Simply losing...

Weight :). It works y'all. Weight watchers meetings member here. Happily on my fourth month and learning some new patterns in my life. After getting a bit off track with the end of summer, I'm back on and have lucked into three happy accident meals in a row. So ill share, but remember these are not those fancy "tested" recipes real bloggers use. Ha! This it how I cook y'all. A bit of this. And a bit of that and we will see what happens ;). 

Masala goulash

Ingredients: 2 cups dry mini penne pasta

2 cups Ground beef/ ground turkey

1 jar Trader joes masala simmer sauce

2 cups green peas

Simmer ground beef/turkey in the masala and then add cooked pasta. Add in peas and cook till warmed through. Devour. 

Approx 9 pts a cup 

Chicken sausage succotash

Ingredients: 

4 cups frozen corn

2 tbs butter

5 links chicken sausage ( ours comes from sams)

2 cups frozen peas

4 apples chopped tiny

Slice sausage and sauté in butter. ( yum-o). When cooked through ( ours has bits of cheese so its done when the cheese melts) add in corn and apples and cook till corn starts to turn golden and apples are soft. Add in peas and cook till warm. Season to taste. 

Approx 7 pts a cup

This one isn't really a recipe but a product. HEB ( a local grocery chain) was demonstrating this hatch chili stew as part of another recipe so I bought a jar. The jar says to mix with cooked ground beef and simmer. So I did. So delicious. Only 4 pts a cup, so guess who ate two :). 

Celebrating Labor

Labor Day will be here in just a few days. I officially launch my Noonday business the Friday before. Sitting here tonight, completely awash in emotion after hearing from fellow ambassadors about the work they witnessed our artisans do in their home countries this summer- I am struck with the thought that Labor Day weekend may just be the most perfect weekend possible to start my partnership with Noonday. On Monday, many people in our country will take a day of vacation to linger over our right to work. We will eat hot dogs with our family and soak in one final trip to the pool or the lake.  Labor day was created to honor the American worker and to recognize that all greatness in our country comes from the root from those who labor. If only we could remember this for the rest of the world as well. How often do we actually consider the people who make the products we buy? That belt you got for 9.99. Who made it? Or what made it? What is it made out of? What if you could put your belt on in the morning and think, wow... This belt was made by artisans in rural South America. They provide for their families using generationally handed down skills. This belt provides hope to that community and makes my life more beautiful.
 I've worried that my friends and social circle will soon tire of me talking about noonday, but I'm beginning to realize that I have nothing to be ashamed of. That big box store that wants you to buy that belt, plus another and that plastic crap at the doorway ( its only 1$!)... They are the ones hawking their carpet bag. Lets look at shopping differently. How can we make our life more beautiful, one smart choice at a time? How can we change the future for a woman in Uganda or a family in India? We can educate ourselves and choose to be choosy. We can celebrate the beautiful labor of artisans who we can in turn make sure are receiving a fair wage for their efforts. We can demand that they work in safe and healthy conditions and we can decide that it's okay to talk about these big topics without judgment or fear. I'm ready to start the discussion, who wants to join me?
Come visit my website this week. Read about the artisans and read some of the product descriptions. It will blow you away when you really consider the work, the labor, required to produce these beautiful items. If you are local, or even with a few hours of travel, I would LOVE to talk to you about hosting a trunk show. I promise, it will be unlike any trunk show you have ever seen.

The Wildflower Belt                                        

A new day, a new year

The past few weeks have been getting tough. Summer does that, you know? We get a little too cozy with one another, and way too far out of our routines. Needless to say the boys and I are ready for school to begin... Tomorrow!! My brain is extremely single minded. I think it's one way I adapted to having ADHD over the years. I simply can not handle too much on my plate. When we move I try to step up our involvement outside of the home a little bit at a time. This summer was the exception. All of a sudden we are "all in" in many areas. I've joined Weight Watchers, which has been fantastic. It's working! Partly because we also joined a gym. Because the gym is costly I actually go so I feel less guilty ;). The hubs and I have both stepped up our volunteering at church. On top of that I've thrown myself completely into Noonday. I adore the work I get to do with Noonday, but it absorbs almost all of my brain space. All of it. So even though we are going through the motions of buying school supplies, new shoes, haircuts, meet the teacher, I feel a bit caught off guard tonight. First day eve. My big guy starts intermediate school. Lockers, A B or C lunch, changing classes 7 times a day, and orchestra. Um, what? And my middle guy, all of 6 years old starts first grade, which he still says " firthst."  Last year first day came shortly after we moved here. Getting them dressed and our the door was a victory. I love making a special day extra special though so after bedtime tonight the hubs and I took 20 mins to throw together a tablescape to make tomorrow morning feel a bit special. Simple breakfast tacos and chocolate milk will seal the deal. Then it's party time for mommy and Silas. We are so ready for this semester! 

Moody day three, and that's a wrap

Today we had a group breakfast with the other families from work. Then the boys and I played at the Moody splash pad. Then naps for littles, a workout in the super awesome gym for mommy, room service (the hotel  turned a pizza into something incredible for the boys with just a tray and flowers ). Then on to The Strand where we had treats at La kings and dinner on the bay. The beach was calling so we finished off our evening getting super muddy on the sea wall. 

Moody Moody day two

Moody Moody

My husband was required to attend a leadership conference with the other management people in his office so we all were invited to come to Moody Gardens in Galveston. I am loving the opportunity to sleep in an awesome hotel room and enjoy a break from it all for a few days. Here's a few moments from our trip thus far.