The Chic Life

SCBR Week 10/ Day 5 Food/Exercise Journal

7:30 am - Coffee - Content (5)

I had a cup of Fresh Market Spring Blend in one of my fave mugs - the "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail mug" I featured awhile back.

I had to wake up and get ready extra early to drop my car off at the shop. My check engine light came on a couple days ago and I hear it's not good to mess with that.

10:30 am - Strawberry/Banana Oats - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I did a play on yesterday's Strawberries N Cream oats and did Strawberry Banana - one of my fave fruit combo flavors of all time! I basically did the same combo as yesterday, but with bananas, too.

All stirred up!

1:30 pm -Turkey Sandwich + Cheetos - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

Today I brought a turkey sandwich on Great Harvest Dakota bread. The sandwich had shaved turkey breast, muenster cheese, organic baby spinach, and TJ's Chipotle hummus, which gave the sandwich a nice, smoky, slightly-spicy flavor. I had my lunch with cheetos...so bad for you, but so good! I couldn't help myself.

I found out today is National Oatmeal Cookie day over a phone conference and I had to run out and buy some Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies to share with a couple co-workers, plus one for me and one for hubby.

I had to label one for a co-worker who was on hours and hours of conference calls.

Hubby picked me up from work today and we drove about 30 minutes to the car place...I feel like I'm totally being taken advantage of there since I don't know how to tell if the work they're suggesting is necessary or not. The last two times I've been there, the work they did was well over $500 and who can afford that!? Luckily, hubby is helping me out because this car work is expensive!! When they gave me the quote this morning, I was so frustrated I thought I'd cry. I ended up sucking it up and luckily, I had already found a coupon online that saved me about $150 dollars...hey, better than full price, right?

8:30 pm - Tomato Chicken Fresh Pasta - Full (7)

I got a bag of fresh pasta a couple days ago. Apparently the stuff lasts a few days in the fridge...who knew? I got Garlic Rosemary linguine from Pasta + Provisions ...love this place!

I also got some Rosemary Foccacia, which I promptly froze - this stuff reheats like a dream in the oven...just a drizzle of olive oil and pop it in the oven at roughly 350 for 10-ish minutes...done and done.

I decided for dinner to do the sauce simple since the pasta itself seemed so flavorful.

I just did some sauteed veggies in TJ's red sauce.

The pasta came out good. It was too good...I didn't want to stop eating it and definitely overate. I've been doing that a lot lately it seems...maybe you've noticed I've hit 7 (full) on the hunger scale a lot lately...I need to work on that. I was hoping to finish the last 2 weeks of SCBR strong.

Anywho, I topped the pasta with some fresh basil and parmesan cheese...mmm...

Yummy foccacia. Whoever said carbs were bad was crazy!

Hubby and I enjoyed dinner over The Millionaire Matchmaker , which I'm still watching. What? It's a marathon!

Did any one else celebrate National Oatmeal Cookie Day today?

Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Lunch, SCBR

SCBR Week 10/ Day 4 Food/Exercise Journal

7:30 am - Coffee - Content (5)

Another day, another welcoming cup of coffee in the AM. I had FM Spring Blend with more soy creamer...I'm really loving this stuff!

9:30 am - Strawberries N Cream Oats + Mas Coffee - Content (5)

When I was a little girl, I used to love getting those fruit flavored Quaker Oatmeal pouches. My sister and I would fight over the good flavors, my favorite being strawberries and cream. We got some strawberries in yesterday's organic produce delivery, so I decided to try to re-create the flavor from scratch.

Pre-cooking:

• 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 tsp flaxseed
• 1/2 cup water

Microwave 90 seconds

Post-cooking:

• About 5 strawberries, sliced, on top
• A couple tbsp of 2 % milk, stirred din
• About 1 tsp raw sugar, stirred in

I heat the strawberries through, I stirred everything up. I really loved this combo...I'm definitely having it again soon! Maybe tomorrow!

I also got some more coffee - a small cup of Caramel something. Forgot the name. Sorry!

11:30 am - Foodies Do Italian - Full (7)

My foodie friend is leaving us for awhile to travel for work and is starting a new project. I decided to take her out for lunch for a short goodbye. We started our meal with some warm bread and a bean mixture.

We each had a cup of the soup of the day - pasta fagiole. So good!

We couldn't but help notice the "drama" going on outside. The restaurant was near the Bank of America building and BOA was very much in the news today. There were news crews and cameras everywhere!

My foodie friend and I split the chicken paillard - flattened, sauteed chicken topped with baby spinach, applewood smoked bacon, cherry tomatoes in a BV dressing.

It was very good!

What it's like to eat with foodies. Haha. :) My friend has a lovely DSLR, too!

We made sure to save room for dessert - tiramisu! Yum!

4:30 pm - Clif Kids ZBar - Content (5)

I had a Clif ZBar in Honey Graham for a snack.

It's funny how much this flavor reminds me of oatmeal raisin cookies...sans raisins, of course.

7:30 pm - Trivia Night + Bar Food - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I went to a local bar with some co-workers for Trivia Night.

I like the lofty feel of this particular bar with the exposed brick walls.

I had a Stella to drink.

It was beers all around for us.

The bar was featuring 1/2 off apps...

...so we ordered a little bit of this and that.

Sliders

Chicken fingers (2 baskets)

Macaroni Cheese Bites

Chicken Quesadillas

My plate - a little bit of everything. I also had another slider and a couple fried pickles.

As for Trivia Night....we won! No thanks to me, however...I stink at trivia! The only 2 questions I answered we didn't use (but they were both right!). :)

I didn't end up getting home until 11:15pm...phew...another long day. I've got another post to work on for another blog, plus checking in on PInk at the Plaza, which will be Saturday. They say it's going to rain...I really hope it doesn't! Positive thoughts, right? I'm trying to have positive thoughts...

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Restaurant, SCBR

SCBR Week 10/ Day 3 Food/Exercise Journal

It's almost midnight and I've spent most of the night finalizing details on my craft show, Pink at the Plaza (for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer). The event is this Saturday and I'm feeling pressed for time, so I can only hope that I've done enough. Phew! Craft show planning is hard work! Good thing I have an awesome counterpart (the ops manager at the Walk) to help! Since it's so late, I'm going to try to keep this short.

7:30 am - Coffee - Content (5)

This morning I had some Bolivian coffee from TJ's with soy creamer and sugar...so simple, but so good.

10:00 am - SBucks and Oatmeal - Content (5)

I was needing some extra caffeine today, so I had my Monday Starbucks Day starbucks on Tuesday. Close enough, right? I had the usual: Grande Vanilla Soy Latte.

I knew we were getting a fresh delivery of produce this morning so I didn't get many oatmeal mixins this weekend. Thusly, breakfast was a simple maple syrup and brown sugar blend with flaxseed and sliced almonds. I made this from scratch, not from the pouch, though.

11:30 am - Chicken Noodle Soup - Content (5)

I knew Just Fresh had lentil soup so I was excited to get some 1. to fulfill one of my nut, seed, bean portions of the day and 2. to help me stay warm in the frigid office. I learned today, however, that they've discontinued the soup! Waaaah! So, I got chicken noodle instead. It was pretty good. I tore the roll into bite sized pieces to dip into the soup broth.

2:00 pm - Clif Energy Bar in Carrot Cake - Content (5)

Since we didn't have bread this morning, I couldn't bring a sandwich. Since we didn't have produce, I couldn't bring a salad either. So, I tried to do the best I could with what I had without having to buy too much new food.

I had this Clif Energy bar in Carrot Cake as one of my snacks. I was glad to eat something full of vitamins since I didn't have any fruits or veggies to eat to get them. The bar was pretty good...nice texture and decent flavor. I'm so-so on the white chocolate pieces. Not sure it needed that extra sweetness.

3:00 pm - Babybel and Kashi Crackers - Content (5)

I had some babybel cheese in cheddar later in the day...

...along with some Kashi crackers in Original 7 Grain.

4:30 pm - Yogurt Parfait - Content (5)

I had a yogurt parfait late in the day - Wallaby organic yogurt in Banana Vanilla with some Fresh Market Cherry Vanilla granola. I was glad to eat the yogurt today b/c today was its expiration! I don't like to mess with yogurt and expirations.

6:00 pm - Zumba! - Happy

I was feeling really blah at work today. I was still feeling unmotivated after work. I almost didn't go to Zumba. I didn't really feel like it. But, I told myself, go to zumba...you'll feel better afterwards. And, you know what? I went...and I did feel better afterwards! I felt like a million bucks and I'm so happy I went!

8:30 pm - Pizza and a Movie - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

Hubby suggested pizza for dinner, while I suggested fresh pasta-dinner. Hubby won and we'll have pasta tomorrow. Since I didn't have any fruits or veggies all day, I was really looking forward to digging into our produce delivery.

I made a gigantic salad for hubby and myself with our organic produce delivery items: grape tomatoes, baby spinach, and local romaine lettuce. I also added a wee bit of fresh basil, parmesan cheese, and my fave dressing: Drew's Rosemary Balsamic.

I started with a slice of pepperoni for dinner.

Hubby enjoyed his pizza, as always.

I had a second slice of pizza - cheese this time. Then a third piece, which I ate about 2/3 of saving a mini-slice for hubby. Hubby got the smaller than normal pizza so we ended up eating more slices. I was just glad to have that big salad to start the meal...so good to finally get some veggies for the day!

What's your favorite kind of pizza?

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, SCBR, Snack

SCBR Week 10/ Day 2 Food/Exercise Journal

7:30 am - Coffee + AB Toast - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I brewed some Bolivian Blend coffee for the AM brew and had my yummy soy creamer with it.

I also had some Almond Butter toast. The cheese I was trying so hard to finish is gone and I finished the rest of the bread today. The raggedy piece in the back is a remnant leftover from the other night when my stomach was feeling a bit upset and I wanted something bland, like plain bread, to help settle it. I also toasted up one of the loaf ends. Both were lightly spread with some Barney Butter . This is becoming one of my go-to breakfasts when I'm pressed for time in the AM.

I wasn't even craving Sbucks today, so I just skipped it. Must be the soy creamer?

1:30 pm - Veggie Soup + Roll - Content (5)

I spent a long 1.5 hours today in the coldest conference room I've ever been in! I was so freezing cold, I put my laptop on my lap to try to use the heat to stay warm. I'm totally bringing a blanket next week...for real!

To help defrost, I got some Garden Veggie Soup from Just Fresh , which I had with a roll. For a veggie soup, it sure didn't have many vegetables, but it did help warm me up.

I just had more water with lunch.

3:00 pm - Turkey Sandwich - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I brought a sandwich with me to work today. I wanted to eat it earlier in the day, but I was on a conference call from 2-3 and was doing most of the talking. I ended up eating my sad little sandwich after my meeting. The sandwich today was a bit sad because I didn't have anything to put on it besides turkey and cheese! At least the Great Harvest bread was awesome as usual.

5:00 pm - Flamingo Martini - Content (5)

My team had a team building event after work today and we all went out for drinks after hours. We got to enjoy the beautiful weather from the restaurant's patio. It felt amazing outside. I enjoyed a Flamingo martini - 10 cane rum (or something), pineapple juice, and grenadine (and maybe another ingredient I'm forgetting). Nice and fruity!

9:00 pm - Shrimp Pasta - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

With SCBR wrapping up in just a couple short weeks, I'm hoping to really buckle down on my eating habits (since I've been splurging a lot lately).

I decided to make up a shrimp + pasta dish using pretty Papparedelle pasta, wine, peas, artichoke hearts, pasta water, and of course shrimp.

Dinner was pretty good and definitely a nice light meal for a change of pace. I topped the pasta with some parmesan-reggiano cheese.

I had a little more of the wine I used to cook dinner along with my meal. I like how drinking the wine you cooked with a dish really brings out the flavors.

I did save room for a little dessert - Chocolate Almond Milk. I hope this counts towards my nuts, seeds, beans, or soy intake for the day since I'm supposed to get at least one serving and I think I only had about 1 tbsp of almond butter in the AM.

I had a small cup - about 1/2 - 3/4 cup. It was quite yummy, but I think I like Chocolate Soy Milk better.

Which do you prefer: Soy Milk, Almond Milk, or Regular Milk?

Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Lunch, SCBR

SCBR Week 10/ Day 1 Food/Exercise Journal

9:30 am - Coffee + Cheese Toast - Content (5)

We had a little bit of cheese and a few more slices of bread left by this morning - both on the verge of spoiling, so I did a repeat of last night's dinner and made cheesy toast (toast, top with cheese, melt under broiler, enjoy).

I did two pieces this time - 1 for me and 1 for hubby. I prefer PB or almond butter toast in the AM, but that stuff will last longer than my cheese will.

I brewed TJ's Bolivian coffee, which I enjoyed with my soy creamer...I'm so loving this soy creamer. I wonder if it will help me kick my Soy Latte cravings? Hmm...

1:30 pm - Soup + Buttered Toast - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I was caught up working on my project this afternoon, so we just re-heated some frozen soup and had even more toast - this time buttered. Hubby and I need to make another big pot of soup so we can restock our freezer for lazy meals like today.

7:30 pm - Hamburgers + Fries - Full (7)

We hit up a local burger joint, the Penguin Drive-In , for dinner. I had a regular burger with cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato, mustard, and ketchup...and also...

...with fries and a coke. Dinner was delicious - I love how they handform the patties here. This place was even featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives ! The Penguin has an eclectic mix of customers and a real rock + roll kind of feeling to it. I love how casual it is in there, but I really go for those delish burgers!

Who's excited about the upcoming week? I am looking forward to my 2nd annual Pink at the Plaza craft show happening. Is there anything special or out of the ordinary happening for you?

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Restaurant, SCBR

SCBR Week 10 Changes

Wow, I can't believe that I'm almost through my Small Changes, Big Results program! It seems like I just started yesterday, but I guess I have been doing it for awhile and I have learned quite a bit through the process. Just a couple short weeks left...

Changes for Week 10:

• Eat a serving of nuts, seeds, beans, or soy each day
• Increase the intensity of your walking
• Reconnect with a friend

SCBR

SCBR Week 9/ Day 7 Food/Exercise Journal

My secret project kept me up till the wee hours of the morning...it is both extremely enjoyable and extremely frustrating to work on this project all at the same time. I think I've almost pulled my hair out at least a few times this morning. I only hope all my hard work will pay off. Till then, I may have to do shorter journal posts. Here's Saturday's entry...

9:30 am - Coffee - Content (5)

After listing coffee flavors available, my guest chose the Fresh Market Spring Blend for our morning brew. We enjoyed our coffees with sugar and soy creamer...yum!

11:30 am - The Flying Biscuit Brunch - Full (7)

Having enjoyed so many delish meals with my friend in SF, I really wanted to return the favor with some of Charlotte's delicious eating establishments. Although it's not a local-only restaurant, I knew The Flying Biscuit would be an awesome brunch choice, which my friend confirmed interest in after reviewing the menu online.

My friend and I sat on the patio to enjoy the warm weather and started our meal with a cup of coffee each.

