Tuesday – back to reality

Hey Bloggies -

Well, I must say I had such a wonderful few days off and a great holiday break. Unfortunately, my alarm went of at 5:40 this morning and the sound of it (and the fact that it was still dark out) made me want to cry. Oh well, somehow I managed to pull myself together and get out of bed!

I was thinking ahead last night and thought enough to pack my lunch and breakfast, put out all of my clothes for today, and pack my gym bag. Thankfully my mom was kind enough to prepare and pre-set our coffee maker last night, too   I was showered, dressed, and out the door by 6:19 this morning and on the road by 6:20. I had several bags with me. A lunch bag, my large purse and my gym bag along with my water bottle and new travel coffee cup. My hands were full – and I was wearing mittens which made it a little more difficult to get everything out in one trip, somehow I managed.

For those of you who are also working today and this week, I hope your work week is off to a great start. I managed to get to work by 7:05 this morning – quite an accomplishment!  This will leave me plenty of time to run and have a good workout at the gym today. I am hoping to schedule my first personal training appointment tonight, thanks to my awesome sister who gave me a gift certificate to my gym for personal training sessions!

I will return tonight for a full recap of the day. But for the record, my chocolate peppermint Luna bar really helped get my day off to a great start.

See you soon!

A Quick Run and a Wonderful Lunch

Hey All -

Wow, I finally made it to the gym today!! It has been way too long, well just a few days and with Christmas I guess I should forgive myself, but I was super excited to finally get a workout in. It was a short one, but it was better than nothing.

I had a really hard time getting out of bed this morning for some reason. I think my body is in the full relaxation mode – which for me means that my body gets tired. Oh well. I have been trying to get a lot of sleep, and I think it is helping. I finally got out of bed at 9:40 this morning. I had a small piece of bread, a small bit of peanut butter for a light breakfast along with about two ounces of coffee. I am not a morning runner, so I have to eat as little as possible before I run. I cannot run if I have not eaten anything in over 12 hours, because I will have no energy. But I also have to give myself about an hour (hopefully more if I have time) to digest. It is a delicate balance to say the least.

I got on the treadmill at 11 o’clock this morning. I really wanted to run outside since it was nearly 50 degrees. But it was raining, and the streets in Providence were really wet possibly close to flooding in a couple of areas due to a ton of melting snow, and the rain. I figured it was better to run inside. I ran 2.25 miles in 23 minutes. I then had to run to the shower and start getting ready for lunch with one of my favorite friends, Kyle.

I ran over to Starbucks a few minutes before lunch to grab a tall coffee – I needed more caffeine now that I was done with my morning run.

I was able to grab one of the awesome leather chairs at the Starbucks, and had a few minutes to check emails on my iPhone before Kyle arrived. It was so wonderful to see him, and we quickly left Starbucks to go over to one of my favorite restaurants, Red Stripe. I ordered my usual (I meant to branch out, but I didn’t…) the Red Stripe Grilled Cheese. This is an amazing sandwich, with cheese, poached pear, prosciutto, and basil. I cannot say enough about this sandwich – I adore it. Instead of the tomato soup or frites, I ordered a house salad with the house dressing on the side. I love how much salad I was served and I ate almost every bite. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of my beautiful lunch. Next time, I promise to!

After lunch I went over to City Sports to shop around. I think shopping for running “stuff” is my second favorite thing to shop for. My favorite thing??? Kitchen and cooking equipment, of course! I did not leave City Sports empty handed (understatement for sure). I am excited to try out my new running shoes tomorrow!

Well, I’m going to sign off for now. I hope you are all having a good day! See you soon.

I love Mark Bittman

That was my facebook status today… I love Mark Bittman. I also love his recipe for Pasta e Fagioli, or pasta and bean soup. When I woke up this morning it was the only thing I could think of. One of the great things about having holidays at your extended family’s house is that you do not have endless amounts of leftovers. I was so excited that we actually needed something to eat for dinner tonight!

