Weekly Wrap-Up; Hello, 2014!

Hello from a new year!  Like I said in my last post, I am very excited to have welcomed ’14.  We didn’t do anything exciting for NYE (we were in bed watching Vines by 11), but we started the year off right with a fun day on the 1st.

Resolutions, Past and Present

I didn’t set any resolutions last year, but since 2011 it’s been a yearly goal to read a book a month.  I missed January and February, but overall I did pretty well with 20 books read in 2013:

March

Last to Die – Tess Gerritsen  (f)

The Bone Bed – Patricia Cornwell (f)

June

97 Orchard – Jane Ziegelman  (nf)

Spiced: A Pastry Chef’s True Stories of Trials by Fire, After-Hours Exploits, and What Really Goes on in the Kitchen – Dalia Jurgensen  (m)

July

The Perfect Husband – Lisa Gardner  (f)

The Third Victim – Lisa Gardner  (f)

Alone  – Lisa Gardner  (f)

August

Hide  – Lisa Gardner  (f)

The Neighbor  – Lisa Gardner  (f)

The Next Accident  – Lisa Gardner  (f)

The Killing Hour  – Lisa Gardner  (f)

September

Fiction Ruined My Family – Jeanne Darst  (m)

October

Live to Tell – Lisa Gardner  (f)

Love You More – Lisa Gardner  (f)

Catch Me  – Lisa Gardner  (f)

November

Bones of the Lost – Kathy Reichs  (f)

December

Brain on Fire – Susannah Cahalan  (m)

Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight – Alexandra Fuller  (m)

Dust – Patricia Cornwell  (f)

Wild – Cheryl Strayed  (m)

This year I did decide to set a few new year’s goals for myself, though I won’t be typing them all out here.  Basically I want to lose some of the weight I’ve been steadily putting on the past three years / continue my book reading goals / and start chipping away at the continuing education requirements for my Dietetics registration.

Fashion Friday

Last Friday.

DSC06924Monday.

DSC06999Tuesday.

DSC07028A day off on Wednesday.

DSC07036DSC07034Welcoming in a new year at work on Thursday.

DSC07096DSC07103DSC07102Breakfasts

Since part of this post is from last year you won’t really see this go into effect, but I think I am going to make more of an effort to eat breakfast on workdays.  I’ve been getting insanely hungry every afternoon and I think running out of time for breakfast most mornings is partially to blame.

Giant non-fat latte with 2 shots each peppermint and white chocolate.

DSC07000Coconut coffee and a pear.

DSC07075The Vanilla Coco Cafe was delicious, even better than the original.

DSC07078My pear was tasty too, but eating it gave me such bad heartburn that I almost got off of my train to throw up!  I’m not sure what the deal with that was.

DSC07080Lunches

I made a big batch of roasted veggies this week, enough to pack for three days of lunches.  Butternut squash and green beans (and broccoli that I burned the crap out of so only 1-3 stalks ended up in each lunch).  I stuck with the winning formula of veggies + a fruit + candy the whole week.

Monday.

DSC06987Veggies with smoked almonds and Sriracha mayo.  Plus tangerines and Chinese candy.

DSC06995DSC06990DSC06992Tuesday.

DSC07004Veggies with pistachios and champagne pear vinaigrette.  Plus mint m&m’s and an Autumn Glory apple (<– they taste like cinnamon!).

DSC07011DSC07006DSC07008Thursday.

DSC07065Veggies with smoked almonds and bbq sauce.  Plus gummies from Dylan’s and another cinnamon-y apple.

DSC07074DSC07066DSC07071On Wednesday, Adam and I went into the city for lunch at Serendipity3.

DSC07046DSC07042The Christmas decorations were out of control, it was gorgeous in there.

We shared a frrrozen hot chocolate that was delightful.

DSC07048I got my favorite sandwich for lunch, the Summer Bries – smoked turkey, sliced apples, melted brie and alfalfa sprouts, served on raisin pumpernickel with Russian dressing.

DSC07049Yum!  I shared about 50% of my sandwich with the husband, but it was ok because I stole some of his curry sauce to drizzle on my salad.

DSC07053Snacks

I don’t have any pictures because I haven’t been bringing my camera to work, but let me just tell you – I’ve been eating so much freaking junk on the train!  Like I said earlier, I am super hungry all afternoon, and I end up buying food the minute I escape the hospital.  It is a bad bad habit.

