Pictorial Deposit (Foodless WIAW)

AKA Photo dump. But pictorial deposit sounds like a lot more work was involved, doesn’t it? 🙂

Here are a bunch of pictures from a recent weekend that my family and I spent in Michigan:

And I’m linking up to WIAW just because 😉

The weekend started with my brother and I going to a Detroit Lions baseball game.

It was my first time ever at a professional baseball game and it was much more exciting than I predicted!

I got the tickets free from work along with some “Fun Money” which my brother spent on food along with some souvenirs.

Before the game was over I convinced him to take a picture of me in front of the stadium. 🙂

And of course I returned the favor 😉

The Lions ended up winning the game and after it was over they had very long and beautiful fireworks show.

We didn’t end up getting back until very late that night but nonetheless Saturday morning we all got up bright and early, made breakfast, and headed out to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan.

The home of the late Henry Ford.

The first part of the village had a lot of historical cars and memorabilia of the famous Ford.

Including one of his first cars pictured below!

Besides the Ford cars we also saw one of his tractors.

Along with the tractor there was also a windmill and an enclosed area that housed sheep.

There were also a lot of things about Thomas Edison who apparently acted as a sort of mentor to Ford.

We got to tour Edison’s laboratory where he performed some of his experiments and also where one of his inventions, the galvanometer, was showcased.

Then we were off to a few other famous homes including the Sarah Jordan boarding house.

The bicycle shop of the Wright Brothers.

Near the bicycle shop was their home from Kitty Hawk.

And one of the highlights of the trip for me- the home of Noah Webster, the creator of Webster’s Dictionary.

Look at all of those books!

This is only about half of the places that we visited in Greenfield Village so far. Be forewarned- many more pictures ahead!

My mom was the person who was really pushing for us to visit Greenfield Village so we had to make sure to stop by the craftworks district, which was where she wanted to visit most, and which ended up being everyone’s favorite part!

There was glassblowing.

As well as Pottery.

Tin.

And weaving.

Then came the real fun of the day- getting to watch my brother operate a printing press 🙂

Success.

The printing press was towards the end of our trip to Greenfield Village so of course before we left we had to make sure that we captured all of the necessary photo opportunities.

All in all it was a great weekend and look out for the rest of my recap on Friday!

Just in case the thought of another “pictorial deposit” doesn’t excite you, there’s also the recipe for this to look forward to:

Grain-free. Nut-free. Vegan. And oh so yummy 😀

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Questions for you:

What did you do this past weekend? I went to a bridal shower and went thrift store shopping with my mom (more on that later!).

Have you gone any trips with your family/friends recently? Yep. The entire post above 😉

What is your favorite type of vacation? I like vacations where there is a little bit of everything. Relaxation. Fun. Learning.

What I Ate on my Interview Trip

I want to start off by first thanking everyone for their comments on my WIAW and Currently #2 posts last week. They were so kind and much appreciated as always!

Second, I want to make a disclaimer. I have no idea what will come of this interview, and even if I am offered the position, I’m not sure that I’ll take it. Either way, it was a great opportunity and I definitely do not regret going.

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And now, for a recap of the trip!

Many meteorologists and weather stations predicted that our area would be hit with a snow storm on Tuesday night. The night my dad and I were planning on leaving. So… I got ready early and drove to my dad’s college so that we could beat the storm. I picked him up around 8:30 PM and we left straight from there.

I was pretty beat from all of the stuff that I had to do Friday and I was so grateful that my dad offered to drive the whole three hours (I was in and out of sleep for much of the time). We got to our hotel around 11:30 PM without any snow troubles, checked into our room settled down for the night. Of course, I had to take pictures of the room to show you all.

Television and Fridge (<<< very excited about the unexpected fridge!). Unfortunately our television only let us watch one channel. The front desk offered to move us to a new room, but it was late and we decided to stay put. On the plus side, we got a nice little discount because of the error!

Closet:

Note from housekeepers:

Sink and mirror:

Telephone:

After checking the room out, I got ready for bed and worked on my WIAW post. Soon after that I went to bed.

The next morning at about 6:00 I woke up to find my dad heading downstairs to the lobby for breakfast (hard boiled eggs and fruit). Afterwards he went to a local health clinic to get checked out because he was coughing up a storm and didn’t feel well. With a prescription from a nurse practioner, and some Halls cough drops, he was good to go!

I slept for another hour and a half after he left and proceeded to make myself breakfast.

Then I took a shower and got dressed.

By that time my dad was back, he took a short nap, and then we both went on a little adventure to Whole Foods.

