Wow, I kind of thought today would never come. Maybe it was the fact that week 2 of Sugar-Free Jebruary was a complete and total bee-yotch, that made me feel as though the days were crawling by at a snail’s pace.

While clementines and popcorn easily squashed any sugary cravings during the first week, it seemed nothing could quench my desire for chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate this week.

I AM SO READY FOR A FULL SIZE REESE’S EGG IT’S NOT EVEN FUNNY.

Ahem! Excuse me! I don’t know what came over me. At any rate, while I wait for tomorrow to come, please enjoy my favorite finds from around the web and beyond, in this week’s Friday Favorites!

Favorite cookies: NYTimes Chocolate Chip Cookies. These chocolate chip cookies are my #1 favorite cookie OF. ALL. TIME. The longer the dough sits in the fridge before baking, the better the cookies get. Bleeeeeerg.

Favorite kitchen tip. Place condiments that won’t fit in the refrigerator door on lazy susans. This would be so helpful to corral all the jam, pickles and butter roaming wild on my shelves.

Favorite outfit. HEART this combo! I’m so into flowy blouses these days.

Favorite soup: Caramelized Balsamic Red Onion Soup with Cheese Topped Croutons. French Onion Soup on ‘roids!

Favorite truth. Ummm, yeah. Like, every Saturday and Sunday…

Favorite seasonal treat: Hot Cocoa Cookies. Now that we’ve finally got some snow on the ground, these hot cocoa-inspired sweet treats sound sooo yummy.

Favorite geek need: Cable Clips. This sounds ridiculous, but nothing annoys me more than when I unplug a cord from my laptop and it falls off the table and onto the floor. Just one of those things!

Favorite place: Alesund, Norway. Perfectly picturesque!

Favorite look: Floral Dress from Express. Perfect for a warm weather Spring Break vacation?!

Favorite easy treat: Cheesecake Crackers. Stir softened cream cheese with fruity jam, and spread on graham crackers. The longer you let it sit, the more the cracker will soften, mimicking real cheesecake.

Favorite DIY: Chevron Prints. I’ve been loving chevron lately, and think these would be a great accent for the guest bedroom.

Favorite funny. Pretty much what I want to do to every printer I’ve ever met.

Favorite idea. Make a heart cake for Valentine’s Day with 1 circle cake cut in half, and a regular square cake. Genius!

Favorite wow: Thorn Crown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. You have to checkout these pictures. What an amazing place!

Favorite hell yes: Peanut Butter Cereal Treats. Use Peanut Butter Captain Crunch instead of Rice Krispie treats – awwwww yeah.

Favorite kitchen. This is PERFECT to go inside my dream home, as the only room I didn’t really like in that house was the kitchen.

Favorite find: Essie “Meet Me at Sunset”. I bought this at Target last weekend and adore the shade. Bright, bright orange!

Favorite escape: Cafe Escapes Chai Latte. I cannot express to you how insanely delicious, sweet and spicy these babies are. I am OBSESSED! PS Get 15% off your GreenMountainCoffee.com order, plus free shipping, until February 29th with code AM0016-3592 at checkout.

Favorite picture: 6-Layer Rich Chocolate Malted & Toasted-Marshmallow Cake. Per-fec-tion!

Favorite pooch. CAN I HAVE HIM?!

View past Friday Favorites >

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!

The boy and the girl were dating, but lived in separate apartments. The girl liked to have the boy over for dinner as often as she could because she liked the boy a lot, but also because she knew what the boy would eat every night if left to his own devices.

See, while the girl liked to cook meals chock full of fresh veggies and lean protein (for the most part,) the boy had a weakness for boxed dinners that called for a pound of “hamburger” to “help” them along.

The meals were quick, cheap, and painless to prepare, but loaded with salt and weird ingredients.

“Disodium guanylate?” The girl once asked the boy, after looking at the ingredient list.

“I think that just means ‘extra delicious’.” The boy replied.

The boy and the girl ended up getting married and moving back to Iowa a few years later, and while they’ve been eating well ever since, he occasionally likes to think of the boxed dinners from his bachelor days and drool a little.

More in love with the boy than ever, the girl offered to whip up a homemade version of his favorite “flavor”, Cheeseburger Macaroni.

And the boy freaking LOVED IT. And guess what? The girl did too!

