My Water Aerobics Ritual + Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake Tutorial

A weekend ritual for me is to go to the gym and do water aerobics with my mom on Saturday mornings and then again on Sunday afternoons. This has been our little ritual for more than a year now. We also try to do this at least a few other times during the week if our schedules allow it. I enjoy taking a class every now and again also. Mom and I have our own little routine that we do in the water at the gym and this is our special mother daughter time to catch-up and fill each other in on what has been happening. We usually try to sneak in a 45 to 60 minute workout. What I love about water aerobics is that it does not even feel like you are working out while you are doing it. 

 

Water aerobics is a great exercise that is non-weight bearing, easy on the joints, resistance training, and aerobic exercise that is done in the water. Anyone can do it and it does not matter what limitations you have. It is a total body workout that helps tone and shape muscles you never knew you had before! The added bonus is that you don't sweat and I'm all about that!

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake Tutorial

 

Today after water aerobics I decided to fix a shake for lunch. My cousin Abbie sent me this recipe a few weeks ago and I adapted it to my taste. She uses Chocolate Nesquik & ice with unfrozen banana, but either way it is a must try! Trust me...you will become addicted if you like chocolate and peanut butter.   

 



 

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt or frozen yogurt

1/2 cup skim milk

1/2 scoop slim fast chocolate drink mix

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 frozen banana

Place all ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

 



 

Enjoy! It's yummy and addicting!

I calculated this to be 7 Weight Watcher Points.

Tip: Whenever you have bananas that are going bad, slice and freeze them for your next shake or smoothie.  

 

 

Do you have a ritual that you do regularly that you enjoy? Do you have a favorite shake or smoothie recipe? Please share if you do...it might motivate me to try something new! 

Southern Chocolate Cream Pie Tutorial

No southern girl should be without this easy standby recipe in her kitchen. My mother passed it down to me and I thought I should pass it down to you! Tomorrow at church we are having a fellowship meal after services and I thought “Why not a “Chocolate Cream Pie?”...thanks to a friend yesterday I was reminded about chocolate pie and I could not get my mind off of it! So this afternoon I got busy in the kitchen preparing for tomorrow and this is the result. Too bad that you cannot smell or taste this yummy dessert right now because it is heavenly! You can click here for the recipe without photos.  

 

Southern Chocolate Cream Pie

2 cups milk

3 eggs, divided

1 ¾ cup sugar, divided

6 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 teaspoons vanilla, divided

 

1 tablespoon butter

1 9 inch deep-dish pie shell

1 teaspoon cream of tarter

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prebaking a piecrust is also known as “blind baking” and you will need to do this to your crust, so prepare the deep-dish pie shell by using fork to lightly prick the bottom of the pastry.

 

 Bake the frozen deep-dish pie shell until golden brown in your 350 degree oven.

Separate eggs. Don't know what this means...to "separate" means to take two bowls and gently crack egg to separate the egg whites into one bowl and the egg yolks into another bowl.  

Stir together 1 ¼ cups sugar, flour, and cocoa powder in a heavy saucepan.

Blend in milk and egg yolks.

Cook until thick. Stir constantly.

Remove from heat. Add vanilla and butter. Mix well.

 

Pour into pie shell.

 

Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in mixing bowl.

Beat egg whites. Gradually add ½ cup sugar.

 

Beat until egg whites are stiff. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Beat well.

 

Pile meringue on top of pie.

Bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown. Enjoy!     

On a side note, fellowshipping together and enjoying hospitality can include food just like my pie above, which is the gift of sinfully good nourishment. Eating together fills our bodies with not only good food but also friendships. A mealtime is a perfect time to share with others and show service. The bible teaches us that one of the greatest gifts to give people is our time and we share our time through fellowshipping and bestowing hospitality. “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’ ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.’” Mark 12:28-31. In Galatians 6:10 we are told to fellowship with fellow Christians, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith”.

Let me know if you try this recipe at home. I want to know how it turns out. I promise it is not as hard as it may seem!

Happy fellowshipping!

Good friends+good laughs+good food=good times

I enjoy having company over to my home occasionally because of the good times it creates! This weekend I invited a few good friends over for a girl's night. Basically it was a night to catch up and have a few good laughs. Let's just say there are some things you cannot erase from your mind. LOL. You cannot have a girl's night without some good food...so I made one of my favorite soups "Taco Soup". Cannot wait until the next one!

Delicious Dishes and Homeownership Reminders

I now can say that I cooked “officially” for "someone special" today. This was a very sweet ending to a great couple of days with Scott;) The menu consisted of Baked Potato Soup and Semi Homemade White Bread via the breadmaker. Click here for the recipes if you want to try them at home yourself. Now, I know it was not a five course meal. Our lunch wasn't anything really impressive or outstanding, but it was something that hit the spot on a cold snowy day in February.

After our yummy lunch ended my special friend had to hit the road heading home in order to prepare for his big workday tomorrow, then the reality of “homeownership” hits me! I go to put something up in my home office/ craft room which has been closed off…and it’s freezing cold! I am reminded that I have a broken heating and air unit. The beauty of home ownership….yay me! The compressor on my unit went out a few days ago and I’ve decided to replace the unit with a newer “in-warranty” model. Now the wait continues for a few more days until my new unit arrives. I am very thankful God made someone to invent space heaters...my house is warm and toasty thanks to a few space heaters. Also thankful that my parents live nearby! This girl isn’t very fond of cold winter weather.

Since “Murphy” likes to visit occasionally I’m thankful for my little emergency fund for times like this. If you don’t have an emergency fund I would recommend you get one to help prepare for unexpected events just like mine! It is best to prepare for the unexpected so life doesn’t overcome you. If you have not read Dave Ramsey’s “The Total Money Makeover” it is a must read if you want to help kick “Murphy” out the door. In January I re-read the book to remind myself to stay on track :) 

So if life sends you lemons...make lemonaid out of the situation...and try to remember how you got to where you are.