We picked up a ton of organic food for my mom (nuts/seeds, raisins, beans, tomato puree, coconut flour). I went there hoping to get some winter squash, but the produce man said that they didn’t carry any because winter squash is out of season.

Meijer begs to differ (as does Wal-Mart, Krogers and the Whole Foods that my aunt just went to).

After our Whole Foods excursion we went back to the hotel to pack and I made myself some lunch.

How many people do you know who cut zucchini in hotel bathrooms?

Not much later I got dressed up in my interview clothes.

After I was ready we checked out and headed to the business park where the company was that I would interview at.

The Internship Interview:

First was a tour of the building- so many rooms and cubicles! They also had a few kitchens and one even included an oven! Next I job shadowed a customer service phone operator who was trained on a few of the company’s accounting software programs. Lastly I had two separate interviews. I felt that both went rather well, but we’ll see!

After the interview concluded around 3:30 my dad picked me up and we headed home. About an hour in we stopped for me to change into some more comfortable clothes. I also picked up my dad a decaf coffee at Burger King and I pulled out my thermos of soup that I cooked in my electric kettle before leaving the hotel.

On the way home we had a minor setback when we encountered a super long train. We sat there for what seemed like forever!

We finally got home around 8:00 PM, almost a full 24 hours since I had left the previous day. My dad headed straight to bed, but I got some more food and settled down in the living room to tell my mom all about the internship interview.

Thanks to Jenn for hosting this wonderful link-up party and allowing me to share my trip eats!

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Now, as promised, here are two of the recipes that I taunted you all with last week.

First up are these crackers, which both of my parents just gobbled down. My dad especially was a huge cracker fiend before going GAPS, so I wanted to make him a cracker recipe that would fulfill his snacking needs. My goal was to make something sort of like a wheat thin, and thus these suckers were made:

Grain-Free Crispy Cracker Thins

Grain/Gluten/Wheat-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free Option, GAPS/Paleo Friendly

Adapted from Caveman Food

Ingredients:

• 1 cup seed/nut flour (I used sunflour)
• 1 egg white
• 1/8-1/4 tsp sea salt
• More salt for sprinkling 
• Optional: herbs, spices, etc.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, egg white and sea salt to form a dough.
3. Put a piece of parchment paper down on a cookie sheet. Place the dough in the middle. Place another piece of parchment paper on top. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough very very thin. When you think it’s thin enough, roll it out some more (you want it super thin for a crispy cracker. I also had to use my hands to spread out the dough).
4. Remove the top parchment paper carefully.
5. Use a knife to score the crackers to the size that you want. Sprinkle with additional sea salt and other toppings to your liking.
6. Bake in the oven for approximately 18 minutes. You may want to check at 10 minutes and two minute intervals thereafter; however, to make sure that they don’t burn (oven temps differ greatly). 
7. Let cool for a few minutes and then carefully break off the crackers. 
8. Enjoy!

Recipe shared on: Thank Goodness It’s Monday, Fat Tuesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Gluten Free Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, and Wheat-Free Wednesday.

Next is my healthified take on the McDonald’s classic: The McGriddle. Sorry for the less than stellar pictures, but I made these at night for my mom and dad. AKA- horrible lighting! Anyways, this recipe makes 4 medium-sized McGriddle sandwiches, but be prepared to freeze extras, because just one is plenty filling for a whole meal!

Paleo McGriddles

Makes 4 McGriddle Sandwiches

Grain/Gluten/Wheat-Free, Nut-Free, Dairy-Free Option, GAPS/Paleo Friendly

Ingredients:

• 8 pancakes
• 4 sausage patties
• 2 eggs, cooked as desired
• honey (optional)

Pancake Ingredients:

Adapted from A Mom on a Mission

• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup mashed acorn squash (any winter squash, pumpkin or banana puree would work)
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp sea salt (optional)
• Ghee or coconut oil

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet on medium heat. 
2. Combine all of the ingredients except for the ghee/coconut oil. 
3. Coat the pan in the ghee/coconut oil to prevent sticking. 
4. Use slightly under a 1/3 cup (or 1/4 cup, but you don’t want to waste another measuring cup, right? 😉 ) and pour onto the hot skillet to form pancakes. Spread out with the cup or a spoon if necessary.
5. Cook for approximately 3 minutes then flip. Cook for another two minutes and then remove to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter.

Sausage Ingredients:

Adapted from Autoimmune Paleo

• 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
• 2 tsp of fresh or 1/2 tsp of dried rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic/onion powder (whatever herbs you have on hand. Cayenne or cinnamon would add a nice kick too)
• Ghee/Coconut Oil 

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet on medium-high.
2. Combine the beef with the seasonings in a bowl. Form into four patties.
3. Coat the pan in the ghee/coconut oil to prevent sticking. 
4. Place all four patties into the skillet. Cover if able and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Uncover and flip the patties. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Check for doneness.

