Foodie Fun

Two Pizzas Are Better Than One: Buffalo Shrimp and BBQ Chicken

/ foodsweatandbeers / 12 Comments

Here’s the honest truth: I’m a sauce boss.

At any point in time, in my refrigerator, there are enough products that could be used as sauce, marinade, dressing, and the like, it makes you wonder where I put it all. I guaranteed have more sauces than I do foods to cover with the sweet, liquid toppings, but that never seems to stop me from buying new ones.

I like my fries to be the side of my ketchup.

My pancakes should be able to swim in syrup.

My chips nearly drown in the salsa.

But here’s the clutch part of this story. Until Sunday evening, the only sauce I’d been using on my pizza…. is pizza sauce.  Occasionally in the form of marinara or Sockarooni (the favorite sauce of the Sugar Coated Sisters) but, honestly, I wasn’t getting too creative, pizza-wise.

Enter: Game Changers 1 and 2.

Big thanks to Ray and Ken

Two dinners made special thanks to Sweet Baby Ray’s and Ken’s Buffalo Wing Sauce.  Oh, and a special Harris Teeter deal on Whole Wheat Pizza Dough!

Single Girl Realization: One pizza dough ball = 2 beautiful pizzas for one!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and get ready for some pie!  Add some parchment paper to your pan so you don’t need to clean up later (trust me on this one).

First up, a buffalo shrimp pizza.

Not my best photography... But one of my best pizzas.

I rolled out that dough the best as I could. Unfortunately, on night one, that means an oddly shaped pie.

Up next, I put a thin (THIN being the key word here) layer of the buffalo sauce on this doughy wonder. In the meantime, I took some pink shrimp and tossed it in some cajun spices and olive oil, to give it a little flavor. Chances are, I dramatically overcooked it. I wouldn’t recommend that step, but I’m new at this whole seafood-cooking thing.

Up next, I tossed the cooked shrimp in some buffalo sauce. I covered the sauce and dough in a thin layer of cheese, then added some sauteed spinach and tomato slices to the pie. Add the shrimp and a bit more cheese. Cook in the oven for… jeez, I’m not even sure. 12 minutes?  Just watch it carefully.

Hawk-like.

When the cheese is melted and the crust is golden, you’re ready for eating action.

Maybe shrimp and buffalo sauce isn’t your poison?

I got this.

Roll out dough ball number two. Chances are, you did a better job this time. I know I did.

That looks much more pizza-like!

Keep that oven preheated to 400, and hit up your chopping block to cut up some red onion (I guess another onion would be good. But I prefer red.) Chop this bad boy thin, try not to cry, and sautee it in some olive oil.  Wait until the pieces get all soft and tasty. This is the best way to enjoy an onion.

Add some more spinach (gotta keep it green), and, if you have some cooked chicken, add it. I happened to have had a can of chicken on me, and I added this.  It worked perfectly. The chicken sweated on the onions and the spinach soaked it all up. It was a romantic little get together.

Take that BBQ sauce and add a thin layer to the dough.

The BIGGEST recommendation I can give about ALL homemade pizzas is to push the toppings out to the very edge of the ‘za. I can’t stress this enough.

So make that sauce reach every last nook and cranny of your crust. Sprinkle some cheese, add the spinachonionchicken mix to the pie, and spread a bit more cheese over with a drizzle of BBQ sauce.

Cook it in the oven!! Follow the same instructions as the first one (i.e. no real instructions… just watch it carefully.)

Perfect pie!

Serve it on a plate in the shape of a slice of pizza.

That’s probably the most important instruction of all.

Wait. Don't eat the plate.

What’s your favorite dream pizza topping?

How about the sauce you use the most?

 

Why You Should Grocery Shop at Lunchtime

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Hey there y’all, and thank goodness it’s Friday!

I’m blurrily celebrating No-Pants Friday, so excited that I clearly couldn’t even hold still!

Too fast, too furious for the camera!

And I have to say, I just enjoyed the most divine salad at lunchtime.

Festive Friday Fare!

