After eating a Girl Scout cookie with my morning coffee today, I had a major craving for "breakfast cookies"... well, just cookies that I could eat with my coffee, and of course, they should be tasty, but healthy cookies. I used to make a recipe for Rise and Shine Cookies all the time. Tonight, I followed the recipe, but mixed in my own addition: dried cranberries.
Up close shot of my Cranberry Rise and Shine Cookies... check out those oats!
I've already eaten three of these cookies-- they are delicious!!! I can't wait to have some with my coffee tomorrow morning! :)
Dinner tonight was a quesadilla with black beans, corn, sauteed mushrooms, scallions, and mozzarella cheese. We had a few random veggies in our fridge, so I decided to throw them into the mix.
Quesadilla from above...
At the end of the work day, I succumbed to the office candy bowl and grabbed a handful of M&Ms. Sometimes chocolate is the only thing that makes me feel better after a stressful day... could be worse, right?
I'm catching up on some work tonight then going to bed early. I think I am still recovering from my busy, fun-filled weekend. Night, all!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Cranberry Rise and Shine Cookies
Apricots and Peanut Butter
Dried apricots and peanut butter have made repeat appearances today-- apricots for breakfast and as an afternoon snack, peanut butter for lunch and also as an afternoon snack. There are definitely some foods that I never get sick of (e.g. dates, bulgar, mint tea, CAKE)!
Lunch today was leftover Asian-inspired soup from last night, baby carrots, and a whole wheat wrap with peanut butter, cut into snack-size triangles to make enjoying it last longer.
So fresh, so orange...
I used a Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran, and Whole Wheat Tortilla to make my peanut butter wrap.
My afternoon snack was more dried apricots and more peanut butter, but this time on 2 pieces of whole grain fruit crunch crispbread.
Afternoon snack with peppermint tea...
Lots to do this afternoon at work! I am out of the office for a training all day tomorrow, so I've got to whittle-down my "To Do" list before I head home. See you tonight!
Apricot Almond Oat Bran
Good morning! I slept in today... and good thing I did because I am so incredibly sore from doing free weights the last 2 days. I typically don't lift weights on consecutive days, but I didn't feel any soreness yesterday after lifting my legs and triceps the day before. I did a chest and biceps workout yesterday morning, and woah, super soreness has set in all over my body! Getting out of bed was a chore today! I'll probably take today off from working out... or maybe just take a nice, leisurely walk with Mal this evening. It's supposed to be semi-warm weather today! :)
Breakfast this morning was sliced dried apricots with almond slices and a squirt of sugar-free maple syrup. I wasn't sure how the dried apricots would taste mixed with the oat bran, but the heat from the microwave made them soft, gooey, and sweet.
Up close...
From above...
At work, I made a soy milk misto... and grabbed a Girl Scout cookie to enjoy with it. I love the combination of coffee and cookies for breakfast. I have a recipe for "breakfast cookies" that maybe I should make soon! Happy Hump Day!
1/3 cup dry oat bran: 100
6 dried apricots: 80
1/8 cup (+ end of bag) sliced almonds: 90
1/8 cup sf maple syrup: 15
Adora disk: 30
Soy milk misto: 80
Cookie: 30
Breakfast total: 425
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Asian-Inspired Dinner
Dinner started off with a quick and easy Asian-style soup recipe from Women's Health Magazine: Asian-Style Chicken Soup. My version was very similar, but did not include chicken or spinach, and my additions were extra garlic and ginger as well as cumin, salt, and pepper. So flavorful! Mmmmmm! I munched on some baby carrots while cooking.
Dinner also included take-out from a local sushi restaurant. Mal and I split a roll of spicy tuna maki and an order of fried pork dumplings. The sushi was delicious (especially with extra wasabi), but I'm really not a fan of the fried gyoza-- I'd much rather the steamed or pan-seared ones, which have a lot more flavor.
All together from above... it doesn't look like a ton of food, but I ate plenty of calories this afternoon!
I was soooooo hungry when I got home from work. I knew Mal would be home kind of late, so I made myself a 1/2 peanut butter and date sandwich. Just when you thought I couldn't eat any more dates than I already do, I put them in a sandwich. Yum! (I officially have a date problem!) Dates and peanut butter are a tasty option that I highly recommend! :)
My first snack of the afternoon was eaten in the office around 3:00 pm. Snack #1 was Fage with honey and banana slices all mixed together. I thought the combo of high-protein Fage and a banana would hold me over until dinner, but around 6:00, I needed another snack (peanut butter and date sandwich).
Sorry for the short post this evening. Mal offered to give me a massage, and I am taking him up on his offer. Good night, all!
Back to the Grind
Vacation is definitely over. Lots to do today-- especially since I am out of the office for a training on Thursday. Oh boy, it is back to the grind.
I didn't eat my mid-morning snack, so my stomach started grumbling around 11:00 today. Lunch started early! First up was a tomato salad with red onion and feta. It took me about 3 minutes to prepare this before work this morning. So easy to make and so delicious!
From above...
Lunch's main course was leftovers from dinner last night. (I was too pooped to post about dinner after our trip. Sorry.) Again, from Bon Appetite magazine, I whipped up some Orrechiette Carbonara with leeks. Unfortunately, I couldn't find orrechiette at the grocery store, so I substituted whole wheat elbow-shaped pasta. The carbonara turned out creamy and cheesy, but also somewhat light-- more like a dressing than a sauce. The leeks added texture and some green to the meal, and the bacon was... um, well, extra crispy-- I forgot about it and cooked it too long! Oops!
