On the Menu: Beach Picnic

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Can you say TGIF? I can!

I am SO looking forward to starting my weekend! Since my man is out of town I thought it would be the perfect time to reconnect with my best friend, Lolly. (T-Tappers will know her as Lauren and know her well since she's super helpful on the phones in the office.) She invited me over to stay at her house tonight. We're planning on working out, making dinner and going to The 8th Avenue Pub... then walking home. Roxy's coming along for the ride, well, except for the Pub.

Saturday morning we're planning on going out to breakfast at a local place then heading to Sand Key Beach for a lunchtime picnic in the sun. I'm excited! I adore beach days... even though I don't get out there as much as I'd like to. Sand Key is a beautiful beach! We're probably going to the North Sand Key area you see in the map below.

At the same time I am devastated about the oil "spill" currently gushing in the Gulf. And very, very worried -- not only for Florida's Gulf Coast, but about the entire East Coast of the country. I'm trying to think positive thoughts and wish that the people in power actually DO something about this one and FIX the problem before the entire United States is blaming BP for ruining our country's coast line... and beyond. It truly breaks my heart to know that sea creatures are dying by the minute from polluted waters that they used to call home.


On the Menu

Fresh Florida Watermelon Slices
Perfect for this time of year!

Picnic Chicken and Hummus Pita
Adapted from this recipe - just add more veggies and hummus instead of mayo)

Margaritas on the Rocks
Classic!

Plus lots of water!!!

Au revoir!

P.S. Check out Lolly's new baking blog: Delicious Devotion! She's the one that made that amazing Rainbow Cake a few weeks back.

Alkaline Delight

This evening I was able to refill my water jug with Kangen alkaline water at a local T-Tapper's house. Thank you Theresa B! She really has been so generous and openhearted. Tomorrow I'm going to use her Far Infrared Sauna and try out the MILA with my green monster. So exciting! Between all 3 things + T-Tapp, body brushing and massage I will be detoxed and super healthy in no time. Looking forward to filling you in tomorrow...


Food Log

Dinner

Leftover Black Beans & Brown Rice + Tomato, Garlic, Romaine and Lowfat Sour Cream.

Dessert

Chocolate Delight Granola.

VERY Delightful!!!

BOGO @ Publix right now. Glad I splurged. Total yumminess!

1901, you say? Here's why...



Catchy, huh!


Supplements

Alfalfa: 3 caps
nutraMetrix® Glucosatrin Bone & Joint Formula: 1 cap
nutraMetrix® Isotonix Calcium Complete: 1 serving
nutraMetrix® Isotonix OPC-3: 1 serving
Pyruvyl Glycine: 8 sprays

Water intake: 2 liters


Tonight I chopped up all the veggies for a classic Irish Beef Stew crock-pot recipe. Love having dinner ready before I walk in the door at the end of the day.

Wow, midnight already. There just aren't enough hours in the day...

Au revoir!

Recipe Review: Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Dreamy and creamy bacon topped mac and cheese!

For some reason my boyfriend and I were on the same food wavelength today... we both wanted some comfort food for dinner tonight. I asked him what he wanted and he said: "homemade baked mac and cheese!" He looked up a recipe for me online and found this one: Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

I have to say that hands down this is one of the best mac and cheese recipes I have ever tried... and we made it from scratch!!! This recipe is so not good for you with the high fat content, but SO worth it if you're going to splurge for this kind of dish.

We actually had so much pasta that we needed two casserole dishes. (I need new kitchen wear.) The first one (above) we topped with crispy bacon and the second one (below) we topped with crushed saltine crackers. Both were out of this world and a combination of the two would be amazing!

Recipe Modifications:
I used whole wheat flour to thicken up the cheese sauce and whole wheat macaroni, which turned out to be giant sized.

Saltine cracker crust topping




My plate... balanced with a 3 cups of salad.


OMG, what an amazing meal!

Don't think we'll be getting store bought mac and cheese anymore. This recipe was that good. I wonder if we can freeze it...

Cooking Up a Storm

This morning I did Tempo 2 - 8 reps customized (PBS through Runner's Stretch + Step Lift + Lawnmowers) and body brushed. Then I made brekkie...

8:00am: oatmeal and coffee with original Almond Breeze/sugar

Forgot my bag of vitamins at home today! Bummer.


12:15pm: leftovers from Arigato's and chili

Not very exciting, I know.

2:00pm: Starbucks iced grande nonfat vanilla latte

How many words does it take to make your Starbucks drink?

In a home cooking kind of mood tonight! Marcel's helping me out in the kitchen. ♥ that!

7:20pm: Zucchini Crab Cakes with a large salad, baked sweet potato fries and a glass of Slydog Cab

That was an amazing meal! Read my recipe review of the Zucchini Crab Cakes and get the Baked Sweet Potato Fries recipe too.

10:30pm: bowl of Fruit Loops with original Almond Breeze

Cheers to a delicious evening at home.

On the Menu: Healthy Meal Planning

I'm planning out meals for this week BEFORE going to the store for groceries. In the mood to try some new healthy recipes!

Here's my list:

Zucchini Cakes
Although I will add crab because I love it.



Tabbouleh
Will make with cous cous, bulgur or quinoa.



