7 Days 1 Challenge: Forty-Five

I killed last week's challenge and I hope everybody else did as well. I packed more filling snacks and staggered my breaks to where I wasn't hungry on my drive home from work. Definitely plan to keep this going!

But let's keep this party rolling with this week's challenge.

*In case you're new to these challenges, the challenge starts on Monday and ends Sunday night. The following Monday I'll post a new challenge.



This week's challenge:

Be on time.

I've been a little...behind lately. (Mama, I know, you're in shock.) I was raised to not only be on time, but to be 10 minutes early. Always.

(Mr. B....not sure he knows what "being on time" actually means.)

I hate running late. I get stressed and hot and impatient and tend to drive over the speed limit.

Being on time and I work very well together.

We need each other.

So this week's challenge is to be on time! Now that it's starting to get light(er) when my alarm goes off in the morning should help tremendously.


Who wants to take the weekly challenge? Let me know by sharing your thoughts/struggles and link ups below!


With Love & God Bless,
Brindi

7 Days 1 Challenge: Forty-Four

A lot of my meals last week were centered around green vegetables....primarily zucchini and broccoli. It was so good. I really enjoyed choosing a vegetable as the main ingredient and finding other items to go with it. It was a lot of fun, and I felt healthy and found it easier to get my daily dose of veggies.

But I did struggle with a few of my meals.....which leads me into this week's challenge.


*In case you're new to these challenges, the challenge starts on Monday and ends Sunday night. The following Monday I'll post a new challenge.



This week's challenge:

Don't eat in the car.

Just had to share this picture. Too cute.

I was a little lazy with a few of my work lunches. Instead of eating the salad I prepared or waiting until dinner, I stopped a few times on the way home for a hold-me-over kind of snack. Each time I regretted it. And the shocking thing is I never do this. Mr. B and I may get Subway or Burger King (his favorite) once a month. I don't know what came over me last week, but I need to nip it in the bud now.

So, if I find myself getting hungry on my long drive home I'm making sure I have water or hot tea with me to hold me over until dinnertime. To keep me occupied. However, with this weather (thanks to Sandy), I'm sure I'll be heading straight home.

Does anyone else occasionally have this problem?


Who wants to take the weekly challenge? Let me know by sharing your thoughts/struggles and link ups below!


With Love & God Bless,
Brindi

Sweet B Turns One

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A year ago today I embarked on my own blog journey. And it's been fun, eventful, liberating, inspirational, and delicious.

Some of my favorite (and most popular) posts were about Lucky Charms, my favorite cookies, my first story time, holiday baking with my best friend, a delightful salad, themed parties, a variety of sweets, a new home, and my life in the library.


I have some ideas in motion and plans for Sweet B's Impressions this next year, including more recipe reviews, fitness posts, book talks, and challenges. But, most importantly, I want to share more of my family dishes and my faith. I feel those were the two topics which motivated me to begin my blog in the first place, and I need to bring them to the forefront. My faith is my foundation and food is what brings people together at the table, where we share our days and love for each other. Actually, food and faith are equally present at my dinner table, and I'm encouraged to display that here on Sweet B's.

I'm happy to share my life and food with others, and am always happy to inspire new dishes and change in my readers' lifestyles. I'm very thankful and blessed that friends, family and strangers take the time to read what I have to say or cook. Please continue to comment, sharing your thoughts...and I really enjoy reading what you have to say....and feel free to suggest any recipes or challenges you may like to see on Sweet B's. I love hearing from you all.

It has been one year (and it went so fast) and I knew I had to celebrate in some way.

One of my favorite go-to desserts when company drops by or I need to make when short on time is the puff pastry. It's a blank canvas, allowing me to constantly invent new desserts with whatever ingredients I have on hand. It's lovely. It's delicious. It's fabulous.

I call these my Puffs. I've made Banana-Peanut Butter Puffs, Apple-Caramel Puffs, Berry and Cream Puffs, and many more. BUT, I have one rule: No more than five ingredients....including the puff pastry dough. So I thought what better way to celebrate turning one than to share one of my classic Puffs. And what do I have an abundance of in my refrigerator...strawberries. So here it is, my Balsamic Strawberry Puff. (Ohhh, strawberries and balsamic vinegar....a favorite combo.)

Balsamic Strawberry Puff
*Serves 6

1 sheet puff pastry dough, thawed
strawberries, sliced
honey
balsamic vinegar
whipped topping (I'd prefer vanilla ice cream here, but I was all out.)