Ok. The jig is up. The boy is Ben, and the girl is me. IGE. The rest of the story is true, however, including the part where Ben inhaled his bowl of Cheeseburger Macaroni. I literally gave him a bowl, went to snap a few pictures, and it was gone by the time I got back. Thanks for waiting. I kid!

The beauty of this meal is that it is inexpensive – I had all the ingredients on hand except for the hamburger to “help” bring the meal together – it’s made in one pot, so clean up is basically nil, and it’s ready in 20 minutes. 20 minutes!

Start by browning, and draining, one pound of ground beef. I used ultra-lean 96/4 ground beef.

Next, sprinkle in a rainbow of yummy seasonings and thickeners, including paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and cornstarch.

Pour in water, skim milk,

and any short pasta. I wanted to use elbow macaroni, but only had mini penne on hand. Still worked fine!

Stir everything together, pop a lid on top, and simmer the mixture until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.

Finally, stir in a wee bit of sharp cheddar cheese, and it’s done!

Ultra cozy, ultra easy, and, most importantly, disodium guanylate free!

Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni

Print this recipe!

Serves 5

From Food.com

Ingredients:

1lb lean ground beef (I used 96/4)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup hot water

2 cups skim milk

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni (or other small pasta)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef in a large skillet or pot. Drain and return to pan.

2. Add in seasonings, hot water, skim milk and pasta. Stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, place a lid on top, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente, stirring a couple of times.

3. Turn off the heat and stir in cheddar cheese until melted. Let stand for 5 minutes, or until sauce is thickened.

This meal is the ultimate in comfort food, shockingly easy to prepare, and so dang good. SO good!

“The boy” also had a fondness for scooping up his boxed dinners with tortilla chips (I know) so “the girl” went ahead and made a healthy alternative for those, too. Kale Chips! 

Kale Chips blow. My. Mind. How a soft, leafy vegetable goes from, well, soft and leafy, to audibly crispy and crunchy in 15 minutes in a hot oven, never ceases to amaze me.

Start with fresh kale. You can buy kale in bunches in the produce department, then strip the leaves from the tough stem and chop them up, or buy a bag of pre-cut and washed kale, like I found in my local grocery store.

I literally squealed aloud in delight when I found this!!

Place the kale in a ziplock bag, season it with extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper, then shake the heck out of it.

See?

Spread the kale out on a non-stick sprayed, foil-lined baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees, or until the leaves are dry and crisp.

You’ll be able to pick some off the baking sheet and tell if they’re done.

Sprinkle with a little salt when they’re still hot out of the oven, the be prepared to get your giggle on, because you will not believe how crispy, and potato-chip like these babies are!

Ok. Ben said they tasted like “burnt leaves”, but I LOVE them. Loved this whole dish!

In other news, the boy and the girl are going to go settle in for a night of good television together. Last week they laughed like crazy at the first funny episode of The Office of the whole entire season. They’re hoping for a repeat performance tonight!

Peace!

Well, wonder no more. I’m going to show you how to to pry the snappy seeds bursting with sweet juice out of a pomegranate with minimal muss and fuss. You’ll be done in 10 minutes or less!

How to Eat a Pomegranate

Print this tutorial!

Like I mentioned, you’re not really eating a pomegranate, rather, you’re eating the pomegranate’s seeds, which are called arils. The arils are what hold the antioxidant-rich, sweet/tart pomegranate juice, and are great for topping salads, yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, or popping ‘em plain and pretending they’re healthy Nerds.

PS did anyone see Kim Kardashian housing Nerds on the last episode of Kim & Kourtney Take New York? Ben and I laughed for days.

Anyways…

Step 1: Pick a pomegranate

Look for a pomegranate that’s large, bright red, and smooth-skinned (the pomegranate in the picture below was a bit more weathered than I typically pick out). It should be heavy for it’s size, plump and not withered whatsoever.

Step 2: Cut the pomegranate in half

Place a very sharp knife to the right or left of the knob on top, and slice straight down. I usually cut the pomegranate on a plastic cutting board, as the pomegranate juice could stain a wooden board.

Step 3: Cut each half in half again

At this point you should have 4 quarters of the pomegranate.

