WIAW~A Girl Could Starve~

I love, love, LOVE being part of What I Ate Wednesday hosted by Jenn at Peas & Crayons.  It is such fun to be part of something that brings so many people from all over together with one purpose…to share the food they’ve eaten.

I like it so much that I’ve even joined in on weeks when I’ve had no food photos to share.  That may be cheating, but I Talked about food, isn’t that sufficient?!   😉  Because of the fact that I’ve actually done this with No food photos, I guess I can’t be embarrassed about posting when I don’t have many photos.

I decided to use the WIAW logo that has the photos so I’d be showing just a little more food.  Oh, who really cares…I just want to be part of the party!

My lack of food photos is based on two things.  Refrigerator issues that have forced me to have very little food in the house.  Meals that were so quickly put together and consumed that I would afterwards say…Phooey…I was supposed to take a picture of that!  And the fact that Ralph and I were away over the weekend with a group of people who really would have been confused if I whipped out my camera and started taking food pictures.  It’s a shame because the food was pretty good.

There is one from the weekend.  Ralph and I were off on a short road trip to one of his military reunions.  We got a little bit turned around in our directions and weren’t sure where our next turn should be.  When in doubt, stop at a diner!

We did that and since breakfast had been pretty early, we were hungry but didn’t want too much to eat.

We both opted for a toasted bagel with cream cheese and jelly, coffee too of course.  It was all pretty tasty and kept us full until later.  We got our directions and we were even led out of the diner to the right direction by some other customers who heard us asking the waitress for directions. Such nice people!

The other issue we were dealing with was that my car was in the shop most of last week.  Ralph’s is also not doing too well, so we were limited in our transportation.  We were finally able to pick up the car and knowing our food limitations at home, we headed to the local pizzeria.  It’s actually within walking distance if we’d needed to get there without a car. Anyway…I opted for my usual.

Pepper and egg sandwich with American cheese.  This is so good and so filling that I was set for the evening.

So having picked up my car, my first trip out in my newly repaired car (she purrs like a kitten now!) was to Verchio’s produce market and to Aldi.

 

Car chock full of goodies!!

I quickly consumed an apple too quick to take a photo and a banana.

 

Ok…so there’s really no GOOD way to photograph a banana.  I did it as I was turning on the computer to finish this post.  It was delicious and I’m SO happy to have fruit in the house again.  It has become my go to snack anytime of day and I’m sure it’s been helpful in keeping me on track with Weight Watchers.

So that’s it for What I Ate Wednesday this week for me.  Now that I’m back in the swing of things, I’ll have many more photos for you next week.  Be sure to stop over at Peas & Crayons…you’ll find Lots of food photos there!  Don’t forget to leave some comments.

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!!  I have Fruit!!   🙂   🙂

WIAW~Living In The Maelstrom

I looked it up…

mael·strom

/ˈmeɪlstrəm/ Show Spelled[meyl-struhm] Show IPA

noun

1.

a large, powerful, or violent whirlpool.

2.

a restless, disordered, or tumultuous state of affairs: the maelstrom of early morning traffic.

3.

( initial capital letter ) a famous hazardous whirlpool off the NW coast of Norway.

Well…I’m no where near Norway, but the first two definitions are fairly appropriate to the state of affairs in my house.  I’ve been working hard all week to crack this nut and although I am by no means completed, I am feeling hopeful.  I will get it done!

But that doesn’t mean that I can’t participate in What I Ate Wednesday…that fabulous food maelstrom that happens weekly over at Peas & Crayons, led by the lovely Jenn!

Though I haven’t really gotten into snack and treats all that much, the most obvious reason being that if I have them around, I’ll eat them…here’s WIAW from the Maelstrom (just love using that big word…which I looked UP!  So excited that it actually meant what I thought it meant!! 😉   )  My food is sort of a combo of various days but I guess that’s what I usually do!

Sunday breakfast always seems to be an egg sandwich on a sandwich thin.  Enlivened up here by some sriracha and a Smiley!!  Topped with just a touch of Locatelli cheese…that’ll liven up anything!

You’ve heard of oats in a jar…this is cottage cheese in the container…

Why dirty a bowl when there’s just about a 1 cup serving left in the container?!  Topped with LOTS of ground black pepper and sweet pickle relish…if you think this doesn’t look good, then…Sorry, but you’re Wrong!  It’s delicious!

Crock pot apples topped with plain fat-free yogurt and a bit of cinnamon.  So delicious.  I’ve got to get to work on the bag full of apples I got earlier in the week.  I’m so excited!!  These are just delicious!

