It looks like a science experiment, to some of you, I'm certain. But, oh my word, it's absolutely DELISH! This is probably unoriginal and I'm no food influencer nor do I ever plan to be! I'm just an extremely common gal who has lost a good amount of weight (or stones) eating high-protein meals, like this one, and I thought I'd share the simplicity of this recipe for those of you who are busy or, like me, lazy. When it comes to myself, anyhow. If you have children, they may love this. My kids certainly do!
I measure everything with my heart so I'll do my best at giving you approximated measurements. I start by adding about a half a cup of frozen chopped kale to a microwave safe container. Then add about three hefty tablespoons of low fat cottage cheese. Sprinkle in some seasonings of your choice. I prefer garlic with everything, so I sprinkle in garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook on high for three minutes. The best part about this process is that the heat dissolves those nasty lil cottage cheese curds so there is no need to involve your blender for this recipe. Woot. Working smarter, not harder, folks.
As that's cooking, scramble your eggs and season to your taste. To feed the kids and I a recipe like this, I only need two large eggs. On a side note, have you seen the price of eggs?!?! Nearly $7 for 18 eggs, is what I paid last week. I need to research chicken raising with these prices! Remember when eggs were less than $2 for 18?!? I'm officially that old to where I commonly ask questions like that. <shrug>
When your cottage cheese curds have dissolved, stir the mixture well. As your eggs are heating up in your frying pan, pour the cottage cheese and kale mixture into the pan while stirring. This combo makes the fluffiest, most flavorful scrambled eggs. Yum.
Typically, during this process, I've got the bread (whole wheat, whole grain) in the toaster doing its thing. Once it's toasted perfectly, I spread about a teaspoon (a hefty one) of Wholly Guacamole onto each slice of toast.
One small pack of this is plenty for three slices of toast. Four if needed! Mama knows how to stretch a dollar!
Top with the egg, kale, and cottage cheese mixture and voila. An extremely easy and high protein, chalk full of good-for-you vitamins meal, that is both filling and extremely tasty.
At 45, my body definitely screams at me when I'm not eating the way that I should. In the past, I have had a bad habit of running on coffee and neglecting to eat during the day. Why is it so easy for us parents to cook for and take care of our children but not for ourselves?! I've been attempting to make a conscious effort to eat breakfast. My coffee addicted brain is annoyed by this effort, but I feel so much better when I start my days with an easy meal, such as this, and thought I'd share for you folks out there who might be like me.
Tell me if you make your own version! AND feel free to share recipes with me, too!
Iam officially considered a non-conformist/societal trash, I'm certain, as our homes are still slap full of our Christmas decor. And I care NONE, y'all, as the twinkling lights stimulate sheer joy in my brain and I'm not ready to let that go just yet. It's far too boring following the masses, anyhow. I didn't read the Harry Potter series until long after the Deathly Hallows was published and the hype had dimmed. I simply refused to follow the fanatical craze....err, only to discover why folks were, in fact, so fanatical in the first place. Ha! Harry Potter was a bad example. Nevermind that. In any case, I am unapologetically enjoying our Christmas decor despite nearing the end of January. So there!
Newsflash! We got snow again! Eeek! The fact that we (The South) were blessed with a SECOND snow "storm" adds to the magical wintery ambience of it all, y'all. Snow outside. Christmas lights inside. Ahhhh. A very rare treat and one that I appreciate wholeheartedly. Gimmie more, por favor!
Hmmmm. Come to think of it, if ever we got a stealthy dose of snow, during the Christmas season, maybe I wouldn't be as reluctant to remove the decor long after the holidays. <Shrug> Who cares?!?! But...did you hear what I said?!? Georgia received a SECOND blanketing of snow in the same month. What?!? What?!? Even more bizarre is the fact that my family, in Southern Alabama and some parts of Florida, received snow, too!!! Quite a bit more than we did, in fact. That's as uncommon as it gets, folks! Blissful insanity, I say!
