Random Thought Tuesday

This morning started off right with a green monster with vanilla protein powder, milk, cold coffee, 2 splendas and a dash of cinnamon and a bowl of Chobani Peach Greek Yogurt with mixed berries and Kashi Crunch

For lunch i had Sun Dried Tomato and Feta Meatloaf and a side salad with baby spinach, mushrooms,zucchini, avocado with Light Three Cheese Ranch

I got some food from my hippies—all of this for only $6! The red peppers were only $.89 each, at the supermarket they range from $1.49 to $1.99–each, not even per pound. Absolutely ridiculous.

Speaking of absolutely ridiculous, my volume is out of control this week at work. I am closing over 100+ trades a day, other people 20 to 30. Yesterday, I closed more than my entire team combined–that’s the work of four people that I am doing and then some. Another girl on my team is also busy and no one is offering to help however we always help the people with lower volume. We were chatting on IM and we are going to put down a list of concerns and go to our new manager. This is absolutely unfair that we have all this work to do, never take a break or lunch but the people on my team who have no work to do, do nothing all day.

For dinner, I made one serving of Annie’s Shells & White Cheddar since I have milk on hand. I always have half and half and almond milk but never the real stuff so when I do, I try to use it as much as possible so I don’t have to waste it. My green monsters have been tasting so yummy lately due to this.

I snacked on some turkey pepperoni while that was cooking

And guess who magically showed up?

I don’t know why but I took a picture of my fridge. I really need to clean this bad boy out soon before I move.

 How’s your look-fuller, emptier, more organized?

I served the shells and cheese with a Chick Fil A Chicken Sandwich (no bun) topped with their honey mustard….although I did make a mini pickle sandwich with a little piece of the bun. And it was fabulous, who knew? When I worked at Cracker Barrel in high school (three stars thank you very much) I would make sour dough, mustard and onion sandwiches b/c it was free and surprisingly good. What was I sayin? Oh, I served with a the chicken and cooked zucchini, mushrooms and onions in extra virgin olive oil, garlic and oregano

I threw some crushed red pepper flakes into the shells for a little umph!

Ok so I suck at math (pretty ironic since I work with numbers all day and rock at my job) and really didn’t calculate how much milk I should’ve used to mix with the cheese when making a single portion so the sauce was runny but still flavorful. I like thicker, creamier sauces (hence, the cellulite on my ass) so it wasn’t superb but think it would have turned out better if I made the entire package at once.

And what do you know, a little poodle-chihuahua was watching me like a hawk while I was trying to enjoy a nice dinner after I worked a long, hard day so I can pay the bills and provide a nice place for him to rest every day.

Random Thoughts

*There’s a dude who rides my bus who looks like Cooper from Centerstage!

* I wish breakfast sushi existed. I would be all over it and they could so so much—salmon, eggs, green onions, avocado, cucumbers—bacon!!! The possibilities are endless and I want to make it happen….like now.

*Speaking of bacon, I really want to try Bacon Vodka

*Speaking of vodka, I really want a sake bomb. I was talking with a co-worker today about sake (then proceeded to say Sake It To Me for an hour afterwards) and she didn’t know what a sake bomb was, which made me sad. But then again, she has two kids so I guess her main focus is her family and other boring stuff like that 🙂

*Speaking of sake, I really want sushi. And now y’all have an inside look into my thought process, I can keep going on and on like the Energizer Bunny, but I digress

* I just overheard a preview for the Cameron Diaz/Tom Cruise movie “Knight and Day” I kinda want to see this movie despite Tom being a total whack job. Anywho, they just said on the preview “Nothing brings strangers together like….” I completed the phrase with “Bacon Vodka” I think they should use it. That or “Pork The One Your With”

*My new tactic for keeping people away from me on the bus is to drink my green monster on the bus. People look at my in disgust while I am happily enjoying it on the ride in and no one wants to sit near me, I love it. I like to think of public transportation as my own personal limo service since I am paying taxes for it and all.

