Quick & Easy

I woke up yesterday with a sore throat...it slowly turned into a cough that made my head pound. My nose isn't running at all...it is all in my throat. Needless to say, I didnt run last night (Wednesday). I have been guzzling water and tea and hope to get this thing out of me ASAP.

Backing up a little bit, Tuesday night, I decided to finish my taxes instead of heading to the gym. Turbo Tax makes it easy. Anyways, I did still manage to fit in a 40 min Jillian Michaels workout - Trouble Zones - courtesy of Exercise TV, on demand. I am really liking her workouts.

Tuesday was a quick and easy dinner - Roasted Red Pepper ravioli from Dipasquales. They have a freezer section with a large variety of their homemade pastas, so I had stocked up the last time I was there. Topped with marinara and grated parm.

In an effort to get in some "green" - I also steamed up the rest of my frozen edamame and sprinkled with a little sea salt.

After dinner, since I was low on salad and sandwich stuff to pack for lunches, I came up with a quick & easy CousCous dish.

Ingredients

• 1 box Pine Nut Cous Cous (follow directions on box, I use the Near East brand)
• 3 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 can marinated bean salad from Trader Joes
• gorgonzola crumbles to taste

Directions

1. Cook CousCous according to box directions.
2. Saute chopped zucchini in a tsp of smart balance, over medium-high heat, until tender.
3. Remove zucchini from pan.
4. Drain beans, but reserve liquid.
5. Add bean salad and some liquid (eyeball it) to the same pan zucchini was cooked in. Cook over medium-high heat until liquid reduces.
6. Mix everything together.
   

This was perfect to heat up the next day for lunch. There are so many things that can be added to this mixture. I used what I had on hand, but chicken sausage would be incredible in this. Actually, that just reminded me that I made a variation on this dish awhile back. Check it out HERE, if you are interested.

I am extremely flattered to have received the following award from Rose, @ On a Lobster Placemat. Her blogs is one of my favorites because she is SO creative! I always look forward to reading what she has to say and seeing what she's eating. She has a new and amazing oatmeal combination pretty much every day - seriously. Thanks Rose!

Last, but not least, don't forget to comment on my Hunger Takes No Holiday post! :)

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Dishing

First of all, thank you to everyone who has commented on my Hunger Takes No Holiday post - and for everyone who has helped me spread the word! Please keep it up and comment if you haven't already. :)

Workouts

Last night, I intended to take the 6pm spin class, but when I arrived at 5:55pm - all 40 of the bikes were taken!

I was lucky enough to score an Arc Trainer, which I did for 45 mins. Then I did 2000m on the rowing machine which was probably around 10 mins. I figure that I have to start doing some rowing to prepare for the Adventure Race in April. Rowing is tough and makes my back ache.

Food

I mentioned in a previous post that my mom, sister and I went to Let's Dish last Friday. I am not sure if everyone has a Let's Dish around them, so to give you a little background...

• There are different stations set up with the ingredients you need to prep meals on the monthly menu.
• Everything you need is set out for you with directions on how to do each step and what equipment to use.
• The menu changes each month and it is such a fun thing to do with others.
• You take home your meals and freeze them to cook at a later time. (bring a cooler with you)
• The meals are portioned for a family of 6, but you can split the meals if there are only two of you.
• They bake fresh scones and encourage you to bring your own wine to have during breaks.

I use these meals as a supplement to the things I cook myself. I haven't been in awhile - not sure if I have been since I've had this blog actually. They work well for nights when I have no desire to cook or don't have much time.

Funny Story - the first time we ever did it - I thought they were providing FREE wine for everyone and just went up to help myself. This one lady started asking me about my "multiples" and I had no idea what she was talking about. I think I just "smiled and laughed" - the normal response when you have no clue what someone is talking about. I guess a group, "Mothers of Multiples", was there "dishing" and had brought wine for their group. oopsie. ;)

Last night, I made one of the Let's Dish meals - Mandarin Breeze Shrimp with Jasmine Rice.

