Tag: Lunch

Are you ready for this jelly?

11 Comments

Happy Saturday everyone!!

This morning, when I got back from spinning, look what was in front of my door!

Last week, I won a giveaway at The Actor’s Diet and it arrived today!!

I got 4 jars of Crofter’s Super Fruit Spread!

Of course, I had to try one, so along with my salad for lunch (I’ll spare you the picture of that), I had a piece of toast with some of this deliciousness on it!

I tried the Europe flavor (Pomegranates and black currants blended with red grapes and morello cherries).

Not gonna lie, it’s pretty tasty.  I loved how tart and sweet this was all together.  Definitely recommend it.  I can’t wait to try the other flavors, but I’m going to try to work my way through one at a time.  Sadly, one of the North America jar was cracked so I won’t be trying that one.  I’m deathly afraid of glass shards! Oh well!  The other two I have left to try I’m sure will be amazing!

Today is a study day!  I need to get as much done as possible this weekend since the lovely fella will be here on Wednesday! I’m even missing Ithaca’s Chili Fest!  Oh well, I’ll survive!

I might need to make something super exciting for dinner to make up for it 🙂

Have a great day!

Zucchini Stir Fry

17 Comments

Hi everyone!

I hope you’re having a great day!  Mine is better than yesterday!  I seriously think the weather here is getting to me!

Today I tried two new things!

Remember WAYY back when, when I tried Amazing Grass for the first time and absolutely hated it?  Well I still had a packet of the chocolate superfood powder from when I ordered that sampler.  I decided to give it another try!  However, this time I decided to try less.  So instead of dumping the whole packet in my green monster, I sprinkled about a fourth of the packet in.

It was delicious!  The gritiness that I hated the first time around wasn’t there, and the chocolatey-ness was great!  I’m not sure I’ll keep buying it just because it’s expensive… when I’m rollin’ in the dough, I would definitely consider adding it to my smoothies more regularly.

Are you a fan of Amazing Grass?

The second new thing I tried was Kikkoman Ponzu, which is a citrus seasoned soy sauce.  I got this a few weeks ago as part of the Food Buzz Tastemakers program.

I’m running low on groceries so I pulled together a bunch of random ingredients to make a delicious stir fry!

Zucchini Stir Fry

1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 tsp chopped ginger
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 zucchini, diced
1 tsp Trader Joe’s Soyaki
2 tsp Kikkoman Ponzu
Pepper to taste

Add the onions to a nonstick pan (sprayed with olive oil or any oil you prefer) and cook for a few minutes.  Add garlic and ginger, cook for 1 minute.  Add zucchini, sauces and pepper, cook for a few more minutes until tender.  Serve with noodles or rice.

This would be great with some pineapple chunks in there too!  Maybe some nuts?

I enjoyed mine with Trader Joe’s Harvest Grain Mix that I’ve had since about August… Finally time to use it up! And a Morningstar Veggie Patty for some added protein.

Delish!

The Kikkoman sauce was really good.  Since I didn’t try it on its own, it tasted somewhat like regular soy sauce but with a tiny kick.  Worth a try!

Now I’m off to read and then head to class!  Have a great afternoon/evening!

Tomorrow is Friday!!! WOOO!!!

Not So Fat Tuesday

14 Comments

Happy Mardi Gras!!

I remember feeling so cool in high school French when I realized Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday in French!  Nerd.  I know… but enough about that.

I woke up this morning to a good amount of snow on the ground.  While I groaned a bit, I got my butt to the gym anyway.  Here are some of my tips for working out when it’s cold.

  • Dress in layers if you have to walk to the gym.
  • Put all your layers on in the house and wear them for a few minutes while you get everything ready (i.e. fill up your water bottle).  By the time you get outside you’ll be so warm that the cold air will feel great!
  • Wear snow boots and bring your gym shoes in a plastic bag, change your shoes there.
  • The hardest part is getting there.  Just do it!

How do you motivate yourself to work out when it’s cold out?

On one of the gym TVs today, MTV was playing music videos!  Can you believe it?!?!

The prize for most ridiculous video: Lucris “How Low”

Why Luda?? Why!?!

Also, Ke$ha… girl is a hot mess… not a in a good way…

But on to lunch… once I find something I love, I tend to eat the same thing over and over again.  Last week it was hummus/cheese/veggie wraps.

Here is my most recent obsession discovery….

Annie’s Naturals Organic Buttermilk Dressing!  Sooo good!!  Creamy and tangy!  Salad dressings really can make or break a salad!  Try it!

Huge salad!  Along with a can of soup!

Campbell’s Harvest Select Light Minestrone with Whole Grain Pasta.

