Memorial Day Cookout- The Verdict

After all of the prep work for the Memorial Day Cookout- how did everything turn out, you ask?  Well....  here are my thoughts.


We made absolutely DELICIOUS veggie kabobs.  Look at all the veggie yummies!!!

Our kabobs and tempeh before it went on the grill

Aaron (my brother-in-law) did a GREAT job of keeping the meat separate from our non-meat selves.  Compliments to the grill-master!!  Gotta love the ove glove!


















Once grilled.... ohhh it all looked fabulous, no?!?!!

Next time I'll cut the tempeh into smaller pieces and marinate all of the sides.  The part that was marinated was very good- nice and smoky with a little bit of heat from the BBQ Sauce.  The parts that were not were bland, but after dipping it into the sauce it all came together very nicely.  My sister-in-law did say that my corn was the best corn that she had ever had, so that's a keeper!!!!  Oh and the veggies?  FANTASTIC.  Smoky and perfectly grilled.  Again, good job Aaron!!

I couldn't write about a cookout at my brother and sister-in-law's house without showing pictures of the cutest little darling in the world.

Happy Memorial Day!

Out in the Woods

Hi everyone!  Hope you're enjoying your weekend so far!

Yesterday, Brenton and I had quite a productive day!!  We started out at Kohl's, trying to find Brenton some new clothes that actually fit him (he's been swimming in his outfits for a while now...).  He made out pretty well- got some new pants, shorts, shirts and shoes!  ...and as I sit here typing to you I hear him in the basement putting new holes in his belts.... we should have gotten him a belt or two while we were out.  Oh well.  The "incredible shrinking man" is what I call him.  Actually, it's not so incredible.  We eat right and exercise...and that's what happens.

Anywho, after shopping, we drove to the cemetery to put some flowers down.  On the way, I snacked on a Larabar (PB&J, my FAVORITE!!) and a bottle of water.  I needed to gear up for our long trek through the woods!

 

Once we got to the cemetery, I noticed that my parents had already been there (sww the peonies from their garden that they had planted ?)

After spending a little bit of time there, we were off for a hike!  The last time we went to Highbanks Metro Park  was somewhere around 6 months ago, so it was due time!!

This is my favorite place to go in central Ohio.  Here is the welcome center right at the entrance of the park.

Isn't he cuuuute?!  After soaking in as much AC as we could, we were off!

I took a TON more pictures, but you get the idea (hehe).  It was a very nice walk.  There are a lot of areas where it's very steep, so we were huffing and puffing....and dripping by the time we were done.  The trail that we take is the 'woodpecker' trail, which is about 2.5 miles up and down hills. Great workout, beautiful day, and I didn't see any snakes like I did last time (OMG).  Next summer we're going to be hiking through Yellowstone, so we better start training now, right?!  

After all of the fun, we came back to reality and this is what I was faced with:

 

AHHHHHH!!!!

Ok, don't judge me (LOL).  I did a TON of laundry in the afternoon, and put it all away...

Phew....that's better.  

Chores, shopping, hiking... a great day was had.  Now I'm off to prepare for this afternoon's BBQ.  I'm so excited- BBQ Tempeh, veggies, corn on the cob....all on the grill...YUM!!!!

Have a fantastic day, everyone!

Memorial Weeknd

HAPPY FREAKY FRIDAY AND LONG WEEKEND TO YOU ALL!!!  (dance dance shimmy twiiiiirrrrrllll)  In light of Memorial Day, I wanted to share with you my thoughts on gratitute and what this day means to me, but first, the food!

Yesterday was full of whole-food deliciousness!!

I started the day off right with my favorite YUMMMY oatmeal

This baby had 1/2 C of Oats, 1 C of Water, a heaping T of Apple Pie spice, and 1/2 C frozen Blueberries.   YUM.  I'd like some oatmeal with my blueberries, please.  ...mmmmMMM


For lunch I had a big salad (LOL did you see that Seinfeld episode?) with guac dressing.