McGriddle Directions:

Set out four pancakes. Top with one sausage patty, then 1/4 of the cooked eggs. Drizzle on honey if desired. Put on remaining pancake tops. Enjoy!

And don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten the other recipe that I posted a picture of during my Friday post. All of the chocolatey and peanut-buttery (or nut butter substitute for those of us with allergies 😉 ) will be coming at you soon enough!

Have a fantastic and veggie-filled Wednesday!

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Did you get hit with any snow this past week? 

When was the last time that you stayed at a hotel?

Did you love McGriddles and Wheat Thins growing up?

All About New Years 2013 (Plus NYE WIAW)

Hello WIAW-ers! How is your year going so far?

I’m sure you all have started, or have at least began thinking about your New Year’s Resolutions. Last year I refrained from making a specific list and instead decided upon a simple goal. A goal to be more proactive.

I don’t really like being confined to specifics, so in 2013 I’m going to follow along the same lines as last year and pick just one generalized resolution:

Try New Things.

A few “new things” that I want to try include:

Joining a new group at college
Following a Bible devotional
Experimenting with a new-to-me food
Reading a different genre of book
Trying out an exercise class
Blogging about a topic other than food/health

Other than making it a goal; however, I’m not going to set any specific events or get down on myself if I don’t complete tasks by a certain date.

New Year’s Resolutions in the late 1800s were about becoming a better person through doing good works or making an effort to improve your character. Today, someone’s typical New Year’s Resolution is focused on becoming better superficially.According to my trustworthy trusty friend Wikipedia, the typical teenage girl’s resolution focuses on improving her body, hairstyle, makeup and/or clothing.

A resolution is supposed to be a lifestyle change. Normally I am a pretty withdrawn, not very social person. Sometimes this can lead to missed opportunities, or just sheer boredom. That’s not to say that I am going to suddenly change overnight from an introvert to an extrovert, but I am going to make a conscious effort to try new things, and make the most of this new year.

As a sort of closure from 2012 and lee-way into today’s WIAW post, I want to give the top 5 WIAW posts on Eating 4 Balance. I’ve said before that I want to be transparent, so I’m also going to give you all a link to my blog’s Annual Report with my stats.

Best of WIAW from 2012:

1. WIAW- Randomness, Workouts and Recipes (62 comments) October 2012
2. Jammed Packed Weekend, Recipes and WIAW (39 comments) September 2012
3. Wiaw While Packing for College (Pumpkin recipe) (20 comments) August 2012
4. WIAW + Fun Foods Survey (59 comments) November 2012
5. What I Ate/Watched Wednesday (44 comments) October 2012

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Now for this week’s WIAW- What I Ate on New Year’s Eve While I Babysat.

Right before I left for babysitting, I made some carrot juice to drink, and I prepared my supper in some thermoses.

When I got to the kid’s house at 3:00 PM they showed me their Christmas presents and then we watched some Disney Channel.

After that the girl and I made some colorful snowflakes and decorated their kitchen.

Then it was time for supper. For them I made homemade macaroni and cheese:

For myself I had some homemade soup with zucchini noodles, beef, beef broth and sea salt:

After that we played Parcheesi and watched Despicable Me while we colored and drew pictures (sadly I forgot to take pictures of our drawings! I drew a Bird of Paradise and one of the minions from Despicable Me). Here’s a goofy photo of me instead:

At 10:00 PM their parents came home from a night of The Hobbit and a texas roadhouse to eat. The snow near the roads had started to drift and the family all got in their big truck (the kids still in their pajamas) to follow me home and make sure I arrived safe. So nice!

When I got home my brother and his friends were playing video games and my parents were upstairs watching a movie. Immediately I went to the kitchen to heat up another large mug of soup, this time with kabocha squash!

I read some blogs in our office and after some texts wishing a Happy New Years at midnight I went to bed. My brother and his friends had a much more exciting start to 2013 with carbonated juice in fancy wine glasses, and confetti poppers (of which some remnants are still strewned across our driveway).

This morning I woke up to the good news that the Senate, and this afternoon the House passed the legislation to prevent our country from going over the fiscal cliff… *Whew* That was a  close one. Happy New Year indeed!

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Have you made a New Year’s Resolution yet? It’s not too late!

What did you do on New Year’s Eve? Did you see the ball drop?

Do you ever make fresh juice? What’s your favorite kind?

WIAW Me Vs. Them

Howdy Ho Ranger Joes!

I really don’t know where that came from.

But I’m just going to role with the Full House reference and take it as a sign that I’m officially on vacation.

