Planes, Helicopters, and Roller Coasters… Sort-Of

Happy Hump Day!  I can’t believe that Spring Break is already halfway over!  I’m gonna try not to think about that.  We’re making the most of our week, though!

This morning, we didn’t have bagels, so I had to sub in a flatbread.  I topped it with some of my Veggie Cream Cheese I made yesterday morning.  And… a fried egg.

We ate quickly and got dressed for our day out… at Carowinds!  This was our first trip of the season. 

Sadie was so proud to finally be 36 inches, which gave her lots more ride possibilities! 

It was a fun day and the weather was perfect!  We made it home around 1:30.  I love being so close to Carowinds and having passes because it means that we don’t have to “get our money’s worth” on every trip.  We can make lots of 2-3 hour trips and be home in time for naps and lunch. 

Speaking of lunch… I had some egg salad.  It was delish.  Gotta love egg salad.  So stinky, but so good! :)  And some spicy fries.

Then I headed out to teach Zumba.  When I finished, Ryan called and suggested we have dinner out at McAlister’s.  Yay for no cooking!

I had gumbo and the McAlister’s Club Wrap.  LOVED this wrap!

Now I am watching the season finale of Parenthood.  It’s such a great show.  Amazing writing.

We’re off to see some special people tomorrow… :)

Peaches, Pears, and Pluots... Oh My!

Do you ever take your lunch to work and then when it's time for lunch, you are like... NOPE.  DON'T WANT THAT.  Well, that it what happened to me today.  I had taken leftovers, but instead I went and got one of those wraps from the cafeteria.  This one wasn't as good as the one last time, mainly because it didn't have much lettuce.  Maybe they ran out?  It was still good and still full of pickles, which was yummy.  I am so glad we have Baked! chips in our school cafeteria instead of the fattening ones.  And the apples looked so pretty I grabbed one of those, too.  Maybe every Friday I will get one of these wraps.  I still haven't asked about the fat content... I am kind of scared to.  I know it had mayo on it.

My goal of trying new things this week has been on a hiatus since Tuesday.  So today after school, I loaded up the munchkin and took her to the farmer's market.  I thought surely we could find something to try there.  And we did!

My shopping helper

We found pluots!  I have seen these in the grocery store before, but never tried them because I wasn't sure what they were.  As it turns out, it's a cross between a plum and an apricot.  They are really sweet and very juicy like a plum!  I have always loved plums in the summer months. 

Sadie and I tried the pluot when we got home and we both agree that they are delicious!

I don't know what we are going to have for dinner tonight... I will have to go scavenge the fridge...

Maybe Not Gourmet, But...

So, if you read my blog, then you know that I am by no means a "Gourmet Chef."  I don't know that you can even use the word "chef" to describe me.  I read lots of food blogs and see amazing meals and recipes.  Sometimes, I am just in awe of what some people can create in their home kitchens. I am in awe that there are people out there with full-time jobs that have TIME to create such amazing dishes. 

I was thinking about all my years of watching the Food Network and trying to decide who my favorite FN chefs are. 

There's Ina Garten.  She's who I would aspire to be if I didn't have to work.  She grows so much of her food herself.  I love when she says, "I'll just grab a handful of basil," and she turns to her amazing basil plant that somehow grows big and bushy in her kitchen. 

I love Giada de Laurentiis.  Italian is one of my favorite cuisines.  I don't know how she stays so thin, cooking the way she does.  I have two of her cookbooks and I can always count on her when I need a good dinner recipe. 

And another one of my favorites is Sandra Lee.  I started watcing her several years ago when she was doing the show "Semi-Homemade."  For those of you who haven't seen that show, Sandra makes recipes are are 70% store-bought with 30% fresh ingredients and creative touches.  The first time I saw that show, I was like, "Whoa.  This is REAL."  So many moms and dads are looking for a way to serve tasty meals to their family, while avoiding the frozen dinner section of the grocery store. 

So, in honor of Sandra, tonight's dinner was:

 "Cheesy Ravioli and Semi-Homemade Sauce."