I got a repeat of what I ate the last time I was at TFB - the Southern Scramble, which was of course served with a piping hot biscuit and cranberry apple butter...

...and fresh fruit.

Biscuits are so good! I really wanted to get TFB cookbook, but will hold off for now. I think I've spent enough this month!

After leaving brunch, we headed over to the Promenade on Providence to deliver fliers for my craft show event - Pink at the Plaza ! I can't believe it's next weekend!

After the plaza, we hit up one of my fave local boutiques for a little shopping...then, it was time to head home and get my friend ready for the airport.

3:00 pm - Middle Eastern Take-Out - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

Since breakfast was so late, we ended up eating lunch rather late, as well. We grabbed takeout from one of my fave hole-in-the-wall Mediterranean stops for some take-out: chicken kabobs with pickled veggies, hummus, and tabbouleh. So good!

After lunch, my friend took off for the airport and then back home to SF! I wish she could have stayed longer. Looks like it's our turn to go visit her again! I'm already looking forward to another SF trip.

4:30 pm - Hot Tea - Content (5)

After my friend left, I had the house to myself. Hubby was away at a bachelor party. I settled in to a long night of Lifetime movies and work on my project, which started with a nice hot mug of Yogi Tea in Calming with a bit of honey.

Yogi Tea quote of the day: "Uplift everybody and uplift yourself."

10:00 pm - Leftover Party - Content (5)

Between all those addictive Lifetime movies and hard work on my project (not to mention all the late meals) I totally lost track of time and ended up eat dinner rather late. Since I didn't feel like hitting up the grocery store, I decided to be resourceful and dug through the kitchen to see what I could use up from our pantry. I really wanted to use up some ingredients laying around that would soon spoil.

I decided to make an open-face "grilled" cheese sandwich using a loaf of bread that probably only has a day or 2 left and some pieces of dill havarti that I expect to spoil any day. Better not let those foods go bad, right!?

I started by toasting a slice of bread in a toaster (so it didn't get too soggy)

Then I topped it with slices of the dill havarti

Under the broiler it went for just a couple minutes.

I watched it very carefully to make sure it didn't burn, but our over-sensitive smoke alarm started beeping one of the times I opened the oven door. WIthout hubby there, it was much harder to get to the smoke alarm, but I thankfully did not set off the sprinklers.

I had the "grilled" cheese with some leftover giardineira veggies and the tabbouleh we didn't finish from lunch. Everything was pretty good, but the cheesy-bread was my fave part of the meal. I just had dinner with some water.

Nice and light for such a late dinner.

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Restaurant, SCBR

SCBR Week 9/ Day 6 Food/Exercise Journal

7:30 am - Coffee - Content (5)

I stayed up a bit late last night hanging with my friends and blogging, but managed to get going pretty well this morning. Today started with a mug of TJ's Bolivian Fair Trade Organice Coffee.

Instead of milk, I opened my TJ's Soy Milk Creamer to enjoy with coffee. I knew my friend from SF who loves soy was coming in town tonight would love this stuff! It's so good!

9:30 am - AB + Banana Oats - Content (5)

Oats were Almond Butter (Barney Butter), banana slices, flaxseed, sliced almonds, and TJ's old fashioned oats.

1:30 pm - Mahi Mahi - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I had lunch with some co-workers and my bosses today at a local seafood restaurant. I had a delicious Mahi Mahi (blackened) with a butter crab sauce. It was oh so good! The fish was served with asparagus, carrots, and rice pilaf. No photos, though...sorry!

I spent most of the day stalking a UPS delivery. Another camera goodie...can you believe it?

DSLR Macro Lens!

I ordered a macro lens! I know it seems like I've been getting a lot of camera goodies lately, but seriously...I have been saving/lusting after these items for years...literally! Since I spent the last couple years paying off my credit card, I put off a few purchases I really wanted to make. Now that I'm spending my money more responsibly, I am able to save up and purchase said lust-worthy items, including this fabulous 50 mm F28 DG Macro by Sigma. I found a really good price for this particular item online recently and decided it was time!

Not to mention I've always had a love for photography. I took my first photography class (that I can remember) when I was in 5th grade and it was so cool! We got to develop our own film and everything, dipping the photographs in different baths of liquids to bring the photos to life.

I stalked the package all day and was so thrilled when I got a text from hubby saying my goodies had arrived!

Here are some sample photos I took with my new toy:

Guest in Town

So, the Martha Stewart in me has been wanting to do all kinds of cutesy-home-related things, including things for guests. When I was purging my magazine collection, I recently ripped out a section completely dedicated to having guests over. One of the ideas I thought was do-able in our tiny apartment (the others were more for whole guest rooms), was this little guest box. I didn't have all the same things, but I worked with what I had on hand.

I used the white tray I recently got from Target and put stuff inside that I remember kind of needing on my recent trip to San Fran.

In the tray, I placed some PJ's - Vera Bradley ones - to repay my friend who let me borrow PJ's when I was in San Fran. I also added some mini toiletries, in case she was missing any.

I also placed a towel, hand towl, my latest Real Simple magazine, and some tea.

Another angle.

9:30 pm - Spanish Tapas - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I wanted to take my friend somewhere chill for dinner, so we hit up a local Spanish tapas restaurant we frequent and frequently enjoy.

We got a pitcher of sangria for the girls...hubby had a Dos Equis.

Dinners rolls

Shrimp in a spicy tomato broth

Patatas Bravas

Empanadas

Croquettas

Tres Leches cake for dessert.

We shared the tapas, sangria, and dessert on the lovely patio outside. The weather was beautiful - nice and warm. The patio was so pretty with all the lights. The dim lighting made the photography hard, though we did enjoy the ambiance.

Expect more great eats tomorrow before I drop my friend off at the airport. :)

Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Life, Lunch, Restaurant, SCBR

SCBR Week 9/ Day 5 Food/Exercise Journal

It's 11:30 pm my time and I basically just got in from a fabulous night hanging out with a good friend visiting all the way from NYC and one of her super-cool gal pals. I'm happily exhausted so I'm going to keep this short...

8:00 am - Spring Blend - Content (5)

I stayed up late working on my top secret project, and this morning was certainly a rough one. I was super slow to wake up and totally forgot to take a photo of my morning brew. I did enjoy a nice hot cup of FM Spring Blend, though. :)

9:30 am - AB Banana Chocolate Chip Oats - Content (5)

For breakfast, I enjoyed some TJ's old fashioned oats with 1/2 banana, chocolate chips, and barney butter.

I also got another brew - Chocolate Truffle - I think this is my fave flavor of all the ones offered in the local coffee shop. So good!

12:15 pm - Sandwich, Chips, and Water - Content (5)

For lunch, I enjoyed a turkey sandwich on Great Harvest Honey Whole Wheat bread with some baby spinach and dill harvarti cheese. So good! That dill cheese from TJ's is really strongly flavored!

I also had water with lunch.

Close up with the sandwich...

...which I had with some Lay's BBQ chips.

4:30 pm - Blueberry Clif ZBar - Content (5)

I was feeling snacky later in the day so I had a Clif ZBar in Blueberry.

This is still one of my fave snack-bar flavors. Yum!

8:30 pm - Sangria + Tapas - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

A very dear friend of mine was visiting in town this week all the way from NYC, so I had been looking forward to hanging out with her for the last few weeks. We started out at a local wine bar where I had a glass of Sauv Blanc. Then, we hit up a local tapas restaurant where I ordered a pitcher or red sangria for me, my NYC friend, and a cool friend of hers I just met tonight. We were a bunch of foodies living it up!

We ordered a few tapas:

Shrimp croquettes

Goat cheese

Fritatta

Spicy Garlic Shrimp

Fingerling potatoes with chorizo

Crispy skin duck

Happily full! It's me, Kristin, and Kym. Girls' night out!

I had a blast hanging out with my dear friend and her most-awesome gal pal. We'll have to do this again soon, ladies! :)

Breakfast, Dinner, Life, Lunch, Restaurant, SCBR

SCBR Week 9/ Day 4 Food/Exercise Journal

7:30 am - Coffee - Content (5)

Morning's cuppa: Fresh Market Spring Blend .

I must have slept wrong last night because I woke up with a huge crick in my neck and my neck was achy all day!

9:30 am - 4 Grain Hot Cereal + More Coffee - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I was so excited to use my new camera today for my at-work shots. Can anyone tell the difference?

Here's another angle.

Pre-cooking:

• 1/4 cup TJ's hot 4-grain cereal
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp flaxseed

Zapped in microwave for 1 min 30 secs

Post-cooking:

• 1 tbsp dried cranberries on top
• 1 tbsp sliced almonds on top
• sprinkling of FM Cherry Vanilla granola

I really enjoyed the granola on top - it added some nice crunchy texture in addition to those almonds.

I also went with the coffee-crew to grab some coffee. I tried a flavor suggestion I recently got from Kath - Butterscotch Toffee...it was yummy!

1:00 pm - Soul Food - Full (7)

I had lunch plan with a friend I met on a previous project and we decided to hit up a local soul-food style restaurant. Our meal started with some super-delicious cornbread and butter.

I got a sweet tea to drink.

I got the fried chicken with macaroni and cheese and collard greens.

Lunch was soooo good! Too good! Not only was it not-so-healthy, but I overate, too! I'm not too stressed about the fact that the meal was "unhealthy", but I am a little disappointed I didn't show more restraint. Oopsie!

4:45 pm - Raw Veggies - Content (5)

I remembered I had some raw veggies in the fridge from yesterday, so I snacked on those late in the day. They were nice and refreshing!

9:30 pm - Pizza - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

Hubby really wanted pizza today (and I kinda did, too), so he picked some up on his way back from class. I think I over did it with the servings, though. I started with a piece of pepperoni. Then, I moved on to cheese and then a third piece of cheese! I just had water with dinner.

Not the healthiest day of eats, but pretty tasty.

When was the last time you splurged on your eats?

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, SCBR, Snack

Happy Earth Day!

Today was Earth Day, so to celebrate, I took my new camera out to shoot some greenery on the "foliage" setting:

I even got a little lady bug in my last shot (it's near the bottom-to-middle right-ish). I didn't even see it till I downloaded the photo.

Did you do anything to celebrate Earth Day? It was also Admin Day AND Jelly Bean Day!

Life

SCBR Week 9/ Day 3 Food/Exercise Journal

7:30 am - TJ's Bolivian Blend Coffee - Content (5)

I went for some TJ's Bolivian Blend coffee this am to wake up.

9:30 am - Sbucks Breakfast Sandwich + Soy Latte - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I got an annoying/irritating email this am and decided even though today is supposed to be an eat-in day, I needed some more Sbucks. I got a breakfast sandwich (did you see that Nate ?! I said "sandwich"...not "sammy "...just for you :) ). I also got a tall vanilla soy latte.

1:30 pm - Blynk Tex Mex-ish Lunch - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I went to a local organic lunch spot called Blynk for lunch today and got a roasted corn and pepper soup...

...which came with some baguette (which was nice and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside)...

...along with a half mexicali wrap, which has corn, jasmine rice, and jicama in it (among other ingredients). Lunch was great...the flavors were simple but went well together and it was light enough to make a great work-out-day-lunch.

I had water to drink.

My co-worker gave me a piece of chocolate-covered marzipan for dessert...mmm.

5:00 pm - Kashi Crackers + Fresh Red Pepper - Content (5)

For a pre-workout snack, I had a mini bag of Kashi TLC Original 7 Grain crackers ...

...and some fresh red pepper slices leftover from yesterday for some Vitamin C!

6:00 pm - Zumba! - Exhausted

I'm on quite the zumba roll now! It's so great that they've added some new classes so I'm able to go more often! Only problem is doing zumba 2 days in a row is quite the workout...I was starting to drag by the end of class! There was one samba-song, Mas Que Nada by Sergio Mendes featuring the Black Eyed Peas , that really kicked my a-double-s. I was sooo tired by the end of class! Great workout, though!

I also came home to a lovely loaf of Great Harvest Honey Whole Wheat bread that hubby picked up while I was at work...woohoo! A new bread flavor to try out!

8:00 pm - Mahi Mahi, Brown Rice, and Asparagus - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

To meet my SCBR Week 9 changes of eating fish twice this week, I got some frozen, marinated Mahi Mahi from TJ's, which I placed in the fridge yesterday to defrost for tonight's dinner.

I started a pot of wild rice cooked in chicken stock just before getting the Mahi Mahi in the oven to cook.

I served the fish with some sauteed asparagus in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and I topped the rice with some sliced almonds

I had dinner with a small glass of OJ. The fish was pretty good - a little more "fishy" tasting than I'd like, but I'm not a big fish eater anyways. The frozen Mahi Mahi was certainly convenient and I liked how it was already marinated.

As I was taking photos of dinner, I noticed something...different...in my stack of mags/books.

Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a camera...but could it be for me? Hubby confirmed it was...a total out of the blue gift! Isn't he the best?!

I know I have the DSLR, but I'm so glad to have a good point + shoot option, too, because I can't carry the Rebel around with me everywhere I go (even though I'd like to). Plus, the Rebel doesn't have a video recorder. Not to mention, my other point + shoot was deleting my photos! Remember when I asked for suggestions way back when? Guess hubby used the tips to pick out the Canon PowerShot SD780 . Thank you so much, babe...I love it and can't wait to start using it!

For dessert, I had a mini yogurt parfait - just a wee bit of Vanilla Danon Light & Fit (which is not my fave but only because it contains sucralose, which I try to avoid) topped with some Fresh Market Cherry Vanilla granola. Yum!

Ok, I'm seriously exhausted from Zumba...and I guess the day in general. I'm off for bed. G'night!

Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Lunch, SCBR

SCBR Week 9/ Day 2 Food/Exercise Journal

7:30 am - Coffee + Whipped Cream - Content (5)

I enjoyed a cup of Fresh Market Spring Blend coffee this morning topped with whipped cream! Why, you ask? Why not!? It was gooood.

As much as I'm loving this Spring Blend coffee, I'm really missing my fave - Breakfast Blend ! I need to get more next time I'm at FM.

9:00 am - Starbucks Monday! - Content (5)

Today was Starbucks Monday so I got my usual - Grande Vanilla Soy Latte. It was delish, as always!

I was totally enjoying my latte when the morning escaped me. Next thing I know, I've figured out I have phone conferences from 11:30 - 5 so I have to have lunch at 11! I prefer later lunches (b/c it makes me feel like the day goes by faster), but 11 had to do. Although I don't like to do it, I skipped breakfast!

11:15 am - Jersey Mikes Mini #7 - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I grabbed a mini #7 from Jersey Mike's - Mike's Way except banana peppers subbed for onions.

I also had a mini 1-ounce bag of Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream .

1:30 pm - Veggies + Hummus + Fruit Leather - Content (5)

I got a brief break this afternoon and grabbed some fresh veggies for refreshment - baby carrots, cucumber, and red pepper slices. I had a wee bit of TJ's trio of hummus, but I wasn't feeling the hummus so I only had a wee bit and ate most of the veggies raw.

I also had Target Archer Farms Tropical Real Fruit Strip, which my co-worker gave to sample.

