Tag Archives: citrus

Choose Your Own Adventure

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Hi there!  I’m in such a fabulous mood right now that it’s like I’m dancing on a cloud!  Or rolling in a field of puppies!  Or walking on sunshine.  You can choose your own adventure metaphor.

[LOVED those books as a kid]  I’m only an itsy bitsy bit superstitious, but I’m wary enough that I’m going to have to make you wait to few days before I share the cause of my good mood with you.  The fantasticness is only about 80% complete and I’d like to make sure it’s in the bag.

Lunch was eaten in 3ish parts.  Course 1 was 5 saltines spread with fat free cream cheese and hot pepper peach preserves.

A very tasty way to use the jar indeed.  Per my fridge traffic JAM, I need to make sure I’m incorporating some fruit spread into pretty much every meal over the next month.

Course 2 was a big minneola.

She was pregnant!

Eat More Fruit Tip # 3 – Citrus is a great snack, but can be sticky and annoying to peel, especially on the go.  However, pre-peeled and put in a baggie or tupperware, it can be a great made in advance snack.

Course 3 was supposed to be roasted brussels sprouts.

Don’t they look good?

Well they weren’t; more like yetch!  I was running late at that point so I substituted a handful of baby carrots.

I was late heading to the pool, and lateness was only one of the reasons why my workout was sub-stellar.  The toe nail I injured in the half marathon was finally falling off and it was flapping (gross!) as I swam and hurt like heck!  I ended up doing 20 laps in 20 minutes.  You know what though, even a “bad” workout felt pretty darn good.

This Thursday will be my last day as a UB student which means it will also be my last opportunity to use their pool.  I don’t have access to a gym with a pool and I won’t have access to the BSC gym (they have a pool but I’m not sure yet about hours or size) until August.  I will hopefully be able to run again next week and it shouldn’t be a big issue.  I have really enjoyed my swim work outs though, discovering my pool love was the only plus to my stress fracture!  Hopefully I’ll be able to run and swim this fall.

My toe nail didn’t fare so well in the work out though; after I got dressed I officially had to lose it.  I’ll spare you the picture but I’m very squeamish about nail loss and suffice to say I was pretty sad.  The husband felt sorry for me while we ran our mystery errand and he got me a fountain soda for being such a trooper.

Fountain diet coke + a shot of cherry coke + ice + straw = one very happy Emily!

The plan for the evening is cooking dinner and eating some more fruit, I’ve still got 1cup to go!  Fruit eaten so far today: 1cup.

I’m stealing my question from Janetha – What was your favorite thing to “play” as a kid? 

My answer was so embarrassing I figured once I put it out there in her comments I should just go ahead and tell the world the ten people who read my blog.  My favorite thing was to pretend I was Laura Ingalls Wilder; I was obsessed with the Little House on the Prairie books.  Specifically I’d play Laura in the covered wagon heading West.  Well apparently I thought that covered wagons were hot……. So I’d turn off the fan, put on at least four layers of long-sleeved shirts and long skirts, and get into my bed under 2-3 quilts.  Then I’d sit there and sweat and sort through a big box of buttons.  It’s a wonder I made it to middle school!

Snacks McGee

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I was so excited by my salad combination, and it looked so tasty, but the moment I began eating I started feeling gaggy.  Does this ever happen to you?  Vegetables comprise most of my favorite foods list – roasted brussels sprouts, baby carrots – but sometimes they really don’t appeal to me.  I started feeling nauseous and sick to my stomach and I ended up eating less than half of my lunch.

I was extra glad I pre-packed a class snack!  I was still feeling stomach-rumbly once I got to campus but I was also hit by extreme-hunger-light-headedness.  I opened up my Cool Mint Chocolate Cliff Bar once class started,

and I slammed down my serving of TJ’s Gummi Tummies just a few minutes later.

I was still so hungry after class that I ended up buying a slice of pizza before Chemistry.

It was so nice to have a reprise from today’s near constant hunger!  I was deep into Chemistry studying from class to 9:45pm so I needed all my focus on my books.

I did manage to break away from equations long enough to throw together a pretty darn tasty dinner.

I made myself egg salad with the last of the Easter eggs.  I didn’t really measure anything, but I mashed 2 hard-boiled eggs with a little bit of  mayo and mustard and a lot of pickle relish.

With two thin slices of fresh ciabatta bread.

