Coffee and Coconut

Today has been the perfect kind of Saturday!  Cuddling up with Adam in front of the tv with funny shows and plates of food?  Count me in!

My parents gave us a purple french press for Christmas and we finally got to try it out.

Besides the fact that it makes me feel cool and European, the coffee (Kona, by the way) was much tastier and less bitter; win.  Per usual, I had mine with skim milk.

Alongside the joe we made eggs with turkey and cheddar sausage mixed in.

It made for a very nice breakfast.

Choking laughter at “Modern Family” worked up my appetite and I shared some of Adam’s Brushetta Chicken Pasta leftovers from last night.

But the real piece de resistance of lunch was this guy.

That guy is a Young Thai coconut.  I drank a little coconut water in the usual way,

but ultimatly I decided to do a smoothie.

1 medium banana, juice + meat from the coconut, 6 ice cubes, a little bit of honey, and a bunch of cinnamon went into the blender.

The result tasted like the coconut chai from Bonobos, LOVE!

My plans for the rest of the day include a work-out, some laundry, and a tasty dinner.  Happy Saturday!

Have you ever drank directly from the coconut?  Love it or hate it?

Tuesday Afternoon – Thursday Afternoon

My family’s Christmas Eve party is tonight and we’ve got lots of setting up to do so this will have to be kept quick.

Tuesday Afternoon….

After my last post Adam and I set out for some exercise.  We ran on the waterfront downtown together.  We did walk/run intervals for 40minutes.  I’m not sure exactly how far we ran but I burnt 450calories.

Adam and my parents made chili for dinner (which I’m really not a fan off, unless it’s from ED&BV) so I pieced a few things together.  Like a smoothie –

1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese, 1/2 cup pineapple, 1 small banana, splash milk, squeeze honey.  Topped with nutmeg.

My mom also reheated me a slice of pizza from the freezer, Adam ate all of my half from the other day so it was just plain cheese.

We went out for drinks with some friends but I was the driver so I stuck to diet coke.  We stayed out past 1 though, so we were a little sleepy the next day! 😉

Wednesday…

Our plan was to go study at our favorite coffee shop, but due to our late start and some unexpected traffic it just didn’t work out.  I was planning on blogging too, but I forgot my camera cord, doh!  We did get tasty sandwiches to eat in the car while we ran errands with my mom though!

I got a whole wheat wrap with sweet potato, goat cheese, spinach, and spicy hummus, YUM.

I was feeling really sick later in the afternoon (NOT because of the sandwich, spicy food does NOT seem to affect my stomach) so Adam made me this yummy tasting plate.

Thankfully I rallied in time for dinner.  Adam and I cooked for my parents and grandparents, who are down visiting as well.

Adam made a Real Simple recipe for roasted red pepper turkey meatloaf,

and I roasted up some okra and green beans.

My mom provided dessert –

A teensy sliver of rum cake a parent brought her,

and a peppermint chocolate cookie.

I ate a snowball a little later too.

And a cup of Eggnog’n Tea.

And then we went out drinking way too late for the second night!  Good times were had by all, but I did stick to diet coke again.

Thursday Morning….

I think the no-booze rule saved me last night because I was able to get up this morning and go for a run!  I did ~ 45minutes/490 calories, and ~3miles.  I did my pt when I got home before I dove into this –

holy food am I glad I can find the pineapple Chiobani down here!

Although I was probably most excited about this Carebear spoon I dug up!

Now as soon as we leave the library we are heading home to prep for the party.  There won’t really be dinner or lunch today, more like lots of snacking on really tasty things.  🙂

I probably won’t be posting again until after this weekend, so to all my readers who celebrate – Merry Christmas!

Back from the Black Hole

And the fall semester has come to a close!!!  I’m actually not going to talk about today yet – not only because I’m heading off on a fun adventure, but also because I haven’t actually eaten anything yet today!  But instead I’ll do a quickie recap of yesterday.

Did I mention yesterday?  More like study black hole.  Caroline and I just might have studied from 10am – 2am.  Yikes!  Most of that took place at the Spot, so my eats were all coffee shopped.

Breakfast –

Fruit bowl,

housemade granola,

tiny bit of skim milk,

diet coke # 1 of 3.

Lunch –

Cajun Turkey Wrap (ww wrap, lettuce, turkey, cajun sauce, pepperjack cheese),

and a side salad.

Dinner?

Housemade nonfat chai latte.  End scene.

I’ll be back later today with a recap of today, and an announcement of who won my Amy’s giveaway.

Silk Soy Nog and Savory Bread Pudding

It’s been a full day around here and tomorrow is looking full as well so this will be unabashedly short.