This second bout of snow only lasted a couple of days, like last week's. That's about all we can handle down here in the South, any ole way. Two days of cheerful nothingness. No schedules. No school. Nada. Actually, I take that back. I saw a vine MANY moons ago that was taken from a news reel made during a snowstorm where a woman was asked what she was planning on doing during the storm. She said that they were gonna "...sit around and cook some soups and eat bread and desserts and just get all fat and sassy!" Ditto, sister. Ditto! I don't know what it is about the snow that makes one want to bake, but I did a bit of baking AND cooking of the soups during both snowstorms. Ha. I was sassy long before the snow, though.
Here are some photos from our second blanket of sparkled powdery good stuff:
Jacob and Luke were home from the farm, this time around, to enjoy the snow with us.
But the farm got snow, too, as it turns out! I only wish we could have seen it in person! I'm sure our old house looked quite magical!
He attempted to go to work. It was a futile feat.
The man has Hagrid-sized hands and feet!
Yeah, I'm referring to those big ole things, sir!
He looked silently mischievous so I told him not to even consider throwing that snowball at me.
The lil booger bear!
When driving to work proved to be an impossibility, he settled into the warmth of our plush couch and the cheesiness of one Gilmore Girl episode. "One" being the operative word in that sentence because that's all he could possibly stand. Ha. What a trooper!
Meanwhile, several states over:
My sweet darlings were enjoying a day without snow and a little shopping. I can't wait to see them again! Luke and I have an upcoming trip planned in which we get to stop in OK, on our way back from said trip, to visit with them for a few days. Eeek!!! I am beyond ecstatic!
By the time the snow had melted, my cubs were stir-crazed with self diagnosed cabin fever so we set our sites on a night of fun out at our local bowling hotspot.
Bowling is a family fave, despite the fact that we are not great bowlers. With the exception of Gabriel who was once in a league. I'm fairly certain this was my first time to ever break 100. I'm no bragger, but I was stoked and quite surprised at my luck so I snapped a photo for proof as I'm certain that'll never happen again! For lack of a better description of my bowling skills, "stink, stank, stunk" comes to mind as I typically average a mere 70-something.. Ella won the second game and Jacob won the third. Not that any of this matters, mind you. It was simply a super fun night out with my babes and I was thankful for it! Even the games I lost badly to!
This is a still shot that I took from a video that Lindsey sent me of Luca, a couple of days ago. His little fingers strummed the strings just as gingerly as a one year old could muster. It was precious! I LOVE the fact that she's allowing him to "make music" with her beloved ukulele. Someday, he'll make music with that of his own, I'm sure.
Tonight was family movie night, in our household. We watched The Wild Robot. I sobbed like a baby during a particular scene that took me right back to an extremely sad night before my oldest girl moved far away from her Mama, family, friends, and home. It was such a precious movie and one we give seventeen exuberant thumbs up and highly recommend you add to your watch list....and not just because (ooo la la) Pedro Pascal joins the cast, as the voice of Fink the Fox. The story line is simply beautiful. His voice is just a bonus. <wink>
Many warm blessings to you and yours, this week, sweet reader! Until next time!
This is insomnia at its finest, folks. Redneck charcuterie and The Red Clay Strays on YouTube at two-something in the morning. Sleep isn't going to be beaconing me, any time soon. I'm wide awake. I find myself talking to God all throughout the day. It's effortless. However, I tend to give Him a break from myself in these wee hours where my thoughts are invasive and sleep is elusive. I have no idea why I do this. Stubborn, I suppose. Lazy, even. Nevertheless, here I sit. Criss-cross applesauce in my bed, like a child, unapologetically eating deli salami, nuts, spicy cheese, and garlic stuffed olives while hovered over my laptop clicking away to nobody in particular in the still of the night. Probably not the remedy (or menu...ha) I should be seeking at this hour but I am finding much comfort in my music-filled room with this paper plate full of finger foods, nonetheless.
