Meals of lately

Another random post for the day:  

Just wanted to share some of my meal ideas and recipes 

with you all on this Sunny Tuesday!

I am in love with my new little bullet/smoothiemaker/thing.  

My favorite combo?  

Banana, oatmeal, peanutbutter, and vanillla almond milk.

I also love the strawberry, banana, blueberry, vanilla almond milk combo.

I really want to try some green smoothies but I am a little nervous and intimidated. 

Is that weird?
Please share your green smoothie recipes with me. 

I broke out the crockpot- something I rarely do in the warmer months. 

I made some Chicken Coconut Curry in the crock pot and boy was it delicious. 

Carrots, peppers, and onions join some chicken.

I browned the chicken  before throwing it in the crock pot 

Then this collection of goodies (below) joined the chicken and the veggies 

 to make a yummy thai inspired meal. 

 I didn't have any quinoa on hand 

so I threw this delicious concoction over some rice.

I can't find the exact recipe but this one is close enough!

I saved some of the chicken to make "cereal crusted chicken".

I used a little bit of light mayo to coat the chicken 

before adding crushed cereal (throw your breakfast cereal in a bag and smoosh it- add some seasoning) to serve as my crust for the chicken.  

I baked it in the oven with a spray of cooking spray on top-
and the cereal crisped up nicely in the oven without excess oil or frying.

Nice healthy take on fried chicken. 

For the chicken I used this recipe but used a spoonful of lite mayo instead of half a cup.

I served my chicken breast with some broccoli, beans, and a baked sweet potato.  I decided my chicken needed a dipping sauce so I grabbed some mustard out of the fridge- Honey mustard would have been dy-na-mite. 

I have been switching up breakfast.  

Sometimes it is just a smoothie on my way out the door.  

Sometimes its a bowl of cereal with fruit. 

 Sometimes it is a hearty breakfast: 

This one is two eggs, sweet potato hash (leftover sweet potato reborn),

bacon, cantaloupe and strawberries.

And on Friday night, a redo of Gina's zucchini crust pizzas.  

I prepped all of my veggie toppings a head of time:  

Broccoli, red pepper, scallions, tomato, onion, basil, and roasted garlic.  

I followed Gina's recipe for the zucchini patties which came together great.  I topped the patties with some of my home made tomato sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella, parmesan, and goat cheese. 

I made my zucchini fritters in the pan this time and they help up much better,

 I just couldn't figure out how to flip it all in one shot. 

 I ended up cutting it into four slices to make flipping the patty easier.

My vegetarian friend was super impressed and begging me for the recipe.  

SUCCESS! 

Hope I have inspired you to cook up something healthy and tasty this week!  

Let me know if you try any of these recipes and how yours turns out.  

The weekend Wrap Up

I did so many wonderful things this weekend. 

 And most of them centered around spending time with some of my best friends 

and favorite things.  

I have been obsessed with these two songs- 

naturally I blasted them all weekend and added them to my running playlist. 

You should too. 

                          

I got four days of running in this week:

Tuesday 3 miles

Wednesday 3 miles

Thursday 3 miles

Saturday 4 miles hill run/walk with both of the pooches

Wednesday was even a speed workout- my legs are so much faster in the afternoons! 

I agreed to "puppy sit" for a friend so I had this little addition Friday and Saturday. An energetic, cute and crazy (and very destructive) wheaton terrier. 

This is one of the rare moments they were both still. Wes was usually chewing something, destroying something, or chasing Olive around the apartment. 

I tried on my bridesmaid dress after 4 months (and a few insults) and it fit great!  It was even a little loose.  I am in love with it and so glad it's rewearable.  

And yes that is paint on my arm. 

I finally got around to painting my $10 bar cart.  

I turned this....

Into this!  

Some sanding, cleaning, and two coats of Aqua spray paint.  

Such a fun pop of color in the room.

I have my Navy and Aqua theme in full force, with little pops of red.

I tried out a fantastic BYOB restaurant, The Oar located in Haddam Connecticut. 

It is right on the river, at a marina ten minutes away in Haddam.  It is boat and car accessible.  Whether you stop by by boat or drive in, you are going to have an awesome night. 

There are a variety of picnic tables and smaller tables in all sorts of fun colors, all with fantastic water views.

I met up with a bunch of friends and we had an amazing evening with some great food and cheap wine.  I love the idea of BYOB it really made dinner more affordable and really fun to be able to bring our own cocktails.  

A group near us even brought their own linens, candles, and flower arrangement for their table.    You can really have fun at a place like this. 

I ordered the Seared Rare Tuna with a spicy mayo,

 and on the side, green beans and a yummy salad.  

It was fantastic.  

And a brownie the size of the head that was even better.

We even caught a beautiful sunset off the docks after dinner. 

After dinner Bradley got a little lovin from the ladies ;) 

Sunday I took Bradley to a horse show and he was such a perfect gentlemen. 

 I think he likes being mine :) 

I caught him taking an afternoon snooze! 

