It was a terrible gardening year in Oklahoma. Or at least a terrible year for us. I think it was a combination of things, but the weather we had this year certainly did not help.
The one thing we have had a ton of though are peppers. We have more green peppers, jalapeno peppers, and banana peppers than we can use, so I have been stocking my freezer with them to use in soups, stews, chili, and other things this winter.
If you are curious how I freeze them I shared this how to freeze green peppers post a few years ago.
Back in January I posted an Ask the Readers question about how often should you replace running shoes. The comments on that post were so helpful. Thanks to you all I found new running shoes back in February that I loved.
Those of you that told me that if I loved Nike I should try Brooks were right. I have been wearing Brooks since February for running and LOVE them. They have made such a difference. They fit my feet, my knees and feet feel so much better, and they are so much lighter weight than most of the Nike shoes I had been wearing for running.
Over the last few weeks though I noticed that my feet, legs, and hips were bothering me. It was nothing major, I could just tell a difference. When I mentioned it to my husband he immediately said how old are your running shoes? I quickly figured it out and realized that it might indeed be time for new running shoes.
So we went shoe shopping last week. One thing that I have discovered is that just because you love a brand doesn’t mean that you will love all styles in that brand. And just because you like a certain style one year doesn’t mean you will like it the next. They update and change things, so taking the time to try on multiple different shoes to get what works for you is worth it.
What worked for me this time was the Brooks Glycerin 13. I LOVED them the minute I tried them on. They just fit. I did not love the price, but thankfully we had a coupon so it helped a little bit. I never thought I would be spending this much on running, but those of you that run have helped me realize that it is worth it. My knees and feet will thank me in the long run. And exercise keeps me healthy, so again it is worth it. Or at least that is what I keep telling myself.
And not only do I love Brooks, my husband now loves them too. He just bought his second pair. I think we are both now officially fans of Brooks for running.
You know you have food allergies when 10 lbs of Sunbutter makes for an exciting mail day. And what did we do before the days of ordering all kinds of crazy stuff like this from Amazon? Food issues are so much easier and cheaper thanks to online shopping!
I have never bought SunButter
this way, but since it is a little cheaper than buying the small jars I thought I would give it a try. I will also totally admit that we don’t love SunButter. I am thankful for it, but it is not the same. Just keeping it real.
We have been going through a ton of it though because I am working on figuring out homemade nut free larabars. My oldest daughter is taking some college classes this year and I need to find her some easy snacks to take with her. I have been trying different things and have a recipe almost good enough to share. I just need to test it a few more times.
Every time I post about my dislike of okra my okra loving readers will share how I should cook it. Last time I mentioned my dislike of it several of you mentioned roasting it.
I finally gave it a try this week and I have to say it was not bad. I can’t say that I loved it, but it really was not bad .My husband and girls loved it though, so I will definitely be making it this way again.
I still need to work on the time and temperature to cook it at though. I would love to hear what temperature and time you all cook it at. It was still slightly slimy, so I am thinking I needed to cook it a little longer or at a higher temperature.
I love my crock pot for busy days. It makes dinner time so much easier.
Now that the weather has cooled off I am back to making baked oatmeal at least once a week or so. Last weekend I made cinnamon roll baked oatmeal and triple berry baked oatmeal. They made a great Sunday morning breakfast and we had enough leftover for Monday breakfast as well. Now I need to decide what flavors I will make for this Sunday!
On my to do list for this weekend is to clean out and defrost the freezer. Exciting I know… And to work on perfecting gluten free cinnamon rolls. I love the gluten free pumpkin cinnamon rolls that I shared last fall, but I am hoping I can perfect a regular gluten free cinnamon roll this year.
I hope you all have a great weekend!
Like these posts when you talk about a variety of things…so informative! On your baked oatmeal, my curiosity has finally gotten the best of me….how much do ya’ll eat anyway?! Are those 2-9 x13’s?? Sounds like you eat a lot of it in one meal. I just can’t imagine, and I have 4 children. They are just between 6-11 in ages, but still…. 🙂 We love baked oatmeal, too!
I am glad you enjoy these posts. I have fun doing them! On the oatmeal… my kids are all teens and one of them is a 13 year old boy. He eats a ton. 🙂 If I just want one breakfast I make a 9×13 pan. Sometimes there is a small bowl left, sometimes there isn’t. Since everyone has different flavors they like everyone likes it when I make two pans so they get two different kinds. This week the two pans lasted Sunday and Monday breakfast and there was a small bowl left that someone ate later in the week. That is pretty normal for us. So yes I guess we eat a lot of baked oatmeal. But I will say when my kids were younger one pan would make it for two breakfasts. The teen years, especially my son, has greatly changed the amount of food I cook for pretty much every meal! And that was a good question. I doubt you are the only one that is curious. 🙂
Thanks for your reply! You clarified it well. 🙂 Btw, my oldest 3 are boys, so….give me 5 years and my cooking will likely resemble yours!! 😉