Since I don't really have any exciting kitchen endeavors to post, I'll just post a few pics of highlights from the week that I HAVE manged to capture. And, since it's a whole week, there's no need to be chronological about it, so I'm just gonna go from classy to sassy to trashy. =) Here goes.
Classy
1/3 big seedless cucumber
1/2 red bell pepper
2 pieces turkey bacon
1.5oz fat free feta cheese (or 1/4 package)
1/2 serving black beans (1/8 cup)
A bed of arugula and mesculin
Topped with some lite honey mustard Annie's dressing.
I did this guy twice, once I topped it with 6 crumbled saltines for some crunch (takes it over 300 cals but that's ok, I ran that day!)
Finally, I've gotten my kale chip mojo back. These turned out great with a spray of olive oil, salt, pepper and baked at 400 degrees/20 minutes.
The secret ingredient: nutritional yeast! I see it on supermarket kale chips and decided to invest in it myself. Thus far, I haven't found anything else it works with, but MAN does it do wonders for the kale chips. I actually had 2 bowls of these this night, one with a drizzle of honey mustard.
Sassy
From the left: a plate of asparagus (olive oil sprayed, S+P, some lemon juice, a little white wine)
A big glass of white wine (see below!)
1.5 crab leg bunches (this came to $15/pp but it was a splurge night)
Ramekin of "I can't believe it's not butter" 0 calorie spray.
I can't stress this enough, this is the ONLY one that tastes like real butter. Even Boyfriend likes it!
Sort of bland that night, but it definitely satisfied that veggie craving I had!
Best wine tip ever for summer? I got this idea while in Ithaca wine country:
To seriously cool down your wine and add flavor to cheap-o white wines, instead of spending hours waiting for them to cool, drop in a few pieces of fresh frozen fruit. They act like ice cubes but don't dilute the wine AND they add a lovely sweetness to a dryer wine.
Score! Sassy wine!
I did have some watermelon to cool down though. Giant cups of watermelon are my summer weakness. I can't possibly calculate calories but when it's a million degrees out, I barely care.
On a side note, the vast majority of beach snacks in Long Beach revolve around HOT, FRIED, HEAVY, SALTY food that I LOOOOVEEEE but would gag at in the heat of the afternoon. I felt more dehydrated just LOOKING at those food carts and the people walking around with giant sausages and lobster rolls!
I actually got myself a fish taco and ate mostly just the fish. It was lightly marinated and came on a bed of lettuce, tomatoes and a tiny bit of cheddar cheese. I skipped the sour cream, of course.
Moving on to what I'm sure everyone was waiting for.....
Trashy
Pistachio pudding happens to be something I remember fondly from my childhood. My mom made it for me a few times and I could just imagine the thought process that went into it. Picture us coming from Ukraine where things like this were just unheard of to seeing a box of green pudding?!?
So this was actually 90 calories. A little high, but so, so so so so so good!
I suspect there will be a bowl of jello pudding (butterscotch is next!) in my refrigerator more often!
A friend from medical school and I went to see Bellflower, described as a post-apocalyptic love story, at an outdoor movie screening (called rooftop films, the screen and we were all on the ground...hmmm....) and I went to a bodega an invested in a lovely Corona Light, which I drank out of a paper bag. Everyone needs a few moments like this =)
Afterward, we went to a beer garden and I couldn't find a garbage can, so the beer-in-a-bag wound up crossing the trashy threshold when I had to sit it on the table in front of me. Fail.
Still, altogether enjoyable.
Anyone have any great summer indulgences? Classy, sassy or trashy are all good =)
Remember sunblock or you'll turn into a lobster like me!