Tag Archives: chicken

Cookie Sunday

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Cookie Sunday, could that be a thing now please?  I had two today.  But everything else was healthy.  Now that we are trying to not be fat-fat-fatties we gotta keep things balanced.

Breakfast bowl.

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The final serving of KIND maple granola (booo!  We need more asap!) with chopped peach and plum and Lifeway coconut chia kefir.

Tortellini salad from the co-op.

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I split a cookie with Adam at the grocery store.

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Yes, we were back at the store, I’m unable to do my shopping in any less than twenty trips a week.

Dinner was great.

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Buffalo chicken nuggets (I have a recipe for you below) with blue cheese for dipping,

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sautéed mushrooms,

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and roasted broccoli.

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I made us cookies for dessert.

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no. 2 pencil’s single serve cookies (recipe actual makes 2 cookies) are genius, but I crunched the numbers and they have 360 calories each – not an everyday treat.  But they were perfect for Cookie Sunday.  <– is it a thing yet?

Buffalo Chicken Nuggets, serves 4

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 cup buffalo wing sauce
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2-3 Tbsp oil
  1. Put chicken pieces into a Tupperware and cover with buffalo sauce.  Marinate at least 4 hours.
  2. Combine cornmeal and cornstarch in a large ziplock baggie.  Add marinated chicken, seal bag, and shake until chicken is evenly coated.
  3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large pan over medium heat, add remaining oil to the pan as needed.
  4. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, place chicken in pan, cover, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until cooked through.
  5. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate covered with paper towels to rest before serving.

Fashion Friday

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The hospital was great today.

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I got to chart on several patients and I saw some really interesting cases; everything from cancer to Crohn’s, to burns.

If you think I actually got in bed early last night… you haven’t been reading my blog very long!  Of course I stayed up another hour and of course I was exhausted this morning.  I had to grab breakfast on the go, a Chocolate Peanut Butter Chia Bar.

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The taste was good and I loved chewing through the chia.  The bar only had 100 calories, but it did provide 4 gram each fiber and protein and 1000 and 800 mg respectively omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Nutrition fun fact – it is important to get healthy fatty acids in your diets, but did you know that the ratio of omega 6:3 matters too?  It should be about 1:1 but most Americans get too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3.

I also had a big cup of coffee at the hospital.

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Half vanilla cappuccino (sweetened) and half caramel nut coffee (flavored beans).

I may have packed lunch yesterday, but it wasn’t much help sitting in my fridge all day!  Instead I got a salad from the salad bar.

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Spring mix topped with tomatoes, banana peppers, french dressing, and scoop of cole slaw.

I wasn’t interested in my packed-but-forgotten turkey sandwich when I got home, but I did eat my Pink Lady apple.

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Plus a Caramel Pineapple Chobani Bite topped with some KIND Maple Walnut Clusters with Chia & Quinoa.

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<– heavenly

Dinner was a big slice of pizza.

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Buffalo chicken with blue cheese for dipping.

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This will be my last slice for a little while (I’ll explain soon) and I really enjoyed it.

Fashion Fridays

This post was pretty short, so I figured I’d share my “professional” look with you all.  I hope at least a few readers (hi, Nana! hi, Mom!) would like to see what I wore to my first week at the hospital.

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tues

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thursday

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Fact 1 – Lose-fitting tops with fun neckline details are pretty much my uniform.

Fact 2 – I know my mirror is filthy.  Sometimes I hold Webster up to the mirror to see “the other dog” and I don’t always have time to clean off his nose smudges because by “sometimes” I mean daily.

David Boreanaz Is A Hottie

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I am really trying to stick to my daily blogging goal, BUT I am tired and cranky.  I guess it is serendipitous that I didn’t eat much today and thus can keep this quick.  I shouldn’t have gone to bed so late last night, but we had a new “Bones” to watch!  Hodgins and Booth were both really flipping hot in the last episode.  When David Boreanaz’ character made a certain face after he took a certain shot (I don’t want to spoil it for any readers who haven’t watched yet) I was basically fanning myself!

