Success!

I don't know if the planets were aligned perfectly or I just finally got tired of hearing myself drone on about not wanting to exercise, but whatever the cause -- today, I just did it.

A 40-minute brisk walk, in fact. Broken up only by a couple of slow backtracks when we had to go searching for Posey's missing sock(s).


Apparently we've all been cooped up so long, even Posey's toes were just itching for some fresh air.

Walking wasn't the only success around here yesterday. You may be surprised to hear it, but we've had some really great dinners lately. After a few misses recently, I was hesitant to stray too far from anything but tossed salads. However, we're now two for two with yummy new recipes. And they're easy. Just my style.

Both of the dishes we're already calling Family Favorites hail from the kitchen of Mama Pea. Even though we were a little gun shy of a second round of "burgers," we placed our appetites squarely in Mama Pea's hands, and she did not disappoint! We've already put her Black Bean Burgers on the menu again. We served them with the carrot fries she recommends, and they also were a hit. So much so, I bought a five-pound bag of organic carrots yesterday. Okay, some of these will be used for Posey's carrot purees, but we discovered that we can quickly devour one pound of carrot fries, so I stocked up in preparation. (Hint: Don't slice them thinly. They shrink up like crazy when you bake them.)

Then last night, we tried another concoction from the House of Pea -- Meaty Green Bean Casserole (made with Tofurkey sausage). Now, this is definitely reminiscent of the usual green bean mishmash many of us have during the holidays, and Mama Pea included it in a Christmas post. But it's fabulous enough to eat at any time of year. Good gravy, this was delicious. I was hoping Paul would lift up his plate and start licking so that I, alone, couldn't be blamed if our kids ever mimicked our total lack of social decorum in public. I beefed our green beans up with an extra Tofurkey sausage, and served it as the entree with roasted red potatoes on the side. Deeeeevine!

And while we're on a roll with our success stories, come by tomorrow to get up close and personal with someone who has success just oozing from her pores. A brand new feature starts tomorrow!