Yesterday, I tossed 2 frozen chicken breasts, half a can of black beans and half a can of fire-roasted tomatoes and some salsa into the crockpot. By dinnertime last night, it was a wonderful shreddable chicken with a Mexican flavor. Though I wrapped it in a tortilla last night, today I bulked it up with some spinach, tomato, half an avocado, and cheese. Out of this world.

Now, you might be asking yourself, “How does Jordan afford all these avocados? She must be a zillionaire!” because avocados are notoriously pricey and that’s a bummer. But I’ll tell you how I get em.

Shop for groceries at lunchtime!

A beautiful bounty!

The aisles are almost empty and the food is ripe for the picking. Also, this is a PRIME time to pick up those battered and bruised veggies and fruits that are “priced for quick sale”. The losers of the produce aisle, these treats always finagle their way into my heart and, shortly after, into my grocery cart. And, honestly, if you’re planning on putting together food with the veggies in the not-too-distant future, what’s the problem?

Sure, maybe they’re not as beautiful as the beautiful bananas, the attractive avocados, and the perfect plums. But they’re delicious as all get out, and just made my day.

For $2.50, I picked up 4 avocados and 8 tomatoes. I’ll chalk that one up to a major WIN!

Plans for tonight include a very special (and RARE in NC!) beer!  Epic Brewing’s Brainless on Peaches will be tapped at Rockfish tonight, and I can’t wait to try a glass.  Yummy, yummy.

What’s

Jimmy Johns Customer Appreciation Day!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 5 Comments

So, this’ll be short and sweet.

Once a year, Jimmy Johns hosts their Customer Appreciation Day. On this day, subs 1-6 are only $1 a piece!  If you know me at all, you know of my fondness for free or cheap foods. Heck, look at my birthday week!

Discounted slices of Klausie's Pizza? I melt (just like cheese).

So when I heard of this chance, I of course tweeted and emailed all my coworkers. Last year, they were cranking out a sub every 20 seconds.  This year, they may’ve been going even faster.  When we rolled up (4 deep), this was what we saw.

Hugs for Subs!

This type of crowd left some balking at the sheer size of the line. Not I, though. I had faith that the folks at Jimmy Johns wouldn’t disappoint. And, within no time at all, we were inside.

MAN, the gears were turning inside!

JJ Crew

I’m pretty sure the entire working force of Jimmy Johns was there! There were folks answering phones and, outside, people were taking orders to prepare for the checkout. It was a well-oiled machine.

$2.34 later, I was home with my goodies.

Delicious

I went for the classic.

#4 Turkey Tom, no mayo, plus onions and oregano, side of Thinny Chips (WHOAH this is newish!! Reduced fat Jimmy Johns Chips!!)

I added some low-fat mayo at home, and paired it with my drink du jour, pink lemonade Crystal Light.

Fantastic.

If you are in the Triangle area (read Cary, Raleigh, Durham, or Chapel Hill) before 3 pm today, GET YO’SELF A SUB!!

Are you aware of any killer food deals I should know about? 

Happy hours? Cheap eats? One-day deals?! SHARE!

Rehearsal Dinner at Open Door Gastropub

/ foodsweatandbeers / 11 Comments

Good evening, we made it to Wednesday!  Hope everyone celebrated in the right way (namely, No Pants Wednesday). Even though I have volleyball tonight, I’ve taken a break at home to enjoy some No Pants time…  and some blogging time.

Though I teased you all with some tidbits of my cousin’s wedding this weekend, there was more to it than silly mustaches and food on a stick.  In fact, there was a whole weekend of fun.  And it all started with the rehearsal (and rehearsal dinner!)  We were running a little late due to traffic from that crazy Occupy Wall Street stuff, so we went underground. Namely, to the subway!

Get her to the church on time!!

Luckily, we just made it, and the church was stunning.  Having been featured in Godfather II, Moonstruck, Men in Black, and Confessions of a Shopaholic, the Church of St. Anthony of Padua was picturesque, to say the least.

My camera just doesn't do it justice.

After watching the rehearsal go down (since I was giving a reading!!) we hopped a cab back to the hotel, which was luckily a stone’s throw from the location of the rehearsal dinner!  The location of the dinner was Open Door Gastropub  and, after reading some Yelp reviews and checking out their menu, I was specifically stoked for the extensive  drink menu. I decided, with so many options, it was definitely going to be a beer night.

