Tag Archives: popcorn

Appletastic

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Today was a much better day!  Mostly because I accomplished tons and ate a healthy and amazing tasting dinner.  Also, I’m a little drunk.

Yesterday wasn’t the best day and it was clear from my post that I was a little depressed.  Several of you commented on my consumption of Halloween candy pre-Pumpkin Month and all I can say is “it won’t happen again.”  I’m so ashamed!  🙂

For breakfast I packed a sandwich to eat in class.  A slice of 2% colby and 2 slices of Applegate Farms turkey bacon on a toasted Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Thin.

It was a little dry but oh-so-tasty.

Plus the last serving of my caramel apple sugar babies.

These guys win as my #1 favorite Apple Month candy.  But eating them at 9am did make me a little sick.

I got a ton accomplished this morning, between a break in class and the time after my Micro lab, I polished off several school to-do’s.  I am way (way, way, way, way, way) behind on studying but it felt good to make a dent.

Then I went to a orthodontist appointment.  My last full-time-retainer-wearing orthodontist appointment!

I screamed when I heard the good news and scared the crap out of my orthodontist.  Then I told him I was going to go swish coffee.

I didn’t actually get any coffee because I had another appointment, but I am looking forward to leisurely sipping through my morning class for the rest of the semester.  It’s also worth mentioning that I didn’t have time for coffee or lunch.  <– remember that when I remind you that I’m drunk a minute from now

My 2nd appointment dealt with a recall on my car.  It turned out I did have the defective part and I was very glad that I could get it fixed for free.  I guess when I called them “stupid errands” yesterday I spoke too soon!

I worked at The Spot for an hour or so before I headed home.  Then I made us an appletastic dinner, complete with on-theme booze.

Adam and I split this Crispin Honey Crisp Hard Apple Cider while we cooked.

Delicious!

The “soft” cider was even more amazing though; we also took swigs of this Red Jacket Fuji Apple Cider.

It was so perfectly sweet!  We loved it.  And it helped make dinner amazing.

  1. I melted 1.5 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Then I sautéed 1 pint sliced mushrooms and 1 small chopped Sweet Mayan Onion, with a sprinkle of salt.
  2. Next I added 4 cups cole slaw mix and 1 cup apple cider and cooked until the cabbage was soft.
  3. I removed the veggies from the pan, added another 1/2 Tbsp butter and 8 oz sliced Naysoya Super-firm Sprouted Tofu.
  4. I cooked the tofu until crispy in 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp maple syrup, and a sprinkle of salt, then put it on top of the cabbage.

Soooooooo good.  The veggies were sweet and savory and the tofu had the best texture.  That ‘fu is going to be my go-to from now on.

Now I’m off to hopefully kill my buzz with popcorn.

If I can get myself together, I’m going to try to bang out another hour or so of work tonight.

Do you have any ciders, hard or otherwise, to recommend?

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

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This is a “Do as I say, not as I do” post.  The past 48 hours have been… strange.  I feel like crap mentally and physically and I’ve been eating crap.  I’ve been weirdly, intensely thirsty all day; like I want to pour a milkshake down my throat all day long (which I basically did!).  I get sort of depressed every fall about missing teaching and I might be panicking a bit about the start of my last year of school.  So I’ve been eating only crap and lots of crap.  Lots of crap because apparently crappy food isn’t all that filling.  Do we think I said crap enough times for this post month?

as I say –

  1. Don’t drink your calories.
  2. It’s okay to have a treat, but probably not more than 3 1 a day.
  3. Skipping breakfast might set you up to make bad choices the rest of the day.
  4. Sometimes you should eat fruits and veggies just for the nutrients, even if you’re not feeling them at the moment.
  5. It’s ok to feel hungry sometimes.

as I do –

Friday’s “breakfast” was wasabi trail mix, ~5 oz worth in total.

And two pieces of the amazing sea salt caramel my parents brought from Canada.

Lunch was a quick run to the co-op hot bar during work.

Chicken salads and veggie salads.

The kale was the best (take note, Emily!)

I did another try at a caramel macchiato in the afternoon, this time at The Spot.

Does that look like an iced caramel macchiato?  No.  And it was disgusting anyway; there were at least 5 inches of straight foam.  I took three sips and dumped the rest down the sink.

I didn’t eat enough during the day and that is where the bad dinner decisions started.  Adam had to pick me up from work so we could run errands across town that took forever, I started to have a tantrum, and somehow we ended up at Arby’s for small Jamocha shakes.

Um, and also mozzarella sticks.

I hate mozzarella sticks.  But these were actually pretty good.

I’ll start Saturday’s recap by saying this – Friday was healthy in comparison.  But at least I finally had a sweet coffee win.

