Creamy Guacamole

Avocados (and anything derived from them) were on the list of foods I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole for most of my life.  Pregnancy cravings with Brooke (now 10) turned my dining world upside down and luckily this was one of them.  Not long after, a coworker at the time showed me how to make guacamole at home.  It's so easy and this one has an extra ingredient that gives it a creamier texture.

Creamy Guacamole

Ingredients:

3 ripe avocados*
Juice of two limes
1 roma tomato - seeded and diced
1-2 fresh jalapenos - seeded and finely diced (or not seeded if you like the heat)
1/2 red onion - finely diced
2 cloves garlic - minced (or 2 tsp minced garlic from a jar)
handful of chopped cilantro
1 Tbs chile powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 c. Miracle Whip
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Seed and chop ingredients 3-7 and have them ready to go.  Remove pit from avocados, scoop out the pulp and smash in a bowl (potato masher works great).  I like mine pretty smooth.  Combine remaining ingedients and stir well.  Adjust seasoning as needed.

To keep guacamole in the fridge, cover bowl with plastic wrapped pressed onto the surface of the guacamole.  This will keep the guac form turning brown when exposed to air.

* A ripe avocado is relatively firm, but will yield to gentle pressure.  Also, the small knob at the stem end should come free easily and when removed the spot should be green, not brown.

Black Bean and Roasted Corn Salsa

As a native Texas girl one of my favorite cuisines is Tex-Mex (is that even a cuisine?).  Unfortunately with all of the tortillas, cheese and sour cream it often isn't the healthiest meal.  In an attempt to add flavor to my fajitas I decided to throw together a non-traditional salsa.  You can always adjust the seasonings to your taste and even leave out any ingredients that you just plain don't like.

Also, the recipe calls for roasted corn.  I love to roast corn on the grill!  Buy the corn unshucked.  Soak the ears of corn in water for an hour then grill over high heat, 5 minutes per side.  If you have any left over this is great way to use it.  If you don't (or don't want the extra step of roasting it just for the salsa) just used frozen (thawed of course) or even canned corn.

Black Bean and Roasted Corn Salsa

1 15oz can black beans - drained and rinsed
1 ear of corn - roasted, cooled and kernels cut away from the cob
2 roma tomatoes - seeded and diced
1/4 red onion - finely diced
1 jalapeno - seeded and finely diced
Handful of fresh cilantro - roughly chopped
juice of 1 large lime (or 2 small ones)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Seriously the easiest instructions ever.  Combine everything in a bowl.  Cover and chill for at least an hour.  The longer you let it chill the better it will be.  Serve with chips, on tacos or fajitas.

I bet it would be awesome the next day.... but it didn't last that long at my house.

Temptation

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. - 1 Corinthians 10:13

Last night I was drawn to the last of the children's Easter candy.  I know there's a chocolate bunny or two hiding out in their rooms.  But I resisted.... I had pickles instead. lol.

Nights when my husband is gone are pitfalls of temptation where healthy eating is concerned.  These nights are fairly frequent since he works shiftwork that includes two sets of graveyards a month.  I'll go through the evening routine and we'll probably even have a healthy dinner.  But once the kids are in bed all bets are off.  I'm confessing right now that I will lay in bed by myself, watch TV  and eat anything and every junk food I can find.  I feel so disgusted with myself afterward, but it's a habit I've had a hard time breaking.

This morning I was proud of myself for resisting the temptation of candy last night, but I DID eat something.  And that's still not completely breaking the habit.  I got to thinking about a discussion our ladies Bible study class has had quite a few times.

When you remove anything from your life it leaves a hole.  You MUST fill that hole with God, or satan will slip in and fill it for you.

Trying to overcome my emotional eating habits without God's help is impossible.  Taking away that comfort (although temporary) of food and not filling the void with something with never result in success.

I'm committing right now to READ MY BIBLE during that time after the kids go to bed that I would usually use to raid the cabinet.  With His strength all things are possible...... even weight loss for emotional eaters.

I did what......?

It seems that I could possibly have maybe sort of agreed to run the Aramco Half Marathon next January...... I think.

Seriously! 

I've been very lazy the past few months with my running.  I use the excuse that my schedule changed, but honestly..... I've been lazy.  I've become complacent in quite a few areas of my life and I'm bound a determined to get back on track.  My eating habits and lack of exercise are two areas that will see an immediate improvement.

In order to improve the way I eat I must improve the way I cook.  I love, love, love to bake and cook using all manner of butter, sugar, oil  and countless forms of processed carbohydrates.  That's not going to do me or my family any good in a quest to become healthier.  So I'm giving my cooking habits a makeover.  I think I'll look at it as a challenge.... can I prepare tasty meals that my family will eat in a way that is healthy?

I'll blog about the good, the bad, and the disastrous (you KNOW it happens in my kitchen!) and hopefully along the way I can build a collection of good-for-us recipes that work for my family.