Moments D294: Fevers, Tests and Love

I know. I know. Strange bedfellows, but what can I say? Today my cold broke free of me. I had a full on fever by mid-morning. It’s a good thing my pounding head convinced me to stay home again from work. A fever is nothing to mess with! And of course tonight was my first test of the semester too. Talk about a day!

I slept, I worked from home in my pjs (again - I tell you, I could get used to that!) and then I slept some more. The fever finally broke and I figured it was a good time to brush up on my studies and dive into the test.

But today’s moment isn’t about the cold or the test - it’s about the love that I felt from my circles. Those close to me, those afar, those nearest and dearest and new friends. The love, the support, the well wishes.

It’s just a cold. But I know I am missed in the office.

It’s just a test. But I know that my friends (and family) want me to succeed. (Maybe that’s because they know me well enough to know that I won’t be happy with anything but success!)

Sometimes, it’s just a nice warm blanket of comfort knowing that there are people who really care about you. I’m fortunate, that circle is wide, and its depth great. So today - thank you to my peeps. For the surprise smiles, for the silly suggestions, for the rants about Angelica and raw sugar.

Moments for many smiles, from many directions on a tough day physically and intellectually.

Moments D258: Cheerleader

Today I was a cheerleader, not once, but twice. Each moment was important to another. However, that being said, each of moments were as unique from one another as it could possibly be.

The first moment: being there for a friend who experienced a traumatic death of a pet. It wasn’t about being a cheerleader in the common sense of it. But the similarity is there. It was about reminding him how much he loved his cat. How spoiled she was. I was there. I supported and I coaxed out the words and the emotion to help the grieving process. A solemn cheerleader perhaps, but positive, loving and supportive words shared with my grieving friend.

A then, at the end of the day, I found myself cheering on a playoff series of billiards. This time a true cheerleader with boisterous positive, loving and supportive words.

It was strange to note the similarities between the two moments, after all they are quite disparate from one another. And so today’s moment is about that realization. That one can be a cheerleader in many situations.

Moments to support a grieving friend.

Moments to support a group of friends in playoffs.

Comfort Food in a Vegetarian Suit

It's the season for comfort foods and as much as I love my comfort foods, it's never a bad thing when you can find a more healthy version of an old-time favourite.

But come on.  How could anyone take a Vegetarian "Meatloaf" seriously?  Really?  Is it possible to give you that warm comfort feeling?

Well, hubby and I have made this recipe more than once.  It started with a need to find something insteresting/fun for our vegetarian friends.  But it's more serious now.  We've made it a couple of times for ourselves too!  I guess that means that it's a good recipe to share!  Not only that, it's dead easy and quick to pull together.  With only 283 calories per serving, it's a win-win-win!

I'll break it out for you here:

INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 ounce) carton cottage cheese

4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 1/2-2 1/2 cups corn flakes (I use Special K Whole Grain)
1/4 cup chopped onion

DIRECTIONS:
1.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.   Grease a loaf pan.
3.   In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, eggs, vegetable oil, soup mix, walnuts, cereal and onion.
4.   Spoon into prepared pan.
5.   Bake for 60 to 70 minutes.
6.   Let the 'roast' rest for 5 to 10 minutes; turn out onto serving platter.

Yes, it really is that simple.