Bottom's Up!

I started the night off with a Goose Island IPA which was tasty but not incredibly hoppy. A good way to start the night.  Also a good way to start the night?

Mini Beef Wellingtons... I'll be wolfing you down all night.

The appetizers were quality bar food, and also included pigs in a blanket. Pretty much a party in my mouth.

The best part of the night was definitely when my oldest brothers finally arrived!!

The Golden Age!

Despite our massive amount of love for my youngest brother and sister (the one I just had the Sister Date with!), the three of us always joke that we’re the “Golden Age”, as it took 3 years for all of us to be born, and 4 years later came the babies.  Well we were reunited in full force!

After all the tasty beers and appetizers, I was not all that interested in the food, but it was a pretty impressive spread.

Hot bar!

I was really looking forward to the infamous Mac and Cheese here… alas, no luck.  But let’s be honest, the real focus fell to the massive selection of beers.  Over the course of the night, I enjoyed:

  • Goose Head IPA
  • Southern Tier 5 Boroughs BPA (Something I’d NEVER seen before!)
  • Chimay Trappiste
  • Ommegang  Hennepin Farmhouse Saison
  • Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyner Schneider Hopfen-Weiss
  • La Chouffe
And mayyyybeeee a few more that I forgot to document on untappd.  Clearly, it’s a top notch spot for (affordable) craft beer in NYC, if you’re looking. Oh well, the drinks come, the focus switches from beer listing to family fun!

My lovely lady cousins! (the bride's the one in red...)

Getting our drinks after a looong wait!

Mini cupcakes from Crumbs. Oh my goodness...

Don't worry, I had no interest in this vodka.

My cousin, on the other hand.

All in all, it was a beery, bar-y fun time had by all.  But I still don’t understand the name, Open Door.  Darn doors were closed all over the place.

Or lead to nowhere.

Maybe they were being ironic?

I heard that’s big in NYC.

What’s your dream rehearsal dinner spot?

I’d love something with lots of tasty beers, comfort food, and good music!!

 

The Lighter Side of Zumba

/ foodsweatandbeers / 15 Comments

Hey there y’all!! Long time, no blog.

This weekend was jam-packed, and I even blogged a pinch about it in this week’s Six Pack Sunday: My Cousin’s Wedding. That being said, considering it was the longest time I’ve spent home in a looooong time. Monday, since I had off, I took advantage of the bonus day and staved off my flight until Tuesday morning. The cost? One exhausted Jordan.

Payoff? Phenomenal Sister Date!

See the resemblance? (I'm the taller one, ps.)

On the agenda?

Pancakes (banana chocolate chip… with sprinkles), Baking (Namely, Courtney’s Crackled Sugar Cookies), Zumba, Lunch at Moe’s, and FroYo. All before 4pm (game time for her volleyball game!)  It was daunting, especially after drinking all the beers during the weekend, but, with little Kiley by my side, I was ready for anything.

She's also a whiz with a whisk.

Up first? The cookies.

Toss those bad boys into the oven, now what?

Since they take about 12 minutes to cook, but we were already dressed for zumba, clearly we only had one option.

Girl's got ups.

Not much of a yogi-bear

Beautiful tree pose

This is the most flexible I've ever looked. Don't believe everything you see.

16 takes of each pose later, they were ready!!

Just in time for zumba!

All iced and ready for the team!

Fast forward to a trip to the YMCA. The 1pm Zumba class on a Monday is not something my schedule normally allows, so I jumped at the chance.  When we got there, we realized that wasn’t my standard Zumba class.  It was, in fact, a whole different ballgame.

The two of us probably brought the average age of the fitness room down about 26 years. While I’m used to the  college students from UNC and Duke, or the young professionals from the Research Triangle who dress in Lululemon, Nike, and Under Armour, the fashion in this class was outfitted in jeans (no joke), plaid shorts, and stirrup pants. We stuck out like two sore thumbs. Two sore thumbs that were about 6″ taller than most of the other women in the class. We’re tall, we’re gangly, and we have zero rhythm.

