Tag Archives: turkey

I’m Sure Immortals Was Great

by

It feels good to be back!  It will feel even better to actually have my computer back, but I’ll take what I can get.  I will admit that it’s felt a little freeing not having a computer this past week.  Sure, I still check my e-mail on my phone every 10 minutes, but not being tethered to a seat reminded me of how much the old me hated sitting in one place for hours, even in front of  a computer.  Something to think about.

I spent yesterday cooking and Adam spent the morning cleaning.  I like having company because it makes us pretend to live like adults!  While he worked, I munched on a simple but delicious sandwich.

Half a jalapeno cheddar bialey with 2 slices of Applegate Farms Honey Maple Turkey and a thick schmear of Crofter’s Organic Grape Spread.

I know I say it every time, but the spicy + sweet combo makes my world.

My brother-in-law got into town around noon so we took him to lunch at JP Bullfeathers.  We were sat in the downstairs “wine cellar” area, which was fun.

It was in the 40’s at that point so I relished a warm lunch.

I got a cup of jalapeno corn chowder which I was thrilled to see contained lots of whole kernels of corn.

And an order of garlic bread which I was sad to see was topped with cheese.  Who puts cheese on garlic bread?  I ate three pieces nonetheless.

The lunch as a whole was very heavy and it left me feeling full but not satisfied, if that makes sense.

I had to leave the boys to head in to work.  They went to Blue Monk while I was gone, a trip that required me to have to drive them to the movies later, ahem.  I actually walked from school over to Blue Monk to pick them up on foot first.  It was a nice walk, made even nicer by the purchasing of green juice from O3.

I made my own mix instead of ordering off of the menu, but I believe that what I ended up with was spinach, celery, cucumber, and carrot.

I had no desire to see “Immortals” so I stayed home and did some work.  I knew the dinner plan was pizza so I made sure to eat a nice salad when I got home.

A spinach bed with chopped apple, crumbled blue cheese, groats, and Wegman’s Yogurt Casaer dressing on top.

I’m not sure the salad will make me any less hungry for pizza, but I’m glad I at least got in some produce first.

I also ate a serving of Lindt truffles.

And as soon as I pick up the movie-goers it will be pizza time!  I’m not going to blog again today so the husband can have his computer, but assume I’ll have 1-3 slices of the good stuff.

I will see you all again (phew!) tomorrow.

Smoothie, Sandwich, Stir Fry

by

Y’all will not even believe what I did this morning … Started my day with a trip to the gym!  It wasn’t a long visit – 25 minutes on the elliptical, level 6 random – but after my month+ hiatus it felt good to be back.  Now I need to hurry to bed so there’s a possibility of me making it back to the gym tomorrow!

I didn’t have much time when I got home, but between showering and peeling the dog off of my boots I managed to make Adam and myself tasty smoothies.

The secret ingredient was MANGO.

I’ve been eyeing that can of sweetened mango pulp at Wegmans for months.  I’d been resisting, but once I remembered that we had some frozen peaches to use up I finally bit.  For two servings I blended –

  • 1 cup mango pulp
  • ~ 1 cup frozen peaches
  • ~ 1 cup Stonyfield Plain Fat-free Yogurt
  • ~ 1 Tbsp honey

They were delicious.

I wish breakfast had been a bit more filling though, because lunch was a long time coming.  I had to get through three classes and a group meeting first.  Since I decided to stay on campus until my shift at work I ended up having to buy food in the bookstore coffee shop.

I know that sandwich looks divine, but I sort of hated it.  I ordered the (pre-made, then toasted) turkey with cheddar and chipotle mayo and regretted it every bite.  There was way too much turkey, way too much cheese, and the cheese had a gross plastic texture.

I ate 2/3 of it, sadly.  Normally, my rule is that I do not eat anything that I don’t a) love or b) need for nutrients; but I was stuck, starving, and not about to drop down more cash for something else.

