Pajama Day

I have had a nice, cozy pajama day today - lounging, reading, cleaning in my Winnie the Pooh's Eeyore pjs. I have enjoyed my dose of self-pampering after working two days with no assistant. I knew I would want to unwind this weekend which is why I went to our local library to gather up some new treasures to browse through. I checked out four or five, but so far I've been alternating between two.

The first is Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine, a mother who has created a career out of finding delicious, sneaky ways to add fruits, vegetables, nuts and fiber to the usual kid-friendly foods like mac and cheese, pudding and brownies. Click here for some of her tasty recipes. Thanks to my papaw in Louisiana who plowed huge gardens with his faithful mule, Jack, I grew up eating lots of veggies, but in my opinion almost none of us get an optimum amount of nutrients in our foods so why not add more if it doesn't effect the appearance, texture or taste? One easy trick I learned years ago is to substitute applesauce for oil in baking recipes. There is absolutely no difference unless you count all those calories that you're not getting. If you've never tried this, go for it and let me know how it turns out. I will definitely be trying some of Chef Missy's recipes and will post my thoughts.

The second book is The Spark by Chris Downie who has a really interesting story about his journey from a shy, anxious person to one who now lives his life's dream of inspiring millions. He has created one of the world's largest free websites for health and fitness. Click here to visit the site. I've only glanced at it, but it looks quite interesting and will probably be something I'll do to add to my motivation arsenal.

I have a dinner/DVD date tomorrow so I am signing off and finishing up with tidying Cottage House. I hope each of you are doing something this weekend that bites off just a little bit more of this tasty fruit called LIFE. Peace and love to you all . . .