Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

Egg Roll In A Bowl

If you like egg rolls, you are going to like this recipe I am fixing to show you.

People who do not venture out and try Asian foods think egg rolls are made out of eggs. This is false. Egg Rolls are a deep fried appetizer stuffed with cabbage and meat then dipped in a sweet or spicy sauce. But why are they called egg rolls when they do not contain eggs? It is assumed that it came from a cookbook in 1917 called “Dan Gun” which translates to “Egg Roll” but there are other guesses too. 

I love egg rolls but wanted to make a healthier low carb option, so I made what’s called “EggRoll in a bowl”.
It consist of all the goodies of an egg roll without the egg roll wrapper or deep fried oils.



It can be made with any kind of chopped  meat but I chose to us Hot Jimmy Dean pork sausage. It was full of flavor with a little kick.

We did not eat this for dinner. We had soup and salad instead. But I wanted to make a batch of this stuff so I would have something take to work for my lunch a couple days. I have a mini Crock Pot Lunch Warmer  on my desk that I place it in, plug it up and by lunch time It will be hot and ready to eat. I think it taste better heated up the next day.



Egg Roll in a Bowl

1 pound ground sausage (or other meat of choice).
7 cups coleslaw mix
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup green onions

Cook sausage stirring and crumbling until cooked through. 
Stir in Coleslaw mix, garlic, onions, soy sauce, and stir. 

Top with wonton strips and drizzle with more soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce. (Optional).

This has become one of my favorite quick meals and so easy to put together. My husband likes it but he tries to stay away from pork sausage. I will have to try a different kind of meat sometime. 

Do you like egg rolls? You can actually put anything in an egg roll and make it delicious. 



As an Amazon Affiliate, this post may include marketing links,

 which means I make a small percentage on the sales 

but it in no way affects the price a buyer may pay.

The Other Addiction

Food Addiction - A behavioral addiction that is primarily characterized by the compulsive consumption of palatable (e.g., high fat and high sugar) food items which markedly activate the reward system in humans and other animals despite adverse consequences. [Wikipedia]

We are always hearing about drug addiction or alcohol addiction, etc. Food addiction is rarely talked about yet can be as damaging as a drug or other addiction. Food addiction is a real thing. Unlike drugs, food is something we have to have to survive so it makes it a struggle to stay clear from it. 


Just like drug addiction:
food addiction….

Can cause health issues.
Has strong cravings and urges.
You find yourself lying to others about foods you buy or eat.
You have a choice food that will always lead to binge eating.
You sneak around to eat.
You will often eat alone.
You get grumpy when food wears off.
You eat so you will not feel certain emotions. 
You pay high prices for the satisfaction.
You want out but you keep going back.
When someone says you eat to much, you get defensive. 
Taking it away can cause a fight. 
There comes a time we ask for help and have to attend clinics or therapist.
Once clean from the addiction of food, on bite of your favorite foods will trigger a relapse. 

I think I have a food addiction. For real. I am seeing a dietitian and that first couple weeks of detoxing was hard! I almost caved. My body was even getting weak and my energy level was 1 to zero. My body is now getting used to the restrictions I am on and I finally feel the energy slowly coming back and the cravings are getting less. I have even lost 15 lbs in four weeks. I have a few more weeks left of restrictions and I should be good. 


I have to stay away from bake shops because it would be equivilant to taking an alcoholic to a liquor store. 

Food addiction is a powerful thing. Food can be a drug. let’s remember those that may be suffering. Never pick on someone for being on a diet or for what they have on their plate. You never know there story or the struggles they might be going through. 



Note: Some people wonder what happened after I lost 50lbs on Nutrisystem 7 years ago.
That was a super easy diet that I eventually had to give up due to reactions to the salts and whey proteins. I kept the weight off for 5 years. The past two years I fell off the wagon and began eating unhealthy amounts of bad foods again which led me to gaining all 50 lbs back. 






Plants

I have been loving plants lately. Ok, I know that’s random but I have always liked plants. I am also a plant killer. My problem is that I do not have any places in my house to place them where they will get sunshine. I have no ledges on my windows. I have a large bay window in the front room but the sun only shines in it for a little while in the afternoon. Besides, I do not want to put a lot of plants on it to ruin. I currently have a Christmas cactus in that place. 

