And the Ex-Perfectionist emerges from her hole

First off, thank you all so much for entering into the "Deceptively Delicious" Cookbook Giveaway! Giving away this cookbook is just as exciting for me as it is for you. :) I've already made one recipe from my copy and tomorrow I plan to make the mac & cheese, a childhood comfort food of many of you. If you have not yet entered, click here.

As for my absence the last couple of days, I have no excuse other than I haven't made myself get out of bed in the morning. :( It's the best time for me to blog.

Here is a glimpse of what I've done the last few days...

Cucumber Egg Salad Sandwich

Yes, this is another one of Shawnee's creations.


In my sandwich:

• 1/2 cup diced cucumber
• 1/4-1/2 cup grated carrots
• 1/4 cup red onions
• handful chopped parsley
• 2 hard boiled eggs with the yolk, 2 without
• 1/4 cup light mayo (it's all I had, would have preferred plain organic yogurt)
• 1/4 cup mustard
• salt, pepper, paprika to taste

Directions, mix everything together and serve on whole wheat toast. This made three servings. I served mine with kale chips (my new favorite). Not bad. I am not so sure I liked the parsley.

The benefits of living in a farming community...

I am always getting fresh veggies and fruit from people. I got all this in just one week. That's blue berry jam! :D It is delicious.

Zucchini Cakes

I put that yellow squash, or as some people call them, yellow zucchini to good use and made some Zucchini Cakes. I got the recipe from Food del Mundo.

I really liked them. Of course I made some changes (as usual). First, I gratted the carrots, rather than thinly slice them. I added about 1/2 a cup of thinly sliced green peppers. I needed to use them. I also used3/4 cup flour, rather than part Parmesan cheese, 'cause I didn't have any. Oh and I needed another egg. I also added some chili powder to go with the theme of these...

Quesadillas from "Deceptively Delicious"
I was really surprised by the quesadillas. Jessica Seinfeld incorporated squash puree into the cheese. You couldn't even tell it was there! Of course I only had white cheese, but with yellow cheese your kids (or husband as in my case) would definately be fooled.
I made a Mexicana Hummus to go with my Mexican meal. I used this...
Brittany got it for me a while back and I had yet to try it. It's supposed to be mixed with sour cream rather than chickpeas, but I though "why not?" It's not too bad.
Overall a very satisfying meal!

Sometimes I do things

I've been feeling a little blue today. I'm not sure why. Actually I do know why but It's all gonna be a'ry! But sometimes when I feel blue, I do things...
Like dye my hair. LOL
I'm satisfied with the color. I still need to put highlights in, but I'll do that tomorrow. If Brittany can get a tattoo, I can color my hair.
That's right, I said it!

Tuesday was pretty Scrappy

I did an hour of scrapbooking again on Tuesday, but I ran out of glue. So tonight, I'll be finishing the pages. This layout is for my 2007 trip to Nashville for a Journalism conference.
When I went to buy the glue I couldn't help but buy this fabric!
Ahhh Michelle what have you done to me? Thanks again, Michelle, for "The New Handmade." It's such an inspiring book. I am so excited to make homemade cloth napkins! Won't these just be adorable as napkins? But before I make the napkins, I have to make my cloth grocery bags. I'm starting those tomorrow.

What I've eaten in the last 3 days.

So I didn't calculate calories, but here is my food journaling. You can click them to make them bigger (edited to note that for some reason you can only click the last one to make it bigger...who knows why). I've also been exercising. Though I don't think I'm going to get to it tonight. :( I've been bad. I'll just do a double tomorrow. Well everyone, thanks for reading, and don't forget to enter for my Deceptively Delicious" Giveaway!

Until tomorrow,

--Shawnee

Deceptively Delicious Cookbook Giveaway!

Photo from www.deceptivelydelicious.com

The Ex-Perfectionist is giving away a free copy of Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious.

Ecstatic barely explains how I felt when I received my copy of Deceptively Delicious. I’ve been plagued with the riddle of trying to figure out how to get my husband to eat more healthily on a regular basis. That’s when I found this cookbook.

It’s full of revamped recipes of childhood comfort foods, and best of all, your kids (or picky husbands) won’t even know it’s good for them. Seinfeld sneakily incorporates good-for-you fruit and vegetable purees into each innovative dish.

