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Posts Tagged wine

As The Sprouts Groweth

Nov 14

Posted by Shari B. in Recipes | 6 Comments

Happy Saturday morning FitFeat friends! 

It’s a happy day indeed.  I have the beginnings of some homemade sprouts!  So if you are a new reader who regularly makes your own sprouts and/or can actually grow things like live plants, you may want to read my previous post about my lack of a green thumb.  Actually seeing something GROWING in my kitchen is a FEAT for me!  So, any sprout experts out there want to chime in and tell me if it will be obvious to me when I can eat them?  :)

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I have a feeling that I will still need to buy sprouts in addition to growing them because I eat way more in a day or two than what I have growing here I think. Although maybe they will still have a growth spurt!

Speaking of sprouts, check out this beautiful “before” shot of my green smoothie from yesterday. 

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It looks awfully HOLIDAY-ish, don’t you think?  Pretty reds and greens!  I finally put those new cranberries to good use after all of Cindy’s cranberry blogging.  And in a recent comment she mentioned putting 2 bananas and a CUP of cranberries into a smoothie.  Cindy, are you trying to defibrillate my tastebuds?  I tasted one of those little buggers before I added them to my smoothie – they are t-t-tart!   I’m starting small for now!

I present to you my Festive Holiday CranApple Smoothie!

  • 8 oz water
  • 1/2 to 2/3 cup fresh cranberries
  • 1 apple, unpeeled and chunked
  • 1/2 small banana
  • fistful of spinach
  • a palm’s worth of sprouts (I used sweet clover sprouts)
  • 1/2 large cucumber, peeled and chunked
  • 1- 2 stalks celery, chunked
  • 1/2 tbsp hemp oil

Blend till smooth. 

(“Chunked” is an official culinary term right?)  ;)  

Here is the after: 

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It was definitely festive for the tastebuds!  Thank you Cindy for inspiring me to get some fresh cranberries, which I normally pass right on by in the produce section.  But learning from you of their anti-viral properties sold me!

I had a crazy urge for lunch-ish food at morning snack time so I toasted up some Ezekial sprouted grain bread, added some Tofutti spread, smeared on a little avocado, sprouts, cucumber, spinach and pepitas. 

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Which left room for a light lunch when it was actually lunchtime!  Oh yeah, you know what I rolled with:

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A little heavenly, gingery squash soup!  Reheated, it was JUST as good, if not better than, the first time.

And then a little slice of “pie” for a late afternoon snack.

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Next up, it was out for some Friday night fun with some girlfriends I hadn’t seen for MUCH TOO LONG.  We hit up a local wine bar for a happy hour that spilled beyond that hour by about three more!  It was a wonderful time!  Love wine time with my ladies!  And in standard Shari style, I’m sure you know I suggested HUMMUS for a shared appetizer!  (My name is Shari and I’m a Hummus-Holic.)  While the service at this place left a LOT to be desired, their hummus most certainly did not.  It was probably the best hummus I’ve ever had. 

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(Or maybe it was just the dim lights, candles and pretty plates that made it taste so good.  It couldn’t possibly have had anything to do with wine consumption!)

The manager left us with a complimentary bottle of vino to share (conveniently while we were trying to decide on just HOW small a tip to leave for our unattentive waiter.)  It was a moscato d’asti dessert wine and I do declare that I will run right out and buy a bottle to have on Thanksgiving.  (Does anyone declare that they watched this week’s “The Office”?)   ;) If not you are all going, ‘Huh?”

Heavenly soup by day, heavenly wine by night.  It MUST have been a Friday!

– Shari B. =)

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Snowblowing is My Football Practice

Oct 30

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 4 Comments

Oh boy it’s Friday!  Happy Day! 

The snow FINALLY stopped late last night and the SUN is actually shining today.  (Oh yeah!!) I just got in from another round of snowblowing and shoveling.  This is the fourth time, I think.  They are all starting to run together.  All told we seem to have received somewhere between 20″ and 28″.  It’s hard to say as I do not own a yardstick.  It’d be easy to think we got like 5 feet since every time I snowblow, I seem to be going through an 18″ wall of snow.

