Patty Melt Makeover

I know I said I'll do a make over recipe every Monday and I will this coming week now that I'm getting my blog running a little more smoothly..

Now back when Lisa and myself first started our journey to get healthier we thought we have some fun by giving one another a recipe we wanted to be made over.  Now let me tell you about Lisa,  she is a southern girl through and through,  she use to eat nearly everything fried in bacon fat !!  and dam she was proud of her bacon grease she collected in a jar and displayed on her kitchen counter.  Well Lisa had a few heart attacks and double bypass surgery so that had to stop.

So one of her request a few months into our diet which was my turn to makeover something for her  was a good old fashion patty melt.  I wasn't sure I could pull that off without it tasting like cardboard.  For those of you who don't know what a patty melt is,  here it is.
   Looks simple enough but, this is from a well know restaurant chain and the sandwich alone will cost you a whopping 1,013 calories and 87 grams of fat !! yummy but ouch!!

Now for mine you will need:
2 slices healthy life bread

1- 4oz buffalo burger " don't knock it! it's delicious with only 143 calories and almost NO fat "

2 slices of low fat cheddar cheese or any flavor you prefer
1/2 onion sliced and steamed in the microwave till soft " about 2 min " saves lots of fat!
1/2 tablespoon of real butter
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard & 1tablespoon of Hellman's low fat mayonnaise " no need for fat free we want it to taste good " mix together
Pam

steam your onions and saute them in a non stick pan with the butter and cook on low till all caramelized
cook your burger the the way you enjoy it.  rare, med, etc
while your burger is cooking, spray another pan with Pam , place your bread with with a slice of cheese on each one till golden brown
then you spread your bread with the mayo mixture add your burger and onions and enjoy!

 This is still nice and gooey just like Lisa likes it! and it will only cost you about 423 calories and not much fat at all!  now to me that's still should be for one of your treat days but at least it's guilt free.  Enjoy!

Fathers Day

My husband and Dad have always had so many hobbies that it was easy to buy for them. This year my Dad is no longer with us so I'll will just have to look back and remember him over this weekend.
    This is my Dad Manny,  he was a tire man who loved his job  and people so much that he won Tire man of the year a few times.  He also loved reading history books,  fishing, birds, and gardening more than anything.  I miss him so much and when I am out on our deck and see all the birds and flowers I think of him and smile.

My husband Steve loves so many things and much of his hobbies are very expensive..lol he never does anything small,  he is a perfectionist when it comes to anything he does with the one exception, and that is he is my Hobo ! my guy could live in total disarray! so after 26 years I've stopped trying to change him and seeing that's pretty much my only gripe with him I've decided to let it be.

Getting back to father's day this year is a little tough for me,  after all these years together he pretty much has everything aside from a Patton boat he would like to have so we can go fishing on one of these huge lakes we have here. So I have been scouting around like a nut this past month or so trying to find something nice for him with not much luck until this morning,  I finally came up with something!  I think he is going to get a kick out of it and love it. I can't say what it is but I will post it after he gets it.  I should mention though everything he does like is expensive, photography, shooting, coin collecting, ect he is the kind of man that is so appreciative with anything he gets no matter what it is. For heavens sakes he still to this very day thanks me for every cup of coffee or meal I ever give him!

This is my Steve and his two best buds Yankee and Dixie.

One of my hobbies..

I love unsolved crimes,  I know to some that may sound grim.  It all started when I was around  14- 16 years old and my Mom and Dad was just sitting down to watch a movie and I heard the opening music,  it was old music to my ears when all of a sudden I heard the squeak of an opening door and someone said... please come in,  someone has killed father!  I rushed in the living room and asked what the heck are you watching?  and they said " Lizzie Borden "  you know the rhyme..Lizzie Borden took a axe and gave her father forty whacks and when she saw what she had done she gave her mother forty one.  Umm I watched the movie and when my Mom told me it was a real story and the crime happened right in the next state,  well I was hooked!  I have been to Lizzie's houses and the museum that has some of her things and a old woman who shared milk and cookies with Miss Lizzie as she called her and yes I even went to her grave and took pics!  if I could have spent the night there in her room I would have.  So that's where it all began and how I got so interested in crimes and mysteries. I've dragged my husband into it also. We watch all the unsolved mysteries, crimes shows, court TV,  and of course Nancy Grace and all of her pose as I call it.

