White Girl Broad Rice Noodles

by Emily

If I had to name my favorite foods, Pad See Eiw would top the list every time. It beats out baby carrots and even jalapeño nachos, though it’s worth noting that diet pop isn’t a contender because it’s considered a necessity. Broad rice noodles have the best chew. If you get a well made dish of Pad See Eiw the noodles are almost like marshmallows, but in a delicious, savory way.

Tragically, I’ve never been able to find broad rice noodles on sale for the home cook. I’ve searched at Thai markets in Buffalo, Brooklyn, and Toronto with no luck. I haven’t given up hope but I’m not too broken up about it either. I figure that the universe is just telling me that we need to go out for Thai more often. Plus, I’ve found a white girl substitution that works in a pinch –

lasagna noodles

You simply cook the noodles according to the package directions, drain and cool, chop into large squares, and stir fry. The flavor and texture aren’t identical to broad rice noodles but they are good. It’s the closest I’ve come to approximating that great chew at home.

For tonight’s meal I made “broad rice noodles” with veggies and a spicy basil sauce. The final dish was chewy, spicy, healthy, and a little sweet and sour; we were big fans!

To make the meal, I used 1 Tbsp canola oil to stir fry 2 servings of chopped lasagna noodles, 3 small heads roasted broccoli, 2 roasted zucchini, and 2 eggs. Then I tossed everything in a spicy basil sauce and cooked it all for another 3 minutes.

spicy basil sauce

2 Tbsp finely chopped basil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp Sriracha

Dinner was great but I’ve been a hungry mungry all afternoon and my stomach is still growling! Before dinner I made myself a sliced green apple with 2 Tbsp Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter.

The cookie butter is tasty but it’s not exactly like Biscoff Spread. I still can’t put my finger on what the difference is.

When I was still hungry an hour after dinner I made myself a serving of Ritz crackers with 1 oz of melted Cabot 50% Reduced Sharp Cheddar.

Yummy, but not very filling. We don’t have a ton of options in the house though and I’ve definitly consumed enough calories for the day so I’ve decided to suck it up and just go hungry. Hopefully when I get back to work I’ll get distracted and my stomach will give it a rest!

Are you a broad rice noodle fan?

22Apr2012

Still Searching for ‘Rita

by Emily

Did you have a successful Saturday? Ours was sort of a wash. I did my to-do’s and had some fun with the husband but I also felt sick and spent many hours curled up in bed. I guess I’m just glad I was awake long enough to do what I needed to do.

For breakfast the husband took me to the new juice bar he spotted.

Code Blu was a win! Cute space and good juice.

*Hulk smash*

I got an “@Green.com” – spinach, kale, parsley, romaine, cucumber, celery, lemon, and apple.

Delicious! I liked how much it tasted like a lemonade. And there was combo on the menu with kale and watermelon so we’ll definitely be back.

We didn’t grocery shop at all for this week (only soda, cottage cheese, and fruit for Adam were purchased) so our errands were very quick but I was still complaining of hunger by the time we were done. I ate this handful of peanut m&m’s to try to stave off more whining.

Bletch; these only led to more complaining; why do they have such a terrible aftertaste?

When I woke up this morning the only thing I could think of was margaritas. I don’t even like tequilla so it was an odd craving but it was a strong one. Unfortunately none of the Mexican restaurants nearby were open for lunch (sidenote – I am flipping out over Cantina Loco‘s menu, I need to go there immediately). Then I remembered the free appetizer coupon I had for TGIFriday’s. I knew the margarita wouldn’t be the best ever, but I figured it was better than nothing.

Nothing would have been better. Adam and I split this skinny margarita and neither of us were fans.

The only redeeming thing I can say is that it had only 120 calories so at least I didn’t waste a meal’s worth of calories on the worst drink I’ve ever had. The sweetness level was sickening. Now I need to keep trying until I find a margarita that quenches my craving; I’m up to the task!

