tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76307460937991089472012-02-16T02:54:45.670-08:00a low-carb, low-fat recipe and support bookTarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-14055129202551150352011-02-12T09:30:00.000-08:002011-02-12T09:30:51.378-08:00

Hello everyone! I know it's been an incredibly long time since I posted anything here. Since my last post we've bought a house, moved in, had twins, survived the holiday season, and generally attempted to settle into this new normal. Because of the dramatic change of our life, and the trajectory of the next few years, I've decided to start a new blog. I've posted an introduction to myself there

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-92155291199680886992010-09-18T15:29:00.000-07:002010-09-18T15:45:05.329-07:00

I am going to be completely honest here. I WANT desperately to be the person starts Christmas shopping every year in August. I want to spend lots of time considering and searching for the perfect gift for each and every person on my list. Unfortunately, this usually doesn't happen. Summer is just so... hot. You can't think about Christmas time then! Then fall comes and there's football all

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-50360882585863310952010-09-13T15:22:00.000-07:002010-09-13T15:33:55.509-07:00

I am on the quest for the perfect pediatrician. Today was my first step into the world, and I'm a bit excited. I have 2 meet and greets scheduled with two doctors at two different practices. Both are within 10 miles of the new house in Delaware, which is exciting, but neither have privileges at our delivering hospital. What does this mean? It means that they won't meet the babies until they're

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-56794348910075842052010-09-07T18:14:00.000-07:002010-09-07T18:25:33.330-07:00

We've gotten a bit of flack from various people about our name choice for Baby B. Ever since I went to Ireland in 2008, I've loved the name Niamh (pronounced Neave; rhymes with leave and weave) and Scott has, too. Long story short, when I visited a school outside of Dublin, I encountered a girl named Niamh, and found her name to be original and exciting. Fast forward to now, and we want to name

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-76413705493082561202010-08-31T07:39:00.001-07:002010-08-31T07:49:15.608-07:00

So last week was a little nuts, and I never got around to updating what happened with the house situation. The House from before is no longer an option for us. The sellers didn't agree to make some of the remedies we considered non-negotiable (uh, mold in the basement!) Plus, our architect friend suggested getting out of it. The same day we were back at the original house taking pictures for our

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-20563182425945303972010-08-21T09:05:00.000-07:002010-08-21T09:14:43.795-07:00

This is really going to just be a quick status update without much practical advice included. We heard from the sellers yesterday. We have a list of 11 items of the 18ish that we requested that they are willing to fix for us. Now the difficult decision making really kicks in. Are these 11 enough? Some of our larger requests, they aren't doing, except to offer us $1,000 to go towards the issues.

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-33309728480699683702010-08-16T07:42:00.001-07:002010-08-16T08:13:45.489-07:00

As I mentioned last week, we're in the process of (hopefully) buying our first home. I'll skip the more boring details (I wrote a REALLY long post on Friday that was just way too boring, so I deleted it) of actually finding a house that we like, no, love, and making an offer and I'll go straight to the home inspection part.This is the part of first-time home buying I didn't really know about. We

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-39668071006332300692010-08-11T16:52:00.000-07:002010-08-11T17:02:50.145-07:00

Wow, my life has changed in the past few months. It's been hard to even think of having time to write this blog. In addition to the twins growing, and us being 10-12 weeks (hopefully!!) out from their arrival, we found out about 3 weeks ago we were moving from Upstate NY to Ohio. We got here on Saturday after a whirlwind week, really, of pulling together movers and such. With this move, we have

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-9652569292503727892010-05-10T10:26:00.000-07:002010-05-10T10:30:50.022-07:00

Hello, all. So as you can see it's been months and months since I've posted a recipe. I apologize for this, but there's a reason! When I started the weight loss journey, is was not only b/c I wanted to lose some weight (who doesn't, really), but it stems from having PCOS (PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome) and wanting to have a baby. I was told by my doctor that without losing weight, there was no way

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-32436064261536844762010-02-23T17:45:00.000-08:002010-02-23T18:12:35.287-08:00

Man, do I love a good pork chop. I don't know if it's the Southern in me, or what, but anything made out of a pig (except the feet, and probably chitlins...), I'll most likely love it. Growing up, our chops were always lightly breaded and pan-fried. But now that I'm grown up, and in the Great White North, I'm pulling out the indoor grill pan. Have you ever used one of these? Let me tell you, It

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-12184271457332717842010-02-22T08:56:00.000-08:002010-02-22T10:13:36.167-08:00

