Tag Archives: citrus

Tastes Tropical

by

Whooops, tomorrow’s my last early morning of 2010 and I’m late to bed!  I need to get showered and bedded so I do well on my presentation tomorrow.  And also so I remember to wear a watch, which I never do but need to for said presentation.

I spent most of my evening reorganizing all of my notecards and binders, for an OCD-freak like me it was pretty glorious.  I also worked on an application, finished my project, and went to UPS.

By the time we were headed home with our package the husband and I were both snippy with hunger, so he made a pit stop at Moe’s.  I stuck with my dinner plans, but I did devour a TON of his tortilla chips.

My salad was much more exciting in my head before I realized that there were chips in the other room.

Still pretty good though.  A butter lettuce base with Newman’s Asian Sesame dressing, orange slices, peas, and pulverized coconut.

Tasted light and tropical.

My whole meal was pretty tropical actually, because my protein/dessert (<– it can be both!) was 2% Plain Chobani with key lime pie.

Yuuuuuuuum!  This combination is seriously even better than just straight up key lime pie.

Think well-spoken thoughts for me tomorrow, please!

Have you ever had key lime pie?  Lots of people in my food lab had not, which surprised me.

Successful Sunday

by

Finally, some productivity!  Actually doing something today was a nice change from Saturday’s pace.  Although I did sleep in still 🙂

Lunch was very, very orange.  An everything Bagel Thin with extra sharp cheddar and a honey tangerine.

With a serving of Guylian chocolate shells for dessert.

Followed by a run.  In today’s workout one bad turn deserved another; I ended up running further than planned once I realized how stupid it was to have gone without sunblock.  I really do have to stick to my pace plan and up my time gradually, but it did feel great.

  • 5minutes walking
  • 10minutes jogging
  • 5minutes walking
  • 3minutes jogging
  • 3minutes jogging

2.6miles in 26minutes.

Afterwards a trip to the mall with Katie was in order.  I wish I could tell you I was excited about my purchases, but basically I had to buy clothes for summer school because my pants don’t fit.  Woot.  More on that in tomorrow’s post.

The mall trip took longer than anticipated (why the frick are all the pants at BR/J.Crew/Gap so cheap and thin looking right now?!) and it was easy for Adam to talk me into hot bar for dinner.

Grilled broccoli,

wok seared veggies,

vegetarian meatballs = yums,

curried tofu salad,

and chick pea salad.

It turns out I went a little too vegetarian because this wasn’t all that filling.  I ate a cookie dough Balance Bar when I got home to finish filling up.

And I’ve been working on my binder project ever since.  I’m going back to immerse myself in blissful filing, hope everyone else had a great weekend!

Winner of a Dinner

by

My dentist appointment went great and my pearly whites are in tip-top shape!

However, my pre-appointment anxiety was enough that even with a clean bill of health already I plan on stepping up my flossing routine to more than a couple times a week!  I’m no Jessica Simpson, but sometimes I definitely phone in the effort.

I stopped on the way home and grabbed an insanely huge Big Gulp of Diet Coke (swoon) and it’s been work, work, work ever since.  Some of my accomplishments include –

  • purchasing a ‘welcome to the world’ gift for my newest niece
  • organizing my e-mail inboxes
  • submitting my health insurance waiver and other soon-to-be-a-freshman-again business
  • sending some blog e-mails
  • putting away 2 loads of laundry and unpacking from last weekend
  • making a pie, with a homemade crust
  • going to the grocery store to rebuy half the ingredients for the above pie
  • cooking a winner of a dinner
  • precooking most of tomorrow’s dinner

Whew!  Done, done, and done; don’t even tell me diet coke isn’t superwoman fuel 😀

“Lunch” never really happened (probably something to do with the Big Gulp caffeine buzz) but I did get a few snacks in there.  I was feeling particularly hungry when the husband came home this afternoon with leftover chips from a meeting but I stopped myself before I went big gulp on the chips by portioning some out onto a plate.

I also had an Amazing Grass packet, shaken together with 8oz of calcium + d oj and 5oz of H2O.