Strawberry Champagne Polar to make work on NYE feel a little more festive.

DSC07014Actual champagne.  We drank Moet & Chandon on our honeymoon and now it feels extra special.

DSC07085DSC07088Numi Chocolate Pu-erh Tea with honey.

DSC07018Plain Greek yogurt with blackberries and maple syrup.

DSC07083Seltzer and a candy cane.

DSC07038Gummi cola bottles (Adam bought me an array for our anniversary), eaten nightly this week while playing Sonic.  <– best thing ever

DSC07026Dessert hour with Adam at Cafe Dada.

DSC07056We split a diplomat pastry,

DSC07062and both had cafe cortados.

DSC07059They use Blue Bottle Coffee as their espresso and it is divine.

Dinners

I don’t have pictures from Monday and Wednesday and without them I honestly can’t remember what I ate those nights.  I ate a small serving of mac and cheese from Panera on NYE, but I’m sure I had something with it and I can’t remember what!  When I used to blog every day I didn’t realize how much the act of picture-taking helped to cement the meals in my brain.

An easy favorite.  Farro topped with smoked herring, sweet sesame seaweed, Sriracha, and a soft-boiled egg.

DSC07023Black eyed peas for the new year.  In a skillet I randomly tossed together – BEP, green pepper, plum tomato, green onion, turkey bacon, smoked paprika, green Tabasco, and plain Greek yogurt.  On top of jasmine rice.

DSC07094Leftover farro, stir-fried with peas.

DSC07108I know I didn’t give a ton of dinner description, but I starting realizing just how long this post is!

Don’t forget to enter my Eggland’s Best giveaway.

Weekly Wrap-Up; Thanksgiving

I hope all of my American readers had a great Thanksgiving! Among many other things, I am thankful for you guys. My holiday (and Wednesday) included –

Lots of Starbucks.

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That was a Joy tea with skim milk, but not to worry, coffee was consumed both before and after.

On Wednesday we had lunch at a diner near the hotel.

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My veggie frittata was giant. No one else has access to a fridge and the amount of leftovers Adam has accumulated is insane.

That night everyone came over to our place to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah {and drink Rumchata!}.

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The dog was loved by all. My family always gives the best gifts…they are much cooler than I am! Including awesome pumpkin spice brittle that my cousin brought from Cville.

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We had a great Italian meal that night but the lighting made pictures impossible.

You know I got photos of Turkey Day. Sort of. My dad’s Long Island cousin hosted us for an amazing meal. Appetizers.

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My uncle Brian makes the best latkes ever.

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I had a coke with single-barrel Cruzan from home and a caramel apple martini that was ridiculous good.

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My dinner plate had cranberry, turkey with gravy, peas, green beans, and sweet potato casserole. For dessert I chose peanut butter smores bars that I brought and pecan and apple crumble pies. With Kaula whipped cream! I took pictures of all that, but have none to blog. ← blame the husband, who touches things that don’t belong to him.

What’s your favorite pie on Thanksgiving?

Weekly Wrap-Up; Jalapeño Business

Lots of repetition on the food front this week – eggs, cheese, kale, and jalapeño were the featured players! And this is another recap that’s light on content; lots of take-out and several late nights (and therefore late mornings) are to blame.  I’ve got the 10 items I did manage to photograph ranked increasingly by greatness.

{1} Pumpkin oats.

DSC05041Sadly this item was so far from greatness as to just be bad.  The bowl had such potential: oats, Silk Vanilla Almond Milk, chia seeds, cottage cheese, a smidge of vanilla extract and maple syrup, coconut, crunchy Barney Butter, and pumpkin.

DSC05036It was terrible.  The pumpkin was sooooooo savory and squashy.  And this was a fresh can of Libby’s too!?

{2} Baked tomatoes with egg and cheese with a side of kale chips.

DSC05092This was a recipe from Cooking Light but I threw away the magazine and I can’t find it online.

DSC05096DSC05099The dish turned out very well but apparently I’m not a huge fan of baked tomatoes.

{3} White Chocolate Candy Corn M&M’s.

DSC05113Regular m&m’s don’t really thrill me but this seasonal variety (along with the mint dark chocolate) is delicious.

{4} Taco night.

