Believe in the Magic Traci Diary

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  • Lemon Garlic Marinade (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Paleo, Whole30)

    When I went grocery shopping last Sunday, I got some boneless pork ribs.  I almost bought a bottle of lemon garlic marinade for the ribs but decided not to get it.

    I decided to make my own lemon garlic marinade for the ribs instead of buying that bottle.

    When I served dinner last night, Hubby was delighted with the ribs.  Since there were a couple left over, he claimed them as his own for our left over night.  So I think this marinade is a winner.

    This marinade would be good on pork chops, boneless pork ribs, pork roast, or even chicken breast.

    Bonus:  It’s Whole30 friendly.

    Oh, and I finally figured out how to make my recipes printer friendly.  That’s been a big problem during the 7 years I’ve had this blog.

    IMG_0722

    Lemon Garlic Marinade

    • Difficulty: easy
    • Print

    Ingredients

    -1 lemon, zest and juiced

    -1 clove of garlic, minced or 1 Tbsp. minced garlic

    -2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

    -1 tsp. Salt

    -1 tsp. Pepper

    -2 tsp. oregano

    Directions

    1. In a gallon sized ziploc bag, add the ingredients. Close the bag. Knead the bag until the ingredients are combined.
    2. Add either boneless ribs, pork chops, or chicken breast.
    3. Allow meat to marinade for 4 to 12 hours or freeze for up to 3 months.
    4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place meat in a baking dish.
    5. Cook the pork or chicken for 20 to 30 minutes.
    6. Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
    7. Serve and enjoy!

    The pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees and chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

    Happy eating,
    Traci

  • They Really Do Like Each Other (Throwback Thursday)

    1. Throwback Thursday: Share an old photo and let it inspire your blog post.

    I could share a photo of a summer sunset.  However, I shared one a month ago and will share more with my Folly Beach blog posts.

    Another prompt I could have written about what was your child’s favorite part of the summer.  So last night, I asked the Wee One what has been his favorite part of summer 2017.  His response was simple and to the point “I’m not in school.”  The reason is because school is boring.  He then responded the beach was his favorite part.  He didn’t want to talk any more because he wanted to listen to Harry Potter and his brother did not so he was upset.  (We were driving when I asked him the questions.)

    Since neither prompts were going to work, I’ve decided to find an old photo and tell more about the photo.

    holding hands.JPG

    Three years ago, I reconnected with one of my friends from the Disney College Program.  We decided to meet up in Cleveland.  When Molly and I made plans to meet up, I decided to make it a road trip.  The boys and I visited Cedar Point, the Cleveland Metro Zoo, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Children’s Museum of Cleveland, and the Wilds.

    Today’s photo is from our visit to the Cleveland Metro Zoo.

    As we were walking through the zoo, I witnessed the boys holding hands which rarely if ever happens.

    This photo is one of my favorites of both boys together.

    IMG_0716.JPG

    This is another photo from the zoo.  I love the Wee One’s innocence in this photo.

    Here are some other photos that I took while we were at the Cleveland Metro Zoo.

    collage.jpg

    I really enjoyed the Cleveland Metro Zoo.  If you were to visit the zoo, make sure it is not a hot day because there is a LOT of walking.  Plus make sure you are wearing shoes that will hold up to all of the walking.

    Since there is a lot of trees in the park, I bet it will be beautiful in the fall.

    Have a magical day,
    Traci
    Mama’s Losin’ It

  • Holland, Michigan – Monday afternoon – Windmill Island Park – Buildings

    Join me on Wednesdays for the Holland, Michigan photos.

     

    Sunday Night – The Town

    Sunday Night – Sunset

    Monday Morning – Downtown area

    Monday Morning – Statues

    Monday Morning – Centennial Park (more…)

  • Menu Plan Monday – Week of July 23, 2017

    I’m BACK!

    After two weeks of small trips, I’m finally back to planning meals for the whole week.  Last week, I took the Imaginative One on a road trip to Hershey, PA.  He just turned 14 so I thought it would be good for us to go on a mother-son trip.