My coworker brought in a box of Girl Scout cookies to share with the office, so I helped myself to three. (I went back for a third after eating these two.)
Breakfast was bulgar, dates, and almond slices. I was famished after my workout, so I wanted a breakfast that would really fill me up and hold me over for a few hours.
Pictured with an apple, which I didn't end up eating-- maybe it will become an afternoon snack.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Melting Pot
I'm back! What a weekend! It flew by, but we were able to squeeze in a lot over 2.5 days. The theme of the weekend was friendly competition and games, including shuffle board, cards, dice, and a marathon of bowling (nearly 3 hours!) The weekend also included sightseeing, cherry blossoms, stimulating conversation, and a whole lot of wonderful food!
My favorite meal of the weekend was an evening at the Melting Pot, which was not just a meal out-- it was an experience! For dinner, Mal and I, and our 2 friends, Josh and Danielle, ordered two pots of cheese fondue, followed by 2 dinner salads and 2 entrees to share. This seems like a lot of food, but for 4 people, it worked out perfectly.
The Melting Pot allows you to enjoy the process of the meal. The cheese fondue was made fresh by the waitress right at our table, where it was melted and kept warm on a burner. Our booth was somewhat private, but spacious enough for the wide variety of vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, bread, batters, and dipping sauces, which ended up all over our table. Dinner was quite an adventure-- we tried lots of new flavors and cooking styles, enjoyed wine and wonderful conversation, and leisurely dined the night away. (We were at the Melting Pot for nearly three hours!)
As part of our entree course, we needed to choose a couple of cooking styles for our 2 selections, which were the "Seafood Trio" (white shrimp, scallops and fish fillet) and the "Land & Sea" (a collection of Balsamic-marinated sirloin, marinated breast of chicken and white shrimp). We chose the Court Bouillon, homemade, seasoned vegetable broth, and the Bourguignonne, European-style fondue in cholesterol-free canola oil to cook our entrees.
Here's the Court Bouillon...
There were lots of options for cooking in the Court Bouillon and the Bourguignonne-- tons of fresh veggies, chicken, beef, shrimp, tuna, and scallops, which could be cooked in various batters and dipped in a variety of sauces-- some of my favorites were the tempura batter, a sweet plum sauce, a curry sauce that I put on just about everything, and a flavorful blue cheese dipping sauce.
Here's a shot of us waiting for the food on our skewers to cook... the pace of the meal is quite slow at the Melting Pot because each person only cooks two small pieces of food at a time.
Mal and me at dinner...
The cheese fondue was the first course. Our table split 2 pots of cheese: the Traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue (Gruyere and Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses, white wine, garlic, nutmeg, lemon and Kirschwasser) and the Wisconsin Trio Cheese Fondue (Fontina, Butterkase and Buttermilk Bleu cheeses with white wine, scallions and a hint of sherry). It sounds kind of strange, but the nutmeg in the Traditional Swiss Fondue was a-mazing! I've never tasted anything like it. It was such a full-bodied, complex flavor-- sharp, pungent cheese mixed with sweet and spicy nutmeg. All I can say is wow!
The pots of cheese fondue were served with fresh breads, vegetables, and apples for dipping. Each pot was prepared and cooked right on our tabletop.
Mmmmm... cheese fondue! This pot was the Wisconsin Trio.
Wine to complement the fondue...
The four of us split a bottle of Oregon Pinot Gris (my favorite white wine!)
In between the cheese fondue and the entrees, we split 2 salads between the 4 of us. The guys shared a Ceasar salad; the ladies shared a California Salad, which was mixed baby salad greens, Roma tomatoes, walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese, with Raspberry Black Walnut Vinaigrette Dressing. Delish!
All in all, a WONDERFUL weekend! We had such a blast with our friends, and we cannot wait for them to move back to Boston this summer!
Back to the grind tomorrow... good night!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Good morning! Just a quick post before we head to the airport-- we're off to Washington, DC for the weekend! Yay, v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n!
After my double breakfast yesterday, I hit the salad bar for a plate piled high with veggies. I loaded up with a little bit of everything: greens, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, jalapeños, edamame, red and green peppers, cauliflower, cucumber, shredded carrots, mushrooms, and wasabi green peas.
A very colorful lunch from above...
The Open House had a number of receptions and opportunities to eat really yummy food yesterday. My coworker and I split a piece of lovely lemon cake. The cake was covered in vanilla frosting, and layered with lemon pudding and even more vanilla frosting. Heaven!
My hair appointment ended up taking a lot longer than expected, so by the time I got home, I just wanted something quick for dinner. My stomach was grumbling the whole time I was at the salon-- it was loud too! Dinner was a grilled (using olive oil) ham and cheese sandwich with buffalo sauce. I swear, the buffalo sauce was a great addition. Mal, however, thinks I have "eclectic" tastes.
The April Fool's Day joke that lives on...
I arrived home last night to Mal playing video games and drinking a cocktail... a interesting greenish tinted cocktail, which actually turned out to be a "Caucasian" (or "White Russian") made with green milk! At first, I was confused when I saw his drink, but then I remember and started cracking up. He just glared at me-- of course, he was only kidding... he still thinks it's hilarious. :)
We're off to DC! Hope that everyone has a very enjoyable weekend! Be back on Monday!
