Archives for 2009

Gourmet food on a plastic plate is still gourmet

Ahh, it’s nice to be home, winding down for the night. I was in joint business meeting today, which I was thrilled to be a part of. I was also thrilled that it ended at 1:30 PM instead of 4:30 PM – Yeah! Thankfully, during these long business meetings my company also springs for lunch and today it was semi-gourmet….

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Wow – get a load of this fancy food! There were so many choices from our lunch buffet that it was hard to decide. I went with bunless broasted chicken sandwich with tomatoes and a small slice of cheddar. Then I added about 2/3 of a plate of roasted veggies – mushrooms, carrots, asparagus, squash, and jicama, with a little roasted red pepper dip on the side.

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It was unbelievable, especially for a working lunch served on a plastic plate. But hey, it’s still gourmet. I didn’t stuff myself at all, but I was pleasingly full after lunch. However, since it was served at 11:15 AM – when I don’t usually eat until around 1 PM – I was a little hungry around 4 PM. Luckily, I snagged a snack from our “business” treats basket…

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A Quaker True Delights granola bar. It’s made with honey roasted cashews and mixed cherries and cranberries. It’s NOT as all-natural as I thought – the packaging is kind of deceiving. But, it was still a nice pick-me-up in the later afternoon.

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On my way home, I did a little summer clothes shopping. I must have been about 2 weeks too late because all of the sale summer clothes were picked over. Bummer, guess I’ll just have to wait until March for the new summer line – he he!

By the time I arrived home, my husband had dinner almost ready. I just love a man who can cook!

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He made mesquite chicken on the grill, homemade parmesan risotto, and green beans. It was ALL so yummy, especially the risotto – it had an awesome flavor. I really wanted to eat more, but I opted to save the leftovers for lunch on Friday (tomorrow I’m headed out for lunch!).

After dinner and cleaning up, we headed out to do a little more shopping. My husband was VERY tempted to stop and get a custard at Culver’s but I talked him out of it. Instead, he made a homemade strawberry shake and I had…

8.12 dessert

A watermelon and vanilla ice cream parfait! I used about 2/3 cup of Breyer’s all-natural vanilla bean ice cream, about a 1/2 cup of watermelon chunks, and 1 tpsp of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Outstanding, once again!

Tomorrow’s a running day so I need to hit the sack. I’m still debating on whether or not to leave work early to take in the new Julie & Julia movie. Any thoughts – is it worth taking a 1/2 vacation day to see it?

Take care everyone and have a great night.

Bleary-eyed Morning

Good morning everyone. I don’t know about all of you but I am so tired this morning. Thank goodness Wednesday is my off day for running. I went to bed at 11 PM and woke up at 5 AM and couldn’t go back to sleep. I think it’s because I’m stressed about work. This mid-summer/early fall is the busiest season for me. So right now, all I’m thinking about is work and blogging.

Today is no exception. I have a meeting that starts in about 20 minutes and lasts for the ENTIRE day. I’m hoping I can sneak away at lunch for a quick break and upload photos.

Although I was still very full from last night’s business dinner at the winery, I knew I needed to eat something for breakfast. I also needed to choose wisely – I needed something that would keep me going until lunch at 12:30 PM, because there was really no time for a break, or eating, before then.

8.12 Oikos

I decided on an RWC staple, Stoneyfield’s Oikos Greek yogurt, vanilla flavor.

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I wanted to give the  yogurt a little extra punch of nutrition so I added about a 1/2 cup of Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal for more protein and fiber and watermelon chunks for vitamin C (I feel a cold coming on so I’m trying to stock up).

8.12 breakfast

This tasted awesome, although it was almost a little too filling for me.

Now, I’m heading into my meeting and plan to take a big cup of Tazo Awake tea – so I don’t fall asleep!

Catch you all later!

Meetings, Meetings, and Food

What a long day! I worked for 11 hours today and spent most of the time in meetings.  Now I’m soooo tired. 

Before all of the craziness started at 1 PM, I had a little lunch…

8.11 lunch

I had a salami and Swiss cheese sandwich on whole-grain bread. I also had a big handful of super bright red grape tomatoes.

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Just look at how bright they are!

During my very long meeting, I desperately needed a pick-me-up to stop from falling asleep. I snagged a big chocolate chip cookie from the back of the room.

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Holy cookie! It tasted so good, although after I ate it I felt cookie remorse. We continued with the meeting until about 5 PM. The group wasn’t meeting at the restaurant until 6:30 PM so I just hung around the office and worked until it was time to leave.

