My Grandkitties

Here are my daughter's 2 adorable cats Sammy and Tigerlily.

Quinoa with Black Beans

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups vegetable or "un-chicken" broth
1 cup black beans (15 oz can) drained, rinsed
1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1 small tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 medium green onions chopped (1/4 cup)
1 T. fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 t. salt

Rinse quinoa and cook in broth 15-20 min.
Fluff quinoa and add remaining ingredients.

Makes 8 servings (1/2 cup each)
260 calories
3g fat
12g protein
5g sugars
45g total carbhoydrate
740mg sodium


I'm trying to find quinoa recipes that are easy and don't have a long list of ingredients. This one qualifies and was pretty good. Not as good as the one I made last week but still pretty satisfying. When I make it again I will use regular water for the quinoa. I don't think the broth added all that much to the flavor but it did add a lot of sodium. I would also add more tomato, maybe a cup or so of cherry tomatoes halved and some chopped red bell pepper.

Sleeping Pug

Rosie

Can you find the fake pug?

(pictures by Cameron)

Quinoa Veggie Salad

I found this recipe in a book I was cataloging on Thursday and decided to make it this weekend. It was wonderful. I shared it with my roomate who also loved it and took the picture. It makes 3 servings (for Cameron it would have been 1 serving) and has only 180 calories per serving, 3.5 grams of fat, and 7 grams of protein.

Quinoa Veggie Salad

3/4 c. uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 water
1 c. torn arugula
1/4 c. chopped roasted red bell peppers (from a jar)
1/4 c. halved red cherry tomatoes
1/4 c. chopped marinated artichokes
1 T. marinade from artichoke jar
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Cook Quinoa in water according to directions (be sure to rinse first). When the quinoa is cooked and cooled, mix with the remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.

Ginger

Ginger came into my life (and Sparky's) on June 12, 1998. I had her put down today. RIP sweet puppy.

Ginger

I found out last week that Ginger has congestive heart failure. She is on 2 medicines but will probably not live too much longer. She is 15 and has lived a good and long life. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of her with Gracie, Sparky and Rosie. I decided to post this now because I know I will be too sad to do it after she is gone.

 Rosie absolutely adores her "brother" Cameron.

Dogs at Fondren

Once again, the therapy dogs are back at Fondren.

Old Dogs

Margaret Carol in Texas

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Margaret Carol

I'm hoping to see my new great niece in April.

The pups are getting older and don't seem to mind that much if I'm home all the time so I've been trying to get out a little more. In the last month or so I've gone to hear Bill Richardson speak at Rice and heard Rachel Maddow speak at the Progressive Forum. I've also been to the ballet for a performance of The Rite of Spring and seen The Merchant of Venice at Baker Shakespeare.
The roommate situation is working out better than expected. C is such a delight to have around. He inspires me to eat healthier. He says the same thing about me. I've been using my new Vitamix everyday. Last week (5 days) I did a green drink "fast." Technically not a fast but I'm going to call it that anyway. I tried to just drink 2 green drinks a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. I did cheat a little by having some fruit for lunch but still managed to lose 7 lbs. After taking the weekend off, I'm going to try it again this week.
On a sad note, two of my kitties have disappeared, the gray kitty, Cinza and the female Siamese.  I still have the tiger mother cat and the fluffy male Siamese plus a very vocal orange male cat has become a regular. I need to trap him and get him fixed but I don't have a trap anymore.
   

The Last Letter: A Message to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney From a Dying Veteran

Truthdig - The Last Letter

Sleeping Pug

Vitamix

I bought a Vitamix like this one in January and have been using it every day since. For breakfast I blend kale, spinach, a carrot, an apple or orange, some berries and a scoop of raw protein powder for a delicious and nutritious smoothie. It has replaced my blender and my 2 juicers. I love fruit but have never really loved vegetables and have always had a hard time getting enough of them in my diet, especially raw. The Vitamix pretty much solves this problem and the fruit disguises the taste of the kale and other vegetables I don't love.

Sleeping Dogs

My new roommate Cameron took these adorable pictures.
Oh sleep! it is a gentle thing, Beloved from pole to pole. ~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

I thought I had lost this picture but found it wedged under a drawer in a chest of drawers, frame and all. I remember coming home from school the day this picture was taken and finding a photographer in the house. My mother died less than a year later. I've always wondered if she had some kind of premonition of her death and had pictures taken for that reason.

Surfer in Antarctica surrounded by jumping penguins

Surfer in Antarctica surrounded by jumping penguins

This video makes me want to go back to Antarctica.

My New Puzzle

Happy New Year!

Margaret Carol

My new great niece.

Jo and Eddie Huebner

While cleaning out a closet last week, I found this picture of my Aunt Jo and Uncle Eddie Huebner. This picture was taken at their home in the Norhill section of the Heights in Houston in the mid 1970's.

The Children Were Nestled All Snug In Their Bed

Cousins

Christmas in River Oaks