Tag Archives: sandwich

Red Fish, Blue Fish, Green Dog?

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If I start this post by saying I haven’t been very productive today, will that be too predictable?!  I’m in a cold-weather/program-frustration/lack-of-exercise induced rut!  But I’m making a commitment to going to bed early and pushing my way out of it tomorrow.

At least all of my eats today were tasty.  Like my in-class breakfast trio.

Wegman’s Plain 0% Greek Yogurt (which is quite good and can hold its own against the big brands; though it is more similar to Chobani than Fage as it is less thick),

Fiber One Honey Squares Cereal sample (this had a gross fake-sweetener aftertaste – Sucralose was on the ingredient list – but was very filling for 80 calories),

and a honey stick.

Since my trio only had about 200 calories or so, I supplemented breakfast with a Banana Nut Bar that Odwalla generously sent me to try out.

Love!  I actually tried this in college (the first time!) and loved it then too.  220 calories, .5 grams of saturated fat, 5 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein.  Plus it packs good amounts of many vitamins, including 25% daily value each of calcium and folate and 50% vitamin e.  The bar is chewy and a bit crumbly, just like banana bread!  I shared bites with two classmates who agreed that this was the best fake (<– aka not literally just a banana) banana flavor ever.

My breakfasts held me over nicely too; I had to run several errands after class and I didn’t get to eat lunch until close to 2:30.  Actually, my breakfasts held me over well until around 1, and then I was cranky.  I went frozen meal quick for lunch.

Another Lean Cuisine win, Chicken Enchilada Suiza.

I supplemented this meal with popcorn.

There’s always room for Jell-O popcorn.

I took the doggy on a long walk this afternoon (that’s productive!) and before I knew it the husband was home and it was time for dinner.

No matter what little tweaks you make to the ingredients, turkey Reubens are always good!

This guy was GH sourdough bread, 1000 island dressing, sauerkraut 2 slices of Applegate Farms Honey and Maple Turkey, and 2 slices of 2% Swiss.  I ate at least another slice worth’s of bread in nibbles, Great Harvest is seriously the best.

With roasted green beans on the side.

A winner of a dinner.

Blue Fish, Red Fish, Green Dog?

Calling all pet owners, we could use some advice.  How do you clean up after your dog while staying green? 

Adam and I pride ourselves on being pretty environmentally friendly but Webster seems to have doubled our plastic and paper consumption.  Since he is home by himself for long stretches of time (and since he is a small dog with a small bladder in a third floor apartment) he has to do about 50% of his “business” inside the apartment.  When he’s not out on a walk, he “goes” on pee pads.

I don’t feel bad about using these because they are basically unavoidable and we have him reuse each one two or three times.  However, being the asshole that he is, only about 2/3 of his going takes place on the pee pads.  The rest of his business goes on the floor.  Number 2 requires a baggie and Clorox wipe (don’t worry, we use a different brand without harsh chemicals, I’m just too lazy to look up the name of them) and number 1 requires several paper towels and wipe.  I’ve thought about using paper towels for pick-up at home (wasting more paper but conserving plastic), but on walks we have to use a baggie.

For the past few months we’ve been leaving our reusable bags at home and reusing the plastic bags we take home from the grocery.  This is the cheapest solution but Adam and I both felt badly about how wasteful it was.  When we ran out of baggies and were forced into purchasing some I think we both were a little relieved (and we’ll go back to reusable bags for groceries).  In fact, one of my errands today was purchasing these –

These Green Bone bags are biodegradable and made from cornstarch.

So that’s an improvement but I’m still hoping to find a better solution.

Pet owners, how do you take good care of your furry friends while still taking care of the planet?

Chipped Chompers

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As you can probably tell from the title, this is not a happy post.  I mean, it was a fine day and all, but it ended with a bit of despair.

My smart breakfast held me over nicely through my 1st 2 hour class; oats for the win.  I was ready for lunch by the time we reached break though.  Mostly because I knew in advance how darn good my sandwich was going to be.

1 slice of 2% provolone and 2 slices of Applegate Farms Honey and Maple Turkey on a  toasted Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Thin.

The turkey was delicious and the sweetness of the bagel totally made the sandwich.

I also packed a baggie of baby carrots but they were so slimy I couldn’t even eat them.  Thankfully my friend Rachel realized that we were burning through our glucose stores cramming for the exam and she bought us Rochers.

Got to keep that brain powered.

I also bought a caramel apple frozen coffee.

But it was disgusting.  I’ve had the drink before and I know it doesn’t usually have a strong aftertaste but it was too close to class time to get back in line so I just threw it out 4 sips in.

