Attack of the Mega-Post April 19, 2010

Hi Bloggies – this is going to be a big post…we have lots to catch up on!

Let’s see, where to start, where to start.  How about lunch on Saturday?  Sound good?  🙂

Saturday I made some yummy wraps for Chris and I with some new found goodies from Costco.  My wrap featured a whole wheat + flax Flat Out Wrap, sundried tomatoes (which I rinsed and blotted to get rid of some of the oil they were packed in), gouda and oven roasted turkey breast.  On the side, I made mega-veggies on the Griddler.  First, I grilled some French cut green beans and tossed them with lemon juice, basil, salt and pepper and a little feta.  This is seriously becoming an obsession in our house.  They are SO good!  I also made a sweet side with baby carrots grilled and then tossed with a mix of pure maple syrup, cinnamon and Emeril’s essence.  I think the carrots would have been better had I grilled them and then maybe baked/microwaved them with the sauce so it thickened up a little and the flavors melded a little better.  But…they were still a hit!

And then, I started baking.  Do you ever just have a really intense urge to bake/make elaborate meals?  I couldn’t stop myself Saturday and made 2 batches of whole-wheat dinner rolls (which I neglected to take a picture of when they were pretty in the pan…they’re just not as photogenic when you break them up to put in a tupperware :() and a mega-loaf of focaccio.  Normally, the recipe (from Betty Crocker’s Best of Baking) makes 2 loaves but I knew we’d be using this bread to make paninis this week and wanted something a little thicker. I adapted Betty’s recipe and used 1/2 bread flour and 1/2 whole-wheat flour.  The result is a dense, chewy, flavorful bread.  Love it!

While my rolls were rising I ran out for a quick 3.88M run and came home to a few snacks I picked up at Costco (by the way, LOVE Costco right as it opens on Saturday morning, I was in and out in less than 40 minutes which is a record since I have a need to peruse the whole store when I go in).  I had a small bowl with Sahale vanilla/pom cashews and some dried apricots.

These apricots are great, no added sugar and the only item on the ingredients list I don’t 100% love is the sulphur dioxide added to retain color.  The cashews are HEAVENLY.  They have cashews, dried apples, dried pomegranate, pomegranate juice, sea salt and crushed up vanilla beans.  Mmmm!

Saturday night we were going to rent Crazy Heart, but alas I had my dates wrong and it actually doesn’t come out until this weekend.  Boo 😦  Instead, I caught up on this week’s episode of the Real World/Road Rules Challenge while Chris played video games (surprise, surprise).  This season seems like it will be drama filled and fabulous…what can I say, I”m a sucker for MTV reality shows!

I also started reading a new book series – the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.  I have to admit that I picture the heroine in the story looking like J-Wow from the Jersey Shore 😉  I’ll provide a full book review soon!

I picked up a great deep sided/covered skillet at Costco Saturday morning ($21…score!!) and knew just what to make Saturday night to try it out.  I had seen Rachel Ray make skillet lasagna when I was home sick Thursday and we had all the ingredients on hand for my own version.

First, I browned about a pound of lean turkey in a little olive oil with Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powder, once browned, I drained off the excess liquid.

While the turkey was cooking I made a big pot of pasta, I forget what this cut is called, they are shaped like long s’s and held up really well to the saucy mixture I subjected them too.  This is from an organic brand at Costco.

Once the pasta and turkey are ready, I combined them in my skillet with a jar of pasta sauce (I hate to say it, but we love Ragu in this house…I know it’s not organic, but the ingredients list isn’t a mile long and we both just like the flavor…so sue me ;)) and a small container of ricotta cheese.  Heat this fabulous mix to boiling to be sure it’s heated through.

Once hot, top with gobs of mozarella and either place under the broiler/in the oven or, if you are already using the oven for a massive baking extravaganza like I was, just put a lid on it and let the cheese steam melt 🙂

Oh yes, ooey gooey perfection.

Sunday I woke up and went for my long-run, it was only 6 miles this week but felt like I was running for HOURS.  At the 3 mile turn around I seriously wanted to just sit in the field and make smoke signals until someone came and rescued me (I normally carry my cell phone on LR’s but was thinking “It’s only 6 miles, I can do 6 miles in my sleep”  right…).  I knew I was dehydrated when I started my run, but since we had things to get done Sunday afternoon I grabbed 3 Clif shot blocks (cran-razz flavor, yum!!) and a big bottle of water and hit the trail.  #1 issue?  The stupid !@#@!#@ fuel belt I grabbed, I hate it.  I really do.  It was my very first fuel belt and I have to tighten it about as tight as it will go so the single bottle doesn’t bounce.  I much prefer my 4-bottle belt which fits close to the body with slimmer bottles.  I just can’t handle a bouncy bottle!  Then, my legs felt like lead from hill repeats on Saturday and the sun was blazing high in the sky by the time I got out on the trail.  It was a hilly 6 miles and the last 3 miles I told myself I was going to gut it out no matter how slow I was going (finished at right about 12 min mile pace) and I conned myself into saying hello/good morning/have a good run/ride to everyone I passed for the last 3 miles.  It was so nice to turn some of my negative energy into positive energy…even though I was seething on the inside, I was smiling on the outside.  Fake it til you make it, right?  I also dumped some water on my head at about 4 miles…oh it felt good!  It wasn’t even that warm out…just a bad run.  We all have them from time to time 🙂

