The God Diet - If God Made It, You Can Eat It! lol! : ) THE Friendliest, Happiest Diet, Evah'! #TheGodDiet #PotatoChips!

The God Diet 

 If God Made It, You Can Eat It! lol! : ) THE Friendliest, Happiest Diet, Evah'! 

Clearance Items: Up to 50% off Select Ghirardelli Chocolates. Thanks, God, for the delicious Chocolate! lol! Yum!

Apple Crumble Diet 

Okay, so I've thought of this for years and years, but sometimes I'm really struck by how incredible our Universe is, how amazingly intricate and phenomenal our world is, the sheer beauty and symmetry of nature....

Take these apples (please! haha! Jus' reminds me of that old 'Take my wife....please! lol!)

Anyway, when I slice the apples in half - or, in thirds, today, even easier! lol! But when I slice an apple in half, I am blown away by the design - a Grand Design,if you will... it's gorgeous, and I am soo blown away by seeds, and seed dispersal... (make me think of a man who really gets around - bah'hahahaha! Or seeds on a tree - whatevs... we're all just seeds, sprouted out! I looove that!

You, Me and an Apple Seed!

You, Me, and an Apple Tree!

We All Come From a Seed - You, Me, an Apple and a Tree!

Anyway, I've been singing that all morning - lol! Life in my head - haha!

I just took the Apple Crumble out the oven - smells amazing in here - yum! If I could just get everyone to give this little Apple Crumble a try, think how much happier and healthier our whole world would be! 

So here's what makes me call it The God Diet - I really believe that if it grows naturally, it's good for you. It was designed for you to eat - and be healthy, soooo, why not work with what comes naturally, whenever and wherever you can, right? 

Oatmeal is one of my favorite things - add it where you can, see if that will make you feel good - if you have any reaction, skip that, try something else, but generally speaking, Oatmeal and Grains are very good for you - there are really only a handful of people who can't manage grains, that seems like more of a media thing, right now - but if it works for you, Oatmeal is very Heart Healthy, great for 'cleaning out your system' - err... you know what I mean! lol! But Oatmeal will act like a little broom, sweeping out your system, cleaning it all up - is amazing! Thanks, God! I love it!

Yum, Thanks, God, for all the great veggies! This is my favorite #MacaroniSalad 

You get soo excited, when you get a bite with a little macaroni, and a whole lot o' da Veggies!

Yum, Macaroni Salad!

Well,  have a ton o' delicious and easy to make recipes on my blog - and on my site, but I can't seem to access my website - so frustrating - it's live and online, over 1.7 million visits, but there's something that is blocking me from getting onto my site from this computer, for me to work on it, so, my blog is my focus, right now.... sooo.... hm, have to figure that out, fo' sho'!

Anyhoooo, you can scroll through all the pics on my Blog, find whatever delicious recipe you're looking for... you'll love them all, I love anything that's delicious and pretty easy and fast to make, AND, super-healthy! : )

Bottom line, try to minimize artificial ingredients, where you can (not to be nutty about it, some artificial ingredients are deeelicious! haha!), and try to add lots of yummy fruits and veggies, wherever you can - Yum! Thanks, God! Good Job!! : )

Yum, look what I just thought of having - was soo good! 

Cucumbers and Taco Meat - Simple and Delicious!

So here's how I happened to think of this new flavor combo - years ago, at a Queen's Alumni Party in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, they had these most delicious little hors d'oeuvres (hor-derves, if you will - I have another li'l joke, but it just goes downhill fro here, sooo.... hopefully, you're already making that joke, in yer own head - haha!) (Did you know the literal French meaning of hors d'oeuvres is 'outside the work' - or, and this is all me, now - not the main course - or maybe it is?? haha! Whatevs, just say, Something Delicious, a lovely little bite of something good! 

Anyway, they had a slice of Cucumber, a few drops of Hot Sauce, and a lovely fresh Shrimp - yum! 

Taco Meat - yum!

