Sweet Sunday - Monkey Bread French Toast Casserole

I told you I had something quite delicious coming to you for Sweet Sunday!

Some time before Christmas, I think, I was catching up on my saved-up episodes of Rachael Ray.  Simply stated, I love Rachael.  When it comes to food, she is about as real as it gets.  She makes delicious meals, appeals to those of us on budgets, and when she has "diet people" on her show, she is honest and tells them that there is no way she is going to eat that tiny "appropriate" serving of pasta.  I aspire to have her fearlessness when it comes to food in this way.

Anyway.  Chris and I are were watching this particular show, which may have been part of a breakfast-themed week of recipes, and here comes not just monkey bread.... not just french toast..... not even just banana bread, but...... monkey bread french toast casserole!  As Rachael would say, shut the front door!

Now, I will be completely honest with you and tell you that my first couple of bites just felt kind of meh.  But then, as the casserole cooled down (because I can NEVER let something cool the appropriate length of time.  Ask Chris.  When we were dating, he would make me dinner, and then say, okay, now it has to cool for 10 minutes.  And he would set a timer.  WHAT??  I'm hungry now!)... as I was saying, as the casserole cooled down, the flavors really started to come out.  Surprisingly, the overall flavor is not intensely sweet, but rather balanced.  The texture is more of what I would consider a bread pudding, but having never made a french toast casserole, unless someone can educate me otherwise, maybe this is the texture that such a dish takes on?

Either way, you won't be disappointed, and this recipe is so easy to prepare!  It calls for banana bread (putting the "monkey" in the monkey bread part of the name), but in truth, you could use any bread, even something store-bought (gasp!).  Then you prep the dish the night before and it goes straight from your fridge to the oven.  So simple!

I left out a couple of things from Rachael's recipe (bacon - we didn't have enough, walnuts - Chris doesn't eat them, extra banana slices and maple syrup), so I would encourage you to consider adding these components.  They can only make the recipe even better (and the bacon would make this super savory).  Also, my adaptation is half of the recipe, which, according to Rachael's recipe, would mean using 2-3 cups of cubed banana bread - go ahead and use the whole loaf like I did.  I still could have used a smidge more (though, maybe it would have helped if I hadn't continually nibbled so much of it.... what?  I'm just being honest).  Here's my adaptation:

Monkey Bread French Toast Casserole

1 loaf of your favorite banana bread, cubed and toasted (I will share MY favorite another time)
4 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon (trust me, its not too much)
optional extra banana for slicing

The night before you want to serve this, butter a 1.25 quart casserole dish (or anything smaller than a 9x13 pan, like a small corningware dish) and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, milk, and cinnamon.  Once combined, gently add the toasted banana bread cubes and toss to combine.  Pour the mixture into your casserole dish, cover with foil, and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Bake, still covered with foil, for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Remove the foil, add some banana slices around the edge, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and-

WAIT!!!!

Let the casserole for at least 10 minutes, maybe a little more while you cook up some bacon to go with this dish.

Now, slice into this lovely breakfast and enjoy!

As with any french toast recipe, you could serve this with powdered sugar and/or maple syrup.  Both Chris and I agreed that the casserole by itself was perfect without any extra syrup (shocking to me, this agreement from my die-hard lover of maple-syrup).  Its so moist that I think more syrup would have been too much, but if you are a die-hard syrup lover, by all means, go for it.  I'm certainly not stopping you!

I hope you have a great start to the week!  Stay tuned for more tasty snacks and a workout or two this week!

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray

Fit Friday and a Circuit Workout

Friday's post is coming to you a little bit late because I had my CPR certification class today at the Red Cross.  This is a requirement of most gyms before you can be hired as a trainer, instructor, etc... So, another item along my fitness path can be checked off the list!

