It's been a while

Been spending most of my energy on the Mr. Bo-Bo books and mrbobobook.com. Finished Bo-Bo the Destroyer and got a proof in the mail today. Needed to make a couple of minor changes but overall I'm very happy with it and it's poised to debut on November 11th. In conjunction with that, the Mr. Bo-Bo and the Waggy-Tails eBook will be available for free download on Amazon.com from November 11 - 15 and I've posted that on several sites that promote that kind of thing, hoping to gain some visibility from it.

And then I made a website/book trailer that I posted on a few sites as well. You can click here to watch it.

Aside from that, it's been all about the birds. Two little bluebirds hit the window the other day. One of them didn't make it but the other one did. I know it's not my fault but it still makes me sad. I wasn't 100% sure it was dead so I put it in the bird garden, deep in the foliage so the cats wouldn't see it, and he didn't move. The other one took a while to get over the shock, but once it started moving around I put it on the magnolia tree where it stayed for a while before moving on.

At first she held onto the limb with one leg while the other dangled off the side so when I went out and saw her puffed up against the cold and gripping the branch with both feet I knew she'd be okay.

The barn. Had a chat with the neighbor about property boundaries and that needs to be sorted out... supposedly he has a surveyor coming out to take care of that. But him clearing the brush did allow me to get this shot of the barn.

Fall!

Daisy barking at the moo cows.

A vulture roosting in our tree. That's a first.

Woodpeckers

The laughing woodpecker helping himself to some magnolia seeds.

The one clear shot I managed to get

Fly away...!

287 - Cream Cheese Frosting Fluff

I wish I could take credit for the creation of this recipe, but I can only take credit for the modification of it.

It is based on a delicious low-carb, high-protein version of ice cream that (I hope) is THM-friendly, because I've been eating it every single night for dessert. And I share it, grudgingly, with my husband... but I really, really want to eat the whole the thing myself.

The original recipe has a lemon and a chocolate-almond version. The chocolate always seems to come out sour, even after I left the almond extract so I can only assume that the bitterness of the chocolate needs something to balance it and I haven't quite figured out what that is. But the lemon version, slightly modified, is heavenly.

So the base I use is pretty much the same:

1 cup of cottage cheese
1/4 cup egg whites
1 Tbsp Vegetable Glycerin
Splash of vanilla extract
3 Tbsp Xylitol + 2 doonks of Stevia (about 1/8 tsp)

Then you add the additional flavorings and blend it up. I have used my Blendtec and a Magic Bullet and both work great. If your blender can handle the cottage cheese-based THM shakes, then it will handle this ice cream batter just fine. After that, transfer the batter to your ice cream maker, or I suppose you could stick it in the freezer but I haven't tried that. My ice cream maker takes between 30-60 minutes to churn it up.

For the Lemon Ice Cream variation, which tastes like Lemon Sherbet, you would add:
2 Tbsp of lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting Fluff version I made the base and added:
1 Tbsp of Butter-Vanilla emulsion
A capful of McCormick's Rum extract (probably 1/4 tsp)

Blend it all up and taste it. It would probably make an amazing shake at this point, but to turn it into ice cream, I proceeded to the next step and started freezing it. But unlike the lemon version, it didn't freeze. Perhaps because of the emulsion I used instead of an extract? Either way, it's still tasty and I would say it either become a mousse, or a whipped frosting similar to Cool Whip but healthier and better tasting. I assume if I had the patience to put it in the freezer for a few hours it might become similar in texture to Gelato.

A note on the ingredients in case there are questions:

• I have used 1% and 4% cottage cheese and both work fine, I suppose they're the difference between making it an FP ice cream or an S but someone who is more knowledgeable than me should probably clarify that
• I use the egg whites in the carton since this is not cooked
• The vegetable glycerin helps keep the mixture smooth and creamy and adds a bit of extra sweetness. You don't have to use it, I don't know if it's on-plan or not, but it's a low-glycemic sweetener.
• You can use whichever plan-approved sweetener you wish
• Specific products I used are in my Bought It-Loved It list on the sidebar because some people want exact brands and where to find them, some don't care.
• The original author did state that if you keep the (lemon) ice cream in the freezer for more than a couple of hours it becomes a block of ice, but she microwaves it for about 15 seconds and it's fine. Mine has never lasted long enough to test that theory.

