Open Mouth; Insert Foot.

Woke up this morning and had some awesome crepes! I had three with about 3 Tbsp of all-natural peanut butter with a little raspberry jam. I also had 1 C of milk on the side. I got ready and took my coffee to go.

Today was a co-worker's last day, so we all chipped in for pizza. I had 2 slices of cheese pizza, a small chocolate chip cookie and a mini-cupcake. Yum! I had a big bottle of water and some hot tea this afternoon.

Traffic took a while, and I had to get gas in the car. Once home, I lugged all of our plants inside the garage in preparation for the BIG FREEZE!!

Then I got to work on some Moroccan-style chicken. It has stewed tomatoes, onions, chicken, peanut butter, cinnamon, cumin and I had to sub some molasses for the honey. It was perfect for a cold night! Kendall brought home some hot French bread and red wine... for no particular reason other than it was Thursday! Basically, I have the best husband ever.

Now we're just kickin' it with some wine, comedy, cozy socks and Christmas tree lights.

Soups On!

What a day! I started the day off with a bowl of cereal and milk. I grabbed some coffee and headed out the door into the cold.



Mid-morning, a cup of low-cal cocoa before a meeting to tide me over until lunch.



Kendall packed lunches today. I had a turkey and Swiss on homemade wheat with mayo. I also had a HUGE apple. Then there were chocolates and cookies offered and I couldn't resist.



After work, it was time for my test! I had another small sandwich and a pear when I got to campus. I did pretty well on the test, so I'm satisfied. Now, there's just the final left and I think I'm going to try to take it on Friday so I can get it over with before my weekend!



I got home and wasn't starving, but I had a little appetite. I heated up some chicken soup with whole-wheat noodles...




So warm and tasty!





After a bit of relaxation, I got hungry AGAIN, so I made tomato soup with basil and jalapeno-jack cheese. Kendall and I split the pot. Yummy!

The Weather Outside is Frightful!

The weather is seriously nasty. It is cold and rainy. I woke up and had cereal with milk, but I'm seriously considering getting some instant oatmeal for these winter months! I grabbed my coffee and headed out into the muck.





I got a little hungry and made some low-cal hot cocoa. Then for lunch, I had about 1/2 C of black beans with 2 corn tortillas and a big orange. As a snack in the afternoon, I had a pear. I also had a couple of chocolate kisses!






Traffic was a NIGHTMARE, so when I got home, I hit the treadmill and ran. I took a nice hot shower and then headed down for a little dinner...





The last of the Spanish stew with a quesadilla made with a whole-wheat tortilla and a bit of cheese. I also had a green salad with Italian dressing.

I studied and then settled in for Pres. Obama's speech with some popcorn and decaf. It's over, we're tuned into "The Biggest Loser," and I'm considering more decaf...

There's a Chill in the Air

Cold front! I started off with a bowl of cereal which was COLD and coffee, which was deliciously hot. Work was a little crazy after the holiday, but it was okay in the end. I had some raisins for a snack. My lunch is now 30 min earlier and I really like it, but think I need to consider an afternoon snack.

For lunch, a turkey and swiss sandwich on whole-wheat with mayo and lettuce. I also had half of a HUGE orange. Then I had some chocolate kisses.

I was pretty hungry by the end of the day. So for dinner... A big ole' bowl of leftover Spanish stew served over some white beans and autumn orzo. On the side, some salad with radishes and a vinaigrette I whipped up with Dijon, apple cider vinegar, pepper, and olive oil. It was delish! It was also a LOT of food.



Then, I studied. Then I came down for a little dessert... A leftover waffle with chocolate chips and whipped cream. I devoured this while on the phone with a friend. Girl talk!

I Totally Bought Groceries Over the Weekend

Yep. We went over again, but we did stock up on some sale items. Here it is...

We spent at total of $56.69! But we got...