*Sometimes when I’m on the bus, I think about what would happen if we all were stranded on a desert island like Lost. I know it’s a bus and know clue how we would wind up on an island but I have a good idea who the Jack and Hurley roles go to. Still waiting for a Sawyer. And I don’t even know who I would be but I picture Jack ( I believe he’s really a financial analyst) saying “We got to live together….or die alone.

 Ummm, think that’s it for now. 3 weeks until I move—woo hoo!

Oink Oink

Yep, that pretty much sums up the past two days for me. My eating has been a tad off course with work getting busier which equals me being tired and cranky along with some family drama going on. I am not going to get into the drama because I spent last night dealing with it, crying for hours which resulted in puffy eyes today and just feeling drained. I am sure I am overreacting about this situation but last night, I cried for two hours last night and wrote in my journal about everything I was feeling–frustration, sadness, etc. and afterwards, that made me feel a tad better. But again, enough of that.

I started yesterday with a green monster with chocolate protein, coffee, baby spinach, almond milk and splenda. But I forgot the ice so it was a tad on the warm side….but still good!

After reading about April’s smoothie, I am absolutely convinced I need to buy Caramel Toffee Fudge Whey. There is no way that cannot taste good!

I had oats with peanut butter, raisins and unsweetened coconut flakes for breakfast

Lunch was a chicken salad pita with french fries from Showmars

Yum, I could eat this everyday.

I got home and didn’t have a plan for dinner but had some chicken defrosting in the fridge. I decided to make chicken cakes.

Chicken Cakes

8 to 10 oz boneless skinless chicken breast

1 egg

1/4 panko or breadcrumbs

1 tbsp mayo

1/4 cup onions

Salt, pepper (whatever seasonings you like, I also add garlic and chopped cilantro)

Throw onions and cilantro in food processor than add chicken

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl

Form into patties (I made three with these), heat 1 to 2 tbsp vegetable oil, place cakes on the pan and cook

I also had some sliced zucchini and mushrooms cooking on the stovetop with extra virgin olive oil, paprika, garlic salt, red pepper flakes and pepper

I was starving when this was cooking and was trying to hold off on snacking until it was done then I remembered reading Diana’s post yesterday about eating what you want and said eff it, I’m grabbing a small bowl of chips.

Soon enough, the patties were done and dinner time was here!

I grabbed some wing sauce and light ranch dressing to make it buffalo-eque on placed on a kaiser roll

Breakfast this morning was a Kashi Cookies and Cream Bar…..eaten on the bus so no pic, sorry! But this day was horrible, the puffy eyes were out and all the crying last night left my eyes so dry so my contacts were not working so well. I never wear my glasses outside the house so contacts it was and I was rubbing my eyes all day and felt like I couldn’t see. Talk about annoying. And we had three people out of the office…..on a team of six people so yeah. Not a fun day at all. I was even cussing like a truck driver when I was talking to people who I deal with….note…..I rarely cuss at work unless I am very pissed off or very very very very stressed. I had one guy email me telling me to take it easy this wk and not jump off a bridge. Eek! I am not that frustrated!

Lunch was another take out one from Showmars—-gyro and fries

That’s what I’m talking about! Next wk I will be planning better so I am not eating out yet again, this madness has got to stop ASAP. I hate spending money on lunch when I can eat it at home and have just been lazy in that field.

After I got off work (at a reasonable hour to boot), there was only one thing that could make me feel better. And his name is Trader Joe.

There once was a girl named Tiffany who lived in the land of North Carolina with her fur baby Lincoln. Tiffany had been trying to create new health goals for herself each month and one of Tiffany’s goals for the month of June was to cut back on cheese and dairy products.

Well, that goal is clearly out the window.

The first thing I did when I got home was cuddle with Lincoln who was absolutely psycho today. He was scratching at me, kissing me and just happy. It made me feel better. We went for a nice walk then I switched into my comfy clothes and glasses. Anyone else do this? I hate lounging around in business casual wear and when I am home for the evening, usually slip on some yoga pants and a tank top. But I always leave my ghetto baby girl big ass earrings on, go figure.