Step 4: Invert one quarter of the pomegranate over a bowl in the kitchen sink, and pop the seeds out with your fingers

I try and get the majority of the seeds out with the peel inverted and facing me (so the seeds are face down in the bowl,) then flip the peel over to get the remainder out. Make sure you are doing this over the sink because pomegranate juice will be squirting out a bit, and it’s easier to contain and clean the juice out of the sink.

Continue with the remaining three pomegranate quarters.

Step 5: Fill the bowl of pomegranate seeds with cold water

You’ll want about 3-4 inches of water above the seeds.

Step 6: Remove any loose peel from the seeds

Give the pomegranate seeds a little swirl with your fingers to let any loose peel float to the top. The seeds will sink to the bottom, allowing you to easily clean the peel out.

Step 7: Drain the seeds and return them to the bowl

Refill the bowl with cold water one more time, clean out any remaining peel, and drain again.

That’s it!

Each pomegranate yields between 3/4 cup and 1 1/2 cups (6-12oz) of pomegranate seeds. Store the seeds in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, though I doubt they’ll last that long.

Still not convinced? Consider this:

Trader Joe’s sells 6oz packages of fresh pomegranate seeds for $4. They also sell whole pomegranates for $2. If you de-seed the pomegranate yourself you’re getting double the seeds, for half the price!

Now go forth, and eat pomegranates ’til you can eat pomegranates no more! (Which will likely never happen.)