I'm going to go enjoy my fluff now, if you try it out let me know how you like it!

286 - The Canary Made EASY

People who are doing THM will know and understand how delicious, the Singing Canary is. But as much as I love it - and I do love it - it can be tedious and time consuming to make. The effort involved in peeling the lemons can be off-putting - and then what do you do with the lemon peel when you're done? Because I don't know about you, but my husband loves it too, so I make double batches...

The other day my husband and I were talking and we thought, why couldn't we just peel the lemon instead of using a paring knife? So we tried it. Not only does it cut the time and effort in half, it also left me with a beautiful, almost pith-free strip of lemon peel. So... I exert less effort and leave more of the beneficial pith on the lemon to blend into my drink.

So I thought I would share some tips to make life easier and also ideas on what to do with all that lemon peel - because it seems a shame to waste it and it certainly does pile up!

Ladies, meet your new best friend. It is a soft flesh peeler. And here's what it looks like in action:

This is what it looks like when you're done.

This one has serrated edges which makes it work for things like lemons and tomatoes (yes tomatoes) so I don't know how a regular peeler would handle it, but if you try one let me know.

This is the second gadget that has made my life easier, a simple flat-bottomed mesh sink strainer that you stick in a drain. I use this one specifically for food. I have one in my sink that has a rounded bottom, and it pretty much lives there, but JUST IN CASE the two ever end up somewhere else, the one I use for food has a flat bottom. And that works better for my purposes anyway. I got this one at Walmart. Another tip: they make great sifters.

I can't believe how perfectly it fits. I bought a couple of pitchers that are slim and hold 2 quarts each and I'm actually about to buy another set now that I know I like them. I want to have drinks on the counter ready and waiting for me. So I can make the Canary, the Shrinker, some lemon water or lemonade, and my husband can make a pitcher of tea to drink throughout the day.

So basically I sit the strainer in the mouth of the pitcher and pour the blended lemon-water mix through the mesh. I stir it with my finger and tap it to get the last of the water out, then I dump the pulp into the trashcan (until I find a better way to use it). So I do that a few times as I'm pouring and then rinse it off right away so any little bits of lemon don't have time to dry and get stuck on the mesh... because nobody like a messy mesh.  :)

This is what I'm left with once I've stirred it around.

And this is a gorgeous looking double batch of Canary. It makes me happy just looking at it.

But I'd much rather drink it.

I enjoy sipping my drinks through a straw, and instead of using, and continually purchasing, flimsy plastic straws I bought stainless steel straws. I use them every day. Makes it feel fun. I don't know why, but straws just do that for me.

So that's how I do it. Makes my life easier, and the easier something is, the more likely I'm going to stick with it.

If you want to know exactly what I used, I keep a list off to the side of my posts where I put all the things I love or want (in case I have to replace them or want to buy/get them as a gifts). I know a lot of people tend to have questions because not everything is available everywhere and it just makes life easier sometimes.


And last, but not least, here are some ways you could use the lemon peel:

Blend them up with water and make lemony ice cubes (<---lots of great ideas for flavored ice)

Lemon salt or lemon pepper

Garlic-Lemon infused olive oil

Candied lemon peel (with xylitol or erythritol)

Kale salad with preserved lemon and walnuts

Other ideas I had... you could make potpourri with it... lemon infused vodka... grate it over your fish... use it in a dry rub... so there's no need to toss the peels!

If you have any tips, tricks and ideas to streamline the drink making process, other ways to use the lemon peel, or what you do with your pulp please leave a comment so we can all learn!

285 - Busy bee

I've been working on the first two books, creating a Facebook page, a website and a blog. So I've been pretty busy the last couple of days. I'm not nearly done but I guess in a lot of ways I'm close. I hope to launch everything in the next 30 days or so. With any luck my timing will be good, I'll catch the eyes of the right people, word will spread and that'll be that - the next 50 Shades of Gray... for kids. :) I suppose there are similarities... dog collars and such... hahaha, I've never actually read the series, it was tempting until I read the reviews and then I wondered how it was so successful if everybody hated it... and I decided to wait for the movie.

