Dried cranberries and crazy kids

Today was ridiculously stressful but also somewhat productive. My kids have reached a stage that they can’t stand being around each other. This is difficult because normally they are each other’s best friends. The kids were out of school for Veteran's Day and refused to stop fighting or were not listening to me. I suppose that happens as they get older but I am not okay with that.

Mondays are usually busy for me as I clean because the house is typically destroyed from busy weekends and cook as much as I can to put in the fridge for later. Part of my bad mood was probably because I didn't get a chance to make anything for myself to eat until about 1pm when I wolfed down the last of my tzatiki and pita bread.

This afternoon I made handmade oven dried cranberries from a recipe I found online. They turned out pretty yummy and even my kids ate half of them. I think I needed to squash the cranberries more during the cooking process and I did sprinkle a tiny pit of sugar on them during the last hour of cooking but I don't think that made much difference in the taste.

Dried cranberries

I made myself a salad for dinner as my dandelion greens were already starting do go bad. I also added kale, spinach, tomatoes, leek, a little bit of dill and sunflower seeds with an oil and balsamic vinegar as the dressing. I also made up the quinoa that bought from the Fresh Market. I have never had quinoa but have seen so many recipes that I had to give it a try. I was so disappointed because it tasted like the inside of a shoe. It came with a seasoning mix but it was just not good. It was a new and tasty addition when I added some to my salad though. I do have high hopes it would be good in a variety of recipes and I even have a few in mind that I am eager to try.

Quinoa and my salad

I ran to the liquor store when my husband came home from work as I felt I needed something to ease my nerves from the screaming children all day. Unfortunately, the store was closed but as it was right next to the Publix grocery store, I had an excuse to shop for something new without distraction. I bought some grocery staples along with wine coolers. I also purchased these cute little Forelle pears and Tofurky Italian sausage. The pears were so adorable that I had to give them a try. As for the faux sausage, I came to the conclusion that if I wanted to be a vegetarian, I needed to not only discover new plants to eat but also learn what substitutes for meats are out there. I have had tofu before in tacos and lasagna but it is just spongy and weird. I can’t just write off all meat substitutes because I dislike one. I am looking forward to cooking it up tomorrow to see how it tastes.

Now, about my observations regarding the effects of this experiment. I am aware that you don't want to know this but alas, it is still an interesting fact... I stink. I let out some of the most mind-altering, so-strong-it-could-take-down-a-horse farts that it is embarrassing! I did not expect this. I would have imagined that meat products and the body having to digest those difficult animal proteins would make a person much stinkier but I was wrong! So to those within 2 feet of me out in public, I am so sorry.

My last observation is that my husband complimented me as I was changing for bed tonight. I was poking my flubby belly from the 3 beautiful children that I carried and my husband mentioned that it has gone down. I appear as though I am more toned and have lost weight. Now, the scale disagrees but I may be seeing more muscle tone from exercising and decreasing my fat intake. My husband is not one to beat around with words or one to give compliments or criticism when it isn't warranted so I am taking him at his word. YEAH ME!

Thank you one and all for stopping by! Have a fabulous evening and stay safe.

*I apologize for my camera seeing to be orange. My kids do mess with my things so who knows what they did to it...