A gr8 Saturday!

I had one of the BEST Saturday’s I’ve had in a really long time.  What did I do you ask?  Well, nothing really fancy, no fun events or anything special.  It was just one of those days that I did a bunch of stuff that I wanted to do without a care in the world. I didn’t stress over getting my todo list checked off and really just went with the flow.

My day started off with The Husband bringing me a nonfat decaf latte on his way over to help his friend install a fence.  I saved the latte to drink during my Weight Watcher meeting.  My meeting was so awesome.  My FAVORITE substitute leader was there – she has so much energy and looks amazing.  I want to be like her 🙂 But, even more inspiring, there was a 77 year old lady who reached 83 lbs lost!!! How amazing is that?? Seriously, if she can do it, I can do it!

After my meeting, I snacked on a mini apple from my parents apple tree.

 

Then, headed over to the Farmer’s Market (surprised – probably not!)   I LOVE going to the markets and go all the way up until they stop having them, then, go through withdrawals.  I have to admit, the market was looking pretty scarce, but, I managed to scout out some good finds.

New to me CANARIO beans – 2+ lbs worth!  They are supposed to be like navy, pinto or kidney beans.  I am soaking some now to make Molasses Baked Beans in the crockpot.  I’ll let you all know what I think.  

 

An organic pumpkin & butternut squash! 

 

A fun YELLOW WATERMELON!

 

The inside is YELLOW and don’t laugh, but sorta tastes like root beer to me 🙂

Cherry Tomatoes!

The smallest bunch of cilantro I’ve ever bought & bok choy.

 

Squash-i-ness!

 

White Corn!

 

After my fun trip to the market, I headed over to Barnes & Nobles.  This was totally another highlight of my day.  I spent some time sitting in the sunshine browsing a bunch of magazines and books deciding what to buy.  I did read Tina’s article in Shape and picked up two magazines that had me drooling over their recipes and pictures.

I also picked up the cookbook I’ve been waiting for to come in ~ Tosca Reno’s latest Eat Clean Cookbook.

The table of contents doesn’t do it justice – seriously – there are some awesome recipes with tons of pictures in there.  I cannot wait to make some!

When I got home I noticed my neighbors pomegranate tree….I pondered how I could talk her into giving me all those pomegranates 😀

Since I didn’t have much for breakfast, I was STARVING.  I had stopped at Trader Joe’s on my way home and picked up stuff to make a Pita Pizza!

Here is a BIG TIP on how to make your pita pizza seem like 4 pieces of pizza!  Cut your pita in half so you have TWO big circles and top with your sauce. 

 

Add your favorite toppings.  I chose Canadian bacon, pineapple. low-fat mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan.  Bake at 400 for 7 minutes until your cheese is all melty.

 

Enjoy as is or cut into 4 slices to have 4 pieces of pizza for 4-8 Weight Watcher Points depending on your toppings.  I LOVE these and they really do taste just like the real deal.

 

1 Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Tortilla (2 WWP)

1/4 c Pizza Sauce (0 WWP)

3 slices Trader Joe’s Healthy Turkey bacon, chopped (1 WWP)

1/2 c pineapple (.5 WWP)

1 oz Low-Fat Mozzarella, finely shredded (2 WWP)

1/2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese (.5 WWP)

Bake at 400 for 7 minutes and enjoy!  Makes 1 serving.

When I was at Trader Joe’s I picked up stuff to make salad.  I had no idea that the organic blend I bought was an Herbed Salad Mix.  OMG ~ I am SO GLAD I bought this without knowing it. The fresh herbs in it are amazing ~ they add a whole new level of flavor to your average salad.  It reminded me alot of the herbed salad they served at BlogHERFood09.

 

My salad included the Herbed Salad Mix and sprinkles of TJ’s Berry Blend, Roasted Sliced Almonds and a little shaved parmesan.  I topped it with another favorite TJ’s Dressing ~ The Cranberry Walnut Gorgonzola.

Love the STATS too!  I actually like their entire line of low-fat fridge section dressings – they are probably my favorite bottled dressings out there.

You can see the big chunks of walnuts and cheese in it.  Oh and it doesn’t taste like stinky cheese either or I wouldn’t eat it 😀

I spent the afternoon in Pike’s Place test kitchen (the name my friend gave our kitchen – love it!)  I whipped up some Healthy Home Made Pumpkin Butter that does not use white sugar or pectin.  (Recipe coming soon – either tonight or tomorrow). 

Since I wanted to see how it compared to the real deal, I did a taste test comparison of Trader Joe’s jarred pumpkin butter vs my homemade version on Nature’s Pride 12 Oat Bread.

TJ’s on the left, Mine on the right!

I couldn’t decide because I LOVED them both!  So, I took some over to The Husband’s Mom and she ate it straight up.  Then, the unthinkable happened!  The Husband who does not like pumpkin tried them out too!!! Shocker!  We all agreed that they are good, but, the homemade version was SO MUCH BETTER!  TJ’s was more clove like and super sweet, while the homemade version was more pumpkin-y, cinnamon-y and vanilla-y.  MMMMM, I can’t wait to gobble it up and maybe bake with it!  I am so excited it turned out so well!

After the Pumpkin challenge, I headed over to Target to pick up a few things.  I have been brainstorming Halloween ideas for decorating our office since we are having a contest at work.  As I was perusing, I had to laugh when I noticed that they have CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS out already right behind the HALLOWEEN ones.  Look closely – so funny!

I worked up an appetite shopping so I had a little snack when I got home.  1 c watermelon/cantaloupe.

 

Plus a handful of lightly salted cashews.

 

I LOVED my lunchtime salad so much that I made it up again for dinner, only this time I remembered the tomatoes I forgot to include last time…..MMMM! I am LIVING all the fresh herbs!

I whipped up a quick batch of Shrimp Scampi over Farfalle Pasta.  I thought that I was using a fun new pasta shape when I bought the farfalle, but, guess what – it’s just another name for Bow Tie Pasta LOL.

 

All together I had 12 shrimp for 6 pts with 1 c of WW Farfalle Pasta for 4 pts.

 

I am not sure if I’ll have dessert tonight or night.  If I want something, I am thinking more of that Cantaloupe/Watermelon with some Whipped Cream.

I think we might watch a movie tonight ~ The Poker Club or Mummies are our choices.  Can you tell who picked them out?! LOL.

Alright all ~ have a great night!  I now officially owe you TWO recipes, maybe THREE by the weekends end. Coming soon…..at some point this weekend 🙂