4:00 pm - Luna LemonZest - Content (5)

A couple weeks ago, I gave a co-worker a Clif Kids ZBar to sample and she repayed me with a Luna LemonZest bar . Wasn't that sweet!?

I'll tell you what else was sweet...this bar was! The lemon flavor was refreshing...esp since most are chocolate or berry-flavored, it seems. The bottom had a frosting-y coating and the lemon flavor came through nice and strong. I really enjoyed it and it was a great pre-workout snack.

6:30 pm - Zumba! - Energized

Today was a long day of work...I had to read a document aloud for 2 hours over a phone conference, which left my voice super tired and me with a bit of a headache. The meeting turned out well and I got some great feedback, but I was feeling pretty tired and unmotivated towards the end of the day. I decided to head to zumba anyways and I was so glad I did! I had a lovely hour long zumba workout and felt sooo much better afterwards! Thank goodness I went!

9:30 pm - Fish, Veggies, and WW Toast - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

Although I felt energized from zumba class, I still felt pretty tired overall from the long day. I wanted to make something quick and easy, and since I'm supposed to eat fish at least twice this week, I opted for some frozen fish sticks I recently got from TJ's. Probably not the best fish option Ellie would have preferred, but hey, it's fish, right?! I suppose the fish is technically called "Breaded Cod Fillets" according to the box, but fish sticks sounds more fun, so I'm sticking with that.

For a side, I also did a quick veggie medley of organic summer squash, organic yellow onion, and organic baby spinach sauteed in olive oil.

The fish sticks were oddly shaped. They didn't look funny, but they were a little too small to be one serving and a little too large to be eat two per serving. I decided to do 1 fish stick and extra veggies.

I served the fish with the veggie medley, a piece of Great Harvest Flax Oat Bran buttered toast, and a wee bit of TJ's tartar sauce. I also had water to drink. Oh, and a tiny piece of dark chocolate for dessert! Yum!

Reader Question: Have you already or do you plan to eat fish this week?

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, SCBR, Snack

SCBR Week 9/ Day 1 Food/Exercise Journal

10:30 am - Coffee + AB Flax Oat Bran Toast - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I spent a couple hours (yes hours!) in front of my computer this morning between blogging and researching a most-awesome blog-related idea I have in the works. I would love to tell you more now, but I'll hold off for now. While researching, I enjoyed a nice cup of 1/2 TJ's Bolivian Coffee and 1/2 Fresh Market Spring Blend with a slice of Great Harvest Flax Oat Bran toast with Barney Butter .

1:30 pm - Moe's! - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I don't know why, but I had a craving for nice, salty, crunchy tortilla chips this afternoon. Hubby picked up Moe's for us and we shared some chips + queso and a chicken quesadilla. I ended up eating only 1/4 of the quesadilla and an extra handful of chips. It was very enjoyable!

Hubby and I spent the afternoon wrapping up our purge of the apartment and though it looks about the same right now, our storage/laundry room looks 10 times better and we also were able to fill his entire trunk and some of his back seat with stuff to donate to Goodwill or Salvation Army. I have a hard time letting go of things, but it's good to know that my stuff may help someone else out.

4:30 pm - Cheese + Ginger Tea - Content (5)

Later this afternoon, I had a hankering for a snack, so I grabbed a Cheddar flavored Babybel cheese...

...and brewed some Yogi Tea Ginger Tea , which I sweetened with honey.

I decided to do a little more purging, but this time on my magazine collection. You see, I love magazines. I love to subscribe to them, read them, and keep them...for reference later, of course. Magazines can take up a lot of space, however, if you have enough of them. I recently heard on the de-clutter show neat a good tip by the host - sometimes you have to know when your inspiration is preventing you from being inspired.

I think that is exactly my current problem - I have so much stuff full of great ideas, recipes, and what-not, but I have so much that it's overwhelming to go through it. I decided to tackle my Real Simple magazines by pulling all the recipes I wanted to keep. I pulled out many more recipes than I anticipated, but bottom line is I made more space on my bookshelves...yay!

7:30 pm - Real Simple Spiced Chicken + Veggie Medley - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

After staring at Real Simple recipes this afternoon, I decided to try out one of the recipes I saved. I had hubby review the pile and he selected the Spiced Chicken with Sauteed Collards and Peppers, which I had to adapt due to missing ingredients.

I subbed organic baby spinach for the original recipe's collard greens and I also added some organic summer squash, since we had it on hand from last week's organic produce delivery.

The veggies looked so colorful in the saute pan!

Dinner was so delicious and surprisingly filling.

Hubby and I split a piece of buttered Great Harvest Flax Oat Bran toast.

I enjoyed dinner with some water. I also only ended up eating about 1/2 of my 1/2 of the GHBC toast since everything was so filling.

Spiced Chicken + Spiced Veggie Medley (for 2)

Adapted from the Real Simple recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup chopped summer squash
• 1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups loosely packed baby spinach (about 2 handfuls)
• about 1/4 cup of chicken broth or white wine
• spices: cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt
• olive oil

Directions:

• Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Season the chicken - lightly sprinkle with all the spices but go very light on the cayenne pepper unless you want it super spicy. I was very careful as I seasoned the chicken with the cayenne pepper so I barely dusted the chicken with the red-hot-spice. Heat a medium-sized saute pan over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, brown chicken on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and cook in oven for about 6-7 minutes till cooked through.
• Add another 1 tbsp of olive oil to the same saute pan. Add the onion, squash, and pepper to the pan. Saute for a minute and then add a splash of chicken broth/stock or wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape up the brown bits from the chicken. Season the veggies with a dash of each of the spices (careful with that cayenne pepper!). Cook for 5-6 mintues. Add spinach and wilt into veggie medley, about 1-2 minutes.
• When chicken is finished cooking, let rest on cutting board or plate while veggies finish cooking.
• Plate food, serve, and enjoy! I spooned the veggies onto my plate, sliced the chicken, and put the chicken on top of the veggie medley. Serve as is or with some hearty, whole wheat toast.

After dinner, I wanted something sweet to finish the day's eats, so I decided to make a hot chocolate for dessert.

Another spice sample I received from the wonderful MarxFoods.com was Star Anise - a sampling from their bulk whole spice collection .

I decided to make some hot chocolate following this Ellie Krieger recipe, but I subbed a star anise for the cinnamon stick in the recipe to make more of a spiced hot chocolate. I also let the star anise steep for a couple minutes after the milk came to a boil in the pot (but I turned the heat off after the milk reached boiling temp).

I also added a dash of cinnamon to the paste concoction part of the recipe.

I topped my spiced hot chocolate with some whipped cream and a drizzle of Hershey's chocolate syrup . So good!

Meanwhile, Bailey has been carrying his food bowl all around the house. We've been trying to teach him to bring us his food bowl when he's hungry, but I think it's working too well, because he is always trying to give it to us now!

It's so cute to see him bringing you the food bowl, but we are still minding his portions so we don't over feed him.

One Last Thing...

Has any one seen the new Food TV show, Five Ingredient Fix ? It's awesome! I love it! I tend to be a minimalist when it comes to cooking as I prefer recipes that don't use too many ingredients (and hubby prefers to go grocery shopping for recipes with smaller ingredient lists). I can't wait to see what else Claire Robinson comes up with. In fact, I need to go add this show to my DVR record-list! Have a great week everyone!

Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Doggie, Lunch, SCBR

SCBR Week 9 Changes

I've been so distracted lately, I haven't been following SCBR quite as closely as I'd like so let's hope this week goes smoother so I can!

Changes for Week 9:

• Eat fish at least twice
• Try some more challenging strength-training moves
• Plan some special time with your partner or family

Looks like another great week of Ellie's Small Changes, Big Results! :)

SCBR

Homemade Vanilla Sugar

I don't know about you, but I love sugar.

I recently received a fabulous sample of Tahitian Vanilla Beans from MarxFoods.com and the first thing that popped into my head upon receipt of the delish sample was Vanilla Sugar!

I remember seeing someone make Vanilla Sugar on FoodTV a couple years ago and though I was excited about trying it, I somehow never managed to get to it. So, I knew better than to let this opportunity slip through the cracks now that I had vanilla beans on hand.

I got this plastic, air-tight container a couple weeks ago and washed it out yesterday so it would be nice and dry for today. Though the concept of vanilla sugar seemed simple enough, I followed this tutorial (click) on the MarxFoods.com blog to be extra-certain.

First, I dropped 1 Tahitian vanilla bean into the container.

Then, I added 1 cup of sugar.

Next, I added the second vanilla bean and then another cup of sugar (plus maybe a wee bit extra sugar).

I closed the container and now I just have a couple weeks to wait until I can enjoy my homemade Vanilla Sugar! I can't wait to use some of this stuff for my morning cuppa joe! I hear Vanilla Sugar is also good for baking, so we'll see.

I've been wanting to make food-related gifts (cookie mixes, hot cocoa mixes, soup mixes, jams, etc.) for the holidays the last couple years, but much like the Vanilla Sugar itself, I've never quite gotten around to making any food-gifts. I'm thinking this Vanilla Sugar may be a great option this year so lookout for more Vanilla Sugar this fall!

Click here to see the rest of Marx Foods' Bulk Whole Spices.

SCBR Week 8/ Day 7 Food/Exercise Journal

9:30 am - Coffee + AB Toast - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I had to open my second jar of Barney Butter on Saturday...the first one is almost gone, but I took it to work last week so I could enjoy it there and at home.

Breakfast was some Great Harvest Flax Oat Bran bread toasted with my freshly opened Barney Butter along with some Fresh Market Spring Blend Coffee ...such a good pairing!

1:30 pm - Mac N Cheese + Collard Greens - Content (5)

Hubby and I spent most of Saturday cleaning and purging our little apartment, which is currently filled to the brim with stuff. I don't even know how I accumulated so much stuff, but we've been needing a serious purge-fest for awhile now. Making that a few serious purge-fests with yesterday being one of many I've done and one of the first with hubby's help. Hubby offered to pick up lunch, but we had some veggies from our organic delivery service in the fridge that needed to be eaten so I suggested we stay in.

I got started on the collard greens...

...while hubby started on the Mac and cheese - Annie's Shells & Real Aged Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese . I've been wanting to try this mac and cheese after seeing it all over the blogosphere...it's pretty good and definitely nice to have on hand for days like this when you want something quick and easy to throw together so you can get back to work on other things.

I enjoyed lunch with a little glass of water.

7:30 pm - M5 Dinner - Full (7)

We met up with some of hubby's classmates for dinner at M5 Saturday night. I started things with a glass of sangria.

We ordered a couple appetizers for the table - spanakopita, crisp calamari, mozzarella + tomatoes, and hummus, which was served with extra pita bread.

I had a little bit of everything, though I forgot to take this picture before downing my calamari ring. All the appetizers were delicious. I especially liked the spanakopita, though I was most impressed with that pita bread! It was soooo soft and was served nice and warm. I think it was the best pita I've ever.

After appetizers, I had the Spring Onion Soup, which was like their take on French Onion Soup. It was delish! Soooo glad I ordered this! I ate most of the bowl, but couldn't quite finish the last of the croutons.

I had the chicken tagine for dinner.

Inside was some soft coucous, chicken, and an assortment of vegetables and dried fruits - all cooked with the cousous. The dish was sweet and had a cinnamon-flavor to it. The chicken pieces were nice and tender. It was very interesting, but I was only able to eat a little since I was pretty stuffed from the apps and soup and wanted to save room for dessert.

I did have another sangria with dinner.

For dessert, I had the lavender-scented creme caramel, which the waiter described as "like a flan." He was spot on because it was just like a flan! The dish came out with 2 of these, but I traded one for a bite of someone's goat cheese dessert. The flan-like dessert I loved but the goat cheese one wasn't my style. The goat cheese dessert tasted like a bite of fluffy, sweet goat cheese. The guy who ordered it liked it a lot, so I'm sure it's a good choice if you're a fan of goat cheese.

The boys were very happy with dinner.

11:30 pm - Post-Dinner Drinks - Content (5)

We headed out with most of the group for some post-dinner drinks. I had a glass of Merlot.

The night was pretty cool, but we were comfortable on the patio thanks to all their outdoor heaters! Look at them all! There must have been about 15 out there! I've never seen so many outdoor heaters in one place! lol

All in all...a fun day! :)

Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Lunch, Restaurant, SCBR

SCBR Week 8/ Day 6 Food/Exercise Journal

7:30 am - Coffee - Content (5)

More FM Spring Blend to enjoy Friday AM. FM has the best coffees!

10:30 am - Grande Vanilla Soy Latte + Yogurt - Content (5)

Although Friday is normally my Bagel Day of the week, I opted for another Starbucks instead since I knew I'd be missing zumba after work for a 6pm conference call. I got my new usual - Grande Vanilla Soy Latte.

I had plans to eat out for lunch, so I opted a lighter breakfast - Wallaby organic yogurt in Blueberry with a bit of Fresh Market Cherry Vanilla granola.

12:30 pm - Hot Dog Lunch - Full (7)

No lunch pictures! I had lunch with two previous co-workers of mine and wasn't up to taking pictures in front of them. I can tell you we hit up a local hot dog joint where I had a grilled hot dog with mustard on a poppy seed hot dog bun with fresh cut french fries, and a coke. I ate the whole hot dog, about 1/2 the french fries (with a bit of ketchup), and only about 1/4 of the coke...the cup was HUGE!

7:00 pm - Nate's B-day Party! - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I left work a couple minutes before 6, got in my car, dialed into my conference call, and headed home to pick up hubby. While still on the conference call, hubby drove us to Nate + Kate's house for Nate's Spongebob-themed b-day party. My conference ended shortly after we pulled in front of their house...phew!

Everything was so cute - very Spongebob Squarepants-themed!

Snacks galore! I thought this bucket of goldfish was such a super cute idea!

Tropical goodness.

More Spongebob goodness.

I started with a glass of 3-buck Chuck - a welcome end to a long day of work.

Gilbert (click here for bio) made an appearance a couple times throughout the night. He's such a cutie! Don't tell Bails I said that...hehe.

Balloons!

Yellow flowers to go with the theme.

We headed outside to enjoy the weather and conversation.

Kelsey brought her famous Pimento Cheese - it is just as delicious as you think!

After grazing the snacks a bit (1 cracker with cheese, 2 pita chips, small handful goldfish, a couple carrots with pimento cheese), it was time for dinner. I had some of Kath's yummy arugula mix salad and a piece of chicken-artichoke-roasted-red-pepper-pizza. I thought about having a second slice, but I was feeling pretty good after the first, so I decided to save room for dessert.

Dessert = cupcakes! Yum!

My cupcake - white cake with chocolate frosting...yum!

Mmm...cuuuupcaaaake...

Soon enough, we had some present-opening time! Hubby and I brought Dogfish Head beer for the b-day boy, Kath + Matt brought an assortment of goodies, including some Barney Butter (lucky!), and Kelsey brought her own little creation in a TJ's bag.

In the bag...2 matching Gilbert-themed T-shirts...so cute!

The party continued...Spongebob hats included.

