Great Things I Saw in Gettysburg

I visited Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 12, 2010:

Pumpkin Banana Smoothie: Take Two

First thing first, know how to work your blender. The first time I tried this I disconnect the blender bottom and my smoothie ran out all over my blender, counter and floor. It was a mess, but I am SURE I will never make that mistake again.

This smoothie is a combination of yummy pumpkin puree (that I made over the weekend, see Pumpkin 911 post), half of a banana, vanilla low-fat yogurt, and a couple ice cubes, topped with a little pumpkin pie spice to make it extra special. A great recipe if you have pumpkin puree, or if you have extra canned pumpkin on hand from another recipe.

Drinking mine right now, so yummy.

Early Morning Minneapolis

View from my hotel while waiting for the elevator.
October 29, 2010

The lost trip to the Great Pumpkin Patch

So this was back in early October, but I just uploaded the pictures and remembered what an awesome place it was. Check out the pics, and if you are ever in or around Arthur, Illinois in September or October stop by. Huge selections of pumpkins, squash, and all things yummy.

  

Pumpkin 911

So Earth 911 had a recent article about uses for pumpkins after Halloween. I was then inspired to do a few of the ideas with the uncarved pumpkins I had at home.

1) Pumpkin Puree. I cut open my large pumpkin scooped out the seeds and guts (for later), then put each half on a cookie sheet with a lip on it and about a cup of water on each tray. Then popped them in the oven on 350 degrees for 90 minutes and took them out. After they cooled a little I scooped the soft pumpkin out of the middle and put it into my blender and pureed. Now I have pumpkin puree to use for the next little bit and believe me I have some good ideas for it. (I, of course, composted the pumpkin shell after.)

2) Pumpkin Seeds. Put pumpkin seeds on a cookie sheet with some extra virgin olive oil, salt and an Italian blend of spices. Baked for about 25 minutes on 350 degrees, mixing the seeds around about half way through. Yummy, yummy, yummy.

3) Pumpkin Stock. I put all my pumpkin guts in a big stock pot with water and let it boil until the water turned orange. Then I strand the guts out of the stock, and put them in the compost bin. I'll use the stock later--in soups and hot dishes--like veggie stock. This actually made quite a bit, so ended up dividing it into 5 smaller containers; I'm keeping one in the fridge and freezing the other four to take out one by one.

The 911 article was great, so check it out!

Avatar: The Last Airbender

So here I go...gonna let my nerd flag fly. This show, though geared towards kids and tweens, is exceptional. I truly believe it would be a great show to watch as a family, and though animated be more than captivating to watch as an adult. I mean, I know it certainly captivated my hubby and me. The story line is thought out, the mythology is in-depth, and characters are well developed. It really seems like the creators showed up to create a great story not a kids cartoon.

I highly recommend it. But not the movie, skip it and watch the TV show.

November 1: Get Wellness Soon

Okay, okay...I've said it before, and I really mean it now. I need to make some changes to my diet, my exercise (or lack there of) and my overall health.

1) I ate breakfast today. Something I haven't done consistently since I was a kid and my mom made me.
2) I'm drinking 8 glasses of water (haven't done it yet, but I'm getting there). Not sure why but this is a hard one for me. For one reason, I love soda; for another, I just don't think about it. I've had to remind myself to make sure to drink water.
3) Took a multi-vitamin. I've had them, just don't remember to take them.

Gonna get on the scale (gulp) to take a baseline weight.