With our free appetizer coupon we got an order of pretzel sticks with beer cheese.

Beer cheese and pretzels are both always good things.

I ate 1.5 pretzels with cheese. We took one pretzel home for later but we probably should have just split it because the rest of lunch was a bust.

We split a cranberry jalapeño turkey reuben, no butter on the bread.

I loved this sandwich when I attended the tasting a few weeks back, but I couldn’t even finish my half today. It was too spicy and totally tasteless all at the same time.

I did eat most of my side salad with balsamic though.

Our meal came with dessert for only a dollar more so we took a chance on the “Oreo Madness.”

Yuck again. Adam actually ate most of it but I was unimpressed, and I’m the one who loves Oreos.

By the time we got home I was totally ill, a fact for which I blame the skinny sour mix in the margaritas. Not my best idea. But after a much-needed nap we pulled it together and switched out our closets and spring cleaned the storage containers. Go us!

Dinner ended up being a bag of popcorn.

No complaints there!

20Apr2012

The Have Nots

by Emily

I am so flipping excited to be back to blogging! In fact, I’m excited about doing pretty much anything. You see, I’m getting over a case of the “have-nots.” It was a nasty one. The past week I have not:

blogged ~ washed my hair ~ cooked ~ done any school work beyond what was immediately due ~ worked out ~ read any books ~ cleaned my house ~ eaten anything with any real nutritional value ~ been nice to my husband ~ taken a moment to appreciate my life

I told you it was bad. I finally got so sick of myself that this morning I started getting back to doing. I did three hair washes in the shower. I made and ate two healthy meals. I took a walk. I went to school. I finished a major assignment. I pre-made Adam’s dinner. I took a moment to reflect.

My plans for the weekend are big but doable – 1. spring clean our storage containers. 2. switch out our summer and winter wardrobes. 3. eat lots of fruits and veggies. 4. get in some strength training. 5. make notecards to start prepping for exam week. 6. read the 2nd Hunger Games book. #6 is the only task that’s really urgent 🙂

How do you get back in gear when you’ve got a case of the have-nots?

Back to blogging? This morning breakfast was pink, pink, pink.

I blended together 1 cup of skim milk, a 0% plain Yoplait Greek yogurt, 1 cup of frozen blackberries, and 1 Tbsp maple syrup.

Tangy but tasty. I froze a bunch of blackberries when they were on super-sale a few weeks back so I expect to have this again soon.

When my class was over this morning it was too pretty out to go home so I extended my walk up Elmwood to the Co-op. I perused some fun looking products but came away with only one.

A Relax drink from Solixir. With blackberry, chamomile, passion-flower, jujube, lemon balm, and hibiscus.

It didn’t really have much flavor but for 50 calories and no added sugar I’m not complaining.

My food was feeling preppy so to go with breakfast’s pink lunch was green.

I started with a Crispin apple.

Then I had a green-on-the-inside twice baked potato with basil and cheddar.

Recipe is down below. But I have to show you what I used for my basil –

I bought this Gourmet Garden Basil Herb Blend the other day on a whim but I think it’s going to become a kitchen staple! So much easier than cutting up my own basil or throwing out my own basil when it rots in the crisper. I see a lot of herbs in this week’s meal plan future.

Finally a big pile of roasted green beans.

Better than french fries! <– and I can tell you that for certain because I ate french fries for dinner two nights this week *whoops*

Basil and Cheddar Twice Baked Potato

6 oz baking potato
1 heaping Tbsp finely chopped basil
2 oz 50% reduced fat sharp cheddar

Microwave potato to desired doneness according to your microwave’s specifications. (my potato took 7 minutes at full power)
Cut two thin slices of cheddar, about 0.5 ounce worth, and then roughly dice the remainder of the cheese.
Cut potato in half and scoop out the flesh, taking care not to get too close to the skin so that the potato can still hold its shape.
Mash potato insides, basil, and diced cheddar. Spoon filling back into potato skins and top each side with a slice of cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes at 425 degrees Farenheit.

