Blue Bay Dinner

Tonight I am sort of taking the evening off. I got an early start. Food was simple and I'm planning to watch a little tv and maybe go to bed early, so I'm making it a short and simple post.

Breakfast was a Simple Strawberry Smoothie which was delicious.

 

 I had just enough strawberries left. Click on the link above or check out my recipe page and enjoy a smoothie yourself.

I finished off the leftover Campbell's Tomato Basil soup after tweaking it a little with some extra basil and a dash of garlic. I had parmesan toast to go along with it. 

 

 

For a snack later I had an Edy's pineapple fruit bar with real chunks of pineapple. It was really good.

 

For dinner we went to Blue Bay. DH has been dying to go for a week or two, so we finally went. I got a baby shrimp dinner to share. The hushpuppies were sweet so I didn't eat them. They use to have good hushpuppies but these were tough and not what I was wanting.

 

I had a little piece of Dale's white fish with a little of the shrimp, a baked potato, and red slaw. Blue Bay has the best red slaw and I love baked potatoes. I had a little sour cream with my potato and cocktail sauce for my shrimp. I also dipped my fish in malt vinegar. I couldn't eat all of the shrimp. I ate most to the potato and slaw. I was more in the mood for the potato, I think. 

 

Well now I'm off to enjoy the rest of my night. I hope you enjoy yours and I'll be back tomorrow. Happy Sunday!!!!

Over Indulging

Today was an unexpected day of over indulging. I woke up this morning after a fitful night of sleep. I was still craving the Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. Hoping to calm my cravings with something a little healthier and more filling, I made a chocolate peanut butter & banana smoothie that I'm calling a Chocolate Monkey Smoothie. It was creamy and chocolatey and very good, but I think it would have satisfied my craving better, if I'd left out the banana. It just wasn't enough like the Reese's PB egg.  I enjoyed it, but still would love to eat one of those eggs, lol.

 

What's in the glass

Fresh Banana Slices

Vanilla Yogurt

Milk

Old Fashioned Oats

Peanut Butter

Ground Flax

Cocoa Powder

Ice Cubes

It even looks chocolatey in the photo.

 

Just after drinking my chocolate monkey smoothie I got a call, an invitation to go with my Mom & Aunt Lynda. Well you know I love to go, so I couldn't turn it down. One of the first places we went was Starbucks. I had a Iced Decaf Peppermint Mocha Latte. After the first sip, I realized this was super sweet. I'm not used to drinking sweet drinks. I mostly drink water and sometimes juice which I water down 50/50. I love the taste of coffee, but I hardly drink it anymore, because of the caffeine. I think I may have to leave it alone entirely or learn to drink it black. I only managed to drink about half, even after letting the ice melt to water it down.

 We also went to Target & Michael's. I checked out the eyeglass frames at Target Optical. I'm hoping to get a new pair of specs in the near future. Right now, I'm shopping around. The man that works there, was very nice. He gave me a ball park figure of about how much my new glasses would cost. He also fixed the nose pieces on my current specs and cleaned them free of charge. I didn't even have to pay for the new nose pieces. Wasn't that nice? I also found some frames I liked.  I can't wait to get some new glasses.

After some shopping we went to Salsarita's. It's Mexican fast food set up sort of like Subway. You decide what you want then go down the line picking your ingredients. There's big variety of things to choose. I like that they offer vegetarian versions of everything. Last time I went, I had nachos, this time I had a Garden Taco Salad.

 

 What's in the salad

Shredded Iceburg Lettuce

Black Beans

Rice

Jalapenos

Black Olives

Grilled Veggies

Shredded Cheese

Mild Chunky Fresh Salsa

A Spicy Sour Cream Sauce

In A Fried Flour Tortilla Shell

It was yummy and I enjoyed it. I couldn't eat it all, though I did eat quite a bit of it. I didn't eat quite as healthy as I should have today and I am paying for it. We ate late this afternoon and I have been bloated and miserable all evening. I'm not sure what caused it. Maybe too much chocolate or maybe the cheese, but even after taking some GasX, I still feel terrible. I'm hoping to get some relief before bedtime, so that I can sleep. Now, I keep tasting peppermint mocha, so that must be the problem. Ugghh!

 Thankful it's finally Friday? What's your weekend plan? Tomorrow, I'm planning to visit with the grand babies, then dinner at Mom's on Sunday. I'm hoping for good weather.

Chocolate Monkey Smoothie Recipe

The is a super chocolatey smoothie with banana and peanut butter. I decided to make this smoothie because I was craving Reese's Peanut Butter eggs. I added the banana because it just didn't seem healthy enough without fruit, but I think the craving would have been better satisfied without it. It was good, but it wasn't a Reese's Peanut Butter egg, lol.

