Tag Archives: rice

Resolutions Check In: January

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Yoga did not happen, but it didn’t happen by choice.  When I got in bed last night (later than desired but still not all that late) I was so tired I thought I was going to pass out.  My last conscious act was switching my alarm to 8:30 am instead.  It was a good call; those three extra hours were a godsend and I woke up feeling well-rested.

Since a 9 am breakfast feels late now, and lunch doesn’t happen on Tuesdays anyway, for my first meal I had lunch.

This Stoffers Cheesy Chicken Brocoli and Rice Bake was pretty good.

A little too much cheese though.

New Year’s Resolutions Check In: January

A month has passed!  Let’s see how I’ve done on my goals.

1. Workout a minimum of three times per week.

Fail.  But I think this one will get easier now that I’ve got a school schedule to help guide my time.

2. Continue to read at least one book a month, for a minimum total of 30 books this year.

1. Death Du Jour – Kathy Reichs  (f)

2. Deadly Decisions  – Kathy Reichs  (f)

3. Fatal Voyage – Kathy Reichs  (f)

4. Grave Secrets – Kathy Reichs  (f)

5. Bare Bones – Kathy Reichs  (f)

6. Monday Mourning – Kathy Reichs  (f)

7. Cross Bones – Kathy Reichs  (f)

8. Break No Bones – Kathy Reichs  (f)

9. Bones to Ashes – Kath Reichs  (f)

Win.  9 books read this month for a total of 9 this year.  I doubt I’ll be able to spend this much time reading in the coming months, but it sure was fun.

3. Put the time and effort into my school work that I can be proud of each week.

Win.  As of today I’m up-to-date or ahead of the game on everything.

4. Continue working on being a positive person.

N/a.  I need to find more specific ways to benchmark this.  I think for February my goal is – every time I get so mad I want to yell at Adam, I have to do three push-ups first.  And then I can yell!

How are you doing on your NYE resolutions?

Yucky Yogurt

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This (god-awful) photo sure feels official!

I had my first day of clinical practice this afternoon.  It went well, and wasn’t as scary as I was expecting, but we’ll see how I feel once we actually start doing stuff 😉  For now there’s not a whole lot to report.

I had statistics before I headed to the hospital, but again I’m not quite sure what to make of it yet.  I do know that there is already a conflict with stats and clinic in February, but I’m hoping that knowing about it this far in advance will let me figure out a solution.

I didn’t eat anything after my little breakfast and I made it through the hospital without a hunger issue so as long as I have my retainers (probably another month or so) I’ll probably stick with that schedule on Tuesdays.  But on Thursdays with a 3rd class in the evening I’ll have to pack food.

When I got home this afternoon I made myself a Stonyfield Low-Fat French Vanilla Yogurt with a S’mores Cup crumbled on top.

This bowl was as big a fail as breakfast!  I just don’t like Stonyfield yogurt any more.  I love the company’s values and flavor offerings so I want to like it, but the texture isn’t right.  Checking the ingredient list I think it must be the pectin because the yogurt is thick in a gross goopy, snotty way.  It sort of reminds me of smoothies made with xanthan gum, and not in a good way.  I ate the top layer off – I wasn’t about to waste a S’mores Cup! – but had to throw away the rest of the yogurt.

Even though I was hungry, I managed to hop on another productive streak before dinner.  I cleaned the kitchen, did the dishes, and finished updating my clinic notebook.  And roasted some broccoli into perfection for dinner.

This easy leftover meal hit the spot.  A small serving of Orange Peel Shrimp, a 1/3 cup of rice, and a bunch of roasted broccoli all tossed together.

Yum.  But the rest of the day’s disappointing meals have caught up with me and I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to eat a snack before bed.  Right now I’ve got to hurry into the shower so I’m ready for the 9pm State of the Union.  FYI – The 2012 State of the Union is live-streaming here for those of us that don’t have cable.

Have you eaten a Stonyfield yogurt recently?  What was your opinion?

Back to School

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It’s official, I’m back in school!

This morning brought about a million plan changes, but it all worked out in the end.  When Adam left (before sunrise) I couldn’t fall back asleep so I finished reading Kathy Reichs book #9 (Bones to Ashes) for an hour or so in bed.  I couldn’t fall at 5 am but at 8 am I couldn’t wake up!  I ended up getting out of bed 30 minutes before the yoga class I wanted to attend was slated to start.  I thought I could make it, so I slammed this breakfast to fill up my stores.

