Wow!  I was just sitting here thinking about what I could do to pass the time while the eggs I put on the stove to be boiled, well boiled and it hit me!!!  Why the heck haven't I put on and shared with you all how I make my fool proof boiled eggs.

After years of hearing how others do it; putting a dash of baking soda in the water while the eggs boiled, let the water boil first then put the eggs in, put the eggs in before it boils, cover the eggs after they are done and let sit, etc, etc, etc. I stumbled upon my way (and maybe others) just on complete accident.

Before I tell my story (hehehe, sounds like the beginning of a 20/20 news event) I want you to know a couple of things: 1. These are not made fast, it is a slower process so if you are looking for a quick hard boiled egg recipe, this is not it. 2. I wouldn't call these hard boiled or soft boiled... more of a slow boiled ending with the results of a hard boiled egg.

Okay back to the story...

One night I decided that I was going to make some hard boiled eggs for the following morning's breakfast and maybe even for the next day.  I am a true believer in putting the eggs in before the water is even hot.  So I put a pot of water on the stove with my single layer of eggs at the bottom and I let them come to a boil, turned it down a bit and intended to let them boil for about 5-10 minutes and then let them cool off in the hot water with a lid on it because 7/10 times this is a great method of cooking eggs.

Well that is not what happened.  I forgot they were cooking!! *GASP*

About 20 minutes after I started cooking them boyfriend asked if I was cooking rubber eggs and that's when I remembered!  To play it off nicely I laughed and said, oh no I meant to cook them this long, hehehehe.  I waited about another minute because at that point I though that there was no way I was going to get the shell to come off and because I had to play the whole "I meant to do it" scenario.  I skipped the covering and drained the eggs and ran them under cold water until the water stayed cool and I could touch the eggs.  I then, because I just had to see, cracked the outside of one of the eggs and began to peel.  I expected the whites would be stuck badly to the inside of the shell.  I expected a tragedy!

I was fooled!!!  The egg de-shelled perfectly!!!

Long story short, the best eggs I had ever made occurred on this what began as an unfortunate boiling night!

So here is the how to on these eggs in a little less story telling format...

First fill a pot with enough water to cover how ever many eggs you are going to boil (a single layer of eggs, do not stack). Add the eggs to the water and ensure that the water is covering the eggs, like below I didn't have enough so I added a bit more.

Then bring the water to a boil.  Doesn't have to be a rapid boil for you to start the timer and turn down the heat.  I turn the heat down to just above a simmer so it continues to boil without overflowing.  Set a timer (hehehe because you dont want to forget) for 25 minutes and let the heat and water work its magic.

Once it is done boiling immediately drain hot water (I just drain as much as I can from the pot so I don't dirty any other dishes) and then fill the pot back up with cold running water.  Empty once maybe twice, to get rid of the warm water (the eggs and pot will heat the water back up).  Once the water is cool and the eggs are cool enough to touch transfer them to a bowl and put in the refrigerator until completely cooled (at least 2 hours maybe a bit longer).

Once cooled you can peel with ease and serve however you planned.  Beautifully shelled eggs are great for; breakfast, deviled eggs, cobb salads, egg salad and so much more!!

Now I know that there are a million posts about how to make the perfect egg but I really hope that you do give this one a try.  It is the best one I have found, even if it was on accident!

A How-To: Cleaning Your Yoga Mat

I have to be honest... 

When first starting yoga many years ago it really never occurred to me that I may have to clean my yoga mat.  Cue YUCK!  But here is the thing I don't wear it and once put away I didn't think about it.  It wasn't until I went to a real yoga studio and saw others doing it that it clicked... DUH!  I sweat on my mat, I touch my mat, my sweaty clothes touch the mat... Why in the world wouldn't I clean it?!?!

So then I just started cleaning it with the wipes that they had at the studio.

Now that I am doing yoga only at home because of the Yoga Boot Camp I am in and the love I have for my yogi guide Adriene I knew I had to come up with a way to clean the mat at home.  

Luckily that was easy because on Adriene's blog she was kind enough to show a little how to on making your own yoga cleaning spray. To see her how to video click HERE.  

Here is my version though so you can see what I used since I have to work a little bit on a budget.

So I used the ingredients that she provided but I had to cheap it down with not 100% essential oils and a cheapy version of witch hazel.  I got the plastic bottle for 99cents at Wal-mart too!
I followed her directions...