It was soo good, so, tonight I happened to think of a new way I can freeze the extra Taco Meat, that I make all at once, I get the giant package of Ground Meat (mince, if you're British - lol!), cook it all in the big pot, with a ton of Taco Seasoning - 8 tablespoons, maybe? I dunno, I pour it in... spicy is yummy! lol! 

So I was standing in the kitchen, my son had already added some Taco Meat to the left over Lasagna - which was delicious - I did that,last night - yum! 

 Yum! Taco Spaghetti! Try it, you'll love it!

So my son had already eaten, and normally I would just make a batch of Taco Spaghetti, or regular Tacos, but we were all out of cheddar cheese, lettuce, salsa, tomatoes (I'm still waiting for them to grow, sooo, they'll be ready in just a few short months, and I'll have to eat something else between now and then - haha!)

Anyway, I'm standing in the kitchen, trying to think of something to have with the Taco Meat, and thought of this - and it was sooo good - yum! Light, delicious, did I already say light? haha! So good! 

I just heated up the Taco Meat, put that in the center of the plate, then sliced the cucumber to put around the meat - all very lovely, then used the cucumber slices like little nacho chips - which would also have been delicious, just not as super-healthy! lol! Cucumber - it's Nacho usual chip - haha! I know, I'm sorry! haha! But it is good! Deelish! 

Now I think I'm gonna add everything to little cucumber slices! lol! And perfect for a KETO or Paleo Diet, in case you're trying that out... : )

Well, here's something funny - this is the biggest plate of the Real Baked Potato Chips that I could get - the second they were ready, they were gone - dat make'a me happy! 

And they all cooked at different times - I flipped them a bunch of times, to make them really crisp - yum!

So, they're just very thinly sliced potatoes - this was three potatoes - left over from our Thanksgiving Dinner - we don't eat potatoes very often, so, usually they grow their own legs, then I plant them out on the balcony - you can just pop potatoes in any soil, you'll have beautiful vines in no time, plus, new potatoes! Yay! 

I'm gonna look up all the Health Benefits of Potatoes, since, really, it's all the frying and additives that you would want to avoid, for potato chips, not the actual potato - with a li'l Olive Oil and Salt : )

Here you go! But, you already knew there were lots of Health Benefits of Potatoes, right? That's what makes them soo delicious! 

"... food ranking system qualified potatoes as a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of potassium, copper, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, dietary fiber, and pantothenic acid. Potatoes also contain a variety of phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity."

 My son heated up some already cooked and frozen Taco Meat, and he added a li'l Salsa to that - this is the amount of meat I had... 

 And how much for the boy - lol! And hardly any chips left, by the time I got over to his place - hahaha! That's a VERY good sign of something delicious! lol! 

 See how some of them cook faster than the others? Just take them off the cookie sheet as they're ready... and flip them before you pop them back in - yum!

 I just lightly covered the 'chips' with a little Oil - I used Olive Oil, but you could use any oil, or no oil - up to you, baby! 

See how they're translucent? I tried to let them sit for a second, make them even crispier, but they were sooo delicious, as soon as I took each batch out the oven, they were gone - lol! Yum! 

I gave them a little bit of Salt on them when they came out the oven, too - soooo good! : )

Grapes are from God, right? lol! ; )

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#MyrtleBeach, South Carolina -- A Great and Affordable Vacation! : > #CanAmDays Are Back! Yahoo! #CheapFlights #FlightDeals #Airfare

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Our Hotel in Myrtle Beach -- gorgeous reflection in the sand, right??

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Full Moon over the Ocean : )
Myrtle Beach Hotels, Generic

Yahoo, Can-Am Days are back in Myrtle Beach - Yahoo! That's GREAT News for Canadians - our Canadian Dollar is soo low, right now  (hint, hint - for all my lovely American Friends, this is a great time to travel to Canada - we're 30% off, right now! And hopefully not for very long - I like when our Canadian Dollar is on par with the American Dollar - that's what works best for me - lol!)

But during the Can-Am Days, our Canadian Dollar is taken on par with the US Dollar, so, is soo much easier to travel - Thanks, Myrtle Beach!