A Wegman’s Whole Wheat Multigrain with Cranberry and Pomegranate bagel with strawberry cream cheese,

plus a big glass of water.

But getting ready took too long and I made myself a little sick eating too quickly, and that plan had to be scrapped.  My original plan was to walk to school today, but when I saw the rain I realized it was time to reevaluate again.  I would eat a little more breakfast, take a shower, drive to school and read Kathy Reichs book #10 (Devil Bones), go to class, and then go to the gym at school before driving home.  (I had to go early because there wouldn’t be any parking closer to class time).  And that’s exactly what I did.

My brunch additions were a small apple.

And a 0% Exotic Fig Voskos Greek Yogurt.

The yogurt was great.  The taste wasn’t quite as good as the Greek Gods Fig Greek Yogurt (my all-time favorite), but the nutritional content was far superior.

Then I drove to school, walked the 20 minutes in the rain from my parking spot, and vowed never to drive to school after 8 am again.  Today’s class went well, but apparently this semester is going to be very, very, very hard.  I’m scared.

After class I headed straight to the gym.  35 minutes on the elliptical, level 6 random.

I stopped at Wegmans for a late lunch on my way home.  I was only going so that I could sit in the comfy booths to finish the writing-intensive task of filling out my planner, but I ended up getting a pretty good meal.

Steamed veggies with a few pieces of kung pow tofu on top,

and two organic chicken dumplings.

Delicious, and it gave me the energy to power through some serious productivity.  I walked and bathed the dog, did the dishes, made dinner, and completed my first homework assignment of the year.  Woot!  Also, I found 15 minutes to make Adam this –

Dinner was even exotic.

I followed this recipe for Orange Peel Shrimp.  With a side of roasted zucchini,

and a 1/4 cup of whole grain texmati brown and rice red blend.

I used salad sized shrimp and subbed in mango butter for orange marmalade, but otherwise I followed the shrimp recipe.

The end flavor was delicious.  The sauce had a great tang and a good level of spice.  But I have to say that I think the recipe was poorly written.  If you decide to make the Orange Peel Shrimp (which I do recommend), I would suggest frying the shrimp in batches.  There is just no way to do 2 lbs at once without overcrowding the pan.  Also, do the shrimp first, set it aside, and cook the sauce in the same pan.  The cornstarch remaining in the pan is minimal, and does not cause the sauce to thicken to quickly; there is no reason to dirty two pans.

Dessert was two S’mores Cups.

If you can believe it, these are even better leftover!  More chewy than gooey, but definitely a bit easier to eat.  These cups are my favorite S’mores variation to date!

How often do you get Chinese take-out? 

It Ain’t Easy Being Green

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Physical activity is a funny thing.  I went to a 60 minute hot yoga class today.  I was dreading it all morning, and sure enough, when I got there it sucked.  I felt like I was going to pass out the entire time and spent most of the class in child’s pose.  It was my worst practice to date.  But by the time I was done, I was so happy that I went.

When I got home from the yoga class that was both frightful and fantastic, I made a smoothie for breakfast.

1 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 1 frozen banana, 7 oz frozen soursop pulp, and nutmeg (for garnish).

The flavor wasn’t quite right but the texture was luscious.

And nutmeg on creamy drinks, especially piña coladas!, is the best.

Adam and I ran a few errands in the snow and then it was time for a double-decker lunch.

On a hamburger bun with schmear of sour cream, 2 nacho turkey burgers topped with 1 oz of melted sharp cheddar.

It was totally swoon-worthy.  The burgers are nice and juicy but have this great chew from the chips too.

I’m glad I made the patties small and stackable.

For dessert, Adam and I each had a mug cake.

I followed the basic recipe, with the inclusion of a handful of chocolate chips.

Dinner was one of my older recipes that I decided to revisit.

Green Tuna Enchiladas!  I updated the recipe page too.

I had two enchiladas and some roasted brocoli on my plate.

It was a good, green meal.

