Chicken Sausage Broccolini Saute

I picked up some broccolini yesterday, not sure what I would do with it. When we got home from the store, I realized we had some chicken sausage in the freezer, so I took it out.

One of the things that appealed to me about this particular chicken sausage was that it had very few ingredients (chicken, provolone, water, parsley, salt and spices). The sodium content is high, though. I think, in an effort to control the salt, we could do something similar with ground turkey and use our own spices.

The Creative Cook (not me) threw it all together with some leftover turkey bacon. So what we have here is a super easy, tasty dish that is gluten free (check the ingredients on your sausage... mine was), low carb and low fat. It's a keeper at my house.

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Things That Made Me Happy This Week - Aug 29, 2009

• Really fun photo session at Roger Williams Botanical Center
• Bob's mom and her best friend got to see her first Red Sox game without being rained out!
• Purple cauliflower
• Spending time with my honey and the puppy in Narragansett and Newport watching the waves after Hurricane Bill
• A very sweet post Bob wrote on his blog
• A good belly laugh with Julie and Luisa
• My wedding band is ready!
• A visit to the vet - Dave’s a healthy and happy boy :)
• A compliment on this blog from a Facebook friend and old classmate
• Being able to pick up the phone and get great advice
• It cooled down.... it’s been sticky up here in the Northeast
• Overhearing a conversation another bride-to-be was having with a friend...

I'm happy I overheard this conversation because it just confirmed for me that we're doing the right thing for us with this wedding (getting married on the beach in Aruba - just the two of us!). This bride actually said "I think I'm the most miserable bride-to-be ever". She then went on to talk about seating charts, her bridal shower (which she hated), family drama, china...

I had a similar experience about a month ago when I went into a bridal shop to pick up an accessory for my dress. The two women standing there in their beautiful wedding dresses were bitching.... one of them about how her fiance screwed up the ring, the other about her fiance's family.

Although I was happy to know I personally made a good decision for ME, it makes me sad to realize that these women were so stressed out and didn't seem to be enjoying this time in their lives. I understand that lots of women want The Wedding. The dress, wedding party, the big cake, the favors, the flowers... I do understand, because I did it all the first time around (I was 20, and it was very short-lived). And perhaps I don't need it anymore because I've done it and remember how stressful it was. Perhaps I would feel differently now if I hadn't been through it before... I don't know.

But that was 16 years ago and since then it seems like the whole business of wedding planning has gotten so much more over the top since then. If you've ever seen the TV show, "Masters of Reception", you know what I mean. I've seen people drop tens of thousands of dollars... for ONE DAY. Going into debt... for ONE DAY.

Of course being engaged and getting married is a special time and I think it's important to make it as meaningful and memorable as possible. I just feel like so much of this stuff is done for the guests, and not the couple. And... are the guests REALLY going to remember what your favors were, what the food was, what kind of limo you had? No... they will remember whether they had fun or not, how happy you were, and how beautiful the bride looked. And brides look beautiful on their wedding day. Whether the dress was $10,000 from a high end bridal boutique or $50 from a consignment shop.

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Confession Time

I have a confession to make.

I have not been less complicated or as chemical free as I would like to be lately.

I have become someone who gets her hair highlighted (see picture above), goes tanning and gets French manicures.

Something about weddings (no matter how big or small) kinda makes people crazy. I’m obviously not immune.

It’s about the pictures, really.

I started thinking about how we’re having this wedding on the beach and I wanted my hair to be lighter. Totally unnecessary… I know.

Then I started thinking about how we’re going to be in this intense sun and I don’t want to burn on our honeymoon. So, we both decided to go tanning to “build a base”. Plus, I’m wearing a white dress and I think a tan would be rockin’.

Then I started thinking about the inevitable pictures of our hands, and couldn’t bear the image of a photo of my scraggly nails next to my beautiful engagement ring. So… last night, while my husband-to-be was making dinner, I went and got myself a French manicure. Not JUST a French manicure… that might be forgivable. I got….sculptured nails.

How did I turn back into the girl I was 5 years ago?