Do you miss my normal weight training logs that I typically list on here?  I’ve been so out of my normal routine.  I’m still getting plenty of exercise.  Just in different ways.  My chest/shoulder muscles are toast from pushing the crazy snowblower.  Imagine those sleds you see linemen pushing in football practice, where the coach stands on it and the linebacker runs at it and tries to push it.  This has been my exercise for the past 48 hours.  Some parts of our sidewalk have snow so high (thanks a bunch city snowplows) that the snowblower didn’t want to go through.  So I’d back up and try to get a running start.  Hit a wall.  Push it down to climb OVER it and shave a bit off the top.  Then take another run at it.  I never thought snowblowing would be hard work.  (Thank you MSP for having done it all these years… maybe if you’d complain a little I’d know how much it sucks!!  You made it look so fun and easy.) ;)   MSP is too level-headed to rant about stuff the way I do…  

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Today I actually gave up on about a 20-foot section along the side of our house —  nothing I did would make the snowblower go through it.  And I started yelling cuss words out loud instead of in my head.  That’s when I knew it was time to come inside. 

I tried to be optimistic and think up ”silver linings” to fight my black cloud thinking…

Black Cloud:  why on earth did we buy a house with a 3-car garage?  Which translates into a 3-car DRIVEWAY to shovel?
Silver Lining:  Just think of all the extra exercise you get with that.

Black Cloud:  why on earth did we buy a house sitting on an outer curve so that our front sidewalk is extra long and takes forever to snowblow & shovel?
Silver Lining: Just think of all the extra calories you burn with that.

Black Cloud:  what were we thinking buying a house on a corner lot which means we have to clear the sidewalk all along the SIDE of the lot too? 
Silver Lining: Just think of all the extra cardio you get with that.

Black Cloud:  why didn’t we realize that as soon as we’d get done clearing that sidewalk along the side of the lot, the snow plows would come through and cover it all right back up again?  (boo hoooo)
Silver Lining:  Just think of all that extra muscle building you get with that.

Yep that’s all I could come up with.  Extra exercise, calories, cardio, muscle work.  I am definitely ready to start looking for jobs in Arizona.  If I’m thinking about how much I hate winter in October, then it’s going to be a L-O-N-G winter. 

After all that work outside in the cold, I was a total “hollow leg” yesterday when it came to food.  :)

I had half a Larabar before going out for the morning session:

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Then an apple with almond butter afterward:

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Lunch at home between vet visits (mmm veggie wrap):

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Once home for good it was time to ACT like it was a snow day – grab a cup of tea, a couple of cookies and a book.  Notice that I am trying to attract warmer weather by using my Hawaii mug and reading a book where people are walking on a BEACH!

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And then even more “acting like it’s a snow day”  with a glass of wine, raw goat cheese with Mary’s Gone Crackers and some TV action:

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At dinner I figured I should have at least a few more veggies for the day, since I neglected to make a green smoothie:

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A little spaghetti squash, zucchini ribbons, raw marinara sauce, and spinach.  Lightly warmed in the microwave to take off the cold edge.

After a few game of Wii “Big Brain Academy” I even had to have some Count Chocula cereal, in honor of Halloween!

Outside of the snowblowing and the $200 vet visit followed by a $45 pet pharmacy visit (which should have just been a quick eye stain and a ‘looks good, she’s all set’) we did have a very fine snow day.  I was so glad MSP got to work from home!  There’s just something about getting to stay  home because of snow that brings back that wild excitement we had as kids when school was canceled.  LOVE IT!  When he got the email Wednesday night, we literally danced around with our arms in the air.  You immediately think “wahoo I can stay up late and sleep in!”   (And of course I didn’t make it past 8:45 pm… lame!)