But I wasn’t feeling satisfied.  In fact, I’ve had a gnawing hunger all day, and I know it’s not thirst in hunger’s clothing because this pitcher and I have been fast friends all day.

That h2o is spiked with limes and sugar cane, fyi.

So I honored my hunger and  finished up my dinner with some leftover beans and rice with sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Now I’m done.

What do you do when you’re hungry when you “shouldn’t be?”

Not Yo Mama’s Turkey Burgers

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Three posts in one day?!?  I’m on a roll!  And since I didn’t have it together to eat before late afternoon, this is actually everything I ate today.  Sidenote – my #2 goal for the next 30 days is to blog every single day/eat.  My #1 goal?  Involves my ass and the gym.

Since I waited too long to eat I was absolutely starving.  I ended up eating a 6-inch tuna sub, with vinegar and red onions, while I cooked dinner.

It was tasty, and it kept me from gnawing my own arm off.

Dinner was a good’un.  Quick, delicious, and it involved two brand-spanking-new recipes.

Emily- and husband-approved.

New recipe 1 was Nacho Turkey Burgers, makes 8 small burgers

  • 1 lb 94% fat-free ground turkey
  • 1 large egg
  • 60 grams crushed tortilla chips
  • 1/4 cup medium, chunky style salsa
  • 3/4 cup Mexican shredded cheese blend
  • 1 tsp evoo
  • 8 hamburger buns
  • guacamole (optional)
  • sliced cheddar (optional)
  • hot sauce (optional)
  1. In a large bowl, combine turkey, egg, chips, salsa, and cheese until a homogenous mixture is achieved.  Use your hands to shape into 8 equal-sized patties.
  2. Heat evoo in a grill-pan over medium-high heat.  Working in small enough batches as to not overcrowd the pan add patties to pan.
  3. Cook burgers until browned and fully cooked through; 5-8 minutes on each side.
  4. Serve cooked burgers and top as desired.

New recipe 2 was served atop the burgers, Citrus Guacamole.

  • 2 medium-sized ripe avocados
  • 1 tomatillo, minced
  • 1 small lemon, juiced
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  1. Place avocados in a medium bowl and mash with a fork, leaving some chunks.
  2. Stir in tomatillo, lemon juice, and salt.  Serve immediately.

Both recipes ended up turning out really well!

I love it when my kitchen experiments work out.

I had one nacho turkey burger, on a bun with citrus guacamole,

a serving of rice and beans (just rice with a can of black beans stirred in during the final minutes of cooking) topped with another dollop of guac,

and some roasted asparagus.

The citrus-salt theme was carried nicely throughout the entire meal.

For dessert I nibbled on a few chocolate covered pretzels.

We’re currently making our way through the “Aliens” movies, so “Aliens, 2” was our dinner entertainment.  Webster thought it was thrilling.

He’s such a cutie.

So, about that hair cut.  A month or so ago, this exchange took place on Yes I Want Cake –

Katie got her cut soon after, and it looked fantastic.  I’d just given to Locks of Love, but after some time enjoying my new hair, I was ready.  What do you think?

I love it!

The Final Location

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Today we traveled to the final location of our winter vacation.  It’s good to be “home” for good!  The last two days were spent with cold-like symptoms.  Hence the no-blogging, no-working, no-working out, and no-resolutioning.  Well, that’s no entirely true.  I have read a book a day from Kathy Reich’s Temperance Brennan series.  Each one is better than the last, I swear.

Anyway though, today, we were headed to Toronto. The morning got off to a rough start – I am feeling less than 100% still and it’s possible I’m cranky – but by 12 we were on the road. And by 12:30 we were back home getting our passports. But then, we were on the road.

A Big Gulp of Cherry Coke Zero did a lot to raise my spirits.

As did starting another Temperance Brennan book.

And before I knew it, we were there.

Our plan was to head to a neighborhood with froyo and then hunt for a late lunch there.  We weren’t certain what we would find, so we were thrilled to come across a cheap, all-you-can-eat sushi joint.

Just what the doctor ordered!  What?  Adam’s practically a doctor.

Everything was delicious.  I had … A small bowl of green salad.

Cheese wontons split with the husband.

A piece of tomago sushi (egg).

Two rolls split with the husband.  The Rock and Roll white fish, salmon, pepper, masago, cream cheese, tempura, eel sauce.  The Fire Roll crab meat, avocado, cucumber, masago, spicy mayo, tempura, eel sauce.

