Tag Archives: veggies

Excited!

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First things first, my exciting news – one of my best friends and I just registered for the Disney Princess Half Marathon in March!  I am super excited but very nervous.  I am sure you will hear lots lots more about it in the upcoming months, especially once I start my training in September.

My parents had lots of excitment for us at the post office –

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They sent magazines, books, bath products, and a huge stack of cookbooks I’ve stored at home for the last few years.

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That isn’t even all of them, some didn’t make the cut!

They also mailed the two adorable vases I bought an Anthropologie years before I had anywhere to put them.

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Now they are right at home on my cookbook shelf 🙂

Adam and I spent some time talking about his first day and looking over his schedule and then we got started on dinner.  We made a recipe from the March issue of Fitness in under 30minutes!  I’ll post the recipe below but just to warn you, I’m not so big on measuring – I used way less cilantro and peanuts than called for, and more chicken because the husband scoffed at the suggested portion.  Also, where it called for sesame oil and red pepper I used 1t of the chipotle oil* my mom sent instead.

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Here was my portion –

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It was pretty darn delicious.

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Cilantro Chicken with Peanuts, serves 2, from the March ’09 issue of Fitness

  • 8oz skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into strips
  • 1t cooking oil
  • 2t reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 1t rice vinegar
  • 1/2t roasted sesame oil
  • 1/4t crushed red pepper flakes
  • 3/4C fresh cilantro leaves
  • 2C Chinese cabbage, finely shredded
  • 2T dry roasted peanuts
  1. In a medium nonstick skillet, cook chicken over medium-high heat 3-4minutes, or until chicken is tender and no longer pink.
  2. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and pepper.  Stir and cook 1 more minute.
  3. Remove from heat.  Stir in cilantro.
  4. To serve, spoon mixture over cabbage and sprinkle on peanuts.

If you follow the recipe the nutritional stats per serving are: 231calories, 30g protein, 6g carbohydrates, 10g fat (2g saturated), 4g fiber.

After dinner I ate a serving of Lindt mini truffles (180calories for 3, in fantastmic flavors like cappuccino, caramel, and hazelnut) before I got ready to go out.

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Adam had a first day of medical school mixer at a bar nearish our apartment.  I wore my new perfume – how cute is that packaging?

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And my new favorite shirt.

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I met a lot of neat people, it seems like he has a pretty great class.  We stayed until almost 10 playing pool and chatting.  I drank this x2 –

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The bar made its own microbrews, I had a Blueberry Blonde Ale and an Irish Oat Stout.

My goal is bedtime by 11 again, especially because I’m hoping to get up and cook Adam breakfast tomorrow.  Sweet dreams all!

Have you ever run any sort of race?  How did it go?

pasTa

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I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love!  If I could run off with a smoothie without hurting Adam’s feelings I would, but more on that later…

Our errands went ok, we have to go back to the post office tomorrow but we dropped off our donations at Goodwill and got the things we needed at Target.  I also got majorly suckered into some candy –

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York Patties used to be my favorite candies and an ad in a magazine at Adam’s doctor’s office totally got me craving one – way to go former communication majors!  I also ate some of the husband’s mini truffles (x3).

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For dinner we made AnTEAoxidant Pasta (my name, recipe courtesy of an old Self magazine).  So good!

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I had my portion with a big glass of iced h2o.

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AnTEAoxident Pasta, serves 4  (I made some changes to the recipe, mostly to make it lower fat and to accommodate our lame pantry, so I’m posting the changed recipe below)

  • 6 green tea bags
  • 2.5C dry ww penne
  • 2C chopped broccoli
  • 2C chopped kale leaves
  • 1 14.5oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 3/4C fat free ricotta
  • 4t evoo
  • 1T balsamic vinegar
  • 1T chopped garlic
  • salt and pepper to taste

>Bring 6C of water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Add tea bags; turn off heat and let steep for 5minutes.  Discard tea bags and bring back to a boil.  Add pasta and cook according to package directions.  Add in broccoli and kale in the last three minutes of cooking.

>Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine tomatoes, ricotta, oil, vinegar and garlic; mix well.  Drain pasta and cooked vegetables; add to bowl and toss well.

It was good, but nothing on this Earth is as good as this smoothie –

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  • 1small banana
  • 1C Goya frozen soursop pulp
  • 3/4C So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk

Holy frick it is good! 

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Soursop is so good, it is my favorite childhood taste memory.  Legend has it that soursop makes you sleepy which is the idea tonight.  We are watching more “My So-Called Life” and then I am trying to get to bed by 10.

What is your favorite childhood taste memory?  Mine is soursop juice and baked macaroni and cheese from the old grocery store back home.  When I went out shopping with my parents around lunch time my dad would buy it for me and I would eat it with my fingers in the car!

Eat Up the Fridge

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I was very productive on the business-front (although registration for classes does not look promising) but my split study schedule might have been a bad idea.  By the time I got back to Starbucks in the afternoon it was packed.  I roamed all the coffee bars in the area and it took me until 4:45 to find one that wasn’t sardined with Park Slope stay-at-home-mommies.

I drank a Fizzy Lizzy Tangerine while I worked and did manage to get some good studying in until Adam came to meet me at 6.

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This drink was real juice with fizzy water and had 100% daily dose of vitamin C for 100calories.

Our fun plan was to hit up a beer tasting at a place on 5th Avenue but that fell through.  When we got there we learned that 1. the tasting was an hour later than listed online, and 2. they don’t have a full liquor license so we couldn’t sit and drink beers while we waited.  Our make-up plans were much better though 🙂

We took the looong walk (3miles total) to 7-11 for my version of heaven.

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I got a Big Gulp of diet coke and it made me smile the whole walk home.  And, we stopped in at a local playground so I could do what I’ve been dreaming of for the past two years…

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…climb the mini rock wall!  It was everything I had hoped for.  We also tried to do the monkey bars but I was way too weak, children’s game are good workouts.

I was very hungry by the time we got home so I ate 5 of Adam’s Saltines,

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and another kiwi bowl.

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Dinner was a ‘use up the fridge’ effort that ended up being amazing.

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My plate had –

  • 1/3C cooked wheatberries
  • ~2/3C sauteed peas and artichoke hearts
  • 1/2 can of tuna
  • the last jalopeno chicken sausage
  • and tasty sauce (for 2 servings I shook together 2T red wine vinegar, 1T lemon juice, 1T evoo, 1shake oregano and paprika)

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This was so yummy!  It was a great mix of textures and the flavors blended together really nicely.

Tonight I would like to do a mini workout (seriously mini, like 20 sit-ups) and I will probably have a small snack/dessert if fullness doesn’t kick in after 20minutes.  I am also determined to go to bed early!

Have you had any recent ‘eat up the fridge’ successes?

Too Hot

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Woo-who, it is a scorcher today!  You’d think I’d be used to it from growing up on an island but I hate hot weather!  I just feel so puffy and sticky and gross!  I was too hot this morning for breakfast, Adam and I did some move strategizing but mostly I laid around and acted snippy (these days leading up to the move have not exactly been my shining moments).

Lunch, however, was very exciting.  In fact, it was my final check on my ‘to do before the move’ list.  I had to go to the city for a doctors appointment so I had lunch from the Whole Foods Buffet.  There isn’t a Whole Foods (or a Trader Joes, tear!) in Buffalo so this was a must.  On the train ride up I tried to combat the heat by splitting a Bolthouse Farms Mango Lemonade with Adam.

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Please excuse the crappy pictures, I forgot my camera and had to use the husband’s cell phone.  For lunch I chose vegetarian.

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Steamed veggies, okra marsala, lemon baked tofu, and Caesar salad.  I had this okra marsala once before and fell in love – it is chewy and spicy and delicious.  To drink I had a hibiscus and lime Ooba.