I am thankful, also, to hear the sound of my thoughts pouring out of my fingertips and into this keyboard. If you knew me, you'd know that I speak as eloquently as a baboon. Words do not roll off of my tongue near as quickly and pristinely as I'm able to type/write them. I'd like to blame the thick Southern accent but it's a definite brain thing. It thinks at a calibrated decimal that my mouth seems unable to keep up with. Either that or my tongue is an independant nuisance. Either way, words spill out of my mouth a clobbered mess. Most especially when I'm with new people or a crowd. <Insert the sound memory of the teacher on Charlie Brown here...Wonk, Wonk, Wonk, Wonk, Wonk> My fingers are able to keep up, for the most part, so typing has always been a cathartic outlet for me. My dad gifted me an electric typewriter, when I turned sixteen. Still my most memorable birthday present to date.
Typically, my bouts of insomnia are fully charged by worried thoughts and, admittedly so, feeble-minded faithlessness. There are, in fact, far too many things on my mind tonight, and things that I am dreading. BUT, I don't feel worried about any of these things. Dread and worry aren't necessarily the same, are they? In any case, I trust the Lord's will. I think my insomnia was brought on by a number of things, but most especially by the fact that I am in a relationship with a third shift worker and our weeks are consistently inconsistent. That coupled with a brain richly caffeinated with coffee is a sure fire way to get yourself a case of the insomnias, folks!
I thought I'd fill this half hour, or so, answering some interesting questions that I've gotten from readers. One of the questions I'm most often asked about, from readers outside of the US, is about health insurance here in the states. I won't get into the details, because that'll get me bothered enough to stay up ALL NIGHT, but it is indeed as preposterous and expensive as you all have probably heard.
From a reader in China, I was recently asked how a widowed woman with children is regarded in our area. Such an interesting question. Have you ever been asked a question, though, that should be easy to answer, but immediately stumps you simply because it's such the norm that you don't know how to elaborate to someone who isn't from here? I became a widow thrown into a sea of MANY new widows/widowers during the peak of Covid. There aren't any rules to follow, in regard to widowhood here in the states. God tells us to love/serve the widowed and the orphans. And there were precious people who loved us well in those first couple of months, certainly, but most people seemed afraid to contact me because they probably didn't know what to say. I've found myself in that place before, as well, so I get it. It's hard to know what to say to someone who is grieving. I found, sadly, that I lost close friends after my husband passed away. I think my grief was too thick for their shoulders to bear...and I truly hold no ill-will toward them. It's just what happens. This year will mark the fourth year since his passing and I'm finding that people are more at ease around me than they were when he first passed away. So many people were too afraid to make eye contact with me, it seemed, in that first year. I am enjoying the ease of which eye contact has come back to people with me. I am often forced to inform people that my husband has passed, when dealing with the business and medical aspects of our lives as well as school. I typically receive a quick respite in the form of an apology for my loss but that's usually (and thankfully) the extent. Other than these things, there aren't any rules to follow of the widowed nor of society toward the widowed. While I am still considered a widow and my children are without their father, I am very much so in a solid relationship with Luke and do not dwell on my widowed status. Therefore, I appreciate not being treated with pity or overlooked simply because people can't be bothered with a widow's grief/disposition.
I was recently asked, by a sweet lady in Israel, what our family's favorite meal was. We all have different favorites! Luke could eat spaghetti with a thick tomato sauce full of meat, olives, onions, and mushrooms every day for the rest of his life and be happy with that. I love grilled steak and shrimp coupled with a salad or roasted brussel sprouts. Ella loves when I cook spicy chicken curry or any Mexican dish. Jacob's favorite meal is homemade meatloaf with mashed potatoes, cabbage, and sauteed broccoli. Gabriel loves when I cook shrimp and broccoli alfredo. Lindsey loves a dish that I call "the poor man's pot roast" that consists of hamburger meat, potatoes, carrots, and onions.
Thank you, sweet readers, for your e-mails and questions! I thoroughly enjoy getting to know those of you whom have reached out. I hope this day finds you well and joyfully fulfilled!
