We had a WONDERFUL day celebrating the 241st anniversary of the independence of America!  The Annual Bull Frog Loop parade (Bull Frog Loop is the name of our street) goes by our cabin.  It’s the perfect time to host a brunch for our neighbors and friends before the parade.

Here in the mountains, everyone decorates their cabins for the holiday so there is an abundance of flags and patriotic symbols.  This year we added more red/white/blue flag bunting to the deck railings.  I purchased this homemade wooden flag from a sweet dad and his two sons who were selling them on the side of the road.

For brunch, I made my egg casserole and fresh cherry coffee cake, (both recipes I have shared on previous posts).  We also made my new favorite go-to salad, Orange, Strawberry, Avocado with Citrus Poppyseed dressing (by one of my favorite bloggers, Monique at Ambitious Kitchen).  We rounded off the menu with fresh berries, Mimosas and a special cake for dessert.

I found these red/white/blue roses at Safeway~~I thought they would make a nice centerpiece on the table.   The girls laughed at me but I bought them anyway! The older I get, the more they laugh at me….go figure.

Our cabin is at approximately 8,000 feet altitude so it’s a bit of a challenge to bake here.  The girls and I decided at the last minute to make an American Flag Cake. I saw a post about the Top 30 July 4th desserts published by Country Living and this one looked interesting.  Baking at this altitude requires a bit of science and a lot of chemistry.

My daughter, Elisabeth, added the raspberries and blueberries on top of the delicious buttercream frosting. There were lots of oohs and ahhs when we cut into the cake.  Isn’t it amazing?  Surprisingly, with the high altitude adjustments, the cake was moist and all 8 layers worked out to really look like a flag!

We set up a self-serve buffet and then went outside and waited for the parade. This sweet homespun parade was started by Susan Palmer-Hunter. Years ago, Susan was so surprised that there was no July 4th parade here.  So, with determination she started one.  Susan and her husband host this parade every year. The much-anticipated parade has now grown and several hundred residents get to enjoy (and participate, if they like), in this very fun, patriotic event.   From decorated golf carts to bikes and floats, this parade represents the best of America. Here’s a glimpse:

Not only did this family participate in the parade, but they made cupcakes for all!

What a fun play on Red Cups!

And here is my good friend, Tracy, as Miss Bingo!

This parade, and all the red, white and blue, is such a reminder how lucky we are to live in this country!  Thank you, Susan for making this parade possible and gathering our community to celebrate Independence Day.

Also, we want to send our thoughts and prayers to those fire fighters who are working this holiday to manage the forest fires in Arizona.  We are so grateful for their service.  The fire danger is very high here and we pray for the monsoon season rains.

I hope you had a memorable holiday with your family and friends.  Happy July 4th!

Yesterday morning,  I noticed so many people photographing their breakfast and sharing it on Instagram.  So I was inspired to do the same.

I made a fresh egg cooked inside a slice of 7 sprouted grains bread, seasoned with fresh thyme, sea salt and pepper. I toasted the bread in olive oil first, then cut out the hole and plopped in the egg.

Since I had my cup of coffee earlier, I made hot matcha tea with hazelnut/cashew milk (see my post on making nut milk) and topped with cinnamon. A delicious and nutritious breakfast, utilizing simple ingredients.

The beginning of a new year is always a good reason to improve upon your health and diet. Though, generally, I consider myself to eat nutritious foods, I find myself skipping meals, eating on the run, all because I say I’m too busy.  As a result, I believe my metabolism is slower than it should be.  After years of creating and preparing meals and snacks for my family, I found myself hardly cooking since my oldest 2 went off to college.  My teenage daughter is starving at 3:00 p.m. after school and that’s when she has her big meal.  By 6:00 p.m. no one is hungry and at that point, why bother?

I was lacking imagination and preparing the same things over and over again and/or relying on take out foods when I was too pooped to cook. And of course, there was that glass (or two or three) of wine nearly every night…..

Adding a few LBs over the holidays didn’t help, so I was very excited to discover that a blogger I admire, Monique from Ambitious Kitchen (and others) put together a healthy eating/exercise plan called Healthy Glow.

It’s a 6-week program and for a mere $64 you can download all the recipes, shopping lists, eating guide, etc.  I thought, if nothing else, I may find some great new recipes.  And they have a 2-day preview of the plan that is free.

I personally like the shopping list ~~ so every Saturday we hit the grocery store and get all the items we need for the next week of recipes.  The serving size varies so you can increase or decrease the recipe (or make more and freeze it).  The Healthy Glow team make this a very easy plan to follow.  They also encourage you to dine out once a week and add a glass of wine too, if you’d like.

The coveted Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe (that I made all the time for my son’s crew team) was created by Monique so I know she is able to eat healthy yet enjoy a variety of foods at the same time.

Even though the program says it’s designed for women, I’ve been preparing the foods for my husband too.  He has been adding other foods to satisfy his metabolic needs.  He has enjoyed the meals and especially looks forward to the diverse breakfast options (many made the night before and very appreciated on hectic mornings).

We have completed the first 6 weeks and have begun our 2nd round.  I felt like I was eating LOTS of food, but I didn’t gain a pound, actually I lost a few.  For the 2nd round, I am adding the nutritional information to the LOSE IT! app.  I didn’t realize that the nutritional information was in the packet (last time)  but it’s nice to know there is a good balance of protein, carbohydrates and fats.

I haven’t done any of their exercise recommendations because I already have a weekly routine.  But who knows?  It’s nice to have a fall back position if I become stuck in my current regime.

In summary, I’ve really enjoyed the recipes and eating in a different way.  Knowing what you will be having for each meal is so much easier than spending time staring at an open refrigerator door and wondering what to make for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The egg in toast breakfast was inspired by a recipe in Week 2 of the Healthy Glow plan called Egg in a Frame.   It was absolutely yummy.  Calories: 307; Fat: 20.5 g; Carbohydrates: 22.8g; Sugar: 2.2g; Fiber: 2.8 g and Protein: 9.5 g.

Wishing you a healthy week!