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     Have you heard of the Keto Diet? My son has been doing it for a month with great success.  It is basically a low-carb diet that gets your body to burn fat instead of sugars. Then, my husband came home from his doctor and told me that he was instructed to cut back on carbs himself! So, I am re-evaluating the way we eat and making changes. 
     The other day at a Sunday Brunch at Lindsey's house, celebrating my granddaughter's blessing day at church, we had some quiche and it got me to thinking about how most of the ingredients in quiche would work on the Keto Diet, except for the crust.  So, I decided to come up with a recipe for a crustless quiche that would fit in with a low carb diet.

     I wanted to include a lot of high fiber veggies.  Spinach is usually the vegetable of choice in quiche it seems, but while I love raw spinach, I am not a big fan of cooked spinach.  So, I decided to try some different vegetable choices.  I had some asparagus and some broccoli, plus some onions and bell pepper.  The flavor combination was great! Since meat and fat are good to have on the Keto Diet, I also put in pork sausage.  

     When I first envisioned the recipe, I thought I would make it in a regular pie plate.  But as I began to prepare the veggies, I realized that I had better use a 9 x 13 pan.  So, this is a nice family sized quiche! 

Crustless Veggie and Sausage Quiche

     My husband gave this recipe his seal of approval, especially by going back for seconds! It comes out of the pan cleanly and the sour cream gives it a nice tang.  If you want less of a tang, you can always substitute cottage cheese. 
​      I hope you give it a try!

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      I try to keep my pantry stocked with a years supply of basic foods and canned items that I use frequently.  I try to rotate it so that things get used before they expire.  Rotating like this is something I have to stay on top of to avoid waste and to save money and to keep my family healthy.  This past week, we had family with us and a bunch of get-togethers throughout the week. It was a lot of fun and I was grateful to have a good supply of staples on hand! 
       Trying to keep my pantry stocked can be tricky.  I hate going into the pantry to get a can of tomato sauce or tuna or peanut butter and finding I don't have any.  So, I have devised an inventory system that works for me and maybe it will work for you as well. I touched on my method on a recent Friday Faves, and you can read about that here.  People have asked me to expound a bit, so here goes! 

Make a List

        In order to get started, you have to make a list of staples that you use regularly.  It helps to make a list of a base of about 20-30 items and added to it as I continued to use my system. Here is my initial list: 

Pasta          Peanut Butter          Tomato Sauce          Diced Tomatoes          Granulated Sugar
Powdered Sugar          Brown Sugar          Canned Vegetables          Canned Fruits          Jams
Diced Green Chilies          Canned Chili          Ready to Eat Soups          Condensed Soups
Flour          Corn Meal          Vegetable Oil           Ketchup           Mustard          Mayonnaise   
Canned Meats          Pancake Syrup          Corn Syrup          Canned Milk                    

       As time has gone on, I have broken some of these into sub-categories.  For example, under canned meats, I have Tuna, Salmon, Beef Chunks, Pork Chunks, Chicken Chunks, Spam, etc. So, depending on what you use and what works for you, this list is totally customize-able. 
         Next, decide how many of each item you will use in the amount of time that you are doing your inventory for.  I figured mine for roughly a year, but some of the items have more or less that that depending on my budget and their shelf life compared to how quickly we will use them.  The inventory is always in flux.  

Sentence Strip Charts

       For my inventory chart, I used sentence strips similar to these.  I actually found mine in the Target One Spot a few years ago.  I have seen them there periodically from time to time.  The ones I used are 16" wide and 25" long.  They have 8 plastic pockets going down the length of the chart. You can use any size you can find at a good price and just alter the dimensions that I used to fit them.

Hang the Chart

        I now have 3 of these charts that I hang in my pantry from peg boards that are on one side of my pantry. They hang from hooks. 

      The most difficult part about this system is getting everyone on board to remember to move items over when they use them! You do have to be diligent to keep track of what you are using so you don't look and see that you have 14 bags of spaghetti and then when you go to get some, you only have 2.  
        I guess that you could keep a way of tracking your inventory on your phone or something, but to me this is much easier than getting onto my phone to do it all of the time and when I want to go shopping or make a recipe I can see what I have and what I need very quickly. 