I started with some extra vergin olive oil.  I heated about a tablespoon in a saucepan.  Then I added about 1/2 cup of chopped yellow onions, 1 clove of minced garlic, and 2 tbsp of chopped fresh basil.  Whe the onions were soft and the kitchen was smelling AMAZING, I added a can of petite diced tomatoes.  Finally, I added a jar of spaghetti sauce.  My spaghetti sauce was a sauteed garlic-and-onion-flavored sauce.  However, by adding in some fresh sauteed garlic and onion, it made the flavor much more bold.  It tasted REAL.  Does that make sense?  I let it all come to a boil and then simmered for about 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, I heated some water in anoher pot and added in my ravioli.  Remember my trips to Earth Fare last week?  Well,this was my free low-fat cheese ravioli. 



Free Ravioli!

120 Calories-- not bad!  Even if you eat 2 servings-- 6 ravioli-- not bad at all!

I'll admit, I was skeptical.  Sometimes low fat cheesy anything equals yuck.  However, Penne Lane proved me wrong!  This ravioli was tender and so tasty!  I definitely recommend it and will buy it sometime!  Thank you Earth Fare for the FREE ravioli!  When everything was finished, I topped it with a little Parm and voila!  Yummmmmm!  So tasty!

Finished product

I mean, it WAS an Italian meal... you have to have wine!

As for the rest of the day, it was great!  I didn't have time to make my lunch this morning, so I took a chance on the school cafeteria.  And it paid off!  I had a very tasty wrap today with Baked! Lays and a fresh peach.  (I brought the peach from home.)  The best thing about the wrap was the pickles!  I LOVE pickles.  I am going to give my school cafeteria manager two thumbs up tomorrow and also ask her about the calories.

Yummy cafeteria wrap!

See those pickles in there?  Love it!

I went to a Palmetto Reading Council Meeting today after school, which was great!  I was kind of dreading going to a meeting after school, but I am so glad I went!  I won a bag of coffee, and I learned things about Google that I never knew!  AND, there was popcorn and chocolate.  What a great combo...



Free coffee!  Yay!

 Finally, I have to thank Ryan for the 2 hours of peace and quiet this evening.  It was wonderful!!!

A funny thing happened as I was writing this post.  I was wearing one of my grandmother's old aprons when I was cooking tonight.  It's one my sisters and I used to dress in when we were playing house when we were young spending time at our grandparents' house in Philadelphia.  Well, I haven't worn this apron since I brought it home to live with me in South Carolina.  As I was typing, I got up to let the dog out and reached into the pocket.  And here's what I pulled out... wonder whose ticket this was? 

Just a little preview... tomorrow we are having one of my favorite fall crock pot meals...

BLT (+A) Wraps for Hump Day

Ta-daaaa!  Here's the "After" pic!  See yesterday's post for the "Before."

Today was one of those days where I was constantly playng catch-up.  Do you ever have those days?  In fact, I probably have about 10 things I need to do before bed tonight.  I am very excited because I get to see both my wonderful sisters tomorrow AND my new brother-in-law! 

It is the first football game of the season for the USC Gamecocks.  Ryan and I are excited to make the trip and cheer them on.  Plus, as an added bonus, we are taking Friday off work so we can sleep in and maybe go to breakfast on Friday!  Yay!

I've got to think of some kind of super-easy tailgating food that I can pick up in the morning.  I am thinking it's going to be chips and dip or something equally unoriginal.  No time=no creativity.

Because it was a busy day, we had a super-easy diner: BLT+A Wraps!  (remember, it's "Wraps Week" here at the Bridges household.)

I always really liked a good BLT.  However, they usually aren't very good for you.  They're usually slathered with mayonnaise and the bacon is usually pretty greasy.  My version of the BLT is much better for you.

I started with my tortilla.  I layered shredded lettuce and tomato down the middle, and then I laid some avocado slices over that.  I used the avocado for two reasons: it really replaces the mayo, and it makes it more filling.  Then, I used turkey bacon instead of regular bacon.  I really like turkey bacon.  It gets nice and crispy but still has the flavor of regular bacon, which is what you want. 

I will definitely make these again.  They were crunchy and light, and took me less than 5 minutes to prepare.  But next time I think they need a little hot sauce to give it a kick.