Veggie Heaven

That's what I felt like I was eating for breakfast Monday morning! I used the leftover spinach-onion stuffing for my tartlets and scrambled it with 2 eggs. I had a piece of whole wheat toast. It was yummy and filling. I didn't get hungry until 10:45 am... about 45 min after I usually do! It felt great to get some greens at the beginning of my day. (1.5 serv veggies, 2 serv protein, 1 serv grains)

I did get hungry at 10:45, so I had a little bunch of grapes (~ 1 C). They were really refreshing!

For lunch, I had turkey and Swiss on whole wheat with a baggie of baby carrots and a pear. A visitor brought Belgian chocolate cookies, so I had three! (1 protein, 1 dairy, 1 veg, 2 grains, 1 fruit + discretionary cals)

I drank my water and was very proud of myself. I got home and started in on the chili straight away! I made my white chili recipe, but without chicken and an extra can of beans. It still turned out great! I added some diced potatoes to stretch it a bit further so we can have it for lunch and dinner. I had 1 bowl with some tortilla chips on the side. I'm having a hard time estimating what I ate, but I'm approximating 3/4 C beans, and 2 serv grains (corn, chips and potatoes) plus lots of onions. Will post photos later...

I studied and when I came downstairs, there were candles all aglow. I love how cozy that looks! A cool front blew in and the hubby made decaf and popcorn (I had 2 bowls of it). Then we settled in and discussed our ideas for Christmas gifts! To all a good night!

I Think I Love Sundays

In what is turning into a Sunday tradition, Kendall makes crepes! I do believe they are his specialty. I had two with raspberry preserves...

And one with 2 Tbsp peanut butter! Plus coffee.

My brother and sister-in-law and their family stopped by to help replace some wood trim that was... icky. Eric did a great job and Kendall helped him. Meanwhile, my sister-in-law and I play Uno with the boys! We snacked on leftovers from the party. I had some cheese (2 oz?), carrots, celery (1 serv veg), crackers (5), cranberry sauce (4 Tbsp or so...), bean dip (2 Tbsp), and grapes (1/2 C or so). Yum!

I went for a nice run and studied for a while. I also made some progress on laundry. We went to the grocery store later... We went over... more about that later...

We came home and I started on dinner. While I cooked, I sipped some red wine...

Dinner was cheese stuffed-chicken with whole-wheat pasta and tomato sauce and steamed broccoli. I finished my wine. The meal was half a huge chicken breast (3 oz) with cheese (1.5 oz), 1 C pasta, 1/4 C sauce, and 1 C broccoli. So good!

I really love this chicken recipe...

Flatten out a chicken breast to about 1/4 inch, and put some cheese in the center (1.5 oz) and roll. Secure with toothpick and roll in breadcrumbs. Put in a greased pan and stick in an 350 oven for 30 min. Presto!

Sorry for the Delay!

Here's a quick recap of Friday... I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast after my run. Then I had PB & J on whole wheat with a hugh jass apple! I had two chocolates. We went to see a man about a horse, er, I mean, car... so we stopped at Kerby Lane Cafe for dinner! I didn't have my camera, but I had spinach, mushroom and artichoke enchiladas (1 C veg) with verde sauce on corn tortillas (2 serv grain) with black beans (.25 C) and rice (.5 C) on the side. I also had about half of Kendall's dinner salad (.5 C veg). I took home about .5 C of rice and .5 C beans.

I came home and had some red wine and watched a movie!

Saturday was busy as I got ready for Bethany's Bridal shower!

On the menu...

• Veggies with white bean dip
• Spinach and onion tartlets
• Fruit and cheese tray
• Crackers and brie with cranberry sauce
• Spice Cake
• Coffee
• Iced Tea
• Cranberry-Raspberry Punch
• Champagne

The cake was.... a hot mess. I made it from a box, and as I moved the layers, it broke! I patched it together as much as possible with icing. Then... icing ran low. So I used some foliage from our garden to try to hide my mistakes.

Spinach tarlet goodness!

All in all, we had a great time! I can't wait for the big day in December!

After clean-up, Kendall and I kicked back with some cheese pizza and beer. We chilled and watched "Burn After Reading." Not my favorite movie, but it was a great way to end the day!

So Glad it's Almost the Weekend!

