Low Point French Toast

So, we were craving breakfast for dinner.  Sara Lee has some low calorie bread that comes at 2 Points Plus for TWO slices.  Then we have some egg substitute (from Costco which I believe is just the egg whites) and a little bit of vanilla.  The egg substitute was 1 points plus for 1/4 cup, so we estimated 3 points for every 2 slices.  Another great find was yogurt butter, and a low calorie syrup- depending on how much you like you can easily have great tasting french toast for 4 points.

We also added a scrambled eggs dish on the side.  We mixed in celery and onions and allowed those with extra points to sprinkle on some reduced fat Feta cheese for one point more.  So the eggs (for 1/4 cup) was one point, and then with cheese- 2.

Pair with fruit (free) and bacon if you wish.  We used turkey bacon tonight (which was 1 point per slice) but we've used some center-cut bacon that was thin but tasted good that I believe was 1 point for three (it could've been two points for three).  Either way, it was a great "breakfast".

Points Plus Totals:
2 pieces of French Toast: 3
with yogurt butter or syrup: 1 more

Scrambled eggs (add in any 0 points vegetables that you have or that sound good to you): 1
with reduced fat Feta cheese: 1 more
Fruit: 0
Turkey Bacon: 1 point per slice

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

Loved it!  Thought it was a great story of ancient Egyptian history.  She stayed as close to what she knows from researching archeological sites and although she told the story clearly she didn't go into unnecessary graphic scenes. :)

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

It's written like a travel log, so the story line often goes from not much happening to exciting.  It wasn't a book that built up to a storyline that stayed exciting til the conclusion.  There were moments of excitement followed by pages of classifying animals.  (Or so it seemed).  Very interesting, and I read that when he wrote it many things that were unknown at the time later became accurate guesses.  I'll admit that I started reading it searching for everything he guessed right about, but it took way too long.  Overall, if you wish to read it just be prepared for all the classifying of animals and then just enjoy the novel.  (Unless you're doing a research project on what was known at the time, what was an accurate guess and what we still don't know or know to be false now, of course).

Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3)

Still really liked it along with the first two, but the ending I thought was sloppy.  I felt like the author became lazy and just decided to wrap up things quickly and the easiest way.  In comparison to the writing up to that point in the book I was disappointed with the way the end didn't really slowly come to a conclusion, but seemed to try to wrap up everything in two pages (exaggeration implied).  I still liked the ending though and would still recommend all three to others to read. :)

Tamar the Tender Twig by Doris Charriere

It's been awhile since reading this book but I remember really liking it. It's placed back when Jeremiah was a prophet, right before and during when Jerusalem was captured. It's taken from a few facts and then a whole fictional story fabricated on how one girl might have escaped and further fulfilled the scattering of Israel. I just thought it was very interesting.

Children of the Promise Series

This review is for the whole series. I liked this Historical Fiction piece. It's centered around WWII. It concerns and LDS (Mormon) family and I liked it because it sought to give you insights into different aspects of the war. The family had an older son who served his mission in Germany who is sent back to fight against the people he taught. It follows a family he taught. It follows the home front. One of his sisters becomes a nurse and a younger brother ends up serving over in Japan. I don't remember who they tie in the Japanese but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing different sides of the same event.

Fablehaven

First off, I really liked this book and the whole series, but I'll have to admit that (first book only) at times it was a bit slow. About half way through the book I realized that I was very entertained by all the mystical creatures I was getting to know more about but felt like the actual story was just starting. I didn't lose interest though- I still was entertained throughout, and the rest of the series is great in getting straight into the story and the action. :)

Gone With the Wind

Here's the thing. Scarlett O'Hara is Irish- they love the land. To emphasize this (exaggeration used) they explain the land of her home several times throughout the novel, maybe 5 times, each time saying almost the SAME exact thing, and taking about TWENTY pages to do it. I loved the storyline, and I even loved the description of the land- but in my opinion it should've been shortened. I thought the purpose of the book was to tell her story, not emphasize that she was Irish. Yes, it's a part of her, but shorten it just a little. When you repeat it, only repeat the things that actually had some effect on the character... Example, the gently rolling hills made her feel at home and she looked ahead with anticipation to the bend from where she'd be able to see her home. (I haven't read this in years, so obviously NOT an exact quote). Instead I felt like it was more like, "She looked ahead to the rolling hills, and as she rounded the bend she could see her house." Same way, every time. No emotion. Just a statement of fact. The rolling hills were there- she saw them. The bend was there, and from there she can see her house.