Clearly, we were meant to be in this class.

Well, we were given weird looks as we were flailing around, taking steps way longer than needed, and jumping up and down.  In fact, at one point, a woman leaned over to us and said “Man, whatever you’ve got going on in your shoes, I think I need it!”

Sweet moves, Ki!

Both of us are tall, lanky, and athletic. Surprisingly, that doesn’t actually translate to being a good dancer whatsoever. It mostly translated to us looking like we were illustrating plyometric drills instead of salsa and merengue steps.  But we got some laughs, we felt like spastic jellyfish, and we broke one heck of a sweat.

Glossy

And, even though I may not have any sexy Latin moves, I can, at times, drop it like it’s hot.

Drop it low

It was great to take a group fitness class and feel like a goof, instead of focusing solely on knocking out serious cardio. I even followed my own group fitness etiquette and made sure that, since I wasn’t sure of the moves this woman used, I hung out in the back.

Do you ever take classes just “for fun”?

I can’t say I regularly do, but it’s such a welcome to take a class with a friend (or, in this case, a friend sister HYBRID!) and be silly. I still felt like it was a killer workout, but that might’ve been all the laughter (good for the abs, I heard.)

Stay tuned for a wedding post in the near future!!

Six Pack Sunday: My Cousin’s Wedding!

/ foodsweatandbeers / 14 Comments

Long lost readers, I made it through the weekend!

I just woke up from a 2-ish hour nap after a long day of recovery (read: brunching, packing, trying to find my brother [who somehow ended up keyless at a train station in the next state over the morning after the wedding…], and riding back to PA from NYC. $100 to park for two days, that city is no joke.)

I’ll save the full write-up for another day, but in the meantime, in true Six Pack Sunday fashion, here are a few funny bits and pieces to tide you over (tie vs. tide? the link suggests I’m good with tide….)

Six Pack Sunday: My Cousin’s Wedding

1. Oh, do they?

Harsh warning.

Ok, maybe I was reading too much into this one. But doesn’t this just read almost like “They F**k You?”

Well, after a few hours in traffic, feeling a bit loopy, that’s how we all saw it.  Hilarious, at the time.  (Apparently, the translation of Daifuku is great luck. Now you know.)

2. A Dead Ringer… for Ringer!

The lovely Sarah Michelle Gellar was my inspiration for my wedding hairstyle, a la her new show, Ringer.

NAILED IT!

Ok, well I’m no Siobhan or Bridget, but I think I rocked it out. Pin straight, slicked back, feeling like a rockstar.

3. Workout Barbie Bunny

Energizer Bunny coincidence? I think not.

At 10:00 am the morning after the rehearsal dinner/party, my brother and I shocked everyone by heading to the hotel gym. Admittedly, it was a TINY room with a treadmill, an elliptical, and free weights + bench… but that was all we needed. GREAT to get a sweat session in while everyone else was nursing their hangovers.

4. Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey and… Drunky?

The Eighth Dwarf?

I loved the venue of the rehearsal dinner/party. It was held at the Open Door Gastropub in the Financial District of NYC and had an excellent beer selection!! One of my favorites, initially for the name, was La Chouffe, an unfiltered fruity blonde beer. The glass it was served in was for the McChouffe, which they didn’t have on draught, but it was too cute. Friendliest little beer dwarf of all time!!

5. Put a Bird On Stick In It!

Party on a stick!

Skewers, kebobs, kabobs, shish kabobs, meat on a stick… call it what you want to call it, this station was one of the best parts of the reception.  It was simple. Marinated steak/salmon/chicken/veggies, meet sticks. Sticks meet fire. Cooked food, meet my mouth.

Repeat.

6. The Girls with the Bro-staches

With these, we’ll never get carded

Fact: For the duration of a single song (I think it was Love Train), my cousin, Devon, and I wore mustaches. Then we removed them. They were like ghost mustaches… I bet folks wondered if it was just their imagination.  Well, it wasn’t. It was real! It was ALL SO REAL!

What was the best/funniest part of your weekend?

Pure Barre: A Breakdown (by a First Timer)

/ foodsweatandbeers / 38 Comments

Good morning folks!