Yesterday was Thursday, which means that I usually go to a cardio/strength class, and I follow it up with BodyPump.  BUT, because of the rotten storm that was beginning as my first class was coming to an end, I nixed BodyPump, which left me wanting a little more since I'm used to an extra-long workout on Thursdays.  So, I came home and did this workout (from one of my favorite fitness sites, fitsugar.com), which you can access via the link, and I will also detail it for you below.  It took me in the neighborhood of 30 minutes to complete, which makes for a nice workout if you don't have a lot of time, but still want to work your entire body, and you don't even need weights, just yourself!  You can also find this workout on my Pinterest Fitness-Workouts board.  Here's what you're going to do:

Warm up with 5 minutes of cardio, so 1 minute of each of the following:

high knees
jumping jacks
running in place
jump rope in place
skip in place

(Alternatively, you can replace one or more of these with a move of your choice.  Do what works for you to get your body warm and heart rate up a little.)

Now we're moving onto the circuits.  Do each circuit 3 times before moving onto the next one.

1st Circuit:
20 squats
15 jump squats
10 burpees

2nd Circuit:
20 mountain climbers
15 pushups
10 bridges (I did tricep dips instead)

3rd Circuit:
20 alternating lunges
15 plie squats
10 calf raises

You're not tired yet!  Finish up with some core work.  Do each of the following for 1 minute:

russian twist (if you are familiar with P90X, this is the same as a Mason twist)
elbow plank
bicycle crunches
superman pose

Now take a deep breath and stretch out!

I really liked this workout.  For being relatively short, I had a bit of a sweat at the end, and believe me, your legs especially will be feeling those squats and lunges!

In keeping with my Fit Friday theme, I should give you a note about the pushups challenge.... hold on, I'm taking a big breath as I check my big fat ego at the door.... I can't do it... right now, anyway.  The pain in my rotator cuff was not going away, and it was not that "good" pain, the kind you want.  On the worst day, it burned, a lot, without me even working out.  That's how I knew it was time to take a step back.

My biggest downfall when it comes to working out is that I love it so much that I tend to WAY overdue it.  In the last year, I have really (I think) learned my lessons - and limits - and right now I'm recognizing my limits.  If I want to keep working out in general and try to build strength with BodyPump, I can't add this challenge right now.  And I realized that's okay - better to be strong and healthy than, well, kind of broken.  BUT, Chris is still pushing through and I'll give you his update soon.  But he's doing great!  He also went to his first BodyPump class with me on Monday since he was off for President's Day and he loved it!  I am very proud of him for trying and even more thrilled that he really enjoyed it.  But he did agree, BodyPump will kick your booty.  But it's supposed to :)

Give this workout a try, and if you do, let me know what you think.  Also, if you're ever unsure what a certain move is, let me know, and I'll post some tutorials.  On more than one occasion, I've had to go to Google with just that kind of question.  But that's how we learn!

I hope you're off to a great weekend, and stay tuned for Sunday's post.... I've got something that's going to be delicious!

Tasty Snack Tuesday - Cinnamon Roll Scones

You have probably noticed that Tasty Snack Tuesday usually carries a certain degree of healthfulness to it..... so you may be skeptical about today's snack.  But, it is a much lighter recipe when you compare it to the pastries at certain large chain coffee shops, which I'm not saying aren't delicious, I'm just saying that I was completely devastated when I found that my favorite scones - pumpkin spice and cinnamon chip - were nearly 600 calories!  These come in at a little over a third of that - score!

I love the texture of these scones, which I would describe as scone-meets-cinnamon-roll.  The exterior has that delicious golden brown taste and slight crunch, and the inside is nearly fluffy, thanks to the oatmeal in the recipe.  This is also one of the easiest scone recipes I have ever used, and I have made more than my share of scones.  Check out the recipe:

Cinnamon Roll Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dry oatmeal (quick-cooking or old fashioned)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, unsalted
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extraxt
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and line your largest baking sheet with parchment paper (or just plan on doing a couple of rounds of baking, no big deal).  In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, 1/4 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in the butter until you have what looks like course meal (I learned an awesome way to do this from Joy the Baker - just use your fingers, its so much easier and faster than using a pastry blender or two knives or two forks).  In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and vanilla, then add that to the large bowl and stir until just combined.  In another small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and the 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (or, if you're like me and LOVE cinnamon, just eyeball it, I rarely measure it because it loses so much potency when baked).  Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the dough and, using a knife, swirl it into the batter without completely blending it in.

Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to drop dough onto your baking sheet, leaving at least an inch between dough mounds, yielding 12 scones.  Bake for 11-13 minutes (13 was perfect for me) until golden brown.  Remove from oven to cool.

If you want to make a glaze, feel free to consult the original recipe, or just grab a scoop of powdered sugar, add a splash of vanilla, and then thin it out to your liking with some milk.  You know what would also be great?  Skip the glaze, but before baking, sprinkle with a pinch or two of raw sugar, which tends to give baked goods a delicious caramelized crunch.

 And in case you're wondering, because I would be, when I calculated the calorie content, without the glaze, I came up with 212 calories, 9 grams of fat, 28 carbs, and 4 grams of protein!  I did not include the glaze because I usually just eyeball that part.  I can say with pretty high confidence that I would add 50 calories if you put some glaze on yours, and even if, we're talking 262 calories for a delicious scone!  Over the weekend, when craving something sweet (which, honestly, is pretty often), I would slice one in half and nibble on it.

So go on, make yourself a tasty snack today, and if you make these scones, let me know how you liked them!

Original recipe adapted from Recipe Girl

Sweet (and Savory) Sunday - Herbed Oatmeal Bread and Champagne Cake

How is your President's Day weekend going?  I hope its great and not too cold!  Yesterday for us in St. Louis we had a high of 37 degrees F..... which made for a really chilly day for this:

And see how I'm dressed?  Other than crazy, I know, I was on the very CONSERVATIVE side of what people were wearing!  The rules of the run, which was a mile-long charity event designed to benefit the Children's Tumor Foundation, stated that no pasties and no thongs were allowed.... they didn't say no jock-straps, which is what one guy was indeed wearing!  That was quite a site to see.  You know what was awesome though?  Coming in second place for the ladies!!  And that also put me at fifth or sixth overall!!  I was really excited for that!  Here I am coming to the end behind a William Wallace look-alike:

Was it cold?  Yes.  Was it windy?  Yes.  But was it fun, and would I do it again?  OH YES.  And the charity was really great.  Anything that supports children's services, especially with us being no strangers to Children's Hospital here due to James's metabolic disorder, is a very worthy cause.

Okay, on to some other things I want to share with you finally, DELICIOUS things.  I made this bread to go with Valentine's dinner:

And we finished the night off with this delicious champagne cake, complete with a champagne pastry cream, and a champagne-and-strawberries buttercream:

I'll show you the stratified sample at the end (or you can scroll down if you just can't wait!).  But first, here is the recipe for the bread, slightly adapted:

Herbed Oatmeal Bread

For the bread:

2 packages active dry yeast (about 4 1/2 teaspoons if you're measuring from a jar)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups water, divided
1 cup rolled oats (I used quick-cooking)
3 tablespoons butter
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg

For the herbed butter:

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
6 tablespoons butter, melted, and divided

To  make the bread:  Combine the yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water and 2 teaspoons of sugar.  Set aside for 5-10 minutes to proof (get foamy).  While the yeast is proofing, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the oatmeal, followed by the butter.  While the oatmeal is cooling, mix the flour, sugar, and salt together.  Check on the oatmeal - you want it cool enough that you can put your finger in it without getting burned.  Add the oatmeal, yeast mixture, and the egg to the dry ingredients and mix on low for 5-8 minutes until the dough comes together (you may need a bit more flour, add it a tablespoon at a time).  Your dough will be a bit stiff, but still a little sticky.  Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes.