A yummy early lunch from Monday.  When Ralph goes for his bi-annual (I looked it up and bi-annual is right!) doctor’s appointment we always stop at a particular diner that serves me this plate of deliciousness.  It’s called an Athenia burger plate and is meant to have Greek salad and a regular burger.  They’re happy to swap in a veggie burger which is so good, I’ve asked them for either the recipe or where they get them.  They will give me neither…  😦  Wish I could find the answer to that question!  This is just the right amount…very satisfying.

Monday night’s dinner was another of my odd combos.  In the spirit of cleaning up and cleaning out…I’m doing the same thing with my freezer.  I found some Morningstar Farms chicken-ish strips.  They were in great shape, but the broccoli I found was in less than stellar condition, hence it doesn’t look very green.

Made a quick batch of couscous.  While that was plumping, I sautéed onion, garlic and red bell pepper, my last, I really need to get to the produce market!  When that had cooked a bit, I added the chicken-ish strips and the broccoli which was really a freezer burned lump, but it added volume!  Added some veggie broth (which I need to tell you all about soon) and just before it was finished I added a half cup of cottage cheese for some extra protein and cheesiness.  Topped it all with some Locatelli cheese.  This was so good and very filling.  I love these bizarre combos that I come up with!

That’s What I Ate Wednesday for me today!  Be sure to check out all of the fun over at Peas & Crayons and remember to leave a comment…well…because we Love them!  I continue with my grand project and I must say I’m feeling good about it.  Keep tuning in and I’ll keep updating you!  Go eat something Delicious!

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!!

Sunday In And Out

I believe I could actually say that I slept in on Sunday.  Didn’t wake up until 5:45 and didn’t get up until 6:15!  That’s pretty good considering the past week!

I was working on the computer and cleaning up a few things on the blog.  I need to do more and hope to in the next week or to.  Need to put that on my list.  Yes, since getting my new 18 month planner that has a page for lists…I’m actually doing it!  Amazing how you remember to do things when you’ve written them down! 😉

I haven’t talked much about exercise lately, but I have been working on my exercise bike, yesterday doing 60 minutes!  I get to read so it’s actually like a treat.  Since the weather is promising to be good this week, I’m going to try to get out for walks in the morning.  It won’t happen on Monday because Ralph has an appointment this morning so we’ll be heading out to that fairly early.

As planned and promised, some sorting/packing has happened every day.  Sunday’s efforts resulted in this…

Two boxes packed, with newspapers on top to pack some more!  Please pay no attention to the fact that the floor needs to be vacuumed.  That’s on the list too!

So excited…

I was presented with and happily accepted a Big bag of apples and pears from my friend Gail’s brother’s tree.  He picked them for me so I didn’t have to! What a guy!  As I said before, they don’t look pretty but they taste just fine!  Since I just did a crock pot full on Saturday night, I’m going to cook these up (hope they all fit in the crock pot…otherwise I may have to open the new bigger one that I have!) and freeze them.  I’ve never tried to do that before, but what the heck.  They’re mushy when they come out of the crock pot, so freezing shouldn’t change them very much.  I can’t pass up…or Waste…free apples!  That’s my project when we get back from Ralph’s appointment today.

The Fall is finally starting to show up.  I haven’t really taken many photos yet, but thought I’d share the few I have taken.

My neighbor’s trees actually taken from a block away at Ele’s house.  Thank you zoom…of course it will be better when I get a better camera. I promise to stop talking about that now!

My favorite tree…

It’s in my back yard and unfortunately, over the years some of the branches have died and don’t have leaves any more, but it’s still my favorite.   I’m going to concentrate on getting some more photos…well…because I like taking Autumn photos!  Ok?!

Monday is shaping up to be busy so I’d better get to it. I’ve got boxes to pack and lists to make…oh, yeah…photos to take!

Happy Monday!!

Biting The Hand That Feeds You…

Or in my case…slicing the hand that feeds you.  This will be short because I have been a touch typist for so long…I can not successfully hunt and peck anymore…well I have a hard time shall we say.

I went to my friend Gail’s brothers house today and picked apples from his tree!  Forgot the rake I said I’d take to pull down the branches but still ended up with this gang…

They’re not that attractive, but they taste good…isn’t that what counts?!  I was cutting them up to cook in the crock pot as usual.  There were enough though to fill my big crock pot that I use for beans.  I was moving right along when Ralph came into the kitchen and said, “Be Careful!”  I was on the next to the last apple.  Thirty seconds later, I sliced off the tip of the little finger on my left hand.  Quite bloody .