To be fair, I’ve been tired and cranky since the moment the day begin.  After Adam and I finished hanging out I stayed up past midnight last night doing absolutely nothing).  And I didn’t pack lunch.  Thanks to those bad choices, I headed to the hospital today without breakfast of lunch.

Breakfast I had to skip, but I did find lunch in the cafeteria.

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Pickens were slim, but I came up with a small bowl of chicken gumbo.

When I got home, I made myself this frozen meal.

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Not my favorite, though to be fair, the sauce exploded all over my microwave so maybe I didn’t get the full effect.  It was way too rice \-heavy; even in my hungry state I still left some on my plate.

I also snagged three caramels from a box my parents sent.

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[Mom – yum!  What were those?  Homemade?]

I would have scrounged for more food, but I had evening plans with a friend.  We went to a $3 showing of Vedgucated.  While we both agreed with a lot of the ideals, neither of us were fans of the movie.  The science was really weak.

When I got home I ate a minneola.

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And then I wrote this post.

And that’s all she wrote!

P.S. I also packed lunch.  And I’m planning on going to bed as soon as I get a quick shower.  Tomorrow’s forecast is looking much less cranky.

P.P.S.  Confession: I did also find time this afternoon to watch the last ever episode of Private Practice.

P.P.S.S.  Confession:  I cried.

Have you seen Vedguated yet?  Thoughts?

30 Days?

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Since I last blogged… Adam was out-of-town on one of his very last trips this year (yay!) and I lived on the couch eating Chinese food and laughing so loudly at “30 Rock” that I hurt my throat.  We all had our parts to play.

I did occasionally peel off my his sweatpants, once to visit the hospital where I will be spending the next month.  The final semester of my Coordinated Program is full-time internship hours – though I will actually being taking a history class too, to finish up my graduation requirements.  The semester is split into thirds: 1 = clinical work at a major hospital, 2 = time in long-term care and independent work on a business plan, and 3 = placement of our choosing.

I chose a local children’s hospital so I could get more exposure to pediatric nutrition.  For the next four weeks, I’ll be at the hospital (M-F, 8-4:00), trying to soak up as much as I can.  I am so excited!  I’ll be sure to share more details tomorrow.

Since I have to spend the next month rejoining the world of the living – aka showering regularly and eating meals that wouldn’t make my classmates wince! – I figured I would try to knock off my 30 days of blogging goal.  We’ll see how long that lasts.

And my new camera?  I’m on the fence.  I’m missing the old version (I rebought the Sony Cybershot but in a newer model) and hoping that I’m just working my way through the learning curve.  For today, I forgot to resize the photos and editing this post took way too long. I’ll have to let the pictures speak for themselves and keep my descriptions short…

Cascadian Farm Berry Cobbler Granola with fresh blackberries and the last of the vanilla cashew milk.

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Argo Tea Hibiscus Tea Sangria.  <– so refreshing!

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Chocolate Crisp Bumble Bar.

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Spicy avocado brown rice inari.

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Smart Fries.

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Dinner.

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Chicken – cooked in the crock pot then shredded – tossed in my 1000 Island BBQ Sauce.

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Roasted green beans.

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An Alexia Artisan Sweet Potato Roll.

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A few words on the rolls, since Alexia sent them to me to review – we liked them.  I don’t know if I’d say loved, since potato bread isn’t one of my very favorites, but they were certinaly the best packaged bread product I’ve ever had.  The rolls were fluffy with a nice crust and while the flavor didn’t scream sweet potato there was definitely a little something extra there.  They were easy to cook (12 minutes in the oven) and each roll has 110 calories and 5 grams of protein.

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I spread a little Smart Balance Light on the split roll after I snapped the photo and I quite enjoyed it.

What’s your favorite type of bread?  Mine is sourdough, mmmn!

A Giveaway: Taste of Treme

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Today was souptastic.  And now I realize that I kind of hate soup; good to know.  But the day was fun.

We went on a double date to the Buffalo Soupfest.  Adam and I split a buffalo chicken wing soup,

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a lobster bisque,

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and a beer and cheese soup (with a pretzel on top!).