• Brown Sugar $1.36
• Cranberry Pomegranate Juice (100%) $2.55
• Milk $3.59
• 4 Cornish Hens $9.98
• Italian Turkey Sausage (1.25 lbs) $4.49
• Chicken Breasts (boneless, skinless 2.5 lbs) $4.95
• Green Bell Peppers (2 @ $.69 each) $1.38
• Yellow Onions (2.12 lbs @ $.50/lb) $1.06
• Oranges (2.51 lbs @ $.99/lb) $2.48
• Red Leaf Lettuce (1 head) $1.69
• Red Bell Pepper (1) $1.49
• Coffee $3.99
• Roma Tomatoes (1.14 lbs @ $1.39/lb) $1.58
• Avocado (1) $0.99
• Wheat Tortillas $1.50
• All-natural Turkey Deli Meat $2.50
• Sliced Swiss Cheese $2.28
• Pears (1.76 lbs @ $0.98/lb) $1.72
• Tomato Paste $0.50
• Large Can Crushed Tomatoes $1.14
• Can of Soup-Clam Chowder $1.50
• Can of Diced Tomatoes, Chipotle flavor $0.75
• Can of Artichoke Hearts $2.33
• Can of Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles (2) $1.50

The most expensive things were used for the Spanish crock-pot meal (sausage, red bell pepper, onions, crush tomatoes, artichokes, chicken). But we've had quite a few meals from it (at least 6, including tonight's dinner or tomorrow's lunch)! Which means that it will be about $2.25/meal. Not bad!

I definitely need to shave down on cost, but am hoping to continue the trend of more meatless meals (more beans and fish). The Spanish stew was meat heavy, so I'm hoping to compare that with some nice bean dishes (black bean tacos, casserole, quesadillas, soups, or salad, anyone?). We have a few lentils on hand, but other than that, we have no dry beans on hand, so I'll try to pick up more at the store this weekend. Those are dirt-cheap. We also need to incorporate more seasonal veggies into our plans. Maybe I'll do a menu-planning post this week before the grocery store trip.

Sunday!!!!

I do love Sundays. After sending Dad off, I got to work on some whole-wheat waffles! I had a little syrup and cranberry juice.

I studied a bit, and then we went to visit my grandparents. We got home in time for a little lunch! I had a bowl of leftover Spanish stew, half a sweet potato and a huge apple cut up. It was really filling.

I was going to make some black beans, but we wanted to go shopping for the afternoon. Gosh, if I only had something that could cook my beans without me having to BE there.... HELLO Slow Cooker! I think I love you!

We went to Wimberly and shopped around. We got a few gifts... AND they are food related! I love giving gourmet gifts, because most of our family won't buy it for themselves.

When we got home, we were greeted by a pot of black beans! Yum! I had a bowl topped with a bit of shredded cheese with 2 corn tortillas. I've had 2 glasses of red wine.

Now we are chilling, watching Extreme Home Makeover...

No Photo Day

Today's plans went hay-wire! We were going to go to Boerne and Fredericksburg today to do some Christmas shopping, but that didn't happen... We woke up and were about to go to Boerne when my mom called and told us that my Grandmother was leaving to visit other family. Since she was one of the main reasons for the visit, we decided to hold off. We instead got cleaned up, had a bowl of cereal and went to my in-law's house for some Mexican pastries and coffee. It was good to catch up. Then we headed out to look in some cute shops, but mainly just looked in art galleries.

For lunch, we had a HUGH JASS salad from Whole Foods with greens, tomatoes, shredded carrots, green beans, broccoli, bell peppers with just a touch of Caesar dressing. We also had some amazing pesto tortellini salad and fresh fruit salad. AND we had some sushi (salmon or tuna rolls with brown rice). Whew! It was really satisfying and we were FULL. I probably had about 2 C of veggies, 1/2 C tortellini salad, 1/2 C fruit and 4 sushi rolls.