DSC05081Leftover taco shells topped with Ortega Thick and Chunky Salsa and stuffed with eggs – scrambled with spinach and jalapeños.  We continued to be impressed with the taco shells and the filling was delicious, including the little bit of extra I stuck on the side of my plate.

DSC05083DSC05076We definitely need to do taco night more often.

{5} Chicago Mix.

DSC05110Adam and I were obsessed with the caramel and cheddar “golden mix” from the popcorn shop and the Buffalo mall and this will substitute nicely.

{6} Eggs for breakfast.

DSC05116Eggs scrambled with sautéed kale, cottage cheese, and Parmesan.

DSC05121Plus a baby apple.

DSC05120This was a winner, and you’ll see most of the components again in #7.

{7} Cheesy mac.

DSC05107Annie’s Mac and Cheese with peas, Parmesan, and eggs (scrambled with cottage cheese and jalapeño).

DSC05104Stirring the eggs into the pasta was so genius, I’m never serving macaroni the traditional way again.  And the parm was grated by hand, making this feel extra fancy.

{8} Whole Foods hot bar.

DSC05042Kale salad with a bit of mac and cheese.  Plus fried plantains for dessert.

DSC05045Ugh, plantains are too good.  So sweet and chewy.

{9} Everything bagel with jalapeño cheddar cream cheese.

DSC05089DSC05085This was from La Bagel Delight, a spot in Park Slope that makes the best bagels in the city.  They blend the cream cheese in shop, look that those giant hunks –

DSC05087Fabulous.

{10} Homemade nachos with candied jalapeños.

DSC05056How could nachos with candied jalapeño possibly not be the single best thing I ate all week?

DSC05050Some roasted green beans,

DSC05058piled next to nachos.  Late July Multigrain Chips with 2% sharp cheddar and candied jalapeños.

DSC05062Yummmmmmm.

What was the single best thing you ate this week?

Weekly Wrap-Up; Mid-September

I feel like I don’t have anything to say here so I’ll just get to it.  You saw how clever my title was.

^breakfasts^*

Amazing oatmeal.

DSC04475DSC04474In the bowl were unsweetened almond milk, banana hunks, oats, chia seeds, tons of cottage cheese, and the very last of the sweetened condensed milk.

Food Emporium Trading Company Vanilla Granola with Almonds and Pecans in skim milk.

DSC04446Berry yogurt bowl.

DSC04467Wallaby low-fat vanilla bean yogurt with blueberries.

DSC04470This Wallaby was one of the best yogurts I’ve ever tasted!  The flecks of vanilla bean throughout felt quite fancy.

^lunches^*

Chinese food.

DSC04381Cheese and greens eggs.

DSC04400DSC04396Eggs scrambled with cottage cheese, greens (a frozen blend from Whole Foods), and 2% provolone.

Carrot salad.

DSC04384Matzo crackers.

DSC04439A sheet of Egg and Onion Matzo with Cabot Light Sharp Cheddar melted on top,

DSC04441and a sliced Jazz apple.

DSC04443Adam doesn’t like matzo prepared with egg (he’s crazy!) so we eat it as crackers in our house.

^snacks^*

Organic India is promoting their gift baskets for the upcoming holiday season and they offered to send me some products from their Tulsi Tea Line to review.

DSC04406Please note – these teas were sent to me free of charge.  I was not provided further compensation for writing this post.  All opinions are my own.

So far I’ve tried the Green Tea, which cold-brewed beautifully.  Usually I’m not a green girl (it’s Adam’s favorite) but I loved this one.  The flavor is completely devoid of the acridness that I usually taste in green teas.  I used it in tasty tea spritzers.

DSC04412Green tea + Polar Mandarin Seltzer.

DSC04408Hot beer bread, straight from the oven, with Smart Balance Light.

DSC04451Cola hard candies.

DSC04459These guys have the best fizz!

^dinners^*

Different Chinese food.

DSC04341DSC04342Pasta toss.

DSC04394Bow ties with corn and broccoli, tossed in browned butter.

Thai crunch salad.

DSC04418Romaine topped with sliced chicken (marinated in TJ’s spicy peanut vinaigrette, then baked), edamame, shredded cabbage, salted peanuts, and more spicy peanut vinaigrette.

DSC04421DSC04416Veggie pizza.

DSC04424Melts.

DSC04458A big hunk of beer bread topped with trout salad (TJ’s canned smoked trout mashed with Miracle Whip) and 2% provolone then stuck under the broiler.

