It's been the nicest winter in (my) memory, with people golfing, riding bikes, and running in shorts - in January. In Nebraska. Mother Nature just wants to remind people who's in charge here, and she can be a bitch. It's chilly and gray and rainy today, but that will change to snow sometime around midnight and we're forecast to get 6-8 inches. (That's what she said.) Of course, this is the weekend Erin has free and is planning on coming home. I was more worried earlier in the week when they weren't sure about the storm's timing, but now she should be able to get back to Omaha safely tonight and home again on Sunday without the weather being much of a factor. She may not get her intended shopping done here, however; it looks like a lying-on-the-couch-wearing-sweatpants kind of Saturday. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
So I've finished the first three days of the February abs challenge. So far so good. I also ran again yesterday; I just redid the first day of the Couch to 5K program - only this time it was outside. We live in a pretty hilly neighborhood - I should get extra credit. Erin told me about a great C25K app which I love. I had been reading reviews on some of them and none were stellar, but this is wonderful. You can use your own playlist, and you just get a beep when it's time to change from walking to running.
In case you're looking for it in the App Store
It's not that I really like running, and I'm CERTAINLY not good at it, but I really like the way it makes me feel. Almost like an athlete!
So on to the food: Wednesday was just so random. I really need to plan better. After breakfast of steel-cut oats, lunch was a PBJ and an apple. That's right - third grade all over. I made blackened salmon caesar salads for dinner with some garlic bread. I don't know if it was the fat from the salmon or the avocados I added, or the garlic bread, but my tummy felt a little weird. Funny what a few weeks of good "clean" eating will do.
Thursday breakfast was The Usual: pb bagel thin, milk, and berries. (I could eat this every day and be a happy girl - oh wait, I almost do!) I made myself an Abs Diet guilt-free BLT for lunch and had a honeycrisp apple along with it. I changed it up a bit for dinner and made a Hungry Girl recipe that was in our paper: the Hey Mambo! Veggie Italiano Quesadilla. (This recipe is available on the Laughing Cow website - laughingcow.com - but for some reason it's just not letting me link to it. You'll have to take my word for it.)
Start by blending 1/3 cup canned cannellini beans with 1 tablespoon water until mostly smooth. Add 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning, and spread this on one-half of a low carb/high fiber tortilla. On the other half, spread a wedge of Laughing Cow Light Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Cheese.
Looks kinda gross, doesn't it? Keep going. You need to chop some veggies: 1/4 cup zucchini, 1/4 cup red bell pepper, and 1/4 cup onion. (I used less of the onion - personal preference.) While you have the knife and cutting board out, cut up 1 piece of Mini Babybel Light cheese (I just used a Sargento Light String Cheese since that's what I had.)
Next, spray a non-stick skillet with Pam and heat to medium-high. Add veggies and cook, stirring occasionally for about 4-5 minutes or until veggies are softened a bit.
Transfer the veggies to side of tortilla spread with the cheese wedge. Top these evenly with the chopped cheese.
Fold the bean side over and press gently to seal, forming quesadilla. Next, respray the skillet and return to medium-high heat. Place quesadilla in skillet; cook about two minutes per side, until outside is toasty and inside is hot.
Cut into triangles and serve! I topped mine with salsa, but sour cream (or non-fat Greek yogurt, which is my sour cream substitute) would also be good. Doesn't this look much better than the quesadilla did at the start?!
Nutritional info for 1 serving (entire quesadilla): 295 calories; 8g fat; 44.5g carbs; 11g fiber; 5g sugar; 18.5g protein
It was a wonderfully filling meal. Wouldn't you think it would be enough? Me too. But I relapsed. The ice cream in the freezer was calling my name. I made sure to measure and count, though. That jump-started my sweet tooth, because I then had some kettle corn. And then to counteract all the sweets, I had some Planters Pistachio Lover's Mix. And then I was thinking what went well with salt, and it turned out to be a gin and (diet) tonic. Hello, my name is Cathy and I'm a food-a-holic. DAMN!
Today was a fresh start. I started by cleaning and organizing the refrigerator. And there is no ice cream in the freezer.
I went to HyVee to stock up before the storm, along with the rest of Omaha. (Our friend Missy, who is a dietician at the store, was wondering on her Facebook page why everyone was buying milk, bread, and eggs. Are they hungry for french toast?) Anyway, I found these little treasures:
I made a pitcher of the margaritas, and while pretty delicious, tequila would be a good addition! (Not a good lifestyle choice for lunch, however....)
Time to go drink a tequila-free crystal light and wait for Erin to arrive. Have a good weekend!
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