After the horse show I met up with the group and we spend some time in the sound playing with the wake board and tube and soaking up the sun on the boat. 

Sunday evening was.... drum roll please...

DINNER AT THE FARM!  

River Tavern caters a 5 course dinner at a local farm with local produce. 

But that will have to be a post all in itself.

I had such a perfect weekend, jam packed with fun and friends. 

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and check back in for my Farm Dinner Recap! 

Impatient fat Kid Syndrome (IFKS)

Let me be the first person to say
I CAN believe its August.  

July was just hot. 

 Too hot.  

I can believe its August and I am actually embracing it.  

Regardless of the change in month, and your feelings on it, the important and sad fact is:
It is one o'clock in the afternoon on a Thursday.

Meaning I still have hours at this job before I get to go to the next one.

A grand total of a 16 hour work day.

I need a little humor and a lot of coffee to get me to Friday.  

I came across this article on Thought Catalog that gave me a good chuckle.  

I have impatient fat kid syndrome.  

Maybe you do too :)

" Impatient Fat Kid Syndrome (IFKS) is the inability to contain one’s hunger in a logical and/or calm fashion. Here’s a prime example: You know that pizza is extremely hot, but you’re going to irrationally take a bite anyway. It burns your mouth, which hurts a great deal, but you’re still going to go in for another. And another, chomping away as the roof of your mouth and tongue are painfully scorched. Basically your appetite takes the wheel, leading you down a road of recklessness in the name of immediate sustenance.

HOW DO PEOPLE FIND OUT IF THEY HAVE IFKS?

The string cheese test. Buy a stick of string cheese and try to eat the entire thing methodically, tearing off strands until it’s been consumed in its entirety. If When you end up taking a bite, breaking it in half or tearing off a chunk, that means you probably suffer from IFKS.

*For lactose intolerant folks, attempt to lick your way to the center of a Tootsie Pop.

ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR WARNING SIGNS/SYMPTOMS?

Sure, there are tons but they can really come in any form. Here are a few random, telltale signs:

- Even if you don’t particularly enjoy cold Pop-Tarts, the toasting process is entirely too long for your tolerance, so you skip it and eat uncooked, room temperature breakfast snacks.

- Your microwave never hits zero. For all you know, when your microwave’s timer expires, it could play the Kidz Bop version of Macklemore’s Thrift Shopor have the meaning of life spoken by Jesus himself. Sure, it probably just beeps, but you’ll never know for certain because you don’t let your pizza rolls cook for the entire recommended time.

- The concept of preheating an oven frustrates you, so you skip it entirely, placing things in immediately after adjusting knobs to desired temperature.

WHAT ARE THE DO’S AND DON’TS FOR IMPATIENT FAT KID SYNDROME SUFFERERS?

DO carry snacks at all times. Snickers commercials weren’t exaggerating when they said you’re not yourself when you’re hungry. Upon leaving your home, the appropriate checklist should be phone, keys, wallet/purse, & SNACK(S).

DON’T go to dinner dates on an empty stomach. Dates are for good impressions and ideally making people like you, which is pretty hard when you’re grouchy. You’ll be annoyed waiting for food, and it’s hard to hold a conversation when your brain is focused on steak and you state at every passing waiter, hoping the food they’re carrying is yours.

DO share your condition with your friends. Let them know that they aren’t just friends with you, but also with your alter ego who is a touchy, inconsiderate, intolerant fat ass.

DON’T get comfortable in your ways. Acknowledging your problem is one thing, but grow too content and suddenly you’re just a whiny brat who complains when things don’t immediately go your way.

DO call in orders beforehand as often as possible so you don’t put yourself in a position for your IFKS to rear its ugly head.

DON’T grocery shop on an empty stomach. Not only will you buy an excessive amount of food, but you’ll have shopper fury, which is basically road rage on two-legs, with a grocery cart as your vehicle.

DOES THE EAGERNESS DRAW PEOPLE WITH IFKS TOWARDS FAST FOOD JOINTS?

The drive-through isn’t fast enough and the ride home isn’t either. First, you’ll sit in line waiting to order/receive your food, and this is what you’ll feel like doing:

Then, even after you’ve got your grease doused bag of grub, your French fries will never make it home. One hand controls the wheel while the other acts like a claw in those stuffed animal, crane machines; reaching into the bag and coming up with fingers full of hot, salty fries, then shoving them into your mouth hastily.

CAN IT BE CURED?

Well it would certainly take a conscious effort and a great deal of patience. I can’t emphasis that enough – PATIENCE is key. Patience. Pantience. Patiencake. Pancaince. Pancake. Mmm… So no, Impatient Fat Kid Syndrome is probably incurable.  "

http://thoughtcatalog.com/2013/the-hungry-persons-guide-to-impatient-fat-kid-syndrome/

Parchment paper fish and sustainable fishing

I love anything that comes from the sea.  

I can't help it, it's the marine biologist in me. 

  I love all of those cute little critters

 Love. Love love love.  

  

  

I love to play with them, catch them, learn about them, and hey, even dress like them.  

