Decided that I need to be eating healthier (and actually eating) so I cut down on the Mtn. Dew and am making a point of buying more fruits and vegetables than crackers and chips.
I love chilled soups during the summer, so I tried my hand at making some to have around the house as a healthier snack.
Jennzpacho
Ingredients:
1 can chicken or vegetable broth
3 zucchinis, sliced
1/2 sweet Walla Walla onion, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
1 can of peeled stewed tomatoes
1 clove garlic, crushed
Handful of fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup low or non-fat cottage cheese
Milk (optional)
Directions:
Combine broth, vegetables, garlic, salt, pepper, and half of basil in a pot and simmer until vegetables are tender. (About 15 minutes) Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In blender, blend cottage cheese until creamy. Add remainder of basil leaves and cooled vegetable/broth mixture and blend until smooth. Dilute with milk and blend again if you prefer a thinner soup consistency.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. I like to garnish mine with a dollop of whipped cottage cheese and a sprig of basil. Sunflower or pumpkin seeds would also make a good garnish.
At the Naked Lady Party a few weeks back, the idea was thrown out that the same concept could be applied to craft supplies, and I took it and ran with it. Held a craft supply swap party last night and it was fabulous! (So fabulous that I’m going to have another one in October.)
Everyone cleaned out their craft collections and brought in the still usable stuff that they were no longer interested in. It all went out on the table, and people took home what they wanted. All of the supplies not taken home are being donated to SCRAP, a non-profit that collects reuseable crafty items from local businesses and distributes them to educators, artists, families and kids. (I love this place – excellent resource for postcard-making materials.)
“Yeah, that’s the fabric I was going to use to make this thing, and I was never able to get to it.”
“Hey! This would be great for the shirts I’m making”
“I’ve had those envelopes forever, and decided they were just taking up space.”
“Oooooh! Lip balm making supplies!”
“My ex never wanted to throw away anything, and we had all these craft supplies from his mother.”
I loved being able to bring in women from the different circles I run in (PDX Bloggers, Portland Dinner Grrls, GPA, Craft & Postcard Night, etc.) and watch the connections being made. Crafts were the excuse to get together, but the bigger picture was about networking the wonderfully multi-talented women in my life. Very infectious energy levels. Discussion of challenges we’re facing. Swapping resource contacts. I couldn’t ask for a better evening.