You’ve probably realized I’m a little obsessed with soup.  I really liked this one!  They were on sale at Target!  I might have to go back and get more!

Huge meal for not a whole lot of calories!

I ended my meal with a delicious cup of tea…

Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride!!!!!!!!  I kept seeing this tea on blogs and really wanted to try it since everyone raves about it.  I commented on Paula‘s blog how I couldn’t find it around here and she sent me a box plus a few others to try!  What a sweetie!  Thanks so much Paula!

I wonder how on earth they get it to taste like this.  I’ve been drinking it plain (got it yesterday and already have had 4 cups of it) but to one of my cups I added some agave and it was like dessert!  Sooo good!

Mardi gras will not be a very exciting day for me.  I have a ton to do!

Do you have any plans for Mardi Gras?

Oh and if you’re in want of some fun reading material, this girl has a bunch of fun Mardi Gras stuff! (Including one very funny picture…)

Have a wonderful afternoon!

TGIF

2 Comments

Thank God It’s Friday.

Memo and Decision trees are turned in!  Woo!

I have to turn to class then the gym but before that… I came home and had a delicious lunch!

Black beans (made a big pot yesterday) with oikos mixed in instead of sour cream.  Along with a corn tortilla and cheese. They don’t call us beaners for nothing…

For the road… A green monster!  You all know what that looks like…

On todays agenda: I have dinner plans with friends!  Also, the graduate student union here has an event every Friday called TGIF (Tell Grads It’s Friday).  $1 beer and $2 wine.  Might have to hit it up!

Hope you’re having a great day and are all revved up for the weekend!!

Taste the Rainbow

18 Comments

Happy Tuesday!!

Did you all hear about Michelle Obama’s Campaign Against Childhood Obesity?

What do you think of this new Let’s Move campaign?

I had some colorful eats today and luckily they DID NOT include any of this:

For lunch, I had a DELICIOUS, COLORFUL and HUGE salad!

Isn’t it bright?! Lettuce, Cucumbers, Tomato, Carrot Ribbons and a sliced up string cheese with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar as dressing.  Along with a Morningstar Sausage Patty taco, which you’ve seen so here’s part of the tortilla process:

I would die without a gas stove!

After my scrumptious lunch, I went to class then I worked on Econ and Methods problem sets with people.  Ugh I need to learn to be more patient!

Then the highlight of the evening.. Dinner was pretty much the epitome of a fake and delicious makeover!

You know chicken parmesan? Served as such…

Forget that!  Mine was a million times better!

Boca Spicy Chik’n Patty topped with marinara sauce and cottage cheese (soo good!  If you’ve never mixed marinara and cottage cheese… go try it now! Creamy and delicious!), served with a side of spaghetti squash and broccoli, then sprinkled with some grated pecorino romano for good measure.

A dinner entree of Chicken Parmigiana at Macaroni Grill will set you back 1650 calories, 98g of fat and 2500mg of sodium!  Isn’t that nuts!

My version had a grand total of 405 calories and 12g of fat!  Much better and just as tasty and voluminous! Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of pasta (maybe because I didn’t grow up eating it?) but I understand that a lot of people do like it.  A serving of pasta still would make this a million times healthier than a restaurant version!

What’s your favorite at home dish makeover?

Ahhh Lost is on in a little over half an hour!  I have to read now so I can then glue myself to the TV!

Have a fabulous night!!

Warming Up Tropical Style

5 Comments

Hi all!  I hope you enjoyed your weekend!

Remember when I was deciding whether or not to bake for my class… I chose Yes! Mostly because I love to bake but also because my other class was canceled this morning so I could legitimately justify baking while I looked at Decision Trees 🙂

To beat the dreariness that is Ithaca for today, I decided to make something tropical sounding!  However, I didn’t have time to go to the store so I made due with what I had.  Behold Tropical Oatmeal Cookies!

All the fruitness of the tropics with the warmth and comfort of a cold winter day!

Tropical Oatmeal Cookies

inspired by Smitten Kitchen’s Thick, Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup mixed dried fruit (I used dried mango, papaya, cranberries and raisins)

In one bowl combine dry ingredients except the oats and dried fruit.  In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  Add vanilla and egg, blend with a hand mixer until smooth.  Add dry ingredients, mix until combined.  Fold in oats and dried fruit.

Isn’t it colorful!?

Chill for about an hour.  Then bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden on the bottom.

This made 35 small cookies for me, but I’m guessing maybe 20 average sized cookies.

Pretty tasty! I tried one 🙂

While these baked, I made myself a healthy tropical lunch!

