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!
Get a room!
Happy Monday all! WOW, you all really LOVE mashed AVOCADO and Nachos! I have to agree though, mashed avocado can seriously make any meal go from drab to fab! I HEART AVOCADO on just about anything. I will make sure I get that Nacho-Riffic Recipe up for you all this week too
I woke up craving pancakes but I didn’t want the homemade kind ~ I wanted the kind out of the box ~ wierd. So, I browsed the shelf and remembered we had Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pancake Mix!!!
Stats!
I actually measured out 1/3 c of the dry mix, 1 egg white and 3 Tbsp FF Milk (no buttah!)
Topped with 1 Tbsp TJ’s Organic PURE Maple Syrup (if you heat it for 10 seconds, it spreads further so you use less), 1/2 banana and a sprinkle of Unsweetened Organic Coconut. Total points bargain for 5 pts.
Plus some, eh, ok, decaf Hazelnut Coffee.
Mid morning, I snacked on a Perfect Hard Boiled Egg. 2 pts.
I was sitting at my desk debating what to do for lunch ~ do I stay in and blog since I owe you all a ton of things or do I head outside in the rain for my 3.5 mile run. As I was pondering, my phone rang…..*ring, ring*. It was The Husband.
* Husband “whatcha doin’?”
* Me “debating what to do for lunch (reiterate my debate above”
* Husband “ oh, well, I was wondering if you wanted to go to lunch with me because I am outside your office right now”
Um, ya, he drove out there to surprise me since he was restless with nothing to do since it’s raining outside LOL. He actually had an ulterior motive since I know he wanted to play poker at the card room down the street
We headed off to Buckhorn’s Grill ~ “The BEST Place on the Planet for Tri Tip”. He LOVES their Tri-tip sandwiches and I LOVE their salad.
Since it was pouring rain outside, we headed to the Fireside Room.
Even though we didn’t sit next to the fire, it STILL makes you feel warmer being by it.
I ordered the Yik Yak Salad plus chicken ~ “An oriental salad with south of the border flair; a crisp mix of greens, cabbages, jicama, red peppers, snow peas, tossed with sweet sesame dressing & topped with toasted almonds”
I don’t ever eat the tortilla but usually try a bite.
We had finished lunch and were chatting it up when the conversation goes like this.
* Husband “ We should totally get a room, just don’t go back to work and get a room with me”
* Me “ WHAT?! Laughing…you’re funny since we live like 10 miles away”
* Husband “Ok, well….wanna go home?”
* Then, he is like “well, OK, since you won’t go with me I guess I will just HAVE TO go play poker”
He is such a clown ~ like he needed an “excuse” to go play LMAO. Maybe he is thinking of Valentine’s day already.
As he drove me back to our office without ANY stops for those wondering , we saw the coolest BUGGY BUS! (That’s what I call them)
I LOVE Napa ~ you really do get a BIG mix of people.
I wasn’t hungry this afternoon, but, I wanted something sweet so I had some TJ’s Power Berries x’s 2.
I attempted to get in a run when I got home but my back wasn’t cooperating 
I started off with a 5 minute warm up walk then within 5 steps of jogging, my back was hurting. So, I figured, fine, I’ll just walk….that didn’t work either. I was so bummed because mentally my head was there and ready to go, but, my back didn’t want any part of it.
I read in today’s comments from Sarah W that she LOVES Tiger Balm and it worked wonders at making her feel better. I headed out to Target to pick some up (ironically you can only buy it at the Target pharmacy since Target doesn’t sell it. Not sure how that works?!) Thanks Sarah!!!
I got a 20 minute massage a la The Husband with this stuff so that may make it worth the $$ right there OH and the fact that he keeps passing me up growling like a Tiger when he smells me LMAO. So far my back is loving it even if I do smell Big Red Gum.
I whipped up quick Taco Salads using the Nacho-riffic Leftovers.
*Romaine
* 1/2 c TJ’s sweet white corn
* Cucumber
* Carrots
* Cherry Tomatoes
* Taco/Bean Mix
* Low fat Sharp Cheese
* AVOCADO!!!
* Jalapeños
* Big dollop of 0% Greek Yogurt
* Crumble of Baked Tostidos
* Salsa
OH and The ever comical Husband added 1 of his Chili Cheese Fritos for color He’s so funny today!
It’s almost SCANDALOUS BACHELOR time!!! I have been waiting ALL WEEK to watch tonight’s episode since he actually doesn’t want to give out all the roses…….I wonder what “scandal” happened THIS time
Hasta Manana! NIte all!
Sometimes a title can’t say it all
Today felt like the LONGEST day ever because I think I officially have a case of vacationitis! I am totally ready to be on a warm beach, soaking in some Vitamin D……Ahhh, 3 days togo and of course a ton to do! The Husband has been rockin’ his todo list around the house. I had to share with you all the update on our garage ~ he finished ALOT of it this weekend.