I WILLSubstitute this: For this:meatloaf with Kraft mac lower fat/no bread meatloaf& cheese and corn muffins with sweet potatoes and green beans cookie dough ice cream 1 CarbSmart by Breyer's chocolate & vanilla barburrito with rice, beans, pork, cheese, sour cream, guac. etc. huevos rancherosgrilled cheese sandwich piece of

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-72498347375152832022010-02-17T17:47:00.000-08:002010-02-17T18:14:16.616-08:00

So I had a craving for turkey last week. But I didn't want a Thanksgiving-y turkey, and I obviously wasn't going to roast an entire bird for just Scott and me. I thought of doing a tenderloin or breast. But while at the grocery store, I came across some lovely turkey cutlets. This is the perfect option! They're thin (and can be beaten thinner) so they will cook fast. They can be browned quickly

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-18967699652171958352010-01-16T13:58:00.001-08:002010-01-18T10:52:30.109-08:00

Wow. I'm already getting behind on my goal to post 2 recipes and 1 information/support/rambling a week and it's only January 16th! It's ok, I'm cooking more, I'll get better! I shall press on toward the goal!As I've stated here (and facebook) before, when in doubt for what to cook for dinner, I roast a chicken. I love pretty much everything about it: the juicy, flavorful meat; a golden, crispy

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-2583983933036432932010-01-12T18:51:00.000-08:002010-01-12T19:13:47.671-08:00

This recipe tastes as though it's straight from Surin of Thailand, my favorite restaurant back home in Huntsville, AL. It's a great soup to warm the soul, without feeling heavy afterwards. The taste is light and refreshing; plus, it's from Cooking Light, so you know it's not bad for you! Scott RAVED over it. I served this with some quick stir-fryed snow peas. Just heat some oil in a skillet on

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-29792784051975537162010-01-06T15:58:00.000-08:002010-01-06T16:46:04.959-08:00

Hello, my dears! Welcome to 2010! January 1st is the traditional time to set goals for the upcoming year. I have a few holding over from last year (finish the weight loss!! 50lbs down, 30 to go!), but I've added a few, too. My goal related to this blog is to post 3 times each week. Two of these times will be new recipes (with photos, hopefully!) and one will be something else related to weight

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-20746827130413389702009-12-08T11:52:00.000-08:002009-12-08T11:58:28.106-08:00

As you can all see, the last time I posted was September 1st, just 1 week into the fall semester. I'm sure most of you had no idea I was finishing up my Master's this fall. However, this semester has been abducted by none other than a thesis project. Due date is December 18, and then I have oral exams in the first week or two of January. After all this has passed, I shall return. I shall return

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-78286869797889921112009-09-01T17:41:00.000-07:002009-09-01T17:42:30.373-07:00

The end of summer is sad in some ways. It's obviously the end of warm nights and burning hot days; it's the end of lazy afternoons by a pool; and it's the end of grilling out for dinner! September and fall brings benefits of it's own-- fresh picked apples, warm comfort foods, and football, to name just a few. But before the cool days get here, I wanted to make some summery tasting foods. This is

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-27216098462345326972009-08-26T06:14:00.001-07:002009-08-26T06:34:20.776-07:00

I have been blessed for almost the entire month of August to have Scott come home every day for lunch. It's been so great to have an extra 45 minutes every day just to hang out with him. But it also means I need to figure out an additional meal every day! This is a salad that would be wonderful for lunch (though, we did actually have it for dinner last week).The inspiration for this salad is a

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-84348127504077569912009-08-21T08:42:00.000-07:002009-08-26T06:33:55.190-07:00

My husband loves pizza. Even before the diet, I could really do without it, but now that I can't have it I occasionally crave it. Does you ever have that problem? A food you don't really care for, but once you can't have it, you NEED it?Last week I really wanted to impress Scott. I don't know why really. Maybe it's because I was gone for 2 months and didn't cook a thing or maybe it's just because

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-67616350572652375092009-08-12T17:00:00.000-07:002009-08-12T17:36:15.581-07:00

I'm sure everyone encounters the same issue I do once a week-- What in the world am I going to make for dinner every night? Most of the time, I can look through my Cooking Light, Health, or Martha Stewart and figure out something for at least 5 days of a week. But there are times when I am absolutely stumped. What do I do when I completely lack inspiration? I ask my husband.So this week, I had no