While visiting my daughter this past weekend, she took me to a place called “Optimist Hall”. It is an old mill turned into a large food court and a few shopping spots. There were isles and isles of different types of unique foods. Just imagine food trucks stationary in a building. 


One of the shopping spots was a plant store. I didn’t get the name but it was fun to walk in and see all the plants. They had everything from air plants to terrariums. You could also feel the oxygen in the air as you walked around looking at all the unique greens.


I did not purchase any new plants because the were to expensive for me. I would rather wait and just go to Lowes or Home depot for my plants. I mean, look at the price of this small plant.


It was probably my favorite plant in the store. I thought it was unique. 

I now work in an office cubicle with a large window. I have been loving plants because now I have a place to put them. I currently have a few succulents in the window and a snake plant. 



My sweet neighbor friend made me this cute plant pot cover for my snake plant. It sits on top of my file cabinet and has been a fun conversation piece. I remember my mom used to have a snake plant. It was much larger than the one I have. 

I plan to get a small potted palm tree soon. It will remind me of summer, sand and sunshine. 

What is your favorite plant in your home or office? 








Sweet Stuff

My daughter came to stay with us this past weekend. Though she has her own little uptown studio apartment, she still likes to come home and sleep in “her room”. It was Fathers Day weekend too. When she came to the door, she was holding a cake in one hand and a pastry box in the other. 

It was Fathers Day weekend so she wanted to surprise her dad with a home made pound cake. 


This was her first time making a pound cake. She did a great job and it turned out delicious.

She could resist bringing me a little treat too. I have been wanting to try a “Cruffin” from a place near her apartment. Cruffins are croissants baked in a muffin tin and rolled in cinnamon and sugar.


This Cruffin is strawberry cheesecake flavored. It had a cream cheese and strawberry filling and topped with a strawberry. 
These things are out of this world. I may have to search how to make my own. Ya think?

We had a great Fathers Day. After my daughter spoiled her dad with cake and gifts, we headed off to church. My dad received the “Oldest Father” award this year. He had a good time accepting this award and made a couple funny comments. 

Later that afternoon we headed down to Belmont to Dad and Moms house. My brothers and sister were there and we grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. We each brought something to make this dinner complete so Mom would not have to cook. Needless to say, she did end up making a blueberry dump cake and peach pie. Gotta love the sweet stuff. 


Over 50

I can officially say “I am now over 50”. I had my 51st birthday yesterday. It does not matter how many stay in orders, epidemics, and virus scares the world has throws at us, It still happened. We are all guaranteed a birthday every year as long as we live.

(Excuse the hair. I had just finished up a 3 miles walk.)

We normally go to the beach for my birthday, but under other the circumstances, we decided to wait. 
My daughter came home with a handful of goodies. Gifts in one hand and a Cannoli cake in the other. She also wanted it to be fun and brought birthday banners, and balloons. Later my daughter’s boyfriend came over and brought flowers and gave me a Hobby Lobby gift card. Isn’t that sweet?


My state still has a stay in order. Our Governor refuses to let things open up right now even though we have very low numbers of Covid19. 
Well, we didn’t let that ruin anymore plans. We piled in the car and drove about 6 miles into South Carolina where they are now allowing restaurants to have indoor seating at 50% capacity. 

We headed down to a little BBQ place out in the country called Courtney's and enjoyed a meal at the table. I will admit, it was a little weird walking in while cars were wrapped around the building for pick up orders. Once we were inside, there were only a few families there. We had to order at the register then find a seat. We sprayed our table down with hand sanitizer for extra precaution (per the boyfriend) and waited on our food. 



Things were a little different such as ketchup was in individual containers and drinks were in styrofoam cups. I like it that way though. I have always been skeptical to eating condiments that set on the tables for everyone to use from.

Afterwards, we came back to the house and had cake and ice cream while sitting outside. It was a nice evening and we sat there until dark. It was a nice birthday and I felt loved. 

Sometime before this month ends, my mom will be doing a big birthday dinner for my sister, brother, daddy and me. 
We all have a birthday in May......Good bye Diet.

A Different Easter Sunday

This Easter Sunday was definitely different due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the meaning of this special day stayed the same.

We are still practicing social distancing and stay in orders, but my daughter wanted to come home for the weekend. Of course she can. I am a mother. She is my only child. I have Mom-ed through the flu, many strep throats, infections, viruses, scarlet fever, and chicken pops. I refuse to let covid-19 stop me now.

