Tag Archives: pasta

My Poor, Unfortunate Soles

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This morning was a total clusterf**k, but things started looking up as soon as I got home (you’ll see…).

I needed to meet my landlord, a seemingly simple task that devolved into me waiting at the wrong location for 30 minutes – driving to and having to locate the correct location – having to locate parking – backtracking from the car to the office – and then finally having the meeting.

I spent every last cent in the car paying for parking downtown which meant that parking at my campus and driving to Wegmans was out of the question.  What I ended up having to do was park at my house – walk to campus – gym it – walk back to my house – and then drive to Wegmans.  Whew!

While I was at campus I completed a workout for the study I’m participating in.  Treadmill at 5% incline for 60 minutes and 2.9 miles.

While I was at Wegmans I replaced the peanut butter Adam finished even though he knew we need it for dinner and bought myself an iced coffee with skim milk.

I’m done with errands for the weekend minus one this afternoon that will lead to an exciting announcement, whee!

For lunch I ate an Angel Hair Marinara Smart One.

I don’t generally eat a lot of frozen meals and I pretty much hate angel hair in anything else, but I’m totally obsessed with this frozen meal.  The pasta isn’t mushy at all and the veggies taste very fresh.  Plus it’s a super filling serving for less than 300 calories.

I was keeping lunch on the lighter side because I knew what was waiting for me in the oven.

S’mores Brownies!  Am I evil or a genius?  An evil genius?

A buttery graham cracker layer topped with gooey brownie and a toasty marshmallow on top?  Hells yes!

I ate one for dessert and was pretty much dying.  Click here for the recipe.

I’m going to end this post on a low note by talking about feet.  Foot blisters to be exact.  Since I was a teen, something about the way I walk has caused me to get fin-like blisters on the bottom of my ring-finger toes.  My right foot has always been worse than my left, but recently it’s gotten out of control; probably not helped by my 7 miles yesterday.

Notice the super hot blood blisters.  I’m okay when I’m barefoot but every step in tennis shoes feels like knives.  I guess I can finally relate to Hans Christian Anderson’s Ariel.  Does anyone else get toe fins?!?

Embarrassing side note – do you remember the scene in “The Little Mermaid” where Ariel gives Ursula her voice?

When I was in 2nd grade I would corner my teachers – daily – and make them listen to me sing that song!

Preppy Provisions

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As promised, as soon as I published my last post I found myself some fruit and carbs.

The very last serving of the spinach pesto pasta,

and some watermelon cubes.

This combination was surprisingly delicious.

And since my carb was very green and my fruit was very pink, this combination was a Lilly Pulitzer approved lunch.

Sometimes I wish I dressed preppier but I wore Doc Martins in high school so I’m not sure it’s allowed.

The gym did not happen but I think that was a good thing since dinner didn’t happen either.  Adam and I had some exciting and expensive errands to run (hopefully I have some news to share this weekend) and the night got away from us.  Plus we had a gigantic pointless fight.  We suck.

But to end this post on a positive note; do you know what doesn’t suck?  This sky –

What is the stupidest thing you’ve ever fought with a significant other about?  One time in high school Adam and I almost broke up over a hair crimper.

You’re Getting Sleepy…

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Being a medical student’s wife is going to be tricky!  I was awake with Adam past 2am and he got me up before 8 this morning, and this is actually his easy schedule.  When we were in undergrad I’d go to bed in the middle of the night and then bound out of bed hours before Adam had his first class and feel fine.  Now he’s the one who’s unphased and I feel like I’m dying.  I’m not sure when I started needing so much more sleep but I have to assume to that it’s linked to how much better of shape I was in back then compared to now.  If that’s not motivation to step up my healthy habits then I’m not sure what is!

That said, today was definitely a “summer day” of eating.  I didn’t want to go back to sleep this morning (I’m working on getting a school-appropriate schedule going) but I didn’t want to get up either.  Reading Nancy Drew in bed was the perfect compromise!  I stayed in bed until literally the last second before I needed to leave for a meeting on campus so I ended up eating a Chocolate Covered Coconut Lara Bar on the walk for breakfast.

After my meeting I spent the rest of they running (most fruitless) errands.  I’ll be honest, I haven’t really left the house much this summer and I don’t think I realized how fricking hot it’s been outside?!!  I actually took a mid-afternoon break and saw “Friends with Benefits – alone, for the 2nd time – because I wanted to curl up in the dark with ac and a big diet coke!

Once I was back on mission I ended up at Target with the Ben and Jerry’s flavor I’ve been lusting after staring me in the face.  And they had it in a single-serve mini.  But I had more errands to run and the car was, of course, too hot.  What to do, what to do?  I bought it and ate it right in the car.

