Home & Garden Show=New Gadgets ~ FUN!
Hiya all! I am soooooo SAD that my long weekend is over, but, it was definitely a FUN weekend. I think sometimes I need to just plan a break from myself – give myself ONE day of nothingness because somehow I almost always manage to fill every minute. This weekend was no different.
We had a blast on Saturday meeting my parents for lunch, then, at the Home & Garden Show then dinner. I honestly think The Husband is turning into my parents because well, he LOVES those shows, just like them. I have to admit though, it was interesting for probably the first time in my life 
Sunday was supposed to be my relaxation day, but, I managed to fill my day with grocery shopping, Home Depot trip with The Husband, NEW RUNNING SHOES for me (well, they had to be ordered, out of stock 
) and lots of food prep. I cannot wait to try out and share the WW CROCK POT recipes I whipped up today.
Now, it’s time to get down to business, catch you all up and hopefully leave myself a little bit of relaxation time
SATURDAY
I had really good intentions of actually DRINKING the Tall Latte we picked up for breakfast, but, I forgot about it as we chatted on our drive up to meet my parents ~ oops.
So, my day basically began with lunch at Dos Coyotes! I LOVE this place ~ it is probably one of the places I miss the most since moving.
I hit up the salsa bar to start……
Sipped on my Tropical Ice Tea ~ LOVED this tea!
Then, the salad I’ve been dreaming of all week long appear and it was BIGGER THAN MY HEAD! The YucaTan Chicken Salad is filled with awesomeness!
“Charbroiled chicken breast on green leaf lettuce, red onion, carrot, sweet peppers, cabbage & corn in Southwest vinaigrette served on a flour tortilla with fruit salsa and chipotle cream.”
It’s 10 pts for the salad w/o the tortilla (14 with). You could possibly save on points by not getting the chipotle cream or the tortilla strips. I managed to get through about 2/3’s of my salad with a few bites of the tortilla – SO GOOD!
This is what my Garden Box is going to look like when it’s all done and flourishing with what I grow 
Crazy Magic Beans that actually grow with writing on them.
How weird is that?! They say they are edible but I’d be scared
Fun signs….I totally wanted these two for FUN!
I had total VITA-MIX envy when I saw them whip up smoothies, soup and ice cream. OMG – I TOTALLY WANT ONE NOW!!! I think I NEED to review one! LOL…ok, well, a girl can always dream….I still LOVE My Magic bullet though
I NEVER knew that you could be WHOLE FRUIT in there CORE and all.
I sampled the fruit smoothie concoction and it rocked!
Plus some Mock Pina Colada Cheesecake Ice Cream ~ I couldn’t get paste the ingredients he used (they had transfats, high fructose corn syrup, etc) so I gave it to The Husband because well he eats anything .
I bought some fun new sauces to play with and The Husband’s FAVORITE marinated mushrooms.
He paid it forward by picking me up this super cool Blogging Heros book for only $5 – SCORE!
I think this is what I am MOST excited about. These little ceramic dishes are made in Spain and imported.
This is a spice mill – you can finely ground or course grind any dried herb or fresh rosemary or time. Ohhhh they also used it for crushed red pepper flakes too!
This is probably the COOLEST grater I’ve ever seen ~ first because you can’t grate your hands up and second because it grates everything EASILY. Parmesan, chocolate, garlic, ginger, nuts….EVERYTHING!
It comes as a set with a cute little brush and a garlic clove skin remover.
After all that walking, we worked up an appetite We ended up going to the Buggy Whip for dinner. I LOVE the name ~ it makes me think it’s all old fashioned and such.
I LOVE that they put lights up all year round too!
You get a TON of food for your moolah! I started off with a slice of wheat bread.
Then, we had the second course of a delicious minestrone soup. I think I could’ve made a meal of just this soup.
Third course ~ salad with ranch on the side. I was craving Ranch so I went with it…I used my fork and dipped to eat it with each bite. By doing that I ate only 1/3 of the container.
Fourth Course ~ steak & scampi with a baked potato. I actually ordered the combo to give The Husband my steak (I just wanted the SHRIMP). I did have about 2 oz of steak too. It was all pretty tasty.
SUNDAY
I woke up today wanting something for breakfast but not really knowing what to eat. Do you all ever get like that? What is your quick goto I don’t know what to eat thing?
I finally decided to whip up a MOCK CINNAMON ROLL!!!
1 Earth Grains Whole Wheat Thin
1 Laughing Cow Lite Wedge
Freshly Ground Cinnamon Chips
ORGANIC RAW Agave Nectar
This was SO AWESOME and totally a random breakfast of everything that sounded good….Not too bad for 2 pts
I added a Perfectly Hard Boiled Egg for 2 pts of protein.
