While not the healthiest, these girlfriend recipes are delicious

You know the kinds - the ones that you find in your grandma's church cookbook. The first is actually an appetizer recipe that my friend Polly brought to two separate gatherings this past fall / winter. Each time, I thought how good it would be over lettuce or pasta. I made it for New Year's Eve and served it on thinly sliced baguettes as the recipe called for, but it was lunch over lettuce yesterday.

Yesterday's lunch

I thought that it would be really healthy, what with it mostly being shrimp, but once I calculated the nutritional data (which may or may not be accurate!), I came up with 418 calories, 32 fat grams, 7 grams of carb, and 28 grams of protein. This is for a one-cup serving, or one-fourth of the recipe.

Here's how to make Polly's shrimp:

1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp, cooked and very roughly chopped

1 lemon thinly sliced, peeled and chopped

1 medium red onion or one bunch green onions, chopped

1 cup pitted black olives (I used about a can and a half - the small ones - of sliced black olives)

2 T chopped pimientos

1/2 cup olive oil

2 minced garlic cloves

2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 T red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tsp basil

1/4 tsp cayenne

about 1/2 cup fresh parsley or 1/4 cup dried

1/4 cup capers

Mix the olive oil, garlic, dry mustard, salt, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, basil, and cayenne in a small bowl. Combine all the other ingredients and pour the dressing over. Mix well to combine. Refrigerate. Serve over thin baguette slices as an appetizer. (And it's delicious served over lettuce as a salad).

Do you see where the calories come from? That one-half cup olive oil is a killer. I think it could be lightened up by using a light lemon vinaigrette; maybe next time.

Another delicious recipe is Santa Fe Soup from Jeanette. It is embarrassingly easy to make, and is one of the best soups I have ever eaten. And again, I thought it was healthy since it is mainly beans and veggies. Oh, and a block of Velveeta.

Dinner last night, served with some roasted veggies / sweet potatoes

Jeanette's Santa Fe Soup

1 lb hamburger, browned and drained

1 can sweet corn with liquid

1 can pinto beans, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 16 oz. jar medium salsa

1 1/2 lb Mexican style Velveeta

1 14-oz can chopped or diced tomatoes

2 11.5 oz cans of V8

Mix and simmer. (See - I said it was easy!)

It makes a ton - about 10 cups. I figured for a one-cup serving, there are 390 calories, 15 fat grams, 43 grams of carb, and 27 grams of protein.

Breakfast this morning was an old familiar: Mary Lu's protein waffles. You should really make them if you haven't:  3 egg whites, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 tsp almond extract. Whir it all in your Magic Bullet for a minute and either pour it into your waffle maker or make some pancakes. Mary Lu said that if you make pancakes, add about 1/8 tsp baking powder (or maybe it was baking soda?) to make them fluffy.

We had such a nice lazy New Year's Day. I got a good workout in - treadmill and weights. Have I mentioned how much I hate the treadmill? At least I got to watch the Rose Parade. We watched the Nebraska game (no joy in Mudville), I took a little nap, and then read some more of The Night Circus. And to top off a totally relaxing day, there was a new episode of Parenthood, one of the best dramas on TV. (Although I have to admit that I am hooked on Nashville - a nice guilty pleasure).

I woke up early today to exercise - stationary bike this time. I am watching all the Sex and the City episodes on my iPad while on the bike; for some reason I can't watch on my iPad on the treadmill. (Probably watching the timer too closely!) Then it was Inventory Day at the shop, where we have to count every single item by hand. There were so many people that it only took about four hours. Jane entices everyone with promises of free pizza and pop - and it works! Lunch was a piece of veggie and a piece of sausage / pepperoni pizza. I'm not sure my ten miles on the bike offset much of that, but dinner is going to be grilled salmon Caesar salads, so I have a little wiggle room!

TTFN