    During the four days we were gone, we traveled 70 miles on the Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania, paid tribute to the heroes of Flight 93, rode the rides in Hershey Park, laughed like crazy on the trolley ride through Hershey, visited Gettysburg, and traveled the 112 miles on I-68 in Maryland/ West Virginia.  We also drove many miles and made so many memories.

    Okay now onto the menu for this week.

    I’ve got all day classes on Monday and Tuesday so the dinners need to be simple on those two days.

    Sunday

    Pork Roast, Roasted Baby Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, Rolls

    Strawberries and Blueberries with homemade whipped cream for dessert

     

    Monday

    Cubed Steak, Mashed Potatoes, and Gravy

     

    Tuesday

    Sausage, Mac and Cheese, Veggies

     

    Wednesday

    “Oven Fried” Chicken, Roasted Potatoes, Veggies

     

    Thursday

    Pork Ribs with lemon garlic marinade, Rice, Veggies

     

    Friday

    Left Overs

     

    Saturday

    BBQ Chicken Sandwiches or Sloppy Joes, Fries or Chips, Veggies

     

    For more menus, visit Menu Plan Monday. 

    Happy eating,
    Traci

  • Family Secrets, a Mysterious Reporter, and More Ghosts

    I just finished listening to the second book in Karen White’s  The Tradd Street series – The Girl on Legare Street.

    I have already done a book review for the first book in the series – The House on Tradd Street.

    This book begins soon after The House on Tradd Street.  Melanie’s estranged mother comes back into town and wants to buy the family home on Legare Street.

    Melanie and her mother have a strained relationship but must work through it while restoring the house.

    Meanwhile a sunken boat is found off shore.  The boat sunk in the late 1800’s and had belonged to Melanie’s family.  Once the boat was brought up, there was a shocking discovery of a body on the boat.  Melanie and her mother work on their relationship while trying to figure out who the identity of the person on the boat.

    A mysterious reporter wants to do an interview with Ginnette, Melanie’s mother, because she bought the house on Legare Street.  As the story progresses, Rebecca, the reporter, becomes more and more suspicious.  Who is she?  Why is she so interested in the history of Melanie’s family?

    Yes, there is more ghosts in this book.  There is the protector of Melanie.  He was there for her when she was a child and now is there when she is an adult.  Who is he?  Why is staying around the house?  Does he have anything to do with the mysterious body in the boat?

    There is also an evil ghost in the house.  Does this ghost have anything to do with the mysterious body in the boat?  Why is the ghost unsettled?

    Jack is still around in this book.  His relationship with Melanie is on and off through out the book.

    I enjoyed listening to this story.  The cliffhanger at the end of the book makes me want to read the next book in the series which I have started to read.  To be honest, I don’t really like Rebecca.  When you read the book, you will discover that her motives were good but she wasn’t honest when she was dealing with Ginnette and Melanie.

    My belief is that Jack and Melanie belong together.  Everyone can see that but there is a few obstacles in the way.  That’s another reason I want to read the next book so I can find out if Jack and Melanie every get together.

     

    The Hunley is mentioned in the book.  While we were in South Carolina last month, we actually went to see the Hunley so once again this made me relate to the book.

    Here are some photos from our visit to see the Hunley.

    collage #7.jpg

    collage #8

    Have a magical day,
    Traci

  • Our Rainy Drive Home

    Join me on Saturdays where I’ll share my photos from my road trip with my mom.

    The Way Down

    The First Night

    Artisan’s Center, Town, and Hands

    Berea College Tour

    Thursday Afternoon – Noodles Nirvana, Old Town, Farm Store, and Random Statues

    Jammin’ on the Porch

    (more…)

  • A mission trip to Sumter, South Carolina

    6. Share a Summer Camp memory.

    My sons just came home from Boy Scouts Camp.  Hubby and I went down on Friday for family night.  The Imaginative One and his buddies wanted to tell me of some of their exploits during the week.  It reminded me of my youth.

    I never went to a real summer camp while growing up.  Instead I went on Mission Trips with my church’s youth group or Grand Assembly when I was in Rainbow.

    So many stories and memories came from the mission trips and Grand Assembly.

    Today’s memory is from one of the mission trips.

