Wanderlust = WANDERFUL
The hubby and I took advantage of the sleepover that Carson was at to take in a movie. He had purchased a Groupon for two tickets+popcorn+drink. So we went to see Wanderlust. 
I have to be really honest here and say that we were both unsure of the quality of the comedy, but you know what? IT WAS REALLY REALLY FUNNY!
If you need a light date night or a fun movie with a girlfriend, go see it!
Enjoy! Wendy B.
Chewy Pecan Bars = Perfect Snack
(Image from: The Silver Pen)
Some time ago I started following Hollye Jacobs’ blog, The Silver Pen.
I was managing the development of her new website/blog and also getting to know her in the process. Besides being fabulously stylish [more than I could ever dream of], Hollye is very cool, very smart, and well-educated. Hollye also happened to go through a horrific bought of breast cancer last year, which was her catalyst for the blog. [She’s very candid and funny, and the stories will knock you over.]
Anyway, I was at her house one day working on the blog development and she offered me a snack. I NEVER SAY NO to a snack [unless its raisins] – I was in for a treat!
CHEWY TOASTED PECAN BARS
Filled with pecans and super crunchy, these bars are made with honey, agave, almond butter, dried cranberries, puffed rice, and oats. [And they are gluten-free if you care about that.]
I make a batch about once a week and I snack on them whenever I need breakfast, fast energy treat, or a quick protein pick-me-up. Today I’m going to make a batch and replace the pecans for almonds and cashews. I’ll report back…
Here are a few cooking tips if you decide to try these bars:
1. I tried adding chocolate chips because it seemed like a good idea, but it wasn’t. It did nothing for the other flavors.
2. Don’t overcook. The outside edges get too hard. there’s no egg in these so under-cooking is better in this case.
3. Let them cool thoroughly before you try to slice them. Otherwise, they will crumble.
4. Soften the almond butter before mixing ingredients.
5. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes before you bake so that oats and rice has time to absorb/soften a bit.
If you like the bars, please be sure to let Hollye know!
Enjoy! Wendy B.
Nephew [LOVE]
One of my life’s greatest joys as been to see my baby brother become a daddy!
xoxo, WendyB
Crock Pot Chicken Pozole Soup = SUCCESS!
Finally… an edible dish made from my Crock Pot! I used this recipe as my baseline:
http://www.womansday.com/recipefinder/slow-cooker-chicken-posole-recipe-122297
However, this was more like a stew and I wanted soup so here’s what I did:
Ingredients:
1 box 32oz Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 cup water
1 can white Hominy (it was a medium sized can because I wanted alot of hominy)
1/2 can of Trader Joe’s organic Diced & Fire Roasted Tomatoes with green chiles (this is like Rotel)
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen chopped onions
1 small can of green verde salsa
2 TBL of Cumin (do NOT skimp on the cumin)
2 TBL of dried cilantro (you could use fresh if you wanted)
1 bag of precooked cubed chicken
Garnishes:
- Low Fat Mexican Shredded Cheese combo
- Fresh cilantro (yum)
- Broken up Tortilla Chips
- Avocado slices
Directions:
I combined all the ingredients EXCEPT chicken in Crock Pot and cooked on low for 3 hours. Then I added the pre-cooked cubed chicken and turned it up to high and cooked for 1 hour. Then I turned it to “Keep Warm” and let it sit for another two hours until dinner time.
I served it with shredded cheese over the to that melted into the soup wonderfully. Added some very fresh cilantro and crumbled tortilla chips on top.
It was one of the best meals I’ve cooked for my husband and me in a long time!
(Carson ate instant mac-n-cheese and yogurt for dinner.)
Enjoy! Wendy B.