I had pt this morning, it’s going well.  I’m pretty frustrated that legwise I’ve been allowed to run but footwise I can’t.  My pt agrees that since I’m basically taking January off (I’m having my wort surgically removed) it’s a good idea to work as hard as I can the next three weeks.

I left the house before 7:30 which didn’t leave me much time for breakfast.  I got my protein in with this Odwalla.

Super Protein Vitamin Fruit Juice Drink.  I drank about 3/4, it was a good breakfast.

We are going home for Christmas and my big final is on the 21st so I’ve got lots of studying and loose ends to tie up today.  I spent my lunch hour working on stuff and by the time I picked up Adam at 2 I was starving.  We hit up a pizza place he found with zillions of choices and huge slices.

I got broccoli, chicken, brussetta.

Yum, broccoli is my favorite pizza topping.

Even hungry though the slices were way too big though.  I left about 1/3 of mine.

Although that didn’t stop me from devouring Adam’s crust.

We ran a lot of errands (doctor’s office, mall, pharmacy) before coming home to do some gift making.  I did a little bit of nibbling on the pretzels, but mostly I enjoyed the ultimate Christmas festivity –

I’m so glad I found Silk Soy Nog again this year!!  I had 1 cup topped with nutmeg.

Dinner came from the October issue of Cooking Light, Butternut Squash and Parmesan Bread Pudding (click the link for the recipe).  I halved the recipe, used skim milk, and skipped the egg whites, but otherwise I followed it.

It was pretty good.  A little sweet though, I think my favorite part of dinner was my side salad.

All together –

We are watching “Waitress” and then heading to bed.  I’m not sure what I think of the movie yet, definitely quirky.

Are you a bread pudding fan?  Any savory kinds you’ve liked?

Jam Flavored Stuffing

The title is what I imagined when I put these two phrases together:  1.”Running around like a chicken with its head cut off;” 2.”Jam-packed.”  I guess you could pack the chicken with the jam?  Consequently, those phrases also both describe my day today.  It’s been go-go-go!

First, I went to my pt appointment.  Good news, I can run again!!!!  Only a few days a week and I have to start slow, but it’s great news.  I ran a mile during my appointment and it felt glorious!

I had some time between that appointment and my doctor’s appointment so I ended up killing an hour in McDonalds.  I bought some apple dippers to tide me over.

Yums.  And I loved most of the nutrition information on this packaged for kids item.

The only downpoint in my opinion is the zero grams of fiber – the apples had fiber to begin with if they’d just leave the darn skins on!  I guess I shouldn’t have nutrition outrage when I’m guzzling a diet coke at 9am.

I also started a new book – Under the Table, by Katherine Darling.

I’m loving it!  Darling is a good writer and culinary school is my ultimate dream.  I had to wait for more than an hour at the doctor’s office and normally I’d have been seething but today I was just glad to have an excuse to read!

I also got some news from this doctor.  2 out of 4 plantars warts are gone (for good hopefully!).  The other two I’m going to continue with the home-acid for, and I now have a prescription for an oral medicine that boosts your immune system – part of the reason I’m having such a problem is because mine isn’t responding properly.  I’ll take the medicine over break and I’m scheduled to have the wart cut out on January 4th.  This will most likely keep me immobile for a week or so, and could possibly keep me from running for up to a month.  It’s pretty devastating that training (which has barely begun) might break 2 months before my half, but it’s better than running the half with my foot hurting.

After that appointment I went to two separate pharmacies and then drove home for the quickest stop in ever.  I didn’t even take a shower, just washed my face!  However, I got two blocks from my house before I realized the reason I was in the car wasn’t in the car with me!  I left the giant bag of stuff that needed to be dropped off at Goodwill at home!

FYI – we designate a spot in our hall closet for things that can be donated.  Old clothes, free products, gifts that aren’t our style, etc.  Once we’ve got a sufficient pile we drop it off at Goodwill rather than throwing those things in the trash.  It’s better for the enviroment and our society.

When I went home to pick up the bag I realized I was clearly a bit distracted by hunger so I grabbed the can of soursop juice I bought the other day.

YUM!  Handsdown, sour sop is one of my very favorite things.  It is one of my favorite childhood taste memories and I was so excited to see some form of it sold here in Buffalo.

[I told you I didn’t shower!]

After Goodwill I went to Target for some Christmas-ing, and then finally the grocery store.  On my way out I hit up the salad bar.

I filled the small top halfs with yummy things – pesto pasta and mac and cheese.

