Food Splurges and a Drink Discovery

Happy Friday, Y'all!  I don't know about you guys... but I am REALLY ready for the weekend. TGIF!

I toasted Friday with a cup of coffee this morning...

and I celebrated by wearing my awesome self-designed Nike Frees. 

I heart these shoes so much for Zumba and everything else that I seriously am thinking about designing a backup pair so that I won't wear these out all at once.  Several years ago, I had the most awesome pair of shoes.  I wore them until they were literally falling apart.  Then, I went to order more and... guess what... they were no longer being made!  I am scared that will happen with these shoes. 

Since I haven't posted in a few days, I thought I would give you a little sampling of some of my fun food splurges over the past few days!

On Wednesday, I was lucky to be able to attend a seminar with 3 other coworkers to see Cris Tovani speak about Assessment.  One of the best things about this seminar was that it was held at Brookland Conference Center in Columbia... and they serve amazing lunches!  (Excuse the crappy pictures due to poor lighting...)

I had some amazing Black Bean Soup with baked chicken and a spoonful of mac n cheese...

salad...

and this delish piece of cake, which I said I would only eat half of... but I ate more like 3/4 of it.  He he.

Last night I taught my last Zumba class at Oakland Baptist for a few weeks.  However, we are about to have a big reopening in a few weeks!  I'm so excited!  Afterwards I met the girls for drinks at Michael's Grill. 

I love this place. 

I started with a Mai Tai...

...and I opted for the Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich, which was HUGE and fabulous, with homemade potato chips. 

The only down side to eating at Michael's is the dark atmosphere... which is only a down side if you like to take pictures of your food.

Speaking of Zumba... I have a new drink discovery to share with you.  Coconut Water!

I've been drinking Zico, which I get at Trader Joe's.  I've seen lots of people talking about it and drinking it, and when I read info about it online, it sounded like every athlete should be drinking it.  It's "nature's Gatorade."  At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about it.  I wasn't sure if the taste was working for me.  However, I've figured out that I don't like drinking it out of the carton!  Weird, huh?  So I've been pouring myself about 1/2 cup to drink just before a workout, and I really like it!  I think it helps me to stay hydrated.

Finally... I would like to close with a quote.  The hubs and I have had several unexpected bumps in the road lately.  My family has lost two very special people over the past couple of months... and I am still dealing with those feelings of sadness that seem to come and go at the oddest times.  Then, our air conditioner broke, and it turns out we are having to replace the ENTIRE air conditioning system AND the furnace.  Let's just say that we could go on several REALLY nice vacations for the price of a new air conditioner and furnace.  And there are a few other challenges that we're trying to deal with.  Whenever I hit bumps in the road, I like little nuggets of wisdom that I can repeat to myself.  And I thought... we're all dealing with challenges every day, so this quote might be helpful to some of you. 

So my quote for the week is...

"Seeds of faith are always within us; sometimes it takes a crisis to nourish and encourage their growth."
-- Susan Taylor

I like the idea that with each challenge we face... something is planted inside us that can grow and turn into something wonderful.

Potpourri Platter, Anyone?

We have a local restaurant called the White Horse.  It’s really well-known for this sandwich called “Charlie O’Chicken.”  (Which, oddly enough, is made with turkey… go figure.)  However, one of my favorite things about the White Horse was this fabulous menu item called the “Potpourri Platter.”  Basically, it was just an assortment of goodies… chicken salad, celery and carrots, cheese cubes, pickles… you never really knew what goodies might be on your plate when the server set it down before you. 

Well, I’ve been trying to do a better job of packing my lunches so that I don’t have to buy them from the cafeteria.  The meals there aren’t bad… but they aren’t always the healthiest choices.  However, I have this problem where I pack something for lunch… and then when it’s lunchtime, I no longer want to eat whatever I brought.  Does that ever happen to you?

This morning, I had an idea.  Why not start packing “Potpourri Platters” for myself for lunch?  My friend Mandy says she likes to have a lot of “things” for lunch.  And I think that’s the beauty of the Potpourri Platter.  You get to sample a whole bunch of goodies.

You know what?  This was one of the best lunches I have had in a long time! 

Celery sticks (sounds like diet food but it’s one of my favorite raw veggies), cucumber-dill dip (made with light sour cream), 2% cottage cheese (honestly… I LOVE cottage cheese), pickles, and turkey slices.  YUM!  And it was very low in the points values, too. 

