Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Cooking In The Infirmary

The infirmary is open.  The husband and daughters are sneezing and snotting all over the place.  Won.der.ful.  Big daughter stayed home from school, but since the husband was home, I was able to get in a quick stint at the gym.  Before I left, I grabbed breakfast to-go:  Banana Walnut Breakfast Cookie topped with PB2

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I came up with the cookie recipe the other day and tried it out on the daughters.  They were a big hit;  big daughter ate 2!  They are quite large and very hearty.  I can’t share the recipe with you, yet.  You’ll have to wait to “buy the book” –LOL!  I’m submitting it for Jen’s awesome e-cookbook that she’s putting together for charity, so stay tuned for more info!

After munching down my cookie, I headed straight for the elliptical for a decent 15 minutes.  My friend, Coleen, wanted to bravely try out another contraption, so I went along for the ride.  And a ride it was… The Arc Trainer!!  I have aptly renamed it The Brutalizer.  It is one tough workout.  I did 20 minutes on it and was dripping with sweat.  It was great!  Definitely my new favorite machine.  I threw in a couple sets of lower body exercises with the weights and I started home to the infirmary.  Hack, hack, sniffle, sneeze.  UGH!  On the way, I couldn’t shake a strong craving for an old friend…Starbucks!  I know I shouldn’t have…I really, really shouldn’t…been doing so great being “off” coffee.  But, the Pumpkin Spice Latte was just too hard to resist…

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I missed it sooooo much…

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Yes, I realize that when you kiss your coffee cup, it’s 1) extremely weird and 2) a sign you have a major problem.  *cue Amy Winehouse*  I don’t want to go to rehab, I say noooo, nooooo, noooo.  :)  It was so good!  I spread the happiness by bringing big daughter a Mocha Frappuccino for her sore throat and she was thrilled!  See?  Spreading the love….

So, when I am stuck in the house with a bunch of sickies, what do I do??  Cook.  And Eat.  But, I mainly chose cook  and I decided it would be healthy, so that’s a step in the right direction!  Ever since seeing this amazing recipe for Big Batch Bulgur Chili on Just Sweet Enough’s blog,  I knew I had to try it.  It was easy, delicious and made a ton!

I had a hearty bowl for lunch…

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with a side of Barbeque POPchips

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Yum!  And I have plenty left over that I portioned out for quick heat and eat lunches or dinners…

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Little daughter had dance class in the afternoon, so dinner was a crockpot concoction.  I never have much luck with my crockpot meals (too dry/overdone), but I thought I’d try it again.  I pre-browned some chicken thighs and placed it in the crockpot with a little white wine, chicken broth, garlic, lemon zest, s +p and some chopped red peppers.  It was all ready when we got home.  I nuked up a steamer bag of red potatoes and organic corn and dinner was done!

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My plate…

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And again, I have some leftovers for another time when I don’t feel like cooking.  Which might be sooner rather than later because I think they got me.  The sickies.  I’m feeling a little…ACHOOOOO!  Boo :(

ONE GOOD THING:  Making extra food and freezing it leaves me with lots of good, healthy options for times I don’t feel like cooking or just need to grab something quick.

Question of the Day:  What are your favorite “cook and freeze” meals?

18 comments:

thewwchick said...

1) I'm speechless over the coffee / kissing picture.

2)It's not often that I'm speechless, Marisa. I really have a lot to say most of the time.

3) My speechlessness is probably due to envy over not thinking of kissing a coffee cup first.

4) I now know that we are soul sisters when it comes to our love for java.

5)Rock on!

Laura@FindingAHealthyBalance said...

Hey, I found your blog through Caitlin's (Healthy Tipping Point) and I like it alot......especially since I know how it feels to TRIM THE FAT as you are doing!

I too was in the 200's (246 pounds at my highest) and my GOAL weight was also 145 pounds! =) I have finally reached that goal as of August 2009!

It took me "4" years but I finally did it.....and I know you can as well, you are so close!

Keep up the good work, I will follow your progress.

=) Laura

http://findingahealthybalance.wordpress.com/

Sweetie Pie said...

That cookie looks awesome! I can't wait for the recipe!!

I'm so glad you liked the bulgur chili. :-) Thanks for the shout out!

Having a freezer stocked with healthy options is the best! I'd rather have a homemade frozen dinner than one that I buy from the store any day. I'm jealous of your freezer right now. Mine doesn't have any bulgur chili in it, and I need to fix that problem soon!

I hope everyone feels better ASAP! Take good care of yourself.

Dawn (HealthySDLiving) said...

haha I would kiss that coffee if I had it as well! I have yet to get the Pumpkin Spice Latte and I'm dying for it!