DSC04452The last dinner won best meal of the week.  This will be making a reappearance on the meal plan for sure.

Weekly Wrap-Up; Lots Of Repetition

Let’s start with dinner first and work our way backward, since lunches were all some form of leftovers from dinner.  Usually my meals are all over the place, but this week there was a lot of repetition.

dinners

 

First – and this is the meal that spawned the lunches – we made pineapple stir-fry over brown rice.

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We kept things very simple which I think was a major improvement over stir-fries we’ve made in the past.  Pineapple, broccoli, and straw mushrooms with baked tofu (400* for 40+ minutes, drizzled in honey and soy sauce) in a quick sauce of pineapple juice, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, and corn starch.

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Usually I get sick of our stir-fries after the first few bites, but this dinner I enjoyed the whole way through.

One night I made easy eggs.  I don’t remember what Adam ate, but definitely not this; he’s not the biggest Korn corn fan.

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2 large eggs scrambled in evoo with corn (Trader Joe’s frozen fire-roasted corn, that I adore by the way.  Cooked with a little sugar and Sriracha), dried basil from my grandma’s garden(!!), and shredded parmesan.

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Eggs are so nice for dinner.

You already saw our roasted garlic pesto with bow-ties and spinach.

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The husband got all of the leftovers and I was very jealous.

Last night we got all fancy and shared a cheese board for dinner.

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We did minneola,

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green pear,

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Pink Crisp apple,

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Blue Diamond Sesame Seed Artisan Nut Thins (former freebie alert),

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and of course, cheese.

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The cheese guy at Whole Foods was so helpful to us.  Plus he let the husband have a million samples, so Adam was basically in love.  We decided to go with one hard and one soft.  A 3 year aged Gouda,

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and a Soignon goat brie.

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Both were fantastic.  This meal was so much fun!

lunches

 

I have two lunches to share this week, both stir-fried rice.  I know that on Monday I drank a third sugary iced coffee in leu of lunch, but I cannot for the life of me remember what I ate on the fourth day?!  Whenever we would discuss food recalls in class I always thought it was silly that people had such a hard time completing them, but now that I’ve stopped daily blogging it has become much harder to recall my meals!

First up, a traditional.

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Leftover brown rice with pineapple, peas, carrots, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and 1 large egg.

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The pineapple got sort of caramelized and was fabulous.

Next, fried rice that was a bit out of the box.

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Leftover brown rice, corn, spinach, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, rice, vinegar, and 1 large egg.

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I really thought that this iteration was going to be amazing but somehow the flavor ended up being pretty dull.

snacks

 

A friend had some good news to share early this week, and we celebrated with beer and bubble tea (of course).  The beer was that nougat beer I keep prattling on about, so I’ll just show you a picture of my gorgeous tea.

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Strawberry black tea with boba and lychee jelly from Hanco’s.

Another afternoon, the family took a walk to get ices.

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I went with a sour cherry and cola water ice.

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Not as good as the strawberry-cola combo I had the last time.

Now evening treats.  The froyo place near our Whole Foods gives a discount if you bring a receipt from the Starbucks next door and that’s what spawned this idea – the sort-of affogato.

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A little bit of vanilla froyo topped with a drizzle of fudge sauce and a solo shot of espresso.

Finally, caramel corn.

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I cannot stop eating this, so I guess it’s time to give you the recipe.  It is too simple.

Caramel Corn, serves 1 – 2

  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk
  • 4 – 6 cups (popped) popcorn
  • salt, to your tastes

Heat the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, until melted.  Stir in SCM and continue to cook until thickened, 40 – 75 more seconds.  Drizzle over prepared popcorn and salt to your tastes.

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I’ve made this recipe in larger batches and you can too; all you have to do is keep the ratios the same while increasing as needed.  The leftover caramel corn stores great in a sealed container on the counter for up to 5 days.

breakfasts

 

Like lunch, these pictures are all pretty similar.  In fact, the base of these three breakfasts stayed the same the whole week!

Overnight oats: 1/4 cup dry oats, 1 Tbsp chia seeds, and 3/4 cup vanilla almond milk; stored in the fridge overnight in an almost-empty nut butter jar (~1 serving left).  Topped with blueberries before serving.

The only thing that changed was the jars.  Barney Butter Crunchy Almond Butter.

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Jif Mocha Cappuccino Hazelnut Spread.

