Meat Pies and Kale Chips

We've been given the gift of time!  Brooke and I have had a lovely morning.  I was going to work today, but my mother-in-law went out of town and my mom has the flu.  So, we enjoyed a bonus day together which has been a lot of fun!  I managed to squeeze in a short workout before she woke up.  For those of you who have Comcast ON DEMAND, you can get free workouts!  Go to the sports and fitness category and take your pick!  I did a few very short workouts this morning - wanted to see what the 5 and 10 minute workouts were all about.  Well, the cardio strength one I did kicked my butt!  My legs have been shaking all day which I just love!!  Exercise is very important to me, but I'm lucky, lately, to get in more than a 30 minute run 3-4 days a week.  So, for the past few weeks, I've been trying to incorporate short walks and short periods of time when I can squeeze in some squats and push-ups.  In fact, during Matthew's baseball game a couple weeks ago, my friend, Debbie, and I went to a spot where we were away from the fans but could still see the field and we did burpees, mountain climbers, push-ups, squats, sit-ups, stretching, etc. - for about 25 minutes and it was a GREAT workout!

Today began with a nice breakfast.  We had steel cut oatmeal with chopped up strawberries and blueberries - a little pat of Smart butter and some honey.  Delicious!

Then we had some errands to run - pick up car from service, stop by Whole Foods to pick up some "specialty" items, and then we stopped by Breadwinner and picked up lunch for my mom, who, like I mentioned above, is sick.  After we dropped off lunch at my mom's house, Brooke and I enjoyed lunch outside.  I felt like she was in the car so much this morning so I didn't make her sit - she had a "walking" lunch.  I sat at the table enjoying my black bean burger and beet and blue salad while she came over and took little pieces of cheese and turkey and ate them while she walked around the backyard.  Well, I got soo into the deliciousness of my lunch, and suddenly Brooke got quiet.  I peered around the corner and she had discovered where Sandy had gone to the bathroom and she was touching it.  EW!!!  I ran over to her, scooped her up and took her into the kitchen where I washed her hands 3 times.  Please don't call DEFACES on me!  I'll blame it on Breadwinner!  Their food is THAT good!

Anyway.  I wanted to share a fun recipe with you that my family LOVES!  It's so simple and easy to prepare.  These are my take on traditional Lebanese Meat Pies. 

First, brown a pound of ground beef.  Then drain the fat and season it with salt and pepper, an entire lemon, squeezed, and a dash of yes, cinnamon.  Set meat aside to cool.

Take a package of crescents (I use the reduced fat crescents because the regular ones are too buttery for my taste) and unroll them.  Press two triangles together to make one rectangle. Add a scoop of meat and roll up however you like.  Make sure that the meat isn't piping hot when you do this because it'll make the crescent very difficult to wrap up.  Place them on a cookie sheet sprayed with PAM.  Bake according to the crescent's directions. 

These are marvelous ! They are very basic, but if you flavor the meat with enough salt and pepper and lemon juice, that mixed with the buttery crescent is all you need.  It's hard for me to eat just one!  And they make GREAT leftovers. 

I got my Eat Right Atlanta basket last week and it included some kale.  I LOVE kale!  It's a "super food" in that it's sooo good for you.  I trimmed the leaves from their thick stalks and then tore the leaves into "chip size" pieces.  I placed them on a cookie sheet, drizzled some olive oil over all, sprinkled salt and smoked paprika over them and baked them at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  I checked them often because there is a very fine line between when they're done and when they become ashy tasting. 

Let me just tell you that they were wonderful!!  Brooke and I ate them all!!  I can't believe she ate them but she sure did!!  So, try it with your kids - they might surprise you!