We generally are impressed with everything about Wegmans but trying items from their bakery has just given us more to love!  This was wonderfully chewy.

A while later I made a pretty bangin’ snack plate.

3 Melba crackers dipped in dark chocolate and pistachios

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with most of a Minneola.

This combination of flavors was fantastic, I loved the flavors of citrus mixed with chocolate.  Perfect study fuel.

I’ve got a quiz tomorrow at 8am (my breakfast/lunch post will probably be pretty late tomorrow) so I’ve got to get off to bed.  See ya on the flipside!

Here is the recipe Old London and Melba Snacks provided me with –

Chocolate Pistachio Crunch, yields 40

  • 4cups semi sweet dark chocolate chips
  • 1box Melba Snacks Sea Salt
  • 1cup pistachios, chopped and toasted
  1. Stir chocolate in a large bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water until melted and smooth making sure that water does not touch the bowl and that the chocolate does not get too hot.
  2. Remove from over water.
  3. Dip into melted chocolate to cover half of the Melba Snack.
  4. Gently shake off excess chocolate.
  5. Place on a baking sheet and quickly sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
  6. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, about 35minutes.

Achoo, Achoo!

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I’m feeling sick so I’ll keep this quick.  (I’m a poet and I don’t even know it, ha!)  My s-i-l has cats that I’m super allergic to I’ve been sneezing my head off.  So I’ve got showering, packing, and sneezing 8bazillion times still on the agenda before bed.

This morning I made a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch with skim milk.

I’m not gonna lie, Adam was getting some seriously whining about my inability to make a Green Monster.  Sometimes (like all day today) the food situation with my in-laws is frustrating because I eat so differently than they do.

When Adam and I went to gas up the car around noon I spotted a ‘make-your-own’ milkshake machine and squealed with glee.

I’m not sure why these are so exciting to me but they really are.  Adam and split a mint chocolate chip.

And then we came home for a real lunch.

Celery and carrots with a little bit of ranch,

part of a Cara Cara Orange,

and a turkey sandwich.

I also had a few of these throughout the afternoon.

My m-i-l made an adorable bunny cake –

But it was box cake with can icing and there was no way that was worth the trans fat ingestion.

Dinner was a Mexican affair.

Turkey nachos,

and chicken, peppers, and black bean quesadillas.

Adam and I were in charge of making the quesadillas but I only ended up eating half of one.  I did go back for nachos seconds though.

My b-i-l made a plate with nachos just for the two of us and I was in heaven.

My favorite part of dinner was my beverage though.  Diet cola with Strawberry Crush, hell yeah!

I ate way too much crap this weekend, but I know that that streak will be continued tomorrow because we have a foodie day planned……..in New York City!!!!!

Do y’all have any idea how excited I am to back to the city?!  Oh man!  We are getting there around 11 and staying until around 7pm.  It’s obviously not the trip we had planned originally, because our favorite thing to do in NYC is walk, but we wanted to go in spite of my injury.  Even a low-key day will be a lot of fun.

We have an 8+hour drive back to Buffalo and I have classes Tuesday afternoon so I’m not sure when I’ll be able to post a recap.  I hope everyone else had a great weekend.

What is your favorite US city?

Back to Business

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Good morning!  I’m sorry for skipping yesterday’s post, my flight got in at 10 and I wanted to get into bed as soon as possible.  My head hit the pillow around 11 which allowed me to get up at the early – for me – time of 7:30.  My 8pm bedtimes in St. Thomas rocked my socks and I think this early to bed early to rise idea is going to be my new thing.

I got up at 7:30 and hit the ground running limping.  My bags are unpacked, the house is cleaned, my school stuff is organized….and I made a tasty breakfast.

Scrambled eggs,

and a Cara Cara orange.

For the eggs I roasted some collard greens in the oven, then sautéed them with 2 eggs and a pat of butter.  Topped with Siracha for extra tastiness.

I’ve got a crazy busy day, gotta hop limp to it!

What is the craziest veggie you put in eggs?  This was my first try with collards but I did parsnips and turnips once.

Go Jet Blue

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In Orlando.  Things are good.  Miss the husband.  Super excited.  😀

Split sandwich with the husband before class.  Tuna wrap with lettuce, tomatoes, pepperjack cheese.

Sandwich from home at airport.  Bun, turkey, 2% provolone, hot pepper peach preserves.

Tangenelo.