       This weekend, we celebrated two of my grandsons' birthdays together since they are only a week apart.  My daughter was making a dinosaur cake for them and she asked me if I had everything that she needed.  It was so nice to know that I did.  It saved us another trip to the store and the cake was easy to whip up! (It came out super cute and the boys loved it! Not only that, it was delicious!)
           So, this is my method of keeping track of my pantry inventory. I hope it helps you.  Let us know ways that you like to use! 

      Have you ever felt really grouchy and then had someone do something so kind for you that it turned your day around? Or, have you ever had a complete stranger do something for you randomly that both surprised and delighted you?  I have and when it happens, it makes me so grateful and makes me wonder what I can do to return the favor. Today is Do a Grouch a Favor Day and tomorrow is Random Acts of Kindness Day.  So, for today's Friday Faves we thought we would share our favorite ways to brighten people's days.  

      Smile! 
      I love walking down the street or out of a grocery store and looking into people's faces and smiling right at them.  Sometimes they seem down in the mouth and caught up in their cares and then when you give them a smile and they smile back, their whole countenance changes. It always makes me happy to get that return smile as well, so it is a win-win situation.

      Give a Sincere Compliment! 
    Sometimes I am guilty of thinking something kind about someone or noticing something wonderful about them, but not telling them that I noticed.  I have found that when someone compliments me about something, it makes me feel so good and even surprised! I realized that some people are especially good at remembering to give compliments freely and that I wanted to be better at it. So, I have made a conscious effort to notice good things about people and tell them what I see.  Making this effort has helped me to be more loving and less judgmental and people have truly appreciated the compliments.
       If you really want to make someone happy, compliment their children or grandchildren! That always makes the parents' day and when they pass it on to the child, it makes them happy as well.

     Give Someone a Phone Call
       Lindsey mentioned this me and it is a true thing.  If you think about someone, give them a call and tell them that you were thinking of them and just wanted to tell them that you care.  Ask them how they are doing. It feels so good to stay in touch with old friends.

     Bring Them Dinner
     Years ago when I was a young mother with 4 little kids, overwhelmed by laundry and house cleaning, I once vented a little to a group of women in church.  The next day, an older woman from church stopped by my house with a delicious casserole and said she had made extra and more than she and her husband could eat and wouldn't I like to have it for my family that evening.  She was so sweet and I appreciated her loving gesture so much.  I felt a little bad that I had complained, so I resolved to be less of a complainer. But you know when you allow people to give service to you it helps you both and that casserole was so good and it saved me a night of meal prep, which was a very good break. And, I developed a closer relationship with that friend that truly blessed my life. 
       Since that day, I have tried to be alert as this good woman was, and notice when a little extra casserole might help someone out just when they need it.

     Take Them Out to Lunch
     This involves a little more expense, but sometimes it is so great to take someone out to eat and talk.  If going to a restaurant is too much, just invite them over for lunch or their family for a simple dinner.  This is great to do for new neighbors, church members, parents of your kids friends.  The art of entertaining and conversing seems to be becoming a lost art that we need to get back to.

     Bake Extra Bread or Cookies and Share! 
     During the holidays, we love taking our baked goods to friends and neighbors.  When I make jams and jellies, I enjoy sharing them with others as well.  Who doesn't love being on the receiving end of these goodies? When it isn't the holidays, but just because, it is almost better because it is such a surprise and it leaves behind the good feeling of having been thought of.

     Share Flowers, Fruit and Veggies From Your Garden
      This is self explanatory and I love when people do this for me! 

     Talk to Someone Who Seems New or Left Out
     There is nothing worse than feeling like the odd man out or like you don't know anyone at a gathering. It can bring back memories of Junior High nightmares!  What a feeling of relief it is to have someone acknowledge you and make you feel included and like you have value and something to offer.  Just telling someone hello and that you are glad to see them takes so little effort and can really help someone feel better about themselves.

     Use the Post Office! 
     I am not saying this because my husband is a Postal Worker! I just know that I love receiving letters and cards in the mail! I love seeing a person's handwriting and knowing that they thought of me as they personally wrote a card, Thank you note or letter! I know everyone is complaining about the cost of stamps going up to 50 cents.  But, think about it, you can spend that 50 cents to send a message of love and kindness to anywhere in the country! From California to New York, it costs the same and makes people happy! 