Oh, hey, maybe other places will have Can-Am Days, for all the little happy Canadian Travelers! We would love that! : )

My morning coffee view -- beautiful!

Don’t Miss Out! Save up to 60% Off Hotels!  Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is a great vacation spot for people on the East Coast -- just jump in the car and the next thing you know, you're there!  and the hotels are a great price, right now -- we got a great deal at the Caravelle Resort... we chose it because my daughter's name is Cara, sooo.... you can see why we clicked on the Caravelle Resort in Myrtle Beach! lol!  But it was fantastic -- the first time I've stayed in a hotel with a kitchen and little dining room table, and a separate room... was great!  We got the Breakfast included in our package -- what a great deal, but if I were doing it, again, I would skip the breakfast and have cereal for breakfast, instead (mostly because there's a Target in Myrtle Beach, and Target carries my favorite, favorite cereal that I love ... Archer's Farms Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut Biscotti granola -- deeelicious and fresh with a sliced banana -- yum!  But when we were looking at hotels in Myrtle Beach, there were soo many great deals... easily you could find a great place for a family vacation (or a couple, or friends... whoever you want to go with! lol Or on your own for a total break! haha!) for around $500-1,000/week (maybe even less...!)...look around, you'll be happy with what you find : )

Ocean View from our hotel room -- gorgeous to wake up to : )

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Ghirardelli Chocolate Super Sweet Sale!

Okay, so here's the Lazy River -- was soo much fun and soo many laughs!  Is not the most glamorous thing, and you need to be super-careful when you try to wedge yourself back out of the rubber tube thing when you're finally ready to come out... is so hard to want to come out of the Lazy River, because every time you go around the front edge, the speed picks up and whips you around the loop, again -- is sooo much fun! Watch out for your bathing suit on your way out the Lazy River, though!! lol!

On our way back from the pool and the Lazy River, my new favorite thing, ever!  Hillllarious, and  the sort of thing I think would be even more fun with a couple o' drinks! lol!

A quick stroll on the beach after breakfast each day -- great way to start the day! Will remember not to take pictures with that little handbag under my arm -- great little handbag, but not overly flattering in photos! lol!

Oh, man, I loove Myrtle Beach - their Pralines, alone, are worth the trip - lol! But is always so gorgeous, and lots of great memories, from all the trips we made to Myrtle Beach when I was a teenager... so much fun! And now Myrtle Beach has their Can-Am Days, again - where they take the Canadian Dollar on par with the US Dollar - yippee!! It would finally be affordable for Canadians to travel to the US, again! Thanks, Myrtle Beach - oh, and check out the great restaurants - Benjamin's is our favourite! Yum! I lvoe a Seafood Buffet (You see the food and eat it - nooo, me joke, but is an amazing buffet!)  Leave room for their delicious little Lime Desserts - so light and lovely! 

#Party! How to Throw a Great Party #GivingTree #FoodBank #ToyDrive #Donations #Charity #HolidayParty #Uber #ChristmasParty #Wine! #Parties

I totally built this house -- cool, eh?? lol!

How to Throw a Fabulous Party -- and you won't go mad or break the bank!

(Oh, and this is a while back... but is always a great idea, so if you're having, or going to, a lovely Holiday Party, at home, or an Office Party, please consider adding a #GivingTree - you'll have so much fun, and help lots of people in your area, too : ) 

A 'Giving Tree' is a little idea I thought of adding to our Annual Holiday Party, a few years ago, so our guests could bring a Gift for a Child in need (and hopefully a Food Item from their Cupboards, too!!) to put under our Tree. Then we took all the Gifts and Food down to the Children and Family Charitable Group. They had a whole list of Families in need in our own Community, so we knew everything was going to the right place. There were 38 Families on their List, and we had enough to give something to everyone. Great idea, eh?? Simple, and it is really effective.


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The 'Giving Tree' worked out really well -- we've given Baskets and Baskets of Toys and Gifts to charity, and a whole lot of Food Items for the Food Bank, too! How about doing that at your own Party, or your Office Party? Just think of all the Gifts (or Food or Money...) we could give if we all did this at a Holiday Party! Together we could all raise a tremendous amount of stuff that would make everyone's holiday that much better.