Admittedly, at first the puree preparation worried me a bit. That is, until I realized Seinfeld gives the reader ideas on how to stock their kitchen, and prepare the purees ahead a time to make dinner a snap.

More from the website:
“Jessica Seinfeld, like many busy parents, struggled to get her three kids to eat healthily. After much trial-and-error — and many mealtime battles — she discovered a foolproof system: delicious and easy-to make stealth recipes that sneak in puréed veggies so kids will never suspect the foods they love are actually good for them!

Her new book, Deceptively Delicious, is packed with Jessica's own mouthwatering recipes, tips on making healthy snacks and improving store-bought foods, and her advice on creating harmony around the kitchen table. Now, parents will never again have to say "Eat your vegetables!""

I was so impressed with the ideas in this cookbook, that I got my friend Brittany a copy of one for her birthday. She also lives with a finicky husband.

This recipe book is perfect for: Parents with kids; spouses with picky significant others; and those days when you yourself don’t feel like eating your vegetables

Here's how to enter (Please read all the rules):

• First: In order to be entered, everyone must at least comment on this post and tell me your favorite childhood comfort food.

After you've completed the first step, there are six additional ways to enter your name into the drawing:

• Follow or subscribe to my blog.
• Add my blog to your blog roll (give me your blog url in your comment)
• Link back to this post on your blog post (give me your blog url in your comment)
• Follow me on Twitter (let me know your Twitter Name in your comment)
• Tweet this Giveaway (let me know your Twitter Name in your comment)
• Refer a friend to this contest (have them mention your name/username in their comment)

You have a chance to enter this contest seven different times! Each entry you make gives you another chance for your name to be drawn.

Make sure you let me know in your first comment the additional entries you have made. For example, if you add me to your blog roll and follow me on Twitter, please let me know in your comment. Be sure to leave your blog url and your Twitter name, so I can check out your blog and Twitter.

All entries must be made by Friday, Aug. 7 at midnight (Pacific Standard Time).

Good Luck!

--Shawnee

P.S. Invite all your friends!

P.P.S Jen, The Prior Fat Girl, is also giving away a cookbook and an apron! How awesome is that!? Check it out.

My Weekend Review and a Rumor of a Givaway??

Finally, after taking forever to edit and load my photos, and the Internet going down, I am ready to make this post!

But, before I do I just wanted to mention that I heard from a little birdy that I might just be doing a really awesome giveaway in the next couple of days. That's right, come back soon to find out how you can win a really amazing cookbook!

And now, my weekend review.


Friday:

Josh and I headed up to Longview to sell some junk at his parent's garage sale. We ended up making $60 a piece! YAY.

I went out to lunch with my mom and grandma at the Country Folks Deli, aka Cow Deli.

I had half a Grilled Avocado Sandwich with Swiss cheese and a side salad. Their Sun Dried Tomato Basil Dressing is to die for. I think I figured out all the ingredients.
I went for a run that evening and then shopping with my cash! I got a complete outfit at Ross for $22.50.
I already owned the purse and necklace. But, guess how much I got the shoes for?? $.50, they were originally $50! A total score. :)
I also bought new bowls to go with the plates I purchased a month or so ago. I wanted to do the mix and match thing. Doesn't my set totally look like a flower?
I also bought the cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, Every Day Chance by Max Lucado, and the newest addition of Real Simple Magazine. The other book in this photo and the utensils are gifts from Brittany and Michelle. I'll share about those later.

Saturday:

Josh and I made our way to the Oregon Coast on Saturday for my mom's wedding.
Maddie wanted to say hi.
The ceremony was super laid back, short and sweet. That's mom and her new hubby below.
The whole new family, including my new little siblings (weird huh) lol. But they're nice. I am an only child, so it will take some getting used to.
Me and Mom.
Mom's reception was totally non traditional. We had lunch in Manzanita...
at the Pizza Garden.
There were about 12 people total in and at the wedding. We all ate out on the deck and watched the two bald eagles fly around their nests.
The inside was really cute too, and...
...pizza was amazing. I was super impressed that they had gluten free crust!

Sunday:

After church on Sunday (back home in A-Town), I drove south to Eugene to meet up with my best girls.
Brittany and Michelle.