Post-run we grabbed Quizno’s for lunch before hitting our storage unit (had to fill out paperwork for a locksmith to come out and cut our lock off as we have lost our keys…boo) and visited Chris’ dad for his birthday.  We also saw my niece Sunday, she’s seriously turning into the CUTEST kid on the block.  Here are a couple pictures from Easter – yes, she’s quite the little Diva and had an outfit change mid-day, she just wasn’t mobile enough in her dress and tights 🙂

We also hit up Safeway on Saturday…for the drum-roll please…much awaited Safeway/Betty Crocker/My Blog Spark giveaway!  I have been promising to share with you for too long and finally made it to the store to cash in on my prize pack 🙂 I received a great sampler pack from Betty Crocker/Safeway Family of Stores and My Blog Spark of a mixing bowl/spoon, oven mitt, baking pan and $25 gift card to Safeway.

I cashed in my $25 gift card for some great goodies – muffin mixes:

Cake mixes:

Gluten free mixes:

and frosting:

I was really pleasantly surprised at the variety of mixes available as well as the price – that’s a load of loot for $25!  I also had enough left on my gift card to pick up some cupcake tins and a bag of organic turbinado sugar.

It just so happened I hadn’t had a cake for my birthday yet and what is a birthday without cake?  Growing up, my dad would always make a chocolate cake with “peanut butter frosting” for my birthday.  The frosting is probably the most unhealthy thing known to man – butter cream frosting + a HUGE gob of peanut butter…but it tastes like birthday to me!  I used my Betty Crocker dark chocolate cake mix and was really happy with the results.  The cake turned out moist and fluffy and just plain good.  I added some chocolate chips and toffee bits to the mix before baking for a little extra something.  This giveaway is to promote Betty Crocker’s Bake Sweet Memories website so it only seemed fitting to bake something that brings back so many memories.

Soooooo good!  Just what the birthday doctor ordered 😉

To go with my cake, I made Chris and I baked chicken paninis.  I baked the chicken with tons of savory spices, sliced it and grilled it on Saturday’s foccacio with sliced gouda.  I topped my sandwich with hot sauce and insane amounts of avocado.

On the side we had baked beans and rice which I steamed with chicken stock and veggies

All together now

Phew…this post IS getting long!

Today’s eats were actually pretty boring…for lunch I made a bowl with rice, avocado and tomatoes (it also had a new chick pea product which I’ll review later in the week) and a pink lady apple.  Dinner was leftover skillet lasagna…love making a huge pot that lasts for days 🙂

And with that…here’s your chance to win your very own gift pack from Safeway/My Blog Spark/Betty Crocker.  You’ll receive a baking pan, mixing bowl, mixing spoon, pot holder and $25 gift card good at the Safeway family of stores.  To enter, just leave a comment below with your favorite food related memory by 5pm Mountain Time on Wednesday April 21st.  I’ll randomly select a winner in my Wednesday night post.  Just a reminder – you do not have to be a blogger to enter, I know my blog sees a lot of non-blogger traffic, feel free to enter!  Everyone (sorry Chris, you’re excluded) is eligible 🙂 Cannot wait to hear your memories!

Appliance Love April 11, 2010

I’m having an affair.  That’s right, I’ll say it.  I love another…another appliance that is 😉  Today my love affair with the Cusinart Griddler blossomed into what seems like a love for the ages 😀

I slept straight through my long run this morning.  Does anyone else notice cut-back weeks are the hardest to complete?  Something about a 2 mile easy run or a 5 mile long run just seems unnecessary when compared with the rest of a training plan.  I know these runs are crucial to any training plan…but that doesn’t make them any easier to complete.  It also doesn’t help when there’s a snuggly husband in bed fast asleep and I just cannot bring myself to wake him.  So…when we finally woke up around 10 we finished off the last of the Krispy Kreme donuts from yesterday morning and I went to Wal-Mart to pick up some packing supplies for a “very important” Nintendo related package Chris has to mail out tomorrow.  Boys and their toys 😉

I tried to get a pedicure today after talking to Ellen about hers (seriously, there’s nothing more tempting than talking to someone while they’re in the pedi chair…it’s almost impossible to resist getting a pedi of your own at that point) but, by the time I got to the salon (at 10:59) there were already 6 ladies lined up waiting and the manager said his techs wouldn’t be showing up for 10-15 minutes.   Um.  No thanks!  So, I left pedi-less and grumpy.  I did score two really cute totes at Wal-Mart for $2 each.  I got one in black canvas and one in blue canvas – I think they’ll be perfect beach bags for our Key West trip!  After my Wal-Mart trip, I was even grumpier…why do people lose ALL manners in a discount store?  Chris and I have had a rough weekend with people about running us over in the parking lot, cutting in front of us in stores, etc….I was just ready to get home!  I made up for the crummy outing by firing up my appliance lover 😛

For lunch I made a recipe from the Cusinart Griddler cookbook, this was super simple and I think you could even make this in a saute pan and I highly recomend it.  The recipe called for fresh green beans, lemon juice, basil (I used an Italian seasoning mix from Cost Plus World Market), black pepper, a touch of salt and olive oil.