Dried mission figs and peaches.

Plane snacks from 2 flights, Jet Blue is fun.

Can’t wait for tomorrow.

What the best plane snack you’ve gotten from an airline?  The cookies were all-natural and had 120calories total, pretty impressive.

March Madness

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Good morning!  Since most husbands and wives don’t stay up to all hours of the night watching Buffy reruns I assume my breakfast post will be read during lunch for most of my readers 😉

Even though it’s noon I figured I’d start my day with a beautiful breakfast –

A blueberry bagel with light cream cheese and Crofter’s Superfruit Spread.

And most of a Cara Cara orange.

Delish.  I really enjoyed my 2 week vegan challenge – and I plan on doing a post on it tomorrow – but I am excited to get back to dairy.

I’m also excited about flying to Florida this Thursday!  I can’t believe how busy the next 2 weeks are.  Thankfully/sadly the husband doesn’t have the same spring break as me so he can hold down the fort and be my personal airport shuttle.

  • 03/03 – Chemistry quiz
  • 03/04 – Fly to Orlando (to stay with two of my best friends of all time)
  • 03/07 – Die trying to run in the Disney Princess Half Marathon
  • 03/09 – Fly back to Buffalo; get in a 8:30pm
  • 03/10 – Fly to St. Thomas; leave at 5:30am
  • 3/15 – Fly back to Buffalo
  • 3/19 – Chem Test
  • 3/22 – Anthro Test

Yikes.  I’m really excited though.  I’m also really behind, I have a TON of reading to do while I’m home.  And today I’m meeting Caroline at the Spot for a study session.  Dinner is going to be posted late but we are trying out a new spot and I’m really jazzed about it 🙂

What are you excited for in the upcoming month?

Lovin’ Like Buffy and Angel

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It’s been an absolutely fabulous day with the husband!  We are mid-Buffy-marathon though so I’ll keep this quick.

When we did our grocery shopping this afternoon we got salad bar for lunch.

Green beans, roasted brussels, cauliflower, steamed veggies, and spicy tomato tofu.

Yums!  I love veggies so much.

Today is the last day of the vegan challenge and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited about eating a bagel with cream cheese tomorrow 🙂

When we got home the husband got straight to work on this bad boy.

This was our first pommelo experience and we were both pleased.  Adam and I split this huge plate of gorgeous goodness.

And dinner ended up being amazing as well.

The tofu was marinated in tamari, evoo, chipotle oil, garlic, and green onions.  Then I sprinkled with sesame seeds and baked at 450* for 25minutes.  For the veggies I sautéed some frozen green bean mix in the tofu marinade.  ‘Twas good.

Dessert was also exciting.  This small self-bag of gummi candies had my first Easter candies of the season.

See you in the am!

Did you watch Buffy in the ’90’s?  I didn’t really (although one of my friends was beyond obsessed) and Adam had never seen it.  We LOVE it now though.

I’m a Chickpea Kind of Chick

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I did go to the Spot as planned, but first I had a few other things on the agenda.  Like eat a lemon poppyseed cookie –

And do the quickest gym trip ever: 11minutes (1.14miles) on the treadmill followed by 10minutes of strength training.  I was on a tight schedule and I didn’t want to do much anyways because I’ve got the strangest interval session ever planned for tomorrow morning.

My study session went very well, and while I was there I ended up accidentally ordering a FEAST.

The diet coke was obvious, but the roasted red pepper hummus sounded tasty so I ordered that as well.  I had no idea it was going to be so big!

I ate 3 breadsticks and ~2-3T of hummus, thankfully Adam showed up later to finish off the rest.

I enjoyed a cara cara orange when I got home,

and then I made a delicious dinner, officially checking off all my to-do’s for today, yay!  We had the 2nd half of this box of falafel mix to use up,

but this time we fried the falafels.  Which was hella fun because it meant we got to use our tongs for the first time.

Frying produced such better results than when we baked them.  Our side dish was delicious too, against all odds.  I made Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpeas, and Olives from Cooking Light, but I realized to late that my olives were not pitted.  I went ahead with the dish, sans olives, but I cooked it for about twice as long as the recipe recommended.

All total dinner was a raging success!

Pretty good for a Monday 🙂

What is your favorite way to eat chick peas? I like falafel the best, then hummus, but I want to experiment more with roasted.  That method is taking blogworld by storm and I think if I slow-roast it could become a favorite.