I should have just gone home anyways because between tiredness and hunger I didn’t get a damn thing done.  I actually curled up with my backpack and took a nap; shhhhh!

After a good shift at work, I came home to stir fry veggies for dinner.

No pasta or egg this time, just veggies, since my massive sandwich gave me a dose of carbs and protein.

The vegetables are always my favorite part anyways.  (Have you tried my riceless stir-fried rice?)

What should I make with the rest of my mango pulp?

Tasty/Slow

by

Hello there.  Long time no see.

Between going to work on Friday night and eating an unphotographable lunch via food lab, it was just too difficult to blog yesterday.  But apparently it was quite easy for me to stay up until 1:30 am watching tv with the husband.  (Sidenote – how freaking off-the-charts fabulous was the newest “Bones” episode?!?!)  I was the walking dead all day today.

My morning actually had an early start because I had an 8:30 am volunteering commitment.  I had to pick up a friend on the way there, and shower before I faced the public, so my alarm felt super early.  But I was done and picking the husband up for a fun lunch date before I knew it.

Necessary back story ahead:  A classmate’s family owns a great local restaurant (Romeo and Juliet’s).  Their restaurant generously provided the cookies and bread that we sold as sides during the Chili Sale.  The bread was mini rolls made of panettone dough and it was completely fabulous.  The taste was like a very elevated King’s Hawaiian Roll.  Adam loves Hawaiian Rolls.  After we all raved about the rolls, our classmate told us that R&J’s also makes them for a local restaurant that centers their sandwiches around that bread.  There were leftovers after the sale and we all were thrilled to take some home.  On Thursday I brought home 10 mini rolls.  Adam got home around 4pm that day.  By 5pm all 10 rolls were gone.  Last night, when Adam picked me up from work he brought me a cannoli.  “Because [he] knew [I] wanted to try one.”  Upon further pressing, I found out that the cannoli was from R&J’s.  Because he went to see if they had more rolls.  (They did not.)

So long story long, today we dined at the restaurant that centers its sandwiches around R&J’s epic buns.

SoHo Bar had this funky, industrial vibe to it that we loved.

I took Adam as a surprise and while he was excited to be getting a lunch date, he had no idea why we were there.

(e) Read the menu.

(a) The salads look good.

(e) Look at the burgers.

(a) The meat is provided by Johnny’s Meats?

Sometime I think it’s a good thing he’s so book smart!  But once I pointed out the only sentence on the menu he had yet to read aloud, he was thrilled.

Adam went with a classic burger on an amazing bun, and I got a #4 combo so we could try multiple menu categories.

I had the turkey burger, with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and red onion.

Plus I requested some cranberry chutney to add on too.

The sour of the chutney and pickles went so well with the sweetness of the bun.

Adam and I split my fries, which came in an adorable mini fryer basket.

And finally we split a spiked shake (2/3 to 1/3, his favor).

We went with a Kentucky Caramel, Woodford Reserve Bourbon, vanilla ice cream, caramel ice cream, caramel sauce.

The bourbon-caramel combo was pairing perfection.

We continued our date with a long walk around the mall and it was the perfect afternoon.  At 2:30 I had to go to work but it was a short 2-hour shift that flew by quickly.  Plus, I was the ‘top earner’ yesterday and I went home today with a $5 gift card! 

My $ was promptly spent on snacks for the husband.  I carried a jumbo tub of movie-butter popcorn for many aisles through Target before I decided I’d probably ultimately be happier not consuming 5-bazillion calories before dinner.  Instead I ate the 2nd serving of Chia “Rice” Pudding.

Still tasty, but calorically dwarfed by the popcorn and packed with omega-3 fatty acids.

It was delicious straight out of the fridge, topped with cinnamon, and I highly recommend trying it yourself.

I don’t recommend dinner.

Don’t get me wrong, the flavors were amazing. 