Tender shrimp marinate with huge chunks of green pepper, onion, whole button mushrooms and mandarin oranges in a delectable sauce that includes a touch of sesame, garlic and hoisin. Sautéed until sizzling, then served on fragrant Jasmine rice.

It was delicious because the mandarin oranges broke apart and became part of the sauce. It was even better leftover today for lunch when all the flavors had more time to hang out.

Nutrition Facts, Servings: 6

*They said sugar content wasn't available, so that makes me think it might be bad. call me a pessimist.

A picture of what is becoming my standard dinner drink. Equal parts of Mango Nectar and Sparkling Water. More mango than sparkle going on last night though.
The following is becoming Kevin's standard drink - Skim Milk and Peanut Butter Puffins. ;)

Breakfast this morning (Tuesday) was a throwback to an old favorite before I got hooked on oatmeal. I am all out of oatmeal. (gasp)

Grilled corn tortillas topped w/ 2% shredded cheddar, scrambled eggs (liquid egg whites and 1 egg), and chipotle hot sauce. A tiny bit of turkey bacon in the background that needed to be used up.

Question for Ya

What is your go-to simple and easy dinner?

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Packed

First off, thank you to everyone who has commented on my last post - and for everyone who has a blog - please help me spread the word! :)

I literally don't feel like I stopped ALL weekend - it was packed! I am a complete zombie today.

Friday

• Let's Dish with my mom and sister
• Thai dinner with mom

Saturday

• 8.5 mile run in Columbia with kevin, dad, and other friends.
• Discovered THE MOST amazing greek restaurant in Greektown for lunch
• Kevin's work awards dinner

Sunday

• Lunch with high school friends
• Dinner with family

I will be posting reviews of the Thai and Greek Restaurant separately to ensure this post doesn't break the scroller on your mouse.

Saturday night, Kevin (my boyfriend), got an award for all of his hard work last year. He had the top sales for his group. It was a fancy affair with only a small group of people invited. That made it pretty special to be there.

Kevin and I got to play dress-up and it was fun.

I did have a wrap since it was a windy, 30 degrees outside! They had a professional photographer there taking pictures of each couple, so I am excited to get those back.

No photos from inside because it was a bunch of big wigs that I had never met before. The food was delicious. Caesar salad to start, then crabcake and filet with broccoli and mashed potatoes. Chocolate molten cake for dessert. White wine all throughout the night. :)

I had some great eats on Sunday too. First, for lunch at my friend Maggie's house where we got together for our semi-monthly, high school reunion.

I made a mexican 7-layer dip which I forgot to take a photo of because I was rushing!! (fat free refried beans, light sour cream, guac, salsa, 2% cheddar cheese, tomatoes, green onions)

Other eats included: Pork tenderloin,

spinach salad (with the biggest salad scooper thingees I have ever seen!),

mashed potatoes and fruit salad.

There was also brownies, chocolate chip cookie pie, and peanut butter mousse pie for dessert. I tried a tiny piece of each pie....deeelish.

A little later, I headed over to my mom and dad's house for dinner.

She had made two types of lasagna - Veggie and Turkey, salad, and garlic bread. There was also peanuts, pretzels, and celery with PB and chive cream cheese as appetizers.

Since I had a big lunch, I tried to go light on dinner and just had a small piece of veggie lasagna, salad, and a piece of bread. It was all great - especially the lasagna because it was full of carrots, spinach, onions, mushrooms and cheese.

Then came dessert. Fresh strawberries over ice cream, pizzelles, chocolate covered almonds, chocolate chip cookies, and butterscotch bark. Unfortunately, I just couldn't do it - there was no more room in my stomach. I did end up grabbing a strawberry and chocolate covered almond, but I definitely only did that because they were staring at me and not from any sort of hunger.

In other news, today I tried a horned melon (Kiwano) for the first time! It was crazy...I had to look up how to eat it online before I started.

It is a pretty color, but it was the hardest fruit I have ever tried to eat. I say "tried" because I don't really feel like I ate anything.