I made a meal I haven’t made in forever—pizza rolls!

Pizza Rolls

Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Pizza Dough ( I use about half of the package)

4 slices provolone

4 slices salami

Turkey Pepperoni

Ok, that’s the main ingredients so it is super easy to make and you can modify as you like. I cut the provolone and salami in half and then roll out the dough into thin strips. Top with provolone, salami and pepperoni then roll from one corner to the other and place on a greased cookie sheet. I then mix extra virgin olive oil, crushed red peppers, oregano and parmesan in a bowl and brush onto rolls before placing in the oven. Bake at 375 for 13 to 15 mins or until golden brown.

And a cold one to wash it down with!

The fur baby was watching the rolls very closely

I absolutely loved the World Cup Concert tonight–Shakira was my favorite performance and I need to catch some cames! Hope everyone’s having a fabulous start to the wknd!

What I liked About Today

It’s Friday! But au contraire Chris Tucker, I DO have a job and DO have shit to do! Can’t believe that movie is 15 years old, oh how time flies……and who would’ve thought Ice Cube went and pulled a Eddie Murphy and started doing all these family movies?  I guess no more f*** the police huh?

My Kashi Crunchy Bar that surprisingly kept me full throughout the morning

A gyro that was actually a gyro-as opposed to the crappy gyro wannabee I had last wk. And crinkle cut fries with it all for under $6? Sounds good.

A slow afternoon-it was nice and slow. I got to take a 20 minute coffee break and flipped through recipes a good part of the afternoon, nothing wrong with that.

Giving to the homeless-I was walking to catch my bus and this homeless man approached me and asked if I had cash or something to eat. I really don’t give anything to homeless people on the streets b.c I just don’t trust them. I know that sounds bad but I don’t. Instead, I donate to the Salvation Army and local food banks where I know it will be used. Anywho, this homeless guy was younger and hot (this right here is why I have problems with my love life, don’t worry I won’t date a homeless man. Men with jobs who I’ve dated have had issues with my job, pay and success, I can’t imagine how a homeless man would feel) I told him I had an apple and he graciously accepted. When I’ve offered food in the past, they just walk away (example A why I don’t trust the homeless) but it felt good knowing he took the apple. And he didn’t hurl it at me which is nice. Now if I could give them some of my half empty bottles of body splash from B&BW……

Arnold Palmer Lite-I never see this stuff on sale anymore and I went to CVS in hopes of getting a soda but nothing appealed to me…..and a 20 oz bottle being $1.69 may have had something to do with that. When the eff did it get that expensive?? That will definitely keep me from buying the soda.

Random Dinner-yet again, I had nothing planned for dinner. I had a pork chop defrosting in the fridge while I was at home but didn’t plan what to make. I usually plan out a few meals during the weekend for the upcoming week and have just sucked at this lately. I really need to look through my recipes and get on the ball. I cut up half a pork chop and cooked on the stove top along with zucchini, onions and peppers with extra virgin olive oil, pepper and garlic salt. While that was cooking, I found some pierogies in the freezer and fried those babies (not to be confused with Lincoln’s babies) up.

Nap time with Lincoln-after dinner I was exhausted. I hate commuting 2 hours a day and am over it. Luckily, one more month in ghetto apartment and then I will be 10 minutes from work. I didn’t take any pictures of nap time (because….um…I was sleeping) but Lincoln decided to revive nap time as I type. When I am typing and I am not paying attention to him, he pouts because I’m not rubbing his belly. I think he got the whole “It’s all about me” state of mine from me though 🙂

Caffeine drinking in the pm-without having to worry about work or waking up at 6A. I love it.

The wedding I’m going to tomorrow-I haven’t been to a wedding in almost two years. I don’t even know the people getting married but weddings are just exciting and fun….. except the bouquet toss, I absolutely hate that. I don’t like being called out because I am single and attention on me (but I pout like Lincoln when attention isn’t on me..hmmm) and I have a competitive side of me and am no holds barred so I really want to throw elbows and trip the other girls but don’t want to be that girl at the wedding. I have my outfit all ready (there will be pics)  and my fake name in place (Gina) in case I come across any creepers (given my track record, it wouldn’t be a surprise if I do).