I gave up on caramelmacchiatos and moved on to a tall white mocha coconut frappucinno.

For lunch at work I packed a plain 0% Greek yogurt with a honey stick,

and a Fiber One chocolate chip cookie.

I also bought a Synergy Grape Chia Kombucha.

And on the way home I had this, because two milkshakes a day is totally normal and healthy.

Seriously though, this was actually a good decision because it was outstanding.  This sign has been calling to me for days –

“Emmmmmmily.  ‘Greek iced coffee milkshaaaaaake.’  You’re not even sure what that means but you need it.”

But I still didn’t eat any real food and I ended up eating half of this candy bar while we were on a never-ending trip to Target.

I did eat a real food dinner, but it is dark and stormy (honestly it is, I’m not trying to be cute) and my pictures were disgusting.  Go ahead and try to imagine a plate of chicken nuggets and baby carrots.  I’m also 90% sure that you should imagine some popcorn in the near future too.

Who’s up for fruits and veggies on *Monday?  Me!  (*Note – I would say tomorrow but tomorrow my in-laws are coming to take us out for bbq for my belated birthday lunch and lets be real.)

Positive Turn Around

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I love it when a day I think it going to be bad ends up turning around to be good.  And thankfully most of the ones I assume will be good turn out good too!

I didn’t have high hopes for this day.  I stayed up until 3 am doing nothing and then slept through my workout.  Our evening plans got rained out.  My baking was a disaster.

But somehow things turned around.  The batter I got to lick off a spatula wasn’t half bad.

My bosses surprised me at work with a giant birthday basket.

This was so sweet and a definite factor in my mood change; I was very touched.

And my birthday gift from my in-laws arrived as well.

Among other things, they sent pictures from our visit to the Outer Banks.

Adam’s family takes a picture in front of that sign every year and I felt very special that I got join the tradition.

It’s impossible to be in a bad mood when you’ve got birthday presents to open.  And good food doesn’t hurt.  Cereal for breakfast.

1.5 servings of Special K Cinnamon Pecan and 1 serving of All Bran Bran Buds with Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk.

Salad (or a salad-ish dish) for lunch.  I topped spinach with peanut sauce, leftover pesto pasta from last Saturday, a sliced Jazz apple, sharp cheddar, and buckwheat groats.

This odd combination was super delicious.

You know I broke into the popcorn in my gift basket the minute I got home.

That bowl had two servings.  I really wanted more but instead I distracted myself with a big plate of baked green beans.

And it turned out that they were even tastier than the popcorn!

My parents come to visit tomorrow, so that’ll be a good day too!

Froyo On A Friday

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It’s been a fabulous Friday!  Any Friday that starts a three-day weekend is bound to be good, but this one was fun all on its own as well.  I went on two dates with the husband, spent the afternoon at the mall with some friends, and ate lots of tasty food.

Lots and lots of tasty food.

We had errands to run this morning and while at Wegman’s we purchased chocolate croissants.  fatty pro tip – the best chocolate croissants in town are at Wegman’s bakery

We walked with the dog to Starbucks for espresso.  A doppio with skim milk and sugar.

Then we breakfasted on croissants and espresso in the sunlight.  It was just as wonderful as it sounds.  We finished our grocery shopping on foot, with the dog, with a sweet espresso buzz, and felt very European.

I spent my afternoon with two friends at the mall.  We also went to The Christmas Tree Store (which sells discounted products and actually no Christmas trees) which was ironic because when Janessa and I went to the mall originally we got so lost that we ended up at The Christmas Tree Store, i.e. about as far away from the mall as you could possibly get.  It was beyond pathetic.  We were 45 minutes late to meet Kim and laughing so hard that we cried.

When we finally made it to Galleria we rewarded our superior navigation skills with froyo.  I had coconut and plain tart with tons of strawberry and mango boba.

This was both of my friends’ first times trying self-serve froyo and popping boba and thankfully they were big fans.

I didn’t do much shopping at the mall but I did see many cute items; lots of lace things to covet!  And I purchased a pretty plate from Anthropologie that was 50% reduced.  Buffalo people – Anthro currently has lots of reduced-price stuff on the main floor in addition to the sale room.

At home I ate slice of cheese pizza leftover from yesterday’s lunch.

And a coffee yogurt with roasted peanuts and honey.

This combo has been one of my favorites since I was a young child.

Date number two was a walk down Elmwood.  It wasn’t an aimless amble, we had a very specific destination in mind –

Chow Chocolat for iced hot chocolates!

I got peanut butter and Adam got salted caramel and we switched halfway through.

The drinks were made-to-order with real chocolate and were rich but not too sweet.  They were heavenly.

Dinner was a toss-together.