But not 60+ minutes in the kitchen amazing.

for 2, quickly written but slowly cooked

  1. Place 3 oz prepared whole-wheat spaghetti in the bottom of two bowls (6oz total, 3oz each).
  2. In a large pan, working in three separate batches, use chicken broth to steam 6 oz fresh spinach, 1 small graffiti eggplant, and 22 large frozen shrimp.  Split between bowls.  Use the same pan for every step in the recipe to allow the flavors to build.
  3. Cook 2 slices Applegate Farms Turkey Bacon.  Chop and set aside.
  4. Heat 2 tsp evoo in the pan over medium heat.  Add 2 chopped shallots and 3 chopped cloves of garlic.  Cook until translucent.
  5. Add 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour and cook 1 minute.
  6. Stir in 1/4 cup chicken broth.  Add 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup light cream and continue to stir.
  7. Return chopped bacon to pan.  Add 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese and cook until melted.  Pour sauce on top of veggies and pasta.

The sauce was fantasmic but I needed a bigger pan because cooking each layer separately took up waaaaay too much time.  My favorite part was the bacon, which I stole a slice of during prep.

Yum.

And I must smell like bacon, because look at how the dog has insisted on sitting all evening –

It’s sort of making my life.  Plus we watched “Crazy/Beautiful” while we ate and it’s one of my favorite movies so I’m pretty blissed out in general.  Hope everyone else is having a good weekend!

On Both Hands

by

On one hand, I want to try to keep posting speedy tonight because I’m interrupting tv time with Adam.  On the other, I ate some mind-blowingly amazing things today and I want to talk about them.  What to do, what to do?

I started my morning with a Sweet Tango apple.

I ate it during my walk to school and the crunching, munching, strolling, sun-rising combo was just perfect.

Though not as perfect as the 2nd half of my breakfast.  I bring you, my new all-time favorite sandwich.

The 2nd half of yesterday’s cheddar jalapeno bialey, with 2 slices of Applegate Farms Smoked Turkey, and a schmear of Crofter’s Organic Grape Spread.

Spicy plus savory plus sweet rocks my world.

Not food but also pretty exciting, I packed this Herban Essentials Lavender Towlette to wipe my hands with after my sandwich.

The smell rocked my face off and I felt uber-classy.  Confession  – my mom bought me this bag years ago and I’ve been hoarding them because I think they’re so special.

We did an interesting case study in class today but I’ll save time by not talking about it.  I just say this – you can only help someone who wants to help themself.

We went down to the lab after class to deal with the chili sale leftovers and I snagged a m&m brownie cookie.

Lunch was free too; I went to a club meeting that provided sub sandwiches.

I got half a turkey (with lettuce, tomato, and a slice of swiss) which I topped with lots of yellow mustard and a few chips.

When I got home I made myself something exciting for dessert.

That is “rice” pudding made with chia seeds.  I topped my bowl with a splash of maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

It was amazing I pinky swear to share the recipe with y’all tomorrow but I’m going to save time by skipping that now.

Adam and I actually got next week’s grocery shopping done this afternoon.  It’s going to be a busy weekend and we want to get as much done ahead of time as we can.

Dinner was easy and quick, vegetarian tacos.

We mashed 2/3 of a can of pinto beans, spread them on small tortillas, topped with a bit of sharp cheddar, a handful of sautéed cabbage, and some sliced avocado.

This meal needed a dose of crunch and/or spice, but other than that it was perfect.

I also polished off a lot of this rosemary with olive oil and sea salt loaf.

Like a LOT, a lot.  4 big slices dipped in evoo and shoved into my face.  ‘Twas amazing.  I’m not quite sure what I think I’m carbo-loading for but I will say that I really wanted french fries too and at least had the good sense not to go get them!

Spicy plus sweet; gimme or gag me?

Fruit In My Purse, In My Chocolate

by

I should NOT be blogging right now but I needed a study break!  Tomorrow is going to suck; I’ll leave it at that.