While the dough is resting, grease a 9x13 pan.  After the 15 minutes are up, punch the dough down and press it into the greased pan.  Use a sharp nice to (as evenly as possible) slice your dough into 24 pieces.  In a warm place, allow the dough to rest and rise for about 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  With a pastry brush, gently brush 4 tablespoons of butter over the dough, being careful not to deflate it.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  While the bread is baking, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter with the parmesan, basil, oregano, and garlic powder.  After the initial 15 minutes, remove the bread from the oven and again, using a pastry brush, spread your herbed mixture over the dough.  Return the pan to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes more, until the bread is a nice golden brown.  TRY not to eat all of the bread!

If you look at the original recipe, you will notice that my beginning techniques are quite a bit different.  Working with active dry yeast, I was afraid to skip the proofing step (which isn't necessary with instant yeast for example), so I modified things a bit.  If you have more confidence than I did, by all means, follow the original recipe exactly.  Whatever you do, you will LOVE this bread.  When it cools down, it is very reminiscent of restaurant breadsticks.  It tastes fantastic warm, fresh from the oven, and still tastes fantastic today, a few days later, having been stored at room temperature, covered.  The texture is so light and fluffy, thanks to the butter and the oatmeal.  Its OH SO delicious and I highly, highly recommend it.

Original bread recipe from The Cooking Actress

And now for the dessert!

Champagne Cake with Champagne Pastry Cream and Champagne and Strawberries Buttercream

For the champagne cake:

2 sticks butter, unsalted
1 cup champagne
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour (or make your own by measuring 1 cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons and replace with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, sift the mixture 3 or 4 times to really incorporate)
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used nonfat, plain Greek)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and butter 3 6-inch cake pans (or 2 8-inch pans), and then line with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, salt, and baking soda.  In a small bowl, combine the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla.  Set these bowls aside.

In a sauce pan, melt the butter, and then, over medium-high heat, add the champagne and allow to come to a boil.  Remove from heat and add to the dry ingredients, stirring quickly to incorporate.  Follow with the egg mixture, and stir until just combined.  Divide the batter between pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, though my cakes took about 45 minutes (you want a toothpick inserted into the center to come out clean, or just with a few moist crumbs).

For the champagne pastry cream:

1/2 cup heavy cream, divided
1/2 cup champagne
2 tablespoons cornstarch
5 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine 1/4 cup of heavy cream with the cornstarch, whisking well until combined, then set aside.  Add the remaining cream, champagne, and sugar to a saucepan, and allow to come to a boil, whisking frequently.  Once this mixture boils, remove it from the heat and, in a slow, steady stream, add it to the cornstarch/cream mixture, whisking the entire time so that you don't cook the eggs.  Then, return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until the mixture is thick and glossy.  Remove from heat and stir in the butter, followed by the vanilla.  Allow the pastry cream to cool, then transfer to an airtight container, but before placing a lid, lay plastic wrap flush with the surface of the cream (this prevents a skin from forming).  Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the champagne and strawberries buttercream:

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon champagne
2 sticks butter, unsalted, room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar
2-3 large strawberries

In a small saucepan, place 1 cup of champagne over medium-high heat and allow it to simmer until reduced to about 2 tablespoons.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Place strawberries in a food processor and puree until fairly smooth.  In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with 2 cups of sugar until smooth.  Add the strawberries and all remaining champagne and beat until well-combined.  Add remaining powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time until the buttercream is your desired thickness.  It may take a little more than 4 cups, it may take less.

To assemble, remove the cakes from their pans, peeling off any parchment paper stuck to the bottom.  Slice any domed tops from the cakes so that they are nice and flat.  Feel free to nibble on your cake scraps, as I did.  Quality control is important after all.  Place one cake layer on your chosen serving plate and top with the pastry cream, leaving at least a 1/2 inch of space between the the pastry cream and the edge of the cake.  Place a second cake layer on top and repeat.  Once you have your third and final cake layer in place, you are ready to frost your cake.  I have no instructions for that, just go for it however you want.  Garnish with fresh strawberry slices if you want, like I did.  It doesn't have to be pretty because this cake is so incredibly delicious!  Just take a look at the lovely cross-sections:

I have already said it more than once, but this cake is incredibly delicious.  Its moist, but not dense like a pound cake.  And the champagne flavor comes out surprisingly well.  That was my skepticism with making a champagne cake - that you wouldn't actually be able to taste the champagne.  A few days later now, Chris and I both agree that the flavor has only intensified.  This cake is a fair amount of work, sure, but its worth it, and made an excellent Valentine's dessert.