12Apr2012

What I’ve Been Up To

by Emily

Hi there! It hasn’t been the best week but it certainly could have been worse. Here is some of what I’ve been up to –

My trip to Ohio was sad but good. It was great to see my cousins and meet some babies.

I’m not sick anymore (yay!) but allergies are going to be rough this season. On Tuesday I did get the most carsick I’ve ever been. I moaned and cried the whole way home from Ohio and it was ridiculous.

The dog is still sick. He is having a severe allergic reaction and if his eyes aren’t better by Friday he has to go to a doggie dermatologist (yes, that is a real thing). He’s wearing a cone so he won’t scratch and it’s beyond pitiful.

My Wednesday test was pushed back to Monday because I stumbled into class in Adam’s sweatshirt (that I’d worn for the past 24 straight hours) and my teacher took pity on me and sent me home. I took my statistics test today and I think it went well.

I didn’t feel right taking photos the last fee days so no recap. But here is what I ate today –

Breakfast.

Reduced fat cottage cheese topped with a caramel Oikos and some toasted coconut.

The cottage cheese/yogurt mix rocks my socks, particularly with coconut.

Late lunch. A slice of naan with cheese (leftover from Indian for dinner on Wednesday).

And a plate of roasted green beans.

I bought a family size bag of green beans before we left for Ohio last week so expect to see a lot more of these.

In class snack. Cara cara orange.

Cara caras are so flipping good! They almost never have seeds and they’re pink.

Dinner was not well-planned. We desperately need to go to the grocery store and when I got home from class at 8 we wandered up and down Elmwood in search of food. I ended up with a 2-2-2 from Panos.

It was insanely dark but it was 2 buttermilk pancakes, two sunny side up eggs, and home fries; smothered in butter and syrup. I piled everything into a huge mound and tried to get a little of each part in every bite.

Dessert. A sliced green apple with 2 Tbsp of caramel sauce.

The caramel sauce basically turned into a solid, impenetrable ball, but the apple was good.

Question – how do you order your eggs to get them made without excess fat? I tried to order them “dry,” like toast but that gave the impression that I wanted my yolks well-done. I finally just said “without excess oil” but I feel like there must be short-hand for this.

8Apr2012

I’m Relleno

by Emily

Hello from Ohio. We’re not here for a happy reason but I’m happy we made it here safely.

We stayed up late catching up on TV last night and I got hungry again. I served myself a big bowl of cereal with skim milk; Cheerios and some raisin/bran/crunch thing.

I had breakfast food for my late-night snack and dinner food for breakfast.

A grilled cheese with Cabot 50% Reduced Sharp Cheddar and Sriracha mayo,

and a sliced honey crisp.

This meal was great but my next bite was terrible. I stole a piece of Adam’s chicken bites from McDonalds –

Ewwwwwww! So fried tasting and gross.

My dad flew into Buffalo this afternoon and we picked him up at the airport and headed off on our road trip. Since we had a “road-guest” we stopped for an actual dinner.

Torero’s served us some damn fine Mexican food! Pretty healthy too! Here was my plate –

Black beans,

rice,

and the Vegi-chiladas. “Steamed carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, yellow squash and zucchini rolled into two flour tortillas, topped with our salsa Mazatlán and garnished with Monterrey Jack cheese. Served with sour cream, lettuce, and tomatoes.”

I ordered my enchiladas sans cheese because I also had a chile relleno waiting for me on my dad’s plate.

Stuffed peppers are usually my favorite Mexican dish but this guy was a little too fried for me. I ended up eating about a third of everything, except I ate 1.25 tortillas and every single bite of vegetable.

I ate two Samoa Jumbles in the car for dessert.

Still good.

Where is your favorite road trip stop?

3Apr2012

Humbolt Fog

by Emily

Last night’s sleep session was a disaster. Usually my sleep issues are related to falling asleep but lately if I get woken up I can’t fall back to sleep either. The dog woke us up in the middle of the night and it took me at least another hour of tossing and turning to get back to rest. The husband brought home some sort of bug from the hospital and my throat was killing me.