Breakfast was grabbed quickly but ended up being good.  A Revolution Foods Organic Berry MashUp.

I’ve seen some chatter on the internet about how lame it is for grown women to eat “baby food” but all I have to say to that is – sorry you don’t know what’s good?  These are delicious and if you can find another way for me to stick a half cup of berries straight into my purse, I’m all ears.

Plus a sample box of Cascadian Farms Dark Chocolate Almond Granola from HLS.

This was so crunchy and tasty that I actually snapped a picture on my phone to remind myself to buy more!

Since you can already see my warm jacket peeking out from those pictures I’ll admit defeat and show you bundled up look –

It was in the low 30’s today, there could have been snow!  There’s even another shirt on under that top layer (which was Adam’s!).

Not to worry, no one could see that I was wearing stripes + stripes + plaid, that layer was purely for bundling.

Towards the end of our 4-hour class our instructor took us on a field trip across campus to see some of the research posters being presented by faculty from across the disciplines.  We got out of class early and they had food, score!

Fruit,

veg (that brown stuff is a hummus based sauce),

bit of pasta salad and a turkey sandwich with chipotle mayo.

The photos make everything look a bit bigger than it was in real life, this was a smallish lunch.  Good thing I supplemented it with Combos.

I’m having a Combos thing this week, so sue me.

The hours of 12 – 3 were spent hard at studying with some friends in a computer lab.

So. Much. Material!!!

Cherry cordials when I got home.

If this evening goes like I think it’s going to I suspect this will not be the only dessert I have today…

Adrenaline and Glucose

by

11 days of freedom!  That is, I have 11 days until I have another test or major assignment on my schedule.  Woo-who; good thing I’ve got all that tv to watch 😉

Last night was, shall we say, eventful.  Just before bed we killed the largest spider I’ve ever seen and it sent adrenaline coursing through my veins.  <– Seriously, “woodlouse spider,” Google if you dare.  Then Webster got sick at 2:30 in the morning and none of us really ever went back to sleep after that.  I made a vet appointment for the dog and a giant coffee for myself.

That’s Godiva Pecan Turtle Coffee (a foodbuzz sample) with Plain Silk Almond Milk and ice.  Delish, thought it did mean that my jumpiness continued.

I ate brunch around my breaks in class.  A red pear.

Plus a sandwich.

2 slices of Rudi’s Honey Sweet Whole Wheat, with Trader Joe’s mango butter, 2 slices of Applegate Farms Herb Turkey, and a slice of 2% Swiss.

Not that great but at least it kept me fueled.  Especially because your brain needs 130 grams of CHO a day to function!

My exam went pretty well, I think.  There were a few areas of confusion (on material we were told was not going to be on the exam!) but overall I felt like I knew my stuff.

I never really mind exams; it’s fun to see how much I know, or don’t know!  Plus I’m a speed tester so I always finish with time to spare.  Having an exam today meant I was released an hour earlier than usual, which is great because I’m on page 21 of The Help and book club is tonight!  Gotta get reading!

My Exam Was On A Low Carb Diet

by

{This post was started last night.}

One three-hour review session probably wasn’t enough, but at least I don’t think I failed today’s exam.  And I handed in my paper too so now it’s two down, one to go for this week; phew!  I did make one really silly (really embarrassing!) mistake that is going to cost me a lot of points.  I was thinking adult DRIs for CHO but fixating on percentages for CHO in the DASH diet and ended up saying that older adults require only 55-65 grams of carbohydrates each day!  <– Carbs are the primary energy source for brain function and the RDA is 130 grams/day!

I think I needed more coffee.

That’s ice, Godiva Pumpkin Spice Coffee, Plain Silk Almond Milk, and a big splash of English Toffee Syrup.  I tasted before sweetening and sadly I don’t think I like the Godiva Pumpkin Spice Coffee outside of pumpkin latte oatmeal.  Too much spice for me.  I brought the rest of the bag in to my friend Kim and she’s going to report back.