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Skippy SuperChunk with Honey.

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All delicious, but the last was my favorite because that’s my favorite butter.  I’ve got to get working on more jars!

So there you have it; lots of eggs, rice, corn, and oatmeal.  Which food made a lot of repeat visits on your plates this week?

Weekly Wrap-Up; By The Day

Hey there, long time no see!  Sadly I think a once a week post will be the norm for the next two weeks as well; we are on the move!

We don’t actually officially leave Buffalo until the end of the month, but due to some monetary/logistical/fmylife complications we are moving the most difficult way possible – in little spurts.  Adam has had to be in the city several time this month so we’ve been packing up our stuff by the carload and moving it to my in-laws’ place.  Once we finally get into our new apartment (days after Adam has started work!!) we’ll pick everything up in a truck for the final move.

Two fun facts about our shit-show of a move –

  1. We had to do the bulk of our packing last night so the duffle bag of clothes sitting next to me will be all I have to wear for the next three weeks.  Also, we have no pots, pans, or kitchen appliances.  Next week’s wrap-up will showcase a lot of restaurant meals!
  2. Since we couldn’t rent a truck for this direction, we are only taking what fits in five carloads (three in a Vibe and two in a Corolla).  We’ve had to say “bye, bye” to a lot of stuff, which has been very cathartic.

On to the food!

I was too busy to capture all of my meals (I worked most days, though I did find time to watch the entire first season of Longmire!) but I did manage a photo of at least one meal on most days.  I was a bit under the weather this week and I spent the entirety of Thursday in bed, eating pretzels.

Monday, Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield

One of our favorite couples recently had twin baby girls so we brought them over a couple of meals.

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Buffalo Chicken Baked Pasta, Mac and Three Cheese Cups, and salad with all the fixin’s (parmesan, buckwheat groats, chopped green pepper, and toasted pecans).

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We stayed for dinner so we could meet the girls.

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The were so freaking cute; we’ve decided not to spawn until after the husband’s first year of residency and the babies made me want to rethink about that decision!

When we got home I tried one of the Lindt Hello Bars for dessert.

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I tried Strawberry Cheesecake and in addition to being adorable it was delicious.

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It had the perfect amount of tang to offset the sweetness, bits of crunch that I believe were caramelized sugar, and you got a nice portion for the calories.  I tried the Cookies and Cream bar another day and liked that as well.

Tuesday, Thai Day

I stir-fried some leftover white rice with peas and carrots.

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I made it extra eggy – two large eggs for one portion – and it was perfect for breakfast.

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Stir-fried rice is one of the dishes I find the easiest to make; it always tastes good.

I did Thai for dinner as well.  Some friends and I met up after work to try Taste of Siam, a new spot right across from my job.

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My Pad Kee Mao got bonus points for being super spicy, but there was way too much liquid and the broad rice noodles weren’t very pillowy.  My friends loved their fried rice and curry though.  If we were staying in our apartment I’m sure I would have gotten take-out there, but overall I didn’t think it was very good.

We got drinks before dinner and afterwards we did a throw-back for dessert.

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Do you remember Chupa Chups?!  My strawberry sundae pop was delicious; if I spot them again I will definitely buy more.

Wednesday, Similar to a Reuben

I cannot for the life of me remember what I ate this day beyond lunch; probably pizza!  This sandwich made for a fine mid-day meal.

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Applegate Farms sliced turkey, Cabot 75% reduced-fat sharp cheddar, thousand island dressing, and saurkraut on white-whole-wheat bread cooked in a skillet with butter.

Friday, Feel Better Froyo

In the morning I met up with friends for breakfast at Sweetness 7.

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I got a turkey and caramelized onion quiche,

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and a hibiscus lemonade.

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Both were very bland, sadly, and the service/ordering system seemed off.  Instead of calling out drinks or putting them with the food, they just plopped them on a tucked away, back counter.  And I tried to get a coffee at their other location this morning and the service was so bad there that I left without ordering!  I’m not sure what the deal is, but I loved Sweetness 7 so I hope they’re not on a downward slope.

After breakfast I ran some errands (my cell phone was broken again!), grabbed lunch, and headed to work.  I felt fine in the morning, but as the afternoon wore on I felt sicker and sicker.  I ended up throwing up at work!!  Boo!  I rallied afterwards and stuck out my shift, but it was not a fun time.

