those vegetables together to have with my dinner. It's not like I don't eat vegetables, I just need to eat more. Of course, I am working on a balance of everything else, such as lean proteins and whole grains and fresh fruits.
I don't normally watch a lot of daytime TV, but this morning I had the Today Show on, mostly because I missed the news last night, and I had a few mindless chores to take care of. I don't normally watch the Today Show, but it runs later than the other network news shows and I can catch the local news. I happened to catch a segment that featured Sam the Cooking Guy. Surprise, surprise... I used to catch Sam's cooking show on local public access TV, since he lives in San Diego. He makes interesting dishes using some foods we normally have on hand, such as seared ahi tuna made with Cap'n Crunch cereal. I haven't tried it YET but I'm highly intrigued. I also like his Margarita recipe - Check out THIS video. I haven't tried that one yet, either, but it's right up my alley, or at least my backyard -- and if I'm in my backyard I don't need a designated driver... He offers one time cooking classes held at a near by restaurant, and I'm so tempted to sign up for one. I almost forgot to add (which is sort of the point of this blogpost), on the Today Show segment he had a use for old bread. Throw it in the food processor and make bread crumbs to use in other recipes/dishes. I'll have to do that with at least a couple of packages of those hamburger and hot dog rolls I have in the freezer. (Wow, it took me a while to get to that bread tip, which sort of solves part of my leftovers dilemma.)
Your Superpower Should Be Mind Reading |
 You are brilliant, insightful, and intuitive. You understand people better than they would like to be understood. Highly sensitive, you are good at putting together seemingly irrelevant details. You figure out what's going on before anyone knows that anything is going on! Why you would be a good superhero: You don't care what people think, and you'd do whatever needed to be done Your biggest problem as a superhero: Feeling even more isolated than you do now |
I like most genres of music, however I do like some songs more than others, and songs that I flat out don't care for.
Tomorrow is the birthday party.
Speaking of Costco, I did the Costco trip first thing this morning. Bananas have returned, but almost double of what they used to cost there. My son found dried cherries and we stocked up on typical barbecue fare for this weekend's birthday party for my grandson. I was thinking of channeling my inner Martha Stewart for this weekend, as I used to creatively make/prepare everything. I honestly don't have it in me to do all that work, so we're sticking with the basics and buying almost everything, ready to grill or ready to eat. I also discovered that Costco brought back Cytosport lactose free Muscle Milk in the 24 pack of individual serving sized cartons, but right around the corner was Cytosport Evopro, the large 2.25 pound cannister, also lactose free. The Evopro was a better deal per serving, and cost way less than if I bought it at a regular vitamin store. So far, the lactose free Cytosport products agree with me. I'm looking to build back some muscle and I need to fit a higher protein ratio in my diet, which is why I'm looking at protein supplements. I just hope I'm able to snag another container of the Evopro before Costco sells out. PS: This stuff is good after a long run or after a hard workout.
Someone was not thrilled that I was taking photos of food, and not him, so I obliged. He had to be sure to have a car in the photo.
Last night's activity was baking cookies with my grandson. It has been a long while since I've made cookies, but something about having a kid in the house makes me want to do all of those homemaker-ish kinds of things that I've strayed from. Now that he's a little older, he wants to help crack eggs and stir, and baking treats (like cookies) has more purpose. It's the experience. The trick was to make cookies out of the ingredients I already had, and a batch of old-fashioned oatmeal cookies were created. The recipe came from the back of the package of generic oatmeal from Von's (Safeway.) The recipe is nothing unusual, other than their recipe version called for a half teaspoon of ground nutmeg. I can't recall ever using nutmeg in oatmeal cookies before. They turned out great, but when everyone else came home they asked "why are you making cookies?" Has it really been THAT long? The recipe is basic, right off the oatmeal cannister/package. Take a peek at your own cannister of oatmeal.
Pain, Pleasure to the Extreme -- Two local competitors are the favorites to win ultramarathon torture test in Death Valley by Don Norcross"Running at a hard pace exacted a toll on Konya, and in 2001 he underwent surgery on his left knee. He said he didn't run for two years. Then one day he was in his Oceanside apartment, bored, and headed out for a three-mile jog. Running at a leisurely, nine-minute pace, his knee didn't hurt. Thus, an ultramarathoner was born."
On the blogging about food side, I made ice tea out Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orange Spice herbal tea. I can't recall if the grandkid has EVER had tea, other than hot chamomile tea when he's been sick with a sour stomach. Today he couldn't get enough of the MOS herbal iced tea. Since we've sort of quit buying sodas and began drinking more water, I suppose this was a treat for him.
My internet was down during the time I was planning to post an actual banana bread recipe, so I called our internet provider for help. I spent at least 30 minutes on hold so I could speak with a real live person. Once I did speak with someone, it took about 20 minutes to fix the issue. I'm done with the internet for today, so I'll just leave you with a picture of what my bananas looked like before they became a part of my bread.
I've made a nice little discovery at our local grocery store. Garlic olives. I know that olives are one of those things that you either can't stand or really like. I've seen many people pick off the olives from their deli sandwiches or slices of pizza. I like olives, but they're not something I usually seek out. Black or green, they're usually a garnish or after thought to a salad, pizza or sandwich, or the green ones with the little red pimentos in the middle just for martinis. While I was waiting for my husband to order a deli sandwich, I happened to stroll near the exotic cheeses and the salad bar section. The sign for garlic olives just stood out to me, so I just had to purchase a container full. I didn't even test them. Once I brought them home and was able to eat a few, I was pleasantly surprised. I couldn't just sit there and eat a whole 16 ounce container full, but a few at a time are great.
Ingredients:
...and ended up with a smooth mixture. Keep in mind that the pot is still on the stove on low to medium low heat.
Woohoo!
There was drama, intrigue, suspense and a crash! We have a winner! The little black sedan, which is barely pictured at the center bottom of the picture, was so speedy, the others didn't have a chance. Who says you have to go to Indy to see the races? It was a great way to end the 4th of July weekend.
