Happy Leap Year Day everyone!  Is the weather getting really nice out everywhere or just here?  The temperature has been going up into the sixties in the daytime and when the sun is shining it really feels like an early Spring.  Even my daffodils and hibiscus are starting to come up.  Crazy for February around here - it's usually are snowiest month!

This is Wednesday weigh in for me and I'm down one pound to 163lbs.  I'm still not snacking in between meals and was hoping for a bigger loss.   I think the problem is that I haven't been exercising as much as I should.  I'm so bad at getting exercise to be a priority.  I only worked out with the Kettle bells twice this week.  Fitting in more exercise in some way is my next hurdle.

Being the executor of my aunt's will is NOT fun!  She left her will with her lawyer and also filed at the register of wills for safekeeping.  When I tried to find her lawyer, all numbers were disconnected.  Finally found out through another source that this lawyer had died seven months before my aunt.  After more searching I found the lawyer that took over the practice, but after contacting him was told that all that practice's paperwork was stored in facilities around the county and would be VERY hard to find (in other words he doesn't feel like looking).  I contacted the Register of Wills and because she died in a different county than she filed the will in I have to send a formal letter to have the will transferred to the right county before I can go up and even try to get a look at it to make sure I'm the executor.   Anyway, it's all such a big pain.  It really makes me think of how I want to set things up for my own kids one day.

Since the weather is getting nice and everyone has been talking about making salads and such for their meals, I thought I would share a salad dressing I like to make.  If you make your own dressing and store it in the fridge, not only does it taste way better than store bought, but you can also be positive that there our no sugars or other bad ingredients in it.  This recipe is from a lowcarb cookbook by Suzanne Somers that I modified slightly.

Parmesan Garlic Dressing

6 TB Real Mayonnaise
4 TB Dijon mustard
2 big garlic cloves minced
4 TB Worcestershire sauce
4 TB red wine vinegar
4 tsp. hot pepper sauce
6 TB fresh lemon juice
6 tsp. olive oil
12 TB grated Parmesan Cheese
4-6 TB water (to thin to the consistency you like)

Just add all the ingredients in the order given and whisk together.

I modified this recipe to make a lot.  When I finish I pour it all into an empty quart canning jar with a lid and store it in my refrigerator.  It will last a few weeks in there, but I use mine up pretty quickly with all the people in my family.

This recipe is really good on a salad with grilled chicken strips on top.  Even in the winter I use the gas grill on my deck to make batches of grilled chicken for salads and wraps(low carb versions of course).

On a side note.  My youngest son said in his psychology class at his High School they had to come up with some kind of experiment that tests people preconceived ideas (or something like that).  He raised his hand and said "I believe I can make sugar free cookies that will taste just like the real sugar cookies, and no one will know which is which".  Yikes that is a tall order!  Then he committed himself to bringing in both versions on Thursday of this week (yeah, that's tomorrow).  I'm proud of him for always talking up the sugar free life, but come on.., now I need to stop everything and make two batches of cookies by tomorrow.  Well, technically he does, but you know how that goes.  So last night I did find a really good sugar free chocolate chip cookie made with almond flour.  The cookies spread out when cooking just like the real deal.  I only ate a tiny piece of one ('cause I'm not snacking), but even my picky oldest son said they tasted just like a real cookie.  I'll report back on how the experiment went after he takes the cookies in to school and if everything goes well, I'll post the recipe.  (You can save until you're ready to add snacks back in!)

Now I'm off to make a Minute Flax-seed Muffin for breakfast.  I added a tablespoon of sugar free syrup and walnuts like Kay suggested and it is delicious that way!!    Hope everyone has a great day!