Basically, you suck the little, green pulp things out of it and then you can spit out or eat the seeds. I spit them out and it was difficult! The pulp of the fruit is a little rubbery and would basically slither down my throat before I could get the seeds out. The ones I did get out were all over my chin and desk. Lovely!

It tasted like a cucumber to me. I don't think I will be buying this again because it was TOO hard to eat and expensive. It probably would have taken me 3 days to eat this fruit fully... especially if I was spitting out all the seeds. I spent about 30 mins on it and had a plate full of little seeds. Please tell me if you have tried it and I am completely missing something here.

Happy Monday!

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Hunger Takes No Holiday

I was recently contacted by the Maryland Food Bank in hopes I could post information about their annual food drive on my blog.

Well, I am going to do one better.

• First, I am going to provide the information for local readers. (see below)

• Second, I am going to do it the "Hangry Pants" way and run a food drive right here, so EVERYONE can help. (Thanks for the inspiration Heather and Mark!)

For every comment on this post (one comment per person), I am going to donate 20 cents in the form of food to help support this great cause.

• Tell me what type of food you would like your 20 cents to go towards in your comment. (Most Needed Items are listed below)


• My drive will end on Sunday, March 8th, when I will go shopping for all the food to donate with the money raised.

Being contacted by the Maryland Food Bank really made me stop and think about all that I have to be thankful for. I feel so fortunate and want to take this time to give a little back.

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this blog that allows me to share the things I enjoy and am so fortunate to have - food, health, and fitness! Now, its time to give a little back - so please comment away and spread the word!

The Maryland Food Bank Sees Need up by 50%

You Can Help with the Harvest for the Hungry Spring Food Drive

This spring, thanks to a statewide effort led by the U.S. Postal Service, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, you can help. Drop off a bag of food at your residential mailbox March 7 – 14, 2009 and representatives from the United States Postal Service, Girl Scouts of Central Maryland and the Baltimore Area Boy Scouts will come by and pick it up. Post Offices, Safeway Stores, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage offices will also serve as collection points throughout the week. Donations will be delivered to the Maryland Food Bank.

If you would rather make a monetary donation—checks can be made out to the Maryland Food Bank and sent to: 2200 Halethorpe Farms Road, Baltimore, MD 21227. ATTN: Shanna Yetman.

The week-long drive, a project of Harvest for the Hungry, helps stock the shelves of The Maryland Food Bank, which in turn serves over 900 soup kitchens, food pantries and shelters across the state.

WHAT: Every day brings worse news about the economy. Unemployment rates are up and the stock market is down. The Maryland Food Bank has seen a significant increase in need from its network of soup kitchens, food pantries and emergency shelters. In times of financial uncertainty, it’s important to remember how important food assistance programs are – to our neighbors and even ourselves.

WHEN: Saturday, March 7 through Saturday, March 14, 2009

MOST NEEDED ITEMS: (no glass, please)

• MEAT & PROTEIN: Canned meat, ham and chicken; Peanut Butter; Macaroni and cheese; Canned stews; Canned tuna, salmon and sardines; Nuts and seeds; Dried and canned beans
• BREADS & CEREALS: Oatmeal, Breakfast cereal, Rice and rice cakes, Pasta
  FRUITS & VEGETABLES: Canned fruits and juices, Canned vegetables, Canned soup, Sauces/Salad Dressing
• DAIRY FOODS: Evaporated milk, Powdered milk, Infant formula, Puddings and custards
• NON-FOOD ITEMS: Diapers, Toilet Paper, Plastic/Paper plates and cups, Sanitary napkins and tampons

NOTES: The Harvest for the Hungry Spring Food Drive sponsors include: The Baltimore Area Council Boy Scouts of America, The Baltimore Sun, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, The Office of the Governor, The Howard County Times, The Jeffersonian, Joe Corbi’s, Morgan Stanley, Safeway, The Towson Times, The U.S. Postal Service, WBAL-TV 11, WBAL-AM 1090, and The Westminster Eagle.

