Friday August 16th, 2019...Morning Thoughts

My photography of one of my zinnias with a lovely moth on it.

Things I’m thinking this morning in no special order....

I should really start doing more art. I used to draw a lot in high school and art was and still is my favorite subject.

I wish I still had a violin to play. Delbin, my son, will rarely let me play on his. I used to play in 6th-12th grades. I miss it so very much. On that note 🎵 I want to someday be able to read music. I have a gift of being able to play by ear.

My garden is looking better and better all the time. Although I would like to plant more flowers and next year I need to start earlier with the veggies. Here is a photo I took of one of my zinnias with a lovely moth on it.

I love the art that my friends have made me. I also love all my artistic friends that I have made recently. I hope to someday fill my home with gorgeous art.

I am craving zucchini 🥒, and since I neglected to plant any this year I hope some of my local friends see this and have some extra for me 😀.

My kitchen still isn't done and I have been without a kitchen sink since April. On the bright side I am supposed to get my new kitchen cabinets in sometime this month...and then hopefully they can be installed.

The Hepa filter I have is always so very loud and it is right next to me when I am sitting at my desk.

Thank you to my friend, Amber Bryce, who inspired me to do this today. I hope I can keep it up.

Garden Lites SuperFood Veggie Cakes Now at Northwest Costco Stores! Garden Lites Review

Garden Lites are delicious and healthy snacks, muffins, and entrees that are packed with vegetables as the first and main ingredient. These nutrient-rich, heart-healthy foods are vegetarian and GMO free. A lot of their products are also gluten free, dairy free, nut free, soy free, and/or allergen free (look at packaging to make sure). Most do contain eggs. Look for Garden Lites at many stores across the US in the refrigerated section, including local to me stores like: New Seasons Market, Whole Foods Market, Target, Walmart, and now Costco!!

Garden Lites products we received.

We got to try Garden Lites: SuperFood Veggie Cakes, Chocolate Muffins, and Blueberry Oat Muffins. I love the fact that they are all easy to heat up and take with you on-the-go. These are also great for a snack or side dish. These were all very yummy and I'd definitely buy them if I saw them in the store.

Garden Lites SuperFood Veggie Cakes are small veggie-rich cakes that are only 100 calories per cake and have a Weight Watchers PointsPlus value of 3. These are vegetarian, GMO free, gluten free, dairy free, and nut free. Like all Garden Lites, vegetables are their first ingredient. They are packed with a super food veggie blend of carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, onion, red bell pepper, and zucchini! These are available exclusively at Costco in the refrigerated section as a box of 12 veggie cakes. These should be kept refrigerated or frozen until eaten.

I found these very tasty and easy to make. Since it has been hot here and the oven heats up my house my preferred method was popping them in the microwave for about 25 seconds. You can also cook them in the oven or toaster oven on 250 degrees on a baking sheet for 12 minutes. These cakes reminded me of a Japanese recipe I have made in the past called Okonomiyaki (vegetable pancakes) or a vegetable filled quiche/souffle. I love these for breakfast, snack, or with a meal. I can easily pack them for lunches when my family goes on outings too. I love how healthy and delicious these are and that I can understand all the ingredients on the packaging.

Garden Lites SuperFood Veggie Cakes and Muffins.

Garden Lites Muffins come in a assortment of flavors with seven different variations. These are great at getting vegetables into your family's diet without compromising the flavor and if your kids are picky eaters these might just be the ticket to a healthier snack alternative. Comes individually wrapped in BPA free plastic and the box contains 4-6 muffins depending upon the variety. These should be kept frozen until eaten.

We got to try their Chocolate Muffins and Blueberry Oat Muffins. They are both packed with fresh zucchini and carrots. They are both: a good source of fiber (3g) and whole grains (5g), vegetarian, GMO free, allergy-friendly, gluten free, dairy free, and nut free. At 120 calories per muffin these have a Weight Watchers PointsPlus value of 3. These have 4 muffins per package and are easy to pop in the microwave bag and all on high for 10 seconds if defrosted or 35 seconds if frozen (although microwaves do vary and mine seemed to want an additional 10-35 seconds so the middle wasn't still cold). You can also defrost at room temperature for about 4 hours if you aren't in a hurry to eat them right away.

The Chocolate Muffins are similar to lava cakes I've eaten. They are moist with a gooey center of melted semi-sweet chocolate chips. The very first two ingredients are zucchini and carrots and you can hardly taste them! They are hidden and you won't even know they're there. My kids and I liked them and ate 'em up.

The Blueberry Oat Muffins are delicious and moist with plump blueberries filled inside. You can see the shredded carrots and zucchini if you look, but these are delicious anyway. They also have gluten-free oats in them along with other gluten free ingredients. My kids and I liked these best because blueberries are one of our favorite berries!

SOCIAL • CORNER
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BUY IT
You can now find the Garden Lites SuperFood Veggie Cakes at Costco Stores across the country, including Texas, the Southeast, the Southwest, the Northwest and the Northeast regions. You can order these online if you live in the Continental US with free shipping at Healthy Goodness. You can also locate a store near you to purchase the other Garden Lites products.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Wordless Wednesday Garden Goodies

A purple cabbage from our garden.

Zucchini from our garden.

Foodie Friday Yellow Squash and Zucchini Casserole

Yellow Squash and Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients:
2 yellow squash, sliced into thin rounds
2 zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
2 carrots, sliced into thin rounds
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
garlic salt to taste (I used my Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic seasoning blend)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
3 slices toast; buttered, garlic salt sprinkled on them, and ripped into bite size pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sauté sliced yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, and onions in some vegetable oil or butter over medium heat until onions are see through.

Place sliced yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, and onions into large bowl and fold in cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. Sprinkle garlic salt to taste and also fold into mixture.

Butter a casserole dish with lid large enough to hold everything. Place mixture into casserole dish and top with Parmesan cheese and toast. Bake with lid on at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes taking lid off for last 5 minutes.