First, trim the green beans to remove the ends then toss in a bowl with some olive oil, just enough to coat.  Throw the green beans on the grill/pan/griddle for about 8 minutes or until marked and just tender.  Put the beans into a new bowl and toss with lemon juice, salt, pepper and basil/Italian seasoning.  Transfer to a serving dish and top with a little feta cheese.  Um, delish!!

Both Chris and I were blown away by these beans, I’m sure they’ll be making plenty of appearances on the blog.

I wasn’t done with the griddle yet – next, I made each of us a panini sandwich – Chris’ was a pita + salami + havarti cheese + Miracle Whip and mine was pita + turkey + havarti + light mayo + apple slices.  I added the apple slices after grilling so they stayed cold and crunchy –

On the side we had more apple slices, I am so glad to be seeing Pink Ladies at the grocery store again!

After lunch and a hilarious episode of Top Gear I conned Chris into a short nap, then it was time for chores.  As I type most of the laundry is already folded and the last loads are in the washer/dryer.  It’s not even 9pm…can you believe it???  I cleaned our fish’s tank, and then before I knew it it was time to make dinner. One of these may have made an appearance during chores…they taste like summer and are WAY too delicious.  When I saw them in the liquor case, all I could say was “they’re baaaaaaack” and smile like a crazy person 😀

We were going to have a coconut curry for dinner but something about the sauce just tasted off.  It had a black licorice after taste to it and neither of us are black licorice fans, nor did the sauce have any type of black licorice ingredient.  Too weird.  So, I made a quick fall back dinner of DIY Chinese restaurant fare – I grilled 2 chicken breasts on the open face plates for the Griddler (you can use it as a closed press for panini’s/grilling like a George Foreman Grill, or, you can press a button and it lays out flat with flat grill plates like a counter top electric griddle) and then tossed them with three sauces.  I made sweet and sour chicken, orange chicken and garlic teriyaki chicken which we ate over a mixture of white and brown rice and veggies.  Mmmmm!!  I love a good fall back plan.

My bowl also featured some pineapple tidbits which I grilled on the Cuisinart…see, I told you, I’m in love!!!  ❤

After dinner we tag teamed the kitchen clean up effort and it was done in time for The Pacific on HBO.  (and to see the season 3 sneak peak for True Blood, woooo!!) As Chris finished the dishes I whipped up some shakes for us – our shakes featured Ben & Jerry’s PB cup ice cream, almond milk, natural peanut butter, chocolate syrup and a banana.  Topped with whipped cream, of course.

And now, it’s time to wrap up this post and get ready for another crazy week at work.  It is hard to believe that the first quarter filing period is already upon us, we just finished up year-end a couple weeks ago.  This is the hardest time of year, coming off a 2.5 month push and having 6 more weeks to go before a real break.  At least there’s less than 10 weeks til Chris and I hit the beach for a week!  It makes everything seem a little more manageable with a fun trip to look forward to.  What are you looking forward to right now?

I hope you all had a great weekend, tomorrow’s a new week full of lots of new choices, new opportunities and new adventures – let’s make the most of them!

Sleepy Birthday Princess April 10, 2010

Yes, that’s right.  I woke up this morning at 7:58 am and insisted Chris wake up as well…and then insisted he call me “Birthday Princess” all day long.  Needless to say, it didn’t catch on 😉  A girl can try 🙂

Today was a great birthday and I’m quite ready for bed now…debating 5-8 miles for tomorrow’s long run.  It’s a cut back week and I’ll wing the distance depending on the weather when I wake up 🙂  Today has been full of gluttony and I’m excited to get out there and sweat it out.  I didn’t get any pics today but we started the morning with Krispy Kreme & Starbucks and ended the day with Qdoba…mmm birthday food!  In the middle of the day we took a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond and scored a food scale, Cuisinart Griddler and knife block all for 20% off!  Love that.  The rest of the day was spent being lazy, napping and relishing a beautiful Saturday.

Last night we went and saw Date Night.  If you haven’t seen this movie – do so, now.  It was HILARIOUS.  Seriously…all last night and today Chris and I have been throwing out random movie quotes.  Everything from “sexy robots” to “your girlfriend is so hot it’s like looking through a jet engine.”  Definitely one of the best comedies I’ve seen in a while and also a really sweet story 🙂

But now, it’s time to get cleaned up and head to bed, us old women like to go to bed early so we can rise with the birds 😉  Or something.  I know 26 isn’t old in the grand scheme of things, but something about being past my mid-20s makes me feel just a bit old…and then I remember that Chris will be the big 2-8 in a couple months and I feel like a spring chicken again, hehe.

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!!!