Harvest for the Hungry (HFTH) is a year-round volunteer effort by various corporations and organizations to raise food, funds and awareness for the Maryland Food Bank and its counterparts throughout Maryland. Initially, this effort began in 1986 as a holiday food drive. It was extended because Larry V. Adam, Jr., the founder, believed that “hunger takes no holiday.” In its distinguished 20+ year history, Harvest for the Hungry campaigns have collected more than 28 million pounds of food.

Thanks for your help!

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Random Thursday Thoughts

The Fresh Market

Has anyone been to this place? I took a trip up there during my lunch break yesterday and was so impressed. I could have spent 3 hours just looking around.

I took this photo from their website to give you a quick peek inside...since I was one of the only people in there and felt weird snapping photos. Beautiful, right?

I had been given a tip from Ashley (another MD blogger) that they sold Barney Butter there...I definitely opened it in my car and took a taste. ahhh - love it. :)

Since I have been on a beet kick lately - I grabbed these as an impulse buy. I ended up deciding on a California Roll for lunch. Mainly because there was a sushi chef there rolling it, so I knew it was fresh. It better be, at the FRESH market.

Annabel Lee Tavern

Last night, Kevin wanted to go out to dinner. I don't think I have ever said no to that suggestion. We walked 2 blocks to a local favorite - Annabel Lee Tavern. One of my favorite things about city-life is being able to walk a few blocks to a great restaurant.

Annabel Lee is semi-new and has an Edgar Allen Poe theme going on - if you couldn't already tell by the name. Inside, it has a very cozy feel. There are always a ton of unique, mouthwatering specials and I have never been disappointed with any dish I've ordered.

Another nice thing is that Kevin went to college with one of the bartenders there, so that translates to extremely heavy pours of wine and maybe even a discount here and there. :)

I forgot my camera, so the pictures above have been borrowed from the website to give you a peek inside. But, the point of this story is that I overindulged.

It all started with my HUGE glass of red wine. Then, we ordered shrimp potstickers as an appetizer and I got roasted vegetable ravioli with a gorgonzola/mushroom sauce for my main meal. Kevin got the shrimp/scallop/crab risotto special that I, of course, tried a few bites.

Hello - self-control? You there?

Thursday

I vowed to get up early and go to the gym. Well, I got up early (5:30!!), but realized that Exercise TV was much more convenient than going to the gym. I also found a 1 hour "Boost Metabolism" workout with Jillian Michaels that sounded perfect to help burn off my dinner. Jillian is no joke and makes sweat pour out of me - I love that.

I worked up an appetite for oats.

• 1/2 c oatmeal
• skim milk to cover oats
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• handful of blueberries
• drizzle of agave nectar
• sprinkle of bee pollen
• spoonful of Barney Butter! (this stuff is a little runnier than I remember, but still has the same great flavor)

Running Resource

I wanted to provide a good resource to the running folks out there - my dad's running blog - Running with Tom!

I am not sure if I have provided it before, but he lists out a bunch of different treadmill workouts where you can adjust the starting speed to your pace and then follow his intervals. His friend actually manages the blog, but my dad provides the input.

He is waaay faster and a more experienced runner than me - so I know he would be happy to answer any running/training questions you have. He has run over 50 marathons and at least 10 ultras!

Have a great Thursday!

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Hump Day Post

Can I just say I am so impressed with the bloggers out there who come up with creative post titles!?! I had a major block today, as I do most days.

My legs were dragging a little bit yesterday, so after procrastinating for about an hour and a half, I finally headed to the gym at 7:15pm.

I am an expert procrastinator. I took Oscar to the park, then came home and tried to get him to chase Lucy for awhile. I thought about starting my taxes (meaning, I tried to locate my turbo tax log in) and then looked around facebook for waaay too long. So many ways to be unproductive! :)

I did manage to do a 4-mile treadmill run.

• Mile 1 - 6.0 speed
• Mile 2 - 6.2 speed
• Mile 3 - 6.4 speed
• Mile 4 - 6.0 speed

I felt accomplished and overheated. I think they must have cranked up the heat in the gym last night.