So she came home and we had a great time together as usual as we exercised, baked goodies and dyed eggs. 


My daughter woke up Easter morning to an Easter basket full of goodies, puzzles and little things she needed (shes 28 but when shes home, she 12 again). She also had us a little Easter basket full of snacks. 

After breakfast we got dressed and headed to church for Sunday service. 
It was not an ordinary service. It was a drive in service. Definitely different.


Everyone sat in their cars as the singers sang a few songs and the pastor preached a great service from the porch of a little house on the church grounds.


You could hear horns honk in place of the Amens you normally hear in the sanctuary on a normal Sunday. It was rather nice but sad that it has come to this alternative. I talked to my daddy and saw momma sitting in their vehicle.

This is me and my sister sitting beside each other. 


It looked like it was going to rain but the rain held off until the service ended. As soon as he dismissed everyone, the rain came down. . 

When we came home after church, we had a small Easter dinner complete with ham, potato salad and broccoli casserole.

Hope you all had a great Easter despite of the changes taken place and social distancing. 

St. Patricks Day☘️

Hope everyone had a nice St. Patricks Day.


In the wake of the Corona virus pandemic, they announced for North Carolinians to stay in and not go any place where there are groups of more than 10 people. 
All resteraunts have closed their doors for dining. They are keeping drive thrus open and you can call in orders for pick up.
Stores are now closing their doors to shoppers and are asking everyone to shop online and pick up at the stores. This all seems so weird. 

The weather was cool and misty during Most of the day. I was feeling bored, so I decided to make the best of St. Patricks Day by baking some green sugar cookies. 


They were delicious and were prefect for an afternoon snack. 

My house was smelling great as the aroma of the Corned beef brisket was drifting from the crock pot. It had to slow cook for 8 hours. We sat down to enjoy our traditional St. Patricks Day meal with corned beef and cabbage. I made a side of horseradish sauce for dipping. 


My daughter will usually come and enjoy St. Patricks Day dinner with us but with everything going on, we didn’t decide to cook until the last minute and she had forgotten it was even St. Patricks Day. We also hated to call her home in the chaos. We will be seeing her on Thursday as we go help her get moved into her new apartment. We are taking her some cookies. 

Guess who else was in the St. Patricks Day mood and put on their green coat?
Loui!

Loui is a lizard that lives in my shutters. He comes out for a chat when the temperatures are above 50. He will even let me pet him. He has been dark skinned all month until today. He decided to turn into a leprechaun.


Funny story: I walked out the other day and said “hey Loui” and three more lizards popped out of the shutters. Now I do not know which one is the real Loui and neither do they. Haha. 

Two Ingredient Bread Sticks

Here I go again with the “two ingredient” recipes. But seriously, that’s all it takes to make simple bready things. The two ingredients are plain Greek yogurt and self rising flour. No eggs, no milk and no shortening.

I have used this recipe to make pretzels, flatbreads and bagels. They all turned out delicious. What makes the difference is what goes on top. It’s crazy how it takes on the flavor of what it meant to be use for.

 

The other day I was having soup and salad and wanted some sort of bread stick to go with it, so I grabbed my yogurt and flour and made a dough.
I divided the dough into four pieces. With each piece of dough, I rolled into snake stick shapes and placed them on a lined cookie sheet and baked them for about 12 minutes. 

2 ingredient bread sticks.
•1/2 cup self rising flour.
•1/2 Cup plain Greek Yogurt.

-Bake 425 for 10-15 minutes.
-Brush with Butter (or garlic butter).
Makes four 6 inch sticks. Only 63 calories each.


I love how they turned out. They had the same texture as any other bread stick you get from a restaurant. It was the perfect portion with my lunch.

These bread sticks are not only easy to make, they are also on the healthy side of things. 
Each stick is only 63 calories so its less than a slice of bread and a whole lot better. I will be making more of these as they are now my favorite.


Off post: For some reason after I did an update, the spell check tab on my blogger tool bar is no longer there for some reason. I hope blogger gets that fixed soon. Meanwhile please excuse any misspelled words you find. 

Cauliflower Cheesy Bread Sticks

Are you trying to stay away from bread or foods that include white flour? Probably not unless you are on some kind of low carb diet. But if you are, I have a solution for a substitute by using riced cauliflower.

