Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Is it ever going to stop raining??? I began to build an ark today. If I see zoo animals walking down my street, I know we're gonna be in trouble :)

No outdoor activity due to the weather. I'm not one for running in the rain, so I'm waiting for the sun to cooperate so that I can get out there. The elliptical was my workout of choice this morning. I wore my weighted vest and bumped up the resistance for a nice sweaty 40 minutes, then did 30 tricep dips and 15 wall pushups. After my workout, I experimented in the kitchen. I wanted something different for breakfast and I searched through one of my old recipe binders and found a recipe for bulgur cereal. I decided to make a version of that which included these two powerhouse grains...


What developed was Apple Cinnamon Bulgur Cereal. It was so filling and delicious! I am not a big fan of oatmeal, mainly because of the consistency which seems "gluey" to me. This hot cereal recipe is reminiscent of an oatmeal bowl, but with a much better texture. I enjoyed this big 3 POINT bowl very much...


Great texture...

Here's the recipe:
Apple Cinnamon Bulgur Cereal
  • 1 c. water
  • 1 small apple, grated
  • 3 tbsp. bulgur
  • 1 tbsp. oat bran
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  1. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
  2. Cover and cook on low for about 15 minutes or until thickened.

I added a bit of Splenda for sweetness. It was perfect and kept me full for hours. I'd love to experiment with this more and try banana and/or some dried fruits next time!

While I was out running some errands, I bought a new pair of sunglasses and proceeded to wear them the rest of the afternoon. In the rain. I am willing the sun to come out by wearing my new glasses. So far, not working:(

I drove home, in the rain, wearing my new sunglasses and started on some lunch. I went with a Dr. Praeger's Tex-Mex Veggie Burger on an Ezekiel Bun with a little salsa. I had some grapes and a serving of Baked Tostitos with salsa. Another filling 8 POINT lunch...

More volume for a 1 POINT snack...

Dinner was a Cinco de Mayo celebration - tacos! I made beef tacos for the husband and daughters. They were doing the happy dance; they love tacos! I decided to celebrate along wiht them in a "healthier" way. My personal menu was shrimp tacos with mango salsa and black bean soup. I tried this black bean soup from TJ's...

It's organic, vegan and only 2 POINTS per cup. Very tasty!
For the shrimp tacos, I pan-fried 4 oz. shrimp in nonstick cooking spray. I seasoned them with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder and fresh lime. That's it! So easy. I added the shrimp to 2 small La Tortilla Factory Tortillas (50 cal. each) with shredded lettuce, tomato. I topped it off with mango salsa that I made using 1 mango, red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro and/or parsley and fresh lime juice. Muy delicioso 7 POINT dinner...



As you can imagine, I was pretty full from all this. I couldn't help getting in a little sweet, though. TJ's Righteous Rounds hit the spot for 1 POINT...

And a nice cup of coffee with unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze...


I feel good about my eating today. Everytime I was tempted to mindlessly reach for something to snack on, I snapped myself out of it and kept saying...goal....goal....goal....
I gotta get there!
Have a great night and don't forget to enter my fun Dogtoys giveaway!

19 comments:

Kathi said...

Marisa,

The bulgur for breakfast looks great I will have to put that on my list of things to try.
When I decided to incorporate meat protein back into my diet I would love to try the tacos. Thanks for posting some wonderful eats today!!

Kathi

Shawnee said...

You're shrimp tacos look amazing! The mango salsa sounds great too. I made mango pineapple jam the other day. Mmmm mangos@ Keep up the great work!

Anonymous said...

never tried mango salsa..i may have to get couragious and do that.

Beth said...

Hi, Marisa - I've been following your blog for a few weeks now. I love your food reviews and daily pictures. I had to comment today because you mentioned it raining again. I feel like I live in London! The fact that you live in PA (so do I) made it much more clear why we were experiencing the same weather!

superbecca said...

hurray shrimp tacos...it's nice to see bloggers celebrating cinco de mayo. Canadians don't really get into that particular holiday...at least the ones I know.

Grace said...

Sounds like we are in the same "boat." It has been raining like crazy for 2 days here in Seattle.

BTW...I try not to look at your wonderful food pictures...they are too tempting and make me hungry. :-)

Reen said...

Oh, those shrimp tacos sound great! I must try that. The concept of willing the sun out by wearing sunglasses in the pooring rain is a visual that just made me smile from ear to ear!

thewwchick said...

I love Marisa and her fabulous looking shrimp tacos!

Kelly the Happy Texan said...

That breakfast looks so good! I need to branch out from oatmeal.

Oh and those shrimp tacos and salsa look delightful. I should have gone to your house for dinner! I guess I'd have to bring a canoe to get there though. ;-)

A Daunting Tale of Scale Warfare said...

My mouth is watering for shrimp tacos. GOING ON THE MENU IMMEDIATELY!

I actually have a box of the Black Bean Soup from TJ's. They had it with the other soups and broths in the boxes, but have yet to try it. Looks so yummy!

Anonymous said...

Everything looks so delicous. I wish we had a trader joes nearby! I may have to take the 1 1/2 hour trip to Indianapolis just to go to one! Love the shrimp tacos. Great idea.

Angela Power said...

What a great day you had! YUM-OOOO!!!

Di said...

You are making me hungry ! And check out my blog- you have been awarded !

Thinspired said...

Hi there! I'm not a fan of running in the rain, either! It's just not worth it to me. The gym will do just fine on those days, right?
Breakfast looks great...bulgur is one wholegrain I have yet to try!

Danica's Daily said...

Great job Marisa! I LOVE that Tj's soup and your tacos look fabulous. WTG at using your "goal" phrase to keep you away from mindless munching.

Beadie @ What I Ate Yesterday said...

Just found your blog and wanted to say hi!! I look forward to following your posts!

Wendy said...

looks like another great day! i am not sure about the bulgar breakfast, i dont even know where i would find those ingredients! that is why i love reading your blog, you always have great ideas and great food finds!

KK @ Running Through Life said...

Yum for your food choices!!!
Great job on the workouts. I too am not a huge fan of running in the rain....unless it is a nice warm rain!!!

katecooks said...

man, that is one good looking dinner!!! i love those 50-cal tortillas, i think i say that every time you use them :)