Tag Archives: beans

Day Of Work

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After two very (very, very, very) lazy days, it was time for a day of work. This Sunday was all about getting things done. I –

  • put away two loads of laundry
  • did some dishes
  • ran some errands
  • organized my school binder
  • made all of my note cards from last week’s notes
  • did a case study for clinical practice
  • made a delicious dinner

Breakfast was worth a thumbs up too.

I stirred a Liberte Coconut Yogurt into a big scoop of 1% large curd cottage cheese, topped with shredded sweetened coconut.

The coconut flavor was nice, but the resulting texture was mind-blowing. Too creamy for words.

In between errands and school work was lunch.

I picked up a grab bag-style to-go container from the Co-op.

A salad of yam, corn, and black beans; cilantro tofu; peanut tofu with lots of broccoli; and a little bit of vegan pasta salad.

We took Webster with us on our walking errands and his little sweater was so becoming!

He’s still not 100% down with snow, and shivers like a total wimp.  I tease him mercilessly, telling him that his ancestors in Germany only used to hunt badgers in a climate-controlled living room.

While we were out I found a new M&M variety – Dark Chocolate Mint!

Delish.  These had just the right level of chill to them.

Sometime between the lunch and dinner hours we had salads.

Romaine with chopped cucumbers and a dressing made of the remains of the yogurt Caesar shaken with evoo and cider vinegar.

Dinner was a real winner.

For 4 servings of creamy, cheesy, buttery, vegetarian yet protein-rich pasta, combine –

  • ~ 4 servings of small shape pasta, cooked
  • ~ 1.5 cups peas
  • 2 pint mushrooms sautéed with chopped green onion and 5 Tbsp butter
  • 4 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
  • 12 oz 0% Plain Fage

So much yum! I didn’t tell the husband that there was plain Greek yogurt (which he thinks he hates) in the pasta and I didn’t hear any complaints. I think pasta with peas and cheese might be our favorite dish.

I’ve got to get back to work; I’m going to hit with week with running start!

Which flavors of M&M’s have you gotten to try?  I think I’ve had them all – regular, peanut, almond, peanut butter, dark chocolate, pretzel, cinnamon, and coconut – the only flavor I missed with strawberry pb which I never found despite hours of searching!

It Ain’t Easy Being Green

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Physical activity is a funny thing.  I went to a 60 minute hot yoga class today.  I was dreading it all morning, and sure enough, when I got there it sucked.  I felt like I was going to pass out the entire time and spent most of the class in child’s pose.  It was my worst practice to date.  But by the time I was done, I was so happy that I went.

When I got home from the yoga class that was both frightful and fantastic, I made a smoothie for breakfast.

1 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 1 frozen banana, 7 oz frozen soursop pulp, and nutmeg (for garnish).

The flavor wasn’t quite right but the texture was luscious.

And nutmeg on creamy drinks, especially piña coladas!, is the best.

Adam and I ran a few errands in the snow and then it was time for a double-decker lunch.

On a hamburger bun with schmear of sour cream, 2 nacho turkey burgers topped with 1 oz of melted sharp cheddar.

It was totally swoon-worthy.  The burgers are nice and juicy but have this great chew from the chips too.

I’m glad I made the patties small and stackable.

For dessert, Adam and I each had a mug cake.

I followed the basic recipe, with the inclusion of a handful of chocolate chips.

Dinner was one of my older recipes that I decided to revisit.

Green Tuna Enchiladas!  I updated the recipe page too.

I had two enchiladas and some roasted brocoli on my plate.

It was a good, green meal.

But I wasn’t feeling satisfied.  In fact, I’ve had a gnawing hunger all day, and I know it’s not thirst in hunger’s clothing because this pitcher and I have been fast friends all day.

That h2o is spiked with limes and sugar cane, fyi.

So I honored my hunger and  finished up my dinner with some leftover beans and rice with sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Now I’m done.

What do you do when you’re hungry when you “shouldn’t be?”

Not Yo Mama’s Turkey Burgers

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Three posts in one day?!?  I’m on a roll!  And since I didn’t have it together to eat before late afternoon, this is actually everything I ate today.  Sidenote – my #2 goal for the next 30 days is to blog every single day/eat.  My #1 goal?  Involves my ass and the gym.