We had lunch at the Midtown Marketplace.
I loved the atmosphere. You have to see it for yourself to understand.
We each ordered a different salad. They were all amazing. I got the Pene Pesto Pasta on top of a bed of greens. To die for. It had big chunks of artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, and more. So good!
Then we exchanged gifts! The occasion?: Britt's birthday was July 17th, Britt brought us souvenirs from Disneyland, and Michelle brought me a belated b-day gift!

Britt brought me the Mickey/Disney cooking utensils (in the photo under Friday), and she got Michelle Jack Skellington Mickey ears. Michelle absolutely adores A Nightmare Before Christmas.
I bought Brittany a super cute polka dot apron and a copy of Deceptively Delicious.
Oh, and for my belated b-day present Michelle got me The New Handmade, a really awesome book with tons of modern sewing ideas! I am so inspired.

After lunch, Brittany was in the mood for a smoothie, so I suggested we go toward the University of Oregon. I kind of remember there being a bunch of places to eat and hang when I was at a journalism conference there.

We didn't really find it, but we stopped to walk around the campus and check out the Hayward Field.
Then we intentionally got lost and found our way to the Fifth Street Market...
...and La Velle Vinyards.
Michelle talked us into wine tasting. It was seriously like 3 tblsps worth of wine. I did really enjoy the sweet Rieslings.
Below is Sam, they nice man who put up with us! Hi Sam. :) If you're ever in Eugene, you should stop by the Fifth Street Market and go to La Velle Vinyards, and say hi to Sam.
Finally we found a place to have a smoothie. The LN. LN stands for something, I just can't remember what. Nor can I find it on Google.
Michelle and I indulged in the peach and Brittany treated herself to the strawberry. They weren't too sweet, which is good 'cause it makes me feel like I am not eating a bunch of sugar.
Whew! That post was exhausting. :) Until next time my faithful nine followers!

--Shawnee

P.S. Don't forget to come back often to learn more about my amazing giveaway.

P.P.S. I got sick of looking at myself every time I viewed my blog, so I designed a new header. It may change a bit from time to time in the next few days. So bear with me.

A fabulous weekend and some more online finds!

This weekend was fabulous! I’ll be posting either tonight or tomorrow. I have lots of pictures to share of my weekend adventure. Here’s a glimpse what you’ll see on my next post:

• Good Oregon Eats and a Washington Dud
• My complete $20 outfit (including shoes)
• New Books and Kitchen Utensils
• Pictures from my mom’s wedding
  

I can’t wait to share my finds and adventures! For now check these online finds out:

Article:
3 Picnic Menus from Real Simple Magazine. It's supposed to get up to 100 degrees today, so maybe when it cools down a bit, I'll consider a picnic. :)

Cool Blog:
Healthy Eats: Read, Chicken Salad, Lightened Up. This would make a great addition to the picnic meals. I would probably make this with organic plain or Greek yogurt instead of light mayo.

Coupon:
Muir Glen Organic Tomato Sauce from Pillsbury $1 off. Plain tomato sauce and diced tomatoes is a staple in my home. I'm always on the lookout for a good deal on the organic varieties!

Comment on this, and let me know what your favorite online find!

Have a great day,
Shawnee

Awesome Organic Food Coupons

Hi all, I just wanted to leave you with some awesome finds before I head out for my crazy weekend with my friends and family!

Coupons:

Kashi: Save $1.50 on any TLC® snack when you buy a box of Kashi.

Such a good deal! Safeway has the TLC crackers for sale for $2.50, plus pair that with the coupon and their double manufacture's coupon (up to .50) that's .50 for a box of Kashi crackers! Plus I think their cereal is on sale too. Good find.

Organic Valley (Dairy products): $1 coupons for several of their products. Milk, cheese, sour cream, soy milk, etc.

I never go to the store without printing off one of these babies. Organic milk is just too pricey.

Seeds of Change: $1 off their organic sauces.

Seeds of Change is hard to find in my area, but I love their frozen entrees.

Recipe Find:

I stumbled accross a blog, Then You Stand and she posted yesterday about a homemade Lara Bar recipe at cleaneatingonline.com.

I am so excited to try this. If you've been reading my blogs you know I rarely buy packaged foods, as it is just too costly. But with great coupons and recipes like these, who needs to buy them at full price (or buy them at all for that matter). :)

Enjoy a fantabulous weekend all.