I'm going to exit this insanity of sleep deprived inebriation with a fun video that my oldest girl sent me, recently. Josh and Jase are "Two Brits" who thrive on sharing their tour-of-America shenanigans with colorful accents and cheerful dispositions. I enjoy watching their perspectives on our food and culture as well as their fusion of British humor. They were recently in our home state of Georgia and this is one of the videos they posted during their visit here last week. If you don't follow them on YouTube, I highly recommend!
For several days there was solid news hype that our Southern state was expecting snow and ice. The urban word "icepocalypse" was being used to describe the prediction, in fact. For those of you reading outside of the US, snow and ice isn't something we Georgians (The Southeast region of the states) are accustomed to, therefore mass panic tends to ensue with news hype such as that. Luke and Jacob were at the farm so it was just Ella and I left to prep for the possible power outages that tend to incur when we get ice. Downed heavy lines, and such. I thought I was being smart by skipping the larger stores and hitting up our local Aldi. Chaos and panic was in full motion, however, and our Aldi was a fun house of long self-checkout lines and annoyed shoppers who, like me, thought going to Aldi would have been a simpler feat. Nevertheless, I got a few goodies before heading over to Walmart, which seemed underwhelming, comparably. Perhaps it's simply a matter of building size. Aldi is pretty small, after all. In any case, Ella and I got what we needed. The sleet began falling sometime in the middle of the night and soon after came the snow. I awoke to a missed phone call, followed by an immediate text notification and then an e-mail. I knew from the experience of living in this county what it was. Automated weather alerts. Our town is highly vigilant at keeping us alert after a pretty devastating tornado, several years ago. Before I picked up my phone to check all three alerts, I jumped out of bed and ran to my window to see what became of our little world up here on this hill in the woods while we slept.
Maybe I wouldn't be as partial to it if I lived in a Northern state but the view from my bedroom window, that morning, was simply magical! Our little hill and the forest surrounding our home was covered in a blanket of white that glistened in the still silence of it all. It was art and I marveled in it. This piece of Southern land turned, overnight, into a bona fide winter wonderland right outside the warmth of my bedroom window. What a rare treat!
Ella and Gabriel took advantage of our snow day and spent the afternoon playing a fierce few games of snowball fight, building a snowman, and sledding down our steep driveway. The pups were apprehensive, at first, but eventually frolicked about in the chilly fluff with their winter sweaters on. Jacob took part from the farm, via video call, and watched as his siblings pelted one another with snowball after snowball. Poor guy....I hated that he wasn't here with us to experience the snow. The farm didn't get any (thankfully so, too), but there was a new calf born into the herd, so that was exciting news!
Our social media news feed was slap full of enthusiastic snow day posts from Southern friends and family alike. The excitement of it all was electrified by the fact that we folks don't get days like this often and seeing it and having it, even if just for a day, was simply pleasurable! The snow and magic began to melt the next afternoon, however, and we thankfully never lost power in our area. Our snowman is still standing in a backyard of green but I'm fairly certain it'll be melted within the next couple of days. The tall trees made a barrier from the sun, in our front yard, so we have a yard full of white slush there. The driveway and walkway are both clear, however.
Here are some photos from our snow day here in the South:
Two of these photos were taken by the bird feeder Luke bought Ella for Christmas. My diligent fella was checking to make sure it was still full of food and water. The day before, each of those fork spokes contained a blueberry. One-by-one, the blueberries were gobbled up by several different birdies making for some pretty awesome photos sent to my girl's phone! I'll share those in a separate post, at a later date.
Hey, y'all! My name is Christy! I am a child of God and a recently widowed mama. We are a silly dancing, music singing, book reading, word learning, picture taking, scrapbook making, world hugging, spontaneous road trip traveling, nature loving, country dwelling, grief navigating, feeding stray animals kind of a family. We're simply relishing in God's goodness. I'm so glad you're here!
