Author Archives: Emily

Cinco De Mayo Surprise

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I had big Cinco de Mayo themed plans for today but unfortunately they fell through.  It was a good day regardless, just not themed.  <–  I love a good theme, I sort of can’t believe I didn’t rush a sorority in college

Friday was good in a “day-off” sort of way.  Thursday night was ridiculous; I woke up a little bit before 4am and never went back to sleep.  I tossed and turned, got up to pee, got up to get a drink; nothing worked.  Which is how I ended up eating blondies and watching “Private Practice” at 6am.  I knew I would be cranky and unproductive so instead of trying to fight it I spent my day eating Indian food, watching dramatic tv, starting the latest Kathy Reichs book, and going to see “The Avengers.”  Sidenote – “Avengers” was great, I am thrilled that I got to see two Joss Whedon pieces in the same month!

I spent this morning finishing up Flash and Bones in bed (loved it!).  My mood threatened another day off but I knew I needed to get my butt in gear and face the world.  I set out on errands and ultimately finished most of next week’s to-do’s as well!  I was out later than expected and ended up grabbing lunch at Moe’s.

A Moo Moo Mr. Cow (kids’ burrito) with rice, black beans, grilled veggies, corn salsa, and pickled jalapeños.

I didn’t eat 90% of my chips and queso but they were nice to have after particularly spicy bites of burrito.

I had a blondie when I got home.

Adam came home from his shift at the hospital this afternoon with his black dress shoes completely spent so we headed off to the outlet mall.  It was crazy and crowded but we rewarded ourselves for our efforts with Ben and Jerry’s.

I got a small cup of Schweddy Balls and Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz.

Mmmmn!

During our travels I also had these Jalapeño Cheddar Combos.

Our evening plans included a surprise party for our friend Ethan.

The event was held at Torro, a local tapas place.  They brought us bread with oil and vinegar upon arrival.

And Adam and I split the Tempura Shrimp – “skewers with napa salad, miso dressing, and sweet Korean chili dipping sauce.”

This dish was great!  I ate two with sauce, plus all of the cabbage.

Of course there was cake.

I had half of that small piece, I’m in more of a savory than sweet mood.

We’ve had tapas before, so we were aware that one plate wouldn’t be enough for two people but there was an issue and we never got our 2nd plate.  No big deal though, the boys all came back here for an impromptu poker game so I’m cuddling up with some chips and dip.

Did you drink any margaritas today?

The Semester Is Winding Down

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The semester is winding down.  Classes finished today and I’ve got a week of exams standing between me and summer.  Of course, I only have two weeks of freedom before summer school starts, but I’ll take what I can get.

I’ve been having the hardest time getting out of bed in the morning and today was not the day that broke the streak.  I’ll need to treat my two free weeks like a bedtime boot camp or I’m going to be hurting during summer school.  I ran out of time to workout so instead I drove the dog with me while I parked the car and then walked him home from school.

It was nice to take him somewhere new, though I wish he would have found a better place to do his business than the middle of the quad!

I did a quick outfit change at home and then I was walking back to school, breakfast in hand.

This smoothie combo is a winner!  1.5 Tbsp chia seeds, 1 cup of lemonade, and 1 cup of frozen strawberries.

Frozen strawberry lemonade can’t be beat and the chia seeds give it a nice hit of omega-3s.

I had less time this morning because my statistics teacher let me come in early to check over the homework.  All of my assignments are now in (a week early) and I finished today’s practice test and checked my answers (all correct!) before class was half over so I’m feeling good for the final.

Lunch was eaten in the car on the way to my last clinic observation of the semester.  Bagelwiches are a nice, one-handed item.

I had a Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Thin with jalapeño cream cheese and Applegate Farms’ Smoked Turkey.

Plus an Empire apple.

My last day of clinic went great.  I did another outpatient observation and I’m pretty much convinced I want to do outpatient when I grow up.  I love the amount of interaction RDs get with their outpatient clients!  While I was there we saw three patients, two type 2 diabetics and a GI issue.  Getting an hour (+) with each of them was great; it seems like they all took a lot away from their appointments.

My last night class went well and suddenly, I was free!  I didn’t have much time to workout; once I made it home and changed I could only get one loop around the block before it got dark.  It was just was well though, I’m not sure I had a 2nd loop in me!  1.2 miles in 10:55.  <– that’s more than a minute faster than any of my previous times!!