So here is the website still a work in progress: Click here

You can access the blog from the website, but to make it easy, this is the link to my first post: Click here

This is the Facebook page: Click here

And I'm working on Good Reads and Pinterest pages but I have to be published to get an Author's page on Good Reads. I'll also need to write an Author's Profile for Amazon when I upload the book. And then I'll start working on the other ten books. Are you tired? I'm tired.

These are the covers I worked up. I admit I'm not the best cover artist in the world but for what I had to work with, and my abilities, I'm a little proud. The background for the first cover is supposed to suggest a cage, the second one is a messy room with toys everywhere.

The stories are pretty much written and edited, I am just adding pictures at this point and doing some formatting.

I alternate between proud and excited, to anxious and doubtful. But I guess that's the life of a writer. At least I have friends and family to keep me motivated or sometimes I might walk away from it because it's scary to do this. But at the same time, I have to try.

284 - Haitus

Been busy doing odd jobs here and there, looking for odd jobs, and writing. I've got twelve stories now... rough drafts only, nothing polished and ready to go. I need to pick the best one and start polishing so I can submit it to an agent and I have narrowed down three agents that I would really like to work with, and several others that just don't seem as enthusiastic but say they rep the kind of book I write. I've been down this road before but this path feels more clear if that makes sense... I have a good feeling about it and I'm hopeful.

Not much going on other than that and me finishing four seasons of Parenthood in the last couple of weeks. I keep the tv on in the background while I'm on the computer unless I have to really concentrate on something.

I took the dogs out to potty and saw a large bird shadow move across the lawn. I figured it was a vulture but sometimes we have hawks. I looked up and saw two tiny little birds chirping their butts off and a vulture swooping and circling nearby. At first I thought the vulture was chasing them but that seemed kind of weird because vultures usually only eat dead things, right? And then I realized the vulture was running away from the chirping little birds who were chasing *him*. They ran him in three or four circles and he kept diving lower and lower. I think he landed on the street but the hay in the field was too high for me to see.

Bo got very excited (bird!) and wanted to get in on the action so he ended up on two legs with his leash supporting him, trying to see where the giant bird was. Daisy took that as a sign that he wanted to play so she charged him and then they starting chasing each other (always fun to be holding the leashes when that happens). Finally I got them untangled, the vulture got away, and the two little birds were joined by a third. I couldn't tell if they gave each other high fives or just said, 'way to go man' but they seemed pretty happy... So much for the vulture's street cred.

So now I'm in here sipping on a Canary and contemplating a short lawn mowing session. It rained yesterday but is clear and sunny today. It's not terribly hot though, and the grass is getting to the point that it needs to be mowed so I think it's the perfect day for it.

So what is a Canary you ask? It's a THM drink. I haven't had a soda in two weeks. I've been drinking ice water and ICE drinks (black raspberry, orange-mango and lemon-lime). The ICE was keeping me satisfied because it was 0 carbs and 0 calories with sweet, fizzy liquid. It had sucralose in it, which I don't know much about, but it isn't a "plan approved sweetener" and I did notice that any time I had an ICE... bad things happened in my gut. Really bad things. So I finished the last of it and I'm not planning to buy more. I loved the raspberry flavor though...

So I started looking through the THM facebook page. I had seen some of their drink recipes before and even tried Good Girl Moonshine which was pretty good but not something I'd want every day. I ran across the Canary which was a gorgeous yellow and purported to taste like a creamy lemonade so I gave it a shot. It's also supposed to be good for people with adrenal fatigue and since I've considered the possibility that I have AF, I figure it's win-win. It's lemons and vitamin C and turmeric and coconut oil and vanilla and sea salt... it all sounds funky, but blended together it's awesome (once you figure our how much sweetener to use). I sip on 3-4 quarts of it and then switch to The Shrinker which tastes like a Starbuck's Cold Chai Tea Latte. I normally abhor tea, but I've always like those because of all the spices, the milk and the sweet taste. I was very doubtful about it but I'm glad I tried it. They have lots of good stuff.