Unfold the puff pastry as directed on package and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or sprayed really well). Pinch up the sides, creating an edge so the filling won't fall out. Arrange strawberry slices on top of pastry. Brush berries with equal parts honey and balsamic vinegar.  (Make sure the berries are coated, but not soaking wet.)  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Garnish with whipped topping and serve warm.


With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Sunday Sweets (On a Saturday Night)

1. I've been going crazy because my desk looked like this all week.

I'm getting ready for my Halloween program this coming Tuesday, and let's just say I hope they enjoy it. I put so much work into this. To say I'm excited is a huge understatement.


2. Also, I plan to go as Clifford, The Big Red Dog. (He turned 50 this year!) FYI...not really going all out for this costume...so don't get too excited.

3. Friday's Preschool Story Time was a little crazy. Twenty-one kids dressed in costumes, some candy and toys, a ghost craft and Halloween stories would get anyone riled up. While helping some other kiddos cut out eyes for their ghosts, I heard this loud crying begin behind me. I mean the kind where the kid is screaming bloody murder. It was the toddler who came with his older cousin; his costume of choice was TIGGER. :)

Anyhoo, he would not stop screaming-crying, and finally the mom knew something was wrong. He tripped over his own feet and fell, but now could not move his arm. It looked like it might be broken. The mom was panicking because she's from Virginia and was driving back tonight and didn't want to spend all day at the ER. I helped them out to the parking lot. Apparently the kid had fallen before and fractured his other arm. I have no idea how this ended. All I know is they thanked me for a great story time and left.

Ai yi yi. Tales of the Library.


4. My friends and I celebrated our friend's (Jessica #2) birthday today.

 Happy Birthday, Jessica H.!

5. It was a "50 Shades of Pink" themed party. Not that any of us have read the book...she just LOVES pink.


6. This 80-degree weather a week away from November is ridiculous. At least the hubby was able to take a day off and weather-proof the deck. But I was still able to help with the leaves when I got home...AND he let me rake them into a HUGE pile.


7. You won't believe this, but Mr. B broke his pinkie toe earlier today when he ran into the couch, which happened about an hour after he ran into a dining room chair.


8. I can't help it. I'm already in Thanksgiving-Christmas mode. <3

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Cookie Dough Oats {At My Desk}

Some days I can't seem to get out of bed. Although, I consider myself a morning person.

Here's the deal: My alarm will go off and I'll set it for a half an hour later, but I never (NEVER) fall back asleep. I just lay there thinking, Brindi, get up. But I don't....95% of the time. I watch the sun come up (or, as of now, lack there of) and jump out of bed in a hurry. Why I do this to myself I don't know. But I know me, so I am prepared.

Most days I eat my breakfast at work because I don't have time to even think about breakfast as I'm rushing around trying to look presentable for the day. I just grab my black coffee (and a piece of fruit, if I'm lucky,) and go.

But I have to eat breakfast. It's so important to eat that first meal, to get my metabolism going for the long day ahead. I am big on this. NO skipping breakfast! Therefore, I eat my oats at my desk.

I love oatmeal (if you're new to Sweet B's check out these other oatmeal recipes) and I prefer it hot, thick, with cottage cheese and fruit. But I don't have the time to make it on the stove, nor does the break room have a stove, and I'm not a huge fan of the microwave kind. So, I found a way to eat my oats like cold cereal. (I also like overnight oats, using chia seeds, but most nights I forget to make it.)

I have everything ready to go. I just add my oats, spices and protein powder. Mix in a little nut butter, (or peanut butter in this case....I'm out of my almond butter!!) until its consistency is like cookie dough (hence the name), add a splash of milk, and eat.

This is quite filling and a little bit goes a loooong way.


Cookie Dough Oats

Serves 1

scant 1/4 c oats (not the instant kind)
1 tsp vanilla soy protein powder
dash of sea salt
dash of cinnamon
pinch of ground flax seed
1 Tbsp nut butter
splash of 1% milk (or sometimes almond milk)

To be honest, I don't measure. Add to your liking. Oats go in the bowl first. Next add in protein powder, salt, cinnamon and flax seed. Mix in nut butter until cookie dough-like consistency. Pour in your milk and enjoy. Simple and filling!


With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

7 Days 1 Challenge: Forty-Three

Okay, so didn't get around to making my Harvest Garland, but I did a lot of crafting at work this week...AND I organized all of my scrapbooking stuff!

It's been over a year (cough, closer to two, cough) since I last scrapbooked, and I miss it. I have all of this stuff that's not being used and so much has happened (like I could scrapbook about the house!) and I'm soooo far behind. But now that I've re-organized it, I've re-kindled my crafting flame.