Make sure you get home safe, and all of your guests do, too, from your holiday parties : )

Don't wait 'til Christmas to add a Giving Tree to your Party -- be creative and change up the theme to suit the occasion... Easter Baskets at Easter time, Hearts Full of Hope at Valentine's Day (I know, that one sounds a bit hokey, but you've got plenty of time to think up something considerably better...!), or just 'Baskets of Hope' at any time of the year. Anything to add a wee bit of something for those in need, since need doesn't go away after the Holidays.

When everyone gives a wee bit, we end up with a whole lot of help. (Is that the sap I hear running from the trees, already, or is that just what I wrote?? ha,ha! Ah, well. This stuff does sound a tad pollyanna-ish, but it's necessary until the Governments have decent programs for all people to adequately Feed, House and Educate everyone in the society. Until that day comes, and I believe it will, we'll just have to band together to bridge the gap. Plus, you can have a Cheers for me at yer Party, so that'll be fun, right?!

See all the Gifts for Children in need in our community?  If you are in the States, you'll have a Toys for Tots Program near you, and that's wonderful to give to, and in Canada we have all sorts of places to donate toys and gifts to - remember the older kids, too, and I always put stuff in for the Moms - Moms need love, too! xox!

Here's my lovely daughter, Cara, in the kitchen, right before the party - lots of booze, lots of  alcohol-free drinks, too! (Man, I miss this kitchen! This is the last house I built...)

I filled the dining room table full of lovely treats, and I always set up an additional serving table (see over by the window?), with a giant Chocolate Yule Log - is that a Canadian thing, or does everyone love a Chocolate Yule Log?? Is like a log, literally, a chunk of wood, but made out of cake and icing - lots of icing! - and all very festive! lol!) and then there are treats and snacks set up on every surface in the house... coffee tables, end tables, you name it, there's a snack on it! 

So here's how to do it --

Set up your Christmas (or Chrismakah...!) Tree before the Party, and put some nice Baskets underneath the Tree. If you are using Laundry Baskets (technically, my favorite kind of Basket!), just put a Table Cloth or some nice material over the basket to brighten it up.

Put out a Few Baskets for the Toys and Gifts, and a Few Baskets for the Food Items. If they fill up during the Party, you can run and get more baskets, or just put the Toys around the Tree and use the Baskets for the Food. (Now that everyone knows we have a Giving Tree at our Annual Holiday Party, we get too many Gifts to put in the baskets, so now we just have our Guests place their gifts right under the Giving Tree, and I load them into my van after the party. Oh, I love a Generous Guest!!)

Tell Your Guests in Advance that you'll be having a Giving Tree so they have time to pick something up. When you send out your Party Invitations (I just e-mail mine -- who has time to write an actual letter these days??), be sure to include a line that says something like,

"We're having a Giving Tree Party! If you would like to bring a Toy, Gift and/or Food Item to our Party, we would love your gift! All the Toys and Food will be Donated to a Local Charity after the Party."

Your Guests will respond very well to this, and I always write it so that it is completely optional. We love a good bottle of Gin, don't get me wrong, but we can buy that for ourselves, so we love it when our Guests bring something for someone who really needs it (toys and food, not gin! ha,ha!)-- that way we all will have a much nicer Holiday Season, right?

This year, I'll be able to tell our Guests from Last Years Party how much stuff we were able to Contribute to our Local Charity -- what a great group of Friends we have! And I'm guessing that you, too, have a fabulous group of Friends and Co-Workers ... people who would be more than happy to Give to a Good Cause.

It'll literally take me a couple of weeks to get the House all set up for the Party, but it'll be worth it because it's always so much fun! Looks like we'll easily have over a 100 people, so we should get a lot of stuff to go under our 'Giving Tree' and in the Food Baskets to take down to our Local Family Charity.

