Blackberry Cobbler

2 1/2

cups fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) blackberries (do not use blueberries)

1

cup sugar

1

cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

2

teaspoons baking powder

1/2

teaspoon salt

1

cup milk

1/2

cup butter, melted

Cream, whipped or ice cream

1 In medium bowl, stir together blackberries and sugar. Let stand about 20 minutes or until fruit syrup forms. Heat oven to 375°F.

2 In large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and milk. Stir in melted butter until blended. Spread in ungreased 8-inch square pan. Spoon blackberry mixture over batter.

3 Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until dough rises and is golden. Serve warm with cream.

Last night I had time out of the house to read and write.  Having a two-ish hour window of wide open space can be overwhelming.  Where to go, what to do.  The red bus ended up at the new Starbucks in town.  It is perfection.  The warm wooden walls and lighting make it feel cozy and perfect.

The second I walked in, I immediately spotted where I would set up camp.  Comfy chair in the corner.  But I am telling you, I could not get focused in.  I tried writing, reading my book on Kindle, reading my real book.  I kept running into brick walls.  My head was pounding because for some stupid reason I'm trying to lay off so much sugar.  I promise you the only thing I could think about in this entire world was going home to make a cobbler.

So I did the only logical thing I could.

I drove to the store for fresh blackberries and came home to whip up a cobbler.  While it baked I washed my face and got in my nightgown.  I turned on my bedroom lamps and made myself a cozy place to rest.  When the cobbler came out of the oven, I lit candles and served up bowls to the family. Then I took a sleeping pill and went to bed early.  Three cheers for summer nights!

Feasting & Fasting

I am an eater.

You will not find me skimping on the good stuff.

I eat more like a man than a woman. I like hearty food. What I'm trying to say is, I'm no flower. I'm a food-eating foodie.

Something I read in Shauna Niequest's book, Bread & Wine, made all the sense in the world to me. She talked about feasting and fasting. Some times in our life are for feasting, and we balance that by having times of "fasting." The term fasting is held loosely, but in this context, I am talking about holding back on indulgences for a season to reset.

I can turn anything into a reason to feast.  Heck, it's Tuesday, let's plan a party! OK, let me just get on with it already.  My big summer plans have come to an end.  I'm about to be in five months of not much hoorah on the ol' calendar.  That is why I've decided to start THM today.  Not a nazi THM-er, but "A Mostly THM-er."  I figure some meals are going to be straight up fun, and I'm allowing it. This just means I am laying off on so many carbs, changing them out for healthier carbs (homemade bread, Josephs Pita Wraps, sprouted bread from freezer section), going for less sugar, cooking a bit more intentional.

This has been the summer of feeling better.  So far I have been focusing on getting good rest.  I've been adding some steps to my day.  Nothing crazy, just trying to hit my Fit Bit Goals.  Even if it's only 6,000 steps.

When I decide to be healthy for a season, I usually completely derail on my menu planning.  It usually happens on an unsuspecting Saturday morning.  I grab my cookbooks, go to the table, get over-ambitious with my new healthy menu for the week, spend a gazillion bucks at the grocery store, cook all manner of weird new food for the week, and it last's approximately three days.  This time I am changing my approach.

MAKE ONE SIMPLE CHANGE

That is the plan.  Start where you are with what you have and make one simple change!

Today when I menu planned I started with Dinner.  I usually start with healthy desserts.  But I think I read something about man not being able to live on dessert alone, so whatever, I started with dinner. Here is the menu for the week.  Food in all caps can be found in this Trim Healthy Mama cookbook.

Dinner Menu:
SALISBURY STEAK, green beans, THM BREAD & butter
POTSTICKER PATTIES, lettuce shreds and ranch, FOTATO SOUP
Burgers
Taco Salads
SWEET POTATO BAR

Lunch:
CHICKEN JALAPENO POPPER SOUP
SOUTHWESTERN PAN BREAD, turkey, lettuce, tomato
canned soups
left-overs

Breakfast:
bacon & eggs
smoothies with protein powder
Triple Zero Vanilla Greek yogurt, walnuts, frozen berries

Snacks:
Nut Thins, pepperoni, mozzarella
almonds
string cheese
apples and peanut butter