I started the day with a bowl of cereal and milk with black coffee. Around 10 am, I got hungry and had some dried cranberries and mixed nuts (~2 oz). That held me over to lunch. I had turkey and mozzarella on whole wheat. I used Dijon mustard on my sandwich. It was a nice switch. I also had a juicy Bartlett pear.

After work, I went to the store to pick up things for the bridal shower this weekend! I had a lot of fun picking out yummy and pretty things. I can't wait! I won't post the menu now, but will take photos... I promise!

Then I came home and we threw together dinner. Tonight was sort of a Southern nod to the British classic, Beans on Toast. I toasted the rest of my Ezekiel bread (2 serv) and put a little olive oil margarine on it. Then I put some black beans (about 1/4 C) which were coarsely mashed. I sprinkled a little cheddar on it and warmed it all up. On the side, some Campari tomatoes (2.5 tomatoes, probably 2 serv) with a little sea salt. It was light, but delicious. I had it with a glass of red wine, and I will probably have another glass tonight while watching TV.

On a more personal note, I want to give a big shout-out to my friend M, who's embarking on a challenging journey. To honor her, I busted out my Phobia bracelet, which we bought together in celebration of our favorite Ghanaian soccer team. I'm putting it on now and not taking it off until her journey is over and the celebration has begun (Speaking of...'ritas, M? It's totally your call).

I'll be thinking of you every day, M!

Kendall has been wearing the awesome shirt you gave him. We're pulling for you!

What a hunk.

I have a lot of special people in my life who are going through a tough time right now, and I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes:

Your Heart is a Muscle The Size of Your Fist. Keep Loving, Keep Fighting.- Dalia Sapon-Shevin

Sort of Sinner

Today was not so great... I started with my bowl of cereal and milk. Kendall helped me get out the door. He didn't have to work today, but I did! I packed a sandwich, banana and some dried fruit and nuts. That's what I had for lunch... plus a donut! I also went with some co-workers and downed some serious Diet Coke.

Kendall was in charge of dinner, but he did a lot of work! He surprised me with a new rose bush in the front, mulched the beds, brought in the plants for the winter, got some paperwhite bulbs (!!), and got rid of an old mirror. He also found some wood rot on some of the accent trim on the house. Luckily, my husband and brother are handy so they'll fix it this weekend!

Since his day was packed, pizza was in order. I had the equivalent of 3 slices and some cranberry-pomegranate juice.

While I was doing homework and getting some bingo in order for the bridal shower I'm hosting this weekend, he was baking something delicious... pound cake! We enjoyed it over a little "Glee." I think I'm in love with that show. Next stop=bed!

Scaredy Cat!

This morning's run was, *ahem*, interrupted. Normally, I wake up first and run so when I get in the shower, Kendall's heading out for his run. Normally, I hear him come downstairs. So this morning, I had a minute left and had the Beatles cranked up on my iPod when I hear this booming male voice and see someone in the shadows. It was only Kendall! I screamed bloody murder, jumped about a foot in the air, then try to regain balance on the still running treadmill. Once I turned it off, I started crying, naturally. Kendall had been standing there dumbfounded, but then rushed to my rescue. The body's response system is funny. I had registered that it was Kendall and everything was okay, but I still started crying!

After a shower, I had a bowl of cereal with milk. I grabbed some coffee and headed out the door.

I packed a HUGE apple today and that was my snack. It's so big, so I counted it as 2 fruits.

For lunch, I had a cup of leftover fideo with two corn tortillas. I had some sauteed onions and carrots on the side (about .5 C). I had a chocolate for dessert.

Then I felt like I was going to go back for more chocolate, so I made some low cal hot cocoa. It's only 60 calories and it works!

For dinner, we had the rest of the fideo (.5 C) with some black beans (.25 C), sauteed squash (.5C) and mashed potato pancakes (.5 C). Yum!

After a walk and some homework, I decided it was time for a little snack. I made a cheese and cracker plate with some dried cranberries and mixed nuts on the side. I had about 7 crackers with 2 oz of cheese and half of the nuts and berries.

I hit my water intake target today! Yes!

New Favorite One-Pot Comfort Meal?

A few months ago, Kendall brought home a recipe from this really nice co-worker and I've been meaning to try it since. Yesterday, I realized I had all the makings for it, so I decided to bust out...

Lisa's Chicken Fideo!

So glad I did. It's such a simple (and economical) recipe and is so comforting and delicious. It's spicy and warm and tangy... all in one pot!