I will stop soon. The tanning will stop when we leave, the nails will come off immediately following our return, and I will go back to my naturally dark hair.

So there it is. My confession. Please say you forgive me?

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Taco Seasoning Recipe

After writing this post, and being unable to find a packaged taco seasoning made without sugar or chemicals, I decided to try a home made version.

I found this recipe on the Low Carb Friends website and asked Bob to mix up a batch while I was out doing pre-wedding stuff. Oh boy... more on that later.

Anyway, he made a double batch and now we have a container of taco seasoning ready to go whenever we need it. We usually use ground turkey for our tacos (last night it was taco salad). After trying this (delicious), I have no idea why we bought packets of seasoning all these years. It's more expensive, and has more fillers.

And this is so easy to make... just leave the house, come back and it's done! ;-)

The Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/8- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

How To Prepare:
Mix all ingredients well and store in an airtight jar. I use 2 tablespoons of seasonings per pound of meat.

Recipe makes about 8 tablespoons, or 4 batches worth.

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Bach's Rescue Remedy

I was having a bad day and posted a vague status update on Facebook that said something about wanting to go to bed and start my day all over again. Trish told me that when she’s feeling stressed, she uses Bach’s Rescue Remedy. Wendie chimed in that she does too, and that her mother wrote about it on her blog… so why hadn’t I heard of this stuff? Obviously, I had to investigate.

Turns out, Bach’s Rescue Remedy is all natural and non-habit forming. It’s supposed to calm and soothe, and work particularly well if you’ve experienced trauma of some sort. I was specifically interested in Rescue Sleep. I generally don’t have trouble falling asleep… except Sunday nights. I have, and have always had Sunday night anxiety. It’s basically exactly what it sounds like… anxiety that occurs Sunday night, as your weekend ends and you begin preparing for the week in your mind.

My boss, Dr. Harry Sobel, actually contributed to an article in the Boston Globe several years ago that talked about Sunday Night Syndrome, why it happens and what you can do to alleviate it. My favorite tip is to build in fun on Monday nights… make it a fun night so that you have something to look forward to. I try to do this, and probably should do more of it.

Back to Bach’s….

So I tried the Rescue Sleep this past Sunday night. The Love of My Life actually went over to Whole Foods to pick it up for me as soon as I told him about it. Can I tell you… I had the best nights’ sleep I’ve had in a long time. A couple of squirts of that stuff… I was OUT in just a few minutes. I don’t think I moved all night, and didn’t feel the least bit groggy in the morning. It really works.

According to Wendie, they also make a cream that’s great for headaches. I’m trying that next. Bach’s also has a Rescue Remedy for pets. Apparently if your dog has trouble with thunderstorms or something, this is what you need.

For a more in-depth article on Bach’s, check out Jone Victoria’s blog.

You can order directly from the Bach's website

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Just a Reminder

Bob gave me this necklace on my 34th birthday. I've been wearing it ever since.

There was a time in my life when I was "stuck". When I was finally out of that particular situation, I promised myself I would always live... not sit stagnant. I would always look forward to something... I would see and experience things... I would never be "stuck" again.

When Bob came along, I felt so lucky that we found each other... he sees life so much the same way. Before we got together, I had begun my exploration of life via travel. I took a few trips with girlfriends (Colorado and New Orleans, a trip to North Carolina to visit Wendie, and couple of trips to Alabama to visit my brother when he was in the Army). Since we've been together, we've traveled across the country in the plane, driven to DC and Florida together, been on countless weekend getaways, and soon we'll be in the Carribean! I've taken up some new hobbies (hiking, writing, photography). And I've met some great new people.

Even in our most financially dismal days, we made sure we had fun... we'd head down to the water with a picnic or take a drive or walk. The RISD Museum has "Free for All Saturdays" on the last Saturday of the month, the movie theater the next town over has "Super Tuesdays" when tickets are $6.00. We even had a few "broke" weekends away. We just packed food rather than ate meals out, used Priceline for hotels for great deals, and did things that didn't cost money while we were there. And you know what? If I think about vacations we've taken together, I don't think about restaurants or shopping as much as I think about things we saw and moments between the two of us.

