Weird-Looking!

Last night, while I was totally enjoying and rapidly reading Carl Hiaasen's Basket Case I decided to get ahead of the game and cook the short grain brown rice, in vegetable broth, for today's lunch, because it takes about one hour to cook it.

Today has been great. This morning for our first plant-based breakfast, I made us Forks Over KNiVES' Avocado Toast recipe. It was easy to prepare and it was absolutely delicious. Their recipe's ingredients are: avocado, whole grain bread, tomatoes, cucumber, romaine lettuce or spinach, alfalfa sprouts, salt and pepper and lemon juice.

I didn't have alfalfa sprouts, because yesterday a very nice H-E-B employee told us that they no longer carry alfalfa sprouts. I also didn't buy romaine lettuce yesterday, because I prefer to eat kale instead. So, I made our Avocado Toast with Kale and no sprouts and I didn't toast the Eureka Organic Seeds The Day bread.

After breakfast I took care of rescue ranch business, by returning several phone calls, e-mails and paying the bills. Then I did my 4 Firm Miles workout with Leslie Sansone, inside The Cabin.

This afternoon I made us lunch and I used the recipes, in the FORKS OVER KNiVES magazine, which can also be found, on their free app.

I am glad that I cooked the short grain brown rice last night, because it actually didn't take me that long at all to prepare the Red Kidney Beans And Brown Rice Bowls recipe and the Cilantro-Cashew Dressing.

While I was cooking and preparing the Red Kidney Beans And Brown Rice Bowls recipe, it was very easy for me to whip up the delicious Cilantro-Cashew Dressing, because I used Jaws (Vita-Mix machine).

The ingredients to make the Red Kidney Beans And Brown Rice Bowls are: red kidney beans, frozen mixed vegetables, spinach (I substituted kale, again), brown rice, tomatoes, green onions and cilantro and bowls.

The ingredients to make the Cilantro-Cashew Dressing that you drizzle over the mixture are: cashews, cilantro leaves, lemon juice, Serrano pepper, garlic, hot sauce and sea salt. And this is what our meal looked like, before we sat down to eat our totally delicious, healthy, plant-based lunch.

Tony isn't fond of rice, because when we first met he told me that he is a potato man and that he didn't care much for rice. And, at that time, I remember, saying to him, "Hmm." Because I didn't want to scare him off. 

Anyway, back then I also quickly learned that Mr. Potato-Head was also a very picky eater when it comes to his vegetable choices. And that worried me, but not very much, because we were already living together and we were madly in love with each other.

Today, after 21 years of being together and being-in-love most of the time, he balked when he spied me drizzling the green-colored, cashew-cilantro dressing, over my veggies and rice. So he said, "I don't think so. I love cashews, Nance. But I think I'll just use my ranch dressing instead, because it is weird-looking." 

I shot him my Cousin Nancy pouty look that always works, and then I nicely said, "Please try it for me. Valentines' Day is only five days away." And that did the trick, even though he made a point to make sure that I saw him roll his eyes, before serving himself and reluctantly drizzled the "green dressing," over his bowl filled with delicious veggies and rice.

So as I finish writing this tonight, I am more than proud to announce that my dear, sweet Tony loved our, super-healthy, colorful lunch so much—that he ate two bowls of it and he covered his second helping of vegetables and rice, with "that weird-looking, green dressing." And he wants me to make it again! Life is good.

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!

Mayo! Mayo!

Today has been great. Late this afternoon Tony and I took off for Kerrville, because Tony needed to pick up some more birdseed, at Wild Birds Unlimited and I needed to go to the big H-E-B to buy a few more groceries.

In fact, the main reason why I wanted to go to H-E-B was to buy a loaf of healthy, organic, NON GMO, Eureka "Seeds The Day" Bread, H-E-B's Classic Havarti Single Sliced Cheese and a small jar of Kraft mayonnaise, because last night I stumbled upon this very interesting website: TIPHERO.com about how to cook the best grilled cheese sandwich the correct way, without using any butter. And that got me excited, because all of my life I discovered that I've been doing it the wrong way all along with my mother, my sister and my grandmothers.

Yes, I know that by admitting this it proves to you just how exciting my night life really is. Anyway, I could not wait to go to the grocery store today, so I could buy the mayo, cheese and bread.

First, we went to Wild Birds Unlimited and we found Kevin "holding down the fort" all by himself. So while Tony shopped around this super cool store, that has the best of vibes and of course, the best birdseed, I had a fun conversation with Kevin, in between him helping customers find what they needed.

After we adios-ed our good friend, Kevin, we went down the street to shop at the big H-E-B and then we came back home.

As soon as we had put up the groceries Tony went outside to fill up his bird feeders, while I anxiously got out the three ingredients needed to make the best grilled cheese sandwiches, on our Planet and then I cooked us our grilled cheese sandwiches the correct way, without using any butter.

Trust me, I had my fingers crossed, when I placed the mayo-covered piece of bread face up and then put it face down into my non-stick skillet and then I topped it with the cheese, and then I placed the other mayo-covered piece of bread face up too, before flipping it, because I have always done it the opposite way, by placing the mayo sides on the inside touching the cheese, like my grandmothers and mother had taught me.

And oh my goodness (or Mayo! Mayo!), our sandwiches looked so delicious I totally forgot to take a picture first, before we ate them. Anyway,Tony and I both agreed that they were the very best grilled cheese sandwiches that we have ever eaten. And once again, here is the tiphero.com that taught me how to correctly cook a grilled cheese sandwich. And please note: that you can use any favorite cheese that you like.

Y'all have a great evening and keep on laughing!