LiveCreative: Eye Pillows

Several years ago when I moved to MN, one of my fabulous friends gave me an eye pillow. I loved it and used it all the time, but the fabric did not match my bedroom. I decided I would make a new cover for it and continued to love it. Then I was talking with my neighbor and she wanted one. I decided to start making them. I ordered the flaxseed in bulk from eBay, added a few drops of lavender oil. I repurposed lots of my lycra scraps for wonderful custom eye pillows. My neighbor loved hers, along with everyone else I gifted one too. Beware, my mother said hers got tangled up in her sheets and did not make it thru the washer, not good for the flaxseed!

  • 8 oz flaxseed per pillow
  • 2-3 drops lavender oil
  • fabric scraps – 9″ x 4″ – 2(front and back needed) sewn with 1/2″ seam

Sew the fabric around all sides, leaving a small opening for filling with flaxseed. I weighed my flaxseed since I was making many and did not want to run out. I added a few drops of lavender oil, stirred, then used a funnel to gently pour the flaxseed. Move flaxseed to the bottom of the pillow away from the opening, then sew up the opening. Super easy and fun project, and I love my eye pillow to keep the light out in the morning. You can also use it to add a bit of pressure to alleviate headaches. Let me know how yours turn out!

Recipe: Cauliflower Stuffed Peppers

I always saw the stuffed peppers and thought how pretty they looked, but they were always stuffed with high carb rice, and so I never thought about them again.  Then after I started eating yellow peppers, they are the mildest, sweetest of these peppers, I had a revelation!  The first time I made these stuffed peppers, I used cauliflower that had been “riced” in the food processor, I added a bit of Ed’s deer sausage, along with some cheese and they were quite a hit.  I seem to never make them the same again, but for Ed’s, I will add sausage or meat and cheese, for mine I go for lower calorie, skip the sausage, but add cheese.  Each pepper is stuffed with about 1cup of riced cauliflower mixture.  I use my favorite spice Tony Cacheres Cajun, along with 1oz of cheese per pepper, then mix cheese and cauliflower together , along with some Cajun.  I stuff the peppers, packing down the cauliflower filling to get as much of the veggie mixture in the pepper.  Bake for 1-1.5 hours at 350 degrees.  Use your imagination and what you have on hand to make a fabulous stuffed healthy peppers, different cheese will deftly change the flavor.  Feel free to increase the recipe to fill all the peppers you have ann to serve all those coming to dinner! Serves 2 – 1 pepper per person.

  • 2 C “riced” Cauliflower
  • 2 T Cream Cheese
  • 2 oz Cheese of your choice, grated
  • Tony Cacheres Cajun Spice
  • 1-2 oz sausage – optional

Recipe: Greater Tots

Got some broccoli that’s not so pretty any more? Too much cauliflower in the drawer? Want something that tastes bad for you but isn’t? It takes a bit of time, but the results are worth it. My husband calls these “Greater Tots”, because grated up veggies turn into a healthy “tater” tot!

I have used several different veggies – broccoli, cauliflower and broccoli slaw. One time I used green beans but will not do that again as the flavor was too strong!

With the food processor, grate the veggie of your choice. Don’t be bashful – make a bunch. Mix 2½ cups of the grated veggies, with a bit of Cajun Spice (Tony Chachere), and 1-2 oz of shredded cheese – cheddar, mozzarella, pepper jack or whatever you have on hand. Mix well. Spray a mini-muffin pan with non-stick spray. Divide the veggie mixture up into all the 24 cups and press the mixture into each cup. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes until they are good and crispy. This makes one large serving for yourself or 2 small servings if you feel like sharing. Use a narrow spatula to pop them out of the cups, and enjoy guilt-free crispy veggies. You can’t make too many of them! Change up the cheese for different flavors. Let me know how yours turn out!

Recipe: Keto Peanutbutter Cookies

1/2 c peanut butter
1 egg
1 T coconut flour Nutiva is my favorite  
2T oat fiber

Hardest part was stirring the peanut butter! I used the peanut butter with one ingredient, peanuts! I added 1 T coconut flour, 2 T oat fiber and 1 egg. Shaped into 1” balls, flattened with a fork and baked at 350 for 15 minutes. They were super good and kept me from eating non Keto goodies!

Recipe: Greater Grilled Cheese

Greater Grilled Cheese

Single serving, double if you are having lunch with your honey

Mix together the riced veggie, spice, and egg.  Form into patties on plastic wrap or wax paper, I make mine bread shaped. I make sure each patty is on its own piece of plastic wrap and used the plastic wrap to help me put in in the skillet I have sprayed with oil.

Heat up a skilled, add nonstick spray.  I have actually put coconut oil in a spray bottle lately to get the good fats without the processed oil.
Place cauliflower bread shaped patties in the pan,

cook until golden.  Flip one patty,

Add the cheese to the cooked side now showing. Place the non turned patty cooked side down on top of the cheese.

Continue to cook, flip over and  until golden brown all.

Cauliflower Grilled Cheese

Broccoli Grilled Cheese

This health veggies sandwich makes a great Saturday afternoon lunch.

The cheese holds the patties together to make a great sandwich you can pick up and eat.

Recipe: Cauliflower Salad – the Better “Potato” Salad

Headed to a gathering and need something healthy to bring? Try my no potatoes in it potato salad. The secret ingredient is cauliflower and you will not miss the potatoes!

  • 1 large head of cauliflower, chopped, cooked and cooled
  • Mayonnaise
  • Yellow Mustard
  • 3 boiled eggs, chopped and cooled
  • Dill Pickle Relish
  • Tony Chachere Cajun spice to taste

 

Chop up a large head of cauliflower  (about 9 cups or so)

Cook until soft, either in the microwave or steam on the stove.