Here was the rest of breakfast.

A 2% Fage with Strawberry.

And a Berries GoMega Superfood Bar that Odwalla sent me to try.

I didn’t care for the bar and only ended up eating two small bites.  My negative review is for a positive reason though – this tasted like a berry muffin!  It’s just that I don’t like muffins all that much.  I shared with a friend who confirmed my muffin assessment.  We did admire that it provided 25% percent daily value of your Folate and Calcium and 50% daily value for Vitamin E for only 210 calories.  If you are a muffin person I recommend it.

Lunch was a bagel sandwich that I recommend to everyone.

Cinnamon Raisin Bagel Thin + Applegate Farms Honey Maple Turkey + reduced fat pumpkin cream cheese (mine is from Einstein’s Bagel Bros) = Yum!

I’ll be honest and admit that this could have used a slice of cheese, but other than that it was pure perfection.

I brought in the rest of the Ghirardelli dark chocolate (a Foodbuzz sample) to share with the girls as study fuel.

One piece was enough for me.

And before I knew it – mostly because I was thinking too hard to look at the clock – my exam was done and one final class stood between me and freedom!

In this case, freedom meant beer.

Adam and I split this Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale 40/60 his favor.  Tasting note – not bad, but not really pumpkin-y either.

And I drank this Dogfish Head Punkin Ale all by myself.

I really did taste pumpkin, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg.  And beer!  This is my favorite pumpkin brew so far this season (2nd would be Shock Top’s pumpkin).

Notes – I hadn’t had much to eat, I was tired, I’m a lightweight.  Those notes are important because what I did next was get drunk and go to bed at 8:30 pm!  Haha, I’m sure I needed the sleep.

I’m feeling well-rested now, which is awesome because I’ve got to do some serious learning for tomorrow’s exam.  Hope everyone is having a good week!

Cruciferous Cooked In Cider

by

This afternoon I decided to forget the fancy coffee for the sake of my wallet and find something to snack on at home instead.  Hello, cookie box!  I went with a buttercream frosted cinnamon pumpkin cookie.

Yum!  The cookie was cakey with great aftertastes of pumpkin and the frosting was thick!  We are loving Cheryl’s especially because they include a nutrition panel on each cookie and don’t contain trans fat.

Thank you for the Halloween gift, in-laws!

I also ate a red plum on our way to store.

We only needed to pick up a few things but I’m glad we went because we ended up finding lots of Monday afternoon deals, including 50% off Justin’s almond butter.

Dinner included hot dogs, baked beans, and apple cider stewed cabbage – the fall fantasy meal!

The baked beans were a vegetarian Wegman’s brand, I had a half cup with 2 chopped Applegate Farms Uncured Turkey Hot Dogs.

The beans were only ok but I think the hot dogs were good, it’s been so long since I’ve had one I can’t really remember them!

Since I was eating my dog via beans I nibbled on a bun with Smart Balance Light while I cooked dinner.

I’m glad I kept these components separate because I had a bite of Adam’s bunned dog and was underwhelmed.

The apple cider stewed cabbage was overwhelmingly fantastic though.  I cooked 1 lb of coleslaw mix (chopped cabbage and carrots) in 2 cups of fresh apple cider until tender.  Then strained off the liquid and sautéed with salt and 4 Tbsp of butter until crispy and almost burnt.

Ah-mazing!  I ate my entire huge pile.  I wasn’t planning on using that much butter but I let what I had out get too hot and it ended up being such a tasty mistake.

It was quite the good dinner.

What’s not good is how much I have to do before my tests.  The plan is to stay up another hour or so, then get up early(ish) to continue to work.  I have a bunch of errands to run tomorrow afternoon and I’d like to be on the review/paper-writing portion of my to-do’s at that point.  Wish me luck!

Fun fact – cruciferous veggies include (among others) horseradish, kale, collard greens, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, bok choy, and mustard seeds!