I boiled six-cheese tortellini with a frozen green bean and carrot mix, then tossed the cooked past and veggies with marinara sauce.  Nothing special but it did the job.

I left behind the last quarter or so of my portion because I’m going to tuck into a biiiiiig bowl of popcorn as soon as this post is up.

Pop… pop… pop!

AC Would Equal Aleviates Cranky

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Hi there.  It’s hot and I’m cranky so I’ll keep this cursory.  Husband, if you’re reading – no, I don’t think we should turn the ac on yet, it costs too much money.  Bite me.  <– see, cranky

Breakfast was a cereal bowl.

A serving each of Honey Nut Shredded Wheat and All Bran Bran Buds with skim milk.

Plus a green pear eaten on the walk to school.

First I went to the gym.  20 minutes on the elliptical at random level 6.  Then 10 minutes of strength and stretch moves.  Between two days of machines at the gym and tennis, my right arm is killing me!

Then I went to get my PPD read.  Surprise… I don’t have TB!  Were you holding your breath?

Lunch was snacky.  First, apple dippers.

A sliced Honeycrisp,

with 2 Tbsp each peanut butter and Heath crumbles.

Then a slice of cheddar.

Finally, two mini bags of popcorn.

And yes, I realize that completely defeats the purpose of mini bags.

My dinner plate looked sort of silly but I just didn’t have the energy for carbs or veggies.  There were veggies in the sauce!

The chicken was tasty though.  It was my version of the Coconut-Tomatillo Pork Chops recipe from Shape.

My changes –

  • 1 lb of chicken subbed for the pork
  • cumin, banana leaves, and bay leaves were skipped
  • 3 Tbsp pickled jalapeños and 1 Tbsp Green Tabasco were subbed for the peppers
  • I only used two cans of coconut milk and 1 of them was light
  • chicken stock was skipped

Part of the reason I’m cranky is because I’ve been hungry all day.  Adam and I have to run to Tops in a bit (he’s bringing breakfast for his team tomorrow) and I’m definitely going to buy a snack while I’m out.  I’ll update later.

Double Day, Double Shower, Double Shot

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The two-days-in-one post is because I passed out – on the couch, fully dressed – before I could blog last night.

Backing up to yesterday afternoon… I decided to eat a snack at home before I went on my errands.  A mini bag of popcorn; I believe it was butter flavored because it didn’t taste like kettle corn but I got a big pack with both and the bags aren’t labeled and it drives me crazy.

I started a book while I munched and that meant that errands never happened because once you pick up the last book of the HungerGames trilogy you don’t put it down until it’s done.  <– true story  After love-love-loving the first book I was actually pretty disappointed by the ending of the series.  I don’t want to give anything away here, but I would love to discuss it more in the comments.  I personally was very surprised by some of the choices the author made toward the end.

People who read the Hunger Games trilogy – what did you think of the last book????

While I read I also took alternating bites of a Honeycrisp apple and the last of the Cookie Butter (~1 Tbsp?).

So good.  I prefer the original Biscoff spread to the TJ’s stuff but I was sad to see it go since I won’t be able to purchase it again for a long time.

Dinner was supposed to be quick and easy.

I made an attempt at mozzarella sticks by cutting up string cheese, dipping the pieces in egg white and panko, and baking at 400*.

Nothing like the original (which I actually don’t really care for) but tasty in their own way.

The main dinner component was supposed to be soup.  I served Adam and myself each 2 servings of Imagine’s Organic Creamy Brocoli Soup.

Not a fan.  I want to mention that Adam liked it and ate his whole bowl.  I took two bites and the 2nd bite was only because I really hate to waste food.  When I bought it I thought the texture was going to be thick.  Thin soups, outside of broth with stuff in it, totally set off my gag reflex.

I ended up going to Mezza for take-out for dinner.

It was frustrating to waste the money but my meal was quite tasty.

I got the Chicken Shawarma.

Grilled chicken on a grilled pita with garlic spread, cole slaw, tomatoes, pickles, and tahini sauce.  It was great, especially the cole slaw and pickles, but I’d ask for it without garlic sauce next time because my breath was ridiculous.

My sandwich came with a side of fries.

I ate them all but really I should have skipped them; I already ate cheese sticks!  Then I passed out on the couch.

Today started with a run.  I did ten sets of 1:30 running and 3:30 walking for 50 minutes and 3.9 miles.  Then I took shower #1.

I didn’t have time between my workout and my first errand to make food which sucked because once I left the house I was gone for hours.  I had an appointment to get the oil changed on Adam’s car and then I had to go to the tailor and the Sprint store (Monday’s errands).

I dropped off the car and spent the 40-minute wait taking a great walk.

I made a pit stop for coffee and then kept moving.  A Vietnamese latte from Sweetness_7 Cafe.