My point is... there's a big world out there... there's so much to see, do and learn. It's so much fun to anticipate... to have something to look forward to. Whether it's a visit from a distant friend or family member, a class at The Learning Connection, a walk in the woods or on the beach with your spouse and kids... have fun with life. Embrace it.

"Don't burn the day... away..."

"Pig" by The Dave Matthews Band

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Things That Made Me Happy This Week - Aug 22 2009

• More stuff checked off of Mr To Do
• Finishing the redesign on Bob’s new website
• Presenting a new idea at work and having it approved. Excited for a new project!
• Learning about Bach’s Rescue Remedy from Trish. For a great post on Bach's, click here
• Giant, side-splitting, tear producing laugh with Bob
• Finding out about Wendie's quote in The Atlantic. Congratulations, Wendie! And Happy Birthday!
• New camera!!

A few words about the new camera….

You may ask… Melissa, how is a new camera “less complicated”? Was your old one broken? No, the old one wasn't broken. In fact, we will continue to use it. There are several reasons for this purchase:

Bob and I both blog a lot. We take pride in the pictures we post and we want them to be the best they can be.

We’ve both become very interested in photography in the last couple of years and were ready to take the next step in our education. In order to learn about things like aperture, composition, ISO… we need a camera where we can actually adjust those things. A point and shoot won’t allow for that.

Photography makes you do things you may not normally do… go places you may not normally go… at times you may not normally go. Wendie says that the best light is sunrise and sunset. I wouldn’t normally go to a beach at sunrise, but if I know I might get a great shot… I’m much more willing.

Digital photography is a fairly inexpensive hobby. Once you’ve purchased the equipment, the only expense is gas money to get you to your location. Of course, the possibilities are endless in terms of lenses, filters, software etc. But those items can be purchased used or refurbished for less money.

Sharing a hobby is a great way for a couple to bond.

We’re going on vacation to a beautiful place in less than a month… we want to take beautiful photographs to remember our honeymoon!

So, after putting a lot of thought and research into it, we got ourselves the Canon EOS Rebel XS. So far, we’re loving it! I find it a bit intimidating but I'm excited to learn all about it.

Here is an unedited picture taken with the Kodak Easy Share point and shoot on the close up setting:

And here the same unedited picture taken with the Canon Rebel XS on the close up setting

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Swheat Scoop Natural Cat Litter

I bet you didn't know we had a cat, too. Well, we do and his name is Dave. He's only the coolest cat in town and he's just so handsome. Bob and I adopted Dave just a few months after we met, when he (Dave, not Bob - heh) was only 8 weeks old. We're both madly in love with him and he... well, he's madly in love with his pops. Not so much a mama's boy. Which is ok, because Gruxy's attached to my hip... just the way I like it ;-) How do Dave and Gruxy get along? We're working on it.

As you can imagine, Dave has his own set of needs - like a clean litter box that isn't full of chemicals. We've been using Swheat Scoop for about a year. We tried different types of litter - clumping, non clumping, Feline Pine, etc. The Cleaner of The Box (not me - I'm a lucky gal, aren't I?) reports that Swheat Scoop is the best so far... non smelly, less tracking.

But... in the spirit of using/buying less stuff, I think I want to potty train Dave. As in... train him to use the toilet. I'm totally serious. He's an indoor cat and so we have not choice but to use a litter box, and although we found a great litter... I just don't like having to keep the box.

I know you're laughing. I know.

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Cantaloupe Strawberry Goodness

I made it using cantaloupe and strawberries! This concoction was so good, I decided to try it using different fruits. So I did fresh cantaloupe and frozen strawberries. Tasty, but I actually prefer the watermelon and blueberry... and I left out the basil, which I think might have been the key.

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Things That Made Me Happy This Week - Aug 16 2009

• Spending the whole day with my guy on Saturday - work free!
• Finding (and loving) Gruxy's new vet
• Watermelon
• Another great session with Gruxy's wonderful trainer, Erika (that's her in the picture above)
• Dinner and DVDs with Julie (that's her with the boy in the picture below)
• Learning of Kelli Campellone's Best of RI Editor's Choice Award
• A very sweet email from Bob's mom
• Plaid and Stripe pet shop in Providence

Gruxy's a ladies man. It's true... he has two girlfriends. I didn't know how to tell them about each other, so I thought maybe if I just posted the pictures here they'd put two and two together. I'm sorry ladies... he's kind of a player.

