Strange going on's at my aol and some recipes

Oh mah gosh!  Okay, something has been up with my computer.  My Free space available all of a sudden went down to 3 something-bytes.  So I tried taking programs off to create more space, didn't work much.  I then tried to restore to an earlier time when I had more space available, didn't work.  So I finally just copied my documents folder to a disk, removed the operating system and then re-installed Windows. 

 

I thought that would solve the problem.  And I do have more free space, just not as much as I thought I would have.  Weird.  But now here's the thing...I lost my AOL favorite sites (lots of PSP places I went for brushes and stuff), and a bunch of other sites that I liked but can't remember at the moment.  The really weird thing is that I have to sign in (even when I am already on AOL) to view profiles.   Yeah, even to see my own profile!  I don't understand that at all.

 

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Okay, enough of how I messed up my computer and AOL.  Let's get to the days usual stuff.

 

                 

 

This first one is a recipe I got from the Lawry's site.  I think it sounds really yummy.  Unfortunately, I didn't get the nutritional information. 

PECAN-CRUSTED CHICKEN

PREPARATION
Preparation Time: 5 Minute(s)
Cook Time: 20 Minute(s)
INGREDIENTS
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 tsp. Lawry's® Seasoned Salt
1/4 tsp. Lawry's® Seasoned Pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 lbs.)
2 Tbsp. Shedd's Spread Country Crock® Spread, melted
Island Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce* (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
 2. In small bowl, combine pecans, Lawry's ® Seasoned Salt and Lawry's ® Seasoned Pepper. Coat chicken with Spread, then with pecan mixture. On baking sheet, arrange chicken.
 3. Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve, if desired, with Island Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce.
 
*Island Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce: In small bowl, combine 1/2 cup Wish-Bone ® Thousand Island Dressing, 2 tablespoons mustard and 1 tablespoon honey.
 
Tasty Traditions Recipe, perfect for family entertaining!
SERVING SIZE
Serves: 4

 

This chicken recipe comes from the Spark People site.  It sounds yummy, but unfortunately, there are way too many carbs for me, at least at this point in my diet.  However, for those who are watching their fat intake, this would be an excellent dish.

 

Spicy Southern Barbecued Chicken
From Spark People
Serves: 8
Removing the chicken fat and skin and adding no salt to the tasty sauce makes this chicken favorite heart-healthy.
INGREDIENTS
3 lb. chicken parts (breast, drumstick, and thigh), skin and fat removed
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoon vinegar
3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoon brown sugar
black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon hot pepper flakes
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 cup chicken stock or broth, skim fat from top
DIRECTIONS
1. Place chicken in a 13x9x2" pan. Arrange onions over the top.
2. Mix together vinegar, Worcestershiresauce, brown sugar, pepper, hot pepper flakes, chili powder, and stock.
3. Pour over the chicken and bake at 350º F for 1 hour or until done.
4. Baste occasionally.
NUTRITION INFO (Serving Size: One chicken part with sauce)
Calories: 177.2
Fat: 4.6 g
Carbohydrates: 23.3 g
Protein: 11.2 g

 

My mom used to make cucumber salad in the summer.  Mmm, I loved it.  Lucky for me it is very low carb.  This sounds good to me any time of the year.  Too bad cucumbers are a bit pricey right now.  Oh what the heck?  I'm going to make it sometime this week, lol.  This would also go great with that Spicy BBQ chicken.  I am really dreaming of summertime now!

 

Cool Cucumber Salad
Serves: 4
This simple cucumber salad is great for the dog days of summer.
INGREDIENTS
1 large cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium bowl, combine cucumber slices and onion slices; set aside.
2. In a small bowl combine remaining ingredients.
3. Add dressing to cucumber and onion, toss well. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
NUTRITION INFO
Calories: 106
Fat: 10 g
Carbohydrates: 4 g
Protein: 0.5 g

 

To finish it all off how about a little dessert?  I hope you like carrot cake.  This should be healthier than most of the boxed cakes.

Applesauce Carrot Cake
Serves: 16
Applesauce makes this cake healthier than your regular cake.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups whole grain flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large eggs
3 cups carrots, coarsely chopped
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
2. In a separate small bowl, combine the applesauce, oil and eggs. Add to the flour mixture, stirring until the ingredients are well blended. Add the carrots and mix again.
3. Pour the batter into a greased 9" tube pan, or use a 9" x 13" rectangular cake pan, or two bread loaf pans, or a cupcake pan.
4. Bake the cake in a preheated 350° F oven for about 1 hour, 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean. Set the cake on a wire rack for five minutes. Then, run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake, and turn the cake out onto the rack to cool.
NUTRITION INFO
Calories: 145
Fat: 6 g
Carbohydrates: 21 g
Protein: 4 g

 

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Here is today's Healthy Reflection from The Spark People.

 

Concentration is the ability to think of absolutely nothing when it is absolutely necessary. - Ray Knight, professional athlete

Are you able to focus on your goals?
Calm your mind. Quiet all of the distractions surrounding you. Concentrate on the one task at hand. Often a naysayer can cloud our minds and break our focus. What in your life distracts you? In the moment of need, silence your brain and allow yourself to stay focused. Save your worries about tomorrow and guilt over yesterday's failures for another time. Maybe you need to meditate, pray, or simply spend a few moments quietly gathering yourself before tackling the project at hand. Now is the time for just one thing--reaching your goal. Today, focus your energy, clear your head, and achieve!

 

Have you ever had so much to do that you spend 10 minutes standing there trying to figure out what to do first?  Or you start on one thing, then find yourself going in another direction before you finish the first thing?  No?  Is it only me?  Sometimes I feel like I am just turning in circles and not getting anything done. 

 

That's when my obsessive list making comes in handy.  I try to sit down, clear my head and make a list of the things I need to get done.  Then I put them in order of what seems logical to do first.  Of course, having a toddler in the house makes me feel as though I am going in circles more than people who don't have one, lol.

 

I get up early and try to get some cleaning done before our sweet lil' monster wakes up.  Then around noon time it seems I am picking up the same toys and whatnot again.  Then I try to get it picked up before her daddy comes home in the evening so he doesn't think I did absolutely nothing all day long.  Then I usually have to pick up the same things again later in the evening.  Okay, okay, it may not be the exact same toys...but it sure does feel like "Ground Hog" day (movie reference) around here most of the time.

 

The diet is going okay.  I'm not making quite as much progress as I'd like to.  However, part of that is because I'm not getting out to the mall and walking every other day like I wanted to.  I am really going to have to try harder if I want that scale to move to the left as much as I want.

 

I have to go...there are some toyssitting over there that are just mocking me and I have to do something about it.  LOL

 

Have a good day!
Hugs!