I’m now forced to hunt and peck.  😦  It hurts but not that bad.  Trying to keep it elevated to make sure the bleeding stops…not easy when you’re typing!!

This was not what I wanted to talk about today.  I wanted to talk about a book I got at the library.

The Seventh Sinner by Elizabeth Peters.  This is actually the first in a series. I read the last two in the series years ago never knowing there were others.  This is obviously a well read copy.

This photo (I was actually trying to hide my finger!) doesn’t do justice to the condition of this book.  It reminds me of the small paperback books that my Mom used to read.  She had a secret stash of them that she read over and over again.  So many of them ended up looking like this poor worn copy.  I’m not criticizing the library in any way.  They’re getting the most out of a book and that of course is Ok by me.  It’s just bringing back memories.

I never would have realized that there were more books in this series if it hadn’t been for Goodreads.  If you love reading…you need to join Goodreads.  It’s a wonderful resource for people who read.  Give it a try and see what you’ll find!

I’m going to read my book now…with my hand elevated and smell the apples cooking!

Happy Friday!  Happy Day Before My Birthday! 🙂  🙂 🙂

Rainy Day Re-Worked

I was up at about 5 am which seems to be my new natural wake up time.  I like it better than 3 am!! I worked on the computer for a while and was probably 15 minutes from getting dressed and out the door for my walk, when what do I hear but Rain!  😦   I must say, I was not happy but I decided to re-work the day.

I had these little babies, some Gala apples I got at the produce market earlier in the week that weren’t great to start and went down hill quickly.  So…when you have “sawdust” apples what do you do?  Get out the crock pot and get to work!

Lots of chopping…

Crock pot full!!  After chopping everything, I sprinkle in 2 packets of Splenda, and a liberal sprinkling of cinnamon and apple pie spice.  Plug it in, turn it on and do other things!

What I did was get on my exercise bike.  Please pay no attention to the “stuff” on the floor!

I read while riding as well as using one of my hand weights.

I’m trying to finish Divergent by Veronica Roth

It was slow to start but now I’m really getting into it!  In fact, I didn’t want to stop reading and ended up riding for an Hour!  I was impressed with myself, because I really need to get as much exercise as possible.  I was feeling so stiff and sore and the first 2 days I walked I was Very stiff after.  Today, with riding for an hour…I’m not stiff at all.  I also tried to step up my speed.  In fact, besides using the hand weights while on the bike, anytime I read, I try to have my hand weights nearby and use them.  Building and maintaining upper body strength is important.

Oh, and the apples…they crocked away while I rode the bike, got cleaned up, dressed and went grocery shopping!

They didn’t make a huge amount because there were only 5 apples.  But…it’ll be enough to add to oatmeal AND to use as a snack.  This is such an easy way to make a special treat which costs me nothing on Weight Watchers!  That, of course, is Ok By Me!  Hope the sun is shining where you are!  🙂

Happy Friday!!

Easy Going 4th of July

Trouble sleeping last night so my day actually started at about 2am.  I stayed in bed until just after 4am but I just couldn’t take it anymore and got up.  I didn’t care, I get up, make my coffee and get to work on blog things.  It was What I Ate Wednesday so there were lots of posts to read. 

I finish on the computer, get myself dressed and ready to go for my walk at 6:45.  I walk out the back door and…it’s raining.  How did I not notice that before?  So I came back inside and read for a half hour.  Out the door again at 7:15.  No rain this time and I’m off for my walk.  I do my 2 miles and since my sister Ele just lives around the corner, I decided to walk over and see her and our friend Jim who is visiting from Washington, DC.  We already had plans for a late lunch but they said they’d be going to Target.

Came home and got myself showered and dressed again. I wanted to go to Target because they had Morningstar Farms veggie burgers on sale for $3.29. I was excited. But when I got there I saw that they also had the spicy black bean burgers in an 8 pack for $5.99. Excellent deal! I bought 2 of the 8 packs and 5 of the 4 packs. I had a $25 gift card which I used.  I was pretty excited!

 

Jim bought Ele a little gift…

Just what every girl needs…Lawn Flamingos!  It’s an old family joke which I’ll explain some time.

Ele and Me dressed in our patriotic best.  I won’t tell you how many shots it took to get this right!

Ele made yummy quesadillas for lunch…

With salad on the side, of course!