I also have been drinking a lot of water and it makes me feel so much better.  Every time I make an effort to drink more water, I can tell a difference in how I feel.  WHY do I fall off the wagon???  I flavor my water with lemon and mint.  It’s so refreshing!

So I thought I would share one other food find that I am loving… Puffins Cereal.  It’s my new favorite. 

It makes a great pre-workout snack, especially when you add in some fresh fruit.

Tonight after Zumba, I was a lucky girl.  I took longer to get home than I thought, so hubby made dinner for me!  Go hubby! 

Salmon, Trader Joe’s potatoes, and edamame.  I wish you guys could watch Sadie devour edamame.  She LOVES to eat it from the pods.  Like mother, like daughter, I guess!

 

Reader Question:

So… what do you do for lunch?  What are your “go-to” foods for lunches on the go?  Or do you buy your lunch? 

Thirty Days… No Fizz

I want to start by saying thank you to all of you for such sweet, thoughtful comments on my blog and on Facebook about my grandfather.  We will miss him so much, but I am so glad that he didn’t have to continue living without his true love.  I always knew they were deep in love, but I never realized how much until this past week.  In case you missed my post about my grandfather, here is the link.

And if you’re interested in reading a little more about him, check out this post about his Honor Flight experience, when he was able to fly to Washington D.C. in the fall.  That’s such a cool story.

Today I had a really productive day at work and I headed out the door for Zumba.  I was excited.  I was even gonna be early.  And then… Traffic.  There are few things in this world that I dislike as much as bad traffic.  It’s soooo frustrating.  It took me 40 minutes to travel 1.5 miles on I-77.  I got off the interstate, thinking maybe the city traffic might be better.  Here’s what I sat in for another 20-30 minutes. 

Yes, that is bumper-to-bumper traffic for as far as the eye can see.  Then I got caught by trains. 

It was a hot mess.  In the end, I traveled an hour and twenty minutes and got to do about 20 minutes of Zumba.  LOL.  Better luck next time, I hope.

I found out what was causing the traffic issues.  Click here to find out.

I made it home in time for Taco Night.  (I always eat mine salad-style!)  Yum!  Love tacos.

So… it’s a new month… and I’ve got a new challenge for you! 

Yesterday I decided to sign up for a thirty-day challenge with No Fizz Charlotte! 

(image courtesy of No Fizz Charlotte)

For the month of April, I am giving up sodas!  I am not a huge soda drinker as it is… but I do find that I am drinking one diet soda or sometimes even one regular soda each day.  Both are full of junk I don’t need… and I really need to be drinking more water.  Part of the challenge is to drink 60 ounces of water a day.  I am aiming for 80 ounces, though!

Would you like to join me?  If you’d like to join the challenge, leave a comment on this post so I’ll know who all is in!  Also, make sure you visit No Fizz Charlotte and sign up on their web site.  They’ll email you a big packet that will give you all kinds of information and tips on getting more water (and less soda) into your life.  You don’t have to live in Charlotte to participate!!!

I’ve got another little series in the works… you’ll have to stay tuned for details on that!  :)

Deep Dish Mexican Pizza AND... A Way to Burn it Off!!!

Well, let's get the exercise part over with, because there's no way it's as much fun to talk about as this deep dish pizza... (Here's a little preview.  YUMMM.)

So, tonight I learned a way to burn more calories in your group fitness classes... Get on the FRONT ROW!  Now, I am not a back row gal when I am taking a class.  I can't stand when I can't see the instructor.  But I also don't get on the front row.  (Weird, huh?  The front doesn't bother me if I am teaching, but if I am a participant, I am more a second-row girl.)  Well, tonight, my "usual spot" was gone.  (How territorial are we?!)  So, I ended up on the front row.  Let me tell you... it made me work so much harder!  I guess I need to move on up to the front more often.  I know I worked harder than I have been working. 

This morning, I had two delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.  (No pictures this time... for some reason they did not turn out as pretty as they did last time.) 

I had a wrap and Baked! chips for lunch from my school cafeteria. 

I have been doing so great drinking my water this week. 

I'm doing a two-day lesson on clouds this week.  I've learned a lot more about clouds that I didn't know.  This afternoon, the clouds were really cool-looking, so I ran out with my new camera lenses and snapped some shots to show the kids tomorrow.  I used my wide-angle lens for these pictures.  The wide angle just allows you to get more of the scene in the picture.