If you're off tomorrow, enjoy your President's Day Monday, and regardless, I hope you'll have a great start to the week!

Cake recipe adapted from Lovely Layer Cakes

Pastry cream and buttercream recipes adapted from Mrs. Schwartz Kitchen

Fit Friday and a Great Core Workout!

I hope you had a great Valentine's Day!  This weekend, I'll share recipes with you from what I made last night for our dinner and dessert, which, if I do say so myself, were oh SO delicious!  Our meal included the best bread I have ever made, and a cake made with a LOT of champagne.  It was to die for.  But, it's Fit Friday, so we'll save that for later.

Today I have a great core workout to share with you.  I found it on Pinterest some time ago and I like to do it when I am looking for a few minutes of quality ab work, but am tired of my usual routines.  It's named the "Burning Core Pyramid", and believe me, your core will burn, but its a good burn.  You can find the original post here, but I also have it written out for you here:

50 crunches
40 mountain climbers
30 side crunches (that's 30 on EACH side)
20 in and outs
10 scissors
20 in and outs
30 side crunches
40 mountain climbers
50 crunches

I like to add even more variety by doing variations of the listed reps.  For example, I might do the first 50 crunches as regular crunches, then do the last 50 as reverse crunches.  You can make it yours, just make it burn!

Also, here's an update on pushups and crunches!  Here's what this week looks like for pushups:

Day 1 - 18, 22, 16, 16, max (at least 25)
Day 2 - 20, 25, 20, 20, max (at least 28)
Day 3 - 23, 28, 23, 23, max (at least 33)

Crunches:

Day 1 - 32, 38, 32, 32, max (at least 48)
Day 2 - 38, 45, 38, 38, max (at least 54)
Day 3 - 45, 50, 45, 45, max (at least 60)

For both pushups and crunches, the program says to do an exhaustion test at the end of this week to see where you're at for your max.  The program also advises that if you feel you need to repeat a week, go ahead.  You need to be comfortable at the end of each week.  Pushing, but comfortable.  I may need to repeat this week.  A couple of times in the past few weeks, I've worked a little too much during chest presses at BodyPump and have felt the wrong kind of burn in my right rotator cuff (you know what I mean, there's the "good" burn, and there's the "bad" burn, learn the difference, and don't EVER force yourself through the "bad" burn).  So I carefully choose my days of pushups, and I have to set my ego aside and only use my warm-up weight during chest presses in class.

What are your plans for the weekend?  You should come to St. Louis and do this with me!  And anyone giving me the side-eye right now should know that I will NOT be wearing any less than what I would be okay with James seeing someday when he's older, okay?  Its a very short run (only about a mile), and I miss races so very much, but I think my knee can handle a mile, so I signed up!  It will be cold, but fun!

I think that's it for today!  Get your workout on, eat something healthy (you know, to balance out Valentine's Day snacking.... maybe that's just a reminder for me...), and stay tuned for a couple of delicious recipes that you'll want to add to your collection!

Have a GREAT weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This little guy gave me a present of only getting up one time during the night (around 12:30am) and going right back to sleep in his bed, and then staying put until about 6:45 this morning.  I'll take it!  Our little man James is enjoying some strawberry pancakes that I made him this morning for his Valentine's breakfast.  He is a strawberry monster these days!  He runs to the refrigerator saying "bah-serries!"  Its pretty funny.

Yesterday afternoon - you know, the time I had planned to share some more on the snack front with you - was less than ideal.... but I don't say that with too much annoyance because I know that my everyday "problems" are not really problems.  It only felt extra lousy because Chris and I were both feeling our little colds, James REFUSED to take a nap (he laughed at me for an hour, funny now, not then), and we had dentist appointments yesterday afternoon.  What a way to top off the day!  (However, the woman who cleaned my teeth kept telling me what a "good girl" I am with dental hygiene, so gratifying.)

