WIAW~ October 21, 2015

It’s that Happy time of week when we get together over at Peas & Crayons and talk about what we’ve been eating all week.  It’s What I Ate Wednesday!  When you’re finished here, be sure to stop over there to see what everyone’s been munching on all week long!

I’m always up for a breakfast at the diner.  My best friend Gail and I took our other best friend Alice and Gail’s brother, Ray to the airport for a flight to Florida.  No problem except that we had to leave at 4:30 am!!  Again, no problem, but we wanted to go to breakfast and contrary to what we thought, all of the local diners are Not open at 5 am! We went to one that had recently reopened after renovations.  It looked nice but this was 5 am.  There were only 2 other people in the diner and we had to wait almost 25 minutes for our food.  It wasn’t that great when we finally got it.

But it was better than some early diner breakfasts I’ve had.  We headed to the gym afterwards to work it off.

I got a better breakfast at home on another day.  I like trying unique things with omelettes.

Not the prettiest photo but very tasty.  Egg beaters and egg whites seasoned with Mrs. Dash and chipotle powder.  Inside chopped broccoli, 2% cheese and a quarter cup of black beans.  Topped with Cholula hot sauce, my new favorite.  The small addition of the quarter cup of black beans makes this extremely filling.  I add them in whenever I have the home-made beans in the fridge.

Sometimes I’ll take a little shortcut.  Ralph brought home a salad from a local convenience store labeled “super food” salad.  It was made with kale, slivered almonds and chopped apples.

I added some chopped spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, black beans, 2 % cheese and light balsamic vinaigrette.  It was delicious!  It’s nice to take a little help when you can.  I love doing that with store-bought salads.  I can always find a way to make them more substantial or add some protein.

One more salad.  Ralph and I went to one of our favorite restaurants on Monday afternoon.  In line with my continued efforts to get back on and stay on track with my food choices, I had already decided what I would have before we got there.  When the server brought the menu, I left it on the table and didn’t even look.  I didn’t want to be tempted to stray from my plan.

This restaurant has the best Greek Salad I’ve ever tried.  It looked better but I started to poke around at it.  I forgot that I’m blogging again and needed a nice photo!  Regardless, I think it’s beautiful and I know it was delicious.  I also asked for only one roll with it, that way I wouldn’t be tempted by an entire basket.  I keep trying!

That’s What I Ate Wednesday for me this week.  I need to get back to doing more cooking and coming up with some unique things.  We’ll see how I do.  Whatever I come up with, you can be sure I’ll be back here next Wednesday.  Be sure to stop over at Peas & Crayons to check out the other linkers!

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!

 

WIAW-The Green Chile Edition

It has been Oh So Very Long since I’ve participated in a What I Ate Wednesday party hostessed by the lovely Jenn at Peas & Crayons. I’m so excited to be back and to see what everyone is sharing today. Let’s see if I remember How!

So much has happened in the months since I’ve been away but most recently Ralph and I spent 3 weeks in New Mexico.  Was I happy to be there?  You better believe it!  I love being there in general, but the food is one of my favorite parts of our visits. Also another reason that I can’t wait to be there permanently.  Here Goes…

One of the best things about New Mexico especially in the fall is the presence of green chiles.  Everywhere you go they’re offered.  Trust me, I’m not complaining.  Here are some of my happy meetings with the ever-present green chile.

One of the wonderful things about New Mexico is that if you ask nicely they’ll turn a veggie burger into a green chile cheese burger.  This was a new restaurant we hadn’t tried before.  We Will go there again.

This was a green chile cheese quesadilla.  I asked to have grilled mushrooms added…Very Good Idea.

This is called a Build Your Own Omelette.  I added spinach, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and green chile.  So good!  You can’t see much of it in the photo, but this could possibly be the best biscuit I’ve ever eaten.  I’ve been to this restaurant for breakfast before but never thought to ask for a biscuit.  Believe me, I won’t make that mistake again.