Best decision ever.

I’d like to think it was the ice cream that powered me through a much-needed apartment cleaning session this afternoon.  But it was probably the bowl of H2O-melon I had waiting to cool me off.

This wasn’t the best melon but even only ok ones are still pretty great.

I also made myself a 200 calorie bowl of popcorn; because I’m realizing that I don’t need to always eat popcorn by the bucket but I find that the 100 calorie bags just piss me off.

I topped my ‘corn with some melted butter and a few tsps of sugar for a lazy girl’s kettle corn.

I had grander plans for dinner, but when I realized I’d misread the cooking time by more than an hour we decided to go with Thursday’s planned meal instead.  Easy peasy mac and cheesy.

Adam and I split a box of Annie’s Organic Classic Macaroni and Cheese with frozen broccoli tossed in during the last few minutes of cooking.  I topped my portion liberally with Sriracha.

Spicy!  I was super hungry when we sat down to eat and I knew that kicking up the heat would help this meal to be more satisfying.  Now all I’ve got to do is get Adam in bed!

How many hours of sleep do you need to feel your best?  How many hours do you actually get?

Out Of The Pan

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Yucky!  The olives and the cheese in this morning’s breakfast were both a little bit old and one of the two (or something!) made me feel sick all afternoon.  When Adam stopped by the apartment after his final he told me I looked dead.  Thanks, hun.  All I know is all of a sudden it was 3 pm and I still hadn’t eaten or left the house.

Leftover Pesto Pasta Casserole made with Healthy Spinach Pesto to the rescue!

I ate a little less than a serving, straight from the casserole.  If eating out of the serving dish occasionally is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

Dessert was straight out of Compton from the container as well.

I love afternoon baking projects.

I made a mini blondie (technically 2 servings) with butterscotch chips and shredded coconut.

I’m not going to share the recipe yet because it was a little too spongy.  Though it was pretty darn good topped with a scoop of vanilla bean frozen yogurt.

I really should be done with indulgences for the day, but nonetheless we’re headed to Brewfest!  20 samples of 3 ounce pours, here I come!

Stick The Finish

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I stuck the finish!  I continued my first day in weeks as a healthy, productive human being by whipping up a tasty, nutritious dinner.  Back off, Martha.

Earlier in the afternoon Adam and I took a quick walk down Elmwood.  We were both feeling twitchy and needed a chance to stretch our legs.  Walking was good for our extra energy, and splitting a Java Twix Bar was good for our souls.

It’s been years since I’ve eaten a traditional Twix, but man this was good.  The coffee undertones totally made it.

When we got home it was time to slave over a hot stove whirring food processor.  Just kidding, this recipe came together in a flash.  Meet your new go-to pesto:

Healthy Spinach Pesto, yields 11 ounces

  • 8 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
  • 2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  1. Working in small batches, pulse spinach and oil in a food processor until.  Be sure to process until smooth, don’t stop when you’ve reached the grass cuttings consistency.
  2. Add parmesan and pine nuts and continue to process until well-combined.
  3. Can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

I love pesto, but store-bought varieties are anything but low-calorie and basil is so darn expensive that it’s not exactly cheap to make at home.  I’ve been curious about trying a spinach based pesto for a while and I think this totally worked.  The flavor is rich and nutty and not at all “healthy.”  Tastes can be deceiving though, here are the nutrition stats I calculated for a 1 oz serving –

I wanted to test the recipe in a dish I already knew was good so I turned to my Pesto Pasta Casserole.

I doubled the recipe, and switched penne for spirals but other than I stuck with the original.

And it’s official, we love this new pesto!

If when you make it yourself I recommend trying out my Pesto Pasta Casserole too.  It’s about the simplest recipe ever – just bake together pasta, pesto, arugula, and mushrooms – and it tastes delicious.  Make it, make it, make it!

What’s your favorite way to eat pesto?  I’m a big fan of cheeseless pizza with pesto and chicken.

Cheesy Peasy

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This afternoon I got my Great Fundraising Act contribution ready for mailing tomorrow.

Would you like to see what hand-rolling 30+ sugar cookie balls does to your palms?

Ouch!  But at least it makes it ok for me to get caught red-handed having a reward for my hard work.

Sugar cookie frosting sandwich, x2.

My snack embodied sweet, so dinner was savory.

Cheesy Peasy Garlic Pasta (recipe available here and included at the end of this post).

Plus a side of roasted asparagus.

I was so excited about the creation of this recipe – which totally achieved the thick, cheesy sauce I was shooting for – but unfortunately it didn’t really fill me up.  I wasn’t sure if I was really hungry or residually hungry though, so I decided to wait a bit before refilling my plate.  Adam had a volunteering commitment in our neighborhood so I walked with him to deliver a cookie sandwich to the friend he was meeting (hi, Patrick!).