The reason I am talking about this today is because we've been wrapped up in the Caylee Anthony case everyday.  Over the years with all the technology and forensics it just so interesting.  Our hearts go out to all the missing kids and their families. Its so hard to ingest that a Mom could possibly be involved or the actual perpetrator in this crime.  How could any good come from this horrific deed? How this crime affects so many people. Do any offenders ever stop and think what they have done?  It just doesn't stop at that child losing his or her life. They robbed them and the ones who loved them of any future,  We will never know if this child could have grown up to be a doctor who would cure all cancers or have that infectious voice say like Barbra Streisand's or Elvis with his shaking hips who will be remembered and enjoyed for years to come,  a President who could have changed history. We will never understand why no one was there to protect them.

It all brings me to think that we should never be so busy that we can't take  an extra  bit of energy, a few seconds with our hugs, kiss, and say I love you a little more often.  Sometimes when your with someone a long time they automatically assume you know how they feel but, no matter how old you are or secure in your relationship it is always nice to feel those hugs and hear those words.  So NEVER take for granted that you'll see that person forever because whether your as young as little Caylee or a Great grand parent the last time may very well be the last time you see them alive. 

Menu Makeover Monday

 It's Monday and if you remember in my earlier post that I lost a lot of weight with no real help from anyone or any specific diet other than my cheer leaders Lisa and Steve.  Many weeks my husband and myself  have a date to go out to breakfast and shooting.

Now mind you when we go out that would be my free day as I call it.  You know when you can have a treat or something you wouldn't eat on a daily basis.  Anyways  I always got the same thing because I enjoyed it so much and I figured it would be fair with calories.  Well my daughter one day said she had this application on her phone where she could look up almost any restaurants menu and the calories of the meal,  well I wasn't to concerned because I was losing weight consistently every week so how bad could it be right?  Wrong!  I always got vegetable stuffed crepes made with egg beaters even, that's it no hash browns, no toast, no meat on the side or in the crepes.  Well that breakfast was approximately 1, 040 calories!! not to mention the grams of fat!  I was blown away when I heard that.  So the following week, I figured let's go simple and get a plain and simple breakfast of simply french toast,  just three pieces and nothing else.  Umm that cost me over a 1,000 calories as well.

So today I want to start with making over my version of a much lower fat recipe for french toast. 

Now I have to admit I can also make a much nicer fattening version myself but,  if your needing to lose weight we have to be reasonable. This recipe is still filling and taste pretty good and you don't feel cheated and it's especially nice when you see the numbers on the scale go down and you really didn't miss out on much.  So here is a pic of a french toast from a famous chain that cost you over 1,000 calories and you don't want to know how many grams of fat !

 Ahhhh six pieces with just a smack of strawberries and a pinch of whip cream, looks innocent enough.  And here's my makeover version...

You'll need 3 slices of healthy living low sugar/ low carb bread.
1/4 cup egg beaters or egg whites
1/4 cup Almond breeze
1/4 splenda
1/2 teaspoon of good vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of good cinnamon
and a few sprays of Pam
1/4 cup _ 1/2 cup sugar free syrup
2 nice strawberries
 Now minus the bread, mix the first 5 ingredients well,  spray a pre-warmed griddle with Pam, dip your bread in the mixture and cook on both sides till golden brown,  Serve with strawberries and syrup and sit down and enjoy it with your favorite morning beverage.

 And here's my finished french toast, don't look bad and it will only cost you about 160 calories and almost no fat !

I am starting to get excited

Well I am starting to get excited!  My daughter and myself are off on a new venture.  We are starting a new business called " Patriotic Moms Boutique " we bill be selling handmade children's clothing,  things to keep the kids busy.  Beautiful hat boxes filled with goodies or empty to have for yourself or give as gifts,  clocks, wax less candles,  the list goes on!  We will even have items for the pets. We are so happy to put our love and talent out there for people to enjoy.

I never thought trying to get things in order was going to be so time consuming!  not to mention having to run a household and take care of pets.  There never seems to be enough hours in a day for all you want to do or accomplish. I wish I could pull all nighter's like I was able to do twenty years ago.

My poor husband isn't feeling well and it's been so hot here that it drains the life and energy out of you.  But that's OK, we'll get everything done one way or another.