Friday, February 8, 2013
We’re waiting for the big storm! Awake at 3:45 pm, shoveled about 3 inches at that point…took me about 45 minutes, not too bad. But I have a feeling what we are going to get is going to dwarf that!
Enjoy my favorites from around the web this week….
Favorite “gotta make it” meal…Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza is why we go to Uno’s and it’s so good…I’d love to be able to make it at home!
Favorite “burger”…I really want to try to make our own veggie burgers at home…this Vegan Bean Burger looks pretty good, plus I think all the spices would give it really great flavor!
Favorite slurp…with all this cold weather and impending snow, a hot bowl of Pasta e Fagioli looks delicious…only thing I need to do to make it vegetarian-friendly is swap out the chicken broth for veggie broth!
Favorite “I want to try that but I’m a little scared!”…remember how one of my New Year’s Resolutions was to try six new foods…well lentils is one food I want to try (and hopefully love)…since I used to LOVE my mom’s sloppy joes, this recipe for Lentil Sloppy Joes looks like it could be a good start to a new food!
Favorite veggie-dunker…it’s no secret that I need something to dip my veggies in to get me to eat them raw…this homemade Creamy Vegetable Dip is bursting with veggies MIXED RIGHT into the dip! I can’t wait to try this!
Favorite inspirational posts…
8 Daily Habits that Will Make You Stronger … I especially like, “nurture your self-worth,” “cope effectively,” and “BE where you are while you’re there” — funny, all things I KNOW I have to work on!
5 Things to Stop Doing and Start Doing for Yourself … this one really spoke to me
Favorite indulgence…anything made by Paula Deen would HAVE TO BE called an indulgence! The ingredient list for Paula Deen’s Bread Pudding has my mouth watering…definitely will make this for a special
Favorite chocolate and peanut butter combo…Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting!!!
Favorite chewy bite…I am a sucker for oatmeal raisin cookies and I’ve always made them with the recipe on the oatmeal container, but this recipe for Thick and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies looks divine…the recipe has been perfected to ensure the kind of texture I crave in this type of cookie…I can’t wait to make some!
Favorite TRUE post…Do you read A Healthy Slice of Life?? If not, you should. Brittany is a new mom, focused on eating well and raising a well-adjusted (and cute!) daughter. She shares healthy recipes, a peak at her life, and her thoughts on a multitude of issues. Her recent post, “Deep Thoughts: More Is Caught Than Taught” really hit the mark. Even though I don’t have any kids, I completely agree that kids (and OTHER people who you interact with) learn by what they see. Reading this article made me think about myself in all areas of my life…sometimes I get frustrated with feeling like no one sees how hard I work or what values I have…but then I just have to remember, I don’t need to tell people that I do these things, I can just do them, and let my actions be my legacy.
Favorite “this needs to change” article…working in health care, in an ICU, I see first-hand how many families (and patients) don’t get to fully utilize hospice when it is needed…Shift to Hospice Care Often Comes Too Late, Study Finds — after reading this article, it’s going to make me try to advocate for any patients I have who may benefit from hospice just a little bit harder. We need to educate people about what hospice is and how it can help someone die with dignity.
Favorite travel post…I’m always trying to figure out WHAT THE HECK TO PACK in my travel on…Cassie from Back To Her Roots shows how super-organized she is in her post, “what’s in my carry on”…LOVED IT!
Favorite FREE stuff…the site Printable Paper has OVER 1000 FREE papers that you can download, from lined paper, to graph paper, to checkbook registers, to game score sheets, to budgets, to lists and games…ahh, I LOVE FREE STUFF like this 
Favorite Valentine’s sweets…you don’t think I would forget some special Valentine’s Day goodies, do you?? These all look SO GOOD!!!
Favorite funny!…
Have a great weekend everyone!!
thanks for linking up to my cupcakes! So many other favorites here today – those brown sugar blondies look amazing. I love a good blondie. They are one of my favorite desserts.