I ended up having 2 of these Sierra Nevada Pale Ales, which were pretty good and reminded me (the non-beer-connoisseur) of Boddington's.

We went outside for some flip cup where Matt + Ben decided to sing Happy B-day with helium.

Then it was back inside to play a game Kath + Matt brought - The Game of Things.

Then time for some goofing around with Gilbert...

Get him!

We ended the night with a little of one of my fave card games - Scrooge-odle! It's a game that's really easy to play where the basic idea is you're trying to 4 of a kind and then you have to give your partner a signal to let them know you have 4 of a kind. Your partner has to see your sign and say "Scrooge-odle!", but if someone else sees your signal, they can call you on it and then they win! It's goofy, but fun! :)

Hubby and I had a blast at Nate's B-day party - thanks for having us over Nate + Kate! It was fab! Happy birthday, Nate!!!

One Last Thing...

I've been blogged about over at Yourself in Five Years - click here to check it out! Not sure I'm ready to give up my use of the word "sammy", but we'll see...maybe for you, Nate...maybe for you? :)

Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Life, Life, Lunch, SCBR

SCBR Week 8/ Day 5 Food/Exercise Journal

7:30 am - Coffee - Content (5)

So, I've done a really bad job at photographing my morning cuppa this week...I forgot it again! But just so you know, hubby and I enjoyed a nice pot of Fresh Market Spring Blend...yum! The caramel + butterscotch blend is sooo tasty. Hubby said he liked it 3 times as much as the TJ's stuff. I guess that's a good thing since ithe FM stuff is about 30% more expensive!

9:30 am - Hot 4-Grain Cereal + Cranberries + Mas Coffee - Content (5)

Today's breakfast eats was a repeat of earlier this week. Since hubby said we're over budget for food for the month already, I've been holding back on buying new mix-ins, which is fine because this concoction is pretty darn tasty!

I also got invited with my new work-group's coffee crew this AM, so although I'm trying to watch my budget and not buy lots of coffee throughout the week, I wanted to be social, too. I also really like the coffee at the place they frequent. Today, I had a small cup of their Chocolate-something coffee...yum!

12:30 pm - Turkey Sammy + Cheddar Cheese and Sour Cream Chips - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I took a sun-break today to hit up the local pharmacy and get some Cheddar + Sour Cream chips to go with today's sammy. Not the healthiest choice, but they sure taste good! This tiny bag was a mere 33 cents, too. The price was good and the portion was nice, too!

Another repeat on lunch (sorry for all the repeats...I'm trying to use what I have on hand as much as possible) - a turkey sammy - same as yesterday's. Again, delicious!

4:30 pm - Plum - Content (5)

Thanks to my unhealthy lunch side choice of chips, I decided to enjoy a naturally sweet organic plum for an afternoon snack. So good and so pretty, too!

9:15 pm - Shrimp Quinoa - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I got stuck late at work and didn't end up getting home till almost 7PM. By the time I finally got home, I was feeling pretty exhausted and wanted to make something simple for dinner. Luckily, I'd already planned on re-creating a similar dish to the Shrimp + Asparagus Quinoa dish I made a few weeks back (click).

I made the dish almost exactly like I did last time, except I subbed organic, baby spinach for the asparagus, more chicken broth for the white wine, and toasted pine nuts for sliced almonds.

I'm really love quinoa as a new grain for my food repertoire. I think I read somewhere you can eat quinoa for breakfast, so I'd really like to try that out some time soon!

Just like last time, I cooked the shrimp by sauteing them separately rather than cooking in the same pot as the quinoa. I used the same pan I toasted the pine nuts in to save on the clean-up time (for hubby). I cooked the quinoa for an extra 3 minutes from the first 20 the original recipe recommends to make up for the extra 3 minutes it was supposed to have with the shrimp added. Then, it was time to start layering!

After cooking the quinoa for a total of 23 minutes, I started layering the rest of the ingredients. First, I topped the quinoa with a couple handfuls of that organic, baby spinach.

I topped the spinach with the hot, sauteed shrimp to help wilt the spinach...

...then, I added a handful of frozen peas. I covered and cooked for 3 minutes.

Then, I mixed everything together.

I spooned a serving into a low-bowl and then topped the dish with some of those toasted pine nuts...yum!

Here's another look...yum!

I enjoyed dinner with a simple glass of water. Dinner was light and tasty and the best part - a cinch to throw together! This meal is a great idea for those days when you're exhausted from work and want to eat something healthy but low-maintenance to cook.

Thanks to everyone for your sweet comments regarding my halfway-through-SCBR post! I responded to everyone via email. :)

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, SCBR

SCBR - Halfway Point Check In + Stats

Ok, so I'm a couple weeks past the haflway point of SCBR, but I figured it wasn't quite too late to post some stats.

I've had a couple questions as to just what SCBR is, so I want to recap for you guys. SCBR = Small Changes, Big Results . SCBR is a book by Ellie Krieger (one of my fave Food TV chefs!), and the book lays out a 12 week program to get 3 areas of your life in order: Nutrition, Fitness, and Well-Being by making small, incremental changes to your life. I originally got the book because I loved Ellie's other book (The Food You Crave ) so much that I thought this one would be good, too. I also happened to be in a bit of a rut as far as food and exercise went. The timing was nice because I got the book around the New Year and it seemed like it would help me out with my New Year's Resolutions.

You can click here to view my original post on SCBR.

I've really enjoyed paying more attention to the foods I eat, learning about calorie counting, and getting re-inspired to exercise (I am absolutely loving my zumba classes!), but results are always good to see, too.

Now for some stats!

Start Date: 2/1/09
Start weight: 133
Today's Date: 4/15/09
Today's Weight: 124.4

I'm really excited about my progress so far! It's good to see all my hard work is paying off! Besides the measurements, I've also noticed that my clothes are fitting much better - especially my skinny jeans! Yay!

SCBR

SCBR Week 8/ Day 4 Food/Exercise Journal

7:30 am - Coffee - Content (5)

I know I've been on a bit of a roll trying new coffees, but 1. I like to experiment 2. I like to have a couple flavors of coffee on hand at all times (and I used alllll of my coffee up to the last bag before trying those TJ's coffees) and 3. I LOVE coffee!

Last night, hubby and I picked up some Fresh Market Spring Blend . I was almost swayed by the FM Spring Fling blend that was $2 off a bag of coffee, but I liked the flavors in this one much better. The Spring Blend is a mix of butterscotch and caramel...yum!

9:30 am - AB Chocolate-Chocolate-Chip Banana Oats - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I was going to have yogurt and granola for breakfast to switch things up, but then I realized I didn't really have anything good to eat with my lunch sammy, so I decided to save the yogurt for a snack later in the day. Instead, I went with some regular ole old-fashioned oats - Almond Butter Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Banana Oats.

Pre-cooking:

• 1/4 cup old fashioned Fresh Market Oats
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp flaxseed
• 1 tsp cocoa powder

Microwave for 1 minute

Post-cooking:

• a couple tbsp of 2% milk, stirred in
• 3/4 slightly-green, organic banana sliced and mixed in (I ate the other 1/4 while making my oats)
• 1 tbsp sliced almonds on top
• 1 tsp mini semi-sweet chocolate chips on top

This was my first time using slightly green bananas in my oats, and I'm not sure I liked the way it tasted. I like slightly green bananas to eat, but not so much in the oats. I still enjoyed breakfast, though.

12:45 pm - Turkey Sammy - Content (5)

  

I made a turkey sammy for lunch today, thanks to hubby sweetly picking up some Great Harvest Flax Oat Bran bread for us yesterday (they always seem to run out by the time I can go after work).

In the sandwich:

• oven-roasted turkey breast, shaved
• havarti cheese
• organic baby spinach
• TJ's roasted red pepper hummus (so good!)

The hummus really made the sandwich! I knew I had the hummus in the fridge when we hit up Fresh Market, so I made sure to get a simple turkey meat (i.e. not honey-smoked) to let the hummus flavor take center stage. The sammy was sooo good - a very filling and refreshing meal!

4:30 pm - Wallaby Yogurt + FM Granola - Content (5)

Since I didn't have the yogurt for breakfast, I had it ready and waiting for a late snack, which I promptly enjoyed after a phone conference. I had a Banana Vanilla Wallaby Organic yogurt with some Fresh Market Cherry Vanilla Granola (it was 40% off, too!)

9:30 pm - Leftover Pork Noodle Stir Fry + French Vanilla Pound Cake - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

Hubby let me know that we are over budget for food already this month, so I made sure to use food around the house for dinner in an effort to be extra thrifty. We had some leftover roast pork tenderloin from the other night, so I cut that up along with some organic red onion.

We had some organic udon noodles in our pantry, too. I love having these around for pantry-leftover-style dinners! The udon noodles are wheat noodles, too!

I sauteed the red onions for a bit, then added the pork to warm through. Meanwhile, I cooked the udon noodles. When the noodles were done, I added some pasta water to the pork pan, then the noodles, then some more pasta water, then soy sauce, then organic baby spinach, which I wilted in.

The result was a big bowl of pork-noodle-stir-fry and it was delicious! I love simple dinners that use up leftovers and pantry items!

I topped the dish with some sesame seeds and enjoyed dinner with some water.

Next, it was dessert time! We also got some French Vanilla Pound Cake from the Fresh Market last night.

I had my pound cake with a wee bit of 2% milk.

The pound cake was super yummy - nice and moist! Yum! What a great way to end the day!

Did anyone else have dessert today? If so, what did you have?

Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Lunch, SCBR, Snack

SCBR Week 8/ Day 3 Food/Exercise Journal

7:30 am - Coffee - Content (5)

I fell for another delicious Trader Joe's sample the other day - TJ's Organic Fair Trade Cafe Pajaro Blend - Extra Dark Roast Full Bodied. Normally, I don't like dark roasts, but I thought this one was pretty smooth.

The coffee's story.

I must have brewed the coffee wrong this AM because this morning's cuppa joe wasn't nearly as tasty as the sample I enjoyed at TJ's the day before. Well, either I brewed the coffee wrong, or the taste was dramatically altered in the sample since I used the agave syrup (which I wanted to buy but held off...for now) and soy creamer (which I already bought, but haven't debuted here and haven't yet opened).

9:30 am - Multigrain Hot Cereal - Content (5)

This AM's breakfast was a repeat of yesterday with another serving of that hot cereal multi-grain blend. Yum!

11:15 am - Chicken-Tomatillo Burrito - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I hit up a local burrito joint today for lunch. Since I went so early, the place was pretty empty and I actually got to talk to the guys behind the counter. They had an interested special behind the counter - a chicken meat in a green sauce. After inquiring, I found out the chicken was made with boneless chicken breast, onion, tomatillos, and cilantro AND no butter or oil! I was hoping for something light-ish for lunch since I had plans to work out after work today and though this wasn't the best option for me, I thought it was pretty good. It certainly tasted delicious!

In my burrito, I added black beans, rice, pico de gallo, green peppers, cilantro, and cheese.

I ate about 1/2 the burrito before my noon phone conference and the other half just before my 2 PM phone conference.

I had water with lunch today. I actually did really good on the water intake today! I had about 1 cup worth of smart water leftover from a previous day AND I finished this 32 ounce water bottle of Brita-filtered water.

I also enjoyed some of these yummy TJ's Green Tea Mints - 3 of these contain the same polyphenol content as 1 cup of green tea (according to the package).

A co-worker brought some Mountain Taffy from Gatlinburg, TN to work from a recent vacay of hers and was kind enough to share some with the rest of us. I had 2 pieces.

4:15 pm - Luna Sunrise Bar - Content (5)

Since I was planning to workout after work, I had a Luna Sunrise Bar in Vanilla Almond for some extra energy. This bar is one of my all-time faves! I love the flavors in this bar and the vitamins and other goodies are a nice perk.

70% organic!

A closer look.

6:00 pm - Zumba - Tired but Happy

I went to zumba after work today. I know I just went yesterday, but zumba is one of my fave workouts and it's such a good one, too! Not to mention, I got a meeting request for a Friday 6PM, which means I'll miss my Friday zumba. :(

On a better note, I had a blast at class tonight aaaaaaannnnnddddd I've ordered some super-cute zumba cargo pants! I got one black pair and one that is lime green! I know...crazy color! But, hey, I've gotta work it while I still can, right?

8:30 pm - PF Changs - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

Hubby and I went to one of my fave grocery stores - The Fresh Market - after zumba. We picked up a couple goodies and then got to hit up PF Changes on our way home! We started with wonton soup.

We got Moo Goo Gai Pan as our entree and split it.

We also got a side of spicy green beans...

...and brown rice.

I wish I had a photo of my plate, but I was so hungry, I forgot. :)

I have some more work to do tonight for Pink at the Plaza , so I'm off to get on that. In some good news, I got one email back from a news source I contacted about PATP already! Ok, so they didn't say anything about featuring us, but they did ask about our event date, so that's positive, right? I hope so.

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Restaurant, SCBR

SCBR Week 8/ Day 2 Food/Exercise Journal

7:30 am - Coffee - Content (5)

As usual and partially due to getting home so late yesterday and staying up late catching up on blog posts, waking up this morning was pretty rough. Coffee eased the wake-up ,but I forgot to take a picture of my coffee before guzzling it down. Here's a photo of my empty mug. :)

9:30 am - Multi-grain Hot Cereal + Starbucks Monday! - Content (5)

I got a new Multi-grain Hot Cereal this past weekend from TJ's. I wanted to eat it on Saturday morning, but held off. I was really looking forward to trying it out this AM. The cereal contains Rye, Barley, Oats, and Wheat.

Pre-cooking ingredients:

• 1/4 cup multigrain cereal
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp flaxseed

Post-cooking ingredients (in order of addition):

• stirred in a couple tablespoons of 2% milk
• stirred in a tsp of raw sugar
• 1 tbsp dried cranberries, on top
• 1 tbsp sliced almonds, on top

I thought the whole grain cereal was really good. It was a lot like oatmeal, but not as thick and creamy. This cereal reminded me a bit more of the texture and consistency of a rice pilaf, if the rice were shaped like oatmeal pieces. The cereal didn't mix together as creamy as oatmeal would, but it was still quite enjoyable. I actually liked the texture a lot and it will be nice to have this hot cereal in my pantry to switch things up when I get tired of oatmeal. If you're a fan of oatmeal and also like whole grains, I'd give this a go. Not only is it tasty, it's organic, too!

Today was Starbucks Monday! so I picked up a Grande Vanilla Soy Latte on my way to work. Btw, not sure if I mentioned before, but do you remember that gift card I won over the holidays? Well, turns out if you register your Starbucks gift card (the kind you can keep recharging with a new balance), for a limited time, you get free syrup and soy upgrades! I save about 70 cents every time I get my new usual (the Grande Vanilla Soy Latte). You also get other perks like a couple hours of free wi-fi at Starbucks locations. Check out starbucks.com for details.

1:45 pm - Jersey Mikes - Full (7)

Lunch came extra late today. I got totally caught up in meetings, emails, and phone calls and the next thing I knew, it was after 1 pm! After wrapping some stuff up, I headed out to Jersey Mikes and made it there and back in a record 10 minutes! It pays to go during the off-hours.