So now tomorrow we have Halloween!  I feel bad for the kids in Colorado who will have to trudge around in all this melting snow.  I’m curious to know what you all do for Halloween?  If you have kids do you take them around the neighborhood?  Or to a local ‘safe’ place like the zoo, mall, etc.?  If you don’t have kids, do you stay home and pass out candy?  Go see a scary movie?  Hide in your basement like we do?  ;)    Drop a comment!

Have a FABULOUS FRIDAY and I’ll see you all next time!

– Shari B. =)

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Pavlov’s Veggie Dogs

Oct 24

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 2 Comments

Good morning blog buds! 

Ahhh Saturday.  I say that every week, don’t I?  I am often amazed at how quickly weeks really do pass.  Can you believe that Halloween is next Saturday?? 

My big plans for today are heading out to the airport to pick up one of my two cousins.  (No I’m not leaving my other cousin stranded at the airport … she’ll be flying in a few hours later and her work is getting her a rental car.) 

I’d like to get out for a run this morning while we have some nice weather because more cold and snowy weather is on the way tonight.  (NOOOOOOO!)  I also have a To-Do List a mile long of other various things I want to accomplish before 10:40 am when I take off for Denver International.

Isn’t it ironic that one of the things on my TO-DO LIST is listen to more of my Tony Robbins audio of how NOT to live & die by the TO-DO LIST?  :) I’ve only made it through 2 out of 16 CDs.  Maybe learning how NOT to have a to-do list will be on disc #3…

So…my dogs are OBSESSED with veggies now.  We don’t give them ‘table scraps’ per se … should something fly off of our plates and land on the floor then it’s fair game.  But I do give them ‘veggie scraps’ when I’m making my green smoothies.  Rascal now knows the sound of the vegetable peeler and comes tearing into the kitchen in hopes of a nibble.  (I can grab the peeler from the dishwasher just to put it AWAY and he’ll come running… my peeler has become PAVLOV’S BELL!) 

Cucumber is their absolute favorite.  They both don’t like celery (they must get that from MSP!) 

Look who’s getting a little time out of her cone of shame?  :)   AND some cucumber… a dog’s life, I tell you.

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Mmm green breakfast.  Water, spinach, celery, cucumber, clementines, pepitas, broccoli slaw (yes broccoli slaw…hey it was in the fridge, might as well use it up!)

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A slice of Banana Bread mid-morning:

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Lunch was SUPPOSED to be my favorite Tokyo Joe’s salad:  the KIHEI.   Which normally has grilled mahi on it.  What they gave me was NOT mahi.  I don’t know what it was they decided to pass off as mahi but it was NASTY with a capital N.  Unfortunately after I took this photo, I cut the whole salad up into tiny bits (BEFORE tasting the fish).  Needless to say… it all got picked back out and we essentially spent $8.35 on a bowl of spinach with no fish.  Bugger!!  If I’d been AT their establishment I’d have said something, but it was takeout and we were already home.  Tokyo Joe’s, I’m on to you… you’ve always been my favorite healthy fast food place… but you’ve done me wrong a couple of times recently!  Soon you’ll be bumped off the list by Garbanzo’s!

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Here’s one place I know I can always count on my order tasting right:

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See how good I’ve been lately?  It’s been at least a week since I caved in to the Starbucks lure.  This was a soy latte, with ONE pump of Chai.  (Normally 4 pumps, and WAY too sugary.) 

I was starvin’ Marvin at about 4:00 so I ate the last bite of my raw goat cheddar and some pepitas to tide me over till dinner. 

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I ‘surprised’ MSP by announcing that I was treating him to one of his favorites:  Mama Roma Ristorante.  Instead of “Pasta Friday” at home, we were going to have “Italiano Friday” out.  He had his usual:  sausage and pepperoni Calzone, which he gets to enjoy again and again because they are HUGE so we always have a box to take home.  I had a side salad and a bowl of minestrone soup.  (And a glass of chianti… mmmm vino!)   No pic to share, I’m sorry to say.  There are some places where I feel a little TOO odd whipping out my camera and taking pictures of my food.  This was one of those places. 