As I mentioned earlier today, I was not able to take pictures of my dinner for fear of the strange looks I might get from my dinner companions. I will try to describe it in as much detail as possible though.

Dinner was held at a local and very trendy winery. When I arrived about 15 minutes early, there were already a few of my colleagues and business associates enjoying drinks in the lounge. I had a beautiful glass of chardonnay. It had hints of melon, apple, lime, and butterscotch, which made for a mighty taste drink!

For my entree, I enjoyed the linguini pasta tossed in a parmesan broth and mixed with chicken breast, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and cream. Amazing! I ate about 3/4 of the dish and now I’m so stuffed and it’s been nearly 3 hours since I’m eaten! I am very glad that I do not go to these “business” dinner very often or else I would weigh a ton. But then again, business dinners are typically free so they are had to pass up.

I think I will pass on dessert tonight, especially because I have a full-day meeting tomorrow with a catered breakfast and lunch! 

Stay tuned to see if I can sneak a few food pics in tomorrow.

Take care everyone!

I Am So Over Bagels…

Hey all! Hope your morning is going well so far. My 4-mile run was awesome today – my foggy head from yesterday is all clear today, thank goodness. 

After my run, I recharged with a protein-packed breakfast…

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About a cup of Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal topped with two very plump and ripe strawberries. So yum! 

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When I arrived at work, I walked into the staff lounge/kitchen and saw a huge assortment of jumbo-size bagels. There must have been about 50 bagels and 7-8 tubs of flavored cream cheese. About 10 years ago, I would have jumped on those bagels without a second thought. I used to love bagels and ate them a ton in college and graduate school. They were so filling and cheap, which is necessity for a graduate student’s budget. I ate them so much that I became bageled-out after graduation. And, in recent years, I’ve realized that bagels just don’t sit well in my stomach anymore. They are so full of carbs/starch (not to mention meaningless calories) that they leave me feeling super full and nearly bloated after I eat them. So now when I see these massive, and I mean massive – they are as big or bigger than a CD, I just walk away knowing that I’ll be better off. 

Today, I have a very important afternoon meeting and a business dinner at a local winery (cool!). I’m pretty sure I will not be taking pictures of my dinner this evening. How weird would that look to my business guests if I was snapping pics of my entree? 

Well, I’m off to prepare for my meeting. Wish me luck!

Sweet Endings…

Hello everyone. I am soo tired right now, but I still wanted to write a quick post before going to bed.

As I mentioned earlier, the house was pretty bare in the grocery department this morning, so for lunch, I made a run to the local Italian eatery for a cup of minestrone soup.

8.10 lunch

Don’t let the picture fool you – It was really just a cup! But, with a ton of parmesan cheese..hmmm. Not only does minestrone soup taste good, but it is a surefire way to get in at least a serving of vegetables in each cup. 

The afternoon flew by once more. Before I knew it, I was headed out the door, laptop in hand. Luckily, my husband had a huge Mexican fiesta prepared at our house. He even made his own super secret salsa…

8.10 salsa

So thick it stays on the chip! 

8.10 salsa chip

I think what makes this salsa so great is that he uses all fresh ingredients, which are mainly vegetables. It’s also very low in calories, which is a huge bonus. He sometimes makes his salsa too spicy, but this time if was very mild – and soo good. He also made one of his signature dishes – chicken fajitas.

8.10 fajitas

I loaded my whole-wheat tortilla with fajita meat, grilled peppers, lettuce, mushrooms, monterrey jack cheese, and guac. It pretty much goes without saying that I overloaded my tortilla – so much that I was eating the contents of my fajita with a fork after two bites. Fajitas are still awesome no matter how you eat them!

I waited a while after dinner to decide if I wanted dessert. I was craving something cold and sweet. My husband opted for a huge root beer float, but I chose to have this…

8.10 ice cream

Breyers All-Natural Vanilla Bean ice cream (1/2 cup) with a tablespoon of semi-sweet chocolate chips, and a bunch of watermelon. Oh, it was so what I needed! If you’ve never had watermelon with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, I highly recommend it.

I’m off to bed. Chat with you all in the morning.

Running in a Fog…

Good morning! It’s a busy, busy day and a busy, busy week for me. I’m really hoping to take the afternoon off on Thursday so that I can either lay by the pool or go see Julie & Julia, a movie chronicling the life of a food blogger who experimented with Julia Child’s recipes for a whole year, calling it the Julie/Julia Project. It looks so cute! So I guess I have to be extra focused from Mon-Wed this week, in order to leave early on Thursday!