I am really hoping to get the word out on that Party Idea. Just think how much stuff we could all donate if we took one item to a Party. If you are thinking about having a Party this Holiday Season, or already have one planned (or have been Invited to one and you know the Host or Hostess well enough to ask them if they would try that too...!), please consider Adding a Giving Tree to the Event. Staff Parties, too -- there must be a million Staff Parties at this time of year! Wouldn't that be a huuuge amount of stuff for Families in need?? There are all kinds of Groups in need of stuff -- the Fireman's Fund, The Salvation Army, Women's Shelters, Food Banks, Homeless Shelters, Churches...all sorts of Groups you can donate your 'Party Goods' to -- wouldn't that be sooo great! Then we can really enjoy the Holiday Season!


How to Throw a Great Informal Party:

The most important thing to know about Throwing a Great Party is that it's not as hard as it sounds. People like to Mingle and Talk, so really you just need to provide a Warm and Welcoming Place where Everyone can come and have some fun.

Here's what works well for a Winter Party -- it's all very Festive!

Everything is set up so your Guests can choose to have a Non-Alcoholic Drink, or Add a Wee Something to the Mix. It's very 'Family Friendly', and there's lots to choose from for the Designated Drivers in the Crowd.

Hot Apple Cider in a Giant Pot, Electric Wok or Crock Pot. Spiced Rum and Vanilla Rum on the Side!! Tastes like a Hot Apple Pie! Yum! (It's just Apple Juice heated up with Cinnamon Sticks thrown in for Flavor.)

A Great Big Bowl of Punch, Non-Alcoholic. Vodka or Rum on the Side. Float some Sliced Fruit in the Punch -- looks lovely! (Punch is really easy to make -- use a Frozen Punch Base, then add the required Water, then Add Gingerale or Sprite -- any light Pop -- and then add in Any Pink or Red Pop -- like a Cranberry Pop or Grapefruit Pop. Slice the Lemons, Limes, and/or Oranges and let them float on the Top of the Punch. Add in some Ice Cubes, and you're all set!

Have a Coffee and Hot Chocolate 'Station'. Baileys or other nice Liqueur that goes well with Coffee or Hot Chocolate on the Side. I just make a Big Pot of Coffee, then have more Filters with the Coffee in them, all ready to go if you need to make more... and Two Kettles Set up So people can make themselves a Hot Chocolate or Tea, if they are so inclined. Set out Hot Chocolate, Tea, Cream, Sugar and lots of Teaspoons. You can use Throw-Away Cups, or Regular Mugs, if you have lots of them.


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Have a Wine Bar -- I just Set out a Nice Variety of Wine and Lots of Glasses. You know what is the most popular Drink at our Parties (next to the Hot Apple Cider, where I hang out!)? My friend, Steve, calls it 'Sody Pop Wine', so now I do, too, and it's aptly named, since it's pretty much like tasty pop all liquored up! ha,ha! It comes in about a million Fruit Flavors (yes, I am exaggerating, but only to keep myself amused as I write this...), and you can get it at any Liquor Store. It's generally under $7.00 a bottle, so you can pick up quite a variety of Flavours. Black Current and Strawberry are the most popular at our Parties. Sadly enough, we buy this by the Case, now! It's light and deeelicious!

Have a Bar Stocked with Hard Liquor. Mix on the Side -- Coke, Pepsi, Gingerale ... and remember to have the Diet Versions of each of those Drinks to offer to your Guests.

Lots and Lots of Ice!

Tons of Finger Foods -- Treats of All Sorts, like Cookies and Cake Squares, Cheese & Veggie Platters, Shrimp Rings, Tortilla Chips 'n Salsa, Regular Chips ... whatever appeals to you. Save yourself a whole lot of time by just buying these already made -- I swing by Costco and M&M's before the Party to pick up a nice variety of Bars and Finger Foods, then it's just a matter of cutting and putting them on Platters. You can use regular Plates (Small and Large) to present the Cookies & Cake Bars -- just place them in a circle on the plate, and then go up one or two more layers, getting smaller with each layer. I use Cutting Boards for the Cheese & Crackers -- fast and easy.

