Tag Archives: pasta

Mini Explosions

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I did not have another mimosa last night, but did make a decidedly Northern dessert.

Mmmn.  However, today was NOT feeling as romantic.  It seemed like everything I touched today exploded!  I was cleaning up messes and putting out (metaphorical) fires all over the place.

For starters I was running late for volunteering so I made my breakfast smoothie a bit smaller than usual.

1cup frozen mixed berries + 1cup plain fat free soy milk + 1T fat free sugar free jello powder.

It was super tasty, but I spilled 1/3 of it all over the counter 😦

I managed to clean up the mess and get to the hospital on time though.  And they actually had a lot for me to do at volunteering which was nice.  Not nice, was 30minutes after my shift when I was still there and I started panicking about getting home in time to make my important phone calls.  No worries though, it’s President’s Day, no one was open.  Boo 😦

And I was supposed to submit my college application today but since there was no one to help me override the system I have to wait until tomorrow to imput my Caribbean high school into the online form.  I did some major damage on this bag of chips during the whole 2hours of failure.

At least they were vegan!  Next I tried to recreate last night’s dessert, only to have it explode all over my microwave.

On the plus side, now my microwave is sparkling, and I put it to good use on a late lunch.

Tandoor Chef Vegetarian Pad Thai is seriously my favorite frozen meal of all time and it’s super awesome that it’s vegan too.  If you see it at your grocery store, buy it!

I had hoped to go to the gym today finally but I’m feeling just under the weather enough still that it seemed like a bad idea.  I would kill for a diet soda so maybe I’ll at least get in another walk (I walk to/from volunteering).  Other than that the plan is dinner and bed.  See you then.

Anything explode on you today?  I’m all ears if you want to gripe about it?

Carb Craving

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When my hunger did finally hit this afternoon it did so with a vengeance.  All I wanted was carbs.  We can just pretend I was carbo-loading for all that intense working out I do, cough cough 🙂

I had a bowl of Adam’s pasta topped with 2% colby.

And then a single-serving bowl of Frosted Flakes.

With some Kashi Go Lean Crunch to finish off the milk.

Around 5 we headed out to The Spot to do some studying.  I did dinner there.

Fountain diet coke and a Mike’s (egg and cheese) Bagel Sandwich.

I told myself that if I worked out once I got home (after 10!) I could eat a cookie, so I bought a cookie at the gas station on the way home to ensure that I wouldn’t shirk out on my work out.

I Netflix’d Crunch: Pick Your Spot Pilates.  I did abs, buns, and thighs for a 30minute workout.  As much as I enjoy this DVD, I think it is too easy for a “real” workout, I’m going to try to incorporate it more for stretching or mornings.

And now I’m enjoying this hottness before shower and bed-time –

FEST Check-in, Day 4:  Most of this is N/A since almost fainting is clearly never in the plans.  I am proud of myself for getting in a work out though, no matter how small.

What is your favorite kind of carbs?  Mine is definitely NYC bagels, yum!

All I Need Are My Pearls

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I was quite the little wife this afternoon, making my husband a nice home-cooked lunch.  Actually, what I made was a big batch of pasta so he could eat leftovers for dinner the next three days but I’d like to think he still appreciated it!

I had a nice bowl myself for lunch while it was still hot.

My Arugula Brie Pasta is my improvement on this Real Simple recipe.  For six servings –

  • 14.5 oz box whole wheat penne
  • 1T butter
  • 6.5 oz onion, chopped
  • 1 bundle (8 or 9) green onions, chopped
  • salt and pepper
  • 3/4 cup dry sherry
  • 6 cup arugula
  • 9 oz brie, chopped
  • 1/2 cup skim milk
  1. Prepare the pasta according to box directions, drain and set aside.
  2. Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add all of the onions and cook 3-4minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Season onions with salt and pepper.  Pour in half of the sherry and cook until reduced.
  4. Carefully stir arugula into skillet.  Pour in the remaining sherry and cook 4-5minutes, until reduced.
  5. When veggies are almost done, reheat the pasta pot over high heat.  Add in pasta, milk, and brie.  Stir to combine then cover for 3-4minutes.
  6. Pour veggie mixture into pasta mixture and stir to combine.