Another breakfast was huevos rancheros.  These are so unique to New Mexico.  I always try to have them when I’m there.  You get the choice of either red or green chile, but of course I always pick the green!

This was a black bean and cheese quesadilla.  As I think about it, I probably should have requested green chile be added.  Missed opportunity but it was still delicious.  Also tasty was what they called guacamole salad. It was a fresh, crisp salad topped with guacamole.  Very good.

I realize that this sounds like a Lot of green chile.  I suppose some people might think it sounds boring to have the same thing so often.  There is a real variety of great food choices in Silver City.  I just never get the green chile anywhere else.  When we move there, maybe I’ll get tired of them, but for now I take my opportunities whenever I can.

Be sure to check out all of the other bloggers sharing their mouth-watering selections over at Peas & Crayons.  Get some ideas, leave some comments.  Join the party!

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!

 

WIAW~Surviving Thanksgiving

Can’t believe it’s Wednesday already and time for What I Ate Wednesday, the fun and drool worthy link up hostessed by Jenn at Peas and Crayons.  But it is and here I am again going on and on about what I ate.  I love to see what everyone has been eating, especially after a Holiday.  Here’s my contribution!

Of course it was Thanksgiving.  So many people dread this Holiday, it seems.  Probably because more than any other Holiday, it revolves around food.  Other members at my Weight Watchers meeting on Saturday were so worried about how to approach it.  That’s actually always seems to be the topic at WW on the week before Thanksgiving: How To Cope With Thanksgiving.

Believe me, I’ve been through many Thanksgivings where I was over the top, over indulged and over stuffed.  I know it’s an issue for a lot of people.  I felt in control and on track this year and I was proud of myself.

I started with a regular breakfast of an egg substitute omelette which always keeps me full for a while.  Dinner was planned for 1 pm so I knew I’d be Ok until then.

My sister Ele and I always work on the dinner together and we had a really good time.  One of my jobs is making the succotash.  It’s not something that everyone likes, but almost everyone in our group likes it.  Personally, I LOVE it!

I joked that this was mine and I didn’t know what anyone else would be eating. I probably could have eaten the entire thing if given the opportunity but I didn’t!

There were pies, yes, but I was restrained with them.

 

I had a piece of the apple, home-made by our friend, Jim and just a tiny sliver of the coconut custard.  Both were yummy.  There was also a pumpkin but I passed on that…had to pass on Something!

The main attraction…

 

Dinner:  mashed potatoes with vegetarian gravy, green beans, Ele’s home-made cole slaw (From Grandmom’s recipe) and of course, Succotash!!  At the top is a piece of the cranberry orange jello mold I make every year.  Also a favorite.  It was all delicious and I have to confess that I did have seconds on mashed potatoes, second time around topped with Succotash!  I’m starting to think I should title this post “WIAW~Succotash!”

It was a great day and we had a lot of fun as we always do.  That’s my Thanksgiving, now let’s go see what everyone else had on their favorites list.  Be sure to check out Peas and Crayons to see what’s going on!

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!

WIAW~I Think I’m Eating Out Too Much

Wednesday already and it’s time for another addition of What I Ate Wednesday.  It’s always fun at Jenn’s party over at Peas and Crayons.  Be sure to catch up on what’s going on with everyone over there when you’re finished here.

I have the feeling that a lot of people will be posting Thanksgiving prep photos.  Or maybe that will come next week.  Regardless, you’ll get none of them from me today.  As the title indicates, I’ve been eating out too much.

Last Thursday, Ralph and I went out to lunch at a diner we don’t go to very often.  There were not a lot of vegetarian choices.  For example the Greek Salad comes with chicken mixed in to the salad! I know I could ask for it to be left out, but that doesn’t bode well for the veggie at the table.

The did have a great side salad.

 

Rarely do they come this big.

I noticed they had a veggie burger on the menu and asked for it made as what they called a fajita burger.