I was in the mood to wander Whole Foods after dinner.  First, how weird am I that on a FRIDAY night, what constitutes as FUN for me is hanging out at Whole Foods.  Second, I should KNOW that my defenses will be down after having a big glass of wine at dinner and will probably buy a bunch of stuff I don’t NEED.  This is my version of drunk dialing, I guess.

And of course I left with two VEGAN cookies to enjoy (among other things):

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Do you have stores that put you in danger of doing serious damage to your budget or checkbook, like I do at Whole Foods??  There are SO many things there that I want to try.  I’m not a shopper for things like clothes (unless Nike Shox shoes count as ‘clothes) or purses or things like that.  But take me to a health food store and I’ll “ohh and ahh” all over the place!

Well kids, I better “ohh and ahh” myself away from the computer and get busy on “THE LIST”.  ;)   

Have a WONDERFUL weekend and I’ll see ya next time! 

– Shari B. =)

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Do You Socialcize?

Sep 13

Posted by in FitFeature, Hiking, Vegetarian | 4 Comments

Happy Sunday FitFeaters! 

Hope you are enjoying a relaxing morning so far!  I am posting a little later than usual because I was definitely enjoying a lazy morning myself!  Enjoyed my cup of coffee with the book I’m currently reading, and then spent some time on the phone with a few family members. 

Yesterday was so full of things to do that it flew by way too fast!  I can’t even believe it’s Sunday already. 

Saturday’s exercise consisted of a SOCIALCIZING!!  (That means exercise while you socialize!  I know – I make up a lot of weird words!  Socialcizing, yardio, wogging…  :)   Hey, whatever it takes to get you all moving and staying active, right?  But you have to admit that when you say you are going to do some yardio, you grin a little!  And we should always be happy that we are fortunate enough to have able-bodies, right?) 

So my Saturday SOCIALCIZING was a 5.61 mile hike/walk with a really good friend of mine and her awesome daughter.  We walked to the Bluffs, did a full loop, and then back.  Socialcizing is hands-down the best way to exercise:  with good friends and some chat time!  That’s today’s ready-made FitFeature:  make social time more about getting out in the fresh air than being based around lunch, dinner or drinks when you can.  I would guestimate that 85% of my “catching up with the girls” outings are built around some form of physical activity (hiking, running, walking, rollerblading.)  Not only is it a time-saver because you are combining two things you might normally do separately, but you are also saving MONEY and CALORIES! 

I started Saturday off with my “reading glasses” mug filled with my happy juice!  :)   I was catching up on blog-reading, so I figured it called for this particular mug!

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Before the walk with the girls, I powered up with an extra fruity blended GREEN GOODNESS!!  (I finally found where the text color button was hidden in WordPress!)  This one had 1/2 of a Colorado peach, about 1/4 of a leftover apple, a clementine, lots of romaine, a fist o’ spinach, sprouts and 1/2 an English cucumber.  Look at this blender full of vitamins and minerals:

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Such a pretty green after:

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Rascal goes crazy for my green drinks.  He hears the potato peeler as I peel my cucumbers and comes running to the kitchen for his cucmber treats.  He got a little taste of the final product this time (and while it looks like he’s going to drink out of my cup, I assure you I let him take a smell, then dipped my finger in to let him lick my finger!)  I think it’s funny that he loves veggies.  We don’t give our dogs ‘table scraps’ – but we do give them bites of veggies here and there and occasional fruit.  (FYI:  no grapes or raisins for your dogs!)