This next photo doesn’t look like “dinner,” but after my tough day it was exactly what I needed.

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Froyo!  Super delicious froyo with peanut butter, marshmallow, chocolate pretzels, and other amazing things.  I cannot believe that right as I leave Buffalo two self-serve froyo locations have appeared on my block!  Though not having immediate access to it the last three years did probably save me many pounds and dollars.

Saturday, I Like to Move it Move it

Yesterday was ridiculous; y’all would not even believe how much we got done.  But not a single fruit or veggetable was eaten that day…

Black bean nachos from ETS.

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Melonhead beer (like Pumpkinhead) from Shipyard.

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It was super juicy and refreshing; just what I needed as we packed late into the night.

Sunday, Finish the Fridge

For breakfast today, I made us a Finish Up the Fridge Fritatta.

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9 large eggs / .5 cup shredded parmesan / 1 cup thawed and drained frozen spinach / pinch salt / pinch paprika

Mix, pour in a greased pie pan, and bake 35 – 40 minutes at 375 degrees Farenheit.

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I had my slice with a piece of rosemary bread from Wegman’s bakery.

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It was a great way to start the week!

What was the most difficult move your family has even done?

Love Factually

Facts:

Dark chocolate and I have been having a moment lately.

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Whenever I rock one of Adam’s t-shirts I always double up on eye makeup to try to compensate.

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Kim and I spent five straight hours at Panera on Friday and I still am utterly confused by our final projects for this portion of the semester.

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Adam and I were supposed to go to Toronto for pat bing soo this afternoon but the weather froze us out so we went to Gin Gin for red bean bubble tea instead.

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The new grocery store in Orchard Park is amazing; Wegmans and Whole Foods wrapped up all in one.

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This is the closest I’ll come to an egg cream while we live in Buffalo.

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Classed up mac and cheese is super easy and tasty {boxed mac and cheese / peas / smoked kippered herring / capers / parmesan / panko / red pepper flakes}.

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Watching “Buffy” with Adam is even better the 2nd time around.

Coconut Chocolate Lavender

Howdy!  I have not been following my sleep schedule – – at all – – but I can say that today was quite productive.  Every item on my list is now to-done!

The dog has been getting in and out of bed all night long recently and between that and my usually fitful sleep, mornings have felt very difficult this week.  I barely had time to make it to work today so I had to take breakfast with me on the walk.  This Wegman’s Bean and Cheese Burrito was good but not great.

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Something about the flavor and texture made me long for a beverage, and I ended up exploding pinto beans all down the front of my winter coat.

I ate a Honeycrisp apple mid-morning.

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Then I spent the rest of my day holed up in the basement like a retail hermit.  We got in tons of tons of shipments on Monday and I opened and priced 99% of them today.

I never did have time for lunch at work (I kept my packed food in the fridge for an easy lunch tomorrow!) and I ended up doing double dinners.  First was Wegman’s hot bar on a mini-date with the husband.

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Wok-seared veggies,

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and chicken dumplings and chicken salad.

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Adam and I are obsessed with the dumplings’ dipping sauce and the combination of the sauce stirred into my chicken salad was the bomb.com.  <– legit, it tasted so good that was the first expression that popped into my head!

I also ate a big bag of Easter candies from the bulk bins and gave myself a stomach-ache.

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A little pain was worth it, the sugar rush totally helped me through the remainder of my internship journaling.  Minus breaks for making food and eating food, I chugged away for the remainder of the evening.

Our home dinner was vegetable fried rice.

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In the wok (for 2) –

  • 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
  • ~1 heaping cup peas
  • ~1 heaping cup roasted broccoli
  • ~1.5 cups leftover brown rice
  • 1 Tbsp tamari
  • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1.5 Tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Sriracha
  • 3 large eggs

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The dish had the potential to be great, but it was way too salty.  It’s been awhile since I’ve used fish sauce and I forgot what a sodium-punch it packs.  I ate a little less than 2/3 of my plate.

Dessert was a giant, delicious cookie.

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Coconut Chocolate Lavender Cookies = this recipe for single serve cookies plus 1 tsp minced culinary lavender and chopped Sweetriot 70% dark kickin’ coconut chocolate subbed in for chocolate chips.

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We were both big fans of the big cookies and big taste.

The winner of my Hey Shuga! giveaway is:

contest winner

(#1) Jenny, shoot me an e-mail with your mailing address.