Dinner was inspired by Chandra and Erica. I had plans to make Turkey Mini Meatloaves, but after seeing I had all the makings of a great Turkey Burger - I went for it.

Here is how I did it:

1. Saute 1 clove garlic (minced), 1/2 small onion (chopped), and heaping handful of baby spinach with a dash of EVOO.
2. Cook over medium heat until the onion is tender and the spinach is wilted. Let cool.
3. Mix spinach mixture with ground turkey.
4. Go wild with spices. I threw in a few dashes of sea salt, black pepper blend, Worcestershire, red pepper, and egg whites. I also threw in about 1/4 cup of blue cheese crumbles.
5. Shape away. I went with the normal "burger" shape.

Kevin grilled them up beautifully. (Grill marks!)

Country Bob's on the side for dipping. They were mighty tasty. Served with a slice of wheat toast w/ whipped smart balance.

Butternut squash fries with ketchup on the side.

I would say this meal was a major success because while we were eating Kevin goes, "I was NOT looking forward to this meal at all, but I have to say, this is one of the best "blog/healthy" meals you have ever made!" :)

Other Stuff

I had signed up for the Club Challenge 10-miler this Sunday. This is where all the running clubs in Maryland compete in a 10-mile race. It will be a pretty competitive bunch on a challenging course, with a lot of fast times. I'll admit that I was nervous, but I was committed to doing it and told myself I wouldn't bail last minute.

That changed when I found out Kevin's Award Dinner is the Saturday night before the race. This award dinner is special because this year - Kevin is going to be receiving a pretty big award. It is a Black Tie function in some swanky club on the top floor of the Legg Mason building that stands prominently in the Baltimore skyline. He is renting a tux and I bought a new dress. We want to relax and enjoy it! and drink as much wine as we want!

So, that was my long-winded way of saying I am not running the race on Sunday. But, I will be running 8-9 miles Saturday morning to make up for bailing on the race.

Thought you might like to check out my dress for Saturday night. A Black-Strapless-Number.

I have a hard time buying any dress that isn't black. White House/Black Market is my go-to store for dresses.

While I was in my room taking a picture of the dress, I snapped this photo:

My board with (most of) my race bibs. I would love to do some sort of collage with all of these and have it framed. So, I am curious for all of you runners or racers of any kind - what do you do with your race bibs? Throw them out? Save them? If you save them, where do you put them?

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Changes

Hi all. As you should be able to see, unless you are viewing through Google Reader, I am working to change the layout of the blog. I have been wanting to do this for awhile now, but was scared about screwing everything up. I finally just went for it, and hope that my IT degree will prove useful.

I already removed a few items, by mistake, so those will be back along with a few new things! Please stick around through the transition period...as there will be a "cool" contest in the coming weeks after all the dust has settled.

Bee Pollen has been making a daily appearance in my morning oatmeal. It has a subtle sweetness, along with a little extra crunch.

My new favorite combo: oatmeal, skim milk, blueberries, cinnamon, agave nectar, bee pollen, almond butter.

My new favorite combo + white chocolate chips = even better. Dinner last night was outstanding. Spicy Mahi-Mahi. Grill marks make me happy for some odd reason. Kevin basically threw a bunch of stuff together to make a marinade and I wasn't keeping track. I do know there was soy sauce, EVOO, apple cider vinegar, and jerk seasoning in the mix.

Mashed Parsnips.

Added a little skim milk, smart balance, salt & pepper while mashing. FYI - these smell disgusting when they are steaming, but end up having a sweet flavor.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Flavored with a little EVOO, salt, and pepper before baking for 15 mins at 400 degrees.

Work-out wise, it was a "model" Monday. I woke up early and did Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred Workout before work! Then, after work, I headed into my favorite spin class after a 2-week hiatus. It was a tough, sweaty workout - just the way I like them.

In case you were wondering, Oscar is mostly back to his normal self! The limp is pretty much gone and we have gone back to our regular, daily walks. (Minus the ball for now). We are thinking it was a sprain.