Dinner was easy peasy leftovers.

Bow tie pasta and roasted zucchini with peasy pesto, drizzled with 1 Tbsp evoo.

I’ve never been so glad to see a bowl of pasta in my life.  The only thing I’m more excited about is getting my head on a pillow.

Triple Butterscotch Blondies For The Last Day Of School

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Buttery blondie dough studded with Heath chips and butterscotch morsels.  Did your heart just flutter a little bit?

Mine sure did, and not just because I’ve been shoving my face full of blondies made with 16 tablespoons of butter.

These seemed like the perfect way to celebrate the end of the semester.  They are impossibly chewy and taste like the ultimate butterscotch sundae.

Triple Butterscotch Blondies, makes 18 bars

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup Heath pieces
  • 1/2 cup butterscotch morsels
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.  Prepare a 9×13 inch dish with baking spray.
  2. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown 11 Tbsp of butter.  Melt the butter, swirling the pan to keep it from burning.  Browning should take 2 – 3 minutes; when the butter is a deep brown and starting to smell delicious it’s done.
  3. Transfer the browned butter to a large, heat-safe bowl.  Add remaining 5 Tbsp of butter and stir until melted.
  4. Whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla into butter.  Whisk in eggs.
  5. Gently stir flour and baking soda into the butter-sugar mixture.  Fold Heath pieces and butterscotch morsels into dough.
  6. Pour dough into prepared baking dish and smooth into the edges of the dish with a spatula.
  7. Bake 30 minutes, until lightly browned and starting to pull away from the edges of the dish.
  8. Allow to cool before slicing if you want neat squares.

Healthy or Happy

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Healthy and happy.  I started my day with a run.  My day started fairly late because I skipped snoozing and went straight to turning off my alarm clock, but that’s another story.  I ran two loops around the block, 2.4 miles in 24:45.  I did a negative split (by a couple of seconds) and it damn near killed me.

Healthy.  I made myself a rehydration cocktail after my run.

Vita Coco Tropical Fruit Coconut Water and club soda.

It was pretty bad.  I think using plain coconut water would have been better.  But I was so hot that I took a cold shower so I knew I needed the fluid and electrolytes.  I drank 80% before giving up.

It was neither happy nor healthy that I didn’t eat any solid food all day but that’s what happens when you sleep until the last possible minute and then have to hustle so fast to class that you’re practically skipping.

Healthy and happy.  When I got home from school I ate a big pile of baby carrots with homemade 1000 island dressing for dipping.

I’m not sure what possessed me to make so much dressing but I used the leftovers to make Adam a sandwich so it’s all good.

I also ate a Golden Delicious apple.

Happy.  I baked a batch of blondies to celebrate tomorrow being the last day of classes.

I ate three.  Recipe should be up by noon tomorrow.

Healthy.  I ate a salad before dinner.

Romaine topped with ground flax and bbq sauce.

Healthy and happy.  We made homemade Hawaiian pizza for dinner.

We topped a Boboli Whole Wheat Crust with marinara, 2% shredded mozzarella, sliced pineapple, and “ham.”

The “ham” was actually honey turkey that I asked the deli counter to slice 1/4 inch thick.

The end result was very tasty.

Tell me one thing you did today for your health and/or happiness?

S’mores Dip

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No Window Shopping Wednesday this week, instead I’ve got something better – the recipe for S’mores Dip!

Is there anything better than an ooey, gooey s’more?  No!  But this dip is a close second.  The tang from the cream cheese keeps it from being too sweet so you can go back for bite after bite.

The dip will keep in the fridge for up to three days (probably longer but you’ll definitely have finished it by then!).  Serve with Teddy Grahams, pretzel sticks, or apple slices.

S’mores Dip

  • 8 oz 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese, softened
  • 20 toasted marshmallows*
  • 4 sheets graham cracker, crushed
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
  1. Place softened cream cheese and toasted marshmallows in a medium bowl.  Use a mixer on medium speed to mix until homogenous.
  2. Use a spatula to fold in crushed graham cracker and mini chocolate chips.
  3. Serve immediately or pull from the fridge a bit before serving so the dip can come up to room temperature.

*If you have a broiler – lay the marshmallows on a sprayed cookie sheet and then place under the broiler for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  You’ll need to watch the marshmallows carefully because they can go from toasty to burnt in a matter of seconds.