Blessings,

--Shawnee

50 Foot Plumber Man meets Eating Disorders

I’m one of those people who can’t sleep because thoughts, emotions, and ideas are constantly racing through my brain like it’s the German Autobahn. I’m blessed and cursed as a thinker and a visionary -- always dreaming up new ideas or projects for myself. But I can get so completely overwhelmed and ahead of myself that I can’t seem to control the steps or processes it takes to get to my desired outcome.

Thus, perfectionism.

Bah! Well, today I am going to discuss a couple of those things that have been plaguing my thoughts. Just to get them down and out is so relieving.

Attack of the 50 Foot Plumber Man!

First off, I nearly just had a panic attack. I got a phone call today from a plumber’s office and it went something like this:

“Hi this is Trudy from Mr. Smith’s Plumbing. Mr. Smith is ready to come and look at your home." (The plumber is seriously a block away!)

“Oh, uh, wow. I didn’t get any sort of a warning.”

“Well, dear he’s been in business for 20 years and nothing bothers him. Don’t feel embarrassed.”

I agree to let the man come over, hang up the phone, and talk myself out of throwing a fit. (Names have been changed to protect the innocent)

See, I broke my 21 Day habit yesterday and let my dinner dishes go. I had planned to wake up and do them this morning, but I slept in (thus breaking another habit). I had already been feeling guilty about breaking my habits, and now someone has to see the living proof of it!
I had to slow down and think about the rest of my house. It isn’t that bad. Just the dinner dishes.

Anyway, I realized right off that this is the voice of perfectionism creeping in. I’m not perfect. The man has no right to judge me. And even if he does, he doesn’t know how busy I was last night.

So in yo face MR. Plumber man!

Eating disorders: A deadly perfection

There was a common theme floating through the air yesterday. Or perhaps God was just trying to tell me something.

My best friend, Brittany, admitted on her blog yesterday that she has an eating disorder. Then, I was reading the Daily Sparkblog and found a link that defines different eating disorders, including one that is not usually associated or defined as such. Click here for the definitions.

I’ve admitted briefly and vaguely to Brittany and my other beautiful best friend, Michelle, that I have an eating disorder. But I wasn’t really convinced. After reading that definition, I am pretty sure it defined me.

In fact I was just talking to my Mom on our trip to Ashland about this. I actually told her that I am not a binge eater. I told her I’ve never eaten a whole box of cereal or a whole bag of chips. But, occasionally I do have one or two serving extra of something small. Then I feel really disgusted with myself, and out of control, and like I want to crawl in a hole and die.
Part of that definition, defines me. It turns out it doesn’t matter how much you binge on, it’s more about the emotions and feelings that are associated with eating.

I am pretty convinced one of the reasons the world -- girls, teens, people in their 20s and older – struggle with eating disorders and negative body issues is because we’re all trying to obtain perfection. It saddens me to think that some women work for this perfection, but they’re never going to obtain it.

We feel this need for perfection because we were created to feel that need. God created us to keep our eyes on Jesus, who is the embodiment of perfection. Sadly, the world is striving for the wrong perfection.

I’m no better.

But knowing I struggle, and admitting it, is going to make my path to healing so much easier.

Recap of yesterday:

Calories in/Calories out

I'm sorry I didn't get to adding up my calories yet today. Perhaps I will have time and edit to add my calories in and out.

I did do 35 minutes of Billy Blanks' Tae Bo Bootcamp. That was a blast from the past. An exhausting one at that!

I told my hubby last night that when I was in high school, Tae Bo was a sinch to me. It made me feel really out of shape.

Dishes: Not check. Exercise: Check. Wake up early: Check.

So far today, I did not wake up early.

I will be gone this weekend!

On the agenda:

• Garage sale at Josh's parents house on Friday
• Mom's wedding on Saturday
• Lunch with Britt and Michelle on Sunday! Busy Busy.

I'll take my laptop. Hopefully I might have some time to do a quick post.

Have a good weekend everyone.

--Shawnee

Oh Scrappy Day

I had a fabulous day yesterday. Pretty much everything seemed to just flow together, with no major hiccups to my schedule. That makes me a happy camper. Oh wait! Does that mentality make me a perfectionist?