You’re probably here because you’re interested in this:

(Click for source)

Yup, I tried my very first Pure Barre class yesterday!!

Pure Barre in Chapel Hill, NC recently had a Groupon-esque deal through OurLocalDeal based in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Orange County in general. For $36, I got 4 Pure Barre classes and, after asking around, this is one heck of a deal!!

I’ve been looking for a new exercise method to get me excited about working out again. Well… look no further.  I look excited, right?

Excited, nervous, they’re all the same.

Ok, I’ll shoot you straight: I was actually totally nervous! I’d go so far as to say there were butterflies in my tummy. After reading an INTENSE review of Pure Barre from Lauren of Raw is Sexy, I was ready for the worst. I walked in the studio, accompanied by my buddy, Anne, and, as expected, the studio entrance was chock-full of Lululemon attire for sale, as well as some fancy shmancy Pure Barre socks.  Luckily, I brought my own.

This little piggy went to Pure Barre

I was honestly more nervous, initially, as to what to wear than anything else. Luckily, my ToeSox have little grippy dots on the bottom that are perfect for not slipping and sliding, considering the floor is carpet!!  For some reason, I definitely wasn’t expecting that.

As for what else to wear:

  • Most women were rocking yoga pants, with the occasional legging/crop legging mixed in there (I went for the crop legging). I would NOT recommend wearing shorts, as they could ride up during the seated portion
  • Tank top/tshirt that breathes. You’re going to be sweating a lot, don’t make it worse by over-dressing. Again, I’d recommend a longer length, as there are portions that could lead to riding up.
  • Socks – Grippy dots are helpful, if you’ve got em or have access to them

My instructor asked us to grab some equipment, and I picked up what I needed.

All the Accoutrements for a Pure Barre class!

What you need:

  • Resistance band
  • Mat
  • Ball
  • Weights (2lb set and 3lb set…. but I only ended up using the 2lbs!!)
What I wish I’d brought:
  • Water bottle
  • Towel
  • Another towel (seriously, I was drenched in sweat)
But I managed to make due.
 
The class started out promptly (which I LOVED) and, honestly, the music was much less irritating than most workout classes I’ve taken part of (like, for instance, the BodyPump track featuring none other than…. Nickelback. Blech.)  Within the initial five minutes, I was sweating.
Within the first set of pushups, I was straining.
After the first set of squats at the barre, I was burning.
Not just a little burn.  A burn that felt like the insides of my thighs were literally being hit with a cold blue flame.
We started with some small weight lifting and a few leg actions that were very reminiscent of that time I hated tried pilates. We did pushups, we straightened our legs, and, without fail, I was the first person who was approached by the instructor who fixed my form.

You want me to do what with my butt?

There was a lot to think about, much like pilates. You were tucking your hips in, you were straightening your leg, flexing your foot, pointing your toes, and squeezing balls between your legs (in the least sexual way possible). Despite all the well-dressed ladies looking fierce in their form fitting Lulu gear, I’ll admit, there was NOTHING about this class that looked sexy. That’s not to say that the women didn’t all look gorgeous. But when they’re drenched in sweat, standing on their tiptoes, thrusting their hips back and forth, it’s a lot less sexy than you’d think (who bets someone finds my blog in the future searching “Lulu hip thrust”?)

My thighs and butt definitely felt the most worked out, with my abs feeling the least. The thigh set at the bar was AMAZING! Literal burning, like Icy Hot minus the sexy rubbing that goes on beforehand. Just Pure Burn. The portions where we were squatting and on our tiptoes, working in tiny little thrusts and tucks, I felt like my legs were about to reject the rest of my body and walk away.

They didn’t.

I think, however, I have figured out why the abs weren’t getting their full workout.

Oh, don’t mind me, giant wooden bar. Just trying to workout.

An entire ab set was supposed to be set with us sitting against the wall, and your head/back against the wall. Only, when you’re 6’1″ with a torso that goes on for days, well…. apparently the studio wasn’t ready for that.