I had a great 4-mile run this morning! I was sweating like crazy though because the heat and humidity were extremely high. I also seemed to be running in my own bit of hazy fog. I seriously was zoning out the whole time I was running. I guess I’m still trying to recuperate from my jam-packed weekend.

It was slim pickins for breakfast. I did find a blueberry yogurt (regular, not Greek) in the far back of the fridge that was still good to eat.

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So I had the yogurt mixed with a few walnuts and some Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal. It tasted sooo good! Especially because I had barely eaten anything from about 2 PM on yesterday.

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Just look at all of that creamy, crunchy goodness? After eating the yogurt, I did remember why I prefer Greek yogurt over regular. There’s nothing wrong with the taste of regular yogurt, but the Greek version is so much thicker and creamier. I’m sure I’ll be making a Trader Joe’s run very soon to stock up on my Greek favorites. 

Have to sign off for now. Have a great day everyone!

Tired of Dining Out

Well, if you all didn’t realize it before, my husband and I were out of town all weekend for a big family food and fun fest. We stayed at a Ritz Carlton which was fantastic. Now, after driving nearly 8 hours home, we are totally exhausted. Although the RC is a very comfortable option when you’re on the road, there’s nothing like your own bed!

During our drive home, we contemplated dinner. Neither of us wanted anything major to eat and we wanted to get home as quickly as possible. We opted for dinner at Panera right off the highway. Panera is usually a great option for a quick and healthy meal. They’ve got all of the healthy staples, like salads, sandwiches, and soups. So, what did I get?

8.9 dinner

I ordered the NEW Chicken Cobb Salad with peppered chicken, bacon, and feta (in place of gorgonzola). I was really looking forward to a nice crisp salad but was quickly disappointed with this one. Not only was there WAY too much dressing, but the chicken tasted “funny” – as in on the verge of going bad. I’ve had two bad experiences with chicken, one at home and one at a restaurant. Now I’m very particular about my chicken, if it even tastes slightly weird I will not eat it. It also has to be cooked to the point where it’s nearly over done. Well, when I took the first bite of chicken, something just didn’t seem right and my chicken senses kicked in. I ended up not eating any more of the chicken and just eating a few bites more of the salad/veggies. Blah..

I was so hungry by the time I returned home I ate a huge bowl of Cheerios! We haven’t been grocery shopping in about 10 days so it was all we had in the house. I was really ok with it though, because I am so tired of going out to eat. 

Now I’m headed to bed. I need to start the week off right because I have 2 very important meetings this week. Wish me luck!

Night all!

A Family and Food-Focused Weekend

Hey all! Sorry I’m posting so late. I’m just now winding down from a full weekend of family and food-focused activities. To recap, we had dinner with my sis on Friday night, a family portrait and birthday bbq on Saturday, and today we had a family breakfast and huge family picnic at a park. Do you think that’s enough family and food for one weekend? Also, why is it that whenever I get around family, everything seems to center around food? I’m not even Italian! Does anyone else ever have that issue?

Anyway, my day began with a 5-mile run which felt GREAT, especially after all of the food I’ve been eating. Then it was on to another family breakfast at the Ritz Carlton. The food was, once again, fabulous and the service was top-notch. I decided that I wanted to take my breakfast in courses today. So, I started with a 4 tablespoons of strawberry yogurt with a few fresh berries and about 2 tbsp granola.

8.9 yogurt

Next, I tried something I’ve never eaten before….

8.9 muesli

A very small bowl of Muesli! I know it probably looks like yogurt, but it’s actually a cereal-based dish that’s very popular in Europe. It has a base of uncooked rolled oats (soaked in water or milk overnight) mixed with dried fruit and nuts. Mine had dried currants and figs (I think) and a mix of cashews, walnuts, and almonds. Once I got past the “cold oatmeal” taste, it was actually quite good. I think I’ll try whipping up my own version at home.

Next was a small plate of some other hot and cold breakfast items….

8.9 breakfast

I had one small slice of havarti cheese, sauteed peppers and a few potatoes, with one slice of bacon. It was just enough of the “hot” breakfast to keep me satisfied. 

I also had a very small portion of a blueberry muffin.8.9 muffin2

I seriously only had 2 bites of this because it was very dry and had a very strong “cake batter” taste, like it had too much flour.

Finally, I had my own pot of English Breakfast tea -Yeah! This time, I had Taylors of Harrogate tea and it was just lovely. 8.9 tea

Although that was the end to my very hearty but balanced breakfast, I did have a sip of some hot chocolate that someone else from my table ordered. Although the hot chocolate just tasted average, the presentation was so cool. Take a look…8.9 hot chocolate

It was brought out with little marshmallows and a silver spoon dipped in dark and white chocolate.

