This week I’ve been resorting to fairly easy fix ‘er uppers for dinner, mostly because it seems like time is of the essence lately. Is there really ever enough time? Sometimes I have this crazy hope that someday we will be able to freeze time in its tracks, just for a few hours or so to get caught back up. I could see this being a major problem, but it’s always nice to dream!
The wind has greeted us yet again here in the desert, and when it does it really does! I think last night we had gusts up to 63 mph and I thought our townhouse was going to break away from the foundation and take us away like the Wizard of Oz. Well, we’re still here safe and sound, but it hasn’t left much by way of bike riding, especially in the afternoons when it really kicks up.
I tried to get up this morning at 4:15am to ride the trainer, but my body said heck no you crazy person! So I crawled back into bed guilty with myself and unable to fall back asleep anyways, ugh. I did manage about 45 min on the trainer this evening with 15 min of abs and stretching while rockin’ out to my Ludacris station on Pandora 🙂
It looks like it will be slightly windy again tomorrow morning, but Saturday is looking good!!! *fingers crossed* I’m keeping my hopes up for 65 miles to try and break in the bike again to see if I can get used to the new positioning. I think I still need to go back and work on some fitting adjustments though.
On to our dinners so far this week . . .
We are loving TJ’s Soyaki marinade for chicken. It of course isn’t the lowest in sodium, but it sure makes the chicken lip-smacking good!
This time around I sauteed some frozen veggies and microwaved some sweet potatoes to place everything on. I also had 2 chicken potstickers from TJ’s as well. This one was done in a flash!
I also added a splash of light soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and pb to the veggies.
Even though it was windy, the temperature wasn’t too bad, so Chris and I decided to eat outside.
mmm potstickers
Next up on the easy dinner line-up this week was spruced up Annie’s Mac. Love this stuff!
This time around the sauce included:
- cheese pack in box
- 1/4 cup NF Wallaby plain yogurt
- 1/3 cup NF milk
- 2 light garlic and herb Laughing Cow
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- garlic powder, TJ’s 21-seasoning salute + pinch of cayenne
I also sauteed up 8 oz of criminis + 2 zucchini and tossed that in with the mix. Yum! I’ve made several more spruced up Annie’s because it’s pretty darn easy.
And some baked kale chips on the side for crunch.
Sprinkled with a bit of olive oil, kosher salt, garlic powder and parmesan cheese.
~~~~
I won a Kleen Kanteen from Gelareh’s giveaway and I’m super excited to try it out! It looks very sturdy and well made, plus they come in a variety of colors, sizes and tops. Here are some other great things about Kleen Kanteen:
Toxin-free materials
100% stainless environment
Fair labor standards
Refill, reuse, reduce
Eco-friendly & Recycleable
BPA Free Caps
As many of you know Gelareh also raised a great amount of money to benefit the MS Society, while training for the MS-150, and I wanted to share some information about MS with you.
Here are some facts about MS:
- MS is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with a risk in the general population of approximately 1/750.
- Two hundred people are diagnosed with MS every week and more than 2.5 million people are living with this disease worldwide.
- Like other autoimmune diseases, MS is more common in women than men.
- The most common symptoms associated with MS include visual disturbances, balance and walking difficulties, debilitating fatigue, weakness, numbness, and bladder dysfunction.
- While there is currently no cure for MS, there is a great deal a person can do to manage the disease and maintain their quality of life. The best place to start is with reliable information about MS.
Thanks Gelareh! And I’m wishing you a safe knee procedure tomorrow and a super speedy recovery 🙂
Well, that’s about it my lovely readers, I can’t believe tomorrow is Friday, whaaa? I’ve been craving fro yo something fierce so that just may be on the agenda for tonight 😉
What’s your easy din din option?
The sweet potato + chicken + potstickers looks deeelish! Sweet potatoes are my go to food for just about everything: lunch, dinner, dessert… 🙂
Comment by Megan @ The Oatmeal Diaries — April 29, 2010 @ 7:27 pm
Your dinner looks great, I love TJ’s Soyaki. When I’m just too tired to do anything let alone cook, I heat up some of the TJ’s tofu veggie burgers with some grilled onions on a piece of toast. Mmmmm.
Comment by Carrie (Love Healthy Living) — April 29, 2010 @ 8:07 pm
4:15 am?! Crazy!!! How’s the grad work coming?
I’m all about the quick din-dins, too. I don’t really cook ever, though. My staples are hummus, eggs, and big salads. And I have a little secret called frozen veggies. 🙂
Comment by Emily — April 29, 2010 @ 8:22 pm
i still have never made kale chips…i need to get on that.
i am such a dork, i just realized a never updated my google reader to your new page! i just thought you had stopped posting for a while…. all fixed now. love the new site look!
Comment by Tyler — April 30, 2010 @ 5:25 am
i love how you took some easy grocery store finds but STILL made them your own!! semi-homemade!! love it!!
Comment by Naomi (onefitfoodie) — April 30, 2010 @ 5:57 am
Looks like you have pulled together some good eats for the week. Have a good weekend.
Comment by Melinda — April 30, 2010 @ 10:42 am
Oh yum! The chicken looks perfectly cooked, nice!
Some favorite quickie dinners: Joes O’s paired with a quesadilla, veggie burger + sweet potato, Amy’s meals + salad and so many other favorites haha
Comment by runnerforever — April 30, 2010 @ 10:57 am
Yummy and simple meals! I especially like the additions to the mac.