After the tailor (I need to learn how to hem my own pants!) I headed back to the Sprint store.  I had to leave my phone with them for another hour but I think that it is finally officially fixed.

While I waited for my phone I grabbed lunch at Cheeburger Cheeburger.

I felt a little strange all by myself but I had a book in my purse to keep me company.

I ordered a turkey burger with cole slaw, pickles, onions, and jalopeños.

It was a good combination of toppings, if I do say so myself!  I moved the bun to the side right away but other than that I ate every last bite.

Shot of espresso #2 (not literally but just go with it) was consumed when the husband got home and we shared a frozen coffee.  I blended up a packet of Starbucks Caramel Via, a scoop of chocolate whey protein powder, 2 cups of skim milk, ~2 Tbsp English Toffee syrup, and lots of ice.

So darn good.  We split it but both kept yanking the cup back from one another.  The English Toffee syrup is something I’ve been trying to get Adam to taste for forever (like the wakame) and he loved it!

Shower #2 was due to workout #2; the husband and I headed to the tennis courts.  I’m pretty good at serving and pretty terrible volleying but he’s hoping to get me to playing shape by the end of the summer.  Right now it’s an extra good workout with all of the running for lost balls.  We “played” for one hour.

We were very hungry for dinner and thankfully it ended up being delicious.

Pretty too!  When I make an especially beautiful plate of food I’m so sad not to have the photography skills to properly capture it.

Roasted zucchini.

~ 2/3 cup cooked brown rice.

An egg.

But not just any egg.

A soft-boiled egg!  (Thanks for the recipe, Jenna!)

And then I smothered the whole bowl in Sriracha.

The end.

Plus two small cookies from Romeo and Juliet’s Cafe for dessert.

A thumbprint and a fig cookie.  I brought Adam home a box from the event last Thursday and apparently he won’t eat the fig ones so they’re mine.

Whew, that was a long post!

Networking and Notworking

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I wasn’t quite the productivity machine I was hoping to be, but I did take off that gross brown nail polish.  Baby steps.

I didn’t eat definitive meals today, more like equally spaced random snacks.  Bowl o’ berries.

2% cottage cheese and Siggi’s 2% Coconut Skyr Yogurt topped with blueberries and maple syrup.

The syrup was supposed to be a light drizzle but with my newly opened bottle it ended up being more of a drenching.

Kettle corn.

Magnum Double Caramel Ice Cream Bar.

Tuna salad.

Adam and I split a can’s worth of tuna with Miracle Whip and pickle relish.

I had an everything matzoh on the side for crunch.

My final snack was a glass of Low-fat Birthday Cake Kefir.

I showed a picture of the bottle yesterday and promised to share more.  The Kefir is from Lifeway and it is flipping delicious.

The flavor isn’t exactly cake but it is pleasant.  Every flavor of Kefir I’ve tried from Lifeway has been the perfect balance of sweet over sour but not so sweet that it hurts your throat.  There are 170 calories per 8 oz and it is definitely more filling and satisfying than a glass of milk.

My evening was spent at the Buffalo Centre for the Treatment of Eating Disorders for an informational session put on by the local dietetics association.  I toured the center last summer on my own but it was good to see some familiar faces from my outpatient rotations.  I’m not sure whether or not we’ll stay in the area after graduation but it’s always good to do some networking.

How important is networking in your profession?

Peasy Pesto Pasta

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It’s already after 11 pm and the alarm is going off before 6 am tomorrow, yikes!  This day needs a speedy post.

Workout – 40 minutes on the stationary bike at  random level 6

Breakfast – Banana brulee yogurt.

In a small skillet I cooked a sliced banana with 1/2 Tbsp butter and 2 tsp brown sugar.  I put the gooey, caramelized banana on top of a bowl of Wegman’s 0% Plain Greek Yogurt.

The sweet and tangy tastes went perfectly together.

Lunch – a bagel sandwich.

A cinnamon raisin Bagel Thin topped with jalapeño cream cheese and two slices of Applegate Farms smoked turkey.

I ate a slice of turkey in the morning as I was assembling my sandwich, it’s great.

I also had a Golden Delicious apple.

Snack – a mini bag of kettle corn.

Dinner – 2 oz of bow tie pasta with slices of roasted zucchini and peasy pesto (see below).

I love pesto so flipping much!  Bow ties with pesto are one of my major food memories from my childhood.  My aunt makes the best pesto I’ve ever had but she’s a great cook so that’s not surprising.

Peasy Pesto, makes 4 – 8 servings

  • 10 oz frozen peas, thawed and drained
  • 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
  • 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  1. Place peas and oil in food processor and process until homogenous, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  2. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until well combined.

It was such a pretty green, I just couldn’t help taking pictures of it!