He has been enjoying his "Weight Management" food immensely. Since it is new, he thinks it is a special treat.

His quick recovery is mainly attributable to Lucy's nurturing ways.

These two have been attached at the hip. :)

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Valentine's 10k & Bee Pollen (2.14.2009)

Check this out...Yup. It was a hilly 10k, but it was beautiful scenery. We ran on a very secluded road in the middle of Loch Raven Reservoir.

There were probably about 40 people at the start and most of them looked extremely serious and hard-core. I whispered to Kevin that we needed to make sure we weren't last. Goal for the race: relax and enjoy it, but not be last!

The race was very low-key, but they had one water stop in the middle of the course that we hit twice since it was an out and back.

As we hit the turn-around cone at 3.1 miles, the guy called out that we were at 29 mins. Considering all the hills, we were happy with a 29 min 5k.

My legs felt strong and I was thinking about all the lunges and squats I have been doing - those really do make a difference.

We were on the way back to the finish - but we knew we had a big climb to get through. We stayed steady up the hills and ended up finishing the race right under 60 mins - 59:58 is the last time I looked at the clock. Not too shabby.I made sure to rock some Valentine's Day colors. :)

We went out to breakfast afterwards at the Paper Moon Diner. This place has a SUPER eclectic atmosphere and is just plain cool. Oh and Charm City Cakes is right around the corner. The Food Network show, Ace of Cakes, is filmed there, but unfortunately there was no Duff spotting.

We started with coffee in my favorite kind of diner mug.I ordered the Tofu Scramble for my meal. The tofu was sauteed with garlic, lemon, spinach, and mushrooms. Wheat toast on the side. I ate every bite. It had great flavor. Definitely something I want to try and re-create.

After eating at Paper Moon, we stopped by Mill Valley Garden Center and Farmer's Market right around the corner. There wasnt much to choose from, but we picked up some yellow onions and this...Bee Pollen! I asked the lady a bunch of questions about it that she couldn't really answer, so I figured it was worth the risk and bought it. I came home and did some quick Internet research.

Obviously, if you have bee allergies - you should stay away. A few things I found out about Bee Pollen:

• Some of the bee pollen benefits have to do with the fact that bee pollen has high concentrations of the B vitamin complex, and also contains Vitamins A, C, D, and E. [Source]
  
• It contains one of the highest protein levels known to mankind. [on the jar]
• In some cultures bee pollen is even used as an aphrodisiac. [on the jar]
  
• It acts very effectively as a natural energizer for your body. [Source]

I tend to be skeptical when it comes to stuff that sounds too good to be true - because it probably is:

• Many people claim that the list of benefits is almost endless, but a lot have yet to be proven. [Source]
  
• Promoters call bee pollen "the perfect food" and stress that it contains all of the essential amino acids and many vitamins and minerals. However, none of these nutrients offers any magic, and all are obtained easily and less expensively from conventional foods. [Source]
  

I tried a small taste and it was crunchy and had a weird flavor. I really don't know how to explain the taste. Maybe a little like protein powder, but more like I was eating a plant or something.

So, I am wondering - do any of you know anything about this so-called, "Super Food" - Bee Pollen? Good or Bad?

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And the Winners Are...(2.13.2009)

Using the Random Number Generator, the winners of the Country Bob's Giveaway are:

#24 - aron

#33 - sweetandfit

Congrats guys! Please send me an email with your contact information and I can forward to Al at Country Bob's, who will be sending out your prizes. Thanks to everyone for playing. I think I am going to do another one of these giveaway things in a few weeks because it was fun. :)

Running/Workouts

Last week, I completely slacked on my running and vowed to pick it up this week. I have done something every day, but for some reason, my motivation is seriously lacking.

