busy busy busy.

i'm so friggin tired.. i just want to shower and go to sleep. but i feel very good about how i've been doing nutrition-wise this week so i thought i'd toot my own horn. i did start weight watchers last week.. so we'll see how successful i've been when i weigh in tomorrow. also, i've been on my feet for 2 days straight in my clinical rotation (10 hours tuesday and 9 hours today).. i'm soooo tired. but i've been wearing my shape-ups (the knock-off ones from payless) to clinicals so my legs are feelin' it more than usual!!

some of my favorite things i've eaten this week...

another awesome tofu recipe from cooking light: "Korean-inspired sauteed tofu" which i served with bok choy, broccoli and brown rice

easy peasy sushi: sliced sashimi-grade salmon with seaweed salad and brown rice. i served this with hungry girl's "Crab Rangoonies" which tastes JUST like the crab wontons from PF Changs!!!

sweet potato (microwaved b/c i'm lazy) with 1tsp brown sugar, 1Tbsp marshmallow creme and a dash of pumpkin pie spice. (3 points plus), and SO good.

and this isn't food.. but it's good - the mocha light frappucino from starbucks. they're SO yum.. and i always get an extra shot of espresso blended in for a boost. and i love that it shows up as a "filling food" for weight watchers.. (a small green triangle usually reserved for lean meats, fruits and vegetables lol).

okay.. off to bed. school has really drained me lately - i can't WAIT for spring break.. 2 more days!

mid-week madness. kinda. not really

i'm still lacking fruits and vegetables in my diet.. but i think i made some good choices this week. we'll see (fyi.. i've lost 3 pounds since i started blogging again - did i tell you? hehehe)

breakfast:
deep chocolate vitatop (yummmmm)
coffee
lunch:
1/2 marinated tofu sandwich from cafe intermezzo
dinner:
salad from intermezzo (romaine, alfalfa sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes, croutons & poppy seed dressing)
1/2 cowboy cookie (see below)
movie snack (we watched up in the air. SO GOOD!):
1 glass wine
1/3 bag popcorn

fyi.. i loooooooooooooooooove intermezzo. we happened to be in berkeley today for the first portion of clinicals, so i had to stop in. it's just a soup/salad spot.. but omg. their sandwiches are incredible, and the poppy seed dressing puts the salad over the top!!! if you're ever in berkeley, you have to check them out.

here's a picture of cowboy cookies i gave with a baby shower gift a while back... substituting light blue and green m&ms for the regular. she loved them so much she contacted me for the recipe later.. thank you bakerella!!

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fast forward to thursday. St. Patty's!

breakfast:

string cheese

nonfat dark chocolate mocha freddo from peet's (270 cals)

lunch:

'reduced guilt' primavera pizza from TJ's

15 m&ms

dinner: (see pics below)

beef & guinness stew

irish soda bread

1 can guinness

i went out today to look for a dress to wear to lisa's sister's wedding this weekend and found one that i LOVE, especially because i'll be able to rock it this summer with some gladiator sandals.. i'll have to post a picture of my 'adjustments' to dress it up for the wedding:

floral shirtdress from the i heart ronson collection at jcpenney.
apparently it's popular, because it's sold out online!
glad i found it in the store!

after i got home from shopping i got to work on dinner.. being that corned beef and cabbage is my all time favorite meal, you would think i would have made that for St. Patrick's day.. but I love this stew.. and it's much better for you and filling in smaller quantities. instead of potatoes like you would expect, it uses carrots, parsnips and turnip. kris couldn't tell the difference. plus.. i got to buy vegetables that the checker at the supermarket didn't know the codes for. fun! ^_^ 

here's my before and after pics:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

it's monday, and i can't stop eating.

soooo tired today. still getting used to daylight savings i guess. plus, it's a certain TOM.. so i was completely RAVENOUS all freakin' day!!!