Mid morning I snacked on a 1 pt low fat Colby cheese square.
Working on my MISSION TO CLEAR THE FREEZER, I whipped up an AWESOME VEGETABLE GYOZA WITH EDAMAME SOYCATASH for 5 pts a serving! This recipe is a FAST and EASY favorite that I tried during my Vegan Adventures. It is from Vegetarian Times Mag and it only takes like 10-15 minutes from start to finish – I LOVE recipes like that. You can click HERE for the recipe.
I had a Blood Orange on the side that my mom brought us from my grandma’s tree. So fun to eat since they are so vibrant….sweet like an orange, tart like a grapefruit.
Afternoon snack was MY FAVORITE Milk Chocolate ~ DOVE Caramel filled Milk Chocolates. (4 pts)
I couldn’t wait to break out my two new sauces so dinner tonight was built around them. I used the Chipotle Apple Brandy Marinade (like a spicy Jack Daniels sauce) on Chicken.
Then, I used the Whisky Pepper Steak Sauce (like a sweet & spicy A-1) on Tri Tip Steaks.
I will be the first to admit, some things in life you just LOVE! Pasta Roni is one thing I grew up on and I LOVE it. I do not really buy it as an adult since it has transfats however, I was excited to see that they have come out with a Nature’s Way version that has REAL ingredients and isn’t all processed with NO Transfats!!.
6 pts a serving, not bad!
SO GOOD! I LOVE doughy, gooey pasta….I think i could’ve eaten the whole box
2 pts of Tri Tip Steak deliciousness!
I burned my chicken I think I should’ve used the pan method to grill it *sigh* next time! 2 pts
Southern Greens sautéed with a little EVOO, garlic, sea salt and pepper. Then, steamed in chicken broth ~ YUM! 0 pts
Dinner was awesome, but, I was STILL hungry after. I hate spending 10 pts on a meal and still being hungry.
So…I whipped up a COCONUT CARAMEL BANANA SUNDAE for 2 pts!
1 small banana sliced
1 Tbsp Mrs. Richardson’s Caramel, heated and drizzled
Sprinkle of Unsweetened Organic Coconut
FF Whipped Cream
Sprinkles
I LOVED this….I definitely need to make “banana ice cream” next time to do this with, but, it worked fantastic when you wanted something sweet. I may or may not have licked the plate clean
I hope you all had a fantastic weekend too. I am off to relax before the busy work week starts!
Night all!
I AM Loved!
Happy Saturday all! Did you all think I had abandoned you for “How-To’s” and “Recipes” only? No worries, I didn’t. Sometimes I have so many things I want to share with you all but I don’t have time to do that with my recaps too. So I improvise – I post the extras I want to share and play catch up later. Plus, sometimes it gives me a chance to breathe a little versus getting overwhelmed with all I want to share. I still have a few more extra posts to share so hopefully you all will get the bonus plan this weekend too with more extras
Ok, let’s get down to business with a little backtracking.
THURSDAY
I woke up craving a savory eggwich. I whipped up this eggwich in less than 10 minutes and for /12 the points of a certain eggwich you’d get if you bought it.
I took 1 Morning Star Veggie Sausage for 2 pts.
Then, I added a “fried” egg on top of two slices of TJ’s FF Multi-Grain Bread.
And devoured my 6 point sandwich on my way into work ~ so, so good, I know all the drivers passing me were all jealous at my eggwich as they drove by 
My protein eggwich did an awesome job at keeping me full for 4 hours. It was raining once again outside (booo!) but I needed to get out of the office. So, I decided to head to Panda Express for lunch and blogging. Yes, I am a total multi-tasker and honestly I CRAVE their veggies….could be worse, right?
3 pt side of mushroom chicken
Plus a side of their NEW not fried Fire chicken ~ estimated 3-4 pts.
All together my lunch completely rocked and I’d say did an awesome job at helping me to check off those veggie and protein healthy guidelines
Ok, so let me confess, I had an ulterior motive. It’s been forever since I’ve have Froyo and well it’s right next door to Panda! I mixed up the BEST combination of 1 c Fat Free Froyos ~ Boysenberry, Pineapple and Vanilla with sprinkles and a couple yogurt chips. I LOVE that FF froyo is 4 pts for a cup (I know I won’t get the 1/2 cup serving so I am honest and go for the full cup).
Total bonus ~ the Over The Top Shop peeps gave me a 10% off coupon for next time – woohoo!!!
