DARK CHOCOLATE LOVE

So much to do today!  Need fuel to do it!  BREAKFAST was a typical American breakfast: eggs, sausage, and toast...with a healthy twist of course!

QUAKER LIGHTLY SALTED RICE CAKE + 1 TBSP BETTER N' PEANUT BETTER + GIMME LEAN SAUSAGE + EGG WHITE

I have to admit to being a less then stellar eater lately:( Whether it be stress or emotional eating I've been eating really crappy food for the wrong reasons i.e., I've been "eating my feelings."

I've also been neglecting working out, which is why I decided to join Jillian on a little Level 1 30 Day Shred.  I'm lovin the fact that this video gets easier every time I do it!  I felt good after my little sweat sesh, I knew that a protein shake was in my near future! 

CHOCOLATE BANANA PROTEIN POWDER + ALMOND MILK + 1 TBSP FLAX SEEDS + 1 TSP SPLENDA WITH FIBER + ICE CUBES

I bought Organix Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy 30-Day Smoothing Treatment the other day.  It claims to dramatically reduce drying time and take most of the wave out of your hair.  I have VERY wavy, thick hair that takes FOREVER to dry.  I was willing to try this product out.  I can't wash my hair for 72 hours, and the product leaves an icky residue in your hair so I'm going crazy.  I'll let you know in 2 days if it's worth two days of yuck.  Fill out this form for some free samples from Organix!

While this stuff was sitting in my hair for 1/2 hour, I threw together an EASY but AMAZING SALAD BEAST for DINNER!!!

BABY SPINACH + CRAB LEGS + ROASTED RED PEPPERS + ANNIE'S LITE GINGERLY DRESSING

And for a sweet SNACK:

Picked this up at the Ghirardelli's in downtown San Diego.  LOVE IT!!!  New favorite!

Crazy Saturday plans:

SPRING CLEANING LIST

Refrigerator

Makeup

Closet

XOXO

OYSTER HEAVEN

I have NO CLUE how much DEHYDRATED PINEAPPLE I have consumed this morning!!!  It's so tasty.  I keep eating, and eating, and eating it!

I went to Rubio's, a delish taco place out here in So Co, the other day and got the Portobello & Poblano Tacos (corn tortillas topped with toasted cheese, habanero citrus salsa, grilled Portobello mushrooms and Poblano peppers, cilantro/onion, cotija cheese, creamy chipotle picante sauce and sliced avocado)  poblano and potabello mushroom tacos.  They were yummy, but way high in calories (522 calories, 48 grams of fat).



I thought I'd try a variation of my own.  I made PORTABELLO & POBLANO QUESADILLAS.  I spread a Weight Watchers Jalapeno cheese wedge on a La Tortilla Factory Whole Wheat wrap.  I then stuffed the tortilla with a fire roasted chili ("fire roasted" on the outdoor grill), a portabello mushroom, and a bit of TJ's Mexican blend reduced-fat cheese. 

I'm not going to fib.  It wasn't as good as Rubio's tacos because of the lack of gallons of creamy cheese, but definitely good enough to make the calorie save worth it.

I met up with my friend, Connor, for $1 oysters at the Pacific Beach Fish Shop.  They were amazing!!!  I could eat oysters every day if they weren't such a pain to shuck!

I started out with a CORONADO ORANGE AVE WIT WHEAT BEER, and an OYSTER SHOOTER (oyster with cocktail sauce, horseradish, and garnished with a poached shrimp).

I ordered ten various type of oysters from British Columbia, Canada; Carlsbad, CA; and Washington State.

I love to drown them in horseradish, cocktail sauce, and lemon.  I have always swallowed the oysters, but Connor suggested that I chew them.  I really liked them better when I chewed them!  You definitely get more of the flavor.

These were incredible!  I'm going to drag Boyfriend back next week.  I have a new food day dedication:

OYSTER THURSDAYS!!

To do list is AGAIN packed for tomorrow.  I have to find some time to squeeze in a bit of cardio action AND start the Spring Cleaning!!!

Nite Nite!

XOXO

MY FIRST ROON

 

Rockin' the B-FAST Green Smoothie!! 

1/2 MEDIUM BANANA + 1 TSP COCONUT EXTRACT + 2 TSP CHIA SEEDS + 1 CUP ALMOND MILK + HANDFUL OF SPINACH + 3 ICE CUBES

My first experience at making homemade MACAROONS!!!!!  This is basically just a throw-away, experimental batch.  Chocolate overload!

 They turned out pretty good!  A little mushy in the center, but I thought they were delish!!

How did I "bake" them??  24 hours on my new FOOD DEHYDRATOR!!!  I did it!!!  I bought the cheap model, so I wasn't that bad of a girl.  However, from here on out NO BIG PURCHASES!!!!!

$1 PINEAPPLE AT HENRY'S SLICED BY BOYFRIEND

Despite the fact that my house is packed with eats, I was NOT in the mood to cook tonight.  Boyfriend and I grabbed a pizza at a yummy pizza place on 30th Street.

GOLD COAST: GRILLED CHICKEN, ARTICHOKE, SUN-DRIED TOMATO, BASIL, ELEPHANT GARLIC

While we waited the 35 minutes for the deep crust to cook, we went to Bluefoot, a bar half a block down from the pizza place.

PEAR CIDER + CORONADO IPA

The pizza was AMAZING and the beer gave me quite a buzz! 

We went to the Red Box machine and rented Love & Other Drugs.  I'm not really an Anne Hathaway fan.  In fact, I really dislike her.  I think she's annoying :(  Jake Gyllenhaal, however, I think is hot as ballz!!  The movie was pretty good.  A LOT better then the other movies I watched lately!

