Pantry Crawl Shrimp

The cloudy overcast doesn't do wonders for my internal clock. I don't think it helps anyone, but I only know from my personal experience that when the sun isn't shining, this girl isn't either!

I woke up to the devastating news of the tsunami in Japan and Hawaii, how sad. I'm a huge wimp when it comes to anything weather related. Maybe in another life I got stuck in a tornado? Held onto a tree during a hurricane, only to blow off at the last minute? I am not making a joke of these horrible natural disasters. When I say that I am truly sorry for the lost lives, I really do mean it, it makes my heart sad.

So to make the day better, my love went and got me iced coffee. I swear, if he never bought me another thing again except iced coffee, I could be happy. Well, let me rethink that...it is one of those "in the moment" statements.

Breakfast: Eggs with turkey sausage and a side of healthy banana!

I was so excited when I finally got the save the dates out in the mail the other day, it only took me forever. Well, yesterday they all came back. I guess I should have checked with Mr. Postman on how much the postage would be for said shaped envelopes, Oops! FAIL! It happens..... so I thought I would share with you our cute save the date. They make me happy.

Lunch: I decided it would be a good time to eat the rest of my burger from yesterday. On the side I added some green pepper slices for a little CRUNCH!

I'm still feeling under the weather so I had to cancel my plans for today. Based on how I've felt the past few days after going out and getting things done, I need to stay home, hydrate, rest and get better so my weekend full of work doesn't kick my behind.

So, I cooked instead. It is the little things in life that make you happy, and for me making good meals at home is where it's at today. The honored guest of the evening.... Mr. Shrimp and a few of his buddies.

I'm trying to cut back on the grocery shopping bill and only go when we are out of our staples. So after a little brain pickin' I decided I would use what ingredients I have on hand and what I LOVE. Olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper, parsley and maybe a little lemon. Simple, tasty, perfect.

After I started to cook some other ingredients fell into place, parmesan cheese and pasta. Meal complete.

I leave you with this. Hopefully in a few hours, I will be doing the same.

Breakfast X 2

-0.5 lbs
Who doesn't love breakfast? I could eat breakfast for all three meals of the day. I don't think the mister would like that much though.

Breakfast #1: Two pieces of whole wheat toast topped with Teddie Peanut Butter and a banana. Now I understand why so many of you healthy living bloggers eat this every morning!

The only catch for me, I developed a sensitivity to bananas. I use to eat one every day without a problem. Then one day I started to get nauseous after eating them, I would get dizzy and I almost passed out in Home Depot. So I stopped eating them. But every once in a while I try to eat them again, only to have the same thing happen. My love for bananas runs deep so today is one of those days where I'm going to eat one. I'll let you know how it goes.

The man also was kind enough to get me my iced coffee fix. He loves me!

Breakfast #2: Between breakfast and going to work I don't have much time, but I do need to eat something. It is not healthy to eat at 9 am and then not again until 6. So, sometimes I have a smoothie, or a protein bar with some babybel cheese. Today, I made the time and decided I wanted to have a few eggs. So I had two eggs overhard with a piece of lean ham. I think it will give me the protein punch that gets me through to dinner!

Dinner: Salad! Can't go wrong.

In the mix
Romaine Lettuce
Shredded Carrots
Cucumber
Green bell pepper
Slivered almonds
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Grilled chicken tenders
Ken's Steak House Lite Caesar Dressing

All packed up and ready to enjoy at work. Now it's time to get some things done before having to go to work. Let's hope for a good night!

100 days

- 2 lbs (Decided I'm going to post my daily weight gain/loss in the beginning of the post. That way it's a slap in my face every time I log on :-) We shall see!)

In 100 days I'll be getting my hair done, having my make up be all pretty and wearing the white dress. I can't explain in words how excited I am, but I can explain how nervous I am to be the "spotlight" of the day. I am not good with attention, pictures, or compliments. So for the next 100 days, I'm going to have to psych myself into accepting those three things that terrify me the most about our special day. I'm sure that I'll be so happy that day that it won't phase me, I hope.

Today is a good day. I get to spend it with my man, who I've missed terribly. His schedule has always been an issue being that he works in a restaurant, but I've only recently started to be upset about it. I think it's because I see how hard he works and how little they respect him at his job. Also, we will be starting a family sooner than later and I don't want him to miss seeing our children grow up. So, we are yet again on the job search, we'll get it right one day!

Breakfast: I was craving a breakfast sandwich today. So I took 1 egg + 2 egg whites, added a few tablespoons of shredded mozzarella, a piece of bacon and put it on two pieces of wheat toast. Of course I drizzled cholula all over it.

It was scrumptious!

Lunch: We were out and about getting errands done today so we stopped at Panera Bread. I got the BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad. It was fantabulous.

Of course on our adventures I got an iced coffee. I have an addiction. Although, I do not need one every day. So, I'm good. *smile*

Dinner: Tonight I made a version of chicken marsala but with pork instead. I got the recipe idea out of my Eat what you Love cookbook. I had been eyeing it multiple times at Costco but didn't want to splurge. Being that Borders is going out of business in EVERY place I can go to, I decided to do some shopping. Maybe I'll show you what I got at the end of this post. Now back to dinner. The recipe calls for pork tenderloin, but I had some pork chops in the freezer that I needed to use up.