Pumpkin Black Bean Soup
This sounds amazing!



Green Goddess Salad
Will skip the dressing and anchovy paste, but will add extra veggies to the mix.

Stay tuned for recipe reviews!

I'm also buying all the staples for Green and Purple Monsters, egg and veggie scrambles, and something with ground turkey (tacos or burgers??).

Recipe Review: White Bean Chili

FitnessMagazine.com's tasty photo.

My version:

Here's the recipe: White Bean Chili


Recipe Review

The ingredients in this recipe were pretty simple. I'm used to making a chili using ground turkey or chicken instead of beef, plus other healthy ingredients. This recipe called for 3 cups of water plus bouillon cubes; I used chicken broth instead since I had one open already from last week. That's a lot of liquid for this recipe! Next time I'd use about 2 cups since it didn't thicken up as well as the recipe said. I also added a can of organic crushed tomatoes for more flavor and veggies.

Overall, it was decent, but I've made better from scratch.

Ready to get my week on!

This morning I did Basic Plus Tempo + Diva Derriere and body brushed. Then made a quick and healthy breakfast. My back was so stiff today, especially in the thoracic area.

8:45am: Green Monster to go, banana nut coconut muffin

Today's Green Monster ingredients:

• frozen banana
• fresh spinach
• original Almond Breeze
• organic flax
• organic plain yogurt
• ice
  

It's still chilly outside today for Florida. Looks like it's going to warm up a little this week. I wish it would stay like this!

66°F | °C

Current: Sunny
Wind: NE at 16 mph
Humidity: 52%

Mon

74°F | 59°F

Tue

82°F | 66°F

Wed

85°F | 68°F

Thu

88°F | 70°F

1:00pm: Jason's Deli - soup and salad bar

Chicken Chili

That's roasted red pepper hummus on the bottom right.
Also included: romaine lettuce, red and yellow peppers, cucumber, a little feta, cherry tomatoes, mixed bean salad, sunflower seeds, boiled eggs, broccoli, mini-muffins, baby carrots, scoop of pasta salad, reduced fat and sodium ranch.

After work I headed over to International Plaza to shop for my Halloween costume. I love Halloween!!! The past few years I've skipped the store bought out of the box costumes and put together my own unique costume. It's more fun that way and no one will be dressed in the same getup. Although, I do end up spending more than I probably would on a store bought costume just because I go over the top on my purchases. Anyway, I got everything I needed plus more clothes for regular days. It's been too long since I've purchased anything for myself, so I splurged a bit last night.

My costume is still a surprise! You'll have to stay tuned for pictures from the first Halloween party I'm attending this Friday.

Here's what I got:

• Pair of light gray skinny jeans - on sale
• Charcoal gray asymmetrical jacket
• Black embellished tank top
• Black top with necklace built in (very complicated to figure out, but it looks amazing on)
• Purple and black color block top
• Exposed cropped zipper jacket
  
• 2 pairs of black leggings
• 4 costume pieces: skirt, leggings, suspenders, bracelets (you have no idea!)

I think that's it. I spent about $125!!! Yikes. Really didn't mean to spend that much on clothing. Like I said, I went overboard... and at stores where all sales are final and returns only get you store credit. BUT I got some really cute stuff that will go nicely with my wardrobe. Shopping is so fun!


That lunch was SO filling (no, I didn't eat it all) that I wasn't hungry until 8pm! Then I decided to make this new recipe from Fitness magazine.

9:50pm: White Bean Chili, about 10 saltine crackers (no HFCS or any bad stuff in them though)

Please see my recipe review post.


Bonne nuit!

Recipe Review: Spicy Thai Soup With Lime Shrimp

Self.com's fantastic photo of this soup.

My version:

Here's the Self.com Recipe:
Spicy Thai Soup With Lime Shrimp

Recipe Review

I have to say that this dish was not my favorite. I love Thai food in general, but found that this soup was missing something... coconut milk! Last night I only ate about a quarter of that bowl of soup. Maybe tonight I'll try adding in the coconut milk and see if it makes it any more appealing to my senses.

Recipe Review: Cheesy Shrimp Enchilada Bake

The beautiful Self.com image.

My version:

Check out the recipe here: Cheesy Shrimp Enchilada Bake


My Review

The food preparation took a bit longer than expected, but luckily I got my boyfriend to help chop veggies. He did such a great job (better than me) that chopping is going to be his new task in the kitchen!!!

I thought the taste was delicious. Although it was hard to tell that I even used corn tortillas in the layering (the boyfriend was upset about that). I ate one section of the meal and found it to be very filling.

Overall, this will be a recipe that I keep for future use. Yummy!

On the Menu: Cook Once, Eat Healthy All Week

I am really excited to try this meal plan from Self.com! I found it online about 2 weeks ago and all the recipes look delicious. After eating food at the Spa all last week I'm really craving yummy and healthy foods.

Check out the recipes here:
Cook once, eat healthy all week

Shopping list included!

I'm heading to the grocery store right after work. How easy is that?!

Recipes coming up this week:

• Adobo-Glazed Mini Turkey Loaves
• Vegetable and Chickpea Ragout
• Spicy Thai Soup With Lime Shrimp
• Cheesy Shrimp Enchilada Bake
• Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

Mmmmm...