Just a few mushy moments here, if you don't mind indulging me...

3 1/2 years ago when I met Bob, I was a somewhat traumatized soul when it comes to mothers-in-law. Not that I'd been married a bunch of times, but former boyfriends did have mothers and let's just say... the relationships were a bit of a challenge. The one that stands out the most was a very judgmental, intrusive woman who just saw life completely differently than I did. We just didn't see eye to eye. It made life difficult and once the relationship was over, I was left feeling a bit... well, traumatized.

Bob kept telling me his mother was different, she was so great... non judgmental, open, loving, supportive, not intrusive... of course I thought to myself "sure, they all think their mothers are perfect". I was not ready to meet her, though he wanted me to fairly quickly. I met her a couple of months after we met...

From the moment I met Laura, and every moment since, she has been open, kind, warm, supportive... all the things Bob said she was. She never misses an opportunity to tell me how happy she is that Bob met me, and to thank me for making him so happy. The email she sent me this week is not unusual... I've received many emails like it from Laura over the past few years. I feel like the lucky one... I'm marrying into a wonderful family. Laura's best friend Lisa is a big part of our lives as well, and she's every bit as loving and supportive. And Bob's brother Justin... basically a younger version of Bob. A great guy, and a great brother to Bob.

In just over a month, I will marry the man of my dreams. There are times when I wish we had met earlier in life, so that we could have more time together, but then I realize that if we had met earlier, we may not appreciate what we have. And I'm so thankful for what we have.

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Am I Becoming a Minimalist?

I just want to get rid of stuff. I spoke here about how much I admired Adam Baker at Man vs Debt and his family for scaling down to only what they could fit into backpacks. See here for his list of possessions made before they left the country.

Maybe it’s because right now the wanderlust is overwhelming. Bob and I are off to Aruba in a month, then heading to San Diego in November for the Realtor convention (not me… I’ll be at the beach, sightseeing and spending time with my friend Karen).

I just love the idea of picking up and moving somewhere far away…and eventually that is our plan. We love the west coast and hope to live there some day, even if just for a few years. But the idea of lugging all of our stuff with us… that’s just not a good time.

I was reading this article on Zen Habits.net this morning and as I looked at the beautiful picture he posted, I felt immediately calm. The only real color in the image comes from the flowers, and the lamp is very simple. I do like to have lots of photographs around me though, so I don’t know how far I could really take the vibe in my own life.

In the article, Leo talks about how the minimalist lifestyle is about more than aesthetics, it’s about living with less… of everything. Less words (when writing), less goals, less food. It’s an interesting perspective, and what my own blog is kind of about, but for now I’m focusing on the aesthetic aspect, and the calmness felt as a result of not being surrounded by so many “things”.

So as I look around at all the “things we have collected,” I’m actually getting excited by the idea of getting rid of it. This weekend, we plan to spend some time in the basement going through the boxes we moved into this house with, that sit there, of use to nobody. We’ll see what we can donate, sell or recycle… and rest will be thrown away. Our dog trainer, Erika, is coming over tonight… we will give her all the extra animal supplies and toys we have collected that our animals don’t use to bring with her to the shelter where she works.

So it will be interesting to see where we are after we’ve actually gone through each room and scaled down. Maybe we will be SO scaled down that it will be actually possible to just pick up and move far, far away! Some day…

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Watermelon Blueberry Goodness

We picked up a giant watermelon at Whole Foods the other day. Bob was cutting it up this morning, and as he filled container after container of watermelon cubes, I started wondering how we were possibly going to eat it all.

I began searching online for recipes, but none of them really did it for me (except this thing with goat cheese that I might try later this week). So I did my own thing:

Watermelon

Frozen blueberries

Greek yogurt

Basil

It was SO GOOD!! I had pulled out the agave nectar just in case it needed some sweetness, but didn't even need it. The frozen blueberries helped make it really cold and the yogurt gave it a really great creaminess. I originally wanted to use mint, but I didn't have any so I grabbed a couple basil leaves off the plant on our front steps.