Shhhhh said...

Love the kissing pic! That needs to be your new profile pic. hehehe

The cookie looks sooooo good. Mail me some, would ya'.

I'm not good at cooking and freezing meals. Maybe I should start. Hmmmm...

Shhhhh said...

Oh, and hope the sickies get better soon!

Di said...

Kissing a coffee cup...you mean there is something wrong with this ????

My favorite things to cook and freeze are breakfast burritos, sloppy joes, soups without pasta and great big batches of sausage sandwiches for my hubby's lunch.These things have proven to be a real lifesaver to me !

As to the crockpot, I have found chicken does no work so well but pork anything does amazingly well

Graze With Me said...

Just wanted to say hi, I've been reading your blog for a few weeks now and have added you to my blogroll.

I love the looks of that cookie, esp. covered in PB2!

Chili has always been one of my favorite cook and freeze meals. I've never really been able to get crock pot recipes right either but yesterday I found an iPhone app dedicated to just slow-cooker recipes. I've already got a few lined up to try so I'll let you know if there are any winners. There's even a recipe for crock pot pizza...

Diane, Fit to the Finish said...

My favorite cook & freeze meals are:
minestrone soup
wild rice chicken
vegetarian lasagne
baked spinach linguine

I love the coffee cup picture! Everytime I make coffee it makes me happy!

Amanda said...

Love the kissing coffee pic! lol

I myself am not a coffee drinker, don't like the taste, don't even like the frapps and stuff if it has ANY coffee taste at all!

I do however, sometimes get a nonfat Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks when I want to spend the money (and points)!

I should make and freeze stuff more often. I'm a single person, no kids and it's really nice to have things to just heat and eat!

Kyle and Darci said...

You are too cute...the kissing picture made me laugh!! :)

And can't wait to hear about the breakfast cookie!!

My favorite recipe to freeze is pri chili...that is about the only I've done anyway...but would love to find some more that work well!!

Hope the sickies don't get you!!

Lori said...

Haha - I took a picture of myself kissing a latte a couple weeks ago. Glad to know I am not the only crazy coffee lady out there :D

Di said...

Oh Marissa , you are an "evil temptress" !!! I keep thinking about you kissing your coffee cup all day and i am now on my third cup of coffee as a result. And as I drink it I repeat my personal battle cry- they will have to pry the mug out of my dead, frozen hand !!!!

janetha said...

two favorite things in this post: kissing the coffee & renaming the arc trainer! and my one good thing I SOLD MY CAR booya. xoxoxo to you!

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

I have been wanting to get a Pumpkin Spice Latte for weeks now! Too bad I couldn't just reach into the laptop and take yours right out of your hand... ;) Just kidding. But I think seeing it all over the blogworld is a sign for me to get my own, don't you think?!???

My favorite meals to freeze are soups. I think they freeze well, and there is nothing better than a nice bowl of homemade soup... :)

Michelle @ A Shade of Gray said...

I am going to have to try one of those Pumpkin Spice Lattes! Everyone raves about them. As soon as this weather drops below 80 (it's been in the upper 90s!), I am getting one!

Bolognese sauce is usually my #1 freezer meal. I like that I can put it over pasta, rice or on a bun like a sloppy joe.

Marisa @Loser for Life said...

Heather - *singing* hey sista, soul sista, soul sista, soul sista...LOL!!!

Laura@FAHB - Welcome!!! Thanks for your kind words and CONGRATS on reaching your goal! That is amazing! I appreciate that you said it took you 4 years, that makes me feel inspired b/c I often get "hung up" on the "how long it's taking me" stuff!

Sweetie Pie - LOVE IT! The best chili ever!

Dawn - Pumpkin spice latte is very kissable ;)You'll love it!

TJRenee - especially with your big family, you should try it!

ISF - LOL! Okay, I'm glad I'm not the only one!!! I'll def have to try more pork in the crocker!

Graze with me - Welcome! Thanks so much for commenting and yes, I would love to know if you find any keeper crockpot recipes!

Diane,FTTF - those all sound great!

Amanda - yes, Starbuck does put a huge dent in the wallet and potentially the waist, if you're not careful!

Kyle and Darci- I think chili is one of the best to freeze, too!

Lori - LOL! I missed that one! I'll have to go back through your site and look now - coffee kissers unite!

Janetha - Yay for selling your car - AWESOME!

Andrea - yes, go get one!!!

Michelle - Oooh, I love Bolognese sauce; great idea! My Gram makes a rockin one :)

lynn said...

i cook and freeze everything....sometimes it doesn't turn out so well! but soups and stews are my faves.