My head was literally jammed against the wood of the bar and I couldn’t even turn it straight. It was…. ridiculous. Anne looked over at me and chuckled as I strained to turn and face the instructor (which required a bit of bobbing/weaving around the wood.) It was hilarious, it was distracting, and it was REALLY difficult to adjust accordingly.

Oh well, I guess there aren’t too many tall ballerinas, right?

The tail end of the class focused on…. our tail end.  Lots of booty work including lifts and bridges that pushed the burn out to the last moment of class.  I felt worked the entire time. There were very few breaks, very little arm work, and LOADS of sweat (I think my perspiration may have left watermarks on the bar.)  I felt worked out the whole time.  I feel like the lifting at the beginning was kind of silly and put in there just to make use of those fancy looking weights.  However, the aspect of the ball was CRUCIAL and I think a core part of this Pure Barre method.  The resistance band was best for stretching.

My fanny is sore, my thighs still feel like there’s some creep who’s lighting small fires on them now and then, and I honestly can’t even wait to go back.

Pure Barre Virgin, NO MORE!

What’s been an exercise that’s gotten you excited lately?

Have you ever tried Pure Barre? If so, what do you think? If not, would you want to?

Not Every Occasion is Special

/ foodsweatandbeers / 8 Comments

Good afternoon folks!

It’s a beautiful hazy Tuesday here in the Dirty Durham and I’m enjoying last night’s Gossip Girl as I wolf down last night’s leftover spaghetti squash. It’s even better than it was last night, if that’s possible.  Complimented with that sad little basil plant, spinach, some chopped pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese (and a liberal smattering of crushed red peppers, of course), so flavorful, and so rich.

I didn’t take a picture because honestly, it was a twin to last night’s meal, even served in the same bowl.

I paired the meal with a delicious low-cal dessert.  My old friend, J-E-L-L-O!

Jiggly! (click for source)

I went with the strawberry-kiwi today and it was divine.

For today’s snack, I’m trying something I promised myself I’d never eat. I’ll reveal later how it went, but wish me luck!

In other news, I’ve come to a realization. As I stood on the scale at the gym yesterday, I realized my weight had ballooned and blossomed several pounds since my last check-in.  I tried to think back about this summer and figure out what I did wrong.  Then I remembered.

Aviator Brewery Tour? Fried pickles are a must!

Trip home to the shore? This calls for Charlie's Wings!

Cousin's bridal shower? PIle on the Pizza Dip!

A new beer is released? BEERSHAKES!

Basically, every “occasion”, big or small, has been a “special” occasion for me this summer. It’s been full of wedding celebrations, beer events, and, of course, my birthday! And while I always told myself that I’d never let my weight loss efforts get in the way of enjoying things like food at events.  But when you travel two weekends a month and have at least one beer outing a week, and there are still tailgates, parties, and BBQs to be had, sometimes you need to step back and remember that not EVERY “occasion” is one of those “special occasions” that you promised yourself you wouldn’t miss out on.

It’s okay to indulge now and then, but letting your plans and healthy eating go out the window every time someone announces, “It’s not going to rain this weekend! Let’s get a pizza!” is a bad habit to get into.

It’s a bad habit I got into a lot this summer.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed the heck out of every summer.  But, realistically, I’ve celebrated every moment to the fullest, mostly when it comes to my stomach. It’s no mystery that many of life’s biggest events revolve around special foods (birthday and wedding cakes, homemade meals, tailgate food, etc) but I think that I just needed to remember that the focus wasn’t on just enjoying every last bite of a special meal. It’s about the special occasion itself, and the food can just add to the fun.

Whew.

Okay.

Honestly, that post was mostly for me so, in the meantime, please enjoy this video, shared by Courtney of Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life, which will now embody my future as I play it on repeat.

Do you overeat during special occasions?

Or, for more constructive advice, how do you stop yourself when you seem to just be eating to celebrate?

Kick in the Pants

/ foodsweatandbeers / 15 Comments

Oh whew, made it to the end of Monday.  As I write this, I’m kicking back with my main man, Jason Segel, and the rest of the cast of How I Met Your Mother (one of my favorite Fall tv shows, it’s totally living up to my expectations). Also on Mondays: Gossip Girl, Cake Boss, Hart of Dixie, oi vay.