Ahhh! Blind-sided by my own philosophy. Of course, there were a few moments when not all went as planned, but I am not focusing on those insignificant details. I just want all my efforts to be geared in the direction of living and loving my life -- even the imperfect times. If that makes any since at all.

New recipe at add to my recipe binder

My day started off yesterday with an early rise to blog. And, I even had time to try a new recipe: Baked Oatmeal! Thanks to Kath from Katheats.com. Click here for the recipe.



Now, Kath used all banana, but I had some leftover pumpkin puree in the fridge that needed to be used up. I'm calling my version Baked Pumpkin Banana Oatmeal.

Here are my substitutions/additions:

• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (in place of the one mashed banana)
• 1 .5 tsp Cinnamon
• .5 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (added to the batter)
• 1/2 cup mixed chopped nuts and seeds (added to the batter)
• Vanilla almond breeze in place of the milk

I enjoyed ever single bite. This morning, I topped it with half a cup of fresh blueberries. YUMO. Thanks for the idea Kath.

Girls lunch out: Gardner House B&B

My coworker and I went out for lunch yesterday to the Gardner House in Stayton, OR. I had their Hummus and Grilled Veggie Panini (half) and a cup of the chicken dumpling soup. So wonderful and light. Though, I could have eaten a whole sandwich and a bowl of soup. :P

Then for dessert I took one of these babies to go. Chocolate Raspberry Tart.



I ate half after lunch and half after dinner. It made for a sweet treat.

Dinner creation: Chicken Breast with White Wine Lemon Gravy

This recipe is no where near perfect. I'll give you a quick version of the recipe...


Ingredients:

• Chicken breast
• Chopped parsley
• 1/2 green pepper sliced
• Handful of baby Bella mushrooms
• 1/2 of a fresh diced tomatoes
• Juice from a quarter of a lemon
• 1/4 cup (or less) White Wine (not cooking wine)
• 1/4 cup (or less) chicken stock
• tsp Corn starch

First cook the chicken on med-low in a frying pan. Lightly salt and pepper each side. When the chicken is cooked through, lower heat and add the wet ingredients. Next throw in the veggies on top. Once the veggies are cooked to desired crunchiness (or lack there of), remove the veggies and the chicken. Arrange with chicken on top of veggies. Next mix your corn starch with a little COLD water. Add the corn starch water to the left over juices. Stir until the gravy is thickened. Spoon over chicken.

I served mine with grilled zucchini and a baked yam with Smart Balance Light Butter. Not a bad meal for 4oo calories!

Calories in/Calories out (July 21)

As light as dinner may have been the rest of the day goes as follows...

Calories in: 1873

Calories out: 297

Please note that my calories in does not include the wonderful little tart. I'm guessing we could add another 200 to that total. *screams* Keep in mind my goal is 1700.

I am however very pleased with my calories out. I ran for 10 minutes strait, walked for 15 at a decent speed, then walked at the same speed at a 10% incline for 10 minutes, and cooled down for 5 minutes. For a total of 40 minutes.

Don't forget to click the photo of my food journal for a better view into what I eat! I was beginning to feel a little self conscious about taking a picture of my food journal. That is until Dancia posted a very encouraging comment about my journaling on my last post. I began to worry that the photo looks too cluttered. And not to mention I have terrible hand writing. So thanks for the encouragement!

A little me time: Scrap-Happy

Remember the list of things I want to do every week but don't have time for, which I mentioned in my last post? Well, scrapbooking is one of those things. I made time to do it last night for 1.5 hours. It felt nice.

After two years, I was finally able to scrap my best friend's wedding and bachelorette party. Scrapbooking used to be one of those things I was a perfectionist about. I could literally take 4-5 hours on one page. I wanted my pages to by stylish and something that other scrapbookers would admire. You know, a layout worthy of a scrapbooking magazine.

But I realized, I scrapbook for me. Nobody else but me. I want to preserve my memories in a way that makes me smile. I don't care if they're cluttered, or if I use too many photos on one page.

My goal is to do this at least1.5 hours every week. I think Tuesday will be my scrap day. :) I've been putting it off for way to long.


Day 12 (July 21): Dishes: check. Exercise: check. Wake up early: check

My goal for today is to have a good day! I plan to work hard and eat less. :)

What is your goal for the day?

Blessings,

Shawnee