But I really love to eat them. 

As much as I love all of the various underwater delicacies, I usually can't afford them.  Sometimes I make it to the "dollar-an-oyster-happy-hour"  or splurge on that $20 lobster roll.  A bag of shrimp is $18 at the Big Y, and even with their BOGO promotion, I still have a hard time putting it in the shopping cart.  I love shrimp, but due to the outrageous prices and lack of sustainable fishing, I rarely buy it.

I buy seafood when it is on sale at the store or I will splurge for special occasions.  I try to shop fresh and local at farmers markets, and make sustainable choices when I am at the grocery store.   One thing I can always count on is Swai.  Swai is a farmed river catfish- an herbivorous and sustainable fish.  It is also $9.99 for a packet of three filets. Oh and it's ALWAYS buy one get two free.  Nine fillets of fish for less than $10.
                           

(Information from the Monteray Bay Aquarium Sustainable Seafood Guide)

Click here to download their pocket guide for your area

It is pretty plain in flavor but with some TLC can be turned into a delicious meal.  I like to use Swai when I make parchment paper fish.  Parchment paper fish is a "one pot meal" that packs a lot of flavor in your fish and keeps the fish moist and tender. 

You can try to fold your parchment paper all fancy 

(the idea is to trap all of the steam) 

 or go the lazy route and buy the parchment paper packets

(that is what I do). 

Dice, Season, Stuff. 

 It's that easy.  

Dice up your veggies - I used zucchini, squash, tomato onion, and red peppers.  I seasoned my fish with lemon pepper, salt and garlic powder.  I stuffed my seasoned fish and veggies into the packet with some cilantro, olive oil, sliced lemon and chopped garlic.  

I cooked it at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until the fish was flaky and the veggies tender.  The first few times I made this I followed Chuck's recipe from Chuck's day off.  Now I just wing it and try to find new veggie combinations and flavors. 

There are so many things to love about this dish.  

It is healthy, low carb, colorful, flavorful, and requires little prep and even less clean up.    

Dump contents of bag onto plate and throw the bag in the garbage. 

 It is a beautiful thing.  

Another pizza fail- deconstructed zucchini pizza

I have been staying on track with my cardio lately and feeling great.  

* Saturday:  3 very hilly miles in Chester with the dog (note:  when finding a new route on a hot day, avoid any street name with the word "hill" in it). 

* Sunday:  Rode all three horses-  One hour each, tacking up, bathing, grooming, it's a workout... trust me. 

* Monday:  2 hours of trail riding-  took the horses to a state forest to enjoy the beautiful weather.  Realized I need to start lifting weights to be able to hold back the beast. 

* Tuesday:  3.12 miles in 3:12  Not our worst run, my legs felt super heavy but atleast the weather has cooled down a little bit. 

After trail riding yesterday, I was hungry and in the mood for pizza.  A long time ago, I decided if I am going to eat pizza... it is going to be the real thing.  Bready crust, cheesy top, and delicious toppings.  Some things are just worth the full calorie version - and this is one of those things.  

But what do you do when you have a hankering for pizza, no pizza dough, and no gas in the car? 

 Improvise.  

I have had my fair share of pizza fails... from raw dough falling through the oven grate  to the "trying-to-be-healthy-cauliflower-crust"  that is a gigantic mess that you cannot get off of the cookie sheet.  There was no way I was failing at the cauliflower crust again,  and baking pizza dough is outside of my skill level, (have I mentioned my baking skills are....bad?) so I decided to try a zucchini crust after seeing  Gina (Fitnessista) do it on her blog.  Zucchini and marinara are a match made in heaven- how hard could this be? 

(Gina's "pizza" - looks amazing.... mine looked nothing like this) 

I deviated a little and found a recipe that baked the zucchini crust in the oven instead of in a pan (I was using the pan for something else and have yet to go buy a few more since the move).  First mistake?  I didn't follow Gina's recipe and pan fry the crust.  Second mistake?  I didn't have have parchment paper so much like my cauliflower crust, I could not get the crust off the pan in one peice.  

(This is what your zucchini should look like before you drain out all of the moisture with a cheese cloth... another item I did not have).

At this point, I was frustrated and hangry.  I decided to make a "deconstructed pizza" if you will.  I scraped my zucchini crust fail onto a plate (it resembled a hash at this point) and threw my toppings on top of the mess (ground pork, peppers, onions, tomatoes).  Next came some sauce (crushed tomato and basil from the can), and sprinkled some mozzarella and parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper.  

Crustless pizza with a fork..... It wasn't pretty but let me tell you- it tasted pretty damn good (and low carb)!  

 I was super proud I was able to salvage my dinner and made something fun and new. Groceries are quite expensive, especially when you are trying to eat healthy.  This was going to become edible no matter what it took, I am just glad it tasted as good as it did. 

Next time I want a pizza I am going to find a place that delivers, or try Gina's recipe and pan fry the zucchini into a sort of zucchini fritter.  

Have you ever tried a zucchini or cauliflower crust?