Optional: Some 'Real Food' -- I like to Serve Chili and Rolls. This year, I'm going to skip the 'Real Food' thing. Our Big Holiday Party is always during the day (From 2:00 - 7:00 pm), so providing a 'Real Meal' isn't really necessary). I do keep the number for the Pizza Place handy in case anyone stays late, or I'll whip up a big batch of Pasta.

For the Kids (we like 'Family Friendly' Daytime Parties...), I set up their Treats and Drinks Downstairs. I've found that Individually Wrapped Treats -- Chips, Chocolate Bars, Candies -- work out well. I set out a big box of Chips -- the ones you get for the kids' lunches. Beside that I have a few cases of Pop, all different Varieties. It's much easier for Kids to help themselves to what they like, and you don't have to worry about germs being spread in a big bowl of Chips. Set up the TV so they can Watch Movies on the Big Screen (and have them all ready to go...), set up a Games Area with a few good Games, and have some Music available, too if you have Older Kids at your Party.

That's about it! Not too hard to put together -- lots of nice Decorations, Napkins, Glasses, 'N All...Don't worry too much about Your Party. Your Guests are there to see you, chat with each other, and maybe get in a wee dance, if you happen to go down that path. It'll all work out, and if you have a Giving Tree, you'll end up having a great time and have lots of great stuff to Donate to a Local Charity, too! See, it's easy shmeasy!

Now, these are specific to Our Parties...but see what will work for you : )

Our Pool Table is Downstairs, so I would imagine there will be a steady group of Men (mostly...) playing Pool for the good part of the day, so they can keep an eye on the kids!! YaaHoo!!

Treats for the Children are best if they are individually wrapped, to cut down on any 'cross-contamination', and if you know or have any kids, I think you'll know just what I mean ...! Ha,ha,ha! So Chips, Canned Pop, Small Chocolate Bars (they're eaten before they melt!!) ... it's easy and the kids will love it. Although, one year, we did have an 'incident' where one small child actually ran their hands all covered in chocolate along the carpet -- hard to believe. And the parents didn't say a word, which was unpleasant, so think about who your guests are before you put out the chocolate! And don't be afraid to 'alter' you Guest List for the next party, if you want to maintain your sanity at any Future Parties!

So the big key to the Success of an Informal Party is to have everything pretty much 'Serve It Yourself', that way even if the Host or Hostess has had 'the Mostest', if you know what I mean, the Party can still go on and everyone will have a great time. It's just a whole lot more relaxing for everyone if people can just mingle around freely, and eat and drink whatever they like.

You know a good name for this kind of Party?? A Mingle and Jingle Party! Ha,ha,ha!

So, pass this Giving Tree Idea along to your Friends, Neighbors, Pastors, Teachers ... the more people we get in on this, the more stuff we can give! Hey, we can all take pictures of our Giving Trees, and then I can post them on my Site! Then we can all check out your Living Room, too! Now, that'll be fun!

Party On, Baby! Ailsa  xox!!

Make sure everyone who is drinking at your Party has a Designated Driver. We have a lot of Neighbors who can just walk over, so they're the lucky ones! I always make sure I have lots of great drink choices that are non-alcohlic so everyone can have fun, and everybody stays safe.


Personal Breathalizer Enter Code AILSA for a Special Discount for My Readers!So here's a great thing to get for yourself or for someone you care about to let them know when they've reached their limit with Alcohol at your Party or wherever you (or they) find themselves out Drinking. This one little device could save many, many lives and countless injuries, not to mention preventing someone from driving under the influence and getting a D.W.I. (D.U.I. in Canada).  http://alcoholcontrols.com/breataldet.html

Get some Music for yo' Party!

** That's my big house from when I was married... I sure miss that house!  Looking at my old living room, which was sooo gorgeous, makes me want to build that house, again... but the next time I build it, I want to 'move it around', in that I want to build the 'West Wing' over the garage, this next time... so a higher roof-line, probably a 4 car garage (why not?? lol!), maybe more of an angle in the house.. we'll see what the Lot loks like, when I get around to building another house (soon, I hope!! lol!)


Happy Holidays!!  Ailsa :) xox

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