Do you know what kind of clouds these are?
a.  cumulus
b.  stratus
c.  cirrus

Before this week, I couldn't have told you.  But now I know!  The answer will come tomorrow!

I taught Zumba after school, and then headed to Zumba at the Y.  After all that, I headed to Weight Watchers.  I was REALLY hoping for a loss this week.  Last week I didn't lose, and this week I gained 0.2 pounds!  UGH!!!!!!  Can you feel my frustration?  I am trying to remind myself that slow and steady wins the race, but I am getting tired of being the tortoise in this race!

Anyway, on to the pizza. 

This is a twist on a Weight Watchers recipe I got a long time ago.  I put a little Mexican twist on it.

"Deep Dish Mexican Pizza"

Ingredients:
1 roll of refrigerated pizza crust dough
2 cans diced tomatoes with chili seasoning
1 lb. lean or extra lean ground beef
1 cup of reduced fat shredded Mexican blend cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray.  Then, unroll the pizza dough and press into the bottom of the dish and up the sides (creating the "deep dish").  Once oven is preheated, pop the dough in for about 5 minutes, just to cook the bottom a little.  Brown the meat and drain the fat.  Add in the diced tomatoes.  I also added in some spices here-- just some cumin, chili powder, and some Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy Hot.  (No exact measurements here-- just whatever you like)  Using a slotted spoon, spoon the meat and tomato mixture into the partially-baked crust.  (Using a slotted spoon will keep some of the juice in the pan, keeping your pizza from becoming mushy.)  Top the meat mixture with the shredded cheese.  Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, until crust is browned and cheese is melted.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

The points for this are around 6-7 per slice, and there are 6 HEARTY slices here.  (Remember, it's DEEP DISH!) 

Adding a glass of vino makes it even better, by the way! :)

It's Friday-Eve!  Cheers!

Rainy Sunday... Sandwiches, Turkey Burgers, and more!

So, did you guess that we went to...

last night?  If you did, then you were right!  We went with our friends Wendy and Kevin! 

On a ride waiting for take-off (about 5 minutes after this pic was taken, Ryan lost his hat!)

Wendy and Kevin

The hubby and me

How cute is this pic of Wendy and Kevin on Thunder Road?

We had lots of fun riding roller coasters at night, and seeing ghosts, goblins, and more jump out at all the guests!  (We LOVED watching the guy with the chainsaw scare everyone!)

This morning started with a fried egg, more fresh peach slices, and the last piece of the Morningstar "sausage".  Guess I need to restock!  I love fried eggs.  I love to poke the yolk and let all the yellow run all over the plate!  (Did I gross you out?)  My grandmother used to always cook "Sunny Side Up Eggs" for us in the morning.  It was always my favorite. 

Then Ryan tried to get the grass cut and bushes trimmed before the rain came.  We've really been needing the rain!  Ryan finished just in time.  Meanwhile, I did some much needed grocery shopping.

We had lunch with Ryan's family-- sandwiches!  I am telling you, I don't know how we survived before these round sandwich breads hit the shelves!  It's all we eat!  They are only one point!  (You may see them again today, as a matter of fact!)

I had to run some errands this afternoon-- Best Buy, Target, and I couldn't resist making a quick stop at Starbucks on the way home.  Can you guess what I got?  I bet you can...

A Pumpkin Spice Latte!  YUMMMMM!  It tasted so great with the weather being cooler and gray today.  Much more fall-like!

For dinner, we had some quick turkey burgers and some cheesy broccoli rice.  I LOVE these steamer bags of veggies.  I don't use them all the time, but they are awesome when you just don't feel like cooking. 

These turkey burgers were on sale about 2 weeks ago.  They were already formed into patties.  All I did was season both sides and cook them in a skilley for about 5-6 minutes on each side.  They were delicious!  I topped mine with lettuce, tomato, muenster cheese, a little light mayo, and some ketchup. 

Remember how I said this week I was going to have to do better about drinking water?  Well, I am doing better today!  I stocked up on lemons and mint.  This makes it taste so refreshing.  I've already packed lemon slices and mint leaves for work tomorrow!  Sometimes I like to make a whole pitcher of it, but I really like the lemon slices and mint leaves in the glass because it looks so pretty.  I think when it LOOKS refreshing, it makes you want to drink more of it. 

I do have an experiment baking in the oven... a peach crisp!  We'll see how it comes out... Hopefully yummy!