I got the #7 Turkey + Provolone mini on wheat - Mike's Way plus banana peppers. I also got a bag of Baked Lays in Cheddar Cheese and Sour Cream and a sweet tea.

Lunch was great, but I wish I hadn't eaten so late so I could have a snack before zumba. I didn't have any snacks today!

6:30 pm - Zumba - Belly-Dance Style - Ecstatic

After work today, I went to a belly-dance-around-the-world inspired zumba class. The class was taught by a girl who started taking classes shortly before me, which made me wonder more if I should look into becoming an instructor...hmm...anywho, my friend did an awesome job with her first class ever. I was so proud of her! Class was super fun and a great work out, too!

9:15 pm - Cheese + Crackers, Pork Tenderloin, Brussels Sprouts, and Rice - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

Directly after zumba, I headed to TJ's for some dinner groceries. We're getting another delivery of organic fruits + veggies tomorrow morning so I tried to keep my purchases minimal with an accent on non-produce items.

Not to be defeated by that pork tenderloin from last week, I decided to try pork again for dinner. I was feeling pretty tired after a long Monday of work and a long workout, too, so I was looking for something simple, healthy, and tasty and the pork seemed like a simple solution.

I also picked up some baby brussels sprouts.

Even though the bag said these were ready to cook, I trimmed the very ends, pulled a couple external leaves off (the brownish/yellow pieces), and sliced the brussels sprouts in half. I then drizzled them in olive oil and seasoned them with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. I tossed them with my hands and put them in a pre-heated 400 degree F oven while I worked on the pork.

I browned the pork on both sides...

I even remembered to put the lid on the pan before putting it into the oven this time! Yay! lol

I turned the brussels sprouts, dropped the temp to 350 degrees F and added the pork to the oven.

While the pork and brussels sprouts cooked in the oven, hubby and I snacked on some new cheese I got at TJ's - Havarti cheese - on more TJ's Multigrain + Flaxseed crackers.

I love cheese + crackers!

I think we let the brussels sprouts go a wee bit longer than I would have liked - that pork always seems to take longer than it should! I served the pork and brussels sprouts with some of the leftover Japanese-style fried rice my sister made for the picnic on Sunday (we set some aside before taking to the picnic).

Even though the brussels sprouts were over-cooked, we still enjoyed them. I had a small serving of pork, small serving of rice, and a BIG serving of brussels sprouts! Yay for veggies, right?! :)

Dessert was a small piece of dark chocolate - simple but delicious.

I love going out of town, but I hate how behind I feel once I'm home again. I have a lot to do, including sending out some info to local news stations for Pink at the Plaza...wish me luck!

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, SCBR

SCBR Week 8/ Day 1 Food/Exercise Journal

10:00 am - French Toast, Bacon, OJ, and Coffee - Content (5)

This morning started with the usual - coffee.

My mom also made the fam some WW French Toast and bacon, which she served with...

...some OJ.

Easter Service

As soon as we were done eating, we rushed to get ready for church. We made it a wee bit late, but got a seat. We were in the very front row on the left side of the church. This was my first time to my parent's church, and it was beautiful inside. We stuck around after mass so I could snap some photos.

Inside the church.

There were some beautiful flowers in the center of the church.

Near the back of the church.

From the back of the church.

Above.

BIG doors at the entrance. Not sure if you can tell from the photos, but this church has a rather modern design. There are some pretty cool design details throughout.

After church, we headed home to change, cook, and to go to a Filipino picnic.

1:30 pm - Filipino Picnic + GPS Adventure - Content (5)

After church, my mom and sister got started whipping up some food to take to the picnic.

There was some major cooking going on in the kitchen this afternoon!

My mom made some Filipino sweet rice (one of my personal, all-time faves).

My mom set aside a mini serving, which I promptly tasted. I saved 1/2 for later.

My sister made some Japanese-stye fried rice, which I also sampled to ensure full deliciousness.

We made it to the picnic, but we were super late. Almost all the food was gone by the time we got there (Filipinos like to eat! :) ).

There were tons of people at the picnic! We navigated our way to the food tables and dropped off our rice dishes. We quickly scrounged up some plates from what little food was left, and still managed to get some good eats. I watched my sister's rice dish get attacked! That thing didn't last 5 minutes! lol

We made our way outside to setup a picnic blanket and enjoy the sunshine. Here's my savory plate.

Here's my sweet plate.

Over lunch, my sister explained that she had actually been to this park before on a GPS adventure with a friend. She offered to show us the cache they found.

We headed over to a huge concrete structure.

We stepped inside to search for the cache and I looked up to see a view that reminded me of a scene from Interview with a Vampire , one of my all-time favorite books and movies. I read the book 3 times!

Hubby found the cache first.

Inside this was a tiny little container.

Inside the container was a scroll, which you're supposed to sign and date.

I thought the GPS thing seemed pretty cool. I remembered hearing about it awhile ago and thinking it sounded like a neat idea, so who knows...maybe I'll pick it up as a new hobby? Could be a fun adventure!

After the picnic, we stopped by our rental house so my dad could show off the courtyard he designed for it. He also wanted me to see these benches he designed with curved tops...

...and these other tall-backed benches.

I was really impressed with the whole courtyard design and the benches were pretty nifty, too.

5:45 pm - Grilled Cheeseburgers + Strawberry Shortcake - Full (7)

Later in the day, while my mom cooked cheeseburgers outside on the grill, sissy and I got started on shortcakes to make strawberry shortcakes. We just followed the directions on the back of a box of Bisquick to make the shortcakes.

Once the shortcakes were in the oven, it was time to eat! I had a grilled cheeseburger with a light spread of mayo and spicy mustard and ketchup, corn, green beans, and vegetarian baked beans.

After dinner was over, it was back to dessert!

We got the shortcakes out of the oven and cut up some fresh strawberries, which we tossed with lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar.

The shortcakes were a little flatter than we wanted, so instead of cutting them open, we just piled the strawberries and whipped cream on top.

We started with a layer of the lemon-soaked strawberries...

Then, we topped everything with a layer of whipped cream (Reddiwip ).

The shortcakes were too cute and tasted pretty good, too. They are such a great warm-weather dessert to me!

Hubby got extra-extra-extra whipped cream! lol

After dessert, hubby and I hit the road to head back home. I did manage to snag the rest of that sweet-rice mini-serving, which I promptly enjoyed upon returning home. Yum!

Easter weekend was busy, but we had a great time! How was your weekend? Did you do anything special?

Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Life, Lunch, SCBR

SCBR Week 8 Changes

I have a lot of posting to make up, so I'll make this quick.

Changes for Week 8:

• Go for whole grains and limit refined grains
• Sign up for a fitness class
• Explore journaling (optional)

I usually opt for whole grains thanks to my father's teachings. I also already do a fitness class with zumba, but I am trying a new type of class tomorrow night (hopefully...if I don't get stuck at work late). I feel like the blog is my journal sometimes, but we'll see...I've actually been cheating and not writing my food journal items down in my actual, physical journal, but at least I'm documenting them here, right?!

Should still be a great week! I can't wait to read about what new tips Ellie has for me! :)

SCBR

SCBR Week 7/ Day 7 Food/Exercise Journal

9:30 am - Bagel, Smoothie + Coffee - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

We should have woken up early to hit the road and head out of town, but we slept in a little. We started the morning with a nice cuppa joe.

Then, I took a tip from Kath and used my leftover silken tofu, from the cook-out appetizer dish I made on Thursday, to make a smoothie. I threw in a bunch of leftovers: the leftover silken tofu, some frozen berries that had been in the freezer for awhile, and a banana that was almost too-ripe to eat. The smoothie was nice, thick, sweet, and tasty!

I also had a honey wheat bagel with honey almond schmear - more leftovers from Friday AM.

A nice, leftover-ish breakfast, but a good one to get us ready to hit the road to see my parents.

2:30 pm - Teriyaki Chicken, Broccoli, Rice, + Fresh Strawberries - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

We realized on the way that we were running way later than we thought and we had a wedding to make! Yikes! Luckily, we called ahead and my sweet sister was nice enough to make both of us a lunch-to-go. When hubby and I made it to my parent's house, we ran inside, changed clothes as quickly as humanly possible, and got into the car. We enjoyed our "take-out" in the car - chicken teriyaki, steamed broccoli, and white rice...along with some fresh strawberries, which I forgot to photograph.

Sun + Sunflowers Wedding Ceremony

The weather Saturday was absolutely beautiful! We made good time in the car and got to the wedding ceremony location just in time. The last few minutes of the ride were spent meandering up some squiggly + super-steep roads because the chapel was on top of some mountains

The little chapel was sooo picturesque! Just look at it! Looks like it should be in a magazine!

The inside was really nice, too...nice and rustic, yet chic.

First kiss...awww...

The bride had a gorgeous bouquet of sunflowers - they were so fun! All the bridemaids wore sunflowers in their hair, too.

The chapel looked so small, but it held a ton of people!

We made our way up the hill to our car and then back to the house to take Bailey out.

I snapped a quick photo of the favor, bubbles, on top of my dress. I accidentally matched the wedding colors - yellow and blue. haha :) After the photo, it was on to the ceremony!

6:30 pm - Wedding Reception + Dinner - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

At the reception site, there were a couple appetizers out for snacking till the reception was fully ready. I enjoyed a couple small bites and a cocktail.

Soon enough, the reception room opened and we made our way to our table - lucky #7!

They had some neat-looking candles on the tops of all the tables.

Place-settings.

Place-settings included a butterfly fan...

...and some sunflower seeds.

Dinner started with a salad, which I drizzled lightly with some ranch dressing.

I also snagged what appeared to be the only whole-grain (or wheat) roll in the basket, which I enjoyed with some butter. I just love the combo of bread and butter...such a classic! So simple...yet so delicious.

For dinner, I had the steak - a lovely (we think it was) filet, cooked perfectly to medium - along with some mashed potatoes, asparagus, and carrots.

Another look. Dinner was delish! I only ate about 3/4 the steak and 1/2 the potatoes, but hubby happily finished the rest of my plate.

After wrapping up dinner, we were on the say hello to my parents (sitting at another table on the other side of the room), grabbed cocktails, and took some photos of the beautiful wedding cake.

The cake followed the sunflower theme with some lovely sunflower decorations.

The bride's bouquet next to the cake.

I enjoyed a piece of vanilla cake with vanilla frosting...

...along with a nice cup of coffee. Cake is one of my favorite parts of weddings...especially with a nice cup of coffee.

After dessert, hubby and I hit the dance floor for a few songs before they did the bouquet toss. This is the first wedding I've been to since getting married so I wasn't eligible for the first time for the bouquet toss!

A little later in the night, my parents were ready to leave, so we said our goodbyes and headed for home.

We had a great time at the wedding. Everything was beautiful, from the bride to those gorgeous sunflowers. The wedding was for one of our family friend's daughters - one I've known since I was a kid (she's my age). Since leaving for college and moving away, I haven't seen her in a few years, but it was so cool to be there for her special day and to say hello to her parent's and other family friends. I wish the happy couple the best in their new life together!

Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Life, Lunch

SCBR Week 7/ Day 6 Food/Exercise Journal

7:30 am - Fair Trade Coffee - Content (5)

I wanted to share with you guys the coffee I've been brewing lately. It's called Trader Joe's Fair Trade Organic Bolivian Blend. I first sampled this coffee a couple weeks ago and loved how simple and smooth the flavor was.   

The $6.50-ish price tag helped push me over whether or not I wanted to buy any...that plus I was totally out of my fave Fresh Market Breakfast Blend.

Anywho, I love how not only is this coffee organic, but it's fair trade, too. I know my buying one canister of coffee doesn't make a big different, but I like to think small changes add up to have a big impact.

8:30 am - Bagel Day Friday! - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I decided to spread the love of my Bagel Day Friday by buying a dozen Einstein Bros bagels along with some plain schmear and some honey almond schmear to share with my co-workers in the office today. I had the cranberry (or possibly strawberry?) bagel, toasted, with a light spread of the honey almond schmear...yum!

I also caved and got a second cup of coffee - a simple small brew of a yummy Cinnamon Hazelnut with some milk and sugar.

1:00 pm - Shrimp + Grits - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

No lunch photo today. *sad face* I met up with two of my bosses and a couple co-workers for lunch at a local restaurant and didn't want to take pictures of my food in front of my bosses. I know, I can take pictures with clients, but not bosses? Hey, I don't these guys have any foodies in their families or I would have tried to work it! I ordered the shrimp + grits, sans andouille sausage since I actually remembered to try to not eat meat today. I also had a 1/2 sweet tea + 1/2 lemonade concoction that I found very refreshing. Lunch was good - I ate all the shrimp from my bowl and a lot of the grits. Twas tasty!

4:30 pm - Clif Zbar in Honey Graham - Content (5)

I always try to have a snack before my zumba class... preferably one with vitamins, especially if my day's nutrition intake wasn't as high as it should be. I normally have a Clif Energy bar, but today, I wanted something smaller and went with a Clif ZBar in Honey Graham.

I thought the honey graham flavor was pretty darn good! I think I've now officially tried all the Clif ZBar flavors and I have to say while this one was tasty, I think the Blueberry is my fave, though I do still prefer certain flavors depending on my mood. This one will be good for a day I'm craving something cookie or cake like.

5:45 pm - Zumba - Happy

I finally made a zumba class this week, thanks to not having any late meetings. Zumba was sooo fun! I did my hair curly today and totally left it down during class like how my instructors rocks her hair (down that is...hers is super straight). It was definitely hot with my hair down, but it was fun to workout with my hair down, too. I could never do that when I was skating...can't have hair getting in your face when you're approaching a tricky jump, ya know? Anywho, I had a lovely 1 hour session of pure jamming fun and not only was it a blast, but I burned a tooon of calories, too!

8:30 pm - Tex Mex Egg Wraps - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

Hubby and I were supposed to head out of town this weekend, but my thoughtful parents called to let me know that they were seeing lots and lots and lots of reports on TV about a severe weather storm heading our way, so we stayed in. We didn't have much in stock food-wise since we knew we were going out of town, but I did remember we had those tortillas that needed to be eaten up, so I figured egg wraps and since we had salsa, too, how bout Tex Mex Egg Wraps?

I drug hubby to Trader Joe's (not his fave place) where we picked up a couple items to finish out dinner.

I decided to season the eggs with some of the same spices I used when I made those fajitas: cumin, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.

I sauteed some chopped onions, then added the egg, then scrambled till cooked, then topped with some shredded Mexican blend cheese, and lightly stirred to melt the cheese.

Hubby microwaved the tortillas while I finished the eggs and then we just had to plate everything. I think the only thing we were missing was cilantro! This would have been sooo much better with some nice, fresh cilantro!

What we did have on hand was some black beans and salsa.

The wrap was pretty good, but I was really missing cilantro!

I served the Tex Mex Egg Wraps with some frozen corn that I cooked in the microwave and stirred a wee bit of salsa into. It made for a nice, and well-themed side.