Ingredients
3/4 C. Fresh Sliced Banana (I think frozen would be better, but I used fresh)
1/3 C. Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 C. Vanilla Yogurt
1/2 C. Milk 2%
2 1/2 tsp. Cocoa Powder
2 T. Creamy Peanut Butter
2 tsp. Ground Flax
3-4 Ice Cubes

Directions
Throw everything in your blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Fighting Food Cravings & Winning The Battle.....Today

Another beautiful day. Thankful that we didn't have any violent weather. I didn't sleep well, because of the threat of tornadoes. We only had a couple of high wind gusts and a couple of cracks of thunder. I slept really good after everything settled down and I was convinced it was over. I wasn't really ready to get up this morning, but knew I couldn't sleep all day. I made my smoothie, my motivation. I couldn't resist having another Banana Pudding Smoothie. Sorry, but I have banana and these are just really good. Unfortunately, I used the last of my vanilla extract, so you can rest assured, I won't be having one for breakfast tomorrow. Dang! Have you had a smoothie lately or ever? What kind did you have?

 

 What's in the glass

Fresh Sliced Banana

Vanilla Yogurt

Milk

Vanilla Wafers

Old Fashioned Oats

Ground Flax

Vanilla Extract

Ice Cubes

Yummy!!!

Well if you've been reading the blog, you probably know today was Zumba day. That is another motivation for getting up. I usually feel good all day on the days I have Zumba. Just knowing I get to go makes for a better day. I spent a portion of the day in my kitchen. I was cleaning out my lower cabinets. I am also trying to declutter a bit. I didn't get it all finished, but it was better than when I started. 

For lunch I had Campbell's Select Harvest Tomato Basil Soup. Let me just say, this is not Panera's or anything like it. To me, it just tasted like ordinary Campbell's tomato soup. It did look different, but that's it. Being vegetarian, it's hard to find canned soups that I will eat. Lots of canned soups have chicken stock or something similar in them. I wish there were more vegetarian friendly choices.

 I also had cheese toast with my soup. I really wanted a grilled cheese, but I figured cheese toast was as bad, since there is not butter or margarine involved. It was pretty good. I used some of the Havarti cheese we bought. Its a semi-soft creamy cheese with lots of flavor. A little goes a long way on cheese toast.

My pre-Zumba snack was a cup of Chobani Greek Lemon yogurt. I always want more after eating it. If only the container was twice as big with half the calories. Isn't that a nice thought?

 What's your favorite flavor and your favorite way to eat it? Vanilla is my favorite, because it goes with everything, but Lemon is my first choice, if I'm just going to eat a cup of yogurt. I would definitely pick Chobani over anything else, but I'm on a tight budget, so it's not an everyday thing. My first cheap choice is Food Lion Brand and mid range would be Dannon and nothing with artificial sweeteners, except gum.

 

We had a ball at Zumba tonight. We really get a workout on Thursdays. It Zumba toning on Thursday. I can still feel it in my arms and legs, but it's so much fun you don't want to quit. 

When I got home tonight, I could have really went for something fried or with bread and cheese. You know, something really fattening. I was starving, but I was good and I had a salad with light Caesar dressing and it was good and I was satisfied, after I had my piece of gum for dessert, lol.

 

What's in the bowl

Iceberg Lettuce

Spinach

Radicchio (from my Spring Mix bag)

Green Pepper

Radish

Carrot

Cucumber

Kidney beans

Light Caesar Dressing

Naked Salad Photo - Food Porn

 Did you get an eye full, lol? I'm so glad I didn't give in and eat junk. I've fought temptation all day, but I can't guarantee tomorrow, lol. I'm trying to save all my splurging for Sunday. I've also been craving Reese's peanut butter eggs all day and they are right there in my fridge calling my name, but it's fallen on deaf ears today. Go me!!! Now here's were you say, "Good Job" or " I have the same problem".  Ok well come back see how I do tomorrow.

Chewing Gum & Eating Lighter

I weighed in this morning only to find I am up a pound. It's not much, but I am staying on top of things. I kind of know which foods make me gain and which foods help me lose. I just have to eat the right combination of things. Too much of one thing and not enough of the other is not good. Today I am eating lighter, meaning more fresh veggies. Yesterday I didn't eat enough fresh veggies. I still have leftovers to eat, but I can't eat them all without gaining, so some of them will have to go. I am sticking with my morning smoothie. I consider it my treat for the day. I had another Banana Pudding Smoothie this morning. These are so good. I always wish I could have more, but I think I would pop.

 

What's in the glass

Sliced Fresh Banana

Vanilla Yogurt

Milk

Old Fashioned Oats

Vanilla

Ground Flax

Vanilla Wafers

Ice Cubes

That sounds like a lot of Vanilla huh? It's so good though.