Fideo is very, very inexpensive. I can get a box for $0.26. I put a little olive oil in the pot and sauteed a diced onion and a little garlic. Then I added the dry Fideo and brown that a little. Then I added chili powder and cumin. It smelled amazing!

I dumped a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles. Then I added about 2 C of chicken stock, some shredded chicken meat and two wings from last night's chicken. Then I put the lid on, brought to a boil and diced some calabaza squash (this was not in Lisa's recipe, but I added it for more veggies). It boiled, I threw in the squash, and lowered to a simmer for 15-20 min. Then I threw in 2 Tbsp of tomato paste to thicken in and added salt and little more cumin (Lisa's recipe calls for 3-4 tsp and I had started with about 1 tsp). Then stireand lower heat even more for a few minutes. Warm up some tortillas, pour drinks, grab some napkins. Then I spooned one wing into each bowl and covered with the rest of this yumminess.

It says that it better the longer it simmers and best as leftovers. I totally believe it. Can't wait to have it for lunch tomorrow!

I had 1.5 bowls of this, which is probably about 3 oz chicken meat, 1 C fideo, and 3/4 cup veggies and tomato juice. Just guessing! Plus I had a corn tortilla on the side.

Seriously, this is a cheap but delicious meal. Make this and impress your friends. One 5 lb chicken fed two for three to four meals each (the fideo comprising two meals)=~$2.50 for this recipe. The Fideo was basically a quarter. I used 2 Tbsp of a 30 cent can of tomato paste, and a 65 cent can of tomatoes. I used a squash that cost about 50 cents. Done! That's a total of $3.95, or $0.98 each meal!

Now enjoying some juice and chamomile tea while watching "Coraline!"

Cereal!

Today I started the day with my new cereal! I decided to try Post's Honey Nut Shredded Wheat. It has 5 grams of fiber per serving and a short ingredient list. It's so simple and yummy. I love the nut flavor and the crunchy texture.

I had to break out my measuring cup to get a good idea of what a serving looked like in my bowl... While it doesn't fill up as much space, it definitely packs a punch and I was completely satisfied.

I went to work with a mug of coffee and had a banana as a snack.

For lunch, I used a little roasted chicken with some lettuce, green beans, and tomato. I packed a bit of Italian vinaigrette and two slices of the homemade bread with a little butter sandwiched between. Perfect. Lunch. I had it with a pear.

Today was sort of strange feeling. I felt like I was gearing up for a lot of work on campus tonight, but was there for less than an hour. Not bad!

Underbudget! Yes!

You read that right! After two weeks of coming in above budget, we rang in this week's groceries at $39.41. Right under $40! Success!

And check out the haul I brought home...

1 gal fat-free milk
1 doz large eggs
1 5-lb chicken
Olive Oil cooking spray
1 can black beans
12 oz. ground coffee
100% cranberry-blueberry juice (which is addictive and I'm trying to not have too much)
Store-brand reduced fat Triscuits
2 boxes of Post Honey Nut Shredded Wheat (boasting 5 g of fiber... MUCH better!)
1 lb bag of carrots
a pack of Campari tomatoes (everything else looked icky and these are DELISH!)
8-0z pack of all-natural oven roasted turkey breast deli meat
1 broccoli crown
2 lbs of green beans
3.21 lbs of organic Fuji apples (these babies are HUGE)
3.14 lbs of Bartlett pears
1.5 lbs bananas
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can tomato paste
1 can of tuna in water
1.44 lbs calabaza squash

Thanks to 2 coupons on the cereal, we got $.50 off each box.

I'm getting hungry just reading this list...

Chicken Dinner Success

I woke up and started with cereal and milk while Kendall started BAKING BREAD!

Then we started organizing and cleaning and tidying. I went to the store, came back, vacuumed, and had lunch. We had tomato basil soup with some fresh homemade foccacia bread. Yum! Later, we split a pear with a bit of cheese.

Then we went to look for a Christmas tree, but it was a fail. Then I came home, took a shower, and studied. I found the software for my good camera, and I think you'll notice the difference. I was a bit wet from shopping and after my shower, I felt like cozying up, so I lit some candles and had some hot tea! These next two shots were with my good camera...

Then I embarked on my roasted chicken dinner. Yup! I roasted my first whole chicken with some veggies. We also had green beans and mashed potatoes. So good! It was a total success. When carving was over, I threw the bones in a pot and made some stock.

Now we're having some decaf and watching TV.