XOXO

OPENING DAY

SAN DIEGO PADRES OPENING DAY!!!

For BREAKFAST this morning, I thought I'd give some props to San Diego/Mexican cuisine.

HUEVOS RANCHEROS

• 1 CORN TORTILLA
• EGG
• 1/4 CUP TJ'S LITE MEXICAN BLEND CHEESE
• 1/4 CUP BLACK BEANS
• 1/4 CUP CHUNKY SALSA

Wrap the tortilla a paper towel, and heat for 30 seconds in the microwave.  Mix together beans and salsa and heat for 1 minute in the microwave.  Poach one egg.  Assemble: Tortilla on the bottom, spoon beans and salsa mixture on top of the tortilla, place egg on top of beans, and sprinkle with cheese. 

Boyfriend and I went down to the East Village near the stadium where there was a block party to celebrate opening day.  The stadium is right in downtown San Diego.

ROCKIN THE PADRES GEAR

There were food trucks set up outside the stadium.  I got into the spirit and ordered a "Slaw Dog".  It was all bun and not really tasty:(  I also thought the Diet Pepsi tasted a bit weird.  I looked at the bottom of the can and it had expired in August!  Not a good 1st Food Truck experience!

We didn't have tickets to the game so we thought we'd stroll around downtown a bit.  We ended up walking down to the harbor and stopped by a restaurant on the water for some drinks.

ICE TEA FOR BOYFRIEND + CHAMPAGNE FOR ME

It was a beautiful day and I'm glad I got to sneak a little Boyfriend time in.

XOXO

IN MY DREAMS

I HATE LAUNDRY!!! 

I don't mind doing it.  That's the easy part.  It's the putting-it-away part that I have a problem with.  I had to put away laundry from about a month ago, combined with the laundry I did the other morning.  UGH!  However, when I do it, I do it right!  I even fold my underwear.

I made some ORANGE BLUEBERRY MUFFINS yesterday that I had for BREAKFAST today.  I used a store bought mix, but added some orange zest and replaced the oil with pumpkin for a little healthy kick.  I also used a mini muffin pan because I feel like I'm eating more when I have two little ones verses one big muffin.

I also threw in a smoothie for good measure.  It's obviously NOT from Seattle's Best.  I usually save my cups when I get drinks out and reuse them a few times. 

MANGO + 1/2 BANANA + ALMOND MILK + 1 TSP SPLENDA WITH FIBER + COCONUT EXTRACT + ICE CUBES

I made LUNCH at work.  I was CRAVING brussel sprouts!!!  Who craves brussel sprouts?

BRUSSEL SPROUTS + TOMATO SAUCE

So I know I SAID that I was done with kitchen appliances but....I'm really LUSTING after these two babies:

 BREVILLE 800JEXL JUICE FOUNTAIN ELITE JUICER I now have a Vitamix for my smoothies, but I can't make fresh juice!  I'm not really into drinking too much fruit juice because it is so high in calories and sugar.  However, I figure I can sneak a bunch of veggies into my juice to cut down on the high calorie content.  This would set me back around $250, so it's a bit of an investment.  A girl can dream...

NESCO DEHYDRATOR Drying my own fruit and homemade macaroons!!!  Who wouldn't want to do that?!?  This item is about $50 so it's not as much of an investment as the juicer.  The only problem is that my kitchen is getting WAY too cramped with all of my "gadgets"!!!

 

XOXO

WHISKEY & FARMERS MARKETS

UGH!!! I got talked into drinking Jameson last night, and I feel TOXIC this morning.  My friends have an unnatural obsession with whiskey that I just don't share in.

To cure my ailing body this morning, I recreated one of my favorite Vita creations: ORANGE JUILIUS!  I remembered to add the spinach this time.  Check out that lovely green MONSTER!! 

LARGE ORANGE + 1/2 FROZEN BANANA + 1 CUP ALMOND MILK + 1/2 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT + 2 TSP SPLENDA WITH FIBER

I used this boost to power me through yet another Farmer's Market.  This time it was the Hillcrest Farmer's Market...my fav!  The weather was kind of dreary, but not too cold.  I was shocked at how packed it was!!

FRESH FLOWERS

LUSTING AFTER THESE "FLOATING" VASES

GOING TO TRY TO REPLICATE THIS "SALSA" AT HOME!

YUMMY SQUASH BLOSSOMS

CAN'T BUY CARROTS LIKE THIS AT THE GROCERY STORE

MOST FAVORITE TOMATOES

I was so overwhelmed by everything!  I did a lot of window shopping, but ultimately only bought a few necessities!

DATES!!

I've heard about this sauce around the city.  It's made locally and I knew they had a booth at the Farmer's Market.  I tried some with a carrot and LOVED it!!!  LOVE the name too:)  They make a Pesto flavored sauce as well.  I will definately have to try that next time.

After the Farmer's Market, I went on a hunt for a pair of shoes that I have been lusting after.  No luck :(  I did however stop at Borders for some Iced Coffee and the newest selection of health magazines.  They all start to say the same thing after awhile.  I enjoy them most, when I haven't read them for awhile.  And reading them at Borders allows me to save some $.

For DINNER, I cheated and just reheated some of my Vitamix Avocado Tortilla Soup.

And for a little SNACKAGE later...

2 TBSP WILD GARDEN HUMMUS DIP + FLAT OUT WRAP

I'm not much of a fan of THIS type of hummus, and I LOVE hummus.  I'm sure I'll still finish it though :)

Well, that's it for today.  I think I have a long day of cleaning ahead of me tomorrow.  I LOVE cleaning but I feel like I'm ALWAYS doing it.  With two black cats, two sugar gliders, and one Boyfriend there's always something to clean!!

XOXO