Thai Egg Drop Soup

2 servings of dry lentils
2 cups Thai Culinary Stock
1 tsp cornstarch
handful of Kale, washed and chopped
frozen veggies
1 egg, lightly beaten

Bring the lentils and stock to a boil, simmer for about 15 minutes.  Add cornstarch to thicken slightly (first mix with a bit of water in a separate cup).  Add veggies and bring to a boil.  Turn heat down and drizzle in the egg while stirring.

I have a tendency to eat the same thing everyday, but I’m trying to switch it up.  Any good lunch suggestions other than a wrap or sandwich??

Now I’m off to Wegman’s for the first time this week.  I’m literally out of vegetables!  That can’t happen in my household!

I feel like I should do a post dedicated just to Wegman’s since apparently I’m obsessed.

Have a wonderful afternoon!!!

P.S. Giveaways at Salt and Humor and The Actor’s Diet!

Addiction

9 Comments

Hello, my name is Karla, and I’m a soup-aholic.

I love soup!  I could probably eat it for just about every meal.  However, I’m trying to keep it under control.  Today (and yesterday for lunch too) I had a delicious soup I got at the Wegster.

I can’t even explain how delicious this soup is!  Perfect amount of tang and not too salty, as boxed/canned soups often tend to be.While it looks and says it’s creamy, it doesn’t actually have cream in it!  No lactaid pill needed!

The best part was it’s pretty healthy!  Very natural ingredients and low cal also helps 🙂

Scrumptious soup was accompanied by my other addiction: Hummus/Cheese/Veggie wraps with lots of Tapatio!

I this wrap: hummus, pepper jack, romaine, raw kale, tomatoes, tapatio.  Mmmm!

I need your help!  I’ve been ending each meal with a cup of tea, which means I’m flying through tea!  I need tea suggestions!

What’s your favorite tea?? Herbal infusions count too!

In other news… I’m soooo excited about dinner tonight!  I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks!  I can’t wait to share with you all!

Have a great afternoon!

Pour Some Sugar on Me

9 Comments

Happy Groundhog day!

I hope you had a fab Monday and an even better Tuesday!

You’ll be happy to know my class devoured the Banana Chip Cookies!  I managed to resist and not eat a single one (except for the one I ate hot out of the oven on Sunday)!

Yesterday, I talked about my lack of February challenge.  Even though I don’t have an official one, I really like Anna’s from Newly Wed, Newly Veg.  For the month of February, she is cutting back on added sugar (it’s in the most unexpected places sometimes!).  This doesn’t include natural sugar in fruits and veggies.

I think this is a great idea!  Out of curiosity, I decided to count how many grams of added sugar I consume on an average day.

I don’t usually post everything I eat but for today’s experiment, here are today’s eats along with the added sugar count.

Breakfast: Coffee, PB Toast and Green Monster

Lactaid (3.3g) + GM (0g) + PB (0.5g)+  Toast (2g)= round to 6g

I’m shocked at how much sugar Lactaid has!  7g for 1 cup!  Luckily, I only put 1/3 cup in my coffee each morning!  Actually I sort of knew this… the added enzyme apparently starts to breakdown the sugar in the milk while it’s in the carton.

For mid-morning snack I had an unpictured apple and string cheese: 0g added sugar.

Lunch: Wrap, Fruit and Yogurt

Wrap: Honey Wheat Flat Out Wrap (3g)+ Hummus (0g)+ Pepper Jack Cheese (0g)+ Tapatio (0g)+ Cucumbers (0g)+ Tomato (0g)+ Lettuce (0g)= 3g

Kiwi: 0g added sugar

1/2 cup Plain Non-Fat Greek Yogurt (4.5g) + Strawberry Jam (6g)= 10.5

Total Added Sugar in Lunch= 13.5g

I had no idea plain Greek Yogurt would have 9g of sugar per cup!  It doesn’t taste sweet!

Afternoon Snack: PB Toast + Tea

Wegman’s Omega-3 Bread (3g) + PB (0g) + Tea (0g)= 3g

Ugh, I’m pushing through this bread that is not very tasty 😦  Wegman’s you failed me!

Dinner:

After my afternoon snack, I was still starving, so I decided to have the first part of my dinner early.  I started with some Kale chips.

Usually I just use some rice wine vinegar then throw them in the oven for 10 minutes.  But today I decided to try out a sauce that I got from Tina‘s Open Sky dealio she had a few weeks ago.  It was only $0.99 and free shipping so I figured why not.

I think had I seen the nutrition information beforehand, I would have saved my dollar.  A serving (2oz) of this sauce has 120 calories, 2000mg of sodium and 28g of sugar!  Essentially it’s sugar, salt and water.  I’m a little shocked that this was on Tina’s Open Sky page (by no means am I trying to judge!).  I suppose anything is okay in moderation.  On my kale chips I used a little less than half a serving.  Honestly, it did make the Kale Chip ridiculously delicious!