They had a celebration at work for the January birthdays but I was so content with my lunchtime treats. I found a new secret way to avoid eating cake though ~ Serve it up to everyone and they won’t notice you didn’t take any
When I got home I had yet another birthday package ~ Seriously, you all amazed me…I am SOOO LOVED! The super sweet Jasmine from Sweet a& Fit sent me a Pink Birthday package. I LOVE how she wrapped it and mailed it in birthday wrapping paper.
HOLY SURPRISE!!! Jasmine, You amaze me. I cannot believe that she baked me a ton of treats, plus tea, plus chocolate (including my new favorite!)
Oatmeal raisin bars (which might be my new favorite thing!) & butterscotch cookies!
Plus banana bread squares ~ i LOVE banana nut everything!
Fun tea and FAVORITE chocolates! I am super excited to try everything.
The Husband said we could each share a few to try….since he knew I could totally spoil my dinner on cookies I had a bite of this caramelly butterscotch cookie – so good!
The, 1/4 of these fully loaded Oatmeal Raisin Bars. OMG ~ they are so chewy, buttery and melt in your mouth. Jasmine you are seriously an AWESOME baker! Thank you so much, I honestly LOVE everything. I did put 2/3 of everything in the freezer so I can make it all last awhile and not have it go to my rear
I also received another package from Mrs. Dash in honor of National Salt Reduction month. Fun, I LOVE having new spices and herbs to play with.
For dinner I was craving MORE veggies, in particular a Mary’s Pizza Shack salad. I LOVE this salad. The Husband wanted to eat out too so it worked out perfectly.
With our salads they brought out some cheesy garlic bread. YUM! I actually resisted a bit…
And had that piece on the end you see without really any butter or cheese on it.
We ordered the Couples special where we each get soup/salad, drink, bread and then share spaghetti with meatballs for $20 – cheap, huh?
Since I wasn’t super hungry, I had a little pasta, a bite of the meatball and my piece of garlic bread. And…..The Husband ate the REST
I LOVE ending the work week without having to cook I was pretty pumped all day since Thursday was my Friday and I had a long 3-day weekend ahead – yeah!
******************************************************************************************************
FRIDAY
Do you all find as much as you try that you cannot sleep in that much on the weekends? I am such am morning person, I was up bright and early at 6 am to start my day – Fun
I have been CRAVING real homemade pancakes ever since I saw Janetha make her Blueberry Pancakes in celebration of National Blueberry “Pancake” day.
Since I happen to have a little extra low-fat buttermilk on hand from a guest post recipe I recently made, I whipped up a batch of Cooking Light’s Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes. The recipe can be found on myrecipes.com by clicking HERE.
I LOVE that you can “hide” the whole wheat taste by using 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white flours. The Husband NEVER notices the whole wheat when I do this.
I used Trader Joe’s ~ Baker Joe’s 100% Whole Wheat Flour. Is it just me or do you all LOVE how Trader Joe’s gives their products funny names, like Baker Joe’s or Mexican food is Trader Jose, Chinese food is Trader Ming’s etc? It’s so funny to me
Since my regular whisk was dirty, I FINALLY found a reason to use my Fancy New Whisk I got at the FoodBuzz Blogger Festival. So cool!
The batter turns out perfectly thick/thin.
I added 2 tsp PURE Vanilla Extract and 1 Tbsp Organic Maple Flakes to the Cooking Light Recipe. I will see if I can have Maple Flakes added to My Open Sky Shop….I’ll let you all know when and if I can….They ROCK!
The secret to knowing when to flip your pancakes is when they have bubbles on top and they are slightly browned on the edges.
I LOVED how fluffy the got ~ I seriously felt like a pancake pro!
Served up with a little Whipped Butter (1/2 Tbsp for 1 pt) plus a 1 Tbsp Drizzle of Warmed PURE Maple Syrup (1 pt)
YUM ~ I totally want to have these all over again. So glad I froze the extras to have on another day I CRAVE pancakes.
After breakfast we did a quick 2 mile loop (or square according to my Cardio Trainer). Then, I filled my afternoon up working my todo list – it felt AWESOME to get so many things done I’ve been wanting to get done. Lunch was FAST and made up of things we had on hand in an effort to use up the pantry/freezer.
BIG baby broccoli steamed and sprinkled with garlic salt (0 pts).
Annie’s ~ Simply Organic M&C. You know, this is my least favorite flavor and it was running versus creamy and not as cheesy like the shells. (5 pts) I still ate it all though I heart M&C cheese!
Homemade Cheaters Buffalo Nuggets = Trader Joe’s Baked Chickenless Tenders tossed in hot sauce….(4 for 2 pts x 2)
Then dipped in Annie’s Organic Ketchup. Pretty tasty but I wish they got crispier.