With my caffeine high in place, I need to do laundry, wash dishes, take a shower (hello water consumption) and clean my place before I leave tomorrow morning. We are doing pool time at the hotel I’m staying at with my friend who’s in town and then wedding time is on. I also have to pack Lincoln’s stuff to go since he will be crashing with my friend and her dog.

Hope everyone has a fabulous wknd!!

The Green Meal

Literally dinner tonight was green. Not aqua but green-which I absolute love!

I was supposed to go out tonight but my stomach was hurting earlier today and therefore didn’t feel too social. But it’s all good because I got a lot accomplished later this evening!

I got a notice saying I had a package in the apartment complex office waiting for me and it was a Valentine’s Day package from my older sister in Indiana.

Mind you, I am 30 years old and she still sends me stuff. I love it though 🙂 Let’s check out the goodies….

Vanilla Creme Peeps—OMG! I so wanted to tear into these bad boys so bad but had some self-control (we will see how long that lasts)

 Heart shaped measuring spoons–how adorable!

She also sent me a necklace and pair of earrings she only wore once and she said they were more “me” than her-yes indeed. 🙂

I had to try on right away!!

I am in love ….with the necklace…..not myself (although I am pretty awesome!) 🙂

Snack was a Luna Cookie- Chocolate Mint

Grrr…..need to give myself a manicure before night end. Anywho, this was alot better than I expected. Not rubber-y at all as some bars are and the chocolate wasn’t too artificial. I got this bad boy on sale at Earthfare for $1 each.

As I love Mexican food +quick dishes, I made my take on this Chicken Tamale Casserole  dish.

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1  cup  (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided—I used 3/4 cup total
• 1/3  cup  fat-free milk–I used 1/4 cup Soymilk
• 1/4  cup  egg substitute
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1  (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn –thought cream corn in this sounded nasty so chose regular kernel corn
• 1  (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)—used 1/2 the box
• 1  (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained— I used jalapenos, Im spicy like that
• Cooking spray
• 1  (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
• 2  cups  shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1/2  cup  fat-free sour cream

I cooked two chicken breasts on the stove top before hand then threw in the food processor on low. This made about three cups when the recipe called for two so I stashed one cup in the fridge for later this week.

This is the base before adding the sauce, chicken and majority of cheese. I could have just eaten it like this!

 And right out of the oven…..

 I am stoked to try this, I will definitely be having it for lunch or dinner a few times this wk!

And now the great green meal of the night. I had a zucchini sitting in my fridge that needed to be used so I decided to make zucchini cakes. I peeled the zucchini then cut it up and put it in the food processor. It made a HUGE bowl of zucchini to be used (I would have never guesses that much!)

I put on a paper towel and rung out all the liquid then mixed 1/2 breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup liquid eggs, pepper, garlic and bbq seasoning and formed into patties (three, not too shabby for one zucchini!)

I put on the stove top with a tbsp of veggie oil

 As a side, I had leftover mashed potatoes from my gnocchi last night and an avocado-hello new creation I have never tried! I mixed the avocado and taters with 2 tbsp of fat-free sour cream and voila-my new favorite thing!

All together now…..

 Green green green! And fabulous fabulous fabulous!!!! I liked the zucchini cakes because they were crispy on the outside but mushy on the inside. I will definitely make this again!

Now that I think about it, I really haven’t had meat in the past two days and am fine with that. Wow. Freaky. For a girl who used to down quarter pounders that just sounds weird.

I went for a run/walk afterwards (which I did really good even though it was frickin freezing out!) for about 35 minutes. I definitely need to revamp my playlist for the wk and add some more upbeat.motivational songs. Anyone have any suggestions??

I came home and refueled with a smoothie consisting of

-1.2 cup frozen strawberries

-10 baby spinach leaves

1 cup Light Solymilk

1/2 scoop chocolate whey protein

And having it in this glass just made me smile 🙂