 

It had sautéed onions and peppers and cheese on it.  The veggie burger was sort of destroyed in the process, but it still tasted good.  If I had known that the side salad was so big, I would have just asked for that with the veggie burger on top.  That will be my choice the next time we go there.

We also had lunch at a local pizzeria that we don’t go to very often.  We were there last week and I discovered something on their lunch specials menu.

You start with soup…I picked their vegetable which they assured me was purely vegetables.

 

It is very light, garlicy and delicious.

It comes with a grilled cheese sandwich on Texas toast. It’s supposed to come with french fries, but they’re happy to substitute a side salad.  I got mine with balsamic vinaigrette.

This was really good.  It’s not greasy the way some grilled cheese sandwiches are.  Fairly high in Points for me, but very good.

Included in this week’s food was of course a crock pot full of my Weight Watchers veggie soup. But no pictures.   I also think I’ve finally found how to make perfect black beans in the crock pot.  I don’t think I’ve been cooking them long enough.  I need to try it again to see if I’m right then I’ll post about it.

That’s WIAW for me for this week.  Be sure to check out all of the fun over at Peas and Crayons.  You’ll find lots of great food and fun ideas there.

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!

WIAW~The “Did I Use This Already?” Edition

Ok, I’m Ready! It’s What I Ate Wednesday again! That’s where the fun food bloggers gather to share what they’ve eaten all week long or on a particular day.  I never remember to photograph my food for an entire day.  Maybe I should try that for next week. Besides, I sometimes can’t remember if I’ve used a photo already.  Regardless, it’s hostessed by Jenn over at Peas and Crayons.  Check out what everyone else is sharing when you finish here.

I don’t have a lot to share, but I do have a few tasty treats.

Last Thursday was a birthday celebration for one of Ralph’s sisters, Kathy.  We went to the usual restaurant and I get a little bored with their choices but I do have one favorite that I seem to get regularly.  But first I thought I’d shake it up with my salad choice.

 

I chose the Caesar salad this time and I was very pleased.  The dressing was tasty and they added lots of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.  It was delicious!

My entrée was one that I’ve gotten several times before, but I like it.  It’s called Penne Mediterranean.

 

It has spinach, onions, tomatoes, feta cheese and pine nuts in a light garlic sauce.  It is very good and it seems to be my go-t0 choice at this restaurant since we’re there so often.  At least I’ve found something I like!

Last but not least is another salad. There’s a pizzeria/restaurant that we’ve been going to a lot lately.  They have an excellent Greek Salad.

 

This is one of the best Greek Salads I’ve found in our area.  Lots of olives and feta with garbanzo beans added in.  They don’t mind that I ask for the dressing on the side and it’s a nice light balsamic vinaigrette.  I just love it.  I did have some of their wonderful bread which I showed last week.  That always gets me!

That’s What I Ate Wednesday for me this week.  Be sure to check out what’s going on at Peas and Crayons.  You’ll be glad that you did!

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!!

WIAW~So How Was YOUR Week?

How do we always seem to get back around to Wednesday so Quickly?!  Well, here it is again and that means it’s time to gather where all the bloggers are friendly and all the food delicious…Peas and Crayons…the crazy domain of Jenn the gracious hostess and creator of What I Ate Wednesday!  Be sure to check out all of the fun over there when you’re finished here!

This was a fun week but not one I’d necessarily confess to my friends at Weight Watchers.  Regardless, it was an interesting mix of things.

 

I give you a Tower of pumpkin pie yogurt.  Aldi had these two weeks ago and I bought 2 because it sounded good.  You can never be sure with these specialty flavors…sometimes they’re good, sometimes not so good.  This is delicious and the next time I was there, I had my fingers crossed that there would still be some left.  Yes!!  I’ve been going through these pretty fast.  It’s very tasty!

 

Another pumpkin shot.  Ok, I realize that it looks like an empty IHOP coffee cup.  It is.  But where there’s IHOP…there’s pancakes…and for me this time of year it had to be pumpkin pancakes.  I did ask for them with no whipped cream and I used the sugar-free syrup.  They were also delicious! I’m so glad there’s Not an IHOP closer.  That would be dangerous.