Hubby and I enjoyed dinner with some of that lovely organic red wine from earlier this past week. Dinner was simple, tasty, and quick to throw together...it also helped me use up those leftover tortillas from earlier in the week, too!

Anywho, I need to get going to pack for my trip this weekend (to see my parents and go to a wedding) and I may just be making some time for more dark chocolate and wine...yum!

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, SCBR, Snack

Cookout at Kath and Matt's

Kath + Matt had a cookout tonight so their parents, who were in town, could meet some of their friends. I promised I'd bring an appetizer, so I rushed home from work to make something for the party.

I decided, after flipping through my Ellie Krieger book, to make her Edamame "Hummus" with Spiced Pita Chips (click names for recipes). I figured it would be a great way to use up the pita bread I bought earlier this week, and dips always make great apps. I was in such a rush, though, this is the only in-process shot I took. I have some of the finished product though!

Kath + Matt had a cute setup in the lawn with lots of chairs and tables. There was plenty of room for everyone: Kath, Matt, me, Dan, Nate, Kate, Michelle, Ben, Amanda, Justin and of course the guests of honor: Kath's mom and dad and Matt's mom.

Everything was so pretty - there were flowers everywhere!

Pretty!

Table-toppers from Kath's wedding - they're so vibrant!

Here's how my hummus and pita chips turned out...they were pretty photogenic!

Yummm...these came out nice and spicy!

While watching the edamame mixture in the food processor earlier tonight, I was worried this dish wouldn't turn out and no one would like it. It turned out to be a big hit - everyone loved it! I will definitely make this one again! It was super simple and pretty healthy, too!

We ran out of pita chips pretty quickly, but luckily Matt brought some Kashi crackers out to replace them. If you make this app, I recommend making extra pita chips - try a double batch.

Vino!

A bite of app.

The "eats" table.

Kath's delicious blue cheese pear cole slaw, which I thought was delicious. First the salad in SF and now the cole slaw...I guess I don't hate blue cheese after all if I can enjoy these both as much as I did. Dare I say I even like blue cheese? Hmm...

Toppings - even guac - yum!

Delicious buns that Matt made especially for us - they are in Great Harvest bread flavors!

Yummy salad...I think Kate made this?

Matt's mom's yummy no-may potato salad...mmm...

Up-close of the flowers on top of the table...just because.

At the grill...do you see the beer glass?

It's Matt's souvenir from our trip to the local brewery last weekend.

Burgers at the grill.

My burger fresh off the grill on a toasted Dakota bun. I couldn't wait to dig into this!

But first, I had to get burger toppings and load my plate up on sides.

Then, it was time for dessert! Here are Kath's mom's delicious chocolate brownies...

...and Matt's mom's yum-o blondies!

I had a great time hanging out with friends and meeting Kath's parents (since I already met Matt's mom at last weekends dinner + dessert night). All their parents were a blast to hang out with and it was so cool getting to hang out with such great people over such good food. Thanks for having us over guys!

Click this way to see Kath's recap.

Dinner, Life

SCBR Week 7/ Day 5 Food/Exercise Journal

8:00 am - Coffee - Content (5)

Not sure why, but this morning it was rough waking up. I woke up with a headache - great way to start the day, no? The would prove to get better as it continued, but a cup of coffee was a welcome addition to this morning's routine.

10:00 am - Banana + Chocolate-Chocolate Chip - AB Oats - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

After 2 days of cranberries, I was ready for something new, but with little new pantry items to play with, I had to work with what I had and normally eat. I decided to combine 2 of my faves - banana and AB Chocolate Chip. The mixture was delicious! I only wish I hadn't forgotten to pack some sliced almonds in this mornings stupor.

Pre-cooking ingredients:

• 1/4 cup old fashioned Fresh Market oats
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp flaxseed
• 1/2 tsp sugar

Zapped in the microwave for 60 seconds.

Post-cooking ingredients:

• 1 small sliced banana
• 1 tsp mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 tbsp Barney Butter (my jar is almost empty! yikes!)
• No nuts on top - I forgot them this AM!

11:00 am - Green Tea + Babybel - Content (5)

I was feeling freezing again in the office today and even though I was totally bundled up in my blanket (yes, I do keep one at my desk) I thought hot tea sounded pleasant. I made some Equal Exchange Organic Green Tea and grabbed a Babybel to snack on while I was in the break room. I actually had my green tea without any added sweetener! I used to not be able to do this, but eat dim sum enough and eventually you'll be stuck with green tea and no sugar to be found anywhere...eventually you just catch on to it...sometimes, I prefer green tea without sweetener.

I love how this tea is Organic and part of Equal Exchange. Hubby's mom gave this to me as a gift! :)

11:45 am - Veggie Soup + WW Toast - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I knew I had a pretty light lunch packed with me, so I went with a co-worker to grab some soup and whole wheat toast from a restaurant in our building.

The veggie soup was just-ok. I was hoping for a nice homemade soup, but this one tasted kind of like canned. It was ok in flavor, but I appreciated the warmth!

1:15 pm - Chix Fajita Leftovers - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

For lunch, I brought our chicken fajitas leftovers, but no extra cheese. It was still super tasty and I was surprised at how well it heated up in the microwave!

7:30 pm - Dinner with Kath + Matt - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

Kath + Matt had a cook-out tonight and we got to enjoy the festivities. I took so many great photos, I decided to do a separate post, so more photos on this fun time to come. Till then, here are some snippets. A shot of the appetizer I brought over - a yummy Ellie Krieger concoction of edamame "hummus" and spiced pita chips.

Here's a photo of my plate: cheeseburger, blue cheese pear cole slaw, potato salad, salad, and burger toppings...yum! Everything on this plate was totally gobbled down - it was all so good!

I also had a 1/2 piece each of Kath's mom's chooclate brownie and Matt's mom's blondie - they were both amazing!

I haven't been counting calories so there's no summary tonight, but I have been thinking of doing a halfway point (even though I'm slightly past halfway to fill you in on how SCBR is working...so far so good...I've lost a couple more pounds...yay!

Kurt Cobain

On a slightly sadder note, I can't believe it's been 15 years (since yesterday) that Kurt Cobain left us.  Nirvana will always be one of my favorite bands and one whose music transports me back to my awkward middle/high school days.  Kurt was a very talented musician, and I'm so glad he had the opportunity to share that talent with the rest of us.  RIP Kurt.

Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Lunch, SCBR, Snack

Easy No-Marinade Chicken Fajitas

I was pretty tired after work today and event-planning and I just wanted to make something quick and simple for dinner. I got ingredients at the grocery store to make chicken fajitas because they seemed like a simple meal to whip up. I tried googling for some chicken fajita recipes for tonight's dinner, but didn't find any I really liked. Most called for marinating the chicken, but who has time for that!? I decided that fajitas seemed easy enough to wing and to make my own recipe up.

I started by browning 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

While the chicken cooked, I sliced up the green pepper, red pepper, and yellow onion.

When the chicken was done browning (didn't need to be cooked through), I moved the breasts to another plate, covered them with aluminum foil and added the veggies with a little extra olive oil to the pan to saute.

Once the veggies were getting tender, I sliced the chicken and added it to the pan with various spices. Cook chicken through and you're ready to eat!

I used a whole grain flour tortilla and topped my chicken fajita with some Mexican blend cheese - hubby added salsa to his.

Dinner was super simple and a nice treat to throw together after a long day of work - especially sans marinade! I served the fajitas with some chips and queso from Moe's - chips and salsa probably would have been a healthier option, but we like the cheese dip!

Easy No-Marinade Chicken Fajitas

by me

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 green pepper, sliced
• 1/2 red pepper, sliced
• 1/2 yellow onion, medium, sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• dash cumin, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, liquid smoke
• salt, pepper
• 8 inch tortillas (preferably whole wheat or whole grain)

Directions:

• Heat non-stick pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, add chicken to pan, and brown each side in pan, about 3-4 minutes per side. Chicken does not need to be cooked all the way through but should be almost done. When chicken is done cooking, remove from pan, place on plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil.
• Add other tbsp of olive oil to pan, then veggies. Cook veggies for 3-4 minutes, till tender. I added a wee bit of water, about 1/4 cup, about halfway through to keep veggies from burning and to help cook through.
• Slice chicken and add back to the pan. Add spices and salt + pepper to season.
• Toss chicken and veggies till chicken is fully cooked through, spices are evenly distributed, and veggies are cooked to your liking
• Spread chicken + veggie mixture over a whole grain tortilla and serve with tortilla chips, queso, guacamole, salsa, and whatever else you'd like.

Dinner, Lunch

SCBR Week 7/ Day 4 Food/Exercise Journal

7:30 am - Coffee - Content (5)

I got to bed a little earlier last night so waking up today was easier. Mornings are always better with coffee, though!

9:30 am - Cranberry, Banana, Granola Oats - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

The cranberries I bought this weekend were in a pretty big container, so I decided to add more cranberries to the oats today. I did a play on yesterday's oats, but I switched things up by adding some sliced banana! I liked this combo better - the natural sweetness of the banana really added to the flavors in the bowl.

Pre-cooking:

• 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp flaxseed
• no extra sugar!

Zapped in the microwave for 1 minute (less than half the recommended cooking time, but the texture is better this way, IMO).

Post-cooking:

• 1 tbsp cranberries, dried
• 1/2 sliced banana
• 1 tbsp Bear Naked Fruit and Nut Granola
• 1 tsbp sliced almonds

11:00 am - Green Tea + Babybel Cheese - Content (5)

I was freezing cold in the office this morning, so I quickly made a nice big mug of Equal Exchange Organic Green Tea with some honey.

I also grabbed a Mini Babybel Original cheese for a nice snack.

1:00 pm - Turkey Pita + Fresh Veggies - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I made a nice, light, and healthy lunch to take to work today.

Lunch featured a turkey pita sandwich: WW pita, turkey, muenster cheese, baby spinach, red pepper, and white bean hummus.

I also had an assortment of fresh veggies: red pepper slices, grape tomatoes, cucumber slices - so refreshing!

I had a quick few minutes before my long afternoon conference call today, so I decided to try to go outside for some fresh air + vitamin D to try to stave off the afternoon fatigue I felt yesterday.

4:00 pm - Clif ZBar in Blueberry - Content (5)

For an afternoon snack, I had my choice of Kashi crackers or a Clif ZBar in Blueberry . I decided on the Zbar so I could get some extra vitamins.

Love organic snacks, too!

I loved this bar! I'm so impressed with all the Clif ZBars...especially since I can get them for less than $1 at TJ's! This one in blueberry is delicious! I love the blueberry flavor and the texture is nice and soft. At first, it almost reminded me of a chewy oatmeal raisin cookie. The frosting was pretty tasty, too.

I think my breather break must have worked because I was in much MUCH better spirits after work today and didn't feel at all fatigued. :)

Pink at the Plaza Planning

After work today, I had a meeting with the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer operations manager to select our vendors for our fabulous craft show - Pink at the Plaza ! We sorted through the applications, looked at photos, talked over the applications, and have selected some excellent vendors for our event! We'll have a list later, but you can check out details on PATP here: http://www.pinkattheplaza.com

Grocery Shopping

I had plans in mind for a dinner made with shrimp and quinoa, but I couldn't find any shrimp at the grocery store! I decided, instead, to go with chicken fajitas, since I had some green and red peppers on hand from an earlier shopping trip.

I used to shop almost all the time at Harris Teeter, but since falling in love with Trader Joe's, I rare go. Today, I was super pleased to find so many healthy, organic, and even affordable options.

I found some organic blue corn chips by Garden of Eatin . These chips are organic and have a cool story on the back of the package. The package also says "Made with No Genetically Engineered Ingredients." They were also on sale for $2.99!

I also found some organic salsa - Pace Organic Picante in Medium.

These Mission multi-grain flour tortillas were a great find, too. I sometimes wonder how much of a package is marketing and how much is true...the ingredient list on the back seemed pretty legit.

8:00 pm - Walk with Bails - Tired

As if the night weren't busy enough, I forced myself to go for a quick walk with Bailey since I haven't really worked out this week yet. We went for a speedy 20 minute walk as the sun was setting...I don't like to walk alone when the sun is down, but I brought my cell phone and some keys (for jabbing!) with me. I did a couple minute intervals of jogging but wasn't feeling it tonight.

9:00 pm - Chicken Fajitas + Chips + Queso - Full (7)

I was totally tempted to buy one of those seasoning packets at the grocery store, but have been trying to shy away from those because they seem to be higher in sodium and ingredients that I can't pronounce.

I kept my fajita simple and just topped it with some shredded mexican blend cheese.

Dinner was yum-o! I think I was missing something green for this photo, though. There were veggies in there...promise!

I enjoyed dinner with some water and a wee bit of the organic red wine from yesterday. We even had some queso from Moe's to dip our chips in!

No dessert tonight, but I would like to publish a quick post for my chicken fajita recipe! Here we go!

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, SCBR, Snack

SCBR Week 7/ Day 3 Food/Exercise Journal

8:00 am - Coffee - Content (5)

After staying up so late last night working out the kinks of the evening, this morning was a rough one! I woke up feeling super yucky all around and was very slow to move. Coffee was essential, but I did manage to keep myself from downing extra caffeine to combat the sleepiness.

10:00 am - Cranberry + Granola Oats - First Signs of Feeling Full (5)

I prepped a nice bowl of oat ingredients to take to work today.

I also brought this Bear Naked All Natural Granola Fruit and Nut sample.

Put it all together and you have a delicious, nutritious breakfast.

Pre-cooking ingredients:

• 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp flaxseed
• (no sugar...yay!)

Instead of going the recommended 2 1/2 minutes of cook time, I went about 1 minute. My original reason for shortening the cook time was to keep my tupperware from melting, but I actually like the texture a bit more less cooked and will probably go with less cooking time from here on out.

Post-cooking ingredients:

• 1 tbsp sliced almonds
• 1 tbsp dried cranberries
• 1 tbsp Bear Naked Fruit and Nut Granola

12:00 pm - String Cheese + Pita Sammy + Veggies + Water - Content (5)

I had a noon conference call so I grabbed this string cheese to snack on as I dialed in. Turns out...the meeting was cancelled. Doh!

So, I decided to move on to lunch: a pita sammy. In the sammy, I had shaved turkey meat, muenster cheese, baby spinach, and a bit of that white bean hummus. The combo was light and delicious!

I had another upcoming conference call so I just ate at my desk while reviewing some documents.

I also had some fresh veggies sans sauce: cuke and grape tomatoes. I guess it may seem boring to not eat these veggies with anything, but I really like how fresh and clean plain ole' veggies taste.

3:00 pm - Clif Energy Blueberry Crisp - Content (5)

During my afternoon conference call, I enjoyed this Clif Energy Bar in Blueberry Crisp with plans of using the energy from the bar to do my zumba class after work! I brought my clothes and dancing shoes to work but...I had a meeting scheduled last minute that went from 4:30 - 6pm...and class was supposed to start at 6! Waa...I ate the bar anyways trying to be optimistic the afternoon meeting would end early.