SO... to sum up my opinion, take out a few of the descriptions of the land, or shorten them or rewrite them and you have a great novel. With it, you have a great story with some boring parts that although, they do emphasize an aspect of her character, are easy to fall asleep in and miss any value those pages might contain.

The Other Side of the Page

It was interesting... The storyline was like behind the scenes of two books this author wrote as if the characters had a mind of their own.  After talking with some authors I've realized that this happens a lot.  They develop the characters and realize they have to change the ending or the plot, etc.  It was a quick easy read.  So I liked it and it was entertaining but it wasn't a favorite.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

K, so I actually listened to this several months ago, so I'm going to do my best to write my review of it. First off, I love Tina Fey and she is definitely a great story teller. It was very interesting and entertaining. Listening to it I didn't feel like there was one underlying thing that tied the whole thing together but it was still fun to listen to. There were parts with bad language (if you care about that) though it always seemed appropriate or just quoting someone, not just using it for the heck of it. There was also a whole chapter that was a little preachy. It was on homosexuality- if you are against it then just be prepared, there's one chapter that's bad- so skip it, or don't read it I guess. If you don't mind or are for it, then you won't have a problem. I don't remember having a problem with it, but when I was listening to it I felt like it was almost hypocritical. Like, love everyone except those who don't agree with homosexuality. That wasn't what was said, but it just seemed weird to me. If you don't agree with someone else then don't agree with them. Believe they're wrong, fight for what you feel is right, but one viewpoint doesn't define whether or not a person deserves love and the tolerance of others. And it wasn't that strong, maybe it just seemed that way because of all the conflict surrounding that issue right now and I felt she did a poor job of stating her opinion. But it was her book and she had a right to say whatever she wanted and I still enjoyed the stories in that chapter just like any other one.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

I really liked this book. Each chapter is a new mystery and in it I gained an appreciation for mini stories- all with Sherlock Holmes unique way of thinking. Trying to think as Sherlock does proved of SOME help by the time I reached the latter chapters as I was able to at least guess, in part, what the conclusion was, or at least where the key point was in each story. Very fun read, and relatively easy. :)

I have heard one person tell me that Sherlock Holmes has some anti-Mormon sentiments- I did not see any in this book, though I have other Sherlock Holmes books on my to-read list, and I will write when/if I encounter them.

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

It was not one of my favorites. In my personal opinion, if you liked, "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, then you will also like this one. For me it reminded me of two friends and all of those two friends' negative qualities. It made me wonder why my two friends don't annoy me. With that said, I still think it has its value- I liked a few of the quotes and my favorite parts were, by far, the times he spent with Monsignor Darcy.

Plot- the story follows Amory Blaine- through childhood, school and college and briefly during the war and after. I felt like it was a Napoleon Dynamite story- not in humor or style of the story, but in the fact that I felt the character had very little growth. He declares himself at the end to be selfish and a romantic at heart, but I never felt much change. There were little mini stories throughout which were entertaining, but I felt like the lessons learned, or the point in sharing them was left out.

It is very reminiscent of youth, how he regrets losing it and wishes he could do it all over. There was a quote when he was going through this that I liked- saying we don't really want to go through things again- we just want the pleasure or the thrill of doing certain things, or having a second chance at life (like in Faust and other novels).

So summary- it has value- but don't expect some great change of character or huge plot line. Read it for the ideas he brings up and the moments of wisdom scattered throughout its pages.

Thai Pumpkin Soup

It's not spicy, we loved it, and it's LOW in points, so great for a base for other things.
2 Points Plus on Weight Watchers for 3/4 cup serving
Prep: 6 minutes Cook: 8 minutes

So, what you need:
2 Tablespoons Red Curry Paste
1 (13.5) can light coconut milk (we couldn't find light milk, but we found some without anything added and we figured that was just as good)
1 cup water
1 (15 ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin
2 Tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
lime wedges (optional)

The recipe strongly suggests using the cilantro and lime wedges and we loved them also.  We added the cilantro while cooking the rest of the stuff though

1. Place curry paste in a medium saucepan.  Add coconut milk, stirring with a whisk until smooth.  Stir in 1 cup water and pumpkin (we add cilantro here); cook over medium heat 8 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Remove from heat; stir in fish sauce.
2. Ladle soup into bowls.  Top with chopped cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.  Yields: 6 servings

We had this as soup the other night, but tonight we did it more like a curry base.  We cooked up some beef for some meat, and added more vegetables for the curry mixture (anything from broccoli, carrots, onions, celery... whatever sounds good to you that has no points- or just count for them).  And then we cooked up some white rice (3 points for 1/2 cup or 5 points for 1 cup).  So we served white rice and poured the soup and veggies and beef on top.