Epic Meal Time

by Emily

I’m not talking about the Epic Meal Time, though those guys are awesome.

Muscles Glasses is a hottie.

I’m talking about yesterday’s meals. They were literally epic (you’ll see).

Breakfast was more nonexistent than epic, because I stayed in bed reading a book until the last possible minute. When I was utterly distraught over finishing Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan series my mom bought me the first book in several murder mystery lines. Yesterday I was finishing up Tess Gerritsen’s The Surgeon. It wasn’t terrible – I loved the way she switched point of view with each chapter from a different character’s perception – but I don’t plan on reading any more of hers. I actually have the latest TB book now but I’m making myself wait to savor it.

I had to be out of bed and out the door at a specific time because my friend Hillary and I were presenting our research on Ginkgo Biloba at a poster presentation.

Last major assignment of the semester, done!

After I changed out of my suit Adam and I went to lunch. We took a nice walk down Elmwood (a little over a mile) to Nickle City Cheese & Mercantile, an adorable new cheese shop.

The space looks great and they carry all sorts of cool lines that I’ve read about and wanted to try.

Adam and I got lunch and had a picnic outside.

We had a Sprecher Cherry Cola,

Mac and cheese with gouda,

and a grilled cheese of pimento cheese on pumpernickel with red onion.

Everything was great, but the pimento cheese didn’t have as much flavor as I was hoping for. We definitely plan on going back for fancy cheese.

On the walk home we stopped at the neighborhood candy store for mint M&M’s.

They are one of my favorites but I was feeling pretty satisfied from lunch so I only ate half of them.

The rest of our afternoon was spent running the rest of our weekend errands. Many took us to the mall.

Our final errand was at Cold Stone (legit!) where Adam and I split a kid’s chocolate frozen yogurt with butterfinger.

I like that Cold Stone has an option with less than 200 calories per small serving but this tasted a little “empty” somehow.

For dinner we went on a fancy date night! We had an amazing Groupon for Epic Restaurant and Lounge.

They brought us bread with oil to start.

And Adam ordered the Filet Sliders – with house-made sea salt and vinegar potato chips and smoked gouda fondue as an appetizer.

I ate a few chips dipped in the fondue and it was awesome.

Per usual, we did some sharing with dinner. I got the Grilled Rock Lobster Tail – with lemon and asparagus barley risotto drizzled with a garlic shallot butter and brocoli rabe.

He got the Cedar Plank Salmon – maple candied carrots, fresh arugula, smoked gouda mashed potatoes.

Gahhhh! Everything was sooooo good! Adam’s favorite bite was the lobster tail and my favorites were the broccoli rabe and the fatty end of Adam’s salmon. It was a great meal and a great time.

We extended the fun with Monkey Bread for dessert.

Oh, and we ordered a bottle of Prosecco with our meal.

Which is why you’re getting this post in the morning 😉

20Apr2012

The Have Nots

by Emily

I am so flipping excited to be back to blogging! In fact, I’m excited about doing pretty much anything. You see, I’m getting over a case of the “have-nots.” It was a nasty one. The past week I have not:

blogged ~ washed my hair ~ cooked ~ done any school work beyond what was immediately due ~ worked out ~ read any books ~ cleaned my house ~ eaten anything with any real nutritional value ~ been nice to my husband ~ taken a moment to appreciate my life

I told you it was bad. I finally got so sick of myself that this morning I started getting back to doing. I did three hair washes in the shower. I made and ate two healthy meals. I took a walk. I went to school. I finished a major assignment. I pre-made Adam’s dinner. I took a moment to reflect.

My plans for the weekend are big but doable – 1. spring clean our storage containers. 2. switch out our summer and winter wardrobes. 3. eat lots of fruits and veggies. 4. get in some strength training. 5. make notecards to start prepping for exam week. 6. read the 2nd Hunger Games book. #6 is the only task that’s really urgent 🙂

How do you get back in gear when you’ve got a case of the have-nots?

Back to blogging? This morning breakfast was pink, pink, pink.

I blended together 1 cup of skim milk, a 0% plain Yoplait Greek yogurt, 1 cup of frozen blackberries, and 1 Tbsp maple syrup.

Tangy but tasty. I froze a bunch of blackberries when they were on super-sale a few weeks back so I expect to have this again soon.

When my class was over this morning it was too pretty out to go home so I extended my walk up Elmwood to the Co-op. I perused some fun looking products but came away with only one.

A Relax drink from Solixir. With blackberry, chamomile, passion-flower, jujube, lemon balm, and hibiscus.

It didn’t really have much flavor but for 50 calories and no added sugar I’m not complaining.

My food was feeling preppy so to go with breakfast’s pink lunch was green.

I started with a Crispin apple.

Then I had a green-on-the-inside twice baked potato with basil and cheddar.