The hardest part of sticking to a 'diet' or learning a new way of eating, for me, has always been the restrictions or having to track every single little thing and every calorie associated with it. With THM there aren't really restrictions, there's just a different approach. I can have dessert as long as I use a low glycemic sweetener and use almond flour or peanut flour or coconut flour in place of regular flour. I can have drinks that taste good but don't have high fructose corn syrup in them. I ordered some cola extracts because I know I'll be wanting a soda at some point... I just like the flavor and the bubbles and all that so I will eventually cave if I don't find a satisfactory substitute. So I'm planning to make a simple syrup with xylitol instead of sugar and use that and cola extract in some fizzy water to simulate the cola experience.

It is hard though to change the rest of my eating habits... I am used to hamburgers and fries... chicken wings and fries... pizza... pasta... now I have hamburgers without a bun and have to find another side to eat. I CAN have chicken wings so I had celery and carrot sticks with ranch instead of the fries. I can have pizza but have to make a different kind of crust. I can have pasta but it has to be a special pasta like Dreamfield's that's low carb. I don't know how I'll avoid chips and salsa, but the great thing is I can have them if I want, and I can get back on plan with my next meal. It's not a failure, it's life. I've lost about 5 lbs so far and probably a few inches because the shorts that were tight a couple of weeks ago were a little loose a couple of days ago. So I'm hoping it works for me like it has seemed to work for everyone else... lose weight, feel better, have energy, yada-yada-yada.

Alright, enough procrastinating, it's time to mow... it hasn't really sunk in yet that I have a riding mower so I still have a tendency to dread the whole process... but it really is much easier now and goes by in a jif.

283 - Miscellany

Tomorrow our freezer should be delivered and the lawnmower repair guy will be out to look at the mower. Tomorrow is a big day. We're hoping we get a replacement mower because with the warranty we would get the list price, and it's currently on sale so we would make a few bucks.

Mike is in Utah for the next couple of months. We got up at four this morning to head to the airport because he had a 7:30 flight and it takes anywhere from 1-1/2 hours to 2 hours depending on traffic. Of course traffic was light at that hour, but we ended up behind two cars as we turned from our street to the main road which was a little surprising. So I got home about 9'ish, and once the dogs calmed down we all went back to bed for a little while. I could have slept longer, but I don't want to mess myself up for sleep tonight. The dogs don't seem to be concerned with that, they're down for the count right now.

Speaking of, cute picture of The Bo-Bos... With the food we feed them now his fur has gotten softer and he doesn't shed as much. Smells less doggy too.

Shrimp tacos with roasted broccoli that I made the other day. It just looked pretty. And I was proud of it since I love shrimp/fish tacos but they seemed intimidating. But they were easy peasy and good. Probably pretty healthy too.

We left the harness on after our walk to the creek and Bo just laid there with the front piece in his mount. It looked funny.

Daisy loves the Nylabone. She chews on it a lot. She is a chewer. We can't go outside to potty or go on a walk without her picking up a stick to chew on. I'll say this for her, she gets her fiber... She has the cutest puppy dog eyes.

Mike had me cut the sleeves off a t-shirt, so I took the sleeve and adorned Bo. He is so patient with us...

Patient, but not particularly happy...

Moooooooooooom...

Daisy is also patient...

Mike hid behind the curtains to try and scare Bo. It didn't exactly work, but it looked creepy.

I finally figured out a solution for the bathroom mirror, and it was such a perfect solution because we put the tv on our dressing table in the bedroom, rendering the mirror useless and making it look out of place. I had been contemplating whether or not the mirror would fit in the bathroom so I measured it and happily, it is perfect. Even more perfect, the wall anchors I put in for the smaller mirror are in the perfect spot for this mirror to hang, so I didn't have to do anything but hang it (which wasn't necessarily easy, but I managed).

Speaking of curtains. Mike reinstalled the curtains. They are also perfect because the backer board is nice and decorative, and the curtains are up higher. They don't drag the ground anymore so they not only look better, they are far less likely to be pulled down by the dogs when they play. I like curtains...

So I guess that's been my day... I've been applying for little jobs here and there to see if I can bring in a decent income from home. We'll see. Any money I make is money that we can set aside as savings and once we have a cushion the rest of the money can be used for projects around the house and fun. It would be nice to have fun again... I miss fun...