Saturday Morning

It's a rainy, cold morning. The kind of morning where the cats think they want outside only to feel the chill and come back in. Bobbi has a trick of going out the laundry room door into the carport where she gets her fresh air but doesn't have to get wet.

Here's a mystery to me about cats. You read how important it is to give them fresh, clean water daily but then they go outside and thoroughly enjoy drinking out of the birdbath or a pot saucer.

Even though I've been retired for almost seven years, Saturdays still have that feeling of a day off - free time. The picture above is the kitchen windowsill. Since we live in such a rainy area, it's good to see colored glass in the window showing bright color instead of just the grey outside. This is where I make the morning coffee and then usually oatmeal. If we are lucky there's a good, old movie on Turner Classic Movies. This morning it's a Thin Man we haven't seen before. From March to November there is a good gardening program on. There is leftover No Peek Stew for dinner along with Pineapple Cashew Slaw. There's a Women's Fellowship potluck at noon.
Here is another recipe I made from JoAnna Lund's "Grandma's Comfort Food Made Healthy":

Maple Waldorf Fruit Salad

Serves 8 (1/2 cup)

2 cups (4 small) unpeeled, cored and diced red delicious apples
1 cup (1 medium) diced banana
1/4 cup raisins
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup Kraft fat-free mayonnaise
1/4 cup Cary's Sugar Free Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Peter Pan reduced-fat peanut butter
In a large bowl, combine apples, banana, raisins, and celery. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, maple syrup, and peanut butter. Mix well until smooth. Add mayonnaise mixture to apple mixture. Mix gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Gently stir again just before serving.

Hints: 1. To prevent banana from turning brown mix with 1 teaspoon lemon juice or sprinkle with Fruit Fresh.
2. To plump raisins without "cooking" place in a glass measuring cup and microwave on HIGH for 20 seconds.

Each serving equals:
115 calories; 3 gm Fat; 2 gm Protein; 20 gm Carbohydrate; 198 mg Sodium; 11 mg Calcium; 2 gm Fiber

Diabetic: 1 Fruit; 1/2 Starch/Carbohydrate; 1/2 Fat