I have never been a believer in all the smack about making pizza crust, mashed potatoes or anything else using Cauliflower. No matter what I have made with cauliflower, It taste like cauliflower. Period. You can not substitute a veggie for bread. Sorry, it just can not be done.
However, I came pretty close when I decided to give cauliflower bread sticks a try. I do believe you can make anything good if you add enough cheese to it. 


It was a Sunday afternoon and I had nothing else to do so I experimented with a recipe and made Cauliflower Cheesy Bread Sticks. 


We used them as a side dish to our dinner that night. Nick gave them a shoulder shrug but not a full thumbs up. However, after eating a couple of them dipped in marinara sauce, they were a hit. We had enough leftover to use the next day and heated up well in the toaster oven.

Here is the recipe:
  • 2 Cups frozen riced cauliflower (one bag).
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese
  • 1 tsp Oregano
  • 2 cloves of minced garlic
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese for topping.



  1. -Cook or microwave the cauliflower as directed (you want it to be soft).
  2. -Mix all the ingredients together and add to the cauliflower. 
  3. -Spread onto a cookie sheet and form into a rectangle. (Do not add the topping yet).
  4. -Bake 425 for about 25 minutes or until it turns brown. 
  5. -Add 1/2 Cup cheese on top and bake another 5 minutes. 


My thoughts:
They were pretty good. I would make them again. I would change the recipe to just one egg because I thought they were a little too eggy. Also, I would have maybe cooked them a little longer to try and get crunchy edges. 

The original recipe can be found HERE


Welcome to the 20’s

Happy New Year! We are living in the 20’s now. I have seen a lot of photos on social media of my friends bringing in the new year dressed like the 1920’s. They are wearing pinstripe suits and flapper dresses. Looks like a lot of fun.

We didn’t party it up on New Years eve. We went out to eat at a little pub and was home by eight. We did however, manage to stay awake to bring in the new year. My party starts today as we do our annual new years dinner for family. We have the traditional foods like pork, black eye peas and collard greens. I also added mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese and cobblers. My house smells like Sunday dinner at the Golden Corral. 


This year I have decided not to make any resolutions or set any goals. 
Resolutions are rarely kept and goals are made as a one time event. Once a goal is met, you usually will pat yourself on the back and move on to something else. Instead, I will be going into the new year with simple “plans”
Plans to continue maintaining my weight loss.
Plans to Stay Healthy,
And plans to better myself.

Sure I will set goals for myself throughout the year as they come. I usually will give myself a daily, weekly or monthly goal to accomplish something that needs to be done. Totally random. My brain works better that way. I have tried keeping notes, planners and to do list but I fail at them all. 

I have some exciting things happening in then next couple weeks. I have been asked to be an ambassador for another company. I can’t say who it is right now but I will be sure to let you know as soon as it has been approved and dotted lines have been signed. I am still an ambassador for Nutrisystem too and I have a task to do with them in the next few days. 

I hope the new year brings me a new job and new beginnings. 
As I sit down to dinner today I will remember where I came from and stay excited for where I'm going.
I pray for all of my friends, family and foe that everyone will have a happy and healthy New Year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!





My Christmas Run Down

Wow, I am just now settling down to catch a breath after a busy Christmas. My daughter came in on Monday and left today. We did a lot of cooking and baking.

A few weeks ago I found this little cookie cutter at a thrift store. It was still in the box and had a sugar cookie recipe attached.

Since I was looking for a good sugar cookie recipe, I was tickled to find this little charm. Face it, we all need cookie cutters in the house. Could you imagine how happy the world would be if everyone baked cookies at the same time? Think about that.

We wanted to make colorful Christmas cookies like you see in pictures. I have never been good at making homemade icing, much less, cookie icing. 
After searching around on Pinterest, we found the perfect cookie icing and began mixing. After a couple hours, we had a batch of cookies. We boxed them up and handed them out to neighbors. Don’t worry, we kept a small batch. 


The cookies were easy to make and the icing was easy to make. Applying the icing to the cookies was another story. I do not think I want to ever frost a cookie again in my life. We had a bigger mess than a kindergarten class on craft day.

We also made sausage balls for breakfast. I made them this time using pimiento cheese instead of the usual sharp shredded cheese. They were delicious. 

