Archive | October, 2011

Where Do Broken Hearts Go?

A few years before Connor was born I went to see a psychic doctor.  Say or think what you will about the idea of someone being able to diagnose or treat you through metaphysical means, but the idea of a “psychic doctor” seems all too normal to me.  First of all, this doctor has always been 100% right, not only with me but with friends and relatives too.

Once, my friend Noelle was having stomach problems (tell story)

God gives special gifts to special people.  Some people have been given the gift of a singing talent or beauty, while others have been given extraordinary intelligence.  So why is it so difficult for many to believe that God may have given someone the gift of spiritual healing?

This doctor is a chiropractor by trade and doesn’t advertise or openly talk about the fact he’s using psychic abilities to diagnose you.  I was with him for almost a half hour during our visit while he performed his healing, and near the end after telling me which vitamins I was deficient in and what foods to avoid and so on, and after clearing a “psychic attack” placed upon me by another woman, he said, “you have the clearest broken heart that I’ve ever seen, and I can help a little but can’t totally heal it.”  I didn’t ask much more about the broken heart or how long ago I got it because I already knew.

Just a few weeks before my wedding day with Kevin is when it happened.  I had never felt more perfect heavenly love in all my life.  In fact, before then I always thought that love was something that came and went and was different for each person and knew that there were many types of love.  For the first time, though, I felt “perfect” love.  The reason I describe it as “perfect” is for many reasons.  First, I knew I would always feel this type of love for this person.  I also knew that if the universe ever gave me a chance to spend my life with him, I would never waste a second being angry at him, no matter what he said or did.

When I met him was also the first time my heart was broken.  And once a heart is broke I don’t think it can ever be repaired.

Years later, because of Connor, I  felt this perfect love again- when I held him in my arms for the first time.  In fact, one day when Connor was just a baby I was napping and had a vivid dream that Connor and I were waltzing- although it was, in fact, not a dream.  And as we floated across the floor, a thousand colors of lights floated and danced in the air around us and I felt the most euphoric uplifting happiness that I knew was not achievable in this dimension here on earth.  Then suddenly, the music stopped and Connor began to shrivel up in my arms and turn green.  I turned around to a blender sitting on a counter that appeared behind me and immediately got to work making a tonic or smoothie that I knew would cure him.  In my dream, as in life here, I felt that I had all the power through my tenacity, confidence and hard work that would heal him.

Then I woke up. I could still feel just a hint of that euphoria and knew that soon I would forget the feeling altogether- being here on earth for even a minute makes one forget.  But I immediately wondered why it was that I only felt that type of euphoria once before in this life, and only for a brief moment.  What was the connection between these two people who would never meet?

Well, at least now I know the answer to the age-old question of “where do broken hearts go?”  The truth is they don’t go anywhere.  They stay with you forever.  And it’s okay, because anyone who has ever experienced perfect love in their life knows that the broken heart is well worth it.

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Denver to Salt Lake City

The Organized Cook Tour

The whole point of me writing The Organized Cook was to merge my love cooking and photography with family.  Basically, I wanted to do what I love most with the people I love most.

So, for someone whose goal is to spend more time at home with the kids, I’ve been doing more traveling than I had ever anticipated.

Toni Spilsbury The Organized Cook on media tour

Toni Spilsbury on NBC Salt Lake City KSL Morning Show

From NBC Salt Lake City:

And FOX Denver:

To CBS Salt Lake City:

 

The good news is that I have a wonderful family and support system at home, and combined with a consistent routine for my kids, it hasn’t been too difficult.  I’m never gone more than two or three nights at a time, which breaks up the travel, and I’ve had to decline a few news segment dates to stick to this rule.

The fact that I’ve met a ton of great people and experienced the local scene in a handful of terrific cities makes the sacrifice more worth it…. so far.

Toni Spilsbury The Organized Cook on media tour

my favorite part of a news segment- feeding and talking with crew... 7am is like lunch time for them!

Toni Spilsbury The Organized Cook on media tour

NBC Salt Lake City Channel 5 News

 

Next up- Portland!

Toni Spilsbury The Organized Cook on Good Day Oregon

Toni Spilsbury The Organized Cook on Good Day Oregon

 

 

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Fallsagna (Vegetable Lasagna)

Vegetable Lasagna Recipe

Fallsagna (Fall Vegetable Lasagna)

Fallsagna (Fall Vegetable Lasagna)

Ingredients

  • zucchini & yellow squash- 1, sliced into 1/8 inch slices
  • fresh baby spinach lettuce- 12 oz.
  • lasagna pasta- 1 lb (use corn tortillas for a gluten-free version)
  • olive oil- 3 tablespoons
  • butter- 1 tablespoon
  • minced garlic- 1 teaspoon
  • fresh or dried parsley- 1 teaspoon, or use Herb Ice Cubes
  • For Sauce, mix together:
  • ricotta cheese- 8 oz.
  • Parmesan cheese- 1 cup
  • 1 egg
  • - or -
  • Instead of using ricotta, parmesan egg mixture, use 1 jar alfredo sauce