    It was 1991.   I was 16 years old.  Boys were on the brain since I was a typical teenage girl.

    My youth group decided to travel to Sumter, South Carolina that year.  No was ready for us when we arrived at the church.  (I googled United Methodist churches in the area.  I’m thinking it was Trinity United Methodist Church in Sumter.)

    Since they did not have any real jobs for us to complete, we found ways to help the church.  I remember wearing a New Kids on the Block fanny pack with permed hair pulling weeds.

    So many memories were created that week.

    #1  We created Ambo, the train traveling hobo.  Supposedly he visited us while we were in Sumter.

    #2  The electricity went out in the building for a few hours.  We were left in the dark with no way to cook up any dinner so it was decided we were going to go to Chinese for dinner.  I threw a temper tantrum saying “I don’t like Chinese food.”  I ended up eating three or four plates full of food.

    #3  The boys’ room was ransacked during the week.  I don’t remember if anything was taken.  It shook us up though.

    #4  One of the other youth decided he was going to be my sister’s pretend boyfriend during that week.  (I mentioned it in the letter I wrote to Tanya after she died.)

    #5  There was a Jesus standing poster or something like that.  One of the youth decided he wanted to pretend it was a guitar.  I know sacrilegious especially for a church youth group.

    #6  We decided to give the boys make-up makeovers.

    This photo is of me getting ready to put make up on one of the boys.Me at 16

    #7  There were I believe ten of us – three girls and seven boys – with two chaperones.  At the end of the week, we went to an alligator park and Myrtle Beach.

    The youth group decided that the male chaperone was our father and the female chaperone was our mother.

    While we were at Myrtle Beach, we kept calling them mom and dad.  So much fun and so funny.  (I think this is my favorite memory of the week.)

    Twenty-six years later, these memories are so precious because they are memories of the time I spent with my sister.

    What is your favorite memories from a summer camp?

    Thanks for reading.

    Have a magical day,
    Traci

  • Holland, Michigan – Monday morning – Centennial Park

    Join me on Wednesdays for the Holland, Michigan photos.

     

    Sunday Night – The Town

    Sunday Night – Sunset

    Monday Morning – Downtown area

    Monday Morning – Statues

    (more…)

  • Cranberry Almond Coconut Snack Mix (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

    I know there is some debate on whether Cheerios is really Gluten Free or not.  Since I have not been diagnosed with Celiac’s disease and only have a sensitivity to gluten, I decide that Cheerios are okay for me.

    The Wee One loves this snack mix.  While it was cooling on the baking sheet, he would randomly walk into the kitchen, take a handful of the mix, pop the snack mix into his mouth, and then walk out.

    I added some pumpkin seeds to my snack mix.  Yum!

    Cranberry Almond Coconut Snack Mix

    • Servings: 12
    • Difficulty: easy
    • Print

     

     

    Ingredients

    -5 c. Cheerios

    -3 c. Honey Nut Cheerios

    -1 c. gluten free oats

    -1 c. dried cranberries

    -2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

    -2 c. raw almonds, chopped

    -1/4 c. melted coconut oil

    -1/4 c. honey

    -1/2 tsp. cinnamon

    -1/2 tsp. salt

    -1 tsp. vanilla

    Directions

     

    1. Spray crock with non stick spray.
    2. Place the both kinds of Cheerios, oats, cranberries, shredded coconut, and almonds into the crock.
    3. In another bowl, whisk together the honey, coconut oil, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.
    4. Pour the honey mixture over the dried ingredients in the crock.
    5. Stir until everything is evenly coated.
    6. Before placing the lid on the crock, place a paper towel over the snack mix.  Cover, and then cook on low for 3 hours.  Stir every 45 minutes.
    7. When done cooking, pour the mixture on a paper towel or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
    8. Allow to cool for an hour before placing in an air tight container.

    Happy eating,
    Traci

  • Our Fourth of July – Afternoon and Fireworks

    After the parade, the Wee One went with his grandma, aunt, and cousin.  They had Arby’s for lunch which made the Imaginative One upset.

    Later on, the Wee One and my niece came over to my house to swim.  I took a few photos of them swimming with the Imaginative One.

    (more…)