Christmas Cooking and Sewing

Living in El Salvador has drastically cut down the amount of Christmas cooking I do--after all, Christmas cookies just aren't very portable.  Before we took the trip to Panama, I made cranberry pear butter (like apple butter, but not apple) to share with friends.  Tuesday, I made saltine toffee (recipe) and strawberry cookies (recipe) and today I'm taking a tray full of both to the church office.  Hopefully, everyone likes things that are sweet, because the toffee is the definition of sweet.

I started my Christmas sewing about a month ago, but it's still going to come down to the last minute.  I made 30+ miniature fabric trays (pictured below) using Christmas fabric I ordered in August.  I've given almost thirty of them away to my Bible study ladies, our IDEM group ladies and more.  

I also finished the sewing gift for my three grandkids.  (Not going to put a picture because their parents may read this and I want it to be a surprise.) 

I'm making two quilted table runners.  One of the tops is done and the other is still in pieces.  The fabric for the border, backing and binding is on it's way to California, so I'll have to find time to finish them when I get there.  If not, they'll be after Christmas gifts and will be ready to decorate the house for Christmas 2016.  That's just the way it goes when I don't have access to everything I need.

Two more days to get everything done before we fly to California--my "to do" list has never been longer.

New recipes this week

I'm sure it's not the first time that I've mentioned that I like change--quite the opposite of most people.  It's true in almost all facets of my life--what I read, what I study, what I do; but no where is it more true than with regard to food.  

I'm completely bored if I eat the same thing and prepare the same thing over and over.  Because I cook everyday (can't change that) I compensate by changing up the things I cook.  As a result, I'm always on the lookout for new recipes, most of which I've been finding by following several "healthy eating" bloggers.

I usually sit down once a week or maybe a little more and plan out our main meal.  Because we have some many evening activities (this week we had evening events Monday through Thursday), we normally have our main meal at lunch time.  The menu never includes breakfast and rarely include our dinners, unless we're going out or hosting people in our home.  There's usually at least one family favorite recipe during the week, like tacos, spaghetti, meatloaf, etc.  After I've planned the menu, the next step is the grocery list.  For some reason, going anywhere here in El Salvador is more of an ordeal than in the states.  Everything takes longer and there's no just "running to the store" to pick up a few things without dealing with traffic, parking and lines.  So, the fewer trips I have to make, the better for me.  (Because we're leaving next week and I'm trying to clean out the freezer, this weeks menu had fewer new recipes than normal.)

Menu (salads/sides aren't listed unless it's something new)

• Monday--tacos
• Tuesday--Garlic Mustard-Glazed Chicken Skewers*
• Wednesday--Homemade chicken noodle soup/BLT's
• Thursday--Turkey zucchini burgers, strawberry cucumber salad*
• Friday--Sweet/Spicy Tilapia*, baked parmesan pesto tomatoes*
• Saturday--out for dinner with friends
• Sunday--spaghetti
• Monday--meatloaf, light mac and cheese*
• Tuesday--fiesta of leftovers
• Wednesday--fly to US

*New recipes we enjoyed this week:

Main dish:

http://preventionrd.com/2015/06/garlic-mustard-glazed-chicken-skewers-weekly-menu/

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-spicy-citrus-tilapia

Side/salad:

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2015/07/strawberry-cucumber-salad.html

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2015/08/pesto-parmesan-baked-tomatoes.html#more

I follow the recipes when possible, but, for example, we don't have a grill.  

Back on the Wagon

I've been trying to do a better job about getting back in the swing of healthy eating.  For  me, this requires menu planning each week.  If I don't plan the menu, then we eat whatever's easy which is not usually the healthiest thing.  

The thing about my menu planning is that it takes a long time!  I love to change things up so I'm always looking for new recipes to try.  I also try to vary the menu and serve beef and fish at least once a week.  I use Feedly to follow lots of "healthy" food bloogers so I get plenty of ideas.  Nevertheless, sitting down to do the menu and grocery list and then going to the grocery store takes a lot of time, especially down here.  I quite often have to adjust the recipes to fit the ingredients that are available here.

Here's a list of a few of my favorite "healthy" food bloggers.  Click on the blog time to go to their sites.

Nicole at PreventionRD
Gina at Skinny Taste
Lauren at Oatmeal with a Fork
Megan at Detoxinista

I just recently found this site Amy's Healthy Baking, which looks promising!

Here's a few of this week's recipes.  Clicking on the name will take you to the recipe.

BBQ Chicken Quinoa Bowl (had this yesterday and we both thought it was fantastic)

Turkey burgers with zucchini (made a very juicy burger)

Watermelon Caprese Salad (I stacked spinach, mozzarella and watermelon, but it didn't look like this.  It was tasty, though.)

Apple Juice Chicken (trying this later in the week)

Healthy Eating Continues

The good thing about eating healthy is that sooner or later you can tell that you've been eating healthy.  It's been 70 days since I started on this journey and, thankfully, there is less of me these days.  I've had zero difficulty adjusting to the food; giving up sugar, flour and most dairy hasn't been that hard.  

Instead, the hardest part has been the prep work, including planning the weekly menus, grocery shopping, cleaning all the fruits/vegetables, and then cooking.  The entire process takes a lot of time!  Although I haven't found myself craving any particular food, lately I have longed for a chance to eat a meal that required little, if any prep--like maybe a ham sandwich, a grilled cheese or a can of soup.  

Nevertheless, except for a quick lunch at the mall on Saturday, we've been eating every meal at home.  I guess it's just part of the lifestyle change!