 

Another open faced fish taco. I ate this yesterday for lunch and also today. This is one of the things that makes me gain. Fish and bread. I should have just done half the tortilla, but I didn't think about it until I'd already topped it with the fish and everything else. 

 

What's on the plate

A Flour Tortilla

Leftover Tilapia

Shredded Cabbage

Shredded Carrot

Shredded Bell Pepper

Diced Tomatoes 

Again I poured on a little taco sauce after the photos. This was really good and would have been even better if the fish had had some taco seasoning on it, still very good without it.

My snack today was an apple, no peanut butter, no honey, just a plain juicy Gala apple. I did have a bite of Havarti cheese afterward. Lucas just had to offer me the last piece. He made really sloppy grilled cheese sandwiches out of the rest and even melted some on a biscuit. I was good and didn't eat any, so the last piece was very tempting and I took it. Not to fear, he bought more this evening. Cheese is another thing that makes me gain.

 

Since I'd had the tortilla and fish for lunch, I went with a much lighter dinner. I just had a garden salad with a little light ranch and some imitation bacon bits. Oh yeah and pepper, no salt. I've started eating my salads in a bowl, I tend to really pile it on a plate. It tends to start falling off if I do that with a bowl, lol. I'm trying to do better with portions. Salads are a really challenge for me.

 

What's in the bowl

Iceberg Lettuce

Spinach

Green Bell Pepper

Mushrooms

Cucumber

Carrot

Tomato

Naked salad

 

 With dressing & bacon bits

 

It was really good. It must have been what I was in the mood for. Lately I've really had a thing for cucumber. 

 I've also found lately that immediately after dinner, I have a strong craving to eat more. I'm not really hungry, I just want something else, because I'm not stuffed. Here is how I've managed to solve this problem. I've been buying packs of "5 Gum" in what I think is spearmint flavor. It's called Rain. It's sugar free and the flavor lasts a very long time. I chew it and I don't have the urge to eat anything else. I've been having a piece of gum every night while working on the blog. It is very hard to look at food photos and not want food. Got any tricks up your sleeve? How do you avoid unnecessary eating?

Banana Pudding In A Glass

This morning when I got up, I felt so much better than yesterday. I had a much better attitude and lots more energy. I guess I just didn't get enough restful sleep the other night. I did have breakfast planned before daylight. I guess when I wake up during the night, I have food on the brain and the only way I can get back to sleep is to solve the mystery of what I'll be having for breakfast. I don't understand it myself, anyway, I've come up with a different version of the banana smoothie. My first banana smoothie was the Banana Nut Smoothie with chopped walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon. The one I made this morning, I'm calling the Banana Pudding Smoothie. It's a creamy combo of vanilla and banana with a couple of vanilla wafers thrown it. It was delicious and I think I like it better than the banana nut smoothie.

What's in the glass

Sliced Fresh Banana

Vanilla Yogurt

Milk

Old Fashioned Oats

Ground Flax

Vanilla Extract

Vanillla Wafers

Ice Cubes

It's super yummy!!!

I got a bunch done today, but only with the help of the A/C. I've been avoiding turning it on, to save money, but with temps in the upper 80's, it's very difficult to get motivated to move, especially when you break a sweat sitting still. After I did some mopping and dog bathing, I fixed some lunch. I made a sort of open faced fish taco with the my leftover Tilapia. My tortilla was a bit too big, so I folded it a little and then just put everything on top. It was pretty messy to eat, but it was very good.

What's on the plate

Leftover Tilapia

Shredded Cabbage

Shredded Carrot

Shredded Bell Pepper

Diced Tomato

Flour Tortilla

After the photos, I topped it all with a little taco sauce.

I went outside and walked around the yard after lunch. I was looking at some of the flowers that have finally bloomed. I decided to take a few photos of them. These are my iris'.  I have a lot more than I did last year. There are lots of buds on the backside that haven't even bloomed yet.

This is my tiny little Azalea bush that's only 2 years old. I thought the drought last summer had killed it. Every leaf on it fell off last year. I plan to keep it watered this year if it gets dry. It's even bigger this year. It's a lot slower growing than I realized.

I love the big pink flowers.

This is my variegated sedum. As you can see, parts of it aren't variegated. I have no idea why, but every year it grows like this. I also have another tiny one that volunteered to come on the other side of the tree where this one is planted in a spot that I had these sitting in a pot, a while before I finally planted them. I didn't get a shot of the little one.

 

Today was Zumba day. I had a Gala apple spread with peanut butter for my pre-Zumba snack. I was really craving peanut butter. I could have stuck my head in the jar and inhaled it. It smelled so good. I'm not sure why I wanted it so bad, but this was the perfect snack today. Some days, I just eat and eat and I'm never quite satisfied, but today wasn't one of those days, thankfully. BTW, I changed my camera settings, when I took pictures of the flowers, then I forgot to change the settings back, so the rest of the photos are sort of wierd. The peanut butter and apple, not so much, but the ones after that look awful.