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After the long exercise outing, I was ready to eat again (when am I NOT ready to eat, right?)  Early lunch was some leftover Veggie Lasagna from Friday’s dinner.  It was even BETTER reheated!  Ohhhh, so good!  Can’t wait to have some more today! (I’m giving you a side shot this time so you don’t get bored looking at my same foods!  ;)   )

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Later in the afternoon I also had another get-together, this time with some wonderful ladies that I used to work with starting way back in 1995!  I love these women and am so glad to still be in touch with them after all these years!  We’ve vowed to get together at least every 6 months, so this was our second “Semi-Annual” event!  Lots of chatting was done by all and we probably could have gone another three hours without running out of topics.  It was a great time!  My eats are unpictured but I had a big glass of white wine, some ”Mary’s Gone Crackers” (wheat- and gluten-free) smeared with some herbed goat cheese, as well as some great whole wheat nacho chips with a spoon of DEEE-LISH-USH warm spicy queso.  Can’t wait till the next get-together, thanks ladies for a fab time!

I was feeling really tired when it was time for a late dinner.  It had been dark and rainy most of the day here, which really zaps my energy (I think I must run on solar power, because when the sun is taking a break I just don’t have the same zip!)  So I made a ‘lazy girl burger-n-fries dinner’ by popping a Gardenburger in the microwave, topped it with yellow tomato slices, some mustard and pepper and wrapped it in a “romaine bun”.  My ‘fries’ were red pepper strips. 

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It didn’t QUITE fill me up, so I poured a snack-size bowl of Mom’s Best All-Natural cereal as a little dessert. 

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Alrighty folks, time for me to get busy on this sunny Sunday! 

Drop me a comment:  do you socialcize?  Tell me about it! 

Have a fantastic day!  See you next time!

–Shari B. =)

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"His-n-Hers" Lasagna

Sep 12

Posted by in Cooking | 6 Comments

Wahoo!  Saturday!  Love Saturdays!  And I have a BIZ-EEEE one ahead of me.  Lots of catching up with old friends (all former coworkers) today.

Well, as I suspected, my Back/Tri workout was not up to par.  My grip was really weak from the shovel and spade work the day before.  But I got it done – even if it wasn’t my strongest.  My workout partner (MSP) also abandoned me decided to stay in bed for the morning, as he hadn’t had a great night of sleep.  I don’t blame him – been there done that about 600 times myself!

Here’s the Friday recap:

Weight Training (Back & Triceps)

  • TM Warmup followed by arm circles to get the blood flowing to the muscles near my shoulders
  • Close Grip Pulldowns 4 working sets of 11, 10, 9, 12
  • Barbell Rows 3 working sets of 9, 14, 15
  • TRX Row 3 sets of 10, 11, 10
  • Overhead Triceps Extension 4 sets of 15, 15, 8, 9
  • Hyperextensions (low back) on Ball 3 sets of 15

Then I took the beasts dogs out for their wog session (together this time) because I wanted them to get some extra mileage  – it keeps them a little calmer during the day.  I’ve recently started taking them one at a time because together they are a LOT to handle for one human arm that likes to stay in its socket.  Separately they each behave much better.  Together, they turn into disobedient little freaks!  I think it’s because they know that they can overpower me when they are together. :)   I had planned to take them for 4 miles but I go SO tired of being yanked around like a rag doll I shortened the outing to 3.  They’re lucky they’re so cute – it’s impossible to stay mad at these cuddlebugs:

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Friday coffee was my holiday peace dove mug.  It was a chilly windy morning that felt like fall (even had to wear my sweatshirt outside) so I figured I better start preparing myself for summer to be over…. waaaaahhhhhh!  (Can you believe HALLOWEEN stuff is out at the stores now??  It kills me.)

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Between weights and dog wogging, I was crazy hungry, so I mixed up a partial scoop of Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer with a cup of almond milk. 

