Salad of the Day

All week I've been eating salads for lunch. This one started out with a bed of organic baby spinach and Iceberg lettuce.

Then sliced strawberries were added along with strips of orange bell pepper. 

Then I added a diced Roma tomato and some Garbanzo beans. I like to open a can and run cold water over the contents to drain the beans. I use the lid as a strainer or sometimes break out my colander. Then, transfer the washed beans to a covered container for use during the week. I do the same thing with organic black beans.

To top the salad off I added a boiled egg and served it with Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing.

Baby Spinach leaves and a sliced strawberry

Strips of orange bell pepper and Garbanzo beans for protein

Diced Roma tomato

Topped off with a small amount of shredded Queso Quesadilla cheese and a boiled egg, this was truly a filling lunch.

Spinach Salad for Lunch all Week

It's what's for lunch this week - spinach salad. Crisp salad greens, sliced strawberries, a spoonful of rinsed black beans and a boiled egg make this a hearty meal.

Since the Christmas holidays, I've been struggling to drop the extra ten pounds that I gained with all the wonderful meals and gifts of cookies, candy and treats. Now I'm paying for my over indulgence.

I don't really mind eating healthier and not eating my own baked goods to drop the extra weight.

The produce came from Aldi where I found a beautiful head of iceberg lettuce for eighty-nine cents,  organic triple-washed baby spinach for around two dollars, a dozen eggs at a dollar twenty-nine and a pack of fresh strawberries for two twenty-nine.

Their store brand organic black beans are ten cents higher than the non-organic ones so I splurged and paid the seventy-five cents. Lemons were just a quarter each. I squeezed the juice from half of one over the top of this salad and then topped it off with some Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing.

Roma tomatoes were six for sixty nine cents so I topped Tuesday's salad with one and shredded a carrot to add color along with a spoonful of leftover canned corn. A bit of Quesadilla cheese over the top of the salad the second day added a bit of protein.

All together, the ingredients for my lunch all week made each meal reasonably priced at about a dollar per salad.

Red Dawn in Texas

Today held another spectacular sunrise in North Texas that rolled in with the early morning fog. It's rare to see a dawn as brilliantly red as this one was and it lasted for only a few delightful moments.

Before the skyline had a chance to brighten, I grabbed my trusty camera and ran outside in the cool mist and snapped a few photos.

The scripture describes it well, "The Heavens declare the glory of God" Psalm 19:1

He painted a wondrous morning greeting today.

Spring is popping out at an amazing rate with the Bradford pear trees, for the first time, covered in white blossoms. Within days, the green leaves will outnumber the blooms, but at the moment, it is the sure sign of warmer days ahead.

I nearly lost my sense of humor when calling the Medicare Replacement Insurance to get the phone number for Mom's hearing evaluation doctor. Their HIPA rules are more a barrier to progress than a protection against identity theft.

After a tense few minutes of denying me any information, I finally advised the representative that I was not seeking any top secret information on my mother's health or coverage, I simply need a phone number for a doctor who will take her insurance for a hearing test.

"Ma'am, this is the number to fax your power of attorney as her representative so that I can speak with you," she kindly informed me.

Grandma at lunch at the facility today.

I told her after ten years of faxing the power of attorney into what might as well be outer space, that I was quite frustrated that no one could keep track of this information, and by the way, isn't this a violation of privacy not to be able to maintain a patient's information?

We were assured when we signed up for this coverage that this would never be necessary, as the proper forms were submitted with the application, however, this has not proven to be the case.

We did eventually come to terms and she kindly provided me with the phone number for two doctors who promptly informed me that they do NOT take this insurance, despite repeated attempts at trying to remove their name from the insurance company's list.

I said, "Good luck with that, would you like their fax number?"

Birds in the Snow

The snow is gone now and spring is on the way. Last week was a different story with ice and snow completely covering the driveway and front porch.

I finally got out and cleaned the window that overlooks this bird feeder so that I can get a clear shot of Mr. Cardinal and his beautiful face.

They were flocking to the Audubon mix of seeds that were placed outside for them. I've never seen so many varieties sharing the same perch. It was fascinating to watch them come and go, resting for a few moments on the branches of the Bradford pear tree nearby. Soon they would take flight and resume their voracious feeding during the worst of the storm.