A Sakura Roll avocado, tempura bits, hot sauce.

Fried tofu split with the husband.

A piece of butterfish sushi.

Some baked eggplant and grilled veggies.

And finally spicy crab, tempura, and california hand rolls.

We got our money’s worth but weren’t too too stuffed; a perfect all-you-can-eat experience.

To clear some stomach room before froyo, we took a short walk down ultra-cool Bloor St.

And then finally it was time for Menchies.

I topped plain tart and hot chocolate yogurts with small amounts of Skor bar, hot fudge, Smarties, and crunchy pb, and large amounts of rainbow sprinkles and popping bobba.

Perfection.

We had an uneventful drive home and now the boys are over for a game of poker.  I’m banished to the office so it’s possible I’ll get a jump on some schoolwork, but it’s doubtful.  It’s looking like our late, big lunch with count for dinner, but if I end up munching on anything I’ll update.  Otherwise, catch you in the am!

What Was Lunch?

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I felt like today’s dinner and lunch sort of became an ambiguous blob that spread out across the afternoon.  I kept eating different pieces and it was hard to tell where one meal ended and the other began.  As you saw, I had a plate of cheesetastic mac and cheese around 2:00.

Then a while later I had a salad.

This was an especially good salad too.  A romaine base with 1.5 Tbsp of peanut sauce, 2 Tbsp of bloody mary peanuts, and a huge handful of chopped celery.

A while after that, I ate ~2 cookies’ worth of dough while helping Adam with some baking.

Next, I ate a bowl of leftover Hoppin’ John.

And finally I dipped Adam’s pizza crusts into diet pop, but didn’t snap a picture so you’ll have to use your imagination.  I’ll be honest that I planned on eating a bowl of ice cream too, but somehow that one got away from me.

Off With A Thud

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2012 started off with a resounding … thud!  We headed out this morning for a grocery trip, ran over a nail and saw blade (wtf?!), and spent the rest of the afternoon changing the husband’s tire and getting it patched.  Whoops!  In the spirit of being a more positive person, I found a few Pollyanna-type takeaways from our flat –

  1. Thank goodness the tire wasn’t rusted to the axle like the ones on my car, and we were able to change to the spare by ourselves (in the Wegman’s parking lot!).
  2. Since we were spending the afternoon at Mr. Tire we took my car in as well for winterizing, a task we had been putting off.
  3. I probably wouldn’t have spent the day cleaning the entire house, working out like a madman, or changing my entire life anyways; and having the excuse of being stuck with the car means I don’t have to feel bad about not doing those things!

Before the bad thing happened, I made myself a cup of White Christmas tea with skim milk.

I was starving at the grocery store and I’m glad I managed to grab some food from home before we headed out for three hours at Mr. Tire.  Adam and I each got a 1 oz serving of Lord Nut’s spicy bloody mary peanuts.

The nuts were a Christmas gift from my mom. 

They were good; the flavor was spot on but not too spicy for Adam.  My 2nd snack was also a Christmas gift.

Lara Bar kindly sent me some samples of their newest flavor, Cappuccino!

I think it is actually my newest favorite flavor.  This tasted the least like dates (my only complaint about Lara Bars is that some flavors are too strong with date) and the coffee flavor was there without being overwhelming.

We spent part of our wait-time wandering around outside in the rain, and ended up at Mustachio’s for slices of cheese pizza.

Also fun, when we stopped at the Co-op on our way home I managed to snag a sample of mint swirl brownie.

Sweet!

Since 2012 didn’t have the most auspicious start, I’m glad we ate a dinner geared towards bringing us luck.

We followed Jenna’s recipe for Hoppin’ John, with a few changes –

  • mixed everything together rather than making a relish
  • replaced two of the plum tomatoes with tomatillos (<– I highly recommend this change, it gave the dish a nice citrus flavor)
  • substituted brown rice with forbidden black rice for extra luck!

And if it wasn’t lucky, at least it was healthy and tasty.

Our plans for the rest of the evening include Netflix Instant Watch and this skillet cookie my sister-in-law gave us for Christmas.

2012, bring it on!

How’d you spend the first day of the new year?