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Way cool – makes me wish I had ordered it!

After our amazing breakfast, we headed out to pick up a few more picnic things. We arrived at the picnic around 12:30 PM and visited with all of our “lost lost” relatives, which was so fun! I was still full from breakfast so I only picked at some of the food that was there – had a little potato salad, a small scoop of cheesy potatoes, and a scoop of my cousin’s ramen noodle salad (my portions were not even enough to take a decent picture). All of it was very tasty, but it would have been even better if I was actually hungry. It was also about 95 degrees outside which didn’t help my appetite.

Now we’re heading home and I am sooo tired. After this weekend’s eating fest, it will be so nice to get back into my regular eating pattern and eating home-cooked meals!

BBQ Birthday Bash

Hello All. Hope you had a great day. My afternoon went very well. Although it rained for most of the day, the clouds broke and the sun came out around 4 PM. What started as a chilly day turned out to be rather warm and muggy. But, no worries, we all had a great time celebrating my 2-year old nephew’s birthday.

The party was a BBQ style dinner with all of the fixins’, like hot dogs/hamburgers, relishes, fruit, and pasta salad. Oh, and there was a random feta and kalamata olive salad too.

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I had an all beef hot dog with a little mustard and relish with some chopped watermelon, cantelope, and pineapple on the side.

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I also munched on a few very plump baby carrots (more like toddler carrots!) with some low-cal veggie dip. And, I just had to throw in a few chips and salsa, because who doesn’t love this low-calorie appetizer?

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I didn’t finish my hot dog, or the chips and salsa, so overall, it was a pretty light dinner for me. But, that’s what I like to do on days where I’ve overindulged the day prior. 

I did, however, have some fabulous birthday cake. Well, it wasn’t really a full cake, it was an Elmo cake face, made up of all cupcakes. I had a chocolate cupcake with yellow frosting with some Heath bar ice cream (sorry, no pictures). It was awesome! It’s been so long since I’ve had a cupcake that I’ve forgotten how much I love them. That’s why I don’t keep them in the house – ha!

After the party, we headed back to my parents for a little night cap, which was mainly bottled water sipped while sitting on their huge porch. 

Tomorrow, the whole family (including cousins, aunts/uncles) are having a picnic/bbq for lunch. It’s been such a long time since we’ve had everyone together. It’s supposed to be 92 degrees tomorrow. Yikes! That’s the hottest it’s been in a long time…hope we all survive the heat!

Alright, off to bed for me. I’m going to try to get up early to run a 5-miler before we head out for the picnic. Have a great night and see you in the AM.

A "Ritzy" Breakfast

Afternoon everyone! I’ve had a whirlwind morning so far. Between breakfast, a family photo, visiting, and lunch, I’m wiped out. But, I always find time for blogging!

Prior to our family photo at 9 AM, we had a little breakfast. It was a semi-snazzy affair at the Ritz Carlton with the family. I just love the buffet breakfast at the RC. They offer the right amount of choices, many of which are healthy, like yogurt, fruit, muesli, and egg white omelettes.

8.8 breakfast

Wanting to go the lighter route, I chose to have a little fruit, one piece of bacon, and a few breakfast potatoes. I also had one of my favorites…

8.8 yogurt

Yogurt with fresh fruit and granola. I started with some strawberry yogurt and then layered a little granola with a few raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. So heavenly! I also had a huge pot of Tea Forte English Breakfast tea all to myself – it was so relaxing!

8.8 teapot

Next on the agenda for today was the family photo. Between my mother and father, brothers and sisters, spouses, and grandchildren, there were 17 people in the photo. It was a little crazy but somehow we managed to be done in about 30 minutes. 

After visiting with the family for a little while, we decided to head to a kid-friendly place for lunch – Red Robin. The sandwich/hamburger chain is great for kids because they have so many things for kids to look at, it’s rather noisy, so it’s ok if the kids are not quiet, and they give away balloons.

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As you can see, my lunch was not as healthy as breakfast. I split a plain chicken sandwich with my sister-in-law and had a few fries on the side. My father also bought the whole table a tower of onion rings…8.8 onion rings

I had one and it was very tasty. Sorry the picture was out of focus. I only had time to take one and this is what I got.

Now, we’re resting a little before heading to the birthday/anniversary party tonight. It’s a BBQ and I know it’s going to be a blast. I’ll fill you in the details later.

Enjoy your evening everyone!