Print this tutorial!

~~~~~

What’s your favorite way to enjoy pomegranate seeds or juice?

Tonight after workin’ it in the gym, then pushing myself through 12 minutes of torture the Day 1 Week 2 BodyRock.tv workout, I assembled what might be the most colorful dish that’s ever graced my kitchen table.

A Triple Orange & Avocado Salad!

This weekend I found myself with three (three!) types of oranges, and planned this dinner with some other fixins’ tout de suite.

The different oranges turned out to be all different colors, which made this salad as colorful as it was delicious. A feast for the eyes and the soul.

I started the salad by cutting off the peels of the different kinds of oranges, then cutting just the segments out.

First up were blood oranges. All my life I’ve wanted to try a blood orange, and what do I see when I walk into Target on Saturday? An entire case of ‘em. I couldn’t believe my eyes!

These ruby-red beauties look nothing like their navel counterparts, but taste the exact same. It’s so wild.

A navel orange and Cara Cara orange joined the citrus lineup next. I’d never had a Cara Cara orange, but I found big bags of them on sale at Trader Joe’s on Sunday (I ran a lot of errands this weekend…) and decided, what the heck. I’m so glad I did because their pretty pink color is absolutely adorable, plus they’re sweeter than regular navel oranges which you know I love.

On top of the salad were buttery avocado slices, and a generous sprinkle of hot pink pomegranate seeds. Tomorrow I’ll show you how to easily get them out of the pomegranate.

Studding the salad were sauteed jumbo shrimp, added for staying power.

All I did was saute fresh shrimp in a hot skillet in non-stick spray for 3-4 minutes a side, until they were curled and pink.

This Weber Seafood Seasoning I used was awesome with all the sweet flavors in the salad.

Finally, I drizzled on a homemade Lemon Poppyseed Vinaigrette and called it a day!

Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

Print this recipe!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon poppyseeds

1/2 teaspoon powdered stevia

salt & pepper

Directions:

Add all ingredients into a jar and shake until combined.

This is feel good great food, people!

Whenever Ben’s out running errands, getting gas, or stopping by the grocery store on his way home from work, to pick up the block of feta cheese I forgot to get earlier in the week for instance, he always brings home a special, sweet treat to surprise and delight me with.

He’ll pull into the garage, open the door, yell Surprise!, then reveal the goods. It’s really fun.

Said goods range anywhere from a Reese’s Big Cup, to fun size Twix Bars, a strip of Starburst Fave Reds, or the latest treat that gave me a giggle – a package of Sprees.

SPREES?!

1995 called and wanted their candy back.

Once he drove home with a big slice of ice cream cake snagged from a birthday party at work, but it melted en route all over the passenger seat. He was pretty upset, as it was going to be the best surprise yet.

Anyways, now that I’ve given up sugary treats during the week, he’s had to think outside the box a little in terms of surprise options. So what did my sweet & thoughtful husband bring home late last week, when Peanut Butter Snickers was no longer an option?

Quinoa Pasta. Bahahaha!

Dee commented on my Quinoa Mac & Cheese post that I ought to try quinoa pasta, and I responded that if I found it I would most definitely swoop some up. Ben loves to read the comments on the blog so he saw it, and made it his mission to surprise me with a box. Mission accomplished!

Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta is gluten-free, organic pasta made with a blend of both quinoa and corn flour. It cooks up very quickly, and was the super-tasty base for tonight’s supper of Sundried Tomato Basil Pesto & Chicken Pasta!

Oh. Mah. Gah, you guys. This dinner was ROCKIN’!

The dish was made up of several different components, but let me tell you about my favorite one first. The Sundried Tomato Basil Pesto.

Basically what it boils down to, is this pesto is the ‘ish. The bee’s knees, if you will. I just whipped up my regular pesto recipe, which combines fresh basil leaves with garlic, cheese and walnuts, and pumped up the flavor with sweet & chewy sundried tomatoes. SO GOOD!

The ingredients are whirred with extra virgin olive oil, and some of the oil from the sundried tomatoes, which results in a luscious sauce that is exploding with flavor. It’s absolutely unbelievable. And so easy to make!

K. Let’s turn our attention to the rest of the dish. Whooo – we got all four burners blazin’ tonight!

In corner one we have zee aforementioned quinoa pasta cooking in boiling, salted water. This pasta only takes 6-7 minutes to cook to al dente, and the box warns to not overcook.

In corner two we have chicken breasts, seasoned with Italian seasoning and garlic salt, then cooked up on a flat top skillet.

A saucepan of balsamic vinegar reduction took over corner three. That’s just 1 cup balsamic vinegar that I let simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until it’s the consistency of thin maple syrup. This stuff is black GOLD, people! Sweet & syrupy, I’d drizzle it on near anything.

And last but not least, a skillet of shallots, garlic, fresh spinach and baby heirloom tomatoes took over corner four! I just sauteed shallots and garlic in a little olive oil until soft, then added in torn, fresh baby spinach and quartered baby heirloom tomatoes, and let them saute until the tomatoes were warm.

Drained pasta, pesto and the tomato mixture into the pot.

Plate, top with chicken, and drizzle with some of that scrumptious balsamic reduction.

Sundried Tomato Basil Pesto

Print this recipe!

Makes ~1/2 cup

Ingredients:

1 cup loosely packed basil leaves

2 Tablespoons sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil

2 Tablespoons walnuts (or almonds, or pine nuts)

2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove

salt & pepper

1 Tablespoon oil from sundried tomato jar*

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

*could just use 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Combine basil, sundried tomatoes, walnuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor. Process until finely chopped. Stream in oil while pulsing until pesto is completely mixed together.

This pesto permeated the pasta, so every bite was 100% packed with flavor. The quinoa pasta itself had amazing texture. I will definitely be buying it again.

The sweet & tangy balsamic reduction just took everything over the edge. This is totally my kind of dish!

This pesto would be amazeballs with Crispy Pesto Gnocchi with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese, BTW!

Sugar-Free Jebruary Update

Well I’m one full week into Sugar-Free Jebruary, and feelin’ groovy! For real though, giving up extra sugar during the week has not been as hard as I thought it was going to be. Since choosing fresh clementines, apples, and pomegranate seeds over twizzlers, reese’s peanut butter cups, and chocolate chip cookies, the fresh stuff is what I’m really starting to crave. Not the crap that makes me feel like, well – CRAP!

While the Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies I made on Saturday were Heavenly (Ben has requested I make them every weekend,) I kind of baked them because I felt obligated to. Like I had to make them to celebrate the fact that I could eat a couple if I wanted.

I had one, and some Valentine’s Day gummy hearts I snagged from my brother & sister-in-law’s house while babysitting my nephew last night, and that was the only sugary treats I had all weekend.

That is insane to me!

Besides craving that stuff less and less, the biggest thing I’ve noticed physically is that I feel so much less PUFFY.  Sugar has a way of blowing my face and stomach up like a balloon, and also with me, sugary snacks lead to salty snacks (to balance out the flavors, natch) which also cause bloating. Less sugar = less salt = leaner me.

These babies have also been a great help. Clementines, and Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Popcorn.

I love that Clementines are not a lot of work to peel and enjoy, and they’re perfectly sweet and satisfying. Plus, since I’m a volume eater, I like that you can have more than one since they’re so small.

This popcorn is absolutely phenom because, again, I can have a giant bowl for just 110 calories.

Sometimes, I think it’s just the crunch I need for a snack, and this delicately flavored (near non-existent, actually) popcorn totally fits the bill. Love that ingredient list too!

Fellow sugar-free peeps – how are you doing? Struggling? Hanging on? Thriving? Either way – kudos for trying!

Goodnight everyone!