Anywho, the bar was delicious! It didn't taste chalky or anything...it was pretty light and fresh and the blueberry flavor was a nice change of pace from the usual chocolate-based bars. These bars are my snack of choice pre-workout.

I also like how they're made with organic oats + soybeans!

Inside - lovely texture!

5:00 pm - Crackers + Banana - Content (5)

During my late afternoon conference call, I started feeling a headache coming on. I thought maybe I hadn't eaten enough calories and hadn't counted for the day, so I had some Kashi TLC Fire Roasted Vegetable crackers .

I also had a banana...and an EmergenC. All the day's good eats and I was still feeling the worst headache and fatigue! By the time my conference call ended at 6PM (yea, I missed zumba), I was sooo ready to leave work. I couldn't figure out why I felt so tired but my best guess is that my headache and fatigue were due to my sitting at my cubicle all day and not getting a peep of sunlight! Normally, I'd guess lack of water, but I drank a ton today! My new green water bottle holds more water than the one I used to use and I try to finish the whole bottle's capacity of water per day.

I'm going to have to work on making time to at least get outside for a few minutes. I think the fresh air and sunlight will really help me feel better.

7:30 pm - Salad, Pizza, + Coke - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I know I've been drinking a lot of soda lately, but I'm not really too concerned. I like a nice soda every so often. This is real, regular ole (not diet) coke, too. Diet coke is not for me.

Hubby and I also split a nice garden salad with Italian dressing and feta cheese with tomato and red onion.

Hubby and I always get a 1/2 cheese, 1/2 pepperoni pizza from this place. I usually start with pepperoni, then go to cheese, then let hubby pick which of the 2 to have for my 3rd piece. Tonight, I managed to only eat 2! 1 of each flavor. Must have been the salad.

Then, hubby got suckered into buying one of the restaurant's homemade chocolate chip cookies. I had about 1/3 (it was huge!) with some milk.

10:00 pm - Ginger Tea + Honey - Content (5)

After pizza dinner, I had a jewelry order to make, package, and ship. I made the necklace whilst enjoying neat on TV (not even DVR'ed for once!). I had a lingering headache most of the night so as I was wrapping up the jewelry order, I prepped a nice mug of Yogi Tea Ginger Tea to try to relax.

I enjoyed this nice mug of tea whilst working on this blog post, actually! I actually do feel a bit more relaxed and after last night's late night, I'm definitely ready for some rest!

Yogi Tea quote of the day: "Appreciate yourself and honor your soul."

Well kids, I'm serious exhausted, so I'm off to bed. G'night!

Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner, Lunch, SCBR, Snack

SCBR Week 7/ Day 2 Food/Exercise Journal

8:00 am - Breakfast Soysage Sammy + Coffee - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

This morning started with, of course, coffee!

I decided to also enjoy a Morningstar "Sausage" breakfast sammy with muenster cheese and a whole grain English muffin.

I love doing these soysage breakfast sandwiches in the AM because I can keep the ingredients (even the English muffin...cheese...not so much) in the freezer, and toss the soysage in the oven while I'm drying my hair or doing my make-up (I love multi-tasking!). Then, it's just a quick trip to the microwave to defrost the muffins, then to the toaster, then toasted halves topped with either soysage or cheese and left in the oven (turned off now) just a couple minutes to let the cheese melt.

11:00 am - Starbucks Monday! - Content (5)

Since today was Starbucks Monday, I decided to treat myself to my latest fave - Grande Vanilla Soy Latte...mmm...soo good!

I have photos on my camera, but lost my USB cord and can't get them onto my computer! Yikes!

1:30 pm - Turkey Sammy + Babybel Cheese - Content (5)

For lunch today, I had a simple turkey sandwich - Cajun fried turkey (which is only 60 calories per 2 ounces), Muenster cheese, and some of that yummy white bean hummus.

I also had a Cheddar Babybel cheese. I normally get the "original" flavor, but decided to try these when they went on sale recently. It was pretty good, but I like my Cheddar cheese nice and firm. I think I'll stick with the "original" flavor from here on out.

4:00 pm - Clif Nectar Bar - Content (5)

For today's snack, I decided to have a Clif Nectar bar in my fave flavor - cherry pomegranate. I almost did a Clif Zbar, but realized I hadn't had any fruit or veggies all day and the Nectar bar provided 2 fruit servings. I still think fresh fruit/veggies are best, but this would do all things considered.

5:45 pm - Grocery Shopping at TJ's

I decided to hit up TJ's on my way home...a dangerous stop for me because I find all the yumminess there almost irresistible.

I managed to stick mostly on track and stocked up on veggies - grape tomatoes, spinach, cucumber, green + red bell pepper. I also picked up some stuff for dinner, which is the next topic up.

9:45 pm - Pork Tenderloin, Spinach + Grape Tomatoes, WW Pita, Hummus, and Pickled Veggies - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I've turned into such a wino since returning from wine country a couple weeks ago! The low wine prices at TJ's helps make trying new wines hard to turn down. I got this Tommolo Chiusa Grande wine upon recommendation by a couple peeps at TJ's.

I've been hoping to find an organic wine at TJ's for awhile now and was glad to finally find one, thanks to the help of the wine-tasting-guy.

I also got these organic pita pocket breads in 100% whole wheat. I figured these would go well to try to wrap up that white bean hummus and would also make good sandwiches throughout the week.

I also decided to try a pre-marinated garlic peppercorn pork tenderloin from TJ's. I cooked it "according to directions" but it wasn't the right temp when it came out. I put it in for 5 more minutes...same result. Repeat a couple more times...same result. I was starting to get frustrated with the pork...

Thought maybe it was the meat thermometer, so tried another...same results. I was puzzled! I was in a bit of a rush trying to do too many things at once: cook dinner, make earrings, package gift set to give friend for their charity event, clean apt, take care of dog. I guess in my haste, I didn't quite read the directions right. I was supposed to cover the stupid pork! Doh!

While I was waiting (forever) for my pork to finish cooking, I decided to have an appetizer of Giardiniera veggies, WW pita bread, and white bean hummus.

Other side view.

When the pork was (fiiinally!) done cooking, I quickly sauteed some grape tomatoes, baby spinach, salt, and pepper in a little olive oil.

The pork tenderloin was tiny, so I cut 3 small pieces to serve with the veggies, which I topped with toasted pine nuts.

Dinner was quite good, but I was pretty frustrated and tired by the time I finally got to it, I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have if things had just gone as planned. Ah well...c'est la vie!

Dessert was a little chocolate...

Just one little piece of Godiva dark chocolate.

I know I normally do milk with dessert, but red wine tastes so good with chocolate, I figured I'd just have a wee bit more wine to drink instead of something new.

Phew! I thought I'd never finish tonight's post! Between losing my camera cord (which is still missing) and the pork taking soooo long to cook, not to mention my computer totally locked up (and I thought Mac's were immune) so I had to do a cold reboot...I wasn't sure I'd finish this post tonight. It's half past midnight now and way past my bedtime, but at least I did it! Putting things off to the next day only gets me in trouble. :) I'm exhausted...g'night!

Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, SCBR

SCBR Week 7/ Day 1 Food/Exercise Journal

Now that I've got (almost) all my queued up posts over with, I'm ready to pick things back up with SCBR. I've decided to pick up where I left off and start on Week 7 again, since I didn't really finish that week out last time (I stopped on Day #2).

9:30 am - Simple Maple Syrup Oats + Coffee - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

Before even making coffee this AM, I was up checking my Google Reader. I read the Hungry Yogini's post about maple syrup over breakfast oats, which reminded me how much I like maple syrup on oats and inspired me to make a bowl. I'm a bit low on toppings at the moment, so maple syrup oats were about the only thing I could make anyways!

I decided to grab my bottle of Vermont Maple Syrup with Vanilla Bean that I received in my lovely coast to coast swap with Kate from Cooking with Kate. This stuff is sooooo good!

The oats were pretty basic this morning - just old fashioned rolled oats cooked with water with a touch of flax seed and a drizzle of that uber-tasty vanilla bean maple syrup.

I enjoyed today's AM brew in a mug that has one of my all-time favorite quotes, which reads, " What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" Every time I see this quote, it really makes me think...about what I really want...about what I hold myself back from doing or trying because I'm scared of failing.

2:30 pm - Veggie Soup + Buttered Toast - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

I feel like I've been away from the house so much recently that I haven't had a good house-work day in awhile. Today was very productive for me:

• 3 (big!) loads of laundry (1 working in the dryer right now)
• sorting through some old clothes and picking out items for donations
• sorting through old magazines to recycle or donate
• grocery shopping
• blogging
• visit with a friend in need (more on this in just a bit)

I tried to get most of my errands/housework complete before I took off for my friend's visit.

Lunch was a quick re-heat of frozen bean + veggie soup with buttered Great Harvest Bread Company Dakota toast and water.

I enjoyed a quick organic plum snack, wrapped up some more errands, and then took off to see my friend.

3:45 pm - Friend-in-Need Visit

One of my best friends had surgery this past Friday. The surgery wasn't too serious, but any surgery is a pretty big ordeal to me. Any time they have to put you under anesthesia, it's pretty intense...at least I think. I decided to pay her a visit and bring her some goodies to help her recover.

First, I stopped by Starbucks to get her fave - the lemon, iced pound cake. I know she adores the stuff.

While I was there, I got myself a iced-vanilla-soy-latte. This was my first time trying a soy latte iced and it was pretty good. I definitely prefer hot soy lattes, but the weather was pretty warm today and I was feigning for a nice, cool beverage.

Next, I stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up some flowers to brighten her home and some edible goodies. I bought this tiny bulb flower for her because she likes pink. I also thought a flower that grows may be more long-lasting than a bouquet and she will be off work for a couple weeks to recover.

I also got her a Pure Brownie Bar, a Kind cranberry almond plus antioxidants bar, a frozen veggie lasagna, and a frozen BBQ chicken pizza. The food snacks are kind of random, but I remembered she told me last week that she was stocking up on soup, so I wanted to get some stuff that was decidedly different.

I headed over to my friend's house where she was relaxing with her dad. She loved all the goodies - especially that iced, lemon pound cake! Check out this adorable card our friend's daughter made. I love how it says, "You will get better." :) So cute and thoughtful!

Around 6pm, my friend had to take some medicine and had to do so with food, so she decided to try out the TJ's Garden Vegetable Lasagne, which I prepared for her while she chilled on the couch.

I'd never had this lasagna before, but it smelled great and my friend said it was really good. I was just glad to provide her something she enjoyed eating - especially since her medicine has been messing with her appetite.

I hung out with my friend a bit longer and we just caught up on life and watched a couple funny video clips. We love funny movies! Especially Borat! Eventually, it was time for me to eat dinner, so I headed home to meet up with hubby for some eats.

8:30 pm - Five Guys Burgers + Fries - Full (7)

Somehow, the idea of hamburgers popped into my mind earlier today and hubby agreed it sounded pretty tasty for dinner. We headed over to Five Guys to satisfy our burger cravings.

I love how they use fresh beef at Five Guys.

I had more coca-cola to drink, but I have been using a neat trick to keep myself from drinking too-too much. I've noticed that sometimes I'll just keep drinking a drink just because it's there, even though I don't want any more. I'm hit and miss with this because sometimes I recognize that I don't want any more and sometimes not. So, lately, I've been filling my cup all the way with ice and filling the rest with soda. Less soda in the cup means less soda I drink. I ended up not finishing my coke anyways and gave the last 1/3 to hubby.

Hubby was all smirky walking over with our food - he's so funny sometimes!

I'm pretty traditional when it comes to burgers. Unless I'm out at a restaurant that already has crazy burger combos, like Red Robin, I usually just go for cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, ketchup, and mustard.

A closer look. The burger was super good - I like these thin patties. The burger looked almost hand-formed, but I'm not sure how they're made exactly. I prefer hand-formed but can settle with at least knowing they were made with fresh, not frozen, beef.

We just split a small side of fries, which ended up being just about the perfect amount for us save a few extra fries that hubby wouldn't let go to waste. I like fries like these that still have some skin on them. I always go for the nice, slightly crunchy ones especially!

9:45 pm - Organic Mango - First Signs of Feeling Full (6)

We received an organic mango in our produce delivery last week, and it seemed ripe enough to eat, so I decided to have a healthy dessert of mango, post-burger-and-fries-dinner. I watched this video and then this video to see how to cut the mango up. I felt a bit silly looking up videos to learn how to cut the mango since it seemed like it should be intuitive enough, but I was really happy that I watched those videos because I wouldn't have known how to figure out where the seed/pit/whatever in the center was.

I've never purchased a mango, myself, to eat, but as soon as I took my first bite of that fresh-cut mango, it took me back to eating mango pieces with my mom. Since my mom is an island-girl from the Philippines, which is where mangos are widely grown, she ate them all the time. The mango was the perfect dessert to counter my heavy, but tasty dinner.

Summary

Although I've been eating healthy over the last couple weeks, even though I wasn't officially doing SCBR, I was happy to get back into the SCBR -swing-of-things. Another thing I stopped doing over the past couple weeks is calorie counting. I'll probably pick it up again sooner or later, but I feel like I've at least learned the basics of what I wanted to know, which was mainly to get an overall idea of how many calories I was consuming on a regular basis. So far, I've found the calorie counting much more useful than I originally expected, so, time-permitting, I'm hoping to pick things back up sooner rather than later.

Breakfast, Dinner, Life, Lunch, Restaurant, SCBR

Mama Ricotta (Italian) + Crave (Dessert)

Mama Ricotta - Italian Dinner

Yesterday was a full day with some of my fave Charlotte friends. First we had the brewery tour + pizza lunch, then we had dinner + dessert plans.

After getting picked up by Michelle (of PInque) , Ben, Kate, + Nate (thanks guys!), we met up with Kath, Matt, + Karen at a local Italian restaurant called Mama Ricotta .

We all congregated in the patio area, which had a lovely, glowing fire roaring away in the background.

The temp was pretty cool outside, but the restaurant had some nifty heaters overhead that kept us all nice and toasty.

I enjoyed a nice glass of St Francis Chardonnay, upon recommendation by Kath. Kath called the wine "buttery," and it was! I thought it was nice and "bright", too. A great rec!

The menu had a ton of great options, but I eyed the Pollo Carciofi, which Michelle + Ben were eying, too. I ended up joining their family for the evening and shared family-style servings with them.

I had one of these rolls, dipped in a red pepper flake olive oil.

We started dinner with a Tuscan salad - family style. You can't tell from this photo, but the salad was huge! The salad was made with fresh lettuce, tomato, mozzarella cheese, basil, red onion, and kalamata olives. We got the balsamic vinaigrette dressing on the side. Neither Michelle or I care much for olives, but they were so small you could hardly taste them. We did experiment trying bigger pieces of olives on their own, following Kath's advice to think of capers when we ate them. I didn't love them, but I didn't hate them as much as I normally do. I'll call that moving one step closer to liking them. :)

My portion.

Next, our entree came out - a giant platter of Chicken Carciofi, which held 5 chicken breasts! What a gigantic family-style serving! The entree featured chicken breasts, capers, artichoke hearts and a lemon white wine sauce. Yum!