I enjoyed a restful morning. Before I went to bed last night I set my alarm for 8:45 so I did not “sleep the day away” as my dad used to say. (I still have an uncanny ability to sleep for hours and hours at a time – something I have been doing since the day I was born.) I was glad that I set my alarm, and that I was able to get up at a decent hour (9 o’clock). Eventually I started gathering the ingredients for Bittman’s pasta e fagioli. I wanted to see what I had first at home, and then I made a list of things I needed to pick up at the market.

Ingredients:

Low sodium chicken broth (to cans)

3 cups of cannellini beans

1 large an of kitchen ready tomatoes

lots of garlic

freshly chopped parsley

1 large onion chopped

Rosemary, 1 teaspoon

extra virgin olive oil

3 cups of water

freshly ground pepper

mini bow tie pasta

freshly grated Parmesan for garnish

Even though some of my ingredients were from a can, the soup still tastes just soooo fresh. I love making my own soups because I can use low sodium ingredients, and things taste like they are right out of a farmers market or something.

I do realize that I never take photos as I am cooking – I think I get a bit wrapped up in the process. But today I actually remembered to take a few photos while I was cooking. Now you can see what a messy kitchen I keep

My chopping area, with spices, bread, cheese and pasta on the side.

My stove with the pasta already cooked, and the soup coming to a boil:

The final product:

Oh it is soo good. If you do not already have it, pick up How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. It is one of my favorite cookbooks.

It is the Day After Christmas

Hello Bloggies -

It is the day after Christmas. You might be wondering where I have been. I have been busy with family and friends, loving the last few days that we were all able to spend together. I have left my camera somewhere which unfortunately has a lot of my latest culinary photographs. It is really hard to blog without your camera.

On Wednesday I made a tofu and veggie stir fry which turned out amazingly well. The veggies were: red peppers, broccoli, onions, baby portabella mushrooms, and carrots. We also had fresh garlic (a couple of cloves diced) and fresh (wonderful) ginger. I cooked (the pressed and dried) tofu first, after cutting it up in one inch pieces. I cooked the tofu in about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. I cooked the tofu until it was browned on both sides, and then I put the tofu on a plate lined with a paper towel. Then I cooked the veggies in another tablespoon of EVOO. In the mean time I started my stir fry sauce which was a combo of rice wine vinegar, light soy sauce, a teaspoon of olive oil, water and at the very end corn starch to thicken it up just a little bit. The end result was really great. The very last step, I combined all of the ingredients: the veggies, tofu and sauce. I enjoyed it over a small bed of long grained rice.

I love having a light and veggie packed meal before a big holiday! This dinner really did do the trick.

This morning – the day after Christmas – I had a back to normal breakfast a whole wheat English muffin, a tablespoon of Barney Butter and half a banana sliced on top. I had a juice glass of OJ and a cup of coffee.

  

This was sort of a light breakfast, but I am hoping to get out for a run soon. Later this afternoon my family and I are going to the movies, which I am really looking forward to.

I hope you all are having a great holiday season!

Long day – Run and Sushi to the Rescue

Hey all -

Wow, I really hate my long commute to work during the holidays. There is so much traffic, it is just about unbearable. But I am not going to waste time thinking about it

I was feeling really run down last night and this morning, so I opted to sleep in a little bit later than normal today. I woke up at 750 this morning, had a cup of coffee and a slower than usual morning. The commute to work was going well, until I ran into a six mile traffic jam from hell. Yuck. But after I got through the traffic jam, the rest of my ride to work was fine. For breakfast I had one piece of an Arnold sandwich thin with Barney Butter.

One of the student interns at work made the most amazing “Rolo Cookies”. Seriously. The cookies are chocolate with rolo candies in the middle. They were amazingly too good. I had two cookies before lunch.

For lunch I had my mom’s chili with meat, beans and veggies. I added a tablespoon of sour cream and a small handful of light Mexican blend cheese. It was all very good.

(I know, it’s a disgusting photo – sorry about that)

My afternoon snack was a tangerine… and another rolo cookie.

I left work at around 5 o’clock tonight. I had my running clothes on before getting into the car, thank goodness, because if I did not I would not have made it to the gym. I got to the gym at 6:30 (that is way too long of a drive, people!) I had a quick workout, running 2.3 miles and weights for twenty minutes.

