Just. Breathe.

Hello, strangers on the interweb! I'm still alive! I still have my Blogger account. Now you can all breathe a little easier.  There are probably a dozen topics I need to write about, including how the child decided she was adult enough to move out of my house to college, of all things, but I can't do that one yet. Maybe in a couple of years.... BUT, apparently, I decided to cope with that change by cooking all the food...and eating all the food...and taking pictures of all.the.food! Here's what's been cooking at the hacienda.   I'd love to tell you that I just made all these up myself. Then I could start a new career, but this was way easier than that. I clicked a random link one day -- gatheredtable.com is my new life-saving menu planner site! You really should check it out. I've not made anything yet that we haven't liked. You can import your own recipes or ones from anywhere on the web and they'll work into the rotation. Cha...

...to Hell with my good intentions! [Ha. Until I typed that line, I didn't get the double meaning! I meant it to be a continuation of the blog title, but reading it by itself also works!] What a crazy couple of weeks. I'd like to say I was all good and well no my way to losing those pounds, but no. Not even close. I've eaten more sugar in the last week than I have in the last year and that's not a good thing. If it's any indication of how my self-control will be on the cruise, I'm in trouble. Last weekend we hosted the teenagers from our church for a retreat weekend. Boys and girls (about a dozen) for two dinners and a lunch, and the girls for breakfast. It was great fun, but when you cook a lot of stuff you don't intend to eat, the temptation just sits there...calls your name at night... The food was pretty awesome, though. Italian "pizza pasta" Friday night -- layers of sauce, noodles, Canadian bacon, sausage, pepperoni, and more than tw...

In the last two weeks, I've had quite a few conversations with friends about this Paleo thing we're doing and it occurred to me I could save myself (and them) a lot of time if I'd just condense it all into one place. This is that place. This is also a really long post, so feel free to skip to the stuff you're interested in. When you've been doing something for 6 months, there's a lot of information as well as practical experience to draw on. I've already posted on why we're doing this, and there are awesome sites out there with a huge amount of detail on what to eat, why to eat, blah blah... so that's not what I'm doing here. But I think I'm pretty mainstream when it comes to what I was accustomed to eating, and what I'm willing to put into my mouth. Liver doesn't make the cut. Tongue? No, thank you. I'm really not going to go into veal or lamb -- not because it isn't good, but because it's not been a part of my diet...

I threw a little something together for lunch today - turned out pretty tasty! I "fried" the corn tortilla with a little spray butter to get it warm. Topped it with some lettuce, cucumber, feta cheese, and chopped turkey deli meat. I almost put salsa on it, but decided it wouldn't work with the feta. The boiled egg was for more protein. I had a "cutie" with it, but it didn't make it into the picture. Grand total of 5 WW points. [I was too lazy to get the carrots and celery out, but that would have been good, too.] Sidenote: If you haven't discovered cuties, please do so. Best. Snack. Ever. Tonight was pasta night. I love pasta - all kinds, topped with all things. What I have never embraced is whole wheat pasta. The taste is meh, but the texture is really what stops me from using it if I have the option. I had been hearing that food companies are getting better at it, so I bought some more - Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Grain. It hasn't change...

I've posted notes on making this particular dish before, but it's so easy (and popular) that I thought I'd put a how-to here. Most recently I made this for some new parents - it's great for make-and-take events, because it's easy, and stays warm for a long time. Credit goes to the Neely's at Food Network for the sauce - I started with their tomato sauce recipe and made a few adjustments. I first saw lasagna rolls on the blogchef.net site, but there are many out there if you google it. I think all good pasta sauces start the same way -- olive oil, chopped onion and garlic. Saute the onion until it is tender. I usually add a little salt and some black pepper at this point, too. Depending on how much sauce you need, add one 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes. I prefer the Contadina brand -- I've tried the generic brands and they just don't taste right. Add some basil - dried is fine, just be sure to rub it in your hands first to release the flavor -- and a...