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Check!

The doctors office went ok, I currently have 4 plantar warts on my left foot, ugh!  My protein light lunch left me pretty hungry and when I was still complaining after my appointment so Adam bought me some corn chips.

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I have been randomly craving Fritos (I haven’t had them in years and years) the last week or so and these perfectly hit the spot.  Plus, kudos to Utz, this bag had only 150calories, the reason I hadn’t just bought Fritos is because the “small” bags were all 300calories+.  Another fun fact about Utz – I got to tour their chip factory as a teenager and it rocked my socks.

Before you think “God she eats a lot of crap,” go ahead and picture a slice of provolone cheese with two slices of bread, because that’s what I ate when I got home.  I was too lazy to take a picture but the whole thing was 210 calories if that helps you to visualize.

I have fun plans for dinner too: a mini blogger meet up at a new restaurant.  See you then.

Do you prefer hot or cold weather?  I can handle cold, but hot makes me crazy.  The main thing is that my body really reacts to temperature so when it’s hot my jewelry is all too tight and my clothing feels super uncomfortable.

Monday Afternoon – Tuesday Evening

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Our trip is coming to an end, this is our last evening in St. Thomas.  Right now the husband, my mom, and I are heading to dinner so this will be a quick post.

After my last post Adam and I headed to a late lunch at Iggy’s.  We decided to split two things –

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Grilled Mahi sandwich and chicken tenders.  Here was my portion –

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The food was pretty bad, I ended up leaving a lot on my plate –

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It was ok though, we knew that the food is almost never good there, we went for 3 big reasons –

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location, location, location!  We even got a visit from an “Iggy.”

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After some freshening up and relaxing at home we did dinner with my parents.  At my request we had turkey burgers with turkey bacon.  I topped mine with a slice of cheese and instead of buns we used focaccia my dad made.

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Alongside I made a bunch of roasted veggies – radish chips, cauliflower, oven baked okra.

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All together.

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I also munched on a slice of cantelope.

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For dessert my mom made me an early “birthday cake,” Lemon Icebox Pie from my Serendipity cookbook.

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It was delicious.

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And then we played more games, of course!

Tuesday – Sun day

We headed out early to get in some time at the beach.  It is possible that for breakfast I ate a slice worth of bites of pie, straight from the pan.  Adam caught me and said I looked like a raccoon but I have no pictures 🙂

We went to Saphire, which was gorgeous but super windy.

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We did hang around long enough for a beer though.

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After we cooled down at home we headed out to Petersburg with my dad to visit The Point.  The Point is a rocky area of cliffs that is beautiful (but dangerous – several people have climbed into the tide pools there and died).  I took some great pictures.

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The husband and I did lots of climbing, it was definitly my cardio for the day!

Now we are going out to dinner with my mother.  After that we have plans to meet up with a high school friend and early tomorrow we are heading to the airport and back home.  It’s been a great vacation. Your reguarly scheduled programing will resume tomorrow evening.

Long Weekend in 500 Words or Less

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Looong car ride Friday night, chips and grilled stuffed chicken burrito at Taco Bell,

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to-go applesauce, yum

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toffee coffee twisted frosty, ugh, should have stopped eating.

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Saturday morning in VA – 35minute run (with hills) with the husband, then 25 minute walk with sister-in-law, hills make me feel powerful.  Sun-protection is gangsta,

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Beer for breakfast,

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turkey sandwich, fruit, broccoli salad,

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dinner at a steak house – frustrated with lack of choices, went all out unhealthy, felt sick.

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Early birthday celebration, cake and ice-cream with caramel, in-laws are so sweet.

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Saturday late night, ate way way too much chex mix, without photographs.

 Sunday morning, 1% chocolate milk, fruit, ww bagel with lowfat strawberry cream cheese, jelly, fancy pb.

