The Most Incredible Winter Salad

I'm popping in with a quick post today, to share the most incredible winter salad I made on Sunday. 

Seriously, this salad is the bomb dot com. No joke. 

Red & White Winter Salad...and Weigh In

As you know, I've been trying to incorporate changes into  my diet and life to have a healthier me in 2016. 

Making healthier choices. Incorporating more whole foods. More fruits and veggies. 

I know it's only the first week, but so far so good. 

Friday has always been my weigh in day. And woo hoo!! I am down 4.8 lbs! I have no doubt much of that is water weight....but either way my eyeballs were super happy to see that number on the scale this morning!

Great motivation to keep going!

Last night I made a lovely winter salad that I thought I'd share with you today. This would be a great salad for a nice winter lunch. We had it as a starter before our main meal, which was Deconstructed Lasagna - one of my favorites! 

I based this salad on some of the veggies I bought when I was prepping for my no-spend month (which I'll post my progress on weekly, beginning on Monday!)

I have never purchased Endive or Radicchio before, but they looked so lovely sitting in the produce section I just had to give them a try. 

When I got them home I honestly didn't know what I would do with them! But I knew I'd come up with something. 

And I did. Something lovely!

I started by cutting the ends off the Endive and the Radicchio. I pulled all the leaves off the Endive and cut it into strips. 

The Radicchio I chopped into rough strips as well. It's so beautiful with all that glorious color!

Next came a small red onion, peeled, cut in half, and then into thin slices. 

A red pear, just ripe enough and super juicy and sweet, also cut into strips. 

Red grapes were cut in half and tossed into the mix. 

Just look at all that good stuff in there! 

I tossed in a handful of shelled pistachios for crunch and protein. 

Next came some good Gorgonzola. Because lets face it, there's no way I'm giving up cheese entirely. And Gorgonzola and fruit is the most amazing combination!

A drizzle of olive oil, some balsamic vinegar  - I used Blackberry Ginger Balsamic from the Saratoga Olive Oil Company - it's so amazing!

Some freshly ground pepper and sea salt and you're all done. 

The sweetness of the fruit balances out the bitterness of the Radicchio. The Endive has a great fresh crunch. And the onions gave just enough bite. Add the crunch of the pistachios and the creamy tart Gorgonzola and this was a match made in heaven!

The salad as a starter meant I only took half as much pasta as I would have without that fiber filling my belly. 

My body thanks me for this wonderful goodness I nourished it with. 

And it showed on the scale. 

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September Garden Update

Hi Everyone! There was no sun to be found this morning but it sure is shining now! I took a walk around my garden this morning to see how things are holding up this late in the season. Come along for a walkabout!

The Cleome is still a shining star in the late summer garden 

The whiskey barrel plantings are still lush and healthy even though many of the other container gardens are struggling 

The edge of the woods is a mass of yellow with Yarrow and Goldenrod competing for attention

Goldenrod just about ready to bloom 

The Begonias can't be beat - I overwinter these indoors and they bounce back beautifully every summer

The Clematis that came with the house hasn't stopped flowering all summer - I wish I knew what kind it was so I could get more!

The Foxglove that my daughter planted in the spring decided to join the party late in the game - better late than never!

I just added three of these beautiful Rudbeckia plants outside the veggie garden 

The Zucchini has jumped the fence and is finally (FINALLY!!) producing, right when everyone else's Zucchini production is waning

Now that the Japanese Beetles have abandoned the hanging Geraniums they are happy again 

My beautiful Ornamental Grasses - I think these are one of my favorites this season

I love the contrast of the Ornamental Grasses and these colorful Petunias with the Creeping Jenny

The Morning Glories on the veggie garden fence are still flowering to beat the band - they truly shine in late summer

Lots more tomatoes yet to ripen - I see a lot of pasta dishes in our near future!

And some Caprese Salad with some really good locally made Fresh Mozzarella and home grown Basil

And of course sliced tomatoes on good bread with mayo and a sprinkle of sea salt!