When my stomach was still grumbly mid-walk I decided to stop by the co-op for some protein.  Waldorf chicken salad fit the bill.

It filled me up and pleased my taste buds, yum!  If you haven’t tried grapes in chicken salad yet you don’t know what you’re missing.

Cheesy Peasy Garlic Pasta, serves 4

  • 8 oz uncooked rigatoni
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 4 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 2 Tbsp fat-free ricotta
  1. Cook pasta al dente according to box directions.  In the last three minutes of cooking time, add frozen peas to the boiling water.  Drain peas and pasta and set aside.
  2. While pasta is cooking, heat evoo in a large pan over medium-high heat.
  3. Add garlic to the oil and saute for 2 minutes; remove from pan and set aside.
  4. Add flour and cream cheese to the pan and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
  5. Add milk to the roux mixture and cook 3 more minutes, stirring constantly until thickened.  Don’t worry if your mixture still is lumpy at this stage.
  6. Reduce heat to low and stir in cheddar cheese and ricotta.  When the sauce has fully mixed and achieved a smooth texture, remove the pan from the heat.
  7. Add pasta, peas, and cooked garlic to the sauce in the pan; toss to combine.
  8. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with a vegetable.

Vacation At Home

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Some people find that having visitors is stressful, but I think it gives you a great opportunity to be a tourist in your own city.  It does help that my visitors are my (funny, easy-going) parents and they pay for everything!  When you have guests it’s like you get to take a vacation at home because they force you to view your city with fresh eyes.

Let me tell you though, vacationing at home can be exhausting! We’ve been falling into bed after 1 am every night and this post is two days in one because I just couldn’t make myself sit down at the computer before bed last night.  Even with double content I’ve got to keep this quick because otherwise it’ll be another post-1 am bedtime and my parents leave early tomorrow.

Tuesday morning started with a very unvacation-like trip to the orthodontist.  But then I took my parents to breakfast at Sweetness 7 Cafe.

S7C is a totally adorable coffee and crepes place; I plan on bringing a good book and camping out for the day eating crepes very soon.

I ordered an iced black tea,

and my parents and I split 2 crepes 3 ways.

Kiss Me I’m Irish – plain crepes with syrup and a cracked fried egg in the center.

Irish Blessing – caramelized fresh apples with melted brie.

Apparently we went Irish for breakfast, and the choice served us well.  I don’t have much experience for comparison but these are the best crepes I’ve ever had; so eggy!

After breakfast we walked a third of the loop around Delaware Park so my parents could see the Buffalos.

I continued to get my sweat on by taking advantage of their hotel gym while they got ready for the day.  30 minutes on the elliptical at random level 6.  It was amazing to have access to a tv at the gym, especially because I was the only one in there and I could control the remote.

Our next activity was a trip to the Albright Knox Gallery.

I wanted to snap a picture of practically everything, but I controlled myself and stuck to a few favorites.

The first day with a new set of retainers is always super painful so I went with a liquid lunch.

A Vega Vanilla-Almonde Shake and Go Smoothie packet that I grabbed from the co-op on a whim.  The flavor was good but not great, and this didn’t do an awesome job of sating my hunger, but I was definitely pleased with this –

And it’s just as well that I was left a bit hungry, because my best meal of the year was coming for dinner.  Don’t let the pictures fool you (why are restaurants always so darn dark?!), Scotch and Sirloin is basically a must-go!  I never would have ventured there if it hadn’t been for Groupon, but I am so glad that I crossed my fingers and bought the deal.

Adam and I split a bowl of crab bisque to start.

I also got a plate from the salad bar.

Romaine with mushrooms, artichokes, cucumber and French dressing.  Plus a slice of the best bread I’ve had since Great Harvest, super duper doughy.

For dinner my dad and I split the two best things on the menu: Fried shrimp,

and the double lobster tail with drawn butter.

Like butter dipped in butter!  We were so impressed with this meal, I can’t even tell you.  I ended up eating three fried shrimp,

most of one lobster tail,

and all of the veggies.

For dessert we ended up at a candy shop on Elmwood with an ice cream counter.

I went with Ciao Bella Gelato, a half scoop each of key lime pie and malted milk ball flavors.

Fashion note – How cute is the back of this shirt?!

I actually bought this years ago in college but it has a strange, unflattering band around the waist so I’d worn it maybe once or twice.  I can’t believe it took me so long to think of pairing it with a high-waisted skirt.

We sat outside of The Spot to eat our ice cream and I also drank a small, non-fat, iced Chai.