The packet was part of my secret valentine bloggie gift.  I wouldn’t say I liked the taste, but I didn’t mind it either, and the nutritional stats were amazing, tee hee.

Dinner was a last minute idea that ended up being an absolute winner.

Roasted asparagus [spritzed with evoo and salt, 25minutes @ 425*] as a side,

with Pizza Eggs!!!

I came up with the recipe on a whim because I had leftover egg whites to use up from the pie and I ended up telling Adam that this is my favorite thing I’ve ever made!

  1. I combined 1egg and 5whites with salt, pepper, and dried oregano and whisked everything together.
  2. Then I melted 1T of butter in a pan over medium-high heat.
  3. I poured the egg mixture into the pan and scrambled with a spatula until they were mostly set, 1minute.
  4. Finally I added 1/2 cup marinara sauce; 20pieces of turkey pepperoni, halved; and 2oz of extra sharp cheddar, chopped to the pan.  I stirred everything together for 1minute before removing from the heat and plating.

I took a break after dinner to start working on tomorrow’s dinner, and then it was time for dessert.

The pie is “Fresh Lime Pie” from the book pie pie pie; easy homemade favorites by John Phillip Carroll.  I can’t post the recipe for the filling here, but that is my very favorite baking book and I highly recommend that you purchase it.  I can, however, give you the recipe for the crust, because I subbed out the book’s recommendation for my own creation: Biscoff crust (recipe posted below)!

The ginger and lime flavor went together like pb&j or bread and butter!  I’ve been dreaming of this combination ever since I dipped Biscoff cookies into homemade lemon curd a month or so ago.  Be warned though, it was super sour.

Biscoff Crust, or Sweet Ginger Pie Crust

  1. Preheat the oven to 350*.  Place 3/4 of a stick of butter into a pie pan and put the pan into the oven while it heats.
  2. Meanwhile, crush a package of 30Biscoff cookies into fine crumbs.  A food processor would be the easy choice here, but dumping the cookies into a large heavy-duty baggie and crunching with a rolling pin works just as well.  Or if you’re really ghetto like me, you could use a plastic cup for your rolling pin.
  3. When the butter is melted dump the cookie crumbs into the pie pan.
  4. Use your fingers (don’t be a wimp!) to incorporate the melted butter into the crumbs, and then press the mixture so it spreads evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan.
  5. Bake for 11minutes.
  6. Let cool before adding filling to the crust.
  • the crust needs no further baking, but can withstand another 20minutes or so if the filling requires it
  • if you are using a flimsy single use pie pan it can be helpful to put it in and out of the oven on a baking sheet

I had a couple good, if not obvious, ideas whilst baking that I’d like to share.  1. Lay all of your ingredients out ahead of time so you’re sure you have what you need and everything runs smoothly.

2. Save the “shells” of juiced citrus to add some zing to glasses of water.

Do you have any baking tips to share?

Yes, Of Course I’ll Hold

by

I gritted my teeth and silently pictured the people I had to deal with on the phone today getting punched in the face and got all my to-do’s done.  I also watched some tv 😉  Anyone else into “Private Practice” this season?  I starting bawling at the end the most recent episode.

I ate while I lived vicariously through the lives of the tiny people on my laptop.

My tasty fruit salad contained 2 kiwis and a honey tangerine.

I also dug into the stewed tamarinds.

Tamarinds grow inside a pod, and to eat one you have to split the pod and suck the meat off of the seeds.  Even when they are stewed, West Indian style you still have to worry about the seeds.

The deliciousness is worth the mess though, I promise.

I also dug into the freezer for something I bought on super sale last week.

Weight Watchers pizza bagels sounded a little iffy, but for less than $1 I figured it was worth a shot.

They were actually pretty good.

Back to the couch!

What was the last company that put you on hold?  How long did you have to wait?  I feel like everything I’ve done this week has been extra ridiculous, but one time this summer Budget put me on hold for 45minutes!  Their company is so unprofessional I finally just gave up trying to get reimbursed for the insurance money they owe me.

Fruit eaten so far today:  2+cups (I’m not really sure how to count the tamarinds)

Choose Your Own Adventure

by

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

by

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

,

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!

by

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

by

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.