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I figured I’d eat something more substantial when I got back but I wasn’t really hungry at that point and was busy doing my ‘chores’.  I had to run to the library and grocery store late morning so I went to the Target SBUX.  Holy moly what a RACKET they have going at that particular Starbucks.  You don’t get to use your registered SBUX card rewards (which in my case this day would have been free soy ‘upgrade’ and free syrup squirt).  I ordered a tall decaf soy latte asking for just ONE pump of pumpkin spice (since it was such an autumnal day!).  Guess how much that tiny cup cost me?  $4.01.  Ex-SQUEEZE me?  For a TALL?  I had to look at the receipt because I thought she must have charged me for a Grande.  They now charge 50 cents for the soy (is this everywhere I wonder or just Target?)  It used to be 40 cents, but I always use my registered card so I haven’t paid much attention I guess.  So no more going to the one at the Target.  OK, sorry for that, just had to get that off my chest.  (I may have to rebel and start going to DazBog instead!  ;) )

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Lunch was my SAME-O SAME-O salad.  I know you guys must get bored with my salads having a rotating set of the same ingredients!  I can’t help it!  Don’t fix it if it’s not broken, right?  They’re so good that I just don’t want anything else at the moment.  Maybe I will broaden my SALAD HORIZONS someday soon!  This had spinach, zucchini ribbons, yellow tomato, red pepper, dulse, pepitas, sea salt & pepper, HB egg, and olive oil w/ balsamic vinegar.  Oh and a few sundried tomatoes and sprinkle of nutritional yeast, I almost forgot!

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Afternoon snack (not pictured) was 1/2 a Larabar and a square of dark chocolate.

We jokingly refer to Friday as Pasta Friday in our house because for a long time we noticed were having some sort of italian meal every Friday night.  Since I had some free time yesterday afternoon, I figured I’d try to make lasagna for MSP as a little surprise.  I’ve never made lasagna before and I love to eat it at restaurants.  (And you KNOW when you eat it out, you’re probably getting 3 days’ worth of calories.)  Well I found a recipe for tofu “ricotta” and thought I’d make that to then put into my own attempt at creating a lasagna recipe. 

I have all of my ingedients gathered to make the tofu ricotta (I felt so “FoodNetwork” taking this pic!)  Tofu, basil, sea salt & pepper, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, & olive oil.

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I began building the layers into my lasagna.  I made a vegetarian half for me and a meaty side for MSP.  This is the middle layer.  My side has mushrooms & sundried tomatoes, MSP’s has italian chicken sausage.  My next layer has spinach & artichoke hearts, while MSP’s next layer has…. more sausage.  :)  

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My side has a very light sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top and his side has loads of 2% Italian ‘Three Cheese Mix’.

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After I put it in the oven I noticed that a cooking bomb had gone off in my kitchen – look at this mess!

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And after some serious dishwashing and cleanup:

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Ahhh, that’s better.  I can’t stand a messy kitchen!

So here is the lasagna after cooking.  It looks really done, I know!  I should have left the foil on until just at the end because MSP’s cheesy side went a bit past ‘golden brown’ and maybe more toward ‘burnt brown’  ;)  
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 And after plating (on the side is Genesis sprouted grain bread with a smear of pesto & a sprinkle of parm, then into the broiler very briefly):

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 And no Italiano dish is complete without a small glass of this:

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You know, the lasagna wasn’t too bad at all!  I didn’t add a lot of seasoning because I didn’t know how strong the fresh basil would be.  Next time, I’ll add more seasoning to the tofu “ricotta”.  But I liked it!  Which is a good thing, because I have a TON left over!  Dessert was a cup of Teeccino (herbal ‘faux coffee’): 

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And I was again hungry right at bedtime so this little snack was a scoop of raw almond butter with a squeeze of raw honey, about 1/2 cup of almond milk.  I don’t know why I’ve been getting hungry at night, so I think I’ll eat a bigger dinner for the next few days to see if it makes a difference.  I don’t have any qualms about eating right before bed – but it DOES make me wake up ravenously hungry which is why I’d rather not do it.

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Today’s question is:  Do you have housemates or family that eat completely different than you?  Do you find it difficult or have you  gotten into the groove of working around it?  I was a little worried at first that when I went meatless it would really add to my cooking workload, but it’s actually been fun to find ways to have us eat essentially the same meal but with a few adjustments.

OK, blog buds!  My tummy is growling, so I need to go get some breakfast started!  Have a MARVELOUS Saturday and I’ll see ya next time!