Since I waited too long to eat I was absolutely starving.  I ended up eating a 6-inch tuna sub, with vinegar and red onions, while I cooked dinner.

It was tasty, and it kept me from gnawing my own arm off.

Dinner was a good’un.  Quick, delicious, and it involved two brand-spanking-new recipes.

Emily- and husband-approved.

New recipe 1 was Nacho Turkey Burgers, makes 8 small burgers

  • 1 lb 94% fat-free ground turkey
  • 1 large egg
  • 60 grams crushed tortilla chips
  • 1/4 cup medium, chunky style salsa
  • 3/4 cup Mexican shredded cheese blend
  • 1 tsp evoo
  • 8 hamburger buns
  • guacamole (optional)
  • sliced cheddar (optional)
  • hot sauce (optional)
  1. In a large bowl, combine turkey, egg, chips, salsa, and cheese until a homogenous mixture is achieved.  Use your hands to shape into 8 equal-sized patties.
  2. Heat evoo in a grill-pan over medium-high heat.  Working in small enough batches as to not overcrowd the pan add patties to pan.
  3. Cook burgers until browned and fully cooked through; 5-8 minutes on each side.
  4. Serve cooked burgers and top as desired.

New recipe 2 was served atop the burgers, Citrus Guacamole.

  • 2 medium-sized ripe avocados
  • 1 tomatillo, minced
  • 1 small lemon, juiced
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  1. Place avocados in a medium bowl and mash with a fork, leaving some chunks.
  2. Stir in tomatillo, lemon juice, and salt.  Serve immediately.

Both recipes ended up turning out really well!

I love it when my kitchen experiments work out.

I had one nacho turkey burger, on a bun with citrus guacamole,

a serving of rice and beans (just rice with a can of black beans stirred in during the final minutes of cooking) topped with another dollop of guac,

and some roasted asparagus.

The citrus-salt theme was carried nicely throughout the entire meal.

For dessert I nibbled on a few chocolate covered pretzels.

We’re currently making our way through the “Aliens” movies, so “Aliens, 2” was our dinner entertainment.  Webster thought it was thrilling.

He’s such a cutie.

So, about that hair cut.  A month or so ago, this exchange took place on Yes I Want Cake –

Katie got her cut soon after, and it looked fantastic.  I’d just given to Locks of Love, but after some time enjoying my new hair, I was ready.  What do you think?

I love it!

Mug Shots

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It was another day without a workout, but I was very productive on the seated tasks front.  Plus, I snuck in a walk and a few planks, which is always better than nothing.

For breakfast I tried one of the new Chobani flavors.

0% Apple Cinnamon did not disappoint.  Now I’ve just got to locate the passionfruit flavor.

Lunch was a rerun of last night’s dinner.

A bowl of chili topped with a sprinkle of parmesan,

and a side of homemade olive oil crackers.

Just as good in leftover form.

I woke up late (I’ve got to get a handle on that before school starts in 11 days!) and spent several hours working on Window Shopping Wednesday posts.  Those suckers do not just write themselves; I can’t even imagine how time-consuming it would be to write a blog with actual content!

Around 2:00, I hopped into a much-needed shower and then headed off to the post office on foot.  Who is that girl with the long, blonde hair?

Goodbye, old passport photo.

I finished my journey back to the apartment just in time to catch the husband coming home for a 2 hour break. We hopped in the car and ran a few errands. During our travels we split a grape cola slushie.

Slushies make me ridiculously happy. You can’t get them where I grew up and on our college trip my junior year of high school I must have bought at least one a day.

I’ve spent my evening during school work and I’ve got a magazine project lined up for when I’m done.  I had to update my clinic book and professional portfolio and write several professional goals.  It wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be, but I understand why I’ve been putting it off.

Dinner was a vegetable fest.

Veggies roasted with cooking spray and salt, dipped in tons of ketchup.

I had a small pile of okra,

and a huge pile of green beans.

Both were delicious.  As I get more and more comfortable in the kitchen, roasted veggies are still the most comforting thing I know how to make.