After I left work, and a weekend of overindulgence, I realized that I needed a little bit of a kick in the pants. See, despite my pipe dreams of Shredding for the Wedding (of my cousin in two weekends!!) and a fairly successful first part of the Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred, I soon realized that the reason I was able to lose over 40 lbs when I initially started going to the gym was just that: I was going to the gym.

While I loved the ability of having a little personal workout studio in my apartment, you know what else is in my apartment?

  • My foods
  • My couch
  • My bed
  • My TV
All of those things, while wonderful, are a not exactly conducive to me sticking with my self-imposed discipline.
Also, while I felt like a PRO at the old Weight Watchers, this new Weight Watchers Plus is confusing and different (well, maybe not, but I’m feeling a little more mentally taxed than usual) and not what I’m good at.  When I stepped on the scale, which was showing a notably higher number than the last time I’d looked at it (weeks ago). Honestly, I just needed to get back to my roots
Those roots included 33 minutes on the cross trainer elliptical (which is like a hybrid of elliptical, stair stepper, and arc trainer) and about 30 minutes on the Precor elliptical.

There's that sweat I know and love

There’s something about getting in a gym, the energy is contagious. I felt like I could go forever but, by the time I had burned an alleged 750 calories, I sweatily drove over to the grocery store to pick up some essentials.

First on my list (since it’s on special at Harris Teeter this week for $0.99/lb!): Spaghetti Squash.

I also grabbed some spinach, mozzarella cheese, apples, cottage cheese (WHAT?! more on that soon, once I try it!), and so many steamed vegetables you could throw a stick at them (please, don’t).

By the time I got home, I was much too tired to even contemplate a full 30-45 minute roasting of the squash, but it’s all I wanted.  Enter: Sarah from Sarah Snacks!

Her microwaving spaghetti squash method worked a charm! I cut it across, not lengthwise as usual, and it cooked completely in 10 minutes!!

Check out those long strands!!

Once it was cooled off, I scooped half into a tupperware for a Tuesday lunch, and tended to the other half in a big ol’ bowl.

I added some DELECTABLE Boar’s Head pepperoni, crushed red peppers, mozzarella cheese, sauteed spinach and several leaves from the remnants of my basil plant (which got hit pretty hard during last week’s storm).

Poor little branches, they didn't stand a chance

I’m so so elated that spaghetti squash is in season again!!

This one time, I lived in Italy for a month, and I think I burned out on pasta so much that spaghetti squash is the first “pasta” like replacement that I love like I used to love the carby noodles!

In the not-too-distant future, I’m hoping to try out the Mexi Spaghetti Squash in the style of Shanna. Always down to diversify my dinner items.

Do you like spaghetti squash? What’s your favorite way of cooking/eating it?

The Scariest Flight of My Entire Life and a Trader Joe’s Treat

/ foodsweatandbeers / 13 Comments

Oh, neat. It’s Monday.

I know, that sounds like the least enthused beginning of a post ever, right?

Well, I’ll be honest, Mondays after traveling to/from home in Pennyslvania are always a little rough. For financial reasons as well as a love of spending Sunday nights watching CSI with my little brother and sister, I like to return to the Raleigh-Durham airport on Monday mornings. Unfortunately, that tends to lead to a 5 am (or earlier) Monday wake-up call.

In case you missed it, you should check out my Six Pack Sunday: The Science of Beer  edition. It’s pretty much one of the coolest beer events I’ve ever experienced in my life.

Luckily, I had a tasty surprise just waiting in the freezer for a Monday where “cooking” was the last thing on my lunch-mind.

A little spice is nice!

4 minutes in the microwave, and you have: Trader Joe’s Green Curry Infused Rice!!

The ingredient list is beautiful: Jasmine rice, green bell pepper, carrots, coconut milk, basil leaves, green curry past, light soy sauce, sugar, sunflower oil, holland chili pepper, and key lime leaves. Not too shabby, right?

While the taste was perfect, I thought it was missing something….

Vegetable Fiesta!