–Shari B. =)

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I Heart Hummus

Sep 6

Posted by in Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Good morning!

Our extended 6-day holiday ‘weekend’ is speeding by so quickly!  Day 5 already!  But it’s MUFFIN MORNING!!  Yay! Plus I love Sundays because sometimes we sit around for the first hour looking at the paper with HGTV on in the background (if we’re not out on a run or hike).   The simplest things are always the best aren’t they?

So yesterday morning I had my a.m. magic potion (coffee!) in my drama queen mug, which oddly looks like it says ‘dreme queen‘ doesn’t it?

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We took the dogs on a 5.5 mile wog shortly thereafter.  I had a half of one of these during the walk to tide me over till breakfast:

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Normally I wouldn’t seek out this particular bar, but it was in my Camelbak so I ate it!  Just out of curiosity, do any of you happen to carry your Camebak for the sole purpose of GIVING YOUR DOGS WATER? I take it on long runs for myself but when I take the dogs out for anything more than 3 miles they get super thirsty.  This way I can squeeze a stream of water out and they lap it up like it’s running out of a hose!

The dogs were SO tired when we got back to the house.  They haven’t seen 5.5 miles in a long time (Riley our Weim is almost 10, Rascal our min-pin is 7).  But I didn’t get them out for the Friday wog so I wanted them to get a little extra.

Of course I had my OTHER magic potion for breakfast, a green smoothie!

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This one turned out EXTRA green didn’t it?  It had a whole mango (cut into chunks before adding to the blender), a big fistful of spinach, 2 clementines, alfalfa sprouts, and 1/2 of an English cucumber.   (Joan, my gardening friend, why are these “English” cucumbers?  Do you know?)  I should add that most of my green smoothies start out with 8 oz of water and no ice, just in case you are making these at home.  :)

By lunch time I was seriously craving some hummus.  My friends know I refer to myself as the Hummus-Holic.  If I am supposed to bring something to a party, I like to bring hummus and baked pita chips.  My mission on my upcoming roadtrip is to get my mom to love hummus.  She and MSP eat very similarly, and if HE will eat hummus, surely she will like it.  She thinks she doesn’t.   But I know better  ;)

I make my own hummus when I have a few minutes, because they charge WAY too much for hummus at the store.  My version has a can of garbanzo beans, drained but reserving the liquid to use during blending, cumin, fresh garlic, a smidgeon of roasted sesame oil, olive oil and sea salt.  Mmmm.  So good.  I ate it with some celery, cucumber, orange pepper and the wonkiest baby carrots I’ve ever seen.  (They taste fine, but look at them!  They look all shriveled and dry!)

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And no, I did not eat the whole dish of hummus.  I did restrain myself and save a little for later!

While I was on my hummus kick, I made some HB eggs to have in the fridge and also made some of these in the oven:

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CHICKPEANUTS!!!  I read about them in “The Flexitarian Diet” so I had to try them.  They are baked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and they come out kind of hard like a peanut!  Crazy!I put them in a dish to snack on during the day.   I’ll have to try making these again though and NOT put them in the dish because as the day went on they seemed to soften.  So maybe I need to keep them on the flat pan longer.  I did follow the recipe to a “T”.  But overall this was a fun little snack to make!

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After that I spent most of the afternoon writing yesterday’s novel of a post.  :)   So after all that talk about cheese, I decided that I wanted to make my own little “wine bar dinner” so I ran (OK I drove) to the liquor store for a bottle of this (recommended by their staff):

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And paired it with my “cheese flight” (Manchego Sheep Cheese and Naked Goat raw goat cheese with JJ Flats 7 grain flatbread crackers and a handful of chickpeanuts):

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I ate every last bite and I was full for the rest of the night.  Didn’t even need a snack while we were watching a rented movie.

Do you hear that?  Off in the distance?  It’s a chocolate chip muffin calling my name!  I better go get it!  Have a fantastic Sunday!  See you next time!

– Shari B. =)

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