Christmas Eve we headed to my Mom and Dads for family time, food and more sweets. Mom always makes a fruit cake. It is a favorite and we all make sure to take a piece home when we leave. I mean, just look at all that fruit and nut goodness.


My daughter and I wore matching pajamas to mom and dads Christmas eve and made everyone laugh. 


It was fun and it just sorta gave us that childhood feeling again. 

Christmas morning, we enjoyed watching our girl open her gifts. It’s just like when she was little. She will run down the hall and into the living room to see what Santa brought. He was able to get everything on her list this year. I will miss Christmas mornings like this when she gets married one day and starts her own family and traditions. Until them, I will suck up ever moment. Did I mention shes 28? 

Now It’s the day after Christmas. Our daughter has already left to go back to her uptown apartment and we spent the evening taking down the Christmas tree and all the decorations.We are quick to do this so we can get the house back in order in time for our New Years feast we prepare each year for all the family.

Do you take your Christmas decorations down early or leave them up until January?




Two Ingredient Pretzel Bites

Who likes a good pretzel? If you are like me, you can hardly go to the mall without wanting one of those big warm soft pretzels. Am I right? I like them smothered in butter and salt or rolled in cinnamon and sugar. They fall next in line behind Krispy Kreme hot donuts.

Pretzels can be fattening if you don't take it easy, and well, I can’t take it easy. 
So today I am going to share with you these delicious pretzel bites that I made using only two ingredients. These are also easier on the diet. You could possibly even call them healthy. 


It took about 20 minutes to make these from start to finish and not much longer to make them disappear. We could not stop munching on these things. 
The best thing is they are super easy to make.


1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt.
1 Cup self rising Flour. 
* Make a dough and place on a floured surface.
*Divide dough in quarters and roll each out into rope shapes.
*Cut into bite size pieces.
Boil 1/2 Cup Water and add 1 Tablespoon Baking Soda.
* Dip each piece in the soda water and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
* Bake 425 for 10 min or until lightly brown.
Melt Butter.
* Brush each piece with melted butter
* Sprinkle with course salt 
* Enjoy

Do these taste like those big warm pretzels from the mall? 
NO.
They are just as good but in a different way.
The ones at the mall are made with yeast bread and are.......
Ok just forget about those mall pretzels, these two ingredient pretzels are a crowd pleaser and you can avoid the calories. 

How do you like your pretzels? 
I like them with salt, but will sometimes dip them in Mustard.

Original recipe can be found at the thegunnysack.com  





Friday Bowl- Bread Bowl with Nutrisystem

Today's Friday bowl has a different twist. I am sharing how I took the Nutrisystem “ChockFul of Veggie Chili” and added it to a hollowed out bread bowl.

I like Chili but I can not eat it without some sort of bread. I grabbed a roll from the grocery store deli and scooped out most of the inside to eliminate calories leaving the shell as a bowl. You can do this with other chilis or soups for a fun delicious meal.

Nutrisystem ChockFul of Veggies Chili 


I lost 50 lbs on Nutrisystem and feel great. I have been able to maintain my weight loss now for four years by using the nutritional knowledge Nutrisystem has taught me. 
You can read my full journey HERE

Start Nutrisystem now and get 50% off using my link below.
Https://www.nutrisystem.com/Lisa50

Expect to lose 1-2 lbs per week

Easy Air Fryer Crab Cakes

Today I would like to share with you these delicious crab cakes. This is one of my favorite air fryer recipes and can be whipped up in just minutes making them a great last minute meal.


“Don’t worry mister crab, these are made with imitation crab meat”. 


I have been making these at least once a month. They make up quick and easy and have been a table pleasure. If you do not have an air fryer, I assume you can bake them in the oven just the same. I honestly do not know. I have rarely used my oven since getting an air fryer. I absolutely love that thing. 

Now, head to the store and grab these simple ingredients:
  • 8 oz pack of imitation crab meat ( chunks or shreds. I doesn’t matter. Your gonna chop it anyway).
  • 1/3 cup of bread crumbs ( I used two pieces of hard toasted wheat bread).
  • 1/2 cup green pepper (finely diced).
  • 1 egg.
  • 1/4 cup mayo.
  • 1/2 juice of a lemon.
  • Cooking oil. 
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning ( or any other seafood seasoning).
-Chop the crab meat fine (I added it to my food chopper for best results).
-Mix all ingredients together and form patties. 
-Place patties in air fryer and spray with oil. 
-Cook for 10 minutes on 380 degrees (I flipped once but optional).


