CHRISTMAS ALL YEAR LONG

I love Christmas! It's a time with family, friends and giving hearts. I love that we celebrate Christ's birth in the month of December because it's a good reminder of where our focus should be at the end of the year, at the beginning of a new year and all year long. May Christ's birth, life, death and resurrection be a never ending celebration in our lives. I LOVE IT...CHRISTMAS ALL YEAR LONG!!!

The Tripputi's 2008 Christmas Celebration

                 candlelight service at Houston's First Baptist Church

The Tripputi Men

three men and a lady

mother and daughter

father and daughter

roses for a wonderful mother

THE TRIPPUTI CLAN

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Eat These, Weigh Less?

Maybe they’re called "magical fruit" in children’s rhymes for a reason . . . 

Just not for the flatulence-producing reasons kids obsess about. What really makes beans magical is their potential effect on your waistline: Bean eaters weigh less on average than non-bean-imbibing folks do. 

Bean Counting
In fact, bean eaters weigh as much as 6.6 pounds less, according to RealAge expert John La Puma, MD, author of ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine. (Browse the book online.) Makes sense when you consider beans are full of fiber and protein but low in fat, which means a serving will keep you going far beyond the need-to-munch hour but only make a minor dent in your calorie intake. (Find out which kind of bean packs the biggest antioxidant punch.) 

Recipe Corner
Beans are anything but boring if you try these tasty, bean-filled recipes from EatingWell:

• Turkey & Bean Enchiladas
• Taco Salad
• Smoky Corn and Black Bean Pizza

Video: Learn how to make your own white bean hummus.

RealAge Benefit: Maintaining a constant desirable weight can make your RealAge 6 years younger. 

I love pizza! I will definitely be trying the Smoky Corn and Black Bean Pizza.

The secret to a grilled pizza is having all your ingredients ready to go before you head out to the grill. Make it a meal: Toss the extra black beans, diced tomato and some avocado with prewashed salad greens and Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette and dinner is on the table in no time.

Makes 6 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1 plum tomato, diced
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 pound prepared whole-wheat pizza dough
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella, preferably smoked mozzarella

1. Preheat grill to medium.
2. Combine tomato, beans and corn in a medium bowl. Sprinkle cornmeal onto a large baking sheet. Stretch the dough into about a 12-inch circle and lay it on top of the cornmeal, coating the entire underside of the dough.
3. Transfer the crust from the baking sheet to the grill. Close the lid and cook until the crust is puffed and lightly browned on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes. 
4. Using a large spatula, flip the crust. Spread barbecue sauce on it and quickly sprinkle with the tomato mixture and cheese. Close the lid; grill until the cheese is melted and the bottom of the crust is browned, 4 to 5 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 316 calories; 6 g fat (3 g sat, 0 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 48 g carbohydrate; 14 g protein; 4 g fiber; 530 mg sodium; 94 mg potassium. 
Nutrition bonus: Calcium (15% dv).
Exchanges: 3 starch, 3 medium-fat meat; 3 Carbohydrate Servings.

Article found on realage.com

Not it!

Okay, so I wasn't really tagged, but I got the idea from my roommate's blog...

1. Go to the 4th folder in your computer where you store your pictures.

2. Pick the 4th picture in that folder.

3. Explain the picture.

4. Tag 4 people to do the same!

Well, I went to my pictures on my computer and got the first picture, but then when I browsed on blogger another picture was the 4th of the 4th...hence 2 pics

Bec, Katie and I at an Arbonne event. The Mercedes Benz is the company car that you earn.

My brothers and I celebrating Father's Day at Papas seafood restaurant. Aren't they cute? Ladies, any takers? Oh wait, only two are currently available.

Yum Yum in My Tum

I felt great after working out tonight and thought that I should cook something healthy. Most of you know that I'm not a chef by any means, but that I love to eat-especially pizza. Well, it started this Thanksgiving when my dad gave me props on being ahead of the game. He told me that when my mom and him got married my mom didn't know how to cook anything. Their meals consisted of toast, tea, and soup. I'm thrilled that I'm ahead of the game because that means that I will win eventually. Right?

Okay, so here is how my little concoction came to be: I bought mushrooms the other day just because I felt like something different in my salad. Well, it turns out that I don't really enjoy them in my salad all that much, so I have been thinking of other ways to eat them (they were about to expire). I tossed some mushrooms in a pan, cooked some rice, tossed in some leftover Thanksgiving green beans and stirred it all together with some chicken. My first thought was I like mushrooms, I like rice, I like chicken, I like green beans...it must make a great combination. It turned out that I was right, the combo works! I'm not one to toot my own horn, but I'm really excited about lunch tomorrow.

Do you have a favorite concoction that you would like to share?