And the larger bottom half with healthy things – baked tofu and brussels sprouts.

I didn’t say healthy isn’t yummy though, the brussels and tofu ended up being my favorite part!  The tofu was unbelievably chewy, I’m dying to know how they cooked it that way!

I gave myself some time at home to relax while I ate (and typed this post and watched some tv), but now it’s time to get back to jamming the headless chicken – lordy that sounded dirty!

Hopeful list of to-do’s from tonight

  1. put away laundry
  2. clean up the kitchen
  3. Chemistry reading
  4. e-mail regarding class scheduling trauma
  5. dinner?
  6. pt exercises
  7. go back to pharmacy
  8. shower – this one isn’t optional!

How do you say you’re busy?????  I usually go with busy beaver, but I’m also partial to “busy, busy, busy, busy*.”  *Said in the magician voice from Frosty  the Snowman.

*****Update – I managed not to do a single to-do.  I did, however, finish my entire 400+ page book!  And yesterday?  I watched Rose Red; a 4.5hour Steven King mini-series 😉

Feeling Thankful

Again, I’ll try to keep this quick, but it’s been a great Turkey Day.  I’m thankful for family, good food, and my wonderful husband.

We slept in until 10:30 this morning (I’m feeling sick again, boo!) and then woke up to the world’s tastiest breakfast.

My grandma is so cool, she had Greek Gods’ Honey Greek Yogurt waiting in the fridge for me!  I had a small bowl of fruit,

and honey Greek yogurt with berries and a sliver of homemade coffee cake.

Mmmmmmn!  I was in love with this breakfast!  If it wasn’t Thanksgiving I would have gone back for another bowl!  I think I’ve got my aunt hooked on Greek yogurt now too 🙂

We went to a family friend’s house for Thanksgiving at 1, so we headed out around noon to socialize.  Look how cute my grandparents are!

I’ve gone to Thanksgiving with this family ever year I’ve been with my grandparents and it’s always so much fun.  They have the best decorations, I wish I could have gotten more pictures.

I made a small appetizer plate with pretzels, honey raspberry dip, and crackers with dirty martini dip.

And I had a light beer to drink.

As I mentioned before, I am actually not much of a Turkey Day food fan!  I didn’t even eat any turkey meat!  I tried to just take a small bit of everything.

Clockwise from the top – stuffing and mashed potatoes with gravy, corn casserole, sweet potato casserole, roll, jello mold salad, cranberries.  I finished everything on my plate (except for the roll which I gave away).  I didn’t actually eat very much, but I didn’t do seconds because I knew dessert was coming.

I actually gave away that mini cake in favor of a second cookie!

It was great getting to catch up with people and Adam was definitely stuffed!  He took a fat nap before we even headed home, and hit the couch asap.  My grandmother and I wanted to take a nice walk but unfortunately it was raining.  The other disappointment was that there was nowhere for me to volunteer.  I really wanted to put in some time at a food bank or soup kitchen today but everywhere my grandma called had too many volunteers.

We ate dinner around 7, and I was actually hungry again.

Leftover sweet potato casserole,

and a yumtastic sandwich – turkey, cranberries, cream cheese.

Plus apple and celery salad on the side.

I was still a bit hungry so I went back for more salad.

We played cards after dinner.

I had a coffee with 2% and an amaretto stick,

a mini 7-up,

and a small handful of caramel corn.

We kept my grandparents up past midnight playing cards, I’d say it’s time for bed!

How was your turkey day?

Soup, Salad, Samples

Lunch was eaten in stages.  First, a full cartoon of Dr. McDougall’s Minestrone Soup.

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It was good, but a bit brothy.

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I had a Zevia Twist along the side.

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Second, was a fantabulous salad.

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This salad was socks-rocking; lettuce base, shredded carrot, lite blue cheese dressing, dried fig, chopped pear.

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Stuff

Good Stuff

  • I woke up at 10 this morning and did some nice whole-body stretching
  • Then I finally finished unpacking, my house feels fresh again!
  • I think I did ok on my quiz and my test was handed back with a 94%

Work Stuff

  • I decided to add *flossing at least once a day* to my goals list, dental hygiene is very important to overall health and mine has been slacking
  • This weekend I need to read and take notes on chapters 7, 8, and 9

Food Stuff

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1/2 cup oatmeal topped with a splash of skim milk , 1t Crofter’s Superfruit Asia Spread, and a 1/4 cup of dried Goji berries.

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I haven’t had oatmeal in forever, and I really prefer it cooked with a banana, but it was a nice throwback.  The berries gave it a nice chew and I’m kind of in love with Crofter’s on anything.