Then we scooted around town looking for more gifts but no luck! We came home just int time for Dad to show up and we started on dinner. I made calzones! We each had 2/3 a calzone and some salad. Kendall and I had a beer.

Now we are relaxing!

Wrap it up!

What a day! I sort of feel like I conquered Black Friday! I was up at 4:30 am! I got dressed and grabbed a container of raisins and nuts to curb my appetite while I shopped. I definitely did not want a big Starbucks distraction while playing Santa.

And I have to say, I got a lot done. By 7 am, I had hit three stores and finished the bulk of my sprinting. Kendall called to remind me that we were out of cereal, so I swing by the grocery store, and went home to eat. I was hungry, tired and had a slight headache at that point. We had a bowl of Quaker Oat Squares with milk and coffee. Yum! We both love those things!

I normally try not to buy for myself on Black Friday. It's all about the gifts. This year, I could not pass up a great deal on a slow cooker and I got my black dress that I'll need for Bethany's wedding.

So once home, I looked up slow cooker recipes and made a grocery list. Then it was off for a few more gifts and groceries.

Once home for good, I set up the slow cooker meal and got to work on lunch. Kendall worked from home and we had a date. We had whole-wheat wraps with chipotle mayo, turkey, Swiss, tomato, avocado and lettuce. On the side, some sub-par clam chowder.

I had a glass of cranberry juice after that. Then I grabbed some coffee and went up to wrap! I wrapped EVERYTHING! When I finished wrapping, I cleaned the bathrooms and then got to baking! Gingersnaps!

A few hours after popping it in, our Spanish Chicken was ready!

I had it with a dark beer. So tangy and satisfying!

Be Thankful

We started off the day with a bowl of cereal and coffee. Then we took a nice long walk. I came home, showered, and got dressed. Then it was time to get a move on!

We helped out around the in-laws place and soon, my family arrived! We visited while we snacked on fresh veggies, some whole-wheat crackers with cream cheese and jam, and some great punch.






Then it was time for the turkey!

This was my plate (~5 oz turkey, 1/2 C green bean casserole, 3/4 C mashed potatoes, 1.5 C salad, .5 C steamed veggies, 1/2 C stuffing, and 1 slice whole-wheat bread). I ended up having just a little more turkey.

Then I had a slice of apple pie with some whipped cream and a coffee.

After we feasted, I taught one my nephew's how to knit and then we went for a walk to the park. A little hide-and-seek happened! We walked back and folks started going home.

After everyone else had left, we chatted with Kendall's parents and I had a few more crackers with cream cheese and jam. I wasn't too hungry!

We came home and I had a dark beer and a bit of red wine. Then it was early to bed to hit the Black Friday sales!!

Get Ready, Get Ready!

Today was awesome for a lot of reasons. First was that it was the last day of work before Thanksgiving. I started off with a bowl of cereal and milk and black coffee.

Secondly, it was cool this morning and a donned a pretty cute outfit. Let's just say it involved wide-leg black pants, cute denim jacket and a scarf.

I got to work and some people brought in some treats. I had a slice of pumpkin bread and half of a donut. Foiled my plan for light eating today!

THEN, we got out EARLY! Which was AWESOME! So the gals and I headed to lunch. I ordered a mushroom burger, thinking it was a portabella cap instead of a beef patty. It was really a beef patty smothered with mushrooms. So I ditched the beef. I also had about 1/2 C of the fries. Oops.

I got home and hung out my hubs. Then the flooring guy called and we went to Lowe's to finalize our carpet. Soon we'll have new floors in our two side bedrooms! Hoorah!

We got home and he made dinner while I started on our bread. He made salmon, orzo and some potatoes and onions. Very delicious!

I popped the bread in the oven and had one of these...

Ding! The bread was ready. I made whole-wheat egg bread, which I braided to take to Thanksgiving tomorrow. The first loaf didn't braid as well as the second. My bad! I'm still learning.

Now it's Glee and relaxing before the big Turkey Day!