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And I ate this corn and poblano chowder all on my own.

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The last one was my favorite, we all found the others to be too thick.  Even though we didn’t love the soup, it was great to spend time with friends.

I did love the cookie dough ice cream I ate in the car on the way home.

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Yum!

We snacked on some very yummy crab rangoon (from the freezer section at Target) in the afternoon.

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I had 8.

…skipping dinner until later because it ties into the giveaway… We were still hungry after our early dinner, so we split a grilled cheese.

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Yellow mustard and miracle whip on toasted sandwiches take things to a new level.

We also shared cookies.

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The sandwich was better.

Back to dinner.. We made two recipes from my new cookbook, A Taste of Treme: Creole, Cajun, and Soul Food from New Orlean’s Famous Neighborhood of Jazz by Todd-Michael St. Pierre (currently available on Amazon).

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book

Our meal was quite tasty.

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Robertson Street Green Onion Soup,

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and Shannon’s Cheese Straws.

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The soup was pretty good and the cheese straws were fantastic.  I did lots of nibbling while we finished cooking the soup.

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Sooooo cheesy and good.

Both recipes were quick and easy and we loved how clear the directions were.  I flipped through the whole cookbook while choosing recipes and was impressed with the clarity of everything.  Plus, several version of roux, Batiste Family Bread Puddin’ with Praline Rum Sauce, and Believe Dat Bananas Foster? You know this is a killer cookbook.  Which is why I’m offering a book to one of you.

For a chance to win a copy of Taste of Treme, leave a comment on this post by noon on Thursday, January 10th.

Note – I was sent the Taste of Treme cookbook for free to review.  All opinions are my own.

Fresh Fage French Onion Dip

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I did not end up watching tv last night but I didn’t go to bed for hours either.  I also did not eat my coconut butter snack.

Instead I had it for breakfast.

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The Artisana Cacao Bliss packet was delicious!  The taste and texture reminded me of crumbly chocolate frosting.  Plus it was super filling.  I have two more of the packets and I’m very much looking forward to them.  And yes, that is a soda in the back of the picture; breakfast didn’t happen until near noon.  As it always goes the day after a migraine, my eats were all over the place today.

I got up late in a daze, made some important school calls, and then rushed out of the house to run time-sensitive errands.  By the time I made my way to Wegman’s it was after 4:00 and I was starving.  Hot bar to the rescue.

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Asian wokery veggies, watermelon, and pineapple.

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A little bit of sweet and sour pineapple chili chicken plus a Thai chicken spring roll.

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And I snagged these adorable cupcake gummies from the bulk bins.

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They were like little vanilla-berry pillows.

Dinner round 1 was a taco salad.

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A romaine base topped with chopped green pepper, black beans, a handful of crushed Beanitos, chopped Cabot 50% light sharp cheddar, and a big scoop of Wegman’s pineapple salsa.

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I gave my bowl a 30 second nuke in the microwave a few bites in and it made it even better.  I think I prefer Wegman’s version of the pineapple salsa to Newman’s Own’s; the sweetness and the spice are both a little less intense.

Dinner round 2 was lightened up chips and dip.

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2 servings of ruffles,

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and a bowl of Fresh Fage French Onion Dip.

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I’ve been craving french onion dip (with freshly caramelized onions!) for days so I decided to try my hand a lighter version.  I included the recipe for the dip at the bottom of this post.  It was really delicious!

Dessert was a mini pack of strawberry-filled koala cookies and a serving of Skinny Cow Peanut Butter Cream Filled Chocolates.

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Both were good, but I have got to cut back on the sugar.  I have been soooooo hungry this week and it’s driving me crazy.

Adam has been out-of-town the past few days and he gets back tonight = yay!!!!!  We have two fun days planned this weekend and I can’t wait.

Fresh Fage French Onion Dip, serves 1-2 (Or more, if you’re into smaller – i.e. 2-3 Tbsp – servings.  For 1-2 people this recipe makes a large enough bowl of dip to really scoop your chips into.)