I do have one tasty treat I can share with you.  It requires no "real" recipe, and its simple, delicious, and light.  If you are like me and want ice cream ALL THE TIME, this is the perfect substitute:

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

1/3 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
splash of vanilla extract
cinnamon to taste
1 teaspoon sugar-free fat-free cheesecake instant pudding mix
1/3 to 1/2 cup diced strawberries

Mix everything but the strawberries, tasting along the way until you get just the sweetness you like.  Stir in the strawberries and then put in the freezer for about an hour.  Give your mix a good stir and enjoy!  I also stirred in a few crumbs of "cake scraps" from a delicious cake I made for today (which I will share tomorrow), and it was so good!

Do you have plans for Valentine's Day?  I will try to take pictures of what the big man of the house and I exchanged.  All I can say is that Chris is getting really good at this jewelry thing.... the man takes my taste and then finds something fantastic.....

On a fitness note, our pushups challenge is still going great.  Challenging, but great.  Tomorrow, I'll share with you what the week has looked like and how we've progressed.  Until then, it's time to get the little man of the house ready for slide time, and myself ready for cardio followed by the ever-intense BodyPump.  It's going to be a great day for us, and I hope its great for you too!

The Beginning of Lent - Wow

I totally missed yesterday's Tasty Snack Tuesday.  Oops, and sorry.  Honestly, between gym time, studying for my fitness certification, and the general demands of the little man of the house, yesterday just got away from me.  Add all of that to the fact that the big man of the house and I both seem to be catching what James has had lately, we just crashed as a household yesterday evening.  I'll try to have my stuff together today and post a good snack later.  I made a couple of things yesterday that I was pretty into, and have something else to try later today.  AND, with tomorrow being Valentine's Day, I have something really tasty up my sleeve that of course I will share with you.  But, as I have not revealed it to Chris, it will have to remain under wraps until after tomorrow.

I mentioned in Sunday's post that I would tell you about a new "challenge" of a sort going on in our house.  It is something that has a deeper meaning to me than what the surface of it would suggest, as it should, but it turns out there is a lot of controversy around this, which brings me to this - have you ever given up anything for Lent?  I haven't.  At our old church, when I first starting going there, many people participated in a fast together.  As I explained to a dear friend there, I had just gotten to a point in my life where I didn't starve myself, and I wasn't about to go down that road again.  She then very sweetly explained to me that fasting is not necessarily about skipping meals, but more about seeking out what God might be asking you to abstain from.  So, with this season of Lent in full swing now, after much sincere thought, I have decided to give up chocolate.

That's right.  You read that correctly.  I said it.  CHOCOLATE.  And if you know me, you know that's a big deal..... especially if you were Chris last night watching me nibble half the M & Ms in the house and stick my finger in the jar of chocolate peanut butter spread because I knew that it would be the last time for a while.

But you know what I found out?  There is a LOT of information out there that basically condemns any sort of fasting during Lent.  I read something this morning that claims that this practice is a pagan practice.  I read a blog the other day where the writer basically said that we do these things to make ourselves feel better and in the end we accomplish nothing.  I always thought that the point in fasting, during Lent or any other time, was to remove something from our lives so that, in its absence, we could spend that time drawing closer to God.

I was pretty disappointed with all of the negativity I encountered.  I ultimately decided that we all do what we feel is right for us, and we don't judge someone else's decisions.  You don't want to fast because you don't believe in it?  That's just fine.  You think me giving up chocolate is stupid, or even wrong?  That's just fine too.  God loves you and God loves me and THANK GOD for that.

So that's my soap box for the day.  I love Easter, and the anticipation of it.  That someone would care about ME and love ME even with the baggage I carry, is nearly unbelievable.  But fortunately, it IS believable, even if very hard at times.  So, here's to a great season of Lent.