~~~~~

How do you surprise, or treat, your significant other?

Well, not that kind…

You know, the fluffy, sometimes kinda crunchy part of the muffin that bubbles over the tin, and is pretty much the best/sole reason for eating a muffin in the first place? That kind!

Stop wasting muffin stumps, and get your muffin top fix by making Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies!

These pillowy soft and sweet cookies could totally be passed off as a muffin tops. They are indistinguishable, I’m tellin’ ya!

Start by creaming together butter and sugar.

Add in an egg, milk, and almond extract, then beat until smooth.

Next add the secret ingredient that makes these cookies taste just like real muffin tops – lemon zest. I’m not sure why it works. All we need to know is that it does. Mmmkay?

Gradually add in flour, baking soda and salt,

then gently fold in blueberries.

Scoop…

and bake!!!

Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies

Print this recipe!

Makes 10 cookies

Adapted from Sweet B’s Impressions

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 teaspoon lemon zest, about 1 lemon

1 cup frozen blueberries, thawed and drained

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, set aside.

2. In the bowl of your mixer, cream together butter and sugar until well combined. Add in egg and beat until combined. Add milk, almond extract and lemon zest then beat until combined.

3. Slowly add dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and mix until combined. Gently fold in blueberries. The dough will seem too thick, but just keep at it!

4. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour, then shape into large balls. Bake 6 to a baking sheet for 13-15 minutes, or until slightly golden brown on the bottom, and set on top. Do not overbake, Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool all the way.