I quickly stopped by East Side Market. I was totally craving sushi. It was 7:30 and I thought the market might be out of sushi this late into the evening. However, I really lucked out. I found a shrimp roll made with brown rice. Yum. I got home at 8 o’clock, which is way too late on a school night for me. But I enjoyed my sushi and I feel accomplished that I got to the gym tonight

Dinner:

  

Well, it’s 9 o’clock, I am exhausted so I will be heading for bed now. Good night bloggies!

Squash, pasta and ricotta dinner

Hi All -

I wanted to pass along a great recipe that I received from Jane the other week. She wanted me to try it on the night I was looking for ideas on what to have for dinner. If I had more time that night I definitely would have. She made it recently and was sweet enough to bring in a bit for me to try. Jane and I had a conversation before she made the meal, and we decided that the dish could use a little more protein, so she added chicken breast which I think was a perfect addition.

My little sample:

Here is the recipe thanks to Jane and her sister Lauren:

2 spray(s) cooking spray
20 oz butternut squash, fresh, peeled and cubed
1/8 tsp table salt, for cooking pasta
12 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, penne
1 1/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
2 Tbsp white all-purpose flour
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
1 Tbsp thyme, fresh, chopped, divided
1/2 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano recommended
1/4 cup(s) chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Coat a
2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

Place squash on prepared baking sheet; roast until tender, about 20 to
30 minutes. Place in a large bowl and mash.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. After squash
has been roasting for about 10 minutes, cook pasta according to
package directions; drain and return to pot.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, flour, garlic, salt and
pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently;
reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, about
2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in mashed squash and 2 1/2 teaspoons
of thyme. Add sauce to pasta; toss to mix and coat.

Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish; dot with spoonfuls of
ricotta and then sprinkle with Parmesan and walnuts. Bake until top is
lightly browned in a few spots, about 15 to 20 minutes; remove from
oven and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of thyme. Yields about 1
cup per serving.

Barney Butter Comes to New England!!!

Hey Bloggies -

Well, if you have been following my blog for any amount of time, you know about my love affair for Barney Butter! I had heard a rumor that Barney Butter had made it to Massachusetts, but I had yet to see it with my own eyes.

This afternoon my friend Jane said that she was going to Shaw’s to get some ingredients for a batch of red velvet cupcakes (um, can you say yum!?) my eyes lit up. Shaw’s? In Massachusetts? Seriously? Jane could tell that my brain was going wild with thoughts of food.

“Do you need something at Shaw’s?” She asked me.

“Yes. Have you ever heard of Barney Butter???” I asked her. I started to explain, “it’s a – ”   

“Yes, I know what Barney Butter is. I’ll check and see if it’s there.” She interrupted, as a very educated Sugar & Spice reader.

When Jane and I met up a half hour later at a post – work holiday function, she came bearing a gift. A jar of Barney Butter with my name on it! It was about eight dollars at Shaw’s. What a bargain (since there was no shipping charges)! I am so happy. I had no idea I could be so excited about a jar of nut butter… is there something wrong with me?

I had a small jar of Barney Butter that I have been rationing since August… Here are my two jars of Barney Butter:

My little dorf jar of BB is the one I have had since August. I am so glad I can use my Barney Butter on a more regular basis now! For those of you who are looking for your own fix of Barney Butter, it looks like it is available at Shaw’s grocery stores all throughout New England. Yipee!!

Tofu with Thai Curry Sauce – an excellent dinner!

Hi All-

Just a quick post over lunch to make up for the lack of a post last night.  I will go into greater detail on my eats later on – but a brief recap:

breakfast: kashi instant oatmeal with a tablespoon of Barney Butter – the best combo ever, especially on a super cold winter morning! My morning yesterday was so crazed I did not have time for breakfast until 10am.

Lunch: Apple, whole wheat crackers, mini babybell, and 1/3 cup of egg salad that my mom made (in case you are wondering – the secret to an awesome egg salad is no mayonnaise, and use a teaspoon of dijon mustard instead, and a lot of freshly ground black pepper! It is sooo good!)

Afternoon snack – an awesome cupcake, thanks to Jane and a cup of coffee.