20 Minute Pork Marsala
Ingredients
1 lb pork tenderloin, well trimmed (like I said, I used the chops)
2 tsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste (I omitted this since I didn't have it on hand)
1 tsp flour
1/2 cup dry marsala 
1/2 cup red wine or reduced sodium beef broth (I used beef broth)
8 oz or 2 cups mushrooms
1 tsp butter
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley


~Cut the tenderloin into 3/4 inch thick slices and pound to 1/8 inch thickness. This is a great way to get your frustrations out. 
~Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add the cutlets, and brown for about 1 minute on each side. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
~Heat the oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, flour, marsala, and red wine or beef broth, add mushrooms and pour into pan. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender. Add butter and stir.
~Return cutlets to the pan, turn in the sauce, and heat until warm. Garnish with parsley.

The End. We changed it up a little bit by using the pork chops. We browned them in the pan and then put them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. The mushrooms were sauteed in the pan with minced garlic and olive oil before adding the wine & beef broth. We also omitted the tomato paste and then added some caramelized onions on top. I had a craving so I gave in! On the side, some green beans that are always delicious.

When you cook from a recipe, do you always follow it or change it to your liking? When I cook, I take what I like and then what I know to form a recipe that hopefully tastes good!

Now it's time to get some wedding stuff done in the last hours of the evening. My mantra for today:

It's not a new diet, it's a new way of life.

Goodbye February. Hello March!

I can't believe that it is March already! Woohoo! The countdown to many wonderful things can start.

My April Vacation: 53 days

My 28th birthday: 56 days

Our Jack & Jill: 60 days!

My Bachelorette Party: Who knows!

Our "dating" anniversary: 86 days!

Our wedding: 101 days!

Our honeymoon: 103 days!

Now that I've made myself excited and scared at the same time, let's talk eats.

Breakfast: After not really eating breakfast for the past week, I was craving some eggs. So, 1 egg + 2 egg whites, cooked over "hard" (Is that really a term?). I hate runny eggs, I know it doesn't taste bad but it is just something I won't eat because of appearance and texture. We all have our own internal battles! I paired that with 3 pieces of turkey sausage. I have no fruit in the house, so to the store I go today!

Lunch: Lunch was on the go. I made a chocolate banana peanut butter smoothie.

In the mix
1/2 cup non fat milk
1/2 frozen cut up banana
6 oz. plain fat free chobani yogurt
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 tbsp peanut butter

It was good. I also took two yummy babybel cheeses for when my stomach started to grumble.

Coffee: It's sunny, the birds are chirping, and I'm craving warmth. So Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee run was expected. I got a medium french vanilla with skim milk and 2 splenda. I know that there are many mixed reactions to splenda. While reading some of the information, it definitely makes you think. I guess you just have to choose what you like/believe in. I'll have to go over this decision again.

Dinner: Dinner was by myself, AGAIN. So, I decided I was in the mood for a salad. When it starts to get nicer out, we all just crave lighter food options. Maybe I should move somewhere warmer so my mind stays in the right place ALL the time!

In the mix
Romaine Lettuce
Shredded Carrots
Green Pepper
1 oz. low fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1 serving of slivered almonds
2 tbsp. Newman's Own Italian Dressing
3 oz. ham sliced

It was satisfying and didn't leave me feeling awful like the pizza (I shouldn't have eaten) last night. Note to self: Just because it tastes good going in, doesn't mean it makes you feel good.


On that note, I really enjoyed reading Julie's post from PBF yesterday. It really is about motivating yourself and the mantras that she posted, gave me a new outlook. It's always a battle with yourself. Eat this, do this, exercise this much, lose this, blahblahblah. Over and over and over again. You have to find what works for you that gives you the motivation to obtain your goals. So for today my mantra is.....

If you keep doing what you are doing, you are always going to look the way you are lookin'.

Well based on today, I think I'll be lookin' mighty hot one day. *smile*

Things you can't live without

There are certain things in life that you just can't live without. You can't make substitutions. These are things that are THAT important to you, that no matter what financial situation you are in, you WILL have them.

Such as.....

Febreeze. Makes everything smell better. 

Cholula. I would bathe in this stuff, it is that good.

Bare Essentuals Make up. It makes you feel beautiful even on your worst day.

Macbook. I will never own another PC, sorry Dell- you lost a long time ago.

Samsung Fascinate. My favorite phone by far.

Notebooks. I probably own 10 notebooks at this point, and every time I see a new one with a pretty cover, I buy it. It's ridiculous.

Woman's World. My mother got me hooked when I was young. Every week, it's the first stop I make in the grocery store as if they would sell out by the time I get to the register.

Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla Iced Coffee. I started early this year, and bought my first iced coffee two weeks ago. I'm willing spring to come early.

Sausage. Any kind, any time. No I'm not being a pervert. It makes all foods better.

Ipod. Music makes you want to move. Moving is good. I'm on my second because this beast ate my first.

Yankee Candles. Brings me back to my childhood. Nothing beats having a yummy candle burning in your house.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. It's just friggin' good.

Crystal Light Pink Lemonade. It's a treat, and maybe better than soda? I'll keep telling myself that.

I'm sure there are other things that I can't live without that might be more important. Like air, but I don't have to go to a store to purchase that, yet. With the way this economy is going, we might get taxed to breathe sooner than later.

What are your favorite items that you can't live without?