Moe’s Who?

It’s been quite a night for a Thursday, quite a night!  In addition to making a banging dinner and a revolutionary dessert, I also managed to get some school work done; booyah!

On the agenda for tonight were quick and easy quesadillas.

But you know I did some snacking first.  Adam and I split some fun – a snowman cookie from Sweet Tooth,

and a Weyerbacher’s Imperial Pumpkin Beer.

Both were quite tasty; I ate a little less than half of the cookie, and a little more than half of the beer.

Wokka, wokka, wokka, wokka…..

In between sips, I sautéed up 1/2 cup each frozen corn and black beans in some tomatillo salsa.

This was delicious, and what didn’t fit on my quesadilla was eaten out of a bowl with a bit of sour cream.

I topped a tortilla with my veggie mixture and 1.5oz of sharp cheddar, folded, and gave a quick spin in a greased frying pan.

To die for!  This was cheesy and melty and salty, all while still being healthy.  I previous thought that nothing could top Moe’s, but this was definitely better!

Dessert was pretty darn good too.

That would be low-fat cottage cheese, topped with half a banana, drizzled with caramel sauce.

Sometimes I even impress myself.

Eaten whilst watching “Modern Family,” which seriously slays me with how funny it is!

What do you put on your quesadillas?

Nog Makes It Nice

I love egg nog.  Like, a lot.  If I wasn’t so obsessed with keeping holidays within their “slots” I’d probably drink it year round.  But then there’s also that whole ‘fitting into my pants’ issue.  Which is what makes this product so amazing.

Silk Soy Nog.  95% as tasty as the original, and the nutritional stats are 95% better than the original.

It is so fabulously tasty, and healthfully low-fat that it even works well as a breakfast staple.  Overnight oats anyone?

Soy nog overnight oats are so good that I’ve basically stopped eating regular o.n.o. the rest of the year!

Yesterday evening I stirred together 1/3cup oatmeal and 2/3cup Silk Soy Nog and put them in the fridge overnight.  This morning I stirred in 1 Low Fat Vanilla Stonyfield and a dash of nutmeg.  Topped with holiday sprinkles, of course!

Packed into a go-cup for the car.

I ate in transit so I could cram for my test once I got to school.  I think I did pretty well, ~B, there were a few questions on there that we had not covered at all in class so that was frustrating.

My schedule today was class – break – meetings – break – evening class.  I used my first break to study for my upcoming Anatomy practical.  Fueled by Reese’s Pieces.

ET made me do it!  I ate about half of this bag, or approximately 1.5servings.

Just in case you aren’t sure that I’m a dork, I have to show you that I was taking my notes with a peppermint scented red and green striped pen –

‘Tis the season!

My meeting concerned the application process for the program I’m applying to (due the first week of the spring semester) and gave me major anxiety.  I have a lot to do over Christmas break.

My plan for the second break was to get a veggie sub and study for Orgo.  Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that “a little bbq sauce, please” was code for “please dip my entire sandwich in sauce, thereby making it impossible to eat and work at the same time.”

That messy monster contained green pepper, red onion, lettuce, tomato, pickles, pepperjack, and bbq sauce.

Sidenote on the sandwich – what I really wanted was an enchilada burrito from Taco Bell.  I hate most fast food but, not gonna lie, I sort of love Taco Bell.  But I recently realized that just because Taco Bell isn’t McDonalds (eww), doesn’t mean that their chickens are any tortured.  If I only buy “humane” meat to cook at home then I shouldn’t eat “evil” meat just because I’m not at home.  Obviously there are road trips and restaurants and other people’s houses, but I should probably be done with Taco Bell 😦

My night class went quickly, and then I came home to a quick but random dinner.

Actually, we were both starving, so while we cooked the husband and I split a quicksadilla (that’s a tortilla with sharp cheddar microwaved in it).

When I was at my grandparent’s house for Turkey Day, they served the tastiest brussels sprout dish.  I wrote down the recipe – by Cat Cora for a magazine – to make again when we got home.