When I got home from Zumba, I was ready for food. I really needed to eat the rest of my leftover black beans and Spicy Sweet Potatoes. I didn't have anymore pineapple and since I needed to hurry up and finish them off, so instead of using them in a salad, I just had them plain, on a plate. They were still very good, especially the potatoes.

I've done this post entirely with Scribefire. I still have to get use to it, but it was better than blogger I think. Unlike Windows Live Writer, it doesn't have smiley's, but that's not a necessity. It does have more font options than blogger. I put a border around this next photo. Do you think it looks better this way or without? 

The bad thing about Scribefire is the workspace limitations. It would be nice if you had the option to expand it to full screen. I do like being able to see the window behind it though, while working. I usually have my photo page up and can select photos to insert without switching from one page to another and back repeatedly. 

Now, I'm ready for some comments. If you like something here, please let know. I'd also like to thank those of you who are subscribing and invite those who haven't to subscribe. You can subcribe via RSS or by email. I won't spam you or give out your email address. You'll just get each new blog post delivered to your email. You can also follow me on twitter. Let me know if you try any of these and it doesn't work. Don't forget the stumble button to add this page to Stumbleupon. Thanks.

Banana Pudding Smoothie Recipe

This is a slightly different banana smoothie recipe than my banana nut smoothie. It's a creamy combo of vanilla and banana. I threw in a couple of vanilla wafers and it was almost like banana pudding. I think I like it better than banana pudding and also better than the banana nut smoothie. If you like bananas, you really should try this smoothie.

Ingredients
3/4 C. Sliced Fresh or Frozen Banana
1/2 C. Vanilla Yogurt
1/2 C. Milk 2%
1/4 C. Old Fashioned Oats
2 tsp. Ground Flax
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Vanilla Wafers
3-4 Ice Cubes

Directions
Throw everything into your blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

The Best Part Of Monday Is The Food

It's MONDAY! ...... and it feels like. I wasn't anxious to get up this morning, because I didn't sleep well. My energy was totally zapped. I made myself an Apple Crisp Smoothie for breakfast in hopes that it would give me a boost. I followed the recipe exactly today. I put the dried cranberries and a little water in the microwave for a few seconds and let the sit while I put the rest of the smoothie together, then I added the cranberries plus the small amount of water they hadn't absorbed. They blended up perfectly this time. The smoothie seemed better than the first time I'd made it.

What's in the glass

Fresh Diced Apple

Dried Cranberries

Chopped Walnuts

Old Fashioned Oats

Cinnamon

Ground Flax

Dannon Vanilla Yogurt

Milk

Ice Cubes

I may have gotten a little extra cinnamon in. It was a little more brown this time, I think, but it was delicious.

I have no idea what to call this salad, but it's nearly the same as the one I made on Friday, with my Spicy Sweet Potatoes and black beans. What would you call it?

 

I got a shot without the cheese, so that you can sort of see what's in there.

What's in the bowl

Spring Mix Lettuce

Crushed Pineapple

Black Beans

Spicy Sweet Potatoes

Diced Green Bell Pepper

Taco Blend Shredded Cheese

For the dressing today, I used a tiny bit of pineapple juice, lime juice, raw sugar, & vegetable oil. Maybe I will post a recipe for this, just so I won't forget how to do it, lol. It sounds strange, but it's really very good.

My snack this evening was a cup of Chobani Greek Lemon yogurt.....

 

.....with a blueberry doughnut hole crumbled on top.

 

I did another salad for dinner. Salad have really been good, since we are having such warm weather the last few days. I put a little leftover pasta salad on my salad tonight and added a little light Caesar to it.

 

What's in the bowl

Spinach

Spring Mix Lettuce 

Roma Tomato

Bell Pepper

Pasta Salad

I added the dressing after the photos. I also added a few chunks of white cheddar as a last minute decision. It was yummy! BTW I lost that one pound again. Fingers crossed I'll keep it off after all this.

Normally I like Monday's, but this one wasn't the best. I didn't feel like getting up today, I was totally zapped for energy and I've been working on the blog all afternoon, which hasn't gone smoothly. I somehow lost the entire thing at one point and had to start over. I tried Windows Live Writer yesterday and wasn't impressed. Today I tried Scribefire, which I'd found a couple of years ago, but didn't really have a need for at the time. For me, Scribefire is better than WLW, but has some glitches, which after giving up, I found work arounds for, so I may give it another go tomorrow.  Wish me luck. I'd really love some comments. Let me know you're out there. Yippee, tomorrow is Zumba day!!!