Instructions

  1. Boil pasta in salted water until tender.
  2. Heat olive oil, butter and garlic and herbs in heated or non-stick skillet.
  3. Saute zucchini and squash in oil and butter until slightly soft, approximately 3 minutes.
  4. Add spinach and saute until reduced, approximately 3 more minutes.
  5. Drain pasta.
  6. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
  7. Drop a spoonful of sauce in the bottom of the casserole pan, then place layer of pasta noodles on the bottom over the sauce.
  8. Add a layer of vegetables on top of the pasta.
  9. Add a layer of cheese sauce over the vegetables.
  10. Keep layering noodles, vegetable and sauce, then cover completely with a layer of noodles topped with some sauce and sprinkled with shredded Parmesan cheese
  11. Bake until brown and cooked thoroughly, approximately 40 minutes.
https://tonispilsbury.com/fallsagna/

 

Vegetable Lasagna Recipe

saute zucchini and squash until slightly tender

 

Vegetable Lasagna Recipe

add spinach and saute until completely reduced

 

drain pasta

 

layer pasta and then sauce

 

then layer vegetables

 

top with a layer of pasta, sauce and Parmesan cheese before baking

 

When I think of Fall Recipes, I think of casseroles, slow-cooker favorites and Fall vegetables like spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, zucchini and squash.   This week’s Weekly Meal Plan from The Organized Cook highlights many of my favorite Fall vegetables starting with Fall Vegetable Lasagna- or as I like to call it- “Fallsagna”.

Meal Planning For Busy Families

Meal Planning

Weekly Meal Plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Reincarnating the Leftovers Twitter Party

Nobody likes to eat leftovers, and so what we’re often left with is a lot of food to throw out at the end of the week. Using cooking methods I like to call “Reusing Your Time” and “Reincarnating The Leftover” will save you a lot of time and money during the hectic week. It’s all about making something new and fabulous out of something you already have- especially when it comes to family dinners.

reincarnating-leftovers

Herb-Roasted Chicken leftovers can easily turn into Green Chicken Enchiladas!

Let’s get together and talk about tips and tricks for saving time and money by Reincarnating the Leftover!

If you’ve never been to a Twitter Party, and are not sure what to do, it’s simple:

  1. RSVP here to ensure your eligibility to win hosted giveaways
  2. Login to your Twitter account Thursday October 6th at the times below and search #mealplanning to join the party.
  3. Join in on the conversation.  We will be talking about family meal planning for busy moms, asking questions and listening to your questions and comments.  The more you engage in conversation, the greater your chances of winning the giveaway.

Prizes? Of course we do!

  • 1 winner will receive a free week’s worth of family dinner groceries with a $100 Visa GiftCard
  • 3 winners will receive a signed copy of Toni’s new book: The Organized Cook™ Cookbook- 12 of her most popular Weekly Meal Plans with menus, grocery shopping lists, and easy to follow instructions.
  • 3 winners will receive a YEAR LONG subscription to Weekly Meal Plan System from The Organized Cook™-Feed your family a balanced, tasty meal each night while slashing your dinner grocery bill by up to 50%

    Binder System2 300x210 Join The Twitter Party

    The Organized Cook Weekly Meal Plan System

We have some amazing prizes that will be given away during the party! Again, to win a prize you must:

  1. RSVP by leaving a comment on this post below that includes your twitter ID.
  2. Tweet during the party time using the #mealplanning hashtag
  3. Follow @OrganizedCook on Twitter

 

Extra entries. Leave a comment for EACH extra entry you complete:

  • Each tweet below is worth one entry (up to 5 a day allowed).  Leave a link to your tweet in your comment.
    1. Looking forward to @OrganizedCook twitter party Thurs 10/13. #mealplanning Let’s talk leftovers. http://bit.ly/pWaYVI
    2. Looking forward to learning abt Reincarnating the Leftover #mealplanning w/ @OrganizedCook Thurs 10/13 http://bit.ly/pWaYVI
    3. I want to #win $100 giftcard, #mealplanning book, & subscription from @OrganizedCook 10/13 http://bit.ly/pWaYVI
    4. *make up your own using http://bit.ly/pWaYVI and #mealplanning*
  • Take a look at Toni’s 12 Days of Thanksgiving. Leave a comment below telling us which dish you would most like the recipe for. If you already have, pick a new one this week.
  • Sign up for the FREE weekly meal planning email! Leave a comment below telling us you did. No need to share your email in the comment. We trust you. If you already have, pass it on to a friend this week. Just let us know you shared it with a friend.
  • Love The Organized Cook™? Earn money by sharing this time and money-saving system with your friends! If you sign up for the mom blogging affiliate program (or are already a member) just leave us a comment below letting us know!
  • Get to know our wonderful panelists, busy moms like you just trying to survive the day and get a healthy dinner on the table! Leave us a comment telling us something nice you like about each blogger. One entry per blog below:

Mary-Francis at Denver Parent, Jen at 100 Directions, Rajean at Rajean Bloomquist, Lolli at Better In Bulk, and Laurie at Guessing All the Way
Rules:

Beginning 8:00 PM MST October 13, 2011 and ending 9:00 PM MST October 13, 2011 The Organized Cook brand on Twitter at http://twitter.com/organizedcook will send discussion questions in the form of tweets to the Twitter community asking them to “tweet” answers via Twitter. To be eligible to win you must have RSVP prior to drawing time and be tweeting with the hashtag #mealplanning during the party time. Seven winners will be chosen by random.org from the comment entries at drawing time and party participation will be verified. Winners will be announced during the party. Open to US residents 18 and over.

 

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