Recipe is down below. But I have to show you what I used for my basil –

I bought this Gourmet Garden Basil Herb Blend the other day on a whim but I think it’s going to become a kitchen staple! So much easier than cutting up my own basil or throwing out my own basil when it rots in the crisper. I see a lot of herbs in this week’s meal plan future.

Finally a big pile of roasted green beans.

Better than french fries! <– and I can tell you that for certain because I ate french fries for dinner two nights this week *whoops*

Basil and Cheddar Twice Baked Potato

6 oz baking potato
1 heaping Tbsp finely chopped basil
2 oz 50% reduced fat sharp cheddar

Microwave potato to desired doneness according to your microwave’s specifications. (my potato took 7 minutes at full power)
Cut two thin slices of cheddar, about 0.5 ounce worth, and then roughly dice the remainder of the cheese.
Cut potato in half and scoop out the flesh, taking care not to get too close to the skin so that the potato can still hold its shape.
Mash potato insides, basil, and diced cheddar. Spoon filling back into potato skins and top each side with a slice of cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes at 425 degrees Farenheit.

12Apr2012

What I’ve Been Up To

by Emily

Hi there! It hasn’t been the best week but it certainly could have been worse. Here is some of what I’ve been up to –

My trip to Ohio was sad but good. It was great to see my cousins and meet some babies.

I’m not sick anymore (yay!) but allergies are going to be rough this season. On Tuesday I did get the most carsick I’ve ever been. I moaned and cried the whole way home from Ohio and it was ridiculous.

The dog is still sick. He is having a severe allergic reaction and if his eyes aren’t better by Friday he has to go to a doggie dermatologist (yes, that is a real thing). He’s wearing a cone so he won’t scratch and it’s beyond pitiful.

My Wednesday test was pushed back to Monday because I stumbled into class in Adam’s sweatshirt (that I’d worn for the past 24 straight hours) and my teacher took pity on me and sent me home. I took my statistics test today and I think it went well.

I didn’t feel right taking photos the last fee days so no recap. But here is what I ate today –

Breakfast.

Reduced fat cottage cheese topped with a caramel Oikos and some toasted coconut.

The cottage cheese/yogurt mix rocks my socks, particularly with coconut.

Late lunch. A slice of naan with cheese (leftover from Indian for dinner on Wednesday).

And a plate of roasted green beans.

I bought a family size bag of green beans before we left for Ohio last week so expect to see a lot more of these.

In class snack. Cara cara orange.

Cara caras are so flipping good! They almost never have seeds and they’re pink.

Dinner was not well-planned. We desperately need to go to the grocery store and when I got home from class at 8 we wandered up and down Elmwood in search of food. I ended up with a 2-2-2 from Panos.

It was insanely dark but it was 2 buttermilk pancakes, two sunny side up eggs, and home fries; smothered in butter and syrup. I piled everything into a huge mound and tried to get a little of each part in every bite.

Dessert. A sliced green apple with 2 Tbsp of caramel sauce.

The caramel sauce basically turned into a solid, impenetrable ball, but the apple was good.

Question – how do you order your eggs to get them made without excess fat? I tried to order them “dry,” like toast but that gave the impression that I wanted my yolks well-done. I finally just said “without excess oil” but I feel like there must be short-hand for this.

8Apr2012

Easter Dinner

by Emily

I hope everyone’s Easter, Passover, or April weekends have been full of family and fun. It’s been good being here in Ohio and seeing lots of familiar faces. I’m feeling pretty good too but definitely still in need of sleep so I’ll keep this quick.

Breakfast. Scrambled eggs, piece of turkey bacon, toast with butter.

Lunch. Pieced together as best I could.

Cup of carrots.

Cup of Sahale Snacks Almonds with Honey, Cranberry + Sea Salt.

Mid-afternoon snack/fun. We walked over to the Cracker Barrel gift shop to peruse the old-time goodies.

Adam and I split a Double Cola.

And I finally got to try divinity candy, a Southern treat made of sugar, corn syrup, and egg whites.

I had that piece shown x 3. Delicious but the back of my throat felt like it was burning with all of the sugar.

Appetizer. A bagel chip with blue cheese pecan spread. x2.

Drink. Bud Light with Lime.

Dinner.

Orzo salad.

Party potatoes.

Stir-fried veggies.

Pretzel roll with butter. x2.

Fruit salad.

Bed.

Did you decorate Easter eggs this year?

6Apr2012

Thursday and Friday

by Emily

What I’ve Eaten –

What I’ve Been Up To –

School has been exciting. Yesterday I hung out at a pediatric endocrine clinic and today we had a guest lecture from a leading renal dietitian.
I’m still sick. Super sick. Boo.
Also, remember when I said this – “[Adam] was sick last week, I’m sick this week; as long as the dog is healthy next week it’s all good.”? I jinxed us. The dog has a massive eye infection and was dropped off at the vet this afternoon. My poor baby!
We are heading to Ohio tomorrow evening. We’re spending a few days with family and then coming home on Tuesday after the funeral.