One afternoon last week, Ralph and I decided to go to one of our favorite nearby Italian restaurants.  Usually, we only get salads or sandwiches. But this was late afternoon and almost dinner time so we decided to have a real dinner.  We were both Very pleased.  I started off with a salad.

 

This was huge for a dinner salad and it was delicious.  I got it with the balsamic vinaigrette.  So good and really very filling.

Part of the “filling” aspect was this…

 

This is their bread with the seasoned oil.  This bread is So delicious, I could go in for just that.  Always crispy on the outside and soft and fresh and warm on the inside.  Yum.

Finally we get to dinner itself.  I’m usually pretty much a pasta girl but their special that night was Gnocchi Siciliano.  This was basically gnocchi, which I’ve never had before, with eggplant, tomatoes, a creamy sauce and CHEESE!  It was amazing.

 

I only finished about a third of it.  I took it home and had it for dinner the next night.  This was so good and so over the top as far as trying to figure out the Weight Watchers Points that I think I wrote down 15 Points for it the first night and 20 Points the next night.  At least I’m honest when I write down my Points…Good or Bad…I write them down.

That’s my WIAW post for this week.  If you want (need!) more just stop by Peas and Crayons…You’ll find what you’re looking for!

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!

WIAW~Along For The Ride

Another What I Ate Wednesday and I feel like I’m just along for the ride.  I have nothing really exciting to share but of course that will never stop me from sharing.  One time I had NO food pictures and still linked up! We are of course talking about the fun link-up hostessed by Jenn at Peas and Crayons. Be sure to stop by there today.

It’s been a weird week in a lot of ways and I’m trying to get myself into a better, healthier routine.

Getting my protein in with an omelette with white beans.

 

Sounds a little strange and I did use if for Strange But Good on Friday.  It was tasty with a good boost of protein.  I like that in a breakfast!  I’ll do this again!

As is almost always my way, there was a crock pot full of Weight Watchers veggie soup cooking on the counter at some point.  This was a particularly good batch.

 

It was good to the last drop.  I had mentioned that I’d never cooked the white beans specifically to use them in the soup.  It was a great idea and I will doing it again.  My favorite meal!

My sister, Ele took a little break on Sunday afternoon.  We went to one of our favorite places, Barnes and Noble.

 

It was an iced passion tea lemonade.  They have an option of having it half sweet, which I’d never heard of before but I took advantage of it.  It was tangy and a little sweet and very refreshing.  I’ll do it again!

I’ve been eating a lot of eggs lately for breakfast.  I do that mostly because I feel that I stay satisfied longer with them.  It’s been a long time since I’ve thought of overnight oats in a jar.  I actually thought in advance yesterday and put some together.

 

Oats, fat-free Greek Yogurt, almond milk, unsweetened apple sauce, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.  Also added a little Truvia because I forgot to add it when I put it together.  I like mine warm so I heat it in the microwave for about 2 minutes.  I know that’s probably considered sacrilege but that’s the way I like it.  You’ll probably take note of the crock pot in the back ground.  Yes, that’s This Weeks batch of Weight Watchers veggie soup. I’m nothing if not predictable.

That’s What I Ate Wednesday for me for today. Be sure to check out the link up at Peas and Crayons for some good ideas.  I always do!  I promise more interesting food next week!

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!

WIAW~She Must Have Eaten Something

Good Morning and welcome to the type of What I Ate Wednesday post that happens once in a while.  The type where I have little or nothing to show in the way of actual food because…I’ll tell the story as I go…which seems to be my routine of late.  Be sure not to miss the chance to visit Jenn and company over at Peas and Crayons!

Since this is hap hazard at best, I’ll at least try to do it in order.  Saturday is always Weight Watchers day around here.  You wouldn’t know that I’ve ever even heard of WW if you saw some of the things I’ve been eating, but trust me it is! I’ve been lonely all summer because my two best friends, Gail and Alice have been away in Maine.  They’re back and we’re back to our routine.  Weight Watchers and then breakfast at the local diner.

