Enjoy Dessert In a Martini Glass

I was really on a roll this afternoon – but I still have a ton more to accomplish this week. 

A few hours after lunch I was feeling a bit hazy from staring at the computer screen. I woke myself from the trance with a little snack. I nibbled on a few thin pieces of Tillamook’s Vermont White Cheddar Cheese. As “block” cheeses go, this is one of my and my husband’s favorites. I put the cheese on this baby!

Kracker

You might think this is just a cracker but really this is no ordinary cracker, it’s a Dr. Kracker flatbread piece – Sunflower Cheddar flavor. If you’ve never had Dr. Kracker flatbreads, they are organic crackers made with spelt flour (wheat-free flour) and all-natural ingredients. The crackers are huge, so at 105 calories-3 g fiber, one is sufficient.

Dr. Kracker

Although they are expensive, I prefer this cracker over all others because the flavor is amazing. And, the cracker is so sturdy you can load just about anything on it, from cheese to dips, and from meats to salsa. They also have to be the crunchiest cracker I’ve ever eaten.

Dr. Kracker Ingredients

I’ve seen Dr. Kracker products at Whole Foods Markets and Fresh Market, but I’ve also heard that Costco sells them – I’m still searching for them in their miles of aisles! Plus, if you’ve ever been to Jason’s Deli, they have individually wrapped Dr. Kracker crackers in their salad bar. I always snag one extra for a work snack the next day.

For dinner, I finished the homemade chicken and rice soup that I made on Saturday. It was probably a little too warm out for soup but who am I to let good, healthy food go to waste?

Chicken soup

I enjoyed the soup with a side of 12-grain artisan bread from Fresh Market, with a little of the dynamic duo – Trader Joe’s olive oil and balsamic vinegar. So yummy!

Bread-oil

With just a small bowl of soup and a little bread in my belly, I left plenty of room for dessert. I finished off the chocolate peanut butter ice cream in the freezer (about 1/2 cup) and had mixed feelings about seeing the bottom of the carton. I was sad to see it was gone, but happy that it would not be in my house anymore!

Chocolate PB ice cream

This time, I enjoyed the ice cream in a martini glass. That may seem a little eccentric, but my husband and I have a load of glassware that we received for our wedding that has basically gone untouched since we put it in our cabinets. I often wondered why we were waiting for a big dinner party or the president to come for dinner to use our fun glassware. So, I decided to live on the edge a little and use our fancy stemware –  martini, margarita, and wine glasses –  for everyday use during meals. Also, these glasses are typically smaller than regular drinking glasses and much smaller than bowls (such as those for ice cream). So it’s really difficult to overfill them, a technique that helps you eat less but enjoy what you do have to the fullest.

Besides – chocolate ice cream in a martini glass – now who wouldn’t drink to that!

Trader Joe's Guacamole and Fajitas: A Perfect Duo

Oh boy, was dinner ever good! I had some awesome chicken fajitas courtesy of my husband. Fajitas are one of my husband’s specialties. He actually gets requests for these babies when we have guests. There’s just something about the way the chicken is marinated – not too spicy, not too bland.

fajitas

As you can see, I packed my tortilla so full that I could barely pick it up! But, the tortillas were small, not the supersize ones for burritos. I’m not a huge fan of tortillas anyway, especially the ones made with white flour – they have very few nutrients. Tortillas made with wheat flour offer more bang for you buck, but we had none on hand.

In building my fajita, I first put down a layer of green leaf lettuce, followed by a few slices of fajita meat. I topped off the meat with grilled veggies – red peppers, cherry tomatoes, and onions – monterrey jack cheese and a big dollop of guacamole.

TJ Guac

Typically, I prefer to make my own guacamole with fresh avocados. But in the essence of time, Trader Joe’s guacamole does very well in a pinch. TJ’s guac is so yummy and it’s made from all natural ingredients – a huge bonus. Avocados are so good for you too – loaded with antioxidants and good fat, so I never feel guilty when I have an extra few spoonfuls of the green stuff!

Guac ingredients

I ended up having two fajitas with a few all natural corn tortilla chips and more guac. I was satisfied, borderline full, but not stuffed, which is just how I like to be after dinner – because it gives me enough room for a little treat! I waited a couple hours after dinner to partake in dessert – about 1/2 cup of chocolate peanut butter ice cream from an old-fashioned ice cream parlor near my house. The ice cream literally has chunks of peanut butter in it – love it! 

Now, it’s off to bed for me. I have an early date with my running shoes in the morning!

Have a great night everyone!

Fresh Granola Is A Tropical Treat

Good morning everyone! My Sunday started off great with a 5 mile run followed by some strengthening exercises. I felt so energized after my workout and was super hungry. I decided to nosh on some Greek yogurt with homemade granola and fresh blueberries.

TJ's Greek Yogurt with RWC Pina Colada granola mix.

I started with a base of Trader Joe’s (or TJ’s) Organic Greek Yogurt in vanilla. If you’re a yogurt lover and have never tried Greek yogurt, you sooo need to try it. Whether it’s TJ’s or Fage, Greek yogurt is so thick and creamy, you may never want to go back to regular yogurt again. It also has a ton more protein than regular yogurt. Just be sure to buy the nonfat or lower fat kind because the full fat is just that – FULL of fat! The only downer is that it’s about 3 times the cost of regular yogurt – but it is well worth every penny!

To my creamy Greek yogurt, I added about 1/4 cup of Running with Cake granola – this time I used the RWC Pina Colada mix and it was unbelievable. It was almost a little too sweet, so I think next time, I’ll cut out the some of the brown sugar when making the base granola. I added about a cup (big handful) of fresh blueberries – my husband and I bought the industrial size blueberries from Costco so I’m adding blueberries to everything!

Trader Joe's Organic Greek Yogurt in Vanilla

The thick cream cheese-like yogurt (not watery like many regular yogurts) helps keep the granola crunchy. Although the yogurt already has plenty of protein (which is very important for breakfast) my granola mix included a few walnuts, which gave each bite an added crunch.

Super crunchy granola - yum!

And the dried pineapple and banana pieces really rounded out the taste. So yummy and super filling. Overall, breakfast came out to be about 250-275 calories (1/4 cup RWC granola only has 75 calories!) and I washed it all down with some of my favorite tea – Harney and Sons English Breakfast loose leaf tea. My husband bought the tea for me for Christmas and I’ve been savoring each cup!

My husband and I headed out to do a little shopping. I checked out Lucy – an awesome women’s yoga/running store near our house. I can honestly say I love Lucy – although she’s quite expensive so I try to only shop during the sales. Ha!

My yogurt-granola bowl can only keep me full for so long – especially when shopping. We headed into the nearby Go Roma for a little lunch.

Veggie pizza a la Go Roma

I am usually a pepperoni and cheese kind of a girl, but I’ve been trying to add more veggies to each meal. I decided to change it up by order the vegetable pizza with spinach, red peppers, mushrooms, pesto, and goat cheese. Holy yum! I’ve never had a veggie pizza taste this good – way to go Go Roma! Although the pizza was only the equivalent of two regular slices, I am so full from it. I didn’t even eat the whole thing. Now that’s good food.

I’m hoping I do not slip into a post-pizza coma because I have a ton to do today. I’m also hoping my pizza wears off in the next few hours (it’s already been 2 hours since I ate) because we’re making chicken fajitas tonight. Fajitas are one of my favorite dishes, especially in the summer when they’re made on the grill. I just can’t resist the grilled vegetables and the char-grilled chicken. Come to think of it, the only time I don’t like fajitas is when I’m too full to eat them – like now – ha!