It was the easiest thing to put together, and very filling...

I'm usually hesitant to try to come up with my own concoctions but this one turned out really well!!

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Things That Made Me Happy This Week - Aug 8 2009

• Crossing stuff off of the To Do List
• Skyping with my brother in Iraq
• Caprese with balsamic and our own basil
• Discovering the blog Man vs Debt
• Booking our San Diego trip
• Lunch with Wendie
• Contributing to a successful presentation at work
• Receiving my wedding dress
• Spending time getting to know a new friend a little better
• Holding new friend’s baby
• Seeing Bob hold new friend’s baby
• Compliments on my new hair, when I was feeling unsure about it (compliment came from a friend who says nothing if she has nothing nice to say so I know she really did like it!)
• Finally catching up with a very busy friend in CT
• The really good laugh I shared with Bob at lunch yesterday

So... this is an interesting list. Here’s what I see when I look at it: I’m most happy when spending time with people I love and accomplishing tasks. Huh.

A few words about the blog Man vs Debt...

I’m so fascinated by this family’s decision to just get rid of everything they own and move to another country. This was a couple that was in serious debt. They made a decision to get out of it, save money, sell everything except what they could fit into backpacks, and move to Australia with their baby. And they did! Along the way, they changed the destination to New Zealand, but they totally did it.

I have increasingly felt this desire to be less tethered by “stuff”, which is one of the things that has led me to want a less complicated life. When we moved into this house, we put boxes in the basement that we haven’t looked in since. Do we need that stuff? Seriously?

I just had a conversation with my brother about this very subject. He has the travel bug for sure, and wants to see the world. Fortunately for him he has a job where he can do that. Not so fortunately, right now he’s in a war zone. But at age 26, he’s been to several states, Dubai, Spain and of course, Iraq. He doesn’t have much interest in collecting things. I told him that a friend of mine says “own your stuff, don’t let your stuff own you”. He thought it was great... and I realized my friend may have gotten it from somewhere so I Googled it and turns out it’s from the movie Fight Club:

“You buy furniture. You tell yourself this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. Buy the sofa, then for a couple of years you’re satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you’ve got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you’re trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own... now they own you."

Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club (1996)

Now listen, I’m not saying I don’t appreciate new technology or like nice jewelry. In fact, we recently got a new Mac. The idea I think is to really consider your needs. In our case, Bob really does need a good computer for work, and we both obviously blog a lot so we need to be able to do it frustration free. But out of necessity, we used the same crappy laptop for 2 years before we had the money to get this laptop, and when we bought it, we researched to death what the best investment would be for us. I also think technology that helps cut down on things that take up space is really great too... think iPod, Kindle, etc.

I’m also not saying that there isn’t value to having a comfortable home - especially if you have kids. There is a lot to be said for stability. I think it’s cool when people go “home for the holidays” and sleep in the bedroom they grew up in. Or take their spouse to the ice cream place they used to go to as a kid.

I just think it’s so amazing when people make the decision to be free of stuff and embark on an adventure like Adam and his family did. In my opinion it takes a lot of courage and I really admire them.

So there has to be some sort of “In Between” for people like me, who maybe aren’t ready to make that drastic of a change, but who want to be less “trapped”. I continue to try to find the balance.

“Take a look again

Take a look again

Things you have collected

Well, in the end it all piles up so tall

To one big nothing

One big nothing at all”

~"Seek Up" by The Dave Matthews Band

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Tomato Update

I know. It's just tomatoes. But it's a huge deal around here. First of all, we've basically had rain for the whole first half of summer, so lots of people aren't doing so well with their gardens this year. BUT WE... who have never grown anything.... have produced 3 edible tomatoes!

The plant with the yellow tomatoes will give us many more (I see about 10-15 more fruits growing), and the other one (I really wish I had written down what variety they are) has only produced these two. But aren't they gorgeous?

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