We also ordered a side of Mascarpone + Goat Cheese Polenta, which was to-die-for! It was so creamy and lightly cheesy. I only got a small serving since there was so much food, but I savored every bite! I will be sure to order this next time I visit Mama Ricotta.

We also had a side of asparagus, which was served topped with more tomatoes. The asparagus were quite tasty, too.

My plate with plenty of artichokes and capers. All the food was amazing! The chicken was divine - esp with the artichokes and capers, which I just love!

We all had a blast here at Mama Ricotta - between the excellent food, awesome service, and most importantly, wonderful company and conversation.

After dinner, we bid adieu to our enjoyable, patio-dining dinner at Mama Ricotta and hit the road to hit up our next stop - dessert.

Crave - Dessert Bar

A new dessert bar opened in town, so the plan was to check it out after dinner. We left Mama Ricotta and headed over to Crave Dessert Bar . I really liked their fancy menus, which were chock full of lots of selections of desserts and dessert wines/drinks.

The interior of crave was chicly decorated.

The bar area - love the lighting.

Mod decorations.

Interesting lights above.

I'm a big fan of cakes of all kinds, so I went straight for the Layer Cake section. I ended up getting the same thing Kath + Matt ordered - the Vanilla Sky. From the menu, "Yellow cake made with pure Bourbon-Madagascar vanilla, topped with light vanilla bean frosting."

One thing I was a little disappointed to learn was that the restaurant did not offer was a wider selection of coffees. For me, when I think dessert, I also think of coffee. I tried ordering a soy latte, but they didn't do lattes. Next, I tried ordering a cappuccino, but they didn't do that either. I decided to just get the pairing suggestion listed on the menu with my dessert choice - Haras Chardonnay, Chile. I later read that Crave offered 3 interesting-looking French-press coffees, but I really like lattes with dessert - it's my fave combo. I guess I forgot this place is a dessert bar and not a coffee-shop. Oopsie! :)

My cake was one of the first desserts to arrive. I liked the presentation, but ended up tipping it over so I could more easily eat it. Check out the vanilla bean in the frosting! The cake was really good and tasted like it had been soaked in something (not sure what though). The cake kind of reminded me of another local favorite cake of mine - Tres Leches (more on this cake another time). The flavors were very light and simple, so I'd recommend ordering Vanilla Sky if you have more of a vanilla-palate. I'll probably go for the chocolate or red velvet cake next time to switch things up.

The ambiance inside Crave was really cool and mod-chic, but the night ended up going a little less than smooth. Crave was out of almost all of the chocolate desserts and a couple people from our group ended up never getting desserts due to the ones they ordered being out. The desserts came out at random times over the couple hours we spent there. I felt terrible for the restaurant and the waitress because I've actually been a waitress at a restaurant when it first opened. Opening a new restaurant is a difficult thing to plan for and no matter how hard you try, things always seem to go awry.

The restaurant I opened was Italian, and I remember running out of foods like angel hair pasta, which made my tables less than happy with their dinners. There were nights when we seemed to run out of half the menu. Granted we never ran out of half of the menu, but we did run out of more entrees than I really wanted to tell my tables about.

Having been on the other side of a restaurant opening, I'd be happy to give Crave another try. The dessert bar had a lot of great ideas - mod interior, hip music, wide dessert selection, good wine list - I think they just need time to get things smoothed out. The restaurant where I waitressed took about 6 months! Let's hope Crave can get it together sooner than my restaurant...I think they can do it! :)

Dessert, Dinner, Restaurant

Carolina Beer Brewery Tour + Spicy Pizza

Nate emailed earlier this past week with the idea of an impromptu visit to a semi-local beer brewery, which sounded like a fantastic idea to me.

Hubby and I hopped in the car this morning and headed over to Carolina Beer Company's brewery this beautiful Saturday.

We followed the signs to the tour area, which had a nice set-up that looked much like a regular bar of pub.

We headed inside, said a quick hi to our friends, and then headed to the bar area to buy our tour passes.

We paid $5 per person for the tour (they took credit cards), which not only got us the tour...

...but sampling glasses and tokens for 5 free beer samples. I decided to start off with one of their signature brews - the Carolina Blonde .

Once we had our first beer samples, we headed over to relax on the outdoor area with our friends - around the table from me - hubby (Dan), Matt (from Brew and Bake), Justin, Nate (of Yourself in Five Years), and Kate.

The Carolina Blonde was quite good. I'm no beer-expert, but I do know I like the lighter beers. Aren't the tiny glasses adorable? Photo credit - Kate! :)

I had a nice view of the bar area.

While we enjoyed some beer samples and good conversation waiting for the tour, I also got to check out the beer menu so I'd know what to get for round #2. I had 4 more rounds to go!

After some casual conversation on the porch, it was soon tour time! We started in their supply/storage room where they keep the barley, etc.

Passing around some ingredients. Thanks for being my hand-model Kate!

Next, it was on to the brewing room.

Then to the fermentation area. Those metal containers were huge!

The tour lady got us some in-process beer samples.

Passing out samples.

In-process beer is not as good as the finished product, but it was interesting to try.

The fermentation area was the last part of the tour, so once we were done, it was back to the pub-area for more beer tastings.

I really liked Matt's "cup-holder."

Sample #2 for me was the Carolina Strawberry Ale . I really enjoyed the strawberry flavor of the beer - it was a surprising combination for me since I don't know much about different beer flavors, but I liked it a lot.

We pulled a couple small tables together inside because we lost our nice outside table when we stepped away for the tour. The inside bar area opened out to the porch so we still got to enjoy the nice weather a little indirectly.

Sample #3 may or may not have been the Irish Style Red . I can't remember in which order I had my last 2 samples, so I'm just going to go with this order, which would make Sample #4 Carolina Lighthouse. Sadly for me, but luckily for Matt , I gave away my last sample token. I'm such a slow-drinker! lol I was about 1 drink behind everyone and it was time to get some food, so hubby gave my last beer tasting away, which worked out A-ok.

I'm not sure which of the brews I sampled were my fave because they were all so good, but I'm glad to know about some more tasty beers. I'd happily order any of the 4 I tried today!

After the beer tastings, we were pretty hungry so headed south in search of food. We stopped at Brooklyn South Pizzeria since I knew you could buy pizza by the slice and everyone wanted a smaller lunch (we have dinner plans later!). Hubby and I got the Buffalo Wing pizza, which is nice and cheesy and spicy and simply delicious. I had 1 slice, and hubby had 2.

I don't normally drink much soda, but pizza is one of the types of food that I really enjoy with Coke for some reason. I had about half of this gigantic soda and gave the rest to hubby.

All in all, today was a blast! I hope we can take some more impromptu trips like this one in the near future! I feel like there's so much to see food and drink-wise in the surrounding cities and states - it would be great to check out some more out soon!

Lunch

TJ's Tomato Chutney Chicken

As I mentioned the other day, I've fallen for many Trader Joe's samples recently during my grocery trips.

Another of the many TJ's samples I've fallen for recently is the Tomato Chutney. They had this sauce on sample at TJ's mixed with chicken cooked in a slow cooker and it was delicious!

After a long week of work, I wanted to cook something quick and easy, and the Tomato Chutney sauce was sounding pretty good. I took a cue from TJ's and decided to mix the sauce with chicken, but I took 2 boneless chicken breasts and cut them into bite-sized pieces. I seasoned the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and sauteed them over medium heat with a little olive oil till golden.

Once the chicken was done cooking, I added about 3 tablespoons of the Tomato Chutney sauce and let the sauce heat through in the pan, on medium-low heat.

Meanwhile, I cooked about 3/4 of an giant, organic zucchini (one we got in our home-produce-delivery) with 1/2 a small yellow onion with a little olive oil over medium heat.

I served dinner with some TJ's La Boca Chardonnay, TJ's white bean hummus, and TJ's tandoori naan leftover from the other night .

Dinner was simple, quick, and quite tasty. Even hubby liked the Tomato Chutney - probably because it had a slightly spicy-sweet taste, and he loves spicy food. The veggies were nice and crisp tender and the hummus and naan make such a good pairing of flavors! The hummus especially helped cancel out some of the spicy of the tomato chutney sauce. Yum!

Dinner

TJ's White Bean Hummus + Tandoori Naan

Another set of samples I bought under the Trader Joe's Effect included some wine, naan, and hummus.

I was grocery shopping at TJ's during the last couple days of March, which meant we were basically out of food budget money for the money. I was there to pick up essentials only and of course managed to fall in love with the tandoori naan and white bean hummus sample they had on hand that day. As much as I wanted to pick up both the hummus and naan right then and there, I made myself wait a long couple days till April hit.

On April 1st, I was so excited about picking up my new food goodies and headed straight to TJ's after work.

It's really the white bean hummus that gives the combo the excellent flavor. The taste of the naan is rather unnoticeable compared to the rich, yummy flavors of the white bean hummus.

The naan has a nice buttery texture that I find really appealing paired with the creamy hummus.

Sucker that I am for TJ's samples, I also ended up coming home with another bottle of wine - La Boca Chardonnay, which seemed like a good deal for $3.99 (or however much it was) price tag. I enjoyed the 3 of these pre-dinner earlier this past week - such a great snack!

Snack

Fresh Breakfast for Dinner

I'm still behind on posts thanks to the massive amount of photos I took whilst on my SF trip, so I apologize for things being a bit out of order. I'm starting SCBR back up next week and have some food posts to share in the meantime.

Here are some photos from a Breakfast for Dinner meal we had earlier this week:

Awhile back, I bought some canadian bacon from Trader Joe's with grand plans to eat the CB for breakfast and dinner a couple times. My SF trip threw things off a bit and I realized the other day that my CB was about to expire! I quickly decided on breakfast for dinner and whipped this meal up using ingredients we had around the house.

We had a piece of Great Harvest Dakota bread toasted with butter, some skillet home fries (based loosely on this recipe by Bobby Flay) using 2 home-delivered, organic, yukon gold potatoes, an egg scramble using onions and a home-delivered, organic roma tomato with some spices, and of course some canadian bacon.

I also picked up mini cinnamon rolls - 1 for me, 1 for hubby - when I got my bread at GHBC. So good and just the right size!

I had water with dinner but had to have milk to go with that delicious cinnamon roll!

Check out the friendly visitor we've had on our porch for the past couple weeks. I can't even throw this dead plant thingy away because the birdies have made it their home! Guess we'll have some peeping birdlettes soon, eh?

Breakfast, Dinner, Life

The Trader Joe's Effect

I think most people either grow up completely comfortable in their own skin or ready for a total make-over. I classify myself in the latter group. I've mentioned before about what a health-freak my dad was growing up and how, bless his little heart, he really tried to bestow a love of good food upon his family (me, my sister, and my mom). Rather than getting into a long story, let's just say that I strayed away from his teachings for awhile but have become newly interested in healthy living over the last couple years. I'd like to tell you when exactly, but the truth is I can't remember. I didn't update the TCL blog back in the day like I do now, but I did find one documented post (here) related to healthy eating. Most likely, the concept has always been with me, thanks to my dad's brain-washing...er...knowledge-sharing.

Seemingly every day, I feel the urge to return to my roots and get back to my father's teachings. The more I read, hear, and learn about about foods and not just foods, but organic, sustainable, fresh, and local foods, the more interested I become in them. I've become newly obsessed with Trader Joe's since they offer so many food options that are not just fresh, but more natural and preservative-free. I am also a big fan of their samples. I am, apparently, also a big sucker when it comes to TJ's samples. I have bought a ton of TJ-sampled items over the last week...it's crazy!

Take, for example, this New Zealand Grass Fed Sharp Cheddar cheese. This was a sample at the wine tasting table that I fell quickly enamored with. The cheese is not only delicious, but is a product from cows that are grass-fed and not treated with rBST. To boot, the cheese was pretty well-priced.

Of course, I just had to get the wine that went with the cheese! I've been such a wino since my trip to California wine country! When I say wino, I mean, one who likes to drink wine and not someone who is a wine connoisseur because I am surely no expert on vinos. Anywho, this is a Big Day White 2007 wine by Pancake Cellars from Paso Robles, California. I obviously liked the wine since I sampled it and bought it. :) For $4.99, I thought it was a good buy.

Although I didn't sample these, I did pick up these Multigrain & Flaxseed Water Crackers from TJ's. I really liked them. They were light and crispy, and the 100 mg of omega 3 fatty acids per serving were pretty cool.

The cheese, crackers, and wine made for a great pre-dinner snack for me and hubby earlier this week. We've enjoyed them a couple times...along with some other TJ-sample-goodies I've purchased recently. More on the sampled items to come!

One more word on my infatuation with TJ's. I am getting more and more into eating foods as pure as possible. I've been reading labels on almost everything I've been trying buying, food-wise. I search for items whose ingredient lists I can actually understand. I'm still learning a lot about reading labels, and I don't like doing 180's on anything, so I'm easing into this habit, albeit easing rather quickly! I've never been a fan of processed foods, but I'm growing farther and farther away from them, it seems.

Anywho, I am way behind on posts, so will start SCBR back up next week. I know it's bad to take a break from the program, but I've been eating healthy and exercising, I just haven't had the time to blog everything since my posts are so queued up! Admittedly, I haven't been doing SCBR 100%, so I also want to wait till I can give it the attention it deserves to start up again.

Oh, and I have some BIG changes in the works. I can't tell yet...it's a secret! But, I'll tell you guys soon...promise! I'll even ask for tips + suggestions so you guys can weigh in! :)

Snack

Brunch San Francisco Style: Crepevine

On Sunday morning, the last day of my San Francisco trip, my friend helped see me off in style with a crepe brunch. Creperies seem to be quite popular in SF.

We headed back to Crepevine, which was the restaurant we tried to visit the previous day but skipped due to the long line and our eagerness to hit up wine country.

Although Crepevine is a chain, the restaurant had a real one-off feel to it, which I liked.

We ordered at the counter and got a # for our table - we were #20.

We enjoyed more coffee and conversation whilst waiting for our crepes.

Our crepes were out before we knew it. We ordered 2 crepes to share - a savory pesto chicken crepe...

(here's a closer look)

...which was served with a nice, fresh salad with a light salad dressing (the light dressing seems to be popular in SF! Next time, I'll buy some to bring home) and some potatoes.

We also ordered a sweet Nutella and strawberry crepe, which was my fave!

I finished off the sweet crepe and left a bit of the savory for my friend to enjoy later. The crepes were amazing and made me wish we had a creperie in NC. If nothing else, I very well may try to make my own crepes some time soon. The crepe dinner I enjoyed on my exchange trip to France was my fave and this brunch reminded me of just how good crepes can be!

After we were done eating, my friend dropped me off at the airport and it was back to the East coast for me! My trip to San Fran was amazing and one I will never forget. SF is now one of my fave places ever! I can't wait to go back!

*Many thanks to my middle-school-BFF for taking such good care of me on my first trip to California! It was so good catching up with you and we'll have to do it again very soon!*

Breakfast, Brunch, Restaurant