breakfast:
coffee
to-go oatmeal bar
apple
tiramisu cake pop (thanks so my classmate who works at the 'bucks)

lunch:
chicken wrap (tortilla, chicken lunch-meat, ranch dressing from yesterday, crumbled blue cheese, lettuce & tomatoes)
carrot sticks
tomato-basil hummus

snack (this was throughout the duration of my afternoon when i couldn't stay out of the kitchen):
3 fresh mozzarella balls
pretzel crisps
2 peanut butter cookies
snack bag cheese-its

dinner:
bacon-wrapped pork loin
potatoes and haricots verts (TJ's frozen side)
1 glass wine

"our daily red" organic, sulfite free wine

here are the changes i made to the pork recipe: i used a 1.5 lb pork loin (maybe smaller.. i don't quite remember), 3 slices bacon, frozen pre-chopped onion, dried rosemary, omitted the raisins, and doubled the sauce. i seared it in my cast-iron skillet and threw it in the oven straight from the stove. it ended up taking about 45 minutes, and i basted it with the sauce every 10 minutes or so. hi, i'm a bacon-wrapped pork loin, and i'm amazing:

after you let it rest for about 10 minutes, slice it into medallions. serve with pan sauce drizzled over top. YUM!

go-to recipes

When I ventured out to make all of my christmas presents for '08, I instantly had an idea of compiling a recipe book for my sister-in-law. She always asks what I make since I cook so often, and I wanted to share with her my go-to recipes. I love to cook healthy, but I want to cook things that are so good they 'fool' my boyfriend, you know? So, for my own reference, as well as something I can direct others to, I wanted to compile all the links in one place (for some reason papers don't stay in my recipe file for too long, haha!)

Barbecue Pork-and-Coleslaw Hoagies (8 points each)
The coleslaw used in this recipe is my go-to, even when I'm not making the Hoagies. It's delicious! I use fat free sour cream instead of light.
Chicken Cordon Bleu (7 points each)
I serve this with mashed potatoes (try mixing half potatoes and half steamed califlower - it works well!), and green beans. In the recipe, I use brummel & brown instead of real butter, which I'm sure brings the nutritionals down a bit.
Chicken-fried Steak (7 points each)
I also serve this with mashed potatoes and green beans, and the gravy that goes with it is THE BEST cream gravy ever!!
Cream Gravy (1 point per 1/3 cup)
Soooo delicious, and I use fat free instead of low-fat milk.
Farfalle with Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce (7 points per serving)
I half the pasta and use the same amount of sauce, which alters the nutritionals, but it's worth it!
Herbed Chicken and Dumplings (6 points per 2 cups)
I always double this (the recipe is for 2 servings) because it never lasts long between me and my boyfriend.. it's one of our favorite soups. I also use almond milk* instead of low-fat in the dumplings.
Mini Meat Loaves (6 points per loaf)
The best part - it's pre-portioned so there's no temptation! They cook fast, and are delicious. I don't splurge for the sirloin as called for in the recipe. I just use 90/10 ground beef. Another meat dish that goes great with mashed potatoes and green beans =)

*Almond Milk is incredible. We rarely have milk in our house because this is so much better! I use the Blue Diamond brand, unsweetened vanilla. It's only 40 calories per cup! That's less than half of fat free milk. I use it in cereal and in recipes! Plus it's easy to always have on hand because you can keep it in the cupboard like soy milk until you open it!

As you can see, I make a lot of mashed potatoes. When cooking for 2 people, there's always leftovers. Whenever I have left over mashed potatoes, I always re-create KFC's 'famous chicken bowl' at home. I bake up some frozen breaded chicken tenders (2 for me, 3-4 for my bf), and microwave some frozen kernel corn. I also make up a batch of cream gravy (see link above). In a shallow bowl, layer a spoonful of mashed potatoes, topped with corn, then cooked chicken tenders. Pour a bit of gravy over top and sprinkle with a little reduced-fat shredded cheese. SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD! =)

Hope this is helpful!