 

Obviously, I was too hungry to wait for the photo! Egg beaters and fruit. Gail had a great idea.  We all really wanted pumpkin pancakes.  So we ordered a short stack (3 pancakes) and shared!  We got the taste of pancakes but stayed in control.  We used the sugar-free syrup.  I didn’t have any toast so that made it even better! Pumpkin Everything, Please!

If you’ve visited BCDC before, you know that I am the Crock Pot Queen.  I use them year round, but Fall and Winter is when they get the most use.  Trying to keep myself on track, I was up bright and early Monday morning chopping up the goods for a batch of my version of Weight Watchers veggie soup.

 

Going along with the pumpkin theme, WaWa pumpkin coffee in the wonderful cup sister Ele gave me a few years ago.  I love how they are color coordinated!  Yum to both!

To be perfectly honest and show that I’m not kidding about eating things I shouldn’t…

 

Eggplant parmesan sandwich from the local pizza place. Should I have? No.  Did I? Yes.  Sadly, I also ate way too many french fries along with this.  It’s gone now, it can’t hurt me anymore. I’m back on track.  I promise.  No, Really!!

Being back on track is proven by this next photo.  If it was a piece of art it would be titled White Beans In White Crock Pot.

 

To go along with the WW veggie soup, I started a crock pot of white beans.  Thank goodness I remembered to soak them last night.  I realized I’m down to almost NO dried beans in the pantry.  I have to correct that.  A girl needs her protein!  These will be added to the veggie soup but measured for each serving.  Much easier to track the Points value that way and Boy do I need to get back to tracking the Points value!!

There you have it, What I Ate Wednesday for me this week.  I’m hoping that next week will be much better, actually showing food that I cooked and looking like I’m just the tiniest bit on track with my Weight Watchers plan!

Be sure to stop over to visit all of the fun at Peas and Crayons, you’ll be glad you did!

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!

WIAW~A Tale of Two Birthday Cakes (and Two Crock Pots!)

Good Morning and Welcome to my second What I Ate Wednesday post in a row! I’m quite excited to be back and joining in with all of the fun people who gather at Jenn’s party over at Peas and Crayons. I’m going to dive right in and tell my story as I go.

I’m finally back at my own house. After recuperating at my friend Gail’s house for several months ( I started referring to myself as her “squatter” which she found amusing) I am home and it is a bit of adjustment in some ways.  Different bed, different kitchen, different arrangement…I have to stop and think where my spices are, where my utensils are, where my crock pots are!  No, don’t worry, I never forget where my crock pots are!!

Monday afternoon, I suddenly realized that I needed to make beans.  Normally I soak them over night and put them in to cook in the morning.  But I really wanted them on Tuesday so I tried an experiment.  At about 1 in the afternoon, I put them in to soak. My intention was to put them in the c/p at about 11pm.  I fell asleep so they ended up going in at 1 am.  As I write this, it looks like they’re doing fine, but need some more cooking.  But now I know if I forget to soak overnight, I can do it this way.

 

But I think you all know by now, in my house-where there’s one crock pot, there’s probably another.  This one filled with my version of the Weight Watchers veggie soup.

 

I’ve missed having this while I was away.  There’s actually no reason why I couldn’t have made it at Gail’s house, but as I said…different routine.  Funny thing is that it took me longer than usual to make it.  I think my  chopping skills are a little rusty.  I’ll fix that!

One of the things I always put in my veggie soup…and my stir-fries, and my morning omelette is Mrs. Dash.  I love it because it’s no salt and has so many flavors in one bottle.  The mix is always right.  I’m used to the small containers, but Gail found this huge bottle for me, probably on Amazon.

 

I’m so excited because I use it so much.  This should last me a week or two!