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-11383639328855907852009-08-10T15:15:00.001-07:002009-08-10T15:33:12.717-07:00

wow, it's been a long time! Thanks for hanging in there with me this summer. I had an amazing time living in New York City for June and July and I finally feel like I'm settled back in at home, and I've started cooking again! Tonight I'm actually roasting a chicken (my easy go to dinner when I'm lost) but today I'm going to share with you my husband's favorite thing I make. In fact, the first

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-70145809768174725182009-05-17T18:49:00.000-07:002009-05-17T18:57:41.374-07:00

So, in the cooking realm, I'm in a bit of a rut. I've been reusing many of my recipes lately, and not cooking as much for many different reasons. Scott and I have been extra busy lately; we've both traveled a lot since mid-April and I'm gearing up for a big trip (more on that in a few paragraphs). I have tried a few new recipes, but to be honest, I didn't really like most of them enough to

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-15745384949844577262009-04-25T09:52:00.000-07:002009-04-25T10:07:44.563-07:00

When I was a junior at Berry College, I had a friend tell me she was switching to "all organic" foods. If I'm honest with myself, I definitely scoffed and thought "how pretentious!" (Sorry if you read this ME!). But over the past few years, as I've learned about the U.S. agricultural system and generally how food is produced and shipped globally, I've become more and more interested in not only

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-42683326388712518312009-04-15T05:36:00.000-07:002009-04-29T14:45:16.846-07:00

** just so you know, I apparently typed this all up on April 15 and then somehow didn't hit the "publish" button. My bad, yo. Enjoy!!**As a few of you know, Scott and I hosted our first holiday dinner last weekend! We travel so much over Christmas and Thanksgiving, that we've decided to make Easter Dinner at our house an annual event. Last Sunday was the first ever! Our menu was: glazed ham,

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-71675607086074544352009-04-08T19:10:00.000-07:002009-04-08T19:40:00.629-07:00

I've just returned from a 5 day trip to New York City! What a place to be. There's an unmatchable energy there, and you can't help but lose a few pounds walking around just taking in the sights, sounds and people who are there.One of the greatest things, in my opinion, about the City is the food! Any thing at all you can imagine can be delivered right to your door almost any hour of the day.

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-29805621087700374492009-04-02T18:13:00.000-07:002009-04-08T19:31:21.711-07:00

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole is a staple in Southern cooking. Not only is it creamy and delicious, but it just makes you dream of a time when life was much simpler and easy. The traditional version of this casserole is VERY un-good for you. With full fat mayo, creamy mushroom soup, loads of cheese and breadcrumbs and butter on top you can feel the hips getting larger with every bite (not that

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-6771914606343797712009-03-28T13:06:00.000-07:002009-03-28T13:22:33.396-07:00

Well, the month of March definitely got by me. I apologize for the lack of posting. I am definitely recommitting. No excuses!I haven't been posting much, because I keep forgetting to take pictures of the food we make! I felt a little guilty for not posting photos, but, I'd rather go ahead and post the meals and I can add photos later.Last night, I desperately needed something quick for dinner.

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-91229621354514465532009-03-10T12:08:00.001-07:002009-03-10T12:28:57.050-07:00

So, I obviously haven't gotten myself together to actually post a new recipe. But I wanted to write a post like this for a long while.Yogurt is one of the best snacks you can eat while on a diet. It's high in protein, and low in carbs when it's sugar free. It will help fill up your tummy, and also supply you with some probiotics to help things continue to run smoothly. In spite of all this, I was

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-61947682479612756942009-02-26T06:41:00.000-08:002009-02-26T06:43:46.260-08:00

Hi, y'all! I just wanted to post and apologize to you all for not keeping this up as much as I intend to. The past few weeks have been very stressful, hectic and just generally crazy. There were moments when I didn't know which state I would be living in by the end of March! But things have all settled down and been figured out. We're remaining in Saratoga Springs, at least for awhile, and I am

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-25170751855107100912009-02-18T13:11:00.000-08:002009-02-18T13:30:57.724-08:00

I think I've mentioned here before that I love sausage. I mean, seriously. Any kind of sausage you throw at me, I'm going to devour. Unfortunately, a lot of said sausage is high in fat. In flies turkey sausage. Welcome to my Diet Heaven. Turkey sausage was a breakfast MUST when I was completely carb free. Now I can have oatmeal, and when I can, I have an amazing Irishy breakfast by adding some

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-17128078408116169372009-02-04T18:49:00.000-08:002009-02-04T19:01:07.794-08:00

