an unexpected, delicious surprise

 Sometimes I throw things I have around the house together and see what comes up.Usually it turns out decent-I rarely make anything that is so bad I can't eat it. Usually I will eat it and I may or may not make it again. But oh my GOSH this was de-lish. I was wanting a salad but not just any old salad.I debated putting my old standby of tuna on top, but then I remembered I had some of that non-authentic crustacean ( IE fake crab) in my fridge. So into a bowl went romain, arugula, shredded carrots, diced onion, shredded cabbage ( i used the bagged coleslaw mix)and some spring onion. I topped it with a Tablespoon of TJ shredded parm,asiago and romano cheese mix. Two tablespoons of hidden valley light ranch, garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper, and TJ 21 seasoning salute when on top. Then I added 1/2 cup of the crab plus 1/4 cup cooked ditalini (this is a small cut pasta, but any any pasta will do). Mixed it up, hoped for the best, took one bite and fell in love!!! I highly recommend this one!

Question:
What have you thrown together that turned out phenomenal?

Post test I've waited for you for 10 weeks.

Hey there! Hope everyone's Thursday is going great. Tonight I have post testing to administer for my ESL students and then one more class before the semester break. Whew!! It has been a loooooong semester. Anyway, yesterday's workout was a good one. I started out with a 5 minute warm up of walking on the treadmill, followed by 22 minutes of running. Then to bring my heart rate down just a bit, I walked another 5 minutes. I followed that up with a 10 minute circuit which looked like this:

jumping jacks-1 minute

kettlebell swings-1 minute

jumping jacks-1 minute

side squats with a 4lb weight- 1 minute

high knees -1 minute

kettlebell swings-1 minute

jumping jacks-1 minute

reverse lunges with a twist with 4lb ball-1 minute

front kicks-1 minute

I was hot, tired and sweaty after this one. 10 minutes never seemed so long. But I felt great after. I went home and the BF's bro was over so he stayed for dinner. I cooked asparagus wrapped in bacon, crispy baked carrot 'fries', my yummy cauliflower mash and pork. I didn't eat the pork because I am not a huge fan of fried pork, but I ate all the veggies. I rounded out my meat free dinner with a fat free brownie from trader joe's. Those things are ah-mazing. You just mix the mix with 2/3 cup of fat free yogurt ( I also add about 1/4 cup of water to thin it a bit) and bake. So yummy and only 3 points+ for 1/12th (for those of you who do WW, like me). I topped the BF's with some caramel and slivered almonds and ate mine yaked. So.friggin.good

breakfast

Hey people what up? Just trying to get through another Tuesday. I really think Tuesday is my least favorite day of the work week. I mean I obviously love Fridays (who doesn’t!?) and wed and thurs are over the hump, but Tuesdays are just awful. Anyway, I made myself a delicious breakfast that I thought I would share with you. Into the frying pan coated with cooking spray ( I used my Misto), over medium heat, went about 2 tablespoons each of: chopped zucchini, chopped onion, and sliced mushrooms. I sautéed them for about 3 minutes and then dropped in handful of baby spinach, cooking until the spinach was just wilted. Then into the pan went ½ cup of egg substitute. I seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and my drug of choice, Trader Joe’s 21 seasoning salute. As the eggs started to cook, I turned them and stirred in 1 tablespoon of crumbled feta, folded it one more time, cooked until firm and took them off the heat. I topped it with hot sauce and ketchup and it was delicious. I enjoyed it with a pear.

I try to eat eggs for breakfast most days of the week. I’ve read a lot of blogs and so many people eat oatmeal, but I just can’t get into it. I know it’s good for me, but it’s a texture thing. I can eat oatmeal cookies and things like that, but there is something about the texture of oatmeal I can’t get past. I generally fill my eggs (egg substitute, actually) with whatever veggies I have on hand. Some combo of onions, broccoli,zucchini,peppers.mushrooms,spinach, etc and then either a bit of cheese (laughing cow works great, goat cheese, feta) or a bit of potatoes. That is usually my Sunday through Friday breakfast. On Saturday I will often eat something different just to break up the monotony of the same breakfast every day. I LOVE to eat, but find breakfast to be one of the easiest ways to cut out excessive calories. I would rather eat a smaller, lighter breakfast and lunch and a big dinner.