I used both of my breaks to study today and the test ended up going ok.  Not as well as I would have liked, but I probably should have studied in advance for that!  I don’t want to do “ok” this semester, I want A’s!  It is worth noting though that I finished our 77 question exam in 17 minutes.  I’m a test speed demon.  <– that was with checking everything twice

I had to stay on campus after our test was over and I was starving.  I turned to the vending machines for sustenance.

The dietetics’ building’s machines actually have some healthy options, but Clif Bars are $2.50 and honey mustard pretzels are $1 so you see how that went.

My late home-coming was because I had a job interview at 6pm (fingers crossed!).  I think that went really well but sadly then the evening took a downturn. 

I ate my pretzels at 5  and then didn’t eat anything else so I was still starving.  The important point there is that at 7:30 I hadn’t eaten in almost 3 hours; that’s a key detail.  I came home and cleaned up the remains of the husband’s shoes (thanks a lot, Webster!), took the little monster on a walk, and was just catching up with Adam when I felt something in my mouth.  “I think I chipped a tooth.”  Adam told me to shut up – it’s possible I’m paranoid about my teeth and it wasn’t like I was currently eating anything – but did get out his otoscope.  And, confirmed; I chipped a tooth!  I chipped two teeth last year using my old retainers but tonight I basically cracked one of the previously chipped molars in half.  Ouch!

We had to cancel our hot, crunchy dinner and we also had to go buy Adam new insoles so while we were out we picked up Subway for dinner.

I got a 6inch veggie sub with pepperjack cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, lots of pickles, and yellow mustard.

And I also scarfed the last quarter of Adam’s tuna sub.

Eating was a little painful, but no worse than hunger pains or a day without veggies.  Bleck.

Have you ever chipped a tooth?  Any food suggestions (or warnings) until I can get it fixed?

Pregnant in Philly

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Ever since the Healthy Living Summit I’ve been thinking about one thing.  Not blogstalking new people; I’ve been too busy for that.  Not how to improve my blog, though obviously that should be high on my list.  For me, Philly was all about the Philly.

The vegan Philly Cheese Steak.  The minute I took that first chewy yet crunchy bite I knew this was something I’d have to recreate at home.

We hollowed out a roll of Italian bread, piled it high, and melted on two slices of 2% Provolone cheese.  For our filling we sautéed together sliced mushrooms, sliced onion, thin strips of red pepper, and crumbled Seitan.

Meet the /mostly/ vegan Philly cheese steak /done at home/.

It was delicious.  But it wasn’t the delicious.  I was looking to relive the taste I experienced in Philadelphia – the savory yet tangy flavor, my need to pull pieces of the “meat” from my sandwich to eat with my fingertips – and this wasn’t quite there.  Still good though.

I plated myself a small bowl of filling on the side when we sat down.

But I ended up having more than enough food and leaving most of this, plus a few bites of bread, behind.

For the salad course of dinner we ate the remains of some romaine.

Topped with Kraft Light Parmesan Asiago Balsamic Vinaigrette and big handfuls of blue cheese crumbles and buckwheat groats.

My last bite was pure blue cheese and buckwheat and it was ridiculous good.  The crunchiness of the groats makes me enjoy salads 100% more than before.

Other than making a good dinner, I didn’t accomplish near enough this afternoon.  After all my morning workout motivation it was all I could do not to fall asleep on my notes this afternoon.  It didn’t help that Webster was being a distracting little stinker –

That is the top of the couch!  Why/how?!?

Pregnancy Chic?

The other half of my title comes from my afternoon admission that I rock tunic-style tops fairly regularly.  They look good on me, they hide the fact that I spent the summer watching Charmed on the couch, and I generally think they’re adorable.  Like this new top I got at the Banana Republic outlet this summer.

This top is super cute, especially the wrap-style boobs.

But when I was describing my look this morning I heard “second trimester chic” coming out of my mouth.

I’m good with it though.  I may be years away from pregnancy but I’ve already got a ton of concerns about all the things that come after getting knocked up.  At least I can cross *spending money on maternity clothes* off my list of worries, my current wardrobe should carry me through just fine!

Are you a fan of the “pregnancy chic” look or do you prefer tighter fitting tops?

Full Court Press

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Yikes!  The semester is starting to get real and today was just a bit stressful.  I’ll keep this post quick because I have to get in the shower by 9 pm to have any chance of getting in bed in time to workout in the morning.

We finally got some info on due dates in class today (we still have several assignments that are unknown though frustratingly) and as of right now here is what I have on tap of this semester –

  • 15 exams
  • 4 personal papers (2 of which include presentations)
  • 4 group papers/presentations

That’s in addition to quizzes and homework assignments.  Fun.  I originally said I was going to aim to finish all assignments by October but clearly that goal is shot!