     Small Gifts of Things They Love
     If you know someone loves a certain food or scent or that they collect something and you find it at a good price, it is so much fun to just randomly give them some of that thing.  My mother in law was very good about this.  I remember her stopping by with a basket of strawberries for me just because she knew I loved them.  My mom and sisters will share books and all kinds of things with me, just because.  It shows a person that you notice them and that you think about them and care about their happiness. 

    Most of the things on this list are so simple, not very time consuming and inexpensive.  But, the amount of joy that can be spread by doing them is immeasurable.  That joy always returns to the giver 10 fold.  
     How do you like to brighten people's days?  We would love to hear your ideas and start putting them into action.   
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This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you.  All opinions expressed are our own.  Thank you for your support.

     Sometimes as I go through my days, I come across things or think of things that I put to the back of my mind and think, I should share that on the blog! My readers should hear about that! But, then, if it is something little, I never get around to letting you know about it and I feel bad later that you missed out on a good deal or a good idea.  So, today I have decided to let you know about a few things that are currently good deals or good ideas that I have heard about and also give you a few updates about what is going on around here! 

Good Deals! 

1. Gift Baskets Overseas-As you know, my son is serving a mission in the Ivory Coast.  His birthday was last week.  As I continue to research to find the best and least expensive ways to send him things, I am more and more impressed with what a good deal this company is.  If you look at the prices at first you may think I am crazy, but if you try to send a package over to Africa, you will see just how expensive it is to send something that may or may not actually get to the person you are sending it to. Right now, Gift Baskets has a deal that will save you $12 on all flowers, chocolates and teddy bear gifts.  It ends on the 16th, so hurry! Use code LOVE12.
2. Minted-Do you have a wedding coming? You can save money on beautiful "save the date" cards if you order by the 19th! Minted has quality products that will not disappoint! 
3. Target-Right now you can save 20% off of kids clothes, 20% off men's and women's clothing with promo code PRESDAY20, AND 30% off home items, with an additional 15% off of rugs with promo code George.
4. Zaycon Fresh-We are in a new partnership with Zaycon Fresh.  They are meat suppliers that are very unique.  If you click through our link and sign up your email, you will be kept abreast of all of the deals that they are constantly offering! Right now there is a deal on shrimp going on if you use code SHRIMP72. 

Good Idea!

Brownie Points-If you have followed me long, you know that I am currently the Primary Children's Singing Time Instructor at our church.  Each year, we prepare for a program that we present to the rest of the congregation in the Fall.  There are a number of songs that we work on throughout the year. Last year, as an incentive to get my children to really sing whole- heartedly, I made a Brownie Points Chart.  It was a chart with a list of all of the songs that we were working on for the program.  As we sang them each week, I would add a Brownie Point when they did a great job.  I told them that if they could get Brownie points to fill the line all across the page by the time we sang, (including during the program) I would reward them with a buffet of brownies.       

My kids sang so well! Of course I knew that they would, so I came prepared with 4 different kinds of brownies, (including gluten free), napkins and zip lock bags for them to carry their brownies home.  They loved it! The brownies were easy to do since they were made in sheet pans, so it really was a great way to motivate the kids throughout the year.  (I introduced the Brownie Point Chart with a sample brownie earlier in the year.)

Updates

1.      I am currently waiting for Alicia and family to arrive! Lindsey's baby Emily will be getting blessed on Sunday and Alicia's family is coming for that event! That means all 9 of our grandchildren will be here at once! Photo Op! 
2.       Birthday shout-out to my grandson Adriancito, my SIL Austin, my grandson Hunter and to my great niece Ava!
3.       My oldest son is now working as a lawyer!  So proud of him!
4.       My missionary son is doing fantastic and loving his mission!
5.       Maddy earned a promotion at her work! We are so proud of her! 
6.       We are in new affiliate programs with:

Snake River Farms

Zaycon Fresh

Do us a favor and check them out! 

    I hope something I wrote about is helpful to you today! And BTW, have a Happy Valentine's Day! 
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