5pm: running. 3.2 miles in a half hour. I was so relieved to get to the gym last night! After the run, I went to Mark’s for dinner. I arrived at 7 o’clock. Mark is an adventourus cook, which I really appreciate. I love trying new recipes! I also like that he is willing to cook with ingredients he has not used before…. tonight, he cooked with tofu for the first time! The end result was fantastic.

Here is the recipe we (I should say Mark, because I barely helped!) followed:

Tofu with Thai Curry Sauce

I loved this recipe! Even though we only had “firm” tofu, it still cooked up really well. I was starving after the run, but a small handful of almonds kept me going until dinner was ready. I along with my tofu meal, I had about 1/2 cup of white rice. (What a treat!)

Please pardon the poor quality of the picture, I had to resort to my iPhone last night!

Well, that about wraps it all up. I highly recommend giving this new recipe a try if you like curry and tofu! It is a winner, for sure.

Stay warm everyone!

Tuesday

Hey All -

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like you deserve a pat on the back just for surviving? Gah! That is sort of how I feel right now. So, on a happier note, here is a photo of our Christmas tree. Mom, Mark and I finished decorating it on Saturday afternoon and I have been meaning to post a photograph of the finished product. Here it is:

We even put together my wooden train set from Sweden that was a holiday gift when I was two or three years old. I still love it

Anyhow – back to a recap of a strange food day. I do not even want to admit what I had for breakfast this morning, but I sort of think it is funny. I had a cookie. Weird, right?

I did not have lunch until 2 o’clock this afternoon (yet another crazy day at work). Thankfully when I made the pasta, red sauce and boca last night, I made enough for lunch today.

It actually really hit the spot because by the time I broke for lunch I was a bit hungry. The positive part of my busy day was that there was a lot of physical activity – so I definitely got a work out today I really wish I had time to go for a run today. I am so sad that I have not made it so far this week – but I am really hoping to have time in my schedule tomorrow for a walk at lunch or a run after work. My fingers are crossed!

Tonight was the holiday staff party at work. In the past I have definitely really enjoyed the fantastic food at this party. But I am happy to say that I did enjoy tonight, but I did not over eat (which I have done in the past). I had one serving of the amazing baked brie with four whole wheat crackers and a small chicken taco for dinner. There were the most perfect blondies for desserts, they were tiny and I loved them because I could have one and it was just enough – it was about 1 inch by 1 inch. It was a wonderful blondie. Along with my food, I had half a glass of red wine. Lots of folks were raving about the wine selection tonight, and I must say that the red I had was very good!

Anyhow, that’s about all I have tonight. I am going to unplug for the rest of the evening, and get ready for my day tomorrow. Hope you all had a great day!

Sunday Night – Blueberry Pie

Hi All -

Sunday night mom, Mark and I all met up for an evening of dinner, pie and games! I was supposed to make dinner – but I had a super lazy Sunday and cooking anything was sort of out of my realm of possibility at least for me… But sometimes everyone needs a super lazy day. It was rainy and cold most of the day, so I did not feel too badly for staying in my pjs until 4 o’clock in the afternoon!

So, for dinner I ordered a pizza! I got totally soaked parking and going in to fetch our dinner, but it was well worth it. While the pizza was good, the real star of the evening was Mom’s blueberry pie! This blueberry pie is amazing – it is from a really old recipe from Southern Living. The recipe is typed out below

Here is what the pie looked like before we dug into it:

We also enjoyed a dice game of Phase 10…. if you haven’t played this game, check it out – it is a lot of fun!

The terrain of the blueberry pie:

Mark’s piece of pie:

Here is the recipe!

Fresh Blueberry Cream Pie (warning – this is not modified to be ‘healthy’! It is just plain good!)

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons of all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

2 1/2 cup fresh blueberries (we did not have quite that much last night – so usually there are a few more blueberries!)

1 9 inch pastry shell

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons chopped pecans

Combine first six ingredients; beat 5 minutes, medium speed or until smooth. Fold in the blueberries. Pour filling into pastry shell. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Combine remaining ingredients stirring well, sprinkle on top of pie. Bake 10 additional minutes. Chill before serving.

I love this pie!