Enjoy on a bun as a sandwich or alone with a meal. 
You can add other ingredients to your liking such as red peppers, onions, etc.
Makes 4-6 patties. Refrigerate left overs. 


Pizza Pasta

This past Sunday my church celebrated Home Coming. My church has been around 70 something years. I can’t remember how many they said it was.(hey, no head shaking, I did listen to the service). I have been going to my church for 50 years. I’m one of the few that still attends after all those years. Some have left and came back.

When I was younger my parents made sure we went three times a week. Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesdays. I always liked going. Back then, we had a large youth group that would often gather outside the church and do fun group activities together. Now sadly, I only go to Sunday morning service.

Another thing us Baptist would do is eat. We always held a cover dish dinner (potluck) after church on special Sundays. Homecoming is one of those times. Though I am not a big fan of eating foods if I do not know who fixes them, I piled my plate anyway. I have never gotten sick from a church dinner. 

I needed a dish to make and share. I usually will do some kind of casserole but this time I decided on a Pizza Pasta. I guess you could call it a pizza casserole. 


This was the first time I made this dish and it was hit. It was one of the first dishes to disappear. However, I was able to snag a bite before it was gone. It was an easy dish to make. I was skeptical on how it would taste but it tasted just like, well, Pizza pasta. Kids will love it as it is not too spicy and easy eat.


I forgot to take a photo of the finished results before someone took a spoon to it. I guess the ladies in the kitchen preparing the table couldn’t wait for the service to end to do a taste test. 

The recipe can be found at Taste of Home.

Birthday Girl

Today my Daughter turned 28 years old. Oh my! Just how did this happen? Feels like just yesterday when I was carrying home a 7 lbs bundle of joy dressed in blue lace and ribbons.

We are very proud of how she has matured into a beautiful and smart lady.
She has always been a good child. We have had our yelling spats and made each other cry but all and all she was an easy one to raise. I always wanted a little boy but I'm glad God chose me to have a little girl instead. She is a lot like me and we are best friends. She has never been that teenager that didn't want to be around her mom and dad. At times she would rather sit around the table with us for dinner or go shopping rather than go out with her friends. She went on every vacation with us until just a couple years ago. But she still somehow shows up and that's ok.

© Lifeawayfromtheofficechair2019. All Rights Reserved. Do not use without permission.

She always made good grades, went to church and finished college. Shes a country girl living on her own in the city as a successful business woman. She still drives the little car her dad got for her and made her pay it off. She is proud of that and so are we. She seems to be conservative like us. She doesn't spend her money on expensive things but she does spend a lot on her hair and shoes. But hey, that's just a girl thing. 


© Lifeawayfromtheofficechair2019. All Rights Reserved. Do not use without permission.

So later today, we will be meeting up with friends and family for dinner. She picked a place in Belmont called Nellie's. The Jonas Brothers started this place with the inspiration of their grandmother. I heard they have some good Southern Cooking. We have never been there but I'm sure we will all enjoy it especially if there is cake.






Sweet and Sour Tofu

This past weekend I had a little extra time in the Kitchen to cook up something instead of our normal quick meals that we come up with each night. The fridge and pantry were low on foods because we have been trying to just go to the grocery store once a week instead of 4 times a week. We are always going back to get stuff we want instead of making do with the things we already have.

I decided to make sweet and sour tofu. We didn't have any chicken!
I had a pineapple on the table that was looking pretty, but seriously needed to be used. I have never cut a pineapple before so this was all new to me.

I got creative and decided to make pineapple bowls. I cut the pineapple in half after trimming the crown. Then cut the pineapple into chunks. "Isn't there suppose to be a core in the center?" I didn't see it, so I kept cutting. Later I realized some of the chunks were hard. "Ah, that must have been the core". Oh well.

Cutting the pineapple was the hardest part, but even that was easy.
It turned out pretty, dontcha think? In just 30 minutes and 4 easy steps, dinner was served...Fancy.


Sweet and Sour Tofu.

First:
1 block- Firm Tofu drained very good and cut into chunks
Put in Air Fryer at 400 for 12 minutes. (toss around half way).