Dessert was delicious and simple…

Strawberries, blueberries and yummy banana bread.  Ele was kind enough to save a serving out for me before she put sugar on the fruit for everyone else!  Thank you, Ele!

The Boys…Ralph and Jim…this also took several takes to get the photo right.  The reason is that these two are incorrigible!!

It was a fun peaceful day.  Jim will be here until Sunday, so there will definitely be more fun coming up.  Little Michael will be back for a visit again tomorrow and that’s always fun.

Hope you all had a great Fourth of July…our Nation’s Birthday!

Happy Thursday!!

 

WIAW~I Need To Fix This Snacking

It is that happy time of the week, the time when all the hard-core foodies gather because it’s What I Ate Wednesday! And where do we gather? Why of course it’s over at Peas & Crayons and we get to hang out with the lovely Jenn who is the mastermind of this whole thing.  Be sure to visit over there when you’re finished here at BCDC, leave some comments and just enjoy yourself.

Our theme for June is healthy snacking and trust me, I am in real need of some direction here.  I’ve been having a terrible time and have to get it under control.  I’ve been making some overall good food choices, but somehow the snacks are getting me.

A banana is a great snack, especially while reading a book.  You can eat it one-handed.  I just wish I liked them more.

Found a new favorite snack that can double as a lunch…caramel corn rice cakes with peanut butter.  Sadly, peanut butter is one of the things getting me into trouble lately.  It will not be living in my house any more… 😦

Apple with peanut butter is also a good snack, but again…no peanut butter for me in the future.  It’s just as good with almond or sunflower butter.  I don’t know why Those kinds of nut butters don’t make me eat them out of the jar.  I’m doing what I have to.

I have an incredibly easy dinner to show you.  It really only takes the time it needs to cook in the microwave to prepare.

Crock pot black beans, already prepared bulgur wheat (boil 2 cups of water or stock and pour over 1 cup of bulgur.  Let sit for about 10 minutes.) and a can of a mix of tomatoes, okra and corn. Mix it together and microwave for 2-3 minutes.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

This was ready in no time and so good and filling!

Dinner last night was leftover salad from Father’s Day with the last of the black beans and bulgur added and topped with shredded cheese.  The dressing was a new twist.  1 Tbsp of olive oil, 1 Tbsp of honey, 2 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar and 1 Tbsp of wasabi mustard.  Very tangy and good!  I expected that it would be a lot hotter than it was but it had a great flavor.  I just love making up my dressings!

And here you see one of the snacking reasons that I’m getting into trouble.  My new favorite from the local ice cream shop…black raspberry.  It is just delicious.  I will be doing my best to avoid this in the coming weeks. 

So there you have my snacking travails.  I hate to whine, but I’m frustrating myself with my inability to keep this under control.  Of course, I believe that confession is good for the soul and BCDC is a bit of a confessional for me.  I am working hard this week to get on track and stay there.  Make good choices both in snacks and in regular meals.  Perhaps when we get to WIAW next week, I’ll have some good news to report about my progress.  Don’t forget to go on over to P&C to read some blogs and make some bloggers happy by leaving comments. 

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!  I Can do it and so Can you!!

Tick Tock~In The Crock

I just love my breakfasts of Greek yogurt and Fiber One!

It is filling and with 14 grams of protein, you can’t go wrong.

Started early by pulling out Crock 1.5 to make some sweet goodness.

Chopped up apples and pears, sprinkled with apple pie spice and pumpkin pie spice.  Also added some cinnamon, but forgot to put it in the photo!

All mixed up and ready to cook!!  Can’t wait to eat them up tonight!

Next project using Crock 3.o…

Black beans about to go in for their soak bath before they get cooked tomorrow.  I’ve promised the black bean burger recipe and results on Monday.  I know, I know…I could use canned black beans, but I like the home-made ones so much, and it’s really so easy, why not.  You just have to remember to be prepared. 

First step under way!!  They’ll be ready to start cooking in Crock 3.o tomorrow morning, then it’s black bean burgers here we come!

Not sure what will happen at Weight Watchers Saturday morning.  It’s felt like a bit of an off week.  Sleep issues can have a bearing on my results on the scale sometimes.  I don’t know why.  All I know is, whatever the result, it won’t stop me from continuing doing what I do.  I can always work with the result and go on from there.  As Ralph likes to say…Lift and Shift!  Besides, there are black bean burgers in my future!!

Happy Saturday!!

WIAW~Where’s The Green?