These cookies are a blast. Enjoy with a cold glass of (almond) milk, and the realization that you’ll never have to choke down an undesirable muffin stump again. Huzzah!

~~~~~

What’s your favorite kind of muffin?

This week has been a intense one, what with giving up cookies, candy, and the like during the week, and starting a 30 Day Fitness Challenge. It may seem like I’m taking on too much at once, but I welcome the chance to challenge myself. Keeps things interesting.

We’re supposed to get a load of snow this afternoon, so I’m foreseeing a cozy weekend at home, complete with a DIY wall art project, if I’m lucky. Hope you have some fun plans in the works too.

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy my finds from around the web and beyond, in this week’s Friday Favorites!

Favorite gotta have it: Salted Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. As in, I MUST make this this weekend!!!!

Favorite tranquil spot: Flathead Lake in northwest Montana. Apparently the water is so clear that it looks like a shallow lake, when in fact, it’s 370 feet deep. Amazing!

Favorite cleaning tip. Line fridge shelves with Saran Wrap’s Press and Seal paper, then peel off and replace when dirty. Geeeeenius.

Favorite spin: Cinnamon Roll Cookies. Love this twist on a classic!

Favorite flashback. RIGHT?!?!?!!

Favorite photo. Yep…still obsessing.

Favorite find: OXO Food Scale. I got one of these to review a couple months ago and I’m obsessed with it. The front pulls out so you can still read it even if you have a large bowl or platter on top!

Favorite sip: Gin & Pomegranate Love Potion. Perfect for Valentine’s Day, and I am obsessed with pomegranate seeds these days. They are so delicious and refreshing!

Favorite warm weather find: Steve Madden Manngo Woven Sandals. Hoping I can find these at DSW this spring for cheaper!

Favorite Funny: The Force Commercial. This little boy CRACKS me up!

Favorite sandwich: Goat Cheese & Kalamata Olive Panini. All my favorite, zesty flavors in a crispy panini. Sign me up!

Favorite find: MY DREAM HOME! I love absolutely everything about this home. Keeping it for future building reference.

Favorite easy treat: Funfetti Cake Batter Dip. 3 ingredients = relatively guilt-free (for a dip with cake batter in the name!) Can’t wait to make this!

Favorite upcycle: Thrift Store Wall Art. Take a colorful piece of art from a thrift store, and turn it into a custom art piece. Love this.

Favorite sweet treat: Peanut Butter Cup Popcorn. Ummm, yes.

Favorite idea. This couple takes a picture of their feet wherever they travel. So, so jealous Ben and I haven’t thought of this, but I see a new tradition in our future!

Favorite soup: Chicken Enchilada Soup. Loving this latest spin on many people’s favorite soup.

Favorite furball. Baby basset says have a great weekend!

View past Friday Favorites >

Could it be the fact that it was still light enough to take pictures in the last rays of the sun when I got home from work that’s making me deliriously happy? Completing Day 2 Week 1 of BodyRock.tv’s 30 Day Fitness Challenge without coughing up a lung? Getting to pick up dinner instead of cooking it at home?

Oh wait, I know what it is…

I get to eat sugar in one day! WHEE!

Week 1 of Sugar Free Jebruary is coming to a close tomorrow, and the first thing I will be devouring when I wake up Saturday morning is THIS. A warm(ed up), Cinnamon Crunch Bagel with Reduced-Fat Hazelnut Cream Cheese from Panera.

MUWAHAHAHAHA!

Goll – seriously! I am giddy with anticipation. Look at that streusel pocket!

This week without sugar hasn’t been hard, per se, rather, it’s just been annoying. I never ever bake during the week, but all I can think about the past couple of days is the cakes, doughnuts and cookie recipes that are burning holes in my Evernote must try baking recipes list. I know I only want them cause I can’t have them though, which annoys me even more.

Oh well, I’ll survive. It’s good for me, and it makes weekends that much sweeter (pun intended.) PS: last night’s peanut butter cookie dough dip experiment was a total bust. I tried to cut the recipe by 1/5 (why?) and totally screwed up the measurements. I’m trying again tomorrow, so I’ll let you know if I have better luck!

In other news, I picked up the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel when I was at Panera picking up dinner. A You-Pick-2 Combo of All Natural Steak Chili with Cornbread Crumbles, and an Asian Sesame Chicken Salad!

I had a fabu recipe all picked out to make tonight, but realized too little too late that it was a sweet, breakfasty-type dish that would violate my main goal for SF Jeb – no extra sugar during the week.

A quick spin to Panera solved my problem. This chili was spicy and tasted down right homemade. Reminded me of church soup supper chili. Good!

(I know, there’s sugar in the cornbread. I forgot, and it was only like, 2 Tablespoons worth!)

This Asian Sesame Chicken Salad was tossed with a far-east inspired, reduced-sugar Asian sesame vinaigrette that was just dynamite. I wish they sold it in bottles.

The chicken was great too – Panera always has the best chicken!

Done and done.

Well Thursday night = Ben and Kristin night. Both of our favorites are on tv, which means neither one is left to space off and/or dink around on the interwebs while the other is reveling in Teen Mom and/or (another) NBA game.

30 Rock, Parks & Rec, The Office and Up All Night – here we come! 

Toodles!

~~~~~

What’s your favorite TV show?

If I had to pick one I’d say…30 Rock. Tina Fey’s type of humor is my kind of humor.

Besides, Incoming!!! I thought…

WOAH!

How??

I’ll have what she’s having!

And so on and so forth.

Today I stumbled onto BodyRock.tv, an at-home video workout paradise, where I learned about a 30 Day Fitness Challenge the seriously ripped woman above, Lisa Marie, is running.

Inspired by this picture, and always looking to spice things up in the exercise department, I decided to join in on the fun and kicked off Day 1 with a test to measure my current fitness level.

All I had to do was see how many of the following exercises I could do in 50 seconds, take a 10 second break, then see how many of the next exercise I could do in 50 seconds, etc, etc, – for a 7 minute total workout.

1. Squat Jump
2. Push Ups
3. Burpees
4. High Knees
5. Switch Lunges
6. Tuck Jumps
7. Straight Abs

7 minutes? Totally doable. Right?!

Ummm, my lungs have not burned this bad since racing up an ancient stone staircase in Praiano in .5, to get to the local pizza joint before they closed. #FatKidConfessions

I literally thought I was going to keel over and DIE. And this was just the fitness test day. AHHH!

