A little baking

I baked 2 loaves of quick bread this evening.  The first one is banana bread - I used  a recipe from my friend Elizabeth.  It is a pretty basic recipe that calls for a teaspoon of cinnamon - the cinnamon with the banana and pecans is a very nice combination. 

The second is a very nice bread that calls for no oil or shortening.  So if you are watching your fat intake, or if you are short on butter and can't go shopping right now, this might be a recipe that works for you too. 


Nut Bread

1 egg

1/3 Cup sugar

1 Cup Milk

2 C flour
2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts ( pecans are good too)

Preheat the oven the 350 degrees.

Beat the egg and sugar together with a whisk. Whisk in the milk. With a spoon or spatula, mix in the dry ingredients. Add nuts.

Pour into a very well greased 8x4 bread pan.

Bake about 35-45 minutes or until it tests done.

Serve warm with a little butter. Jeff likes it toasted.

Rain! clean slate and more seeds

 We woke up rain this morning and have had showers off and on all morning. It has been a hot dry summer so the water and cooler temperature are very much welcome.

Clean Slate -

  I got tired of the way our dining room was set up.  I took everything off the walls, then patched all the nail holes and touched up the paint.   For now, just the table and chairs are in here but they won't be looking like this forever.  I am not sure what I will do,  I just know I want some color this time.

 any suggestions?

More seeds

 I hope to have more seeds.  These are some pink and red geraniums drying.  I bought them as small plants and they looked beautiful blooming all summer.  I am not sure if their seeds will "work" though.

these are zinnias that I grew from seed - I am pretty sure their seeds will grow next summer.  Each flower has so many seeds in each one, it is really amazing.

Brown bag lunches

Jeff takes a lunch box full of snacks and his lunch everyday to work.  When I worked, I also took snacks or lunch as needed with me.  Debbie  says she packs lunches and she asked me how I do our lunches.   Debbie this might bore you,  Jeff takes almost the same thing everyday.

A travel mug of coffee

a bottle of water to take with him when he is on the road

his entree is either a dish of last nights leftovers or a sandwich.  This lunch was a sandwich and dish of veg soup

2 servings of fruit - he has plums and cantaloupe in this one

1 serving of nuts and 2 string cheese

a bunch of grapes - I bag them into to serving sizes and store them in the fridge like that.

Nuts are one of our favorite things to snack on.  But it is really easy to eat way more one serving without even realizing it.  2 summers ago,  I got a case of 1 ounce portion cups at a yard sale.  The  portion cups are perfect for holding 1 ounce of nuts.  So when I open a new can,  I get out those little cups and divide them.  Then they are ready to put in a lunch box or a snack.

Jeff is a big fan of Del Monte peaches canned in light syrup.  When fresh fruit is not plentiful,  I open a big can of peaches and divide them into little jars for his lunch box. A big can will yield about 14 jars full.

Bananas and cantaloupe waiting to be eaten,

In the fridge,  bagged up grapes, cabbage soup in mugs, watermelon cubes in containers.    Fixing lunches is easy in the morning when things are ready to just pick up.

Jeff's string cheese.  Actually, everyone in our family likes them except me.

His lunch all gets packed into a little Rubbermaid cooler that he has been using for about 10 years or more. 

When I worked,  I liked sandwiches, fruit, nuts or high fiber granola bars. 

My favorite snack was hard boiled eggs with a few celery and carrot sticks and just a dab of ranch dressing for dipping.

for me,  the way to have healthy and easy lunches on the go is to plan and package ahead.