GG's Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup

     Happy Monday!  On a cloudy day like today, I like to put on a pot of soup.  This one is simple to make and full of flavor.

GG's Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 t salt
1/2 t oregano
1 t basil
1 pkg onion soup mix
3 1/2 c water
1 can tomato sauce (8oz)
3 stalks celery (diced)
3 carrots (diced)
1 c split peas
1 c macaroni noodles

Brown meat in a large skillet.  Season with salt, oregano & basil.  In a slow cooker add the meat along with the remaining ingredients.  One half hour before serving, add the cooked macaroni.  Serve with crusty bread & salad.  Yum!

Snack Attack

     I don't know about you but when I have the munchies I will grab for anything that is in my reach.  (healthy or not)  I have devised a plan to help me make better choices throughout the week.  On Sunday afternoon, I make a list of healthy snacks and prepare them a head of time so that when I get hungry, I am grabbing something that is good for my body.  Here is an example of some healthy options:

carrot sticks and hummus
apples or celery sticks and peanut butter
boiled eggs
rice cake with cream cheese
almonds
cheese & meat on whole grain crackers
date rolls
string cheese
cherry tomatoes mixed with mozzarella, basil & olive oil
make ahead smoothies in the freezer
pretzels
fruit salad

Chicken Wings

     I love tasty chicken wings with celery.  I do not like the classic blue cheese dressing to dip them in.  I think that blue cheese is nasty.  The taste reminds me of how stinky socks smell.  Yuck!  Instead I dip my wings and celery in ranch dressing or sour cream.

Chicken Wings:

4 large boneless chicken breasts

2/3 c hot sauce

1/2 t pepper

1/8 t cayenne pepper

1/2 t garlic salt

Cut the chicken into strips & place in a ziplock bag.  Add the remaining ingredients and seal.  Place in the refrigerator overnight.  Cook the chicken on the barbecue until done.  Serve with celery slices and the dressing of your choice.

GGs Date Bars

     My grandma loved dates.  She use to eat them like candy and she cooked with them often.  Here is her recipe for Date Bars.  It is a cross between a cookie and brownie.

    She had the best sayings.  Here is one for today:  "Every day is a good day above ground."

GGs Date Bars:

3/4 c lard
1/2 c brown sugar
1 c sugar
1 egg
3 c flour
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 t soda
1 c buttermilk
1 c chopped dates
1/4 c chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream sugars, egg and lard together in a large bowl.  Stir in the dry ingredients and buttermilk.  Mix well.  Fold in dates and walnuts.  Pour into a greased 13x9 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Herbalix

     I found a new to me deodorant called Herbalix nighttime detox cleansing deodorant.  It is formulated to "cleanse away metals, metabolic impurities and other residues that have collected in the body."  I absolutely LOVE it!  I keep it by my nightstand and use it every night before I go to bed.  I have been concerned for a while about the aluminum found in regular deodorant.  I have tried every organic deodorant that I could find but they have always made me stink and that kind of defeats the purpose of using deodorant.  With this Herbalix deodorant I do not stink.  Hallelujah!!!  If you want to check it out, their web address is:  www.herbalix.com  Just so you know, I do not sell this deodorant or get any profit from sales.  I am just a happy consumer who wants to get the word out.

Green Smoothie

     I really enjoy drinking smoothies.  This one is super healthy and it tastes great.  I drink it when I feel like I am catching a cold or when I have put too much junk into my body and I want to feel better.

Green Smoothie:

1/2 c almond milk
1/2 c spinach
1/4 c broccoli
1 diced apple
1 T flax seed
1 T chia seeds
1 large scoop chocolate whey protein powder
1 bunch green grapes
1 stalk celery chopped
1 T parsley

Place all of the ingredients in a blender & blend until smooth.  Drink immediately.  Place leftovers in the refrigerator.

Garbage Craft

     My daughter LOVES crafts.  I am not a big fan of them because they are usually messy and there seem to be hundreds of teeny tiny pieces of paper all over the place when all is said and done.  I try to put aside my feelings and let her be creative though.

     One day I walked into her bedroom and noticed lovely decorations hanging all over the ceiling in her room.  I thought for a moment, "Hmmm where did she get the string to hang all of those decorations?"  As I looked a little closer, I realized that the string was actually dental floss.  I ran to the bathroom to check the garbage can and sure enough all of the used dental floss was missing.  It is at this point that I had to set some ground rules for crafts in our house.  There will be no dumpster diving in order to make crafts.  I am a mean mother I know.