3 lbs brussels sprouts
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 Tbsp lemon juice
4 Tbsp capers

Prepare brussels sprouts by peeling off the outside leaves and cutting off the steam.  Using a paring knife, mark the core where the stem was with an X.  Cut the sprouts in half.
In a 4-qt saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.  Season with 1 Tbsp salt.  Blanch sprouts for 10minutes or until fork-tender.
In a 10-inch saute pan, brown the butter and add sprouts.  Cook over medium-high heat until caramelized, 10minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the capers and lemon juice.  Season with remaining salt.
Serves 8.  Per serving: 130calories, 5g protein…

I have to warn you about my entrée – it tasted better than it looked.

There was a serving each left of kugel and hoppin’ john…

…so I put them together!

The sweet and spicy mix was actually very tasty.

I’m almost definitely going to have a repeat of last night’s dessert (vanilla ice-cream with strawberries and homemade caramel sauce) but I have a few assignments to tackle so I’m going to say “goodbye” to blogland now and switch into work-mode.  See you in the am!

***Via random integer generator, the winner of my OhNuts! giveaway is #8 –

Yvonne, please e-mail me (emilyhwaxATgmail.com) so I can get you your prize!

Five Little Words

Huge Anatomy test tomorrow, hurry!

Five(ish) words per line, go!

Southwest chicken flatbread sandwich, mmmn.

Corn, black beans, melty cheddar.

Baked goods food lab today.

1/3 eaten, cookies = dough balls!

Wegman’s to study, and dinner.

Lots of veggies, a little fun.

1chip per 4slides = study bribe.

Class, study, class, study, bedtime.

I Never Regret a Workout

The snow did not stop.  In fact, it snowed sideways my entire walk to school.  I went to campus early to hand in a portfolio and all my before class studying time was wasted drying off.

When I got out of class this afternoon I was so tired that I sat on a bench for 30minutes just staring into space.  The last thing I wanted to do was go to the gym.

I told myself I could switch our meal plan so I didn’t have to cook dinner.

I told myself I could just eat cheese for dinner.

I told myself I didn’t have to walk home from school.

That last one was the ticket.  25minutes (2.5miles) on the treadmill later and Adam was picking me up and heading to Moe’s.  Quesadila with corn salsa and chips with queso dip.

My cheesy dinner was good, but even better was the feeling of accomplishment.  I never regret a workout.

However, I didn’t do a gosh darn thing this evening and I do have some regrets about that.  Goodnight!

Another Day, Another State

Now we’re in Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving # 2 with the husband’s family.  We’re only here two days so I’m keeping my computer time quick to maximize family time.

My grandma made us a final feast for breakfast before we left this morning.

Scrambled eggs with turkey sausage,

and french toast casserole (cinnamon raisin bread, brown sugar, butter, rum, etc).

We hit the road pretty early, because we had a very important detour –

Trader Joe’s!  We didn’t actually do much stocking up (we mostly went to get some things for my parents) but it was fun just to be there.  On the way out Adam spotted a Joseph A. Banks and managed to cash in on a great Black Friday sale – $499 coat for $99!  He needs a new coat desperately and I had no idea how we were going to afford one so I’m stocked that we found such a good deal!

We had a 7hour drive so most of our meals were eaten in the car.  Freeze dried apples for a snack.

And Taco Bell chicken enchilada burrito for lunch.

We got to have dinner in the house though.

Sliced apple from my snack bag,

and a turkey sloppy joe.

Adam fed me a Lindt truffle for dessert but it missed my camera.  Something bit my face(!!) and I’m having a bit of an allergic reaction – I’m allergic to their cats as well – so please think unswollen thoughts for me!

*Check back tomorrow for Applegate Farms giveaway winners.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone enjoyed their turkeys/tofurkeys and had a good day of family time!

We had a great holiday.  We ate with a family friend who hosted the big meal at noon; it seemed a little odd to eat that early, but it was nice to have the rest of the day free.

Adam and I actually started off our day with a little activity; my grandparents live right off of a path so we walked over for a run.  We covered 2miles total (in the rain!) and had a lot of fun.

We kept breakfast small because of our early meal.