I was craving a few more veggies and had some leftovers in the fridge to add to the mix. Broccoli, mushrooms, red pepper, more carrots, and baby corn!! Add this to the warm, spicy slow burn of a quality curry, and you have yourself a colorful lunch to fuel me through the day!

Chances are, though, if you made it this far, you’re not just interested in my Trader Joe’s mouth-party.  You wanna hear the juice.

This Friday, on my way to Philadelphia, I experienced the absolute scariest flight of my entire life. That’s really saying something, too, considering I fly anywhere from 1-2x a month and have been for almost 3 years now (before then, I flew less frequently, but still more than your average bear. Or person.)

I flew Southwest, as I always do, because it’s fast, it’s cheap, and their seating system rewards aggression.  It’s kill or be killed sit or be sat on, out there, and I was a lucky duck who got a primo windo seat. I had a great book on hand, a handsome boyfriend I was flying to, and a few of these bad boys to whet my whistle…

Drink tickets, anyone? (click for source)

Though there was a bit of rain in the forecast, both in Philly and RDU, the drizzles weren’t getting me down.

Then, as luck would have it, the pilot announced over the intercom system that, due to weather and possible turbulence, there’d be no drink service. AND NO PEANUTS!

That’s a bummer, but really, not the end of the world.  I was peeved (and thirsty), but just trying to get to the PHL.

I sat to read my (incredibly emotional and intense) book and was approximately halfway through the (very smooth) flight when the silence was broken.  It was broken by screaming:

“HELP!! IS THERE A DOCTOR ON THE PLANE?! IS ANYONE A DOCTOR?! OH GOD, IS THERE A DOCTOR?!”

A huge lump surged in my throat as I, along with every other passenger, turned to see a flight attendant running through the aisle, waving her hands.

Having watched thousands of episodes of TV shows where that inevitably means one of a few select tragedies, I was petrified.

Either:

a) we had all just contracted meningitis, a la that very special episode of House

b) there was a terrorist on board, and maybe the president, a la Air Force One

c) there was…. something on the wing. A la Twilight Zone

NBD, just an Airplane Gremlin that wants to eat my heart.

Either way, in my mind, my plane was doomed.

As I watched a white haired fellow (who I’m PRAYING was a doctor) leap out of his seat, seemingly shouting FINALLY! MY DAY HAS COME! with his body language, I prayed to all things holy (and some things unholy, like that airplane gremlin) that my life wouldn’t end on this plane (or before I finished ROOM.)

Then, as suddenly as the screaming began, the silence returned. My fellow passengers and I craned our necks back, hoping for some indication that a life hadn’t ended in the exit row, and that the rest of us weren’t infected. We looked to the flight attendants, who bustled about in an orderly fashion, as if nothing was amiss, plastic smiles glued to their face.

What the FORK AND KNIFE had just happened?

Well, when that grinning attendant strolled over so nonchalantly to collect our trash (though, since none of us had gotten beverages or snacks, there wasn’t much trash to be collected) I gestured for her to come and collect my apple core (a self-brought snack, thank goodness!!

“Excuse me, ma’am, would you mind telling us what all the commotion was about? What happened back there?”

“Oh, don’t you worry sweetheart! It was nothing! Just some fellow who woke up and wasn’t feeling too well, he’s doing fine now.”

…………………………………………….wait. What?

Color me confused

So you mean to tell me that, when someone doesn’t feel too well after groggily waking up on a plane, you race through the aisles screaming bloody murder for a doctor?! Was that in the training somewhere?!

I certainly hope not.

Needless to say, the rest of my day was spent jumping at every loud sound made and clutching my chest at the hint of turbulence.  The train ride, thankfully was a little less adventurous, and, when I finally reached the beau, I hugged him like a spider monkey clinging to a branch mid-tropical storm (factual basis of that statement is up for debate. I don’t know if spider monkeys even live in tropical areas. Just go with it.)

I haven’t started coughing up organs or bleeding from my eyes yet  so I’m pretty sure I’m okay, but just keep an eye on me y’all. If you don’t see somewhat regular tweets and posts, chances are, I’m living out the plot of Contagion.

Either that, or the airplane gremlin got me.

What'd you say your address was, again, Jordan?