We had a crazy week of wild weather…started out 86 every day, but then an early morning storm blew through on Friday morning and brought with it a sharp cold front. Today, it got so cold that we started a fire in our backyard firepit at sunset and sat outside for a while! The air was very crisp, and I understand we will have some 30’s and 40’s early next week! The weather in north TX always likes to catch you off guard. I spent the afternoon switching out my son’s wardrobe and having him try on his fall and winter clothes to see what he has outgrown…turns out he outgrew at least half of his clothes and shoes! I guess some shopping is in my future…
TOP FAVORITE BREAKFAST:
Lighter Blueberry French Toast. My husband isn’t super fond of blueberries, but he will eat them if I put some in front of him. He wished this recipe had less blueberries, but for me, it was delightful! I love the blueberry syrup/sauce. I made this up ahead of time and separated out the blueberry sauce into little cups that could be reheated in the microwave, and the French toast could be re-crisped in the air fryer so it wouldn’t be soggy. After doing that each morning, I cut my French toast into bite sized pieces and then poured the hot blueberry sauce over the top. Yummy! I served this with a little box of orange juice on the side for a total of 345 calories.
TOP FAVORITE LUNCH:
Antipasto-Stuffed Baguettes. These were absolutely delicious! My sons ate them cold, but my husband and I ate them hot. They were easy to reheat wrapped in foil and were still delicious left over. I used take-and-bake French baguette bread loaves that came in a 2-pack from Walmart. These sandwiches were a delightful combination of flavors that I served with baked chips and grapes for a total of 441 calories. Each loaf of bread made 3 sandwiches, so the portion size was quite generous. I didn’t slice them into tiny sections as the recipe suggested…instead I just sliced each loaf into 3 whole sandwiches. We ate them so fast that I failed to take a photo, so here is a stock photo from the Taste of Home website.
I have to give some honorable mention, though, to a delicious side dish we had with lunch one day this week. It was a Honey-Dijon Potato Salad. My husband and I were really surprised at how flavorful it was. It’s one of the best homemade potato salads I’ve ever made. We had it with turkey hot dogs. My husband said it was so good that he saved it for last so the flavors would linger in on his palette.
TOP FAVORITE DINNER:
Enchilada Casser-Ole. This had to be the dinner winner for the week, just because you can’t go wrong with the classic flavor combination of enchiladas. This casserole was so easy to make without the step of rolling up individual enchiladas. It reminded us of the flavors of a taco pie that I used to make for my kids that was always a family favorite. I served this with fresh toppings (lettuce, tomato, and light sour cream) and a 1/4 cup of Birds Eye Southwestern-Style Rice on the side for a total of 452 calories. Again, we all dug right in and failed to get a photo, so here is the stock photo from the Taste of Home website.
Another fabulous dinner worth mentioning is these unique “Little Kick” Jalapeno Burgers. This is more of a turkey slider, but it’s filled with fresh chopped jalapenos and topped with the unusual toppings of salsa and sour cream. The flavors will surprise you! It was absolutely delicious, and even my 12-year old son couldn’t wait to have them again. It makes a really small burger, but it was full of flavor and very satisfying. I served them on little Hawaiian slider buns with a salad and grapes for a total of 327 calories.
TOP FAVORITE DESSERT:
For dessert this week, I splurged and made our favorite chocolate chip cookies that I bake using my Perfect Bake system. The recipe is called Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies, and the espresso powder is what boosts and intensifies the chocolate flavor in these cookies. They poof up and make perfect little domes that are chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Fabulous!
I’m happy to report that I had my annual checkup this week and fasted for all of my blood tests. My cholesterol was in the normal range for the first time in years (barely, but it’s in there!), and everything came out great! So this goes to show that some regular exercise and eating reasonable portions of great homemade foods like the recipes I’ve been featuring can keep your health in check! You don’t have to go crazy with extremes of eating and exercise…just keep it reasonable, use fresh foods, and make your meals from scratch. I exercise 5 days a week for about 30 minutes plus a little extra for ab work. That’s it! And I do indulge in treats like those chocolate chip cookies and ice cream and such. Just keep it reasonable!
That’s all for now! Have a great week.
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