Tag Archives: nuts

Ladybugs for Lunch

Posted on by
1

Today has been quite an off day!  My work schedule was changed from 12:00 to 7:oo for Parent Conference and Record’s Day.  So I woke up later than my usual 5:15 a.m. time.  After waking up, I was undecided as to whether I wanted a savory breakfast versus a sweet breakfast.  I thought, “Why not have both?”  Accordingly, I made an egg to put on one half of my sandwich thin and topped the other half with a smear of natural peanut butter and half of a sliced pear.

Jamie's Shower 006

I also had a cup of hot black tea.

Jamie's Shower 004

Savory Egg Over Medium

Jamie's Shower 003

Sweet Pear and Peanut Butter

Lunch was off as well!  At work today, myself and the other 4th grade teachers threw a baby shower for one of our coworkers.  Her theme for the baby’s room is “ladybugs” so we kept the shower in the same theme.

Jamie's Shower 007

Jamie's Shower 008

Ladybug Red Hot Favors

Jamie's Shower 011

Meet Jamie!  Her baby girl is due in November; I’m looking forward to meeting Isabella Grace!  What a pretty name!!Jamie's Shower 020

We decided not to have any snack foods other than the cake because we figured most ate before coming in at 12:00 and teachers would probably want to get work done in their rooms while they had some spare time without children.  Nonetheless, the shower was a joyful event—even though the surprise did not go quite as planned. ;)

Since I didn’t eat lunch at home (though I did bring some, just didn’t eat it) I ate some cake.

Jamie's Shower 029

And more cake!  This was my first piece, but I did get another slice about the same size.  It was so moist and delicious I just couldn’t resist!  So I had the ladybug cake and called it my lunch.  Someone actually made a comment saying, “I bet you didn’t eat any.”  “Oh yes I did; I ate two slices!”  My rice and veggies from last night’s dinner will be consumed at tomorrow’s lunch.

I did eat the snack I packed in my lunch at my 3:00 break.

Jamie's Shower 044

Other half of pear from breakfast + Mixed Nut Remnants + Several Diet Cokes from Shower

I didn’t get home from work until nearly 8:00, so I wanted a quick fix for dinner.  I ate some baked potato fries with olive oil, sea salt, and red wine vinegar that were roasted for 25 minutes at 400*.  I also had a Boca Veggie Burger on a sandwich thin with lettuce, pickles, mustard, and ketchup.  No picture was snapped because my camera had an off day as well!  The battery life  was 3/4 full, but it went dead every time I tried to take the picture. 

Now my computer is about to shut off, so I gotta go!  Plus my Saint’s are playing! :)

X’s and O’s, Anything Goes

Posted on by
4

I awoke once again to the sounds of the rain.  It seems as though someone up above is trying to remind us of the horrid Hurricane Katrina that devastated many lives five short years ago.  Thankfully, my family and I did not have to undergo any major effects of the torrential flooding.    To start my day on a more refreshing note, I began with a cold bowl of cereal composed of 1 cup shredded oats, 1/4 cup apple cinnamon o’s, a handful of frozen blueberries, and a cup of almond milk.  On side–a hot cup of tea.

Putting my desperation of needing to get to the grocery store aside, lunch was an anything goes kind of a meal.

Almond Butter + Blackberry Spread on Whole Grain Bread

Surprisingly, this was a satisfying lunch enjoyed in the comforts of my classroom.  Though it was not anything special, it conveniently allowed me to take a working lunch as there was no need for a microwave and I highly needed to get some tests graded.  I even saved my apple for an after school snack due to my sammie being so fulfilling.

Apple consumed after work.

Unfortunately, I forgot my workout clothes, so had to go home straight from work. :(  Fortunately,  I made it home safely! :)  The streets were nearly flooded and I could hardly see due to the pelting rain.   In addition to my fuji apple, I had a handful of some mixed nuts when I got home.

That all too elusive question then popped in my head–what’s for dinner?  I knew I wanted to do something with ground turkey breast because earlier in the day I texted my hubby to ask him to take it out of the freezer.  I then remembered Julie of PB Fingers mentioning a BBQ meatloaf in her post last week.  I did not have all of the ingredients necessary to make her Cooking Light version, but knew I wanted to use my ground turkey to make a BBQ Turkey Meatloaf of my own.  So I pulled out all of the ingredients I wanted to incorporate into my loaf.

Ingredients

BBQ Turkey Meatloaf

1-1 1/2 lbs. lean ground turkey breast

1 medium bell pepper, chopped (from our garden)

1 tbsp. minced garlic

2 tbsp. hickory smoked mustard (dijon mustard may work too)

10 splashes of worcestershire sauce (more if desired)

1 whole egg

1/2 c plain bread crumbs

1 tbsp. onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c BBQ sauce

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Spray loaf pan with nonstick spray.  Mix all ingredients except for BBQ sauce; hands work best.  (You may opt to add some of the BBQ sauce in the meat mixture or just put on as topping before putting in the oven as I did.)  Once mixed, put into loaf pan.  Top the loaf with BBQ sauce.  Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until thermometer inserted reads 165*.

**Ground turkey has a distinct flavor, so you may want to alter the amounts of seasonings/sauces above to suit your taste.  Or, you may want to substitute lean ground beef which would work just as well, but cooking time may vary.**

Pre-Bake

The loaf was baking away; meanwhile, I peeled, chopped, and boiled two sweet potatoes to be used for mashed sweet potatoes.

Boil until fork tender and drain.

I then went to the archives and pulled out what was a wedding gift to my mom and dad 30 years ago–a mixer.

30 Years Old and Still Runs Like a Charm

I received one of my own at my wedding, but it just doesn’t work as well as this one.

To the drained, chopped sweet potatoes I added:

1/2 cup of almond milk

2 tbsp. Brummel & Brown Yogurt Spread

1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract

1 tsp. of cinnamon

1 tbsp. of honey

I then whipped the potatoes until a desired consistency was reached.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Final Eats= BBQ Turkey Meatloaf + Mashed Sweet Potatoes +Steamed Brussel Sprouts

X and Os on a Plate ;)

As I was plating this, it reminded me of X O X O X O.  Funny how our minds relate to things–especially now having a blog I seem to find things throughout my day that I can relate to foods or other events in my lifetime.  Starting the blog has not just opened my eyes to healthy eating and living.  It has opened them to the world around me.  It makes me find the joys of my days, albeit small joys, rather than dwell on the negatives.

Question of the Night:  If you have your own blog, how has blogging changed your life?  And for those who simply enjoy reading blogs, how has reading them changed yours?

I look forward to hearing your responses. :)

XOXO,

Melissa

Related Articles