What I’m Thankful For –

I had an amazing grandpa in my life until I was 26 years old.
My teachers are all being great about helping me make up the exams/clinic hours I’m missing to attend the funeral.
My dad is flying to Buffalo and driving to Ohio with us.

3Apr2012

Humbolt Fog

by Emily

Last night’s sleep session was a disaster. Usually my sleep issues are related to falling asleep but lately if I get woken up I can’t fall back to sleep either. The dog woke us up in the middle of the night and it took me at least another hour of tossing and turning to get back to rest. The husband brought home some sort of bug from the hospital and my throat was killing me.

I overslept today and the morning was rushed but I managed to do what I needed to do, mostly. I was heading to the gym after 9 am so sticking with my monthly goal I ate a small breakfast before I left. A few sips of strawberry Powerade Zero,

and a half of a Vanilla Almond Luna Bar.

I didn’t have much time at the gym but something was better than nothing. 20 minutes on the elliptical at random level 7.

After a quick walk home and an even quicker shower I made a Lemon Cookie Smoothie for breakfast.

The last time I made it was apparently a dark and stormy night and I wanted a chance to get some ~~better~~ less awful photographs for the recipe page.

It probably wasn’t my best use of time though; I made it halfway through my smoothie before I had to throw it away and rush out the door. I didn’t have time to pack lunch and having half a smoothie digesting in my stomach just made my hunger stronger all afternoon.

I got out of clinic a bit early and when I spotted a Manhattan Bagel on the drive home it felt like an oasis in the desert.

I was eating the chips that came with my meal before I was even out of the parking lot.

But chips only seemed to anger the beast (aka my stomach) and I ended up eating my bagel on the ride home!

Eating while driving is sort of nice because instead of dreading red lights you can use them to shove food into your face. And my bagel was quite enjoyable; I got a veggie sandwich on a rye bagel.

Red onion, lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, veggie cream cheese, and a little bit of chipotle mayo. I thought the veggies were pretty weak but the bagel was super chewy and good.

I had my 2nd to last shift at work this evening and then I came home to an easy salad dinner.

I needed a vehicle for a veggie, a fruit, and this amazing looking cheese, and salad fit the bill.

This Cypress Grove Humbolt Fog Chevre was delicious. Sadly the blue cheese and goat cheese were in layers and not the hybrid mixture I was hoping for, but both were quite tasty.

Along with chunk of cheese I had romaine lettuce, groats, chopped honey crisp apple, and Stubbs BBQ Sauce for dressing.

Those ingredients sound strange together but it worked.

I’ll see y’all in the am for some running and some baking!

28Mar2012

Tired Haus 3

by Emily

Man, oh man, am I tired! My insomnia seems to be coming back but for now I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the problem is just the vacation/visiting/excitement. It’s my mom’s last day in town and we are heading to the airport at 4am.

On a short walk with the dog, Starbucks dopio espresso with the rest of the cup filled to the rim with skim milk.

Wegman’s hot bar for lunch with my mom.

Veg – roasted veggies, asparagus salad, a piece of chili garlic eggplant.

Protein – a piece of fried tofu and 2 steamed chicken dumplings.

I had to go to two classes today but this afternoon we took a nice walk down Elmwood.

A pear was eaten on the walk,

along with two Buttered Rum Raisin Cookies.

Plus two more cookies that snuck into my mouth while I was in the container.

During our walk we also stopped at Organic 3 Cafe for juice.

My custom blend was carrot, cucumber, double spinach.

We headed back to Lagerhaus 95 for my mom’s final meal in Buffalo. Good food was eaten, with lots of sharing. Basil truffle fries.

These were fine as far as fries go but not amazing; nothing like the truffle fries here.

Haus Cheese Board.

The four cheeses were provolone, smoked gouda, dill havarti, and a sheep’s milk cheese. It was good, but that’s obvious because it’s cheese.

And speaking of cheese, I got the special for dinner – Crispy Duck Mac and Cheese.

The mac was made with smoked gouda and was topped with panko, truffle oil, crispy duck, and goldfish crackers for crunch.

Mmmmmn! Smoked gouda is always a win and the goldfish ended up being surprisingly nice. I usually shy away from duck but I did enjoy the few bites I took that included it; it was a lot like beef jerky! I finished half of the dish or so and the husband is very excited to have the rest for dinner tomorrow.

I also had a few bites of his truffled wild mushroom panini.

And we split a side salad with lemon caper vinaigrette.

The dressing was good but my salad was missing the herbs from last time. All in all it was a fun “last” meal. Quite decadent too, what with all the cheese and truffle oil!

And now I’m getting up in 5 hour so I should skedaddle!

26Mar2012

Miles To Go Before I Sleep

by Emily

Technically the miles were already traveled but sleep somehow feels very far and very urgent! I had some great bites today but I’m going to keep my descriptions quick in favor of bed.

Breakfast – cereal mix with vanilla almond milk.