 

Ralph had to have fasting bloodwork on Monday so I fast along with him.  But I tantalized him with Dunkin Donuts after.  And I had coupons which saved us almost $6.00!!  I had iced pumpkin coffee and a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese.  It was a splurge, but delicious!

I promised you two Birthday cakes, so here goes.  My birthday was early in October but because Ralph was away, we didn’t celebrate with my sister, Ele as we usually do.  This Sunday we took care of it.

 

There’s a story with this cake, isn’t there always a story in our family?!  The candle on top is a gift from our friend, Jim from Washington.  He brought it for I think Ele’s birthday and we use it all the time now.  The cake itself is very specific and Ele always makes it for me.  It is a boxed devil’s food cake with lemon confectioner’s sugar icing.  It’s what Grandmom always used to make for us and it’s tradition.

The next cake is a little fancier!

 

October 13 was my wonderful sister-in-law Maddie’s birthday.  Saturday we had a little surprise party for her.  The cake was beautiful and we had a wonderful time.  As I’m typing this, I’m realizing that I never took a photo of my lunch that day…it was pasta…it was Delicious!

That’s my contribution to What I Ate Wednesday today.  I’m glad to be back and I suppose it’s just like riding a bike, just get on and type!  Be sure to check out all of the delicious food that you’ll find at Peas and Crayons. It’s always a party over there!

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!

WIAW~Who Knows Where or When

Hello!  Yes, I am still alive, still recovering from my bilateral hip replacement but pretty much doing fabulously!  I still have probably two weeks of physical therapy left and (being the Good Patient that I am!) doing my exercises daily and using my cane for another week.  I’m trying hard to get out and get some walking in every day because my physical therapist tells me that’s important.  The days that I am able to get extra walking in, I do feel better.  Eventually, I will write a post All About the Adventure that was my surgery.  In the meantime, I move along trying to feel like my old self.

Part of that is getting back to blogging.  I have missed it So Much!!  I need to get a schedule set up for myself again and stick with it.  What better way of getting back on schedule than joining in for What I Ate Wednesday hostessed by the lovely Jenn at Peas and Crayons?  So here goes!

My food offerings are somewhat random as you can probably tell from my title.  Just a few tasty things, some of which I’ve saved for a few weeks, always intending to do a post!

 

Ralph and I went out to breakfast on Tuesday morning.  Right before going into the diner, I swore to myself that I would make a good choice, allowing myself to get back on track with my food.  So of course, I ordered pumpkin pancakes!  I did ask for the sugar-free syrup…Do I get points for that?!?

 

One of my all time favorites…pepper and egg sandwich with American cheese from our local pizzeria.  I love this and it never fails to satisfy.  Also, it always reminds me of my Mom.  Good enough for me!

Ralph and I went to a wonderful wedding for the son of close family friends.  I was very happy when along with the usual meat and fish choices, the invitation offered a stuffed mushroom.  Having no idea what that might be, I made that choice.  Was I ever pleasantly surprised.

 

The base was rice, then the Portobello,  It was then stuffed with what I think was a tasty puree of white beans and wonderful herbs and spices.  Topped with yellow squash although several people have said it looks like potato chips.  No chips but it was Delicious and very filling.  I loved it!

Of course, it wouldn’t be BCDC without at least one salad.

 

We have recently started going to a local Italian restaurant that we hadn’t gone to before.  This is their Greek salad.  I love the combination of the greens, olives, tomatoes and feta.  It’s a much more delicate Greek salad than some of the ones I get around here.  It is just delicious.  This restaurant has other good choices too, but I think this might be my favorite.

Just typing up this post is getting me back into the feel of blogging.  It’s not that I haven’t wanted to, I just haven’t had the enthusiasm for it.  I feel that coming back.  Maybe it’s the Fall.  I always want to start something in the Fall.  In this case, I’m re-starting something.  The whole idea makes me happy!

Be sure to stop over at Peas and Crayons to check out all of the other wonderful food and ideas that everyone is sharing.  I know I will!

Happy What I Ate Wednesday!!