A mixed bowl of Frosted Flakes and Blueberry Special K with berries,

and a small glass of oj.

Before I show you my lunch (Thanksgiving) plate, I should probably prewarn you – I hate Thanksgiving!  I like the idea of being thankful and getting together with loved ones, but for all the foods I love, I pretty much hate the traditional Turkey Day fare.  Which I suppose works out because I’m the only one who never leaves the meal feeling stuffed!

Sweet potato casserole, a roll, a deviled egg, marshmallow salad, corn casserole, and a bunch of green beans.  Sans turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes I managed to put together a pretty good meal 🙂

The dessert table was gorgeous, but my pumpkin love affair doesn’t extend to pie!

I did eat a Halloween reject when we got home though.

In the afternoon we took my grandma to see “Love and Other Drugs.”  It was funny and sweet, but *disclaimer* basically just one long sex scene!  So, um, don’t take your grandma 😉 (she enjoyed it!)

Dinner’s feast was much more my scene.

Leftover salad from yesterday,

roasted red pepper and tomato soup,

and the best grilled cheese I’ve ever eaten.

Seriously.  Pumpernickel rye bread spread with honey mustard, topped with 2 slices of extra sharp cheddar and spicy pickles, grilled on a skillet with a bit of butter. 

Oh.my.god!

Dessert was a small slice of coffee cake.

Not gonna lie, I cut this slice out from the middle of the cake so I could get that big chunk of topping!

Good family, good food, good day.

Don’t forget, you have one more day to enter my giveaway.

Tastes Like the Holidays

Hello from Ohio!  The drive was long, but I genuinely love every moment I get to spend with the husband so the six+ hours flew by!  We’ve been having a great time with my family since we got here; not to make you jealous, but I kind of have the best grandparents ever 😉

Before we piled into the car we tried to make up our lack of sleep by stopping by Starbucks for some red cups.

There’s nothing I don’t love about holiday flavors/decorations at Starbucks!  This was an Awake Tea Latte with skim milk and 1 pump of gingerbread syrup.

On our 1st stop I picked up a small string cheese.

And our 2nd gas stop lead us here –

Would the husband and I like to split a small, low-fat, eggnog milkshake with local ingredients?  Yes, please!

This was so good!  No offense Starbucks red cups, but this is how you start the holiday season off right!

We arrived at my grandparents’ house after lunch so I held myself over to dinner with an apple from my snack bag and a couple dark chocolate covered pretzels.

I made up a big batch of deviled eggs (our contribution to tomorrow’s meal) and snacked on an egg and an olive while I worked.

I also had several other nibbles that escaped the camera.

For dinner my grandma whipped up a feast.

Huge, tasty, healthy; we are treated like royalty here!

Salads with toasted walnuts, blue cheese, pear, and homemade cranberry dressing.

Chicken pot pie casserole with a puff pastry top (stuffed with broccoli, red pepper, onion, and water chestnuts).

And brussels sprouts with butter, lemon, and capers.

My grandma is an amazing cook and Adam and I couldn’t stop raving about how delicious everything was.  I only stopped myself from taking seconds because I had already seen the dessert.

Oh yes, there was dessert.

Crumb topped apple pie with homemade butterscotch sauce.

Holy god.  I left behind my crust (I hate crust) but other than that I practically licked my plate clean!

And then we spent the rest of the evening getting trounced in Euchre.  ‘Twas fun.

We are heading to bed “early,” because I actually have to get up and work on Orgo tomorrow.  Boo.  Hope everyone has a happy holiday!

What food tastes like the holidays to you?

Six A.M. Wake-Up What?

It’s almost midnight and I’m just now blogging dinner, clearly my evening and early bedtime all got a bit off-track.  I’ll say that it’s been an interesting night and leave it at that 🙂

I actually STILL have to pack(!!) so I’ll keep this quick.  Dinner –

A quesadilla with spicy grilled chicken.

End scene.

I’m not sure of my posting situation over the holiday (my grandparents’ internet is pretty slow), but I’ll try to post at least once a day.  I hope everyone has a great holiday!

P.S. Don’t forget to enter my Applegate Farms giveaway!