Relaxed. Carefree.

And totally ready for the upcoming days.

End of the world? Check.

Giveaway post? Check… See below for a sneak peek at what I have in store for you all tomorrow.

WIAW post? Check.

I’ve been so thrilled with how my Christmas vacation has been going so far. One of the things that I’ve really been loving is getting to make all sorts of amazing food. Food for me, and food for them. “Them” being my family. So today’s WIAW post is going to be a little show-down of Me vs. Them in terms of food. I think you’ll quickly see a difference. Ha.

Thanks Jenn!

Disclaimer: These posts do not reflect everything that I eat during a day. There are a lot of unpictured snacks like fruit and vegetables, as well as undocumented nibbles as I’m making my meals.

Breakfast

Me: Banana “Ice Cream”

Them (aka. Mom): 2 fried eggs with 2 slices of buttered toast

Lunch

Me: Microwave Veggie and Rice Soup

I finally did it! I made SOUP.

You didn’t think I’d leave you without a recipe, did you?

Microwave Veggie and Rice Soup

Gluten-free, low fat, vegan, nut-free, microwaveable

Ingredients:

• 1/4-1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 1 cup water
• 1 serving (3/4 cup) baby carrots
• 1 cup sliced zucchini
• More water as needed

Directions:

1. Add uncooked rice and water to a medium-sized bowl. Microwave for 8-10 minutes until cooked.
2. To the cooked rice add the carrots and zucchini. Cover with more water (about 1/2 cup).
3. Cook for an additional 6 minutes, or until veggies are soft when pierced with fork.
4. Enjoy alone, or with an added protein.

I mixed in turkey meatballs with mine!

For added convenience, I transferred the soup to a coffee thermos and ate it on-the-go.

Them (aka. Mom and Dad): Bubble Pizza

I love making food for my family. One such food is Bubble Pizza. It’s a cinch to make.

It is not however, allergy-free, but I’ll include substitution ideas for all of the questionable ingredients and hopefully you can make this dish to fit your needs. It’s seriously delicious!

Bubble Pizza

• 12 canned biscuits*
• 1 jar (3 cups) pizza/spaghetti sauce*
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese*
• Meat (optional): 1 pound cooked ground beef, sliced pepperoni, sausage
• Vegetables (optional)

Directions:

1. Tear half of the biscuits into four pieces and distribute evenly into a sprayed 13×9 casserole dish. Place in oven as it is preheating to 400 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, tear the other half of the biscuits and place in a bowl. Add the pizza sauce, 1 cup of cheese, and any desired add-ins like meat or vegetables (I added pepperoni).
3. Remove the dish from the oven when preheated. Spray again to prevent sticking as the oil will have baked off.
4. Pour the mixture of biscuit, sauce and cheese over the baked biscuit layer.
5. Bake for an additional 20 minutes.
6. Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese on top and add a layer of pepperoni (optional). Bake for another 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Substitution Notes:

• Any biscuit recipe will work, including vegan and gluten-free variations. Just make a batch, divide it in half, and separate into small pieces.
• Again, any pizza or spaghetti sauce will work here. If allergic to tomatoes, you can use a creamy alfredo sauce or a sauce made from pureed peppers and carrots.
• A shredded soy or nut-based cheese can be used in place of the mozzarella cheese to make this dairy-free and vegan.

Dinner

On the way back from my doctor’s appointment today my mom and I stopped at Whole Foods to buy a few necessary items, as well as to get supper. I was starving!

Me: From the hot and cold bar- Salad with lettuce, cucumbers and shredded carrots; brown rice; roasted rosemary chicken.

Them (aka. Mom): Slice of pepperoni and sausage pizza; orange cranberry scone.

Snack

Me: Apple Chips.

I saw these apple chips featured on Modern Girl Nutrition, so when I spotted them at my college’s convenience store I knew I had to buy a bag.

The verdict?

Sweet. Crunchy. Amazing.

I was so inspired that I even made my own in the dehydrator yesterday (I’m in love).

Them (aka. Family): Junk Food Galore.

I had a lot of money leftover on my meal plan from school (still have over $100 from this semester), so before I left I bought up some snacks for my family. A few I’ve already given to them, and a few I’m saving for makeshift Christmas gifts.

Well, could you see a difference in the meals we ate? I bet you could.

But anyways, moving onto the sneak peek of the giveaway that I have in store for you all! Check back on Thursday. There will be multiple ways to win, and you don’t want to miss it.

That is all.

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Are you on Christmas Break yet? If not, how many days do you have until you’re off?

Do you ever compare your food to others? I know I sure do!

Are you ready for my giveaway? Say “yes!”