All the time cooking.

I have gotten several requests to know more about this "green sauce" that I spoke of the other day...

Here is a link to the WeightWatchers recipe. I did a few things differently...I sauteed celery and fresh jalapenos with the onion...and didn't use any olive oil, just Pam in the pan. I used two big heads of fresh broccoli, 2 cups of fat free chicken broth, and 1/2 cup of low fat cream cheese. I liked it, but I salted and peppered it pretty generously and had it on wheat angel hair with a scidge of shaved parmesan (so if you are counting WW points, it is a bit different than the recipe). Someone in the review section made a comment about not pureeing it...I think I concur as long as you chopped the broccoli pretty small. It made quite a bit. I had it twice, my sister and her husband had some (which they liked but found a bit bland...I forgot to tell her to salt/pepper it after heating it up), and I froze another third of it for a 'rainy day'.

Today I made a Cooking Light macaroni and cheese, and it is good, really good. It is creamy and rich for the times when Annie's isn't going to cut it. BUT, it is a bit spendy...the cheese alone cost $10. (Also...I built the recipe in WW and got 11 points, but the nutritional information on Cooking Light has it at 9 points, and I used whole wheat rotini instead of cavatappi, so not sure where the difference is.)

While on the topic of cooking...last night I made "Chicken Pot Pie innards" (I simmered boneless, skinless chicken breast in chicken broth, added pearl onions, diced potato, mixed veggies and Heart Healthy Cream of Chicken Soup. I had to doctor it with a little bit of butter, skim milk, and lots of pepper and a few healthy dashes of Tabasco. We ate it for dinner with crescent rounds, and that didn't quite get me the experience I was craving, so today I baked a pie shell that I cut into strips (before baking after laying it flat on a baking sheet) and we used the pie crust strips as garnish for a more thorough Chicken Pot Pie experience.

All of these foods I prepared in a way to maximize volume and minimize WW points, and I think they all turned out fantastic. Plus I got to feed my family (I delivered to my sister and my son) some homemade, nutritional food!

(OH, and I mixed an Angel Food cake with a can of crushed pineapple in its juice for a yummy dessert. ONE point for 1/8 of a cake. Now that is some counting I can live with.)

SO....

I failed NaBloPoMo AGAIN...this is two years in a row that I start out great, then my life gets the better of me and I forget to blog, even though I think of the blog several times a day.

We were out of town last weekend at the beach, then came back and I worked Monday night and 12 hours on Tuesday. I took Wednesday as a me day, and did a great long workout, a run, made some "green" pasta sauce that was OUT.STANDING (in my opinion...I gave some to my sister and haven't heard so I am thinking they may not have cared for it and didn't want to hurt my feelings), caught up on Glee, snuggled my sister's new baby, chatted with her 5 year old, went bowling (we are in a league), then worked all Thursday and Friday, then we went out of town again to our first ever "away" college football game.

We got home a few hours ago and I have the base of chicken pot pie simmering in the kitchen and we are relaxing. RELAXING...what a novel thing to do, and man do I need it.

I got an email from Nike+ that they are hosting a 'virtual' half marathon for women in January. I won't be completely ready to run the whole thing, but I was thinking maybe I would do my normal run that day, then work on walking the rest of it throughout the day...anybody interested in doing this with me??? (I do not know all of the details quite yet...I will look them up right now.)

Off the grid

I'm sending this is in from my phone as Mr. P bullshits with a salty dog at a fun little bar at the beach. We ran a bridge today---there were so many pelicans and, get this---butterflies!

We then went for endless crab legs, miniature golf, and watching the sunset at the pier.

Anytime we spend a weekend at the beach, I think we will never top it....then we always do.

Cheers!

Sent from my iPhone

College football, Yay or Nay?

Are you a fan of the game?

I love college football, which could be a HUGE understatement. Mr. P and I talk about it, I talk to my students about it, I talk to my friends about it, I even talk to my parents and my nephew about it. But what I love most about college football is MY college football team.

(If you don't know where I live/where I am from (and care to know, I should add) my team won the.national.champion$hip game this past January.)

One of the "rules" of college football, especially, SEC football, is that not only do you support your team with fervor, you OPPOSE your rivals just as heartily. As luck with have it, our two biggest rivals (or the teams I LOVE to HATE the most (the teams, not the kids on the teams, I get they are kids)) are playing in "THE GAME" tonight.

Puts me in a dilemma: Should I be less unhappy if team (A) wins? That would potentially put them undefeated when they visit us in November giving us the opportunity to derail their national title hopes our own selves? BUT, if they win the title, that gives it to our state 3 times in a row...OR should I be less unhappy if team (L) wins? Team (A), well, IS JUST Team (A).

Either way it should be a hell of a game....(YAY College ball!!!!)

5 days!

I have managed to string together 5 days of exercise (2 outdoor runs, 2 personal training sessions, 60 minutes of elliptical, bike and treadmill) at the same time I counted points (WW) and actually stayed on target all 5 days.

I have also written and submitted a research proposal for '12 summer funding (no teaching), and have nearly finished the work for my Fall classes, except grading.

I have gotten permission (and funding) to go to AUSTRALIA in June. I was asked to teach part of an MBA course this Spring which I'm pretty excited about.

I saw this tree which stuns me with how absolutely in love with the colors I am...stellar 5 days!

You've got what I need.

I like that I can stock up on all the necessities on one aisle.

I've got it bad, I tell you. BAD.

I have not been a good Holidayer the last couple of years. I think a lot of it has to do with my kids not living at home anymore. I miss all the nights of Christmas movie marathons, of cookie masterpieces, and the kids trying to put their junky BEAUTIFUL homemade ornaments on my pretty, pretty tree (not to mention some hideous gold tinsel that they managed to sneak on every year), and Mr. P's light up deer in the LIVING ROOM (not the yard).


I passed on my insatiable love of all things holiday to my kids, and with them out of the house, I don't have their energy to propel me to the levels I normally yearn to go. Plus, last year, our relationships were in the dumps, so Christmas, well Christmas was just off. BUT, time, well time has done her job, and I am SO ready for the holidays that I broke my cardinal rule of no holiday movies prior to November 1 by already watching Love Actually and The Santa Clause (twice). I have already Christmas shopped. and well, last night, it got really weird when I made Mr. P stop the DVR to rewind this commercial:






me: What else is this?


Mr. P: What else is what?


me: What else is this song?


Mr. P: .....


me: I know this is a Christmas song (rewinding for another listen).


Mr. P: .....


Mr. P: (finally, laughing)...OH...it plays in Christmas Vacation when he is in the attic looking at movies.


me: (sighing with happiness) Right, I knew it was a Christmas song. When can we put up lights???