Have you ever tried any of BodyRock.tv’s workouts? What did you think?

Prior to torching my lungs, I went to the gym to knock out this 42 minute, 4.75 mile treadmill routine.

I think the two combined definitely earned me seconds of the incredibly – insanely – mouthwatering Quinoa Macaroni & Cheese I made for dinner!

This macaroni and cheese recipe is off the chain. It’s made with quinoa instead of pasta, and includes a modest amount of sharp cheddar cheese.

It smells like cheese popcorn as it’s baking, and tastes even better!

Plus it takes very little time and effort to make. Start by sauteing shallots and tomatoes in a little olive oil.

Add garlic and rinsed quinoa, then toast the quinoa until it’s golden brown.

Add water, drop the lid on top, and let the quinoa cook until all the water has been absorbed – about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix up the mac & cheese binder – eggs + milk.

Stir the cooked quinoa, eggs and milk together, melt in a little cheddar cheese, and bake in a casserole dish for 30 minutes.

Ohhhmylanta – this is SO delish!

The recipe made a 9×13 pan, which I cut into 8 servings. Each serving came out to be around 285 calories – way healthier than your traditional mac and cheese!

Plus, since quinoa is a complete protein, it’s sure to keep me full all night.

Which hopefully means I won’t feel the need to devour the entire batch of sugar-free peanut butter cookie dough dip I’m about to go make….muwahahaha! I’ll keep you posted!

Click here for the Quinoa Mac & Cheese recipe!

Have a great night!

Chicken Caesar Sandwiches!

I featured this recipe in a Friday Favorites post a few weeks ago, and have been chomping at the bit to make them since. I’m not a huge Caesar Salad girl, but for some reason this sandwich lingered in the back of my mind, practically calling my name. Maaaaake me! it demanded. So I did!

The original recipe was a crock pot recipe using chicken thighs, but I shortened the cooking time, and lowered the calories, by poaching-then-shredding chicken breasts. That’s just 2 chicken breasts cut in half, cooked in boiling water for about 10 minutes, then shredded by hand.

After the chicken was shredded, I placed it in a sauce pan and started adding goodies like Brianna’s Homestyle Asiago Caesar Dressing. I think the reason I’m not a huge fan of Caesar Salads is because the dressing is never quite right. This dressing is the ‘ISH, people! Best Caesar dressing I have ever had, hands down.

To the chicken and dressing I added 1/4 cup of an Italian shredded cheese blend,

and dried parsley and pepper.

While the chicken and mix-ins warmed, I toasted up a couple Arnold Sandwich Thins, that I had spread with a little Earth Balance, and dusted with garlic powder.

It made all the difference! These golden brown and crispy buns held up so well to the saucy chicken, and that pop of garlic-butter was insane.

After they were toasted I piled on the chicken, added a few leaves of ice-cold romaine, and called it a day dinner!

Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

Print this recipe!

Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts (about 1lb total)

1/2 cup Caesar dressing

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Pepper

Romaine lettuce , torn

Sandwich Thins (or any other 100 calorie thin bun)

Earth Balance (or butter)

Garlic powder

Directions:

1. Poach chicken breasts by cutting each breast in half, then placing in a large pot of boiling water for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain and let cool slightly, then shred.

2. Place chicken, Caesar dressing, cheese, parsley flakes and pepper, into a saucepan over low heat until warmed through.

3. Thinly spread Earth Balance onto each bun half, sprinkle with garlic powder, and toast under the broiler. Spoon chicken onto toasted buns, and top with romaine lettuce.

Unbelievable, I’m telling you. It was ready in a jiff, and that dressing was so crazy good! You’ve gotta find it!

I served some fresh, crunchy veggies on the side.

Ben’s all “Um, what’s this?” when I put it down in front of him.

Then proceeded to double up the carrots and celery when I informed him that eating them was mandatory.

I force because I love!

In other news, it finally happened…

We got SNOW last night. I had no idea it was coming and threw a fit I’m glad no neighbors were around to see when I opened up the garage door this morning.

Tropical vacation search is going into high gear this evening…

Have a great night!

~~~~~

What’s your favorite warm weather destination?

I’ve been to Mexico a dozen times, so right now I’m thinking Jamaica, Belize or Costa Rica for a spring break trip. Weigh in with your thoughts?!