– – – Insert time (not enough!) to sleep. – – –

I picked my parents up bright and early this morning for breakfast at Panos.  I got the 2-2-2; french toast, sunny side up eggs, and hash browns.

I ended up eating one egg, 1 piece (1 half slice) of french toast, and all of my potatoes.  The amount of leftover food was a little annoying considering I ate exactly the portion of the 1-1-1 – from the kids’ menu – that they wouldn’t let me order.  However, after taking a bite of my dad’s blueberry pancakes I decided that Pano’s can do no wrong and a little wasted food isn’t a big deal.

Coffee #1 of the day was a tall iced coffee with skim milk from Starbucks.

Did I mention that I’m exhausted?

My parents are sleeping at our apartment tonight so I took advantage of their gym one last time before they checked out.  10 minutes of walking on the treadmill and 30 minutes on the elliptical.  I also carried both of my parents’ suitcases up our three flights of stairs and I’d like to count that as strength training!

Our big activity for the last vacation day was a long walk down Elmwood.  We stopped in to basically every store and I definitely discovered a few hidden gems.

Mid-afternoon we grabbed lunch from the Globe Market.

1/4 lb each peanut noodles and Thai vegetable salad.

Meh.  It wasn’t terrible but I’m honestly not a big fan of Globe.

Whether due to hunger or exhaustion or increased physical activity, hunger hit me hard this afternoon. We ran a bunch of random errands and during that time Adam and I split some new flavors of candy,

and I drank a chocolate milk.

Dinner at Chester’s Cajun Grill was a meal Adam and I had been looking forward to ever since we tried the Smoked Bourbon Chicken Sandwich at the Taste of Buffalo.  Of course we had to get the sandwich.

It wasn’t good!!  I can’t even tell you how said this made us.  It wasn’t terrible, but we could only rate it a 5/10 and the sandwich we tried at the festival was a 9.5/10.  I ate most of my meal but only because I was hungry; even the fries were pretty tasteless.

Thank goodness we had good company.  We ended our evening with a final trip to the Spot to sit and talk; we are going to miss my parents so much when they fly home tomorrow!  Coffee #2 – a grande, iced Americano with skim milk and two sugars – was actually consumed at 11 pm so I could make it through this post.

And I’m done; phew!

Canada to Collapse

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Whew; what a day, what a day!  When we start a vacation in my family we do it right!  My 1 am bedtime and 7 am wake up were enough to make anyone tired, but our walking tour of Canada is what did me in.  It sure was fun though.

My dad and I started our morning with a walk to Starbucks.

Grande iced coffee with skim milk for me.  We stopped at the Farmer’s Market on the way back and made breakfast extra delicious.

A serving of Cinnamon Puffins, a serving of All Bran Bran Buds, ultra-fresh black raspberries and skim milk.

This might be the best bowl of cereal I’ve had in this lifetime.

After the general fun of getting 4 people with 1 bathroom ready, we were on the road to Canada!  3 hours into what should have been a 2 hour drive every in the car was ready to muzzle me, but my cranky pants came off in a hurry when we finally reached our intended destination –

Menchies!  What’s Menchies?  Only the self-serve froyo place that completely stole my heart in Orlando.

I got Canadian maple and original tart froyo, topped with coconut, skor pieces, rainbow sprinkles, and strawberry bobba.

I wish I could remember the exact name of the bobba but it was something like “popping bobba” and it was maybe the most exciting thing I’ve ever eaten.  Sort of like big, soft pop rocks?

Amazing.

I actually got traditional bobba as well, since my next stop was for bubble tea!

Taro milk tea with tapioca.

What else can I say except amazing?

We spent the afternoon walking around Chinatown and the Fashion District and it was, dare I say it, amazing.

So many fun things to look at, I love exploring new cities!  Toronto has beautiful (new?!) architecture and is an amazing spot for people watching.

We ended up at Spring Rolls a Pan Asian spot for dinner.

I ate one fried wonton from our shared appetizer.

And for dinner I ordered the vegetarian Thai Spicy Noodle – extra veggies, extra spicy – which were similar to my beloved Pad See Eiw.

Flat rice noodle stir-fried with basil leaf, eggplant, chili, onion and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Since I ordered extra veggies I ended up with bok choy and lots of broccoli.  And since I ordered Thai spicy I ended up with a completely spice-free dish minus one clump of chili peppers hidden in a bok choy that made me cry and cough until tears were running down my cheeks.

Still good though.

The drive back home was much less painful and before I knew it we were dropping my parents off at their hotel.  I can’t wait to see what we do tomorrow!

Do I have many Canadian readers? Say hi, please!