Guac dressing: 1/2 mashed Avocado, 1 T Vinegar, 1/4 C Water, pinch of Garlic Powder, pinch of Salt


...and a juicy organic apple

Geepers, look how long my nails are!  They're growing like weeds!!!  mmm Pink Lady apples- my FAVORITE.


Then for dinner I made (up) Chickpea Tacos!

So fast and easy to make (flying by the seat of my pants)! In a pan I combined 3/4 C Chickpeas (leftovers from lunch!), 1 sliced Pepper, 1 small Onion, 1/2 C Frozen Spinach, dash of Tabasco, and Salt and Pepper to taste. I then mashed up an Avocado and spread it on a TJ's Whole Wheat Tortilla and topped it with the Chickpea mixture. OOOOHHHHhhhhhh soooooo nummy. Nom Nom Nom.

So, I wanted to share something about myself that not a whole lot of people know. Back in 1979, my older sister was born, and then in 1981, my older brother was born. My parents, who wanted two children, made the decision to have my mom's tubes tied a few weeks after the birth of my brother, and mande an appointment. A week or two before my mom's appointment (if even that long), my brother passed away of heart trouble. She decided to cancel her appointment, and it wasn't until 1984 that I was born. If my bother hadn't have passed away, WHEN he did, I would not be here today, typing to you.

I always seem to forget how much of a gift that LIFE is until Memorial Day rolls around (which is sad, isn't it?). I completely believe that everything happens for a reason, and there is a reason that I AM here. I have been put on this earth to do something, and so have you. What is it? Well, I'm still trying to figure that out. We may never know what our life's PURPOSE is, but as long as we try to make a difference somehow, every day, we're one step closer.

Who are you grateful for? I am grateful for my brother, for our military men and women who fight every day for our freedom, for those who put their lives on the line so that we can stay safe (police, fire fighters, etc.), for my family and those people that are like family to me, for those toxic people that brought me down that are now out of my life, and for every single situation that has shaped me into who I am today. 

Don't get caught up in your BBQ's and pools this weekend. Take time to show appreciation for everything and everyone that has impacted your life, whether it be directly or indirectly. You'll be glad you did.

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day to you! Brenton and I had a wonderful, relaxing day today. After a lazy start to the day... waking up at 7:30am is our way of sleeping in!... we heard the smoke alarm chirp. No big deal- we just need to replace the battery. Ok, well, we couldn't get the darn cover off! Brenton broke off a part of it... so we just gave up. Then I wanted to try to get the other smoke alarm open, to see what we were doing wrong, and I broke the same part off of that one. GEEZ. So, we decided to get ready for the day and venture out to Lowe's, and the cemetery. I cut some flowers from our side bed, and we were on our way. Oh Lowe's... my favorite store!!! I could spend all day there. I did pretty well though- we were in and out with 2 smoke alarms in under 20 min! That's a record. Then it was on to the cemetery.

For those of you that don't know, which is most of you, I had an older brother that passed away before I was born. Every Memorial Day, we go to the cemetery to 'visit' the gravestone. Michael was only alive for a few months, and if he hadn't have passed away when he did, I wouldn't have been born. You see, my mom had an appointment to have her 'tubes tied' scheduled for just a day or two after my brother's passing. If he hadn't have passed away the day he did, I wouldn't be here today. It kinda creeps me out to think about it, and makes me very grateful at the same time. It's pretty amazing. How would the world be different if I wasn't here? Have you seen the movie 'The Butterfly Effect'? Very VERY similar concept. If you haven't seen it, go rent it. It really makes you think...

Even though Memorial Day is more about being thankful for the troops that have fought for our freedom, for me, it's also a day to remember ALL of those who have passed. Celebrate your life, and really LIVE it while you can. Like the Dave Matthew's Song says (Pig)-

Oh, isn't it strange
How we move our lives for another day?
Like skipping a beat
What if a great wave should wash us all away?
Just thinking out loud
Don't mean to dwell on this dying thing
But look at my blood
It's alive right now,
And deep and sweet within
Pouring through our veins

Until next time, celebrate your life and really live it to the fullest. Namaste.