So far this week, my workouts have looked like this:

• Monday - run 3.4 miles outside (33 mins)
• Tuesday - Jillian Michaels 30-day shred workout on Exercise TV (Oscar and Lucy had vet appts tonight which zapped most of my night)
• Wednesday - Jillian Michaels 30-day shred workout on Exercise TV (have no good excuse...should have at least made it to spin class for some cardio)
• Thursday - run 4 miles treadmill (40 mins)

I know that isn't horrible, but I feel like I should be doing higher mileage or at least some interval training. I do have to say that Jillian Michaels is no joke. Her workouts are tough and I love that they are free on demand!

Back to running, Kevin and I have decided to run a Valentine's 10k together this weekend. How romantic, right?! ;)

The information is below for any locals who may be interested. This race is put on by the Baltimore Road Runner's Club and the price is right.

Valentine’s 10K
Saturday, February 14, 2008 at 8:00 AM (Loch Raven Reservoir at Morgan Mill Road)
This low-key 10K is out-and-back through the beautiful Loch Raven watershed along the rolling hills of Loch Raven Drive. And this year we get to actually have it on Valentine’'s Day!
Registration race day only, at the venue. $2 for members, $6 for non-members.

Food

For dinner last night, I made Spicy Shrimp Pasta and Steamed Broccoflower.

What the heck is Broccoflower, right?

It was the same consistency of Cauliflower, except it is green like Broccoli. Tastes the same as Cauliflower too.

For the pasta, I used this Spicy Cajun Linguine from Pasta Alley that I bought after seeing it here.

First, saute garlic, shallots, parsley and shrimp in approximately 1.5 tablespoons of EVOO. Once the shrimp is no longer opaque, set those aside since you dont want them to overcook. Add the sliced zucchini to the same pan and cook up for about 5-10 mins over medium-high heat.

Eventually deglaze all the brown goodness in the pan with some chicken broth. (White wine would be better, but I didn't have any.) Simmer for about 5 mins. Add shrimp, chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, cayenne, and pasta back to the pan. Mix it all together and top with grated parmesan.Voila!

New Product

I found these cute mints at Trader Joes the other day. I drink coffee, so they are perfect to keep at my desk and pop in before meetings to ensure I don't have dragon breath.

On the side of the tin, it says "3 mints = 1 cup green tea* based on polyphenol content". Works for me. 3 mints = 10 calories and they have no artificial flavors. They are sweetened with Cane Sugar and Honey Granules.

Question

What are your plans for Valentine's Day? If you are single, in a relationship, or especially if "Its Complicated" - I would love to hear whether or not you like to celebrate this holiday.

Personally, I think it is just a good excuse to do something special for the one you love, but I definitely don't make a HUGE deal about it. We are running the 10k in the morning and then I am making dinner. We may also go to a movie or just out with friends. Nothing major. I didn't think we were going to be exchanging gifts, but Kevin gave me two early Valentine's gifts last weekend. New running shoes and a gift certificate for a massage! :)

Oh and it's Friday the 13th. Muuuaahhhhh.

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Country Bob's Tofu & Giveaway Time! (2.11.2009)

The good folks at "Country Bob's" were kind enough to send me two bottles of their All-Purpose Sauce to try out. I love getting to try new things!I thought it might be great to use as a marinade for my baked tofu because I saw another blogger using this same sauce as a dip for their tofu. (I cant remember who I saw doing that!)

The flavor of this sauce is tangy with a subtle sweetness and a strong Worcestershire flavor. The consistency is thicker than regular Steak Sauce, more like a BBQ sauce, and I can understand everything in the ingredient list!It was cut off in the picture, but the Serving Size for the nutrition facts above is 1 tbsp.

The tofu didn't crisp up as much as I like, which could have been because I was anxious to try it. After my first bite, I realized I hadnt used enough sauce for marinating because the flavor was not coming through, so I drizzled more Country Bob's on top for extra flavor. Yum. I especially like this sauce because it makes me want to listen to country music and plan a BBQ. :)

Want to try it?

Country Bob's has offered to send TWO lucky people - 2 bottles of their All Purpose Sauce!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by Thursday, February 12th @ 9pm and you are entered to win!

I will use the random number generator to pick TWO winners tomorrow night. Good luck!

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