I picked up some Mums last week to "fluff" up the September container gardens

My baby Fig Tree is super happy after being repotted

The Garlic we harvested is small but mighty

The Morning Glories climbing on the deck railing are still hanging on although not nearly as happy as the self-sown ones from last year's container gardens that I replanted in the spring over by the veggie garden 

The Strawberry Plants are showing their fall colors

The container gardens on the deck still look ok from a distance but up close they are showing their late season wear and tear (on a side note - not a smidge of sunshine and I couldn't even see the mountains under the cloud cover this morning!)

I'm pretty sure the Goldenrod isn't helping my allergies but it sure looks pretty in the September garden

Thanks for coming along on our morning walkabout! 

What are the shining stars in your late summer garden?

The Party's Over

Friday is Weigh In Day. It has been for me for many years. Sometimes I skip it, when I know I haven't been "good" lately. Lately I've been skipping it a whole lot. 

This morning I decided to face the music, even though I knew I wouldn't be happy with the results. 

And I wasn't. 

Most people would lose weight when they move to a new house, right? I truly thought that would be the case, that I would certainly drop a few pounds lugging all those boxes and working my butt off to get the house organized. 

Nope. I gained 3 lbs. On top of the weight I already wanted to lose. Which I hadn't lost yet. 

And I know why, too. 

I love good food. Love. Like, truly love. LOVE. Did I say love? 

I get excited at the thought of making a great meal for my peeps. I've been photographing my food for years, long before I ever thought about creating a blog. (FYI: Many of these photos are from the archives, from past homes, taken with my iPhone. Excuse the quality!)

This one is from my new home. A recent meal. Black angus cheese burgers made with the most amazing ground beef from a local farm. Garden fresh salad with all sorts of yumminess tossed in. Yumzers. 

And I also love cocktails. Many types, but especially my infusions. Like raspberry gin with a slice of lime. Pure heaven, right there. 

And sometimes I make food with cocktails. Like this bourbon vanilla cranberry sauce that I made the past two Thanksgivings. Best cranberry sauce EVER! Made with cherry bourbon to make it even more amazing!
http://www.eatliverun.com/bourbon-vanilla-cranberry-sauce/

And let's not forget a nice glass of wine paired with a great meal. More love. 

And sweet stuff like chocolate. Especially when made with....you guessed it, COCKTAILS! Like this Black Forest Cake made with cherry liqueur. Yup. Amazeballs. 

Did I mention cheese? I put it in/on almost everything. Cheese might just be my greatest weakness. 



Cheese is a big problem for me. Huge. Ginormous. 

And we can't forget my weakness for nuts. And nut butters. Which are actually good, in small quantities. However, not great if you are trying to drop some pounds. Or if you inhale them. 

Can you tell? I love food. Good food. And occasionally food that's not good for me. Like chips. And candy. And cookies. 

And lately I've been eating more of that "bad" food than I usually do, which does not make me happy at all. It's a vicious cycle. Once you have it, your body craves it. And I need to break the cycle. 

And eat more of this food.

Which I also love. But, let's be honest -  it doesn't quite satisfy the same way cheese does when your body is craving cheese. Or craving crunchy salty snacks. Or sweets like candy and chocolate and ice cream.  A pea pod out of the garden just isn't going to have the same satisfying effect, not immediately. 

But there's hope - because......the beauty of the whole thing is that the more you eat this type of food, the more your body craves this type of food - that's the magic!

Aren't our bodies wonderful? We can retrain them, and break the craving cycle. You just have to be ready. And now I'm ready. It took me a while, I had to "nest" in my new house for a few months and be ready to get back to taking care of me, not just the house, house, house. Well, I'm ready. It's time to break the cycle. It doesn't mean eliminating all the stuff I love, it just means reining it in and following the 80/20 rule again, where 80% of the time I make the healthy food choices, and 20% of the time I loosen up a little. 

Fortunately I love to cook. And I have a fantastic vegetable garden right outside my door. And it's the heart of the summer, when the farmers markets are in full swing. 

So, here we go again. For reals. I'm ready. 

Who's in?

xo