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Turkey sandwich (with squeeze cheese) in the car,

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cookies x4,

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snacks,

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dinners seem to go downhill, ie: black and white milkshake, mini chimi appetizer, french fries, sandwich so gross I took only 1 bite.

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P.S. Word count = 152; reflection to come.

What did you do this weekend?

Sweet, Spicy, Sesame, Tangy

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After the morning my day got pretty crazy; I’m glad I got my work-out in early!  Before my shower I scarfed the other 2/3 of my Cliff Bar.

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This had too much sugar to be a regular choice but it was very tasty.

My next course of action was to do some planning for my classes next year – I am attending a university in Buffalo as a non-degree seeking student so that I can complete some prerequisite courses for PA and RD programs.  The plan is to work part-time, volunteer (which I still need to figure out), and take classes.  As a non-degree I can’t officially register for classes until August 1st.  Well, when I went to look at the course offerings today to make a rough schedule I found out that almost every class I need is already full; by August 1st I doubt I will be able to enroll in anything!  I wigged out and cried for a good 10minutes before the husband convinced me that I just had to suck it up.  If I can’t take classes in the fall it will suck and I’ll be sad but I don’t have any control over that situation.  If I can’t take any courses I will have to work full-time, which will help us save money, and get my nutritionist certification, which I am interested in and excited about.  I’m scared that this could push back my loooooong journey towards a new career but I’ve got to roll with the punches.

After I pulled myself together I ate 1/2 of this (small) container of stir fry leftovers.

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Then we packed up our cart and headed to the post office.  The postal service in this (expensive!) neighborhood is shockingly bad, I’ve never been in when there wasn’t a line out the door.  Whether rain, snow, sleet, or long waits, nothing could stop our errands so we prevailed.

During the trip I drank this My Smoothie juice box.

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I knocked out two servings of fruit with this, woot!

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Finally, it was time to head to *bucks to get my study on.  I went with economics to choose my snack –

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an iced coffee (I added my own skim milk) and a rice-crispie bar were my cheapest choice at $4 and 300calories.  I studied from 3 – 7 straight, another woot!

My husband is the nicest man on earth so he did my laundry for me while I was studying, when I got home all I had to do was fold and hang 🙂  Post-laundry I started watching a riveting episode of Bones, I am so hooked on that show!  I paused during a commercial to eat a Yoplait Light and Fit strawberry shortcake yogurt.

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I’m not going to be able to afford Fage and Oikos as much next year (Greek yogurt doesn’t really fit into a budget unless you find a sale) but I think I’ll be a-ok with all these Yoplait Light varieties.

During a later commercial I ate my green veggie from dinner as an appetizer – Spicy Sesame Beans.

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I had a bag of mixed beans and carrots in my freezer that I heated in a skillet with a little evoo.  I topped my portion with a dab more evoo, some wasabi sesame seeds, and some red pepper flakes.

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Spicy spicy!

After my socks were fully rocked off by Bones we got started on dinner.  I received a package from Nakano with coupons and recipes yesterday so I used that for inspiration.

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I will say though, my chicken recipe was clearly all mine own – Apple Pretzel Chicken, 3servings

  • 1/2C Stonewall Kitchen caramel apple butter
  • 3T Nanako rice vinegar
  • 1C Newman’s Own Mighty Mini Pretzels, crushed
  • 1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into tenders
  1. Preheat oven to 375* and prep a baking sheet with foil and spray.
  2. Mix apple butter and vinegar in a low bowl and pour pretzel crumbs into another low bowl.
  3. Drudge chicken through wet and then dry bowls.
  4. Cook for 30minutes.

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I took a pretty small portion but it was delish, the perfect mix of salty and sweet!