I'm super bummed because a connect group at my church, The Scrapping Ladies, gathers together every other Saturday morning at the church and scrapbooks for an hour. They all bring in snacks and ideas to share. I was stoked when I heard about the group and even more stoked because I have every other Saturday off. Too bad the Saturdays they scrap are the same Saturdays I work. BUMMED.

But hopefully now I have the motivation to scrap on my own again.

Now, let's move onto this week's challenge.


*In case you're new to these challenges, the challenge starts on Monday and ends Sunday night. The following Monday I'll post a new challenge.



This week's challenge:

Choose a vegetable and center your meal around it.

I probably should have completed this challenge back in July, when all of the veggies were in abundance and cheap(er), but with the cold weather coming I'm craving heavy, comfort food. And to keep these favorite dishes a little on the lighter side, I'm adding in veggies. But I'm not just adding, I'm centering my dishes around these healthy foods. Like tonight I'm making a pasta dish to go with zucchini, carrots and peppers. I also bought a ton of frozen broccoli, so I'm sure many of my meals this week will be focused on that.

Instead of eating my veggies as a side, I want them front and center in the main course.


Who wants to take the weekly challenge? Let me know by sharing your thoughts/struggles and link ups below!


With Love & God Bless,
Brindi

Beauty Burgers

Burgers.

It's all about the beans. THE beans. The BEANS.


I'm finally sharing my Black Bean Burger recipe. And it's not because I didn't want to share, I just haven't gotten around to it.


And it's not even my recipe.

I stumbled across it last summer while browsing the various blogs I read on a weekly basis. I found this recipe on Jenna's blog, Eat, Live, Run. This is one of the top three blogs I must visit every day, and her book, White Jacket Required, came out recently and it went straight to the top of my to-read list. I find her blog to be very inspirational, with healthy recipes, travel posts, and great book reviews.

But let me tell you about these burgers. I.cannot.get.enough. I would eat these every day if I could. Which technically I could if I would just make them.

I probably make these every other week. Mr. B frowns upon them (even though he has never tried one), so all six bean patties are mine. Therefore they should last me a week. Nope. I'll be lucky if these beauties last me three days...they're that good.

As soon as I make a batch, I have to eat one. Then I package them up for my work lunches.

I eat one for lunch, sometimes one and a half. And I have every intention of saving the rest for later in the week. But then I get home and I'm starving. They make a great snack. Oh, these are so good.

I think these are why I can't eat ground beef anymore. It doesn't even sound good. Last night I even thought I'd be excited because I made meatloaf; you know, THE Best Meatloaf, and I don't make it often...it's a special treat for me (or it used to be). I took one bite and that wasn't even good anymore. I had to force myself to eat it. I don't know what my deal is. I just know I love these Black Bean Burgers...and turkey burgers.

Just look at the caramelization.

You want that.

These are a must try! Thank me later.


Black Bean Burgers
*slightly adapted from Eat, Live, Run

Makes 6 patties

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp ground flax + 3 Tbsp water (this is your flax egg)
2 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp tomato sauce
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 tsp cumin
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup corn (fresh or frozen...frozen, thawed)
olive oil (or canola oil)  for frying burgers

In a small bowl, mix together the ground flax and water. Let sit for five minutes.Add garlic and one can of beans to a food processor (or high speed blender) and pulse to combine. Add cumin and salt, pulsing until mixture resembles chunky black bean dip. Transfer the black bean mixture to a large bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, tomato sauce, flax and corn. Stir well until everything is combined. Add remaining black beans. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Form black bean mixture into patties and fry for about 4 minutes per side, until golden and crusty brown.

[That's it...so simple!]


I usually just eat these plain and cold....straight out of the fridge. Delicious.

But sometimes, when I'm feeling ambitious, I eat them like this.

Topped with an avocado-Greek yogurt mixture and a tomato. With a side of lime tortilla chips.

Enjoy!


With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

7 Days 1 Challenge: Forty-Two

I made my Chicken Divan for last week's challenge and you can find the recipe here. It's amazing and so mouth-watering good. I hope you all had a chance to make your favorite dishes or current cravings as well.


I'm a little short on time so I'm making this post short. Now let's get to our new challenge.



*In case you're new to these challenges, the challenge starts on Monday and ends Sunday night. The following Monday I'll post a new challenge.



This week's challenge:

Get Crafty.

I've been meaning to make my own version of that fall garland, and this week I am finding the time to get crafty. And I'm hoping once I get started, my craftiness takes over because I have a list of holiday crafts a mile long.

So, borrowing this from Clinton on The Chew, "It's Brindi's Craft Corner. Let's craft!"


Who wants to take the weekly challenge? Let me know by sharing your thoughts/struggles and link ups below!


With Love & God Bless,
Brindi