When I’m short on time I can always cound on cooking up some ww pasta with veggies, chicken and a simple sauce. Fast easy and tasty. I plan to work on having more freezer meals ready for me so that when I’m low on time I can just pull something out that’s healthy and delish and super quick.
Comment by Heather @ Get Healthy With Heather — April 30, 2010 @ 12:46 pm
Love your twist on boxed mac and cheese! I like to add roasted brussels sprouts!
Comment by BroccoliHut — April 30, 2010 @ 6:34 pm
I’ve never had Annie’s mac n cheese. I have cooked it for the kids I babysit a lot for but I guess I just assume I wont like it, does it taste fakey like the Kraft stuff, which I used to love, but i dunno if I could stomache anymore..
Comment by Kelly at Local Foodie Fight — May 1, 2010 @ 2:07 pm
Kelly, I used to have that stuff all the time as a kid and my grandma would make me Velveeta lol Is that even real cheese? I think it’s alright on its own, but I always like to add more flavor and texture to it 🙂
Comment by Kristen :) — May 1, 2010 @ 2:34 pm
Love your photos. I went back to bed this A.M. – it IS saturday afterall. For my easy din, I love to make a pot of mashed potatoes and then mash different things into them; today fresh roasted green chilis and cheese with a side salad. A lot of ingredients work. Guessing that your desert is here in AZ where the wind isn’t stopping.
Comment by Tammy — May 1, 2010 @ 3:58 pm
I picked up some of that Annies’ last week…but I think the shells are white? Great site!! And jealous of your workout – stellar! 🙂
Comment by eatmovelove — May 1, 2010 @ 5:00 pm
Your quick dinner looks delicious! I’ll have to find that soyaki sauce next time I am at TJ’s.
I saw your comment on my blog – i use http://www.caloriecount.com to track my nutrition. It’s free and you can even add recipes!
Hope you were able to get out on your bike this weekend!
Comment by Biz — May 2, 2010 @ 6:49 am
Biz, Hey thank you! I like checking out different sites and I already started experimenting. It looks like a neat site! I was planning a longer ride this morning, but the wind had different ideas = / but I managed some intervals at least 🙂 have a good day!
Comment by Kristen :) — May 2, 2010 @ 8:32 am
oh the wind-it is awful for riding. when we lived in reno-yes we lived there from 1998-2008 we would say it was like a blow dryer in the summer. always hot and windy! i wonder if we ever saw each other on a ride there!
Comment by kalli@fitandfortysomething — May 2, 2010 @ 3:06 pm
That mac and cheese dinner looks so amazing. And the side of kale chips? Makes the meal perfect in my opinion! I love quick and easy meals, which taste amazing and have some nutritional benefit.
I hope the wind calmed down for you yesterday! It was windy AND rainy here, for about 4 days straight. It was super depressing. Finally the sun is out!
Comment by The Candid RD — May 3, 2010 @ 4:42 am
One of my friends at work was just diagnosed with MS….so sad 🙁
Your quick suppa’s look amazing to me! Potstickers!? Mmmm! And that chicken looks wonderful and moist!
Comment by Nicole, RD — May 3, 2010 @ 8:33 am
The chicken looks SO yummy! I’ve been gazing at the soyaki marinade in TJ’s on my past few trips – now I’m definite going to pick it up and bring it home! 🙂 Did you bake or pan sear the chicken? Your chicken looks so perfectly cooked!
We almost always have leftover cooked brown rice in the fridge, so I often make vegetable stir-frys and “non-fried” fried rice dishes for a quick one-bowl meal…
I love Pandora radio! 🙂
Comment by Astra Libris — May 3, 2010 @ 10:46 am
Astra Libris,Thanks! yes it makes the chicken really moist and I marinated mine for 1-2 days! We grilled the chicken, actually Chris did, while I was inside getting the other stuff together 🙂 Hope you like it!
Comment by Kristen :) — May 3, 2010 @ 10:50 am
Ah I love potstickers they are so darn tasty, and kale chips too are one of my addictions. My easy dinners usually are some kind of stir fry with tofu or tempeh, or soup and a salad. Wraps are always nice and quick too!
Comment by Michal — May 3, 2010 @ 11:19 am
I really need to save up and invest in a road bike when I return to DC (so I won’t have to ship it from Cali). I’ll have to ask you for some tips/advice later and you can impart upon me your priceless wisdom. I could Google, but why pass up the opportunity to learn from somebody with hands on experience?!
Anyway, my easy din-din is usually something stir-fried. Or some noodle soup. Or some baked french fries. Or a sandwich. Or a salad (usually pasta, corn, or something tossed together). And…hunger is triggered 🙂
OH, I TOTALLY made kale chips for the first time yesterday. And I like them! They’re actually quite good. A bit salty since I didn’t realize how much salt stands out on the veggies, so I’ll add less salt, but man, pretty crunchy and pretty yum.
Comment by Jess — May 3, 2010 @ 1:30 pm
My coworker has a Kleen Kanteen. Let me know how you like it!
Love Annie’s Mac n Cheese. I always try to spruce mine up as well!
I definitely agree with you about freezing time..wouldn’t that be nice!
Comment by Kristen (swanky dietitian) — May 3, 2010 @ 2:48 pm