If you don’t have a broiler – it is possible to toast marshmallows in the oven (or over a grill if you’ve got one!).  Lay them on a sprayed cookie sheet and place them in your oven at the highest temperature it allows.  Cooking times will vary.

Peasy Pesto Pasta

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It’s already after 11 pm and the alarm is going off before 6 am tomorrow, yikes!  This day needs a speedy post.

Workout – 40 minutes on the stationary bike at  random level 6

Breakfast – Banana brulee yogurt.

In a small skillet I cooked a sliced banana with 1/2 Tbsp butter and 2 tsp brown sugar.  I put the gooey, caramelized banana on top of a bowl of Wegman’s 0% Plain Greek Yogurt.

The sweet and tangy tastes went perfectly together.

Lunch – a bagel sandwich.

A cinnamon raisin Bagel Thin topped with jalapeño cream cheese and two slices of Applegate Farms smoked turkey.

I ate a slice of turkey in the morning as I was assembling my sandwich, it’s great.

I also had a Golden Delicious apple.

Snack – a mini bag of kettle corn.

Dinner – 2 oz of bow tie pasta with slices of roasted zucchini and peasy pesto (see below).

I love pesto so flipping much!  Bow ties with pesto are one of my major food memories from my childhood.  My aunt makes the best pesto I’ve ever had but she’s a great cook so that’s not surprising.

Peasy Pesto, makes 4 – 8 servings

  • 10 oz frozen peas, thawed and drained
  • 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
  • 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  1. Place peas and oil in food processor and process until homogenous, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  2. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until well combined.

It was such a pretty green, I just couldn’t help taking pictures of it!

Jalapeño Popper Rolls

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As promised, here is the first of the recipes I made for book club last weekend.

These rolls are spicy and cheesy, my favorite combination!  They are a take on my favorite appetizer – Jalapeño Poppers.  Some popper aficionados prefer cheddar while the purists want cream cheese.  These rolls make cheddar and cream cheese play together nicely.

Wimps who want something cheesy with just a bit of spice may want to substitute banana peppers.  Daredevils can use fresh jalapeños.

Jalapeño Popper Rolls, makes 8 rolls

  • 8 oz package Pillsbury Crescent Seamless Dough Sheet
  • 4 oz 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese, softened
  • 2 T jarred jalapeño juice
  • 1/2 cup jarred sliced jalapeños, drained
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit and prepare a cookie sheet with baking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, use a mixer to blend together cream cheese and jalapeño juice.
  3. On a clean, flat workspace, roll out seamless dough sheet.
  4. Use a spatula to spread jalapeño cream cheese in a thin, even layer on dough.  You don’t want to leave a border, spread the cream cheese to the edges of the dough.
  5. Place jalapeños in rows on top of cream cheese.  Leave about half an inch between each row and do not overlap the jalapeños.
  6. Sprinkle cheese in an even layer on top of jalapeños.
  7. Carefully roll up the dough, as if you were rolling up a yoga mat.  Slice rolled dough into 8 pieces.
  8. Place rolls on prepared cookie sheet, leaving a bit of space between them so they have room to rise.
  9. Bake at 375* for 18 – 20 minutes until golden.

BBQ ‘Bellas

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The stormy weather threatened my workout tonight but I persevered.  When I walked outside into heavy rain I knew I had to rethink my run.  Then the husband offered to drive me to the gym like a knight in shining armor a dry car.  I’ve hated running on the treadmill recently but it’s better than nothing at all.  I ran 2 miles (18:44) and then walked a 5 minute cool down.  2.3 miles and 24 minutes.  Followed by a few minutes of strength/stretching.

Dinner was a beauty.

It’s been years since I’ve eaten a portabella burger but a Wegman’s worker was cooking them for a display at the store last weekend and Adam and I both caught the craving.

These babies were especially good when paired with bbq sauce, aged gouda, and jalapeño cream cheese.

I put the ‘shrooms and a bit of canola oil over medium-high heat and then covered the pan and let them cook for 6 minutes.  Meanwhile, I toasted up some sandwich thins.  I schmeared 1 oz of jalapeño cream cheese on a thin, topped it with the cooked portabella, and then topped that with a healthy drizzle of Stubbs bbq sauce and 1 oz of aged gouda.

The sandwiches were a mess to eat but oh-so satisfying.

Roasted asparagus rounded out dinner.

This meal tasted like summer.

Pick your favorite – bean burger, beef burger, turkey burger, or ‘bella burger?