Take a Groove Walk

I made up some delicious iced tea, but haven't partaken yet. I'm still drinking my good, old water. I don't know about you, but I've become a little slack in my exercises. Some of it was due to my hip being out of place and spending several days a week at the chiropractor's office. When I wasn't there I was concerned if exercising was going to take my hip out of place again. So the only exercises I did regularly were the stretches from the chiropractor. Now that I'm only going once a week I decided to get back into walking.

But here's my deal with walking. I can't walk around my neighborhood, because I live on a highway. So I have to get in my car and drive somewhere to take an outdoor walk. Then I worry about rain, getting cold or getting hot, am I hydrated enough. Now I don't think it's worth the effort to go to the park or where ever to walk. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

But last week, I changed my attitude. And in the process that followed I think I created something new. I like to call it Groove Walking. Here's how it started. I pulled up my iTunes and created a playlist of songs I thought were upbeat and I'd like to listen to while I walked. Luckily, I have a decent play and a pretty big house. So I plugged up my computer to external speakers and set my timer for 20 minutes and started walking in my house. These songs were so good, though; I ended up in a half dance and half walk. By golly, I think it was a Groove Walk!

The first time I Groove Walked I felt a little silly. But who cares? I didn't have people peeking in the windows. And I looked. Getting through 20 minutes wasn't a piece of cake either. I'd check my timer in hopes of it almost ready to ring. I'd groove by my water and take a few sips while I walked. But after a few times of Groove Walking, I found myself going even after the timer when off. Today, I Groove Walked until my playlist was done. That's about 35 minutes. So if your exercise routine is boring you, you might want to consider taking a Groove Walk. It's the newest, most enjoyable way to get some exercise and get funky!

Let me know if you Groove Walk. I might have to patent the name and make a video demonstration. Maybe even a book, "Groove Walking for Dummies".

Better Breakfast... or Lunch or Supper

I took a good walk after school today and then decided to enjoy a glass of iced tea. I've been a little slack with Tea Talk lately and thought I might try to remedy the situation. And since I've done some cooking over the weekend, I thought I'd share my thoughts with you.

I have found my new breakfast food. I've heard of this, but don't think I'd ever had one until I set out to make it this weekend. This amazing food is called frittata. A frittata is like a quiche without the crust. And the best part is that you can add any meat and vegetables you want. I'm not joking; this Italian dish can be made with whatever meat and veggies you've got around the house.

I learned a little bit about the preparation after my first frittata. The first thing I learned is to a have the cheese shredded up before you start cooking. The second thing I learned was to chop up the onion and garlic before cooking. So I guess pretending like I'm on a cooking show is the best way to cook a frittata. The only item I had to purchase at the grocery store was heavy cream. I bought the smallest container and it was a couple dollars. The rest of the ingredients I already had in my house.

So here's how to get a good frittata. You need a good cast iron skillet to cook the entire frittata. Yes, a one pan recipe. That's what I'm talking about! The recipe I found called for 1/4 cup heavy cream for 6 eggs. I used a little more cream and 8 eggs. The recipe said I should fry up 4 slices of bacon. Ha! I'll cook up a half a package of bacon or none at all. This time I went for none at all. I put some bacon grease in the skillet and cooked up a few ham slices. When that was hot (I bought precooked) I removed it and put in the veggies. I had some frozen chopped broccoli and cauliflower. I added those to the skillet along with some onion and garlic. I did have to cook this for a few minutes because it was frozen. When the veggies were done, I added the ham that I'd chopped up and spread it evenly in the skillet. Shredded cheese was next. Once it started to melt I added the whipped up eggs and heavy cream mixture which also included a little kosher salt. Make sure the eggs cover the veggies and cook until the sides start to set. I put it in a 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes. Then I turned it to low broil so the top got a turned a nice brown.

I didn't know it was so easy to remove it from the skillet the first time. I kept the leftovers in the skillet taking up a lot of room in the refrigerator. Today I made another one and removed it from the skillet after cooling. It came out easy and I cut it like a pizza. I can't wait to eat this every morning for breakfast. I used to make a breakfast casserole, but the frittata has very little carbs compared to my breakfast casserole. And it's got whatever meat and veggies I want to put in it. This may become my staple breakfast food. If you haven't made one before I suggest you do it today.

If you have made one, share some of your favorite combinations. Right now I'm digging the ham and broccoli, but I know I'll want to try some different combinations.