3/4 full distilled water and the rest witch hazel then about 5 drops of an essential oil.

I did lavender in the pink bottle and the I did mint rosemary in the green bottle (seen below). 

I chose lavender because it helps to relieve stress and improve your mood (if you choose to use 100% oil it you can use it sparingly on yourself to help relieve stress, tension or even disinfect your scalp, you can search for other health benefits on google of click HERE for an awesome article).

I chose rosemary mint for the other bottle because mint helps calm the body and rosemary is wonderful for many reasons including stress relief.  Using rosemary by itself is also marvelous!  If used topically it helps with clarity, headaches and pain relief.  Click HERE for more info on rosemary, since you know I am no expert.

Once you have made your spray, use it liberally on your mat (I let it sit for about 30 seconds) and then wipe with a cloth with the grain of your mat. 

I love this spray and it makes my mat smell amazing!

I use it about every other day depending on my yoga sessions and how sweaty I get. 

Skewer Sundays

My family has weirdly been begging me for theme dinner nights.  Even Boyfriend was asking why we don't do Taco Tuesdays!  So this week I am doing a theme every night!  Here is how the week looks:

Skewers Sunday--- Chicken and Shrimp Skewers

Marinara Madness!--- Spaghetti

Taco Tuesday :)--- Tacos

Waste- Not- Wednesday--- Left Overs

Thirsty Thursday--- Nachos and Sparkling Strawberry Lemonades

Free-For- All Friday--- Leftover or anything you want to make :)

Last night was of course the skewers and they were a huge hit!  The kiddos loved them and Boyfriend of course did (he loves all my cooking, he can't even pick a fav recipe).

I thought that they were pretty amazing myself.  The thing I loved the most was the marinade that I put on them (click HERE for the recipe).  Sweet and salty, almost teriyaki flavored.

I start by putting all the marinade ingredients in a bowl.  Then I put the chicken into the marinade for at least 2 hours (if you can do it longer or even over night that will be better).  Once they have sat and are getting yummified I start placing them on the skewers.

**HOW TO HINT**

To make sure wooden skewers do not burn while on the grill, soak them in water for at least 1 hr before putting the meat and vegetables on the skewer.

Then I placed these bad boys on the grill.  Yes ladies and gentlemen I know many tricks, including grilling.  I am actually the go to griller in our house. 

I cooked the chicken for about 30 minutes in total only turning them maybe twice.  Too much turning can cook your food unevenly.  On these skewers I used onion, bell pepper and mushrooms.  But I have used cherry tomatoes, pineapple, asparagus and squash before.  Really you can put any veggie you like on there as long as it will hold to the skewer and not fall off into the abyss of your grill.

Then voila!  These yummy guys are ready to go!

We also did shrimp ones, but I didn't take any pictures of those.  

This time I paired this with a pasta salad using organic noodles, broccoli, kalamata olives and mozzarella.  This whole meal brought us a bit of summer on a super rainy day (I guess I didn't mention I grilled these in the middle of a rain shower, I got skills guys!).

Grilled Salmon Pouches

Morning all!

Today I am bringing you a wonderful dish that I like to make for my family often. This recipe is very versatile but I am going to show you an easy version and you can add you own-ness to it. :)

So today is all about salmon!  I make grilled salmon pouches on the regular for my family.  It is a huge hit with them and me (mainly because the clean up is so easy!).

What I do is get my simple base of salmon, lemon, butter and some quick simple spices (for the complete recipe click HERE to visit my recipe page) and put them all together in a Leaning Tower of Pisa style.

Then I wrap this little guy up in aluminum foil.  How do I do this you ask?

Well first... I fold the sides up over the top of the tower o' fish.

Then I bring the top and bottom side up to meet in the middle and fold them over and together,  Be careful not to puncture the aluminum foil as it will let the steam out while cooking and you don't want that because that is how you cook the salmon.

Then cook the salmon on the grill for about 25 minutes and voila!...

Yummy salmon!

Now I said above it is versatile and that is because you don't have to stop with these simple ingredients.  You can add things like asparagus, zucchini, cayenne, or whatever your taste preferences are.  Just note that the cook times may vary with what you put in there. 

Salmon is done when it can flake from the skin,

Happy- Healthy Eating!