A vegetable fest (note, fest not feast) is on the lighter side for an evening meal, but I knew that dessert was in my future.

Coffee cake in a mug!

This recipe is a 2 minute masterpiece.

Have you tasted any of the new Chobani flavors yet?  What is your number 1 favorite variety of Greek yogurt?

Moss No More

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Hello again, long time no see!  After a solid month of basically being a sloth, today was my first productive day in a long time and it felt good.

I spent four hours shadowing an RD who does nutrition counseling for some of the local public schools.  Such a neat job!  I got to sit in on several sessions, including one with a parent.  I had a great time learning more about another new job possibility, but I have to admit that being back in a public school setting did make me miss my teaching days.  Actually, lately I’ve been thinking a lot about teaching.  I’m not sure where I’ll end up at this point, but I do know that I have to finish this degree before anything else happens!

I did have time to eat before I left, but when I got home Adam and I split this persimmon.

This anniversary gift was finally ripe.  We scooped the flesh out with a spoon.

Very tasty, though not quite $5 tasty.  I’m glad I got to try this guy as a present.

I also had a salad for greens.

A romaine base topped with peanut sauce, craisins, and buckwheat groats.

And I did a bit of nibbling while I cooked up dinner.

Tonight’s meal was a blog-inspired affair!

Olive oil crackers from Yes I Want Cake.

Sweet Chicken Chili from Iowa Girl Eats topped with a bit of parmesan.

Those girls are so good, both recipes were delicious.

I’ve made the chili many times in the past (even the beef chili from the chili sale was inspired by the recipe) and I am so glad that I decided to be brave and try the crackers.  They had the perfect balance of crunch and chew!

After dinner I cuddled up to this bag of popcorn.

And now the kitchen is officially closed for the night and my retainers are in.  I’m off to paint my nails!

How many different types of jobs have you held?  If you’re a career-switcher, do you ever miss your old gig?

My list at this point includes editor, retail worker/cashier, ice cream scooper, waitress, note-taker, and teacher.

What Was Lunch?

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I felt like today’s dinner and lunch sort of became an ambiguous blob that spread out across the afternoon.  I kept eating different pieces and it was hard to tell where one meal ended and the other began.  As you saw, I had a plate of cheesetastic mac and cheese around 2:00.

Then a while later I had a salad.

This was an especially good salad too.  A romaine base with 1.5 Tbsp of peanut sauce, 2 Tbsp of bloody mary peanuts, and a huge handful of chopped celery.

A while after that, I ate ~2 cookies’ worth of dough while helping Adam with some baking.

Next, I ate a bowl of leftover Hoppin’ John.

And finally I dipped Adam’s pizza crusts into diet pop, but didn’t snap a picture so you’ll have to use your imagination.  I’ll be honest that I planned on eating a bowl of ice cream too, but somehow that one got away from me.

Off With A Thud

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2012 started off with a resounding … thud!  We headed out this morning for a grocery trip, ran over a nail and saw blade (wtf?!), and spent the rest of the afternoon changing the husband’s tire and getting it patched.  Whoops!  In the spirit of being a more positive person, I found a few Pollyanna-type takeaways from our flat –

  1. Thank goodness the tire wasn’t rusted to the axle like the ones on my car, and we were able to change to the spare by ourselves (in the Wegman’s parking lot!).
  2. Since we were spending the afternoon at Mr. Tire we took my car in as well for winterizing, a task we had been putting off.
  3. I probably wouldn’t have spent the day cleaning the entire house, working out like a madman, or changing my entire life anyways; and having the excuse of being stuck with the car means I don’t have to feel bad about not doing those things!

Before the bad thing happened, I made myself a cup of White Christmas tea with skim milk.

I was starving at the grocery store and I’m glad I managed to grab some food from home before we headed out for three hours at Mr. Tire.  Adam and I each got a 1 oz serving of Lord Nut’s spicy bloody mary peanuts.

The nuts were a Christmas gift from my mom. 

They were good; the flavor was spot on but not too spicy for Adam.  My 2nd snack was also a Christmas gift.

Lara Bar kindly sent me some samples of their newest flavor, Cappuccino!