Happy Wednesday, folks! I just got in from my bellydancing class. It is a super work out! I feel sore in muscles I didn't know I had! I'm sorry for not posting the exercise-at-home information as I mentioned last week. This week has been pretty busy, but I finally got a break today! It was really nice to have the morning to work on my thesis and clean the house a little. And since that's caught

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-8973510369361534632009-01-30T09:26:00.001-08:002009-01-30T09:50:37.163-08:00

This recipe I created myself, though it is an dish that has been made with many variations. Flank steak or London broil is a relatively inexpensive and lean piece of beef. I created my own rub using spices that have a Latin history and then grilled it. In the picture, you will see that Scott and I like our meat pretty rare. Feel free to cook your meat longer! Using a lower temperature on the

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-36171228753080410532009-01-29T17:23:00.000-08:002009-01-30T09:23:31.626-08:00

Wow, so it's been awhile. I sincerely apologize for the lack of posts the past two weeks. I have found in my life that January is much more busy than the Thanksgiving through New Year's time. Plus, the snow is really coming down up here, so it takes longer to get everywhere and do everything. I cannot wait until spring comes!!This week, I am going to try to post one more recipe (after this one)

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-54545562876486523652009-01-12T09:06:00.000-08:002009-01-12T09:25:48.834-08:00

This is a classic, cozy, comfort food for me. Not that I have any old memories of my mom roasting a chicken and smelling the herbs and citrus wafting from the oven before we all sat down to dinner; but, now, it makes my tummy warm and has some deliciously juicy and lovely flavors that just allude to home.This recipe is from the Bride & Groom: First and Forever cookbook. You will be seeing a lot

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-82760475872945909782009-01-06T15:22:00.000-08:002009-01-06T15:51:24.053-08:00

What a holiday season we had! We were able to see both sides of my family in Alabama, spend two days (including New Year's Eve!) in Atlanta, and be present for the birth of my best friend's first child. We had a great time with everyone, but we are definitely glad to be back home.The recipe for the day is something I made up off the top of my head. So bear with me if the measurements aren't exact

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-89393568736413732102008-12-22T16:26:00.000-08:002008-12-22T16:47:37.212-08:00

Wow! I'm so sorry I've been MIA so far in December. Things have gotten very busy here in Upstate NY! We've spent a weekend in NYC, had two Christmas parties and are attempting to get ready for a 12 day trip Down South! It'll be great to get away from thigh-high snow for almost 2 weeks! I also haven't been posting because my digital camera has been acting up. I haven't gotten many good photos of

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-89512179747971095842008-12-05T18:31:00.000-08:002008-12-05T18:58:59.640-08:00

I've been making this recipe for years, and it is consistently one of the best meals EVER. It is always a husband pleaser, not to mention parents and friends! I got the recipe from Rachel Ray, so you know it's quick, too.The pork chops are marinated in a mixture with molasses. You may be concerned about this, since it is made from sugar cane. 2 tsp of molasses as about 5 grams of sugars, and 8

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-60008780375593641712008-11-25T18:04:00.000-08:002008-11-25T18:26:59.496-08:00

Since Thanksgiving feasts are just a couple days away, I wanted to fix something for dinner that was much lighter. Plus, it's really cold here in upstate New York, and a slow-cooked, warm soup seemed perfect!I found the base recipe for my soup at The Crepes of Wrath blog. It didn't take too many changes to make her recipe for Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore carb-free and a little more soupy. First, I

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-33034920435900717982008-11-23T15:50:00.000-08:002008-11-24T05:35:35.678-08:00

This Herbed Roast Pork recipe came from Cooking Light Magazine (October 2008). They did a wonderful article and recipe collection on the Shakers, and I have found this to be one of the most simple and delicious ways to make a pork tenderloin. I did make one small change to the recipe. The original Shaker recipe calls for 1 1/2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) of butter for the herb "paste" that is rubbed onto

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7630746093799108947.post-22503486685238468432008-11-22T09:16:00.000-08:002008-11-22T11:19:28.738-08:00

I love to cook. I've always enjoyed helping in the kitchen, and making good meals. Then, in March 2008, I married a wonderful man, and have been able to be a part-time housewife to him. Since then, I've really been breaking out of my cooking comfort zone for meals and other food. I've been baking, grilling, sauteing, chopping and boiling for months now, and I'm REALLY enjoying the process and the

Tarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03872706706236293405noreply@blogger.com3