For my side dish I tried to follow a recipe a little bit,

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but still but a pretty big twist on it.  Not only was I missing several ingredients, the original recipe called for (regular) potatoes with the skins peeled off.  I never follow that step in any recipe, why would I spend cooking time making something less healthy by peeling away fiber?  What I ended up with was Tangy Stovetop Sweet Potatoes, 2servings

  • 1large sweet potato, cubed  [note, I think I actually used a yam but that didn’t fit with my title alliteration]
  • 1/3C Nanako rice vinegar
  • 3T water
  1. Heat 2T evoo over medium heat in a skillet.
  2. Add potato cubes to the pan and cook for 5-7minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping up and brown bits.
  3. Season with salt and paprika.
  4. Pour vinegar and water into the pan and cook until all the liquid is gone.

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Yums!  Here was my plate:

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Before you get all judgey about the expanse of brown, remember that I ate my greens as an appetizer 🙂

My internet is ridiculous so this post took forever but there are still some to-dos left on the list for the night – 1) brush my teeth asap so I can put my retainers in to get some of the intense pain out of the way before sleep time (my braces experience was so ridiculous I can’t even get into it, but suffice to say I stopped sleeping in my retainers in college and now my perfect teeth are going crooked).  2) tuck into my stack of magazines……I didn’t say they weren’t fun to dos!  Sweet dreams all.

Do you ever peel fruits or veggies?  Why or why not?  Other than kiwis – which many bloggers actually down fur and all – I enjoy the tasty fiber whenever it’s available.

Verdict? Amazing

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Who guessed that my exciting package was from Amazing Grass?  You would be correct!

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We decided not to open the huge jar we bought until after the move to Buffalo.

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For now I have to be excited with the sample packets that they sent.

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I did some work on the computer before dinner and I snacked on this Yoplait Light Thick and Creamy in cinnamon roll.

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Yums, I saw this flavor floating around blog world a few months ago and was so jealous.  It lived up to my expectations.

For dinner we decided to go with stir fry to help use up some ingredients from the pantry, mainly –

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I very loosly followed a recipe from a magazine, but mainly was directed by the ingredients on hand.  We started by draining, pressing, and cubing a block of extra firm tofu.  Then we shook the cubes with some cornstarch.

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Next we added some sesame seeds (the last of the seeds + some wasabi sesame seeds) to the bag.

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We used the wok to brown the tofu in a little bit of evoo.  Then we removed the tofu from the pan and replaced it with 16oz of frozen veggies.  After the veggies cooked up we poured in some stir fry sauce, about 2/3 of a cup.

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I had combined our two sauces (with a smidgeof soy sauce) before I realized that the veggie bag actually came with a sauce packet, whoops!

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Finally we added the tofu back to the pan, stirred to combine, and voila.

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My serving, topped with a little red pepper.

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After dinner I hung out in front of the tv, has anyone else gotten into Make It or Break It?  I know it’s for teenagers but I get very easily pulled in to anything with gymnastics.  Growing up on an islands it wasn’t an interest I really got to pursue but I did go to gymnastics camp the summer before 6th grade.

I made myself a super impressive plate of cookies and chocolate milk while I watched.

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The cookies were a serving each of 2 varieties of Newman’s Own Organics.

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Verdict?  Rocked my socks!  The pb cookies had a great roasted flavor to them and the chocolate chip ones were nice and crumbly.

The chocoaltemilk was skim milk with an Amazing Grass Kidz packet.

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Verdict?  Impressive, although I don’t know what the difference between regular and “kidz” will be.  It was a little grassy but I actually liked that part of the flavor.

After my snack Adam and I took a quick stroll around the ‘hood for funsies and now it’s time for bed.  Sweet dreams!

P.S.  Everyone has seen the constantcoverage of MJ’s death, but who else has seen this?!  No matter what you think of Jackson as an artist (and I 100% believe that personal failings do not take away from professional talent), I have been disgusted by the nonstop media coverage of his death.  1) He was 1 person, do we seriously not have anything more important to talk about?  2) Even if it wasn’t weird to focus on a story like this Jackson was accused of being a pedophile.  What is wrong with our country that we would glorify a man with this reputation?  What message are we sending to young viewers, let alone viewers who have suffered abuse?