So here we are half way through the week already.  Boy, for some reason, this one has gone quickly!  But let’s slow down a minute and smell the wonderful things cooking over at Peas & Crayons hostessed by the lovely Jenn!  Yes, it’s What I Ate Wednesday…the place for all the fabulous Foodies to meet.  Please be sure to travel over there, read some blogs, bookmark some recipes and Leave Some Comments.  We really do all live for your comments! (I’m not even kidding!)

We’re still doing our best to be Green for WIAW.  As you know, I’m vegetarian and it’s almost always Green around here.  Those of you who visit BCDC regularly, you sort of know what you’ll be getting from me in the food area.  When it comes to other things….I’m pretty scattered so you never know what you’ll find!  You rarely get one entire day of food, I’m usually covering a meal here, a meal there.  So in no particular order…

Ralph wasn’t feeling well or Monday so he actually had oatmeal for dinner!  I threw together some whole wheat pasta, zucchini, yellow squash, some broccoli which might have passed its prime, garlic, crock pot black beans and diced tomatoes with green chilies.

Topped with shredded cheese and sriracha sauce…So Good.  I’m thinking I need to buy stock in sriracha sauce, what do you think?!?

I needed an evening snack and since I had made a crock pot full of apples…

So tasty topped with fat-free vanilla yogurt! Tastes so decadent, but this only counts for 2 Points (raisins and yogurt) Yum!

Couldn’t resist some more apples and raisins for breakfast on Tuesday morning.

My recent favorite mixture of oatmeal and oatbran with Splenda and almond milk…crowned with apples and raisins from the crock pot.  This was so tasty and filling.

Breakfast was so filling, I didn’t feel like anything more than Greek yogurt for lunch.

My wonderful Chobani from my Good Deal Saturday!  Black Cherry for today.  I still have a hard time believing I get 14 grams of protein from that little pot, not that I’m complaining of course!

It wouldn’t be WIAW on BCDC without a Salad!  Looks pretty familiar.

Romaine, plum tomatoes, celery, shredded cheese and crock pot black beans.

The new wrinkle in recent weeks…

Making my own salad dressing.  I’ve done it a few times, but I think I’m going to stick with it and get creative. 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 1.5 Tbsps of red wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp of honey, 1 Tbsp of Dijon mustard and 1 Tbsp of water.  I add the water to extend it because as you can see I make a Big Salad!

So very tasty in my Big Purple Bowl.

That’s What I Ate Wednesday for this week.  Green enough for you?  I do my best!  Now all you have to do is travel over to Peas & Crayons  to savor all of the wonderful foodie offerings and leave some comments.  Make this an outstanding WIAW for some other happy bloggers.

Have a Great Day!  Happy Green What I Ate Wednesday!

 

A Bit of This, A Bit of That

On Sunday I started my day with a haircut!  Not something I usually do, but the new salon I go to is open on Sunday and the young lady who cuts my hair works on Sunday.  Made sense to me to get an early start to the day.  Of course I decided to do it on the day when I lost an hour due to daylight savings time.  Somehow my body adjusted to the time change already…I’m still waking up at 6am as though some one patted me on the head and said get up!  It’s actually a good thing, gets me up and going!  I like my haircut.  Should have taken a photo for all of you but I forgot and since I currently have “bed head” you’ll have to wait to see it! 😉

I neglected to show you the cool thing that my nephew Michael made with Legos. It’s a pistol!

It was hard to get it to stand up for the photo, but it’s so cool!  Ele helped him find a video on YouTube that gives the instruction.  It was so neat and Michael is so clever at nine years old that the only trouble was finding the right pieces to use.  I thought it was great fun!

I made crock pot apples again.  This time, while the apples were crocking, I was cleaning out a cabinet.  I found some really old dried up raisins in there and decided they would be good with the apples (I hate to waste anything!)  I also added a bit of Splenda this time which sweetened it just enough.  Topped with fat-free vanilla yogurt, it’s a wonderful treat in the evening.

Egg sandwiches for Sunday breakfast seem to have become our staple.

Sitting on a sandwich thin, topped with shredded cheese and dotted with sriracha sauce, they are so good!  How do you like my little Thrift Store dish?  Fifty cents, thank you very much!  This was so delicious and Ralph really enjoys them, without the sriracha, though.

When we were at Ele’s house on Saturday, the sunset was really interesting due to the fact that there were a bunch of jet trails going through it.

Very pretty!

Not sure what’s on the agenda today.  Veggie shopping, laundry and cleaning sound like a plan.

Happy Monday!!