During class 1 I ate this Nature’s Path Peanut Choco bar from my HLS Swag bag.

A bit sticky for my liking but it was packing a great amount of chocolate and peanut butter, especially for 150 calories.  I actually enjoyed it so much that I tried to buy more at Wegmans this afternoon.

After class 2 and I headed to the gym for a quick (quick!) workout.  1 mile run and 10 minutes of strength/stretch moves.

During class 3 I ate this mini pack of dried cranberries and pineapples.

After school I drove a friend to work, went to the tailors, and did a grocery run with Adam.  Thank goodness we had a free coupon for hot bar because getting to 4pm on 200 calories made me just a bit cranky.

Garlic eggplant, garlic broccoli, roasted veg, and some sesame chicken.

Plus h2o-melon, pineapple, and a few berries.

I was freezing this afternoon so I made a mug of hot chocolate to sip while I worked.

I wish I could say I had gotten more done but it’s hard to study when this is your scenery –

I love my boys!  Actually, I told Adam the other day that sometimes I think about leaving him so I can get away from the dog but that’s a fleeting thought when I’m cleaning up after 1 or both of them and in general I think I’m the luckiest lady on earth.

Dinner was a Panini masterpiece.

A sandwich idea was sparked by my desire for this combination –

Trader Joe’s mango butter with brie.  Plus Applegate Farms Organic Sliced Turkey on rye bread.

The sweet brie pairing is always a winner (see baked brie with dried cranberries) but turning this into a sandwich took it over the top.

Yum!

Plus a side of roasted green beans which sadly seem to have gone bad and were mostly left uneaten.

Rotton beans can’t put a damper on that sandwich though, dinner was still considered a success.

Do you like brie?  What’s your favorite way to pair it?

Fillo Me Up

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When Adam got home at 3 o’clock (two hours late, I might add) we realized that neither of us and had eaten all day and we were both starving.  Waiting for dinner wasn’t an option because of our stomachs, eating at home wasn’t at options because of our pantry, and grabbing food close by wasn’t an option because we’re growing tired of Elmwood take-out.  To the internets!

I found a Groupon for Mississippi Mudds that we could buy and use this afternoon so we headed out.

The food was cheap and sounded good so we were excited to try something new.

Adam and I got a spread to share and headed to the roof for a meal with a view.

Problem # 1 – The complete and total bee infestation at Mississippi Mudds scared us back inside in a matter of minutes.  Problem # 2 – The food was freaking bad.

I ordered the seafood salad sandwich.

I knew that there was a chance of the fake crab mix but this was basically egg salad!  I ate about 1/3 before giving up.  Plus, even with my small serving I was left completely nauseous which means I’m probably sensitive to one of the preservatives in the fake crab mixture.  <– yet another reason it’s better to eat whole foods

Adam and I also split the sweet potato fries with honey and butter (on the side).

I imagine it’s hard to produce a product that is both undercooked and burnt but they managed.  The fries were cold too, which was pretty much the final straw for us.  We’d give Mississippi Mudds a 1.5/10; the only positive was that we used a Groupon so we only had to pay 50%.

So in spite of our efforts to branch out, the bulk of lunch ended up coming from our old standby.  Wegman’s hot bar can basically do no wrong.  I got a broccoli mixture and a cauliflower mixture, plus some apple cider sweet and sour chicken.

Still cheap, but now healthy and delicious!

I have a less busy weekend with time for school work so I spent my afternoon watching tv instead of studying.  I’m typically not an emotional eater (I eat junk because it makes me happy, not because I’m sad) but I will admit that the full glass of Arnold Palmer the dog spilled on the couch did push me towards the this mint chocolate chip swirl cupcake.

I ate the top half of the cake with icing, because that’s the good part anyways.

The husband and I weren’t hungry again for dinner until pretty late in the evening so we wanted something quick.  Thank you HLS swag bag, for the mini fillo shells.

Our final meal was “Strawberry Fields” themed.

We baked the mini fillo shells with chunky peanut butter, diced strawberries, and a sprinkle of brown sugar.

I ate 6 (technically two servings for 90 calories total) and the pb&j feel was perfect.

On the side we had salads with leftover diced strawberries.

Also romaine lettuce, roasted buckwheat groats, crumbled blue cheese, and Newman’s Own Light Caesar Dressing.

Cheese plus fruit (particularly blue or goat cheese with any type of berry) is a combo that never fails.

Fellow HLS attendees; what did you do with your fillo shells?

Uncomfortably Full

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I love long weekends! And long weekends with trips are especially fun. It was great to visit with my grandparents, I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like.

Before we hit the road this morning we ate a final fancy breakfast.

Chicken sausage,

egg casserole leftovers, which I ate cold to my husband and grandma’s duress,

and a banana.