I think it is actually my newest favorite flavor.  This tasted the least like dates (my only complaint about Lara Bars is that some flavors are too strong with date) and the coffee flavor was there without being overwhelming.

We spent part of our wait-time wandering around outside in the rain, and ended up at Mustachio’s for slices of cheese pizza.

Also fun, when we stopped at the Co-op on our way home I managed to snag a sample of mint swirl brownie.

Sweet!

Since 2012 didn’t have the most auspicious start, I’m glad we ate a dinner geared towards bringing us luck.

We followed Jenna’s recipe for Hoppin’ John, with a few changes –

  • mixed everything together rather than making a relish
  • replaced two of the plum tomatoes with tomatillos (<– I highly recommend this change, it gave the dish a nice citrus flavor)
  • substituted brown rice with forbidden black rice for extra luck!

And if it wasn’t lucky, at least it was healthy and tasty.

Our plans for the rest of the evening include Netflix Instant Watch and this skillet cookie my sister-in-law gave us for Christmas.

2012, bring it on!

How’d you spend the first day of the new year?

St. Thomas to Buffalo

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Monday

Yesterday was the perfect last day on island.

I got to see some of my favorite people and eat some of my favorite things.

I tried to eat this honey fig Oikos for breakfast.

The flavor seemed like something I would love but one bite in I was twisting up my face in disgust. Why so sour?!?

Instead I ate some leftover crack pie.

And an old-fashioned strawberry candy for good measure.

My unorthodox breakfast didn’t matter, because I had something good coming for lunch.

Chicken patty!

Pattys (pronounced like pate) are fried dough stuffed with spiced meat.

Amazing. The dough is chewy and the filling (usually beef or saltfish, but sometimes salmon or even veggies) is always tender and perfectly seasoned.

My parents and I spent the afternoon walking around downtown with my visiting aunt, uncle, and cousins. Important note – some of the best foods from my childhood are found in town and I spent the rest of the day eating myself silly.

The #1 best thing I had all vacation was this glass of soursop (guanabana) juice.

I never find soursop in the states but it will always be my favorite fruit. It’s sweet and almost creamy.

A while later I bought a fraco with milk (shaved ice with sweetened condensed milk).

I went with tamarind and passionfruit, more local flavors.

I only could handle half of it but that’s really all you need.

And for my final drink of the afternoon we cracked open a jellynut (aka a green coconut).

The water was more sour than I prefer, but I grabbed a long spoon and scraped out all of the sweet flesh.

That evening my parents and I headed back into town so we could eat dinner at Gladys’ Cafe.

I started with a slice of bread with butter.

And a bowl of callaloo (a thick soup made with spinach and okra).

My meal was the special plate, and it was exactly what I was craving.

Mac and cheese,

cole slaw,

rice and beans,

fried plantains,

and stewed chicken.

I could get past the bones to eat much chicken, but I stirred my rice and beans into the sauce and was in heaven.

We ended our evening with a glorious walk down the waterfront.

For nighttime entertainment I headed back to my high school friends’ apartment.

Vodka/something, x2.

Several old friends were there and I was so glad to get to see everyone. Adrien found his old year book which was perfect and hysterical. They were Adam’s grade, so no pictures of me, but I did see a few great ones of the husband!

Tuesday

Today I had to head back to Buffalo; which did at least mean a rendezvous with Adam.

The food situation today was pretty bad. That’s what 13+ hours in the airport will do!

In the St. Thomas airport I ate a johnny-cake with cheese.

On flight 1 I read this book.

In the Miami airport I wandered.

And got drawn in by this sign –

I actually ended up buying a very healthy sandwich.

As well as a very decadent sounding slice of cake.

The dulce de leche did not disappoint!

When I wasn’t eating on flight 2, I was reading.

After a quick scamper through Chicago I was on flight 3 starting my third book.

And before I knew it, I was home with the husband.

We stopped at Moe’s on the way home to pick up a quick and healthy dinner.

After my carb-filled day week I requested that they go light on the rice and cheese.  Topped with cilantro, green pepper, onion, mushrooms, and corn salsa.

Off to unpack I go!  P.S. It’s our fourth wedding anniversary tomorrow!