It was quite tasty, if I do say so myself. 

The only fail was our attempt at dessert.  While I was out running errands this morning I picked up a small piece of this Rosa’s Chocolate and Peanut Butter Fudge.

Yetch!  The husband and I both spit out our bites, it tasted like a piece of wax.

I promised myself I could buy another, less disgusting, dessert if I went to the gym so the likelihood of me working out today is pretty high 🙂

What was the last dessert that made you gag?

I’m Free!

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Can we talk about how excited I was to get out of the house today?  I spent Tuesday – Friday inside, all day, on the couch, with my foot up.  Ugh!  I can’t really walk normally but I could hobble well enough to do a grocery trip with the hubby.

I took my first foot-in shower this morning and it ate up breakfast time so we ended up getting lunch at Wegmans.

Udon veggie noodles,

and veggies.

I also had a tasty piece of Adam’s sushi.

Whilst grocery shopping I also spotted this –

I don’t think it’s quite what Angela had in mind 🙂

The plan now is to head to the Spot for some school work, be back for dinner!

What’s the longest time you’ve spent cooped up inside?  I’d say 5 days is definitely a record for me, one I hope never to break!

One Bowl Wonder

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I guess my nap revved me up because I ended up organizing all my school stuff and doing some Chemistry reading this afternoon, go me!  Unfortunately my biggest accomplishment of the day – a shower – has yet to come, so I’ll have to keep this quick.

Dinner was salad and spaghetti but I wanted to eat on the couch and watch “Make it or Break it” so I had to utilize my biggest bowl.  A layer of mixed greens,

followed by leftover spaghetti.  Note – the leftovers were this recipe with turkey and mushrooms subbed for beef.  Microwaved for 1.5minutes and then topped with a drizzle of clementine olive oil and Siracha.

Yum, it made a very good 1-bowl combo.

For dessert I ate the rest of the cookies my mom sent us home with.

Hopefully that will fuel me through my one-legged shower, think clean thoughts for me!

Do you watch “Make It or Break It?”  In general I eschew high school shows but I used to be into gymnastics so this one is way too enticing for me.

Mid-Fray Update

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I have time for a post, can you believe it!?!  The food is all prepared and the house is cleaned, all that’s left is getting dressed so I figured I might as well stop in and share some recipes.

I drove Adam to school this morning so we had to be out of the house at 7:30.  My alarm broke and his didn’t go off until 7:20 leading to this outfit –

Yep, I slapped Uggs on my pajamas and called it a go.

During our drive I drank this purple Rockstar for an energy boost.

And that’s all I’ve eaten since then.  All day.  I did some nibbling while I made dessert but other than that I’ve kept my hands out of the food.  All I’ll say is this: thank goodness for Rockstar!

Tonight’s surprise party is going to be tiny, but very well stocked with food and booze 🙂  In addition to the rum, vodka, etc. we have around the house I bought three kinds of Christmas beer.

Appetizers:  buffalo chicken dip with Food Should Taste Good Olive Chips and Sociable crackers; devilled eggs.

Dinner: salad with red and green peppers; garlic bread; vegetable lasagna.

Dessert: ‘smores pie.

This party is about Adam, not me.  I choose things that he liked and made them the way he likes, without healthy substitutions.  I didn’t cut back the cheese (there is LOT of cheese in this menu) or use plain yogurt in place of mayo.  I did buy low fat or fat free versions of most everything.  Also, as usual, nothing has trans fat; Adam doesn’t eat it either.

Buffalo Chicken Dip  I got this recipe from Tina’s blog.