We were not as well provisioned for this trip as we were on Saturday. I did the best I could but still arrived home hungry. A low-fat string cheese,

and a Muscle Milk Light bar.

Yeeetch! I took two bites and decided I’d rather go hungry. At least with the dog we stop more often and I grabbed what I really wanted a bit later, candy.

I’ve been badly wanting Twizzlers for a few weeks and after a serving that craving was satisfied.

Webster slept most of our journey which meant I had time to finish the book I started on the drive over.

Hands of My Father is a memoir about a hearing boy’s childhood with two deaf parents. New addition to my top list of book favorites! I had to hold my breath to keep from crying at least once a chapter and I laughed just as often. The setting of a Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn post Depression lent itself to some good stories.

When we did get home I spent my evening making chili.  And weighing chili, and pricing servings…

This was for a class assignment, and it was beef to boot so I couldn’t even taste it!  Instead Adam and I got take out for dinner.

Tuna melt on sourdough (no butter on the bread) with cheddar cheese and a side of fries.

Plus a slice of carrot cake.

Umm, plus the last two chocolates.

Can we so uncomfortably full?

Fit For A Dog

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Going back a few hours…  We did go get Webster that toy.

Actually we got him a few, but we started with Mouse who he loves.

Dinner wasn’t quite as easy.  Adam and I had things to do and it got later and later until suddenly it was just late.  We set out in search of sustenance but got sidetracked at Blue Monk, where one of our good friend bartends.  She was in, and she was on break, and they did have Brooklyn Brewery’s Concoction on draft, and we could get it for free….

And before you knew it, it was really late and dinner was bought at Jim’s Steak Out at 1 am.

That plate was a 6inch buffalo chicken sub with a side of fries.  Exactly the kind of food you should just go to bed without eating and exactly the kind of food that is perfect for 1 am dinners.

I tried to stay in bed as late as I could this morning, but that basically meant getting up to do something for Webster every 10 minutes from 7 – 9. 

That’s his ears-back look.  When I did get up, I made myself some Lean Cuisine Thai-Style Chicken Spring Rolls.

They were good, but not life changing obviously.  I liked the chew and the veggies but I needed a lot more spice.

I ate the entire box (2 servings) for 400 calories, which – with the addition of roasted green beans – made for a perfect brunch.

I also had a yellow plucot, I think it was called a dapple, for dessert.

This was my first time trying the yellow variety but I loved it.  I couldn’t taste the difference between this and other plucots, but it was sweeter than regular plums are.  I’ve got to cop to the fact that I let Webster eat a few bites of plucot while I was still eating it; apparently I’m that dog owner.  But you know what, dogs’ mouths are only disgusting because they eat their own poop and we don’t let him do that!

The Elmwood Art Festival is happening today but Adam’s at the hospital all day so I’m going to wait it out until tomorrow.  I do have plans for a long walk with a friend this afternoon though.

What’s your stance on dog mouths?  Share some food, lick your face, or stay the hell away?

Craving Meat

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A man blogger can not live on bread popcorn alone, so I did make myself a lunch lunch around 2:30.

A toasted Bagel Thin with spinach, artichoke, hummus dip,

and a handful of baby carrots.

I also at a Rocky Road mini ice cream.

Clearly I’m on a mini ice cream kick lately.  I’m just going with it.

I had some plans for dinner – plans I tell you, plans dammit! – but then Adam called.  No he didn’t get home late this time, and I’ve decided that from now on I’m just going to cook dinner as scheduled and not wait anyway.  But when he did get home on time we would need to find the recipe for, purchase the ingredients for, and then bake coffee cakes.  For tomorrow morning.  Gosh darn it, husband!

I shouldn’t really complain though, he mostly did the cakes by himself and I got a dinner out on the town out of the deal.

We went to JP Bullfeathers, because I like their stoic looking bear statue.

After my carb-filled day I was ready for some meat. 

The Cowboy Burger from JP Bullfeathers is a turkey burger with bbq rub, melted cheddar, bbq sauce, and jalopeno poppers on top.  It came with a side of cole slaw.

The cole slaw was only ok (I ate it for the veggies) but the burger was fantastic and exactly what I was craving.  I pushed the bun to the side but otherwise it was devoured.  Meghann blogged about needing a meat fix too so maybe there was something in the water at HLS!

Sidenote – I almost never crave meat meat.  When I say I’m craving meat I typically mean turkey.  I’ve never in my life had a craving for lamb or pork.  Since I stopped eating mammals 13 years ago I crave a juicy burger once or twice a year but other than that I’m generally grossed out by the idea.

How often do you crave meat?  Are you an omnivore or a veg-head?