Second:
Make sauce
1/8 Cup of ketchup (don't worry it wont taste like ketchup).
1 Tsp- Soy Sauce.
1/4 Cup Corn Starch.
1/4 Cup Sugar.
1/2 Cup Water
1 Tbsp.- Rice Vinegar (or apple cider vinegar).

Third:
Fry to a medium crisp.
1-  Chopped Green Pepper
1- Chopped Onion

Fourth:
Add sauce, cooked tofu, pineapple chunks and toss till covered and sauce thickens.
(this happens almost instantly due to the cornstarch).

That's it.


Enjoy with a side of rice or noodles.

You can also add cherries for more sweetness and color.






Air Fryer Steak

OK this one is for all my meat eating friends out there. No veggie bowls or smoothies today. I wanted to share with you a nice juicy steak I made in the air fryer the other day.

We met some friends at the beach that recommended putting a steak in the air fryer for eight minutes and it was as good as grilled and faster too.

While shopping for some dinner the other night, Nick and I decided to have just a simple salad and baked potato. As I was passing the meat counter, I remember the steak idea my friends suggested and grabbed a nice little sirloin steak and placed it in the buggy.

I mentioned to Nick that I would like to try the air fryer trick and only purchased one steak to share. That way, if it was not good then we only wasted one steak. Besides, we were not in the mood for a big dinner anyway.

By golly it worked!


Set heat to 400 and let the air fryer heat up for 3 minutes then just throw the steak(s) in there and cook for 8-10 minutes, flipping it once. No need to add any oil. Just add the spices you normally use with the grill. 


I cooked mine for 10 minutes and it came out medium-well. It was nice and tender with lots of flavor, just like grilled.



Vacay Wrap Up

Just wanted to wrap up my beach trip with some show and tell photos. As I said in a previous post. It was one of the best weeks we have had in a long time. I didn’t have any issues with my inner ear problem, no camper problems, there was no rain, and a lot of family and friends came together for a day of fun. But all and all we enjoy our time together. Just the two of us. It was no paradise island, cabana boys (but my husband made a pretty good personal one). We did not stay in no fancy hotel or have room service. We walked mostly barefoot in the sand and the temperatures were in the 90’s during the day and 70's and 80’s at night. We enjoyed our hammocks I purchased before we went. They were new and only 6.00 each from Curt's Outlet store in the mall.


While on our morning walk around the campground, there was a gentleman selling some garden produce. He had the best tomatoes we have had this year. They were perfect. Every day we would eat a tomato sandwich with chips on the beach. I never got tired of them. We also purchased a cantaloupe the was very good. And of course, I had to use the shell for a breakfast bowl one morning. 


A couple nights we stayed in and ate a simple such as this salad and grilled baked potato. We didn’t even miss the meat!


We visited our favorite hamburger place one night called Hamburger Joe's and made a trip to McAllister's Deli one evening. But the place we loved the best was Taco Mundo. We always get Mexican food at least once a week no matter if we are home or on vacation. We absolutely love Mexican food. Taco Mundo sits on the water way in Barefoot Landing. 


We love eating on the patio and enjoying the view. I had the Black Bean Nachos and Nick had a crab taco and a shrimp taco. The nachos plate was huge so he helped me out on that. Just look at that pile! Best ever!


After dinner we walked our meal off in the shopping area of Barefoot Landing. We had a lot of laughs visiting some of the novelty shops. I thought this bubble bath was a hoot (or toot). Luckily I didn’t make my own bubble bath after eating all those black bean nachos!


Here I am barely dressed (sorry). I was sporting this free tank top gifted to me in a give-away by Low Tide Ocean Products. I had a lot of fun wearing this over my bikini or with shorts. 


Ignore the cellulite and baby faces on my knees and focus on how cute this shirt is! But it’s not the shirt that is so great about this company.

Low Tides Ocean Products makes beach chairs from plastic collected from the beaches of Haiti and the Yucatan Peninsula. Wow, talk about trash to treasure! They are the most adorable beach chairs that are stylish durable and people can feel good knowing that when they purchase one of these chairs, they helped clean the ocean.


Read their story HERE
LowTides_Process_3
I was not asked or compensated to write about or review this product 
(or restaurants mentioned in this post).

I am not affiliated with Low Tides Ocean Products. 
I just love what they are doing and how darn cute their chairs are