Cool on a clean towel to soak up any water and to spread out for faster cooling.

Depending on how much Cauliflower you have, add, mayonnaise, mustard and Tony Chachere Cajun spice. Sometimes I also add garlic

Then add chopped eggs, lately I have been using 3 eggs, and chopped dill pickles or prepared relish.

Mix together, add additional mayonnaise or mustard or spices until you are happy with the taste and consistency.

Take to your next picnic or barbeque and watch it disappear. I took it to a party last week and everyone loved it. People who thought it was potato salad and did not try it were super anxious to try it after I told them it was cauliflower. You will never make the carb excessive, labor intensive potato salad again. The cauliflower wins hands down!

I have found it is better if I make it the night before needed, the flavors seem to sync, and just before serving, if you would like some extra flavor, add some crumbled bacon. If you add the night before serving, the bacon will get soggy, instead of being the wonderfully crispy addition.

Recipe: Kohlrabi LowCarbonara

Kohlrabi LowCarbonara

When I was a kid we had some friends that had lived in Italy and practiced the motto “Food is Love.” They taught my family to make Carbonara, the Italian classic. I have finally found an amazing substitute for the pasta in traditional carbonara – spiralized kohlrabi! The flavor and texture are wonderful – you won’t miss the pasta! This recipe serves 3-4.

  • 1 lb bacon
  • 1  small onion
  • 3+ pods of garlic
  • 2 1/2 – 3 lbs kohlrabi
  • 4 eggs
  • 5 oz parmesan

Wash, chop off the bottom, and peel the outer skin from the kohlrabi with a vegetable peeler. Spiralize the kohlrabi. Cook the bacon and onion together until crispy and brown – I like my onions and bacon well done. Add in the garlic just before the bacon and onions are done. Add the kohlrabi to the bacon mixture, toss and cover. Let cook 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then combine the eggs and parmesan, then add to the hot mixture. Stir and cover.

Simmer another 10-20 minutes until the kohlrabi is soft, the eggs are cooked and the cheese is melted. It takes much longer than you think for the Kohlrabi to cook. Plate your portions and top with grated parmesan if you would like and of course black pepper.

Let me know how yours turns out!

You can almost taste the goodness!

Recipe: Strawberry Cheesecake

Strawberry Cheesecake
1-1/2c almond flour
4T butter
1T liquid sweetener (FiberFit)
2 – 8 oz pkg cream cheese
4 eggs
3T liquid sweetener (FiberFit)
2c chopped strawberries

calories 284, carbs 4.5g, fiber 2g, protein 7.8 g, fat 25.5g

Mix the almond flour and butter, along with the liquid sweenter. I use FiberFit, which is 8x sweeter than sugar.
Press the crust into a 9” springform pan, and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.
While the crust is baking, mix 2 – 8oz packages of cream cheese (room temperature works best). Add 2 cups of chopped strawberries, 4 eggs and 3T liquid sweeter (1-1/2 cup equivalent). I only used 3T of FiberFit. Mix together well, then pour into springform pan on top of the crust that has been cooked for 15 minutes. Bake the cheesecake at 325° for 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean and it is firm. Let cool. Cut into 12 pieces and enjoy!

Ed loves the cheesecake, even though it is “diet”.  It makes you feel like your cheating!

 

LiveCreative: Macrame’ Chair

Do you have an outdoor chair with a great frame, but the seating area is gone? I did and wanted to make it fabulous again. With some time and patience, I made the chair even better than it was new!

I removed the rattan from this frame and had a great shell. I did a search on Macramé chair and found some great directions, see link Macramé Chair

You will need:

2 big plastic 19mm crochet hooks, I got these at Michaels

approximately 2 skeins of the 6mm craft cord, I used the Bonnie craft cord in the Jute color.

I had these really great chairs that had given up the rattan.  I removed it and had a great form for the Macrame’.

Tie a square knot in one corner, then start weaving.  The video does a great job of walking thru the weaving.

The first layer of weaving is one direction, then  once done you start weaving between the two strands of each first pass.  Use the crochet hooks to hold the loops of the strand you are working on.

The hardest part is getting everything tight enough.  After a few rows use the hooks or something else to push all the rows tight.  Do this tightening throughout the weaving process.

Once the seat is done, move to the back. The ends will be looped thru in a knot, and then burned with a flame to ensure the rope does not ravel.  Then the seared end can be tucked into the weaving.

  

I wove two chairs and am thrilled with how they turned out!

LiveCreative: Silver Leather Jacket

I wanted a silver leather jacket, but did not want to spend much money. Sometimes Goodwill has nice stuff for reasonable prices. It took a bit of time shopping at a few different locations, before I found one I liked the style and fit, and got it for $5! If you are not in a hurry you can find really wonderful things!
The leather jacket I chose was black with a silver lining.

I cleaned the leather with alcohol one day and dyed it the next to ensure it was dry.

I used a pewter and silver dye mixed together to get the color I wanted.

It took a bit of trial and error and since I started with a black jacket, it took 2 coats, but I am super happy with how the jacket turned out. I wear it a lot and get many compliments.

Remember to take some extra time around the seams and stitching, to ensure the dye gets in all the crevices. The underside of the zipper leather will show when you are zipping and unzipping, so remember this detail. You can also dye the fabric of the zipper, if needed. Especially important if you are changing colors of a jacket. Underneath the collar is very important. The leather in the pockets can show, and the leather inside the sleeves and inside the jacket. Between the layers of leather on the edge of the collar will take some extra care but it will be worth the time.

I love my results.  I have worm the jacket several times and love it.  The leather is still soft and pliable.  It is a great jacket.