I overslept today and the morning was rushed but I managed to do what I needed to do, mostly. I was heading to the gym after 9 am so sticking with my monthly goal I ate a small breakfast before I left. A few sips of strawberry Powerade Zero,

and a half of a Vanilla Almond Luna Bar.

I didn’t have much time at the gym but something was better than nothing. 20 minutes on the elliptical at random level 7.

After a quick walk home and an even quicker shower I made a Lemon Cookie Smoothie for breakfast.

The last time I made it was apparently a dark and stormy night and I wanted a chance to get some ~~better~~ less awful photographs for the recipe page.

It probably wasn’t my best use of time though; I made it halfway through my smoothie before I had to throw it away and rush out the door. I didn’t have time to pack lunch and having half a smoothie digesting in my stomach just made my hunger stronger all afternoon.

I got out of clinic a bit early and when I spotted a Manhattan Bagel on the drive home it felt like an oasis in the desert.

I was eating the chips that came with my meal before I was even out of the parking lot.

But chips only seemed to anger the beast (aka my stomach) and I ended up eating my bagel on the ride home!

Eating while driving is sort of nice because instead of dreading red lights you can use them to shove food into your face. And my bagel was quite enjoyable; I got a veggie sandwich on a rye bagel.

Red onion, lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, veggie cream cheese, and a little bit of chipotle mayo. I thought the veggies were pretty weak but the bagel was super chewy and good.

I had my 2nd to last shift at work this evening and then I came home to an easy salad dinner.

I needed a vehicle for a veggie, a fruit, and this amazing looking cheese, and salad fit the bill.

This Cypress Grove Humbolt Fog Chevre was delicious. Sadly the blue cheese and goat cheese were in layers and not the hybrid mixture I was hoping for, but both were quite tasty.

Along with chunk of cheese I had romaine lettuce, groats, chopped honey crisp apple, and Stubbs BBQ Sauce for dressing.

Those ingredients sound strange together but it worked.

I’ll see y’all in the am for some running and some baking!

2Apr2012

Commercially Yours

by Emily

Does it feel like a Thursday to anyone else? My brain just cannot accept that it’s Monday! The husband thought it was later in the week too so I’m not alone.

Monday’s lunch was munched in class. A pink lady apple,

a caramel Oikos,

and a giant iced coffee (coffee, Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk, English toffee syrup).

After class I had a group work meeting and then it was off to work. My job only lasts for a few more days and I’m definitely going to miss the experience (and $!) when it’s over.

The husband is the man you wish your man would be (is anyone else still in love with the Old Spice commercials?!) so he not only picked me up from school but had dinner waiting when I got home.

A salad of Romaine topped with groats, raisins, ground flax, and Newman’s Own Light Caesar dressing.

And a serving of California Pizza Kitchen’s BBQ Recipe Chicken frozen pizza.

CPK is my favorite chain of all time and this pizza was no slouch. “White meat chicken with a spicy-sweet barbecue sauce, red onions, cilantro, and smoked gouda and mozzarella cheeses over [their] famous crispy thin crust.”

The flavors were great, but the serving did feel a little small. I’m going to try to go to bed soon instead of eating more though. I have a few e-mails to send for clinic and then hopefully I’ll be off to slumber.

What is your favorite commercial? Mine is Burger King’s Angry Whopper commercial (see below) because it reminds me of the “Broodwich” episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

1Apr2012

Three Dessert Sunday

by Emily

The weekend is over and I didn’t catch up on any sleep, aaaahh! After our late night (cough, 4:30, cough cough) I was thrilled to wake up to a pre-made breakfast. Overnight oats in a jar.

In a pb jar with just a little peanut butter left (approximately 2 Tbsp) I combined 1/4 cup of oats, 1/4 cup Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk, and a caramel Oikos.