I basically followed it except that I don’t have a slow cooker, so after the stove top I put mine in a small casserole dish and baked for 20minutes, uncovered, at 250*.  Also, I used fat free and 1/3 less fat cream cheeses.

Devilled Eggs

  • 7 large eggs
  • 2 T Miracle Whip Lite
  • 1 t mustard (I used Jack Daniels)
  • ½ t olive juice
  • 7 pimento stuffed olives, cut in half
  • paprika 
  1. Hard boil the eggs.  When they are finished, run them under cold water for 1-2 minutes.
  2. Carefully peel and discard shells.
  3. Cut each egg in half lengthwise, dumping the yolks into a small bowl.
  4. Mash yolk with a fork.  Add mayo, mustard, and olive juice to the bowl; mash to combine.
  5. Spoon a bit of the yolk mixture into each egg half.
  6. Top with an olive half and a sprinkle of paprika (I only put paprika on half).

Salad

For the salad I bought two bags of mixed lettuce and four bell peppers (two red, two green).  I chopped up the peppers and tossed.  I’m setting out the bowl with a variety of dressings.

Garlic Bread

All you need is a loaf of Italian bread, SmartBalance Light, and garlic powder.  Cut the loaf into slices.  Spread each slice with butter and sprinkle with garlic powder.  Reform into a loaf and wrap tightly with tinfoil.  Warm in oven for the last 10minutes of cooking time of whatever you’re serving it with.

Veggie Lasagna  This is Adam’s mom’s recipe, but I’m writing it with the several changes I made.

  • package lasagna noodles (you need 10noodles)
  • 15oz fat free ricotta cheese
  • ¼ lb parmesan cheese, shredded.  Reserve half
  • 16oz part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • ½ cup fat free cottage cheese
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • ¼ t salt
  • ¼ t pepper
  • 1 T oregano
  • 1 T garlic powder
  • 16oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and strained
  • ½ cup shredded carrots
  • jar spaghetti sauce (I used garlic flavored) 
  1. Preheat the oven to 400*.
  2. Cook the noodles according to package directions, for half the time instructed.  Add evoo to water before boiling.
  3. Drain noodles and lay flat.
  4. Combine cheese, eggs, and seasonings in a large bowl.
  5. Brush a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan.
  6. Put down a layer of pasta, followed by half the spinach, then all the carrots, then half the cheese mixture, then a thin layer of sauce.  It’s easiest to put the cheese and sauce layers down in small spoonfuls and then spread with your fingers.
  7. Repeat layers again – pasta, spinach, cheese, red sauce.  Top with the reserved parmesan cheese.
  8. Bake uncovered for 25-35minutes, or until set and lightly golden.
  9. Allow to stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

‘Smores Pie.

Click the link above.

Everything is prepped, but the lasagna, dip, and bread still need to go into the oven as it gets closer to party time.  I’m a little bit nervous, this is literally the first time I’ve ever made most of these recipes!  I hope that Adam likes everything and that he’s surprised.  I’ll be back tonight with a recap.

What dish do you take to parties?  Do you have a special one for the holidays?

Jam Flavored Stuffing

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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 😉

Extreme Makeover

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I ate several undocumented bites of green bean casserole throughout the afternoon but it didn’t stop me from being ready for dinner!  We used my so-so PF Chang’s leftovers to make something amazing.

The original dish wasn’t so bad, it just needed a little seasoning.

We also upped the veggies by added 2/3 cup steamed broccoli and 1/2 cup shredded carrot.  We pan cooked the whole thing, adding two eggs at the end.  Delicious.

It’s crazy that my leftovers made (large) meals for two of us.  How much were they expecting me to eat?!

I feel pretty sick so I’m going to try to shower and get to bed soon.  I probably have another cookie somewhere in there too 🙂  I hope everyone’s long weekend went off without a hitch!

Do you take leftovers from restaurants?  Why not?