  1. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add butter and oil to heated pan.  When butter is completely melted, stir in the onion and pinch of salt.  Cook 5 – 7 minutes until onions caramelize, stirring occasionally.  Remove caramelized onions from heat and let cool for 1 – 3 minutes before adding to yogurt.
  2. Place yogurt in a large bowl.  Add onions, Worcestershire, onion powder, and remaining salt and stir until well-combined.  Serve with carrot sticks or ruffled chips.

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What is your favorite kind of dip?  I’m a buffalo chicken dip girl myself, gotta embrace the homeland!

3 > 2

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I am working my way through a migraine and I want to hurry to bed with a magazine.  An episode of “30 Rock” may or may not happen first though…

Yesterday was the worst day of the year (hardy har; see what I did there? it’s not really hyperbole because there have only been three days).  I was cranky and out-of-control-hungry all day long and the only things I managed to do were stuff my face and sulk.  I vowed that the 3rd would be better than the 2nd, and even with my migraine today was a good day.  Woop.

I did start with a good breakfast.

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1 serving of Cascadian Farm Berry Cobbler Granola topped with 2 handfuls of blueberries and blackberries, a sprinkle of toasted coconut, and Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk.

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This is the breakfast that’s grrrrrrreat!

I brought my 2nd aloe drink from Aloic to work with me.

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Super refreshing.

For lunch I packed some old beans.  They were jolly good.  <– are you slapping your knee yet?  3/4 cup black-eyed peas with a big handful of chopped green pepper, a small handful of smoked almonds, and 1 oz-ish chopped Kerrygold vintage cheddar; seasoned with salt and a few dashes of green Tabasco.

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The mix of flavors and textures in this quick salad was so tasty and satisfying.  Definitely a dish I need to recreate when I’m packing lunches for my big girl job for the rest of the year my life.

*no photograph available* I ate at least 10 mini candy canes during my shift and gave myself the worst sore throat.  It was a slow day and I didn’t get much sleep so sugar was the only way I could stay awake.  Terrible.

And I’m just now realizing that the massive sugar intake is probably what led to my migraine.  Goddamnit.

I was already starting to feel off when I headed home from work so I picked up a slice of Buffalo chicken pizza for dinner.

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With blue cheese, plus a mound of baby carrots from home.

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I really could have split that giant slice with Adam (that is in fact 1 Zetti’s slice cut in half, not two normal-size slices) but he’s not here and I have no self-control so I ate the whole thing!

I’m also going to eat this packet of Artisana Cacao Bliss for dessert.

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I’ll have to let you know how it is in the morning.  I tried to heat it up a little and took things too far so now I’m waiting for it to resolidify.

Hope everyone has a good night!

See You Next Year!

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Last night we made cheesecake brownies with the cherry gourmet sauce my grandma sent us for Christmas.

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Yum!  I had several but my camera was charging at that point.  Plus a huge bowl of popcorn {with melted butter, for the win}.  We stayed up past 2am so there was plenty of time to eat.  Our sleep habits are ridiculous.  I know I said I wasn’t making any resolutions, but in 2013 I am going to have to mature up my sleep schedule.

Of course, I overslept this morning and I didn’t pack food.  I have to start packing food for work because buying breakfast and lunch is a huge waste of money.  Both were good though.  A cheddar basil scone.

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And some waldorf chicken salad.

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I also bought a grande caramel macchiato from Spot but I forgot to photograph it.

I wanted Thai food as my last meal of 2012 and Thai Orchid Cafe delivered.

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Pad Kee Mao, aka Drunken Noodles, ordered Thai spicy.  In contrast with last night, this was the best plate of food I’ve been served in forever.

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Perfection!

Followed by a brownie with ice cream for dessert.

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…plus another brownie; they are so flipping good!

We are going to watch a few more episodes of “How I Met Your Mother” and then I hope to turn in early.  I know most people like to party on New Year’s Eve but my goal is always to be in bed before the ball drops.

I assume you’re all reading this tomorrow morning; what’d you do for New Year’s Eve?