yo!!! nanas

I admit I was a bit skeptical about the yonanas machine I kept hearing about. Did it work? Was it worth the money? Would I actually use it? Yes, yes and yes!!! One of the best kitchen purchases EVER, only behind my rice cooker, slow cooker and aplle cutter/corer. So before I bought my 'nanas machine, I researched customer reviews and watched videos on youtube. The only complaints I heard were the lack of available colors (which I could care less about) and the fact that it's a bit difficult to clean (which I CAN see how some people would think that, but it's not a huge deal to me). So I decided to use my BB&B 20% off coupon and go for it. Worst case scenario, I'm out $40. I'm in love with this machine!! I have used it so many times and everything tastes yummy. My favorite is plain bananas topped with pecan sticky bun granola from target,shredded coconut and slivered almonds or strawberry banana with chocolate chips and frozen blueberries . SO good. You guys have got to go get you one. I promise you will not be disappointed. My dog, Lucca, even loves the banana and other fruit flavors (obviously he doesn't get anything with chocolate). I haven't tried peanut butter mixed in but I bet that would be yummy, too. I have mixed in cocoa powder and that was pretty good. I am a texture person, so I think the pop of the blueberries and the crunch of the nuts and granola is what really sold me on my choice of toppings, but the possibilites are endless.

Thai food

 So to celebrate my friend Matt's birthday, a few of us went to a new Thai restaurant. I love Thai food in general, as long as you ask them not to make it too spicy. I usually get the chicken pad panang which is a delicious blend of coconut milk and red pepper, but it is not the most figure friendly choice. I decided to go with the much lighter, but just as yummy, chicken with mixed veggies in a brown sauce. It had chicken, string beans, carrots, baby corn, mushrooms and a delicious sauce that had hints of ginger and soy sauce. It was quite good and I will definitely go back. I usually get a thai iced tea as well, but went with plain old water this time. I have made my version of both this and the pad panang, lightened up. Both were very good, but for some reason my Asian dishes never tastes as good as authentic versions. My Mexican and Italian, however, are always spot on.

Questions:

What kind of food can you make as good as or better than a restaurant can?
What's your favorite ethnic food to eat out?

java chip light frap....

 Sometimes you just gotta bite the bullet and get one. So after my exciting 2 hour hike to the falls today, I had to have a Starbucks. I went to TJ and tried to stave of my cravings with a sample of TJ's yummy coffee (along with a sample of their confetti rice-yum) but even after that I had to have one. I was driving along in search of a le madeleine to get my friend a piece of their to die for coconut cake for his birthday tomorrow when I spotted the mermaid whore and cut over 2 or 3 lanes to get to the parking lot. My friend was a little bit startled by the jerking of the car, but when you want Starbucks, nothing else will do. I orderd a light, trying not to negate the ENTIRE hike and enjoyed every last drop of the chocolatey, chippy goodness. The weather was in the 60s today and it hit the spot like nobody's business. Usually when I go to the 'bucks, I get some sort of frappacino. I love the 2 seasonal flavors, coconut mocha and salted caramel, but regular old mocha or java chio will do when they are running a flavor I am not crazy for.I am more of a cold drink person than a hot drink, even when the weather is cold.  I am not big on their hot coffees. They are a bit strong to me. Although I do want to try the blonde roast.


Question:
What is your favorite Starbuck's drink?
Does the weather influence whether you get a hold or cold drink?

Best.Stuff.Ever!!!

I am slightly ashamed to admit that I just discovered TJ in the last year. I know, I know. In my defense, there aren't any really close to me. But now that I have discovered it, I don't know how I lived without it. While I personally find it difficult to do ALL my shopping there, I find that I love their specialty items you can't find anywhere else. Like 21 seasoning salute. I put this on everything. Chicken, broccoli,eggs, ice cream. Ok, just joking about the last one, but it might be good. It has garlic,thyme,savory,pepper,orange peel, and lots of other yummy things.I use about a bottle every month.Seriously. If you go to TJ, pop in the spice aisle and risk $1.99. I promise you'll be hooked.