Friday, December 21, 2012

friday fun fact: chicken noodle soup

in our household
we’ve all been a little under the weather
well except for the little one
she has found herself under the tree 
digging for presents
so last night i made chicken noodle soup
i heard a rumor
that chicken noodle soup could actually cure a cold
so
i did some very laxed research
and found this article
from
it’s true
well at least according to the university of nebraska study
people do feel better after chicken noodle soup
remember this
the next time you are feeling a little under the weather
and
make some chicken noodle soup
(even the canned soup was effective!)

Thursday, December 20, 2012

thankful thursday:happy birthday honey!


recently
we celebrated
my husband’s birthday
and
i am so thankful
we get to celebrate
his birthday
another year
for those who don’t know myhusband
he is a man
who is selfless
and caring
recently
his squadron had their holiday party
and
he volunteered to do child care
with me and the breastfeeding support group
forfeiting
all you can drink wine
a nice restaurant
and a night out with his colleagues
one of the many times
i have thought
“how did i get so lucky
that he chose me”
so today
i am so thankful
for him
and
for him loving me

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

eat clean: cauliflower and kale soup!


we are trying to
“eat clean”
aka
eat healthier
we’ve been at this for about a month now
and i have posted pictures
of some of my food (re)creations
on my
facebook page
but the other day
someone
who is my facebook friend
asked
if i had pinned the recipes
because she wanted to try them
(i say recreate because most are recipes that i modify)
so tonight
it’s a cauliflower and kale soup
inspired by dr. furnham's
my husband frowned initially 
honestly i kinda did too....
but
my oh my!!
it is a do again!
so
without further adieu
let's get started
first
 
a 3-4 sliced carrots
a cup of celery
and a head of cauliflower separated into florets
then 
add
2 cups of carrot juice
4 cups of water
some ms. dash’s
(about 2 tablespoons)
and
a dash of nutmeg
simmer until tender
for me this was about 20 minutes

while this mixture is simmering steam
4-5 cups of kale
i steamed mine in the microwave
so easy!
i put a little lemon juice on the shredded kale
covered the bowl with a paper towel
then set the timer for 4 minutes
also check on your little one
why hello cutie!
after your ‘soup’ mixture is tender
then 
 
take a cup of raw cashews
raw cashews are hard to find
especially overseas
so i found the ‘healthiest’ alternative
in the commissary
the only ingredients are cashews and salt
put the cashews in a blender
add most of the soup mix
then blend till smooth
once smooth
add the smooth soup
back to the liquid soup
or what’s left
mix together
 
top with kale
mix some more
let cool a little
and voila
it is simply tasty!

and it’s only 175 calories per cup!!!!!!!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

a letter to my sister

-->
A letter to my sister
Dear sister
Through the years we’ve had our fun
We’ve had our struggles
And one could compare a sister relationship
To a marriage
There are days when you want to kill each other
Then there are days when you don’t know how you function without the other
You sister
Are about to enter a marriage
One in which the slipper won’t always fit
The ring doesn’t always sparkle
And your partner
Like your sister has
Will disappoint you
I hope you forgive him
Without reason
Without stipulation
Without consequences
And
Without an apology
Maybe once you learn this type of forgiveness
You will see how much I do love you
Despite our differences
Despite our arguments
And
How I have forgivien you
Without reason
Without stipulation
Without an apology
And
I have loved you
Through the pain
Through the hurt
Through the words
You have spoke
One day sister
I hope you feel this love
But until then
I know any apology I provide
Will never be good enough
So
I only offer you a sincere
Congratulations
And I pray your marriage is filled
With love
Laughter
And
Many many smiles
Remember to love without reason
Without stipulation
And accept your partner
As he is
Because he has accepted you as you are

love you


Tuesday, December 4, 2012

facebook couple pages!


i  heard about
facebook’s
‘new’
feature
a week or so ago
they know have
‘couple’
pages
so if you are linked to someone
via a relationship
then
facebook generates a page for you and your loved one
how nice of them
but i couldn’t find that page
until today
so
go to your facebook page
type in the url
www.facebook.com/us
and
voila
there is your couple page
sorry honey
it’s officially official
after almost 9 years of marriage
we are really in a relationship
because facebook says so
and it is never official
until it is on facebook
right?
 **
and because it is december
and 
i love christmas
enjoy
a picture of our daughter 

 discovering the tree for the first time!

love love from aviano

Sunday, December 2, 2012

happy december


it is december 1st!
Christmas is just around the corner!!
to kick off one of my favorite times of the year
i decided to share some pictures
from our most recent trip to
Vienna’s Christmas markets.
yes
plural
markets.
we went to four different markets in Vienna.
all were simply charming
and unique to their own theme
because i am running out the door
to a
welcome home/see ya later/happy thanksgiving dinner
i will have to share with you the different markets later
 happy december