Our Garage A.K.A The Husband’s Workshop ~ BEFORE:
And AFTER!!! He has it almost finished, just a few more trims and touch up on the top. He worked his bootie off to have this done before we go ~ doesn’t he do awesome work???
He had me snap those in our freezing 38 degree temps this morning to share. I wanted something warm for breakfast when we came inside so I finally decided to open my box of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pancake mix I’ve had forever. Normally I’d make my own, but, somehow ended up with an extra box after I hosted The Great Pumpkin Giveaway ~ oops!
Stats!
E-Z Prep! I used FF milk, 3 egg whites and 1 Tbsp butter to lighten it up a bit.
Topped with a little whipped butter, PURE maple syrup, banana and unsweetened organic coconut snowballs (it was so cold, the coconut froze too )
The batter is pretty runny but they totally fluff up when you cook them. These pancakes are super delish – like a moist pumpkin muffin. Next time I’d add some ground flax seed, walnuts and possibly coconut extract too.
This little pumpkin wanted in on the action since today was the last day for their appearance I am so sad we had to compost The Pumpkin family since we can’t leave them while we cruise the Caribbean.
Mid morning I had the last of my TJ’s Spicy Hummus with a lite (ONE POINT!) TJ’s String cheese and Kashi Original 7-grain crackers. This is still by far my FAVORITE snack at the moment of course!
Lunch was a NEW recipe I whipped up yesterday that I will be sharing this week as well.
Butter Bean Sausage & Kale Soup
I used Jennie-O’s Spicy Lean Hot Italian Sausage and it really made the flavor of this soup ~ it’s AWESOME and just 4 Weight Watcher Points per 1 1/2 cups – yahoo!
When I got home I was surprise to see a package waiting for me on the door step from the folks at Healthy Choice. They sent me a little Thank You package for taking time to talk to them at BlogHERFood09. Thanks HC ~ it was great talking to you all and I am glad to see you all are creating a line of Natural Products with ingredients I can recognize. Fun!
FUN MAIL #2 I was completely PUMPED about ~ The Latest Edition of Cooking Light Magazine (Thanks, Time, Inc!)! This is by far one of my FAVORITE mags because they have such AMAZING pictures that make me drool and well, I LOVE all of their recipes and make them often
Check out some of the cool features in the November issue ~ you all seriously will want to pick this up if you plan on cooking for Turkey day. So many great things….where to start.
10 Tips for Your Easiest Thanksgiving Dinner Ever (p. 66) – The perfect holiday meal takes a lot of preparation and hard work. Cooking Light offers tips to make the day easier and the food delicious. Tips include:
* Make sides on the stovetop to save time and oven space.
* Cook the stuffing separate from the turkey. Baking it inside often causes the turkey to overcook.
* If you can, splurge on a fresh turkey instead of frozen. They are juicer and have better texture.
New Uses For Thanksgiving Leftovers (p. 74) – If you find yourself with too many Thanksgiving leftovers, try these fun and unique uses for traditional ingredients: Cranberry Sauce and Jalapeno Corn Muffins, Potato Pancakes with Green Onion and Swiss, and Turkey Wontons.
The Holiday Cookbook (p. 119) – Cooking Light offers recipes for every type of holiday gathering: Starters, drinks, main courses, sides, extras and desserts.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner in Los Angeles (p. 48) – Recreate some LA-inspired meals with fresh ingredients and international flavors. Recipes include: Banana-Agave Smoothie, Carne Asada Taco with Avocado Pico de Gallo, and Spaghetti with Caramelized Onion and Radicchio. I am all over that smoothie and those tacos!!!
The Best Thanksgiving Wines (p.54) – Confused over which wines you should serve with your Thanksgiving feast? Cooking Light offers four great options: Beaujolais, Riesling, Chianti and Shiraz.
Ok, I’ll stop and get onto dinner. It’s an AWESOME issue ~ perusing it B4 dinner may not have been a good idea Continuing with my veggie cravings, I whipped up a quick Veggie/Sausage Pasta Toss.
* Whole Wheat Farfalle ~ Butterfly Pasta!!!, prepared and stirred in at the end.
* Trader Joe’s Apple Chicken Sausage (made with PURE Maple Syrup!), sliced, cooked, set aside then added at the end.
All sautéed together:
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 red onion, chopped
* Red, orange and yellow bell peppers, chopped
* Asparagus
* Mrs. Dash Sun Dried Tomato Basil Seasoning
* Pink Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
* A few pinches of crushed red pepper flakes
Really simple, easy and delish!
That’s all I have for tonight ~ see, how can you pick a title for all of that?!
I promise the two soup recipes will appear soon ~ one tomorrow (while we are getting our massages!!!) and one on Wednesday, while I am getting my hair done. Yeah – 3 days and counting!
Must…..go……. pack!
Nite all!
Sponsors
MY OPEN SKY SHOP
Just a few of my favorite things