The Husband worked on my Garden Box in the afternoon while I worked on our taxes It’s getting so close to being done, I CANNOT wait to start planting stuff. I am totally ready for spring to start already
We headed out to an early Matinee to watch Edge of Darkness. We both thought it was REALLY good and has some intense parts. I can’t say I am a huge fan of Mel Gibson, but, he did some great Lethal Weapon type acting and I LOVE movies that make you jump in your seat.
After the movie we headed over to MS Tasty for some more of THIS….
I honestly think I could eat plates and plates of her vegetables. I don’t know how she does it, but, they are cooked so simple ~ garlic, black pepper, salt or soy sauce ~ perfect crunchy and delicious.
Ok ~ I’ll spare you all the fun of how today went down…It was a FUN day spent with my parents, but I am completely ready to relax now.
See you all tomorrow for a Weekend Recap. Night!
Caribbean Citrus & Beet Salad with a “How-To”
I never used to like beets at all until I tried them roasted. I know it’s obvious that FRESH beets should be better than canned beets, but, wow ~ what a HUGE difference it makes to have fresh, crunchy beets versus the soggy canned versions. Roasting beets brings out their sweetness and I think gives them a tab bit of a nutty flavor.
This recipe was inspired by the BEST Beet & Orange Salad I’ve ever had at Mammarella’s. They serve up HUGE beets with pistachios, mixed greens and a fantastic citrus dressing. I always add a little grilled chicken for protein and it makes a complete meal.
Who knew that I could make a version at home that has FANTASTIC stats and is only 6 points a serving. Roasting beets is really easy so I’ve included a How-To at the end of this recipe to show you all you do not have to be scared to make your own. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do
CARIBBEAN CITRUS & BEET SALAD
SALAD:
8 cups Organic Romaine Lettuce, chopped
2 beets, roasted and cut into cubes (one yellow & one red beet) ~ see below
2 oranges, segmented
4 Tbsp blueberries, optional
4 Tbsp shelled pistachios
1 lb chicken breast sprinkled with Mrs. Dash Caribbean Citrus Spice & Grilled, sliced
4 tsp shaved parmesan
DRESSING:
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 orange, juiced, approximately 1/4 c
1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Roast your beets as noted below. While your beets are roasting, grill your Caribbean Citrus Chicken and prepare all vegetables.
2. Create 4 salads by layer your salad starting with 2 cups Romaine, 1/4 beets, 1/4 orange segments, 1 Tbsp pistachios and blueberries, 4 oz grilled chicken and ending with 1 Tbsp parmesan.
3. Drizzle each salad with 2 Tbsp dressing. Enjoy!
Makes 4 LARGE salads
Approximate Nutritional information per salad, calculated using sparkrecipes.com:
Calories 310.4, Total Fat 9.7 g, Saturated Fat 1.9 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 3.5 g, Monounsaturated Fat 3.6 g, Cholesterol 67.0 mg, Sodium 220.1 mg, Potassium 1,229.7 mg, Total Carbohydrate 24.6 g, Dietary Fiber ,7.8 g, Sugars 10.9 g, Protein 32.9 g
HOW TO ROAST BEETS
WHAT YOU NEED:
Beets, I used two large beets I picked up at Whole Foods
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Sea Salt & Pepper, if desired
Foil
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and prepare a cookie sheet with a layer of foil or parchment paper.
1. Rinse/scrub your beets to remove any residual dirt. Trim the stem and and the bottom so that it can stand up on its own.
2. Place two layers of foil down and place your prepare beet on top. Drizzle with 1 tsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
3. Drizzle with 1 tsp balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper if desired.
4. Wrap your beet up tightly in the foil to make sure it seals and will steam as it roasts. Repeat this for your second beet.
5. Place on your prepared cookie sheet and roast for 20-60 minutes depending on the size of your beets. Since I had large beets, I roasted them for 60 minutes. You should be able to poke with a fork and have it be soft yet crunchy.
6. Allow your beets to cool then carefully unwrap them. You may with to wear gloves for this next part. Use a paper towel to rub the skin off the outside and it should come off fairly easily.
Perfectly roasted deliciousness!!!
7. Slice your beets into circles and quarter. They are awesome straight up or in salads such as the Caribbean Citrus and Beet Salad above.
RED BEET!
Golden Beet!
All together with my FAVORITE new salad. Super easy, right?
See, I think this salad totally deserves it’s own post, what do you think?
We both have the day off ~ woohoo! I am hopefully doing a little blog catch up, taxes and having some fun too this weekend. Off to enjoy the sunshine and maybe a movie!
Have a great Friday all!
Sponsors
MY OPEN SKY SHOP
Just a few of my favorite things
