What Have I Been Up To? Well.... A Glimpse Into My Life On Vacation.

I love vacation.  I know, I've already established it's not for the usual things that normal people look for in vacation time but still, I LOVE vacation.  I have had so many chances to spend time with the hubby and the boy as well as getting to see friends and family.  It's wonderful.  And I've made some good food (and ate some good food!) the past few days.  I will fully admit though that the first day of vacation dinner was PB&J.  I was tired and ready to start some relaxing!  I am a huge peanut butter addict so it's not all that surprising I'd default to a PB & J for dinner...and I'm glad the boy was working and not home for dinner because he doesn't share the my and hubby's love of peanut butter.  I still have to wonder sometimes if he is my son...hates tomatoes, most veggies and peanut butter.  I mean, I LOVE all vegetables, peanut butter is it's own food group and tomatoes make everything taste better.  I guess he's mine.  He's just different.  :D

Speaking of tomatoes...look at this flatbread pizza I came up with...I say "came up with" like it was some secret recipe, lol.  It's just fresh cheese curd, tomatoes, kale and a little seasoning salt.  But it was good!  And the nice tomatoes I got from market were the star.  I tried to convince the boy  (I wonder if I should start calling him the teenager because that would be more apt...hmmm.  Nah, you've probably figured out he's a teenager by how he acts, lol.)  Anyway...I tried to get him to try a slice of this.  He took one look at it and said "Seriously????  Could you put any more tomatoes on this thing?  Do I have to eat it????"  So I took it back, and the hubby and I ate it.  And loved every bite of it!  He at least did use one of the homemade flatbreads to make his own pizza so I know it was better than the processed crap he usually likes to eat.

And the the flatbread was amazing and SO FREAKIN' EASY to do!!  I was shocked.  I loved making it and it will be on the list now of things to keep stocked in the house.  I think I am going to make a batch once a week and freeze them.  It's like naan or pita bread to me but homemade and healthy because I know every ingredient!

One problem?  I can't find the exact link I followed to make these.  Don't you just hate that??  I think it is just about the same as this recipe because it had shortening, flour, baking powder, salt and ice water.  I'm confident enough to say that this is the recipe I will use when I make my next batch because it sounds right to how I made these.  If I find the original link I used, I will share it.  I think this is a forgiving recipe though so you should be fine.  I did not use all purpose flour though, I used whole wheat and I used organic vegetable shortening.

My friend, Jen had a sunset watching party at her home the other night...isn't that the coolest idea??   So, a few of us toted chairs over and settled in to watch the sun turn orange over the horizon.  She has an amazing view from the top of a hill and the company was fantastic.  Since she eats all gluten free, I decided to make her a treat (in addition to scoring a great deal on some organic cherries to take for a unique hostess gift!) of gluten free crackers.  Since we eat so clean and with more dietary restrictions, I completely understand how difficult it can be to find good foods that fit into the categories you need them to be.  I love making treats that she can enjoy knowing every ingredient and how it's made.  :)

For these crackers, I followed this recipe for Sesame Millet crackers, except...my millet was already ground into flour so I used it in place of the black bean flour, and substituted quinoa for the millet being ground up with the sesame and butter.  I would definitely up the salt and maybe add more seasonings like rosemary or something like that.  I think it would have the right taste.  I will do more experimenting and report back.  If you experiment with it or have ideas, I'd love to hear them!!

As for the sunset?  It was beautiful but I was too busy talking to take a picture.  If you know me, you are not shocked by this revelation.  But I did swipe a photo to share with you...

Doesn't Jen take beautiful pictures?  She is amazing!  I'm so glad I've got such wonderful and talented friends.  :)

So my vacation has been spending time with people I love, and I even managed to spend all morning cleaning yesterday.  I love a clean house!!  The boy and I hit the outlets yesterday and got some good deals on clothes for him.  He's grown AGAIN and keeping up is hard sometimes.  I mean, he's 17 and 6'2".  When does it stop???  But more than the shopping was the time spent just with him.  I love it.  And he didn't even wear his headphones for the ride over.  That's a big deal.

Last night was a picnic with my sis and her family.  We had a great time eating and were just heading into the pool when lightning showed up.  So, out of the pool we all went and we called it an evening.  And I went to bed, lol.  I slept for so long and even overslept for my trail run this morning that I was planning with friends.  I guess I needed some sleep.

But isn't that what vacation is about?  Feeding your soul with all the things it needs?

Have a great day everyone!

Sheri