Kale (0g) +Wild N Mild Sauce (13g) = 13g added sugar

The other half of dinner was a corn tortilla with cheese both of which had 0g of sugar.

Although I may have something else later, probably a piece of fruit or something…

The Grand Total Added Sugar Consumption for the Day = 35.5g

That’s 142 extra calories, about 9-10 teaspoons.

I’m not entirely sure how to analyze this but it doesn’t seem like THAT much to me.  What are your thoughts?

Is it realistic to not eat added sugar?  Obviously it should be avoided where ever possible but is there such a thing as too healthy?  Any thoughts?

Ugh so much to do tonight!  Hope you’ve had a great day!!

Anyone else SUPER EXCITED about Lost?!?!?!

Happy Monday!

13 Comments

Yesterday, I was down right restless.  Today, I’m excited to have started!  I woke up dark bright and early to find it pouring out.  It was looking like it was going to be a dreary day.  I checked the weather at it was 50 Degrees Fahrenheit!!  Right now it’s 51F!  Crazy!  Two days ago we had a high of 30F!

This morning for some reason I was super nervous about classes.  I’m not entirely sure why but I think it had to do with the fact that the lecture class I’m TAing for is at the same time as one of my core classes.  Luckily, it’s okay.  I talked to the professor of the class I’m TAing for and he said it’s not a problem if I don’t go to his lectures.  I’m leading a conversational Spanish language discussion section so people can talk about the subject in Spanish, so not really that big a deal.  So I went there to make a quick announcement about my section.

Then I headed to my first class, Introduction to Method of Planning Analysis.  Sound fun right?  Eh it might be.  It’s required.  I’ll suck it up and who knows I may love it!  I sure do love me a good economic forecast!

After that I dodged umbrellas and puddles all the way home.  It was 11:30 and I was starving!  I tried hard to hold on til at least 12pm by putting in some laundry but I couldn’t wait til 12:00pm. I decided to counteract that gross weather with a fun, fresh meal.

Wet and Puddly all around!

I made a FANTASTIC sandwich!  Hummus. Cheese.  Cucumbers. Tomatoes.  Need I say more?

So fresh tasting!

Finish that off with some kiwi, skin and all.

Eat Kiwi, It’s good for you!  1 fruit provides 95% of your daily Vitamin C! Do you eat the skin on kiwi fruit?

Heaven in a lunch!  (For nutrition info on lunch, see my sparkpage)

Lunch was sealed with a kiss cup of tea!  I’ve realized that ending a meal with a cup of tea helps keep my sweet tooth at bay and I guess helps my brain signal that it’s done eating.

I found this tea on sale at Wegman’s last week and since I love peppermint tea I had to try it.

I had never heard of Gypsy Tea but I loooved this one!  The peppermint flavor is very mild but there’s something else in there that is simply fantastic!  I can’t put my finger on what it is, but it’s oh so good!

I’m going to go get my laundry, start reading for class, then go to my next class!  Hope you’re having a wonderful Monday!!

Fabulous Lunch for a Boring Day

7 Comments

This morning I was up at 6:30am, because I want to try to get back on a schedule.  Despite waking up so early, I had no where to be, no one to see and nothing to do.  I e-mailed the professor I am working with this semester to see if she wanted to meet to talk about my research position, and she wants to meet on Friday.  This is a little upsetting as I could have been home right now.  Instead, I’m bored in Ithaca.

So instead of productiveness, I sat around all morning watching Mad Men and reading blogs.  Finally around 12:00 I started to get hungry so I made lunch.  Kind of sad that lunch (and something I got in the mail… more on that later) has been the most exciting part of my day!

After talking to my cousin about her Cesar salad for lunch, I decided I needed a salad too!  Mine was not a Cesar salad but bright colorful and delicious nonetheless!  In my salad: Romaine, Carrot Ribbons and One Hard Boiled Egg.

I had half as a salad and the other half I put in a Flatout Sun dried Tomato Wrap with a Morningstart patty.  Delish!

These wraps are pretty good.  I found them at Wegman’s and decided to get them since they were pretty low cal (90 calories per wrap) and the ingredients weren’t horrendous (still has preservatives but I sucked it up).

I rounded out my meal with a delicious organic honeycrisp apple!

Soo good! (For nutrition info, see my sparkpage)

I was enjoying a cup of this tea (apparently I don’t want to let go of the holidays):

when my roommate came in with the mail.  I got something!

My friend Celia’s Save the Date postcard!  Very cute!  I love the design!  Congratulations Celia and Chris!

Now I’m off to Target to get some floss then to the gym.  Hopefully a good work out will make me less of a Negative Nancy today!

Have a great day!